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Living on the Social Edge
Victor D’Allant’s CV is almost intimidating!
He speaks five languages, there is barely a country in the world he has not been too, he has been a photo journalist, a magazine editor, ran a media consultancy, has degrees from the Sorbonne in Paris and Berkley in California.. and has a family. Now he is in a job which he feels is a culmination off all the experience applied to social change; Executive Director of Social Edge.
Social Edge is an online community which support social entrepreneurs and nonprofit professionals. It is about inspiring others with stories; sharing resources and building a global network for social change.
But for Victor his interest in social entrepreneurship didn’t start with cameras or computers or the internet. For him, it was eggs. Yes, eggs.
Here is the story.
In his late teens Victor volunteered in Burkino Faso as a community worker. Growing up in France, Burkino Faso was part of his history and so he decided to travel and explore more. While there he was living in a village and noticed that malnutrition was a serious problem. So he decided that eggs would be a good source of protein. He raised some money through contacts back in France, and donated a hen house to the local community. Eggs= fuller bellies.
A couple of years later, a friend of his was visiting Burkino, and Victor asked him to return to the village to check on the egg population. But, when his friend returned, there was no sign of eggs, or chickens.
This was Victor’s lesson. He realised that had he given the hen house to someone, and set them up in business the probability of the hens and eggs still being there was much higher. Plus someone would still have a job.
For Victor, the growing field of social entrepreneurship represents a more sustainable form of aid. So, for Victor, the long held ‘Chicken or Egg’ dilemma is no longer. Which came first? Well for him, it wasn’t chickens. | <urn:uuid:007fac03-88d0-4d22-b479-07d0085ef02f> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.exceptional-lives.blogspot.com/2007/03/living-on-social-edge.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 | 0.980513 | 426 | 1.554688 | 2 |
The Homelessness Resource Center (HRC) is committed to bringing together the community of organizations working to end homelessness. Each of these partners has a unique set of experiences, research, and knowledge around homelessness and provide for creative solutions. Separate we will not be able to resolve the problems of homelessness, but together as partners we can the way homelessness is viewed and bring about social awareness, policy enactment, and proven methods for serving our nations underserved populations.
Take some time to explore each of the partners and discover what they offer in terms of working with people who are homeless and the training materials for the dedicate service providers.
Homelessness Resource Network | <urn:uuid:829da3de-9d98-46cb-9d12-0f5bbc75d781> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://homeless.samhsa.gov/(S(xsc40w55425cbk55ianmwun0))/Organization/Browse.aspx | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368711005985/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516133005-00000-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.945045 | 131 | 1.53125 | 2 |
Let’s start with the judge’s big picture: an industry crippled because Microsoft’s competitors are unable to innovate. Yet how to explain Netscape’s $10 billion price tag, or continued market leadership by Microsoft arch-rivals Oracle, Intuit, AOL, Sun Microsystems, and RealNetworks? How to explain Apple’s growth in both sales and profits? Sun’s CEO, Scott McNealy, recently crowed that “Windows is dead” when it comes to new software applications. McNealy may be right. Despite Judge Jackson’s snapshot view of the software market, the Internet has profoundly and permanently altered the dynamics. Will Microsoft lose out to consumer electronics products? McNealy doesn’t know, and neither does Jackson. But those products are out there, they’re selling well, and they are competition.
What about Web-based software — probably the most formidable threat to Microsoft’s dominance? Instead of buying and selling applications like word processors and spreadsheets, users can rent the same functions from Internet services — or get them free if they sit through advertising. The only essential user program is a Web browser. As the Wall Street Journal put it: “If users don’t need PCs with Microsoft’s Windows operating system or Intel chips … the vaunted market power of the duo called Wintel doesn’t seem so unshakable.”
The important point is this: Many desktop machines that access Web-based servers are “Windows-less” products, and Microsoft’s major OEM customers are climbing on the bandwagon. Gateway is building a line with no Microsoft software at all, and may jointly market it with AOL, which is a major Gateway investor. Dell also plans to bring out a line of Internet computers, some without Microsoft software. Compaq’s chief executive observes that its new generation of products will “redefine Internet access.” Another industry executive stated that “the Internet gives people a platform to do most of the things they need to do on a PC without a cumbersome and expensive operating system.”
Judge Jackson, infinitely wiser about such matters now that he knows how to use his computer, has an astonishing twofold response to the emergence of Web-based servers. First, he contends that “Windows has retarded, and perhaps altogether extinguished” the server threat. That contention has a surreal quality: Jackson describes an event that never actually happened but, if it had happened, it would have crippled competition. The same dialectic creeps into his hearsay-laced chronicle of Microsoft’s persecution of Intel, Apple, and Compaq, as well as Microsoft’s supposed market-splitting with Netscape. “OK, so this thing Microsoft tried to do never did materialize. The other guy never agreed to it and ultimately he did what he wanted. But what a hobbling impact on innovation if things had gone otherwise.”
Jackson’s second justification for discounting Web-based servers is even stranger. He claims that viable competition from server-based applications “is not imminent for at least the next few years.” His projection is surely too conservative. Venture capitalists report that they haven’t seen a business plan for conventional packaged software in more than six months. Scott McNealy predicts that fewer than 50 percent of the devices accessing the Internet will be Windows-equipped PCs by the year 2002, just 2 1/3 years from now.
But more important, Jackson’s “not imminent for a few years” forecast has to be placed in context. He plans on issuing his conclusions of law in this case early next year. Then a hearing on remedies in the spring, with a possible summer decision. Then we can expect a year or so before the United States Court of Appeal finishes its review. Then another year for the Supreme Court’s deliberations. Finally, even if Microsoft loses at each stage and remedies are imposed, they will not be effective overnight. In other words, the market will certainly have obviated any remedies before they can have an impact.
Meanwhile, Microsoft behaves not like a monopolist but like a company whose very survival is at stake. Its prices are down and its technology is struggling to keep pace with an explosion of fresh software products. Facing competition from new operating systems, consumer electronics, and Web-based servers, Microsoft now operates in a world where anyone running a browser will soon have the same capabilities as today’s Windows user. Hands off! | <urn:uuid:f4cc1d2f-5afd-4001-85c5-6d8204f71919> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.cato.org/publications/commentary/why-microsoft-should-have-won | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368707435344/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516123035-00021-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.947476 | 947 | 1.507813 | 2 |
ID: LaRC/Manuscripts Collection 824
Extent: 2.0 Boxes
Subjects (links to similar collections)
Forms of Material (links to similar genres)
Scope and Contents: Jackson Thornwell Witherspoon (1900-1940) was a native of New Orleans, a prolific writer, and gynecologist. The collection contains numerous drafts of articles by Witherspoon, both popular and technical, written primarily while he was Associate Professor of Gynecology at the Indiana University School of Medicine. There is also correspondence regarding the negotiations and progress of his published textbook, "Clinical Pathological Gynecology" (1939) as well as a scrapbook of advertisements and book reviews. In addition, there are class notes taken by Witherspoon as well as certificates and a draft of a book, "Two Years at Oxford," which he adapted from a journal he kept while studying in England. | <urn:uuid:3ed90b35-0eed-4a0a-ba19-399ef7054ecc> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://specialcollections.tulane.edu/archon/index.php?p=collections/controlcard&id=621 | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368708142388/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516124222-00015-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.972508 | 193 | 1.601563 | 2 |
Spotty Dotty, I've Got Chickenpox
- Author: Miriam Moss,Joanna Mockler
- Format: Paperback
- Published: 16 August 2012
- Publisher: Hachette Children's Books
- ISBN: 9781408319574
- Total Pages: 32
- Genre: Picture storybooks
- Illustrations: chiefly col. Illustrations
Miriam Moss was born in England but grew up in Scotland, Africa, China, Yemen and Bahrain. She studied at Oxford University and worked as a teacher in the UK and Kenya before becoming a writer. Miriam has written over 75 books for children, including the award-winning Wibble Wobble, My Loose Tooth (also illustrated by Joanna Mockler). Miriam is married with three children and lives in East Sussex. Joanna Mockler was born in Stoke on Trent and was brought up in the seaside town of Formby. Her love for drawing was evident from an early age and she went on to complete an Art Foundation then an Illustration degree course. Joanna lives in Southport with her husband, hamster and cat.back to top
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05.12.2012The Trio OlivinnSchubert's 'Trout' à la Turka
The trio Olivinn blends Turkish folk songs with German art songs and jazz elements, creating a universal music language in which listeners from different backgrounds discover elements that are familiar to them. Ceyda Nurtsch met the group and set out on a musical journey through different cultures and history
"We want to take you on a journey," says Sinem Altan as she sits down at the piano in the Theater Ballhaus Naunynstrasse in Berlin. The sound of the piano merges with the sound of the bağlama, a long-necked lute that Özgür Ersoy, who was born in the Turkish town of Erzincan, has been playing since the age of eight. When Begüm Tüzemen begins to sing, the three become an organic whole.
Together they take the audience on a journey to a country where the stony plains of Anatolia merge into the lush meadows of Europe, creating a compelling image of a country that seems near and yet far, familiar and yet strange. Being one in the music is incredibly important to the three musicians, a fact reflected in the name of the group.
"The basalt stone Olivine was the source of inspiration for our name," explains Sinem. "It can only come about at a very specific temperature. Similarly, our music can only come about when the three of us come together, combining our different perspectives, experiences and personalities."
Longing for Turkey as a source for inspiration
Olivine can be found in Anatolia, to where the trio traces its musical roots. It is the way that Sinem, Begüm and Özgür deal with these roots and how they derive their different approaches to music from them that makes their music quite unique.
The vivacious Sinem, who was born in Ankara, is responsible for the trio's musical arrangements. Her musical talent shone through even at the age of 11. After winning a scholarship, she came to Germany to study piano and composition. That was 17 years ago. She says that it was primarily her longing for her native country and the search for her musical roots that have shaped her approach to music.
This is certainly not the case with Begüm Tüzemen, who has a powerful voice. Born in Istanbul, she studied musicals at the State Conservatory of Istanbul University. She was strongly influenced by the Cosmopolitan flair of the metropolis on the Bosporus. Growing up, she listened mostly to pop music – "just like most teenagers in Istanbul," she says – and had a passion for western classical music. Nevertheless, she is no stranger to folk music.
"My grandfather introduced me to famous performers such as Neşet Ertaş, who died recently, or Aşık Veysel, one of the most influential Alevi Turkish singers and poets," says Begüm. Through her work within the trio, she says that she now has the opportunity to delve deeper into Turkish folk songs. She quickly learned the necessary techniques that had not previously formed part of her vocal training.
Appreciation for Turkish folk music
"It is not just about hitting the right notes. You have to understand which story is being told in the songs, which feeling is being transmitted. You have to submerge yourself in the story, understand that this art form is built on decades of experience," she says, describing the learning process through which she worked. Today, she is annoyed that she did not delve into this genre sooner and that Turkish folk music is at best seen as foreign and more frequently considered inferior by many families in Turkey's larger cities who look to the West.
Özgür – "the soul of Anatolia, who carries his roots around with him as if in a rucksack", as the two ladies in the trio say – also feels strongly that Turkish folk songs should be valued more highly. "I wish that more Turkish people who look to the West would understand that Turkish folk music and art music form a unit. The music conservatories are making a big mistake in this respect too," says Özgür, who himself studied at the State Conservatory of Ege University in Izmir and plays not only the long-necked lute, but also the duduk (an Armenian flute), the mey and the bender, which is similar to a tambourine.
Creating contemporary music that "does not lose any of its variety or punch": The trio Olivinn The three musicians feel that the music that emerged in Anatolia – where numerous peoples (including the Hittites, the Ionians, the Caucasians and the Circassians) have lived and left their mark – has enormous potential. They take this potential and refine it in a playful manner.
"Schubert introduced elements of the German folk song into the art song," says Sinem, adding that this has not yet happened in Turkish music from this century. Her arrangement "Hekimoğlu/The Trout" is a tribute to the Romantic composers of Vienna and to one of her favourite composers. In this piece, Oriental quarter tones gradually flow into what is one of the most well-known of all German art songs, "The Trout" (see video below).
Little by little, the rhythm shifts, falters and by the time Begüm sings the line "They call me Hekimoğlu, I have made myself a shotgun", Schubert's stream has turned into an Anatolian river flowing towards the Black Sea, and audiences find themselves listening to a song about a farmer from the Ordu province who becomes a hero when he stands up to a big landowner.
Through this synthesis, in which both songs retain their individual features, "people who would perhaps not normally sit beside each other discover their roots in one and the same piece," they explain. This is exactly the effect that the trio, which has been together since 2008, wants to achieve.
Thinking outside the box
"The challenge is to carve out your own path," says Sinem, who is quick to emphasise that this means not going down the "belly dancing and doner kebab" route or being categorised as a band that plays at weddings. As far as they are concerned, the current case against the controversial Turkish pianist Fazıl Say, whose statements have been viewed as a provocation and with whom Özgür has already performed on stage, is symptomatic of the way people deal with artists who think outside the box.
Nevertheless, the trio would not like to be sucked into the popular multi-cultural stew that is world music. In Turkey, new paths are often presented as being a kind of "inherent exoticism". "The danger with this," says Sinem, "is that you see yourself as exotic, you look at yourself through the eyes of people from other countries, i.e. from the outside."
Stagnancy is anathema to this trio. It is fun not only to listen to them, but also to watch them, because the wit, the joy of playing and the pure delight in cheery, cheeky provocation is written all over their faces. Although they have already performed with radio symphony orchestras, brass bands, and the Berlin DJ İpek İpekçioğlu, the Olivinn trio still feels that it is just starting out. The three musicians' aim is to make contemporary music that "does not lose any of its variety or punch." The audience's enthusiastic response confirms that they are on the right track.
© Qantara.de 2012
Translated from the German by Aingeal Flanagan
Editor: Lewis Gropp/Qantara.de | <urn:uuid:61c51f4d-298d-4820-bf1f-243f09ddf4a6> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://en.qantara.de/Schuberts-Trout-%c3%a0-la-Turka/20311c22178i0p163/index.html | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368706890813/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516122130-00034-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.978598 | 1,616 | 1.585938 | 2 |
It is estimated that nine out of every 10 trailer malfunctions and accidents are the result of neglect and inadequate preventative trailer maintenance. It's not that people don't care whether or not their trailers are in working order; it's just that boat trailers are not that glamorous, and when put next to the boat itself, they often take a backseat on the maintenance schedule.
The truth is that taking proper care of your boat trailer really does not take a whole lot of time and attention. And taking as little as a few minutes each time you get ready to hit the road can save you from disaster. Just think about it this way, a boat trailer is the only thing between your precious boat and the road. Shouldn't you take a few extra minutes to make sure your boat is safe?
Here's what to check for:
Wheels and Suspension.
Before taking off, make sure to check your tire pressure and that of the spare tire. Check the lug nuts to make sure they're tight. Visually inspect the suspension undercarriage for signs of rust, pitting, or cracking. If you see a problem, get it fixed right away or you may find your boat kissing the road.
If your trailer is equipped with electronic trailer brakes, make sure that they are working properly. When hauling heavier boats, your tow vehicle's brakes may not be enough to stop your boat.
Always keep a replacement supply of boat lights on hand so that you can replace them during your pre-trip inspection if they are found to be not working. While a trailer light may not cost you your boat or your life, it will cost you money in fines if you are caught.
Winch Straps and Transom Tie Downs. Always check these straps for signs of fraying or damage. Having all of these harnesses in proper working order can save your boat from sustaining unnecessary shock during transport. This shock can lead to structural damage.
Bearings need to be inspected and greased regularly. Doing so can help you avoid trailer-related malfunctions and allow for an easier tow.
Bunks and Rollers.
Visually inspect the bunk and roller for scratching and gashing. Check the carpeting for tears and patch or replace when necessary. Also you must grease the rollers occasionally to ensure smooth movement.
As you can see it does not take a great deal of time to give a little bit of extra attention to your boat trailer. And doing so can save you a great deal of money, hassles and heartache in the end. Just finding one of these problems and fixing it early can keep you from disaster and just may even save your boat.
In addition to keeping your boat safe, a trailer in proper working order also keeps other travelers safe. And that is the number one reason why you should not forget to inspect your boat trailer before each and every trip. | <urn:uuid:3712a4ce-e67e-46f9-9306-762c174966b0> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.pontoonboatsandaccessories.com/pontoon-trailer-parts/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368710006682/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516131326-00010-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.952241 | 588 | 1.695313 | 2 |
News tagged with academic success
Related topics: students
Children may perform better in school and feel more confident about themselves if they are told that failure is a normal part of learning, rather than being pressured to succeed at all costs, according to new research published ...
Psychology & Psychiatry Mar 12, 2012 | 4 / 5 (4) | 0 |
African American adolescents tend to have more success in school if their parents instill in them a sense of racial pride, reducing their vulnerability to the effects of racial discrimination from teachers and peers.
Psychology & Psychiatry Dec 17, 2012 | 4 / 5 (1) | 1
Air pollution from industrial sources near Michigan public schools jeopardizes children's health and academic success, according to a new study from University of Michigan researchers.
Health May 04, 2011 | 2 / 5 (1) | 4 | | <urn:uuid:168def2e-cc67-4014-8819-4a06b4cd6834> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://medicalxpress.com/tags/academic+success/sort/popular/all/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368696382584/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516092622-00042-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.955147 | 173 | 1.546875 | 2 |
Pop-up store Scanners celebrates the thrill of used-book salvage
LIT Poet Nick Hoff is best known for his acclaimed translation of Friedrich Hölderlin's Odes and Elegies (Wesleyan, 2008), while Matt Borruso has achieved some notoriety as a visual artist (his "The Hermit's Revenge Fantasy" is at Steven Wolf Fine Arts through Sat/8). Yet both are also seasoned book scouts, those scavengers of estate sales, thrift shops, and flea markets who find saleable treasures buried in otherwise worthless piles of printed matter. And it's in this capacity that they've embarked on a collaborative experiment in what one might call "conceptual commerce:" Scanners, a used bookstore that opened October 1 and closes at the end of the month.
The impulses behind Scanners are various. In the face of what Hoff calls "the media's hysteria about the death of print," both he and Borruso remain interested in the book as material object rather than simply bearer of text, easily replaceable by more efficient digital media. But in an immediate sense, the project is informed by their experience in a profession that, like many, has felt the digital squeeze. The word "scanner," says Hoff, is a derisive term among book scouts for the increasingly numerous competitors whose knowledge of a book's value solely stems from their mobile barcode scanners.
"At a library sale," Hoff continues, "for every person without a device, there's 50 people scanning books. The device tells them whether it has value. The traditional book scout who knew about book culture is becoming a thing of the past."
While scanners have drastically increased competition, devaluing that knowledge built through long practice, Borruso and Hoff are quick to own the advantages of the digital age; their ability to sell books online directly to consumers rather than a book dealer has offset the blow to their bottom line. And knowledge retains its edge. "Not everything has a barcode," Borruso says with a sly smile, and throughout our conversation, it's clear both men value the thrill of the chase at least as much as its results. Borruso speaks of the "adrenaline" that comes from finding that overlooked tome, while Hoff dwells on the more profound relationship a reader has with a long-sought book than with an instantly purchased text. Both savor the role chance plays in their acquisitions.
With Scanners, they seek to replicate the conditions for such discovery. Herein lies the name's opposite sense, of scanning physical shelves for the book chance may bestow. To this end, the duo intends to organize the store according to non-traditional categories — replacing the specific "economics," for example, with the open-ended "money" — and emphasizing face-out visual display. Perhaps inevitably, the artist Borruso is more interested in the display aspect, while the writer Hoff is eager to see what categories will emerge from the 400 boxes of books they've stashed away over the past year.
Much of this, Borruso says during our interview, "is still theoretical," as they only had a three-day window at the end of September to set up shop, using a break in the exhibit schedule of the Mina Dresden Gallery to inhabit its foot-traffic-friendly Valencia space. There's something appropriate about staging this bookstore in an art gallery, for the project is at once scrupulous and absurd, requiring all the effort of opening a real bookstore — cash registers, credit card capability, etc. — even as they intend to close in a month. "It's not a viable business model," Borruso laughs.
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While most of the attention was focused on President Barack Obama's audience with Pope Benedict XVI on July 10, there was an important bit of news in a column published the day before in Commonweal's on-line edition.
The article, written by Washington Post columnist E. J. Dionne, a Catholic layman who often addresses issues related to religion and politics, was entitled, "Does Obama have a friend in the Vatican?"
Dionne noted that, when President Obama had his audience with Pope Benedict XVI, just three days after the release of the Pope's new social encyclical, Caritas in Veritate ("Charity in Truth"), there were no right-wing Catholic demonstrators upbraiding the Pope, as they did outside and inside the University of Notre Dame's graduation exercises this past May.
Nor, one might add, was there any single-engine, propeller-driven plane flying overhead with an anti-abortion message and picture.
"The disjunction between Vatican attitudes toward Obama and those of the most conservative forces inside the American Catholic Church has been obvious from the moment Obama won election," Dionne wrote.
"The conservative minority among the bishops [which, however, has grown in recent years] as well as political activists on the Catholic right have insisted on judging the president only on the basis of his support for legal abortion and stem cell research.
"But the Vatican clearly views Obama through a broader prism," Dionne continued. And then some extraordinary bit of news: "Archbishop Pietro Sambi, the papal nuncio in Washington, has privately warned American bishops that harsh attacks on Obama threaten to make the church look partisan."
Not giving readers time to catch their breath, Dionne continued: "The Vatican press has been largely sympathetic to Obama, and in a recent article, Cardinal Georges Cottier, who was the theologian of the papal household under Pope John Paul II, praised Obama's 'humble realism' on abortion and went so far as to compare the president's approach to that of St. Thomas Aquinas."
This is not to say that President Obama and Pope Benedict XVI are in full agreement on all moral issues, such as abortion, contraception, or embryonic stem-cell research.
"But the pope and many of his advisers," Dionne observed, "also see Obama as a potential ally on such questions as development in the Third World, their shared approach to a quest for peace in the Middle East, and the opening of a dialogue with Islam."
Dionne noted that the Vatican's more benign attitude toward President Obama and the generally positive reaction to his Notre Dame Commencement address have "at least temporarily quelled the vocal opposition to the president among more conservative American bishops."
At the same time, other bishops, representing the majority of the U.S. hierarchy, have been working closely with the new Administration on health care reform, immigration, and climate change legislation.
Dionne suggests -- and I am in full agreement with him -- that the Pope's new encyclical shows that President Obama is in accord with most of Catholic social teaching.
Indeed, Barack Obama is more in accord with that teaching and with the substantial message of Caritas in Veritate than the many politically conservative Catholics who berated the University of Notre Dame and its president, Holy Cross Father John Jenkins, for inviting Obama to deliver this year's graduation address and receive an honorary degree.
And it is why, Dionne concluded, the Pope "is far more inclined to work with the man in the White House" than American conservatives are.
In an earlier piece in the Jesuit weekly America (on-line, 5/25/09), Georgetown church historian John O'Malley, S.J., drew a similar comparison between President Obama and the Second Vatican Council, referring to Obama as "a Vatican II president."
Citing a few of Barack Obama's speeches, but focusing particularly on the address he gave at Notre Dame, O'Malley noted specifically President Obama's call "for civility, for the end of name-calling, and for a willingness to work together to deal with our common problems, including abortion, rather than a stand-off determination to impose one's principles without reckoning what the cost to the common good might be."
Such an approach, O'Malley insisted, is just what Vatican II called for when it changed the way that the Catholic Church does business in its relationships with its own members, with other Christians, with other religions, and with the world community at large.
Although the pope himself seems to be largely open to that style, too many of the bishops and curial officials whom he continues to appoint are not.
Perhaps they need a collective papal audience to help them absorb that new style which Vatican II brought to the Catholic Church more than four decades ago.
© 2009 Richard P. McBrien. All rights reserved. Fr. McBrien is the Crowley-O'Brien Professor of Theology at the University of Notre Dame. | <urn:uuid:cdd0327d-07b5-4b8d-ba80-bceef3e5cf8e> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://ncronline.org/print/blogs/essays-theology/president-obama-and-vatican | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368708142388/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516124222-00039-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.968321 | 1,024 | 1.664063 | 2 |
The Democratic presidential front-runner favors repealing the "don't ask, don't tell" policy on gays, which was instituted during the Clinton administration. He said his priority for the Joint Chiefs will be that they make decisions to strengthen the military and keep the country safe, not their position on the policy.
"I would never make this a litmus test for the Joint Chiefs of Staff," Obama said in an interview with The Advocate, a gay newsmagazine.
"But I think there's increasing recognition within the Armed Forces that this is a counterproductive strategy," he said. "We're spending large sums of money to kick highly qualified gays or lesbians out of our military, some of whom possess specialties like Arab-language capabilities that we desperately need. That doesn't make us more safe."
The Advocate provided The Associated Press with excerpts of the interview, posted on its Web site Thursday.
The interview comes after Obama was criticized by gay advocates for not speaking to the gay media. The Philadelphia Gay News last week ran a large blank space on its front page next to an interview with Hillary Rodham Clinton to highlight that he did not talk to the publication.
"The gay press may feel like I'm not giving them enough love, but basically all press feels that way at all times," Obama told The Advocate. He said he's frequently spoken out against homophobia and in support of gay rights.
Asked what he could reasonably accomplish for the gay community as president, Obama said he can "reasonably see" repeal of the "don't ask, don't tell" policy as well as signing legislation to ban workplace discrimination against gays. He said he'd like transgendered people to be covered by the law, but thinks it would be tough to get such legislation through Congress.
Obama also said he's interested in ensuring that same-sex couples in civil unions get federal benefits.
Copyright 2008 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed. | <urn:uuid:7436a797-3c7e-4347-bd9d-5f3bf0da9741> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.nbcnews.com/id/24046489/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368700264179/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516103104-00016-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.977532 | 404 | 1.570313 | 2 |
The students were in the United States on an Iraqi Young Leader Exchange Program, part of the public diplomacy program of the U.S. State Department, which contracted with Colorado State University’s international office to organize their Colorado program. The students were chosen through rigorous competition and spent two months in the U.S. learning about American life and institutions and meeting Americans in all walks of life. One of the themes of their program was volunteerism in service to the environment, which was the focus of their two days with PWV.
The students had introductory sessions with U.S. Forest Service officials in Fort Collins, which included learning about the new National Wilderness Stewardship Alliance, then travelled two hours up Poudre Canyon to CSU’s Pingree Park Campus. They spent the afternoon working on how to apply some of the ideas they learned in the U.S. to environmental problems in Iraq, and had an historical tour of the campus.
The following day, they split into three groups and, following a safety briefing that included how to use trail tools, went on patrol with Poudre Wilderness Volunteers on three trails in the Pingree area. As they hiked the trails, they had many discussions about the history and management of public lands in the U.S., the roles and importance of volunteerism and volunteers, forest ecology, local wildlife and plants, Leave No Trace principles and the Authority of the Resource Technique in talking to forest visitors. They learned about PWV’s trail patrol activities including contacting, educating, and assisting the public, collecting information for the USFS, trail maintenance tasks and methods, and the ecological impacts and control/eradication of noxious weeds. One group helped pull Musk thistle and all groups had great fun tearing up large, trash-filled fire rings, restoring the sites to pristine conditions.
The students were knowledgeable, very engaged, and wonderfully enthusiastic in asking questions and participating in discussions throughout their patrols. They were a delight to interact with, and all of the PWVs who worked with them thoroughly enjoyed the experience! In their final sessions with us and at Colorado State University, they showed a real commitment to take what they learned here and apply it to their own communities in Iraq.
Said PWV’s Chuck Bell, who organized their PWV experience: “The abilities, dedication and enthusiasm of these young leaders gives one real hope for the future of Iraq despite its tragic recent past and current problems.” | <urn:uuid:c40fc62e-dc55-4f8e-b5ac-4d41ddbcbefe> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://poudrewildernessvolunteers.org/news-and-information/latest-news/127-iraqi-young-leaders-join-pwv-on-patrol | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368698924319/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516100844-00034-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.972014 | 503 | 1.796875 | 2 |
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1889 N172 Old Judge Clark Griffith
Starting Bid - $300.00, Sold For - $1,972.00
Graded VG 40 by SGC. 1889 N172 Old Judge of Hall of Famer Clark Griffith (batting, looking at camera) with Milwaukee of the Western League. Griffith is among the most difficult to find of all N172 Hall of Famers. All five poses of Griffith feature him with Milwaukee and were issued in 1889. This is Griffith's rookie card. He signed his first pro contract in 1888 with Milwaukee of the Western League, and later jumped to the American Association, pitching for both St. Louis and Boston in 1891 before the league collapsed. Griffith was signed by Cap Anson for his NL Chicago Colts (later Cubs) in 1893. The "Old Fox "earned his nickname by utilizing a six-pitch arsenal, including the screwball (which he claimed to have invented). The card has a strong Excellent appearance, but very close examination reveals that it has been downgraded by SGC to Vg due to a couple of very minor creases in the extreme corners (so small they hardly qualify as creases) and a tiny surface chip in the extreme upper right corner. The photograph is a little light, a characteristic which is common to many N172 cards. The reverse has a few small spots of toning. The card is otherwise in Excellent condition. This is an outstanding example of one of Clark Griffith's earliest baseball cards dating from his playing days, long before his distinguished career as a baseball executive. Reserve $300. Estimate $500/$1,000. SOLD FOR $1,972.00
(Click the smaller thumbnails to the left and right (if any) to cycle through each photo in the gallery of images for this lot.) | <urn:uuid:0b3dafd5-ec34-4bb5-9db2-a0f9988087a2> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://robertedwardauctions.com/auction/2006/104.html | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368702810651/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516111330-00017-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.974055 | 412 | 1.554688 | 2 |
This week, we're going to broaden your horizons with something so geeky that even I know nothing about it: World of Warcraft. Apparently, this is a "game" where "players" spend untold thousands of hours walking around and killing things and otherwise forfeiting what was left of their "lives." To do this, I asked Jen's brother Ben, who is himself a recovering WoW addict, to help decipher these cakes. So let's get started, shall we?
And here's another angle:
"Gold farming" is a term loosely defined as selling imaginary money for real money. Kind of like the stock market, only dominated by Chinese corporations. (Okay, exactly like the stock market.)
And finally, we have a cake based on one of the most popular places in the game, the bank in Ogrimmar, the capital city of the Horde.
On a side note, see those itty bitty game people with the colorful words over their heads? Those are your IT guys, your Microsoft employees, and your computer repair people. In short, the folks who keep the internets running and, thusly, control the world. So be nice to them, or someday, when you least expect it, you just might find yourself barred from Facebook. And then what will you do? Call somebody?
A big thanks to Ben, logger of untold hours in Horde-y land, for finally putting all that knowledge to good use.
(Just kidding, Ben! We all know nothing good comes from the Horde.)
- Similar Sweets: Star Wars | <urn:uuid:c4f66a41-f9b1-4bd5-890e-59b461f3785c> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://cakewrecks.blogspot.com/2009/09/sunday-sweets-wow.html?showComment=1252275208768 | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368710006682/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516131326-00000-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.946898 | 323 | 1.53125 | 2 |
Hon. Benjamin L. Cardin, Chairman
Hon. Alcee L. Hastings, Co-Chairman
For Immediate Release
April 10, 2010
CARDIN, HASTINGS STATEMENT ON DEATH OF POLISH PRESIDENT KACZYNSKI
WASHINGTON--U.S. Senator Benjamin L. Cardin (D-MD), Chairman of the Commission on Security and Cooperation in Europe (U.S. Helsinki Commission) and Co-Chairman Congressman Alcee L. Hastings (D-FL) released the following joint statement upon news of the death of Polish President Lech Kaczynski.
“We were shocked and deeply saddened to learn of the plane crash that killed Polish President Lech Kaczynski, his wife Maria, and 94 other military, political, and civil society leaders as well as family members of those murdered in the Katyn massacre of 1940. Words alone do not adequately convey the depth of our sympathy before this catastrophic loss of life. We stand with the people of Poland, who have long stood by us, in this most painful moment. Our prayers and thoughts go out to the families and friends of all who lost their lives in this tragedy.
"President Kaczynski was a friend of the United States and a tireless advocate for freedom and human rights, including remembering the history of Polish Jews.
"This morning's tragedy is all the more devastating considering the delegation traveling with the president included so many people who have played inspiring roles in Poland's democratic reforms. The memory of President Kaczynski's life and his commitment to peaceful regional and international relations should serve as an inspiration to us all."
Media Contact: Neil Simon
# # # | <urn:uuid:e5f6b4c9-5a0f-4d60-bb7c-fd49a2f7620c> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.csce.gov/index.cfm?FuseAction=ContentRecords.ViewDetail&ContentRecord_id=888&ContentType=P&ContentRecordType=P&UserGroup_id=100®ion_id=100&year=0&month=0&Subaction=ByDate&CFID=9122157&CFTOKEN=83775007 | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368696381249/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516092621-00000-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.958585 | 346 | 1.5625 | 2 |
Impartial facts and undisputed circumstances are rare commodities in the brutal, murky battlegrounds of guerrilla war. And so, at best, there have been only versions of how eight young West German volunteer construction workers came to be captured and held hostage for 25 days by U.S.-backed rebels in southern Nicaragua. The State Department asserted they wore military garb. The Germans asserted their "humanitarian" mission.
Whatever version you accept, it is good news indeed that they have been released, apparently not much worse for their ordeal. But, while the delays in that release are debated - the contras blame the Sandinistas and vice versa - the Reagan administration needs seriously to review the U.S. role in the matter. | <urn:uuid:4fe2c7cc-518f-4e78-b840-850e392d9904> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://articles.philly.com/1986-06-12/news/26046673_1_contras-hostage-sandinistas | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368698207393/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516095647-00039-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.949731 | 148 | 1.820313 | 2 |
"Never in our history has Congress failed to increase the debt limit when necessary. Failure to raise the limit would precipitate a default by the United States. Default would effectively impose a significant and long-lasting tax on all Americans and all American businesses and could lead to the loss of millions of American jobs. Even a very short-term or limited default would have catastrophic economic consequences that would last for decades. Failure to increase the limit would be deeply irresponsible. For these reasons, I am requesting that Congress act to increase the limit early this year, well before the threat of default becomes imminent."--- Part of Geithner's letter to congress This is as serious as it gets folks. The Treasury Secretary of the United States of America just wrote to congress admitting if we don't get about 1 trillion dollars by March the US will begin to default.
No comments posted for this topic. | <urn:uuid:692abb7b-f3fb-4724-bec5-a8582d2a08e6> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.tribune-chronicle.com/page/mboard.detail/fNav/48/Tim-Geithner.html | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368700264179/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516103104-00015-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.951374 | 177 | 1.6875 | 2 |
The Great Glen Way Route
Rathad Slighe a' Ghlinne Mhòir
For a breakdown of the new route distances (revised in October 2011), please click here (pdf, 1mb).
The route begins at the Old Fort in Fort William in the shadow of Ben Nevis, Britain's highest mountain. From here it skirts the shores of Loch Linnhe to join the historic Caledonian Canal at Corpach.
The next part of the route, mainly on forest tracks, hugs the peaceful western shores of Loch Lochy. There are splendid views as you pass below towering mountains, two of which are 'Munros'.
This takes you almost to Laggan swing bridge where you can cross the A82 to find the secluded eastern shores of Loch Oich. Following first the old railway line, abandoned in 1946, and then a section of General Wade's Military Road, you follow the tranquil shores of the loch through beautiful mixed woodland where wildlife abounds. Alternatively you can follow the Invergarry Link through the forest along the north side of the Loch. Although more strenuous, it offers some superb views of Loch Oich and surrounding hills.
From Fort Augustus you start the first real climb, but the reward is a series of breathtaking views back over the village and across Loch Ness as you follow high forest tracks to Invermoriston. As you come into the tiny village and cross the mighty river Moriston, have a look at the splendid old bridge - another Telford design.
The route passes through the heart of the bustling village and centre of the Nessie industry. Leaving the roadside, it then climbs steadily through farmland offering unforgettable views back over Loch Ness and Urquhart Castle before entering the woodland and winding its way up, with occasional glimpses of the Loch and far away the east coast of Scotland comes in to sight. A short section across exposed, rugged heather moorland and you are nearly at Abriachan, another hill crofting community.
A lovely quiet stretch along a minor road, with wide ranging views across the crofts and over to far away hills, takes you to Blackfold.
Here the route turns into Craig Leach forest, emerging at the reservoir where you get a dramatic view of your destination, Inverness, with the Moray Firth stretching out behind it. Winding downhill, you pass close to Leachkin chambered cairn, and approach the city.
Pleasant canalside and riverside paths lead you through the city to Inverness Castle, in the heart of the Highland capital.
A free leaflet about What to see on the Ways (pdf, 2.53mb) is available for download.
Want to get planning your trip? Check out our Route Stages webpage for some suggested itineraries. | <urn:uuid:6587292c-f40a-463b-a8ba-a68907cc993a> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.greatglenway.com/The_route.htm | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368700958435/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516104238-00038-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.931987 | 584 | 1.53125 | 2 |
In 1949 Kihachiro Onitsuka was manufacturing basketball shoes in his living room. Little did he know that he would eventually have created a world-renowned brand for runners and other athletes looking for quality and comfort. ASICS™ is an acronym for the Latin phrase "Anima Sana In Corpore Sano", which translates to "A sound mind in a sound body." And that is exactly what Asics is striving for.
To create top-performing running apparel, running shoes and other running necessities, Asics opened the Research Institute of Sports Science. In Kobe, Japna, this site is where technology and innovation go hand-in-hand to create breakthroughs in running clothes and running shoes. With over 45,000 square feet of space for testing, Asics studies everything from the movements of the human body to the durability of their running gear with a 350m all-weather running track.
When it comes to quality and "what's best for the body", Asics goes above and beyond. When Asics athletes visit the facility, Asics creates tailor-made running clothes and shoes that work with that athlete's body. From this research, Asics is able to enhance the running clothes and running shoes that they create for all athletes. Asics takes every opportunity to better their running clothes, so the athletes can better themselves. | <urn:uuid:2b146410-627c-425d-8a2a-fc3698ff082f> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.swimoutlet.com/Asics/Triathlon | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368707435344/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516123035-00002-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.956912 | 274 | 1.78125 | 2 |
City of Alexandria, VA
Alexandria Railroad Bridge Replacement
The Virginia Department of Rail and Public Transportation (DRPT) and CSX Transportation (CSXT), partnering with Virginia Railway Express (VRE) and Amtrak, are working to improve VRE and Amtrak service by constructing an additional railroad track. Please pardon the minor disturbance during our efforts to reduce congestion and make passenger rail service more reliable in Virginia.
NOTICE: Due to the construction of a new rail line, and track maintenance between Fredericksburg and Washington the Alexandria community may continue to hear trains blowing their horns this spring. Federal law requires trains to blow their horns for the safety of workers and passengers whenever trains enter a track construction zone.
The bridge replacement is part of a larger effort to construct a third “mainline” railroad track between the Fredericksburg, Virginia and Washington, DC. Specifically the Alexandria Railroad Bridge replacement is the link between seven miles of new “mainline” beginning at the Franconia-Springfield VRE station in Fairfax County and continuing to Alexandria Union Station.
The project involves removing the existing 100-year-old, single-track CSXT railroad bridge over Norfolk Southern (NS) tracks adjacent to Cameron Run and replacing it with a new double-track railroad bridge. The current bridge, built in 1904 only has one track, and the additional track is needed to facilitate more frequent and reliable Amtrak and VRE service.
The new bridge will be assembled on the construction site adjacent to the existing bridge, and once complete, the existing bridge will be removed and the new bridge will literally be “rolled” into place during a brief (3-day) track outage.
The new bridge will be constructed of more than two million pounds of steel and have more than 12,000 bolts—truly an engineering marvel.
The bridge replacement will take place where the CSXT tracks pass over the Norfolk Southern tracks northwest of Cameron Run Regional Park. The closest street address to the project is 4500 Wheeler Avenue. The Cameron Run Bridge does not actually cross over Cameron Run.
Anticipated Replacement Schedule
The bridge replacement project may be broken down into five major work phases. Preparation for the project began on October 15, 2009, and replacing the bridge and follow-up work will last through the spring of 2010. However, the vast majority of the work described below will have no noticeable impact on surrounding neighborhoods.
The dates offered here are approximate and subject to change due to typical construction contingencies, including weather.
Listed below are the key stakeholders in the project.
Project Safety Plan
The contractor has prepared and submitted a thorough site specific project specific safety plan. In this plan the he addresses concerns about emergency communications and utility coordination, including work safety around a petroleum pipeline. Additionally, CSXT and the Contactor have coordinated with Alexandria Fire Department regarding emergency access and procedures. | <urn:uuid:ed8224f5-27cf-4961-92a0-8e4e8a2bd4b5> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.alexandriava.gov/RailroadBridge | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368698207393/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516095647-00018-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.935456 | 586 | 1.773438 | 2 |
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Letters Week of Aug. 30, 2012
It's a Wonderful Tradition With Medical Benefits
Concerning your recent article on circumcision (City & Suburb: "Debate Over Circumcision Resonates Locally," Aug.9), medicine has allowed this ceremony to stand the test of time. Recently, the medical benefits of circumcision have been gaining attention, as was noted in the article.
As a pediatrician/mohel, I am contacted often about the medical benefits and risks of circumcision. My answer is that the health benefits are many and outweigh the risks.
This is the position that the American Academy of Pediatrics has concluded in its recently released updated policy statement.
Medicine is driven by risk versus benefit, and one has to believe that God knew that removal of the foreskin of the penis was less of a risk than removing an eye or an ear to symbolize a man's entry in Judaism.
I fully respect a family's decision to circumcise their son -- or not. And gladly, I find more often than not, they decide to continue this wonderful tradition to circumcise for religious and medical reasons.
A High School by Any Other Name Would Be ...
I started to read your Aug. 23 cover story, "Girls High Has a Place of Its Own," with anticipation until I realized that it was not about what most Philadelphians call "Girls High."
The Philadelphia High School for Girls is an institution that is starting its 166th year, and has been known as Girls' High for more than a century. It has coexisted with many other high schools for girls in this area, but it's the only one tagged with this name.
New Charter School Had a Slight Error in Its Sign
I read the Jewish Exponent weekly on the Internet. I found the article on the new Solomon Charter School (Cover story: "This Charter Will Also Be Cyber," Aug. 23) interesting and was impressed by the sign.
That is, till I read it. The Hebrew is incorrect. Instead of an "s" as the first letter of the third word referring to Solomon, the Hebrew equivalent to the letter "m" appears.
The error is unfortunate as the correct letter "s" appears as the initial letter of the preceding word "sefer." Hopefully, this error will be corrected quickly.
Rabbi Shalom Bronstein
Israelis Do Need Help Understanding Diaspora
A recent article by Knesset member Faina Kirshenbaum (Editorial & Opinions: "Israeli Lawmakers Need to Understand Diaspora Life," Aug. 16) included her explanation of why she feels the Jews in the Diaspora are so important to Israel. She didn't, however, reflect on the fact that without the Diaspora there would probably be no Jews at all.
She speaks of assimilation in the United States and comments on hostility she experienced in Boston. She doesn't explain it, but I suspect she encountered Jewish citizens whose sympathies lie with Israel but whose allegiance is to the United States, an attitude with which I heartily agree.
She also makes an unfounded assumption that assimilated Jews will intermarry in large numbers and their children will not be Jewish. In my experience, admittedly small, many interfaith couples bring up their children in the Jewish tradition, which provides a net gain.
I realize many Jewish Americans view Israel as our 51st state and I certainly hope American Jews support Israel as best they can; but any place you need a passport to enter is still a foreign country.
Ralph D. Bloch | <urn:uuid:a676a99c-3da3-4605-801e-e729ed72f6c3> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.jewishexponent.com/letters-editor-week-8302012 | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368697974692/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516095254-00004-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.969496 | 740 | 1.84375 | 2 |
By EVAN RAMSTAD
SEOUL—South Korea recovered quickly from the global economic downturn, boosted by a cheap currency that helped exports. But the country is now experiencing a slump in real estate that economists say will hamper growth.
In contrast to soaring property values elsewhere in Asia, residential real-estate prices are down 10% in the greater Seoul area and 20% or more in other regions of the country. At the same time, demand for homes is down and some high-profile commercial projects are sputtering after project financing dried up as banks cleaned up their balance sheets in the wake of the 2008 downturn.
The problems follow personal and corporate deleveraging throughout South Korea. Household debt is especially high—at about 140% of disposable income—and chiefly responsible for sagging demand for homes. Corporations and government have also overbuilt in recent years and are reining themselves in.
"It's the Korean way of normalizing the leverage situation," says Goohoon Kwon, a Goldman Sachs economist in Seoul.
He and other economists forecast that South Korean consumption is likely to be constrained as a result, a development that will slow the country's overall growth, especially as export gains begin to moderate in the coming months. South Korea's economy is expected to grow about 6% this year, but most economists forecast 2011 growth to amount to about 4%.
Among the biggest drags on the market is the government. The national land agency has canceled dozens of projects to cope with its fast-rising debt.
The government is considering a bailout even as it adds one staggering new project: a $20 billion new city, Sejong, in a central province where half of the government's ministries will move by the middle of the decade.
The difficulties prompted numerous economists in recent months to ask whether the country is at risk of following its neighbor Japan into prolonged real estate trouble. So far, the answer has been no.
Mr. Kwon says he doesn't expect a Japanese-style collapse. But "we don't expect a sustained housing market rally going forward."
Last week, Moody's Investors Service joined the chorus with a report on how the growing cracks in the housing market would affect banks. It said South Korean banks wouldn't suffer the same fate as Japanese banks have, but the construction industry will run into trouble.
The country's major construction firms for the past three years have reshaped themselves to focus on opportunities outside the country as domestic demand has faltered. This year, some analysts estimate that South Korea's construction sector, led by firms such as Hyundai Development Corp., will get almost half of its revenue overseas.
Large-scale construction projects have slowed due to financing troubles, regulatory holdups, or aversion to risk, developers say. The local building industry hiccuped two weeks ago when Samsung C&T Corp., the construction unit of South Korea's largest business group that also includes globally known Samsung Electronics Co., backed out of a landmark $26 billion development in central Seoul called "Dream Hub."
The project is to include a Daniel Libeskind-designed 150-story skyscraper and more than a dozen other office and apartment high-rises. Korea Railroad Corp., owner of the half-million square meters of land targeted for the development, this week announced that it is looking for a new construction partner.
To help prop up demand for the ailing residential market, the government last week announced for the second time this year that it would buy unsold new apartments. That move came just a week after regulators suspended for six months the debt-to-income restrictions that banks must apply to mortgage borrowers.
Neither move sparked a quick surge in purchases, brokers say. Some analysts believe that, in addition to high household debts, changes in demographics are beginning to constrain demand—and may be influential for years to come.
"In the long term, the size of the Korean house-buying generation, people between 30 to 49 years old, is decreasing and they are more bearish than previous generations," says Steve Chung, property market analyst at CLSA in Seoul.
Meanwhile, Korea Land & Housing, the state-run funder of home and government construction known simply as LH here, faces a growing backlash after canceling dozens of projects due to mounting debt last month.
LH's debt stood at 118 trillion won ($101 billion) on June 30, up from 108 trillion won at the end of 2009. Its more than 400 existing and planned projects would cost 420 trillion won to complete. The government is considering a taxpayer-funded bailout.
In the Seoul suburb of Paju, residents are furious after LH said it is reconsidering plans to redevelop a district that it set aside for a makeover in 2006. Since then, residents in the district haven't been able to sell property or engage in any new construction themselves. Many took out loans to buy land or houses outside the district in the belief LH would buy their existing property, giving them money to pay off their loans.—Jaeyeon Woo
contributed to this article. | <urn:uuid:83e44f7d-d4de-4c13-85e3-3f6c822e0540> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052748704285104575491683356196478.html?mod=googlenews_wsj | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368702448584/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516110728-00022-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.960829 | 1,029 | 1.585938 | 2 |
How would you like to go on a Mediterranean cruise? A week in Vegas? Or maybe enjoy rounds of golf wrapped up with luxurious...
MBA Programs in Real Estate
Whether you just want to focus on locally based real estate issues or start a global real estate and development enterprise one step in the right direction can be getting your MBA in real estate. It can be a great career booster for those already working in the real estate field and an illuminating experience for those looking to make the switch. In other words, if you’re already a member of the National Association of Realtors and you’re already listed in the official real estate agents directory, this might be a way to separate yourself from the pack. Youíll learn the skills you’ll need to work with the changes currently happening in the real estate market as well as being prepared to work with any future changes that might occur.
With a majority of programs taking 18-24 months to complete, finishing an MBA is no small feat. New programs that offer weekend classes and accelerated study can help those who want to work while attaining their degrees to do so more easily, however. Students should be prepared to take a range of general business courses that will help them emerge well rounded from the program, even with a concentration in real estate. Specialized coursework can include topics like real estate law, development and finance, estate economics, urban fiscal policy, policy and private development, international real estate markets and the aesthetic considerations of architecture. The combination of these general courses with more specific ones should produce graduates who are able to work skillfully on issues related to development, finance, investment, valuation, law and the regulatory environment and urban land economics.
While the real estate market has unstable in some places, in others itís still flourishing, with low prices for land and buildings driving a healthy investment market. Those looking to work in real estate will find that there are still many opportunities out there for success upon graduation. Possible career paths can include upper level management at large real estate firms, starting your own real estate investment business, and a variety of specialty positions within the real estate market. Salaries for this kind of work can vary widely, and are often based partially on the overall success of the company involved. For that reason, it’s tough to create an estimate as some people will be pulling in salaries that are six figures and above, while others will make more modest amounts working in a different and possibly less risky market. | <urn:uuid:63e655e4-29c6-4be8-ab9c-0bcd8e9eef34> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.bschool.com/mba-programs/mba-in-real-estate/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368699273641/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516101433-00030-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.959705 | 505 | 1.523438 | 2 |
The House just approved a $15 billion jobs bill that was already passed by the Senate. Will it help the economy? The NYT told readers that Representative Bob Etheridge, "estimated that the measure could create one million jobs." It then quoted Republican Representative Steven LaTourette saying that: "This is a no-jobs bill, this is a faux-jobs bill, this is a snow-jobs bill."
Later we are told that: "But lawmakers said that given the dismal unemployment picture, they were willing to give it a try, and estimated the tax breaks would put 300,000 people to work." It's not clear where this 300,000 jobs number came from or which lawmakers it is associated with. | <urn:uuid:5467a14b-c28f-4603-aa86-7a906f03b02f> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://prospect.org/blog/beat-press?page=6&month=11&year=2009&base_name=in_just_a_decade_the_us_intere | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368700958435/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516104238-00000-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.97766 | 146 | 1.601563 | 2 |
Osiris Stops Patient Enrollment in Late-Stage Crohn’s Study due to Trial Design Error
Subjectivity of determining response could have led to bias.
Osiris Therapeutics has decided to end the enrollment of more patients in its Phase III trial with Prochymal in Crohn’s disease. It believes that there is a design flaw in the trial resulting in significantly higher than expected placebo response rates.
The decision was made after the trial’s final scheduled interim analysis showed that one of the two Prochymal dose arms had crossed a futility boundary. The dose arm was unlikely to achieve the primary endpoint of remission because of the high placebo response rate. This latest analysis continued to show no serious safety concerns with the therapy and safety was not a factor in the decision to stop enrollment.
The Prochymal Crohn’s program consists of two separate but related double-blinded trials. The first trial evaluates patients’ initial response to two dose levels of Prochymal as compared to placebo. The trial was originally designed to enroll 270 subjects but has now stopped at 210.
The potential trial design flaw may be related to the fact that patients responding to the initial therapy were eligible to participate in a second, longer-term trial evaluating Prochymal as a maintenance therapy. Because the current standard for determining response of Crohn’s patients to therapy is largely subjective, there may have been response bias to meet the eligibility requirements for continuation of therapy in the longer-term maintenance trial, the company explains.
“We will keep the trial blinded and expect a solid data package for use in designing future trials in Crohn’s disease and to bolster Prochymal’s safety database,” says C. Randal Mills, Ph.D. president and CEO of Osiris Therapeutics. | <urn:uuid:745ef7fc-72bb-4f1b-9ee0-7d1f908cb06c> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.genengnews.com/keywordsandtools/print/4/7838/ | 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 | 0.950511 | 382 | 1.640625 | 2 |
ISTANBUL (AP) - Officials say the death toll in the sinking of a boat carrying illegal immigrants off the coast of Turkey has risen to 39 and is expected to increase further.
TRT television earlier quoted Tahsin Kurtbeyoglu, a local administrator, as saying 20 bodies were recovered from the fishing boat carrying about 100 people, but officials later raised the toll.
Dozens of survivors, mostly from Iraq and Syria, were able to swim through the Aegean waters to shore, only 50 meters (160 feet) away.
The survivors say people had been trapped below the deck of the submerged vessel and many on board were women and children. The group had previously made their way to hotels in the city of Izmir, where smugglers agreed to take them to Britain.
TRT report that authorities arrested two Turkish suspects in the smuggling operation.
Copyright 2013 Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. | <urn:uuid:8c749d85-7d9e-4110-bd32-1b89c7de9142> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.kolotv.com/news/internationalnews/headlines/Turkey-Death-Toll-in-Refugee-Boat-Sinking-hits-39-168744806.html | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368706153698/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516120913-00033-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.981055 | 198 | 1.5625 | 2 |
DHCP & Router
A friend of mine purchased a new router to replace an old router & wireless access point. The new router is replacing two pieces of equipment, and will hopefully provide a better signal that the tiny AP they have now.
She hooked everything up, and it didn't work. I took a look at it, the setup was fine. The computers on the LAN talked to the router, the computers on the wireless LAN talk to the router, but nothing has internet. The router shows a light on its internet symbol, indicating the link is ok, but accessing the routers configuration page shows that it can't aquire an IP address.
Moving the ethernet cable connecting router & WAN from the new router to the old one, reassociating with the appropriate wireless AP, and I have internet. Move the cable, reass., only LAN.
I connected my laptop directly to the WAN, and attempted DHCP. This failed -- no response after the DHCP Discover. I started a wireshark capture, this shows exactly that. However, I see ARP requests and other DHCP traffic (so the link is connected) but my own DHCP discovers go unanswered.
I tried changing my cards MAC address to that of the old router, and repeating the DHCP request -- no luck.
Any ideas? Best I could come up with is that the old router is holding a lease, and isn't reaquiring it when the link comes back (is this proper?), but would fail if the lease expired.
Just a shot in the dark (I'm no network expert) but are you sure that the computers are configured to detect the IP address automatically? It's possible that your friend set up the old router with a static address. | <urn:uuid:17a4e627-59ba-4d76-8be8-146450e3398c> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://cboard.cprogramming.com/tech-board/117952-dhcp-router-printable-thread.html | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368699881956/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516102441-00035-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.955363 | 353 | 1.53125 | 2 |
Lawn & Garden
Growing tomatoes [infographic]
Did you know the average row of tomato plants yields about 60 pounds of harvest? Or that there are over 7,500 varieties of tomatoes? These facts and tons more are just a few reasons why 93 percent of gardening households in America grow their own tomatoes. Avant Garden Decor , home of Gardener’s Blue Ribbon tomato gardening products, explores tomato gardening in this infographic. Learn why growing your own tomatoes can benefit your health, your wallet and the Earth. To get expert advi...
Enhance your outdoor space with an outdoor fireplace
(BPT) - Winter lingered far too long this year. It was cold, it was blustery, and many of us were left wondering if it would ever end. Now summer is here - and it’s time to get outdoors. Instead of being forced to labor through the same old spring chores, use this abbreviated spring as an excuse to stay outside. Fire u...
Make warm-weather chores a breeze with these tips
(BPT) - Warm weather brings everyone outdoors - grilling on the deck, playing on the lawn and savoring beautiful gardens. To create these beautiful outdoor spaces, the experts at Lowe’s offer four easy, affordable projects you can do yourself. Follow these tips to make sure your outdoor spaces are in tip-top shape by su...
Simple ways to save water, money and your landscaping this summer
(BPT) - With many states facing drought this summer , homeowners across the country will be looking for ways to save their landscaping while conserving water at the same time. Even if you’re not in a drought-affected area, it pays to keep conservation in mind when it comes to watering outdoors. Using less water is good...
Summer garden glory without the weeding and watering
(BPT) - Summer can be tough on gardens. In what should be their glory days, many gardens suffer from neglect. Long weekends and summer vacations leave yards untended, while summer heat is an excuse for putting off chores. But it doesn’t have to be that way. It’s possible to have both a glorious well-maintained garden ...
How to turn your backyard into the best vacation destination
(BPT) - It’s a widely known “secret” that family vacations aren’t always what they’re cracked up to be. Traveling can be a costly hassle with too many negatives that overshadow the fun. That's why a growing number of Americans are rediscovering the fun that can be had at home, and taking steps to make their backyards as...
Serve up an ideal space for summer outdoor entertaining
(BPT) - The arrival of milder temperatures means dining al fresco, hosting neighborhood cookouts and enjoying intimate cocktail parties under the stars. When creating a backyard oasis to entertain family and friends this summer, it’s important that it be both inviting and able to withstand the wear and tear that goes ha...
Easy tips for a manicured lawn
(BPT) - The days are getting longer, the grass is growing and yard work season has begun. Many homeowners strive to have the best lawn in the neighborhood, but the task ahead can often feel daunting and time-consuming. Although yard work can be overwhelming at times, the steps to a great-looking lawn are easier than yo...
Quenching your yard thirst [Infographic]
As water bills rise and the hours spent on lawn care seem to multiply, outdoor watering can easily become a homeowner’s most daunting chore. Often times, the need to keep your lawn looking healthy and green feels more like wasted time, energy and money – especially as temperatures increase, which is commonly seen as an indicator to water more. However, watering doesn’t have to "drain" precious resources. Water-efficient lawns and landscapes, for example, allow homeowners to efficiently uti...
Three must-have features to add to your backyard this summer
(BPT) - Is your backyard ready for bliss this summer? You probably look forward to spending as much time outdoors as possible during warmer months. But do you really have everything you need to ensure you can enjoy your outdoor living space from dawn to dusk – and beyond? Here are three must-have backyard features that...
Planting, growing and harvesting times [Infographic]
Home vegetable and fruit gardening participation has increased exponentially in the past decade. In 2011, U.S. households spent a total $29.1 billion on their lawns and gardens. A study conducted in 2008 projected that a family who gardens would get on average a 25-1 return on their investment. With benefits like better food, saving money and spending time outdoors, it is no wonder more Americans are getting involved in growing their own produce. This infographic , brought to you by Avant ...
Top tips for avoiding injury and strain while gardening
(BPT) - Fresh packets of seeds, the dirt between your fingers, and the smell of freshly churned earth – gardening season has officially begun. Whether you’re a seasoned green thumb or a newbie to home planting, gardening is a great activity that provides both physical and mental health benefits. Enthusiasm for gardenin...
Business Directory Video
May 24, 2010 | <urn:uuid:7ebfdf17-cced-473f-b92d-acfde33a6654> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.mdjonline.com/pages/ara/push?class=next_page&per_page=12&x_page=2&rel=next&instance=Lawn | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368705953421/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516120553-00006-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.951606 | 1,101 | 1.648438 | 2 |
JACKSON, Miss. (AP) - Gov. Haley Barbour has expanded a state of emergency that was declared after severe weather caused water problems in the city of Jackson.
The declaration now includes Carroll, Claiborne, Hinds, Lauderdale, Panola, Quitman, Tippah, Tunica, Warren and Wayne counties. A release from Barbour's office said Friday recent below-freezing temperatures had caused substantial damage to water and road systems.
The state of emergency was initially issued on Jan. 11 for Jackson. The city has been without water pressure for nearly a week.
(Copyright 2010 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.) | <urn:uuid:430e082b-fa7d-452c-954d-46c42faccb7e> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.msnewsnow.com/story/11831193/barbour-expands-emergency-call-to-several-counties | 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 | 0.955522 | 135 | 1.703125 | 2 |
I’m toying with the idea that what we call humanity is in fact a number of different species that share the same type of body. In many ways I find it makes more sense to think like this. We do not all share a common humanity. What we think of as human - the ability to reflect on and to know ourselves, to understand others disinterestedly and to empathise/sympathise – is by no means a universal or even necessarily latent characteristic of people.
With some people, you feel they do have this ability, but it is latent, or got messed up somewhere along the way, and you want to help them get there. With others, you can feel no, they are happy in their own way being e.g. materialistic, that is what they believe in, the world makes sense to them in those terms, they are not particularly messed up, they just are what they are. They are a different species, and it wouldn’t be fair to judge them negatively for being what they are. It’s like dwarves and elves and orcs. Personally, I find this can help me understand some people better if I'm not having to assume they are in some fundamental sense like me. No, we really are different species, like me and horses. And there's nothing wrong with being a horse.
In Buddhism you find the concept of the 6 realms of existence, which are inhabited by different types of being. These realms both exist objectively on other planes to our own, as well as describing the psychological realm to which different species of people belong. What characterises the truly human being is the ability to experience and understand all of the realms and not to be over-identified with any of them.
So you get gods, people say with loads of trines in their charts, who are talented and beautiful, life goes easily for them, but there is little discomfort, at least not enough to get them to reflect on themselves, to see that happiness and ease is not a given. So that when things do go wrong for these people, they really do suffer, because they are not used to it.
And you get jealous gods, those who want to seize from outside of themselves what they think will make them happy, and are ruthlessly competitive and self-centred in the process.The worlds of business and politics are full of this species. A Mars-Neptune square might describe this type – driven and competitive (Mars), but deluded (Neptune) into thinking that happiness lies purely outside of themselves. The USA, the most successfully competitive country of all, has a Mars-Neptune square, as well as a Sun-Saturn square, which has a similar kind of message.
Then there is the animal realm, characterised by the satisfaction of natural desires such as food, sex and sleep. Satisfying these desires can be very pleasurable, and there is nothing wrong with that, and some species of people are happy to live like this.
The hungry ghost realm is the passive reflex of the jealous god realm. Like the jealous gods, these people feel empty inside, but they are Pisces about it: they try to satisfy themselves by sucking energy and attention from other people, or from drugs and alcohol. It is a sad realm.
Then there is the equally sad realm of the hell beings, the opposite of the god realm. Instead of the unalloyed bliss of the gods, they experience unalloyed suffering and madness and despair. It is like a chart full of squares and oppositions and no easy aspects.
What all these realms have in common is that the beings in them are completely identified with their psychological states and they do not see that existence contains other possibilities. Human consciousness is present when, though you may have a tendency towards a particular realm, you see it is not the be-all-and-end-all, that you can change realms. I don’t think you can predict this from a chart, because self-awareness is an act of volition that is always possible (albeit very hard if the suffering or pleasure is very intense). The chart does not tell us the choices people are going to make. But perhaps we could say that a chart with a good balance of hard and soft aspects gives us a breadth of experience that lays a good foundation for reflective awareness.
So these 6 realms are one particular system, quite a good one in many ways. But it is a system and therefore needs to be treated lightly and provisionally, or it will get in the way of direct experience.
I’ve written quite a lot in the past about Tony Blair and Gordon Brown, but I’m going to drag them out again to illustrate the distinction between human and non-human, to put it rather bluntly. ‘Non-human’ carries a weight of judgement that I don’t intend, it’s just descriptive.
Gordon Brown is well-known for his jealous god tendency, his lust for power that dogged Blair’s premiership, and that has no awareness in it, no consideration on his part as to whether he is suitable for the job (which in many ways he isn’t). But Gordon Brown is not just this. He also has a genuine passion for helping those in need. So he is a human being, at least sometimes, but one with a big power thing to sort out.
Tony Blair seems to me to be more seamless, I feel he belongs to a different species to me. He believes completely in who and what he is, which I think is one sign of an absence of self-awareness. Though he may agonise about whether or not God wants him to do certain things, I don’t think this reflects a genuine awareness of his real motives. I feel much more inclined than with Brown to put his desire to change the world down to personal ambition. If I were to use the Buddhist classification, I’d probably stick him in the jealous god realm.
It’s amazing, given the number of different species that occupy the human body, that we manage to muddle along collectively to the extent that we do. An alien invasion, that would unify us!
In the Buddhist 6 Realms system, the destiny of all consciousness is eventually to become human and then Enlightened. That is where I part company. Enlightenment to me easily becomes an abstraction that takes you away from the integrity and even perfection of your current experience. And as for the destiny of consciousness – that’s a big one! Consciousness is so vast and mysterious and multiform that it seems presumptuous to me to say that it is all going in a similar, albeit uniquely individual, direction. And this also presumes that it is going anywhere, or needs to go anywhere, in the first place! | <urn:uuid:bb9f3c48-8930-42e6-a1a6-a0881cb92e5b> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://astrotabletalk.blogspot.com/2008/05/different-species-of-human.html | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368697974692/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516095254-00018-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.974704 | 1,405 | 1.601563 | 2 |
Jorge Mario Bergoglio of Argentina was elected in a surprise choice to be the new leader of the troubled Roman Catholic Church on Wednesday, the first non-European pontiff in nearly 1,300 years, and said he would take the name Francis I.
Pope Francis, 76, appeared on the central balcony of St. Peter's Basilica just over an hour after white smoke poured from a chimney on the roof of the Sistine Chapel to signal he had been chosen to lead the world's 1.2 billion Roman Catholics.
"Pray for me," the new pontiff, dressed in the white robes of a pope for the first time, urged the crowd.
The choice of Bergoglio, who becomes the first Latin American pope, was announced by French cardinal Jean-Louis Tauran with the Latin words "Annuntio vobis gaudium magnum. Habemus Papam" ("I announce to you a great joy. We have a pope.")
Francis becomes the 266th pontiff in the Church's 2,000-year history at a time of great crisis, with the church under fire over a child sex abuse scandal. Although a conservative, he is seen as a reformer and was not among the small group of frontrunners identified before the election.
He has spoken out strongly against gay marriage, denouncing it in 2010 as "an attempt to destroy God's plan."
Replacing Pope Benedict, who resigned last month, he also overturned one of the main assumptions before the election, that the new pope would be relatively young.
Bergoglio is the oldest of most of the possible candidates and was barely mentioned in feverish speculation about the top contenders before the conclave.
Francis is the first non-European pope since Syrian born Gregory III in the eighth century, and the third successive non-Italian pontiff.
Thousands of people sheltering from heavy rain under a sea of umbrellas had occupied the square all day to await the decision and the crowd swelled as soon as the white smoke emerged.
They cheered wildly and raced towards the basilica as the smoke billowed from a narrow makeshift chimney and St Peter's bells rang.
The excited crowd cheered even more loudly when Francis appeared, the first pontiff to take that name. "Viva il Papa (pope)," they chanted.
Frontrunners at the conclave had included Brazilian Odilo Scherer and Italy's Angelo Scola, who would have returned the papacy to traditional Italian hands after 35 years of the German Benedict XVI and Polish John Paul II.
In brief remarks from St. Peter's balcony, Francis said it seemed the cardinal electors "went to the end of the world" to find him. He said the world should follow a path of love and fraternity and called for the crowd to pray for him.
Bergoglio is the first Jesuit to become pope.
The decision by 115 cardinal electors sequestered in a secret conclave in the Sistine Chapel came sooner than many experts expected because there were several frontrunners before the vote to replace Pope Benedict.
The cardinals faced a thorny task in finding a leader capable of overcoming crises caused by priestly child abuse and a leak of secret papal documents that uncovered corruption and rivalry inside the Church government or Curia.
Francis will head a Church also shaken by rivalry from other churches, the advance of secularism, especially in its European heartland, and allegations of scandal at the Vatican bank.
The series of crises is thought to have contributed to Benedict's decision to become the first pontiff in 600 years to abdicate.
Reserved and Humble
Bergoglio was a moderate rival candidate at the 2005 conclave to the conservative Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger, who went on to become Benedict.
Italian media say he impressed cardinals in pre-conclave meetings where they discussed the Church's problems.
Reserved and humble, Francis does not fit the profile of an active preacher that many cardinals had previously said they were seeking. He studied chemistry before joining the priesthood.
"I wasn't expecting it, but I'm absolutely delighted. It's a very unique moment. There is a great sense of unity here. It's great they have come to a decision about who will lead the Church," said John Mcginley, a Scottish priest from Glasgow who traveled to see the conclave.
"He's very humble, I heard that in Buenos Aires he used to take public transport, have an apartment and cook for himself. The fact that he chose the name Francis means a lot. It means we will have a humble, simple pope close to the poor people. But it was a big surprise," said Jules Charette, 54, a Canadian lawyer who traveled to Rome for the conclave.
Bands from the Italian armed forces and the Vatican's own Swiss guard army paraded in front of the basilica before the new pope appeared.
The secret conclave began on Tuesday night with a first ballot and four ballots were held on Wednesday. Francis obtained the required two thirds majority in the fifth ballot.
Following a split ballot when they were first shut away amid the chapel's Renaissance splendor on Tuesday evening, the cardinal electors held a first full day of deliberations on Wednesday. Black smoke rose after the morning session to signal no decision.
The previous four popes were all elected within two or three days.
Seven ballots have been required on average over the last nine conclaves. Benedict was clear frontrunner in 2005 and elected after only four ballots.
In preparatory meetings before the conclave, the cardinals seemed divided between those who believe the new pontiff must be a strong manager to get the dysfunctional bureaucracy under control and others who are looking more for a proven pastoral figure to revitalize their faith across the globe.
Apart from Brazil's Scherer and Italy's Scola, a host of other candidates from numerous nations had also been mentioned as potential popes - including U.S. cardinals Timothy Dolan and Sean O'Malley, Canada's Marc Ouellet and Argentina's Leonardo Sandri.
But the frontrunners list never mentioned Bergoglio.
Additional reporting by Naomi O'Leary, Catherine Hornby, Crispian Balmer and Tom Heneghan and Georgina Prodhan in Vienna; Writing by Barry Moody; Editing by Keith Weir, Alastair Macdonald and Giles Elgood
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Mildred Miller was just notified that her unemployment benefits will be cut off two weeks before Christmas. She can't think about it without breaking down.
"I don't know what I'm going to do; I really don't know," Miller said Monday, her eyes welling with tears as she scanned job listings at Baltimore County's work force development center in Essex. "I don't want to get evicted. If we get on the street, I don't know where we'll be."
The Middle River resident, a single mother with a 6-year-old son, is one of thousands in Maryland and about 2 million nationwide whose payments will be phased out in December if the federally funded emergency unemployment compensation program expires Tuesday as planned. She hopes her long job search finally bears some fruit — or that Congress steps in.
The prospect of losing benefits left many unemployed residents fearful about the future, as some officials at workforce development centers in the state say they've seen rising anxiety among job seekers. The looming cutoff also sparked a protest in Baltimore Monday night.
"There's a lot of reasons we're out here, but most of all, it's a feeling of frustration and anger," said Sharon Black, coordinator of the Job Is a Right Campaign, which organized the protest outside a state unemployment office. The new Baltimore group aims to be a union of the unemployed.
Congress has extended the emergency benefits before. But the measure has become increasingly controversial as Republicans — and some Democrats — argue that something must be done about the ballooning deficit.
Supporters of the program say it's a critical safety net at a time when five unemployed people are competing for every job opening. U.S. Rep. Elijah E. Cummings, a Baltimore Democrat, thinks an extension has a "fairly decent chance" of passing — possibly this week. But any extension could end up being short-lived, he said.
"We've been spending a phenomenal amount of time arguing over whether rich people should continue to get tax cuts, and we're talking about some 2 million people — unemployed people — who won't even have a check to have the taxes cut on," Cummings said Monday.
The emergency payments extended benefits from the usual 26 weeks to 73 in Maryland and 99 in the hardest-hit states. As the program phases out, those who haven't already started collecting the emergency benefits won't get to start. Many who are now receiving the payments will no longer get them after a total of either 46 or 60 weeks, depending on when they were laid off.
Alpha Koroma, who lives in Fulton in Howard County, counts himself fortunate — in a manner of speaking. If he were hitting 60 weeks now, he'd be cut off. Instead, his 60-week mark came mid-month, which means under program rules that he can collect through early next year if he can't find employment before then.
Koroma, 48, is an accountant whose job at a federal contractor was cut. Never in his wildest nightmares, he said, did he think he would still be searching for a replacement nearly 14 months later. Employers with open positions seem overwhelmed by the number of choices they have, he said.
"I am in here every day, looking for a job," said Koroma, sitting at a computer at the government-run Columbia Workforce Center. "I look for a job eight hours a day, every day."
In a room down the hall, about 20 men and women who were more recently laid off gathered for an "early intervention" session that aimed to connect them with resources such as interview coaching.
"In this economy today, we all need help," said the workshop's leader, Jose Torres-Reyes.
His audience was white-collar and blue-collar. They had been administrative assistants. Mechanics. An assisted-living facility manager. A language analyst. A computer programmer.
"A lot of talent," Torres-Reyes said to the crowd. "Are these people you would expect to be unemployed? What does that tell you?"
"Nobody is safe," one of his workshop participants replied.
Miller, 42, said she was shocked in October 2009 when she lost her job at Walmart in Dundalk. She got her hopes up last month when she was called in for an interview at a Kohl's store but soon received a rejection letter. She was told that more than 200 people had applied for 10 openings.
She has applied to numerous retail and warehouse jobs but says she is limited by her dependence on public transportation — she hasn't been able to raise the $850 needed to repair her 1993 Camry. She's hoping she can arrange child care that would give her more flexibility on hours. She's thinking of trying for overnight shifts, leaving her six-year-old son with a friend at night.
Her unemployment checks have kept a roof over their heads, she said. But that's about all the money can cover. She said she has relied on food stamps for meals.
"I don't go shopping anymore," Miller said. "I don't have money to shop."
Emergency benefits phasing out
The emergency unemployment compensation program that gave laid-off workers payments beyond the normal 26 weeks is set to expire Tuesday. Those who haven't already begun collecting the extended benefits won't be able to start. Residents receiving the payments will see them phase out at the end of their "tier," cutting them off at either a total of 46 weeks or 60 weeks if they're not already in tier three, which ends at 73 weeks.
The National Employment Law Project estimates that about 14,000 Marylanders will see their benefits stop in December, with more scheduled for cut off in early 2011. | <urn:uuid:9c33f3b2-722c-423d-a7f9-98171e53195d> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://articles.baltimoresun.com/2010-11-29/business/bs-bz-unemployed-workers-20101129_1_emergency-benefits-emergency-unemployment-compensation-program-emergency-payments | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368702810651/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516111330-00012-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.98226 | 1,166 | 1.5 | 2 |
Racism against Travellers leads to violent attacks, verbal abuse and continued impoverishment. In 2011, hundreds of riot police evicted and destroyed the largest Irish Traveller site in the country, Dale Farm, leaving dozens homeless, including children. Over the past year, Romany people in Hungary, France and Italy have been attacked and killed by rightwing groups. Anti-Traveller racism is far from a laughing matter. That George Monbiot decided it was appropriate to devote an entire article to an anecdote about a Traveller man is unforgivable (The day my inner anarchist lost out to the bourgeois me, 26 December).
At length, Monbiot describes the Traveller man he meets as filthy, telling crude jokes, being interested only in animals, and as a thief. This caricatured sketch of a nameless representative of an ethnic group is as venomous as far-right propaganda against Muslim or Jewish communities. The apologia he offers the reader, by stating he has written about, and campaigned against, the harassment of Travellers, only serves to make this drivel appear more socially acceptable. The headline suggests that although his "inner anarchist" would like to be open-minded about Travellers, this is impossible due to the harsh facts of the "reality" he constructs through a generalisation of Travellers. One incident he recounts, in which a couple of men (who he describes as Travellers) are violent and dishonest, serves to criminalise an entire group of people.
By contrasting the man's experience of the police assault that landed him in A&E with his portrayal of him as a thief and violent thug, he delegitimises reports by Travellers of police violence, turning the victim into the accused.
Despite having reported on years of police attacks against environmental campaigners, Monbiot has failed to allow these confrontations with the law to open his eyes. Instead, the prejudice of the police and the injustice of the state are omitted from his account; forces which would otherwise be suspect are now affirmed for the sake of Monbiot's monologue.
The petty version of revenge Monbiot enacts by writing this article only exposes further the intense inequality of power between the liberal establishment and criminalised communities. The Guardian is also implicated in this, which shows it to be as blind, ignorant and malicious as the other British newspapers which continue to print the material that bolsters both vigilante and state attacks against Travellers. Journalists should understand the situation Traveller, Gypsy and Romany people face and the role the media could play in helping to put an end to this "acceptable" form of racism.
Traveller Solidarity Network | <urn:uuid:4982a76b-3d3e-4783-865c-d4051df52a33> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2013/jan/04/press-caricatures-attacks-travellers?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+theguardian%2Fmedia%2Frss+%28Media%29 | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368709037764/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516125717-00041-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.96641 | 542 | 1.8125 | 2 |
Sponsored by Qualistar Early Learning
Questions to ask each Child Care Provider you Interview
1. Is this program licensed by the state?
2. Do you have a Qualistar Rating?
3. Is this program accredited by a nationally recognized organization such as the National Association for the Education of Young Children?
4. What are the hours you are open? Are you flexible with those hours?
5. What days are you closed for holidays or staff training?
6. What is the age range of the children in your care?
7. How many children are in each classroom or in your home?
8. What is the provider to child ratio?
9. How long have you and the other providers been here?
10. Can I have a copy of your policies or parent handbook?
11. How will my child spend their day? Tell me about their typical schedule.
12. Tell me about your philosophy regarding caring for children.
13. Do you have a contract and policy statement that I need to sign?
14. What kinds of training has the staff had? Do you know First Aid and CPR?
15. May I have a list of current parent I can contact for feedback on your program?
16. What procedures do you have in place when a medical emergency occurs?
17. What kind of education do the providers have? What additional educational opportunities are the providers given?
18. What kind of daily communication can I expect from you?
19. Are there opportunities for me to participate or be involved in the program?
20. Do you go on field trips? Who drives? Do you have car seats?
21. How do you deal with behavior problems and discipline?
22. How do you involve children with special needs?
For more Find Child Care Tips, and a Find Child Care Information Packet, contact Qualistar Early Learning, a local non-profit organization helping parents find quality care for their children. / 303.339.6823 or firstname.lastname@example.org | <urn:uuid:03c5c11a-7688-43c6-8e82-c2f1d9613c0f> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.coloradokids.com/forum/viewtopic.php?p=23 | 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 | 0.946756 | 418 | 1.648438 | 2 |
The Minnesota Sharp-Tailed Grouse Society (MSGS) was founded in 1986 by
Roche Lally of Duluth.
MSGS is “dedicated to the management and restoration of sharptails in
Minnesota for hunters and non-hunters” and works hard towards that goal.
With around 300 members, it has provided funding to DNR for prescribed
burning equipment, printing of informational brochures, land acquisition, and
habitat management. MSGS builds and maintains observation blinds,
publishes a quarterly newsletter, and sponsors an annual habitat management
project. In the last three years, MSGS has received $236,120 in state Heritage
Enhancement Grant for contracted habitat work on WMA’s.
MSGS’s success hatched three other groups, The Wisconsin Sharp-tailed
Grouse Society, The Michigan Sharp-tailed Grouse Association, and Sharptails
Plus of Manitoba.
After 18 years at the helm of MSGS, Lally is still enthusiastic about sharptails,
and has watched his old hunting grounds in St. Louis County again have
|Male sharpie dancing.
Photo courtesy of Mike Paulbeck.
|Male sharptail strutting.
When the Minnesota Sharp-tailed Grouse Society (MSGS) was founded in
1986, its goal was to keep the sharptail from going extinct in Minnesota. MSGS
hoped that through education of both the public and resource managers,
renewed interest in the sharptail and its habitat would generate additional
funding from the Minnesota Department of Natural Resources (DNR) for habitat
work on public and private lands. Fairly soon, MSGS had a membership base
of about 300 members and a Board of Directors. MSGS adopted bylaws and
became incorporated, and was approved by the IRS as a 501-C tax-exempt
MSGS soon had various fund raisers. There were annual raffles for a shotgun
and other prizes, and other types of fund raisers. While there was never a
bulging treasury, MSGS was able to get a lot done for a small organization.
Following is a summary of some accomplishments.
That’s just a partial list of what MSGS has accomplished in its short life. But
without a doubt, MSGS’s greatest feat has been the public education of
sharptails and their habitat, for the benefit of hunters and non-hunters alike.
That goal will persist as foremost as long as MSGS is around.
For a more complete listing of what MSGS has done, please request a list from
|Copyright 2008-2013 Minnesota Sharp-Tailed Grouse Society.
|Pre-burn sharptail habitat.
|Post-burn sharptail habitat.
| MSGS Board Directory
|Sharptail in the snow.
Photo courtesy of Terry Crayne | <urn:uuid:467362fd-bb93-4c56-865c-7da3d647c3c8> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.sharptails.org/aboutus.html | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368711005985/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516133005-00018-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.950271 | 607 | 1.796875 | 2 |
New Delhi: The US treasury bonds with face value of USD 5 billion found in possession of a Tamil Nadu-based trader were fake but the government would inquire about his frequent visits to Myanmar, a Finance Ministry official said on Saturday.
"The US treasury bonds (of face value of USD 5 billion) recovered from the trader have been found to be fake. However, we are trying to find why was he frequently visiting Myanmar," the official said.
Barclays Bank, according to reports, had earlier informed the I-T officials that the Treasury Bills seized from the Tamil Nadu trader T M Ramalingam were fake.
On December 31, 2012, I-T department raided his residence at Dharapuram in Tirupur district and seized the Treasury Bills. Following the raid, the tax officials grilled Ramalingam who is a groundnut merchant by profession.
Under the current foreign investment rules, individuals are allowed to invest up to USD 2,00,000 outside the country. On repatriation, any such investment in movable assets abroad has to be converted into rupees. | <urn:uuid:d4783227-b2d4-4577-91c2-1a8e71706b75> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://zeenews.india.com/business/print.aspx?nid=67973 | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368698207393/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516095647-00020-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.979167 | 222 | 1.632813 | 2 |
Tarot author/teacher James Ricklef recently came out with a print companion book to his self-published deck “Tarot of the Masters”. Entitled “Uncovering the Tarot of the Masters”, it assists in a deeper understanding of the cards, and the manner in which this deck might be used.
The deck itself is a collage inspired by classic paintings of the old masters (such as El Greco, Rubens and Toulouse-Lautrec. The book presents each card with a black and white scan, the artistic references, and a discussion of the images and meanings. The Major Arcana presentation includes quotes that suggest new interpretations for each card, and astrological associations.
There are two appendices – one for artistic references, and one that gives general references and a bibliography.
Book and deck are available through James Ricklef directly at www.jamesricklef.com.
© July 2009 | <urn:uuid:525660a9-903f-471d-8e6a-364240938c99> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://bonniecehovet.wordpress.com/2009/07/12/uncovering-the-tarot-of-hte-masters/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368699881956/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516102441-00007-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.935791 | 201 | 1.65625 | 2 |
BETA is now the state of the world, or at least, of the Web. Some folks rail against long term public 'Betas,' making shrill statements that 'if I shipped an incomplete product and let my customers find my bugs I'd be shut down blah blah blah...' talk to the hand...
The truth is that we are all shipping Beta's, in all fields. Some folks just know that their work is incomplete and imperfect. Heck, our government is in year 229 of a perpetual Beta (sorry for the Amero-centrism, but this is geocoder.us :-).
Programming is easy, and programming is hard. One of the hard things for a lot of us is the fear of messing something up. I can write code in a day that probably works fine. But is it 'right?' Complete, bug free, usable?
Are you crazy? How can I even start to answer that question? There is a pretty good chance that the code I write is solid, and useful, but I can't have full confidence in it until, well, until I have full confidence.
How do I get this confidence? Time and testing... Tests provide a great deal of confidence in the quality of the code. But I'm a programmer, which is x parts engineering, and then a bunch of parts of irrational voodoo. Tests only capture the confidence that the rational side of my brain has in the code. There is always this overhanging sense of dread, of what the heck did I miss?
Which brings up the permanent, or at least long term, Beta. If you asked me to write code for production there is a good chance that I'd have the code written in a few days. But it would then take some ungodly amount of time before I was actually 'confident' that the code was ready. Most of that time would be utterly wasted. Sure, I'd write tests (at least a few) and I'd try the code, a bit, but most of that time would involve the code 'becomming ripe,' which is another way of saying that it is a matter of psychological pain. It takes time for the pain of the project being incomplete and of deadlines passing to overcome the pain that comes from the uncertainty of releasing code into the wild.
What is the answer? If you ask me if I can 'mock up' or 'prototype' or 'get a beta up' I can spend the same couple of days writing code, and then another couple of days catching up on what accumulated while I was writing that code, and then I can release the Beta.
Code does not age like wine. Winemakers can lay down a wine, and not worry (at least, until they test it). It is likely improving while they wait. Code just sits there while the programmer frets. No pain, no, uh, pain. Faster release cycles, but chances of user involvement, faster iteration times, and there you go.
The permanent Beta is your friend, use it. | <urn:uuid:852110b3-68b3-4235-8aff-b1cc70dfb50c> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://geocoder.us/help/beta.shtml | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368696382584/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516092622-00038-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.963925 | 626 | 1.648438 | 2 |
CNN will lose its most defining figure in February, as longtime anchorman Bernard Shaw leaves a job that has made his face recognizable across the world.
When he joined Ted Turner's nascent Cable News Network in 1980, Shaw provided a wellspring of network experience from his years at CBS and ABC. Since then, his influence has been evident in the evolution of CNN as an authoritative source of breaking news.
"He is the Rock of Gibraltar for CNN," said Judy Woodruff, Shaw's co-anchor on two CNN evening programs. "For all of the major news events of the last two decades, he was there."
The operation that once thrived on seat-of-its-pants ingenuity now relies more heavily on in-depth reports and has lured respected correspondents, such as Woodruff from PBS and Jeff Greenfield from ABC. But no one is as closely identified with CNN as Shaw, who is also considered the nation's most prominent African-American journalist.
"I think I've been viewed as a permanent fixture at CNN," Shaw, 60, said in a conference call with reporters. "Many of our viewers had the same impression."
His retirement comes as CNN is struggling a bit to find its feet. The network recently sacked Rick Kaplan, a key news executive, and overhauled "Newsstand," a signature show. But, Shaw said, he had planned for several years to leave television in 2001, to spend more time with his wife, Linda, and their children. He also said he would write an autobiography.
CNN officials did not announce any replacement. Woodruff will become the sole anchor on two evening news shows, "Inside Politics" and "World View."
Two journalistic moments stand out for Shaw. In 1988, he posed the infamous presidential debate question to Democratic candidate Michael Dukakis, asking the liberal governor if he would still oppose capital punishment were his wife to be raped and murdered. While Shaw was denounced for his bluntness, some journalists said the CNN anchor had found a refreshing way to ask Dukakis this question: Did he have enough passion to be president?
In 1990, Shaw interviewed Iraqi President Saddam Hussein, then returned to Baghdad in 1991 with CNN correspondents Peter Arnett and John Holliman to cover the Persian Gulf war. While some criticized them for providing legitimacy to a foe, the CNN newsmen were celebrated by peers for offering news coverage not smothered by American military censors.
During his remarks to reporters, Shaw was dismissive of the challenges facing his network in the new landscape of cable news, where a pair of cheekier 4-year-olds, Fox News Channel and MSNBC, are chafing to become the chief cable rival to CNN.
"Don't talk to me about ratings," Shaw said. "I know that we are also a business - but journalism comes first."
In interviews, peers said his steadying presence lent credibility to CNN, which has become a worldwide force in news.
"Bernie took from CBS News a seriousness that he always carried with him and a sobriety about the news business," said Brian Williams, the anchor for MSNBC's chief news program. "I suspect Bernie could have seen it through to the third generation" of cable news.
"He's at a forefront of a new relationship between anchors and television viewers. It's more personal. They are touchstone, post-Cold War stories. They have to do with [Princess] Diana, they have to do with plane crashes," Williams said. "When we're on in people's homes as much as we are now, we have CNN to thank for that. And he was a pioneer there." | <urn:uuid:b2ddd09a-d2c2-4dab-a364-4fcd926891f0> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://articles.baltimoresun.com/2000-11-11/features/0011110217_1_cnn-shaw-john-holliman | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368703298047/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516112138-00023-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.986054 | 744 | 1.671875 | 2 |
D.C. Councilman Jack Evans, D-Ward 2, on Tuesday proposed legislation that would allow the town car service Uber to operate in the city without having its fares regulated by the city's taxi commission.
The bill follows an earlier proposal from Councilwoman Mary Cheh, D-Ward 3, that would create a new legal class of sedan services that would cover Uber, which has run afoul of the District's taxi regulations.
Unlike taxis, Uber allows riders to use a smart phone app to hire town cars. The services charges higher rates than taxis, but also doesn't follow rules for limousine services either.
D.C. cab drivers have complained that Uber has an unfair advantage in the local market.
Evans' bill mimics Cheh's by exempting Uber and companies like it from fare regulation.
The taxi commission's recent proposal to regulate sedan fares -- notably prohibiting Uber's price hikes during times of high demand -- didn't sit well with the company. Evans' bill would exempt Uber from fare regulation. | <urn:uuid:26a55a04-c712-4040-8610-70c4c8ddc3f5> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://washingtonexaminer.com/d.c.-bill-would-exempt-uber-from-local-regulation/article/2509615 | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368704713110/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516114513-00000-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.975984 | 212 | 1.6875 | 2 |
My 3rd great grandparents, Antoni Niedziałkowski (son of Tomasz Niedziałkowski and Cecylia Chodkowska) and Karolina Milewska (daughter of Wojciech Milewski and Anna Burska), were married on 23 Nov 1831 in Krasne, Ciechanów District, Płock Governorate, Congress Kingdom of Poland.
SOURCE: Parafia Podwyższenia Krzyża Świętego (Krasne, Ciechanów County, Płock Gubernia, Congress Kingdom of Poland). Akta urodzeń, małżeństw, zgonów 1826-1840, Numer 9, Marriage of Antoni Niedziałkowski and Karolina Milewska (1831); FHL microfilm 702793.
Click on the image to enlarge it. Click on the link for a PDF copy of the Marriage Record of Antoni Niedziałkowski and Karolina Milewska. Translated from the Polish, the record states:
9. Rukle and Godacze – It happened in the ecclesiastical village of Krasne on the twenty third day of November, one thousand eight hundred thirty one at three o’clock in the afternoon. We make it known that, in the presence of witnesses Walenty Niedziałkowski, heir to a part of Rukle and there residing, fifty years of age, brother of Antoni Niedziałkowski, named below; and Jan Milewski, owner of a part of Godacze and residing there, thirty years of age; on this day a religious marriage was contracted between the well-born Antoni Niedziałkowski, owner of a part of and residing in Godacze, born in Godacze of the married couple the Niedziałkowskis, the deceased Tomasz and the living Cecylia née Chotkowksa, twenty years of age; and Miss Karolina Milewska, daughter of the married couple the Milewskis, the deceased Wojciech and Anna, born in Malonki and living with her sister in Rukle, twenty three years of age. This wedding was preceded by three readings of the banns on the sixth, thirteenth, and twentieth days of November of the current year in the parish of Krasne, also the verbal consent of the groom’s mother who was present for the Record of Marriage and the bride was declared. No impediment to the marriage arose. The newlyweds stated that they had made no prenuptial agreement between them. This document was read aloud to the declarants and witnesses, signed by Us, because the people mentioned in this document cannot write.
Reverend Józef Kosmowski, Vicar of the Parish of Krasne
This entry is one of the Niedziałkowski family records from Krasne parish that I had not previously translated and posted, even though I’ve had this record for several years.
As with other records after the Napoleonic years, the record is written in Polish in a very detailed paragraph style. Also consistent with records for the Neidziałkowski family, the participants are described as heirs and owners of part of the village. These consistent epithets confirm that the Niedziałkowskis were members of the lesser nobility.
Copyright © 2007 by Stephen J. Danko | <urn:uuid:70c8e4e8-017e-448b-947b-ada830454889> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://stephendanko.com/blog/1696 | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368710006682/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516131326-00020-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.935123 | 753 | 1.539063 | 2 |
In technology, a hack is a clever way of changing a system. In graffiti, a hack is crossing out some other toy writer who isn’t as good as you are. Hack Your City is about folks cleverly improving our cities by doing it better than the professionals. Through paint and pastries, blood and bravado, and sweat and swagger, people are hacking their neighborhoods. From the history of DIY Urbanism to tomorrows low-fi innovations, people of all types are hustling to Hack Your City.
Hack Your City is written by Andrew Hyder, an Urban Hacker in San Francisco. | <urn:uuid:cc8e4903-d27b-4793-a4ac-b442e0704866> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://hackyourcity.com/about/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368711005985/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516133005-00010-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.954309 | 124 | 1.820313 | 2 |
Making the Most of a College Visit
Jeannine Athens-Virtue of Porter, Ind., wants to accompany her 17-year-old son, Jordan, on college tours so she can check out her investment, one that will amount to tens of thousands of tuition dollars. As the mother of four teenage boys, ages 13 to 19, Athens-Virtue is also not naïve. She knows there are opportunities for teenagers to drink alcohol while visiting fraternities in addition to the obligatory trips to the college library, computer lab and dining hall. "It's not a matter of if they could drink," she says. "They probably are going to be seeking it out, because most teenagers look at colleges like, 'This is a cool party.'"
Fortunately, there are steps parents can take to make sure teens get information and fun – all while playing it safe – during college visits.
According to a survey by Students Against Destructive Decisions (SADD) and Liberty Mutual Group, boys are two to three times more likely than girls to participate in drinking, sex and drugs during overnight college visits. The study reveals more than a quarter of teens surveyed had sex or drank alcohol. More than 20 percent used drugs.
Athens-Virtue finds there are advantages, besides peace of mind, to having a responsible adult accompany a teenager on college tours. "My sister went to Purdue, so she is going to take him down to Purdue," Athens-Virtue says. "I went to IU, so I will be taking him there. We are trying to hook him up with people who know the colleges and who know their way around so it's a little less intimidating for him. That takes care of the chaperone issue as well."
Athens-Virtue is scheduling college visits around sporting events so Jordan, who wants to study graphic design, gets a taste of college life. "I want to go when school is in session for him to be able to see the kids and hang out," she says. "He is very familiar with IU because he has been to a soccer camp. He has a stepbrother who goes there, so he knows where the dorms are and some of the pizza places around that area."
Robert Rummerfield, director of College Visits Inc. in Charleston, S.C., agrees it is important to visit colleges while schools are in session. Some teenagers wind up visiting empty college campuses during the summer months simply because it's more convenient for their parents. Rummerfield, who was the assistant director of admissions at Johns Hopkins University prior to starting his own company, offers college-bound students a firsthand look at colleges and universities throughout the United States. "Sometimes if it is during the academic year, they may have some free time to be able to sit in on a class," he says. "They have a little time to go and explore on their own."
Rummerfield points out that with his company's services, high school students, who are always chaperoned, stay in hotels, although occasionally they will stay in residence halls. Students often visit 10 to 12 different colleges on the tour, such as urban, rural, private, public, small and large schools. The hectic schedule leaves little time for drinking and partying, which is not tolerated. A group of 20 to 30 teenagers may start a tour on a Saturday night and finish the following Friday.
"They sign an agreement – as well as their parents – before they go on the tour," he says. "Once we start on the tour we go over all the ground rules as well. We recognize that sometimes you have a bad apple that can ruin it for other people. We do room checks and curfews, because their safety is the most important thing. We are constantly on the lookout to make sure that they are not doing something foolish or something stupid. If the case arises, then they are gone – there are no questions, and they are sent home."
During the college visit, teenagers participate in information sessions with admissions officers and also get to have lunch at different college campuses and dinner in the neighboring communities. "We get them on the campuses so they see it with their own eyes," Rummerfield says. "They are not relying on information that is passed over from their friends or relatives or other people."
On Your Own
Whether you plan to go with your son or daughter on a college tour, it's important to make sure they are prepared. Kim Sandlin, assistant director of admissions at Wichita State University, says prospective college students hear admissions presentations, tour the campus and meet with academic advisers. Students have the option of spending the night. They may stay in guest housing at the university or an area hotel.
Sandlin recommends that parents and teens wear comfortable shoes. Walking tours can last up to an hour, so it is important to be comfortable. Other areas of preparation include dressing appropriately for the weather and coming with questions. "Have the students prepare a few questions," Sandlin says. "Admissions folks have heard every question under the sun, so don't be afraid to ask the questions you want to know the answers to. Definitely ask them because that's why we are here. We are here to help them get their questions answered and make a smart decision."
Sandlin says students can get a good idea of the academic offerings during college visits. They can also get a feel for the social side of college when they attend special events geared for teens at the university. "We do have special programs like senior days, junior days, sophomore days, that are a lot more social," she says. "There are a lot of students coming to those events, so they have a more social feel. Although those programs also do have academic components with them, the students get a much better idea of campus life and student life if they come to one of those."
Since choosing a college or university is a shared decision between parents and children, Sandlin encourages parents to talk to their children. When it comes to preventing teenagers from drinking, taking drugs or having sex, communication is key. Researchers with SADD found teenagers who talk with and have a close relationship with their parents are less likely to use drugs, have sex or drink. | <urn:uuid:a0e0620d-2f27-4974-854f-7bf7116750a2> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://family.go.com/parenting/pkg-teen/article-767163-making-the-most-of-a-college-visit-t/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368696383156/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516092623-00007-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.980974 | 1,275 | 1.703125 | 2 |
The Royal College of Art's Photography programme is hosting a work in progress show at the new Dyson building in Battersea. Twenty first year MA students bare their most experimental work in an exhibition that spans film and video. Hermione Wiltshire, Acting Head of Photography at the RCA, explains more about the show.
Dazed Digital: What direction is contemporary photography moving in and what techniques should we expect to see emerging?
Hermione Wiltshire: The definition of documentary photography has expanded and merged with the discourse of fine art. For instance, constructed documentary, montage and the use of found imagery are all emerging as dominant practices in the field. There is also an interest in reassessing the history of photography within the context of painting, sculpture and film. The pressures of social and economic meltdown mean that young artists want to engage with political and social change.
DD: What is the aim of showcasing work in progress?
Hermione Wiltshire: The work in progress show is an integral part of the curriculum with an emphasis on experimentation and a group discussion in situ with tutors and visitors. It is essential for students to see their own work and the work of their peers in a gallery context. It is also a great opportunity for the public to see what the students are making and it can often lead to commissions or new opportunities for them.
DD: Which established artists are informing the work of RCA students?
Hermione Wiltshire: To name but a few: Jeff Wall, Wolfgang Tillmans, Susan Hiller, Taryn Simon and Becky Beasley.
The RCA Photography & Printmaking Work in Progress Show is at the Dyson Building, 20 Howie Street, London SW11 4AY until 3 May, 12 noon-6pm daily, closed Sunday. Free admission | <urn:uuid:acbf77d2-a573-4bb7-82ea-00af5a538c82> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.dazeddigital.com/photography/article/13326/1/rca-work-in-progress | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368696383156/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516092623-00013-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.949496 | 367 | 1.679688 | 2 |
Sayonara, netbooks. The end of 2012 marks the end of the manufacture of the diddy machines that were – for a time – the Great White Hope of the PC market.
If you believed ABI Research in 2009, then next year netbooks (initially defined as machines with Intel Atom processors and screens less than 10in diagonally – though the definition became fuzzier over time) will sell 139m. (The original ABI press release with the forecast, linked from the Wikipedia page on netbooks, and still there until May 2011, has disappeared. But you can get a flavour of its optimism from the URL of the press release (which contains the phrase “an era begins”) and the research paper it was offering in late 2010 which had forecasts for netbook sales through to 2015 and the names of 23 vendors (including – quiz question – Nokia.)
Still, there’s an eWeek article from July in which ABI says that “consumer interest in netbooks shows no sign of waning, and the attraction remains the same: value rather than raw performance.”
Actually, the number sold in 2013 will be very much closer to zero than to 139m. The Taiwanese tech site Digitimes points out that Asus, which kicked off the modern netbook category with its Eee PC in 2007, has announced that it won’t make its Eee PC product after today, and that Acer doesn’t plan to make any more; which means that “the netbook market will officially end after the two vendors finish digesting their remaining inventories.”
Asustek and Acer were the only two companies still making netbooks, with everyone else who had made them (including Samsung, HP and Dell) having shifted to tablets. Asustek and Acer were principally aiming at southeast Asia and South America – but of course those are now targets for smartphones and cheap Android tablets.
That’s something of a turnround for Acer, which in September was still insisting that it would “continue to make netbooks”, even though Lenovo, Dell and Asustek had all withdrawn.
Intel, which made its Atom processor with the intent of aiming at lower-cost, lower-power, longer-battery-life PCs, is still going to keep making the Atom; those will be pushed into the embedded market for point-of-sale applications.
What killed the netbook?
There are four candidates: the rest of the PC market (including the arrival of ultrabooks); the economy; the economics of netbooks; and the iPad plus the attendant rise of tablets.
The rest of the PC market
Looking at the rest of the PC market first: the writing has been on the wall for a while. Even in May 2009, when netbooks were just two years old (and the iPad wasn’t even a rumour), Jack Schofield was asking whether netbooks were losing their shine, pointing out that
US-based DisplaySearch indicates that while first quarter netbook sales were up by 556% compared with the same quarter last year, they were down by 26% sequentially, compared with the fourth quarter of 2008. Notebook sales declined 24% sequentially, so netbook shipments are no longer growing against the market trend.
As he also pointed out then, a key factor in that slowdown was that Linux didn’t work well as an OS for users who were expecting to run PC software – which meant that Windows XP had to be pressed into the task. But that meant cleaving to Microsoft’s demands:
“the increase in specifications that has pushed up netbook prices. The classic netbook was cheaper than a notebook because it had a 7-inch screen, a small Flash drive, an Intel Atom processor, and used Linux instead of Microsoft’s Windows Vista. Today’s netbooks have 10- or 12-inch screens, 160MB hard drives, and run Windows XP. It is still cheaper to make a netbook than a notebook, but the gap has narrowed.”
The promise of the netbook was that it would be more portable, have longer battery life, and run all the software you needed. With the overall PC market shifting towards more and more replacements, the netbook arrived at the right time to create a “first-time” market – of people buying a machine purely for its portability and/or battery life.
There wasn’t anything to compete directly with netbooks on price. But other lower-end notebooks could offer bigger screens and more storage. The price delta became thinner and thinner, and as battery life improved on cheaper notebooks, it became harder to justify scrimping and just buying a netbook.
So the availability of laptops that cost less than previously was certainly a factor.
The suggestion that ultrabooks – very thin, light laptops – killed the netbook doesn’t make sense, since ultrabooks have barely made any impact on the laptop market, let alone the wider PC market. But Apple’s introduction of an 11in MacBook Air in late 2010 (no optical drive, solid-state storage) at 9 showed the PC industry that there was definitely money to be made at the higher end. That’s what kicked off the ultrabook scheme, even though it hasn’t yet repaid the investment. The MacBook Air probably didn’t take any sales away from netbooks – the price difference would see to that – but it did point out to PC manufacturers struggling to make a margin that cheaper wasn’t actually the way to go.
The global economy cratered just as netbooks were beginning to take off. Remember the credit crunch of 2008, and how the banks nearly failed? From Q4 2008, the PC market saw three quarters in which shipments shrank. But those were followed from Q4 2009 by three quarters of growth above 20% (because the comparison with shrinking growth always looks good). And PC sales were, in the past, tied to the economy; when it grew, they grew, roughly in line.
Even so, netbook shipments grew strongly from 2008 to 2009. The slowdown hit in 2010: early that year, sales “took a nosedive”, IDC’s David Daoud told PCWorld, falling from over 2m in Q1 2010 to only just over 1.5m by the end of the year. By the fourth quarter of 2011, US netbook sales had fallen to about 750,000.
A similar trend was reflected worldwide, with Q1 2010 shipments of 9m dropping to about 6.2m by Q4 2011. But that’s the quarter in which overall PC sales rose by more than 20%. Clearly, the economy didn’t do it.
The economics of netbooks
This is a different matter to the world economy, though. What’s the key thing about netbooks? That they are (or were) cheap – the Eee PC started (in its Linux incarnation) as a 9 product.
The trouble with that sort of pricing, though, is that it leaves very little margin. Especially once netbooks all began running Windows XP, where the licence could cost anything from upwards per unit, and more like per unit for Windows 7, there just wasn’t much room left for the manufacturer to make a profit.
And besides that, just as pundits thought netbooks were looking forward to a grand time, other things happened. PC manufacturers needed better margins (because of the Windows 7 pricing squeeze, and a market that was slowing and shifting further to laptops). And then Apple announced the iPad.
The iPad and all the tablets
In January 2010, Apple announced the iPad. In April 2010, it went on sale. By mid-2010, a host of other companies were announcing their own tablets (running Android). Suddenly tablets were the hot thing in the computing market, and the netbook looked a bit like, well, last year’s thing.
It’s notable that the first area where netbook sales began falling was the US market, where the iPad first had its big success. The irony is that the iPad cost more than a netbook, and arguably does less: you can’t run Office on it, nor your favourite Windows app. But it did have better portability than a netbook, and much better battery life (some netbooks on sale in 2009 were only getting three hours – no different from pricier laptops). And like the netbook it had no optical drive, and limited storage, meaning that cloud services were key.
By February this year, it was clear that the netbook was done. And here is the killer stat: shipments of tablets in 2011 overtook those of netbooks – 63m against 29.4m. (The year before it had been the other way around, at 23m v 39.4m; but that was the first year of “modern” tablets.)
And for 2012, tablet shipments are forecast to hit 122.3m (according to IDC’s latest forecast, made in December). Netbooks, meanwhile, don’t seem to have troubled the forecasters this year. And for 2013? IDC reckons tablet shipments will hit 172m. And we know what the figure will be for netbooks – zero (apart from inventories being cleared).
Netbooks had a short but interesting life – going from the one-time saviour of the PC industry, to just another mispriced attempt to push some low-powered Intel chips and garner more money for Microsoft.
But the squeeze on pricing, plus the fact that Windows licences aren’t free, meant that they got pushed into a tiny niche: worse specifications than slightly pricier laptops, no margin for the manufacturers, and worse battery life and portability than the burgeoning number of tablets with custom apps.
The questions that do remain is what’s going to happen to the various government contracts in countries such as Greece and Malaysia to equip schools with netbooks – or whether those contracts have finished, or been discontinued.
What, too, about the One Laptop Per Child (OLPC) project? Essentially, it’s trying to get netbook-like devices to classrooms in developing countries. There hasn’t been much news of huge wins this year, though, going by its end-of-year blogpost. Perhaps it will function independently of the death of consumer netbooks.
So farewell, netbooks. It was nice knowing you, but ultimately, you were just another PC.
guardian.co.uk © Guardian News & Media Limited 2010 | <urn:uuid:3cfc3883-b95b-4c7e-81c5-7152075c0ab6> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://pursuitist.com/asus-and-acer-the-netbook-is-dead/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368696381249/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516092621-00037-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.972214 | 2,209 | 1.523438 | 2 |
Michael Terheyden on 'Why I am Catholic: An Introduction'
I am a Catholic because I believe truth is real and that the fullness of truth, especially as it relates to the human person, is only found in the Catholic Church
In January of 2012, Pope Benedict XVI said the world is facing a profound crisis of faith, and Christianity is in grave danger and risks oblivion. In the United States, open persecution of the Catholic Church has begun under the Obama administration. So what are we to do? One thing we can do is reflect on why we are Catholic.
Jesus said, 'I am the way and the truth and the life' (Jn 14:6)
Each of us has his or her own story to tell. Technically, mine began when, by God's grace, I was born into a Catholic family. But I will begin when I was still in high school and preparing for college about forty years ago because that was a turning point for me. Back then it seemed like college campuses across the country were on fire. I am referring to the throngs of protesters that were on the news almost daily. They had so much to say. I listened to them point out the evils of our society. They cared. They were going to make things better. I suppose it was because they were older that I looked up to them.
I finally left home for college in the early 1970's. It did not take me long to see the hypocrisy around me parading as self-righteous indignation. I did not find peace and love or a higher ethic; I found self-indulgence, escape, thrill seeking, lust, rebellion, and chaos. Needless to say, I did not fully immerse myself into this culture and steadily drifted away from it.
However, this left me in a quandary. Although I continued to practice my faith, at least minimally, I had largely rejected my parents' values and was now adrift without a value system or meaning. I felt completely free, but I also felt lost and alone. It was like being on the open sea in a small sail boat without a rudder or a compass to guide me. Fortunately for me the 70's was also a time of soul searching. Thus, my quandary motivated me to search for truth and the meaning of life.
I was surrounded by secularism. It stretched out before me as far as I could see. So I began my search in this environment. I took classes in the humanities, the social sciences and the physical sciences. All of these studies were interesting and helpful, but I never found what I was looking for, only fragments, bits and pieces. I gave up hope that I would find answers in secularism.
At this point, I began searching for spiritual answers. I read about the major world religions, except for Christianity. I did not think Christianity, or anything Western for that matter, had the answers I was searching for. Eastern thought fascinated me most, so I concentrated on it. I found great wisdom and beauty in Eastern religion and philosophy, but I could not accept some of their fundamental assumptions or their relativistic reasoning.
My mind was wide open to new ways of looking at the world in those days, but I needed ideas to be rational and relate to human experience in some way. This need gave me something solid to stand on. It also led me to books which attempted to synthesize Eastern and Western thought. These ideas were exciting at first, but as I read more, I found them too speculative and shallow. In general, I felt like these books were leading me in circles, so I stopped reading them.
Only after I had failed to find what I was looking for in secular and Eastern thought did I look at Christianity. I still did not think I would find answers in Catholicism, so my explorations only included Protestantism. Some of the protestant writers had a dramatic impact on me, and I am eternally grateful to them. Reading them was like soaring above the tree tops. Yet, my need for firm footing dampened the flame they ignited. Except for C.S. Lewis, and maybe one other, their reasoning was too loose for me at times.
That is when I started reading Catholic books, and they blew my mind! Catholicism included the fragments--bits and pieces--of truth that I had found in secular, Eastern and protestant thought, and much more. Its reasoning was tight and elegant. Moreover, it offered profound explanations of human experience and compelling, forceful reasons for faith. After being tossed about in the open sea for years, I finally felt solid ground beneath my feet, and it brought me much comfort.
Now, many years after landing upon Catholic shores, I can make my confession of faith in union with our first pope. When Jesus asked the apostles if they also wanted to leave Him, Peter responded, "Lord, to whom shall we go? You have the words of eternal life" (Jn 6:68). Peter's response has great meaning for me today because it represents one of the chief reasons why I am Catholic. I am a Catholic because I believe truth is real and that the fullness of truth, especially as it relates to the human person, is only found in the Catholic ...
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- Reflections on the Dignity and Vocation of Women: Who or What? | <urn:uuid:27fdfffb-d7c1-4fad-a752-14425d4df035> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.catholic.org/hf/faith/story.php?id=46615&wf=rsscol | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368697380733/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516094300-00010-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.97769 | 1,388 | 1.554688 | 2 |
home > archive > 2004 > this article
Why Bush will win re-election
By Alan Caruba
It will not be a "landslide" unless you count the few percentage points by which the "undecideds" give victory to President George W. Bush on Election Day, November 2, 2004.
If there is one thing that is clear since the polls over the months since the campaign began in earnest in July have demonstrated, Americans who will vote are narrowly divided, something along the lines of 46 per cent or 47 per cent. Neither party has to woo these voters. Liberals will have no problem voting for John F. Kerry, but a lot of conservatives will have to hold their nose when they pull the lever for George W. Bush.
This should worry those in charge of Bush's campaign, but I suspect it doesn't. They know something that those of us who devote ourselves to interpreting political tea leafs also know. Among the "undecideds" will be enough people for whom the image of 9-11 is sufficient to raise the question, which one of these guys will protect me?
When you add in the votes by members of our military and the votes of older generations that can remember WWII, Korea, and Vietnam, the victories in Afghanistan and in Iraq are sufficient proof that the President means what he says and, more importantly, understands we are in a life-and-death struggle with people who would happily kill millions of us in the name of Allah.
We won WWII (along with our allies) because we threw everything we had at the enemy. We stalemated North Korea and that idiotic situation remains today, still threatening peace in that region. We lost Vietnam because we slowly became involved in a civil war (after they had defeated the French!) and we did not pursue it with a serious will to win. Those lessons were not lost on Bush and his happy band of neo-cons, nor on the present and past members of the military and their families.
This election is about the security of the nation and, beyond that, a world threatened by Islamic fanaticism. As the only superpower in the world, we had no choice but to chase and kill as many enemies as we could. And, best of all, we did it in their backyard, not ours.
That is why, as of this writing, there has been no attack since September 11, 2001 here at home. That fact is not lost on people who want to get on a bus or subway and not get blown to smithereens. An attack, however, would in my opinion produce a real landslide for Bush.
Others will vote for Bush because they are deep dish Christians and know he agrees with them about abortion and the role of religion in American life. Then there are the votes from among the 80 million gun owners in America who resent the constant attacks on the Second Amendment. Still others will vote for him because they think he is strong on education. They will not include the members of the National Education Association, which owns the Democrat Party. The fact is, Bush doesn't know squat about education and has expanded the federal stranglehold on it.
Some undecideds will vote because the economy is improving. Apparently cutting taxes is a good idea. Unemployment rates are down. The stock market is waiting for the election to get over with so it can careen upwards or downwards, depending on who wins. Wall Street wants Bush. Hollywood wants Kerry.
Nobody cares who the vice presidential candidate is. Despite the blather about Cheney, depicted in the press these days as the evil mentor and manipulator of Bush, or about Edwards, said to be able to deliver the South, none of this is true, nor will it have any impact because people vote for the top of the ticket. Period.
Other than the presidency, the real importance of the election will be the composition of Congress. When the "Contract With America" turned Congress over to the Republicans during Clinton's era of malfeasance, we enjoyed the beginning of the economic boom that distinguished the 1990's. The budget was balanced, the Internet bubble was driving up the Dow Jones, and euphoria reigned. Amazingly, the economy has recovered rather swiftly from 9-11.
The 2000 election, however, was terrifyingly close. Democrats still claim it was stolen, but a dozen careful studies by news organizations and others demonstrated that Bush won. Not by much, but a win is a win. I think we shall see this repeat itself, but with enough voters opting for national security over any other issue to make the difference.
It won't be a pretty victory or a dramatic one, but it will be a victory.
In the meantime, the campaigns demonstrate the lack of seriousness that today's politics represents. Voters will tune into the debates with the hope of hearing real issues discussed. I will too.
Alan Caruba writes a weekly column, "Warning Signs", posted on www.anxietycenter.com, the website of The National Anxiety Center. Alan Caruba 2004
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© 1996 - 2005, Enter Stage Right and/or its creators. All rights reserved. | <urn:uuid:f3cd72ae-a43c-43ec-9781-17768d10da91> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://enterstageright.com/archive/articles/0804/0804bushwin.htm | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368699273641/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516101433-00038-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.973486 | 1,056 | 1.640625 | 2 |
The WSJ reports that after years of worsening patent legislation in the US, the Obama administration has finally decided to try to do something about it.
The president has taken a dim view of certain patent-holding firms. In February, he said some firms “don’t actually produce anything themselves. They’re just trying to essentially leverage and hijack somebody else’s idea to see if they can extort some money out of them.”
Apple, depending on who you ask, is sometimes the agressor in patent cases but is often the victim of frivolous lawsuits that often earn these patent holding companies millions and millions of dollars. These companies aren’t really companies at all; instead they are just shell companies built around a patent or a portfolio of patents, which are often overly broad or were never intended to be used in a particular way.
These lawsuits often take place in courts in Eastern Texas, where judges are notoriously friendly to trolling interests.
The administration’s plans in 5 steps: | <urn:uuid:baa3b815-50d9-4a76-8fee-8a103f145549> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://9to5mac.com/tag/patents/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368711005985/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516133005-00008-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.972554 | 209 | 1.585938 | 2 |
What the polls say about Obama, one year since being elected
Scott Rasmussen crunches the numbers:
As president, Obama lost the support of Republicans in February during the debate over the stimulus package. Over the summer, economic concerns and the health care debate cost the president support among unaffiliated voters. By October, a month-by-month review showed that Obama’s overall job approval had slipped to 48% among Likely Voters.
This morning, on the anniversary of his election, the president’s Approval Index rating is at -13, just one point above the lowest level yet recorded and down 41 points since the Inauguration.
1) Economic conditions have played a role in dimming Obama’s support. For much of the past year, voters continued to blame George W. Bush for the economy, but the blame is more evenly divided now between Bush and Obama.
2) The core promise made down the stretch to voters by candidate Obama was a pledge to cut taxes for 95% of all Americans. Now, more than 40% expect a tax hike and hardly anybody expects their taxes to go down. Not surprisingly, 74% of voters now view the president as politically liberal.
3) Just 33% believe the stimulus package has helped, and most opposed other economic initiatives including the takeover of General Motors and the cash-for-clunkers program. Among the priorities established by the president, voters consistently see deficit reduction as the most important but least likely to be achieved.
4) The health care plan proposed by the president is struggling and is supported by just 42% of voters nationwide. Confidence in the War on Terror spiked during the first weeks of the Obama administration but has now fallen to the lowest level in nearly three years. On a related topic, one of the president’s earliest initiatives, his promise to close the prison camp at Guantanamo Bay, initially received mixed reviews but is now opposed by most Americans.
Sixty-five percent (65%) of voters now expect politics in Washington to become more partisan over the coming year. That’s up 25 points since Inauguration Day when a plurality believed politics might become more cooperative.
The president himself remains more popular than his policies. That gives him some good will to draw upon. However, as was shown in yesterday’s election results, the president’s ability to help other Democratic politicians may be limited. | <urn:uuid:66042949-0bcb-4013-9a74-5e7af751cf84> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://blogs.reuters.com/james-pethokoukis/2009/11/04/what-the-polls-say-about-obama-one-year-since-being-elected/ | 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 | 0.972354 | 493 | 1.640625 | 2 |
The Health & Safety Authority have just launched a new assessment tool online called Taking Care of Business.
This handy tool is targeted at small business owners with the aim on making them aware of the health and safety legislation which they must comply with.
Small businesses can log on and use the service for free. Simply, register and input the sector you operate in and follow the step by step process. This allows the tool to tailor the hazards and survey to your specific sector, for example a takeaway will have food safety hazards which an engineering business will not have. The tool prompts the user with questions regarding the operation of their business and then highlights the hazards present in the workplace. This free assessment can help businesses of all sizes to implement an accurate Health and Safety programme and action list to help avoid hazards and injuries. Click here
to use the tool. | <urn:uuid:3af970ea-ff20-469b-8802-09b0e68f9ca3> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.amatino.ie/blog/hsa-free-be-smart-health-safety-review.1095.html | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368703682988/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516112802-00015-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.942657 | 169 | 1.8125 | 2 |
Joni Sternbach August 5, 2009Posted by Geoffrey Hiller in United States.
Tags: United States
Gillian, Montauk, New York in 2007
Joni Sternbach (b. 1953, United States) graduated from the School of Visual Arts with a BFA in photography and completed her Master of Arts degree at New York University and the International Center of Photography in 1987. She has taught for many years and is currently a faculty member at ICP teaching wet plate collodion. Sternbach’s solo museum exhibition SurfLand opened at the Peabody Essex Museum in Salem, MA in May, capturing portraits of surfers in tintype. SurfLand was recently at the String Room Gallery at Wells College in Aurora, NY and will also be at Blue Sky Gallery in Portland, OR in November 2009 . Her first monograph SurfLand was published in May by photolucida.
About the Photograph:
“I met Gillian earlier that summer when I photographed her with a friend. For me the success of this picture is in the subtle lighting- early morning overcast, and also her expression–she is gazing into the camera calmly and openly. Because of the low tide all the rocks are exposed and she appears to have either just emerged from the sea or appears to be returning to the sea. The board is an icon of her warrior status rather than a prop. This image is an 8×10 inch one-of-a-kind tintype made with the wet collodion process. Better associated with the Civil War than surf photography, the collodion process is instantaneous and processed on location with a portable darkroom. This way of shooting is integral to the picture making process as it invites conversation as well as collaboration. The series SurfLand consists of several hundred images shot on America’s east and west coast. | <urn:uuid:1961ce06-7097-49a8-85f6-09e573e2e731> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://vervephoto.wordpress.com/2009/08/05/joni-sternbach/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368710006682/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516131326-00029-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.966829 | 377 | 1.648438 | 2 |
BOBS Incorporates Public as Foot Soldiers
In its continued bid to promote quality assurance and standardisation, and facilitate their implementation with a view to improving industrial competitiveness and efficiency to enhance trade and protect consumer and the environment, Botswana Bureau of Standards (BOBS) has embarked on incorporating the public on their fold to serve the nation more effectively.
Through its publicity campaign aimed at spreading the word of “Standards for a better Botswana”, BOBS began its tour of the northern part of the country at Nata village on Tuesday this week to sensitise the public about the organisation’s products and services.
The first leg of the tour is expected to be completed on March 3rd , 2011 at Selibe-Phikwe would see BOBS camping in Masunga and Francistown early next month as BOBS has stepped up its public awareness efforts with a national campaign aimed at making the organisation and its work more widely known.
During a fairly attended mini show at Nata main kgotla on Tuesday morning, BOBS Marketing and Communications Manager Mr. Peter Mpete said the objective is to increase lively public awareness efforts throughout the country and further explain the difference between compulsory and voluntary standards.
Mr. Mpete revealed that BOBS is important to both the youth and elders of this country through its Compulsory Standards function where the organisation implements legislation to protect the consumer as well as the trader. Mr. Mpete disclosed that BOBS’ objective through the compulsory standards legislation is to keep a sharp eye on the quality of the imported and locally produced goods aimed at being consumed by Batswana.
“The legislation was introduced to control both prescribed imports and locally produced goods in terms of quality. It was introduced to curb the production of under-quality products and influx of inferiority goods into the country. Business operators not adhering to the compulsory standards might be forced to close in a bid to protect the consumer,” said Mr. Mpete amid a thunderous round of applause from the attendance. This refers to prescribed products which has health and safety impact to both the consumer and environment.
Mr. Mpete urged members of the Nata community to be the foot soldiers in the fight against proliferation of inferiority products and non-adherence to compulsory standards by traders since standardisation is fundamental to the quality of life. He urged them to exercise their rights when purchasing, as well as pricing for relevant in order to ensure this.He encouraged the public to be always vigilant and check for a quality mark in products they purchase.
The marketing and communications manager further disclosed that the consumers have got every right to be afforded an opportunity to view the weighing of the products especially in butcheries.
“It is the desire of every country that her consumers are protected and produce high quality products in order to compete with other traders across the globe. And this starts by adhering to standardisation and quality assurance. This issue of standardisation is important to both the consumers and traders. For consumers, it plays a significant role in helping households with issues of budgeting as one would last longer with same products while traders enjoy customer retention and ability to compete with others on the world market,” explained Mr. Mpete.
He explained the issue of Chinese traders still trading in Botswana although they are at times accused of selling substandard products in their shops. According to him Chinese products are still allowed in the country because Botswana is a member of the Word Trade Organisation (WTO) and under the WTO agreements; countries should avoid barrier to trade with others through stringent standardisation legislation. Nevertheless, Mr. Mpete clarified that consumers have got the right of choice and cannot be forced to buy substandard products.
For his part, Kgosi Rebagamang Rancholo of Nata village said the move taken by BOBS to step up its public awareness efforts is a most welcome development especially to those in the rural areas.
Kgosi Rancholo revealed that the mini exhibition is very important to the Nata community, which are far from cities since the people there are not usually exposed to information in relation to quality.
“This development is most welcome. As community leaders, we have been receiving a number of complaints from consumers but due to lack of knowledge and information, it was difficult to take an appropriate action. The address made by BOBS’ official have opened our eyes and improved the level of understanding on quality and consumer rights. We are going to be on the lookout for the BOBS stamps in businesses and products. I am hopeful that message will spread like a veldt fire to the core of the village,” he promised.
Nata Village Extension Team chairperson Mr. Kenny Lowani hailed BOBS for educating the community and promised to continue working hand in glove with the rest of the village members in equipping them with information on quality.
“Through our joint meetings with the Village Development Committee (VDC), we will continue educating consumers and businesspeople about the importance of adhering to quality. People can die from food poisoning after buying an expired product. But this could have been avoided if both the consumer and trader adhered to quality issues,” he said.
Different attendees at the mini show described the publicity campaign as an eye opener that would go a long way in protecting the consumers.
“Although it is not formal, we are now partners with BOBS. We are going to be committed to working together with BOBS to raise awareness and implementing the legislation on compulsory standards. It is our fervent hope that the rest of the country would partner with BOBS in ensuring quality assurance,” said Mrs. Keitumetsi Masuku, a Nata resident. | <urn:uuid:ac4e50ac-f512-455b-a253-148d80074692> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.bobstandards.bw/web_en/news/articles/2011_Campaign.html | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368709037764/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516125717-00008-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.964221 | 1,179 | 1.703125 | 2 |
Netanyahu says welcomes shift in U.S. peace effort
TEL AVIV |
TEL AVIV (Reuters) - Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu hailed on Monday a U.S. decision to drop efforts to achieve a building freeze in Jewish settlements.
"I welcome this American decision. It is good for Israel. It is good for peace," Netanyahu, who resisted U.S., Palestinian and international calls for a construction moratorium, told an economic forum hours before the arrival of a U.S. peace envoy.
Faced with the collapse of direct Israeli-Palestinian peace talks over the settlement impasse, U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton announced on Friday that Washington would return to indirect negotiations.
She said the United States would push to resolve core issues of the six-decade-old conflict. They include borders, security and the future of Jerusalem, settlements in territory Israel occupied in a 1967 war and Palestinian refugees.
A senior U.S. diplomat told reporters in Israel last week: "We reached the conclusion this is not the time to renew direct negotiation by renewing the moratorium."
U.S. Middle East envoy George Mitchell was due back in the region later in the day for talks with Netanyahu and Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas.
Palestinian officials have voiced concern that Israel would try to undermine any indirect negotiations by avoiding discussion of future borders of a state they intend to establish in the West Bank and Gaza Strip.
"To reach peace, we have to discuss the issues that are truly delaying peace ... I welcome the fact that we will now begin discussing these issues and try to narrow gaps," Netanyahu said.
In the speech he cited issues such as his demand that Palestinians recognise Israel as a Jewish state, security arrangements and the future of Palestinian refugees.
Israel and the Palestinians began direct, U.S.-brokered peace talks in Washington in September but they broke down several weeks later when Netanyahu refused to extend a 10-month freeze of housing starts in settlements in the occupied West Bank.
(Writing by Jeffrey Heller in Jerusalem, Editing by Ori Lewis and Samia Nakhoul)
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do at work
So, your workplace has decided to move forward with the do campaign. And you are in charge! It’s time to get organized, start planning, and do your do! Below are 8 steps to help plan, implement and evaluate your campaign.
Step #1: Assemble Team
Gather a team to help you with the development and implementation of your do campaign. Who has the right expertise? Recruit people from different areas of the company to increase word-of-mouth interest and to learn what activities would work best in other areas. Some possibilities could be:
- An employee health representative
- A human resources representative
- Someone from communications/marketing
- One or more members of the employee wellness group
- Employees who understand the “pulse” of the company
Your team will probably have additional members as you get closer to kick-off, but this initial team can help you get started.
Step #2: Develop Mission
Increase the potential for success by defining the mission of the do campaign for your company. Then determine your goals (how you’re going to get there) and your objectives (what activities will help reach the goals). This will clarify to everyone involved why your company is doing the campaign and how you’re going to do it.
For example, your mission could be: “Keep a physical activity message in front of employees by providing opportunities for increasing activity.” One of your goals could be: “Increase the use of stairs.” Then you could have a number of objectives, including how you’ll promote this activity and what events will highlight stair use.
Setting goals and objectives also makes it easier to do an evaluation after the campaign to determine if you “got there.” Now is not too early to think about how you’re going to evaluate the success of the campaign.
Step #3: Identify Resources
Once you’ve determined the do campaign mission, goals and objectives, it will be more obvious what other resources your team will need. There are lots of decisions to make regarding resources. Here are a few of them.
- Check out the downloads and identify what items will be most useful for your campaign. Posters/PODPs are free and ready to print. Identify which ones would be most useful for your workplace. Do you want to use any of the downloadable documents or is it possible to invest in other items that encourage physical activity to help promote the campaign?
- Check out all existing systems for communicating with employees. Emails and employee newsletters are a sure bet. How about a dedicated intranet page, bulletin board postings, employee meetings and/or PA announcements? For smaller companies, don’t forget the obvious — placing a flier on each employee’s chair.
- Evaluate whether you have a supportive environment for employees to walk, bike or do other exercise at or near the workplace. Does your company sponsor sport teams or events for employees? Is there a walking or biking trail nearby? Is there a partnership established with an off-site exercise facility?
Step #4: Create Plan
Your plan is beginning to form, thanks to you and your team’s ideas. You also have identified each objective to support your mission and determined necessary resources. Now it’s time to get down to specifics. Decide what you want to do as far as:
- Announcing the do campaign
- Promoting the campaign
Circle back around through the information in this section if you need to. Reread the three sample do campaigns, check out the helpful links on this site, and review all the materials available under “tv and ads”. Keep in mind that you want some of your objectives to be used long-term to create a do culture at your worksite, not just a short-term campaign.
Step #5: Make Calendar
How long should your do campaign last? What month is the best time for a kick-off? Will you purchase prizes? These are just some of the small details you need to decide and schedule.
Time to get your calendar. Or in your case, check out “My do calendar” in the “More do fun” gallery. Simply download and start filling in the lines. Bring the calendar to the next team meeting. Assigning dates, tasks and who is responsible will help everyone plan their time better and understand their roles. Work with your team on this important document. Then everyone needs to work on their tasks.
Step #6: Implement Plan
You’re set — ready for implementation. Planning and teamwork are a huge part of a memorable and successful campaign of any kind. Your do campaign is no exception. Remember, even the best-laid plans can go astray. Adjust as you go. Be flexible. Talk with your team, brainstorm solutions, then move on.
Step #7: Evaluate Campaign
How did it go? You’re feeling good about the do campaign after a few months of running it, and your team has heard lots of positive remarks from employees about it. Formal evaluations are invaluable for determining if you reached your goals and objectives, and if any revisions or changes are needed for future campaigns. Most importantly, you need answers to the question: “Did the do campaign make a difference?” Evaluating the campaign can be simply a matter of asking employees for feedback. Use a written form or an email document. You can also look at levels of participation. How many cars are parked in the do parking lot area before vs. after the campaign? Did membership in the off-site fitness club increase with a new discounted rate? A complete evaluation will help tell you what kind of differences the do campaign made in your company.
Step #8: Create do Culture
Making do a part of your corporate culture is a natural extension of the do campaign. Employees have seen how easy it is to groove their bodies every day. Now the campaign activities should become the norm.
Look at what campaign activities you can extend on an indefinite basis. Keep changing the Posters/PODPs every 2-3 weeks. Keep sending the monthly emails. Try random recognition for do activities to keep employees on their toes. Commit to your do year’s resolutions each year!
And when you overhear a visitor ask an employee why your company has “walking meetings,” and the employee replies, “That’s just how we do things here. Physical activity is important” — then you’ll know that you have a do company! | <urn:uuid:32cee743-171a-4dda-a5c0-686d66b30466> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.do-groove.com/work/get-started | 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 | 0.94508 | 1,365 | 1.585938 | 2 |
ThinkQuest '98 Offers Three New Awards
The third annual ThinkQuest competition begins this month, with three new awards up for grabs. Operated by Advanced Network & Services, the contest challenges students to build educational materials that will be posted online for others to see.
First through fifth place awards will be offered in five categories: science and mathematics; arts and literature; social sciences; sports and health; and interdisciplinary. One team will earn the distinction of Best of Contest.
The new awards are: The Collaboration Award, a bonus prize for teams with participants from schools with large differences in technology resources; The Gem Award, reserved for teams who previously entered the contest but did not win; and The Java Award, sponsored by Microsoft, to be given to three teams that have made novel use of Java and/or Java applets.
ThinkQuest is open to students worldwide between the ages of 12 and 19. Written proposals must be submitted by February 28, 1998, with final entries due August 31. Awards, presented in late 1998, will total more than $1 million.
ThinkQuest Junior, a separate competition launched at NECC, will award cash and computer network resources to teachers and students in grades 4-6.
The ThinkQuest Web site contains complete rules and sample entries as well as information on related workshops to be held in cooperation with The Global SchoolNet Foundation. Advanced Network & Services, Inc., Armonk, NY, (914) 273-1700, www.advanced.org/thinkquest.
Write 214 on Inquiry Card
This article originally appeared in the 09/01/1997 issue of THE Journal. | <urn:uuid:def9db17-2ce5-4b97-96cb-c524031da166> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://thejournal.com/Articles/1997/09/01/ThinkQuest-98-Offers-Three-New-Awards.aspx | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368697974692/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516095254-00005-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.93978 | 335 | 1.8125 | 2 |
A state of the art transportation hub opens its gates in Rochelle, but stateline leaders say the hub will drive economic development throughout the region. Economists say the Union Pacific facility is on track to bring nearly $3 billion to the area over the next decade.
Stateline leaders call this $181 million transportation hub the road to economic recovery for northwest Illinois.
"This indeed is one of the lights that's shining in terms of economic development and what we're seeing today is just the beginning."
The state of the art technology allows union pacific to take shipping containers right off the train tracks and drop it onto a semi trailer. Companies that conduct business this way can save big money because cargo can be shipped by air, rail or port without being repacked at each stop.
"This will serve as a magnet for companies that are considering relocating or staying in the area."
Stateline leaders say they don't view the Rochelle hub as competition. They say this is regionally economic development at it's best.
"I-39 will become a logistics center for large organizations. I-39 will be the place to be," Kris Cohn says.
Rockford's mayor agrees, the hub is a critical piece to getting the city's economy back on track
"You tie this in with the great road system and the airport and we really can be a transportation distribution center," says Mayor Doug Scott.
Many say the development can't roll in fast enough. Union Pacific's intermodal technology reduces the entry or exit time for trucks from the national average of four minutes to about a minute. | <urn:uuid:487bf204-568e-419e-9bcd-1964aa702518> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.wifr.com/news/headlines/444097.html?site=mobile | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368702810651/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516111330-00014-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.955926 | 326 | 1.5625 | 2 |
Vengeance wounds those we love most
How the mighty are fallen. This weekend, Chris Huhne and Vicky Pryce are making final preparations for life behind bars. What began as a simple case of a cheating husband leaving his wife for a younger woman has ended as a tragedy of epic proportions.
Faced with her husband’s adultery, Vicky Pryce did what many women in her position have dreamed of doing — wreaking devastating revenge upon the man who had betrayed her.
There cannot be a wronged wife (or husband) in the land who, faced with a similar humiliation, has not fantasised about such retribution; about hurting a cheating spouse as much as they have hurt you.
A very public war: Faced with her husband's adultery, Vicky Pryce did what many women in her position have dreamed of doing - wreaking devastating revenge upon the man who had betrayed her
So while we may stare in astonishment at Mr and Mrs Huhne’s very public war — and the viciousness with which they fought it — their case is in many ways no different from the thousands of dramas played out every day of every month in every divorce court in the land.
Here you will find embittered couples, egged on by their rapacious legal teams, gleefully tearing chunks out of each other as they fight for a greater share of money, property or access rights.
Their cases don’t make headlines, but the effects on the children caught in the middle are still just as devastating. Around 120,000 couples go through a divorce each year. More than 100,000 children are caught up in family courts every year; children conceived in love yet witness to a hatred that will — in all likelihood — scar them for the rest of their lives.
No, marriages don’t always work and no one should be condemned to a life with a partner they cannot love, or who cannot love them.
Forgetting their duty: The one thing their case teaches us all is that, in seeking vengeance against your partner, the real victims are often those you love the most. There is no victory on earth that can be worth that cost
But more important than your bruised heart, more important than the desire to wound as you have been wounded, must always be the welfare of your children.
In their desperation to humiliate each other by whatever means necessary, the Huhnes forgot that sacred duty.
The one thing their case teaches us all is that, in seeking vengeance against your partner, the real victims are often those you love the most.
There is no victory on earth that can be worth that cost.
Having outrageously attacked the Duchess of Cambridge, Hilary Mantel now says she meant to praise Kate, not bury her.
‘After all, I have been practising my trade for a number of years now,’ says the Booker Prize-winning author. ‘I have absolutely no regrets.’
No, I suspect not, as sales of her books soar on the back of the whole furore.
Why didn’t the Beeb ban Boyle?
The bosses behind Comic Relief have apologised for comedian Frankie Boyle’s performance, in which he wished the Queen was ‘f***ing dead’ and made crude comments about the size of Kate Middleton’s breasts.
Crude: Boyle's entire routine was cut from the BBC's 'almost' live coverage of the Red Nose day event
Fortunately, his entire routine was cut from the BBC’s ‘almost’ live coverage of the Red Nose day event. But why on earth did they allow him to take part in the first place? This pathetic oaf is as offensive as he is unfunny. He cannot open his mouth without hateful bile pouring forth. If even Channel 4 — whose programme-makers are not averse to producing filth — have cut all ties with him, why hasn’t the Beeb?
Once again, I fear Comic Relief has been hijacked by a burned-out celebrity attempting to use ‘Red Nose Rehab’ to revive his battered reputation. How sad. How predictable.
An awful rock 'n' role model
Jo Wood, ex-wife of Rolling Stone Ronnie Wood, says she gave her 16-year-old son a packet of cocaine and offered her 15-year-old daughter marijuana as she wanted them to ‘take drugs under my roof’ rather than experiment with them in a ‘dodgy club’.
If she was a mother from the back streets, she’d be arrested for peddling drugs to children.
Instead, she’s been paid tens of thousands to write about it in her autobiography. Its title? Hey Jo: A Rock And Roll Fairytale.
As fairytales go, it’s certainly a Grimm one.
Plainly, Jane’s in shape
'Good enough is good': Arriving at the Oscars in a primrose sheath dress, a slender, curvaceous Jane Fonda put many women half her age to shame
Arriving at the Oscars in a primrose sheath dress, a slender, curvaceous Jane Fonda put many women half her age to shame. Now 75, she says that after years of dieting, surgery and eating disorders she’s stopped searching for the perfect figure. ‘Good enough is good,’ she says.
‘We don’t have to be perfect. I’m finally at peace with my body.’
Quite frankly, most of us would have been at peace with that body in our 30s, let alone our 70s.
When Lord Coe accepted his Order of the Companions of Honour gong this week, he thanked the Olympic athletes, the thousands of unpaid workers and the British people for helping to make our nation proud. The Princess Royal presented the well-deserved award as her mother was ill.
Also at the same ceremony was the ‘artist’ Tracey Emin, there to receive a CBE. Her legacy for the nation? An unmade bed scattered with condoms and soiled underwear.
No wonder the Queen excused herself.
Fat Boy Slim gave a special performance at the House of Commons this week. No, not Eric Pickles’s new diet club, but an appearance by an ageing DJ in a room where Tory and Labour MPs were so cramped they kept apologising for ‘Rennarding’ — a crude reference to being touched up by the disgraced former Lib Dem Chief Executive.
Good to know that our elected leaders think alleged sex abuse is a bit of a giggle.
Milking the misery
Clive James's artist daughter, Claerwen, has given an interview, describing how her father was a philanderer and an ‘appalling husband’.
No matter that the poor man is dying, Claerwen’s got a new exhibition to promote.
Shameless? Perhaps, but those who know Clive can imagine what his advice to her would be — milk it for all you can, baby.
Having spent a month in an Arizona clinic for alcohol addiction, former footballer Paul Gascoigne says: ‘I will never drink again.’
I wish him well, but as promises go that one’s as ambitious as Katie Price saying she’ll never wed again.
In the latest edition of Harper's Bazaar our hitherto wholesome Kate is almost unrecognisable
There was a time when Kate Winslet, 37, railed against magazines airbrushing pictures of her to enhance her appearance.
She wanted to be an authentic girl, she said. Now she’s married to Richard Branson’s youthful nephew, the ridiculous Ned Rocknroll, she seems to have no such misgivings.
In the latest edition of Harper’s Bazaar our hitherto wholesome Kate is almost unrecognisable. And is it just me, or is that pose a rather clever way to give herself a DIY facelift?
- Ice maiden Home Secretary Theresa May has covertly launched her leadership bid with the help of drippy Defence Secretary Philip Hammond. May and Hammond have been dubbed the ‘Top Gear’ team, after the motoring show presenters James May and Richard Hammond. It can’t have escaped anyone’s attention that the one thing missing from the plotters’ line-up is a Jeremy Clarkson, the only one on that show with any star quality. I predict a car crash.
- Recently appointed Health Secretary Jeremy Hunt was drummed out of his job as Culture Secretary because of his close links with Rupert Murdoch. Dubbed the Bambi of British politics for his weedy stature and wafer-thin understanding of anything except sucking up to Dave, Hunt now says it’s time to ‘end the culture of mediocrity in the NHS’. If we applied the same standard to our politicians, we’d cull half the Cabinet. Starting with Bambi.
- Two of the Tories’ biggest donors are now supping with the enemy — betting tycoon Stuart Wheeler is financing UKIP and former treasurer Michael Ashcroft has been dining with Shadow Foreign Secretary Douglas Alexander. Having lost his core supporters and now his financiers, how long before Dave realises he’s lost the next General Election. | <urn:uuid:9ce1fb12-a11c-46a5-b3c8-6201e562d509> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.dailymail.co.uk/debate/article-2290380/Vengeance-wounds-love-most.html | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368701852492/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516105732-00004-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.967697 | 1,949 | 1.546875 | 2 |
When the City of Yorkton held its ‘think tank’ to envision the city moving forward over the next 20 years, one of the desires set forth was for the community to be a safe one.
That was hardly a shocking suggestion. No community is going to say it would want something other than greater safety.
What the forum, a cross-section of people from the community, did not answer in any detail was how to achieve that lofty goal.
It's a looming question in Yorkton today, during an era when violent crime in the city is on the rise even as crime rates drop across most of the country.
This week in Yorkton marks the anniversary of the murder of a gas station attendant while on the job one night. The senseless end to Jimmy Wiebe’s life -- which is being remembered with a vigil at Western Financial City Centre Park tonight starting at 9 p.m. -- brought that into stark focus for our city.
The 2003 death of James Hayward at the hand of Kim Walker is another case which speaks to violence happening here, going beyond the manslaughter conviction of Walker, to include the seedy world of drugs his daughter was part of with the dead man.
So for Yorkton to find ways to reduce crime is something close to home for many residents.
That is what the new Hub initiative in the city will attempt to do in the years to come.
Created in response to a provincial paper entitled "Building Partnerships to Reduce Crime," the Hub (see page A1) is a collaborative approach to being proactive in helping those at risk of falling into criminal activities.
The Hub, being a group of individuals representing a wide range of groups dealing with various aspects of concern, mental health, addictions, education and the RCMP among them, can discuss a particular individual’s circumstances and dispatch the appropriate agency to help them.
The idea of groups tearing down some of the walls between them and focusing less on maintaining their own jurisdictional control in favour of working with others to help those at risk is encouraging.
The program, initiated in mid April, has already dealt with nearly 30 individuals, and group member RCMP Sergeant Rob Laurent has stated, “All have been very successful.”
Laurent said he is convinced the Hub can act as a way to prevent crime. As an example he cited the Kim Walker murder case.
“I do not believe we would have had the Kim Walker incident (had the Hub existed),” he said. He explained that through the Hub it would have been likely Walker's daughter would have found the help she sought before the matter escalated.
If the Hub has that sort of impact moving forward it will go a long way toward achieving the goal of Yorkton being a safe community. | <urn:uuid:48c861ba-16be-4219-ab16-1110817ea4c3> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.carlyleobserver.com/article/20120620/YORKTON0302/120629980/-1/yorkton03/editorial-new-approach-to-crime-positive | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368710006682/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516131326-00010-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.974692 | 568 | 1.539063 | 2 |
The Harvest of Sorrow: Soviet Collectivization and the TerrorFamine
by Robert Conquest
Oxford University Press, 412 pp., $19.95
Robert Conquest is one of those rare gifted beings who can combine in one book the results of research, documented and footnoted, with the haute vulgarisation thereof. So The Harvest of Sorrow is a very good book “in both kinds”—and let no mere academic say which is more honorable.
The story of Stalin and Soviet agriculture is an often told and deeply depressing one, and Conquest gets it straight. It starts with the liberation of the serfs in 1861, and the curious substitution, as local agents for the government, of the (preexisting) village councils for the feudal landlords. During the free peasant period, between 1906 and 1928, the peasant could dispose of his own land and sell his own crop in the market. There was, however, the horrible but brief interruption of “War Communism” (1918–1921), when the peasant was left with his private land but could not market his crop, which government posses simply “procured,” usually for nothing. In 1928 came collectivization, artificial famine, and the victory of the new system.
To my knowledge there is no great new truth in the story Conquest tells, until he deals with the famines: he merely tells the story better and gives many more quotations from the actors on the scene. He does not omit the scandalous behavior of the Western press, whose correspondents sat, and were allowed by their superiors to sit, in Moscow, reporting official denials while the Ukrainians starved to death. G. B. Shaw, incidentally, a “Western medium” all by himself, proved rumors of the starvation false from the banquets he had personally struggled to ingest in Moscow. But this story too has been told before, by Eugene Lyons and Malcolm Muggeridge.
Before coming to Conquest’s real contribution, his account of the “administration” of the famines, we must warn readers that he is not a natural statistician. He has taught himself the rules of statistics, but his heart is not in it, and when he’s away from the subject of the two famines in the Ukraine and Kazakhstan, he simply ignores them. For example, real wages were not, in 1933, one tenth of what they had been in 1926 and 1927. Otherwise the population of the cities would have died; while only Ukrainian and Kazakh peasants were dying. Conquest’s source has used only the free-market price index, leaving out the stable prices in the state shops, still a major source of supply. Again Conquest’s estimate of 6 million deaths from the various peasant uprisings between 1918 and 1920 is far too high. The figure is a residual from various data on deaths from other causes, and includes deaths from natural causes—about 6 million in themselves. People would not have been immortal if they had not been at war. Again Conquest provides no tables, perhaps in the absurd belief that prose is clearer.
What was “collectivization”? It arose from Engels’s late realization that the concentration of capital did not work in agriculture. The …
'Harvest of Sorrow' July 16, 1987 | <urn:uuid:1ddd1dfb-f976-4012-82ea-cd45f668fd86> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.nybooks.com/articles/archives/1987/mar/26/stalins-two-famines/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368699273641/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516101433-00041-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.968957 | 685 | 1.828125 | 2 |
The software industry has achieved great results by introducing agile methods like Scrum. Agile methods create outcomes that benefit customers as well as management and employees of the business. The results have been proven in the form of increased employee satisfaction, higher efficiency and functionality that meets customer needs with greater success. But is it possible to transfer those methodologies into product development projects that also include electronics and mechanics? The nature of such projects, including activities like sourcing, manufacturing of prototypes and so on, does not exactly go hand in hand with methods that use short iterations with frequent deliveries. Anyway, the answer to the question asked is actually: "YES". So far, several Scandinavian companies have benefited greatly from implementing Scrum in their product development departments and I have been so fortunate to work with a good number of them.
When starting to implement Scrum in an embedded environment, I usually work with the Transition Steering Group to design a feasible layout for the organization. Depending of the size of the organization and the product they are developing, the layout will either be functional teams, feature teams or a mixture of both. Large organizations have a tendency to prefer functional teams such as pure hardware teams, pure mechanic teams and pure software teams. Personally, I rather prefer feature teams, and that is also the approach we have used in my local sandbox: The award winning Danish audio-equipment company, TC Electronic. The approach to the adoption of Scrum at TC has been to concentrate on whole-product-development instead of just introducing Scrum separately in software or hardware development. The Scrum teams at TC are truly cross-functional and consist of both system programmers, embedded developers, electronics engineers, mechanic engineers, designers and testers – most of them also have domain knowledge from being performing musicians themselves. So it is interdisciplinary work as homage rather than isolated academic disciplines. The teams work closely with related business managers and their Product Owner.
This approach has created a fantastic foundation for understanding the customers and users of the product, which supports the development of integrated and coherent solutions and eliminates bottlenecks in the teams. This is because each employee has committed herself to the ultimate goal (launching the final product) rather than individual targets related to her profession, and therefore she is filling-in for overloaded colleagues when needed, despite the eventual differences in profession.
There are elements in electronics development that almost collide with the principles behind Scrum. For example, PCB-spins and the sourcing of components, which usually are protracted activities, pose a major challenge for the short and intense sprints. Where sprints are the progress of maximum one-month's duration with well-defined objectives for blocks of functionality, PCB-spins are more like cycles of more than 6 weeks where the engineers work their way towards being so complete as possible with a full electronics PCB. When implementing Scrum in hardware, there is a risk that backlog items related to HW will be stated as ongoing from sprit to sprint or being water-Scrumish phase driven. When trying to map PCB-spins to Scrum sprints, without defining specific goals for each sprint, you can easily dilute the impact of Scrum. If you define the sprint goals of a PCB as "Phase 1", "Phase 2","Phase 3", etc. instead of "critical components sourced", "schematic ready for layout", "floor planning done", etc.; you take away the ability to evaluate whether milestones are actually reached or not. The result: The measurement of project progress is not better than using a traditional method. From my experience, this is one of the most common pitfalls when going into embedded agility.
Another approach to challenge this 90%-done-syndrome in hardware development is to implement an iterative practice for hardware development that is inspired by TDD. Here the HW block-diagram is used as the driver for preparing the backlog, defining done and visualizing progress. The concept is to make potential releasable blocks of circuits in each sprint that will concurrently be integrated into the final PCB.
Scrum is easy to understand but hard to implement. Implementing Scrum in an embedded environment does not make it significantly easier. Despite the difficulties, the benefits highly outnumber the challenges and help your embedded development organization to perform and fight the competition in your market. By cleverly implementing the appropriate practices, forming and coaching your teams plus applying the feasible skills of leadership, your company will be well on its way to success with agile. | <urn:uuid:8c4c93a6-0d16-44ee-a116-8eb8b9e2c8c7> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.scrumalliance.org/articles/341-why-agile-does-matter-in-an-embedded-development-environment | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368704132298/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516113532-00015-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.952714 | 903 | 1.59375 | 2 |
I taught the Spring Veggie 101 class last night and we made an arugula pesto that was outstanding. The menu is studded with lots of other seasonal darlings: fava beans, asparagus, green garlic and baby greens. And now that kidding season is over, fresh cheeses are abundant. I had the unexpected fortune of being able to use cheeses that were made in our homemade cheese making class just days before. Thanks Carolyn!
We made fresh pasta, a composed crostini and a grilled vegetable salad with walnut vinaigrette. There was a ton of great techniques going on, as well as good flavor. But what I can’t stop thinking about is the arugula pesto that went with the ravioli. The arugula greens and the pine nuts were in perfect harmony. The salt and red wine that you add to the pesto is what makes this blend of herbs become a well-balanced sauce. My students were in love with the pesto as well.
More importantly, the students learned the greatest lesson of all… recipes are a guideline that are based in a technique. Your basic pesto is going to be a blended mixture of aromatics and fresh herbs, usually basil. To highlight other ingredients that would make great substitutions while you apply the same technique is invaluable. The conversation was elevated to new heights after this lesson was absorbed and the class was unstoppable with their own innovations. As a chef, I love to feed people food that exceeds their expectations. As a teacher, I feel most accomplished when I have taught someone how to cook without a recipe.
Like what you've read? Click here to subscribe to The Chopping Blog. | <urn:uuid:d1d563a4-4a03-43a8-bc15-6f553965ac51> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.thechoppingblog.com/2012/05/arugula-a-vegetable-and-a-lesson.html | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368701852492/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516105732-00010-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.977401 | 348 | 1.78125 | 2 |
PALMETTO, Ga. -- Away from the congestion of Atlanta's highways and congestion of your packed calendar, a slower pace of life has been developing over the last few years. Ahead of Earth Day this month, our "Open House" series takes you inside an eco-friendly home, nestled in an eco-friendly community, where it's all about going back to the basics.
Nan Swann Haverty designed and built this country retreat in Serenbe seven years ago.
"This home is more like comfort living," Haverty said.
She said her three-bedroom home, with a separate guest suite, suits everyone from empty-nesters to young families.
"The goal is for children to be able to walk to school and bike to school," she explained.
It's also for green living. The nearly 3,000-square foot home is earthcraft certified. All homes here must be eco-friendly.
With the detached playroom, it's also kid-friendly.
"I want them out there," Nan joked.
But when it's time for dinner, there's the enormous school bell to signal everyone home.
Also in this private backyard, there's a salt water pool and pavilion.
"It's the place you can turn your kids lose, on a bike and on a golf cart," Haverty said.
Golf carts are a staple in this developing community in Palmetto, Georgia. Our tour guide is Steve Nygren, co-founder of the Serenbe community.
With 34 restaurants in eight states, Nygren sold his business in 1991, got off what he calls the "treadmill of life" and focused on 60 acres of farmland he purchased.
His weekend retreat quickly became a permanent home.
"It was a total value change for me," Nygren said.
In 2006, others followed his lead when he broke ground on the community.
The original farmhouse is now an inn with 19 rooms. Vegetables served in the farmhouse restaurant come from the garden. Adding to the atmosphere, there are donkeys, baby goats and horses for trailriding.
"I had no idea what I was doing," Nygren admitted of buying the animals. He also said he didn't have this grand vision for the property two decades ago.
"I had no clue this would ever happen," explained the former restauranteur, who now calls himself a 'developer by default'.
Thirty-two miles from Midtown Atlanta, in this Palmetto, Ga. community, it's all about disconnecting and becoming one with nature. But you're not totally disconnected since there's Wi-Fi in town, where there are restaurants and boutiques.
"It's about having the values of yesteryear while having the connectivity and convenience of tomorrow," Nygren said.
On board from the beginning -- Nan Swann Haverty. Her home is on the market for $1 million or $1.1 million furnished. But smaller cottages are available for a third of the price.
"This is a unique pocket that is relatively close but unspoiled," the co-founder of Serenbe said.
Now 1000 acres straddling Fulton and Coweta counties, clearly, this eco-friendly experimental sustainable community is developing. But the core values remain at Serenbe. It's a name the developer's wife coined. It means a cross between serenity and being.
"We found when we slowed down to simply be, everything was right here," Nygren explained.
Although Serenbe is a developing residential community, the public is welcome. The community's next big event is 7th annual May Day celebration on Sunday, May 6.
However, if a day trip doesn't suit you and you'd rather reside at Serenbe, you might have the opportunity. HGTV's 2012 green home giveaway is situated at Serenbe. You can enter to win a 2,300 square foot eco-friendly farmhouse. | <urn:uuid:f189b1f9-0c5d-4a20-86c4-1f8153862dfe> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.11alive.com/news/article/237721/507/Open-House-Eco-friendly-escape | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368704713110/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516114513-00015-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.973637 | 828 | 1.507813 | 2 |
To its fiercest devotees, one of the best things about the BlackBerry is its carefully designed physical keyboard, which the skilled BlackBerry addict can play like a violin. These folks scorn Apple’s popular iPhone, whose keyboard is virtual and must be operated by tapping on the screen.
But, on Friday, Verizon Wireless and Research in Motion (RIMM), the BlackBerry’s maker, will do the unthinkable: They will introduce a BlackBerry model without a physical keyboard, one where typing and navigating require tapping on glass, just as users do on the iPhone. This new model is called the BlackBerry Storm, and will sell for $250 with a two-year contract, though a $50 mail-in rebate can bring the price down close to the $199 that Apple (AAPL) charges for the base model of the iPhone.
Despite its lack of a keyboard, the Storm is a real BlackBerry in every other respect, with push email, corporate features and the familiar BlackBerry menus. In many respects, the Storm is a touch-based, large-screen version of the recently released BlackBerry Bold, which is the most polished version of a traditional BlackBerry. It is also the latest member of the new class of hand-held computers, the super-smart phone category kicked off by the iPhone last year and joined by the Google G1 earlier this year.
The Storm sports a large, high-resolution touch screen that fills most of its surface and automatically switches from portrait to landscape mode when the phone is turned. There’s also a forthcoming souped-up download store for third-party software, meant to be similar to the ones on the iPhone and the Google (GOOG) phone. And the Storm can even be used in European and other countries where most Verizon (VZ) phones don’t work.
BlackBerry Storm’s touch screen switches from portrait to landscape mode when turned, and aims to make typing on glass feel more like typing on a real keyboard.
However, the biggest innovation in the Storm is a clever feature RIM hopes will give it a big advantage over the iPhone. When you strike a key or icon on the Storm’s screen, you feel a physical sensation, as if you were pressing down on a real key or button. That’s because you are, in fact, pressing a real button. The entire glass display is one large button, mounted on a mechanical substructure that allows it to be depressed when pressure is applied.
The idea behind this feature is to make typing on glass feel much more like typing on a real keyboard, and thus to make the virtual keyboard, and the touch interface, more acceptable to people used to physical keyboards and buttons. This push-down screen also replaces the side-mounted scroll wheel or track ball on other BlackBerrys for activating menu choices and icons.
But, in my tests, this physical feedback feature, which RIM calls SurePress, didn’t magically turn the Storm’s touch interface and virtual keyboard into their physical counterparts. The feature does provide a more reassuring confirmation that a key has been struck or an icon has been clicked than the mere visual feedback one receives from the iPhone. But neither I, nor any of the several BlackBerry addicts I asked to try it out, considered typing on the Storm’s keyboard to be very similar to using the keyboard of a traditional full-sized BlackBerry.
In my opinion, using the Storm’s keyboard is much more like using the iPhone’s keyboard than a traditional BlackBerry’s. I found that I could type quite well on the Storm after awhile, but that a greater adjustment, and more practice, were required than with a physical keyboard.
The Storm also has a keyboard oddity that I found annoying, and that may put off others. It presents you with a full virtual keyboard only when you are holding it horizontally. When you hold the Storm vertically, you get a mashed-up keyboard, like the one on the narrower BlackBerry Pearl, which has multiple letters on each key. This keyboard design relies on software to guess which letter you meant to press. You can also switch to a virtual cellphone-style keypad that requires you to hit each key multiple times.
This is a curious design decision. Once a company ditches a physical keyboard for a virtual one, it can create all kinds of keyboard variations. RIM could have offered a full, vertically oriented keyboard, even if it would have had smaller, more closely spaced keys.
RIM also failed to customize the Storm’s virtual keyboard for some common, specific tasks. For instance, on the iPhone, when you are typing in a Web address in the browser, the keyboard morphs to offer a convenient key that automatically enters “.com”. Not so on the Storm.
There’s another glaring deficit in the Storm: It lacks Wi-Fi capability. This means that, unlike on the Bold, the iPhone or the Google G1, if high-speed cellphone data service is absent or pokey, you can’t fall back on speedy Wi-Fi connections in public places. And, at home or in the office, you can’t take advantage of Wi-Fi connections that are often much faster than cellphone data networks.
The Storm has some important advantages over the iPhone. Its screen, while 7% smaller physically, offers about 13% higher resolution. Photos and videos look beautiful on it. It has much better battery life for phone calls than either the iPhone or the Google G1. While the latter two phones deliver just under their claimed five hours of talk time, in my tests, the Storm lasted a bit over six hours, which is actually half an hour more than its claimed 5.5 hours of talk time. And the Storm has a removable battery, unlike its Apple rival.
This new BlackBerry comes with more memory than the similarly priced base model of the iPhone — nine gigabytes versus eight gigabytes. And, unlike the iPhone’s memory, the Storm’s is expandable, via larger flash cards.
The Storm’s camera is much better than the iPhone’s, at 3.2 megapixels, versus just 2 megapixels for the Apple device. It also has zoom and flash, features the iPhone’s camera lacks. And, unlike the iPhone or the Google G1, the Storm can record videos. In my tests, all of these camera features worked well.
Also, the Storm has copy and paste functionality; MMS (a service for sending photos directly to other phones without using email); voice dialing; and the ability to act as a modem for your laptop. It also allows you to edit, and not just to view, Microsoft (MSFT) Office documents. All of these features are missing from the iPhone out of the box.
The Storm also has a better speaker than the iPhone, and a noise-canceling microphone system. Phone calls, even on speaker phone, were crisp, clear and plenty loud. Physically, the Storm is attractive but hardly svelte. While it’s about the same length and width as the iPhone, it is 15% thicker and 17% heavier — almost as heavy as the chunky G1.
The Verizon high-speed network on which the Storm runs is older and better-established than either the T-Mobile (DT) high-speed system the G1 uses or the AT&T (T) 3G network used by the current iPhone. Where Verizon’s high-speed data coverage is strong, the Storm flies.
But, because it lacks Wi-Fi, the Storm can be much slower at Web access than its main competitors. I tested these Web speeds in two hotels in Silicon Valley. In the first, where Verizon reception was strong, the Storm trounced the iPhone on cellphone data speeds, averaging over 800 kilobits per second to the iPhone’s 621 kbps over AT&T. But, when I switched the iPhone to use the hotel’s Wi-Fi network, it beat the Storm by 100 kbps or so.
At the second hotel, barely a mile away, the Storm’s lack of Wi-Fi hurt much more. There, Verizon’s signal was poor, and data speeds on the Storm averaged a horrible 96 kbps. But the iPhone on AT&T averaged 459 kbps, and on Wi-Fi the iPhone averaged 785 kbps.
My test Storm, which was a near-final model missing only a few minor software tweaks, was also sluggish at some tasks. It took noticeably longer than the iPhone to flip the first photo from landscape to portrait orientation, or to start the process of flipping through a series of photos by swiping them with a finger. And some other tasks were also slow. It’s possible that production models will be quicker.
Rim has tweaked the familiar BlackBerry user interface for the touch screen, and in general these changes worked well. You select the menu item or icon you want with a light touch, then press down on the screen to activate or confirm your choice. There are even a couple of cool new touch features. For instance, in a list of emails, if you lightly touch and hold one entry, the Storm shows you all messages in that thread.
But this combination of a light touch followed by a hard press on the large screen took some practice, just like typing did. It befuddled several BlackBerry veterans at first.
And some common tasks took more steps than on the iPhone. For instance, emailing a link from a Web page required four steps on the Storm, versus two on the Apple device. The Storm’s email system will be familiar to every BlackBerry user. It has the same corporate email features as other BlackBerrys, and I was easily able as well to use a BlackBerry Internet email account and to set up several personal email accounts, including Gmail.
The Web browser is much improved over the one in older BlackBerry models, and offers multiple ways to view and navigate pages, including one in which a finger moves a cursor, just as on a PC. But I found that panning and zooming in the browser was a bit slower and more awkward than on the iPhone. And, to make some Web sites work properly, I had to dig through menus to change options.
Using the BlackBerry desktop software, I was easily able to synchronize my calendar and contact data over a cable from a Windows PC. (There’s also Mac software for the same task.) But, unlike the iPhone or the G1, the Storm doesn’t offer wireless synchronization from consumer services, only from corporate servers.
The Storm’s multimedia software isn’t as fancy as the iPhone’s, but it’s better than the G1′s, and worked very well in my tests.
Overall, the Storm is a very capable handheld computer that will appeal to BlackBerry users who have been pining for a touch-controlled device with a larger screen. And it offers yet another good option for anyone who is looking to buy one of the new, more powerful, pocket computers. | <urn:uuid:976b4c60-9b62-418b-8dd2-5626af448a82> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://allthingsd.com/20081119/blackberrys-storm-presses-into-the-touch-phone-fray/?refzone=topics_iphone | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368708766848/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516125246-00037-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.941179 | 2,300 | 1.585938 | 2 |
Syrians search for victims as they inspect the damage after a government airstrike in Ras al-Ayn., Syria, Monday, Nov. 12, 2012. (AP Phot / Shaam News Network via AP
ANTAKYA, Turkey â?? The six-nation Gulf Cooperation Council says it has recognized the new broad-based Syrian opposition group as the legitimate representatives of the Syrian people.
Monday's statement is the first formal recognition for the newly united opposition group that seeks to topple President Bashar Assad.
It also could be another step toward opening up greater military aid to the rebels from the Gulf states such as Qatar, which hosted the Syrian opposition meeting.
Syrian rebel groups formed the new, unified opposition body in the face of escalating violence in the country and spillover in the region, but the jury is out on whether it will be more credible and effective than the council it replaces.
"All the FSA (Free Syrian Army) leaders demanded that (the opposition) politicians unite before," said Mosa Ahmed, an FSA fighter and member of the Free Syrian Lawyers, based in Antakya, Turkey. "I hope that all the FSA units will accept the new council, but I can't guarantee it."
Western powers have held back from assisting rebels directly for fear that weapons could fall into the hands of terrorists. But on Sunday, delegates in Qatar ended days of talks with an agreement to band together under the umbrella of the National Coalition for Syrian Revolutionary and Opposition Forces (NCSROF) -- an organization made up of 60 seats and including members from the main opposition Syrian National Council (SNC).
Previously regarded as the closest thing to a unified group, the SNC had been criticized as not being representative of opposition groups within Syria and for its inaction during the 19-month conflict. The U.S. pulled support from the group.
But while the group was initially resistant to a new leadership body, an agreement was finally reached on Sunday with members of the SNC taking 22 of the seats, while Damascene imam Maath al-Khatib was chosen as president for the new dissident organization.
Al-Khatib, seen as a politically inclusive independent candidate, has been repeatedly arrested for his opposition to the Assad regime. Analysts say his election represents a change from the SNC, which is seen as dominated by exiled academics.
"Appointing a preacher represents a qualitative change that will most likely resonate among many people because it provides religious legitimation," said Fawaz Gerges, director of the Middle East Center at the London School of Economics. "This also shifts the balance in power in the opposition. The reality is that, while there are many secular voices, the opposition on the ground has become more and more religious."
Meanwhile, observers say they hope the new coalition will allow for a more streamlined and efficient leadership than the 310-member SNC. The new structure follows the framework of the Syrian National Initiative, a plan put forward by Syrian businessman and political dissident Riad Seif who has been elected one of two vice presidents of the new coalition.
Analysts say the move has come about under pressure from the international community, and the U.S. in particular.
"The Syrian opposition elements are under pressure from the Western powers to give them the cover they need to ensure Assad falls," said Rosemary Hollis, professor of Middle East Policy studies at City University, London. "(The West and much of the Arab world) are not prepared to live with long-term containment of the Syrian conflict -- It's got to be regime change and in order to increase the chances (of that), they need to get arms to Assad's opponents and (therefore) they need the opposition to change."
The British will be hosting talks with representatives of the new coalition in London later this week to discuss "further support" for the Syrian opposition, according to a statement from British Foreign Secretary William Hague released on Sunday.
Supporters of the new initiative say that it represents 90% of the Syrian opposition groups, compared with only 50% or 60% that are represented by the SNC.
Most important, analysts say, it is trying to bring in armed opposition forces and provide coordinated leadership for what is currently a fragmented alliance of rebel battalions made up of foreign elements and Islamist groups united by the common aim of overthrowing Assad â?? but at times little else.
Still, it remains to be seen if these forces will follow the coalition's leadership.
"Yes, it's more inclusive, but will the new opposition really be able to unify all factions inside Syria?" Gerges said. "Will it be able to speak for the dozens of military battalions? Will the various factions be able to shed their own identity and coalesce? The jury is still out."
Meanwhile, fighting between regime forces and rebels has continued to spill out into neighboring territories with shells straying into Israeli-occupied Golan Heights on Sunday and Monday. Israel reacted by firing back into Syrian territory, taking out a Syrian armored vehicle.
There have already been clashes on Syria's borders with Turkey, Lebanon and Jordan. Analysts say this only underlines the need to contain the Syrian conflict.
"What the Israelis are doing made it clear that they didn't perceive themselves to be under attack, but that it was a retaliatory move to send a message --beware of this border, if you transgress it, we won't put up with it," Hollis said. "Slowly but surely the ramifications of the conflict are affecting all the neighbors and creating more and more uncertainty and instability."
Russell reported from Berlin; Louise Osborne contributed from London.
Copyright 2013 USATODAY.com
Read the original story: New Syrian opposition group recognized by Gulf council | <urn:uuid:d2d56ccd-aa7c-487d-bf5b-0a92cda916f0> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.stargazette.com/usatoday/article/1699917?odyssey=mod%7Cnewswell%7Cimg%7CFRONTPAGE%7Cp | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368696382584/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516092622-00002-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.969292 | 1,176 | 1.539063 | 2 |
from Peter Radford
That the discipline called economics is in a bit of a mess is beyond dispute. That is has taken this long for many of its leading lights to come down from their respective mountain tops and admit so is, frankly, a scandal, but not surprising given the enormous prestige and ego reinforcing power attaching to being an nationally renowned economist. The top players represent the apex of a deep and loyal band determined to defend their position stoutly in the face of periodic insurrection in the ranks. That way they can ensure the perks flow to the loyal troops. This much we all know, and our knowledge simply tells us that economics is much like any other trade. Insular, defensive, conservative, and self-regarding.
Those untethered to the need to be loyal to orthodoxy have the privilege and opportunity both to make fun of the naked emperor and to call for changes. Perhaps a new set of clothes is in order.
For fun we should all set our minds to deciding the key moments when the subject left its earthly orbit and began its steady trajectory towards the outer reaches of human invention to take its place alongside alchemy and astrology as one of our most intricate, well developed, and yet futile endeavors.
I know you all have suggestions.
The list is vast.
Was it the Walrasian impulse to describe an economy as a massive machine inevitably arriving at a nirvana like steady state? Was it earlier with Smith’s metaphorical invisible hand? Was it the so-called marginal revolution, when the classical economists sought to redefine the subject as cleansed of human groups and tensions? Was it Marx, who disrupted us all by pointing to those groups and tensions?
The list is, indeed, vast.
My own favorite, which I acknowledge is idiosyncratic, is the invention of revealed preferences.
For those of you blissfully unaware of what this is allow me to give a very restricted description.
Since economics is concerned with, or used to be, the way in which people exchange, buy, and sell stuff, it behooves us all to identify why they may be doing these things. The answer seems to be that they are trying to satisfy a set of needs. These needs may be very basic – as in survival. Or they may be very ornate – as in buying luxury goods. So economists need to find a way to describe this diverse impulse to acquire and to link it with a set of requirements. That set of requirements is called a set of “preferences”. And preferences are thought to express “utility” because they match the things we acquire against our needs. Phew. But that idea of utility turns out to be a slippery slope into mushy thinking. What do we mean by utility? More to the point: how do we measure it? Since we are trying to understand the machinery that matches our needs against our ability to satisfy those needs, we need to be able to measure and deploy utility as a key part of that machinery. The debates about how to do this lingered long in the early years of economics. The originator of the notion of utility, at least as known in economics, was Bentham, but he left the concept informal. And, as we know, economists after about 1870 wanted to describe everything in more formal or mathematical terms. So the Benthamite explanation wouldn’t do. His version of utility was far to vague, psychological, and intractable to mathematical manipulation.
Since economics was all about mathematics that had to change.
Enter Frank Ramsey and Paul Samuelson.
They liberated economics from the deeper psychological question of why people acquire what they do. That is where the intractability stems from. They realized also that the future of economics was mathematical modeling and thus required logical rigor. Internally consistent math was more important than understanding why people did what they did. Economists were more interested in the consequences of exchange than why exchange took place in the first place. So they needed to rid themselves of reasons which might be whimsical or prone to sweeps of fashion, and instead assume that what people did was based upon a rational process. We needed to strip out what ought, might, or could have happened, and replace it with only what did happen. Economics had to be positive not normative.
So a sleight of hand was needed.
Rather than dwell on the tangled roots of why people acquired stuff, economics contented itself with assuming that whatever they did they must have wanted to do. That is to say that the murkiness of actual preferences is too unstable and messy to model, but if we assume that what we observe people doing is a manifestation of what they wanted to do all along, then we can model that more easily.
Thus when you buy blue socks you are said to reveal your preference for blue socks.
It gets more complicated and jargon infested.
You are assumed to prefer blue socks at all times over those red socks you set out to buy but couldn’t because they were sold out. You see the reason you bought them is a messy subject. That you indisputably did buy those blue socks is not. We can model the latter and not the former. So we brush aside the complicated questions and move on swiftly secure in the knowledge we now know what your preferences are. After all you revealed them through your actions.
Now as a representation of human behavior this sucks. But it has the great advantage of freeing economics from psychology, which we all know is a pseudo science anyway. I am kidding. Unfortunately orthodox economists aren’t. Their revealed preference is for massive simplification in order to preserve their ability to model what they perceive to be more important: the machinery of the marketplace. No one denies that what goes on inside people’s heads is unimportant. It is just that were economics to accommodate that nearly infinite set of causes for action it would never be able to build those neat models it so values.
So we simplify.
So we eradicate humanity from the market system.
The hope within all this is that the outcomes of the now dehumanized models will be a good representation of the effects of what real people do in their awful and messy way. Economists are proud of calling these rough relationships “good first approximations”. That is they stop short of getting their hands dirty in behavioral details because they have convinced themselves they can arrive close enough to the right answer without so doing.
Newtonian physics is also a good approximation. So good that it stood the test of experiment for centuries until advances in its details required a more sophisticated approximation. That is what relativity and then quantum physics provided us. They are both more accurate and better descriptions of reality than that of Newton.
Unfortunately economics is stuck firmly in its Newtonian phase content with its rough approximations. One reason is the enormous success of the notion of revealed preferences and its removal of human life from the models subsequently produced. As more than one critic has suggested, orthodox economics has morphed into a study of cyborg activity rather than human activity.
As we debate ways to get economics back from its current unearthly orbit we need to realize that while the classical and neoclassical systems give us beautiful and in many ways excellent first approximations, they remain just that: approximations. We should not be content as being “approximators”. Especially when newer methods and insights are littered about us in other disciplines, many of which have moved great distances away from the machinery metaphor towards more complex and yet just as disciplined other metaphors.
If, as McCloskey argues, rhetoric matters, and I am a story teller by nature so I agree with her, then the choice of metaphor is crucial. Economics is still using an old and quite poor one. It needs to move on.
One reason it doesn’t is the power of revealed preferences to both eliminate the complications of human causation and to simplify the logic underlying the math of the models that produce those first approximations.
Approximations which, by the way and judging by the recent crisis, seem to be getting less useful by the day.
Hence the choice of real economics as the description for the new way is not a slur against the classics. It is simply a claim that progress, and the refining of those approximations, must now accommodate more real expressions of behavior. There are many ways to do this, and we cannot predict which will succeed. But what we do know is that parts of the machinery like revealed preferences do not help. They hinder.
That’s why I nominate them as my example of economic error.
What’s your nomination? | <urn:uuid:ca90ecf6-bd39-4f8f-b53c-0e71f0d52cf6> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://rwer.wordpress.com/2011/02/28/economic-errors/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368698924319/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516100844-00027-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.965662 | 1,780 | 1.789063 | 2 |
Is it OK to ask and answer my own question, with the intent of showing the community how to do something useful? In this situation I would not be seeking answers to the question (unless someone has a better solution). I can't find guidelines here, though this seems to suggest not accepting my own answer in this situation.
No products are associated with this question.
I say go for it. I would say write the question and then immediately post the answer as an answer. I would hold off on accepting your answer until other people have a chance to chime in with what they think might be best.
Try it with a few questions, see how you do. If your questions are good and interesting, then you will likely get multiple answers or up votes to the question. If your questions are not interesting, then you will not get any other answers or up votes (up votes to the answer say little about the question). If you are not getting answers/votes, then it is probably an indication that you should stop.
Asking questions and then immediately answering them is one of the very first things that this resource was used for. If it's good enough for Doug Hull, then it's good enough for me.
That said, we have not worked out how we would like to incorporate such postings. I started a discussion of this recently but it hasn't gone very far.
I have no objection to the creation of "how-to" postings. The overview says that the resource is "collaborative environment for finding the best answers to your questions about MATLAB, Simulink, and related products". If that involves people putting together canonical answers to problem patterns, then in my opinion that would be a worthwhile use of the resource.
If you ask a question, and none of the answers is satisfactory, and then you, through other means such as yourself or via a friend, come up with a different and better solution then I have no problem with you posting it as an answer to your question.
If you just have a nifty way of doing something, then you might consider uploading it to the File Exchange or adding it to the FAQ ( http://matlab.wikia.com/wiki/FAQ#toc) if you consider it to be universally useful and not just some niche application. If it's really something universally useful, enough to be tagged a tutorial, then you could post it in Answers, but make sure it's not something better suited for the File Exchange or FAQ. For example a tutorial on how to ask questions on the Answers forum would be good but demo code for how to do a Monte Carlo Simulation might be better on the File Exchange or FAQ.
I've done this repeatedly: I had some ideas for a specific problem and wanted to know, how others solve it. Then I'm waiting for a week and add all I know about the topic. Example: Answers: rare examples of confusing error messages, or Answers: license files from the FEX. Sometimes I add my personal answers in form of comments to the answers of others. Until today, nobody told me that he or she was bothered by this.
I assume Richard's comment concerns threads like:
Question: "I have a problem ABC and cannot solve it..." Accepted Answer from the same author: "Ah well, I've done it with e LOOP".
Such threads are a waste of the time of all readers. The increase of the reputation by the accepted answer has not relation to the bad quality of the question.
If it really is about something cool, then I'm in agreement with the others. Go for it... People could still add their own answers if they had a useful point of view.
But if it's something mundane that shows up again and again (proving that a lot of people would rather ask a question than use the search facility / or that the search facility is not powerful enough), it'd be a pointless self-gratifying exercise. | <urn:uuid:40f160fb-8a44-4ba4-b271-9a0cc71d174a> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://mathworks.com/matlabcentral/answers/42676 | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368700958435/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516104238-00007-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.967981 | 808 | 1.5 | 2 |
The stock market has been on a tear. But with a five-year bull run in tow it may be time for a reversal of fortunes. Then again…
I left the brokerage business as a stockbroker not long after Wall Street celebrated a 5-year birthday party for the market’s bull run performance. That was in 1987. The b-day party happened shortly before the Black Monday market crash in October of that year.
While the idea of even considering a birthday party for the stock market was utterly absurd to me—birthday parties are for people. not stocks, right? Anyway, I figured that the October crash, that resulted in the DJIA losing more than 22 percent of its value and the S&P over 20 percent, was going to be followed by a long-term market downturn similar to the one that happened after the crash that began in 1929. It did take, after all, until the early 1950s for the market to reach the highs enjoyed some 23-ish years before.
But, I was wrong. According to market historians, by September of 1989 all the value that had been lost two years before had been regained. So much for my projections.
I mention this only because there have been big “Yipee’s” as those who write and report about Wall Street have been talking about a 5-year bull run in stocks. And on Friday, both the DJIA and the S&P 500 did close at five-year highs.
Five years is a fair amount of time for a bull to run. Historically, however, once the bull succumbs what follows is typically a recession and/or market crash.
From Bob Brinker’s Educated Investor online site: “There are several well-known bulls and bears in American history. The longest-lived bull market in US history is the one that began about 1991 and ran into 2000. Other major bulls occurred in the 1920s, the 1950s, the late 1960s, the mid-1980s, and the mid-2000s. However, they all ended in recessions or market crashes.”
During this century, Brinker writes that our bear markets have lasted about two years in length—roughly the same amount of time as the crash that began in 1987 and ended in 1989 did. The bear market that began in 2000 ended in 2002 and another ran from 2007 to 2009.
Back to our 1987 crash and the cause for it. Aside from too much rose-colored glasses thinking going on coupled with parties for inanimate things, most pros conclude that a number of things contributed to the market collapse.
George Mason University’s History News Network complied six reasons that contributed to the 1987 crash: Derivatives, computer trading, illiquidity, U.S. trade and budget deficits, overvaluation, and investing in bonds rather stocks for yield.
From what I can see, all of those issues still remain challenges in our economy. Add to that a couple of missing elements—like our ongoing recession, a growing number of individuals living in poverty and/or unable to find a living wage income, the world economies, the high costs of an aging population. etc.—and I’m thinking a market correction can’t be far away.
Whether I’m right or wrong isn’t what’s important here. Nope, the value is in the education and knowing that while the market’s long-term trend line has always been an upward one, there have always been peaks and valleys long the way. Invest accordingly. | <urn:uuid:912185d3-8232-41ab-8e14-57d1a5fd8060> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://blogs.palmbeachpost.com/palmbeachmoney/tag/5-year-bull-market/ | 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 | 0.973185 | 738 | 1.601563 | 2 |
"This book offers new and interesting perspectives on the emergence and impacts of improbable multinationals: those based in Latin America."
Foreign Direct Investment from emerging economies reached $130 billion in 2005, the highest level ever recorded. The number of multinationals from emerging economies in the global Fortune 500 has increased from 19 in 1990 to 47 in 2005, with about ten of them coming from Latin America. This book focuses on understanding this new phenomenon.
Most of the research on multinationals has focused on companies from developed markets. Research on multinationals from emerging economies is relatively new and most of the attention has been focused on multinationals from Asia. Little research has been done on the internationalization strategies and challenges of Latin American multinationals. This book aims to fill this void. Studying Latin American multinationals will not only provide insights into specific strategies deployed by successful firms but will also identify best practices that can be employed by the next generation multinationals from emerging markets. | <urn:uuid:c7e9d2be-3767-46aa-a93d-ef7fdd207dc9> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.globallatinas.org/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368710006682/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516131326-00042-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.942223 | 191 | 1.710938 | 2 |
So one of the topics I am very much interested in is the evolution of media and information technology. One of the budding areas that we are watching grow into its toddler, if not teenage, years, is the ebook. To keep the metaphor going, it really is only a matter of time before our teenager starts experimenting in order to figure out what they really are. But first lets talk about where stories, in the form of books, have been going.
The popular e-readers of today are trying desperately to copy books. This is because books have an established niche of readership that keeps them afloat financially that has been steadily declining since the invention of video. Declining but not being erased. Actually since the internet became popular, we’ve seen an increase in the amount that people read daily, thanks to email and websites.
The internet gave birth to what I’ll call the first evolution of story, that being the jump to self published internet fiction, which you can find all over the internet in audio and written form if you try. Serialized web novels are popular these days, along with terabytes of fan fiction and much more. But this evolution doesn’t hold up economically for most authors, at least not until recently. There has been another slower evolution, the eBook.
[feed]More on the site, including a peek at a possible evolution beyond eBooks.[/feed]The adoption of the ebook by mass media publishers has been slow. The digital framework for ebooks has been around for almost half a decade but it has only gotten popular with specialized mobile computing decides such as the Kindle, Sony eReader, Nook, and the iPad. This is because it is a huge commercial venture for large companies who have a lot of to risk and like all big companies, they waited to see if smaller companies could stay float using ebooks before diving in themselves and taking over. See my other article about how some are succeeding at taking over or at least shoving people out.
But now the big companies are throwing in, with other newer companies taking bites out of the industry. I read an article somewhere, which I sadly can not find, that compared the ebook market to the paperback market back when hardback books were the only mass-produced books. The large-scale paperback market was actually founded by magazine companies, rather than the big publishers of the time, until the big publishers saw how profitable it was, and moved in to get a slice of the pie.
But unlike paperbacks, ebooks have more potential to do more than just copy books. Hence why I feel that ebooks are actually in their toddler years. They’re growing popular and they’re taking shape, but they could be more. Let me show you one of things they could be:
Let me introduce to you the Vook.
Now I am not saying that the above is the pinnacle of what an eBook could be. Actually it is not even something I am interested in buying, except for perhaps those guide books, where video, audio, and text combined together would make an amazing resource, I feel. But for fiction? Not really.
But what about books that come embedded with their own music depending upon the page or scene you are reading? What kind of mixed media or new media could be developed using digital technologies with written text.
I doubt a pure text story will ever been fully squashed out as long as written language is a staple of modern societies around the world but I am very much looking forward to seeing what kind of media could be created by the advancement of cheap mobile technology.
What do you think the media of tomorrow will be like? | <urn:uuid:58348837-39e2-45b1-a3d5-7327b64160f0> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://asingularity.net/archives/2012 | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368697380733/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516094300-00008-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.971974 | 748 | 1.835938 | 2 |
AROUSAL by Management Reality
AROUSAL is a prize
winning corporate simulation system designed to assist executives in
the construction and engineering industry to manage their companies more
effectively. The system focuses
on the often neglected operation and management of project-based
businesses. It has benefited thousands of corporate managers
and prospective managers in over 23 countries on five continents.
Latest Software Version
Current AROUSAL Models
UK - Masters Building
US - Renzo Construction
developed in the early 1980s, because it has been regularly and
thoroughly updated to reflect the prevailing needs and aspirations
of project-based businesses, AROUSAL still retains its position at
the forefront of simulation-based management development tools and it continues
to be used worldwide.
AROUSAL Icons and Pull-down Menus
used world-wide by companies, training organisations and universities
has been completely updated for the current business cycle.
Click Here for an Example AROUSAL Display
"Management effectiveness is best measured by quantifiable results."
Citation for Building Innovation Award
What is AROUSAL ?
AROUSAL is a highly sophisticated business simulation system designed to assist contractors and other construction industry firms in developing their managers and in evaluating the potential costs and benefits of different business and organisational strategies.
At the heart of the system is a case study of a real firm and a computer model of its business activities. Unlike many computer models which are restricted to handling financial, marketing and production issues AROUSAL recognises the vital interplay between strategic and operational decisions and the human side of business. AROUSAL is unique in being able to handle such factors as the design of the reporting structure, job descriptions, recruitment and general personnel issues. This ability is further enhanced by the flexibility of the system, which can be fine-tuned to reflect the activities and organisation of a wide variety of businesses.
How does AROUSAL work ?
AROUSAL simulates the world of the senior managers of a given enterprise. It generates much of the information which would normally be available to such staff and enables them, or teams of participants on a course, to handle this information and the embedded issues as they would in practice. AROUSAL allows managers to develop and evaluate ideas, to relate them to their jobs and to implement these ideas through managing in a familiar and risk free environment.
When used on management courses a business setting is initially presented through audio-visual and written case study materials. Subsequently, the business is developed through the interplay of the decisions of the team with a computer model of the business. Expert tutors coach and develop participants to ensure that effective learning takes place.
How is AROUSAL used ?
The prime reason for developing AROUSAL was to
provide firms with a powerful tool for handling those
issues which arise from the ever increasing complexities
of business and organisational life. It was envisaged
that such a tool could be used in three main ways:
However, the uses of AROUSAL have extended to
include significant contributions to :
What does AROUSAL consist of ?
The AROUSAL system consists of:
The AROUSAL system is available 'off-the-shelf', based on a small main-contractor in the West Country of England, a medium sized contractor in Boston, Massachusetts, and a small contractor based near Melbourne. It is also available on a 'tailor-made' basis for those firms which require material based on their own businesses. Also, for those organisations which do not wish to acquire the complete system, individual AROUSAL courses can be arranged.
Copyright (c) 2000-2012, Management Reality | <urn:uuid:f5a35f1f-5d96-4d5e-beda-b0c57077c3db> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.managementreality.com/index.htm | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368698924319/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516100844-00018-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.933341 | 756 | 1.765625 | 2 |
Where Do We Go From Here?
Program Defines Issues for JSPAN Action
(JSPAN) Over 150 people braved stormy weather to attend the program "Iraq: Finding the Right Road" on the evening of November 16th. After a welcome by Board Chair Sue Myers, President Jeff Pasek explained that the program would bring the issues into focus so as to permit JSPAN to adopt a policy position with respect to the future course of the U.S. in Iraq.
Edward Turzanski, Senior Fellow of the Foreign Policy Research Institute, spoke in support of continuing the present course. He stated that the Sunni minority in Iraq has missed two out of three chances to take part in the future of their country, with the third opportunity coming up: elections scheduled for December 15, 2005, to choose a new national assembly. Turzanski urges us to watch this event, and the Sunni participation in it, as a key indicator of a brighter future. He expressed the importance of a working democracy (even an imperfect one) in Iraq to put pressure on Syria and other Arab states to provide key rights to their citizens, including the right to vote, free speech and a free press. As for the benefits of fighting to establish democracy in the Middle East, Turzanski restated the long-held view that democracies do not fight wars against each other.
Dick Polman, national political analyst for The Philadelphia Inquirer, examined the reasons for the decline in support for the war, and the political implications of the decline in the President's approval ratings in the upcoming election year. Polman perceives the issue of Iraq as straddling party politics, recognizing that a great many Democrats in Congress joined Republicans in voting to grant the President the power to take military action. Polman sees significance in the resolution that passed the Senate a day before the JSPAN program, calling on the President to provide quarterly reports on the progress of the war (although that resolution does not actually require any measure of success to be achieved or any deadline to be set for the U.S. to withdraw).
Rabbi Seymour Rosenbloom, spiritual leader of Congregation Adath Jeshurun, spoke vehemently against the war on moral grounds. He urged that although Jewish law allows defensive wars, there is no defense interest on behalf of the United States in Iraq. With the failure to find weapons of mass destruction, the original main argument for the war has been removed, but the Administration has suggested that fighting terror is a further reason - a viewpoint that does not impress the Rabbi in light of the absence of any indication that terrorists operated from Iraq prior to the invasion. Nor is Rosenbloom impressed with the most recent argument, that the U.S. lives already lost cannot be allowed to have been spent in vain. With 2,100 American lives and an estimated 30,000 Iraqi lives lost, the Rabbi called for an "immediate" withdrawal, concluding with the observation that each life lost represents not just a single death, but a loss of all the children, grandchildren and further descendants that individual might have produced - each lost life "a world in itself."
After a lively question and answer period, those present enjoyed refreshments and additional conversation before returning to the rainy night for the trip home.
Jewish Social Policy Action Network | <urn:uuid:217f1371-787d-4f1f-9873-91245dec0ad6> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://pjvoice.com/v6/6008iraq.html | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368708142388/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516124222-00004-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.951919 | 674 | 1.789063 | 2 |
The most vulnerable people in Fairfield County — including the sick and elderly — were without power after Hurricane Irene for up to eight days because of poor planning, outdated mapping of electrical circuits and communication breakdowns between the power companies and all levels of government.
That's what local lawmakers and emergency responders told members of four state legislative committees Monday during a public hearing in Hartford.
Representatives of Connecticut Light & Power Co. and United Illuminating Co. defended their Irene response but admitted significant changes need to be made. An estimated 1.2 million households in Connecticut lost power during the storm.
State Sen. Toni Boucher, a Republican whose seven town district includes Wilton, Westport, Weston and New Canaan, spoke at the hearing about the need for a dramatic overhaul in planning and communications.
State Rep. Gail Lavielle, a Republican whose district covers Wilton and Norwalk, also addressed members of the General Assembly's Energy and Technology Committee and Public Safety Committee.
"Hurricane Irene taught us that accurate communication and a plan of action are essential when preparing for a powerful storm," Boucher said. "Executives from the state's largest utility companies recently testified before a joint legislative committee hearing that yes, they need to fix their response protocol. But will the companies take action?
"Local town leaders all reported they were completely without power and hundreds of roads were blocked. While residents sat in the dark, utilities were scrambling for workers and providing unreliable and conflicting messages," Boucher said.
"Prolonged delays impacted school closing decisions; residents with serious medical conditions; and residents with well water and septic systems who faced health concerns over whether to drink the water and how to dispose of waste," she said. "If we have learned anything it is that utilities had a communications failure and delay in response time. Forecasters were predicting a severe event and families prepared, so why didn't the utilities?
Boucher also said that "poor, decades-old mapping of electrical circuits" by the power companies also delayed the restoration of power.
"We need real time and accurate communication protocols between state, towns, customers and utilities. We need technology upgrades and should prioritize homes that are on septic systems and well water," she said. "We must recognize vulnerable populations, such as the elderly and sick, and should identify trees to be cut or trimmed on a regular basis."
Lavielle also offered testimony on the storm-related problems. "From the moment the storm ended until power was restored to the last remaining households, I was constantly receiving emails and calls from constituents seeking information," she said.
"Most people understood the extent of the damage and power restoration would be delayed, but they wanted reassurance that work was proceeding and that there was a logical plan in place. They were preoccupied by a single issue: lack of information," Lavielle said.
Most disturbing, she said, is that "customers who were disabled, ill or elderly had difficulty reaching CL&P and many had to wait until the very last days for power restoration."
Power company leaders said Irene brought down an avalanche of trees and power lines, creating extremely dangerous situations that had to be carefully repaired by expert crews.
"We have listened closely to the constructive feedback that has been shared, particularly from our customers and the towns we serve," said Bill Quinlan, vice president of customer solutions for CL&P. "As we continue to receive such feedback, we are factoring it into our plans for improving our performance in the future."
Quinlan also said his company will schedule public forums throughout the state "to develop and implement specific actions that will enhance our communications and coordination with municipalities" to ensure improved disaster response.
To reach Richard Weizel, email email@example.com. | <urn:uuid:ce9e2d64-a82f-4915-b45b-f1124ca8a0d3> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://fairfield.dailyvoice.com/news/irene-outages-hurt-sick-aging-fairfield-county | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368709037764/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516125717-00014-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.976892 | 784 | 1.71875 | 2 |
Closed captioning of: Mixing prescription pills can be a deadly dose
back now at 7:42 with a reality check on the dangers of
prescription drug abuse
. it's an issue being talked about as officials look into whether the drugs played a role in
's death. according to the cdc, the abuse of prescription medications has become the fastest growing drug problem in the
is nbc's chief medical editor. good morning. good to see you.
we should repeat at the outset we don't know the
cause of death
were found in her room and investigators are looking at the pharmacies where the drugs were prescribed from. setting that aside, i guess the issue is first of all, why does it take so long for the toxicology results to come back?
i'm not sure it's taking so long. i think they have a good idea now. at the time of the initial autopsy it was immediately looked for a source of immediate drowning. they ruled out sources of immediate death -- they ruled out drowning quickly. it came pretty fast through
, blood that they can find out what drugs are there. they will look for drug residues residues. they want to get this one right. i have a feeling they know well but they want a complete report.
this has raised the issue of the use of
. some are now household names like xanax, the benzodiazepines. celebrities are known to use them but
have them in their medicine cabinets and may use them casually. may even have a glass of wine sometimes with it. to that you say what?
i think we have to be careful. i think we have to throw race into this. this is not a
on cocaine. this is a woman of affluence able to get her hands on these medications. it's
all over again. whether it's a doctor or a concierge who gave her the medications it came through the legal pipeline. you have to be a stupid doctor to give a
addicting drugs. i hate the words
wake up call
or teachable moments, but this is a screaming loud moment for everybody who takes things to calm their nerves or go to sleep and they think nothing of taking a little extra. it usually starts because someone will take something to go to sleep and after a couple months you take two because you need more. then you have anxiety. you go to dinner and you have had a cocktail and you may have another. unless you're a pharmacologist and you understand how the drugs interact, one can potentiate the other. it's very easy to put yourself into a coma or cause a heart attack or
. you can do it whether you're a person of affluence or whether you live on the street. the idea that you have a prescription lulls people into a false sense of safety.
some commentators have said there are people in the world who are bent on destroying themselves and there is nothing you can do. do you take that view or do you think the
can be an illness, the same way alcoholism is considered an illness?
i saw that comment. there is some truth that some people are self-destructive, but give me a break. there are people around someone in need who can step in. it requires an intervention. family and friends who are willing to sever the ties and put their friendship and sometimes their paychecks at risk by saying, you're in trouble. i can see it. i'm not going to be codependent with you. for every physician who doesn't do a complete history and gives medication to somebody, shame on them, too. just one final thing before we draw judgment. we don't know whose name is on the prescription bottles. we don't know the physicians. that's going to be the next point of investigation. but there were a lot of warning signs and a lot of codependent people around
who could have taken a chance and saved her life and chose not to.
a lot of unanswered questions. dr.
, thank you for your perspective this morning. | <urn:uuid:516e12b5-ced8-4539-b62f-cf1353709926> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.nbcnews.com/id/47751459/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368696381249/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516092621-00033-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.974169 | 828 | 1.742188 | 2 |
YOUTH worker and community activist Les Twentyman has initiated a summit on what he calls the "growing rate of youth violence gripping Melbourne's inner and outer suburbs".
Mr Twentyman, who has worked with young people in the western suburbs for more than 25 years, says gang violence across the west is now at unprecedented levels.
He says much of the violence goes unreported, which is why police crime statistics don't tell the full story.
"It is imperative that we act now to put into place real solutions to tackle the continued growth in youth-related violence," he said.
"We're bringing all parties together, from government, police, senior educators, community leaders, sports clubs, business - all with the aim of putting proactive programs in place that get kids back in school and involved in the community through arts and sports programs. The crisis at the moment is around kids not going to school.
"It's when they aren't going to school and are hanging around that they get into trouble.
"Whether there needs to be more investment in alternative schools or whether you target the underlying poverty, which means these kids can't afford to go to school ... all these things need to be discussed." Mr Twentyman's call for a summit was supported by African community leader Abseleom Nega.
Mr Nega, director of Flemington-based youth education group iEmpower, said it didn't help talking about what areas were worse than others. "It doesn't help to single out a particular area; that's why we talk about the north-west region."
Moonee Valley police inspector Geoff Kedge said he would be a willing participant in the "think tank or summit" on youth violence.
The summit on youth violence with the theme 'Keeping kids in the classroom and out of the courtroom' has been scheduled for August 15, from 10.30am, at the Catholic Regional College, Caroline Springs. | <urn:uuid:999e883d-aa0f-48eb-bfdc-f982a4f04f53> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.maribyrnongweekly.com.au/story/283135/twentyman-laments-unprecedented-gang-thuggery/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368707435344/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516123035-00018-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.977471 | 394 | 1.726563 | 2 |
Georgia, Tbilisi, February 8th /Trend, corresp.N.Kirtzkhalia/
Mikheil Saakashvili said on Friday that he would want to suggest collaboration to parliamentary majority.
"I intended to come to the Parliament to suggest collaboration", declared President of Gerogia on Friday, speaking in his residence in Aulabari instead of the Parliament.
According his words, Georgia has entered the period of cohabitation since October 1. "Cohabitation is a foreign word, it's new, many has known it recently. In translation it is very familiar to our nation, it means peaceful coexistence. It means that different institutions, different political parties should live together in one constitutional home", said Saakashvili.
President of Georgia named 4 points for collaboration between government and opposition. According to Saakashvili, firstly, Georgia should be a sovereign and independent state.
"Secondly, there has to be constitutional democracy in the country. In third, Georgia ought to be a civilized country. And in the fourth, Georgia ought to be a country where people could live freely. These are not party ideas. This is the national idea", declared Saakashvili.
Do you have any feedback? Contact our journalist at email@example.com | <urn:uuid:c82330e0-3f4c-417a-a0df-fa08d0982e52> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://en.trend.az/regions/scaucasus/georgia/2117571.html | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368696382584/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516092622-00001-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.970491 | 273 | 1.585938 | 2 |
All Together Now
Updated: Tuesday, September 10, 2002 12:20 PM
By Dr. Jerry B. Black
Posted: Tuesday, September 10, 2002 12:20 PM
-- Having been involved the past two years with the formidable task of achieving a uniform racehorse medication policy in the United States, I was pleased to see that the chairman of the Thoroughbred Owners and Breeders Association, Gary Biszantz, would be adding an important voice to the cause during his "Plea for Uniformity" presentation at the recent Jockey Club Round Table. However, after receiving his repeat mount as chairman of TOBA, Mr. Biszantz went to the whip, applying it liberally to veterinarians. Citing increased longevity in people in an apples to oranges logic, he laid the blame for the reduced number of racing starts per horse, small fields, and a decline in breed durability on the doorstep of veterinarians.
Everyone involved with the health of the horse and the long-term growth of the industry should share Mr. Biszantz' personal concern for these issues. I certainly do. But while opinions abound, no scientific data exists to show why these trends are taking place. The use of therapeutic medication may or may not be a contributing factor. The truth is that we won't know until studies are performed that examine all the factors. However, casting veterinarians as the "witches of the devil" unfairly places blame and doesn't look at the decisive role that owners and trainers play in the management and care decisions of the racehorse. It would seem obvious that veterinarians do not initiate or control whether or not a horse is treated. The owners, or their agents, the trainers, do.
Veterinarians play a vital role in ensuring the health and welfare of the equine athlete. From daily preventive care to life-saving surgeries, their expertise extends far beyond the administration of medication. Most owners don't see the hands-on care and consultations performed by veterinarians, only the costs for services that are passed along each month by the horse's trainer. This alone does not give an accurate picture of the veterinarian's involvement.
Education and training make the veterinarian an important partner when it comes to making health care decisions. But as the people who make it financially possible for a horse to reach the starting gate, owners should and have the right to be working closely with veterinarians and trainers to ensure that optimal care options are selected for the horse. Ideally, the three should work together as a team. This is by far the best scenario for the horse and the sport.
Final decisions regarding the racehorse can only be made by the owner, who ultimately decides whether to race or retire, breed for durability or brilliance, or use therapeutic medications. If you believe therapeutic medication is the culprit in a shortened career or weakens the breed, then don't use it. If durability is a primary goal, then breed durable mares to durable stallions, not to fashionable commercial pedigrees or stallions with brilliant, but short careers. It needs to be recognized that short fields are also a product of the owners, trainers, and officials' newfound willingness to scratch a horse for nearly any reason, including a half-inch of rain or an unexpectedly tough field. "Thirty-to-one fever" is a disease for which the "scratch" is often the treatment of choice. Owners and trainers make that decision.
There is still a long road ahead for those in the industry who are working to achieve uniformity in medication. The veterinary community, through the American Association of Equine Practitioners, is working hard to define the problems associated with medication and move the industry toward a solution. With the AAEP's Racehorse Medication Summit last December and the subsequent formation of the U.S. Racing Medication and Testing Consortium, horse racing has its best chance ever of making significant changes. Perhaps we will even uncover the answers to the trends that concern Mr. Biszantz and so many in racing.
I am proud to be a member of the profession that has taken a leadership role in this movement and send a plea for uniformity of my own to the industry. Long-term success won't happen without the continued constructive involvement of all the stakeholders. Let's continue our efforts by working to understand each other's professions rather than pointing fingers. We've been down that road before.
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What's the scariest airplane landing you ever experienced? If it was in the U.S., chances are it was scary because of weather problems or a mechanical problem or the afraid-of-flying passenger sitting nearby whose fear was contagious. We don't tend to worry much about the airports themselves being a cause for fear.
Maybe we should. Airfarewatchdog.com has compiled a list of the 10 scariest airports in the USA: Aspen/Pitkin County Airport, Aspen, CO; John Wayne Airport, Santa Ana, CA; Midway International Airport, Chicago, IL; Sitka Rocky Gutierrez Airport, Sitka, AK; Yeager Airport, Charleston, WV; San Diego International Airport, San Diego, CA; LaGuardia Airport, New York, NY; Catalina Airport, Avalon, CA; Telluride Regional Airport, Telluride, CO; Reagan National Airport, Washington, DC.
Yikes! Most of us will never have the opportunity to fly into Sitka. But what frequent traveler hasn't flown into LaGuardia or Washington National.
"We really don't want to scare people from flying, so maybe we should call these the most "thrilling" airports to land at. Air travel, mile for mile, is still the safest way to get from place to place, other than, perhaps, your own two feet," George Hobica, founder of Airfarewatchdog.com, said in a press release.
Go here to read the full article, which tells you why each airport might "thrill" you. | <urn:uuid:fc0c9ddb-0201-43f8-8ba1-49fd6ec6e6fb> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://miamiherald.typepad.com/roadtripping/2012/07/ten-scariest-us-airports.html | 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 | 0.947113 | 326 | 1.570313 | 2 |
Theories of fragmentation and the details thereof
WORDS WITHIN BY FIRDOUS SYED
Some influential voices believe that government is deliberately pursuing a policy to “fragment” Kashmir’s society; “resources and money are being spent on creating a divide in the name of Barelvis, Deobandis and Wahabis”. This is alarming in case it connotes even an iota of what is being claimed. In the absence of any sound political approach that could usher an era of sustainable peace, the rulers in their misplaced wisdom may have found it expedient to exacerbate the sectarian divisions. However what could easily be described as a short sighted measure ultimately entails immensely destructive consequences.
One hopes that the rulers remember the disastrous experience of supporting late Sant Jarnail Singh Bhindranwale; “in order to create a rift in the Akali Dal, a new faction called Dal Khalsa led by Bhindranwale was started”. The political instability caused by artificial fissures eventually leads to more radicalisation of the struggle. This hard reality, though rulers enticed by the immediate benefits may not able discern, has come to fore wherever a fragmentation was engineered to weaken a political struggle.
It is of no use to reiterate the facts here that American patronage of Afghan Jihad and its hegemonic approach is the reason behind the emergence of many reactionary pro-violence and extremist organisations. Incapacitated by the arrogant and power driven mindset to learn from the mistakes the West particularly America after 9/11 has come to believe that the greater adherence to the fundamentals of Islam--- described as so called fundamentalism by hysterically fearful and confused but mainstream Western thought -- promotes violence. In order to create a buffer against the rising tide of violent attitudes, the Western powers have tried to fashion a new religion; erroneously described as ‘Sufi Islam’. This space is inadequate and this is not the occasion either, to fully discuss the contours of the so called ‘moderate Islam’ project conceived by the West. However for the benefit of Indian strategic thinkers--- often tempted by the Western discourse of one-size-fit-all kind of solutions--- two incidents may help them to appreciate the superficial understanding of the West about the nature of problems confronting the Muslim societies.
A leaked diplomatic cable on Wikileaks pertaining to the funding of religious groups created quite a flutter in Pakistan. According to the US Embassy in Pakistan, the Sunni Ittehad Council----“formed in 2009 to counter extremism. It groups politicians and clerics from Pakistan’s traditionalist Barelvi Muslim movement”--- received $36,607 from Washington in 2009 to organise anti Taliban rallies. However America was immensely embarrassed and in disgust had to distance itself from the group when “the the council led demonstrations in support of the killer of Salman Taseer” the former governor of Pakistani Punjab killed by his bodyguard for “his criticism of anti-blasphemy laws”. Battered badly by Taliban some of these so called moderate groups have resorted to violence in their self defence, thus exposing the myth of their moderatism. Lately some of these groups have left behind even the Taliban influenced parties in fanning the anti America sentiment in Pakistan.
The ever-ready to be hired and believing in “rent an ideology” type of crowd change their outlook suiting the demands of every season. A highly famous cleric, (let me not name him) who now suffixes Shaykh-ul-Isalm against his name, the author of the book “Fatwa on Terrorism and Suicide Bombings” was recently on a high profile whirlwind visit of India. Incidentally while surfing the TV channels I got to hear the silken words of the known to be master of polemics. The skilled fire brand orator in India was emphasising the significance of co-existence. Nothing bad rather a laudatory effort, in case Ulema genuinely, not out of convenience preach and promote interfaith harmony. Yet I was reminded about my meeting with the learned scholar in Lahore at his headquarter sometime in 1994. Then Jihad was immensely popular and different religious groups were caught in a blind race to get associated with armed struggle in one way or other. We too were seeking organised support of a local group in Pakistan and yet to be declared Shaykh-ul-Isalm’s organisation was badly in need of an association with any Kashmiri group to bolster its credibility. Driven by the mutual interests we entered into a public alliance, a long story that can only be covered in a book, a column is too short for lengthy details. Now Jihad is out of fashion so the Shaykh-ul-Isalm is busy promoting peace, good luck to him.
One hopes that the authorities are aware of the pitfalls of creating fragmentation and promoting religious ideologies to counter genuine political causes. The security apparatus may also be cognizant of the fact that militancy in Kashmir was not inspired by any religious ideology. The religious fragmentation to weaken political struggle in the end will only lead to more radicalisation.
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Lastupdate on : Fri, 11 May 2012 21:30:00 Makkah time
Lastupdate on : Fri, 11 May 2012 18:30:00 GMT
Lastupdate on : Sat, 12 May 2012 00:00:00 IST
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Scene: the Oval Office
PRESIDENT BARACK OBAMA and CHIEF OF STAFF JACK LEW are seated on the sofas facing one another, with a single sheet of paper in front of LEW on the coffee table between them. Neither looks happy.
POTUS: OK, you talked to Mitch McConnell first thing this morning. Where do we stand on nominations going forward?
LEW rolls his eyes.
LEW: Stand? As far as McConnell is concerned, we don’t stand anywhere. We’ve been kicked to the dirt.
POTUS’ eyes get narrow.
POTUS: Oh, really? (with an edge in his voice:) He said that?
LEW: Not in so many words, but it was pretty clear from the conversation.
POTUS: How so?
LEW shakes his head, and passes the sheet of paper across the table to POTUS
POTUS reads out loud from the paper: Richard Lugar for Secretary of State. John McCain for Secretary of Defense. (quits reading out loud, looks up) What is this?
LEW: That’s what I asked McConnell when he handed me that list of names. He just grinned, then said “Article 2, Section 2.” I looked at him, waiting for him to go on and explain his joke, and he didn’t disappoint me. He looked up at the ceiling and recited from memory: “He shall have Power, by and with the Advice and Consent of the Senate, to make Treaties, provided two thirds of the Senators present concur; and he shall nominate, and by and with the Advice and Consent of the Senate, shall appoint Ambassadors, other public Ministers and Consuls, Judges of the supreme Court, and all other Officers of the United States, whose Appointments are not herein otherwise provided for, and which shall be established by Law: but the Congress may by Law vest the Appointment of such inferior Officers, as they think proper, in the President alone, in the Courts of Law, or in the Heads of Departments.” Then he stopped, looked back at me, pointed to that sheet of paper, and said “here’s some . . . advice . . . from the Senate.”
POTUS (looks back at the paper, and begins to read again): Mitt Romney for Treasury Secretary? What — Phil Gramm wasn’t interested? Michele Bachmann for Attorney General. David Addington for CIA Director. Rick Perry for Secretary of Education. Todd Akin for Health and Human Services. (POTUS looks up at LEW) Beyond the ridiculousness of this list, some of the folks McConnell wants to replace aren’t even planning to leave, at least not any time soon. What an idiot.
LEW: I had a similar reaction, and McConnell’s grin got bigger. “They all serve,” he told me, pausing for dramatic effect, “at the pleasure of the President. If the President determines they should leave, they leave.”
POTUS (setting down the paper, humor turning to anger): He’s not just suggesting who I should nominate to replace Hillary, but he’s telling me to fire people?
LEW: Again, that was my reaction. I blew up at him, saying “elections have consequences” and he just laughed. “They sure do,” he said, and you and Ambassador Rice just lost.” (LEW pauses, then points to the paper) Did you see the last name on the list?
POTUS (looks down at the paper and reads): Jeff Sessions would still like an appointment to the Federal Judiciary?
The door to the Oval Office opens, and an aide enters.
AIDE: Your last appointment before lunch is here, Mr. President.
POTUS: Thanks. (to LEW) Jack, do you want to join me for lunch in about 20 minutes? (to the AIDE) What’s the soup of the day?
AIDE: I’m not sure. I think it’s Chicken and Rice.
POTUS and LEW look at each other and shake their heads.
LEW: Thank you, Mr. President, but suddenly I’m not all that hungry. Read the rest of this entry → | <urn:uuid:0040ef36-0d9c-4d52-9b4e-1f8bef9a4e66> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://my.firedoglake.com/peterr/tag/cabinet-nominations/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368701459211/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516105059-00011-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.96139 | 923 | 1.648438 | 2 |
About the Program
Y Club school-age child care makes certain that the time gaps before and after school are filled creatively and constructively. Kids have the opportunity to express their talents in the arts, sports and other areas of interest, taking advantage of all the Y has to offer.
Parents should rest easy in knowing Y Club is licensed by the State of Missouri and all child care staff members receive extensive training through the national and local YMCA. The Y cares for more than 5,400 kids in school-age child care programs and another 500 in Early Childhood Education Centers every day.
The Y is an advocate for children and our voice is heard on the national, state and local level. The YMCA of Greater St. Louis is involved with the National School-Age Child Care Alliance, National Association for the Education of Young Children, Missouri School-Age Child Care Community, the St. Louis Youth Provider Network, Child Day Care Association, St. Louis Partnership and United Way.
The Downtown-Marquette YMCA hosts Y Club school age child care at Gateway Elementary School. If you are interested in registering your child for our program or would like more information, please contact Liz Frame at 314-436-4100. | <urn:uuid:a77d1161-c29d-42ca-8789-c9e23115fd89> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://mperine@ymcastlouis.org/marquette-ymca/about-program | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368701852492/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516105732-00019-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.944163 | 251 | 1.554688 | 2 |
At 23, Pioneer Winter is something of a curiosity. He was born in South Miami, graduated from the dance magnet at Michael Krop high school in 2006, choreographed a show for the largest arts festival in the world in Edinburgh, Scotland in 2007, had his master's degree in public health and epidemiology by 2009, performed with Dance Now! Miami, Next Step Dance, and Jubilee Dance Theatre and in Cotton Club Revues in Mexico City, Barcelona and Madrid. He's trained with dancers like Michael Langlois and Brigid Baker. He was also an original cast member in Rosie Herrera's Various Stages of Drowning: A Cabaret in 2009.
In Spring 2010, he conceived and directed Reaching the Surface, a multi-disciplinary project aimed at reducing HIV/AIDS stigma by inviting artists infected or affected by the disease to take part. The process was much more charged than the young director had anticipated, with mixed reactions and one performer discovering his positive status during rehearsals. His new show, Phallussy (like phallus + fallacy, in case you were puzzled), part of the Arsht Center's Miami Made weekend, is a series of vignettes that examines and challenges stereotypes tied to gender and sexual... More >>> | <urn:uuid:cfee846b-9102-46e9-ac74-9f7bc0df526a> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.miaminewtimes.com/photoGallery/index/2699117/0/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368706499548/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516121459-00030-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.97525 | 255 | 1.53125 | 2 |
According to the company, “Sino Swearingen Aircraft Corporation manufactures the all new SJ30-2 light business jets. Sino Swearingen Aircraft Corporation's charter is to become the world's leading aircraft producer by creating a family of cost-efficient, high- performance, high-quality, superior-technology business jet aircraft for the corporate, government and military sectors of world aviation.
The SJ30-2 has a unique blend of speed and range capability that is unmatched in the light jets class of business jet aircraft. Sino Swearingen Aircraft Company, a partnership between Swearingen Aircraft Company of San Antonio, Texas and Sino Aerospace Investment Corporation of Taiwan, was established in 1995 and incorporated in 1997. Its successor, Sino Swearingen Aircraft Corporation, is the first all new company to develop, build, certify, and deliver a new design business jet since 1963.
Sino Swearingen Aircraft builds the SJ30-2 Twin Engine Light business Jet, is a six-passenger, aircraft with a top speed of some 560 mph and a range of about 2,875 miles. The SJ30-2 was certified by the FAA in 2005, and deliveries are should begin in 2007. Major components of thislight jet are made in Martinsburg, West Virginia; assembly takes place in San Antonio. Sino Swearingen Aircraft also maintains a marketing facility at the Orange County Airport in Southern California. The company was founded in 1999 by Swearingen Aircraft of San Antonio and Sino Aerospace Investment of Taiwan; backers include the Taiwanese government.
Sino Swearingen Aircraft hopes the speed and the range of SJ30-2 will prove to be selling points against models made by well-established competitors such as Cessna and Raytheon. The company had booked about 300 orders for the plane by the time FAA certification was announced in October 2005.
Sino Swearingen currently employs more than 400 people at its facilities in San Antonio, Texas and Martinsburg, West Virginia. The company is headquartered at the San Antonio International Airport (KSAT) in San Antonio, Texas. The headquarters building has over 220,000 sq. ft of hangar and office space and is home to the engineering, executive, marketing & sales, final assembly/production line, quality assurance, flight test, and finance departments.” | <urn:uuid:49ca0a23-596d-4f16-9d95-3238b52aec24> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.kewljets.com/Manufacturer/Sino-Swearingen | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368706153698/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516120913-00040-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.940749 | 475 | 1.539063 | 2 |
PUC group earns local award for innovation
November 21, 2012 4:24PM
Updated: December 24, 2012 6:52AM
‘Learning and innovation go hand in hand,” the late physicist and Episcopal priest William Pollard said. “The arrogance of success is to think that what you did yesterday will be sufficient for tomorrow.”
In “Celebrating Innovation” on Thursday, Nov. 29, on campus, a Purdue University Calumet team of faculty, staff, students and administrators plan to demonstrate not only how “learning and innovation go hand in hand,” but also how today’s opportunities link to tomorrow’s discoveries.
I have reported previously how PUC’s Center for Innovation through Visualization and Simulation has solved manufacturing-related problems while contributing to more efficient, cost-effective productivity. Combining 3D modeling, simulation and visualization technologies, CIVS — as we refer to it — has helped industrial employers save more than $30 million since 2009.
For that and related reasons, the CIVS team recently was named co-recipient of The Society of Innovators of Northwest Indiana’s 2012-13 Chanute Prize for Team Innovation. The Chanute Prize is the top award The Society presents for outstanding innovation.
“This is an amazing tool that few of us could have imagined only a few short years ago,” John Davies, managing director of The Society of Innovators, said about the CIVS.
Calling innovation “the catalyst of economic development,” PUC Chancellor Thomas L. Keon called the university’s Chanute Prize “the continuation of a great future for Purdue Calumet as a source for new business enterprise.”
The presentation of the Chanute Prize takes place at 8:30 a.m. Thursday, Nov. 29 in the CIVS’ Powers Computer Education Building on campus. It is among several “Celebrating Innovation” day activities, all open to the public. Here are some others.
† A showcase of PUC student research projects will run from 9:30 to 10:30 a.m. and noon to 4 p.m. More than 150 students have used the CIVS laboratory to advance research activities through experiential learning.
† A noon information session will explore PUC’s cutting-edge master’s program in modeling, simulation and visualization. The program, the first of its kind in Indiana, will be introduced during the spring semester. Students who enroll will learn to incorporate advanced technologies to solve industrial and societal problems, and anticipate emerging industries.
More information about “Celebrating Innovation” is available by calling 989-2765 or visiting the CIVS website at www.purduecal.edu/civs.
Hungry to help
Some 65 PUC students recently participated in The Camp-Out for Hunger on campus. Representing various campus groups, the students spent a night with their box “home” in the university’s Alumni Hall, where they focused on the struggles of being homeless.
Each participant brought nonperishable food items to The Camp-Out. Subsequently, the 40 bags and five boxes of food collected were donated to the Northwest Indiana Food Bank.
The students also made scarves that will be donated to a local shelter. | <urn:uuid:9ce4aa59-dc19-4dcb-a141-0d46041ac9c8> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://posttrib.suntimes.com/news/neighbors/16521708-418/puc-group-earns-local-award-for-innovation.html | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368701852492/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516105732-00036-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.935264 | 704 | 1.570313 | 2 |
As reported today in Capitol Weekly, in a post entitled “CalPERS ignores Brown, delays pension payment” by Ed Mendel, the amount taxpayers will have to fork over to CalPERS next year will rise by $213 million, to a total of $3.7 billion. Governor Brown, quite rightly, believes the full amount of the necessary increase should have been assessed, another $149 million, instead of being “smoothed” over the next twenty years.
But CalPERS – the largest of over 30 major government worker pension funds in California, only manages about a third of the the state and local public sector pensions. And CalPERS is basing their increase on a lowering of their projected rate of return for their invested funds by one quarter of one percent, from 7.75% down to 7.5%.
People may debate endlessly over whether or not government worker pension funds in America, now managing over $4.0 trillion in assets, can actually earn 7.5% per year, every year, for decades on end. We have argued repeatedly that this rate of return is impossible to achieve any longer, because (1) high returns in the past depended on debt accumulation, which poured cash into the economy, which stimulated consumer spending, investing, and asset appreciation – enabling more borrowing – all of which caused investment returns to grow at levels that cannot continue now that borrowing has reached its practical limit, (2) our aging population means more people will be selling their investments to finance their retirements – including the pension [...] Read More | <urn:uuid:bdfde9eb-e369-4a6f-8da8-7bc4384b5608> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://civfi.com/tag/how-return-affects-contributions/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368705953421/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516120553-00000-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.954428 | 319 | 1.632813 | 2 |
Obit: O’Leary, Thomas #2 (1876 - 1947)
Surnames: O’Leary, Paulson, Wright, Diagatona, Eibergen, Sanders, McDowell
----Source: Humbird Enterprise (Humbird, Clark Co., Wis.) 04/12/1947
O’Leary, Thomas #2 (22 AUG 1876 - 2 APR 1947)
Funeral services for Thomas O’Leary, who died at the Krohn Hospital in Black river Falls, at 2:00 o’clock Wednesday morning, April 2nd, 1947, were held at the Methodist Church in this village last Saturday afternoon, the Rev. Edward J. Sachtjen officiating. Interment was in Mentor Cemetery. Many friends attended the service.
Thomas O’Leary was born Aug. 22, 1876, in Monroe County, where he grew to young manhood. On Dec. 25, 1901, he was united in marriage with Clara Paulson, at Humbird (Clark Co., Wis.). The family residence was the farm home in the town of Mentor for forty-five years. The past few years ill health took him away from all farm duties.
The deceased is survived by his widow, and the following children: Michael T., Neillsville; Nola H., Two Rivers; Eugene R. and William R., Colby; Mrs. Nora May Wright, Marshfield; Mrs. Jennie M. Diagatona, St. Paul; Mrs. Margaret E. Eibergen, Marshfield; and Wilson P., Willard. One brother, Peter O’Leary of this village, and two sisters, Mrs. Margaret Sanders of Cataract, and Mrs. Mary McDowell, of Alberta, Canada, also survive. There are fourteen grandchildren.
Relatives from away, besides members of the immediate family who attended the funeral, were Mr. and Mrs. John Sanders, Mr. and Mrs. Archie Van Kirk of Sparta; Catherine Ross Van Kirk of Green Bay; Mr. and Mrs. Earl Delong of Two Rivers; and Mr. and Mrs. Thos. Van Kirk of Marshfield.
Mr. O’Leary attained the age of 70 years, 7 months and 10 days.
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The Anti-Defamation League (ADL) has honored tennis star Venus Williams for her "principled stand" after Shahar Pe'er was excluded from participating in a Dubai tennis tournament earlier this year.
In February 2009, the United Arab Emirates refused a visa to Pe'er, preventing her from participating in the Dubai Tennis Championship. Williams publicly spoke out against the decision and called for equal treatment for all players.
In recognition of her comments Williams received the ADL Americanism Award during a ceremony at the League's national headquarters in Manhattan on Wednesday.
"What Venus Williams did in Dubai must be acknowledged and celebrated," said Abraham H. Foxman, ADL national director, in presenting the award.
"When Shahar Pe'er was denied a visa to compete in the tournament, Venus knew that it was wrong and she knew that someone had to say so. And she did.
"Words have consequences, but not always for the good. However, Venus' words were for the good. They were supportive, they put the Dubai Tennis Championship on notice and, while it was too late for Shahar to compete, Andy Rom's visa, first delayed, was granted."
In accepting the award, Williams spoke of the importance of treating all people equally and speaking out against injustice.
"I feel like I did the minimum, just to speak and to say something," Williams said. "It shows that whatever little things you can do to make a difference really will help. I want to thank Shahar for her courage, and I share this award with her."
Read the rest... | <urn:uuid:92755bed-ae0f-4949-9d38-7b25123a3bee> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.craighickmanontennis.blogspot.com/2009/09/venus-receives-anti-defamation-league.html | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368696381249/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516092621-00030-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.984741 | 326 | 1.679688 | 2 |
Fatherhood, Freedom, and Drag Queens
American Shakespeare Center, Blackfriars Playhouse, Staunton, Va.
Saturday, October 8, 2011, D–7&8 (middle stalls)
Directed by Jim Warre
A friend of ours mentioned that he had been given tickets to see this ASC production of The Tempest. “I was expecting it to be somber—but it wasn’t,” he said. No, it was Juno, Circe, and Iris appearing as drag queens, hip-undulating, “ah-ooooooh”-singing, boa-swishing drag queens. Even though two of them wore beards they looked mighty fine, too, I must admit. Oh, and they did use Shakespeare’s verse, set to original music played on the guitar by Arial.
James Keegan as Prospero tells Miranda (Miriam Donaldson) his history as sometime Duke of Milan in the American Shakespeare Center's production of The Tempest at the Blackfriars Playhouse. (Photo by Tommy Thompson, American Shakespeare Center.)
I’ll leave for a future commentary why people have come to expect Shakespeare’s comedies to be “somber.” For now, I’ll just address why drag queens performed the lovers' pageant in this Tempest. Well, actually, I really can't address that other than to say the audience was howling in laughter. It was one of a couple of over-the-top comic moments juxtaposed against keen textual insights and some of the best verse-speaking you’ll hear anywhere.
One minute the crowd—as has become the norm at this theater, half comprising college-age adults, the rest represented by all other ages, from 8 to 80—was hooting and hollering at the pageant and Prospero (James Keegan) doing the bump with Juno (Benjamin Curns). A minute later the crowd was hanging on every heartfelt, soul-sounding syllable of that same Prospero’s “We are such stuff as dreams are made on” speech. Two scenes earlier, we were moved to tears as Curns’ Caliban spoke of the music of the isle, then seconds later we were clapping along to Caliban, Stephano, and Trinculo singing “Ban Ban Caliban” as they stomped around the stage in a rumba dance and exited with Shakespeare’s closing line of “Freedom High-Day!” segueing into Aretha Franklin’s “Think (Freedom).”
Because of the Blackfriar’s stage-it-like-the-Kings-Men conditions, The Tempest offered us a rare opportunity to see a magical pageant as Shakespeare might have actually envisioned it in his own theaters. I’m guessing he didn’t envision a bump-and-grind drag show (I am guessing he might have joined us in laughing, though). While Warren played the pageant purely for laughs, the tempest itself was an example of effective Shakespeare-era staging sans electronics, lights, computers, and flying sets. The actors on stage, struggling with ropes hung over the balconies, shouted over the wind and rain vocalized by actors off stage. A huge sail hung over the back of the stage, billowed this way and that as managed by one of the seamen in “the topmast.” Physical acting—the players appearing to be losing their grip on the ropes and being heaved across the stage by the pitching ship (much more realistically than Kirk, Spock and company ever did on the bridge of the Enterprise)—put us in an honest-to-goodness storm.
Then confusion ceased and the sail fell down to reveal Prospero, standing staff in hand as Miranda (Miriam Donaldson) ran forward in concern for the brave ship. This first impression of Prospero was one of a tyrant. However, Keegan and Miriam thereafter emphasized Prospero’s role as a father first and foremost. He doted on her, she idealized him, and this served as the play's core. Though the tyrant bubbled just under the surface of Keegan’s portrayal—and this was a man who, though he said he loved his books above his dukedom, clearly enjoyed the trappings and authority that come with rule—it was his care for his daughter that drove his actions toward Ferdinand, Naples, and even Caliban.
Gregory Jon Phelps’ lithe portrayal of Ariel revealed many new dimensions to this spirit. He, like Caliban, had a deep fondness for Miranda (unrequited, of course, because she doesn’t even know he exists). Every time Prospero mentioned he would be free, Arial grinned like a Labrador retriever seeing its master taking a jacket and leash out of the closet. Then his expression and posture sank to disappointment when Prospero gave him yet another order. On the other hand, just mentioning the name of Sycorex caused Ariel to flinch in memorial pain.
Patrick Midgley as Ferdinand grapples with a ship's rope as the King of Naples (René Thornton Jr.), Sebastian (Blythe Coons), and the rest of the king's company and crew struggle to maintain their footing on the pitching ship during the tempest in The Tempest at the American Shakespeare Center's Blackfriars Playhouse. The actors used miming skills, movement, and vocalized sound effects to convey the rough seas and howling winds that lead to their suppose shipwreck. (Photo by Tommy Thompson, American Shakespeare Center).
These threads wound together in the scene of Caliban convincing Stephano (Chris Johnston) and Trinculo (Allison Glenzer) to overthrow Prospero. Talk of the plot gave Arial pause, and the notion of freedom that had inspired a happy grin otherwise now elicited a sneer in the airy spirit as he considered joining in the plot. But Arial came off this ledge when Caliban suggested that Stephano could have Miranda among the rewards for killing Prospero, and when Caliban mentioned his mother, Sycorex, it not only incited Arial’s physical tick but also turned him inexorably against the three plotters. Later, at the moment of his freedom, Arial didn’t grin. He looked shocked. Prospero kissed him on the forehead, Arial fell to his knees, sounding as if he were crying, but then he leaped up and ran off the stage laughing hysterically.
The ASC is deep in acting talent, and so every part was adeptly played. But a particular shoutout goes to Patrick Midgley as Ferdinand, yet another solid performance by an actor who, on this weekend, we saw give a memorable performance in the unmemorable role of Theridamas in Tamburlaine the Great and virtually dominate Henry V playing the Dauphin as well as Captain MacMorris and the soldier Michael Williams. Midgley is a body builder, and that fact was a central point as the shirtless Ferdinand carried logs in front of a smitten Miranda (not to mention smitten women—and others, too, no doubt—in the audience whose hearts set to palpating, especially when he directly addressed them). It also led to a joke vis á vis the strong man and the weak maid we could see coming from miles away but, nevertheless, inspired applause from the house.
“Applause from the house.” There was a lot of that. Almost every character’s exit inspired clapping, something we’ve seldom heard in any Shakespeare production. Nope, there was nothing at all somber happening in this play. Yet, there were plenty of deep thoughts and heart-stirring moments of Shakespearean brilliance.
October 12, 2011 | <urn:uuid:d22acad7-773f-40e0-8455-91b4473be227> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.shakespeareances.com/willpower/onstage/Tempest-07-ASC11.html | 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 | 0.965217 | 1,636 | 1.671875 | 2 |
André-Michel Essoungou is a writer for UN Africa Renewal magazine based in New York City. Over the past decade he has worked as Foreign Correspondent posted in Canada, US, Tanzania, Uganda and Switzerland for international media including the BBC World Service and Radio France International. He covered and published extensively on African affairs. His work has appeared in The New York Times, Le Monde Diplomatique and French Daily Liberation, among other publications. He is the author of a book (Justice à Arusha, published in Paris at l’Harmattan in 2006) and he holds a Master Degree in Political Science from Université de Genève (Switzerland).
The Other Afrik - Panafrica - Trade - Development - Technology
African hi-tech taking leading position
In many countries, the ICT sector is no longer marginal
For 48 long hours, employees of Senegal’s National Telecommunications Company cut telephone and Internet connections to the rest of the world. That bold action, in August 2010, sought to force the government to back down on a plan to grant a US company exclusive rights to manage incoming international phone calls.
The shutdown itself sent shockwaves throughout the Senegalese economy. Dozens of institutions were affected: banks, travel agencies, customs offices, call centres, calling card vendors, the airport, the harbour. Newspapers ran angry editorials. “Our economy lost CFA50 billion,” (US$100 million), one headline complained.
The event vividly illustrates just how important the information and communications technology (ICT) sector has become in Africa. It is not only a major industry in its own right, but also a backbone for many others.
Nascent only a decade ago, ICT in Africa has been growing in recent years at an unparalleled pace. In some countries, various studies note, the “information economy” is becoming one of the main drivers for growth more generally.
In 2009, South Africa’s ICT sector generated $24.2 billion and contributed more than 7 per cent to the country’s gross domestic product (GDP). In Tanzania, its share reached 20 per cent of GDP. Everywhere on the continent, the ICT sector is expanding rapidly, with annual revenues now estimated at around $50 billion.
Investments in mobile phones, the continent’s dominant information technology, have grown from $8.1 billion in 2005 to almost $70 billion today, reports the UN’s International Telecommunication Union (ITU). Mobile phone companies are now major sources of tax revenue for African governments, averaging 7 percent of tax receipts.
‘Ongoing success story’
Behind these impressive numbers lie three major changes over the past decade. The first was Africans’ unexpectedly fast adoption of ICT services.
In 2000, 11 million people in Africa had mobile phones. Five years later the number had grown to almost 200 million, and is now approaching 400 million. The pace of growth has defied all predictions and is an “ongoing success story” in Africa, notes the ITU.
There also has been steady growth in Internet access on the continent, from 3 million users in 2000 to more than 100 million in 2010. This upward trend will continue as Africa literally becomes wired to the rest of the world with the completion of a number of undersea communications cables.
In the meantime, Africa has emerged as a world leader in “mobile web” technology — Internet access through mobile phones –and a pioneer in the development of sophisticated mobile banking, health and education services.
Outside investors rush in
A second major development has also contributed to ICT economy’s rapid growth: the rush to Africa of foreign investors attracted by the sector’s high profit margins.
In 2008, Britain’s Vodafone, the world’s largest mobile operator in terms of revenue, started an African shopping spree in Ghana when it acquired 70 percent of Ghana Telecom for $900 million. It has since made its way into Egypt and Kenya, and has become the majority owner of South Africa’s Vodacom.
France Télécom has also gotten into the act, announcing plans to invest more than $8.8 billion in Africa and the Middle East. Most notable among foreign investors in Africa’s ICT economy, however, is Bharti of India. In March 2010, Bharti’s aggressive search for a continental presence led it to acquire the Africa assets of Kuwait’s Zain for a record $10.7 billion.
This frenzy of acquisitions is a sharp break with the past. A decade ago, only a handful of African businessmen and companies saw opportunities in the continent’s changing landscape.
When Sudan-born Mohamed Ibrahim launched the Celtel mobile phone network in 1998, his company shared much of the African market with just two other companies, South Africa’s MTN and Vodacom.
No more. And even though returns on investments in the region’s ICT sector are now less than they once were, they still remain attractive to Western companies struggling with stagnant markets and low profits at home.
Five years ago in Africa, “it took half a year to recover investments in infrastructure for new clients,” says Marc Rennard, head of France Télécom’s African and Middle Eastern operations. “Now it’s more than two years. But that’s still pretty good.”
And third, the policies and institutions needed to help Africa’s ICT sector reach its potential are finally in place. “Telecommunication growth has been encouraged by the easing of regulatory restrictions by African governments and increased liberalization across the market,” notes the influential international accounting and business services firm Ernst & Young.
Today most African governments have opened up their mobile phone and Internet markets to competition and to private investment and set up new regulatory authorities to oversee the burgeoning sector. Their powers usually include issuing licences and arbitrating disputes.
As governments devise multi-year plans for ICT development, national regulatory agencies have also aggressively promoted public wider access to information technologies.
In Kenya, where parliament adopted an ambitious plan to transform the country into a regional ICT hub, the national regulator recently asked operators to extend coverage to rural areas in exchange for reduced licencing fees. It also required them to bring down their charges for mobile phone banking.
Rwanda, Egypt, Tunisia, Kenya, South Africa and the Seychelles are among the countries that have adopted ambitious ICT plans with a view to developing their own knowledge-based economies. Long known for mining and tourism, Africa’s booming ICT sector is making a great many people think again.
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Description: Puccini's classic opera of a trusting woman and how her love was tragically betrayed comes to the screen in this faithful film adaptation. In the 19th century, an American sailor named Benjamin Franklin Pinkerton (Richard Troxell) arrives in Japan and meets a 15-year-old girl named Cio-Cio-San (Ying Huang), whom he calls Butterfly. Butterfly falls in love with Pinkerton, but he regards their romance as a temporary fling and blithely asks for her hand even though he has no intention of bringing her with him when he returns to the States. Blinded by love, Butterfly marries Pinkerton, even though it means turning her back on her family and her faith, and to the surprise of few aside from herself, he soon leaves her behind. Three years later, Butterfly has a child whom Pinkerton fathered shortly before his departure, and the heart-broken woman lives for the day that he returns, though her friends give her little hope that this will ever happen. One day, Pinkerton does indeed return -- with his American wife Kate (Constance Hauman) in tow, and with the intention of taking possession of his child and bringing him back to the United States, leaving Butterfly entirely alone. Madame Butterfly was directed by Frederic Mitterrand, the son of former French president Francois Mitterrand; the score was performed the Orchestre de Paris, under the direction of James Conlon.~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide
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Society modules on autism have been nominated for an e-learning award
The Society’s Raising awareness of adult autism courses have been shortlisted for the 2012 E-Learning Awards in the category of ‘Excellence in the production of learning content - not for profit sector’.
The E-Learning Awards are the industry standard celebrating e-learning success, coveted for their high standards of independent judging. They awards are organised by the e-learning age magazine.
Our e-learning modules have been developed to raise awareness of adult autism as part of the Fulfilling and rewarding lives strategy. Delivered through the BPS Learning Centre, in conjunction with our e-learning partner Nelson Croom, the modules appeal to a range of learners, including members of the public. Over 8000 people have accessed the courses and 91 per cent of users have rated the course content as good or excellent.
Dr Judith Gould, director of the National Autistic Society’s Lorna Wing Centre for Autism says:
“The BPS has been involved in trying to raise awareness and standards for professionals working in the field of autism and we continue to support and encourage their work. All three of the e-learning courses that they developed have been well received with thousands of professionals benefiting from the courses across the UK.”
Society President Dr Peter Banister adds:
“Not only has taking part in this course raised individual awareness of autism, but it also has impacted on the wider provision of autism training, being recommended and taken up in health authorities and schools. These courses have been a great success in terms of their impact on wider society. They clearly fulfill our Royal Charter objectives and the Society is proud to have on offer such provision that is to benefit so many in this country.”
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- Raising awareness of adult autism | <urn:uuid:ce6a1697-2727-4e9d-81ab-6b83e8938832> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.bps.org.uk/news/society-modules-autism-nominated-e-learning-award | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368707435344/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516123035-00037-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.952692 | 415 | 1.546875 | 2 |
"I got older"
How I did it: I got older. I had a kid. I saw how hard it was. I saw how we all just try our best with what we're given. I got work with people who are living with such painful pasts, living in poverty. I met as many lovely people, as many people with chips on their shoulders, as I have met in my usual middle class crowd.
Lessons & tips: 1) Accept that if there is no-one inherently better than you. Know that if that is true, then it must be that you are not inherently better than anyone else.
2) Ask yourself whether a person's lifestyle or actions are really hurting you, or are you hurting yourself with your obsession/reactions.
3) Try to see the person you are judging/trying to forgive, as a human and not a caricature. A screwed up person, maybe. A WRONG person, maybe. But a person. Turning someone into a monster in your mind only gives them power over you. It makes them something more than what they are - which is just a human being with their own weird baggage.
4) Understand that the way people treat you has more to do with themselves, and their own issues, than it does with your actions.
5) Even if you could force someone to apologise for what they've done to you - it won't change what happened. Only you can fix yourself.
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The two middle-aged Americans sit at a long table along the wall-to-ceiling windows of the small cafe just outside Hanoi’s Old Quarter. Sunburned and happy, they down beers and guffaw loudly at some private joke and wave good-naturedly at passers-by. They beckon two young Asian women hanging around nearby, take their photographs and ask them if they want to go dancing later that night.The rest of the article here and here in pdf version.
Outside, in the gathering dusk, neon-lit shop signs and headlights from a steady stream of cars and buses cast a hazy glow on the still waters of the Hoan Kiem Lake. Noisy motorbikes duel with “cyclos” (similar to cycle rickshaws) and bicycles for valuable real estate on the streets. Young boys hawk cheap editions of popular English titles on pavements.
Pedestrians plunge in, weaving in and out of the traffic to traverse the intersection widened by a large circle in the centre. Women with non las (the pointy, wide-brimmed hats) strapped to their chins sell steaming hot pho (a soup) in one corner, and flowers and fruits out of baskets on bicycles or strung to the ends of long poles balanced on shoulders.
This is our first time in Vietnam, but a sense of déjà vu accompanies every turn of the head. Where have we seen these scenes before?
It doesn’t take us long to realize that the Vietnam War movies defined our sense of the country long before we arrived in its capital. It is perhaps a sign of things to come, but as we stand there on the pavement in the bustling street corner, celluloid past jostles for space with the real-life present.
Hanoi is an alluring combination of the tranquillity of a city with an ancient soul and the vibrancy of an up-and-coming economy. Tree-lined boulevards, serene lakes with arching willow trees, verdant parks, stately monuments and old temples more than compensate for shiny malls, chaotic traffic (Hanoi has slightly more than half of Bangalore’s population but nearly the same number of motorbikes) and dowdy government offices.
Even the crumbling edifices of the Old Quarter, the 2,000-year-old bargain-hunting paradise, exhibit grace and resilience as they cling to the charm of a bygone era.
Friday, February 22, 2008
Saturday, February 16, 2008
And I am not only black or white—
Am many-colored also,
yellow and dun and red and brown,
I would be green too if I could find a way;
I, too, am America.
My song is the lifeblood of this country;
My sweat still waters the bounty of its fields;
My mind is a gift to the testament of opportunity;
I foresee setback but I am optimistic:
I will find a way.
My heritage carries with me.
I am ever the child of immigrants.
I struggle to merge with those around me.
I am ever the one with two selves, two halves, two souls.
I am struggling to retain my past.
My culture beats warring drums inside me.
Mine is not a simple answer.
I found this poem by chance. The rest is here.
Over the past few weeks, workers have been traipsing in and out of the house as my kitchen and bathrooms have been turned inside out and made new again. Men from Romania, El Salvador, Honduras, Turkey, Moldova and Ethiopia laying stone, trimming wood, fixing cabinets, cutting granite, painting walls. This poem could be their song too. | <urn:uuid:9f21586d-d6a7-4bac-9d41-43d75637b933> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://blogpourri.blogspot.com/2008_02_01_archive.html | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368696382584/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516092622-00017-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.939974 | 786 | 1.539063 | 2 |
TPS considers changing emergency crisis response planWritten by John P. McCartney | | firstname.lastname@example.org
False TV reports that a student had brought a gun to Raymer Elementary School on Feb. 15 panicked many East Toledoans, leading parents to pull more than 160 students from classes that Friday morning.
Toledo Public School (TPS) Board of Education members and administrators agree the incident highlights the need for TPS to address safety issues.
Sobecki said she asked that a safety agenda item be added to TPS’s Ohio School Facilities Commission (OSFC) Building Committee.
Sobecki said the committee will keep safety and security “a standing item to keep board members abreast” of issues that need to be addressed.
“I want to keep it on the agenda,” Sobecki said. “We should have safety on an agenda, and we don’t currently have that on any of our committees.”
At January’s board meeting, Sobecki encouraged fellow board members to make either Superintendent Jerome Pecko or Chief Business Manager James Gant aware of any safety and security concerns board members had, so that when the two administrators met with City of Toledo fire and police chiefs in early February to discuss TPS’s emergency procedures, they could include “all that information we’ve been thinking about.”
Gant said when he and Pecko met with Police Chief Derrick Diggs and Fire Chief Luis Santiago, “We talked about our process and procedures and made sure they were comfortable with them. We wanted to make sure that our communication was good … to see if they had anything they would like to add to the discussion in terms of how we could be more proactive in what we’re doing.”
Gant said a major concern the four men discussed was whether TPS’s policy, where all school building doors are locked and no one is allowed to leave or enter the building in an emergency, was the best course of action.
“We talked about how we handle active shooters and whether the lockdown procedure was an efficient method of doing that, or whether the program ALICE [Alert–Lockdown–Inform-Counter-Evacuate] would be a direction the district would like to move into,” Gant said. “Let me explain what ALICE is by example. Right now, if we have an active shooter and they get into the classroom, what we teach our kids to do, and it’s what most districts have done probably forever, is to find a location, to get down and to hide.”
A TPS elementary school teacher who asked her name not be published confirmed what Gant said.
“Fire drills are once a month, but there are no prescribed number of times [active shooter drills] have to be done,” she said. “We do one every fall, and they do that K-12. We practice with the kids. There’s a prescribed script that’s read, and every school has the same script.”
Gant said recent research indicates that the “get-down-and-hide” approach is not necessarily the best strategy.
“We want folks to be more active in the process, so we actively look for ways to escape,” Gant said. “We become active in the way we try to distract the shooter so we can eliminate any collateral damages.
“So maybe we start throwing things at the shooter. Some districts have had golf balls in buckets in the corner of every room, that type of thing, to be more active in stopping the shooter.”
Gant said ALICE is a program the district is only considering and that it will not be presented to the board for discussion or a vote Feb. 26.
“It’s something we would have to develop,” Gant said. “Part of the thought process is to get more folks involved in the training; get folks trained and make sure they’re comfortable with it. And then we would roll it out, along with the policy that goes along with it.”
Scope of safety
At January’s meeting, board member Larry Sykes encouraged Pecko and his cabinet to broaden the scope of safety and security experts they consulted to include the Lucas County Sheriff’s Office, the FBI and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF).
“If one of our schools goes into lockdown [because of an active shooter], I’m sure the FBI, the ATF and the rest of them potentially could come in our school,” Sykes said. “If it doesn’t happen, great. But if it does happen, we will know how to handle it, when to call them in and when not to. With hostage situations you have to have your best. And that is the FBI and the ATF.”
Sykes pointed to the fact that the Newtown, Conn., shooting Dec. 14 was the 31st school shooting in the U.S. since the Columbine High School massacre of April 20, 1999.
“From all those, we have learned something,” Sykes said. “You have FBI profilers. You have people telling you how to watch out, how to look at stuff, what to be aware of. And that goes beyond your local police, fire and sheriff departments.
Sykes and Sobecki said before TPS would change the lockdown policy, it would seek input from taxpayers.
“Any time we change policies, we go out to the citizens,” Sykes said. “It’s good to have public input from people who have a vested interest, and that’s parents who have their children in our schools.”
Sobecki said that if TPS switched from the current lockdown policy to ALICE, it would schedule meetings to explain the changes to the public.
“There would be a time and a place to do that, but we would have to first take care of it internally,” she said. “We would have to identify the program, whether it’s ALICE or something else, what we’re going to do and make sure our top-notch professionals are trained in the new program because it will be a different philosophy.
“And after you do that, you go site by site to explain the procedures we would have for ALICE versus lockdown. But a public hearing isn’t going to the public and asking ‘Do you think it’s OK if we do ALICE or do you want something else?’
“First, we would have to educate the community about what ALICE is. And then we would take their questions to help them understand.”
The next regular board meeting is at 5:30 p.m. Feb. 26:
Pecko will present four cabinet members — Romules Durant and Brian Murphy, assistant superintendents of TPS’s two K-12 learning communities; James Gault, chief academic officer; and Cheryl Spieldenner, chief human resources officer — to the board for three-year contract renewals.
The Human Resources Committee will take the cost of two background checks to the full board without a recommendation since committee members Cecilia Adams and Bob Vasquez do not agree on a course of action.
Adams predicted at the committee meeting that the board will vote 3-2 to require employees to pay for the state-mandated FBI background check and that the district will pay for the TPS-required Ohio background check, with Brenda Hill, Sobecki and Vasquez voting “yes” and Adams and Sykes voting “no.”
Treasurer Matthew Cleland said the FBI background check would cost TPS $68,880. The Ohio background checks would cost $63,140.
The Feb. 28 board meeting, to begin at 5 p.m., will focus on the board’s options for hiring a superintendent to replace Pecko, who is leaving when his contract expires July 31. | <urn:uuid:76c589b5-0fab-49e9-88dc-373ae9d932a7> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.toledofreepress.com/2013/02/21/tps-considers-changing-emergency-crisis-response-plan/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368698924319/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516100844-00003-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.960143 | 1,713 | 1.53125 | 2 |
It's one of the most popular social media sites, and now reports are surfacing of employers taking steps to see what exactly their employees or potential employees are doing on Facebook. YNN's Kaitlyn Lionti has more on what some call an invasion of privacy and what Facebook officials say about users' rights.
BUFFALO, N.Y. -- People put thoughts, photos, videos and more on display on Facebook.
But what if an employer asked for your password?
"I would ask why, I think. I just don't see the point. I mean, it'd be like asking for my diary," said Nicole Trieste of Rochester.
"It would really make me think twice about the employer," said Allison Walker of Boston, Massachusetts.
"I would not be willing to give that information out," said Derek Heckler of Buffalo.
And those at Facebook say you shouldn't.
Facebook's Chief Privacy Officer Erin Egan posted to the site's Facebook and Privacy page Friday saying in recent months, they've seen a quote "distressing increase in reports of employers or others seeking to gain inappropriate access to people's Facebook profiles or private information."
Egan says the most alarming are reports of employers asking employees or prospective hires for their passwords.
The post goes on to say "If you are a Facebook user, you should never have to share your password, let anyone access your account, or do anything that might jeopardize the security of your account or violate the privacy of your friends."
"You would never ask somebody, 'Hey, let me see your purse. Can I go through your wallet? Do you mind if we just go through your bedroom and see what you're all about?'" said Kevin Evanetski, founder of Social Yeah.
Evanetski is a social media strategist who helps businesses use sites like Facebook.
He says he hasn't come across any companies seeking people's passwords, and he wouldn't advise it.
"You really want the responsibility of having all that information? Cause we're in a world where people like to sue, and I wouldn't want to open up that can of worms," said Evanetski.
That's one of the points sited in Egan's post.
She gives an example that "If an employer sees on Facebook that someone is a member of a protected group (e.g. over a certain age, etc.) that employer may open themselves up to claims of discrimination if they don't hire that person."
And while he doesn't think people should share their passwords, Evanetski says it is important to consider what you put out in the social media world.
"Just treat text massaging and treat Facebooking and Twitter like you were talking to your parents," he said.
Egan says Facebook will take action to protect the privacy and security of its users including initiating legal action, if appropriate.
Read Egan's post | <urn:uuid:a6e8bb05-702a-4f2b-9a88-531971f01308> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://saratoga-north.ynn.com/printarticle.aspx?ArID=578163 | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368696381249/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516092621-00011-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.96823 | 600 | 1.625 | 2 |
If there’s one time a year that people shift their focus to their finances, it’s tax season.
To take advantage of this mindset, take the time to apply that financial awareness to your credit habits as you sort receipts, meet with your tax pro and wait patiently for your refund (hopefully!).
Here three tips to help keep your credit life on track:
Get Organized. Just like you review and keep your tax paperwork organized, make a plan to start reviewing your monthly credit statements carefully to spot any unusual activity. Evaluating each statement regularly will also help identify any unnecessary spending.
Find Help. Just as you see an accountant or use tax preparation software to file your taxes, you're not alone when it comes to getting your credit in check. There are many services that can help people of all financial situations. For instance, if you tend to be forgetful when it comes to paying bills, you can set up account alerts to remind you to make a payment. Perhaps you’re not great about sticking to a budget, there are apps that can help you track your spending. If you’re drowning in debt, you might consider seeking professional guidance from a credit counselor or personal finance consultant to help get back on track.
Know your Perks. The tax code is constantly changing to offer or eliminate new tax credits and deductions every year, so it’s important to stay informed to get the highest-possible refund. Likewise, credit card issuers may offer perks that change or adapt over time, so it’s worthwhile to call or read up on what you may be missing. Some credit issuers offer perks like trip cancellation insurance or even coverage on a recent purchase that breaks or gets stolen.
Create a Year-round Plan. There are a number of things you can do to ensure you are more prepared for the next tax season like adjusting your paycheck withholdings. If getting out of debt is your goal, know that it is going to take time to make progress. Start with a monthly budget to curb spending and save more. Create a pay off plan to get rid of existing debt, and start an emergency fund if you don’t have one.
Roman Shteyn is co-founder of Credit-Land.com. He writes frequently on credit card topics. | <urn:uuid:6799aa3b-041c-4c9a-8470-d459b505138f> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.foxbusiness.com/personal-finance/2013/02/13/credit-lessons-to-learn-during-tax-season/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368703682988/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516112802-00033-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.94924 | 473 | 1.601563 | 2 |
David Hockney, London
The days when David Hockney painted cool, designer dreams of sunny sex and Californian swimming pools, or gay adventures in New York are long gone. Today, the bespectacled Bradford boy with the blond mop, who typified swinging 1960s urbane chic, is more interested in his native Yorkshire. This show of mostly recent landscape paintings sees him transform the north's fields, woods and country lanes into vivid panoramas. These artful, colour-saturated compositions, with their linear log piles, flat scattered houses and patterned patchwork fields, blend Cézanne's proto-cubism with a jazzy pop sensibility. While Hockney's oils are sometimes created "plein-air" like traditional landscape painters' works, he's no stranger to technology. As is often mentioned, he busies himself creating pieces using fax machines and iPads, and some of those experiments also feature in this huge show.
Royal Academy Of Arts, W1, to 9 Apr
Mark Power, Bradford
"Ugliness can be profoundly beautiful," says photographer Mark Power, recalling the 25 visits he made to Poland over a period of five years. He titles this resulting exhibition The Sound Of Two Songs in tribute to the country "bursting with visual contradictions" he came to love with a profound aesthetic ambivalence. And it is these contradictions that give his documentary images their atmosphere of historic grandeur. Four upended used car tyres stand on wasteland concrete next to a tyre on its side; a row of illuminated greenhouses is closed in by barbed wire; and a lone soul shivers in the snow on a deserted railway platform. Time and again, beneath overcast skies such everyday dramas assume momentousness.
Impressions Gallery, to 24 Mar
Margherita Manzelli, London
The women Margherita Manzelli paints seem to have a lot on their minds. They might pose languidly, but their body language is anything but come hither. A tension grips them, from clenched fists to rigid smiles, while feverish eyes, ringed with subtle shadows, speak of dark fantasies. Although slender and girlish, they seem old before their time. In spite of the hyper-realism of this Italian artist's style, her alien subjects are not based on models or photographs. Instead, she works from memories and impressions, creating portraits that strive to capture inner life. The results are deeply creepy, evoking Francis Bacon's tormented souls, Egon Schiele's twisted teens, and even a tortured take on Margaret Keane's bug-eyed cuties.
Greengrassi, SE11, to 25 Feb
There Is A Place … Walsall
Deja vu is even more striking when triggered by a place of no apparent significance, or so the artists in this show might persuade us. Such a particularly urban, English take on psychogeography is most often typified by writer Iain Sinclair and video artist Patrick Keiller. The artists here focus on more mundane sites but they make use of a skilful command of painting, drawing and printmaking to imbue their subjects with grandeur. George Shaw is here with his enamel-paint housing estates; Paul Winstanley views provincial gardens through lace curtains; Laura Oldfield Ford applies her ballpoint to the unsung charms of Leytonstone and Walsall; while Christiane Baumgartner revivifies woodcut printmaking with backstreet expanses of pixelated enchantment.
New Art Gallery Walsall, to 14 Apr
Hamish Fulton, Margate
Hamish Fulton, AKA "the walking artist", pursues an old-school idealism rarely seen in art these days. Since the British artist first spent time at sacred Sioux and Cheyenne sites in Montana and Dakota in the 1960s, he's championed an eco-conscious art form that engages with the land, while leaving no trace upon it. The photos and texts he presents are not the heart of the artwork, rather it's what they hint at: experiences of travelling through landscapes as varied as Canterbury's Pilgrim's Way and Mount Everest's climbs. His brief lines evoking the feel of the road, weather or creatures are a challenge to gallery-going urbanites. Fulton reminds us that there's more to the world than what we currently see.
Turner Contemporary, to 7 May
Paul Mason, Derby
While Paul Mason is perhaps still best known for his civic commissions, this first show of his work since his untimely death in 2006 will reveal an artist of far wider creative range than could have been imagined. These stone sculptures, set alongside drawings and paintings on paper, embody an utter delight in the natural form. Mason was the real thing: he reminds us that the artifices of creativity can work with the most original impulses of nature. While working in a tradition of organic abstraction that stretched from Hans Arp's surreal intoxications to Henry Moore's sobrieties, Mason's works disarm with more resonance than is typical of this strand of British back-to-nature modernism.
Tarpey Gallery, Castle Donington, to 25 Feb
Christina Mackie, London
As with the delicate dioramas of loose little beads that Christina Mackie sometimes arranges on tabletops, her work is poised to send our thoughts shooting off in a hundred different directions. Her latest show, Painting The Weights, is named after the process of turning physical matter into digital animation. On tables and shelves, and within a network of steel bars hugging the wall, are protean works pointing to tensions and transitions between the real and virtual world. These include depictions of rock formations, surveillance-style photographs of office workers, and CGI animation. Designed to evoke the energies of the artist's studio, it suggests a space where ideas meet material processes.
Chisenhale Gallery, E3, to 11 Mar
Anna Barriball, Edinburgh
Anna Barriball draws things that are not there and disguises things that are. Paper is placed over a door and drawn on so persistently that the door's every contour and indentation is recorded as a graphite tracery. Like the craft of brass rubbing manically transferred from churchyard treasures to domestic features of no historic or aesthetic import, Barriball's drawings take on an air of obsessive ritual. The graphite is as black and shiny as beetle shell, the paper door a dark sentinel ghost in negative. Elsewhere, she muses sculpturally on nature's evanescence. Autumnal leaves strewn across the gallery floor turn out on closer scrutiny to be each meticulously cut from secondhand curtains. A video piece shows a sheet of paper sucked in and out of a fireplace by a draught. With such deceptively simple compositional incongruities, Barriball summons hauntings of painful fragility.
Fruitmarket Gallery, to 9 Apr | <urn:uuid:15986a47-ae0e-48ed-b4f2-6bc614a319ba> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.guardian.co.uk/artanddesign/2012/jan/21/this-weeks-new-exhibitions | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368698207393/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516095647-00035-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.93939 | 1,418 | 1.609375 | 2 |
A lawsuit claiming United Airlines was responsible for the collapse of 7 World Trade Center, which fell hours after an American Airlines jet collided with the North Tower on Sept. 11, 2001, was rejected by a New York federal judge Wednesday.
In ruling against the suit, U.S. District Judge Alvin Hellerstein said United could not have foreseen the events of 9/11 and the airline was not responsible for ticketing, passenger check-in and boarding of American Airlines Flight 11, the Associated Press reported.
“United had no connection to Flight 11 or its hijackers," Hellerstein said, according to the AP.
Flight 11 was hijacked in part by Mohammed Atta and Abdul Aziz al Omari, who boarded the plane in Boston after flying in on United from Portland, Maine.
Hellerstein added that it was “not within United’s range of apprehension that terrorists would slip through” in Maine, go through another airline’s security in Boston and crash the plane into the World Trade Center, according to the AP.
The American Airlines plane crashed into the North Tower of the World Trade Center, and debris from the crash landed on 7 World Trade Center, which led to the collapse of the building.
The owners of 7 World Trade Center sued United, among other parties, contending the airline was responsible for the hijackers boarding the American Airlines flight and the collapse of the building.
Bud Perrone, a spokesman for 7 World Trade Center owner Silverstein Properties, expressed disappointment over the ruling. The company has other lawsuits pending against United related to 9/11. “We are determined and look forward to presenting the facts before a jury, which will decide whether the defendants' insurance companies should finally be forced to pay up in order to finish the rebuilding of the World Trade Center," Perrone told the AP.
Hellerstein oversaw a similar lawsuit against utility Con Edison. In that case, decided last year, the judge said Con Ed could not foresee the “strange, improbable, and attenuated chain of events that led to 7 World Trade Center’s collapse.”
The 47-story building was constructed in 1987. It took seven hours for 7 World Trade Center to collapse on Sept. 11.
To contact the editor, e-mail: | <urn:uuid:3877472d-8584-4d9f-ad6b-0e9cd613f2fd> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://au.ibtimes.com/articles/407402/20121122/united-airlines-suit-rejected-9-11-9-11-lawsuit-american-case.htm | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368699881956/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516102441-00039-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.961962 | 471 | 1.515625 | 2 |
Sports-car brand’s hybrid-electric push is part of a broader focus on fuel efficiency.
Most automakers have dipped a toe into the slowly emerging and extremely limited plug-in hybrid electric market by producing just a single model. According to British magazine Autocar, Porsche plans to introduce plug-in versions of all of its models based on technology developed for the 2014 Panamera S E-Hybrid introduced at the 2013 Shanghai Auto Show.
A Porsche representative revealed that new hybrid platforms that combine an electric motor and clutches in one unit has been adapted to fit into all of the company’s future cars, including the 911 and Cayman. It uses the same electric motor and clutch assembly slotted between the engine and transmission in the current Panamera and Cayenne hybrids, but adds a more powerful motor and battery.
The new hybrid technology is a step beyond the unit used in the Panamera S E-Hybrid and will be more powerful than its 94-horsepower hybrid-electric motor. The next-generation system will also be supported by a more energy-dense battery pack and more lightweight wire looms that use aluminum instead of copper.
Our semiregular roundup of the latest automotive news and musings from around the Web.
Unlike other posts on this blog, these are truly notes, but they're worth a few moments of your precious time.
Capping off this week, we take a look at proposed changes to blood alcohol limits, Tesla's latest court battle over a North Carolina dealership and Acura's plan to build the next NSX in Ohio.
Meet the BMW 2 Series, aka the new BMW 1 Series – wait, what?
After the 2014 BMW 2-Series was spotted in camouflage lapping the Nurburgring racetrack in Germany earlier this year, the first uncovered images of the new model were released this week. Specifically, the pictures (see them at Car and Driver) show the 235i in M Sport trim. As opposed to the 1-Series, which had distinctive, squared-off front- and rear-end treatments, the 2-Series more closely echoes the current 3- and coming 4-Series BMWs.
The M235i, as it's likely to be known, will have a 3.0-liter turbocharged straight-six engine producing around 320 horsepower and will sit above a base 228i with a 2.0-liter 240-horsepower turbocharged 4-cylinder. An M2 follow-up to the well-received 1M coupe could top 360 horsepower. An official reveal of the 2-Series is expected to occur near the end of this year, with production beginning as we head into 2014.
The creation and coming debut of the 2-Series is a major step in BMW’s overhaul of its lineup. With the end goal of creating a line of easy-to-distinguish models offering something for everyone – sound familiar, MINI fans? – BMW is coding coupes as even-numbered models and sedans under odd numbers.
The accelerator actually pushes back against your foot if you're trying to goose it too hard.
In a market surrounded by relatively high gas prices, nearly every car on sale has an "eco" feature of some sort. From simple dashboard indicators to sophisticated engine stop-start systems, automakers are employing a wide range of technologies designed to help drivers squeeze every mile out of each tank of gas.
But none is as annoying as Infiniti’s Eco Pedal, which takes an overly aggressive approach to saving fuel. Parent company Nissan noted that with the Eco Pedal feature engaged, “Each time the driver steps on the accelerator, a counter push-back control mechanism is activated if the system detects excess pressure.”
In other words, as I found out while testing a 2013 Infiniti M Hybrid with the feature, if you push the accelerator too hard and the Eco Pedal determines you’re driving in a fuel-inefficient manner, it pushes right back.
This is now a trend: Fail to fix someone's luxury car in China, and soon the vehicle may be bashed to bits.
Not in China. This week, a man parked his Maserati Quattroporte by the steps of the Qingdao Auto Show and proceeded to beat the car with sledgehammers in front of a crowd. The purpose, according to China Car Times, was to show the owner's frustration with a local Maserati distributor that repaired his car, unsuccessfully, with used parts instead of the new ones he ordered.
Luxury cars in China face huge import tariffs, and this particular Maserati cost a whopping $423,000 when new in 2011, or roughly 3.5 times more than a typical Quattroporte in the U.S. That makes the story even crazier.
Next installment gets bigger, faster, more social.
When the sixth installment of "Gran Turismo" hits store shelves this holiday season for the PlayStation 3, it will include 1,200 cars, 33 tracks in 71 layouts, a new track editor with 10 square kilometers of scenery, and more ways to connect with friends and rivals.
The new installment will add to the franchise's current sales of 70 million copies, continuing its run as one of the biggest sellers on the PlayStation family of consoles. Polyphony Digital, Sony and 10 manufacturers brought journalists out to the Silverstone Circuit in England for some hands-on time with a prototype copy of the new game.
GT6 gets a new game engine and a new rendering program. Creator Kazunori Yamauchi says the title will have 50 times the dynamic range of the previous game. That means that the background and foreground images blur when they're supposed to -- at speed -- and clear up when you slow down. GT6 also uses a newer, more accurate physics engine including better programming for the suspension damping, tire deformation and aerodynamic parts. Polyphony Digital partnered with Yokohama tire and KW Automotive for a more accurate representation.
Only Mitsubishi and Subaru were able to earn 'acceptable' and 'good' ratings on the small overlap test conducted by the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety.
The IIHS, a nonprofit organization of insurance companies, found that 11 of 13 new models that were crashed in the group's small overlap test scored "marginal" or "poor." The 2013 Mitsubishi Outlander Sport rated "acceptable," and the 2014 Subaru Forester posted the only "good" score.
As with the group's two other tests, first involving midsize luxury cars in August 2012 and another evaluating midsize family sedans in December, the latest results show a serious safety flaw that many automakers have not addressed in their most popular cars.
The small overlap test modifies the group's standard offset frontal impact test, in which a car strikes a 5-foot tall barrier at 40 mph. The previous offset test strikes 40 percent of a car's frontal area, while the new test hits just 25 percent. This kind of impact, the IIHS says, occurs in about a quarter of all frontal crashes in which front passengers are seriously or fatally injured.
We tease VW fans around the nation's capital with a forbidden European fruit.
The later release of the Scirocco R only further teased the Volkswagen faithful, but year after year, those hopes have been dashed. Recently, pictures of a Scirocco R at Volkswagen of America’s Northern Virginia headquarters raised the eyebrows of enthusiasts and set off yet another round of "will they, won’t they?" chatter.
I’m not following the online conversation right now, however; I’m too busy driving that Scirocco R and experiencing firsthand why Volkswagen should – and won’t – bring it to the U.S.
Now that I’ve got your attention, let me get the ritual "reading of the specs" out of the way: The engine is a turbocharged 2.0-liter TSI 4-cylinder, good for 261 horsepower and 258 lb-ft of torque in a compact 3-door hatchback with an attractive, shooting-brake-style body.
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Cars are cool, and here at MSN Autos we love everything about them, but we also know they're more than simply speed and style: a car is an essential tool, a much-needed accessory to help you get through your day-to-day life. What you drive is also one of the most important investments you can make, so we'll help you navigate your way through the car buying and ownership experiences. We strive to be your daily destination for news, notes, tips and tricks from across the automotive world. So whether it's through original content from our world-class journalists or the latest buzz from the far corners of the Web, Exhaust Notes helps you make sense of your automotive world.
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Clifford Atiyeh has spent his entire life driving cars he doesn't own. Raised in Volvos, he has grown to love fast, irresponsible vehicles of all kinds. He is the senior news editor at MSN Autos and also reports for Car and Driver, Road & Track, The Boston Globe and other publications.
In the garage: 21-speed Iron Horse, 2002 Jeep Wrangler X (not his)
Doug Newcomb has covered car technology for over 20 years for outlets ranging from Rolling Stone to Edmunds.com. In 2008, he published his first book, "Car Audio for Dummies" (Wiley). He lives and drives in Hood River, Ore., with his wife and two kids, who share his passion for cars and technology.
In the garage: 1996 Chevrolet Impala SS, two 1984 Chevrolet Blazers, 2008 Honda CR-V
James Tate learned to drive stick at age 13 in a 1988 Land Cruiser - in La Paz, Bolivia. He's since been a mechanic, on a pit crew and has wrenched on every car he's owned since his first 1989 Honda CRX Si (and won't stop until the car is a 1973 Porsche 911 RS). His work has appeared in Car and Driver, Popular Mechanics, Automobile and others.
In the garage: 1995 Porsche 911 Carrera, 1988 BMW M5 | <urn:uuid:ee3d6977-10d1-49c0-a2a5-822b36b62d55> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://editorial.autos.msn.com/blogs/autosblog.aspx?icid=autos_money3&page=1 | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368696381249/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516092621-00000-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.94032 | 2,148 | 1.59375 | 2 |
Argentina makes sex-change surgery a legal right
BUENOS AIRES, Argentina (AP) — Adults who want sex-change surgery or hormone therapy in Argentina will be able to get it as part of their public or private health care plans under a gender rights law approved Wednesday.
The measure also gives people the right to specify how their gender is listed at the civil registry when their physical characteristics don't match how they see themselves.
Senators approved the Gender Identity law by a vote of 55-0, with one abstention and more than a dozen senators declaring themselves absent — the same margin that approved a "death with dignity" law earlier in the day.
President Cristina Fernandez threw her support behind the law and is expected to sign it. She has often said how proud she is that Argentina became Latin America's first nation to legalize gay marriage two years ago, enabling thousands of same-sex couples to wed and enjoy the same legal rights as married heterosexual couples.
For many, gender rights were the next step.
Any adult will now be able to officially change his or her gender, image and birth name without having to get approval from doctors or judges — and without having to undergo physical changes beforehand, as many U.S. jurisdictions require.
"It's saying you can change your gender legally without having to change your body at all. That's unheard of," said Katrina Karkazis, a Stanford University medical anthropologist and bioethicst who wrote a book, "Fixing Sex," about the medical and legal treatment of people whose physical characteristics don't fully match their gender identity.
"There's a whole set of medical criteria that people have to meet to change their gender in the U.S., and meanwhile this gives the individual an extraordinary amount of authority for how they want to live. It's really incredible," she said.
When Argentines want to change their bodies, health care companies will have to provide them with surgery or hormone therapy on demand. Such treatments will be included in the "Obligatory Medical Plan," which means both private and public providers will not be able to charge extra for the services. | <urn:uuid:7563fb94-d849-48a7-97f1-e9cc9a1fc887> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://newsok.com/argentina-makes-sex-change-surgery-a-legal-right/article/feed/380575?custom_click=pod_headline_latin-america | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368701852492/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516105732-00017-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.971222 | 439 | 1.523438 | 2 |
TOM LoBIANCO,Associated Press
11:01 AM EST, January 20, 2013
INDIANAPOLIS (AP) — Indiana Gov. Mike Pence and Maryland Gov. Martin O'Malley have both introduced what they call a "jobs budget," but the similarities are in name only and highlight just how far apart Democrats and Republicans stand on the idea of finding work for their unemployed residents.
Both governors delivered spending plans to state lawmakers last week. The Republican Pence's proposal centers on the idea that a cut in the personal income tax will jolt the state's economy. Democrat O'Malley puts more money in his plan in hopes it will result in tens of thousands of new jobs.
Both states have AAA bond ratings. And both leaders could find their performance on jobs the key should they vie for the biggest job of all — president. | <urn:uuid:30b1ea75-787f-4771-857c-a0397a007604> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.wsbt.com/news/wsbt-shape-of-jobs-budget-depends-on-the-state-20130120,0,2820324,print.story | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368698924319/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516100844-00034-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.934147 | 174 | 1.617188 | 2 |
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