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How to Invest at a Record High
Mar 6th 2013 10:34AM
Updated Mar 6th 2013 10:36AM
It finally happened. The stock market hit a new record high, and now, everyone's fighting about whether it marks the end of an impressive bull market or just the beginning of a much larger one. Yet while it's the job of financial television to turn every daily move into a media event, your investing strategy needs to last not just for today or tomorrow but next year and for the rest of your life. With stocks at unprecedented lofty heights, what's the right move for your money?
Fighting the urge to do something different
For those of you who already have a solid investing plan, the answer is likely nothing at all. The best plans include strategies that focus less on daily valuations and more on long-term trends. So although seeing stocks at record highs might trigger a minor event like a rebalancing of your portfolio in order to moderate risk, it likely wouldn't include major changes to the makeup of your investments, either in the direction of wholesale selling out of the stock market entirely or in plowing all your spare cash into stocks in hopes of another leg up in the bull run.
Unfortunately, millions of investors don't have a solid investing plan. With the market's meltdown back in 2008 and 2009 having scared many of those investors out of stocks entirely, the past four years have been a missed opportunity. Waiting for a long-awaited pullback has proven to be a fruitless hope, as stocks have moved higher with only brief pauses along the way.
So if you're assessing what to do in light of the Dow's record run, here are a few ideas for you to consider.
Tip 1: Figure out a path to an investment portfolio with acceptable risks.
The simplest way to invest is using an asset-allocation strategy that divides your money across different types of investments. By keeping a mix of all of those -- with higher allocations to stocks for more aggressive investors and lower ones for more conservative investors -- you can give yourself a course to follow throughout your investing career.
Admittedly, every investment has risks right now. For stocks, valuation is a concern, even though corporate profits are also at all-time highs. Bonds may seem safer, but the threat of higher interest rates could make today's bond buyers regret their timing. Even cash has risk, as trends toward dollar devaluation compared to other currencies and rock-bottom interest rates that don't even keep up with inflation slowly erode your purchasing power.
Once you've decided on the right mix of investments, the next step is to figure out what you need to buy and sell to implement it. If you're cash-rich but nervous about the market, take more time to ramp up your stock exposure, making new investments on a regular, repeated basis rather than buying in a single lump sum. If you're more comfortable with a one-and-done approach, though, then don't hesitate to do the lump sum -- historically, it has proven to be the better move more often than not.
Tip 2: Even in a high market, there are still bargains.
Just because a major benchmark hits a high doesn't mean that everything is expensive. Shopping in beaten-down corners of the market can unearth smart buys.
One such area involves commodities. The global slowdown has indiscriminately hammered many promising companies in the energy and natural-resources areas, as fears of overproduction and supply gluts have created overhangs in formerly hot markets. But if the market's highs accurately reflect an economic rebound, then the best companies in these sectors should flourish. National Oilwell Varco stands to benefit from greater levels of energy-related activity, as it will mean selling more of the pipe and other drilling supplies it provides for exploration and production companies. Similarly, Joy Global and Caterpillar stand to gain from higher demand for the heavy equipment that mining companies need in order to unearth natural resources. Yet all of those stocks trade well off their yearly highs and have reasonable valuations to boot.
If you don't like commodity-related plays, you can find other opportunities. The key is to start thinking like a value investor and realize that pockets of good value still wait to be discovered.
Tip 3: Trim unsustainable high-flying stocks.
Conversely, if the market has bid up a stock beyond belief, trimming down your position makes sense -- but only if you think its gains are unsustainable.
Too often, investors ignore that caveat and end up selling a high-flying stock early in its cycle. Countless times, priceline.com presented investors with compelling reasons to sell out, most notably during the big recession in 2008 and 2009. Yet the company's competitive advantage persisted, leading it to much greater gains than its industry peers.
So don't sell automatically just because stocks are at record highs. The best reason to sell is a threat to your long-term investing thesis behind the stock.
Keep calm and invest on
The market's at a record high, but what happens next is anyone's guess. The best thing to do now is to get a plan that you can follow not just today but well into the future, no matter which direction stocks move.
National Oilwell Varco is perhaps the safest investment in the energy sector due to its industry-leading market share. To help determine if the stock is a nice fit for your portfolio, check out our premium research report with in-depth analysis on whether National Oilwell Varco is a buy today. For instant access to this valuable investor's resource, simply click here now and claim your copy today.
Tune in every Monday and Wednesday for Dan's columns on retirement, investing, and personal finance. You can follow him on Twitter @DanCaplinger.
The article How to Invest at a Record High originally appeared on Fool.com.Fool contributor Dan Caplinger has no position in any stocks mentioned. The Motley Fool recommends National Oilwell Varco and Priceline.com. The Motley Fool owns shares of National Oilwell Varco and Priceline.com. Try any of our Foolish newsletter services free for 30 days. We Fools may not all hold the same opinions, but we all believe that considering a diverse range of insights makes us better investors. The Motley Fool has a disclosure policy.
Copyright © 1995 - 2013 The Motley Fool, LLC. All rights reserved. The Motley Fool has a disclosure policy. | <urn:uuid:8e334333-ca62-4af3-bfef-f147ea1eb58d> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.dailyfinance.com/2013/03/06/how-to-invest-at-a-record-high/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368697380733/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516094300-00003-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.95479 | 1,328 | 1.515625 | 2 |
General College, University of Minnesota
Thomas Brothen currently teaches general psychology and the psychology of human development at the General College of the University of Minnesota. He also teaches introductory psychology in the Department of Psychology, and research and methods in the College of Education. His research interests include developmental education, student performance and academic progress, and computer-assisted instructional methods. Brothen is the author of two books and nine study guides related to the teaching of general psychology, and he has written over 60 journal articles and book chapters, including 30 specifically related to teaching psychology with the Personalized System of Instruction in a computer-based environment.
Brothen received his PhD in social psychology from the University of Minnesota in 1976, focusing on interpersonal attraction in his early research program. He has used computers in teaching since 1974, when he developed a mainframe computer exercise on experimental methods for his introductory psychology class.
His passion outside of the university is working on his family tree farm in Northern Minnesota. A lifetime Minnesotan, Brothen currently lives in Plymouth, a suburb northwest of Minneapolis.brain teaser gamesbest pc gameskids gameshidden objects gamesmarble popper gamessimulation gamestime management games | <urn:uuid:dbef5301-7785-4cbd-aa7c-d812d7fa8666> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.technologysource.org/author/thomas_brothen/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368710006682/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516131326-00032-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.952228 | 238 | 1.5 | 2 |
U.S. Green Technology specializes in connecting job seekers interested in green-collar job or a position with a company with sustainable business practices, U.S. Green Technology provides opportunities at all skill levels and varying industries. Search in one of the popular searches above!to quality employers. Whether you are looking for a specific
Although the idea of solar jobs usually generates images of solar panels and their technicians in the minds of many, plenty of other skill sets are needed to land a solar job. You don’t necessarily have to be good with your hands to claim a job in this booming industry. You also have a chance at success if you’re not all that great in the area of sales.
Here are a couple of professional certifications that allow you tap into other parts of your brain –perhaps other stronger areas of the brain for you – and give you just as high of a chance of entering a solar job without having to resort to working out in the field. They are perfect for the employee who prefers to work behind the desk in the solar industry.
Believe it or not, account managers are one of the most commonly advertised job positions for solar industry skills. This is because although a solar company has people who market its products, others who manufacture them, and others who directly sell them, the company still needs people who are equipped to manage all of the revenues that flow in from solar product sales. To increase your chances of landing a job as an account manager, you should pursue your Certified Public Accountant (CPA) designation. This requires that you complete your bachelor’s degree and pass the Uniform CPA Exam. If you like math and are good numbers, this field is right for you.
Six Sigma Green Belt
Even if you don’t see yourself actively manufacturing solar panels, you can be the one behind the process of manufacturing them using Six Sigma methodology. A Six Sigma Green Belt is a person who has been trained on the Six Sigma process of streamlining functions, eradicating defects and increasing operating efficiency at a company. When certified as a Six Sigma Green Belt, you can lead projects after receiving 10 days of training and passing an exam. The role of a project manager – just like that of an account manager – is one of the most regularly advertised job titles in the solar job world.
For help with writing your resume, networking with employers, and finding your perfect solar job, visit the Career Builder Resource Center at U.S. Green Technology right away!
About U.S. Green Technology
U.S. Green Technology was established in January of 2009. U.S. Green Technology‘s mission is to share news and information about the latest advancements in green technologies and green jobs. U.S. Green Technology‘s areas of coverage include providing information on green social media campaigns, changes in green business, spread of the green movement throughout entertainment, green technological invention, new green start-ups, green manufacturing, green building, and green jobs. U.S. Green Technology recently launched a new free business directory for companies to promote their products and services. U.S. Green Technology also offers a green jobs board, powered by Simply Hired, for employers to post green jobs for job seekers interested in careers in the green jobs industries such as clean energy, renewable fuels information technology, green building and green transportation. | <urn:uuid:49e738ce-e5a6-412a-8be1-d2d8180f2c89> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://usgreentechnology.com/green-jobs-blog/solar-jobs-certifications-that-will-boost-your-success-behind-the-desk-in-solar/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368710006682/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516131326-00001-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.946904 | 684 | 1.632813 | 2 |
If you are set for a multi-day vacation spree outside the country, finding a way to call home could be a struggle if you are not prepared. Many countries still do not have widespread Internet access, sometimes even no Internet (or phones) at all.
There are many ways to call loved ones at home while you are out of the country that are not only convenient, but also cost close to free.
Skype – This software can be installed easily on your laptop and can be spotted in many Internet cafes around the world. Skype allows you to make calls through the Internet for as little as 2 cents a minute, depending on where you call. It is very advisable to bring your own headset so you do not have to worry about broken or dirty headsets on Internet cafes. Also, look for Internet cafes during off-peak hours and make sure you log off of Skype before leaving.
Localphone – This service works similarly to Skype, enabling you to call family and friends via the Internet. The difference with Localphone.com is that it offers much cheaper international call and text rates. Calls to United States costs just half a cent per minute, regardless where you are calling from. Students even get a bonus for funding their account. It is available on both iPhone and Android smartphones.
Calling cards – Many countries offer prepaid calling cards that allows you to call home using a local landline or smartphone. Although its basic rates are low, check if they provide even lower rates on off-peak hours. Also, certain phones require specific cards and check whether rates are increased if calls are made from mobile phones and pay phones. These can be bought in convenience stores
The callback trick – This calling service is one of the oldest tricks in the book. First, call the callback service such as GlobalTel, using a unique provided number, and let it ring one time before hanging up. Once the phone rings back, answer it and call the usual way. Note that callback services are banned in some countries.
Mobile phones – Making calls from your smartphone, through your usual wireless carrier, can be very expensive. This is why many travelers opt to buy simpler, unlocked, cell phones packed with local prepaid SIM cards. Load your SIM cards conveniently through phone credit stores and call home using international call rates imposed by the card’s carrier, which is usually cheaper.
Source: Start Backpacking | <urn:uuid:73118948-885d-4981-8aa5-af5132783bec> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.dreamlife.com/travel-leisure/travel-guide/travel-essentials/how-to-call-home-from-abroad/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368710006682/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516131326-00018-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.944495 | 481 | 1.757813 | 2 |
This paper analyses the distributional equality of individual Scottish Government-administered payments in 2008 under CAP Pillars One (single farm payments) and Two (rural development measures) and in total, in terms of economic, social and spatial factors. The analysis shows that 94% of all payments were paid to claimants in core rural areas (94%) while only a few (5%) claimants resided in urban areas or outside of Scotland (1%). However, in both Pillars, claims made by urban residents were often higher than those made by rural dwellers. The Ordinary Least Squares spatial analysis shows that the level of payments was extremely dependent on the geographical location and natural conditions. Spatial factors describing the economic situation in the area of the claimant were significantly related to the level of the CAP amounts paid. Overall, the level of amounts paid was positively related to the natural, economic and social structures of the area of residence. The discussion tackles the question of whether the current system of farm income support by decoupled payments should be developed into a poverty payment system. | <urn:uuid:414ebd30-1f41-4eef-9a0a-46997f4a6d8e> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://econpapers.repec.org/paper/agsaesc11/108958.htm | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368701459211/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516105059-00022-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.970832 | 214 | 1.726563 | 2 |
The Internet has made the world a smaller place. Instantly, everything - and everyone - in the world is practically at your fingertips.
This definitely applies when you find out that you aren't the only you - there's another you out there somewhere, your digital double. A digital double is someone (or something) with your same name that exists in cyberspace.
For example, Warren's Mayor Michael O'Brien, when searching for news about ... himself, may stumble into the Web page for Mayor Michael O'Brien of Winooski, Vt., or Canadian Councillor Michael O'Brien of New Brunswick. Seems like many Michael O'Briens get into politics. Also, it's probably safe to say that Jim Traficant of Florida, vice president of Harris Corporation's Healthcare Solutions, is tired of jokes about his hair. His name comes up in Google searches for the former congressman. U.S. Rep. Timothy J. Ryan would find that Timothy Ryan is also an assistant professor of biological anthropology, geosciences, and information sciences and technology at Penn State University. Dr. Timothy P. Ryan is chancellor of the University of New Orleans, and Timothy E. Ryan is a retired NFL defensive lineman and is now working as an NFL analyst.
The same goes for places. Want to learn more about the famous Hot Dog Shoppe? First you have to weed your way through Web sites about the Hot Dog Shoppe in California (complete with the old-timey "shoppe" spelling), or the one in Beaver, Pa.
Running into another Joe Somebody online can be interesting, in terms of finding a kinship with others who grew up with the same name, had the same nicknames, and wore the same monogrammed sweater from Grandma as you.
The connection can also run a lot deeper. Witness: The Jim Smith Society.
Jim Smiths the world over can all belong to this exclusive club, which has a Web site (www.jimsmithsociety.com), annual meetings, and even a motto ("We don't shun fun!"). In a 2008 interview with the Tribune Chronicle, Jim Smith of East Berlin, Pa., told of the perks of being amongst other Jim Smiths. The group uses the Web site to stay in touch with the Jim Smiths and to recruit new Jim Smiths. There's no shortage of Jim Smiths to be found online.
Looking online for a same-name match can end in more than just a good time, however. This year, two Kelly Hildebrandts - one boy, one girl - met while searching their own names on Facebook, and now plan to marry.
Having a digital double can also be a headache. For example, if you want to start a Web site about yourself or your business, your digital double may have taken the domain name. If you want your e-mail address to contain your name, you may have to get creative with punctuation and numbers (ex.: "k8lyn_smith"). Opportunists known as "cybersquatters" will buy up e-mail addresses and Web domain names of common names so that rightful owners of that name will pay big bucks to get them. Walmart, Nike and Apple have all had Twitter names taken by people who definitely aren't the CEOs, but hope to cash in on their quick action. Pop idol Madonna took a cybersquatter to court to get rights to the domain name www.madonna.com. The average Joe might not be so lucky.
Same goes for social networking sites. Nick Jonas, 23-year-old college student, had a barrage of Facebook friend requests coming in his inbox on the social networking site, all from girls thinking he was the same Nick Jonas of the screamworthy Jonas Brothers. College Nick Jonas would often have his account shut down while his mom was getting dozens of phone calls from fans. Through a twist of fate, College Nick Jonas was eventually able to get backstage and meet Superstar Nick Jonas and tell him his tale of woe.
How can you find out if you have a digital double? Go to www.howmanyofme.com to find out. This writer performed a search of her first and last name on the site and found out that "one or fewer" people in the United States has the same name. Good to know. There are, however, at least 215 Dave Thomas-es according to the site. Facebook is also full of Dave Thomases, around 500 of them, some of which are fan sites for the late Wendy's founder.
It may be easy to find a double with the same name, but what about the same face? Coca-Cola has a program through Facebook to find your actual double. The program scans photos of you available on your Facebook profile and uses them to find another user who looks like you. You can also upload a photo from your files or from a web cam to find a more accurate match.
So, if you go looking for your digital double, good luck - it may end up a bust, or you may end up forming a club, getting married or getting a lawyer. | <urn:uuid:59e6dc88-70e5-4615-8d1c-c967d55f8bc0> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.tribune-chronicle.com/page/content.detail/id/529160/Digital-Doubles.html?nav=5157 | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368706890813/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516122130-00005-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.957297 | 1,057 | 1.625 | 2 |
Personal Fashion Style
...Guide to Developing Your Own Unique Personal Style"
Let me begin by saying that finding your personal fashion style is about getting to know yourself. It's about being connected with the very essence of who YOU are - and be confident about it!
So WHAT exactly is the YOU and what does it have to do with fashion?
Imagine a world (call it "Sameville") where everybody wore the same clothes. A place where they had the same style and liked the same things.
Now that wouldn't exactly be the most colorful and stimulating world... would it?
But the sad reality is - the majority of people tend to go this route when it comes to clothes! So this is where developing your style comes into the picture.
Dare to be yourself and wear the clothes that express the unique and fabulous person you are! Color this life with shapes, colors and styles - and be the shining example of the beauty of diversity :-)
Take me straight to the fashion style quiz & tips!
Creating your own personal style is the art of combining an outfit, or an image if you will, based on the various aspects of your personality and lifestyle, which consists of:
Your taste, interests, desires, inspirations, aspirations and history. You bring a couple (or all) of them together and let it shine in the way you dress. But of course, only the aspects you want to express and show to the world!
"Know, first, who you are; and then adorn yourself accordingly."
Why Is It Important to Develop a Personal Fashion Style?Oh, the reasons are many but it's mainly to feel and look good! Creating your unique style helps you achieve a sense of confidence and comfort in how you put together an outfit. This sets you apart from the rest - the awkward-looking fashion victims you see out there on the street and in the cookie-cutter media.
It takes a lot of trial and error to find your personal clothing style, so don't worry about making mistakes along the way. In fact, developing your personal fashion style is a journey not a destination. Experimenting and just having fun help you get to know yourself better :-)
Style = Individuality
Once you connect with your core fashion persona, your style will improve and you'll look fabulous. This will radiate through the way you dress. You'll feel good and and attract the same admirations clothes-horses like Audrey Hepburn and Marilyn Monroe are (still) getting!
"Wear something you feel gorgeous in and don't try too hard; it's much sexier when it appears effortless. Clothes that don't fit, or don't fit the wearer's personality, don't help."
Their trick? Well, they knew that they didn't need to have a certain look to look good. Instead, they accentuated their individuality.
Marilyn Monroe had the curves and personality to create that feminine, sexy image which she was known for.
Imagine if we put her signature halter dress on slim-trim sporty and sophisticated Audrey Hepburn? Uh-uh.. Imagine how out of place she would feel! Audrey's straight, minimal tee shirt and pants on curvy Marilyn? Don't get me started ;-)
See why some trends and clothing styles you see in magazines just don't look good on some people?
Let's Define Your Personal Style!Together we're going to help you find and evolve your own personal fashion style.
We are going to:
So What Exactly Is A Clothing Personality?It's your head-embedded tendency to instinctively choose a particular type of clothes. This natural tendency will 99.9% of the time match with your true inner self.
But why do we all keep making mistakes? That's because of the influences surrounding you (it could be a parent, a group of friends, social position, career path, media, etc.). This basically means that you're not quite 'in-tune' with your preferences or that you feel forced to confine to other people's standards and expectations.
Together we're going to do some 'fine-tuning' between your wardrobe and self!
"Is a Style Quiz Necessary?"
Not really, but it serves as a good starting point when you feel lost in your style.
For a lot of women, especially the Creative Fashionista, being put in a box doesn't sound enticing. But as a part of my image consultancy services and my wish to help women look their best, I would love to get you thinking about where you are in regards to where you want to be in your style journey.
I truly believe that this awareness of how you're currently projecting your image can guide you to improved style choices. And c'mon, let's relieve some of that seriousness - identifying your group of clothing personality is FUN !
"How and Where to Start?"
I suggest that you start with the "Fashion Style Quiz" to identify your clothing personality.
For more fashion advice on developing your personal fashion style and/or if the results from the quiz didn't give you the sense of direction you're looking for - click on "How to Find Your Style" and "How to Define Your Style". But of course, I encourage you to take the time to read through everything :-)
Topics and Fashion Advice on Personal Fashion Style
The General Clothing StylesIf you're curious about the clothing personalities and want some extra fashion inspiration and tips, check them out:
Note: These are just the clothing archetypes. There are several sub-categories within each of them. Some of these styles may overlap.
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Style Guides & Quick Links:
Go Back to Guide Chic Fashion Inspiration & Ideas | <urn:uuid:cf140792-61e0-4fa0-bf10-4f4f7c4730b7> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.thechicfashionista.com/personal-fashion-style.html | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368708142388/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516124222-00017-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.951752 | 1,183 | 1.609375 | 2 |
Living in Dresden
The DIU is located in Dresden. Dresden is a centre of European art and culture, a town which is of interest to people of many backgrounds.
Dresden welcomes all its guests independently of who or how old they might be, of where they might come from, or of whatever interests they may have. This city had something for everyone.
Dresden, with its many architectural masterworks, is always open to people interested in art. The town has beautiful views both night and day, even in grey November weather. Centrally located is the Theatre Square from which one may view a whole array of architectural wonders such as the Italian Quarter, the Semper Opera House, the Zwinger buildings complex, the old town guardhouse, the castle and the Catholic Court Church, and in inclement weather, there are several museums within these buildings. In the Zwinger art gallery one will finds works by Tizian, Rembrandt, Rubens and Raffael, and there are also classical music evening concerts. And then the “Old Slaughterhouse” hosts rock concerts.
It is also worth promenading along the Brühl Terrace from where you can enjoy a lovely view of the Elbe. Goethe once called the terrace the “balcony of Europe”. At its foot there is the White Fleet, and you can go on a paddle steamer for a romantic trip along the Elbe River.
Crossing the oldest Dresden bridge, the August Bridge, will take you to the other side of the town, the New Town area, faced off by the Golden Rider, inviting you to meander along the Main Street, the central street of the New Town. Alongside this street is the King Street, a wonderland of convenient restaurants and cafes in which you can enjoy German beer and or wine from the nearby town of Meissen, world famous also for its porcelain. This street leads to Albert Square, a nodal point of convergence of ten streets going in different directions.
The town also has excellent public transport infrastructure, with modern trams and buses, and there is also the possibility of going on town tours on the special double-decker buses.
Not only do aficionados of the baroque style get something out of Dresden. The town also offers a lot of modern architecture such as the town synagogue, the glass factory, the St Benno Grammar School, the World Trade Centre- to name but a few buildings. Those interested in technology will find exhibitions in the Technical University, in the Technical Museum, the Museum of Transport or in the Tram Museum.
Dresden nightlife is similarly entertaining, and for those interested in sports one should experience a performance in the new stadium, in the sports centre in the Bodenbach Street or in the ice-skating rink, or in one of the many sports clubs.
Apart from its city centre Dresden’s surroundings also have a lot to offer.
Of special appeal in and around Dresden is the location on the Elbe River. The Elbe valley has many attractions to offer, all worth visiting, and giving the opportunity to meet local people. As well as museums and monuments, there are castles, mansions, stately gardens and parks affording insight into the history, geology and geography of the area. Castle Moritzburg, Castle Albrechtsburg in Meißen, and Castle Wackerbarth in Radebeul as well as the baroque garden in Großsedlitz are representative of the many places of outstanding beauty and interest.
The Saxon wine alley follows Germany’s smallest and most northerly wine-growing area, with an 800 viticultural heritage. The wine slopes lie idyllically beneath castles and fortresses. Several wine bars and cellars invite you for a wine-tasting session. The area is accessible by means of quiet pathways or by cycle paths.
It is worth partaking of a daytrip into the Elbe sandstone mountains area, also known as the “Saxonian Switzerland”, where you have the opportunity for hiking and climbing bizarre rock formations. Nearby is the medieval town of Pirna.
The Saxon economy was boosted primarily by the discovery and extraction of silver near the town of Freiberg and in the Ore Mountains. Few are aware that Freiberg possesses on of the world’s largest mineralogy collections.
The Ore Mountains area with its woods and hills of up to 800m in height is an ideal place for walks in summer and skiing in winter. You can trace the origins of the economic boom times derived from the silver mining in many locations such as wintnessing the historic town centre of Annaberg- Buchholz, the Ore Mountains museum or in a historic mine open to visitors.
Dresden’s theatre tradition extends back in time. Courtly stages near the town castle were the predecessors of the Semper Opera House and the State Theatre. Recently there have been modern stages with innovative ideas and a more diverse range of performances.
And in summer one can enjoy the cultural offerings al fresco, for example in the Zwinger and in the castle of Pillnitz or in the gully at Rathen where the Saxon state theatre company performs.
In addition to the theatre and cabaret there are many cultural highlight in Dresden.
- There is the annual Dixieland Festival in May.
- At the end of May and the beginning of June there is the Dresden classical music festival
- In October you have the October Days festival of contemporary music.
- In June there is the Elbe slopes peoples’ festival, one of the largest of its kind.
- And then there is the Dresden town festival every year in August.
Museums and exhibitions abound. Most recommendable are the art gallery of the old and new masters, the historical treasure trove of the green vault, the town museum, the museums in the Zwinger, including the porcelain museum, the mathematics and physics museum, the museum of hygiene, and the "Johaneum" transport museum.
The Saxon State and University Library (SLUB) has a large collection of nearly 4 million books, magazines and journals et al, all waiting for perusal.
The Dresden town library has branches lat various locations throughout the city.
Authors regularly hold readings fort he public in the libraries.
Students at the DIU are able to use the extensive range of services on offer at the University sport centre, with many courses and events. There are also around 300 sports clubs in Dresden, allowing the practice of around 70 different sports, a small selection of which would be, for example, American football, hot-air ballooning, dragon boat rowing, motor racing, handball, sailing, horse-riding, waterski jumping, yoga, diving, orienteering, rollerblading et al.
Discos and Parties
If you like to dance, listen to music or simply merely go out to restaurants, there are many opportunities to do so. In particular in the New Town area you will find a manifold variety of cultural and gastronomic offerings, from the local pub to live music and gourmet establishments.
Free use of the internet is available at the university PC pool when you are a student at the DIU, allowing you to check your mails or surf the internet. | <urn:uuid:1692e15c-573c-44f2-854d-1b7d3a0c0a8b> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.di-uni.de/index.php?id=201 | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368697974692/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516095254-00028-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.955379 | 1,531 | 1.679688 | 2 |
For most investors, the best thing about 2009 is that it isn't 2008, as one analyst pointed out. CNBC experts share their predictions for the year to come as the world goes through the worst recession in generations.
Banks Will Start Lending
With interest rates racing to the bottom and effectively hitting 0 percent in the United States, banks will take more risks and start lending the money around. "I think they will be forced to do that in 2009," Kevin Sullivan from Clariden Leu said. This may happen in the first quarter of the year, when banks will start buying more corporate bonds.
Hope Coming from Obama
President-elect Barack Obama takes over on Jan. 20 and investors' hopes are pinned on his promises to improve the ailing economy. "The Obama administration … talking about wanting to do something to create 3 million jobs, I think there's going to be a lot of excitement, possibly, around what he can do. I think that's going to be encouraging," Edward Lewis, partner at Atlantic Equities told CNBC. But next year will be tough for emerging markets, Lewis added.
The Markets Want to Go Higher
"The good thing is that the markets are holding support. This time of the year, a lot of people are standing on the sidelines. The markets want to go higher, the technicals are indicating that, at least," Sandy Jadeja, technical analyst from ODL Securities, told CNBC.
Low Rates for a Long Time
"I think the worst of the global recession is still to come," Lena Komileva, chief economist at Tullett Prebon, said. "There's a commitment to a prolonged period of low interest rates. I do expect a very cautious, slow return to high-quality yield in 2009."
Getting Value from Debris
Among the debris from the "disaster" that will strike the economy in the first half of next year, investors will be able to pick some deeply discounted, valuable stocks, Marc Faber, editor and publisher Gloom, Boom and Doom Report, told CNBC. "I think that some value has been emerging. There are pockets of value in the market," said Faber, who believes markets bottomed out in November 2008.
An 'Awful Lot' of Bad News Is Priced In
"We do think there is an awful lot that is priced into equities and credit, and I would single out investment-grade credit," Richard Urwin, head of asset allocation economics, BlackRock, told CNBC. "Most people that you speak to believe that investment-grade credit is pretty cheap."
Biggest Economy to Recover at end-2009?
The US economy won't stage a recovery until the end of 2009, Malcolm Polley, CIO at Stewart Capital Advisors, told CNBC Monday. Justin Urquhart Stewart from Seven Investment Management joined the discussion.
Pick Stable Names, with Little Debt
Short-term there is a chance of a New Year rally but downside potential still exists for stocks next year, Andreas Nigg equity strategist at Vontobel told CNBC. "Long term though we're still looking at a lot of debt that has to be unwound, and we're not quite sure how that's going to unfold. The bulk of our portfolio is going to be in high-quality names," Nigg said.
Telecom Stocks' 'Deep Value'
Sharp declines in the price of telecom shares have seen them move into "deep value territory," Michael Kovacocy from Daiwa Institute of Research Europe told CNBC. Kovacocy particularly likes Spanish company Telefonica.
The Next Bubble: Bonds
The bursting of the credit bubble is being replaced by a government-bond bubble, Marc Ostwald from Monument Securities told CNBC Monday. Justin Urquhart Stewart from Seven Investment Management joined the discussion.
For more stories from CNBC, go to cnbc.com. | <urn:uuid:94b63a16-c47f-4279-8c6d-8a726baeced1> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.nbcsandiego.com/news/business/Pros_Say_for_2009__Banks_Will_Start_Lending.html | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368701852492/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516105732-00002-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.963119 | 797 | 1.71875 | 2 |
The word "intentcast" has been used by Doc Searls, one of the proponents of customera taking control of their own data vs companies take control of the data. He has written a brilliant piece in Wall Street Journal - Customer as God basis his new book intent economy.
I personally believe this is true and agree with Doc totally. Here's why there's a silent revolution that's happening in the customers' own world:
- Businesses are increasingly finding a large majority of their customers really don't want them to be reached out to. The digital mediums of mobile, web make this "shut-out" very easy. I have heard customers say that You Tube Ads are annoying - be it the banners or the ads before the videos. They just are blind spots. The best customers don't want to be bugged with messages and worst customers businesses don't care any way! They need to find a new model to appeal to both.
- It is sometimes extremely painful to provide information to businesses and many a times the same information is sought again and again across different parts of the same businesses and across the internet. Information is not seamlessly transported across the pockets of businesses or across different sites they are present on the web.
- Customer's personal information is treated with very little respect as tracking by cookies, content is widespread. Search for information is treated as " intent to buy" which may not be the real case in the offline world. Walking in the high street or mall does not mean we are opening the wallet to buy.
- Rather "intent to buy" must be treated as information and bussinesses must find flexible ways to build conversations with customers. Not all conversations are purchase conversations.
- If businesses own the platform along with customers who intend to know, understand, compare, evaluate and purchase, then at least customers will give them a chance.
- In my opinion, Intentcast is the end of the sales funnel but bussinesses that lead customers to the end of this funnel will be the ones that will gain trustshare and then marketshare. | <urn:uuid:1485cd9a-29f7-4d23-b186-832ae373d1ec> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://customerworld.typepad.com/swami_weblog/vrm/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368697380733/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516094300-00017-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.959964 | 422 | 1.6875 | 2 |
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Wed November 28, 2012
70 percent of women who get double mastectomies don't need them
The statistics are scary: some 40,000 women are dying from breast cancer each year.
But some breast cancer survivors are getting double mastectomies they don't need, in the wrong belief it helps keep cancer from coming back.
That's according to a new University of Michigan study. For some survivors, the study says, the fear of cancer returning is so strong, they're getting risky surgeries for some false peace of mind.
If you've survived breast cancer, it can make medical sense to get that cancer-ridden breast removed.
So while you're at it, why not get both breasts removed? More prevention, right? Actually, probably not.
"Most of the women who got the procedure, it probably was unnecessary to get the second breast removed," says Sarah Hawley, an Associate Professor at the U of M's medical school and one of the authors of the study.
She found that the vast majority, a full 70% of women who get double mastectomies instead of just one, don't need that extra procedure. There is no added prevention.
And this not news. Doctors and patients know that you should only remove both breasts if you've got a genetic indicator or a strong family history of breast cancer.
So why are so many women getting a risky, painful procedure they don't need?
Sarah Hawley says it's about one simple reason: fear. "She's worried, she wants peace of mind. She's willing to do it even though she understands, or thinks she understands that it's not going to help. But somewhere deep down still thinks, it's got to help in some way, or at least I won't have to worry about it or wonder if I shouldn't have done that."
But here's why that's bad: double mastectomies mean double the risk of side effects, infections, and longer recovery time.
And some of these women are going back into chemo after these surgeries, with their bodies now even weaker from the double surgeries.
Hawley says none of this surprising: they did this study in part because they suspected this was going on.
In fact, she says even if she took these results to a survivor as further evidence that the surgeries aren't necessary, it might not change her mind.
"I'm not sure that they would. But I think we need to try, and at least really get feedback about when they have a misperception about what a particular treatment may do. And then if they go forward and make that decision, I think at some point that's a personal choice and we may not be able to change that."
Hawley and her team are presenting this study nationally. And they're putting together a web site to help survivors understand why they may not need this surgery. That site could be live by next year.
Cancer and Environment
Cancer and Environment | <urn:uuid:8eecc7e5-008f-4db3-ae6d-0eadab06af22> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://info@michiganradio.org/post/70-percent-women-who-get-double-mastectomies-dont-need-them | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368705559639/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516115919-00013-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.97385 | 625 | 1.804688 | 2 |
Shipping Out, Part 7: "In 28 Days, I Only Went 10 Miles On The Mississippi River"
River delays cost time and money. With smaller locks on the Upper Mississippi River, we can expect to lose as much as $500,000 a day until problems are addressed.
By Frank Lessiter, Editorial Director
Coming up to lock number five at Minnesota City, Minn., tow boat pilot Tom Persons tells us the crew always needs to be cautious. These tow boat jobs are extremely dangerous and require special skills with an extremely high emphasis on safety.
But at the same time, he says a pilot often needs to try something that’s not normally done to make the proper move when going into the locks. This lock that we are approaching is 187 miles south of lock number 1 at St. Anthony Falls in Minneapolis.
Unlike when you get in trouble with a car, you often need to hit the tow boat throttle to remedy a problem, explains the tow boat pilot.
Persons keeps a personal three-ring notebook filled with diagrams and detailed notes based on personal experiences on how to move through each of the more than two dozen locks between St. Paul and St. Louis. lock. For lock number five, his diagram recommends steering the tow to the right side of the river along a rock wall well ahead of reaching the lock’s long concrete wall.
His notes state: “Slow-steer this lock even in hot weather. Watch so the head of the tow doesn’t go behind the long wall if your tow starts rubbing in the rocks. Try to run the lead barge 35 feet to the left of the rock shore.”
A mile above the lock, Persons slows the tow to 3.6 mph and the deckhands put on life vests and move out on the barges.
With binoculars, Persons checks the “out draft” sign more than a half-mile ahead at the lock entrance. Spotting an orange ball, this means the draft of the river is running closer to the dam alongside the lock gates than is normal.
Knowing the river’s draft and current helps Persons decide how to approach the lock. If the draft was normal, he would steer in a normal line. But the orange ball tells him that he’ll have to do things differently. He can steer directly to the long concrete wall stretching out from the right-hand side of the lock gates or he can aim at a pipe on shore, drop the line back and allow for the out draft.
The first messages soon come from a deckhand standing on the right front corner of the lead barge. He tells the pilot that the lead right-hand barge is 630 feet north of the start of the concrete wall. He keeps a constant chant going as we move closer to the lock.
Just 10 minute later, the first barges are in the lock. And 5 minutes later, the barge is being split in half by the deckhands. Persons is soon backing the remaining six barges and tow boat out of the lock so the gates can be closed. We’re soon idling 275 feet north of the lock gates, being careful to avoid drifting with the current toward the dam.
Just 10 minutes later, the gates close and the water level starts to drop. After another 20 minutes, the first group of barges is floated out of the lock by the downstream current and is tied up along the south wall below the lock gates.
Next, the lock gates are closed and the lock men start to refill the lock with water.
Once this is completed, Persons pushes the remaining six barges and tow boat into the lock. We’re soon in the lock, the gates are closed and the water level starts to drop.
Some 15 minutes later, the gates are opened and Persons moves the remaining half dozen barges and tow boat out of the lock toward the first set of barges that are tied downstream on the lock wall. Five minutes later, the crew starts to tie down the eight cable lines that secure the dozen barges together as one unit and we’re again moving downstream.
While piloting the tow, Persons explains how delays due to excessive river traffic or lock maintenance can really mess up a schedule. He recalls a late-summer, extremely busy river time earlier in his piloting career when the lock at East Alton, Ill., was still a 600-foot lock — before being expanded to 1,200 feet.
He recalls that when they the crew pulled up to that lock from the north, the U.S. Corps of Engineers staff assigned them a number and they sat there for 2 weeks before it was their turn to move the tow through the lock. Once they cleared the lock, the owners transferred him to another tow heading north. He spent another 14 days on that tow boat before they cleared the lock. In 28 days, he only traveled 10 miles on the river.
To expand U.S. crop production and exports, Persons says the federal government must spend billions of dollars upgrading lock sizes.
“We could save a ton of time and money with 1,200-foot locks,” he says. “Longer locks would easily save 35 hours of time between Minneapolis and St. Louis.”
Persons estimates there are 100 tow boats and 300 pilots and captains working on the Upper Mississippi River, so every delay is costly.
The American Waterways Operators organization estimates the barge industry loses up to $500,000 for each day that it is unable to operate at full capacity. You can imagine what the total loss was back in 2003 when there was a complete four-day shutdown for critical dredging along parts of the entire river.
While President Obama has budgeted $4.6 billion for the U.S. Army Corps of
Engineers for Mississippi River work, it’s only for finishing previously approved projects. Despite the fact that the Congressional Water Resources Development Act of 2003 directed the Corps of Engineers to rebuild and expand five upper Mississippi river locks and dams, along with two locks on the Illinois river, nothing has happened.
Besides offering flood control and recreational opportunities, the 9-foot deep navigation channel allows billions of dollars of products to move up and down the river. More than 36 million tons of bulk commodities, such as coal, petroleum, fertilizer, chemicals, iron, steel and nearly $9 billion of ag products move through these locks each year.
It has long been known that moving commodities by barge is the most fuel efficient and environmentally friendly method of transportation within the U.S. interior. But we’ve got to update the river lock system so it can handle twice as much grain in the future.
An example of the tremendous amount of goods that moves through the system is shown with a description of what takes place at lock number 27, which is located near Granite City, Ill. Some 50,5000 barges from the Mississippi and Illinois river pass through this lock each year. This includes 14,717 barges of corn, soybeans and fertilizer that is the equivalent of carrying the same amounts of commodities in 932,43 semi-trailers or 212,060 railcars.
When I later ask about spending time on the river, Persons says there are many three- and four-generation families like his that are still working on the river. Instead of working 30 days and then having 30 days off, he prefers to work 45 straight days and then spend 3 weeks at home.
He says that time spent at home is really quality time because you don’t have to think or worry about going to work tomorrow,” he says. “I like working on the Upper Mississippi River, even though it’s a long way from my home in southern Missouri,” he says. “Going home for 3 weeks is a little rough, as you’re usually getting up a lot after working the 6-hour shifts on the river.”
With 16 years of river experience, Persons knows the routine that works best for him. He finds it’s important to try to get some sleep during each 6-hour rest and relaxation shift — and he tries to get at least 4 hours of sleep each time.”
Persons says everything on the river boils down to timing. This means handling every maneuver just right, especially around the locks.
The tow boat pilot says he’s been fortunate and lucky to work with a great bunch of guys over the years who helped him learn and shared their knowledge of the river. In the old days, he says, you pretty much had to learn on your own.
In the next installment of Shipping Out: Why the Panama Canal Expansion makes Upper Mississippi River Updates Even More Critical. Shipping Out segments will appear once every two-to-three weeks. Make sure to check back often!
How Wheat Exports Grow In Value
Grain produced on a Minnesota farm and exported to Mainz, Germany
|Grain Movement||Additional Charge
(Cents Per Bushel)
|Value Per Bushel|
|Barge freight, Minneapolis to New Orleans||$0.65||$6.05|
|New Orleans elevator||$0.05||$6.10|
|Ocean freight, New Orleans to European water terminal in Rotterdam||$0.35||$6.45|
|Barge cost from Rotterdam to mid-Germany||$0.40||$6.85| | <urn:uuid:35c47838-92ee-4a1c-8912-234bd56d32fa> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.farm-equipment.com/pages/Shipping-Out-Part-7-In-28-Days,-I-Only-Went-10-Miles-On-The-Mississippi-River.php | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368708142388/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516124222-00036-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.950551 | 1,958 | 1.820313 | 2 |
Growing up I lived and breathed horses. My grandparents owned a boarding stable and I was on horseback before I could walk. I devoured Billy and Blaze, Marguerite Henry's Misty, the Black Stallion. I went through every copy of the Timber Trail Riders my aunt had saved. For years, next to the photograph of the ponies in the mist still in its shrink wrap, this poster hung on my wall. I memorized the shape, size and color of every breed listed.
In our area of the country we had Quarter horses and Arabians and Appalosas. As I grew up I occasionally spotted draft breeds or gaited horses. But it wasn't until we came to England that we met our first cobs with their flowing fetlocks.
Welsh Cobs are an ancient breed. They have pulled carts, hauled coal, ploughed fields and gone to war. Today they mostly carry delighted children and smaller adults in riding events. And greet grateful people like us at the fence. | <urn:uuid:625bf64f-a6d0-41d4-8bc5-1789a9b4c018> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://starryskyranch.typepad.com/starry_sky_ranch/2012/08/the-cathedral-cobs.html | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368710006682/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516131326-00021-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.963382 | 204 | 1.75 | 2 |
Sending a child away to college is ridiculously expensive, but when a child leaves for college, parents can save hundreds of dollars by updating their car insurance.More >>
Are you the quintessential safe driver? Do you drive less often in order to save gas? If so, shouldn't you be rewarded with an auto insurance discount?
GMAC® and Progressive® think so. That's why they're experimenting with programs that directly tie auto insurance rates to number of miles driven and, in certain cases, where and how those miles are driven.
Known as "pay-as-you-drive" insurance, the concept has gained a great deal of national attention as a way to offer drivers lower auto insurance rates.
What Is Pay-As-You-Drive?
Pay-as-you-drive is a usage-based program that records miles driven and adjusts auto insurance rates accordingly. GMAC® Insurance (the insurance arm of General Motors®) offers a "Low-Mileage Discount" version of the pay-as-you-drive concept. Consumers participate in the program voluntarily, and receive an 11% reduction just for participating and up to 54% in discounts for keeping a low annual mileage. The program is currently available in 34 states.
Progressive®'s version of the pay-as-you-drive program is called "MyRateTM" and is currently only available in eight states. However, as of June 27, 2008, the company has announced that the program will become available nationwide.
According to Gary Kusumi, president and CEO of GMAC® Insurance: "Customers who drive less should pay less, and this program allows customers to use technology already in their vehicles to give them the discounts they deserve."
How Does It Work?
For Progressive consumers, a device about the size of a small cell phone is placed in the vehicle. This device is used to monitor driving habits and wirelessly transmits the data back to Progressive. According to Progressive®'s website, the company tracks three specific trends: how far you drive, when you drive, and how aggressively you drive. The data collected is then used to determine your auto insurance discount, which is applied at each six-month policy renewal.
OnStar® systems installed in GM® vehicles automatically track miles driven and adjust insurance premiums accordingly.
The primary benefit of pay-as-you-drive is obvious: low-cost auto insurance. Under the GMAC® program, consumers can save 11% just for participating and up to 54% if they drive less than 2,500 miles per year. Drivers are not penalized if their annual mileage exceeds 15,000. For Progressive®, drivers could cut their auto insurance rate by up to 40%.
According to a report by Jason Bordoff and Pascal Noel of The Brookings Institution, a Washington D.C.-based nonprofit public policy organization, about two-thirds of households would save money with a pay-as-you-drive program. The average household would enjoy an annual savings of $270 per vehicle.
It remains to be seen whether pay-as-you-drive programs will continue to gain traction nationwide. But if they do, auto insurance companies throughout the country will likely follow GMAC® and Progressive®'s lead.
The information contained on or provided through this site is intended for general consumer understanding and education only and is not intended to be and is not a substitute for professional financial or accounting advice. Always seek the advice of your accountant or other qualified personal finance advisor for answers to any related questions you may have. Use of this site and any information contained on or provided through this site is at your own risk and any information contained on or provided through this site is provided on an "as is" basis without any representations or warranties. | <urn:uuid:e56b70f4-4cae-4c43-9196-0791fafc8fe0> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.ktul.com/story/3599169/money-saving-tips-pay-as-you-drive-auto-insurance | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368699881956/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516102441-00025-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.952006 | 770 | 1.53125 | 2 |
Unlike in 2009 (when corporate donations were not used), much of the bill for today’s festivities in Washington D.C. is being paid by powerful corporate interests. Truthout writes:
Obama’s inaugural festivities Monday are bankrolled by several of the nation’s most powerful corporate lobbying forces. Chief among corporate inaugural donors: AT&T Inc., Microsoft Corp., energy giant Southern Co., biotechnology firm Genentech and health plan manager Centene Corp.
Together, more than 300 registered lobbyists worked on the five companies’ behalf to influence legislation and government policy. Among numerous other influence efforts, Southern Co. lobbied the Executive Office of the President to curtail environmental regulations. AT&T pressed the Treasury Department to extend research and development tax credits and lobbied heavily — and unsuccessfully — to win regulatory approval of a merger with rival T-Mobile. Microsoft targeted the [federal government] for support in strengthening online piracy and intellectual property regulations. | <urn:uuid:3dc44e17-e6fc-4d2a-a54d-254f88f7a2da> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://disinfo.com/2013/01/the-corporate-funders-of-obamas-second-inauguration/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368709037764/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516125717-00038-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.930562 | 194 | 1.648438 | 2 |
Monday afternoon Gov. Fletcher's speech was full of change for a Kentucky tax system that is out dated for taking the state into the 21st Century.
Fletcher says corporations coming into Bowling Green will lower the corporate rate, allowing for more investment.
His main goal since the proposal of his JOBS for Kentucky Modernization Plan is to create more jobs, something he says the Kentucky Tri-Modal Transpark has done for residents of Bowling Green.
He is hopeful that after the new Tech Center is built, more jobs will be provided for citizens around the county.
Education was a major priority for this session as funding for higher education surged across the state. There was an $81 million boost towards funding for higher education, and Western Kentucky University will receive 11 percent of that for new projects promised to the University.
The General Assembly voted almost unanimously on a budget they feel will move Kentucky forward. | <urn:uuid:3914a1c1-c918-43b8-8a60-59654c58ab36> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.wbko.com/home/headlines/1365627.html | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368704713110/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516114513-00030-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.969063 | 182 | 1.570313 | 2 |
"The J" Preschool
"The -J" Preschool
"A safe, warm and caring place...where your child can explore, grow and celebrate the joys of learning."
Temple Beth Ami,(TBA) and the North Valley Jewish Community Center,(NVJCC) invite your family to come and play at "The J," Santa Clarita's newest preschool. "The J" is a high-quality, family-focused center that offers an integrated approach to infant, toddler and preschool early- care education. Your child will benefit from the small classroom sizes where teachers work collaboratively to provide individualized care, a nurturing environment and uninterrupted time for play and exploration. Inspired by researched-based practices and play-based philosophies, the focus is on fostering your child's sense of self-worth.
"The J” Preschool will:
- Provide responsive, relationship-based care and create a stimulating environment for children.
- Develop creative and age-appropriate activities based on child interest.
- Create and an environment for safe play, nurturing and exploration
- Build and nurture partnerships with parents, including parent communication and involvement.
- Work in a collaborative relationship with other staff in the classroom and with the management team.
Call now to schedule a free visit to see Santa Clarita’s newest Jewish Pre-School.
Come and visit us on Facebook - “The-J” Your Jewish Community Center Preschool,
(NVJCC,Inc. - a Center without Walls)
Jen’s List, CCRC and The-jnvjc.blogspot.com | <urn:uuid:c035bb5a-a80e-4b50-ba58-599415187955> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://hometownstation.com/node/19121 | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368698924319/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516100844-00001-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.930667 | 334 | 1.578125 | 2 |
Fourth-year University of Missouri College of Veterinary Medicine student Rebecca Moland wants to be a small animal practitioner—maybe care for the occasional goat or alpaca. Practice ownership isn't part of her
10-year plan. It may never be.
When DVM Newsmagazine asked non-owning veterinarians, "Is practice ownership one of your aspirations?" in its 2012 State of the Profession survey,
70 percent of respondents gave a decided "No." Only 30 percent answered in the affirmative (see Table 1).
Table 1: Practice ownership aspirations
Reasons to opt out of ownership are certainly as varied as the individual veterinarians holding them. But experts agree that
a perfect storm of changing demographics, generational differences, new professional opportunities and financial concerns
has converged, making waning interest in practice ownership the new normal. "You put the gender shift, advanced degrees and
generational thinking together—boy, things have changed," says Ronald Cott, DVM, associate dean for student and alumni affairs
at Missouri's College of Veterinary Medicine.
Dr. Ronald Cott
The New Ideals
As the grandfathers of veterinary medicine look to pass the torch, many are finding that the face and ideals of veterinary
youth have changed. "We went from 100 percent male in the profession to graduating 80 percent women in every class," Cott
says. He says the male-dominated older generation is often finding it difficult to convince younger, mostly female veterinarians
of the benefits of practice ownership. "I hear women say they're not interested in ownership," Cott says.
Shawn Finch, DVM, an associate with Gentle Doctor Animal Hospitals in Omaha, Neb., is just one such associate who has no interest
in ownership. "I do believe young women tend to think differently than older men about practice ownership," Finch says. In
fact, she thinks the role veterinarians used to play in society may not appeal to the younger generation. "Veterinarians of
the James Herriot era loved being the go-to guy 24-7, the whole 'jumping into the car to save the day' lifestyle," she says.
"The profession has changed since then—slowly, over decades—and today we have part-time jobs, job sharing, specialists and
emergency hospitals for overnight care. Veterinarians still have a good quality of life, not so much because of the excitement
of years past, but because we balance our life and work and family time and are nicer to ourselves—we're still awesome, but
maybe emotionally healthier."
Dr. Shawn Finch
Moland says the challenge of maintaining a work-life balance is definitely a deterrent to owning a practice, but she doesn't
think that necessarily relates to her gender. (In fact, DVM's survey shows that male associates are only slightly more interested in practice ownership than women.) "Having children
is also not really within my goals for the next 10 years," Moland says. "And if I do have a family someday, I'm hoping it
comes with a stay-at-home father."
Ownership is simply not a priority in her career, she says. In fact, she worries it could have a negative impact. "I would
consider becoming part owner of a practice in the future if a good opportunity arose and I had the financial ability to do
so, but I don't think I'll seek it out," she says. "While it has the potential to increase my salary, it also has the potential
to increase my risk for burnout with the added stresses of managing the entire business." | <urn:uuid:94cf525d-f090-46b9-bda9-40008622b9cd> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://veterinarynews.dvm360.com/dvm/Veterinary+news/Interest-in-veterinary-practice-ownership-wanes/ArticleStandard/Article/detail/797397?contextCategoryId=49534 | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368699273641/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516101433-00013-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.970585 | 746 | 1.617188 | 2 |
Share Your Great Lakes State Fair Photos
Post your pictures and tell us what you thought of the event.
The Great Lakes State Fair had inaugural showing at Suburban Collection Showplace in Novi from Aug. 31-Sept. 3.
Michigan had the very first state fair in the nation in 1849, but there hasn't been a fair here since 2009, when it was last held in Detroit.
In addition to traditional state fair activities, such as competitions for best animals, vegetables and canned goods, the fair includes performances by the Shrine Circus and several local bands, a midway with carnival rides, games of chance and fair treats like elephant ears, corn dogs and cotton candy and a shopping area with products from Michigan-based vendors.
Every day throughout the weekend, there are fun competitions such as hot dog and pie eating contests, watermelon seed spitting contests and more.
Andrew Marsh of Livonia won the first such event of the day Friday, packing in the hot dogs faster than any of his competitors.
Marsh said, "I've eaten like this at home, but this time I wasn't even hungry. I just ate fast anyway. I might enter the pie eating contest, too!"
There is also some community activism going on at the fair.
A group called ICARE II is collecting signatures from participants at the fair for a petition they plan to send to Gov. Rick Snyder, urging him to stop the sell-off of the original Michigan State Fairgrounds at 8 Mile and Woodward in Detroit.
The fair is open 8 a.m. to midnight today through Sunday and 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. on Monday.
If you go, post your pictures here by clicking the upload button above and tell us in comments what you think of the event. | <urn:uuid:fdd6cd3d-90cd-40c5-b50a-375453698984> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://plymouth-mi.patch.com/articles/are-you-attending-the-great-lakes-state-fair | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368700958435/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516104238-00011-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.972102 | 365 | 1.617188 | 2 |
City plans per-trip fee for drivers at airport
Officials want to trim airlines' landing costs
The city of Cleveland is planning to boost substantially the fees it charges limousine companies and hotel and off-site parking lot operators who pick up and drop off passengers at Cleveland Hopkins International Airport. The fee for taxicab drop-offs by cab companies that don't participate in the airport taxi program also would rise.
Legislation introduced Jan. 9 would allow the city to charge anyone who provides ground transportation to and from the airport a per-trip fee for access to the airport terminal. Ricky Smith, the city's director of port control, said limousine companies, off-site parking operators and other transportation providers now pay a flat fee of $550 a year per vehicle to use the airport.
The legislation has not yet been scheduled for hearings by Cleveland City Council, so implementation could be months off. Bad timing?
Mr. Smith, whose department manages city-owned Cleveland Hopkins and Burke Lakefront airports, said he expects the fee will be $3.50 per vehicle per trip. The increase would bring Cleveland more in line with the fees charged at other airports around the country, he said.
The plan to raise the fee comes as a year-end, after-budgets-were-completed jolt to some who would pay the fee.
“We were given no advance notice for budgeting the increase,” said Kathy Jennings, general manager of the Crowne Plaza Cleveland Airport hotel.
Ms. Jennings said her hotel's vans make 40 to 50 trips daily to the airport, turning a $550 annual cost to a $50,000 one.
The fee increase would be part of Cleveland's effort to reduce costs at Cleveland Hopkins for the commercial airlines that use the airport.
The air carriers' agreements with Cleveland Hopkins and most airports obligate the airlines to pick up any airport operating costs not covered by their rental of terminal and concourse space and the revenue from non-airline income the airport generates from businesses that provide services such as food, car rentals and parking. Each airline's portion is determined by the weight of aircraft it lands at the airport in a given year. This charge is called a landing fee.
Because of the cutthroat nature of commercial air service, an airport becomes a target for service cuts by air carriers if its landing fees are high.
George Shima, owner of Shima Limousine Service of Mentor, understands the airport's need to be competitive on landing fees but isn't happy about the potential increase. Pricier fees elsewhere
“I think they are doing it at the wrong time, with the business atmosphere the way it is,” he said.
Mr. Shima said he now spends more than $16,000 to buy permits for 30 vehicles that make between 60 and 110 trips a day to the airport. At $3.50 a trip, his firm's cost for airport trips could approach $100,000 a year.
Mr. Smith said it was too early to estimate how much the increased ground transportation fee would bring in because his department hasn't yet surveyed the service providers to tally the number of trips they currently make.
In recent years, the city has taken various steps to boost non-airline revenue, including revamping concession operations and adding valet parking.
“Ultimately, we're trying to do everything we can to minimize the airlines' operating costs at the airport,” Mr. Smith said. “What we know is that airports across the country have a per-trip fee.”
The city of Chicago charges as much as $54 per trip for buses with a capacity of more than 25 passengers that pick up passengers at its O'Hare International and Midway airports; that figure falls to $4 a trip for a taxi or limousine.
A spokeswoman for the Airports Council International-North America said the fee for these vehicles varies widely across the country.
When the Washington, D.C.-based nonprofit association of airports sampled its members last May, it found per-trip fees ranging from under $1 a vehicle to $7.84 a vehicle, depending on the type of vehicle.
For example, one California airport — the organization didn't identify the survey respondents by name — charged $3.65 per limo, $2.75 for a hotel shuttle and $2.80 for an off-site parking shuttle per trip. An Arizona airport charged $6.64 for a limo and $7.84 for any shuttle per trip.
Mr. Smith said Hopkins would use an existing automatic license plate recognition system to track vehicle trips and would bill the owner monthly.
Martin Keane, chairman of Cleveland City Council's aviation and transportation committee, said he's talked to some of the operators and is hearing their concerns about an increase. He plans to schedule a hearing soon to open the issue to public discussion.
But Mr. Keane said he also understands the city's position.
“I know other airports are doing similar things to manage landing fees,” he said. Reducing landing fees, he said, “would make us more competitive in a very competitive market.”
Mr. Keane said he's asking the operators to whom he's spoken to find ways to be more efficient and reduce their number of trips to the airport. | <urn:uuid:b02a3ead-b51e-44e8-903e-caf952a5d7f8> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://crainscleveland.com/article/20120123/SUB1/301239987/0/FRONTPAGE | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368696381249/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516092621-00038-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.966774 | 1,104 | 1.695313 | 2 |
I went looking for a retail digital cable set-top with a CableCard slot. I’m still looking.
Well, the day has finally come. The cable system I am on is going all-digital, and so I have to have a cable settop box. To ease the pain, the cable company is offering two set-tops at no charge for two years. Fine. But I have eight TVs and a number of VCRs and video monitors. A logical solution is to get the digital equivalent of the “plain-Jane” analog converter. This would give me basic access on the other TVs, and I’d have access to channels that are “scrambled” (encrypted) in the digital format and on video-on-demand on the two set-top boxes from the cable company. One of the boxes is a DVR, similar to my beloved TiVo.
Both set-top boxes supplied by the cable company have a CableCard, a requirement imposed by the Federal Communications Commission at the behest of the consumer electronics industry to “level the playing field.”
The consumer electronics industry wanted to sell set-top boxes directly to consumers, and the encryption of some of the digital channels was claimed to be an impediment to sales. The CableCard would be the answer to that problem. It would allow decryption of encrypted channels by a purchased set-top box while retaining the security of the signal. The CableCard would still be leased by the cable company, but the box itself could be purchased from the retailer. The same set-top box design would work in any cable system. This combination would allow access to most cable channels, even if it didn’t include two-way communications, and therefore was still lacking some functionality.
The need for a socket and interface electronics for the CableCard added expense to the retail set-top box that the cable operators’ existing set-top didn’t have. This was claimed to make the sale of cable set-top boxes by consumer electronics retailers uncompetitive.
There is a little logical inconsistency here. The consumer electronics industry claimed that its huge production capabilities would make the set-top boxes less expensive, and that it would benefit consumers. But still, competing against a box that did not require the CableCard socket and interface was too big of a burden. Allowing the consumer electronics industry to sell digital set-tops was also claimed to open the market to innovation and invention.
The solution to this “unfairness” was to hobble the leased cable set-top box and require it to also have the additional expense of the CableCard socket and interface. This is an unnecessary expense since the set-tops owned by the cable operator can be upgraded without forcing expense on the consumer. This is a strange method of creating “equality.” The lower-cost solution is forced to take on an unnecessary expense to equalize the costs between the two approaches. Of course, it’s the consumer who has to pay for this. The consumer subsidizes the desire of some to be competitive by paying more for either solution. Strange idea.
Keeping all of this in mind, I first checked the lease price for a CableCard. It was considerably less than the lease price of a set-top box and quite reasonable. So I went looking for a retail digital cable set-top with a CableCard slot. I’m still looking. I first tried Radio Shack, then Best Buy, then Sears. No luck. There are still digital set-top boxes on sale for receiving broadcast digital signals, but without the rebate previously offered. But I could find no digital set-tops for use on cable.
Television receivers and some TiVo boxes have sockets for CableCards so they can access encrypted programming. But these devices are so much more expensive than a digital cable set-top that the additional cost of the CableCard socket and interface is much less significant. And the cable operator is not selling or leasing television receivers. So there is no competition there.
It would seem time to end this burdensome rule and additional expense, which ultimately gets paid by the subscriber. This is especially irksome since it appears that the major retailers are not selling digital set-top boxes, with or without CableCard sockets.
The technician that came to my home to install the new set-tops was very impressive. His shirt said that he was a contractor to the cable company. I assume that conversion to all-digital is requiring a lot of additional work.
He knew what he was doing and happily explained it all. He had to go through three DVR boxes to find one that worked properly, but he did it patiently. The normal set-top installed without a glitch. In addition, he was scheduled to be at my home in a two-hour window. He made it toward the end of the time slot, but he called to advise me when he was 10 to 15 minutes from my home. He also called his next appointment, advising him he might be delayed. | <urn:uuid:616928f1-c9a5-4cec-8749-e57cec13fecc> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.cedmagazine.com/articles/2010/05/ciciora%E2%80%99s-corner-rants?qt-recent_blogs=0&qt-most_popular=0 | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368703682988/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516112802-00031-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.971788 | 1,039 | 1.617188 | 2 |
Still more fashion at Japan Expo Sud!
Fashion is a most important element of Japanese culture and a source of inspiration for the Young Designers who show their creations on stage at Japan Expo Sud!
© All rights reserved
For several years, fashion has been at the heart of Japan Expo festivals and of course of Japan Expo Sud. That’s why Young Designers Fashion Shows now have their own Facebook page!
Exhibiting their creations in the Young Designer Village, they show you exceptional items during the show. Get ready to have your breath taken away by so much talent and originality!!! Cyber Kawaii, Cotton Candies and My Oppa take part in the show on Saturday, February 26 on the main stage!
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Join Japan Expo Sud's community or sign in if you are already a member. | <urn:uuid:0e556711-b3c4-433e-bbcd-9651b93617a6> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.japan-expo-sud.com/en/actu/still-more-fashion-at-japan-expo-sud_464.htm | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368697974692/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516095254-00002-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.947802 | 179 | 1.65625 | 2 |
Victory to the self-styled everyman, and his best friend
It has been a great year for faceless men and terriers. The Trustees of the Art Gallery of NSW awarded the Archibald Prize to a self-portrait of an invisible Tim Storrier, and short-listed a self-portrait by Juan Ford that reveals nothing but an arm. As for the foxies and Jack Russells, after taking Hollywood by storm in films such as Beginners, The Adventures of Tintin, and The Artist, now one has appeared in a prize-winning painting and turned up to accept the cheque.
One of the indirect beneficiaries will be the gallery librarian Steven Miller, who has just launched a book called The Dog in Australian Art. Alas, to lapse into the vernacular, there were more dogs in this year's Archibald than at Crufts.
The prize money was raised to $75,000, and typically it went to the richest, most successful artist in the room. It was not a victory for the battlers but for the established order of the Australian art market. Storrier put on a humble demeanour to accept the award, but he would have felt embarrassed to be runner-up. That dubious honour went to Jenny Sages, for the umpteenth time.
2012 Archibald Prize Finalists
Vernon Ah Kee - I see deadly people, Lex Wotton
Her grief-stricken self-portrait, After Jack, probably was too miserable to be a winner, but the chairman of the trustees, Steven Lowy, took us right to the edge.
First there were five artists short-listed, then two. It felt like an episode of Project Runway: "Jenny, Tim, you know what art is like. One day you're in, the next you're out. Jenny, you're out! Auf wiedersehen!"
The unofficial third place went to Nigel Milsom, for what I thought was the best painting in the show.
It suggests that at least a few of the trustees are really looking hard. The others may have been dazzled by the glistening gold of Storrier's trademark frames or his immaculate technique.
His pictures have the same ''licked'' surfaces as the works of 19th century French Salon artists. Nevertheless, it's unlikely the salons would have accepted a portrait without a face - or even one where the face appears on a fragment of newspaper in the top right-hand corner. Storrier does not need the money, but he badly needed the Archibald.
The winning painting, based loosely and improbably on a work by Hieronymus Bosch, is the latest in a long line of self-portraits in which the artist is distinguishable only by his clothes and chattels. It suggests a nagging insecurity beneath the braggadocio.
Now he can look artists such as John Olsen and Bill Robinson in the eye, and say: "Me too!"
Read John McDonald's review in Spectrum | <urn:uuid:be67fd98-0430-4a89-860b-3da4d01b0248> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.watoday.com.au/entertainment/art-and-design/victory-to-the-selfstyled-everyman-and-his-best-friend-20120330-1w3m3.html | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368696381249/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516092621-00009-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.974071 | 638 | 1.578125 | 2 |
PRIVATE AND CONFIDENTIAL.
MEMORANDUM OF INTERVIEW.
Date 4th May, 1937, - 6th May, 1937.
Present Senor Lizaso, Mr. Middleton and Sir Walter Citrine, Mr. H.V. Tewson.
SPANISH SITUATION EVACUATION OF BASQUE CHILDREN
At my request, Senor Lizaso called here to-day to discuss matters concerning the proposed evacuation of Basque children.
I said that it appeared that Mrs. Leah Manning had been telegraphing many people in this country, and that I had received a telegram which Mr. Attlee had received from her. Another telegram which had been sent to Miss Ellen Wilkinson appeared that day in the "Manchester Guardian".
Senor Lizaso said that he did not like the way in which Mrs. Manning had gone about her business. He had received a visit on Sunday morning from Mr. Wilfrid Roberts, M.P., who had shown him a telegram from Mrs. Manning demanding that the Basque Government in London should charter two ships for the purpose of evacuating children. He resented this, as he was not employed by Mrs. Manning but by the Basque Government, and any instructions to him should come from his Government. He had told Mr. Wilfrid Roberts that he expected to know from his own government what was required of him, rather than from other people in England.
This morning, 4th May, he had received a telegram from his Government in answer to others which he had sent, telling him to charter two vessels for the evacuation of 4,000 children to England. This was the only news he had received, but he had cabled for a copy of the plan of evacuation which his Government had instituted. He understood that a Mrs. Pye of the National Joint Committee for Spanish Relief was in Bordeaux, and was looking after the interests of the Spanish children in that region. He also understood that a Mr. Sam had been appointed by the National Joint Committee for Spanish Relief to organise the arrangements for the receipt and housing of the children in Great Britain. This latter gentleman had had some experience in dealing with Belgian refugees during the War. He stated that no distinction of creed or politics was being made, and that it was very important that the Catholic organisations in this country should be identified with the work of relief for these children.
I said that it appeared to us that we had two alternatives before us. The first was that we should organise this work directly under the auspices of the British Labour Movement. It was estimated that some 26-30 thousand pounds
In order to comply with the Data Protection Act 1998, some names within this file have been redacted. While we have made every effort to comply with the Act, there may be other named individuals within this file who are still living. We will remove any names immediately we are made aware that this is the case or if any offence is caused to living relatives.
Copyright: Trades Union Congress. Reproduced with permission. | <urn:uuid:4fecdc1b-70ef-4e67-a57f-0f876f413d52> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://contentdm.warwick.ac.uk/cdm/compoundobject/collection/scw/id/13804/rec/15 | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368700264179/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516103104-00011-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.990814 | 637 | 1.765625 | 2 |
Richard Kouchoo replies:
>However the "two headed" snake scenario is just an example of the
>duplication of 'code' by error (mutation). To create a "wing", a
>totally NEW structure, NEW code is needed. I think this is where
>Johnson and others are coming from.
I think that is why Johnson et al. are not taken seriously.
The wing is not an entirely "new" structure per se, but an
adaptation of a previous one. Yes, there is "new" information
involved in wing evolution, and the source could well have been
"error (mutation)". Assuming that "two-headedness" in snakes
arose from mutations then that certainly is "new" code.
Johnson et al (and I include Lee Spetner here) have NOT properly
defined what they mean by biological information -- certainly not
in any consistent or quantifiable way. I've been through this before
with Spetner and have seen nothing added by Johnson (see the
evolution reflector @ Calvin for past exchanges on the subject)
Given that Johnson couldn't get the AIDS/HIV connection right, I
have little trust in his ability to evaluate information theory as
applied to molecular genetics.
email@example.com (despam address before use) | <urn:uuid:f0531c0a-9f50-4c2c-9821-f9810f560dfe> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www2.asa3.org/archive/asa/199911/0175.html | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368699881956/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516102441-00019-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.939329 | 291 | 1.632813 | 2 |
What would a personal opinion be doing in the Bible? It shows me an example of applying principal. There are areas in our lives where we will find no direct scriptural answer or command. I don't think that God sought for each and every area to be commanded. There are several areas however we will find where it is best to apply principal. We are allowed to see how an apostle would reason such an area forward by principal. Yes it is his opinion and we have to take it as such, but, principals are born out great truths that have been meditated and applied in different areas that have similarity to the issue presently considered. Most people don't spend enough time even meditating these God given truths enough during to day to know how that they might relate to the question at hand.
2012 - pBiblx2 Field Wise Bible System Version 2.0.9d - GPL3 | <urn:uuid:600c876e-b713-44fe-8f2b-082b3af3a085> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://shepherdpuplinux.us/cgi-bin/pbiblx-basic.cgi?Mode=basic&X=x&Css=1h&Version=strkjv&Book=VSEARCH&Chapter=1Corinthians:7:25 | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368696382584/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516092622-00036-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.980281 | 181 | 1.601563 | 2 |
Croatia/ 8.1 Support to artists and other creative workers
8.1.1 Overview of strategies, programmes and direct or indirect forms of support
On the state level, cultural creativity is supported - both directly and indirectly - in three ways:
- support from the budget through annual public competitions in all fields of culture (theatre, film, publishing, music etc.), all basic cultural activities (creativity, reproduction, transmission etc.) and supplementary cultural activities (education, information technology support etc.);
- payment of retirement and health contributions for independent artists; and
- ad hoc support from the Ministry's reserve of budgetary funds for projects that have already ensured a) or b) support, or have appeared as new projects outside the competition procedure.
Chapter published: 02-12-2012 | <urn:uuid:62aa016f-d504-4521-80b5-ea71b55f4947> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.culturalpolicies.net/web/croatia.php?aid=811 | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368700958435/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516104238-00040-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.941369 | 163 | 1.789063 | 2 |
« FlashMob meets the Grid, part way |
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April 4, 2004
Social Networks and Academic Communities
I’ve been thinking a lot about social networking tools in the context of campus-based communities lately. It started when a lot of my students and colleagues joined Orkut, which was the first YASNS where I’d seen them actively participate.
Then Clay wrote his essay on situated software, using an NYU-generated and targeted site as his example.
And tonight I read an excellent post by Alex Halavais entitled “Social networking at the end of the university.” Here’s an excerpt from his post:
One of the ways to get from where we are now to where we want to be is by leveraging the existing communities that are built on campuses to create a more lasting environment of continual intellectual engagement. I think we see the edge of this already, but I don’t think it has been exploited as much as it might be. What would such an environment look like? How much central organization would it require? How would it provide a space for unexpected encounters?
The irony, of course, is that these places exist as intentional communities only in so far as the administrators hope(d) to establish a venue through which accidental communities would emerge. They differ markedly from intentional communities, in which individuals actively pursue community goals. We do hear talk of this on the university campus, of course, but the people who interact in such a way are often fiercely individualistic. Doesn’t it seem as though the variety of social technologies that are being created every day could help to support such accidental communities? How do we foster those spaces?
Great questions. Food for thought for those of us in academic settings, where we seem often to be among the last adopters of new technologies, and even then are held hostage to bloated, proprietary systems like Blackboard and Prometheus.
(Alex will be joining me, Clay, Seb, and Jill Walker on a panel at the Media Ecology Conference in June, entitled “Weblogs and Cross-Disciplinary Communication”.)
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- The Future Belongs to Those Who Take The Present For Granted: A return to Fred Wilson's "age question" | <urn:uuid:8a1bcc22-55b1-4fd4-9b7b-52f813f7d26e> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://many.corante.com/archives/2004/04/04/social_networks_and_academic_communities.php | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368703682988/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516112802-00042-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.959743 | 576 | 1.515625 | 2 |
Posted: June 22, 2011 at 4:08 pm |
By: morgancurrie |
Geert Lovink at the launch of Theory on Demand books #1 through #4
Margreet Riphagen is the Institute of Network Culture's project manager and the editor of the Theory on Demand book series. Here she explains TOD project's background and how it operates as action-oriented research - and also proof the exploding possibilities for publishing today.
Can you explain the ‘On Demand’ part of the Theory On Demand project?
We decided to begin Theory on Demand because people so often request books from INC, but we’re unable to charge for them. HvA (Hogeschool van Amsterdam, INC’s affiliated institution) has a complex financial system, making it too complicated for us to profit from book selling, and invoicing for a book costs more in terms of human labor than we’d earn by selling it at cost. If you ask ten euros plus shipping for a book, you have to handle enormous amounts of paperwork and accounting through a slow, central financial department.
So instead of shipping print books from INC’s Amsterdam office, we’re making our books available online as a PDF, so people can order a printed copy online and get the books shipped within their own country. We put the entire INC collection on Lulu and Open Mute, and on our website people can also download PDFs. In this way books that aren’t in stock anymore can still be downloaded and ordered.
Lulu’s services are still not very common, and people aren’t yet aware of possibilities of print on demand. But we’re anticipating that this will change soon. We also think we can begin meeting a demand for authors who have a lot of articles to publish and want to explore collecting them into a longer format. Geert came up with the idea that TOD would give authors the possibility to collect all their articles together for publication, especially since it’s hard to find a print publisher to do this.
Why do some of your authors have a hard time publishing with a traditional print press?
These are really specific topics that aren’t for a mainstream, wide audience. Also, an article by itself may not get any notice, but we can work with editors to make compilations. For example, we have a book about the Turkish perspective on new media in a collection of 20 authors. In the end it’s a nice book but individually they might have a hard time publishing their work.
Also, we’re here in case authors want to do reissues. With issue six, Tom Apperley [Gaming Rhythms: Play and Counterplay from the Situated Global], it was published before, but the publisher didn’t want to print a second addition. So we got permission to publish it again.
How do you select titles? Are you approaching people or do they come to you?
We haven’t had to approach many people; mostly authors come to us. There are three or four possible upcoming titles to publish. Patrick Lichty, Josephine Bosma, Sebastiaan Olma, Fran Ilich and Rasa Smite are scheduled to launch before the end of the year.
So far it’s a bit random. The first two or three Theory on Demand books were from people closely affiliated with INC. The very first is Geert’s PhD thesis [Dynamics of Critical Internet Culture (1994–2001)], and we asked Joost Smiers to publish his book [co-written by Marieke van Schijndel: Imagine there are is no copyright and no cultural conglomorates too…Better for artists, diversity and the economy. an essay]. Geert often finds interesting work, and sometimes with my advice we come to a conclusion to publish something.
The main condition is that the text is finalized with footnotes in one document. It’s more this formal criteria than the content itself that decides if something is ready to be published. We are trying to make helpful and clear guidelines so that people can send texts that fulfill the style guide. We hardly edit right now. We want to do more to prepare manuscripts, but at the moment we don’t have the resources. We ask the authors to send a completed and properly formatted text based on a style guide we’ve created. Then we convert it into a format that a designer made specifically for this series.
Now that people see we’re giving authors a chance to publish, we have a lot of requests to publish books both in English and foreign languages. Currently we’re prioritizing English texts to have it a bit more mainstream and because we are more able to edit these contributions, but in the future we’ll begin issuing different languages.
Geert Lovink and Joost Smiers at the launch of Theory on Demand books #1 through #4
Aside from the INC affiliation, what value does TOD bring to a work that an author may not get by self-publishing?
The jacket design and layout, for one. It’s always nicer to send something beautifully designed than a word doc or PDF, even though it’s the content that matters.
We’re also creating a small, centralized library where a lot of new media theory can come together, and this potentially brings in more traffic. We issue TOD along with other INC publishing series like Network Notebooks and the INC readers, so people can find a lot of interesting information on one website. And we provide the PDF to Lulu so authors don’t have to do it. There’s also an ISBN number for each book added to the central ISBN number collection.
We also do a little bit of promotion, such as book launches if the author is available. With the book we did recently for Andreas Treske on Turkish new media critique [Time and Motion: New Media Critique fromTurkey, Ankara (2003 – 2010)], all the people included will use that PDF to distribute the book among their own network.
Do you see this ever becoming a profitable model?
For academics, universities, and high schools, the books can be useful, but I don’t think it will be profitable on the normal book market because it’s niche. But people who are interested in it are willing to pay a small amount for the books. I conducted a survey and found that with the INC Readers people don’t mind paying 10 or 15 euros for them. I’m not sure how prices will evolve for printed book compared to online PDFs and e-reader formats, but that would be interesting to research.
We want to make nice files for e-readers, which demands a different technical process for a different medium. We could potentially make money from downloading for an e-reader. But also here it is difficult within the current infrastructure of the HvA to gain an income from this.
For me it’s interesting to see where this goes, if we’ll start getting weekly request for authors of their books or authors being published. But we haven’t gotten to that point yet. We applied for some funding to turn our publishing projects into a research program – not only about print on demand, but also the future of ebooks. We can use TOD to gather logistics on why people order certain books.
When we published van Kranenberg’s Internet of Things, for instance, we asked people when they requested the book if they could tell us where they’re living so we could get a geographical picture of where the book were going. I’d really like to get a plug-in that shows were people are living who are downloading the PDF’s. If more people are downloading TOD in western side of world, maybe we should publish something focused on the eastern part. We could map out which topics are hotter in various countries.
So besides experimenting with the new possibilities, we can conduct research on the project. It’s action-based research – doing by practicing. | <urn:uuid:297b3c18-5daf-4306-9d54-3ccac440407b> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://networkcultures.org/wpmu/theoryondemand/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368708766848/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516125246-00029-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.945861 | 1,683 | 1.679688 | 2 |
Something Real by Debbie Lefkowitz
This article originally appeared in Family First
In the winter frost the snowflakes fall, whirling around each other like minuscule fairies. We watch my children run across the seemingly endless expanse of white, trying to catch the flakes in their outstretched hands.
I haven’t seen my friend in years, but her crystal blue eyes still light up with that familiar twinkle from middle of the night discussions in our college dorm. Then it had seemed like we might have time to argue forever. About our purposes in life. About believing in God. About whether there could possibly be an objective truth in a world of subjective perspectives. I can remember only fragments of those conversations. Like when we both decided that the most important thing in life was to be real. We knew what real wasn’t. It wasn’t our designer shirts or high GPAs. It couldn’t be reduced to a career or a house in the suburbs. But it’s a lot easier to know what truth isn’t. Which is why we never really stopped talking as we searched for ourselves in that enclosed, cushioned bubble of our university years. Staring out the windows of the rooftop lounge of our dorm, we watched the city lights sprawled out before us like millions of winking opportunities.
We speak now about what we have found since then that is real. I try to tell my friend about what it was like to stand in the Kanievsky’s room of sefarim. How the rows and rows of books looked like ribbons of leather and gold in the light of the Bnei Brak sun. How I couldn’t stop staring at the ancient Shabbos candles enclosed in their glass case on the wall. They were real. So real that I could almost hear the prayers that encircled them each week. I speak of how my four-year-old son was afraid to go with the other little boys to get a blessing from the Rav, but he clung to the Rebbetzin’s skirt like she was the source of sweetness itself. And when the Rebbetzin whispered words of Torah that I bent so close to hear I couldn’t hear her precious shards of wisdom, but I could hear the echo of sacred truth enveloping me with its purity. I didn’t want to leave the Rebbetzin’s smile even after she handed my son a treat and blessed us. I wanted another blessing. And another. I wanted to stay for a little longer in that room of books and drink in the nameless gift. The faith. The kindness. The unmistakable air of a home that is real.
And I speak of the Thursday evening when a famous, Torah teacher called me to invite us for Friday night dinner. She introduced herself by her first name and spoke to me as if we had always been the best of friends. I couldn’t figure out who it was until the voice clicked. That was the voice from the countless beloved lectures that lit up my life. We went to their home that Shabbos with our three babies all under the age of three, and the Rebbetzin held my baby the whole dinner as if I was giving her some rare gift. She, who had numerous children and grandchildren and thousands of students, held my baby like she was a long lost diamond. I have never since seen such a beautiful Shabbos table. The Rebbeztin sat beside her husband like a Queen beside her King as the children served the meal. Their home was so simple, and yet it sparkled in a way far richer interiors could never match. It smelled like the beginning of time. Like Hashem’s love. Like something real.
And I speak of the Rosh Hashanah eve that I spent davening by Rachel’s Tomb. How there was a woman beside me whose face I never saw that sang a song made of tears. No words, no music, but I can still hear it today. It fell slowly into my heart and broke open the walls of my soul. So that I could sing too. I could reach a place inside of me that knew that there was truth in a world of subjective eyes even if it couldn’t always be defined. That there was a purpose and a reason for everything. Even if it couldn’t always be named. And there was a way to find it even if it looked like the way was blocked.
Most days truth visits us in tiny, hidden spurts. Like the sky at dawn. Like a baby’s laugh. Sometimes it’s just a sentence or a song. Or a memory suddenly arriving on a challenge’s edge like a present on the edge of the wind. But we can miss it altogether if we aren’t careful. Because most of the time, we still look for truth in all the wrong places. My friend listens so carefully like I am handing her slivers of jewels that she must line up in her mind. And then we hear a shriek of delight and one of my daughters runs towards us with a tiny snowball in her hand.
“I made this, I made this. Look how beautiful, Ima!” she hands me the snowball, made up of just a few delicate flakes, and I gingerly hold the weightless, boundless treasure.
I see a wisp of a smile flicker on my friend’s face.
“I think you found it,” she says. “Something real.” | <urn:uuid:4ba81705-0e74-483d-aa9f-36427470e9f6> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://jewishmom.com/2013/02/07/something-real-by-debbie-lefkowitz/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368701852492/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516105732-00026-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.971218 | 1,158 | 1.5625 | 2 |
Minnesota's election officer says everything is going smoothly in the state's primary election so far.
Tuesday is primary day in Minnesota, when fields of candidates will be narrowed for the Nov. 6 general election. The races on the ballot range from the congressional to the local level.
A couple hours after polls opened Tuesday morning, Secretary of State Mark Ritchie said, "everything seems to be in order and all systems are go."
He has predicted turnout will reach only 15 percent. He says he doesn't expect a firmer handle until polls close at 8 p.m., but says primary turnout is always light.
Ritchie says one of the main issues his office has had to deal with has been people seeking help using the state's online polling place finder. He notes that redistricting this year means many voters are in new districts or their polling places have changed. He says other people have been calling to check whether their absentee ballots have arrived.
The primary includes both nonpartisan and partisan (party) races. You may vote in any party's primary, but you may not vote in more than one party's races. For example, if you vote in the Republican primary for U.S. Senate, you can not vote in the Democratic or Independence party primaries for other offices. You would have to stay within the Republican column.
This primary is also the first since districts were redrawn this spring to reflect changes in population indicated by the 2010 Census.
Who can vote: With a few exceptions, anyone who is a U.S. citizen, is at least 18 years old, and has lived in Minnesota for 20 days immediately before the primary is eligible.
When to vote: Polls will be open from 7 a.m. to 8 p.m. today. In some townships, polls will open at 10 a.m.
Where to vote: You can find your polling place at pollfinder.sos.state.mn.us
Are you registered? You can check your registration status at mnvotes.sos.state.mn.us/VoterStatus.aspx
Note: The pollfinder includes a sample ballot and a link to maps for your polling place. The registration lookup will take you there, too.
Election results: You'll be able to get the latest primary election results at www.startribune.com/2012primary.
Registering today: If you are not registered to vote at your current address, you may register at your polling place today. To do so, you'll need proof of your identity and residence, such as a valid Minnesota driver's license, state learner's permit or Minnesota identification card with your current name and address in the precinct. A number of other forms of proof of ID and residence are accepted and can be found at the secretary of state's website: www.mnvotes.org. Under one form, a person who is registered to vote in the same precinct where you live can vouch for your address with a signed oath.
For further information or questions: Secretary of state's website (www.mnvotes.org) or call 651-201-1339.
JIM KERN, ASSOCIATED PRESS
EXPECT ELBOW ROOM
The August primary is a change that began two years ago, when lawmakers moved the election earlier from its traditional post-Labor Day date to give military and overseas voters more time to vote. But in the midst of summer vacation season, that almost surely means little to no lines at most polling places. Secretary of State Mark Ritchie predicts turnout slightly less than 15 percent statewide, with gusts higher in the hotly contested U.S. House races in the 8th District and 1st District. Voter turnout two years ago was 15.5 percent, and that was with a close Democratic primary in the governor's race.
NAILBITER UP NORTH
The night's most closely watched race will be in northern Minnesota's 8th District, where Democrats badly want to reclaim the seat Jim Oberstar lost in 2010. They want it so badly, in fact, that three of them — Tarryl Clark, Rick Nolan and Jeff Anderson — contested the primary even after the party endorsed Nolan. Each is eager for a November date with GOP Rep. Chip Cravaack, who has to prove he's not a one-term wonder in a swath of the state that leans left. The seat is seen nationally as a top pick-up chance for Democrats.
THE LEGISLATURE WILL GET A MAKEOVER
Forty legislative districts have primaries, part of the regular upheaval when political districts are redrawn every 10 years and many lawmakers opt to retire rather than slog through a tougher re-election bid. No matter who wins this fall, almost a fourth of next year's Legislature will be newbies. A few of Tuesday's races could offer clues to the electorate's mood come November, too. Among the most closely watched primaries are three involving Republican incumbents — Rep. Steve Smith, Rep. Connie Doepke and Sen. Julianne Ortman — who face challenges from the right as they try to hold their seats or, in Doepke's case, move up to the Senate.
FOR SENATE DRAMA, WAIT FOR NOVEMBER
Sen. Amy Klobuchar has some primary challengers as she seeks a second term, but none that is expected to make the Democrat break much of a sweat. On the Republican side, state Rep. Kurt Bills has the party's backing against a couple of opponents and is expected to advance. If he does, he'll have to contend with Klobuchar's huge advantages in name recognition and money.
IN BROOKLYN PARK, RUN HARD AND REST LATER
One lucky Democratic candidate in Brooklyn Park is guaranteed a seat in the state Senate with a victory Tuesday. With no Republican filing for the office, Sen. Chris Eaton and Timothy Davis Sr. can start measuring for drapes if they win. Eaton won a special election in 2011 to finish the term of the late Sen. Linda Scheid, while Davis ran unsuccessfully for Brooklyn Park mayor two years ago.
- Associated Press | <urn:uuid:22fd1ba5-1198-43fa-bd46-a41952a96e97> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.startribune.com/politics/166057056.html | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368703682988/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516112802-00010-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.953422 | 1,263 | 1.5625 | 2 |
Tablet of the Báb Lawh-i-Vasaya, "Will and Testament"; Titles of Mírzá Yahyá
To: The Universal House of Justice
Date: 28 May 2004
From: Research Department
Tablet of the Bab; the Appointment of Azal and His Titles
The Research Department has considered the questions contained in the email message of 15 January 2004 from Mr. Badi Villar Cardenas to the Universal House of Justice. As a context for his queries, Mr. Villar appends a number of extracts from Web sites and email communications he has had with several individuals. Mr. Villar appears to be particularly interested in "the nature of the designation of Azal" and to this end seeks information about the authenticity of the Lawh-i-Vasaya, which he understands is regarded by the Azalis as the basis for Mirza Yahya's titles and position. He also enquires about the meaning of a particular verse in the Persian Bayan. We provide the following response.
Tablet of the Bab
The Tablet of the Báb, which is described as “The Báb’s Lawh-i-Vasaya: The Will and Testament” on the Web site www.h-net.org/~bahai/areprint/bab/S-Z/vasaya/vasaya.htm, referred to by Mr. Villar, can be found on pages 95–102 in volume 64, published in the Iran National Bahá’í Archives (INBA) series. This volume was published in B.E. 133 and contains various Writings of the Báb. We attach for Mr. Villar’s information a photocopy of the Tablet from that volume. It is important to call attention to the fact that, while in some quarters this Tablet has become known as the Will and Testament of the Báb, the Research Department has, to date, found no explicit evidence to suggest that the Báb, Himself, designated the Tablet as such. Indeed, from a perusal of the attached material, Mr. Villar will see that the Tablet bears no title. He will also see that, while the Tablet is addressed to Azal, there is nothing in its contents pertaining to questions of successorship and authority. Rather, the recipient is enjoined to promote and protect the Faith and to invite people to follow what has been revealed in the Bayán. To date, no authorized English translation of the Tablet is available. As to the circumstances of Mirza Yahya's nomination, it is interesting to note that in the Babi Dispensation, the Lesser Covenant, that Covenant made by the Manifestation of God with His followers to accept His appointed successor, is, according to the Guardian, found interspersed in the Bab's Book of Laws, the Persian Bayan, in many passages, some of which were "designedly obscure", but mostly "indubitably clear and conclusive".1 The Bab seems to have alerted His followers to the promised advent of Bahá'u'lláh, instead of designating an appointed successor. Indeed, the Guardian stated:
A successor or vicegerent the Bab never named, an interpreter of His teachings He refrained from appointing. So transparently clear were His references to the Promised One, so brief was to be the duration of His own Dispensation, that neither the one nor the other was deemed necessary. All He did was, according to the testimony of 'Abdu'l-Bahá in "A Traveller's Narrative," to nominate, on the advice of Bahá'u'lláh and of another disciple, Mirza Yahya, who would act solely as a figure-
head pending the manifestation of the Promised One, thus enabling Bahá'u'lláh to promote, in relative security, the Cause so dear to His heart. ("God Passes By", pp. 28-29)The following extract from a letter dated 4 August 1980, written on behalf of the Universal House of Justice to an individual believer, deals with the position of Mirza Yahya in the Babi community:
Concerning the position of Mirza Yahya in the Babi community, the Guardian has made it quite clear in "God Passes By" that Mirza Yahya was the Bab's "nominee" and was the "recognized chief of the Babi community" following the martyrdom of the Bab. He has also referred to him as "titular head" and "a mere figurehead" (see "God Passes By" page 90). The position occupied by Mirza Yahya was far different from being an appointed Successor of a Manifestation of God in the sense that St. Peter, the Imam 'Ali or 'Abdu'l-Bahá were appointed Successors with far-reaching authority. Obviously the Bab had no need to appoint such a Successor, for He knew that Bahá'u'lláh was already present and ready to be revealed at the appointed time. He seems, therefore, merely to have nominated a titular head for the Babi community as a focal point of unity until such time as He Whom God will make manifest would decide to unveil Himself.Additional details concerning the circumstances of Mirza Yahya's nomination are contained in
Titles of Azal
As to whether Mirza Yahya's titles were derived from Tablets of the Bab or fabricated by Azal and his followers, in his book, "Mustayqiz", Mirza Yahya attributes a number of divine names and attributes to himself, one of which is "Azal".2
The title "Subh-i-Azal" appears in an Islamic tradition which is called Hadith-i-Kumayl (Kumayl was a devoted student of the first Imam, 'Ali3), and a portion of the Hadith is quoted by the Bab in "Dala'il-i-Sab'ih" (Babiyyih Publication, p. 58). Mirza Yahya and his followers erroneously have taken this term as a reference to Mirza Yahya.
In the book "Making the Crooked Straight: A Contribution to Bahá'í Apologetics",4 the following footnote provides additional information about the origin of Mirza Yahya's attributing to himself the title "Subh-i-Azal".
Mirza Yahya Azal was evidently known also by the name Subh-i- Azal. This is, at least, the title used by Browne, and it is probably through his works that this title was first made public. In Azali works (such as "Hasht Bihisht") and works written under Azali influence (such as the "Kitab-i-Nuqtatu'l-Kaf" or Gobineau's "Les Religions") Mirza Yahya is referred to by the title "Hadrat-i- Azal", not "Subh-i-Azal". The origin or first use of the title Subh-i-Azal has not yet been identified. This title of honour was evidently not conferred on him by the Bab, who only called him "Thamaratu'l-Azaliyya" and "'Ismu'l-Azal" (see Mirza Yahya, "Mustayqiz", pp. 391f.). However, the Bab did employ the title Subh-i-Azal in reference to various other leading Babis (see the commentary on the Hadith of Kumayl, Teheran Bahá'í Archives MS 6006 C., pp. 74ff.), so that it is quite possible that Mirza Yahya was occasionally thus designated.Persian Bayan, passage 2:16
Mr. Villar requests assistance in understanding a passage from the Persian Bayan, 2:16, which, among other things, refers to the Mustaghath and the timing of the advent of the Promised One. Although Mr. Villar's specific question is not clearly stated, it would appear that he is unsure how the meaning of the verse in the Bayan is to be understood in light of a statement in H. M. Balyuzi's "E. G. Browne and the Bahá'í Faith" concerning the Azali view of the coming of the Promised One.
The Research Department has not, to date, been able to locate an authoritative interpretation of the particular passage from the Persian Bayan in the Writings. However, we attach for Mr. Villar's information a discussion of the prophesy in the Writings of the Bab concerning the advent of the Promised One that is published in "Making the Crooked Straight: A Contribution to Bahá'í Apologetics".5 This discussion may well assist Mr. Villar in furthering his understanding of some of the themes in the passage in question. | <urn:uuid:9b041984-56f9-4c1e-b1b6-f531f724835f> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://bahai-library.com/uhj_vasaya_mirza_yahya | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368703298047/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516112138-00006-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.963199 | 1,849 | 1.71875 | 2 |
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The objective of this study was to determine if plantar forefoot ulcers would heal and not recur if treated with tendon lengthenings. Patients with neuropathy (usually from diabetes mellitus) and plantar forefoot ulcers were treated with tendon lengthening and followed. Of 34 forefoot ulcers treated with tendon lengthenings, 1 did not heal, and 4 recurred at the same location by 36 months average follow-up. Three patients developed transfer ulcers at other locations on the foot. Two patients subsequently required leg amputation for gangrene (1 transfemoral and 1 transtibial). No amputations were completed for progressive infection from ulcers. Tendon lengthening appears to be an effective treatment for neuropathic plantar forefoot ulcers.
Full text of article from Wounds is available at Medscape (free registration required)
BACKGROUND: Foot ulcers are a common cause of infection and amputation in patients with neuropathy. This retrospective study evaluated the healing and recurrence rates after treating neuropathic ulcers plantar to the metatarsal heads with tendon lengthenings in the leg.
MATERIALS AND METHODS: Between 1995 and 2003, 20 ulcers plantar to the metatarsal heads in 17 patients were treated with tendon lengthenings. All patients had gastroc-soleus recession (Vulpius procedure). Patients with first metatarsal head ulcers also had Z-type lengthenings of the peroneus longus. Patients with fifth metatarsal head ulcers also had intramuscular lengthening of the tibialis posterior. Patients with second, third, and fourth metatarsal head ulcers had only a gastroc-soleus recession.
RESULTS: All patients had neuropathy; 15 patients with 17 ulcers had diabetes mellitus. All incisions healed primarily without infection. Nineteen of 20 ulcers healed. One patient with one ulcer was lost to followup after the ulcer healed. Average followup for the remaining 19 ulcers was 45 months. Average duration of the 19 ulcers before surgery was 17 months. Three of 19 ulcers recurred and had repeat tendon lengthening and healed again. None of the patients whose ulcers healed had to be admitted for foot infection or amputation. The one patient whose ulcer did not heal developed progressive dry gangrene which required trans-femoral amputation six months after tendon lengthening.
CONCLUSION: Tendon lengthenings in the leg seem to be effective in healing and preventing recurrence of neuropathic ulcers plantar to the metatarsal head with a low complication rate. | <urn:uuid:6a546750-13d7-49b5-bb57-3911de8b3467> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.podiatry-arena.com/podiatry-forum/showthread.php?t=685 | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368697380733/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516094300-00037-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.945395 | 718 | 1.648438 | 2 |
Front Page Titles (by Subject) TO THE PRESIDENT OF CONGRESS. - The Writings of George Washington, vol. V (1776-1777)
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TO THE PRESIDENT OF CONGRESS. - George Washington, The Writings of George Washington, vol. V (1776-1777)
The Writings of George Washington, collected and edited by Worthington Chauncey Ford (New York and London: G. P. Putnam’s Sons, 1890). Vol. V (1776-1777).
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TO THE PRESIDENT OF CONGRESS.
Morristown, 20 February, 1777.
The principal design of this is to inform you, that we have strong reasons to believe, that the enemy are on the point of making some push. What their object is, whether to beat up our quarters and to extend their own, to make a large forage and collection of provender, of what they are in great want, or to turn their views towards the Delaware, is a matter of uncertainty; but it seems probable that one of these things they have in contemplation. Such of their troops as have returned from Rhode Island have landed at Amboy, and with them several pieces of heavy artillery. General Howe is come over too, and, it is said, Lord Percy. Their number at Brunswic and the landing-place, before the arrival of this last reinforcement, was estimated from seven to eight thousand. I have ordered the utmost vigilance and attention to be observed at our several posts, to guard against surprises, and every preparation to be made, that the weak and feeble state of our little army will admit of. At this time we are only about four thousand strong, a force, you will suppose, unequal to a successful opposition, if they were not militia, and far too small for the exigencies of our affairs. It is impossible to obtain exact returns, though they are daily called for, owing to the frequent and almost constant departure of some of the corps.1
Colonel [John] Nielson of Brunswic, with a detachment of militia, on the morning of the 18th, surprised Major [Richard V.] Stockton, [on Lawrence’s Island] whom he took, with fifty-nine privates of General Skinner’s corps, killing four, and bringing away the arms of the whole, with some blankets.2 This about balances the loss of a militia guard, which a party of British troops took last week in Monmouth, near the Hook. I wish to be informed how the regiments that are raising are to be armed, and of the provision that has been made for the same. I have reason to fear, indeed I am convinced, that there is a great deficiency in many, if not in the whole of the States, in this article. Every letter that I receive from them mentions their want, and calls for supplies.1
I have the honor to be, &c.2
[1 ]“Sorry I am to inform you (and this I do under the rose, to be known only to those who ought to be acquainted with it,) that without it, their numbers are nearly double ours; and what kind of troops ours are, you need not be informed, when I tell you, that we have scarce any other than militia. Unhappily for us, most of those that could be depended upon, are down with the small pox, either by inocculation or in the natural way.”—Washington to Gates, 20 February, 1777.
[2 ]General Skinner was a royalist of New Jersey, and his corps consisted of persons of that description, who had taken advantage of General Howe’s proclamation, and given in their adhesion to the king. An interesting sketch of these New Jersey volunteers (Loyalists) has been written by William S. Stryker, Adjutant-General of New Jersey.
[1 ]Mr. Burke, a member of Congress from North Carolina, sent to the Governor of that State a sketch of the debate on the principal subject of this letter, which was marked with much warmth. There was a unanimous disposition, however, for using every possible effort to strengthen the army, and ample resolutions to this effect were passed. Journals, February 24th. One of the resolutions was closed with the following superfluous, not to say pompous paragraph: “it being the earnest desire of Congress to make the army under the immediate command of General Washington sufficiently strong, not only to curb and confine the enemy within their present quarters, and prevent them from drawing support of any kind from the country, but, by the Divine blessing, totally to subdue them before they can be reinforced.” In discussing this paragraph strong indications were given of the temper and secret sentiments of the members. Mr. Burke observes: “Jersey, Pennsylvania, North Carolina, and South Carolina voted for expunging it; the four Eastern States, Virginia, and Georgia for retaining it. There appeared through this whole debate a great desire, in some of the delegates from the Eastern States, and in one from New Jersey, to insult the General.” In this fact we discover the silent workings of the spirit of hostility to the Commander-in-chief, which assumed a formidable aspect both in Congress and in the army before the end of the year. Sparks.
[2 ]Read in Congress February 24th. | <urn:uuid:581f5917-f20e-403c-b156-5cbdb44efc50> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://oll.libertyfund.org/?option=com_staticxt&staticfile=show.php%3Ftitle=2403&chapter=227178&layout=html&Itemid=27 | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368704132298/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516113532-00023-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.958874 | 1,241 | 1.671875 | 2 |
Posts Tagged ‘How Americans View Mormonism’
We spent an hour with Gary Lawrence last night. He was gracious enough to come up to visit our stake in Camarillo from his home in Orange County. Dr. Lawrence is an American opinion pollster who also happens to be a Latter-day Saint. He has been travelling around the church sharing the results of a poll he conducted in the spring of 2007 on American’s perception of Latter-day Saints in the United States.
He published a book in 2008 with the findings of his poll, How Americans View Mormonism: Seven Steps to Improve Our Image. Dr. Lawrence received a PhD in communications psychology from Stanford University in 1972. He said that of over twenty doctoral candidates in his group, he was the only LDS, Republican, conservative hawk among them. So he knows a little about being in the minority.
Now if you know anything about recent events in California, you’ll recognize that Gary’s business, Lawrence Research was the opinion polling company that was heavily involved in Proposition 8. Gary was also the state LDS grassroots director for the Protect Marriage coalition. Brother Lawrence, who has served as a bishop has spent over 35 years studying opinions and behaviors of the American public.
From the results of his survey, Dr. Lawrence maintains that the misconceptions, distortions, and untruths being told about Mormons have slowed the growth of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints and that the average member is best positioned to turn things around. By the way, the name of his next book, due from Deseret Book later this year is “What Part of Our Name Don’t You Understand?”
For me, the most interesting result of the survey was that our perceived image is upside down. Forty-nine percent of those surveyed had an unfavorable impression of Mormons. Only thirty-seven percent had a favorable impression. They say that we have weird beliefs and are secretive. Yet they also say we are good neighbors, hard workers, believe in clean living, have high moral standards and help others.
Lawrence said that thirty-seven percent of all Americans do not know a Mormon, and fifty-five percent of all Americans do not know an active Mormon. In fact, those who know one Mormon have a worse opinion of us than those who do not know any Mormons. We are viewed unfavorably more than Jews or Baptists (3.5 to 1) and Catholics (2 to 1). Mormons, less than 1 to 1. That’s a terrible ratio.
Simple ignorance is often blamed for Mormonism’s negative image, but Gary also concludes that it is driven by fear — fear of a supposed political agenda, wealth, organizational ability, unwavering doctrine, and a unique vocabulary that is often misunderstood. He gave some wonderful examples but I’ll have to defer in sharing some of the better ones until I receive his book that I ordered from Deseret Book.
His book explains that individual members in their daily interactions with others are the key. In his presentation, which he has probably delivered dozens of times, he pointed out that friendly and natural conversations, the facts, simple claims, individual latitude, non-threatening invitations and gentle mentoring are the ways Mormons can combat distortions, improve our image, and spread the gospel.
A central claim of our church is that we have the restored gospel of Jesus Christ. Gary explained that this phrase is not well understood by those outside our faith. They equate the word restore as something you do to an old car or a piece of old furniture. He suggested that a better phrase to use would be: “We claim to be the re-established Christian Church.” I like that. It is simpler and easier to understand.
He even broke it down for us into three bite-sized pieces: 1) Christ organized a church. 2) Men changed it and 3) It has been brought back. Amazingly, 84 percent of Americans have had exposure to our church, yet only 14 percent can tell you that this is our main differentiating claim from other Christian churches. While people may not agree with our claim, we want and need them to understand it.
Meaning of Gospel
They can then decide for themselves how they will respond to that claim. But if they never get the real message, how can they make a legitimate choice? Naturally, some people will reject the gospel truth once it has been presented to them. And that’s another word that we use differently from the rest of Christianity. To us, the gospel means more than the words of Matthew, Mark, Luke, John, Peter and Paul.
Most Mormons equate gospel to mean the overarching plan of happiness that was presented in our pre-earth life. We have come to see the gospel as more than just a theology, but as a way of life, and that it encompasses all truth that we embrace. But in reality, the gospel is the good news of the doctrine of Christ, that all will be resurrected and that we can be forgiven of sins through repentance and ordinances.
That’s why we can say that the fullness of the gospel is contained in the Book of Mormon even though there are many additional doctrines we believe that are only found outside the Book or Mormon. In fact, some within our church have gone so far as to claim that obtaining a degree of higher education is a part of the gospel. Does that mean that early saints and prophets without a B.A. degree are not saved?
Of course not; that would be a ridiculous example. While we believe in continuing education and encourage our members to get all the education we can, an advanced degree is not a requirement for entrance into the kingdom of heaven. A high school diploma is not required. There is no requirement for any type of certified education to meet God’s conditions to enter into his kingdom; only obedience to his laws.
Mormon Scholars Testify
In our Mormon culture, besides placing great emphasis on education, we also hold those who have received advanced degrees and yet remained faithful in very high esteem. Dr. Lawrence has shared his testimony in greater detail on the website, Mormon Scholars Testify, which was created by another visitor to our stake, Dr. Daniel C. Petersen, speaking about BYU’s involvement in the Dead Sea scrolls.
My fellow blogger Steve Faux introduced me to the site a few years back when he was asked to share his thoughts and feelings about being a believing Mormon who teaches evolution at the University level. I have watched participation grow over the years until there are now more than 200 testimonies recorded there. Compare that to twenty being promoted on the opposing site Ex-Mormon scholars testify.
Opposition in All Things
One of our fundamental doctrines is that we believe there must be opposition in all things. I love the Internet for the very reason that it allows us to see the very best and the very worst of the extremes on just about any issue. I’m not a scholar and will probably never have an advanced degree, but I have come to appreciate both sides of the debate on controversial subjects I have written about over the years.
I can judge for myself when someone is presenting the truth in a distorted manner because I have been counseled over the years to study things out and come to my own conclusions about the truth of an issue. Some things can never be proven and will have to wait until the next life to determine who is right and who is wrong. That’s one of the purposes of life – to exercise faith and choose what we believe.
Choose What We Believe
I recommend you read the testimonies of Dr. Lawrence, Dr. Petersen, S. Faux and any others that you may recognize. They come from a variety of disciplines such as the Arts, Business, Management, Accounting, History, Religion, Social Science, Language, Literature, Law, Medicine, Psychology, Philosophy, Science, Mathematics and Engineering. Yes, Mormons believe in the value of education.
I hope this helps to dispel any misconceptions that Mormons are ignorant, closed-minded, brain-washed or uneducated. We do not follow our leaders blindly, nor do we worship our prophets, living or dead. But we do value loyalty and respect to those who we sustain as prophets and apostles. It is my testimony that they are leading us to Christ. I choose to follow their direction and counsel for my family.
Written by tmalonemcse
March 28, 2011 at 3:18 pm
Posted in Mormon culture
Tagged with American Religion, Anti-Mormons, Are Mormons Christian?, Choose to believe, Church firesides, Controversy, Critical thinking, Current Events, Deseret Book, Former Mormons, Gary Lawrence, Gay Marriage, How Americans View Mormonism, Intellectual study, Intellectuals, Lawrence Research, LDS Church, Mormon Church, Mormon culture, Mormon Scholars Testify, Mormonism, Mormons, Mormons are Secretive, Opinion Polls, Proposition 8, Protect Marriage, Re-Established Christian Church, Religion in Politics, Restored Christianity, Scholarship, Seeking knowledge, Sharing the Gospel, Testifying, Testimony, Weird Beliefs | <urn:uuid:a858109c-405f-450b-9419-ac5ecfbf62ad> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://latterdaycommentary.com/tag/how-americans-view-mormonism/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368702810651/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516111330-00010-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.965142 | 1,871 | 1.671875 | 2 |
God has designed His church with the same order that exists in all of His creation. The Bible, particularly the New Testament, gives us specific commandments and principles by which the local church is to operate. Emmanuel is built on the New Testament pattern of episcopate authority, where the Pastor serves as the senior authority. The Associate Pastors, Elders, and other leaders make up the legal trustees of the church. These are men and women who qualify as Biblical Elders and leaders according to Titus 1 and I Timothy 3. | <urn:uuid:b4afbaab-b93d-4673-948f-85c531e3b173> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.emmanuelpdx.com/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=101&Itemid=179 | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368708766848/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516125246-00028-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.970067 | 106 | 1.820313 | 2 |
I was on a train back from the seaside. The summer was gone and the philosophy teacher (at that time I was attending the high-school) had assigned us a book to read. The title sounded like "The Birth of modern Science in Europe". I started to leaf through it, without expecting anything special.
Until then, I had a purist vision of science: I supposed that the development of science was - in some way - a deterministic process, scientists proceeded in a linear way doing their experiments, theories arose in the science community under a common agreement.
Well.. my vision of science was dramatically different from that one I experienced some years later! With surprise and astonishment, I discovered that Sir Isaac Newton had a not-hidden passion for Alchemy - probably the furthest thing from science I could imagine - Nicolaus Copernicus wrote to the Pope begging to accept his theories, Galileo and other scientists fought not only against the Roman Church and Aristotle's thought but maybe more often one against the others just to prevail.
In two weeks I finished the book and then my way of thinking changed. I understood that science was not only a pursuit of knowledge but a social process too, with its rules and tricks: a never-ending tale such as human life. I have never forgotten it and since then, my curiosity and passion for science have been rising more and more. Definitely, that book has changed my mind. | <urn:uuid:e217cef4-94d0-4ecd-9ec9-b67f67ae1c94> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.edge.org/response-detail/10285 | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368704713110/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516114513-00018-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.984123 | 289 | 1.796875 | 2 |
| FINANCE: Investment Curbs Seen Stifling World Economy
Global Geopolitics Net / IPS
Saturday, June 28, 2008
All rights reserved, IPS – Inter Press Service, 2008.
WASHINGTON, Jun 26 (IPS) - The United States and other beneficiaries of foreign investment are seeking to restrict it, a leading U.S. think tank says in a report warning that this ”protectionist drift” could roil capital markets and stifle global economic growth for years to come.
Numerous countries have approved or are seriously considering laws to restrict new foreign investment or subject it to significantly more government scrutiny and regulation, says the Council on Foreign Relations.
Among these are some 11 -- including the United States, Russia, Canada, China, and Germany -- that, together, receive 40 percent of the world's foreign direct investment (FDI).
In a classical FDI deal, an investor from one country acquires a lasting interest -- a physical investment in a factory, say -- in an enterprise in another country. The investment must be large enough to afford the investor control over the foreign entity.
Such investment has proved a stronger engine of global economic development than has trade, say authors David Marchick and Matthew Slaughter.
”Investment liberalisation has been the strongest driver of growth worldwide,” they say.
Marchick is global head of regulatory affairs at Carlyle Group, a top private equity firm. Slaughter, a senior fellow at the council, has served on President George W. Bush's council of economic advisers.
”Looking ahead, an even stronger protectionist drift...could exacerbate the ongoing turmoil in global capital markets, with widespread consequences for the real economy in many countries,” they say.
Restrictions on foreign investment would result in considerable costs to the global economic system, reducing benefits to investor, or ”source”, and recipient, or ”host” countries alike.
”The United States offers some of the clearest evidence on the host-country benefits of FDI inflows,” according to the report, ”Global FDI Policy”.
”Beyond employing millions of Americans, the U.S. operations of foreign companies make American workers and the overall economy more productive through investment in physical capital, investment in R&D [research and development], and trade,” it adds.
The document says outbound investments benefit source countries because ”these outflows enhance the competitiveness of their multinational parent companies by allowing them to better serve foreign markets.”
Marchick and Slaughter urge governments to curb their appetite for restrictions on foreign investment. Government review of foreign investments should be governed by four principles, they say.
First, any investment-review law should be limited to national security considerations and should not be tainted by economic motivations.
Second, the review process should be quick and predictable so as not to disrupt potential investments.
Third, the confidentiality of business transactions should be carefully safeguarded.
Fourth, countries should avoid targeting specific sectors -- telecommunications, say, or energy -- for comprehensive reviews of every proposed FDI deal. Already, investment reviews once limited to defence sectors have spread to energy, ports, telecommunications, and even gambling.
The authors further recommend that finance ministers from key countries involved in international investment meet annually to discuss and refine these principles, and that the Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) and the International Monetary Fund (IMF) play a more active role in encouraging countries to adopt the resulting ”best practices”.
Marchick and Slaughter trace their ”protectionist drift” back to 2006. That was when it emerged the Bush administration had approved the acquisition of British port operator P&O by Dubai Ports World, which is owned by the government of the Arab emirate. The deal would have left the Dubai firm operating six large U.S. ports.
Many in Congress, including top lawmakers from Bush's Republican Party, vowed to block the deal, which they said would compromise national sovereignty and security. Some went so far as to suggest that terrorists would gain a toehold on the U.S. shoreline were the ports allowed to pass into Arab hands. Political wrangling ended when Dubai Ports announced that it would sell the six ports to a U.S. entity.
U.S., Middle Eastern, and other commentators accused the politicians of abusing national security and pandering to xenophobia while obscuring the fact that U.S. authorities would have retained jurisdiction over national security and customs enforcement. Some speculated that the politicians -- and the local political, business, and union bosses who backed them -- were really out to protect patronage politics, not national sovereignty or security.
General John Abizaid, then commander of U.S. forces in the Middle East, spoke out against those who opposed the deal, saying it ”really comes down to Arab- and Muslim-bashing that was totally unnecessary.”
Marchick and Slaughter take the politicians' national security arguments at face value, adding that a number of other countries also have scrutinised or squashed deals on similar grounds.
The United States and Europe remain highly suspicious of investment from developing countries, China, and Arab states because many of the biggest investors in these countries are government-owned entities -- most prominently, so-called sovereign wealth funds.
The authors reject Western fears about the investment pools, noting that sovereign wealth funds ”have existed for more than 50 years and have been responsible investors.”
Contact us for more info | <urn:uuid:e9b3c167-0f7b-49c3-bead-456e475cf177> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://globalgeopolitics.net/art/0628-IPS-Abid%20Aslam-Finance-Investment-Economy.htm | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368705559639/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516115919-00032-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.941316 | 1,133 | 1.804688 | 2 |
- Antiwar.com Original - http://original.antiwar.com -
Honor Bradley Manning
Posted By Justin Raimondo On February 21, 2013 @ 11:00 pm In Uncategorized | 23 Comments
Bradley Manning has slipped off the media’s radar, and not because he isn’t newsworthy: his "trial"—which has now reached its 1000th day – has been conducted largely in secret, with motions classified and testimony not available to the general public. This underscores the significance of and motive behind Manning’s "crime," and highlights the fear his heroism inspires in his persecutors: the "crime" of truth-telling, and the terror truth inspires in our political class.
Manning is accused of releasing not only the secret history of the Iraq and Afghan wars, in the form of intelligence reports, by allowing Wikileaks to post them on the Internet, but also revealing a good part of the secret diplomatic history of the US government for the past decade or so. How and why a mere private had access to all this material is a question the US military has yet to answer: it’s astonishing in view of the nature and scope of the materials. That must have had several high mucka-mucks unable to sleep at night.
Among the secrets revealed was clear, even dramatic evidence of war crimes, including a video, "Collateral Murder," showing US military helicopter gun ships gleefully mowing down Iraqi civilians. The Iraqi and Afghan intelligence reports demonstrated how the Pentagon underreported civilian casualties, and allowed their local sock-puppets to engage in torture. To this day, new revelations are coming out of the Wikileaks files, which have become a veritable online encyclopedia of US government depredations around the world.
Quite a feat for a lowly 20-something private in the US Army.
That the authorities went after him with unusual viciousness is hardly surprising. What’s surprising is that he wasn’t murdered in prison, like Ben Zygier. Kept in solitary confinement, stripped of clothing, and subjected to perpetual harassment by prison guards, the conditions of Manning’s imprisonment were so extreme that a UN rapporteur intervened and a letter signed by 295 legal academics raised a hue and cry: he was eventually transferred to Ft. Leavenworth, where he is free to interact with other inmates.
Charged under the terms of the Espionage Act with "aiding the enemy," Manning could conceivably face the death penalty, although prosecutors are saying they are going for life imprisonment. This has been the crux of the government’s case against him, but who, more precisely, is the "enemy"? They can’t admit that the "enemy" is the American people, and the people of the world, who learned for the first time of Washington’s crimes due to Manning’s efforts. So they have to argue he was actively aiding that all-purpose bogeyman known as al-Qaeda. Prosecutors have cited the terrorist group’s alleged official magazine, Inspire, to "prove" the Wikileaks cables have given that dwindling threat a step up, but that’s a pretty thin reed on which to hang such serious charges. What the government is hoping for is a plea bargain that will enable them to go after their real target – Wikileaks, and Julian Assange.
Assange, you’ll recall, has been holed up in Ecuador’s London embassy for the past 8 months, seeking refuge from the frame-up engineered by US (and Swedish) spooks that have him entangled in charges over the "rape" of a rather dubious lady with connections to the Swedish government as well as right-wing Cuban exiles. It is a measure of the American Empire’s dominance of its European vassal states that both Sweden and the Brits are dutifully doing their part in Assange’s persecution: the former in upholding these obviously trumped up charges (although, I might note, no formal charges were ever presented to a court), and the latter in denying him political asylum and spending almost 3 million pounds (nearly $4.3 million) watching the Ecuadorian embassy day and night to make sure Assange doesn’t escape.
What this is all about is the most vitally important issue of our day: government secrecy. That the US government is waging a worldwide war under cover of darkness means that opposition to US foreign policy is crippled from the outset. How can we oppose what we don’t know is happening? We don’t know, and our wise rulers want to keep it that way. Foreign policy, after all, is the exclusive domain of the political elites: the hoi polloi have no say, no role, and hopefully no knowledge of what is being done with their tax dollars behind their backs.
Secrecy is the first principle of our "democratic" dictatorship, the one principle the political class is willing to go to the mat for, because it enables them to act with impunity while still preserving the illusion of popular consent. Once elected, they have a blank check to act as they like – and that is precisely what they do. Everything is "classified," even the most innocuous documents, and whistle-blowers are relentlessly pursued – especially by this "liberal" administration, which campaigned for office under the banner of "transparency."
In this case – or, rather, in these two cases – the media has played a notably pernicious role as a conduit for the government’s smear campaign. In Manning’s case, they trumpeted salacious gossip about his sexuality, and in a particularly disgraceful episode, Wired magazine "edited" the transcripts of online communications between Manning and Adian Lamo – the professional snitch and former mental patient who entrapped him – in order to put the young whistleblower in the worst possible light. As far as Assange is concerned, the non-charges of "rape" were trumpeted by a credulous and complicit "mainstream" media all over the world, in a rather obvious attempt by the US government to undercut support for Wikileaks. What better weapon to use against the "left" than the double-edged sword of political correctness? The "feminists" who claim Assange raped that Swedish whore neither know nor care that they are being used by Washington’s spooks and their European poodles: George Galloway has their number, to be sure.
Manning’s trial – in the course of which much of the testimony and the motions accompanying them are bound to be "classified," and thus unavailable to our lickspittle media – is scheduled for June. This has to be one of the longest, most drawn out crucifixions in history, one meant to warn off anyone else who might be thinking of revealing the secrets of the elites.
Yet, try as they might, the Powers That Be will never eliminate what is quite possibly the deadliest threat to their dominance – the ability of "insiders" to break the code of silence and reveal the truth of what is happening in our world. Both Manning and Assange are heroes, but, I’m afraid, also martyrs, who sacrificed their lives for the twin principles of peace and liberty.
This Saturday, to mark Day 1000 of Manning’s long ordeal, the Bradley Manning Support Network is holding demonstrations worldwide. I couldn’t imagine a better way to spend the afternoon.
NOTES IN THE MARGIN
We don’t hear much about either Manning or Assange in what passes for the "mainstream" media these days. After an initial burst of publicity, much of it negative (as I pointed out above), these two vitally important cases have been dropped down the Memory Hole, with only minor updates. One of the few places you can learn the facts about the issues involved is right here on this web site – but that’s only because we aren’t part of the corporate media.
Antiwar.com is independent journalism freed of the constraints imposed on the "mainstream" by the cozy relationships enjoyed by their journalists with those they are supposed to be covering. But we can’t continue to do that kind of journalism without your financial support.
Our fundraising drive hasn’t exactly stalled, but it isn’t going a hundred-miles-per-hour either. More like 20. We need to speed matters up quite a bit if we’re going to make our goal – a goal, by the way, that merely allows us to continue on the same level as before.
I’m bringing this up because we now have an opportunity to put a little oomph into our fundraising effort – the pledging of $26,000 dollars in matching funds by a few of our generous donors. The key word here is "matching" – we won’t get the money unless we manage to match it. And that’s where you come in.
Your tax-deductible donation makes a real difference, no matter the amount – and now is the time to make it. Our creditors are getting a bit cranky, as well they might: we have bills to pay, and we can’t pay them without your support. So please: go here to make your online contribution – because Antiwar.com is needed now more than ever.
More Notes in the Margin
I’m on Twitter quite a bit these days, and having a lot of fun: indeed, I’m almost up to 3,000 "followers"! Help me cross the 3000 mark by following me here.
I’ve also written a couple of books, which you might want to peruse. Here is the link for buying the second edition of my 1993 book, Reclaiming the American Right: The Lost Legacy of the Conservative Movement, with an Introduction by Prof. George W. Carey, a Forward by Patrick J. Buchanan, and critical essays by Scott Richert and David Gordon (ISI Books, 2008).
Article printed from Antiwar.com Original: http://original.antiwar.com
URL to article: http://original.antiwar.com/justin/2013/02/21/honor-bradley-manning/
Copyright © 2012 Antiwar.com Original. All rights reserved. | <urn:uuid:768d998a-e4e5-4399-8e94-6b6fcb41eaa6> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://original.antiwar.com/justin/2013/02/21/honor-bradley-manning/print/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368696381249/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516092621-00020-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.958182 | 2,138 | 1.65625 | 2 |
But there are some differences. The president, for example, is specifically calling for the investment of $4 billion in the Community Oriented Policing Services program, which helps localities hire law enforcement officers. An expansion of that program has faced Republican criticism and is not specifically included in the House Democrats’ principles.
In what could be interpreted as a jab at the Justice Department, the House task force is calling for more aggressive federal prosecution of gun laws that are on the books now, a recommendation favored by the NRA and articulated by several Republicans during a Senate Judiciary Committee hearing on gun violence last week. “When prohibited persons attempt to buy guns, they are hardly ever prosecuted,” the task force’s principles state. “More can and must be done to make these investigations and prosecutions a priority.”
Both the White House and the House task force are calling for universal background checks for gun purchases, but the House group recommends that specific exemptions be included, “such as gifts between family members and temporary [gun] loans for sporting purposes.”
Thompson also pointed to other recommendations not specifically identified by the White House, such as the development of early intervention programs “that are designed to prevent the problems that lead to gun violence before those problems start,” and the creation of gun buyback programs and other steps that can get firearms out of the hands “of those who don’t want them or shouldn’t have them.”
Lois Lerner, director of exempt organizations for the IRS, arrives for a House Oversight and Government Reform Committee hearing on the investigation of the IRS' targeting of political groups. Lerner invoked her Fifth Amendment right to not testify and caused a protest from some committee members when she offered an opening statement and engaged in dialogue with members before invoking the right.
Roll Call has launched a new feature, Hill Navigator, to advise congressional staffers and would-be staffers on how to manage workplace issues on Capitol Hill. Please send us your questions anything from office etiquette, to handling awkward moments, to what happens when the work life gets too personal. Submissions will be treated anonymously. | <urn:uuid:3fb9f3fd-c114-4421-9daa-f387451e496d> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.rollcall.com/news/house_democrats_release_gun_proposals_largely_mirroring_obamas-222246-1.html?pg=2 | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368703298047/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516112138-00021-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.958258 | 436 | 1.710938 | 2 |
Promote Access to Justice
ADVANCING JUSTICE We are engaged in many initiatives to strengthen support for and partner with organizations throughout Pennsylvania and nationally, to improve access to justice for all, and to increase the resources available to support our mission.
For example, we look for innovative and reliable sources of funding, such as the Access to Justice Act, which earmarks a portion of court filing fees for legal aid. We arrange and sponsor special training programs pertinent to legal aid practice, including a statewide training conference.
We maintain www.PALawHELP.org, a web-based guide to legal information and free civil legal services for low-income people and seniors, and www.PAProbono.net, a web site that serves as a resource for legal aid attorneys, volunteer “pro bono” attorneys, and other legal advocates interested in increasing access to justice.
We also advocate for increased Access to Justice through: | <urn:uuid:86e905a1-eed3-40a5-81da-86ced8d869b8> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.palegalaid.net/services/advocate | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368705559639/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516115919-00024-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.934175 | 193 | 1.804688 | 2 |
When a sentence of prison time is imposed on a parent, many times the children of those parents feel they are also being punished.
This is especially true at Christmastime, when children can really feel the separation while their parent is in prison. About 75 percent of women in prison are mothers, and one in every 43 children has a parent in prison. This holiday season, more than 1.7 million children will spend Christmas separated from their incarcerated mom or dad.
This separation can strain relationships between children and their parents, and put additional stresses on the caregivers of the children. Children aren’t able to share with their parents stories from their day in school or worries about spending Christmas alone or in an unfamiliar setting.
Little Angel Rae is just one of the many children who knows that his mom can’t be with him this year for Christmas, leaving him feeling lonely – especially when he sees other families spending time together celebrating the season. It’s during these emotional times that Angel Rae wonders if his mom even remembers him.
Angel Rae’s worries are very common for children who have a parent incarcerated, and that’s where Prison Fellowship’s Angel Tree program comes in. Angel Tree connects incarcerated parents with their children by delivering Christmas gifts on behalf of the parent through the local church. Last year nearly 400,000 children received Christmas presents, and the program has a goal of presenting gifts to 475,000 children this year. A Christmas gift from a parent shows children like Angel Rae that they are loved – not forgotten.
To make an even larger impact, every donation of $12.58 will help provide a gift for two children, thanks to a matching grant program. Through the Angel Tree program, local volunteers select gifts especially for children in need of a tangible reminder of the love of a parent.
Help a child this holiday season – by giving them an unforgettable Christmas filled with joy and hope. Children like Angel Rae will know that they’re loved, and be less lonely during Christmas thanks to your generosity. | <urn:uuid:7c05880a-62a7-46d1-abb6-1b70bc317783> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.couriernews.com/view/full_story/20829514/article-Help-share-Christmas-cheer-with-children-of-prisoners?instance=Seasonal | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368706153698/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516120913-00001-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.962356 | 416 | 1.648438 | 2 |
MALAYBALAY CITY (MindaNews/15 February) — So what really happened, Mr. Senate President, Sir?
Was then defense secretary and now Senate President Juan Ponce Enrile ambushed shortly before would-be dictator Ferdinand Marcos declared Martial Law on 22 September 1972? (The official date of the declaration is 21 September 1972, but it was read on radio by Marcos’ propagandist Francisco Tatad at around midnight on the 22nd. It’s been said that Marcos dated it 21 September owing to his belief that numbers that are divisible by seven would bring him luck.)
Marcos used the supposed ambush that riddled Enrile’s car with bullets but left him and the other passengers unscathed as an excuse to impose martial rule, in addition to the Moro rebellion in the South and the communist insurgency run by a ragtag group of guerrillas confined to a few villages in Central Luzon.
Even a first grader would find it incredible that none of the car occupants sustained wounds. But except for the activists, who would dare question the myth — or deception — at that time when the Filipinos were either mesmerized by the promises of the “New Society” or held back in fear by the prospect of landing in the stockades or in unmarked graves if they defied Apo Ferdie?
The truth behind the “ambush” lay buried for a long time. Until Enrile revealed the real story on the second day of the Edsa Revolt that toppled Marcos and ushered in the government of Corazon “Cory” Aquino, widow of martyred Senator Benigno “Ninoy” Aquino Jr. Enrile, who holed himself up in Camp Crame and Camp Aguinaldo along with then colonel Gregorio Honasan and other members of the Reform the Armed Forces Movement after Marcos discovered their coup plot, revealed in a press conference that the ambush was faked to justify the Martial Law declaration.
He also admitted that in his home province Cagayan Valley, they cheated presidential candidate Aquino of at least 200,000 votes.
Fast forward twenty-six years after Edsa. Enrile published [his] autobiography “Juan Ponce Enrile: A Memoir”. In it he reverted to the Martial Law-era version of the “ambush” on him as true, a claim that can only be interpreted as yet another endorsement of the dictatorial rule after having divulged the deception that occurred on the night before Tatad announced the edict that brought the country to its darkest years after World War II. Or perhaps this part of the book simply highlights his bitterness towards the civilian-backed military mutiny that saved his skin but frustrated his ambition to seize Malacanang.
Enrile has immortalized what is apparently his final version of that “ambush.” But the debate should not end there. Maybe the archives of the newspapers and TV stations in the Philippines and abroad that covered the Edsa Revolt can help put a closure to the issue. Time to apply forensics to those who wish to revise history for selfish ends.
(MindaViews is the opinion section of MindaNews. H. Marcos C. Mordeno can be reached at email@example.com) | <urn:uuid:a0e36993-410b-4085-97ff-f2e020ac1637> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.mindanews.com/mindaviews/2013/02/17/someone-elses-windows-when-truth-is-ambushed/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368708142388/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516124222-00009-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.961865 | 692 | 1.59375 | 2 |
After a certain age, birthdays are about as exciting as watching the housemates sleep in Big Brother. When you hit 35, acting like a teenager becomes embarrassing rather than endearing; your 20s are further away than your 40s; and the ladies among us will see a big ‘V’ next to our name when we enter a race. You can’t turn back the years but becoming older doesn’t necessarily mean running slower. These three veteran runners are still improving well into their 40s and 50s.
|Typical training week|
45-minute road run. Pace set according to how Agyei feels
AM Easy 35-minute jog
PM Track session: 10 x 200m, 4 x 400m faster than 800m pace
One-hour steady road run
AM Easy 35-minute jog morning
PM Track session at 1500m pace eg three sets of 4 x 400m, with short recoveries of one minute between repetitions, and five minutes rest between sets
AM Easy jog
PM Track session: 4 x 1,600m at 5K pace with two minutes recovery between repetitions, 16 x 400m with one minute recovery between repetitions
Kofi Agyei, aged 42
If you believe the scientists, Kofi Agyei still has a few more years of improvement left in him. Agyei started running in 2001, so he is only half way though the supposed 10 years of improvement we all have from the time we take up the sport. His upward curve was emphasised last year when he decided to run a 10K at short notice and knocked a minute off his PB, running 32:37. He is already one of the world’s fastest 1500m runners for his age group and his times keep improving. All of which suggests he is probably still at the dawn rather than the twilight of his running career.
No one would be more surprised by his burgeoning running career than his old school PE teacher. "At school I was not a successful or willing runner," he says, "I was the youngest in my age group and I was continually beaten and lost all motivation, stopped running and took up smoking instead."
Like many reluctant PE-class attendees, Agyei rediscovered sport later in life. "I was quite fat really," he says, "so I started doing weights and tried the treadmill. I realised that I did enjoy running after all." Soon he was spending more time on the treadmill than the weights bench and entered a 10K race with the aim of finishing inside 40 minutes. He didn’t manage it but he was bitten by the racing bug. "Initially I didn’t see myself as anything other than a recreational runner, but I set myself small targets and I was competitive with others." Within six months he’d found himself a running club, and, in Ollie Wright, a coach, and discovered that he was more than competitive. A few months saw him change from recreational runner into a hard-core track athlete training twice a day.
He’s convinced his late start has been a benefit to his training and his appetite for the sport. "I think I’m more motivated than my contemporaries who have been training for years," he says. "There can’t be many runners my age who train twice a day." He also believes that if your faster times are behind you, it’s harder to push yourself. "I’m more motivated because a lot of it is still new to me," he says. With three tough track sessions a week built into his winter training schedule, Agyei uses this time of year to focus on building a solid base for a summer of racing.
Knowing he’s capable of running faster helps him maintain focus. Last year he was disappointed to come fifth in the 1,500m in the World Outdoor Championships in San Sebastian in Spain. "It would have been nice to come higher but it keeps me motivated," he says. "As long as I’m improving, I’m happy." Constant improvement is the aim, and Agyei has a pragmatic approach. "If I stop improving at shorter distances I might start running half-marathons," he laughs. His PE teacher would be proud.
|Typical training week|
Gym: half an hour of weight training
Track session: Five miles of effort, eg pyramid 2,000m, 1,600m, 1,200m, 800m, 1,200m, 1,600m, 2,000m
AM Swim 1,000m including some arms/legs only
PM One hour steady run about 8-minute miling
AM 30-45 minute fartlek
PM Gym as Monday
Swim as Wednesday
Hills or cross-country race of 3-5 miles
Two-hour long slow run (more when marathon training)
Ros Tabor, aged 56
Ros Tabor took up running in 1984. Over 20 years later, not only is she still beating her contemporaries and breaking age-group records, but she is still speeding up. Last year she set a new 10K PB, running 40:40, and in 2004 she set a new marathon PB of 3:09:31 in Cardiff. The time was also an age-group British record, and is good enough to put her on the elite start at the 2006 Flora London Marathon alongside the slightly younger likes of Paula Radcliffe.
It’s running in such youthful company, albeit generally on a more modest level, that could be the key to Tabor’s success. Training with her faster, and younger, club mates at Dulwich Runners makes a huge difference. "Doing speedwork every week in a group is great," she admits. "I’m the oldest so the challenge for me is to keep up with younger runners."
Like many of today’s veterans, Tabor was a late starter to running drawn by the first boom in the early 80s. She’d played tennis and swum at school but it wasn’t until her 30s that she started to run. "I didn’t realise I could be fast when I started," she recalls. "Running was just a way of keeping fit." That changed when she joining a running club and discovered a competitive side to her personality. "I started winning things," she says. "I realised that I enjoyed beating people younger than me, and men as well."
The competition has continued to spur her on, especially during the winter cross-country season. "It’s just great training," she says. "Cross-country races make you mentally strong, and their unpredictability teaches you to dig deep and cope with the ups and downs of running."
Her improving times have been a by-product of the competition; she’s personally far more interested in beating other people than in racing against the clock. That numerical improvement is not lost on her coach, Steve Smythe, who sends her a schedule every month tailored to the races she’s targeting and follows the results closely. The pair have managed to resist the conventional wisdom of adding mileage with each passing year to maintain performance. Tabor still runs the same weekly mileage that she always has 35 miles when she’s not training for a marathon and more than 40 when she is. It’s clearly working. She can’t hold back the years but she’s still beating the clock and her opponents.
|Typical training week|
AM 10km off road with the dog
PM Swim 1km
AM 13km road run
PM Half an hour light stretching or exercise at the gym
AM Faster run (10km or 13km) or minute intervals
PM Swim 1km
16km coastal footpath, off road. Or shorter run and gym work
AM Multi terrain run or 13km on road
PM Gym work
Hills or rest if racing on Sunday
Race or 21km fast - could be road, multi terrain or cross-country
Ruth Pickvance, aged 44
"I remember watching a fell race and thinking it was the most astonishing thing I’d ever seen," says Ruth Pickvance. She decided to enter the same race the following year. She did and came second to last. That was 20 years ago. Now she’s an experienced international mountain runner. A lot has happened in the years between.
After only a few years of running, she became British Fell Running Champion in 1989 and her upward trend was maintained last year when she came second in the World Masters Mountain Running Championships in Keswick. The improvements since reaching veteran status have not been limited to the hills, with PBs in the marathon, half and 10K since she turned 40.
Like Agyei, Pickvance didn’t enjoy running at school. "We had an annual cross-country day and I would try to miss school on that day as I hated it so much." She did enjoy family walking holidays though and says her love of the mountains drew her to the Lake District in her 20s when she discovered fell running. With her early aversion to running long forgotten, she began to run more.
She’s never had a coach her friends joke that she is uncoachable preferring to learn from experience and adapt her training to the races coming up. "A lot of things fall into place as you age," she believes. "You develop a stronger head. You’re more determined; less likely to turn away from things because you’re a little afraid of them."
Clearly Pickvance is not afraid of a challenge. When a move to south Wales a few years ago forced her to swap the fells for the road, she did so with impressive results. "I hated road running but a colleague dragged me out," she recalls. "It’s a totally different mentality to mountain running but I caught the marathon bug and ran four in the space of 10 months."
Few runners succeed on the roads as well as the hills, but Pickvance’s talent and discipline led her to complete every one of the marathons within 2:45. The pick of the bunch was New York City where she made a last-minute decision to race with some friends. "I hadn’t really trained but they don’t have a separate start for women so I enjoyed the company and ran well," she says modestly. It was enough to join Joan Samuelson Benoit on the podium in her age group.
Pickvance relishes competition but admits that she’s never been particularly motivated by veterans’ running. When she takes a break from her teaching job to spend summers running in Italy, she races in the open category. "I hold my own," she smiles. "A race is a race. I don’t really think about the age thing." It’s hard to imagine that the runners she beats are quite so philosophical about it.
Time marches on|
Research suggests your running is unlikely to improve after the age of 40, yet each of these veterans has bucked the trend. By knowing what to expect in each decade you too could hold back the years.
20s Your running may still be improving, but your heart is already slowing down by around one beat per year. Your maximum heart rate controls the oxygen pumping round your body, as you age less oxygen is available, slowing performance. This decrease in capacity could amount to a loss of at least seven per cent in performance per decade.
30s Your metabolic rate slows by two per cent every decade after 20. That means that with each passing decade, you need to eat 100 fewer calories every day to maintain your weight. Also, what you’re eating becomes even more important. A variety of fresh fruit and vegetables will give you the antioxidants your body needs to protect it from the damaging free radicals created by exercise and the ageing process. The number of muscle fibres you have also falls by three to five per cent per decade after 30. Try cross-training to maintain muscle strength.
40s After the age of 45, Professor Tim Noakes believes you should reduce your training by 25 to 40 per cent. "At first try to achieve as much as possible on a minimum of training," he advises. He adds that older runners perform better on less training because the margin between optimum training and overtraining is small, making injury more likely.
50s You might be slowing down in your 50s but your training needs to speed up. In a study at the University of Iowa in the US, researchers concluded that the range of motion in knees falls 33 per cent from the ages of 35 to 90, but that the greatest changes occur after the age of 50. Even though running will delay your loss of flexibility, you should introduce speedwork to keep you limber. "Fast-twitch muscles are the first to deteriorate," says RW Medical Adviser Dr Patrick Milroy. "Adding some sprints to a fartlek session will improve your flexibility as you stride out more."
While the decline in performance with age is likely to be linear in men, some women experience an acceleration with the menopause. The average age for the menopause is 50 in the UK, and while anecdotal evidence suggests it may come sooner to runners, the symptoms are likely to be alleviated by being active.
60s "Retirement may have a positive or negative effect on your running," says Milroy. "If you are motivated, you’re likely to improve, since you’ll have more time to run." But with more time on your hands you might also be tempted to train more. Be careful. "Soft tissue becomes less elastic as you age, so you’ll take longer to recover from both injury and a hard session," adds Milroy. Cross-training will reduce the continuing decline in flexibility and muscle strength. | <urn:uuid:ed21f5da-3603-40f7-bfb7-cafdd890582e> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.runnersworld.co.uk/motivation/vets-in-practice/2174.html | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368696383156/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516092623-00005-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.978426 | 2,877 | 1.515625 | 2 |
||Nine months old|
||Congo African gray|
||Strood, Medway, Kent, England|
is my beloved bird Mango. She is still kind of a baby as she's just nine
months old. We live England, far away from her species native land, but she
was born here in the UK and likes it here fine!
Mango is a hand reared Congo African gray, they are smaller than the other
African Gray parrots. She is very tame and can say hello. She sits on my
shoulder all the time, and seems to like the view from there best. She is
always out free when we're home, she's just in the cage when we are out, and
that is where she sleeps at night, after we say "Goodnight, Mango!" I hope you
enjoy these pictures as much as I enjoy my Mango every day!
View more images of Mango!
Talk about today's pet in Pet Talk! | <urn:uuid:bc9b6d03-79ce-4296-a4f7-f1670f274b45> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://petoftheday.com/archive/2010/November/17.html | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368701459211/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516105059-00039-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.961466 | 209 | 1.53125 | 2 |
Summary of Safety at the High Pressure Combustion Laboratory
The safety process at the High Pressure Combustion Laboratory (HPCL) of the Pennsylvania State University (PSU) is composed of many layers, ranging from compliance with government regulations at all levels to informal training and oversight within the lab environment. Policies established by agencies with oversight responsibilities are followed, and the HPCL is subject to inspections and audits by these organizations. Safe operation of research projects is ensured by both programmatic (regulations and procedures) and material (design and facilities) means.
General Programmatic and Administrative Safety
Under Department of Defense (DOD) contracts, the HPCL is obligated to comply with safety guidance and requirements as set forth in DOD 4145.26-M, “DOD Contractors’ Safety Manual for Ammunition and Explosives.” Pre-award surveys and safety audits are conducted periodically by the Defense Contract Management Agency to ensure that the HPCL meets the requirements of DOD 4145.26-M and can safely and successfully complete the contracts. There are no outstanding safety issues or concerns from previous inspections.
The explosive storage facilities near the HPCL are licensed by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives (ATF) as specified in 27 CFR 55. Periodic inspections are made by ATF of the storage and operating facilities to ensure compliance with ATF regulations and safe operating practices. No safety issues are outstanding.
Storage magazines are also licensed by the Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection under 25 PA Code Chs. 210 and 211 and are subject to periodic inspections. All inspections have resulted in satisfactory evaluations.
In addition to external agencies, there are internal PSU policies governing lab safety and operation. The HPCL works closely with PSU Environmental Health and Safety (EHS) on topics such as hazardous and chemical waste handling, fire safety, and X-ray operation. EHS requires and provides training on these items. Again, the HPCL is subject to periodic inspections and has no outstanding safety issues. Through their policies and inspections, EHS also enforces applicable US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) regulations.
Finally, there is an extensive internal safety program in place at the HPCL. The HPCL's safety manual is followed for all operations at the lab. All projects working with ammunition and explosives have a hazard analysis conducted during the design and planning phase, which is updated as warranted while the project progresses. Standard operating procedures (SOPs) are developed based on prior experience, best practices from other facilities, and items identified through the hazard analysis. Safety seminars are given as appropriate as refreshers on current practices or to address new issues. Self-audits are performed frequently. | <urn:uuid:a2b2a3d7-18fe-442a-ba3e-eb053e0a311a> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.hpcl.psu.edu/safety.html | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368698207393/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516095647-00041-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.953104 | 556 | 1.796875 | 2 |
In the city of Arrythe, a mere four blocks from the city’s main gate lies the Street of the Confectioners. It is a gay place, where the aromas of freshly-baked breads, pies, and other sweets waft gently through the air, pleasuring the noses of all who walk by. A favorite destination for schoolchildren, the street is perhaps the busiest in the entire city, certainly more so than, say the Ironworkers’ Street or Mason’s Boulevard.
And near the center of the street, rising gently over the neighboring shops, is the Piemaker’s Guildhall, actually in charge of all the confectioners and bakers of the city. This is where nobles send their servants to buy the city’s finest pies and breads. It is where children peer wistfully through windows at walls of sweets and pastries, counting their pocket change again and again, hoping that they miscounted it the last dozen times.
And it is the home of the Piemaster, the man in charge of the Piemaker’s Guild, whose perpetual smile and generous nature make him the hero of children with small allowances.
And when night falls, the Piemaster gently bids the children farewell and sends them home, before shutting the doors to get to his work. He walks to the backrooms, chatting amiably with his underlings along the way, before finally entering his office and pulling out his maps. And here, his true work begins - the operation of one of the world’s most sinister societies, the Rollers.
Here he reviews the plans he has been executing for dozens of years, looking over how his minions, spread throughout the kingdom, are succeeding or failing at their evil schemes.
And, when necessary, he sends them messages. In the forms of pies. A cherry pie means to become more aggressive. Blueberry symbolizes the need to lie low. Frilled edges indicate that someone important is coming, and that the flavoring inside indicates how they should be greeted. Using pies, the Piemaster rules one of the most secret criminal operations in the world, organizing heists, assassinations, revolutions, and other masterfully executed criminal plans.
When plans are successful, and cash comes in to one of these lesser organizations, the portion belonging to the master or the organization is used to buy pies at high prices, so as to redistribute the wealth among the organization.
The Piemaster is a man of moderately advanced years, with a balding head and a growing gut. When in public, he boasts a perpetual grin, and his eyes glow with warmth and generosity. When working his other business, he is cold beyond belief, chilling the souls of men who have stared down undead with his sheer disregard for life. He dresses richly, as befits his station, and is clean-shaven.
The Piemaster can often be seen sliding a pair of copper coins between his fingertips, a nervous tic which he is not even fully aware of.
In public, the Piemaster is jovial and generous - he makes large donations to orphanages, never complains about his taxes, and even donates large sums of money for the upkeep of the Watch. He enjoys speaking with those who can approximate his considerable intelligence, and seems never to grow envious or lustful.
Yet, in private, his geniality evaporates - he becomes cruel and calculating to those who fail him, unimpressed by those who succeed, and only tolerant of his most superior underlings. He plays men like others play instruments, manipulating to his pleasure, gifting a pie here, expending an entire branch of the organization there, all so that the one he hunts might make a mistake.
Perhaps surprisingly for one with his mind, the Piemaster is a poor player of games such as chess or go, preferring instead games with a large element of chance, for he enjoys shifting the odds, slowly but surely, but without guarantee of success.
And what is an evil mastermind without sinister henchmen? The Piemaster is no different - he may make the plans, but he relies upon others to carry them out. Note: These people may eventually become stubs, but not yet.
Only one individual has ever discovered the double-dealings of the Piemaster: a brilliant, if inexperienced, sorceress known as Tsanira Grey. Piecing together rumors she heard from adventurers, manuscripts from a Roller base she took out, and information from a summoned demon, Tsanira found out the Piemaster’s business and confronted him, not realizing just how far in over her head she was. Not surprisingly, she was captured. She is know forced to serve the Piemaster, using her magics to send those messages which must move faster than a pie can travel.
To prevent her escape, the Piemaster keeps Tsanira trapped in the forms of various animals, often a caged dove or a fluffy, white cat. Tsanira is sufficiently afraid that she will no longer use her powers to attempt escape, although if rescued she would prove very grateful.
The Piemaster’s Apprentice
The Piemaster has no apprentice. He’s far too confident too believe he needs to train someone to take over when he’s gone; asides from which, that just seems a surefire way to give someone a vested interest in seeing him disappear.
Operations of the Rollers
The Rollers have pulled off hundreds of operations over their lifespan, including assassinations, incitations of wars, and grand heists. In small communities, they often have ranking members in any sort of local thieves’ guild, and they run taverns throughout the kingdom, where disproportionately high percentages of wealthy customers never wake up. Nonetheless, the higher-ranking children don’t do anything stupid unless there is an opportunity for immense reward - or if the Piemaster ordered them to.
Really, the Piemaster is just a criminal mastermind. Need a hostile secret society? Put the Piemaster in charge.
Even if he is caught, enough children and nobles like the Piemaster to much to readily believe him to be such a fiend. | <urn:uuid:2af26aaf-09ba-4c68-ab68-f08f462cb700> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://strolen.com/viewing/The_Piemaster | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368699881956/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516102441-00000-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.965383 | 1,295 | 1.648438 | 2 |
It could very well be that no intelligent (human like, with sciences, et al) species evolves on Earth again.
This is so true. It could be.
If everyone lived as I have done, global malevolent climate change would be reversing and so would overpopulation. If done when I did it (one child in 1988), the population crash would have been narrowly averted. The same with low eco/carbon footprint lifestyle (1998).
Yes, but not economically, educationally or culturally possible for so many around the globe. If everyone had done what you have done is a "what if" story because not everyone did or will do. You have made a beautiful case for what could be done and this is your offering. Offer more ... please! Constructive, educational, informed .... in the way of leaving a lighter footprint.
And the impetus, desire, motivation for leaving a lighter footprint comes from a place that we all share, .... even while many of us are subjugated to crippling economic, religious, and cultural ideologies and systems ... their are some clear voices in the wilderness.
The situation we have created for ourselves is entirely our reponsibility.
We are still faced with the reality of our present day because not everyone did the "right" thing .... which can then be seen for an ideal, a concept, a fantasy. We are where we are and I have personally given up on politicians in order to make room for communities who are not as dependent on the funding of corporations. Pockets of concerned individuals, who live as in community, will be the only real way to make a difference. We cannot rely on governments any longer. We can still vote .... but our energies must be spent with each other rather than with concepts or ideals or some sort of government plan, unless it, itself, is localized. If we can build our communities on the reality of our inherent interconnected natures, the Earth may have a chance.
We can only do our part in our own lives and educate others, vote for who may be better toward those objectives, and actively promote lower population and green lifestyles in any way we can. Through memberships to activist orgs, putting up posters, organizing screenings of various eco movies, contacting representatives, and posting on the internet.
This is to the point. Our lives are so short, so ephemeral in nature .... that one wonders if there is anything to do at all in terms of "changing" or "saving" the world. We enter and leave the stage in a short period of "time". We live in our communities, and while I cannot change what is happening in Africa, I can act from a place of understanding that we are all connected in this very human adventure and I can live that truth in my particular community. It is not mine or yours, but ours. We share it. We need to really get this because until we do, we will act from a perspective of separation which breeds contempt and violence. From the perspective of separation, all kinds of mischeif ensues.
It is unlikely that I would become benevolent king of the world with the power to stop the madness, so I am content that I do what I can.http://www.well.com/user/davidu/extinction.html
But you are a benevolent king .... nothing wrong with being an unsung hero, quietly tending the garden ... wearing a crown of .... that which you can generously and lovingly offer. That is precisely what a benevolent king does, and we are all loyalty here, all loyal participants with big lion-hearts for the offering. But our regal nature is also swamped with the ideololgies of either Democrat or Republican, this religion or that, this nationality or that .... all of which are just concepts of separation when there is no way to deny that we are all here together in the very same boat, a very small ship, regardless. | <urn:uuid:340f0e0f-2cf9-43a3-8661-ea3ebe5f4090> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.envirolink.org/forum/viewtopic.php?f=8&t=19364&view=previous | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368705953421/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516120553-00037-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.961092 | 802 | 1.8125 | 2 |
The American String Project is Expanding the String-Orchestra Literature
The conductorless American String Project has imagination and a dream team of world-class players
“Maria would correctly say that the orchestra I want to play in doesn’t exist,’ says double bassist and arranger Barry Lieberman, referring to Maria Larionoff, his wife and collaborator. ‘She’s probably right, partly because what I really love is to play string music—I love the literature of the string quartet.”
During the month of May each year, Lieberman realizes his dream when an ever-changing lineup of 15 of the most celebrated string players in North America comes together as the American String Project for a week of preparation and performance at Seattle’s Benaroya Hall, the home of the Seattle Symphony. The ensemble primarily presents arrangements of expanded string quartets for string orchestra, with double bass below and additional strings above.
Comprised of celebrated concertmasters, university professors, and renowned soloists, the project holds no lack of leadership in its ranks. Yet the string orchestra operates without a conductor. Members alternate in the position of leader and chairs change for every piece. Behind it all is Lieberman, artist-in-residence at the University of Washington. Lieberman’s concept of expanded arrangements developed over more than a decade, encouraged by Larionoff, who is a violinist and concertmaster at the Seattle Symphony.
Lieberman’s expanded arrangements are experimental by nature, but he also considers himself a purist. “You can hate what we do, and that’s okay,” he says, a smile emerging below his trademark mustache. “I am a purist in that I’ll never, ever add notes or change the structure of the piece or anything like that.
“All we’re doing is expanding the sonic version of the quartet.”
The second floor of Larionoff and Lieberman’s home offers a sweeping view of the Cascade Range beyond Lake Washington. The furnishings match the mid-century modern architectural style, all carefully collected at local thrift stores and garage sales. With two beloved golden retrievers curled up at his feet, Lieberman explains how the project’s approach differs from simply adding bass to a string quartet. “When you add the bass, and you multiply strings above it, balancing the addition of the bass, then it works. Basically, you’ve turned a quartet into a string symphony.”
The project places five violins in the first section and four in the second violin section, along with three violas, two cellos, and double bass.
Now entering its eighth year, the 2010 American String Project arrangements have already been sent to members, complete with bowings dictated by the leader of the piece, in preparation for intensive rehearsals prior to the May 20–23 recitals. This year, the project will adjust the program to feature two pieces each night for three nights. It will begin with a performance by the principal players of the string quartet as originally intended and offering the audience an opportunity to ask questions before they hear the expanded arrangement.
This year, renowned violinist and concertmaster Alexander Kerr will be joining the project for the first time. Among the returning members are violinists Jorja Fleezanis, Stephanie Chase, and Frank Almond, and violists David Harding and Adam Smyla.
“What makes it particularly fun and difficult at the same time is that Barry and Maria always choose repertoire that is quite demanding. I’ve played chamber music all my life,” says project member Arek Tesarczyk, soloist, chamber musician, and cellist with the Minnesota Orchestra. “I hear pieces that are new to me and they are challenging. They usually pick pieces that have never been done by a string ensemble, and that’s what’s so special about the String Project.”
The 2010 recital will feature Shostakovich’s String Quartet No. 9; the Verdi String Quartet in A minor; Beethoven’s Op. 59, No. 2; Haydn’s Op. 64, No. 4; Mendelssohn’s E minor quartet; and Brahms’ Op. 111. As in the past, each performance will be recorded with the best performances released on MSR Classics.
Not only is the repertoire difficult and the rehearsal time tight, the act of blending within the section requires heightened attention, Larionoff says. “It’s a lot harder. If you have one weak link, it really sticks out. You have to play in the same part of the bow. You have to clue in on the articulation, what the stroke is, the length of the notes, and the endings of the phrases. It’s a lot harder to play the first violin part of a string quartet with four other people than it is to play it by yourself,” she says. “The kind of player that comes to the String Project likes that challenge. They like that level of intense difficulty for a week. I think that’s part of the appeal.”
The cohesiveness of the project’s recordings to date is a testament to the seamless quality that enables the arrangements to soar through even the most difficult passages.
“It’s 15 minds acting as one—that kind of intensity of concentration,” renowned soloist and New York University violin professor Stephanie Chase says of working within the conductorless format. She has led several sessions and contributed several arrangements to the project over the years, including virtuosic works by Sarasate.
Since rehearsal time is limited to two intensive days, the leader of each piece must develop an efficient rehearsal strategy, while also welcoming input.
“It’s a very collaborative process,” she says, “but I should say it’s derived from the leader to begin with, with everybody else contributing on top of that. Virtually every stand is deeply involved.”
For months leading up to each performance, Lieberman internalizes every piece, often asking opinions of others and making last-minute adjustments to the arrangement. “One cello part goes to the cellos and one cello part goes to me [on bass]. So the only arrangement is really two things: It’s where I add the bass—or not—and certain places where there should just be solo players as in the original string quartet—or maybe just a solo violin playing against the full complement of string players.”
Sometimes the cello part is not playable on bass, and other times, Lieberman wonders if composers such as Shostakovich would have written the quartets in an expanded format if they had felt that the parts would have been attainable for entire sections at the time.
“Did they actually think in terms of four voices, or did they think on a bigger spectrum?” he muses.
This sense of musical adventure is not lost on the other members of the Project. “This yearly gathering for one week feels like an exploration of uncharted ground, even though in many cases, it is repertoire we know well in its original chamber versions,” says Jorja Fleezanis, former concertmaster of the Minnesota Orchestra and now professor of violin at Indiana University, who met Lieberman when the two were still students at the Cleveland Institute.
“The challenges are to hear the original work take on ‘colossal-izing’ by deepening the expressive wells with this enriched string sonority, particularly the added low bass octave, and, most importantly, the required virtuosity of ensemble playing and leadership skills needed to steer around the same corners that a nimble string quartet would, only with a wagonload of extras—and all this without a conductor!”
Lieberman and Larionoff envision the project continuing for another ten years, recording live performances each year, and possibly touring.
For now, they remain focused on preparing for the recital in May. “There’s something about being with really great players who have all accomplished really challenging things, and they’re all sitting there together. They’re sharing a stand, and they’re getting though the piece together as a team,” Larionoff says. “It’s like having a dream team.”
What Lieberman and Larinoff Play
Barry Lieberman plays a Giovanni Paolo Maggini bass, circa 1597, purchased from the late London Symphony Orchestra principal double bassist Stuart Knussen. “For 200 years, the bass lived in the monastery in Brescia, Italy, where it was probably played by Vivaldi. It later moved to London, where Bernhardt Fendt, a famous English maker, cut it down to make it more playable for orchestral and solo performance.” Lieberman also owns a John Lott , Sr., bass, circa 1820, which was formerly owned by Knussen’s stand partner in the LSO. Lieberman owns several gold mounted bows by Reid Hudson—his favorite has an ivory frog.
Maria Larionoff plays a 1678 Nicolo Amati grand-pattern violin. She owns two bows by Paul Siefried and one Hill bow formerly owned by renowned concertmaster Steven Staryk. —M.S. | <urn:uuid:c93a553d-183b-484a-b105-ecb67ed8037e> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.allthingsstrings.com/layout/set/print/News/Interviews-Profiles/The-American-String-Project-is-Expanding-the-String-Orchestra-Literature | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368702448584/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516110728-00026-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.950658 | 1,969 | 1.5625 | 2 |
Windows 7 'Battery Failure' Bug Under Investigation
Microsoft is responding to complaints from some Windows 7 users about a message that suggests impending battery failure when using a laptop.
The message reads as follows: "Consider replacing your battery. There is a problem with your battery, so your computer might shut down suddenly." A Microsoft spokesperson stated by e-mail on Tuesday that Microsoft is aware that some users have received this message even when there may not be a problem with the battery.
The company is working with its hardware partners on the matter.
"The warning received on some computers using Windows 7 uses firmware information (information about hardware status provided by the PC itself) to determine if battery replacement is needed," the Microsoft spokesperson wrote. "We are working with our partners to determine the root cause of what appear to be erroneous warnings and will update the TechNet forum with information and guidance as it becomes available."
That Microsoft TechNet forum indicates that the problem was reported back in June. The release-to-manufacturing version of Windows 7 may have had the bug, as well as the beta version. The forum thread continues into the present, filled with tales of woe from owners of laptops with various hardware configurations.
Some Windows 7 users have reported not just getting a false message about the battery being faulty. Instead, users are complaining in the TechNet forum about batteries that no longer fully recharge after they upgraded their machine to Windows 7. In addition, these users have tried rolling back to the previous operating system after experiencing the problem, or they tried installing a new OS (such as Ubuntu), but the problem continued in many cases.
"Yes, I also tried to go back from Windows 7 to Vista but the battery problem remained," stated eduj55 on Jan. 31. "I even tried the operating system Linux (live CD) and I got the same result. Consequently, I believe that Windows 7 changed some kind of messages inside my batteries, which means that a patch would be needed to reset it."
"This behaviour happens in ALL OSes after Windows 7 damages the battery, not just within Windows 7," stated DanLee81 on Feb. 2. The TechNet thread began back in June with an initial post by DanLee81.
Users are pointing fingers at Microsoft and Windows 7, probably because the issue affects disparate systems. However, Microsoft apparently is narrowing its focus on firmware as the origin of the problem.
"We are investigating this issue in conjunction with our hardware partners, which appears to be related to system firmware," stated Anthony Mann, Windows client IT pro audience manager for web forums, in a Feb. 3 TechNet forum post. "We are working with our partners to determine the root cause and will update the forum with information and guidance as it becomes available."
Microsoft highlighted Windows 7's power conservation benefits in a January 2009 "engineering Windows 7" blog post, describing advancements in "reducing idle power consumption and supporting new device power modes." Microsoft has also claimed that Windows 7 can help extend laptop battery life under certain conditions, according to a "Power Management in Windows 7 Overview" white paper, which can be accessed here.
Kurt Mackie is online news editor for the 1105 Enterprise Computing Group. | <urn:uuid:1aba87c7-a857-4d3f-89a2-b7b10395321a> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://redmondmag.com/articles/2010/02/03/windows-7-battery-failure-bug-under-investigation.aspx | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368703682988/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516112802-00023-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.946167 | 653 | 1.804688 | 2 |
Edelman recently released their annual Trust Barometer report, and for the third year in a row banks and financial services placed in the bottom two spots. In contrast, technology is the most trusted industry.
The survey, which sampled 26,000 respondents in 26 countries, highlights that the banking and financial services industries have seen a dramatic loss of trust over the last three years, beginning with the financial crisis and most recently including the slew of regulatory actions. Edelman made a point in this survey to ask if respondents were aware of the recent scandals involving banks, with the majority responding in the affirmative.
As a follow-up question, Edelman asked "What do you think is the biggest cause of these scandals?" Nearly 60% of respondents pointed to behavioral issues at the banks, such as conflicts of interest and corporate corruption as the cause, while 20% blamed the scandals on a lack of regulatory oversight.
One thing that is clear, though, is that these industries have a serious image problem. Further, Edelman says all industries are facing a crisis of leadership, with public trust in CEOs nearing all-time lows.
One bright spot for the industry, though, is that people trust business more than they do government, according to the survey. Of course, when federal regulators allow scandals, such as HSBC's money laundering and the Libor manipulation cases, to go on for so long and the perpetrators only receive a slap on the wrist, it's understandable why the public wouldn't trust government.
Below is a video wrap-up of what Edelman found in its 2013 Trust Barometer report. Take a look and let us know if there's anything that stands out to you. What do banks and the financial services industry need to do to regain trust? | <urn:uuid:63f85766-07a6-434e-9816-b8266916fe96> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.futuresmag.com/2013/01/21/a-matter-of-trust?t=managed-fundstetfs | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368706890813/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516122130-00010-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.966948 | 354 | 1.757813 | 2 |
Christie, Celia D.; Constantinou, P.; Marx, M. L; Willke, M. J.; Marrot, K.; Mendez, F. L.; Donovan, J.; Thole, J.
Author Affiliation, Ana.
Department of Obstetrics, Gynaecology and Child Health
Low risk for tuberculosis in regional pediatric hospital: Nine year study of community rate and mandatory employee tuberculin skin test program
Infection Control and Hospital Epidemiology
Date of Publication
To assess the risk of Mycobacterium tuberculosis infection and disease among patients and workers in a regional pediatric hospital. Descriptive epidemiological study of the mandatory tuberculin skin testing program of hospital employees at hire and during annual reevaluation, pediatric patients with tuberculosis (TB), efficacy of hospital infection control measures, and community rates of TB. 361-bed, university, pediatric hospital serving Cincinnati (1.7 million population). During 1986 through 1994, 2,275 to 4,356 employees were compliant with Mantoux skin testing and screening each year. This represented >97% of the population who were eligible for screening. The cumulative rate of M tuberculosis infection from a previous positive tuberculin skin test was 10% to 12% per year during 1986 through 1994. Among new Mantoux skin test converters in employees at annual reevaluation, the risk of TB infection was 0.3% in 1993 and 1994. There were no active cases of TB identified during new employee screening or annual reevaluation. Of 62 new Mantoux skin-test converters in 9 years, 23% were foreign-born, 13% were Asian, 23% were African American, 11% received the bacillusof Calmette-Guerin vaccine, and 60% had direct patient care or indirect patient contact. A cluster of five converters occurred in a department with no patient care or contact. Mantoux conversion rates were 1.9 per 1,000 employee-care or contact-years and 2.2 per 1,000 employee non-patient-contact years. Twenty pediatric patients with active TB were identified during 1991 to 1994, with < or =6 cases per year, placing this hospital in the low-risk category for M tuberculosis disease. Three children with pulmonary TB were admitted without immediate respiratory isolation, possibly exposing 9 patients and 42 employees; none converted their Mantoux skin tests on retesting. Rates of active TB in Cincinnati were stable during the period (eg, 8/100,000 population in 1994).Despite intense active surveillance among thousands of hospital employees with >97% annual compliance, tuberculin conversion rates were low, and no cases of active TB were identified during 9 years of follow-up. There was no evidence of transmission of M tuberculosis from infected patients to employees during uncontrolled exposures. Rates of TB in the community were low. These data suggest that rigorous application of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention guidelines and Occupation Safety and Health Administration regulations for preventing nosocomial TB in pediatric hospitals may be excessive and costly. Special provisions should be made for pediatric hospitals with a proven low risk of transmission of M tuberculosis..... | <urn:uuid:cb0644e9-808a-4f7d-a68d-c836dda08079> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://mord.mona.uwi.edu/biblio/viewrefs.asp?rid=2209 | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368705953421/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516120553-00007-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.938486 | 638 | 1.632813 | 2 |
The range of health issues facing America's veterans is both wide and ever-evolving. The American Legion recognizes this and provides valuable health-care information on a variety of conditions, as well as regularly updated information on the Department of Veterans Affairs.
Two American Legion committees tasked with monitoring and affecting health care for veterans will meet in Washington, D.C., Jan. 16-19.
On Jan. 16-17, the Legion’s PTS-TBI Ad-Hoc Committee will hear from several experts in the field of psychology and veterans health care. Speakers will include representatives from the Department of Veterans Affairs, the National Intrepid Center of Excellence, the U.S. Army and the RAND Corporation.
The committee will also make its final recommendations, which will be presented to the National Executive Committee in May.
On Jan. 18-19, the Legion’s Veterans’ Policy Oversight Committee will hear presentations on the defense budget, issues faced by servicemembers transitioning to the civilian world, and the Department of Defense’s commemoration of the Vietnam War’s 50th anniversary. Speakers will include VA and DoD representatives, as well as Legion staff. | <urn:uuid:9cb82c0f-b806-4cf6-a56c-9f07e1103ca2> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.legion.org/veteranservices/healthcare/160801 | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368699881956/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516102441-00011-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.931691 | 246 | 1.8125 | 2 |
Protesters told the Los Angeles Times ( http://lat.ms/11Ndm6i) they didn't support Dorner's deadly methods, but objected to police corruption and brutality, and believed Dorner's claims of racism and unfair treatment by the department. Many said they were angered by the conduct of the manhunt that led to Dorner's death and injuries to innocent bystanders who were mistaken for him.
Michael Nam, 30, who held a sign with a flaming tombstone and the inscription "RIP Habeas Corpus," said it was "pretty obvious" police had no intention of bringing Dorner in alive.
"They were the judge, the jury and the executioner," Nam said. "As an American citizen, you have the right to a trial and due process by law."
During the hunt for Dorner, LAPD Chief Charlie Beck called for Dorner's surrender and said he didn't want to see the suspect or anyone else injured.
Dorner was already believed to have killed three people when he was cornered Tuesday at the cabin near Big Bear Lake, and during the standoff shot and killed a San Bernardino County sheriff's deputy, authorities said.
Only after calls for surrender and use of milder tear gas did deputies launch pyrotechnic gas canisters into the cabin, and the subsequent fire was not intentional, the Sheriff's Department said.
Dorner died of a self-inflicted gunshot wound at the end of the standoff, sheriff's officials said.
The 33-year-old has already inspired a burgeoning subculture of followers. While most don't condone killing, they see him as an outlaw hero who raged against powerful forces of authority, and some even question whether he really died.
Tributes include a ballad titled "El Matapolicias," or "The Police Killer," penned by a Mexican crooner with lyrics paying homage to Dorner, and a YouTube clip showing excerpts from a video game titled "Christopher Dorner's Last Stand Survival Game" whose opening frame declares him "A True American Hero."
Information from: Los Angeles Times, http://www.latimes.com | <urn:uuid:bcfa4fea-e386-4de9-a24f-ffd6681ea6b0> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.denverpost.com/guestcommentary/ci_22606948/dozens-pro-dorner-protesters-rally-at-lapd-hq | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368704132298/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516113532-00008-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.980221 | 436 | 1.546875 | 2 |
The 9,000 Pound Elephant In The Living Room
March 28, 2011
By Doug Patton
Financial advisor Dave Ramsey put forth an interesting scenario recently on his nationally syndicated radio call-in program. Taking a hypothetical phone call from John Q. Public and his wife, We the People, in one brief illustration Ramsey demonstrated that no one in Washington, D.C., is really serious about cutting spending.
Ramsey has a way of boiling large numbers down to their essence and showing us the absurdity of our debt crisis. In his radio example, his callers "John" and "We" are earning $58,000 a year. However, they are spending $75,000 a year. More importantly, they have credit card debt totaling $327,000. In fact, $10,000 of the family's income goes just to pay interest on those credit cards.
"Now, what would you expect my advice to this couple to be?" Ramsey asked his radio audience. He then proceeded to say that if he followed the current model of "cuts" being proposed in Washington, his recommendation would be that they reduce their annual expenditures by a mere $3,000 all the way down to $72,000.
Ramsey has calculated that these numbers are in exact proportion to the actions of our federal government in dealing with our deficit. However, instead of terms like "billions" and "trillions," to which no one can relate, Ramsey has reduced the numbers to one we can all comprehend. Anyone with a brain can figure out that a family making $58,000 and spending $75,000, with $327,000 in credit card debt, is headed for bankruptcy or worse.
This, most people would agree, is the classic definition of insanity. And yet, many Americans go merrily along pretending that somehow the reason for our debt is the war in Iraq, or the war in Afghanistan, or tax breaks for the rich or whatever other clichι entrenched Washington politicians want to throw out during election years. The truth is that we could eliminate every federal program in Washington and we still could not pay for Medicare, Medicaid, Social Security at the current levels and still provide for the defense of the country. The truth is that this nation cannot pay its bills, and like John Q. Public and his wife, We the People, we are in for a rude awakening when those bills come due.
It has become obvious over the last two years that Barack Obama and the Democrats in Congress have no intention of being serious about the realities of our federal spending. Letting them set our national priorities is in the words of satirist P.J. O'Rourke tantamount to giving whiskey and car keys to teenage boys.
It is tempting to believe that John Boehner and his House Republicans are more serious than the Democrats about making the tough decisions to keep this nation from falling into a financial pit from which we can never escape; but all one has to do is look at their proposals to know they are not the least bit serious. They are as addicted to spending as Barack Obama, Nancy Pelosi and Harry Reid, who ran our spending levels up to the point where we are now spending $1.5 trillion more than we are taking in this year. Meanwhile, Boehner and company want us to cheer about $6 billion in cuts?
We cannot continue in serious times with unserious people representing us in Washington. They have taken the United States of America from the greatest, strongest, most prosperous country on the face of the earth and turned it into a debtor nation. They have taken us from a shining city on a hill to a banana republic.
As Dave Ramsey concluded in his lesson to his listening audience, it is the 9,000-pound elephant sitting on our foot in the living room. | <urn:uuid:721c20b4-ace5-405d-ad38-52f971947d87> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://conservativetruth.org/article.php?id=2363 | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368702810651/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516111330-00037-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.976891 | 771 | 1.539063 | 2 |
Subject: Re: A Definitive explanation of why secularists are wrong about Int... Newsgroups: talk.origins Date: December 5, 2002 Message-ID: Xns92DA9345A17C2mikedunford@188.8.131.52
> It seems to me that this tactic of not drawing the inference
> knowingly leads them to a conclusion of nothing new to say
> (about the designer). Did they make a disclaimer about this? If
> not, I think it's trickery too.
To my knowledge, they have not made any statements detailing why they believe their "theory" can say nothing about the nature of the designer. In general, their tactic has been to make that assertion loudly and frequently, and hope that it goes unquestioned.
Here's one example:
Within biology, intelligent design holds that a designing intelligence is indispensable for explaining the specified complexity of living systems. Nevertheless, taken strictly as a scientific theory, intelligent design refuses to speculate about the nature of this designing intelligence. Whereas optimal design demands a perfectionistic, anal-retentive designer who has to get everything just right, intelligent design fits our ordinary experience of design, which is always conditioned by the needs of a situation and therefore always falls short of some idealized global optimum. (Dembski, 2000)
Notice that while Dembski states that "intelligent design refuses to speculate about the nature of this designing intelligence", he provides no reason, no justification for this refusal. In every other science where we identify design, such "speculation" is a major, massive part of the effort. Scientists do not, for example, refuse to speculate about the nature of the "designer" when they find the ancient, well dressed remains of a dead girl preserved in an archaeological site high up an Andes Mountain. Instead, they "speculate" that she was probably sacrificed to the mountain gods of the Incan culture. (for more information on this, see http://www.mountain.org/reinhard/docs/academic/newsart.htm). If the designer that Dembski and others claim to see in biology is truly unknown, why shouldn't we use the very evidence (they claim) leads us to conclude that a designer is the cause to make conclusions regarding the nature of this "designer"? Dembski's answer is somewhat revealing.
The success of the suboptimality objection comes not from science at all, but from shifting the terms of the discussion from science to theology. In place of How specifically can an existing structure be improved? the question instead becomes What sort of God would create a structure like that?...The problem of suboptimal design is thus transformed into the problem of evil.... Critics who invoke the problem of evil against design have left science behind and entered the waters of philosophy and theology. A torture chamber replete with implements of torture is designed, and the evil of its designer does nothing to undercut the torture chamber's design. The existence of design is distinct from the morality, aesthetics, goodness, optimality, or perfection of design. Moreover, there are reliable indicators of design that work irrespective of whether design includes these additional features (cf. my previous posts to META).
Notice Dembski's tactic here. The problem of evil, he now claims, is a theological one, not a scientific one. But how does he know this? Dembski is one of the people in the ID movement who has been most vocal about claiming that "space aliens" could have been the designer, and that they are not making any assumptions about the designer (see, for example, Hall, 2002). If he is sincere about that, why would he call the question one of "philosophy or theology"? In principle, shouldn't we proceed from the identification of design in biology just as was done with the identification of design at the Incan sacrifice site I referred to above?
There is something that I should make explicitly clear at this point. Dembski's argument in the article I am quoting from is directed toward those who claim that the fact that the "design" is "evil" or "suboptimal" indicates that there is no actual design. That is not my argument here. In fact, at least to a limited extent, I agree with Dembski that the presence of "suboptimal" or "evil" design does not in and of itself argue against the presence of a designer (it does not necessarily argue for one, either, of course). My point is a bit more basic: if the advocates of "Intelligent Design" are sincere in their statements that they are not committed to any particular "designer", what possible scientific reason could there be for refusing to make inferences about the "designer" from the "designed"?
Reading the conclusion of Dembski's article, the answer becomes all too clear:
One looks at some biological structure and remarks, "Gee, that sure looks evil." Did it start out evil? Was that its function when a good and all-powerful God created it? Objects invented for good purposes are regularly co-opted and used for evil purposes. Drugs that were meant to alleviate pain become sources of addiction. Knives that were meant to cut bread become implements for killing people. Political powers that were meant to maintain law and order become the means for enslaving citizens.
This is a fallen world. The good that God initially intended is no longer fully in evidence. Much has been perverted. Dysteleology, the perversion of design in nature, is a reality. It is evident all around us. But how do we explain it? The scientific naturalist explains dysteleology by claiming that the design in nature is only apparent, that it arose through mutation and natural selection (or some other natural mechanism), and that imperfection, cruelty, and waste are fully to be expected from such mechanisms. But such mechanisms cannot explain the complex, information-rich structures in nature that signal actual and not merely apparent design--that is, intelligent design.
The design in nature is actual. More often than we would like, that design has gotten perverted. But the perversion of design--dysteleology--is not explained by denying design, but by accepting it and meeting the problem of evil head on. The problem of evil is a theological problem. To force a resolution of the problem by reducing all design to apparent design is an evasion. It avoids both the scientific challenge posed by specified complexity, and it avoids the hard work of faith, whose job is to discern God's hand in creation despite the occlusions of evil.
Clearly, Dembski does have a firm commitment to a particular designer. He is so firmly committed, in fact, that he is refusing to consider the possibility that any other possible "designer" is involved, no matter what comments he might make in public about "space aliens". Unfortunately, he is so committed to his particular designer that he misses a massive, fundamental flaw in his claim that the "problem of evil" is a theological one.
The "problem of evil" is only a theological problem if you presume a priori the presence of a benevolent, all-powerful God. In fact, it is a theological problem because it appears to argue against the existence of such a benevolent deity. If we make no presumptions about the nature of the designer, then the presence of what Dembski calls "dysteleology" is not a "problem", nor is it evidence of a "perversion of design", nor of a "fallen world". Instead, it is simply one piece of evidence which could potentially help to identify the nature and motives of the designer. The only reason not to draw inferences is if you are attempting to insulate your own particular theological beliefs from the conclusions.
If we have no preconceived conclusions about who is responsible for the "intelligent designer", what would we conclude from our observations of nature? We observe, in nature, a great deal of activity that most of us find to be distasteful, repulsive, and cruel. If we conclude that living organisms are designed, and we know that some of these organisms reproduce by laying eggs within a living organism, so that their newly-hatched young can quite literally eat the helpless creature from the inside out, how can we infer that the designer of this system is a kind and benevolent one? That is the "problem of design" -- if you look at nature without faith that it is the product of an all-powerful and kind deity, it is difficult (perhaps impossible) to conclude that it is.
So, to (finally) answer your question, I think that their refusal to "speculate" or "draw inferences" about the nature of the designer is nothing more than trickery. It is a tactic that is clearly designed to insulate their Christian beliefs from the possible consequences of what they claim is a scientific investigation of design in nature. It makes a mockery out of both their claim to have no particular designer in mind and their claim that they are simply following the scientific evidence where it leads -- especially that second one.
> Their motives aside, is their intent then only to demonstrate
> intelligent design?
That depends, I suppose, on how you make the distinction between "motives" and "intent". In front of school boards, or in the media, you do tend to find the major proponents of "Intelligent Design" claiming essentially that their intent is only to demonstrate design (see, again, Hall, 2002). Dembski, for example, usually manages to leave out the stuff about "fallen world" and "perversion of design" when he is trying to get ID taught in the public schools. So do other major proponents of ID (see, for example, Chapman & Meyer, 2002), claiming instead that this is entirely a scientific debate.
All three of the authors I just cited are associated with the Discovery Institute (DI) and/or its Center for Science and Culture (CRSC). Chapman is the president of the DI, Meyer is the director of the CRSC, and Dembski is a "Senior Fellow". The currently available statement of the public purpose of the CRSC (see http://www.discovery.org/crsc/about.html) mirrors their statements to public audiences. Both an earlier version of their "about" page, (http://web.archive.org/web/19970514072337/www.discovery.org/crsc/aboutcrsc.html) and a widely circulated internal memo, known as the "Wedge Document" (CRSC, undated) provides a somewhat different view. (See Forrest, 2001, for a discussion of the authenticity of the document.)
From the Wedge Document:
"Discovery Institute's Center for the Renewal of Science and Culture seeks nothing less than the overthrow of materialism and its cultural legacies." (An identical statement was a part of the 1997 version of their "About CRSC" page cited above.)
Is it their intent simply, as they claim, to follow the evidence where it leads (and if so, why stop short of looking at the intent of the designer), or is their "scientific" objection to evolution simply a tactic designed to aid their expressed intention of overthrowing "materialism"? Personally, I think that even a casual examination of what they have done and written seems to strongly favor the second. They say that they intend to overthrow materialism and replace it with something that is theistically based, and I see no reason to doubt them on that.
> And then would you say that they are correct or incorrect in
> their demonstration of that design being intelligent?
I think that they are incorrect in saying that they have demonstrated that design is present. Currently, the entire "scientific" portion of their "theory" seems to rest on the work of two people -- Michael Behe (see Behe, 1996), and William Dembski (see Dembski, 2002). Numerous authors have pointed out major flaws in the work of both, in fora ranging from internet websites and discussion forums to popular and scholarly works. (for example, see Miller, 1999, for a detailed criticism of Behe's work.) This post has run long enough already, and a detailed explanation of intelligent design's flaws would take up too much more time and space to go into now. For more information on those topics, you can go to www.talkorigins.org, www.talkdesign.org, or www.antievolution.org.
Behe, M.J., 1996, Darwin's Black Box. New York, The Free Press.
Center for the Renewal of Science and Culture, "The Wedge Strategy," [online] Accessed on 26 Nov 2002 at http://antievolution.org/features/wedge.html.
Chapman, B. & Meyer, S.C., 2002, Darwin Would Love This Debate. Seattle Times, 10 June 2002. Accessed online 4 Dec 2002 at http://www.discovery.org/viewDB/index.php3?program=CRSC&command=view& id=1171.
Dembski, W.A., 2000, Intelligent Design is not Optimal Design [online]. Accessed 4 Dec 2002 at http://www.designinference.com/documents/2000.02.ayala_response.htm.
Dembski, W.A., 2002, No Free Lunch -- Why Specified Complexity Cannot Be Purchased Without Intelligence. Lanharn, Rowman & Littlefield.
Forrest, B., 2001, The Wedge at Work -- How Intelligent Design Creationism Is Wedging Its Way into the Cultural and Academic Mainstream, in Pennock, R.T (ed), Intelligent Design Creationism and Its Critics. Cambridge, MIT Press, p. 5-53.
Hall, Carl T., 2002, Nature's diversity beyond evolution -- Debate over intelligent design. San Francisco Chronicle, 2002 Mar 17, Page A-1.
Miller, K.R., 1999, Finding Darwin's God -- A Scientist's Search for Common Ground Between God and Evolution. New York, Harper Collins.
Do you know anyone who would wager a substantial sum, even on favorable odds, on the proposition that Homo sapiens will last longer than Brontosaurus? --Steven Jay Gould
[Return to the 2002 Posts of the Month]
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The FAQ | Must-Read Files | Index | Creationism | Evolution | Age of the Earth | Flood Geology | Catastrophism | Debates | <urn:uuid:d279d6e8-d6c5-4b23-a5eb-694c6875035c> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.talkorigins.org/origins/postmonth/dec02.html | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368702448584/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516110728-00006-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.943754 | 3,017 | 1.632813 | 2 |
WOLA honors organizations or individuals who have worked tirelessly to promote human rights, democracy, and social justice in Latin America. Our awardees are organizations or individuals who exemplify a commitment to WOLA's vision of the future, where human rights and social justice are the foundation for public policy.Carlos Dada accepted on behalf of El Faro.
El Faro was founded in 1998 by Carlos Dada and Jorge Simán with a small group of journalists committed to reporting on subjects typically considered taboo, hoping to strengthen democracy and accountability in the country. Since then, El Faro has moved to the forefront of Latin American news organizations investigating organized crime, violence, and political corruption, with over 100,000 readers weekly. El Faro has showcased the ability of independent journalism to effectively monitor those in power, exposing organized criminal groups and powerful political interests, and becoming a major force for democracy and human rights in the country.You can probably jump to the 5-minute mark for Dana Priest's introduction or the 10-minute mark for his actual speech. "Denouncing human rights abuses saves lives" comes from Dada's acceptance speech.
You can also watch the entire ceremony here. Guatemala's Myrna Mack and El Salvador's PASSOS Education and Training Center were also recipients.
Congratulations to all the winners. | <urn:uuid:dbdfd6a9-94de-42e2-b06f-0280c826488d> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://centralamericanpolitics.blogspot.com/2012/09/denouncing-human-rights-abuses-saves.html | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368703682988/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516112802-00019-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.951189 | 266 | 1.820313 | 2 |
Youth Vote Episode 3
Despite the political apathy that the entire Millenial generation has been accused of, there are a growing number of young people who are becoming interested and participating in the political process.
"I wanted to get involved...and the national leadership appointed me to the position." Thomas Dec- Connecticut High School Coordinator for Students for Barack Obama
Rock the Vote's latest poll (9.23.08) of 18-29 year olds shows young voters are increasingly engaged in the upcoming presidential election, driven by concerns over the faltering economy and a sense that our country needs a new direction. Concern over the economy, while a top issue for young people since 2006, has intensified and is now the number one issue this election for nearly half (41%) of 18-29 year olds. The political leanings of young voters have remained steady since Rock the Vote's last poll in February: when asked for whom they would vote for president in November, 56% said Barack Obama and 29% said John McCain.
"I gave for the first time financially to a political campaign and then I did a little phone banking." Jennifer Kim
Remember to vote on November 4
Photos Courtesy: ThomasDec.com, wikimedia.org, publicdomainclip-art.blogspot.com | <urn:uuid:74905aa9-b641-4288-a813-2a0b952c5820> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.cpbn.org/program/youth-vote/episode/youth-vote-episode-3?mini=calendar/2013/02/all | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368710006682/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516131326-00009-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.948908 | 260 | 1.796875 | 2 |
David Hinson, then-president of Wealth Management Network in New York City, came up with a plan to keep King afloat in tough times and beyond.
Raise the rent to maximize cash flow. Currently, the North Carolina rental has a tenant who has been paying below market rent—$1,050—for the past four years (the market rate is $1,200). The rental, which is overseen by a property manager, is in a community experiencing new business growth, increasing the demand for rentals. Hinson suggests that King begin requesting the going rate. “Sylvia believes that she can get market rent for the property, which will likely increase her net cash flow by more than 100%,” says Hinson. Although King has considered downsizing by selling her primary residence, it would be best for her to wait, not only because of the down housing market, but also because she is currently upside down on her mortgage.
Add more money to emergency fund. King’s cash cushion could stand to be beefed up because she is a single mother of a young child. With $30,000 in reserve and lifestyle costs of $4,000 a month ($3,200 toward mortgages, car expenses run nearly $250, and homeowners and life insurance make up another $400), Sylvia has a little more than six months of financial protection in the event of an unexpected illness or second layoff. She’s frugal with her spending, but she still needs to make changes if she is going to protect her financial foundation. King should add a minimum of $6,000 so that she’ll have at least eight months worth of expenses in reserve. Although financial advisers suggest three to six months, considering the economy, and especially if you have young children, you should stretch that to six to eight months.
Merge retirement accounts. “This may result in lower fees and allow her to manage her assets more efficiently,” says Hinson. He adds that King’s time horizon is nearly 30 years, so she should consider an investment portfolio that includes a healthy portion of domestic and international equities. Despite current market woes, there has never been a 29-year period in U.S. history where the stock market underperformed the bond and cash market, says Hinson. He recommends that she begin investing 70% equities and 30% bonds and cash in 2010. As her cash flow improves she should step up her retirement savings a notch, by adding $5,000 annually into her IRA, says Hinson.
Research financing for business. King should do her research now to see how she will finance her business. She should research startup costs as well as how much it will cost to operate her business each month.
The U.S. dollar and Barbados dollar should remain fairly stable at 1 USD = 2 BBD. For example, a $58,000 US savings will equal approximately 116,000 BBD—a substantial amount for a nation where the average annual income is estimated at 8,300 BBD.
If King follows the advice, retiring to Barbados to start her business is well within reach.
To receive an application for the financial fitness contest, send an e-mail to email@example.com.
This article originally appeared in the March 2009 issue of Black Enterprise magazine. | <urn:uuid:e3c1858d-83cd-45df-8671-f390e0ea986e> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.blackenterprise.com/mag/safe-haven/2/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368708142388/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516124222-00026-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.965369 | 689 | 1.703125 | 2 |
Written by John Antonik
An outstanding center at WVU from 1915-19, Russ Bailey ranks as one of the finest offensive linemen ever to wear the Gold & Blue. Born September 3, 1899, in Weston, W.Va., Bailey came to the University with Ira Errett Rodgers and Andrew "Rip" King in 1915. That trio helped the Mountaineers to 24 victories over the next five years including an 8-2 record in 1919.
Back to Hall Of Fame
Paving the way for Rodgers and King, Bailey was an agile center on offense whose crushing blocks and intelligent play earned him rave reviews from some of the most notable people in football.
According to John Heisman in 1928, for who the Heisman Trophy was later named, "Russ Bailey had the unusual knack of being able to snap the ball without watching back between his legs; he could snap accurately while keeping his eyes fastened on the man opposite. This enabled him to charge into the opponent much more quickly and effectively than most centers and at the same time he had a good idea, as he snapped the ball, of the lay-out of the enemy forces. Thus, when he snapped he simultaneously lunged into his man, checked him for a bare instant -- long enough to give his back time to be gone -- then knifing right through the line, again got ahead of his runner."
Standing six feet tall and weighing a solid 180 pounds, Bailey was a fierce tackler on defense as well. He earned first team All-America honors from the Chicago Tribune, Pittsburgh Sun, Pittsburgh Press, New York Evening Journal, Frank G. Menke and A.M. Welland in 1917. After WVU canceled football for the 1918 season because of an outbreak of influenza, Bailey again was accorded first team All-America honors from the Sioux City Tribune and the Philadelphia Press in 1919.
After his stellar career at WVU, Bailey joined Mountaineer assistant coach Elgie Tobin and former teammates Rip King and Harry Harris with the Akron Pros in 1920. Playing in the American Professional Football Association, the precursor to the NFL, Bailey helped the Pros to a 6-0-3 record and the first professional football championship. Playing one more season with the Pros in 1921, Bailey gave up football to pursue a career in medicine.
Considered quiet and serious-minded, Bailey was immensely popular among the WVU student body and ranked high in just about every worthwhile student movement.
After graduating from West Virginia and completing two years of medicine at the University, he went on to complete his degree in medicine at Cincinnati in 1922. After interning at Long Island College, he returned to West Virginia and became a member of the surgical staff at the Wheeling Clinic.
Keenly interested in the treatment of cancer, Bailey was president of the West Virginia Cancer Society and shortly before his death was named director of the American Cancer Society. The crowning event of his career came in August of 1949, when he was named president of the West Virginia State Medical Association, a post he held less than a month. He suffered a heart attack and died in Wheeling on September 15, 1949. | <urn:uuid:7a052560-a49f-43ce-be9b-ec6cc1cbcd2d> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.wvusports.com/hallOfFame.cfm?func=viewProfile&hofID=25 | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368700958435/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516104238-00032-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.979707 | 645 | 1.578125 | 2 |
8 Reasons Nirvana's 'Nevermind' Is The Most Important Rock Album of All Time
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Not the White Album. Not Gimme Shelter. Not Are You Experienced. Not even The Fabulous Little Richard. Those albums are all canonical, and surely there are other very important records in the history of rock 'n' roll that are contenders. But none of them are Nevermind, the breakout album of a previously little-known trio from the working-class logging town of Aberdeen, Washington.
Other albums might have influenced the sound of music in certain ways, might have been important to rock’s trajectory. But none of them changed the culture at large so vastly, so roughly and so immediately. Even the hippies of the ‘60s counterculture weren’t influenced and changed so distinctly as those of us living in a post-Nirvana world. In a way, the strange epoch we’re stuck with now is both a reflection and a result of the way Nevermind affected us; we are living the chaotic meaninglessness the album prophesied, even more than the shitshow that was the 1990s. If Nevermind was an existential statement, we’ve been blasted into the apocalypse.
Nevermind was released 20 years ago next week, on Sept. 24, 1991, the result of two separate recording sessions conducted in Van Nuys and North Hollywood, California. Its nice-weather locale defied its intent: scuzzed with the desolate, dispirited lyrics of Kurt Cobain, not yet addicted to the heroin that would lead to his suicide, the album was all grit and dark days. We have lived for so long with the sound and aesthetic of “grunge” that it’s hard to imagine life without it, but back then it was not even invented. All anyone knew was that Nirvana was bucking the rock trend toward hair metal, which was about objectifying women and cocaine and gross excess. Nirvana wore Washington-typical flannel shirts, more necessary for the damp weather of Cascadia than fashion statement. Long before Courtney Love, Kurt Cobain had dated Tobi Vail, a drummer in the riot grrrl band Bikini Kill who spent her free time making feminist fanzines. Their whole existence would soon be a revolution.
In December 1993, my best friend’s parents drove us to see Nirvana’s last tour, one of the first and certainly most memorable concerts of my young life. Their tour T-shirts featured a glow-in-the-dark seahorse, with a message on the back explaining that the animal is remarkable because it's the males, not the females, who carry the young—a welcome flip for a budding young feminist. At that time, Frances Bean Cobain had been alive for a little over one year. I bought the shirt, but ended up giving it to my good friend Steve Paul, a Nirvana fanatic who hadn’t seen the concert. By April, as everyone knows by now, Kurt Cobain was dead from a self-inflicted gunshot wound. A few years later, my friend Steve was killed in a freak accident on a construction site. Everyone who was alive when Nevermind came out and cared has a story or memory associated with the album—it dug itself into your subconscious no matter how old you were.
On Sept. 24, 2011, Jon Stewart will interview the surviving members of Nirvana (and producer Butch Vig) for two hours on Sirius Radio. While the two might seem unrelated, it was in fact a brilliant move to ask Stewart to host: Nirvana’s impact was inherently political, and Stewart’s humor is inherently Gen X. In honor of the most important rock album of all time, here are eight ways that Nevermind changed the political and cultural landscape of America.
1. Disenfranchised Kids, Winning
The dominant narrative in this country, even now, is that you pull yourself up by your bootstraps, and you will be rewarded with great riches, power and popularity. That is, of course, untrue—something that Nirvana explored in its lyrics. But something unexpected happened: they blew up. Their music resonated deeply with everyone who’d been disenfranchised by the voracious, greedy ‘80s, and there was a revolution rooted in ‘60s counterculture and ‘70s punk rock. Anarchist cheerleaders were suddenly on television, moshing. Nirvana were the depressive weirdos, and suddenly the depressive weirdos were the dominant narrative. Even if you’re used to being the underdog, sometimes it’s nice to be on top. | <urn:uuid:53e5e08a-7509-4ddf-a133-eec5f0567773> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.alternet.org/story/152444/8_reasons_nirvana's_'nevermind'_is_the_most_important_rock_album_of_all_time?qt-best_of_the_week=4 | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368704132298/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516113532-00033-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.962129 | 967 | 1.554688 | 2 |
Al Jazeera hopes it can succeed where Al Gore failed with Current TV.
Gore and his business partner Joel Hyatt tried to turn Current TV into a legitimate news/talk channel and compete with MSNBC for liberal-minded viewers. Current spent heavily to woo commentator Keith Olbermann, hoping he'd be the linchpin of the channel.
Instead, Olbermann clashed with management and was bounced out last March, barely a year into a five-year deal. With him went any momentum Current had to increase its tiny audience and add advertisers. Shows featuring former New York Gov. Eliot Spitzer and "The View" co-host Joy Behar have struggled.
Now Al Jazeera plans to rebrand Current as Al Jazeera America with a focus on international news aimed at American viewers.
There is certainly a lack of international news on broadcast and cable news programs in this country. Most U.S. news organizations in print and television have greatly cut back on resources devoted to international stories. At the same time, many executives privately view international coverage as the broccoli of programming: It's good for you, but no one wants to eat it.
Al Jazeera English has found an audience among influence makers in Washington. Former Secretary of State Colin Powell told Gore that Al Jazeera is the only cable news network he watches, according to Hyatt.
But getting wide distribution in the U.S. has proved a challenge as most pay-TV operators in the United States do not carry the channel. In the wake of the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks there has been a perception among some that Al Jazeera, which is owned by the government of Qatar, had an anti-American bias in its coverage. That baggage has played a big part in the reluctance of distributors to offer the channel.
Al Jazeera English has come up with some clever ways to get distribution. Besides offering content free on the Internet, Al Jazeera has leased time from other channels to get distribution on big pay-TV operators such as Time Warner Cable in New York City and Los Angeles. It is also available in Toledo, Ohio, and Burlington, Vermont.
With 40 million homes, the Qatar-government backed Al Jazeera thinks Current can finally give it a real footprint in America.That number would have been 50 million, but Time Warner Cable announced it would no longer carry Current because of the sale.
Time Warner Cable was able to drop Current because its distribution agreement for the channel had a clause that allowed the cable operator to end the deal in event of an ownership change. Current has a very small audience and Time Warner Cable has been threatening to drop it for some time. The sale gave it cause to break the contract.
That explanation did not stop speculation that Time Warner Cable was more concerned about the new owners of Current than it was about its ratings.
Time Warner Cable actually has an agreement in place to carry Al Jazeera English but it does not yet do so beyond those previously mentioned third-party pacts. One reason, people familiar with the company's thinking said, is because of the free Internet feed. Time Warner Cable does not want to pay for something -- and charge its subscribers for something -- that can be accessed free online.
Current's other big distributors -- including Comcast Corp., which had owned a stake in Current -- plan to continue carrying the service after the Al Jazeera makeover. Still there are some distributors, such as Cox Communications, which has a big customer base in Southern California, and New York's Cablevision, that carry neither Current nor Al Jazeera English and for the moment have no plans to add them.
Al Jazeera's coverage of the Arab Spring uprisings went a long way toward increasing awareness for the channel and eliminating some of the baggage it has been carrying since 2001.
For many distributors, though, carrying Al Jazeera America may be as much a business issue as a political hot potato. Even with the deep pockets of the Qatar government, Al Jazeera does not have the leverage of big U.S. media companies to negotiate distribution deals for its channels.
Of course, News Corp.'s Fox News initially started out by paying distributors to carry it. Now it charges well over $1 a month per subscriber for distribution. Al Jazeera has already said it will put its money where its mouth is in terms of content. It may have to be willing to do the same for distribution.
After all, red white and blue are nice colors, but green usually trumps them.
Follow Joe Flint on Twitter @JBFlint. | <urn:uuid:217e8058-4745-4611-b552-7d1b3a356998> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.b1029.com/b1029/la-et-ct-al-jazeera-current-20130103,0,4549567.story | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368705559639/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516115919-00025-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.967421 | 910 | 1.515625 | 2 |
Posted by admin on Tuesday, July 10th, 2012
The Victoria Falls are one of the world’s most awe-inspiring natural attractions, drawing thousands of tourists each year to witness the wonder of this incredible natural phenomenon. Situated on the border between Zimbabwe and Zambia, the Victoria Falls have created a dynamic tourism industry on the Zambian side of the border, with Livingstone being the nearest town to the falls with tourist facilities. If you are wondering where to stay on your visit to this area, here are some tourism facts about Victoria Falls vs Livingstone:
Is Livingstone far from Victoria Falls?
First-time visitors to Zambia may be wondering how far the town of Livingstone is from the Victoria Falls – the town is situated 10km north of the Zambezi river, with the Mosi-oa-Tunya National Park which contains the falls just a short drive from the southernmost part of town. With a variety of affordable tourism options, Livingstone is an extremely convenient …
Posted by admin on Friday, March 9th, 2012
The Victoria Falls or Moisi ou tunia (the smoke that thunders) is a spectacle in its self and all around one cannot help but marvel at the fantastic views. The mighty Zambezi, the expansive wild bush, the grandeur of the falls its self, and the snaking gorge that the water creates, where ever you are in Victoria Falls there is always a picturesque view to admire and whichever hotel you stay in you will have your very own glorious picture to remember.
Ilala Lodge, situated on the edge of the national parks is as closely located to the falls as nature will allow. The terraced garden overlooks an expanse of bush from which elephant, plains game and numerous birds often emerge to graze on the hotel lawns. The Moisi ou tunia is clear to see from the hotel dining room, the plumes of smoke ascend from the rainforest …
Posted by linda on Monday, July 4th, 2011
A visit to Victoria Falls comes with plenty of choice in activities, but also with plenty of choice in hotel accommodation. This is not the most affordable form of accommodation to choose from for your stay, but definitely luxurious!
Victoria Falls Safari Lodge aims to give you a natural feel of a bush lodge, with its thatch and wood lodges, conveniently close to the Falls. It is set on a natural high plateau and borders the Zambezi National Park, offering you views of a watering hole and the beautiful surrounds. There is a restaurant on the premises, combining luxury accommodation with good food and great views!
If you prefer a hotel that is modern with less old-world charm and more new-world luxury, then the Elephant Hills Hotel is for you. There are 276 rooms with great facilities on par with what is expected …
Posted by linda on Tuesday, May 31st, 2011
Victoria Falls has really in terms of tourism, which means that you can choose accommodation according to your taste and budget. In the past Livingstone only had exclusive luxury lodges, a small number of backpacker options and a handful of guesthouses and hotels, but today you have plenty to choose from.
It is good to know what your options are before you decide on which option to go with:
Victoria Falls Rest Camp is a good example of a centrally located, cost-effective accommodation option. The chalets are clean, comfortable and secure, ranging in sizes from small to family size. There are also tents for those who don’t mind ‘roughing it’ although with twin beds and ablution blocks, you don’t need to break all your survival skills out. The camp is in walking distance from all the attractions in Livingstone.
Another self-catering option that is … | <urn:uuid:290a6ede-4adb-40da-9e32-84755e015f49> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.ilalalodge.com/blog/category/hotels/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368699273641/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516101433-00020-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.954971 | 784 | 1.664063 | 2 |
The fall rush to buy textbooks is over, but a campaign led by the State Public Interest Research Groups to rally against the practices of the college textbook publishing industry is not.
In a report released today that is largely a summary of previous findings, PIRG accuses publishers of undermining the used book market and unnecessarily inflating prices. Studies show that the cost of textbooks is rising faster than the rate of inflation, and the price issue has gained traction with at least one lawmaker this year.
“Required Reading: A Look at the Worst Publishing Tactics at Work,” and a preceding report, released in August, are part of the Make Textbooks Affordable Campaign. The latest report draws on anecdotal information from bookstore managers and faculty members across the country, and includes examples (identifying colleges, publisher names and book titles) of practices that PIRG says drive up textbook costs for students.
Among the culprits, according to PIRG: professors who customize their own textbooks by choosing the material to include. The report says that while custom books are often less expensive to purchase, the texts are so particular to an instructor or a college that they have no value in the greater used book market.
"There is no chance for sale on Amazon or eBay, and some books have built-in workbook pages," said Sabrina Case, affordable textbooks coordinator for the PIRGs. “Students can't recoup their expenses. If our responses are any indication, custom books are a major concern."
Bruce Hildebrand, executive director for higher education at the Association of American Publishers, blasted the report's lack of empirical data or independent information, saying that it "reeks of desperation" and is another case of PIRG cherry-picking examples that are largely exceptions to the rules.
Hildebrand said many custom books -- and particularly those that are used by professors who teach courses year after year -- are designed to be resold. "Custom books don't go into the wholesale used book cycle -- so what?" Hildebrand said. "If the faculty member chooses the material, it's more likely to be used again on the same campus. If that's not the best of both worlds, I don't know what is."
Hildebrand said that students' complaints tend to be less about price than use -- that they are getting a poor value because their professors assign only a portion of a book. Custom books meet the demand for effective use of material and lower cost, he added.
A report put out by the publishers' organization earlier this fall showed that by a 17 to 1 ratio, professors weigh the academic merits of a textbook more strongly than they do its price. The PIRG report says that “faculty should give preference to the lowest cost option when the educational content is comparable.”
"Valuable books can be affordable," Case added. "The two aren't mutually exclusive."
The report summarizes many of the concerns that PIRG and other groups have about the publishing industry, including the practices of bundling additional material (such as CD-ROMs) with textbooks and of introducing new textbook editions that have few substantive updates.
Among the report's suggestions are that:
- Publishers should keep each textbook edition and related ancillary items on the market as long as possible without sacrificing educational content.
- Publishers should give preference to print or online supplements to current editions over producing entirely new editions.
- Colleges should provide many forums for students to purchase or rent used books.
- Colleges should encourage students to use online book swaps so that students can buy and sell used books and set their own prices.
Case said that some textbooks are bound with material that includes an identification number used for finding online material for the class. Once that code comes off the book, she said the next student can't access the same material, thus eliminating the buy-back potential.
Hildebrand said publishers that put out books with electronic keys generally allow students to access the same homework assignment for multiple semesters. And as for bundling: "There's no way to compare streamlined paperback versions with little or no art with hardbound for-color editions with massive supplements," he said. "It's like saying a computer that comes with software costs more. Well, yeah."
PIRG and the publishers' group have been at odds for months over the interest group's recent campaign. Citing data from the State PIRGs, that report said that students spend an average of $900 a year on books. But the publishers’ association, in Why PIRG is Wrong," called out PIRG for misleading readers -- saying that a 2005 GAO study shows that the $900 amount also includes fees. Another national research group has estimated that books alone amount to roughly $650 a year per student.
The latest PIRG report again uses $900, and Case said the group stands by its own research and the original figure. | <urn:uuid:ff7a096f-3df3-4370-98bd-d80ea310e8dd> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.insidehighered.com/news/2006/10/31/textbooks | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368699273641/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516101433-00035-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.956245 | 1,008 | 1.6875 | 2 |
- Story Ideas
- Send Corrections
Pennsylvania judges now can enforce tough minimum penalties on people found guilty of buying more than one gun for criminals who can’t legally buy a firearm themselves.
It’s too late to help Plymouth Officer Bradley Fox, of New Hanover. Barely seven weeks ago, a convicted felon shot Fox to death. Police say a “straw” purchaser obtained the murder weapon and eight other guns and turned them over to the killer.
Such straw purchasers don’t load, aim or fire the weapon.
But they buy them, then turn them over and enable convicted criminals to get their hands on these deadly weapons — and use them.
They deserve tough treatment.
Gov. Tom Corbett signed H.B. 898 last month, naming the law in honor of Brad Fox.
The law gives prosecutors across the state an effective new tool to arrest and prosecute these sham gun buyers, toughening current law by calling for a mandatory five-year prison term for repeat straw purchase offenders to apply to multiple concurrent offenses.
H.B. 898 is a welcome addition to the laws that help police address violent criminals and the people who help them. But more is needed. Pennsylvania still lacks a law that would require gun owners to report any lost or stolen guns to law enforcement officials or risk being penalized.
Such a requirement seems like the least law-abiding gun owners would accept as part of their responsibility. It doesn’t infringe on their right to keep and bear arms, only to report it when a weapon is lost or stolen.
Speaking of responsible gun ownership, it’s hard to understand why the Republican candidate for state attorney general, David Freed, took the time to fill out a National Rifle Association questionnaire but declined to talk to CeaseFirePA, which has been lobbying for the tough new straw-purchase law.
Democratic nominee Kathleen Kane, who won the post last Tuesday, answered CeaseFire’s questions about gun violence prevention early in the campaign. Any candidate for the state’s top law-enforcement job ought to answer willingly all queries about the responsibilities that go with gun ownership.
It’s sad that it takes the murder of a police officer — or the murders of more than one police officer — to prompt the Legislature and the governor to raise the penalties for aiding and abetting. At least H.B. 898 is now law.
Lawmakers should immediately begin working toward a lost-and-stolen report statute that will help track weapons when they could be in the wrong hands.
— The Associated Press: The Pocono Record | <urn:uuid:add80efd-ca3d-45e9-af95-e01b4338db02> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.dailylocal.com/article/20121113/OPINION03/121119908/it-s-time-for-state-to-get-tough-with-straw-gun-buyers | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368697380733/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516094300-00003-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.948143 | 545 | 1.804688 | 2 |
When you come up to the Clayton Antique & Classic Boat Show. You MUST at least go by and see Whiskey Island so you can book yourself this wonderful place for next year, or at least a week during the summer. Whiskey Island is everything good about what the Thousand islands is all about. A great historic home in a fantasy setting, all mixed in with a woody boat. Here is the look and history of the Island from there web site. www.whiskeyislandlodge.com
Whiskey Island Lodge
Whiskey Island is located at the southwestern end of the Thousand Islands along the US/Canadian boarder at the head of Grindstone Island on the Saint Lawrence River. The families of MorganLeavitt and Carter inhabited this section of the river each summer for over a hundred years and still have family and cottages in the area today.
Chris Wolf built the first of several cottages in that section of river. Whiskey Island was the first to have a cottage. The original section of the house was built of 2 x 4 planks stacked upon one another, which has served for a structurally sound lodge. Through out the rivers history most of the original cottages in the area have burned down and were rebuilt, but due to Whiskey’s resilience, her structure remains one of the oldest cottages in the area!
Whiskey was originally owned by a Leavitt in 1875 who was married to Wolf (whom built the cottage on Whiskey) but he ran off with a governess and it was sold in 1914 to Alice Carters Mother “Grandma Morgan” where Alice’s son Bunny Morgan and his family lied each summer until 1961 when Bunny past away and it was left to his daughter Mimi Boyer. She with her husband and family inhabited Whiskey each and every summer until her passing in 1994 when it was left to her daughter Jenny where she sold it to theRandazzo Family in which it belongs today.
In 1870, Whiskey Island was originally named Coral Island due to the maze of shoals that surround her. Because of this maze of shoals and its strategic location on Us/Canadian boarder, Whiskey was the main drop and run point forrumrunners during the time of prohibition. Because these shoals and rocks surrounded the Island it was easy for the rumrunners to recover the smuggled liquor. Since this section of river, where Whiskey lay, was a tricky spot to navigate through, it was hard to chase therumrunners since they where the best navigators on the river an they could get a boat through this cut fast to escape the law. As a code to other rumrunners “Whiskey Island” was adapted to inform each other where the goods could be recovered and stored if the law was getting in the way.
Un sure of the time in which her name was oficially changed on charts to identify her as Whiskey Island, we know it happened some years after prohibition. Since people have a great fascination with the prohibition divers often explore the shoals surrounding whiskey to try and dig up her past and what she protected and gave. | <urn:uuid:ade54409-c85e-485e-b305-a3b6027e2d4b> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.woodyboater.com/classic-boat-destinations/woody-boater-destination-of-the-week-whiskey-island-lodge-the-ultimate-woody-boater-experience/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368707435344/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516123035-00007-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.978621 | 649 | 1.5 | 2 |
Bio: Leigh Brill is a writer, speaker, and advocate for people with disabilities. She published her first story at the age of fifteen; since then her writing has reached national and international audiences through publications including Chicken Soup to Inspire the Body & Soul, the Guideposts book Soul Menders, and the magazines Just Labs: A Celebration of the Labrador Retriever and Pets: Part of the Family. Leigh has shared more than a decade of her life in the company of service dogs and continues to do so. She lives with her family in rural Virginia.
Visit her at www.leighbrill.com.
The heartwarming true story of Slugger, author Leigh Brill's trained service dog, who transformed Brill's college years as she struggled with congenital cerebral palsy. Brill is now a counselor and motivational speaker involved in the service dog community. She travels with Slugger's successor, Kendie. In the tradition of Marley & Me, and Dewey the Library Cat. | <urn:uuid:02cf35c1-9066-4e66-907f-08d6ca59d050> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.ereader.com/ebooks/a56721/Leigh-Brill/?si=59 | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368696381249/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516092621-00015-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.958248 | 200 | 1.570313 | 2 |
On blogging history: a response to some critics
On March 15, I published a short article entitled, “Bishop Joseph Zuk: A brief biographical overview.” I opened the article with this paragraph:
Joseph A. Zuk was the first Ukrainian Orthodox bishop in America, but little has been written about his life. I don’t know a lot, but from the sources I’ve collected, we can piece together a brief biographical sketch. This isn’t much, but I thought it might be worthwhile to get the very basics out there, so we can begin filling in the gaps.
For sources, I relied on several contemporary secular newspapers, Fr. Serafim Surrency’s generally reliable The Quest for Orthodox Church Unity in America, and the history on the official website of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church in the USA. I knew at the outset that I had produced an extremely limited and flawed article, but since Bishop Joseph Zuk is virtually unknown to most American Orthodox Christians, I thought I might at least introduce him and perhaps inspire others to do further research into his life. I must say, I have been rather shocked at the response I’ve received.
One commenter, “Jake,” offered the following:
Why invent the wheel. Get in touch with some scholars and get the real information before you put something up here. If I remember from my history class, he was born in Pidkamin or a village near Pidkamin and was influenced by trips across the border to Pochaijiv. Also he reacted against the campaign of the Polish monastery in Pidkamin that was in competition for local people’s souls. Right out of Ivan Franko!
I confess that I was not aware of earlier scholarship on Bishop Joseph Zuk. Jake, and others, went on to list various scholars for me to contact, archives for me to visit, and works for me to consult. I’m afraid I haven’t the time to engage in a full-blown scholarly study of Bishop Joseph; my aim, as I said, was merely to present the sources I had and let others dig deeper if they were interested.
On our Facebook page, a reader named Petro Melnyk offered numerous critiques, correcting certain details regarding Bishop Joseph’s educational background and commenting:
You could have checked other contemporary newspapers of Zuk’s day to verify the facts you presented, especially the church newspapers which would have his obituary. That is what a good researcher does. Also consult secondary sources such as history books to confirm facts and check bibliographies to look for more pirmary sources and other secondary sources.
A common thread in these various criticisms seems to be that I should either go all-in in researching Bishop Joseph, or ignore him altogether. What I did — publishing a brief biographical overview based on some initial sources and opening the floor to others — is, apparently, not acceptable. It’s what I do all the time, though. My writing, on this website, tends to represent a work in progress. I like to share the process of learning and discovery with all of our readers. I am not an expert who purports to teach everyone else; I’m merely a student of history trying to learn more, and excited to share my findings — however incomplete — with my readers. When I write peer-reviewed papers and so forth, of course I have to be more thorough and confident in my conclusions. But here, I wasn’t offering conclusions — merely sharing the material I’d found.
Most recently, on our Facebook page, Linda Marie Labelle gave me this advice:
I am a grad student in sociology, not history but even in my area of study we have to use proper research methods. In this case you didn’t. I think it speaks to the credibility of the web site as a whole. What is the aim? if you want to attrack other scholars to post their material then you have to set a good example of using reasonable methodology not just an article from a secular newspaper. Consult a good secondary source first as was suggested.
At this point, I’m at a loss. As I said earlier, at the beginning of my disputed article, I wrote, “I don’t know a lot, but from the sources I’ve collected, we can piece together a brief biographical sketch. This isn’t much, but I thought it might be worthwhile to get the very basics out there, so we can begin filling in the gaps.” From all the criticism I’ve received, it sounds like the information I presented was off in a couple of areas, was missing some important stories, and wasn’t based on the very best Ukrainian sources. I actually figured that that would be the result. I mean, I knew that there had to be good Ukrainian sources out there, but I didn’t have them. I knew that there must be great stories (for instance, the story of Bishop Joseph’s conversion to Orthodoxy), but I didn’t know them. And I suspected that at least something in the materials I had might have included some errors.
Does it make me an irresponsible historian for posting an article (with a disclaimer) that featured so many inherent weaknesses? I don’t know. I’m not a great historian, I don’t know everything about everything, and even what I know is imperfect and incomplete. I would submit that any historian worth his or her salt would say the same thing. If a historian doesn’t admit that he’s not all-knowing, you’re best off running in the other direction. There’s no place for know-it-alls in Orthodoxy. And when we do history, all we can do is try to be as accurate and complete as possible, while acknowleding that we will never, ever, ever be perfectly accurate or perfectly complete.
And if anyone out there actually does know a thing or two about Ukrainian Orthodox history in America, and would like to educate the rest of us, please submit an article. My email address is mfnamee [at] gmail [dot] com. I look forward to hearing from you.
- This week in American Orthodox history (February 27-March 4)
- This week in American Orthodox history (February 20-26)
- SOCHA, American Orthodox History, and the Digital Humanities
- Toward an American Orthodox historical narrative
- Searching for a narrative for Eastern Orthodox in America
- What is an Armenian parish?
- How I View the Church History Work of Orthodoxhistory.org
- What is a parish?
- Bishop Joseph Zuk: A brief biographical overview
- Guest article on St. Peter the Aleut | <urn:uuid:f8357406-8c43-4fdf-b3ea-e80c079753d7> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://orthodoxhistory.org/2011/03/24/on-blogging-history-a-response-to-some-critics/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368698924319/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516100844-00029-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.965876 | 1,425 | 1.578125 | 2 |
Author: Cass Foster
Genre: Young Adults, Children’s, Literature, Classics
How to enter: Leave a comment on THIS post right here! If you're a subscriber or a follower, leave a second comment for a second entry.
Entry deadline: September 19, 2011
Restrictions: US only.
Publisher: Five Star Publications
Physical Description: 256-page paperback
List Price: Entire Series: $45.89; individually: $8.99
For More Info: www.GetShakespeare.com
The Sixty-Minute Shakespeare series is an ideal alternative for those who lack the time to tackle the unabridged versions of the world's most widely read playwright. Professor Cass Foster has judiciously condensed (without modernizing) the Bard's richly poetic language. He has skillfully retained the integrity of the text, allowing students to experience the thrill of the stories as well as the captivating imagery in the prose and verse.About the Author:
In addition, the author has provided helpful footnotes on nearly every page explaining the more arcane words and phrases to help the reader better understand and appreciate each play.
You will find the practical suggestions clearly laid out for staging, pacing, and thematic exploration very useful. Scenes flow smoothly from one to the next, maintaining a continuity difficult to find in other condensed versions of the Bard's works. Each script is approximately 70 pages.
Cass Foster, Professor Emeritus of Theatre, has been actively involved in the theatre as an educator, director, fight choreographer and playwright. His teaching experience includes The Ohio State University, Capital University, Otterbein College, Central Arizona College and Mesa Community College. He has directed productions or choreographed fights at Players Theatre Columbus, University of Illinois: Champaign-Urbana, Phoenix Theatre, Arizona State University, Northern Arizona University, Grand Canyon Shakespeare Festival, Case Western Reserve University, Arizona Jewish Theatre, Sedona Repertory Company, Lyric Opera, Phoenix Little Theatre, Sombrero Playhouse, The Ohio State University and the Great American People Show.What I Liked:
When I was in high school, we “sampled” Shakespeare. I remember reading a snippet of Macbeth and maybe a summary of it, but that was it. To be honest, I wasn’t terribly fond of the bard, although I do appreciate some of his better-known quotes – I still have the first 5 lines of “To be, or not to be” memorized.
With this series, I’m able to get a complete, albeit fast, meal – so I got a nice taste of the comedy side of Shakespeare’s writing in Much Ado About Nothing. The scenes flow together well; it doesn’t feel like chunks are missing. And it is most definitely still in beautiful Shakespearean English. Footnotes help the reader understand certain words and phrases.
I think this series would be interesting to work through as a high school co-op group, with multiple people participating to read the different parts.
What 4yo Esmé Liked:
Um (clear throat) – she actually wasn’t too impressed, though I acted a few chapters out in great drama and flair (and with much redacting). She wanted to get on with a kitty-themed play already. I asked if she understood what I was reading, vocabulary-wise and otherwise, and she assured me she had total comprehension. So we had a little discussion on the meaning of “I love you with with so much of my heart that none is left to protest,” and then Daddy interrupted with the observation that it didn’t really make much sense. Definitely not preschool or Daddy material here… :)
What I Didn't Like:
I’ve got nothing negative to say about the abridgment of the book – that is very well done. However, I’m not a big fan of some of Shakespeare’s darker themes and the “double, double toil and trouble” stuff. I’m still undecided on whether the his literary genius outweighs the death speak and irreverent humor of some of his characters, which you find even in comedies such as this one.
Thanks to Five Star Publications for the review and giveaway copies of this book, and to MamaBuzz Media for coordinating the review. We are not being paid for this review, and all opinions are our own.
Remember to leave a comment to enter the giveaway for Sixty-Minute Shakespeare: Much Ado About Nothing! | <urn:uuid:54d80741-4f53-4113-8f77-e9ceaaad810e> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://moziesme.blogspot.com/2011/09/reviewgiveaway-sixty-minute-shakespeare.html?showComment=1315854505561 | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368701459211/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516105059-00008-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.943211 | 950 | 1.65625 | 2 |
|Choosing the Litter Box
This article written by Glenda Moore
|Choosing the right
litter box is an important consideration for both you and your cat.
There are many styles, sizes, and features.
Features to Consider
Remember that ideally, you should provide one litter box for each cat in your household. A shallow box is appropriate for kittens (about 3 inches), and a deeper variety for adult cats (about 6 inches). We've found that the deeper the better, for male cats. Note that it's important to clean the boxes thoroughly with soap and water.
Basic flat box – This is the least expensive variety, comes in an assortment of sizes and depths. Simple to clean, and preferred by many cats.
Basic flat box with rim - This is the basic rectangular box, with a "lip" which helps prevent litter from being kicked out.
Covered box - This is our preference, a traditional rectangular shape with a "hood" that covers the box. The opening at one end allows the cat to enter and exit. Some litter boxes have a swinging door - we always remove it, as our cats don't like being totally confined. These boxes offer more privacy for cats (though some skittish cats may feel trapped). Ensure that the box is large enough for your biggest cat to be able to turn around and fully stand erect. This box is recommended if you have male cats who spray. Note that it's important to have some sort of ventilation in the top to help with odor control.
|Self-cleaning box – Several
companies have come out with motion-activated “self-cleaning” litter
boxes. A timed sensor is activated a few minutes after your cat leaves
the box, and a rake scoops the matter into a receptable, which is then
manually emptied every couple of days. You may need to experiment
(a lot) with the scoopable litter that works best for these litter
boxes. Some cats don't like the mechanical action. Be sure
to check into the guarantee.
Sifting boxes – The basic model consists of two rectangular pans and a “sifter tray”. The two boxes stack on each other, with the sifting tray inside the top pan. To clean the box, the two litter boxes are separated and the sifting tray is lifted out which removes the wastes but leaves the litter. The sifter is then put into the empty box and the litter is pour on top. After the waste is dumped, the empty litter box on the bottom of the unit.
You may need to experiment with litter box styles. Before giving up on any litter box, however, realize that it might not be the box itself that is the problem. Try a variety of fillers, and at various depths. And, of course always keep it clean, using soap and water or a very weak (10 to 1) solution of bleach and water. Never use Lysol or Pine-Sol or the like, as it can be harmful to cats. Where you place the litter box is critical. It must be in a quiet area, away from the cat's food and water.
Whatever style litter box you choose, be sure your cat has privacy. If you use a pan-style rather than a covered box, hide it with a privacy screen. You can also "hide the litter box in plain site" - in a vinyl wicker look box, table, etc., but it is imperative that it must be out of traffic.
See related articles titled Choosing the Litter Box Filler and Why Has My Cat Stopped Using the Litterbox?? for information concerning location and other issues. | <urn:uuid:db1b05f7-1406-4795-b658-1e8b3ffcdd66> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://user.xmission.com/~emailbox/choosing_litter_box.htm | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368705953421/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516120553-00024-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.937253 | 756 | 1.804688 | 2 |
What do you think of Bank of America’s “Keep The Change” program? How it works is every purchase you make with your BoA debit card you make gets rounded up to the next dollar. The difference between that and the actual price gets moved from your checking to your savings account. The idea is to help people save. Good idea, but there’s some potential downsides I can see:
1) It can unconsciously rationalize spending. Some part of your brain is going, “It’s ok, I’m saving.”
2) Personally, I only use my debit card to withdraw money from the ATM. I don’t want my account number getting stolen off some insecure store PIN pad, and paying only in cash encourages wiser spending.
3) If you’re going to do this program, at least once a month move the money from the savings to an online savings account. Interest rates at brick and mortar banks are like .0crap, online you can get upwards of 3% right now.
One neat thing is that for the first 3 months, they will match everything you save 100%. After that, 5% of your purchases up to $250.
The deal has been around for a while, we wrote about it in 2005, but a new smarmy ad campaign (the one that goes, “This is America. Do we let the sun just shine or the wind just blow? No, we put them to work.”) and recent events, made me think we could revisit it. What do you think? Is this a handy program, or the Diet Coke of savings plans? Leave your thoughts in the comments. | <urn:uuid:ad9d0770-2e54-4ed3-a8b6-3c470ffb75db> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://consumerist.com/2008/09/10/boas-keep-the-change-program-worth-it/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368699881956/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516102441-00003-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.949571 | 353 | 1.6875 | 2 |
If you do not be obsessed or in ownership of uncomplicated access to a music center or schoolteacher in your room, but are absorbing in knowledge how to frolic music on the piano, choosing to follow lessons online can be fair as gratifying. An online footpath that teaches you how to frisk piano music and focuses on a certain friendly, be fond of jazz or fact, is duplication. Online courses are big representing beginners who desire to learn at their own stride without the force of weekly lessons to order championing. Many at-dwelling-location students come across that attractive a piano manner on the internet is the unsurpassed method to possessor the chords and scales most associated with certainty and other favourite types of music.
Learning to cavort online initially may not appear approve of a agreeable choice because you don't genuinely own a piano educator in face of you effective you what to learn next. However, with some motivation and devotedness, you can before long be satisfactorily on your mode to playing the gospel music you heat. All you order is the moral circuit outline that includes chord charts and other tools that desire assemble erudition a breath.
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Hear and Play is the complete online fountain-head for culture to recreation the piano with facility and ability. Our means outlines are designed specifically for students who crave to learn independently and keep the crave to exceed at playing any class of music on the piano. Learn gospel music, burst music, and how to have fun music close attention using our single and specialized techniques. Contact Hear and Play at http://www.hearandplay.com/ to learn more. | <urn:uuid:ea671820-bb9d-4870-be0d-c0f9cb925662> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://gschapel.blogspot.com/2008/02/learn-gospel-music-online.html | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368710006682/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516131326-00012-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.95007 | 427 | 1.75 | 2 |
"I made a covenant with my eyes
not to look lustfully at a girl.
For what is man's lot from God above,
his heritage from the Almighty on high?
Is it not ruin for the wicked,
disaster for those who do wrong?
Does he not see my ways
and count my every step?
"If I have walked in falsehood
or my foot has hurried after deceit—
let God weigh me in honest scales
and he will know that I am blameless—
if my steps have turned from the path,
if my heart has been led by my eyes,
or if my hands have been defiled,
then may others eat what I have sown,
and may my crops be uprooted.
"If my heart has been enticed by a woman,
or if I have lurked at my neighbor's door,
then may my wife grind another man's grain,
and may other men sleep with her.
For that would have been shameful,
a sin to be judged.
It is a fire that burns to Destruction;
it would have uprooted my harvest.
"If I have denied justice to my menservants and maidservants
when they had a grievance against me,
what will I do when God confronts me?
What will I answer when called to account?
Did not he who made me in the womb make them?
Did not the same one form us both within our mothers?
"If I have denied the desires of the poor
or let the eyes of the widow grow weary,
if I have kept my bread to myself,
not sharing it with the fatherless—
but from my youth I reared him as would a father,
and from my birth I guided the widow—
if I have seen anyone perishing for lack of clothing,
or a needy man without a garment,
and his heart did not bless me
for warming him with the fleece from my sheep,
if I have raised my hand against the fatherless,
knowing that I had influence in court,
then let my arm fall from the shoulder,
let it be broken off at the joint.
For I dreaded destruction from God,
and for fear of his splendor I could not do such things.
"If I have put my trust in gold
or said to pure gold, 'You are my security,'
if I have rejoiced over my great wealth,
the fortune my hands had gained,
if I have regarded the sun in its radiance
or the moon moving in splendor,
so that my heart was secretly enticed
and my hand offered them a kiss of homage,
then these also would be sins to be judged,
for I would have been unfaithful to God on high.
"If I have rejoiced at my enemy's misfortune
or gloated over the trouble that came to him—
I have not allowed my mouth to sin
by invoking a curse against his life—
if the men of my household have never said,
'Who has not had his fill of Job's meat?'—
but no stranger had to spend the night in the street,
for my door was always open to the traveler—
if I have concealed my sin as men do,
by hiding my guilt in my heart
because I so feared the crowd
and so dreaded the contempt of the clans
that I kept silent and would not go outside—
("Oh, that I had someone to hear me!
I sign now my defense—let the Almighty answer me;
let my accuser put his indictment in writing.
Surely I would wear it on my shoulder,
I would put it on like a crown.
I would give him an account of my every step;
like a prince I would approach him.)—
"if my land cries out against me
and all its furrows are wet with tears,
if I have devoured its yield without payment
or broken the spirit of its tenants,
then let briers come up instead of wheat
and weeds instead of barley."
The words of Job are ended. | <urn:uuid:d5600e11-9aef-4373-b3f7-ae04f64aca18> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.sermoncentral.com/bible/NIV/Job-31.asp?move=prev | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368700958435/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516104238-00036-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.976392 | 868 | 1.664063 | 2 |
Flouting International Law: Violating the Human Rights of Asylum Seekers, Including Victims of Torture and Human Trafficking, in and en route to Israel – Laurie Lijnders
Physicians for Human Rights-Israel
My 15-year-old brother Habtom disappeared after he was released from an underground cell in the trafficking compound of Abu Khalid, where he was tortured for three months until we paid US$35,000 for his release, a young Eritrean woman told me during a visit to her home in a Tel Aviv suburb. Habtom, who fled forced military conscription and institutionalized slavery in Eritrea, was kidnapped in April 2012 from Shagarab refugee camp in Eastern Sudan by Rishyada tribesmen. Through a well-organized network of human traffickers operating in Eritrea, Ethiopia, Sudan, Egypt, and Israel, he was transferred to the northern Sinai desert, near the Egyptian border with Israel.
The Israeli Ministry of Interior estimates that 60,000 African asylum seekers, mainly from Eritrea and Sudan, have arrived in Israel in recent years via the country’s southern border. According to Israeli human rights organizations, arriving asylum seekers face serious rights violations on both sides of the border.
- Beginning August 15, undocumented youth can apply for a two-year reprieve from deportation under Obama’s “deferred action” initiative to allow the population of would-be DREAMers to work legally and live openly in the U.S. Responses to the new policy seem mostly optimistic, but since deferrals must be renewed every two years and each application induces a $465 fee, officials are unsure how many applications to expect at the start. In anticipation of the application process, a host of commercial scams offering legal assistance have appeared around the country. A New York Times editorial points to fraud by legal consultants as a major problem, which could make applicants rejected for falsified paperwork more vulnerable to deportation.
- Advocates have brought attention to the host of mental health issues faced by undocumented youth, including the uncertainties surrounding the new deferred action policy. Read more…
- The “Undocubus,” a bus full of unauthorized im/migrants heading the Democratic National Convention in North Carolina, has started its multi-state journey. The bus will make stops in states that have passed anti-immigrant laws or stringent immigrant policing laws.
- Recent protests and firings of immigrant workers at Palermo’s Pizza factory show immigrant workers’ vulnerability, and highlight the power employers have in controlling workers’ organizing efforts in settings where unauthorized im/migrants are present.
- The Affordable Care Act, more commonly known as the 2010 healthcare reform law, has resulted in cutting aid that hospitals use to treat unauthorized im/migrants. These cuts have made hospitals concerned for how they will provide emergency care to unauthorized im/migrant patients. Read more… | <urn:uuid:ad1d9cc4-1167-4103-9f6b-93debfac2fdd> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://accessdeniedblog.wordpress.com/2012/08/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368699881956/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516102441-00014-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.953159 | 592 | 1.84375 | 2 |
Should gay and lesbian couples be legally allowed to marry?
Do you have a family member or close friend who is gay or lesbian?
What is your age?
Should gay and lesbian couples be allowed to form civil unions, giving them the legal rights of married couples in areas like health insurance, and pensions?
Is same-sex marriage a threat to traditional marriage between a man and woman?
“Gay marriage is a gateway to socialism.”
A homosexual relationship between consenting adults is
Morally wrong
Not a moral issue
How have your views towards homosexuality changed during your life?
I have become more accepting
I have become less accepting
They have not changed
If a political candidate favors gay marriage, how would that affect your support for him or her?
More likely to support
Less likely to support
Wouldn’t make any difference
“Abolish marriage, separate church and state and legalize civil unions for straight or gay couples.”
Should gay or lesbian couples be allowed to adopt children?
This poll was conducted at Bayfront Park. | <urn:uuid:d76d8523-c511-4c5a-ae96-05553bca956e> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://sarasotamagazine.com/blog/2012/07/01/poll-gay-marriage/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368704132298/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516113532-00019-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.952379 | 224 | 1.578125 | 2 |
City Schools Rank 2nd in State in Positive Drug Tests
Tuesday, January 15, 2013 • 5:45pm
PATERSON, NJ – For the second year in a row, Paterson Public Schools had the second highest number of students in the state who tested positive for drugs or alcohol in 2011-12.
School officials required 204 students to undergo the tests and 113 of them, or 55.4 percent, turned out to be positive, according to the district’s annual substance abuse report.
Also, the district’s student assistance counselors (SACs) conducted 4,011 interventions during the 2011-12 school year, compared to 10,638 during the 2009-10 year, the report said. The main reason for that drop is that two years ago Paterson Public Schools had 24 SACS, but more than half of them were laid off as part of the 2010 budget cuts. The district now has 11 SACs, according to Kathy Lepore, the head of the Student Assistance Department.
The numbers were present to the Board of Education at its workshop meeting on January 9. Board President Christopher Irving said the district should try to find ways to hire more SACs. “This issue is not one we can take lightly,’’ Irving said.
The total number of positive drug tests actually was lower than the figure for 2010-11, when there were 130 positive results. That was higher than any other year in the past decade, according to data in the district substance abuse report. Last’s year’s number of 113 positives ranked third during the past decade, behind 2010-11 and 2002-03.
Students who underwent testing were in middle school as well as in high school, Lepore said.
Among the substances they tested positive for were marijuana, alcohol, cocaine, Ecstasy, prescription drugs and heroin, the report said. | <urn:uuid:243a43cf-1939-46f1-a77f-affd2bb0d2d1> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://thealternativepress.com/articles/city-schools-rank-2nd-in-state-in-positive-drug-t | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368702448584/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516110728-00041-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.976262 | 389 | 1.515625 | 2 |
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Print out our supporter placard
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Get in the rhythm with our "Flash Dance"
School choice supporters across the country are encouraged to put their dancing shoes on during National School Choice Week 2013 with our very own "flash dance." We hope you'll put it into action at one of your events.
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The language of school choice
Download our guide to how to effectively speak about school choice at your National School Choice Week event or in other settings, such as media appearances.
Definitions of school choice programs
Be sure to have our overview of school choice programs at your event to help new people to our movement understand the different types of education options available.
Contact our Outreach Team
Not sure how to get started planning a National School Choice Week event? We've got you covered. Simply contact our Outreach Team for assistance and suggestions on preparing a successful event. | <urn:uuid:92c81ad9-3434-43eb-8240-e265f69eb530> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.schoolchoiceweek.com/resources | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368696383156/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516092623-00038-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.946362 | 428 | 1.710938 | 2 |
Quote of the Day
I want to be in 'Funny Girl.' And I want Ryan Murphy to direct it.
Every dollar of SNAP benefits generates $1.84 in the economy in terms of economic activity. If people are able to buy a little more in the grocery store, someone has to stock it, package it, shelve it, process it, ship it. All of those are jobs. It's the most direct stimulus you can get in the economy during these tough times.
I just always knew that I lived in two worlds. There was the world of my house and community, but to make my way in that white world I had to modify the way I spoke and acted. I had to sometimes not make direct eye contact.
Samuel L. Jackson
I think of myself as a guy who tries to write screenplays and now has tried to direct one. Anything more than that is meaningless and it gets in the way of being a real human being.
I aim to direct as much as I act at some point in time.
Those who appreciate the ways of simple tribes, where every activity is direct and immediately understandable, are able to live among them.
I'm not sitting around saying, 'Man, I'd really love to direct a western.' That's just not something I'm probably going to do, mostly because I'm allergic to horses.
I never direct myself, because I don't like working with me. I would punch me in the mouth if I had to take my direction.
I'm attracted to things that are in direct opposition to something that I've just done. It's not like I'm trying to make the right chess move. It's more just that personal thing where you get connected to something for so long and then you want to do something that's in opposition to that.
Quality is a direct experience independent of and prior to intellectual abstractions.
Robert M. Pirsig
Avon invented the concept of direct marketing and direct selling beauty. And that's still very valid to us. We'll have a firm that will be around for another 114 years as strongly as it was the first 114.
You begin a film more with questions than with direct intentions. It's more of an exploration and discovery.
There's so much hate that we direct externally that we forget we have our own psychos. But that's the role of the satirist - you have to examine your own country and say, 'look!'
Very seldom do we receive any support for trusting ourselves, listening to our own sense of inner truth, and expressing ourselves in a direct and honest way.
Certainly, last year we did an episode about the census and sampling versus a direct statistic. You just said the word 'census,' and people fall asleep.
In architecture the idea degenerated. Design allows a more direct and pleasurable route.
It's totally thrilling to direct.
Curiosity is the direct incontinency of the spirit.
I don't direct movies for a living.
Tommy Lee Jones
I always wanted to be a film-maker when I was younger, not an actor. I was an eight-year-old who dreamed of being a writer on 'The Simpsons,' which was a weird dream to have. But I started taking acting classes as a way to learn how to direct actors and I sort of fell in love with it.
Steven Spielberg seems to have wanted to be a director from 13. He put his dog in a certain position and made him eat at four o'clock. He liked to direct it. But, to me, directing is tedious. Especially if you're acting in it. And I'm inherently lazy.
All that a man achieves and all that he fails to achieve is the direct result of his own thoughts.
James Lane Allen
What we call barbecuing in this country is actually direct grilling. In many countries, it also means cooking in an enclosed box with a heat source, ideally wood, all year round.
It's not easy to strap yourself down to a desk and bash on a keyboard when you know you can direct lots of films, because directing films is fun and interactive and gregarious. Writing isn't.
I'm talking to you and it's basically a direct communication, whereas if I'm writing a letter to you and you read the letter, there are like 12 extra deconstruction and reconstruction steps in the communication.
Kevin J. Anderson
None of us whether Men or Women but have so good an Opinion of our own Conduct as to believe we are fit, if not to direct others, at least to govern our selves.
Now the proposal is yet again another $150 billion before we start to think about a freeze. But $150 billion spent on more government programs; monies being created to direct and what kind of jobs that Washington thinks ought to be created. Come on. I mean there is a government that can help, and the government can also hurt.
An enormous amount of direct advertising from pharmaceutical companies are offering a kind of instantaneous solution to problems.
I've been writing and wanting to direct for a long time.
Hunger is almost like something the West does. It's almost like the direct result of the way the West performs.
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C. S. Lewis
John F. Kennedy
Martin Luther King, Jr.
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Nature Quote Feed | <urn:uuid:d8326268-1827-4fed-bb2a-32b27ecebd1f> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.brainyquote.com/quotes/keywords/direct_6.html | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368703682988/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516112802-00037-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.932085 | 1,166 | 1.585938 | 2 |
Cybersecurity incidents can be costly to the security & economy of any country and the wellbeing of its citizens. Criminal activities tends to move at a lightning speed in line with the improvements brought about by innovation and technology. Unfortunately criminals are members of the same society we live in and not foreign species. At the same time we need to take advantage of the advancement in this technologies to help develop our industries, sustain basic requirements in education-health-public safety-transparency to enhance the competiveness of our country. Security and privacy are one of the efficiency enhancers to achieve this goals.
How does Our Threat Landscape looks like?
In the last two days I had a conversation at the ITWeb Security Summit 2012 (1st Day) – driven by the theme “Reinventing Information Security – where trusted technologies have failed you” and at Joshua West’s 4th Annual Security Conference (2nd Day) – with the theme “Developing Superior Strategies for Evolving Business Security Threats”. This events where held in Sandton and Randburg respectively. My task was very simple…… to share about the Microsoft Security Intelligence Report Vol. 12 with a focus on South Africa ( downloadable #itwebsec deck in pdf) at the Summit and to give insight into the “Holistic approach in security across all sectors” at the latter event. The events were covered in this articles “SA threat trend on downward slope “ and “Top 10 threats in SA” and the figure below shows the Computer Cleaned per 1000 scanned (CCM) trend for South Africa over the last six quarters, compared to the world as a whole. The MSRT detected malware (Malicious & Potentially Unwanted Software) on 8.1 of every 1,000 computers scanned in South Africa in 4Q11 (a CCM score of 8.1, compared to the 4Q11 (fourth quarter of 2011) worldwide average CCM of 7.1).
How is our IT Environment?
This events are not happening in isolation to the Cyberspace developments worldwide. The recently announced BRICS Cable – which is a 34 000 km (Note: SANRAL manages roads of a total 16 700km), 2 optical fibre pair, 12.8 Tbit/s capacity, fibre optic cable system – will be linking Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa (the BRICS economies) and the United States. It will interconnect, amongst others, with the WACS cable on the West coast of Africa, and the EASSY and SEACOM cables on the East coast of the continent. This will give the BRICS countries immediate access to 21 African countries and give those African countries access to the BRICS economies. The projected ready for service date is mid to second half of 2014.
See the figure above and read more in “ BRICS Cable Unveiled for Direct and Cohesive Communications Services between Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa”. South Africa’s President, Jacob Zuma, encouraged the attendees at a BRICS business breakfast hosted by South Africa to support the project and play their role in fast tracking its execution.
The latest World Wide Worx study on Internet Access in South Africa reported that 8.5-million were using the Internet in SA at the end of 2011 with a total of 7,9 million South Africans accessing the Internet through their cell phones. Undersea cable capacity to SA at end of 2011 was 2,69Tbit/s and will be 11,9Tbit/s & 24,6Tbit/s by the end of 2012 and 2013 respectively. This is good news for access to the internet through availability of devices and hopefully it will enhance ecommerce in South Africa including the rural poor. We are positioned at no. 5 in the Africa’s Top Internet Countries in terms of Internet users (see the figure below).
At this point, I’m tempted to look into the occasionally disputed data by the World Economic Forum (WEF) although the reference looks very credible to me. The latest economic report namely “ The Global Competitiveness Report 2011-2012” (GCR) shows that South Africa moved up by four places to attain 50th position this year, remaining the highest-ranked country in sub-Saharan Africa and the second-placed among the BRICS economies, while the ICT related report “ The Global Information Technology Report 2012” (GITR) noted that South Africa has dropped to 72nd from 61st position on the Network Readiness Index (NRI).
The figure above shows a comparison of the Network Readiness Index for the BRICS countries including Mauritius and Tunisia. The data is sourced from GITR 2011–2012. SA, counting on one of the most solid political and regulatory environments (23rd) and better framework conditions for entrepreneurship and innovation (50th), is the highest-ranked at 34th within BRICS and in the sub-Saharan Africa region. The NRI position of the 72nd place implies that we are not yet leveraging the potential benefits associated with ICT.
The figure above shows the important shortcomings in terms of basic skills availability (101st) in large segments of the population and the high costs (94th) of accessing the ICT infrastructure resulting in poor rates of ICT usage (76th). SA is just two points below India which ranks the lowest in the BRICS community. While consumers/citizens (117th) usage is a big factor contributing to the ranking in India, both citizens (96th) and the government (89th) are contributing factors in South Africa.
The business community (as seen in the figure above) is putting much effort in using ICT and integrating it in a broader, firm-based innovation system (34th). As a result, the economic impacts accruing from ICT are patchy (59th) and the social impacts disappointing (98th). SA ranks the highest followed by the Russian Federation at 89th position within the BRICS community (see the figure below). A report by GSMA “Assessment of economic impact of wireless broadband in South Africa” assessing the direct and indirect impact of mobile broadband show that a 10% increase in mobile broadband penetration is likely to yield an impact of between 1 and 1.8% in GDP.
Pirated software poses a huge risk for corporations, according to a report from the Business Software Alliance (BSA). Getting corporate users to download malicious programs is one of the most surefire ways for hackers to gain access to your network. Some of these threats come in the form of malware, while others pretend to be innocuous programs. BSA receives tips from IT personnel and other knowledgeable sources through its online reporting form. The article “Media Piracy in South Africa” which is a part of APC’s work on studying media piracy gives a good background on the Piracy work in South Africa.
“If 57 percent of consumers admitted they shoplift — even rarely —authorities would react by increasing police patrols and penalties. Software piracy demands a similar response: concerted public education and vigorous law enforcement,” said Drummond Simpson, Chairperson of the BSA South African Committee. South Africa ranks the lowest at 35% in comparison to the BRICS countries piracy rate (see figure above). The BRIC countries total piracy rate is 70% compare to the European Union which is at 33%. Dealers are encouraged to join the “Clean Network” – a network of dealers who pledges to sell only genuine Microsoft products. A list of these Clean Dealers is available online. “We also encourage consumers and small businesses to arm themselves with information on how to spot counterfeit software by visiting www.howtotell.com,” said Melanie Botha, marketing and operations lead at Microsoft South Africa.
How is our market?
In 2004 – the GCR report ranked SA at 34 while Tunisia was just 3 points ahead at 31. More interesting is the rise of a country like Mauritius, which is positioned at 53rd (was at 47 in 2004), ahead of the usual African front runner in SA. The BRICS countries rankings are as follows :- Brazil: 65th , Russia: 56th, India: 69th, and China: 51st respectively. The world’s most populous country, China continues to lead the BRICS economies by a significant margin, with South Africa—second among the BRICS.
South Africa benefits from the large size of its economy, particularly by regional standards (it is ranked 25th in the market size pillar). We do well on measures of the quality of institutions and factor allocation, such as intellectual property protection (30th), property rights (30th), the accountability of our private institutions (3rd), and our goods market efficiency (32nd). Our country’s financial market development is ranking at an impressive (4th), indicating high confidence in South Africa’s financial markets at a time when trust is returning only slowly in many other parts of the world. We also does reasonably well in more complex areas such as business sophistication (38th) and innovation (41st), benefiting from good scientific research institutions (30th) and strong collaboration between universities and the business sector in innovation (26th).
Although the infrastructure is good by regional standards, it requires upgrading (62nd). Surely the infrastructure index might improve when the impact of undersea cables filter deep into the country which will also influence technological readiness. At present our Internet users/100 pop is at a very low position of 105th, broadband Internet subscription/100 pop is at 96th and Internet bandwidth, kb/s/capita is at 112th position. Efforts must also be made to increase the university enrollment rate of only 15 percent, which places the country 97th overall, in order to better develop our most needed innovation potential. What disturbs and confuses me at the same time is that: South Africa’s ranks at the very low of 138th in quality of math and science education out of 142 countries and quality of management schools is 13th while availability of research and training services ranks at 47th. Health of the workforce, which is ranked 129th out of 142 economies is another concern the Minister of Health is busy tackling—the result of high rates of communicable diseases and poor health indicators need to be improved.
The Cybersecurity Agenda, through Training/Human Capacity Development and enhancement of the technological readiness pillar – will have a huge impact on the Financial markets, Business and the Services industry.
OUR Government Agenda?
I should say that these events are happening when South Africa seems to be moving in a positive direction with regards to ICT and InfoSec. We earlier had a positive announcement from the Justice, Crime Prevention and Security Cluster (JCPS) about the Cybersecurity Policy and this was followed by the ICT Colloquium hosted by the Department of Communication (DoC). The essence of the discussion is captured here – The beginning of a beginning –Integrated ICT Policy for South Africa. DoC then followed up with a workshop on “CYBER SECURITY AWARENESS CAMPAIGN” from the 3rd – 4th of May 2012 and the discussions covered topics from “National Cybersecurity Policy Framework”, “Cyber Crime Challenges faced by ISP’s” to “Law Enforcement challenges and procedures” amongst others. We are looking forward to the outcomes of the breakup groups on key deliverables like Cybersecurity Hub (National CERT) and National Awareness day/week for SA. On the 8th May 2012, the Hon. Minister Ms Dina Deliwe Pule delivered the Budget Vote of the Department of Communications and put a further emphasis on this issues.
The DoC speech was followed by the Budget Vote speech of the Department of State Security, by the Hon. Minister Dr. Siyabonga Cwele, on the 10th May 2012. He iterated that the Department will continue to ply its trade guided by the theme: “Working Together to Build a Safer Nation in a Secure World.” He reported that the National Cyber Security Policy Framework was approved by Cabinet in February 2012 and this policy should result in improved coordination of government’s response to the 21st century challenges of information security (InfoSec). The State Security Agency (SSA) is coordinating this work across government in order to finalize the policy by 2013. Here is a list of some government driven policies, bills, regulations and acts that are enacted or work in progress and can strengthen the Cybersecurity Agenda.
- National Cyber Security Policy Framework
- Protection of Personal Information Bill (POPIA)
- The Promotion of Access to Information Act, 2 of 2 (PAIA)
- The Promotion of Administrative Justice Act (PAJA)
- Data Protection Act
- Protection of State Information Bill (POSIA)
- Regulation of Interception of Communications and Provision of Communication-related information Act, 2002.
- Regulation of Interception of Communications Act (RICA)
- Child Protection Act/Child Justice Act
- Protection from Harassment Act
- Consumer Protection Act,
- Electronic Communications Amendment Act (ECT)
- Criminal Law (Forensic Procedures) Amendment Act
- Films and Publications Amendment Act
As a response to the changing threat landscape today, most governments are looking to establish some form of Cybersecurity strategy. The model below aims to rationalize the discussion and provide a framework within which to operate. Cybersecurity in this context is viewed fairly broadly and includes not only the classical area of information security but embraces the necessary enforcement and outreach activities as well Download and read this article: “CYBERSECURITY AGENDA: MORE THAN A GOOD HEADLINE”
- In line with the supply chain security, when delivering his State of the Nation (SONA), the President called for the screening of all supply chain personnel in government.
- Upgrading the overall skills (Government Training) at all layers of society and increasing efforts to build affordable infrastructure for all would allow the country to increase its ICT readiness and uptake and, in turn, spread its impacts across society – particularly the rural poor.
- There is progress in legislation enhancement – are we ready for the cloud?
- There is progress in the development of Computer Security and Incident Response Team (CSIRT) or Community Emergency Response Teams or Computer Emergency Readiness Team (CERTs) to help address incident response, community awareness, and international collaboration (FIRST) amongst others.
Can we learn and borrow from the long time effective method of immunization (see “The Primary Health Care Package for South Africa – a set of norms and standards”) through clinics? Immunization cards are a condition for acceptance into the first schooling grade for our children in SA. We have also seen how the world has collaborated and won when it came to handing of Influenza’ A (H1N1) virus. In order to improve the security of the Internet, governments and industry should engage in more methodical and systematic activities to improve and maintain the health of the population of devices in the computing ecosystem, These activities include detecting infected devices, notifying affected users, enabling those users to treat devices that are infected with malware, as well as taking additional actions to ensure that infected computers do not put other systems at risk. While the security benefits may be clear, it is important to achieve those benefits in a way that does not erode privacy or otherwise raise concern.
This model will only work if it’s accepted by society and people are assured their privacy is protected. With that in mind, the model must empower people by developing socially acceptable cyber health policies, laws, and international agreements.
To learn more about Microsoft’s proposal, download and read Collective Defense: Applying Public Health Models to the Internet (PDF), in which Microsoft proposes government and industry take action to help mitigate cyber threats today and ensure the long-term health of the Internet as it continues to grow and evolve.
In the mean time – let’s get back to basics and do simple things right. We are doing well with regard to malicious and potentially unwanted software although we are still above world average. We need to bring down the percentage of computers detected with worms. Internet Service Providers (ISPs) can play a big role here (see the paper “The Role of Internet Service Providers in Botnet Mitigation”) and Yes! together we can.
Use this tools and update when required: | <urn:uuid:8e3adcfa-0f26-4d56-b38e-92d4d7c8e7d7> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://kganyago.org/tag/worms/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368701852492/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516105732-00023-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.938019 | 3,404 | 1.828125 | 2 |
I recently had the chance to attend the American Institute of Ultrasound in Medicine’s Ultrasound First Forum. This was held on November 12, 2012 in New York. In full disclosure I did attend as a representative of the AIUM as an invitee.
Members from different societies and groups attended this forum to discuss medical ultrasound and how it can be promoted as a first line diagnostic therapy when appropriate. The thought of ultrasound first is to use a dynamic imaging modality that has no ionizing radiation and can provide the diagnostic information in many cases.
The discussion focuses on using ultrasound rather CT scans or MRI in cases where appropriate. Examples were given of female pelvis pain where ultrasound was more diagnostically appropriate and informative then CT scanning. Musculoskeletal complaints that could be evaluated dynamically, more thoroughly, and with better resolution with ultrasound compared to the static MRI were also given. These discussions all had merits and we heard from medical organizations, patient advocacy groups, and practitioners about why ultrasound should be considered before some other imaging modalities.
I agree that we should consider ultrasound before other imaging modalities such as CT and MRI when appropriate and available. That is the key point that has to be kept in mind. When ultrasound is an appropriate test it should be considered first. It does not mean it always has to be the first test, but considered and if appropriate be the first test.
It also depends if you have the equipment and personnel to perform and interpret ultrasound in some of these situations. We are leaders in our areas of medical expertise; but there is a variability in ability and resources across the country and the world. Not every hospital in every corner of the world can provide ultrasound in all its myriad forms and applications. In some areas ultrasound may not be the best first choice due to limitations in equipment, skill, personnel or other factors.
While I am an ultrasound evangelist and firmly believe in the technology and its role in patient care I also do recognize that there can be limitations in making ultrasound first even when appropriate, at least for today.
Here are links to the Ultrasound First site with the Sound Judgement series from JUM and AIUM.
Here is the collection of the tweets using the #US1st hashtag during the forum.
PS: As a side note ultrasound guidance for vascular access was also discussed at the forum. The AIUM Practice Guideline on US guidance for vascular access is forthcoming, I was able to see a draft at the forum. If you have ultrasound and are performing an non-crash IJ there is no reason to not use ultrasound. | <urn:uuid:2180c016-1c11-425c-8868-a15673997d60> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://takeokun.com/2012/11/21/ultrasound-first/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368702810651/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516111330-00039-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.963962 | 529 | 1.546875 | 2 |
UK & World News
Votes For Prisoners: Draft Bill To Be Unveiled
A draft bill on whether prisoners should be given the right to vote will be published today.
MPs will be given three options: giving votes to prisoners who have been behind bars for four years or less, six months or less, or no votes for prisoners at all.
They are likely to get the chance to vote on the bill early next year, and are expected to maintain the blanket ban.
In 2005, the European Court Of Human Rights (ECHR) said it was up to individual countries to decide which prisoners should be denied the right to vote from jail, but that a total ban was illegal.
Officials in Strasbourg have given the Government until Friday to comply with the ruling, and could impose a fine if the law is not changed.
Last February, the Commons called for the blanket ban to be maintained, while Prime Minister David Cameron has ruled out the option of allowing criminals to vote in elections.
Attorney General Dominic Grieve has warned against defying the Strasbourg court, saying its ruling imposes an international legal obligation on the UK.
But Mr Cameron made it clear he did not want to change the status quo.
He told the Commons last month: "I do not want prisoners to have the vote, and they should not get the vote - I am very clear about that.
"If it helps to have another vote in Parliament on another resolution to make it absolutely clear and help put the legal position beyond doubt, I am happy to do that.
"But no one should be in any doubt: prisoners are not getting the vote under this Government." | <urn:uuid:6fb3030e-7f9b-4ce9-bfd3-6629c09dc095> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://web.orange.co.uk/article/news/votes_for_prisoners_draft_bill_to_be_unveiled | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368708766848/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516125246-00005-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.952825 | 340 | 1.820313 | 2 |
Make way for some new neighbors on the Walk of Fame. The world’s first eco theme park, Environmentaland, has opened its doors in Hollywood. The park is run by Global Inheritance, an activist group with nearly two dozen eco-programs to their name (and a really nice looking website to boot).
Environmentaland features a number of eco-friendly exhibits, including an Energy Playground (with Energy Battle Royals!), a Mini-Bin Exhibit and Designing Station, a Planetarium, Desert Mini Golf Course, Recycled Paper Plane Takeoff station, and Alternative Energy Golf Carts.
The space will also be hosting fashion shows, movie nights and art shows, all eco-friendly and informational, of course. If you’re in the LA area, or might be traveling through, Environmentaland is on Hollywood and Highland, which is some prime tourist real estate if you ask me. I’m excited to check it out when I’m in town.
According to their site, “Global Inheritence is an organization working to reinvent activism for today’s young generations. Our initiatives focus on the power of creativity to comunicate and push for progressive social change while rejecting conflict.” So far this year they’ve been involved with environmental programs at the X Games and Coachella. I’ll be keeping my eye on these guys for sure. | <urn:uuid:a06d6a06-4772-43f5-9f44-3a59941fb375> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.ecorazzi.com/2009/08/05/environmentaland-first-eco-theme-park-opens-in-la/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368703298047/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516112138-00004-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.932056 | 290 | 1.539063 | 2 |
Jiffy Lube Supports the Fight against Neuromuscular Disease | Business
Charlotte, NC -- Wednesday, Jiffy Lube announced their participation in the Muscle Up promotion in support of the Muscular Dystrophy Association (MDA).
The promotion aims to support MDA’s mission to make life better for those affected by muscular dystrophy and other neuromuscular diseases, and alleviate some of their worry.
Jiffy Lube seeks to raise $1 million through this promotion. One hundred percent of the proceeds from the Muscle Up promotion will go to MDA, will be allocated on a national and local basis and will benefit local MDA chapters in the communities in which they were raised.
Between August 1-Sept 11, 2012 customers who donate $3 to MDA will receive a savings book worth more than $100 in savings. The book makes it easy for people to maintain their vehicle, while allowing them to donate to an important cause.
"We are so excited to support the Jiffy Lube Muscle Up promotion to raise greater community awareness for the fight against muscle disease," said Jim Orsi, Operational Manager for Charlotte Jiffy Lube locations. "Our goal is to help encourage customers to donate to a worthy cause, and to show our appreciation with the savings books. I invite everyone in Charlotte to join us in raising money for this worthy cause."
The campaign theme highlights the parallels between the body’s muscles and a vehicle’s engine; both require care and maintenance to perform to their fullest potential.
MDA has been supporting the research of scientists who are seeking ways to keep the body’s motors and other parts in good working order, and how to fix them when things don’t work the way they should. Likewise, preventive maintenance is crucial to engine health — following your vehicle manufacturer’s recommended maintenance schedule can help keep your vehicle running in top shape.
"We are excited to team up with Jiffy Lube and grateful for their support. With their help we can send more kids affected by this disease to summer camp and support critical research to fight neuromuscular disease," said Theresa Miller, Regional Coordinator of Muscular Dystrophy Association-Charlotte chapter.
To find a participating service center near you please visit JiffySE.com
Top Hickory Stories
Most popular stories from nearby communities
- Deputies: Man reported stolen motorcycle, hid it in storage
- NASCAR to honor Dick Trickle after suicide in cemetery
- South Fork Volunteer Fire Department receives $60,000 NC State grant
- Drug busts net meth lab, alcohol still, deputies say
- Deputies: Mom charged after lying about kidnapping, sparking false Amber Alert
- Investigators honored after elementary teacher busted, convicted in child porn ring
- Woman convicted on drug charges from 2011 case
- "Baker's Dozen" indicted on meth charges, more arrests likely
- "Music Millie": 80+-year-old woman teaching inmates in youth prison
- Man to be deported after serving time for sex offense | <urn:uuid:8ef7d3cd-15bc-44a3-96ba-f7ad94cf0d03> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://hickory.wbtv.com/news/business/74208-jiffy-lube-supports-fight-against-neuromuscular-disease | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368700958435/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516104238-00018-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.936655 | 636 | 1.507813 | 2 |
Workout Routines To Lose Weight
The best workout routines to lose weight are the ones that can be done in your own home. These routines will not require any special equipment and will provide calorie burning cardio movement. With the right routine, you can lose weight and live a healthier life.
- Walking. Though many people do not believe that walking helps much to lose weight, it is a significant cardio exercise that can easily be done on a daily basis. Walking for at least twenty minutes a day at a pace that would be comfortable to hold a conversation at is best. Walking four times a week will help take off the weight, and is best for those not looking to do vigorous workout routines.
- Side lunges. These lunges will help strengthen and trim the buttocks, hips, legs, and thighs. Standing with your feet hip length apart, and keeping your hands in a comfortable position will increase balance while completing the lunges. This workout is really easy to do, and can definitely make you break a sweat. Perform eight lunges on each leg and wait at least 30 seconds before starting another set. Doing lunges, along with other exercises, is best when trying to lose weight.
- Bodyweight Squats. Bodyweight squats not only help to lose weight, but also help to strengthen the abdomen, buttocks, hips, calves, shins, and thighs. This exercise is very simple, but needs to be done properly in order to prevent injury. Feet should be just a little wider than hip length apart, and arms should be at your side. It is important to keep your spine stable and head up to reduce the chances of back strain. This workout should be performed in sets of fifteen repetitions, resting 30 seconds in between. | <urn:uuid:128b3547-01b0-4df3-8133-cda584f81be9> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.mademan.com/mm/workout-routines-lose-weight.html | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368701459211/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516105059-00019-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.942722 | 353 | 1.6875 | 2 |
In addition to leaving behind a mess, last weekend's blizzard brought a lot of moisture to drought-stricken KELOLAND. So far this winter, Mitchell is sitting at 230 percent of an average winter when it comes to water.
Northeast KELOLAND is also doing well. While the wind was busy whipping snow around, more than a foot fell in the Hub City pushing it to 165 percent of average for the winter.
Central South Dakota has not been able to escape winter's hold this year. While the recent storm dumped around five inches of snow at the capitol, Pierre is sitting at 143 percent of average.
Western South Dakota has been able to escape winter's grasp with Rapid City only at 77 percent of average. The Hills have fared a little better with 90 percent of average.
Western South Dakota isn't the only place missing out. In south central South Dakota, Winner is only 61 percent of average. Parts of southeast KELOLAND also remain parched with Yankton at 64 percent of average and Sheldon at 67 percent.
Keep in mind, there are still two weeks left to meteorological winter so there's still time to add to the totals. | <urn:uuid:277e4e61-6b98-4ca6-a413-c6479bb7087c> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.keloland.com/newsdetail.cfm/already-above-moisture-for-many-areas/?id=143827 | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368711005985/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516133005-00006-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.955007 | 244 | 1.632813 | 2 |
Destroying Vampires Around the Globe
Those who are looking around this site trying to find different ways to kill vampires will find great posts on just that topic here, as well as here. But before you try your hand at all these different methods, hoping that one of them works should you run into a vampire, you might want to first consider where you are in the world. It seems that how you destroy a vampire might also depend on where you live in the world. Different geographic areas and cultures it seems, might have ways that are a bit more effective than others.
Using a cross to destroy a vampire seems to work most effectively throughout Europe. This is thought to be because Europeans tend to be very strict Roman Catholics and so the effect of the cross is especially powerful in these areas. Perhaps European vampires are just a bit more sensitive to the powers that might be than vampires of other origins. It's also thought that the effect of garlic is to be most effective. The reason for this seems to be fairly unknown but maybe it's because garlic is so widely used throughout Italy, Greece, and other European parts?
It's thought that the sign of the cross is also very effective when used on Muslim vampires. However, not just any old cross will do. In this case, it's best that the cross be constructed of pork chop bones and tied together to make a cross. The reason for this is because Muslims do not eat pork and some even consider it evil. Because of this, an evil cross will be very effective against Muslim vampires.
Jewish vampires will also be repelled by the sign of the cross and because of their disdain for pork, this might be an effective tool in these cases too. Jewish vampires also will not be prone to attack anyone wearing a strand of pork rinds around their neck at night. Another religious symbol that is said to be powerful against Jewish vampires is the Star of David.
Chinese vampires are said to be especially frightened of the Dalai Lama. Because of this, keeping a picture of this religious leader close by at all times is said to be especially effective against vampires of Chinese decent.
As though we weren't confused enough about the proper way to destroy vampires, should they decide they're thirsty while in close proximity to us. Now we must also worry about where we are in the world, and just what ethnic and religious origin that particular vampire comes from. | <urn:uuid:86f87573-364c-4237-b5cf-4569a5c0c2aa> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.vampires.com/destroying-vampires-around-the-globe/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368703682988/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516112802-00020-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.975323 | 483 | 1.601563 | 2 |
TODAYS TOP STORIES
National tribal group aims to register more voters
ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. (AP) -- A national tribal advocacy group is planning a week of voter education and registration events in more than 130 communities across Indian Country in an effort to boost turnout in November.
The National Congress of American Indians says there's a "civic emergency" in American Indian communities. The group says two out of five eligible American Indian and Alaska Natives are not registered to vote.
The group wants to boost participation by at least 10 percent.
Next week's events are expected to reach more than 35,000 people in 29 states.
The organization's president, Jefferson Keel, says the goal is for tribal voices to be heard in both national and state elections.
Keel earlier this year called for the "largest native voter turnout in history" in his State of Indian Nations address.
Posted: Saturday, September 22 2012, 04:28 PM CDT
IN OKLAHOMA NEWS
In tornado's wake, worried parents seek out kids
May 21, 2013 08:28 GMT
By NOMAAN MERCHANT Associated Press
MOORE, Okla. (AP) -- Parents and guardians of children whose elementary schools were damaged in the deadly tornado that ripped through the Oklahoma City area are hoping for happy reunions.
At least 20 children are among the more than 50 reported dead so far in Moore, an Oklahoma City suburb ravaged Monday afternoon by a tornado with winds up to 200 mph. Officials said early Tuesday the death toll could rise by as many as 40.
Many parents seeking their children gathered at a suburban church, listening intently as someone with a bullhorn called out the names of children who were being dropped off. For many families, the ordeal ended in tears of joy. Others were left to wait in the darkness, hoping for good news while fearing the worst.
Sometimes the stories with the most impact come directly from the viewers. If you have a story that needs to be told, we want to hear it. Fill out the form below and let us know what stories need to be told.
From the FOX 25 First Forecast Center..Severe weather is back in your forecast today for Central and Eastern OK. Damaging hail and winds and tornadic activity are likely to form west of I-35 after 3 pm, then track east into Central OK in the late afternoon and evening hours. ...
Asia stocks fall
BANGKOK (AP) -- Asian stock markets fell today as investors waited for the U.S. Federal Reserve to telegraph what it plans to do next with its economic stimulus program.
BC-US--Dow Record-Three Personal Stories, 1st Ld-Writethru,1173
Dow Record: Three tales of ups, downs and changes
AP Photo FX102, FX103
Eds: With BC-US--Dow Record. Adds photos.
By SCOTT MAYEROWITZ
AP Business Writer
NEW YORK (AP) -- When the Dow first crossed 14,000, investors were overjoyed. ...
IN THE NEWS: iPHONE RECOVERED AFTER THEFT IN OREGON
MEDFORD, Ore. (AP) -- A smartphone, plus a not-so-smart criminal -- equals an arrest in Oregon.
WASHINGTON (AP) -- George Washington University students will soon be walking all over the White House and the Capitol, too. | <urn:uuid:86d6c4fb-3d61-485f-8a30-688ef72ab9a2> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.okcfox.com/newsroom/top_stories/videos/kokh_vid_7104.shtml | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368699881956/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516102441-00006-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.933089 | 717 | 1.632813 | 2 |
December 5, 2012
ON NOT SUBSIDIZING OIL:
With military's push, biofuels can grow (Andrew Holland, December 2, 2012, CS Monitor)
Posted by Orrin Judd at December 5, 2012 7:02 PMFor strategic and budgetary reasons, the military has identified this dependence on oil - a single point of failure - as a threat to national security. The Air Force and (especially) the Navy have embarked on a program to address this threat. Put together, the potential market for Air Force and Navy biofuels is expected to be about 700 million gallons per year by 2020. For an industry that is only just beginning to commercially produce fuel now, that will require significant investment. But it also should give investors some certainty that there will be a buyer for these fuels, so long as they are available. Once capital is made available for commercial-scale plants, this sector can grow very quickly. | <urn:uuid:2d4beff7-9d5a-4976-8d0c-3f0de800c341> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://brothersjuddblog.com/archives/2012/12/on_not_subsidizing_oil.html | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368701459211/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516105059-00026-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.957338 | 190 | 1.734375 | 2 |
Close to 150 people attended the Detroit Complete Streets Community Workshop on March 31st. The Detroit Department of Health and Wellness Promotion (DHWP), in collaboration with Detroit Complete Streets Coalition partners, were hosts of this free event that introduced Complete Streets, the concept of promoting walking, biking, and transportation for a healthier and safer Detroit.
The workshop included a Complete Streets presentation by Richard Wooten, an extension educator from Michigan State University. The event was catered by Slows Bar B-Q, compliments of the coalition.
Prior to the event, DHWP Director and Public Health Officer Dr. Yvonne E. Anthony said, “With this workshop, we hope to engage the community and garner support to make our streets safer in order to promote healthy lifestyles and activities such as walking, running and biking. We encourage Detroit residents to join in the conversation.”
And they did.
After the Wooten presentation, the attendees submitted questions about the impact of light rail, truck traffic, and bike lanes.
The workshop was held at the Gaelic League in Corktown on Michigan Avenue. Last Fall, MDOT put this section of Michigan Avenue on road diet and added bike lanes to make it more of a Complete Street. That provided an opportunity for those attending to see first hand how Complete Street concepts can improve transportation options and safety in the city of Detroit for a negligible cost.
For more information on Complete Streets, visit the new website www.DetroitCompleteStreets.org. | <urn:uuid:d475b587-c79b-44f2-bc4d-555c841d7904> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://detroitfoodandfitness.com/dffc/complete-streets-workshop-draws-detroit-crowd/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368703298047/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516112138-00020-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.936397 | 304 | 1.679688 | 2 |
HALIFAX, Nova Scotia -- Unresolved "impasses" in theology and in church life lead to counterproductive stalemates that "stunt" the growth of the church, according to the outgoing president of the Catholic Theological Society of America.
"Academic stalemates may be rather benign, but stalemates in real life can be malignant," said Terrence W. Tilley, chairman of the theology department at Fordham University. "Real-life stalemates can be quite vicious, even destructive," pointing to past church stalemates as the schism and the Protestant Reformation.
"These malignant stalemates destroyed the possibility of ecclesial unity -- and will not be overcome as long as the shepherds of one flock demand that separated brethren repent of their errors to be accepted back into their sheepfold," Tilley said June 7 at the close of the CTSA's convention in Halifax.
His successor as president -- Fr. Bryan N. Massingale, a priest of the Milwaukee Archdiocese and associate professor of theology at Jesuit-run Marquette University -- was installed at the end of the meeting.
In his remarks Tilley identified three current impasses he sees in the U.S. church: "a shrinking, and in some places demoralized, presbyterate that cannot be enlarged significantly under present rules"; "a laity that loves the church but has stopped listening to the bishops"; and "a hardworking and loyal body of religious women who are disgusted and discouraged by repeated investigations of religious life and attempted reversals of self-governance."
While "some bishops have tried to work through these difficult impasses," Tilley said, "some have followed the vigilantes of the political and religious right by making noisy attacks on Catholic institutions of higher education. Some have berated politicians -- Catholic or not -- whose political strategies differ with theirs."
Tilley also pointed to three ongoing impasses in theological circles.
One impasse is whether one begins with Scripture and tradition, "or does one begin with the current situation?" Tilley asked.
He said Vatican investigations into the writings of U.S. Jesuit Fr. Roger Haight and Jesuit Fr. Jon Sobrino, a Latin American liberation theologian, are the result of such an impasse.
The Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith has asked Fr. Haight not to teach Christology at any university -- Catholic or not. In 2005 it found "serious doctrinal errors" in his 1999 book, "Jesus Symbol of God."
He can still teach, but not systematic theology connected with Christology. He has been teaching at Union Theological Seminary, a nondenominational graduate school in New York.
In 2007 the Vatican strongly criticized the work of Fr. Sobrino, saying some of his writings related to the divinity of Christ were "not in conformity with the doctrine of the church." No disciplinary action was taken against him, but the congregation warned about "erroneous or dangerous propositions" in his work.
Another theological impasse, according to Tilley, is "how to account for God's salvific will being effective beyond the community of the baptized."
"The real shape of the impasse," Tilley said, "emerges when we consider Judaism. Either Christianity is or is not supersessionist.
"If it is, then the First Covenant (God's covenant to the Jews) is abrogated, superseded by the salvation wrought in Jesus Christ," he continued, "and either we should seek to convert Jews, as advocated by the late Avery Cardinal Dulles," he continued, "and others, or we should co-opt Judaism by inclusivist tactics and theory that render it an incomplete outpost, ignorant of the salvation wrought in Jesus Christ.
"If the First Covenant is not superseded, then that covenant is sufficient, the claims for the universal salvific mediation of Jesus Christ are untenable and, incidentally, the practice of attempting to convert Jews is improper," he said.
Tilley said the third theological impasse -- how Jesus could be both divine and human -- has never been fully resolved, and was "papered over" during a turbulent period during the first millennium when "the church's unity was splintered. The political response to the impasse was to resort to force or divorce -- this impasse became a stalemate."
Various tactics "have been tried and found wanting" to solve the impasses, he said, but "the key failed tactic ... is stopping the dialogue, often done by silencing theologians."
One resolution, Tilley suggested, is to see that "the virtues of hope, constancy, fidelity, tenacity and solidarity are crucial," while "the vices of inertia, expediency, marginalizing the other and changing the subject are deadly. Dare I say that without loving, thoughtful, active patience in solidarity, we can get beyond no impasse, but will be condemned to stalemate?"
Tilley said, "The way through impasse is to keep hope alive."
He pointed to the case of U.S. Jesuit theologian Fr. John Courtney Murray, who in the 1950s was barred by the Vatican from writing on church-state relations, especially on efforts to reconcile Catholicism with U.S.-style separation of church and state.
The priest eventually was invited to joint the Pontifical Council for Promoting Christian Unity, and "his ideas became the basis" for the Second Vatican Council's Declaration on Religious Freedom, written by the agency, Tilley said.
He also urged continued communication. "If we cannot communicate the faith well, then we cannot represent the mystery of Jesus the Christ, the truly divine and truly human one," he said. "Theology is a practice that begins and ends in communication." | <urn:uuid:4774faeb-a038-4323-8951-be700c00bb97> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://ncronline.org/node/13633 | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368698207393/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516095647-00025-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.967065 | 1,202 | 1.570313 | 2 |
Excerpt of 36 Arguments for the Existence of God by Rebecca Goldstein
(Page 1 of 4)
Printer Friendly Excerpt
The Argument from the Improbable Self
Something shifted, something so immense you could call it the world.
Call it the world.
The world shifted, catching lots of smart people off guard, churning up issues you had thought had settled forever beneath the earths crust. The more sophisticated you are, the more annotated your mental life, the more taken aback youre likely to feel, seeing what the worlds lurch has brought to light, thrusting up beliefs and desires you had assumed belonged to an earlier stage of human development.
What is this stuff, you ask one another, and how can it still be kicking around, given how much we already know? It looks like the kind of relics that archeologists dig up and dust off, speculating about the beliefs that once had animated them, to the best that they can be reconstructed, gone as they are now, those thrashings of proto-rationality and mythico-magical hypothesizing, and nearly forgotten.
Now its all gone unforgotten, and minds that have better things to think about have to divert precious neuronal resources to figuring out how to knock some sense back into the species. Its a tiresome proposition, having to take up the work of the Enlightenment all over again, but its happened on your watch. You ought to have sent up a balloon now and then to get a read on the prevailing cognitive conditions, the Thinks watching out for the Think-Nots. Now youve gone and let the stockpiling of fallacies reach dangerous levels, and the massed weapons of illogic are threatening the survivability of the globe.
None of this is particularly good for the world, but it has been good for Cass Seltzer. Thats what hes thinking at this moment, gazing down at the frozen river and regarding the improbable swerve his life has lately taken. Hes thinking his life has gotten better because the world has gone bonkers. Hes thinking zealots proliferate and Seltzer prospers.
Its 4 a.m., and Cass Seltzer is standing on Weeks Bridge, the graceful arc that spans the Charles River near Harvard University, staring down at the river below, which is in the rigor mortis of late February in New England. The whole vista is deserted beyond vacancy, deserted in the way of being inhospitable to human life. Theres not a car passing on Memorial Drive, and the elegant river dorms are darkened to silent hulks, the most hyperkinetic of undergraduates sedated to purring girls and boys.
Its not like Cass Seltzer to be out in the middle of an icy night, lost in thought while losing sensation in his extremities. Excitement had gotten the better of him. He had lain in his bed for hours, mind racing, until he gave up and crawled out from under the luxe comforter that his girlfriend, Lucinda Mandelbaum, had brought with her when she moved in with him at the end of June. This comforter has pockets for the hands and feet and a softness thats the result of impregnation with aloe vera. As a man, Cass had been skeptical, but hes become a begrudging believer in Lucindas comforter, and in her Tempur-Pedic pillow, too, suffused with the fragrance of her coconut shampoo, making it all the more remarkable that hed forsake his bed for this no-mans stretch of frigid night.
Rummaging in the front closet for some extra protection, he had pulled out, with a smile he couldnt have interpreted for himself, a long-forgotten item, the tricolor scarf that his ex-wife, Pascale, had learned to knit for him during the four months when she was recovering from aphasia, four months that had produced, among other shockers, an excessively long French flag of a wool scarf, which he wound seven and a half times around his neck before heading out into the dark to deal with the rush in his head.
Lucindas away tonight, away for the entire bleak week to come. Cass is missing Lucinda in his bones, missing her in the marrow thats presently crystallizing into ice. Shes in warmer climes, at a conference in Santa Barbara on Non-Nash Equilibria in Zero-Sum Games. Among these equilibria is one thats called the Mandelbaum Equilibrium, and its Casss ambition to have the Mandelbaum Equilibrium mastered by the time he picks her up from the airport Friday night.
Excerpted from 36 Arguments for the Existence of God by Rebecca Newberger Goldstein Copyright © 2010 by Rebecca Goldstein. Excerpted by permission of Pantheon, a division of Random House, Inc. All rights reserved. No part of this excerpt may be reproduced or reprinted without permission in writing from the publisher. | <urn:uuid:168ad7cd-7246-4908-ad14-99825b859832> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.bookbrowse.com/excerpts/index.cfm/book_number/2378/36-arguments-for-the-existence-of-god | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368699881956/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516102441-00022-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.967065 | 1,031 | 1.515625 | 2 |
There is an good thread at Cre8asite Forums discussing the effects of doing search engine optimization on one page websites. Most of us know these sites, generally they always try to sell you on something. Whether it be collecting information, clicking on Adsense, or trying to get you to visit somewhere else these sites can be useful to the marketer but they can also have their limitations. The thread starter asks, "How would this affect one's SEO strategies? Is it more of a benefit to having one page whereby you are scrunching all of your content, and subsequently, your keywords onto one page?"
Ammon posts some thoughts on the subject:
A one-page website always has less options than a multi-page website. That always means it has limitations, and is slightly handicapped (possibly a lot more than just slightly).
Your own internal links and link text (navigation) have weight in many search algorithms. Your site structure can have weight. With a one-page site there are neither internal links, nor structure.
Whatever you can do to make one page successful, you could do to six pages to make the site more than six times as successful.
Continued discussion at Cre8asite Forums - One Page SEO | <urn:uuid:c5b9a24c-28e2-448f-a01b-c63afe307765> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.seroundtable.com/archives/004222.html | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368705953421/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516120553-00035-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.95253 | 254 | 1.53125 | 2 |
Part III of an On-Going Series
by Kirby LindsayEvanston Avenue hosts a significant portion of public art in Fremont. The particular pieces along this avenue have few common denominators, either in the art or the artist(s). Three pieces - Evanston Plaza, the Blue Plate Special and The Gods of Fremont series – previously noted already show this diversity, and it grows only more pronounced as a visitor strolls north.
Installed: approximately 2006 Artist: Mike Peck Peck personally installed this totem behind his buildings, on the alley, but today he doesn’t recall the exact installation date. He described the piece as a mosaic of pottery shards that contain fish images and mirrored glass. He created a series of similar totems for a show, and made this one, “to decorate the back alley of Fremont.” Located on the southern edge of the 607 & 611 North 35th Street properties (along the alley shared with the Epi building.)
The Fremont Rocket
Installed: 1994 Lead Artist: John Hoge, with contributions by Rodman Miller (neon), Quinton Lickliter (mural), and Roger Wheeler (painting) The “Fremont Rocket Scientists” were Josh Logan, Mike Peck, Charlotte Buchanan, Jon Hegeman, Rodman Miller, Roger Wheeler, and Don Carver, a group of dedicated dreamers who sought an icon around which to rally the struggling Fremont retail community. To that end, they purchased the rocket when its original home, on AJ’s Surplus (in Belltown,) was due for demolition, in 1991. It languished on back lots around the ‘hood as they sought a landlord willing to host it, and someone creative enough to install it. An extremely atypical example of his work, Hoge cleaned up and created a whimsical rocket – which included a coin operated steam-generator (which demanded far too much maintenance, and was eventually dismantled) and a mural on the building (painted out by the tenant in 1998.) For those not already intimately aware, The Rocket sits nearly atop a single-story building at the southeast corner of 35th Street North & Evanston Avenue.
Sidewalk Art Project
Poured: March 18, 2006 Lead Artist: Jessica Randall Originally Randall envisioned doing this installation, designed by third-graders from B.F. Day Elementary School, on every street corner in Fremont. However, the City of Seattle refused further permits after the first two were granted. In December 2010, Randall mentioned that she continues to pay, personally, a permit fee to the City for this installation, and its continued “use” of the sidewalk. Contributors (and volunteers) on these two pieces include Mrs. Thompson’s 3rd Grade class, David Roman, Peter Castle, Isaac Perk, Emily Gerard, Jon Hegeman, Dan Steifel, Greg Blandon, David Perk, Monica Alcabin, Pierre Mourad and his son Derrick, Patricia Halsell, Rodman Miller, Susan Miller and her son Reid, Tony Su, Kristen Foss, and Lorelei Mesic. Located in the sidewalk at the southwest corner of 36th Street North & Evanston Avenue North.
The SPACE In Fremont
Final installation: June 2007 Lead Artist: Jessica Randall, with contributions by Kim David Hall, Chris Daly, Emily Gerard, Rob D’Arc, Jon Hegeman, Isaac Perk, and David Roman Randall also has a comprehensive list of the financial donors, volunteers, assistants, and in-kind donors that supported this large-scale project. It began in 2005, when she attended a public meeting regarding a building project proposed by developer Brian Regan. Looking at the drawings, she dreamed of installing art in front of it. Over two years she persevered and constantly adapted her vision to arrive at what stands now – a piece of benches, plantings, permanent sidewalk art and wildly creative lamps. Located on the extended northern corner of 36th Street North & Evanston Avenue.
Brian Regan has promised to further increase the art along Evanston Ave. He has plans to build on the southwest corner of 35th Street North & Evanston – and to incorporate art into the development, just as he did for the Space Building. Considering the varied themes, artists and scale of the art that surround the site, his options remain as broad as the universe as to what he might install.
©2011 Kirby Lindsay. This column is protected by intellectual property laws, including U.S. copyright laws. Reproduction, adaptation or distribution without permission is prohibited. | <urn:uuid:0eaa8073-70aa-4b1b-8224-095f9fb20b60> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://fremocentrist.com/archives/214_01-21-11.html | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368705195219/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516115315-00017-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.951886 | 950 | 1.609375 | 2 |
While economic conditions are improving the financial situation of many Americans remains fragile. Recent changes to the tax code, along with continuing economic uncertainty, make this a challenging year for many consumers and investors. The FINRA Investor Education Foundation has put together 5 tips that can help Americans successfully navigate changing conditions and avoid a personal financial cliff.
Lower your tax burden by saving to the 401(k) max. No matter what your tax rate is, saving for retirement in a 401(k) can help you save money on taxes and boost your retirement security. Contributions to a traditional 401(k) are not subject to income tax withholding and are not included in your taxable wages—and earnings on Roth 401(k) contributions are tax-free. The good news for savers is that in 2013, 401(k) limits go up to $17,500 and employees aged 50 or over can contribute an additional $5,500 for a total of $23,000. FINRA’s new 401(k) Save the Max Calculator does the math for you and helps you determine whether you are doing all you can to reduce your tax burden by saving for retirement.
A rainy day fund can lead to greater financial security. Building up a rainy day fund may be one of the most important things you can do to maintain solid financial footing. Set aside at least one month of your current salary (and work your way up to three months) in a federally insured savings account. Start small if you find saving daunting. If you started saving just 10 dollars a week, by this time next year you will have a rainy day fund of over $500. A rainy day fund will give you a cushion to handle a short-term job loss, a surprise car repair or other financial emergency.
HARP can help you refinance your mortgage. While current home mortgage rates are at an all-time low, many Americans have seen the value of their home decline. If you haven’t fallen behind on your mortgage payments, but have been unable to get traditional refinancing because the value of your home has declined, you may be eligible to refinance through the Home Affordable Refinance Program (HARP). HARP refinance loans require a loan application and underwriting process, and refinance fees will apply. More information is available at MakingHomeAffordable.gov, an official program of the Departments of Treasury & Housing and Urban Development.
Avoid Credit Card Debt. Digging yourself out of credit card debt is a lot harder than getting in to it. Try to pay all of your credit bills in full and on time. If you cannot pay your whole monthly bill, every dollar you pay above the minimum payment can reduce your interest payments. Women in particular should make a point to be careful with credit. A recent FINRA Foundation study found that, compared to men, women were five percentage points more likely to carry a balance, four points more likely to pay the minimum payment on their cards and six points more likely to be charged a late fee. Resources at SaveandInvest.org can help you track your spending.
Do a Yearly Background Check on Your Investment Professional. Only 14 percent of investors who have used an investment professional in the last five years reported checking that professional’s background with a state or federal regulator, according to a FINRA Foundation survey of more than 28,000 American adults. Investing a few minutes of your time to take this free and easy step could save you money and trouble down the road. And even if you have checked on your investment professional before, make it a habit to do a yearly check to see if there is any new disciplinary or other information you should know about. FINRA BrokerCheck® is a free tool that allows investors to check the professional background of brokerage firms and individual brokers, and investment adviser firms and representatives. | <urn:uuid:40d177e2-7706-41b3-a505-92d28b428e78> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.carmel.lib.in.us/blog/blog.cfm?id=1076 | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368702810651/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516111330-00005-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.942066 | 779 | 1.695313 | 2 |
The Birmingham Public Library and Olympic gold medalist
Vonetta Flowers are teaming to increase awareness of the value of the library to the community. Flowers will star in
a "Champions for Learning" awareness campaign. It is set to launch July 27 as the 2012
Summer Olympics get underway.
Flowers is a Birmingham native. She says she has volunteered her time to record public service announcements during a recent
visit to the magic city. In a thirty second television ad, Flowers
speaks of the impact the Birmingham Public Library had on
her life as a child and about her unexpected launch into a successful
bobsledding career. Other elements of the campaign include posters and print
ads, all encouraging area residents to visit their local library. The
campaign runs through August.
"The Birmingham Public Library has been in the community for 125
years serving not only as a free resource, but also as a champion for lifelong
learning," saidLibrary Director
Irene Blalock. "Because she is also a champion, we could think of no
better partner for this initiative than Vonetta Flowers. We are so
grateful that she contributed her time to being part of this initiative."
Birmingham's public libraries have a strong presence in the
community that will be enhanced by this effort. Last year alone the libraries served
2 million people. And 50,000 books were read by youth participating
in the summer reading programs that take place at various branches.
This campaign launch comes on the heels of the new logo
design slated to be unveiled officially on August 1. The new logo is
a variation of the enduring flame of knowledge and speaks to exactly what the library represents
as a community organization that provides educational and entertainment
opportunities at its 19 branch libraries. Naturally, reading is
the main association that most have with the library. So books remain a focus
for the organization's image.
Rescue crews are working through the night after a monstrous tornado barreled through the Oklahoma City suburbs, demolishing an elementary school and reducing homes to piles of splintered wood.More >>
Emergency crews searched the broken remnants of an Oklahoma City suburb Tuesday for survivors of a massive tornado that flattened homes and demolished an elementary school. At least 24 people were killed, including at least...More >>
Tuesday, May 21 2013 11:56 AM EDT2013-05-21 15:56:21 GMT
Two real estate investors have been sentenced to nearly two years in prison for bid rigging at public foreclosure auctions and mail fraud. Department of Justice officials said Monday that Jason Brannon,More >>
Two real estate investors have been sentenced to nearly two years in prison for bid rigging at public foreclosure auctions and mail fraud.More >>
Tuesday, May 21 2013 11:50 AM EDT2013-05-21 15:50:12 GMT
The Turtle Travels exhibit at the Imagination Place Children's Museum in Gadsden will wow you and your children. It's 3000-square-feet of turtle information complete with a Critter Cam. Here's some informationMore >>
The Turtle Travels exhibit at the Imagination Place Children's Museum in Gadsden will wow you and your children. It's 3000-square-feet of turtle information complete with a Critter Cam.More >>
Tuesday, May 21 2013 11:38 AM EDT2013-05-21 15:38:01 GMT
Walter Maddox, mayor of the city of Tuscaloosa, is the new president of the Alabama League of Municipalities. Maddox was elected during the League's annual convention in Montgomery. Maddox is in his secondMore >>
Tuesday, May 21 2013 11:26 AM EDT2013-05-21 15:26:50 GMT
Monetary donations are encouraged by The Salvation Army to help the people affected by tornadoes in Oklahoma. The money will be used to purchase specific needs for the areas rather than items or suppliesMore >> | <urn:uuid:828fc45a-978a-4096-8a35-5a91a18864a8> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.abc3340.com/story/19103827/olympians-campaign-for-libraries | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368700264179/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516103104-00003-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.952226 | 808 | 1.742188 | 2 |
I think that joy is the sign of God's presence. It is the reliable indicator that He is a part of what we are thinking, doing, or being. Thus joy is a vital sign that we are doing as He would have us do.
Some of the times that I feel joy are predictable. When I come to the sacrament hymn and prayers humbly and earnestly, I feel joy. Sometimes I sit and weep during most of that sacred ordinance from the sheer joy of it.
When people tell stories of conversion or transformation, my joy circuits light up. When people pay tribute to Jesus, I feel it.
But joy also comes unexpectedly. Sometimes I am just walking down the hall at work with nothing particular on my mind and suddenly I feel the warmth of joy. I have wondered if God is seizing on the break in my doings to walk alongside me, put His arm around me, and convey His love.
At times I have wondered how to respond. When I try to turn to Him to enter into conversation, the joy sensation seems to diminish. I have concluded that I should respond in the same way I would if Nancy came alongside me. I would simply continue walking, hold her close, and be grateful for her company. At such times, nothing needs to be said.
Trying to Understand Joy
C.S. Lewis' relates an experience of joy that was quite unexpected. While standing beside a flowering currant bush, he remembered a time when his brother had brought into their playroom a miniature garden — a biscuit tin filled with moss ( Surprised by Joy , 1956/1984, p. 16).
We might well ask what it was about remembering a simple, homemade, miniature garden that would inspire joy. Was God allowing Lewis to look down on the miniature scene much the way He looks down on us? Was it a testimony of order and the miracle of life?
Often we cannot express in simple words just what joy seemed intended to convey. Maybe the common message of joy is not a group of words. Maybe God's recurrent message is that life is good and He presides. Maybe He wants us to know that we are safe in His able and loving hands. Maybe He wants us to know that He is mindful of us.
Even though we often cannot reduce joy to a simple message, I believe that its arrival is not random but is richly purposeful. God is not just randomly throwing candy like clowns in a parade. He is sending clues and reminders. It seems to me that if we note and seek to understand and apply each twinge of joy, we travel more directly to God.
A Growing Science of Joy
I have been surprised to find that even respected psychologists are interested in something very much like joy. Jonathan Haidt, a remarkable psychologist, studies scientifically something he calls elevation. See if this definition doesn't sound suspiciously like the workings of the Spirit — and something we call joy:
How Do We Get Joy?
Some would say that joy is the fruit of righteous living. I suppose that is true — except that none of us is righteous, as Paul said to the Romans (Romans 3:10). All of us have sinned and do sin. We regularly come short of the glory of God (Romans 3:23). So it does not seem natural to say that joy is the fruit of righteousness. If it were, none of us would have it.
I believe that joy is the fruit of being open to God. What do I mean by openness to God? I think it includes a combination of faith, humility, and mindfulness. Consider each of these elements:
Faith : The stubborn resolve to see God and His goodness in everything that happens
Humility : Living in a spirit of repentance, acknowledging our dependence on Him in all things
Mindfulness : Being filled with awareness and gratitude
These three elements are not really independent of each other. When we have soul-filling faith, we are naturally humble and mindful. They form one great whole. They open us up to God. Then comes joy, the heavenly signal that we are walking with God.
Bruce Hafen tells the story of a young man who had glorious gospel experiences but then, in college, ran up against questions for which he did not have full answers. The questions burdened him and threatened to swamp his testimony. Finally he simply chose to have a believing heart. He chose to honor what he already knew ( Broken Heart , p. 80). Big truths should not be at the mercy of small questions.
Making sense of a lifetime of joys may be somewhat like assembling a jigsaw puzzle. We may have a hard time seeing the picture taking shape, but we have the assurance that God sees the big picture. And He gives just the right puzzle pieces at just the right time.
The art of JoyMapping
Capturing joy is a little like approaching squirrels. When one of our grandkids spots a squirrel, he lunges toward it. Inevitably the squirrel runs away. If we can get the grandchildren to sit peacefully and watch quietly, the squirrels will settle in nearby. They will gather and eat seeds closer and closer. But they are exquisitely sensitive to any move to capture or control them.
When we chase joy directly, it eludes us. When we peacefully and faithfully watch God work, joy comes closer and closer. So joy isn't something we seek directly. Joy is the natural byproduct of being connected with the Divine.
Joy is also unique in that it operates on a spiritual economy where abundance rather than scarcity is the natural state. And joy is contagious. Your joy does not rob me of mine. Just the opposite. Seeing your experience of joy can fill me with joy.
So, how do we increase our joy? The simple answer is probably the one that emerges from the parable of the talents. If we want more joy, we should make good use of the joy He has already given us. We should not bury it in the ground.
Who would bury joy in the ground? I think we all do. I cannot count the times that I have felt filled with joy in Sunday meetings only to find that, by evening time, I could not remember the ideas and instructions that accompanied the joy. God had delivered a priceless gift and I had lost it the same day.
As my friend Barbara reminds me, we also bury joy when we have a joy experience, appreciate it for a brief moment and then quickly default back to nursing our annoyances and grievances with life. Kind of like children on Christmas morning who are sitting amidst a mountain of wondrous presents and yet spend the bulk of the day pouting because they didn't get one more thing — the one additional gift they thought they were going to get. | <urn:uuid:9fe476a5-6cbb-4914-8171-bf5798867a37> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://ldsmag.com/1/article/9750 | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368707435344/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516123035-00007-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.964877 | 1,390 | 1.75 | 2 |
Bring back the beagles and x-raying of passenger bags at airports – that’s the call from Horticulture New Zealand following the discovery of a fruit fly in Auckland.
HortNZ president Andrew Fenton of Te Puke says without the return of stricter board controls, scares like the latest one will happen on a regular basis, threatening this country’s $3.3 billion fruit and vegetable export industry.
No further Queensland fruit flies have been found since May 8 but biosecurity officials maintain strict controls and a large-scale field effort will continue for the next 10 days to ensure that if any of the insects were present, they would not able to spread from the Avondale area.
Andrew says growers and the country don’t want any more scares or a real incursion of insects or other pests and diseases and action must be taken now to prevent that happening.
“We want 100 per cent x-ray of all passengers arriving from offshore. And we want the beagles back at Wellington Airport.”
HortNZ believes this country might still be able to claim the world’s toughest biosecurity protection, but it’s not good enough for New Zealand’s growers.
“It’s got to the point where we are relying on 2000kms of sea to provide our biosecurity protection.
“We know where the fault lies. This Government’s determination to cut costs has now cost all of us big money, and risked billions of dollars in national earnings,” Andrew says.
HortNZ has confidence in the passionate and capable people working on the ground responding to this detection.
“We thank them for all their effort and also thank all the people in the controlled areas for their co-operation.
“But those people, and the rest of New Zealand, don’t want to be going through a scare like this every six months. That’s exactly what will happen if we don’t very quickly put back all the protection that’s quietly been taken away.
“We have heard too much about creating a ‘domestic-like travel experience’ and reducing passenger processing times. Biosecurity is a national issue. It is a serious business and can’t be compromised.”
HortNZ believes the Ministry of Primary Industries have cut too deep and now we are all paying the price. Long-serving, extremely knowledgeable and passionate staff have been lost.
Figures provided to HortNZ show a reduction in frontline biosecurity staff of 12 per cent since 2007, to just 280 people at airports country wide.
At the same time, passenger arrivals have increased by 14 per cent, from 4.3 million to 4.9million.
Wellington airport has had no detector dogs since September last year and nationally there are two less x-ray machines in service than there were two years ago.
“I have had former and current MPI staff tell me how worried they are. That makes me, and all 6000 growers HortNZ represents, very worried and very angry,” sasy Andrew.
The ‘Direct Exit’ policy, which aims to speed up a traveller’s trip by 15 minutes has been criticised by HortNZ in the past, and will be again if this Government’s policy does not change.
“We want the 100per cent x-ray back. We want all the beagles back. And it needs to happen now.” | <urn:uuid:ae37db46-b689-4c06-9821-2ef452c5480c> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.sunlive.co.nz/news/25442-call-to-bring-back-beagles-at-borders.html | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368697380733/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516094300-00003-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.951934 | 737 | 1.726563 | 2 |
Ever watched a sci-fi Hollywood movie and thought wow, that’s absolutely amazing, but entirely impossible! We all have, yet so many of those fantastical notions we see in our favourite films might not be as far-fetched as you think.
The U.S Military’s Darpa (Defence Advanced Research Projects Agency) are currently working on a couple of projects that will make you hold your hands up in the air and go wooooooooaaaaahh, I didn’t think that was possible!!!
For one, they have the Avatar Project, which though similar to the James Cameron Blockbuster of the same name, and works on the basis of trying to enable soldiers to occupy a robot vessel rather than a big blue alien from the planet Pandora!
The idea is that these robot hosts can then go on and fight in battle for their human controllers! Sounds a bit like Jonathan Mostow’s ‘Surrogates’ which stars Bruce Willis and features a futuristic world in which people live almost wholly through their robot surrogates which look better, work better and do not age like the human body!
‘Surrogates’ also features scenes where battle surrogates are sent to war against the enemy, meaning that human life (from the country who has the snazzy robots) is rarely sacrificed in warfare. Sounds totally crazy, doesn’t it?
Danger Room is brilliant for keeping those of us who aren’t on Darpa’s top secret mailing list in the loop regarding the latest and most advanced projects that are being worked on at the moment. They recently did an interesting article about the Avatar programme, and a great write-up about Alphadog, a robotic dog designed to be able to carry military gear for miles on end without tiring, over all kinds of terrains.
Those geniuses at Darpa are also trying to ensure that Alphadog will be a good companion to a lonely soldier, like a normal dog would, and have built in technology to make him interact in the same way! Does Alphadog bark, play fetch, poop in inappropriate places or chase squirrels, though I wonder?
The latest reveal from Danger Room is about Russian media mogul Dmitry Itskov’s latest scientific venture, ironically, it is also called Avatar, and of course, he thinks his project is way better and will do much more for humanity than the Pentagon’s one!
His master-plan involves creating robots that he hopes will have the ability to store the human MIND and keep our consciousness going forever and ever. Ah, that age old human quest for immortality comes up once again!
Itskov hopes to have this technology up and running in just over a decade and is planning on bringing in scientists from all over the world to work on his visionary project.
But Itskov’s dream doesn’t stop there, not content with transplanting a human brain into a robotic host-body, Itskov then plans to get rid of all that fiddly surgery and ‘upload’ the entire contents of our minds into a new robobody.
Then, if that wasn’t quite progressive enough for you, after that he predicts the advancement of a holographic host for the human consciousness. He tells Danger Room; “Holograms give plenty of advantages. You can walk through walls, move at the speed of light…Remember in Star Wars, Obi-Wan’s hologram? That was pretty amazing.”
Sounds pretty unbelievable to me, but then, I’d be the first to hold my hands up and say that I’m no science or technology expert! Do you think Itskov’s vision can become a reality? Would you want your mind to live forever inside a robot-host or do you think we’re playing with dangerous forces? Can a robot host a soul too? Or would you become soulless like the automation storing your memories and personal information? Let us know what you think! | <urn:uuid:20dd651e-7671-4ed2-a98a-4fb0a75cb74a> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.buzzpatrol.com/darpa-dmitry-itskov/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368709037764/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516125717-00035-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.949882 | 835 | 1.648438 | 2 |
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Choosing the Gender of Your Baby
Where I grew up, there were many families with, say, four girls, then a boy. Or four boys and then a girl. We all knew what happened—they kept “trying” for that boy or that girl! Sometimes it didn’t work out so well, and they ended up with five girls or five boys. Sometimes that last child got stuck with a name you knew was meant for the opposite sex.
Is there any truth to being able to control the sex of your future baby? If you’re going through in vitro fertilization (IVF) there is. If you already have two boys, and you really want that girl, many fertility doctors will humor you on that. The embryologist can do preimplantation genetic analysis to determine which embryos are female.
What if you’re just trying to make this happen on your own? There are books that discuss the techniques of sex selection, such as Dr. Landrum Shettles’ “How to Choose the Sex of your Baby.” Information about his work is also included in Toni Wechsler’s book, “Taking Charge of Your Fertility.” Dr. Shettles stressed that the technique is not perfect. If you absolutely do not want a child of a certain sex, then maybe you should adopt or not have more children. However, if you follow his advice perfectly, you can improve your odds of having that boy or girl of your dreams.
Basically, it comes down to timing intercourse. Sperm with the Y chromosome (boy sperm) swim faster than sperm with the X chromosome (girl sperm). Girl sperm, though, are hardier and live longer. Therefore, to try to have a boy, couples should have intercourse on the woman’s peak fertility day. To identify that day, women will have to be well-acquainted with their cycle. That takes some practice in previous cycles using methods that involve cervical mucus examination and cervix location, basal body temperatures, and ovulation predictor kits. These methods are all discussed at length in the Wechsler book as well as others.
For a girl, it is a little trickier. Couples should have intercourse up to about 2 days before the peak fertility day and then refrain until a few days past the peak day. That is much harder to identify, even if you’re using all the methods and tools. The concept is that, since girl sperm live longer inside the woman, if you refrain from intercourse just before the peak day, the odds are higher that more girl sperm will survive to fertilize the egg.
Obviously, I have not included enough information for you to attempt this technique from reading this short article simply because I have not personally tried it. I would urge you to pick up the books mentioned above if you really want to try it. I think it’s an interesting idea, bearing in mind that it’s not a perfect technique. As long as you would still be happy with whatever sex your baby turns out to be, if you want to give it a go, that’s your decision. There is, however, some fun in the “element of surprise” when you first find out what the sex of your baby is, whether that is from an ultrasound or at birth. Do you really want to attempt to control that? Because, in the end, all that really matters is a healthy, happy child.
Shettles, Landrum, MD, PhD, and David Borvik. How to choose the sex of your baby. New York: Doubleday, 1997.
Wechsler, Toni. Taking charge of your fertility. New York: HarperCollins, 2006.
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Beaminster traders fight back to reclaim business
TRADERS have insisted that Beaminster is fighting back from the blow to business from the nearby tunnel closure.
The Beaminster tunnel has been shut since a landslide which killed two people in floods in early July.
Members of the Beaminster Chamber of Commerce held a meeting recently to probe ways to step up their campaign to promote the town.
Chamber chairman Nigel Reeve said: “Beaminster is really fighting back. It was encouraging to see so many businesses there.
“The majority were really positive and we want to use this as a springboard to boost business even further.”
The tunnel closure has hit trade despite signs being placed around the area, including on the A35 in Bridport , stressing that the town is open for business.
Traders got together to look at additional ways to boost business as the tunnel looks set to be closed for a number of months.
The chamber has launched a media campaign with 5,000 flyers going to hotels, tourist information centres and libraries within a 20- mile radius of Beaminster.
Also a series of half page advertisements are running in newspapers and a four-week radio campaign is also running in September.
A Beaminster booklet is being produced which is going to 15,000 homes via the Royal Mail. Ideas to come out of the latest meeting included extra flyers promoting businesses close to the tunnel, a campaign to shop locally, mentoring advice for businesses and more support for the Beaminster Christmas lights.
The tunnel was closed when a landslide blocked the road and damaged masonry in July.
Some weeks later it was discovered that Somerset couple Rosemary Snell, 67, of Misterton, and Michael Rolfe, 72, were killed when their car was crushed in the landslide.
Dorset County Council has started work probing the damage and stability of the tunnel.
Matthew Jones, principal engineer at Dorset County Council, said: “Engineers are still working on site to investigate the stability of the land on top of Beaminster Tunnel. It’s too early to say what the solution will be.
“We are aware that local people are eager for a quick solution, but this is a very tricky situation and careful consideration needs to be made about the best course of action. We will continue to keep local people informed.”
Police said the incident was still being investigated as a road traffic collision on behalf of the coroner. | <urn:uuid:d02a1f51-d181-44a9-87a6-7d0a9196ef9b> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.bridportnews.co.uk/news/bridportnews/9910971.Beaminster_traders_fight_back_to_reclaim_business/?ref=rss | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368711005985/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516133005-00024-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.97523 | 530 | 1.539063 | 2 |
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