text
stringlengths 211
22.9k
| id
stringlengths 47
47
| dump
stringclasses 1
value | url
stringlengths 14
371
| file_path
stringlengths 138
138
| language
stringclasses 1
value | language_score
float64 0.93
1
| token_count
int64 54
4.1k
| score
float64 1.5
1.84
| int_score
int64 2
2
|
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
It’s interesting how the social beliefs of Leftists end up hitting everyone in the wallet, eh?
(Telegraph) Motorists will subsidise a move to ensure ten per cent of transport energy comes from renewable sources such as biodiesel made from maize or sugarcane.
However, the target will cause the cost of biofuel to increase and demand for renewable sources of energy from around the world will also push its cost up.
We’re only talking about (now) 35 Pounds, about $59 US. But, as we all know, these things have a way of escalating once the Real World intrudes. But, that’s real money to real people, which, when added on to all the other skyrocketing costs caused by hotcoldwetdry legislation and rulemaking, makes the cost of living artificially high.
The report found that the target is badly backfiring by causing hunger in the developing world as the demand for the biodiesel will mean that farmers grow maize for feeding cars rather than people.
The amount of land used to produce enough biofuel for just 3.5 per cent of UK transport fuel in 2008 could have fed 127 million people, according to the report.
The writers of the article isn’t a “skeptic”: Louise Gray is a dedicated Warmist, and if she’s highlighting the fact that all these biofuels can cause rising prices and hunger, perhaps they should be rethought. This is life in Warmist World: get hysterical, demand that Something Be Done, throw money at it, pass rules and laws, and then realize that “oh, crap, this won’t work, it can actually make things worse.”
|
<urn:uuid:c53c3929-a11d-474a-b9f1-09d08a1b6181>
|
CC-MAIN-2013-20
|
http://www.rightwingnews.com/climate-change/hotcoldwetdry-targets-to-cost-uk-motorists/
|
s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368696383156/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516092623-00039-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz
|
en
| 0.94265
| 360
| 1.679688
| 2
|
Ryan Feig turned to a peer-to-peer lender to expand his company’s apparel inventory. [Photo: Daniel Portnoy]
Ryan Feig, 34, an MBA graduate of Babson College, launched his Hialeah-based high-performance apparel company three years ago using credit cards and savings. His company, Zensah, uses a breathable, moisture-wicking fabric to make seamless shirts, shorts, socks and other clothing. In 2006, Feig approached his local bank for a loan to build inventory. “The banks just were not interested,” he says.
This year, Feig turned to the Lending Club, a startup peer-to-peer, or P2P, lending company based in Sunnyvale, Calif. Online P2P sites — others include Prosper Marketplace and Zopa— let entrepreneurs borrow $500 to $25,000 from individual lenders who want to earn more than the interest rate paid by bank savings or CDs but don’t want to invest in the stock market.
Borrowers set the interest rate they’re willing to pay, and individual lenders bid for the opportunity to give them money. Feig borrowed $12,000 at 10.5% with a payback period of three years. To allow lenders to get a sufficient return, borrowers can’t pay off the loan for the first six months. Fifteen individuals comprised his lending pool, putting in $200 to $3,000 each. There was also a social networking aspect for Feig because Lending Club originally launched on Facebook, allowing lenders and borrowers to get together based on common hometowns, schools or interests.
Banks have tightened lending standards significantly in the wake of the real estate lending collapse, posing even greater challenges to small businesses that already have a tough time finding startup or expansion money.
Christopher Ramey, chairman of the Florida Luxury Marketing Council in Coral Gables, says that businesses that serve the construction industry began facing a “triple whammy” in the fourth quarter of 2006 and things have only become worse. First, they must deal with customers who have less money to spend; banks are less willing to extend lines of credit; and suppliers aren’t extending credit. “A flooring contractor has more difficulty getting credit from a flooring manufacturer,” Ramey says.
Investment banker Michael Turner, who works with businesses with assets of $25 million to $300 million at his Tampa firm, Farlie Turner, recently opened a unit to work with distressed companies. “We believe many companies are saddled with enough debt that they cannot make any missteps,” says Turner. His company’s Special Situations Group will help with refinancing, the sale of a unit or sale of the entire company. He says, “Businesses in general will have fewer options to finance themselves if they fall into trouble.”
|
<urn:uuid:59160245-13b0-4ee7-ae03-c7c05a9b6a70>
|
CC-MAIN-2013-20
|
http://www.floridatrend.com/article/8516/entrepreneurs-turning-to-their-peers-for-cash
|
s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368708766848/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516125246-00009-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz
|
en
| 0.958791
| 604
| 1.609375
| 2
|
There was a joke going around Cairo for the last few months. God informs Egypt’s elderly and ailing president, Hosni Mubarak, that the time has come for him to bid his people farewell. ‘Really?’ Mubarak says, ‘where are they going?’
That joke isn’t funny anymore. While the people have taken to the streets, demanding an end to his 30 year-long monopoly on power, Mubarak insists he’s staying put. In a speech delivered on the eighth day of a marathon nationwide demonstration, Mubarak said he intended ‘to die on the soil of Egypt’. At least a million protesters were on hand, watching TV screens in Liberation Square in the heart of the capital, as the 82-year old Mubarak conceded he would not participate in the upcoming presidential elections. As a matter of fact, he noted solemnly, he wasn’t planning to anyway and had just somehow neglected to mention it. He did, however, intend to use ‘the remaining months of my term to take the steps to ensure a peaceful transfer of power.’ People booed and stopped listening and wondered what was next.
Up until that speech, Liberation Square was like an Egyptian Woodstock, people camping out, singing, dancing, sharing food and water, tasting freedom for the first time. It was ‘power to the people’ as seldom seen, since until last week these people had no power, period. They were peaceful, self-organized, elated, not only because they felt their great and persistent numbers represented victory, but because they don’t get out much. There’s nowhere to go, nothing affordable for most Egyptians to do, and certainly not together like this, a cross-section of the citizenry mingling and cheering one another on. They were proud and festive, the first Egyptians to hold their ground for so long against an oppressor. Mubarak’s speech made him the father of all killjoys, but protesters still spent the night in Liberation Square.
The next day at around 2pm, a vociferous pro-government contingent, some armed with nail-studded clubs and Molotov cocktails, arrived in the Square, aggressively confronting anyone in their path. Liberation Square became the scene of bloodshed. Mounted police on horses – and camels – charged and cracked their whips, breaking the human chain formed by peaceful protesters, whose numbers had grown since morning, to prevent them from entering the Square. Tanks started moving, with soldiers shouting to stop the fighting but doing nothing to prevent it. Yesterday the army was checking people for weapons before they entered the square; but confusingly, no longer. Rocks were flying according to an Al-Jazeera correspondent, ‘like birds’. (It is a testimony to the ramshackle condition of Cairo’s pavements that rubble was in plentiful supply.) The ugliness had begun. Pro-Mubarak supporters flowed into the Square by the thousands. The wounded were everywhere, filling the field hospital set up by citizens near the Square.
It was mayhem, but strategic mayhem.
A tyrant's choice
On 1 February Mubarak solemnly declared that both people and leadership ‘must choose between chaos and stability’. The military called for the anti-government protesters to stand down, as they’d achieved at least part of their aim, and Egypt needed to return to its stultified and chagrined normalcy, sorry, I meant ‘stability’. The message was largely ignored. That’s when the hoards of Mubarak’s supporters materialized. Where had they been for the last eight days? How did they manage to arrive all at once? Why were so many armed? All evidence points to a staged assault by police in civilian dress, and the hired thugs that typically break up demos or terrorize voters at polls.
It is no coincidence that this uprising began on a joyless national holiday called Police Day (January 25), as the police have earned a reputation for terrorizing the people instead of protecting them
Now, a day later, pro- and anti- government contingents are still fighting for control of Liberation Square, the centre and the symbol for the struggle. The military stands poised on the razor-edged brink of either insurrection (by disobeying eventual presidential orders to end the skirmishes) or breaking their promise not to use force against the anti-government protesters. Meanwhile Egyptians are losing their resolve; if forcing Mubarak’s hand means more loss of life, they wonder if they shouldn’t give up. It’s a grand scenario with Hosni Mubarak cast as saviour, the strongman who, in the eleventh hour, will march in and restore order.
Given the circumstances that placed him in power, Mubarak’s penchant for tight security and displays of force is not surprising; on 6 October 1981, as vice-president, he saw his predecessor Anwar Sadat gunned down metres from where he stood. The problem is that his regime has never known when to let up. The so-called Emergency Law, enacted following the assassination and yet to be repealed, gives carte blanche to the security apparatus, denies citizens due process and the right to assemble or strike, curtails media freedom and enables arbitrary detentions that are often prolonged and harsh. It has eroded civil society, while allowing high officials to flaunt the justice they are meant to uphold. It is no coincidence that this uprising began on a joyless national holiday called Police Day (January 25), as the police have earned a reputation for terrorizing the people instead of protecting them. Protesters arrested and imprisoned in the last week number in the hundreds if not thousands.
The stubborn father
Mubarak’s tenacity is an alloy of stubborn temperament, the habitual exercise of power, and the support of international allies – like the US. But his reticence to surrender authority also reflects the cultural mores that allowed him to hold firm these 30 years
In a speech given shortly after Mubarak spoke on 1 February, President Obama commended the Egyptian people for their bravery and the army for their restraint, while stating that ‘change must begin now’, suggesting that Mubarak would be wise to step aside sooner rather than later. He might have saved his breath. Mubarak’s tenacity is an alloy of stubborn temperament, the habitual exercise of power, and the support of international allies – like the US. But his reticence to surrender authority also reflects the cultural mores that allowed him to hold firm these 30 years. Deference to authority is valued in patriarchal societies like Egypt. This, along with Egyptian resourcefulness in the face of hardship and a general distaste for violence have helped ensure the administration’s longevity – not to mention martial law.
One of today’s pro-government protesters carried a sign reading, ‘Father Mubarak, mother Suzanne [the First Lady], the people are with you and they are sorry’. Mubarak supporters expressed dismay at the president’s loss of face as a result of last night’s speech. Their leader, a war hero, was obliged to seem weak before an international audience owing to the seditious presence of Al-Jazeera and unpatriotic protesters in Liberation Square. Such humiliation is unacceptable and must be vindicated. Whereas the anti-Mubarak protesters are men and women of all ages, from all walks of life, the President’s supporters are mostly men in their 20s-40s. They are willing pawns, powerless people content to be on the ‘strong’ side, the one that usually wins, and according to numerous reports, also pays. The going rate for muscling anti-government protesters is reportedly 100LE daily, the price of two kilos of meat, or a week’s wage for people earning the minimum monthly salary of 400LE (around $90).
Mubarak’s supporters are willing pawns, powerless people content to be on the ‘strong’ side, the one that usually wins, and according to numerous reports, also pays
Mubarak is an expert negotiator, always giving as little as possible and making it seem like lots. In 2005, when he ran for his fifth term, his ‘campaign’ emphasized how he’d recently called for a referendum to enable a constitutional amendment permitting multiple candidates to stand against him, a flimsy gesture since he had virtually no opponents. The only remotely viable one, Ghad party leader Ayman Nour, was thrown in jail immediately following the election, which everyone believed was rigged. Egyptians hunkered down for another six years of Hosni, swearing to form political parties to challenge him in 20011. But it wasn’t that easy. Prospective opposition parties were not officially approved. Mubarak’s younger son Gamal was positioned as his successor.
The seeds of discord
So what did Mubarak offer by way of appeasement following weeks of protests where at least 100 people lost their lives and hundreds more were wounded while millions nationwide demanded his resignation? He said, relax, I’ll go when I’m ready, so stop this nonsense and get back to work. And just to prove there were no hard feelings, he turned the internet on after a week-long blackout. Then again, he probably figured that having potential protesters home checking their email, updating blogs and uploading images, or watching the events on live streams trumped blocking the information that was anyway filtering to the world. When the pro-democracy protesters, unimpressed with his performance, stayed in the square, his zealous supporters jumped in to kick ass and sow the proverbial seeds of discord. Egyptians are consequently divided. The protests are no longer peaceful and some Egyptians are wondering if they shouldn’t cut their losses and back down. Others are committed to fighting to the death.
One woman whose son is in Liberation Square, received an email appeal from a friend suggesting that these ‘young heroes’ surrender before they are hurt, arrested or worse. She answered, ‘Those young people teach us a lesson. They are brave, wise and we were not. They know what they are doing, we didn’t know and we were lost for many years, and we did nothing for them or for ourselves.’
Youth's defiant energy
A huge portion of these protesters are aged 30 or younger and have never known another president besides Mubarak. They know that if they give up now, over a 100 of their fellows will have died in vain and they can only look forward to more rhetoric, procrastination, civil rights administered with an eye dropper, punitive arrests and other breaches of justice. They know their leader, but he doesn’t know them or realize that his regime can no longer rely on fear, filial obedience and grudging compromise to survive.
Despite the threat of injury, death and arrest, protesters – self-organized, without leadership or protection – are holding their ground
This is a new brand of youth and it comprises the bulk of Egypt’s population of 80 million. They are hungry – in every sense of the word – and disenfranchised but also informed and full of defiant energy. They inhabit a different world from the one the president wishes so desperately to preserve, with its orderly privileged hierarchies. Their world is chaos – overcrowded, polluted, dysfunctional, overpriced, bereft of jobs, justice and options.
This uprising is not driven by ideology or politics, but the will for change. Despite the threat of injury, death and arrest, protesters – self-organized, without leadership or protection – are holding their ground for the ninth momentous day and demanding, relentlessly, that Hosni Mubarak stand down. Despite the calls to give up so that order might be restored, their presence is a message to Egypt’s government and every government in the world: you are here to serve and respect the peoples’ wishes – not the other way around. We are the nation, and we are staying. You have betrayed us, and you must go.
This article was written on 3 February 2011.
Maria Golia writes the popular Letter from Cairo column in the New Internationalist magazine.
|
<urn:uuid:0556fc5a-eda0-4676-9871-9a9ee5705664>
|
CC-MAIN-2013-20
|
http://newint.org/features/web-exclusive/2011/02/04/mubarak-the-father-of-all-killjoys/
|
s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368700958435/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516104238-00013-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz
|
en
| 0.97331
| 2,527
| 1.515625
| 2
|
"Chateau Margaux" Margaux Things to Do Tip by black_mimi99
Margaux Things to Do: 6 reviews and 6 photos
The origins of this growth can be traced back to the fifteenth century when it was known as Lamothe. In those times the château was fortified and belonged to the Seigneur Monferraud. In 1802 the property was bought by the Marquis de Colonilla who pulled down the old château and built the elegant neo-classical mansion which is so familiar today, a building unique in style and importance in the Medoc, and also a national monument in France.
The wines of Château Margaux have all those qualities which are regarded as being particular to Margaux AC. in the most exalted degree and perfect balance. The delicacy of the early years belies the longevity of these wines which are consistent in their elegance and refinement.
More Things to Do in Margaux (4)
black_mimi99's Related Pages
Have you been to Margaux?Share Your Travels
|
<urn:uuid:50e9910b-de1a-46f2-82cc-0489c5884ed1>
|
CC-MAIN-2013-20
|
http://members.virtualtourist.com/m/p/m/1ec2fb/
|
s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368699273641/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516101433-00010-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz
|
en
| 0.950691
| 221
| 1.53125
| 2
|
It appears that voting booths are becoming as archaic as the public telephone booth with regard to communicating with governmental officials. Today's modern devices for communicating are cell phones, social networks and, in a diminishing manner, telephone land lines.
The creditability of both chambers of the U.S. Congress is measurably at its lowest point in recent times. The need to communicate with elected officials is, however, increasingly important during these times of critical challenges to our nation and the American way of life.
As a nation we have witnessed the virtual collapse of the filibuster process within the U.S. Senate. Currently it lacks transparency and has become a roadblock to getting vital legislative actions accomplished.
In the very near future the Senate has the opportunity to revise its rules. It is therefore time for concerned citizens to raise a collective voice to demand that such rules address the need to restore the effectiveness of the filibuster in its deliberations.
Senate rules need to require its members to publicly identify themselves if they wish to raise objections to an issue before the Senate. Further, these issues require a full floor debate before a vote is taken.
I encourage each of us to call the Washington offices of Sens. Harry Reid (202-224-3542), Sherrod Brown (220-224-2315) and Rob Portman (202-224-3353) and request they move on restoring the filibuster to its time-honored place within the legislative process. Their positive action in this regard can help rebuild the public's confidence in at least the congressional branches of government.
|
<urn:uuid:53dd7293-bf61-4b1a-8169-4b5e62bcd9d5>
|
CC-MAIN-2013-20
|
http://www.tribune-chronicle.com/page/content.detail/id/581739/Keep-in-touch-with-elected-officials.html?nav=5017
|
s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368696381249/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516092621-00023-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz
|
en
| 0.950074
| 315
| 1.8125
| 2
|
Indian School-Dar es Salaam is a pioneer institute and the only school in Tanzania affiliated to the Central Board of Secondary Education (CBSE), Delhi, India. The school has a history of more than three decades to its credit. The school was originally established to provide quality education to the wards of the Indian expatriates. Initially, the school was set up as Indian Study Circle and was run in a complex which was shared by another school. Gradually, it grew into one of the most prospective, progressive and reputed schools in Dar es Salaam. In the year 2004, the school was shifted to the present campus with own multi-storeyed building and other infrastructure with modern facilities.
As the years rolled by, the school grew from strength to strength. Today the school enjoys the reputation of being one of the premier institutions in Dar es Salaam. Indian School ensures a congenial atmosphere for the young ones to learn and grow.
The School is under a Board of Trustees headed by His Excellency, the High Commissioner of India to Tanzania, as the Chairman. The vision of the Management is to ensure that the school remains an abode of learning where the taught not only competes with their counterparts in India, but also match others globally.
Education at Indian School is a spontaneous process which enables us to conceptualize and execute our perception in true spirit. For us education is a holistic outcome and we strive hard to provide all opportunities to our pupils to become a complete human being.
Our Mission is to equip our children with knowledge, information and training which keeps them ahead of their counterparts not only in India but also globally.
The objective of the school is to prepare a crop of well educated, knowledgeable, well groomed and honourable citizens in the society. We primarily realize the vision of our stakeholders by providing a platform for enhancing academic excellence of their wards and transforming the personality of those entrusted to our care. We also aim at the overall development of the child personality by providing an environment conducive to physical, social, mental, moral, spiritual and intellectual growth. Thus presenting to the society a set of ‘thinking individuals’ who can contribute positively to the society.
“Education is what education does!
It is a process through and by which, a raw individual is transformed in to a cultured and civilized person. It is by this process of education, one is trained in the art of living. Education thus, is a man making process.
Education does, and should, not only enable an individual to acquire knowledge, but it also should equip him, with the discernment to perceive what is right and what is wrong. Wrong education, not only jeopardizes the very purpose of it, but also it damages the very scope of human life.
Tests for admissions to classes LKG - IX is on 16th May 2013. Application forms for admissions to class XI will be available from the school office on publication of CBSE class X results.
|
<urn:uuid:4dd66ee9-f683-4552-82c8-c9ea94cbea27>
|
CC-MAIN-2013-20
|
http://www.indianschooldsm.org/
|
s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368704132298/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516113532-00022-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz
|
en
| 0.96876
| 607
| 1.757813
| 2
|
Get involved: Send your news, views, pictures and video by texting SUPIC to 80360 or email us.
Neighbours can be the people to turn to with a problem
Buy this photo » Amber with mother Rose, centre and sister Jade
As social enterprises struggle to cope with public spending cuts and the recession, people are coming up with their own novel ways of tackling the problems in their neighbourhoods. From community kitchens to help cash-strapped families afford fresh nutritious food, to pubs run by church congregations, residents have stepped in where charities have been unable to help. Chief reporter Emily Walker looks at the latest initiative to solve a local problem.
Every day 30 women in Brighton and Hove are abused by their partners.
Police and charities have been considering a raft of measures to try to combat the increasing problem, but one hairdresser has decided to take matters into her own hands by transforming her salon into a safe haven for victims of domestic violence.
Rose Cresswell, 50, who was herself a victim of a violent husband, hopes to be able to help her customers with more than just a trim.
Rose also wants to be able to offer her customers a friendly ear and the support and advice they need to escape violent relationships.
She is hoping to extend her salon in Barcombe Road, Moulsecoomb, to make room for private treatment rooms where trained counsellors can be on hand for support.
She is hoping to recruit a male barber with a doorman’s SIA security licence to protect her staff and customers and will also install state of the art CCTV. Rose’s own success story should be an inspiration for her customers.
Describing her own ordeal, the mother of two said: “Initially he would do things to himself, self harm and smash glass.
“Then after I had my daughter Jade he started to hurt me. He told me it was my own fault and that I wasn’t a mother to her.
“I was running a business from 8am to 8.30pm and he thought I should come home and clean the house and look after the baby and sleep with him.
“Then when I had my second daughter, Amber, he got so much worse.
“One time he punched me in the face in front of everyone in my shop and threw me on the floor.
“The final straw came after I went out for a drink with a friend and apparently we had taken too long.
“He trapped me on the floor, sat down on my chest and stuck his fingers in my windpipe so I couldn’t breathe.
“My children saw me unconscious on the floor.”
First port of call
Rose lost her business in the lengthy battle to keep custody of her children. But now having started again from scratch and set up a successful business, Monroe’s Hair and Beauty, she feels compelled to help other women faced with a similar situation.
She said: “I’m not planning to be Citizens Advice or Rise.
“I will be emergency first aid – a first port of call for local victims.
“I’m a person you can say things to who will support you without any pressure.
Abuse “I have had women come in before and I can see it in their eyes.”
Rose has spotted the signs of abuse in her customers and helped them to take the steps needed to break free.
She has offered them emotional support and practical advice on securing their financial independence and the safety of their children from abusive partners.
If she is able to extend her salon she hopes to open new treatment rooms where she will be able to use her qualifications to help victims train for new skills.
Detective Inspector Miles Ockwell, who is in charge of dealing with domestic violence cases in Brighton and Hove, said that more than 1,900 incidents had been reported to the police in the city since April, working out at almost ten a day.
It is generally accepted that only a third of domestic violence incidents are reported to the police, meaning as many as 30 women a day could be in need of Rose’s services.
Rose has been promised some financial help in building her dream if she gets the initial planning permission she needs.
‘He tried to push me out of a car’
One of Rose’s customers had been visiting in her salon for months before she was finally able to open up and seek help.
She said: “I had been in a relationship for seven years. He started off mentally controlling and I went through it for a long, long time.
“He beat me up because I had spoken to a friend about it.
“Rose helped me to sort out what I had to do when I had decided to leave.
“He had been very emotionally controlling for a long period of time. He controlled my life. I wasn’t allowed to go out.
“That built up for about six years then he actually attacked me.
“Then he started to be nasty to my eldest son and I couldn’t let him do that.
“The next day I went with him to the doctors and he told me I might not see my little boy again. Then he tried to push me out of the car.
“Then he told the police I had assaulted him.
“Rose was fantastic.
“I hadn’t worked for years and had no self esteem but she gave me the confidence I needed.
“I used to come in here and she obviously took one look at me and could see what was going on but didn’t say anything until I was ready.
“This is a fabulous place to come.
“You always know she’s there.”
It’ll be school dinners with a difference
Community chef Robin Van Creveld is planning to set up a community kitchen in a school.
He is hoping to launch the pilot project at Brighton Aldridge Community Academy in Falmer in the New Year.
Mr Van Creveld has already taught hundreds of Sussex residents how to bake bread and has tutored care home workers, school catering managers and the fire service on making nutritious meals on tight budgets. The school builds on his belief that good food is a fundamental human right.
With donations of time, labour and goods from the community, he transformed a derelict warehouse on Lewes’s Phoenix Trading Estate into a fully-equipped kitchen.
At the Lewes Community Kitchen groups are able to bake bread to distribute locally as a cheaper and more community-minded alternative to mass produced food.
Vicar hopes to take his flock to the pub
Members of Father John Wall’s congregation have joined together to take over the Bevendean pub.
Residents are working together to try to reopen the once troubled boozer as a community owned pub.
They have announced that they will sell £10 shares in the venture from December 1 with the hope of reaching the required £200,000.
Leading the campaign to get the beers flowing at the venue in Hillside is none other than the local vicar.
Father Wall, left, of St Andrew’s in Moulsecoomb, said: “Every good community deserves a good church and a good pub.”
See the latest news headlines from The Argus:
- Updated: One killed in Hove shooting
- Council in racism row
- Tight collar causes cat horrific injuries
- Schools struggle to recruit new heads
- Police called to Lewes school after pupils' high jinks
|
<urn:uuid:d07260f8-7842-4c09-a745-3a12f28d173e>
|
CC-MAIN-2013-20
|
http://www.theargus.co.uk/news/10059249.Neighbours_can_be_the_people_to_turn_to_with_a_problem/?ref=nt
|
s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368697974692/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516095254-00038-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz
|
en
| 0.977083
| 1,601
| 1.820313
| 2
|
Prepaid cards: Loaded with fees, weak protections
March 29, 2012
For Consumers Like Traditional Bank-Issued Debit Cards
YONKERS, NY – A new Consumer Reports analysis of prepaid cards has found that industry competition is beginning to help bring down fees, but fees aren’t always disclosed up front and can still add up quickly. Moreover, prepaid cards also offer weaker consumer protections than those provided by traditional debit cards.
Prepaid cards are reloadable cards that can be used to make payments similar to debit cards and are becoming the foundation of a second-tier banking system. Prepaid cards look like other plastic payment cards and bear the network logos of Visa, MasterCard or Discover along with the word “debit” on the front of the card. The Federal Reserve has found that prepaid cards are the fastest growing non-cash method of payment. That growth is expected to continue as the prepaid card industry works to attract the business of the estimated 60 million adults with limited or no access to bank accounts.
Consumers Union, the policy and advocacy arm of Consumer Reports, is urging the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau to require prepaid card issuers to improve fee disclosure and abide by the same mandatory protections consumers are guaranteed by law when using debit cards linked to their bank accounts.
“Now that so many households are relying on prepaid cards to manage their finances, it’s time for the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau to take action to protect consumers,” said Michelle Jun, senior attorney for Consumers Union. “We need new rules that require fees to be disclosed in a simple format so consumers know the costs before they purchase a card. Prepaid cards should get the same strong protections as debit cards so consumers have the peace of mind that their money is safe if their card is lost or stolen.”
Consumers can typically only find information about a few of the fees charged by card issuers before they purchase a card at a store. While some prepaid card issuers are providing direct links to fee schedules on their web sites, others make finding this information more difficult. Consumer Reports examined 16 different prepaid cards and found that issuers charged a variety of different fees to consumers:
Fees to Activate Your Card: 9 of the 16 prepaid cards reviewed charged consumers a fee to activate their card. Activation fees ranged from a low of $3 for the Walmart Money Card, nFinanSe card, and the Approved Card to $14.95 for some select RushCards. Some prepaid card issuers like NetSpend and Western Union are no longer charging activation fees.
Monthly Fees: 13 of the 16 prepaid cards charge monthly fees, ranging from $2.95 for the nFinanSe card to $9.95 for the Vision Premier card and the Univision card. Some prepaid cards, like the Bank Freedom card, will waive the monthly fee if the consumer makes a minimum deposit each month. Some cards, like the RushCard, give consumers the option of choosing the monthly fee plan or a per transaction fee plan.
Fees to Get Cash: 14 of the 16 prepaid cards examined charged a fee to withdraw cash from a domestic ATM, ranging from $2 to $2.50. This does not include the additional charge imposed by ATM operators. Consumers using Green Dot prepaid cards can get free access to MoneyPass network ATMs. Univision prepaid cardholders can get free access to Allpoint network ATMs. Otherwise these cardholders pay a fee to use a non-network ATM.
Fees to Find Out Your Balance: 12 of the 16 prepaid cards impose a fee for checking balances at ATMs, ranging from 45 cents to $1 per balance inquiry. The ATM operator may charge an additional fee. Many prepaid card issuers provide other methods to check balances for free, such as by email, text message, or phone.
Fees to Get a Paper Statement: A number of prepaid cards no longer provide information about the availability of paper statements in their card agreements. Seven of the prepaid cards charge customers a fee to get a monthly paper statement detailing their transactions. Paper statement fees ranged from $1 for the Rush Card to $5.95 for the NetSpend Visa card. Many of the prepaid cards provide free access to monthly statements online or through email or text alerts.
Fees For Customer Service: Some prepaid cards enable all consumers to speak to a customer service representative for free. Other prepaid cards provide free customer service if the customer sets up direct deposit or only makes a limited number of calls per month. A few prepaid cards charge customers each time they make a call to customer service, ranging 50 cents per call for the NetSpend Visa card to $2.99 per call for the UPSide card.
Fees for Inactivity: 5 of the 16 cards charged fees when cards are not used after a certain period of time. These dormancy fees range from $2.50 per month for the H&R Block Emerald Card (after three months of inactivity) and the Western Union MoneyWise card (after 13 months) to $5.95 per month for the NetSpend Visa card (after 90 days of inactivity).
Prepaid card users can avoid some fees by taking a few steps. First, look online for the card’s fee schedule to find out all the different ways you can be charged. Your costs will vary widely depending on which card you get and how you use it. Make sure you understand those costs before selecting a card. If you decide to get a prepaid card, you may be able to reduce your fees by using direct deposit to load money onto your card. Avoid non-network ATM charges by getting cash back when making purchases and checking your balance online or over the phone.
Prepaid card users could end up losing money if their cards are lost or stolen and used to make fraudulent purchases. That’s because they are not protected by the same regulatory and statutory safeguards that enable debit card users to recover their money. If a debit card user contacts a bank about a lost or stolen card within two business days, liability is limited up to $50 (or up to $500 if the consumer makes the report after two business days). Prepaid card users are not guaranteed these protections since the contract terms could be revised or rescinded at any time.
In addition, prepaid card users may not have the same FDIC guarantee as bank account holders that they’ll be able to recover all of their money in the event of a bank failure. Even if the prepaid card web site displays the familiar FDIC logo, it’s not always clear whether the cardholder will be able to recover the full amount on the card or a portion shared with other prepaid cardholders.
Many prepaid cards are now offering new features to enable consumers to establish credit files or help those with bad credit to rebuild their credit record. But Consumer Reports found that information from prepaid card transactions is not useful to help a consumer build a credit record. Some prepaid cards also offer small lines of credit, which must be repaid within a short period of time. These short term loans are expensive and must be repaid quickly much like a payday loan.
Contact: Michael McCauley, firstname.lastname@example.org, 415-431-6747
|
<urn:uuid:05eccc8f-3003-4132-9227-f9bb99152668>
|
CC-MAIN-2013-20
|
http://defendyourdollars.org/press_release/prepaid-cards-loaded-with-fees-weak-protections
|
s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368705953421/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516120553-00010-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz
|
en
| 0.943358
| 1,488
| 1.835938
| 2
|
The AA Grapevine Mission Statement
The AA Grapevine, Inc. is publisher of the International Journal of Alcoholics Anonymous. Its primary purpose is to carry the AA message to everyone interested in alcoholism through its magazines, websites, and related items, which reflect the experience, strength, and hope of its members and friends on topics related to recovery, unity and service. It strives in all its activities to operate in accordance with the Twelve Steps, the Twelve Traditions, and the Twelve Concepts of AA, without soliciting monetary contributions from AA members or groups to fund operating expenses.
The AA Grapevine Statement of Purpose
The AA Grapevine is the international journal of Alcoholics Anonymous. Written, edited, illustrated, and read by AA members and others interested in the AA program of recovery from alcoholism, the Grapevine is a lifeline linking one alcoholic to another.
Widely known as a "meeting in print," the AA Grapevine communicates the experience, strength, and hope of its contributors and reflects a broad geographic spectrum of current AA experience with recovery, unity, and service. Founded in 1944, the Grapevine does not receive group contributions, but is supported entirely through magazine subscription sales and additional income derived from the sale of Grapevine items.
The awareness that every AA member has an individual way of working the program permeates the pages of the Grapevine, and throughout its history the magazine has been a forum for the varied and often divergent opinions of AAs around the world. Articles are not intended to be statements of AA policy, nor does publication of any article imply endorsement by either AA or the Grapevine.
As Bill W. expressed it in 1946, "The Grapevine will be the voice of the Alcoholics Anonymous movement. Its editors and staff will be primarily accountable to the AA movement as a whole. . . . Within the bounds of friendliness and good taste, the Grapevine will enjoy perfect freedom of speech on all matters directly pertaining to Alcoholics Anonymous. . . . Like the Alcoholics Anonymous movement it is to mirror, there will be but one central purpose: The Grapevine will try to carry the AA message to alcoholics and practice the AA principles in all its affairs."
"I am responsible. When anyone, anywhere, reaches out for help, I want the hand of AA always to be there. And for that: I am responsible."
|Alcoholics Anonymous is a fellowship of men and women who share their experience, strength and hope with each other that they may solve their common problem and help others to recover from alcoholism.
The only requirement for membership is a desire to stop drinking.
There are no dues or fees for AA membership; we are self-supporting through our own contributions.
AA is not allied with any sect, denomination, politics, organization or institution; does not wish to engage in any controversy, neither endorses nor opposes any causes.
Our primary purpose is to stay sober and help other alcoholics to achieve sobriety.
© The AA Grapevine, Inc.
(The statement above, which is read at the beginning of many AA meetings around the world, is known as the Preamble of AA. According to a recent estimate, there are more than 2 million AA members and 100,000 AA groups in 150 countries throughout the world.)
AA Grapevine Links
AA Grapevine Fact Sheet
AA Grapevine's Contributions to AA
History of the AA Grapevine
History of La Viña
Evolution of the magazine
More AA Links
Get a dose of Higher Power here
June 2013: Without a net
Giving it away to keep it
June 2013: Diagnosis: fear, cure: action
New to AA? Find sober support
June 2013: Losing my religion
They've experienced it all ... sober
June 2013: The happiest boy in the world
- Emotional Sobriety
Dry drunk no more
June 2013: My big fat sober wedding
- Personal Stories
AA's tales of recovery
June 2013: Bang Bam Boom!
|
<urn:uuid:0826cc9d-5fc4-49d3-a345-823146091cc5>
|
CC-MAIN-2013-20
|
http://www.aagrapevine.org/content/about-us
|
s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368699881956/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516102441-00024-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz
|
en
| 0.933673
| 824
| 1.5625
| 2
|
NINJAM is a program to allow people to make real music together via the Internet
NINJAM is a program to allow people to make real music together via the Internet. Every participant can hear every other participant. Each user can also tweak their personal mix to his or her liking. NINJAM is cross-platform, with clients available for Mac OS X and Windows.
NINJAM uses compressed audio which allows it to work with any instrument or combination of instruments. You can sing, play a real piano, play a real saxophone, play a real guitar with whatever effects and guitar amplifier you want, anything. If your computer can record it, then you can jam with it (as opposed to MIDI-only systems that automatically preclude any kind of natural audio collaboration1).
Since the inherent latency of the Internet prevents true realtime synchronization of the jam2, and playing with latency is weird (and often uncomfortable), NINJAM provides a solution by making latency (and the weirdness) much longer.
Latency in NINJAM is measured in measures, and that's what makes it interesting. The NINJAM client records and streams synchronized intervals of music between participants. Just as the interval finishes recording, it begins playing on everyone else's client. So when you play through an interval, you're playing along with the previous interval of everybody else, and they're playing along with your previous interval. If this sounds pretty bizarre, it sort of is, until you get used to it, then it becomes pretty natural. In many ways, it can be more forgiving than a normal jam, because mistakes propagate differently.
Part tool, part toy, NINJAM is designed with an emphasis on musical experimentation and expression.
How does NINJAM work?
NINJAM uses OGG Vorbis audio compression to compress audio, then streams it to a NINJAM server, which can then stream it to the other people in your jam. This architecture requires a server with adequate bandwidth, but has no firewall or NAT issues. OGG Vorbis is utilized for its great low bitrate characteristics and performance.
Each user receives a copy of other users audio streams, allowing for each user to adjust the mix to their liking, as well as remix later. This uses more bandwidth than having a server encode a single stream, but has numerous benefits (including lower server CPU use and the client having the full multichannel data for later use).
NINJAM can also save all of the original uncompressed source material, for doing full quality remixes after the jam.
tags each user along with previous interval but has playing along ogg vorbis and the can also ninjam uses you can the internet
Download NINJAM 0.01a
Other software in this category
- Desktop Environment
- Science and Engineering
- Text Editing&Processing
|
<urn:uuid:1872527e-cf52-490e-ab9f-10f527877152>
|
CC-MAIN-2013-20
|
http://nixbit.com/cat/multimedia/audio/ninjam/
|
s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368706153698/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516120913-00011-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz
|
en
| 0.931414
| 596
| 1.625
| 2
|
St. Joseph Mercy Oakland's (SJMO) mission calls for the hospital "to improve the health of our communities..." One way SJMO demonstrates its strong commitment to our mission is through offering several free cancer screening programs throughout the year to detect breast, colorectal and prostate cancer.
Free Breast Cancer Clinics
SJMO offers quarterly free breast cancer screening clinics for women who meet the following qualifications:
- Age 40 and over or younger with a palpable mass (one that can be felt)
- Resident of Oakland County
- Have no health insurance
- Need a screening mammogram
Screenings are held in the Alice Gustafson Center on the SJMO campus. The remaining free screenings for 2012 will be held:
- Saturday, July 14, 9 a.m. to 1 p.m.
- Saturday, Oct. 13, 9 a.m. to 1 p.m.
Those participating in a screening receive a free screening mammogram, a breast examination by a breast surgeon and educational material.
Pre-registration is required and the number of appointments for each screening is limited. Registration is accepted starting six to eight weeks before each screening up until the screening or until all appointments are filled. The registration telephone number is 800-372-6094.
Our free breast clinic screenings are made possible, in part, by donations from the Pink Ribbon Trailblazers, a grass roots group of men and women who raise funds to help provide mammograms for uninsured and underserved women in Oakland County at SJMO.
We also offer education programs to community groups on breast cancer and breast health issues.
Colorectal Cancer Screening
SJMO typically offers free colorectal cancer screening each March during Colorectal Cancer Awareness Month.
SJMO partners with area churches through its Faith Community Nurse and Community Health programs, along with partners with community physician offices to offer free Fecal Occult test kits that detect blood in the stool, a possible sign of colorectal cancer. The kits are offered to those age 50 and above, or those who have a family history of colorectal cancer. Those who participate in the screening return the test to the SJMO Lab for processing and are notified of their results.
For information on where free test kits will be available during March, call our referral line at 800-372-6094.
Prostate Cancer Screening
September is Prostate Cancer Awareness Month and typically SJMO offers a free prostate screening clinic one Saturday during the month.
The clinic for men age 50 and over includes a PSA blood test and a digital rectal examination by a urologist, along with information on prostate cancer.
To find out when the screening will be held and to sign up, call our referral line at 800-372-6094.
|
<urn:uuid:a9c98d8d-8efc-4f81-a565-9fcc37351cd9>
|
CC-MAIN-2013-20
|
http://www.stjoesoakland.org/CommunityOutreach
|
s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368709037764/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516125717-00001-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz
|
en
| 0.94431
| 582
| 1.734375
| 2
|
A few years ago, I submitted a small write-up for a society journal with tips for searching patents. Today, while indexing some issues of the Roanoke Beacon newspaper for the NCGenWeb People in the Papers website , I was reminded on just how interesting it can be. A notice from the October 12, 1900 issue of the paper reported that Mr. D.S. SETTLEMYRE of Connelly Springs (Burke County) received a patent for his “baby walker” invention.
Now, not that I advocate putting a baby in the walker all night, it was still an interesting notice. So, off I went to search US Patents via Google’s Patent Search, and surely enough I was able to find the patent information right away. And, it looks quite similar to our current baby walkers.
The patent application is worth a read – it’s full of detail about how the walker works. Notice that Settlemyre’s signature is on the drawing, as well as the signatures of his witnesses and his attorney. His patent has influenced others also – including a 2004 patent filing for a remote -controlled and motorized baby walker.
How neat if this were someone in your family. Wouldn’t you want to see the details of their inventions? PDF files of the patent applications can be downloaded from the Google site so you can keep it among your personal records. Take a moment to check it out!
|
<urn:uuid:a50e0dd1-6ba5-433b-95ba-ce30c8d9f26a>
|
CC-MAIN-2013-20
|
http://www.ncgenweb.us/patent-searching/
|
s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368699273641/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516101433-00002-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz
|
en
| 0.975771
| 305
| 1.726563
| 2
|
What is the benefit(s) of Praying with a Minyan? Besides for all the additional things you can now do with a Minyan (Kaddish, Kriah etc). By prayer, I mean the Shmoneh Esreh. What is different in ...
It is my understanding that when one is in the year of mourning following the death of certain relatives, he is not allowed to lead ["daven from the amud"] certain prayers (such as those on Shabbos, ...
I know that lots of minyanim have the talking problem; has anybody solved it? I daven with a weekday shacharit minyan that has a noise problem. A couple of people are the main sources of the problem ...
How many people are needed in order to start chazaras hashatz?
|
<urn:uuid:ea6697d6-87f3-49e5-bd27-f90585c28782>
|
CC-MAIN-2013-20
|
http://judaism.stackexchange.com/questions/tagged/minyan+chazzan-prayer-leader
|
s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368696383156/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516092623-00032-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz
|
en
| 0.95515
| 170
| 1.75
| 2
|
The UAE has a growing obesity problem. Are you changing your lifestyle?
The results are in.
December 6, 2009 2:24 by Aarti Nagraj
But not everyone is able to stick to strict routines; 33 percent of the respondents to our poll said that they had changed their lifestyles, but it was still not to the extent required. A further 19 percent said that they are too busy and have no time to exercise.
Health officials in the country are trying to educate residents about the problems of obesity including diabetes, heart diseases and respiratory problems. Increasing obesity levels are also leading to infertility in women in Dubai, Sonia Chaudhary, a gynecologist at the Jebel Ali Hospital told 7DAYS recently. “Fertility treatments do not work as well in obese women because they are not absorbed as effectively into the body,” the report quotes her as saying.
Meanwhile, private organizations like VLCC are also trying to spread awareness about the issue. The company recently launched a massive Anti-Obesity Campaign, which runs across the region till December 18, which includes several public awareness activities like forums and a 10km long cycle-a-thon.
The least number of our respondents however said that they have no need to make any changes to their lifestyles, because they are already too thin.
Pages: 1 2
|
<urn:uuid:2e9b088c-68a6-4a0b-8f45-ee8333cd5f89>
|
CC-MAIN-2013-20
|
http://www.kippreport.com/fcs/the-uae-has-a-growing-obesity-problem-are-you-changing-your-lifestyle/2/?poll-results=1
|
s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368704132298/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516113532-00037-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz
|
en
| 0.983121
| 277
| 1.765625
| 2
|
Noah Horton '02 co-founded Involver, which helps companies market themselves on social media networks.
Computer science alumnus creates popular social media software company
When he first came to Willamette University, Noah Horton '02 thought he wanted to be a lawyer. But it can be hard to ignore something you've been passionate about your whole life — and Horton has been writing computer programs since second grade.
Today, Horton is the co-founder and chief technology officer for Involver, a fast-growing Bay Area company offering social media that helps companies more effectively use websites like Facebook or YouTube to market their products.
If you have ever participated in a poll or watched videos on the Facebook pages for Levi's or United Airlines, or you have participated in Facebook's "What's Your Story?" project, you have used software created by Involver. The company counts numerous Fortune 500 companies among its clients, and it has grown from a handful of employees when it started in 2007 to nearly 100 this year.
"I'm not sure I'd be in programming right now if it wasn't for Willamette," Horton says. "I had considered going into law, but I became friends with Professor Ruehr, and his passion for his research and programming languages rubbed off on me."
Early Career in Programming
During his time at Willamette, Horton interned at Sun Microsystems and Hewlett Packard, and he even earned a few patents for computer programs he developed — today he holds 25 patents.
He also received a Carson Undergraduate Research Grant to build a tool to help researchers better use neural networks, an artificial intelligence technique that allows computer programs to make decisions.
His first job after graduation was at HP, but after a year he headed to Microsoft, where he spent four years in a variety of positions, from sales to software architecture. His desire to develop a greater number of new products led him to Silicon Valley to work for a start-up software company.
The company went under soon after he arrived — but it was there that he met Rahim Fazal, who had already founded several businesses. Horton and Fazal joined up to create a new company, and Involver was born.
Involver started by helping companies use video advertising on the internet. But as social media networks like Facebook took off, Involver adapted to aid companies in marketing themselves more easily on these networks.
Involver creates software applications that companies can use on Facebook and other social media sites, allowing them to better brand their sites and make them interactive, while more easily monitoring and responding to what others are saying about their company.
Horton and Fazal found immediate success — in 2008, Inc. Magazine named them among the top 30 entrepreneurs under age 30.
Lessons from Willamette
Horton frequently uses his Willamette experiences to help his company continue to grow — including the time he spent living in the Kaneko residential facility, located next to Tokyo International University of America. TIUA brings students annually from Japan to study at Willamette.
"Recently, a number of Japanese executives came to visit my company," Horton says. "I had this great set of experiences from my time in Kaneko that I could share with them, and it helped us connect on a different level."
But the biggest contributor to Horton's success is his well-rounded liberal arts education, he says.
"I commonly have dinner with people from Fortune 500 companies who do not understand the technical aspects of computer programs, and I have to explain our product so that they will want to buy it. I go into those situations with a diverse background — I took classes at Willamette in archaeology and comparative religions, for example — and I have more to talk about with them.
"Not being too technically focused, like many of the people who graduate from tech schools, has been a great enabler in my career."
|
<urn:uuid:5d289763-3939-4fec-b917-0cec88082179>
|
CC-MAIN-2013-20
|
http://mailto:thtr-tix@willamette.edu/people/archives/2010/12/noah_horton.html
|
s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368696382584/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516092622-00000-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz
|
en
| 0.979418
| 807
| 1.640625
| 2
|
Litigating Presidential Signing Statements
Michele E. Gilman
University of Baltimore - School of Law
William & Mary Bill of Rights, Vol. 16, No. 1, 2007
University of Baltimore School of Law Legal Studies Research Paper No. 2008-02
In response to President George W. Bush's aggressive use of presidential signing statements, several members of Congress as well as a prominent Taskforce of the American Bar Association have proposed legislation to provide for judicial review of signing statements. These critics assert that the President must veto legislation with which he disagrees, rather than use signing statements to refuse to enforce statutes that he signs into law. This article explores whether Congress can litigate presidential signing statements, concluding that they are not justiciable even if Congress enacts a law granting itself standing to raise such a challenge. Congress might be able to piggyback on litigation brought by private parties through the procedural tools of intervention and amicus. However, private parties may also be hard-pressed to challenge signing statements, even if the President follows through on the views expressed in his signing statements and declines to enforce the laws as written. As a result, Congress must exercise its political powers if it wishes to confront the President over his signing statements.
Number of Pages in PDF File: 38
Keywords: presidential signing statement, congressional standingAccepted Paper Series
Date posted: January 14, 2008 ; Last revised: May 20, 2008
© 2013 Social Science Electronic Publishing, Inc. All Rights Reserved.
This page was processed by apollo5 in 0.579 seconds
|
<urn:uuid:b1a0ed1c-68b2-4c4d-83d1-63c3cb52a818>
|
CC-MAIN-2013-20
|
http://papers.ssrn.com/sol3/papers.cfm?abstract_id=1083681
|
s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368705195219/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516115315-00002-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz
|
en
| 0.934203
| 318
| 1.796875
| 2
|
|Home > Features > Issues > Iraq > Article|
Iraq's just-renewed oil exports came to a halt at the weekend after saboteurs blew up the main pipeline to Turkey, crushing hopes that oil revenue would begin to pour in again.
The pipeline that runs from oilfields near Kirkuk was opened four days ago. Saboteurs set off explosives along a section of the pipe near the town of Baiji, 132 kilometres north-west of Baghdad, said acting Oil Minister Thamir Ghadban.
In another setback, a major water pipeline in northern Baghdad was breached yesterday. Officials said it would take at least eight hours to repair the pipeline and that the water supply to areas of northern Baghdad had been cut off.
The oil pipeline attack, in particular, will cost Iraq heavily - $US7 million ($A10.6 million) a day in lost crude oil earnings.
"You can imagine, I am not pleased," Mr Ghadban said. "This is leading to a loss of income we are in dire need of."
It was at least the third time that the Kirkuk line, which ends at the Turkish Mediterranean seaport of Ceyhan, has been hit by saboteurs. Attackers have managed to damage the pipeline at critical moments since the US occupation. In June, explosives ruptured the line a day after contracts were signed for renewed exports from Iraq through Turkey. Explosives also damaged a pipeline that feeds the Daura refinery in southern Baghdad and one that leads from oilfields near Basra to the southern Persian Gulf terminal of Mina al-Bakr.
The repeat acts of sabotage reflect Iraq's lack of security and vulnerability to petroleum pipeline disruptions and electrical power supply stoppages. Power lines in several regions have been stripped of wire by looters who smuggle the copper out of the country. There have been attacks on transformers in several towns, interrupting already unsteady power supplies.
The Baiji area is part of a region that once formed a bedrock of support for deposed Iraqi president Saddam Hussein and has become the site of most attacks on occupying forces.
Mr Ghadban, appointed by US authorities, said US forces were inadequate to protect Iraq's vital lifelines. Under Saddam, he said, oil pipelines were protected by special oil police, the army and internal security forces working with regional tribes. "All that has disappeared," he said.
Mr Ghadban added that he had been pressing officials with the US-created Coalition Provisional Authority, which now runs the country, to increase security along pipelines, but without any apparent success so far.
As a kind of stopgap, police Brigadier-General Ahmed Ibrahim, the newly appointed deputy Interior Minister, appealed to clan leaders to defend pipelines.
- Washington Post
|Print this article Email to a friend||Top|
Also in Iraq
Oil and water pipelines sabotaged
|text | handheld (how to)||
Copyright © 2003 The Age Company Ltd
|advertise | contact us|
|
<urn:uuid:985292c7-8397-44d2-8650-a9e7e5be2ba7>
|
CC-MAIN-2013-20
|
http://www.theage.com.au/articles/2003/08/17/1061059711859.html
|
s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368705953421/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516120553-00022-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz
|
en
| 0.967289
| 620
| 1.726563
| 2
|
IMF Executive Board Concludes 2008 Article IV Consultation with MexicoPublic Information Notice (PIN) No. 09/19
February 13, 2009
Public Information Notices (PINs) form part of the IMF's efforts to promote transparency of the IMF's views and analysis of economic developments and policies. With the consent of the country (or countries) concerned, PINs are issued after Executive Board discussions of Article IV consultations with member countries, of its surveillance of developments at the regional level, of post-program monitoring, and of ex post assessments of member countries with longer-term program engagements. PINs are also issued after Executive Board discussions of general policy matters, unless otherwise decided by the Executive Board in a particular case. The staff report (use the free Adobe Acrobat Reader to view this pdf file) for the 2008 Article IV Consultation with Mexico is also available.
On February 6, 2009, the Executive Board of the International Monetary Fund (IMF) concluded the Article IV consultation with Mexico.1
Mexico has made substantial progress over the past decade in strengthening its economic framework. However, the external environment has deteriorated sharply since last year, testing Mexico's resilience and current policy framework.
Since September 2008, financial markets in emerging markets, including Mexico, have been disrupted by shortages of liquidity, and a pull back by foreign investors leading to substantial asset price drops. Credit growth in Mexico has also decelerated markedly. The abrupt currency depreciation in October last year resulted in sharp losses for some Mexican companies on foreign currency derivative positions.
The weakening outlook for U.S. activity, remittances, and international oil prices all weigh on prospects for Mexico. Growth has begun to decelerate as the U.S. has slowed sharply and consumer confidence in Mexico has weakened. Real GDP growth is projected at minus 0.3 percent in 2009 with a gradual pick-up in 2010 to annual average growth of 2.1 percent. Headline inflation reached almost 6.5 percent year-over-year by end-December—above the 3 percent target—mainly pushed up by external supply shocks. However, inflation is expected to fall towards the target over the next year in the face of a widening output gap.
The current account deficit is expected to widen in 2008—from 1 percent of GDP in 2007—and then remain in a broadly stable range of 2-2.5 percent of GDP over the next years. Non-oil export volumes have begun to weaken, reflecting especially the slowdown in the U.S., compounding the effect of falling oil export receipts and remittances. However, there will be some offset as imports are expected to slow in line with moderating domestic demand and the weaker exchange rate.
The authorities have responded promptly with a comprehensive policy package. On financial markets, measures including foreign currency intervention and steps to buoy up domestic debt markets have helped contain stresses, although some pressure points remain. The announcement of a swap agreement with the Federal Reserve has also supported confidence.
On macro policies, the fiscal stance is set to ease, with a stimulus of about 1.5 percent of GDP budgeted in 2009. Fiscal policy is on track to achieve balance in 2008−09, on the traditional budget measures, as required by the Fiscal Responsibility Law (FRL). But reflecting the planned stimulus, the augmented balance is set to widen in 2009 by over 1 percent of GDP from a projected minus 1.7 percent of GDP deficit in 2008. The government's oil price hedge policy is expected to safeguard room for maintaining spending levels in 2009 to support needed investments and social spending. Meanwhile, the central bank cut its policy rate by 50 basis points in January, pointing in its statement to an expected downward trend in inflation and the deteriorating outlook for growth.
Executive Board Assessment
Executive Directors commended Mexico's significant improvements in its macroeconomic policy framework over the last decade, including the flexible exchange rate and rules-based fiscal and monetary policies, and in strengthened public, corporate and banking sector balance sheets. Directors noted that, as a result, the economy faces the current external crisis from a more robust position than in the past and for the first time the authorities can respond to a downturn with countercyclical policies, while maintaining stability and without jeopardizing medium-term sustainability. They observed that market sentiment had also been supported by the swap facility agreed with the U.S. Federal Reserve.
Directors endorsed the planned 2009 fiscal stimulus, which should, along with increased development bank intermediation, provide timely support to economic activity. They observed that the counter-cyclical spending increases would protect employment and support low-income families, increase competitiveness of small-and medium-sized businesses, and augment infrastructure. Such measures were partly financed in effect by the authorities' prudent price hedging of oil sold by PEMEX.
Directors considered that if the economic situation were to deteriorate more or longer than expected, there could be scope for further fiscal easing in 2009 and also to smooth the planned withdrawal of fiscal stimulus in 2010. They welcomed the authorities' recognition of financing and implementation constraints and the need to carefully weigh the potential impact on hard-earned policy credibility.
Looking forward, Directors noted that providing the fiscal space for needed public investment and social expenditures was a key challenge, especially in view of projected lower oil revenues and rising pension costs. They encouraged the authorities to advance efforts to improve tax administration and restrain current expenditure, including by refocusing untargeted subsidies. Directors also encouraged the authorities to refine the fiscal policy framework by giving consideration to moving from the current balanced budget rule to a fiscal rule that would allow greater expenditure smoothing in response to cyclical fluctuations, while ensuring policy credibility.
Directors generally saw the balance of inflation risks as tilted to the downside, suggesting room for monetary policy easing. Nonetheless, they recognized that still-high headline inflation and above-target inflation expectations are complicating factors, underscoring the importance of communication efforts to explain the outlook and downside risks. In that light, they welcomed the timely interest rate cut in January 2009.
Directors agreed that the flexible exchange rate has been an important shock absorber, and viewed central bank intervention as having helped address liquidity shortages in the foreign exchange market, while preserving essential aspects of the flexible currency regime. Directors noted the staff's assessment that the peso may be somewhat undervalued from a medium-term perspective.
Directors welcomed the staff finding that the banking sector was well-capitalized, profitable, and supported by a robust regulatory framework. However, they noted that financial conditions remain tight and emphasized the need to carefully monitor risks in individual financial sector segments, including smaller intermediaries and corporate financing. Directors encouraged the authorities to press ahead with efforts to bolster the risk management framework—including by advancing the proposed reform of the bankruptcy framework for banks, and extending current risk assessments for analyzing liquidity and funding risks for banks and corporates. Directors welcomed the enhanced coordination amongst the different financial sector regulators and emphasized the importance of finalizing protocols for joint action and information sharing.
Directors considered that acceleration of the reform agenda remained key to improving growth prospects over the medium term. They welcomed the recently approved reforms in the energy sector and import tariff reductions as positive steps forward. However, Directors noted that significant additional progress was needed, including product and labor market reform, improving infrastructure and education, and strengthening competition.
|
<urn:uuid:7fc0dc25-7124-4da1-9021-a4b8f32a768d>
|
CC-MAIN-2013-20
|
http://www.imf.org/external/np/sec/pn/2009/pn0919.htm
|
s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368700958435/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516104238-00035-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz
|
en
| 0.956795
| 1,484
| 1.671875
| 2
|
In light of these “Back to School” days, I thought now would be a good time to post this super quick and easy tutorial for personalizing a simple BiC pen. The only supplies you need for this are:
A basic BiC Cristal pen
Now that you have the supplies you need, here is how to make one of your own:
First you want to pull out the ink tube. Its actually quite easy. Just grip the tip of your pen and pull it out. You will then be at this stage.
2.) Now comes the fun part, grab your Crafters Tape. You want to wrap it around the ink tube, cutting off any excess tape at the bottom of the tube.
3. Now just slip the ink tube back into the shell of the pen, for a pen that you wont be able to buy in the store ;)
You might find it helpful to go here and read my writeup for how to save money when shopping at Amazon. I have compiled a lot of tips and Amazon sells a vast variety of craft supplies. I tend to head there to purchase the majority of my craft supplies.
*To see all of the Craft Tutorials I have posted please go here.*
If you want to sign up for the newsletter but are only interested in receiving the CRAFT postings then please join here.
*To shop the Craft Supply Store then please go here.*
|
<urn:uuid:f9226c30-b2fb-4535-bd63-d001059a2d0a>
|
CC-MAIN-2013-20
|
http://candlelitlife.com/personalized-bic-pen-tutorial/
|
s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368700958435/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516104238-00034-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz
|
en
| 0.935192
| 289
| 1.609375
| 2
|
Live more and more in the Present, which is ever beautiful and stretches away beyond the limits of the past and the future.
God is eternally free. To realize God is to attain liberation from the bondage of illusion. The greater the strife and the more intensified the struggle to attain liberation, the more the shackles of illusion are felt, because this very action brings greater awareness of the illusion, which then becomes all the more impressive and realistic. All actions, whether good or bad, just or unjust, charitable or uncharitable, are responsible in making the bond of illusion firmer and tighter. The goal is to achieve perfect inaction, which does not mean merely inactivity. When the self is absent, one achieves inaction in one's every action.
Remember that the first step in spirituality is not to speak ill of others. All human beings have weaknesses and faults. Yet they are all God in their being. Until they become Realized, they have their imperfections. Therefore, before trying to find faults in others and speaking ill of them, try to find your own weaknesses and correct those.
To gulp down anger is the most courageous act one can perform. One who does it becomes humble.
When the bubble of ignorance bursts the self realizes its oneness with the indivisible Self. Words that proceed from the Source of Truth have real meaning. But when men speakthese words as their own, the words become meaningless.
There are no divisions as such, but there is an appearance of separateness because of ignorance. This means that everything is of ignorance and that every one is Ignorance personified.
These false answers such as, I am stone, I am bird, I am animal, I am man, I am woman, I am great, I am small are, in turn, received, tested and discarded until the Question arrives at the right and Final Answer, I AM GOD.
Through endless time God's greatest gift is continuously given in silence. But whenmankind becomes completely deaf to the thunder of His Silence God incarnates as Man.
Before he can know Who he is, man has to unlearn the mass of illusory knowledge hehas burdened himself with on the interminable journey from unconsciousness to consciousness. It is only through love that you can begin to unlearn, and, eventually, put an end to all that you do not know. God-love penetrates all illusion, while no amount of illusion can dim God-love. Start by learning to love God by beginning to love those whom you cannot. You will find that in serving others you are serving yourself. The more you remember others with kindness and generosity, the less you remember yourself; and when you completely forget yourself, you find me as the Source of all Love.
God is Infinite and His Shadow is also infinite. The Shadow of God is the Infinite Space that accommodates the infinite Gross Sphere which, with its occurrences of millions of universes, within and without the ranges of men's knowledge, is the Creation that issued from the Point of Finiteness in the infinite Existence that is God.
If you are convinced of God's existence then it rests with you to seek Him, to see Him and to realize Him. Do not search for God outside of you. God can only be found within you, for His only abode is the heart.
To attain union is so impossibly difficult because it is impossible to become what you already are! Union is nothing other than knowledge of oneself as the Only One.
The universe is my ashram, and every heart is my house, but I manifest only in those hearts in which all other than me ceases to live.
Be pure and simple, and love all because all are one. Live a sincere life; be natural, and be honest with yourself. Honesty will guard you against false modesty and will give you the strength of true humility. Spare no pains to help others. Seek no other reward than the gift of Divine Love.
Awaken from your ignorance and try at least to understand that, in the uncompromisingly Indivisible Oneness, not only is the Avatar God, but also the ant and the sparrow, just as one and all of you are nothing but God. The only apparent difference is in the states of consciousness. The Avatar knows that that which is a sparrow is not a sparrow, whereas the sparrow does not realize this and, being ignorant of its ignorance, identifies itself as a sparrow. Live not in ignorance. Do not waste your precious life-span in differentiating and judging your fellowmen, but learn to long for the love of God. Even in the midst of your worldly activities, live only to find and realize your true identity with your Beloved God.
|
<urn:uuid:4d4b711b-4b02-4980-8d9f-7e6a62127b22>
|
CC-MAIN-2013-20
|
http://www.finestquotes.com/author_quotes-author-Meher%20Baba-page-1.htm
|
s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368710006682/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516131326-00041-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz
|
en
| 0.964703
| 975
| 1.546875
| 2
|
This blog entry includes everything from this week that I posted on Twitter, Facebook, LinkedIn; along with links to WordPress posts.
Saturday March 3
Shared Article – Do you have a Flexible Spending Account (FSA) at work? Here is a 2 minute must read from Smart Money. March 15 is just around the corner so don’t lose your money. http://ow.ly/9qBxX
Sunday March 4
Thought for the Day: @ItsLifeNotes: Laugh when you can, apologize when you should, and let go of what you can’t change.
Monday March 5
Time Tip – A high level of energy is often required for success. Lacking it causes you to lose time to inefficiency. Maintain your energy through proper eating and exercising habits. Tell us your tips on proper eating and exercise.
My Financial Life Coach Article – Re-evaluate Your Goals – 3 Questions to Ask Yourself http://ow.ly/9rzc9
Money Tip – Use your financial past to your advantage. If you failed, learn from your mistakes and adjust your habits accordingly. If you succeeded, understand how you did well so that you can continue and improve upon your success.
How would you like to help someone? Please share your story here so someone can learn from your experience. What a great way to positively impact a life.
Thought for the Evening – Don’t worry if you think you’re crazy, even the tall oak trees were once nuts. -Unknown. Stop doing what the world expects and start doing what is right for you and your family. –Bryan
Tuesday March 6
Time Tip – A lack of motivation can be crippling to your career and life. Discover what motivates you so that you can find purpose and meaning in what you do. Not only will you be more satisfied with your life, but you will also be more efficient and productive.
Shared Article – You all know that I’m a big fan of locally owned banks and credit unions. Here is a story from the LA Times. http://ow.ly/9tIb4
Money Tip – Vacationing during the off-season is generally less expensive. It also gives you a higher negotiating power. Since many airlines and hotels are short on customers during certain times of the year, they are more willing to offer discounts. Don’t be afraid to ask for a discount before making your reservation. Let’s hear about your vacation deal.
Resource – Here is a link for my fellow veterans. http://ow.ly/9tGQn
Wednesday March 7
Time Tip – A positive attitude will aid you in succeeding in life. You must learn to accept both the failures and accomplishments of the past, and you should look to the future with an eager sense of anticipation. If you maintain this attitude, you will discover life, including your work, more enjoyable. Please share with us your tips on staying positive.
My Financial Life Coach Article – Five Reasons Your Goals May Have Failed in the Past. http://wp.me/p1mT2O-dz
Money Tip – Saving Gas: When approaching a hill, accelerate slightly, but do not speed up as you ascend the hill. Instead, maintain a consistent speed before coasting down the other side.
Please share with us your gas saving techniques.
Shared Article – Feds roll out new mortgage program – http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=%2Fc%2Fa%2F2012%2F03%2F06%2FBUVD1NGS5O.DTL
Thursday March 8
Time Tip – Always carry something on which you can take notes, and keep your notes organized. Notes are useless if you can’t find them. Please share with us how you take/track your notes. Paper? iPad? Other?
Money Tip – When buying something, consider your motives. Are you making this purchase to keep up with the Joneses? Is it for temporary happiness or out of boredom? Do not carelessly spend your money. Instead, understand your motives and be certain they are the proper ones. Your purchases should line up with your goals and values. If they do not, you should not be making them.
Share with us that “one” purchase you wish you hadn’t made.
Who’s the first banker on record? It’s Pythius, a merchant banker from Asia Minor in 5th century B.C.
Shared Article – Banks Push Short Sales Over Foreclosures – http://ow.ly/1HZpF4. **The banks really don’t want your house – Bryan
Friday March 9, 2012
Thoughts from Bryan: – Ten weeks into 2012…how are those New Year resolutions coming? You say you stopped? What one, just one, action can you take today to put life back into just one of your resolutions?
Consider having someone hold you accountable. Take it one more step…post it here and let a number of us hold you accountable. That resolution must have been important to you or otherwise you wouldn’t have made it to begin with. So today give that resolution some CPR and bring it back to life.
Let the accountability begin…post your resolution here (My Financial Life Coach Facebook page)
Time Tip – Always pay your bills on time to avoid late fees. Keep a list of all your bills and their deadlines. Please share with us how you stay on top in paying your bills on time. Calendar? Automatic payments? Other?
Reminder: Daylight Savings Time on Sunday – CHANGE YOUR SMOKE DETECTOR BATTERIES!
Thank you for reading the My Financial Life Coach blog where we talk about money, goals, family, life events, spending, and economic news. We do make every attempt to avoid the topic of politics but we will bring up economic policies that need communicated. Our job is to educate and motivate you to the debt-free life style.
Don’t forget to checkout our website (www.MyFinancialLifeCoach.net) for 100’s of resources including tips, articles, spreadsheets, web-based training, and more. You really can do it. – Bryan
|
<urn:uuid:c6cc4547-59de-454f-92d7-278cb7488c45>
|
CC-MAIN-2013-20
|
http://myfinanciallifecoach.wordpress.com/category/budget/
|
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
| 0.930829
| 1,314
| 1.523438
| 2
|
There is growing speculation that President Bush will issue pardons for the unlawful domestic surveillance program and torture program in his waning days in office. Such a pardon would be welcomed not only by his allies but some Democrats who have previously blocked any serious investigation into alleged crimes by the Administration. The pressure for pardons may be increasing with some in the Democratic ranks are publicly talking about serious investigations. I discussed this with Rachel Maddow.
A “blanket pardon” would raise serious constitutional and criminal questions, though there is some precedent in the Kennedy and Carter administrations. A traditional pardon is a public document naming individuals who are pardoned for specific crimes. One possibility being discussed is the use of a blanket pardon that would not individually name people but cover anyone associated with the unlawful programs. It would be a terrible precedent, if upheld. A president could pardon the world at the end of an Administration — gutting any accountability for criminal acts.
In the meantime, the Democrats are suggesting yet another commission to investigate the program. This suggestion has been greeted with collective groans from many who viewed the 9-11 Commission to be something of a bad joke. Not only did the Commission not push hard enough for information, but it entirely missed many of the later disclosed controversies. It was also composed of the usual suspects — well-wired Democratic and Republican activists who guaranteed that the conclusions would not prove too damaging for their respective parties.
Some scholars, however, seem to welcome the prospect of a blanket pardon, or at least see some positive elements to it. Kermit Roosevelt at the University of Pennsylvania Law School told Salon that such a pardon would make the work of a commission easier: “Holding people accountable is certainly nice, but in terms of healing the country and moving forward, so is actually getting a clear picture of what happened and letting the public make an informed decision. If we had a pardon followed by something like a truth and reconciliation commission, that might not be such a bad outcome.”
I could not disagree more. We regularly have commissions in this city, which have largely been ridiculed in history and will be seen as another Beltway sidestep. For such a commission to work, it would require GOP and Democratic members to appoint truly aggressive commissioners — not the same warmed-over advisers from prior administrations who are long on resumes and short on independence. More importantly, it is not clear that such witnesses would testify without immunity grants — arguing that the pardon would not necessarily protect them from any and all criminal prosecutions. Finally, there is nothing that brings out cooperative witnesses more than the threat of prosecution. Once that threat is gone, I expect many will pull an Alberto Gonzales and claim memory lapses at critical junctures.
We already saw tremendous abuse of the pardon power by Bill Clinton — including the shocking use of this official power to benefit a close family member. With polls showing that he is the least popular president in modern history, Bush may feel a bit of freedom, even recklessness, in following suit with his own pardon abuses.
For the full story, click here.
|
<urn:uuid:a170ed2f-961a-47f1-b3d4-fd3ca6e9fca8>
|
CC-MAIN-2013-20
|
http://jonathanturley.org/2008/11/13/will-president-bush-issue-a-blanket-pardon/
|
s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368700958435/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516104238-00027-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz
|
en
| 0.965156
| 623
| 1.820313
| 2
|
The American Civil Liberties Union has filed a third party motion seeking the release of what it identifies as Court records. This is an unprecedented request that warrants further briefing.
The order was in response to a motion we filed ten days ago, which as far as we know was the first of its kind. We asked the FISC to release several important legal rulings issued secretly over the last year. These secret orders have been in the spotlight lately: One led to the disastrous FISA revision Congress passed last week, and another, issued January 10, reportedly brought the government’s illegal spying program under the supervision of the secret FISA court.
While they didn’t just fax over the orders we requested — they gave the government until August 31 to object to the disclosure –it is an important indicator that the FISC is taking our request seriously. If the public could see those orders, it would clarify how the NSA program was adapted to comply with FISA’s requirement that the government seek individual warrants, since Rep. Heather Wilson (R-NM) has described the orders as "programmatic" warrants.
Here’s what we already know about the orders: After contending since 2005 that NSA wiretapping did not require warrants, the White House reversed itself on January 17, 2007, when Alberto Gonzales announced that “any surveillance that was occurring as part of the [NSA Program would] now be conducted subject to the approval of the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Court.” Gonzales described the orders as “complex” and “innovative” and later testified that the court issued them after Bush “pushed the envelope.” He told Congress that it took “some time for a judge to get comfortable” with the government’s proposal.
Since then, everyone and their mother — from the House Minority Leader, to the AG, to the President - have cited the orders in their attempts to strong arm FISA "reform" through Congress. Of course they did so knowing full well that it’s impossible for anyone to contradict them when they can’t see what they’re talking about.
Today's orders were a good sign. Hopefully the court will release the sealed materials and the debate won’t have to take place in a vacuum any longer.
|
<urn:uuid:e401861e-988a-4ed6-a129-6d8b088a736b>
|
CC-MAIN-2013-20
|
http://www.aclu.org/blog/national-security/secret-court-opens-door-just-teeny-tiny-crack
|
s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368700958435/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516104238-00013-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz
|
en
| 0.97806
| 471
| 1.640625
| 2
|
UMW's Christmas Store
UMW has a Christmas Store each year. Numerous children came to make purchases for family and friends. With the help of many volunteers, this event is very successful. There is a huge selection of items. Volunteers help children make those important decisions and also many help with wrapping and tagging. Thanks to all who donate....and thanks to the many volunteers who help make the Christmas Store successful. We appreciate their time and dedication.
When the date is determined, it will be posted in the Events tab.
Caring & Sharing Volunteers Work Hours to Prepare and Then Work Some More to Distribute Toys and Food
These photos tell some of the story about the Caring & Sharing effort to provide toys and food to those in need. This effort begins in early June when 600 large red stockings are cut and many volunteers sew these to be ready for the toy collection. The effort really picks up steam in November when everything begins arriving at the Ministries Center.
The supply of toys is over-whelming.
Food is brought and boxes are filled.
So many of our church members work for days getting ready. As a result, numerous families receive two to four boxes of food, depending on the family size. Each family also receive a frozen frying hen, and larger families receive a hen and turkey. Six hundred children receive Christmas stockings and toys, and the elderly are also given gifts. What a spectacular outpouring of community sharing!
Methodist Men Build Ramp for Amputee
Recently on a very hot couple of days, volunteers from UMM built a ramp for Terry Everett. Those who contributed are: Ed Castro, Larry Gackle, Art Gould, Larry Jones, Chuck Lowery, Bob Mallory, Charlie Wright, along with Wilford Jones.
Kiwanis Has Another Successful Back to School
Throngs of children partake of the free eye exam, dental check, haircuts, and receive their back packs each year. The Kiwanis and
are partners in making this event successful.
|
<urn:uuid:f0038eb6-cbb6-40bb-a215-cf15e361f6f0>
|
CC-MAIN-2013-20
|
http://app.razorplanet.com/acct/40568-9809/tmpl/index.php?nid=21331&s=mn&null=0
|
s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368705195219/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516115315-00005-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz
|
en
| 0.954528
| 413
| 1.5
| 2
|
High: 88°F ~ Low: 69°F
Saturday, May 18, 2013
Under the Influence Part One: Holy Spirit vs intoxicating spiritsPosted Wednesday, November 9, 2011, at 4:52 PM
"And be not drunk with wine, wherein is excess; but be filled with the Spirit;"
In this verse of Paul's letter to the Ephesians, we are given a commandment to avoid "wine wherein is excess". The phrase in quotation marks means intoxicating wine. There are two kinds of wine in the Bible: fermented or intoxicating wine and unfermented which is grape juice. To better understand the difference, I've copied and pasted an exerpt from "WINE IN THE BIBLE: A BIBLICAL STUDY ON THE USE OF ALCOHOLIC BEVERAGES A PREVIEW OF WINE IN THE BIBLE" by Samuele Bacchiocchi, Ph. D., Andrews University
["Wine" in Biblical Perspective. Building on the conclusions reached in Chapter 2, I proceeded in Chapter 3 to examine the reasons for the Biblical approval and disapproval of wine. What I found is that the positive references to "wine" have to do with unfermented and unintoxicating grape juice. Because of its natural and nourishing properties, grape juice was fittingly used to represent the divine blessing of material prosperity (Gen 27:28; 49:10-11; Deut 33:28), the blessing of the messianic age (Joel 2:18-19; Jer 31:10-12; Amos 9:13, 14), the free offer of God's saving grace (Is 55:1), the wholesome joy God offers to His people (Ps 104:14-15; 4:7), and the acknowledgment of God through the use of grape juice as tithe, offerings and libations (Num 18:12; Deut 14:23; Ex 29:40; Lev 23:13).
On the other hand, the negative references to "wine" have to do with fermented and intoxicating wine. Some of the reasons Scripture condemns the use of alcoholic beverages are that they distort the perception of reality (Is 28:7; Prov 23:33); they impair the capacity to make responsible decisions (Lev 10:9-11); they weaken moral sensitivities and inhibitions (Gen 9:21; 19:32; Hab 2:15; Is 5:11-12); they cause physical sickness (Prov 23:20-21; Hos 7:5; Is 19:14; Ps 60:3); and they disqualify for both civil and religious service (Prov 31:4-5; Lev 10:9-11; Ezek 44:23; 1 Tim 3:2-3; Titus 1:7-8).]
We are aware of what being "under the influence" of alcohol or spirits causes. The above paragraph from Dr. Bacchiocchi's article details the effects of such intoxicating spirits.
Paul's second command in this verse is to "be filled with the Spirit". Well, I know I'd rather be "under the influence" of the Holy Spirit than of intoxicating spirits!
In the Book of Acts, Chapter 2, we have the report of what happened to the 120 disciples in the upper room on Pentecost Sunday. They had been told by Christ to wait and tarry until they were filled with the Holy Ghost (Acts 1:3-8).
After the disciples were filled with the Holy Ghost, some onlookers mockingly accused them of being drunk with fermented wine (Acts 2:13). Bold Peter immediately preached a stern sermon denying drunkeness and claiming this great event as a fulfillment of the Prophet Joel's words in Joel 2:28-32. Well, here are some of the symptoms of being "under the influence" of the Holy Spirit:
1. Purity: Peter, referring to the pouring out of the Holy Spirit on the household of Cornelius (Acts 10:44-46), told the early Church Council in Jersualem, "And God, which knoweth the hearts, bare them witness, giving them the Holy Ghost, even as he did unto us; And put no difference between us and them, purifying their hearts by faith." (Acts 15:8,9) The Fire of the Holy Ghost cleanses the believer's heart of inbred sin ( called sin nature, carnal mind, original sin, the flesh, the old man).
2. Power: In Acts 1:8, Jesus promised His disciples they would "receive power, after that the Holy Ghost is come upon you: and ye shall be witnesses unto me both in Jerusalem, and in all Judaea, and in Samaria, and unto the uttermost part of the earth." This Power would first of all give them the ability to spread the Gospel of Jesus Christ everywhere to everybody! It would also give them boldness to speak. "And when they had prayed, the place was shaken where they were assembled together; and they were all filled with the Holy Ghost, and they spake the word of God with boldness. (Acts 4:31) One who walks under the influence of the Holy Spirit has power to not fulfill the lusts of the flesh (Galatians 5:16-21) and the power to manifest the fruit of the Spirit (Galatians 5:22-26).
3. Praise: Acts 16 tells about Paul and Silas being put in prison in at Philipi. They sang praises under the influence of the Holy Spirit. In a dirty prison cell! We are told to sing in the Spirit (1st Corinthians 14:15; Ephesians 5:19; and Colossians 3:16). When the saints of God worship under the influence of the Holy Spirit, they will praise God!
4. Perfect Love: A sanctified wholly believer manifests Perfect Love under the influence of the Holy Spirit. 1st Corinthians, chapter 12 gives a list of gifts bestowed by the Holy Spirit on believers who are under the influence of the Holy Spirit. Chapter 12 closes with, "But covet earnestly the best gifts: and yet shew I unto you a more excellent way." That "more excellent way" is the gift of Perfect Love called Charity in the 13th chapter. The entire Chapter 13 gives us a detailed picture of what Perfect Love does. In verses 1-3 tell us that without Perfect Love, tongues, prophecy, faith, and giving are worthless. In verse 13, we are told that Perfect Love is greater than faith and hope.
Well, I'd rather be "under the influence" of the Holy Spirit than to be "under the influence" of intoxicating spirits. You won't suffer a "hangover" from being filled with the Holy Spirit.
Yours for Radical Holiness and Prohibition,
Richard D. Swift
Saturday, June 12
I recieved an email from a Prohibitionist, Prohibition National Committee Vice-Chair, June Griffin with a small but very important addition:
The Scripture states that the fruit of the Spirit of the Lord is
Temperance. Restraint is strengthened.
The fruit of their spirits, (wine and spirits, as they
One drink and you lose your Temperance. Your restraint
For God and Country
Showing comments in chronological order
[Show most recent comments first]
- Blog RSS feed
- Comments RSS feed
- Send email to Richard D. Swift
My wife Susan (Sue) and I have lived in Soddard County since September of '96. We both graduated from Bible Missionary Institute, our denomination's small four year Bible college in Rock Island, Illinois. I was born and raised in Pomona, California while my wife was raised in Monmouth, Illinois. I am an ordained minister in the Bible Missionary Church. We attend and are members of the Dexter Bible Missionary Church. I've been employed by Tyson Foods for 14 years. My wife is a CNA. I've always been conservative in my political views and have always been active in politics and the Pro-Life movement. My politics have not always been Republican. From 2003-2009 I was vice-chairman of the Prohibition National Committee, the steering arm of the Prohibition Party. In '09, I joined the Constitution Party of Missouri. But, I've been attending the GOP rallys and club meetings since last year and have been campaigning for certain Republican candidates since we moved to this area. I'm on the SEMO Life Chain Committee.
|
<urn:uuid:bc709d9e-3688-4135-a7e2-9858bb2ad28e>
|
CC-MAIN-2013-20
|
http://www.dailystatesman.com/blogs/1576/entry/44484/asc
|
s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368696383156/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516092623-00016-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz
|
en
| 0.942814
| 1,763
| 1.75
| 2
|
Special Need: FIV+
As you look at Charlie's photos, you are probably thinking that he does not look particularly friendly. And you'd be right. Charlie is a feral cat (feral describes a domestic cat that has reverted to its wild status) and he does not trust nor like humans one bit. Tabby's Place has a policy of not knowingly accepting feral cats (because they do not often adapt to being kept indoors).
But Charlie was rescued by a kind samaritan who couldn't keep him because he was FIV+ (and she had other cats). And when Charlie arrived at Tabby's Place he was so petrified that he was actually well-behaved for his intake exam. So, now Charlie is ours and will receive the same care as our other FIV+ residents.
Cats that are FIV+ have been infected with the Feline Immunodeficiency Virus (FIV). This virus disables or destroys the white blood cells, and leaves the cat susceptible to infections. Once a cat is infected with FIV, the cat is infected for life and can transmit the virus if he or she bites another cat.
Our FIV+ cats have their own suite and we are extra-careful about disease control procedures in their suite. In addition, they are fed a higher-quality (and more expensive) diet than our other cats, in hopes of boosting their immune systems. We love Charlie, but he has two big strikes working against his chances of being adopted: he is FIV+ and he is feral. We have started working with Charlie and have now gotten to the point where we can pet him if we approach him very, very slowly. But he has a long way to go and he will require a very special adopter. Please sponsor Charlie and help us to give him the care he deserves.
|
<urn:uuid:e5b761bd-e5cc-4bc9-a922-b4d8c7fac852>
|
CC-MAIN-2013-20
|
http://www.tabbysplace.org/SN_page.php?id=41
|
s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368708766848/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516125246-00004-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz
|
en
| 0.983902
| 377
| 1.679688
| 2
|
Opinion: State of the Union is often paved with green intentions
President Obama works on his 2013 State of the Union speech with Jon Favreau, director of speechwriting. In recent years, promises to protect the environment have been common in the president's annual address to Congress and the nation. Action backing those words is less so. Photo courtesy the White House.
Feb. 12, 2013
Presidents almost always toss a few environmental promises into the State of the Union Address. Then they almost always fail to deliver.
By Peter Dykstra
The Daily Climate
An aura of excitement and predictability surrounds the president’s annual State of the Union speech: A few days of hyped drama and TV punditry builds to a political Woodstock featuring generals, justices, senators, cabinet secretaries and Congress, all under one roof. Up in the balcony, the First Lady plays host to a few iconic, symbolic taxpayers who recently shared a heroic moment of fame with America.
Environmentalists are on higher alert than normal this year, after President Obama made a sweeping inaugural promise to tackle climate change, an issue he'd largely avoided during his first term.
If the president reprises that theme in tonight's speech, he'll join a long list of predecessors to warn that we’re leaving a mess for future generations. And if past is prologue, the green talk and pageantry may be the only things delivered on the president's lofty words.
Let's take a look back.
In 1993, Bill Clinton assailed the failure of the federal Superfund toxic waste cleanup program. For more than a decade, attorneys and consultants drained off Superfund dollars, while few toxic sites got an actual cleanup. "I’d like to use that Superfund to clean up pollution for a change and not just pay lawyers," Clinton told Congress and the nation.
Twenty years later, the Environmental Protection Agency still runs a gauntlet of insurers, politicians, angry neighbors and, of course, polluters who are less than anxious to help pay for cleanup. More than 1,300 polluted sites remain on the Superfund list, while fewer than 400 "cleaned" sites have been de-listed. The lawyers are still getting paid.
In his second inaugural, Clinton gave a nod to climate change using language that presaged Obama’s inaugural speech. Failure to act "would put our children and grandchildren at risk," he said. Since then, the United States opted out of the Kyoto Protocol, increased its fossil fuel consumption, and saw greenhouse gas legislation crash and burn in 2010.
Weakened and demoralized
Ronald Reagan’s first State of the Union address hit hard at the "incomprehensible" size of America’s nearly $1 trillion debt. While laying out an ambitious, pro-business plan to roll back regulation, he assured Congress that "we have no intention of dismantling the regulatory agencies, especially those necessary to protect environment and assure the public health and safety."
By the time he left office eight years later, the EPA and Interior Department were weakened and demoralized, their initial leaders disgraced by scandal. Fred Krupp, head of the Environmental Defense Fund, told the New York Times that Reagan’s team "accepted the weakest possible rules to protect the environment." Did the budget-cutting and deregulation bring down that "incomprehensible" debt? It grew by 188 percent during Reagan’s two terms.
Reagan and Richard Nixon both used the annual speech to decry partisanship in environmental politics. "Preservation of our environment is not a liberal or conservative challenge, it's common sense," said Reagan in 1984. Fourteen years earlier, Nixon had said, "Restoring Nature to its natural state is a cause beyond party and beyond factions. "
However sincere Reagan and Nixon’s conciliatory remarks were, they didn’t give the lie to their own words, we all did: In the 1980 Congressional scorecard for the League of Conservation Voters, there was no gaping canyon between how Democrats (54 percent) and Republicans (34 percent) voted. By 2011, the environmental voting gap had grown: 91 percent for Democrats against the Republicans’ 11 percent.
Both George H.W. Bush and his son touted "clean coal technology" in their State of the Union speeches. Despite lavish public and private investments and a barrage of relentlessly optimistic TV ads from the coal industry, there has been little real advancement. FutureGen, an Energy Department pilot program to capture and store coal-plant emissions, has spent billions with virtually nothing to show for it.
Stunner in '06
The younger Bush delivered a stunner in his 2006 speech. The second generation oilman declared that America was "addicted to oil" and proposed a 22 percent hike in clean energy research. To drive the point home, he visited DOE’s National Renewable Energy Labs a month later.
But all the President’s advance men overlooked something: NREL was reeling from a $28 million budget shortfall and had just announced 32 staff layoffs. To save the photo op, DOE located several million dollars and restored the jobs. When the visit ended, so did any Administration gestures toward clean energy. By the time Bush left office, "Drill Baby Drill!" was a Republican rallying cry.
It wasn’t always this way. More than a century ago, when the State of the Union address was a written "Message to Congress," Teddy Roosevelt thought big-picture and delivered.
In 1901, TR sent a 20,000-word Message, devoting 10 percent of it to the protection of forests, streams and the establishment of wildlife preserves. Citing haphazard and unrestrained development in rural America, he said "the forest and water problems are perhaps the most vital internal questions of the United States." Roosevelt dedicated the first National Wildlife Refuge less than two years later, and he formed the U.S. Forest Service in 1905.
Perhaps more than any President in the past century, Lyndon Johnson’s annual good intentions were most frequently turned into action, policy, and law. He spoke about parks, protection of species, clean air and clean water. All advanced during LBJ’s Presidency and during the Nixon years that followed, thanks in large part to a national awakening on environmental issues. Most remarkable is a 1965 reference in Johnson’s "Special Message to Congress" – a follow-up to his broadcast speech: "This generation has altered the composition of the atmosphere on a global scale through radioactive materials and a steady increase in carbon dioxide from the burning of fossil fuels."
By the late 1980’s, the United States began to come to grips with the radioactive issue, launching a massive cleanup of nuclear weapons sites and halting nuclear weapons tests, while commercial nuclear power’s ambition was halted by its own safety and financial risks. After 48 years, we’re still waiting on carbon dioxide.
With the impacts of climate change staring us in the face – from the melting Arctic to the parched Farm Belt to the devastated beach towns in New York and New Jersey – it’s hardly the time for Barack Obama to uphold the sad presidential tradition of ignoring green intentions.
"I think he is serious about making an effort," former Obama aide Billy Pizer told Politico last month. "Real estate in major speeches is valuable."
It is indeed valuable, Billy. But history shows that empty promises in sweeping speeches are a dime a dozen.
Peter Dykstra is publisher of Environmental Health News and The Daily Climate.
Photo of Ronald Reagan delivering the State of the Union (top) and a Congressman holding a copy of President Obama's 2011 State of the Union (bottom) courtesy the White House. Photo of George W. Bush delivering the 2006 State of the Union courtesy White House archives.
The Daily Climate is an independent, foundation-funded news service covering climate change. Contact editor Douglas Fischer at dfischer [at] dailyclimate.org
Find more Daily Climate stories in the
This work byis licensed under a .
Based on a work at
Recent DailyClimate.org coverage
|
<urn:uuid:fff15aec-951e-4e0b-a2eb-8f2e81485f41>
|
CC-MAIN-2013-20
|
http://wwwp.dailyclimate.org/tdc-newsroom/2013/02/green-promises-state-of-the-union
|
s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368704132298/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516113532-00016-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz
|
en
| 0.943536
| 1,671
| 1.835938
| 2
|
Superbowl Eats the Slow Way
February 1, 2012
When I heard about Tosca Reno’s new book, Just the Rules for Eating Clean, I got curious. Given the Super Bowl is coming up on February 5, 2012, I thought it would be a good thing to provide some of her recipes as a healthier option to the empty, salt-ridden snacks we tend to fall prey to. She offers several rules for “eating clean”, a term I had never heard before. But it makes sense. We often pollute our bodies with things they can’t handle well. The result is sluggishness and an overall sense of puff.
Super Bowl Party Rule #8 – Color Up: Super Bowl junk is often a sea of fatty beige foods. Colorful foods are filled with more nutrients and flavor than bland, monotonous, processed foods. Opt for a rainbow of colors on your plate, which offers numerous health benefits.
Rule #12 – Smaller Portions, Smaller Pants (remember my Why We’re So Fat post? Portion size means everything!): A festive atmosphere can often create an eating frenzy, which leaves you feeling blah. It’s okay to enjoy an array of foods, just eat smaller portions. Remember one serving of lean protein is the size of your palm; one serving of complex carbohydrates from whole grain is the size of your cupped hand; and one serving of complex carbs from fruit and vegetables is two hands cupped together.
My power of slow favorite is this one:
Rule #13 – Fletcherize and Swallow: Do you ever fill your plate, only for the food to disappear moments later? Gobbling food is a common disorder in our fast-paced society. Remind yourself to sloooooooow down: eating is not a race. Eating slowly will not only allow you to enjoy your food, but will help you determine when you’re full and help aid in digestion.
Rule #23 – Good Carbs, Bad Carbs: Carbs can be confusing, and are often given a bad rap! Stay away from ‘bad’ grocery store, processed carbs and stick to ‘good’ carbs like fruits, vegetables, legumes and whole grain.
Consider Baba Ghanoush (click the title for your copy of the recipe). Doesn’t this look savory?
Or how about BBQ Chicken Pizza? You thought I was going all holistic, holy-than-thou on you, didn’t you? Well, you can still have food fun and eat well. Look at this image. I’m getting hungry as I type.
A Super Bowl Party wouldn’t be complete without Vegetarian Chili – warming, filling and de-light-ful!
If none of these convinces you, Tosca has generously provided many more eat clean recipes on her Web site. Eating clean is not a diet. It’s a way of life.
What recipes would you like to share?
|
<urn:uuid:c0ede6e4-c835-4fd3-88f5-f35a8f9f3143>
|
CC-MAIN-2013-20
|
http://powerofslow.wordpress.com/2012/02/01/superbowl-eats-the-slow-way/
|
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
| 0.949844
| 625
| 1.84375
| 2
|
A proposed Native American monument project in Hallie Park in Rapid City, made it over its first hurdle Wednesday.
The Rapid City Parks and Recreation Board approved a motion that will direct staff to create a memorandum of understanding between the City and the First Nations Board.
The vote to move the project forward didn't come easy. Parks and Recreation Board Members discussed the proposed sculpture garden for more than an hour. The majority of the Board had concerns regarding parking and traffic in the area. In addition, comments made by First Nations Board Member, Elizabeth Cook Lynn, at a previous meeting had a few Parks and Rec. Board members worried.
Some of Cook Lynn's comments were that she did not want whites or large groups of school children congregating at the site.
"My duty I feel on this board is to look out for the betterment of everybody in this community, regardless of race, creed, color, religion or whatever.," Parks and Rec.. Board Member Rick Askvig said.
Cook Lynn told the Board tonight that her comments were in reference to large groups of people visiting the monument at one time. The idea is that the sculpture garden will be a contemplative area to honor a variety of 20th Century Native Americans, not a place for large gatherings.
Since the motion passed, the First Nations Group says they'll be able to begin fundraising for the project, which will be 100 percent privately funded.
|
<urn:uuid:cbd03772-f593-4864-812b-3559eb3c5b7d>
|
CC-MAIN-2013-20
|
http://www.kotatv.com/story/21192432/native-american-monument-proposal-moves-forward
|
s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368708142388/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516124222-00030-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz
|
en
| 0.972358
| 285
| 1.648438
| 2
|
Jane is a high-ranking member of the Volturi guard in the Twilight Saga. She is the twin sister of Alec, and together they are the Volturi's most powerful offensive weapons. Jane has the ability to inflict a mental illusion of burning pain into other people's minds, which serves greatly in instilling fear and maintaining order to confrontations. She was killed by Sam in Alice 's Vision in Breaking Dawn Part 2 (The Fight Scene)
Jane was born in England around 800 A.D, the daughter of an Anglo-Saxon woman and a Frankish soldier. She was born a few minutes before her fraternal twin brother, Alec. Both Jane and Alec displayed strong psychic abilities that were evident even in their human state.
Aro was made aware of Jane and her brother through the thoughts of a visiting nomad. Aro had shown interest in adding Jane and her brother to the guard, but decided to wait until they were old enough to turn them (the Volturi had already instated its rules about immortal children) and left them in the care of their parents. Their talents had not taken a focused shape at that point, but bad things tended to happen to people who were unkind to the twins or their family, and good luck followed those who were friendly to them. Eventually, the superstitious locals found the twins too frightening to endure. They were accused as witches and condemned to be burned at the stake. Aro was apprised of the situation by a nomad who knew of Aro's interest in the twins. Aro hurried to the village, arriving just in time to interrupt the execution. Transformed at the age of about 12 or 13, they are the smallest and youngest vampires in appearance, as well as the most prized members of the guard due to their incredibly powerful gifts.
Due to the pain Jane experienced while burning at the stake and the anger she felt towards the villagers, her power took on a sharper form after her conversion into a vampire; she gained the supernatural talent of inflicting the same burning pain on others in the form of illusion. Jane has since become one of the most prized members of the Volturi's guards, along with her brother Alec. About one decade after they joined the coven, Jane and her brother displayed their powers for the first time in battle and annihilated the Romanian coven's army of over one hundred recruits. Since then, they have been known world-wide as the two most powerful vampires there ever existed and are considered the cornerstone of the Volturi's offensive abilities. Jane's power was so frightening that she came to enjoy inflicting it on others and receiving respect for her power. Over the centuries, she had absorbed some of Caius's sadistic personality in the process.
- Main article: New Moon
- "She glared at me, her jaw clenched with the intensity of her focus. I shrank back, waiting for the pain."
Jane makes her first appearance in New Moon, when Aro sends her and two other guards, Demetri and Felix, to bring Edward to their castle. Upon Jane's arrival, Bella realizes immediately that she is very dangerous despite her size (small at 4' 8"), as Edward does exactly what she says without hesitation. Bella also notices her child-like beauty. After Jane returns with Edward, Alice, and Bella, Alec takes great delight in Jane bringing back more people than she set out for. When Aro realizes he cannot read Bella's mind, he asks Jane to try her talent on Bella. Edward immediately stands between Bella and Jane, and takes Jane's torture. Once Jane finishes with Edward, she tries to inflict her power on Bella, but it fails as well, which infuriates her. She instantly develops a profound hatred for Bella, and is very displeased, angered, and offended when Aro compares her gift to Bella's ability to block mental powers.
The Short Second Life of Bree Tanner
- Main article: The Short Second Life of Bree Tanner
- "I glimpsed her face for the first time. She was younger than me, but older, too, I guessed. Her eyes were the velvet color of dark red roses."
- ―Bree Tanner on seeing Jane for the first time[src]
The Eclipse novella, The Short Second Life of Bree Tanner, reveals that Jane and her companions have been aware of the newborn army for a while, and decide to visit Victoria and Riley in a small cottage. Though they try to hide, Jane knows that they're there and warns them to stop hiding, because they will find them eventually.
She gives Victoria a five day limit to "serve" her army's purpose, knowing that Victoria holds some grudge against the Olympic Coven, and then decide what to do with her and her army after they served their purpose. Unbeknownst to all of them, their conversation is eavesdropped on by two vampires, Bree and Diego.
- Main article: Eclipse
- "Either we let them do what they were created for, or we end them."
- ―Jane on the Seattle newborn army[src]
In Eclipse, Jane travels to Forks with Demetri, Felix and two other guards to deal with the Seattle newborn army that Victoria had created. She is rather shocked to find that the Cullens have dealt with the situation on their own, without one of them being injured or killed, but keeps her emotions hidden. Upon their arrival, Jane notices that there is one newborn left, Bree Tanner. Jane asks for her name, and when she doesn't reply, Jane inflicts her mental pain, making Bree contorting in absolute agony. When Jane stops, Bree starts talking, and Jane decides to torture her again onto another time, due to her taking time to answer questions.
Jane takes delight in knowing that Bella is still human, as Caius will probably be interested in sending a hunting troop after her, but Alice informs her that the date has been set, much to Jane's dismay. After several minutes of discussion, the Cullens' failed offer to take responsibility for Bree, and another unsuccessful attempt to torture Bella with her power, Jane orders Felix to "deal with that" because she is bored and wants to go home. After Felix executed Bree, they return to Volterra.
Unbeknownst to her, Bree telepathically informed Edward on everything that she knows about the agreement that Jane had made with Victoria before she died.
In the movie, Jane is seen observing the newborn army from a high pointed bridge, accompanied by Felix, Demetri and her brother Alec, instead of destroying the army that had already drawn wide attention. She uses her power to torture Felix when he suggests they consult Aro over this situation. In the clearing, when Jane remarks Caius' interest in knowing that Bella is still human, Bella is the one who tells her that the date is set.
- Main article: Breaking Dawn
She is really annoyed to find that Aro has given Bella a wedding gift, an extravagant pendant. Later, it is discovered that Renesmee Cullen is in fact a vampire-human hybrid. As this confrontation escalates, Jane tries to incapacitate her enemies, but since Bella is shielding them, her power is rendered useless. Jane is infuriated by this and tries to target Bella. When that fails as well, she tries to spring but Alec stops her with a restraining hand. When Alec's power proves equally unsuccessful, she tries to attack again until Aro orders her to stop. Kate chooses Jane as her target when they believe a battle is about to commence, saying that "she needs a taste of her own medicine". However, Alice and Jasper return in time to prevent the fight from starting, with prominent witnesses to resolve the situation.
At the end of Breaking Dawn, Jane departs with the rest of the Volturi guard, with extended hatred toward Bella and her power.
In Breaking Dawn - Part 2, Jane first appears in a flashback of Carlisle's telling about immortal children. She holds Vasilii - an immortal child - in her arms and torments his creator Sasha before both of them are destroyed.
Whilst confronting the Cullens, she remains in her coven's crowd and attempts to torment Edward and his allies, only to be negated by Bella's shield quickly after. Alice shows Aro the vision regarding the outcome if a battle is followed. In it, Jane torments Jasper and Seth to help Demetri and Felix destroy them, but Alec, her twin, is killed shortly thereafter. Alice then angrily runs towards her, and she tries to use her gift until she realizes Bella was blocking it with her shield. Jane begins to run away, and it can be guessed that as Bella said in the books, no one was immune to her gifts, so she wouldn't ever need training for actual fighting. Alice manages to catch and then throw her into Sam Uley's fangs, as he rips her head off.
In the end, the battle is avoided and Jane leaves the clearing with her coven.
- "At first I thought it was a young boy. The newcomer was as tiny as Alice, with lank, pale brown hair trimmed short. The body under the cloak - which was darker, almost black - was slim and androgynous. But the face was too pretty for a boy. The wide-eyed, full lipped face would make a Botticelli angel look like a gargoyle. Even allowing for the dull crimson irises."
- ―Bella on seeing Jane for the first time[src]
Jane is described as 4'8" tall and has a tiny body with lank, pale brown hair trimmed semi short and pale skin to match it. She could easily be mistaken for a preteen boy if not for her girlish face and full lips. Her face is angelically beautiful in its childlike appearance, and lovely when it is animated.
Bella describes her as having an exceptional face that would make a Botticelli angel look like a gargoyle. Her eyes are wide and her lips full, while her childlike voice is described as high and thin and usually speaks with an air of apathy or boredom, but maintains a commanding presence due to the fear she provides with her power. In the Twilight films, she is portrayed as having long, blond hair that is tied in a bun.
As with the rest of the Volturi, her eyes are dark red in color and they become darker when thirsty. Jane and her brother Alec serve as two of the highest ranked guard members and so they wear the darkest cloaks amongst the guard.
Jane has a very dark and sadistic personality, and she takes great pleasure in using her gift to torture others. She is easily angered when her gift is made useless, which is where her deep hatred of Bella first began. She shows strong jealousy toward Alice, as Aro is even more impressed by Alice's gift than her own. She worships Aro and is happy to be in his presence, though that adoration is mostly based on Chelsea's power.
Jane enjoys her gift, and the respect and fear that it brings her, and she never wastes an opportunity to use it on someone. But, despite her personality she seems to have a very strong as well as loving relationship with her twin brother Alec and besides Aro, Alec seems to be the person she is closest to.
It also seems that Jane has a jealous side, as she dislikes it when Aro gave Bella an extravagant gift (a diamond necklace).
Powers and abilities: Illusion of pain
- Main article: Pain illusion
- "Jane smiled at me, the bright, happy smile of an innocent child, and suddenly I was on fire. It was like I'd gone back in time to the worst night of my life. Fire was in every vein of my body, covering every inch of my skin, gnawing through the marrow of every bone. It felt like I was buried in the middle of my coven's funeral bonfire, with the flames on every side. There wasn't a single cell in my body that wasn't blazing with the worst agony imaginable. I could barely hear myself scream over the pain in my ears."
- ―Bree Tanner[src]
Jane possesses a formidable gift, which has been shown to frighten even the strongest of vampires; for this reason she is feared and shown the utmost respect among both the Volturi guard and the rest of the vampire world.
Her gift is to create an illusion of burning pain: it deceives the mind of her target into believing that the body is truly being burned alive, and thus the tormenting pain is experienced throughout the whole body. A person on whom she uses her gift immediately feels excruciating pain of fire, collapses on the floor, and writhes in pain. Though merely an illusion, it has enough strength to incapacitate any individual and turn them into a helpless target, which is why this power frightens many vampires.
It is also said that Jane can control the level of pain she delivers to her victims. In contrast to her brother's gift which takes some time to take effect, Jane's works very quickly. However, though her brother's gift is capable of working on multiple targets at once, Jane's can only work on one object of her focus.
Since finding Jane and Alec, the Volturi had never fought a fight where they were at a disadvantage. The only exception came during the confrontation between the Volturi and the Cullens and their witnesses. Jane, with her "burning" gift, and her brother Alec with his "numbing" gift, are the cornerstones of the Volturi's offense. Together, they are one of the main reasons why the Volturi are referred to as invincible. Despite how powerful her gift is and the reputation it has given her and the Volturi, it is thwarted by one individual, Bella Swan. This is shown in New Moon, during their first meeting. This immunity instantly draws Jane's anger and later hatred towards Bella.
During Breaking Dawn when the two remaining Romanian vampires, Vladimir and Stefan, are discussing the Volturi's offensive powers, they mention that, despite Kate's powerful gift, it is no match for Jane's.
Because her power has never been thwarted before, she seemingly lacks physical training for battle.
- Main article: Relationships
- "They send you out for one and you come back with two - and a half. Nice Work."
- ―Alec to Jane[src]
Alec is Jane's younger twin brother. They both joined the Volturi when they were very young, and already manifested very special talents. In Breaking Dawn and New Moon, it is said that the two have a very close relationship. Her brother has been shown on occasion to tease her, seen when he comments that she brought back two and a "half" vampires instead of one as she was supposed to. When she is angry or throwing one of her anger tantrums, Alec is usually the one who calms her down. When he is killed by Emmett in Alice's battle-vision in Breaking Dawn: Part 2 , she seems devastated and disbelieving, as there is not really any other she loves as much as her twin.
- "Go ahead, my dear."
- ―Aro to Jane[src]
Aro is Jane's master and creator. She and her brother drew Aro's attention already as humans. He would have preferred they be older before becoming immortal, but when they were burning at the stake, he was hard-pressed for time.
Thanks to Chelsea's power, Jane is completely devoted to her creator and never questions his motives, even when he restrains her from attacking Bella. It is possible she even feels love towards Aro, but that might be due to Chelsea. When Jane was killed in Alice's battle-vision, Aro was devastated by it.
Although Jane is said to have "lank, pale brown hair trimmed short," she has long, blond hair pulled up into a bun in the film portrayal.
- New Moon
- Breaking Dawn
|Leaders||Aro • Caius • Marcus|
|Wives||Athenodora • Didyme • Sulpicia|
|Guard||Afton • Alec • Chelsea • Corin • Demetri • Felix • Heidi • Jane • Renata • Santiago|
|Other||Bianca • Eleazar • Gianna|
|
<urn:uuid:b4afac37-573f-475a-aa8d-44b0a3556a54>
|
CC-MAIN-2013-20
|
http://twilightsaga.wikia.com/wiki/Jane?diff=next&oldid=575022
|
s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368700264179/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516103104-00017-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz
|
en
| 0.980385
| 3,381
| 1.65625
| 2
|
Washington (CNN) -- A glass half-full or emptying fast? Depends on who you listened to Friday as President Barack Obama and certain Republican nominee Mitt Romney described the July jobs report at competing public appearances.
Flanked by what he called middle-class Americans at the White House, Obama said the July figures showed 29 straight months of job growth, including 1.1 million new jobs this year, following the recession that was in place when he took office in January 2009.
"We haven't had to come back from an economic crisis this deep or this painful since the 1930s," Obama said. "But we also knew that if we were persistent, if we kept at it and kept working, that we'd gradually get to where we need to be."
At a campaign event in Las Vegas, Romney noted that unemployment rose slightly and remained above 8% for a 42nd straight month despite Obama's campaign promise four years ago that it would be lower.
"This continues a pattern of American families really struggling, having hard times, and the president's to blame for not having gotten the economy back on track," Romney said after the event, which was held in an area where unemployment is above the national average.
"A lot of people are suffering in this country," he continued. "I think it's an extraordinary failure of policy, a failure of leadership, and I think it's a moral failure for a country as successful and prosperous as our own to go now four years in a mode which feels to many people as a recession."
With three months until November's general election, the jobs reports take on particular significance, as voters consider the economy in general and high unemployment in particular to be their most important issues.
The July figures announced Friday showed an increase in the unemployment rate to 8.3%, which hurts Obama on the issue, but also showed a net job creation of 163,000, all in the private sector.
The public sector continues to be a drag on overall hiring, with the government cutting 9,000 jobs last month while private businesses added 172,000.
While well below the level needed for a full recovery, the growth put Obama within reach of having an overall positive jobs record by the time voters go to the polls on November 6.
Since Obama took office, 4.316 million jobs were lost in the first 13 months of his presidency, with 4 million net jobs now added back. If the economy adds more than 316,000 jobs in the next three months -- an average of just over 105,300 per month -- Obama will be able to claim the title of job creator on Election Day.
Republicans rejected any such notion Friday.
"President Obama's only plans for a second term are higher taxes and more spending -- exactly the opposite of what we need," said a statement by Republican National Committee Chairman Reince Priebus.
Romney also dismissed any idea that Obama is leading the nation in the right economic direction, calling the latest jobs number a "hammer blow to struggling middle-class families."
On another matter, Romney again rejected calls to release more of his past tax returns and denied a claim by Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid, D-Nevada, that an unidentified former associate of Romney's had said Romney -- a multimillionaire -- paid no taxes in past years.
"I have paid taxes every year, and a lot of taxes ... so Harry is simply wrong, and that's why I'm so anxious for him to give us the names of the people who've put this forward," Romney told reporters, calling the tax return issue a Democratic effort to divert attention from a bad economy under Obama.
Romney also promoted his five-point plan introduced Thursday as part of simplified messaging advocated by some Republican strategists. The proposals are traditional conservative stances on domestic energy production, trade, job training, deficit reduction and boosting small businesses.
"My plan will turn things around and bring the economy roaring back, with 12 million new jobs created by the end of my first term," he said in a statement released Friday morning in response to the jobs report.
At the White House, Obama took aim at the tax component of the Romney plan, repeating criticism from earlier this week that a new study showed the proposal would mean large tax cuts for the wealthiest Americans and higher taxes for the middle class.
Such a policy amounts to "upside down economics," Obama said.
"I just think we've got our priorities skewed if the notion is that we give tax breaks to folks who don't need it, and to help pay for that, we tax folks who're already struggling to get by," he said. "That's not how you grow an economy."
Obama repeated his call for House Republicans to follow the Senate and pass a measure extending tax cuts on income up to $250,000 for families and $200,000 for individuals. The Bush tax cuts from 2001 and 2003 are set to expire at the end of the year, and Obama says they should be extended only for lower- and middle-income Americans.
This week, the House rejected the plan passed by Senate Democrats and instead approved a measure extending all the Bush tax cuts,which Obama called "disappointing."
"At a time when too many working families are already struggling to make ends meet, they want to give millionaires and billionaires and folks like me tax cuts that we don't need and that the country can't afford, even if middle-class families have to pick up the tab for it," he said.
Romney and Republicans want to extend all the Bush tax cuts for now to prevent any increase, while Obama says the lower rates should not continue for the wealthiest 2% of Americans to bring more fairness to the system and save money.
Both sides call for comprehensive tax reform after the election as part of necessary deficit reduction steps.
The issue touches on the foundations of the nation's political divide, with Republicans driven by their conservative base seeking to shrink government to reduce deficits, while Democrats want a blend of spending cuts and more tax revenue in order to maintain what they consider essential services and entitlement programs.
Romney later told reporters that he wanted Obama and Congress to agree now on interim measures that would provide whoever wins the election with a six-month or one-year "runway" to come up with tax reform and deficit reduction policies.
Under last year's debt ceiling agreement, the government faces steep mandatory spending cuts in January if Congress fails to reach a comprehensive deficit reduction agreement. The mandated cuts, which include military spending, would come at the same time the Bush tax cuts expire if no action is taken.
Romney outlined his tax policy as lowering rates across the board while eliminating some exemptions for high-income taxpayers. He rejected the accusation by Obama and a report by the Urban Institute-Brookings Institution Tax Policy Center that his plan would mean higher taxes on middle-income Americans.
"I want to lower the taxes paid by middle-income Americans," Romney said. "I will not raise taxes on the American people."
However, Romney and his advisers say specifics of the plan -- such as which exemptions would be eliminated and other details -- would be worked out only when the proposals are fully formulated in a Romney administration.
Romney's campaign rejected the Tax Policy Center report as biased for not including the impact of job creation under the Romney tax plan in its findings, and noted a former Obama economic adviser was one of the three authors.
Obama and his campaign responded that another of the report's authors was an economic adviser to former President George H.W. Bush, and that tax cut policies proposed by Romney failed to spark job creation under President George W. Bush.
Meanwhile, Romney refused to provide any further information Friday when asked about naming a running mate, giving his usual response that the announcement will occur by the third day of the Republican convention at the end of August.
CNNMoney's Charles Riley and Annalyn Censky and CNN's Kevin Liptak, Shawna Shepherd and Gregory Wallace contributed to this report.
|
<urn:uuid:00d69d35-8a79-467a-ba93-e0c573a659b7>
|
CC-MAIN-2013-20
|
http://us.cnn.com/2012/08/03/politics/campaign-wrap/index.html?hpt=hp_bn3
|
s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368706499548/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516121459-00032-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz
|
en
| 0.975245
| 1,629
| 1.679688
| 2
|
BP’s first relief well is less than 264ft from its target depth, and about 12ft away horizontally from the well, according to the latest administration briefing.
As the two relief wells get closer to their target, BP’s ailing share price has improved somewhat.
But despite the positive reaction from investors, the prospect of the relief wells failing altogether is also being raised as the drilling nears its target.
As the FT’s Ed Crooks writes, in the event of total failure of the wells, “the company may be doomed”.
From the FT again:
Relief wells have an excellent record. John Wright, a veteran in killing well blowouts who is working as a consultant for BP, has drilled 40 in his career, and every one has been effective.
Meanwhile the Wall Street Journal reports that the company is hoping to have some good news on the relief wells by the time it announces its second-quarter results on July 27 — or even earlier, on July 20, when UK prime minister David Cameron visits the White House.
It also reportedly has more back-up plans in place, aside from expanding the containment efforts:
These include connecting the rogue well to existing pipelines in two nearby underwater gas and oil fields, according to company and administration officials.
The company, it appears, is becoming more keen to under-promise and over-deliver since the disappointment of its ‘top kill’ attempt. Bob Dudley, who is overseeing BP’s spill efforts, was happy to mention both those dates in an interview as being ideal — he added, however, that such a “perfect case” was “unlikely” due in part to hurricane season.
The administration is continuing to be cautious about mentioning dates.
The Coast Guard’s Admiral Thad Allen, the incident commander, said yesterday, the status of the well at that depth will remain unclear. One question is whether there are hydrocarbons flowing up the outer annulus, or the inner pipe itself. Another is whether the casing is damaged.
As Allen explained:
The time it will take to do this—the reason it is unknown right now and I’m not willing to come off the mid-August deadline is, if they have to pump mud up through the annulus and then go into the pipe and pump mud there, too, that’s a period of seven, 10 days to accomplish both of those things.
Why not drill the relief wells first? FT Energy Source
How difficult are relief wells? Some comparisons with Montara - FT Energy Source
|
<urn:uuid:09d03ef3-e42d-49fd-af5c-adc2a9a5004e>
|
CC-MAIN-2013-20
|
http://blogs.ft.com/energy-source/2010/07/08/relief-wells-the-pressure-grows/
|
s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368703682988/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516112802-00037-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz
|
en
| 0.963375
| 538
| 1.796875
| 2
|
Bolshevism Balks at Bolshevist Art
Bolshevism has balked at Bolshevist art in honoring the memory of Nikolai Lenin, and the cubist monument of the dead leader, designed by M. Malevich, exponent of Soviet ideas in art, has been rejected. Malevich … proudly exhibited a huge pedestal composed of a mass of agricultural and industrial tools and machinery. On the top of the pile was the ‘figure’ of Lenin – a simple cube without insignia.
Lenin" The artist was asked. With an injured air he pointed to the cube.
Anybody could see that if they had a soul he added. But the judges without
hesitation turned down the work of art.
|
<urn:uuid:52c6f76e-e564-4ba8-ac97-d7e2c423b316>
|
CC-MAIN-2013-20
|
http://faculty.dwc.edu/wellman/Malevich-review.html
|
s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368702448584/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516110728-00042-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz
|
en
| 0.960978
| 153
| 1.828125
| 2
|
Why Netflix got into hot waterDecember 17, 2012: 10:51 AM ET
It might seem like the Netflix case is very different from an insider trading case. But selective disclosure and insider trading are birds of a feather.
FORTUNE -- We've certainly witnessed a bonanza of insider investigations and trials involving corporate secrets in 2012: Raj Rajaratnam of Galleon Group, SAC Capital, and Tiger Asia Management as a few examples.
In all these cases, inside information was the seedling for the alleged insider trading.
Executives are often put in positions where they can take advantage of inside information. Corporate execs are under investigation for insider trading at Big Lots (BIG), VeriFone Systems (PAY), Body Central (BODY), Micrel (MCRL), and Cobalt International Energy (CIE), the Wall Street Journal reported. Based on their analysis, at least 4,185 executives made trades since 2004 that could be suspicious.
Selective disclosure of inside information to just a few people can also lead to misbehavior. It may involve whispering in one person's ear: think Rajat Gupta's alleged leaking of Goldman (GS) board secrets. Or it might involve disclosure of company information just to your Facebook (FB) fans, something the SEC is looking into in the case of Netflix (NFLX). It could involve selective disclosure to your fellow Harvard alumni in a social network group. Or it could involve telling me, an outsider, what is happening inside your company because you want to explain why you might not be able to meet me at a certain time or date.
It might seem like the Netflix case, which is related to potential selective disclosure of material company information, is very different from an insider trading case. But selective disclosure and insider trading are birds of a feather. CEO Reed Hastings' Facebook message was perhaps not for his immediate personal gain, but he may have unwittingly turned his Facebook readers into insiders.
Regulation FD (Fair Disclosure) -- which requires that companies disclose material information to the public rather than just share it with a select group of people -- was adopted in August 2000 to help make the markets fairer. Harvey Goldschmid, the architect of Regulation FD, was general counsel at the SEC when the rule was formed. Goldschmid, who later became an SEC commissioner, explained to me several years ago how and why Regulation FD was born.
In the late 1990s, it was possible to hold individuals' feet to the fire if they made money on an insider trade, but it was much harder to address other cases of inside information and trading. One common issue involved sharing information with Wall Street analysts. An executive might provide inside information to an analyst or just a group of analysts, letting them in on what the quarter would look like for their company. The Wall-Streeters in the know might then "trade on it in proprietary terms or their clients would trade. It set up all of the reprehensible aspects of insider trading," Goldschmid told me. While the executive might not pocket any money, he might be buying goodwill or ingratiating himself to his followers.
So the question was how to get at these cases of an executive leaking to favored groups, which were more difficult to handle than a standard tip with a payoff. "There was an argument whether we could do it on the insider trading law," Goldschmid said. "And as I became general counsel, there were about 14 cases that had been collected that we could bring to try to broaden out insider trading law to reach this kind of activity by corporations."
Some of Goldschmid's academic colleagues thought the SEC might not be able to prevail in those cases. He said his deputy thought the chance of winning would be like "shooting fish in a barrel." There were also concerns that bringing the cases under the insider trading law could create confusion and that the draconian penalties of insider trading might be too severe.
Regulation FD was the solution to stop this selective disclosure of information and give everyone a heads up in advance that there were new rules and what the parameters would be. At its core, Regulation FD was designed to stop insider trading where it begins, with inside information -- and to create markets that are fair so that people without special access would want to invest.
Contrary to what the New York Times' Steven Davidoff argues, Reg FD has nothing to do with "the S.E.C.'s fetish of trying to control company disclosure to the nth degree." In fact, Regulation FD is there to safeguard our markets and ensure taxpayer dollars aren't squandered any more than need be. FD performs this simply too, by stopping insider trading in its tracks.
I caught up with Goldschmid this week and he put it well. "There is no question from any serious empirical studies that there is more information out today, available to the public, than ever before. We see companies using open phone calls allowing investors and others on the lines and avoiding the kind of underhanded disclosure of information that existed in the past. Regulation FD is what our country needs. We need fair markets and we need to avoid the large advantage of the favored few."
Eleanor Bloxham is CEO of The Value Alliance and Corporate Governance Alliance (http://thevaluealliance.com), a board advisory firm.
|
<urn:uuid:5d430ebc-88d3-46e8-8439-e3ba5330e200>
|
CC-MAIN-2013-20
|
http://management.fortune.cnn.com/2012/12/17/why-netflix-got-into-hot-water/?source=yahoo_quote
|
s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368696382584/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516092622-00021-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz
|
en
| 0.973661
| 1,086
| 1.742188
| 2
|
Moving from a home that you have lived in for decades to a smaller apartment in a senior retirement community or assisted living community can be a daunting task. When it is time for your parents to make that kind of move, they will need your assistance. The following are some tips adapted from About.com that can help you with this process. You can find the full article at http://moving.about.com/od.
When you know that the move is going to happen, the best advice is to obtain a diagram or layout of the new apartment. Having this information will let you know exactly how much space your parents will have. The communities at Retirement Unlimited, Inc. can provide you with detailed floor plans of the apartments to assist you. Call or stop by for a tour and see what apartment styles are available. With the floor plan or diagram in hand you can decide together what items will fit and how much of their current things can be kept. If feasible, you can offer to keep the items that they can’t move or try to at least keep them in the family.
When you know how much space you will have to move in to, then begins the task of sorting the items that they currently have. Be gentle during this process. Many of us have made emotional attachments to items we may seldom use. If the item is truly a treasure to them, you can suggest giving the item as a gift to a child or sibling. It is often easier to give things to family members than to donate them to an “anonymous” source.
A great idea is to take pictures of items inside your parents’ home. Be sure to take detailed photos of such things as where photos and mementos have been placed on dressers or where certain pieces of furniture are situated to each other. Even note what pictures, paintings, or mirrors are hanging on the wall. When in the new apartment, try to place the items in a similar way so that the new home will feel more like their previous home. This will help your parents become comfortable more quickly in the new environment.
Above all, take your time. Plan for the move as far in advance as possible. In this way, you can give your parents the time they need to process through the sometimes painful task of parting with their things.
Sometimes, it is easier to hire outside help to pack and move items than it is to do it yourself. It may be easier for your parents to work with an outside person rather than family. There are many companies that specialize in moving seniors and assisting with downsizing. The professionals at Retirement Unlimited, Inc. have a world of resources to share regarding downsizing. Give a call to a community near you for some helpful information.
Finally, be patient with your parents and allow them to say “goodbye” to their things. If they take longer to sort through a bureau drawer because they uncover old photographs, let them spend the time to remember and if possible, share those memories with them. The reminiscing is a very important part in the process of moving from their home of decades into their new environment.
The retirement and assisted living communities of Retirement Unlimited, Inc. understand this difficult process and can work with you and your parents to make the transition into one of our communities a good experience. Call us for more information, or better yet come in for a tour and see what we have to offer.
|
<urn:uuid:2b8201bf-17ab-4045-9141-02ec32c5ef84>
|
CC-MAIN-2013-20
|
http://www.rui.net/blog/date/2010/02
|
s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368698924319/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516100844-00026-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz
|
en
| 0.969718
| 696
| 1.515625
| 2
|
Up until now, we have had a Catholic/ Christian president. How would you feel if we had a mormon(sp?) president?? Just wondering what you would think about that.
Oh God, here we go.
In my research I found a more specific idea, but it is essentially the same. Cain's curse, which by definition is racist, is still a widely held belief.
Before that time only worthy members who were not of black African descent were ordained to the priesthood.
Why not, hm?
And a simple Google search reveals things like this:
The moment we consent to mingle with the seed of Cain, the Church must go to destruction--we should receive the curse which has been placed upon the seed of Cain, and never more be numbered with the children of Adam who are heirs to the Priesthood until that curse be removed. -Brigham Young
Cain, who turned away from Adam, "cursed" his lineage with black skin. What this quote says is that we fair-skinned people should not mingle with them How is this not racist?
Accepting the theory that God had cursed black people, some have used the curse as a Biblical justification for racism,
Statements concerning the curse of Cain clearly identify both the mark and curse with the "Negro" race, in Latter Day Saint writings and lectures.
Joseph Smith and Brigham Young both identify the Black people of African descent as descendants of Cain.
And Enoch also beheld the residue of the people which were the sons of Adam; and they were a mixture of all the seed of Adam save it was the seed of Cain, for the seed of Cain were black, and had not place among them.
From Joseph Smith Jr.'s translation of the Bible.
They excluded "Hamites" from the church. This is slightly weird and I'm not going to into it, but still racist.
There is a Cain doctrine.
Brigham Young kept black people from participating in temple services. This was upheld until 1978.
And [God] had caused the cursing to come upon them, yea, even a sore cursing, because of their iniquity. For behold, they had hardened their hearts against him, that they had become like unto a flint; wherefore, as they were white, and exceedingly fair and delightsome, that they might not be enticing unto my people, the Lord God did cause a skin of blackness to come upon them. And thus saith the Lord God; I will cause that they shall be loathsome unto thy people, save they shall repent of their iniquities. (2 Nephi 5:21)
The book of Nephi is only in the Mormon Bible; not Catholic or Protestant.
The mark of blackness was placed upon the Lamanites so the Nephites "might not mix and believe in incorrect traditions which would prove their destruction" (Alma 3:7-9)
Neither is the book of Alma.
Elder Hyde inquired about the situation of the negro. I replied, they came into the world slaves mentally and physically. -Joseph Smith
If they are equal, why are they slaves?
Had I anything to do with the negro, I would confine them by strict law to their own species. -Joseph Smith
Species? Calling them a separate species isn't racist?
So, unless anything I have posted is absolutely wrong, I believe that I am right.
Julia, none of those quotes you used came from the website you posted, and it is thus misleading. All of those quotes came from your "independent research." If anyone is following this, then I encourage you to check out the website that Julia posted: post. Especially read the article by Gordon B. Hinckley. These sites give the official explanation of the policy that the LDS church had in giving the priesthood only to people of a certain lineage. Very similar to how the priesthood was only given to the tribe of Levi in the old testament. It is true that this policy meant that people of African descent could not hold the priesthood. This policy was not based on the idea that 1/3 of the people before the world was created could not make up their mind about whether to follow Jesus or Satan.
The fact is you couldn't find anything on lds.org to prove your "rule of thirds" theory so you googled up a bunch of malicious websites, and tried to pass it off as actual doctrine from the LDS church. The scriptures you quote from the Book of Mormon are real alright, but you left out this one:
33 For none of these iniquities come of the Lord; for he doeth that which is good among the children of men; and he doeth nothing save it be plain unto the children of men; and he inviteth them all to come unto him and partake of his goodness; and he denieth none that come unto him, black and white, bond and free, male and female; and he remembereth the heathen; and all are alike unto God, both Jew and Gentile. 2 Nephi 26:33
If you would like to continue discussing misconceptions about my religion, then I suggest you start a new thread.
I do not think any agnostic, deist, or athiest candidate would ever be forth coming about their beliefs, or lack thereof. "Christian" is what the majority wants - so that is what candidates give them. Anything else is career suicide.
That being said, as an atheist, I have nothing but Christian candidates to chose from. Catholic, Protestant, or Mormon - there is no one representing my (lack of) beliefs. So how much does this matter?
It matters when a candidate uses his beliefs, or caters to that of others, to pass laws based in faith and not reason. To push religion in science classrooms. To interpret, legislate and enforce "God's Plan" as he sees it. To make criminals or outcasts out of those who deviate from religion doctrine. To declare war in the name of some higher, unseen, unheard authority who does not speak for itself.
If a candidate rejects evolution, quotes scripture to justify a policy, calls anyone "satan", or puts the "plan" of an unquestionable force above the good of human beings, the quality of life, or the function of a global society - we have a serious problem.
Truth is, you are still proving yourself stupid. The first site clearly was from the website I posted. And the others came directly from YOUR Bible (I say your because they are just books from the Mormon Bible) or paraphrasing from YOUR leader's teachings, or from the teachings of Wikipedia, which is an unbiased source. You can read the articles for yourself. None of that was malicious and I do not want to talk to you because you refuse to accept facts. Frankly, I refuse to talk to someone who is so childish and refuses to admit that they are in any way less than perfect or their religion is racist. I am not perfect, and I do not know everything. However, it is common knowledge that the LDS church has a racist background. That is not anything but fact. That is not malicious, or lies, like you have said. I refuse to talk to you if you continue to (sorry for the language) pull things out of your ass. ok? If you can act like a grown-up, then I can talk to you.
Pause for just a moment and reflect on what you have been saying:
1. You are directly calling me names.
2. You are insulting an entire religion based upon a wikipedia article.
Who is the childish one?
Yeah, still you.
I didn't call you names at all? And if I did, it was like "you" or "Mormon" neither of which is insulting in the least? I don't know if you are even talking to the right person? You are accusing me of things I didn't do?
And no? I am not insulting anyone? I have some amazing friends who are Mormon, and they are fine. I am discussing one part of a religion that some people do not believe anymore. I don't even know if you are part of this part of the religion?
Yeah, definitely still you. All the question marks are because I don't think it's me you mean to be responding to.
" you are still proving yourself stupid"
You called me stupid, directly. Read what you are saying. You said you were "disgusted" with me earlier for saying that my ancestors were murdered by true religious bigots and forced out of America.
Thats all ok with me, though. I know what I believe, and I know what my church teaches. Non of it is racist or mean spirited in anyway.
But stupid isn't a name? And you really shouldn't be offended by it? Unless you're in, like, first grade? And I didn't say that at all? I said I was disgusted that you were misrepresenting your church? Not that you had dead ancestors? Did you read what I said at all?
And, yes, it is? It is very racist? Or at least it was? As I proved? And you didn't prove your point?
I am so confused. You are still a child.
Yes, calling people stupid is not name calling. That philosophy will take you far in life. I can just imagine that conversation with a future employer/co-worker/professor/classmate/friend...
"You know, you really shouldn't be offended that I called you stupid. It just makes you childish."
You didn't prove anything. You completely abandoned your "rule of thirds" idea because it doesn't actually exist, then you quoted a wikipedia article, and declared yourself more knowledgable about the religion I belong to because you did research on it and have mormon friends. Whereas I have only devoted my entire young adult life to the church, and strived everyday to understand my faith better to try and be a better person, but I guess what I say or do doesn't matter because I'm just a stupid child.
Well, okay, I am an idiot, I know nothing, you are obviously amazing at life and perfect in every way. You know everything about life and I know nothing.
Sounds weird when I say it, huh? You and I are not going to agree because you keep saying things that make no sense. I am going to be the better person and never reply to you ever, in any thread. Goodbye, child.
Oh, it's cool. It's all better now. Whatever. (nobutseriously, it's good.)
Seriously Julia. Grow up. I'm not a Mormon, and I disagree very strongly with it on many points, but even I can see here that your debating style was frankly rude and unhelpful.
|
<urn:uuid:95853f3c-6368-47cf-bc1c-fa7d5d7451e1>
|
CC-MAIN-2013-20
|
http://nerdfighters.ning.com/forum/topics/dear-americans?commentId=1833893%3AComment%3A5431317&xg_source=activity
|
s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368708142388/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516124222-00022-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz
|
en
| 0.978387
| 2,261
| 1.570313
| 2
|
Nearly everyone who has a driver's license has hauled something at one time or another, but if you're a landscape contractor, hauling equipment from one site to another is a daily occurrence. As such, it is easy to forget that hauling can be dangerous — especially when the load can weigh tons and may shift precariously if not properly secured. And while you probably know that loads should be secured, you may be tempted to skip that process if you're running late or if your next job is only a few blocks away. But it's important to follow safety guidelines regardless. And, in some cases, it's the law.
So to make sure that you are up-to-date on hauling and loading, here are some helpful tips, including how to prepare trucks, trailers and personnel; common mistakes to avoid; and driving tips for pulling trailers. As I prepared this article I spoke with a motor carrier officer (these are the guys who will pull you over if they spot any type of cargo that is improperly secured or overweight). As you will see, there is much more to transporting equipment and cargo than you probably knew.
There are specific federal and state licensing requirements for different sizes of vehicles and the payloads they haul. These regulations are complex, and the officers who enforce them take their jobs seriously. It's a good idea for you to take them just as seriously to avoid a fine. To start, you should become familiar with the weight of each of your vehicles, your trailers and the weight you will be transporting. Once you know these numbers, you can determine which class of license you and your other drivers will need. For example, a 4-door truck with dual rear wheels and a heavy trailer (12,000 to 14,000 pounds) will require a Class B commercial driver's license (CDL). If you're carrying any hazardous materials, you are required to have a Class C CDL, even if you're transporting this material in a pickup truck. There are many regulations concerning driver's license, so it's best to check with your local department of motor vehicles if you have questions or concerns about licensing.
Even if your drivers have the appropriate license, you still shouldn't skip training them — especially if they are going to be hauling a lot of equipment. Training for your employees is essential with your specific vehicles. Backing a vehicle with a trailer is a skill that most people assume they have. Not so! It's a skill that requires practice and trial and error. In the safety of a large parking lot, set up marker cones and allow personnel to practice backing, with and without a trailer. The drivers will appreciate learning in this kind of environment, and they will be saved the fear and humiliation associated with making mistakes that damage equipment. Don't assume your employees know how to back up a trailer or truck, even if they say they can. Have them prove it.
Trucks have weight restrictions, but many landscape contractors will try to push this limit. I recall one example of this I encountered years ago when I loaded a truck for a customer. His truck was literally broken in two before I even loaded a single pallet of sod. It was a single-axle flatbed with dual tires. In good condition, this truck should have been able to handle four pallets of sod, easily. But it wasn't in good condition and this guy wanted six pallets! The main frame rails were broken just behind the cab and were patched with large pieces of steel that were bolted to each side. I remember loading that truck and the frame starting to sag so much that we had to load a couple of pallets at the very rear of the truck to keep the frame from dragging on the ground. Yet he drove away.
Stay within the weight restrictions of your vehicle, and don't allow junk to represent your company. Make sure your truck stays on a maintenance schedule. If something on it breaks, get it fixed properly to increase the life of the truck and the safety of you and your crew. Even though vehicles must pass a state inspection (in most states), this does not always mean the running lights are working or even that the license plate can be seen. Those things are your responsibility. If you pull a trailer very often with a certain truck, you should invest in larger mirrors and attach the smaller, round, convex mirrors to the larger mirrors. These are hard to get used to, but they are very helpful — especially for longer trailers.
Just like trucks, trailers also have weight restrictions. It's important to not exceed these restrictions and to use a trailer hitch that is strong enough to handle the weight without offering to break. The most widely used trailer hitches are the ball hitch and Pindle hitch, the Pindle being strongest by far. Even with a strong hitch, always include safety chains that secure the trailer to the vehicle. The only trailers that are not required to have safety chains are gooseneck and fifth-wheel trailers.
Always travel with a spare tire for your trailer. A loaded trailer with a blown tire and no spare can cost you a whole day of labor and aggravation. Even with dual axles, a blown tire will put the remaining weight on one tire, so if you continue to travel instead of putting on a spare, you will likely be replacing two tires instead of one when you reach the next destination.
Running lights on a trailer look nice when they are maintained, and they are helpful at night and during times of poor visibility. If you want a professional appearance, then keep your equipment clean and all your running lights operating. You must also keep your trailer license plates visible and lighted. Trailer brakes are a splendid addition, but only legally necessary when your trailer (combined) weight exceeds 4,000 pounds.
LOADING & UNLOADING
Equipment that you load and unload by driving it on and off a trailer nearly always creates a moment or two of apprehension. It's best to use a long, sturdy, wide ramp for loading this type of equipment. This will prevent it from dragging the ground and your drivers from having to traverse a steep incline. Doing so will also decrease the likelihood of equipment bucking like a wild bull as it climbs up onto the trailer.
The angle of your ramp is critical when loading. Try to position the ramp so that it's not too steep and in a way to minimize the angle or amount of grade (or steep angle). Putting supports under the trailer's rear-edge or under the ramps will prevent excessive up-and-down trailer movement during loading. Do not put the supports so high that the trailer is sitting on them when it is fully loaded.
Incorrect positioning of your load can severely affect how your vehicle drives and handles. For trucks, it is best to place the load between the cab and the rear axle. Loading farther back than the rear axle will produce poor handling. For trailers, load on the axle(s) slightly forward of the leading axle. This will distribute some of the weight to the rear of the vehicle through the hitch. Otherwise, the trailer will seem to have a mind of it's own and wobble, or swerve.
Tires are one of the most neglected areas of vehicle safety, and should be included in all safety inspections. Tires are rated for a specific weight, yet so few people know what this is. You can look on the sidewall of your tires and see the weight rating. If you cannot read it, it is probably time for new tires! Heavy-duty tires are available with many different weight-carrying capabilities. I have been shocked more than once to discover the loads people are carrying far exceed the weight ratings on their tires. Check with a local tire distributor for help with determining the weight ratings of your tires.
Finally, encourage your employees to be safe drivers by reminding them to obey the speed limits, anticipate all intersections, watch for brake lights and allow faster drivers to pass. Give them time to make it to their job sites without forcing them to drive aggressively, especially when pulling a load.
Steven Loewen is the turf manager at Piedmont Landscaping and Grounds Maintenance (Greensboro, N.C.). You can contact him at firstname.lastname@example.org.
To secure your load before heading down the highway (or down the block, for that matter), there are a number of different types of tie downs with different strength ratings. For the heaviest of cargo, including tractors, heavy equipment or machinery, you should use chains and chain binders. Pay attention to the grade and size of the chains, as they must meet a minimum size and strength requirement. Ratchet binders will handle a variety of payloads, including light tractors, lawn mowers and medium-sized equipment. Federal law requires that any tractor or similar equipment over 5,400 pounds must be secured at all four corners. And secure your load firmly so you can be confident that it will stay in place when you are on a rough road. Even if you aren't sure that your load requires the extra effort of being tied down, it's best to follow this rule of thumb: “Better safe than sorry.”
Tarps are mandatory for any loose material. Your best bet is to tarp, even if you're only going a short distance. All it takes is one rock or stick falling off to cause an accident. It is worth a few extra minutes for you to add this measure of safety. An easy way to secure tarps is to use bungee cords. If you use them for this purpose, remember to bring extras because there is a chance that the wind whipping the tarp could work them loose, requiring a spare.
Want to use this article? Click here for options!
© 2013 Penton Media Inc.
|
<urn:uuid:ae9ffe87-9fc6-448c-b1a0-36324f0c88dd>
|
CC-MAIN-2013-20
|
http://grounds-mag.com/mag/grounds_maintenance_loaded_questions/
|
s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368708766848/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516125246-00026-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz
|
en
| 0.957429
| 2,000
| 1.765625
| 2
|
One of the simplest and quickest ways to help fight fatigue is through acupressure. Many of us suffer from fatigue for various reasons including lack of sleep, certain medications, allergies, continuous exposure to toxins, heavy metals and so on. How can acupressure help? Acupressure can be applied at any time to give you a little extra boost that will help you get through your day. There are four acupressure points or meridians, that when pressure is applied –stimulates and causes energy to move through the body to help create balance, which in turn will aid you in fighting fatigue.
The first meridian can be located to the outside of and just below each knee. Feel the protruding bone to the outside of the knee and then feel down about one and half to two inches. The second meridian is located on the inside of each wrist just above where wrist bends about one and a half to two inches up from the bend. The third meridian is located directly in the center of the chest, between both breasts, and the fourth and fifth ribs. The fourth location is inside the leg above the ankle on the back edge of the shinbone about two inches up.
Once you have located the pressure points, you can begin by applying gentle pressure to each point – doing one point at a time and at a few times per day, or what is most comfortable for you. Hold the pressure for a couple of minutes, taking care not to press too heavily. If at any time this feels uncomfortable stop the pressure momentarily and then try again later using less pressure. If the point is tender and the energy appears to be blocked, do not force the pressure but ease into it over time. The energy may take a few weeks before it can start to flow naturally and with more ease. As the energy begins to balance, you will come to notice more sustained energy and other great benefits of this simple yet effective healing modality.
Over time you can gradually increase a level of pressure to keep the energy in a constant open flow through each meridian. Never make it uncomfortable for yourself. Acupressure, as with all healing modalities, takes time, persistence and patience. Be gentle with yourself and you will gain the maximum benefits from this ancient technique.
Acupressure is a very safe and effective way to add healing to your life. It is simple enough that anyone can do this for themselves or members of their family. There are a myriad of health benefits to acupressure and if you would like to learn more, there are many good books that offer examples with full color photographs to aid you in finding the exact location of each meridian. There are also highly qualified practitioners who specialize in teaching and performing acupressure to make your life more happy and healthy.
|
<urn:uuid:7e984537-5507-4f9f-96d0-0a469645fbaf>
|
CC-MAIN-2013-20
|
http://www.bellaonline.com/ArticlesP/art179887.asp
|
s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368708766848/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516125246-00036-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz
|
en
| 0.963707
| 570
| 1.742188
| 2
|
The issue of whether Americans should approve "same-sex" marriage continues to be debated heatedly in the 2012 election cycle. President Obama has "evolved" on the issue to the place where he supports "same-sex" marriage, making no distinction between the time-honored institution of marriage as being between one man and one woman and a relationship between two people of the same sex.
The issue emerged recently in a September 20th debate in the U.S. senatorial contest in Virginia between George Allen (R) and Tim Kaine (D). Former Governor Kaine, when asked about the issue, couched his answer in terms of civil rights and equality, stating "that relationships should be treated equally."
Marriage has been defined in Western civilization for at least two millennia now as being a sexual relationship between one man and one woman. Christianity has defined it so historically, most often coupling it with life-long permanence and monogamy. As an Evangelical Christian, I certainly embrace that definition.
However, how do we deal with those who would choose to extend some of the legal privileges our society has accorded marriage to same-sex relationships without shattering the definition of marriage or discriminating against people outside the heterosexual definition of marriage? How do we protect society against those who would extend the special status of marriage to homosexual, lesbian or polygamous relationships? How do we protect time-honored titles, like "husband" and "wife," from being attacked as homophobic or sexist terms to be replaced by spouse #1 and spouse #2 or "Mom" and "Dad" from being reduced legally to caregiver #1 and caregiver #2? Such legal assaults on these time-honored family terms seem inevitable if "same-sex" marriage becomes equal with heterosexual marriage.
I propose that as Americans we declare heterosexual marriage as the only relationship in our society that is to be defined by its sexual nature and that it will continue to be defined as a legal relationship between one man and one woman consummated by sexual intercourse.
If two men or two women are living together in a relationship and they want to ask the state legislature in their state to grant some of the special legal privileges accorded marriage to their relationship the state legislature should respond in the following fashion: "We will consider your request, but the sexual nature of your relationship will be irrelevant to our discussions because marriage is the only relationship in our society that is defined by its sexual nature. Why should other people who are living in committed relationships that do not involve sexual activity be discriminated against or left out?"
In other words, the state legislature would not discriminate against two maiden or widowed sisters who were living together or a mother and a devoted son or daughter who were living together in a platonic relationship. Why should such households and relationships be left behind when legal privileges and recognition are being passed out just because they are not in a sexual relationship?
If the peoples' elected representatives in the various states were to undertake such legislation, it would certainly do much to protect marriage as the unique institution that it is in our society, while according all other relationships that equality that former Governor Kaine so desires.
|
<urn:uuid:893ee6ad-c570-482c-95de-b800a59ef192>
|
CC-MAIN-2013-20
|
http://global.christianpost.com/news/what-relationships-should-be-called-marriage-a-modest-proposal-82482/
|
s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368700958435/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516104238-00012-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz
|
en
| 0.975644
| 639
| 1.789063
| 2
|
Web & Social
Israel and Hamas are fighting a war on a new front. This week, they took to Twitter, Facebook, YouTube and other social media to report live on real-world attacks in Gaza... or, depending on who you ask, to spread propaganda. Now, the brains behind @IDFSpokesperson have been revealed.
According to the Associated Press, Lt. Col. Avital Leibovich is the woman in charge of the Israeli Defense Forces' brand-new "Interactive Media" branch, a collection of 30 soldiers trained to craft the blog posts, infographics and status updates that comprise Israel's media campaign. The group was reportedly formed just two months ago, but it's apparently already important to the military's operations. In February, Leibovich told the AP, she'll be departing her other job as international spokeswoman to concentrate on this social media initiative.
So what, after all, are the IDFSpokesperson's aims? "The goal is to reach as many audiences as possible, and second, to convey our message, without the touch of an editor," Leibovich told BuzzFeed.
She also seems to believe, though, that a Tweet can have a real-world effect, conveying a "message of deterrance" to Israel's enemies. Remember this tweet?
We recommend that no Hamas operatives, whether low level or senior leaders, show their faces above ground in the days ahead.— IDF (@IDFSpokesperson) November 14, 2012
When BuzzFeed asked her whether a message like this was appropriate for Twitter, this was her reply:
"You call this violent language? When rockets are falling on our heads, and I'm referring to 500 rockets in the last 72 hours, if you can even imagine the extent. Then when you have certain time that you want to convey a message of deterrence to an audience, then that's a good tool to do it."
Leibovich, a mother of three, also said that it helped to have 18-year-old conscripts in her division because they understand social networks. "The creative side of the language almost comes natural," she said.
|
<urn:uuid:57f07c1a-7345-4e99-8836-b3092f09c27b>
|
CC-MAIN-2013-20
|
http://mobile.theverge.com/2012/11/16/3656536/idfspokesperson-message-of-deterrence-idf-hamas-gaza
|
s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368701852492/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516105732-00013-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz
|
en
| 0.961541
| 438
| 1.828125
| 2
|
38. But further, in the case of the gods of the Gentiles (in their willingness to worship whom they exhibit their unwillingness to worship that God who cannot be worshipped together with them), let them tell us the reason why no one is found in the number of their deities who thinks of interdicting the worship of another; while they institute them in different offices and functions, and hold them to preside each one over objects which pertain properly to his own special province. For if Jupiter does not prohibit the worship of Saturn, because he is not to be taken merely for a man, who drove another man, namely his father, out of his kingdom, but either for the body of the heavens, or for the spirit that fills both heaven and earth, and because thus he cannot prevent that supernal mind from being worshipped, from which he is said to have emanated: if, on the same principle also, Saturn cannot interdict the worship of Jupiter, because he is not [to be supposed to be merely] one who was conquered by that other in rebellion—as was the case with a person of the same name, by the hand of some one or other called Jupiter, from whose arms he was fleeing when he came into Italy—and because the primal mind favours the mind that springs from it: yet Vulcan at least might [be expected to] put under the ban the worship of Mars, the paramour of his wife, and Hercules [might be thought likely to interdict] the worship of Juno, his persecutor. What kind of foul consent must subsist among them, if even Diana, the chaste virgin, fails to interdict the worship, I do not say merely of Venus, but even of Priapus? For if the same individual decides to be at once a hunter and a farmer, he must be the servant of both these deities; and yet he will be ashamed to do even so much as erect temples for them side by side. But they may aver, that by interpretation Diana means a certain virtue, be it what they please; and they may tell us that Priapus really denotes the deity of fecundity, — to such an effect, at any rate, that Juno may well be ashamed to have such a coadjutor in the task of making females fruitful. They may say what they please; they may put any explanation upon these things which in their wisdom they think fit: only, in spite of all that, the God of Israel will confound all their argumentations. For in prohibiting all those deities from being worshipped, while His own worship is hindered by none of them, and in at once commanding, foretelling, and effecting destruction for their images and sacred rites, He has shown with sufficient clearness that they are false and lying deities, and that He Himself is the one true and truthful God.
39. Moreover, to whom should it not seem strange that those worshippers, now become few in number, of deities both numerous and false, should refuse to do homage to Him of whom, when the question is put to them as to what deity He is; they dare not at least assert, whatever answer they may think to give, that He is no God at all? For if they deny His deity, they are very easily refuted by His works, both in prophecy and in fulfilment. I do not speak of those works which they deem themselves at liberty not to credit, such as His work in the beginning, when He made heaven and earth, and all that is in them. Neither do I specify here those events which carry us back into the remotest antiquity, such as the translation of Enoch, the destruction of the impious by the flood, and the saving of righteous Noah and his house from the deluge, by means of the [ark of] wood. I begin the statement of His doings among men with Abraham. To this man, indeed, was given by an angelic oracle an intelligible promise, which we now see in its realization. For to him it was said,
In your seed shall all nations be blessed. Of his seed, then, sprang the people of Israel, whence came the Virgin Mary, who was the mother of Christ; and that in Him all the nations are blessed, let them now be bold enough to deny if they can. This same promise was made also to Isaac the son of Abraham. It was given again to Jacob the grandson of Abraham. This Jacob was also called Israel, from whom that whole people derived both its descent and its name so that indeed the God of this people was called the God of Israel: not that He is not also the God of the Gentiles, whether they are ignorant of Him or now know Him; but that in this people He willed that the power of His promises should be made more conspicuously apparent. For that people, which at first was multiplied in Egypt, and after a time was delivered from a state of slavery there by the hand of Moses, with many signs and portents, saw most of the Gentile nations subdued under it, and obtained possession also of the land of promise, in which it reigned in the person of kings of its own, who sprang from the tribe of Judah. This Judah, also, was one of the twelve sons of Israel, the grandson of Abraham. And from him were descended the people called the Jews, who, with the help of God Himself, did great achievements, and who also, when He chastised them, endured many sufferings on account of their sins, until the coming of that Seed to whom the promise was given, in whom all the nations were to be blessed, and [for whose sake] they were willingly to break in pieces the idols of their fathers.
Source. Translated by S.D.F. Salmond. From Nicene and Post-Nicene Fathers, First Series, Vol. 6. Edited by Philip Schaff. (Buffalo, NY: Christian Literature Publishing Co., 1888.) Revised and edited for New Advent by Kevin Knight. <http://www.newadvent.org/fathers/1602125.htm>.
Contact information. The editor of New Advent is Kevin Knight. My email address is feedback732 at newadvent.org. (To help fight spam, this address might change occasionally.) Regrettably, I can't reply to every letter, but I greatly appreciate your feedback — especially notifications about typographical errors and inappropriate ads.
|
<urn:uuid:9c894555-0feb-4772-9796-068c777bde66>
|
CC-MAIN-2013-20
|
http://www.newadvent.org/fathers/1602125.htm
|
s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368699273641/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516101433-00019-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz
|
en
| 0.98166
| 1,322
| 1.710938
| 2
|
Monday, January 26, 2009
High school of cello playing
Pablo Casals championed David Popper's music. My recent post about Popper attracted a lot of readers. Naxos has just released this double CD of the forty Études that make up Popper's Hohe Schule des Violoncello-Spiels (High School of Cello Playing).
High school cello -> old school cello -> new school cello.
I have not bought, received or heard a copy of the David Popper CD. I saw it on display in the priceless Prelude Records, Norwich, but the Overgrown Path CD buying budget for January is overspent. Any copyrighted material on these pages is included as "fair use", for the purpose of study, review or critical analysis only, and will be removed at the request of copyright owner(s). Report broken links, missing images and errors to - overgrownpath at hotmail dot co dot uk
|
<urn:uuid:7b152f8e-db39-47ea-940d-6dd1d6ee9112>
|
CC-MAIN-2013-20
|
http://www.overgrownpath.com/2009/01/high-school-of-cello-playing.html
|
s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368699881956/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516102441-00013-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz
|
en
| 0.932404
| 200
| 1.507813
| 2
|
Re: Capitalism and XML
[scroll down to end for re-connection to original RELAX NG story] Stefano Debenedetti wrote: > John Cowan wrote: > > Matthew Gertner scripsit: > > > >>(http://www.economist.com/science/displayStory.cfm?story_id=1045223 -- like > >>a good reactionary I read reactionary rags) that points out that purely > >>selfish behavior based on this principle can lead to altruistic behavior on > >>the macro level. Good news for everyone, I say. > > > > > > Yes, indeed, and very interesting. > > This article *is* reactionary, I find it outdated to talk about > "scientific confirmation of a human commonplace". This article indeed smells of nasty ideas that I wish were outdated. I had the curiosity to check the two sources cited as reference by the Economist: - the article at http://www.nature.com/doifinder/10.1038/415137a, published by Nature (alarm bells ringing) is written by two economists (more alarm bells). Only the abstract is available to non-members, but have a look at this brief to get an idea of where this is going: http://www.nature.com/nsu/020107/020107-6.html - the article at http://www.santafe.edu/sfi/publications/Abstracts/01-01-007abs.html has 6 named authors (including Fehr, co-author of Nature article) and also involved 11 anthropologists and 1 economist. I just read the introduction and conclusion, and it seems to be a lot more interesting, although we'd have to review the validity of the methodology to find out if the conclusions can be trusted. But at least it goes against the orthodoxy of Homo Economicus canonical model. I assumed the Santa Fe Institute was mostly a conservative think-tank, but that particular study was funded by the MacArthur Foundation (http://www.macfound.org) - didn't know them. Alarm bell, the founder worked in bank & insurance :-) However, I fail to see any obvious connection to biology in either article, so how can The Economist use biological research as as legitimation tool for the ideology reflected by their article ? I hope the journalist is not confusing biology and anthropology but... <snip/> > But of course the funniest thing is the solution proposed: > > "it might be useful to provide opportunities for the public-spirited to > punish the free-riders in society." And Bush Jr is public-spirited, isn't he ? I mean, he is a great defender of the oil "community", right ? Some let's expect that some day "terrorists" (formerly "communists") will be renamed "free-riders" as a justification for their punishment > I was suggesting to do this for the W3C but looking at it now from a > more general perspective, that's the only one good thing about this > article, I really changed my mind: you can't punish whom is more > powerful than you. Think about Kyoto protocol for example, the most > powerful player just decided that environmental issues are less > important than its internal situation and nobody is ever going to > succeed at changing its mind from outside. If we expect our coward European leaders to make Uncle Sam change what he really wants (hint: hidden Chomsky reference), we are doomed. But, taking - hopefully - more modest goals, we can punish the W3C by making them put their "Recommendation" stamp on RELAX NG :-) Alain. --- Alain Rogister CTO http://www.ubiquity.be
PURCHASE STYLUS STUDIO ONLINE TODAY!
Purchasing Stylus Studio from our online shop is Easy, Secure and Value Priced!
Download The World's Best XML IDE!
Accelerate XML development with our award-winning XML IDE - Download a free trial today!
Subscribe in XML format
|
<urn:uuid:dab556e5-cd3f-48a0-a155-fb36eabce409>
|
CC-MAIN-2013-20
|
http://www.stylusstudio.com/xmldev/200203/post11110.html
|
s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368711005985/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516133005-00016-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz
|
en
| 0.943543
| 842
| 1.75
| 2
|
This post is re-posted from my Retail Patent Litigation Blog — where I write about patent litigation issues specific to retailers and their supply chains — with minor revisions.
Last year, the patent defense bar was disappointed when the Supreme Court refused to lower the standard for invalidating patents based upon prior art that was not considered by the Patent Office. According to Professor David Schwartz from Chicago-Kent College of Law and Christopher Seaman from Washington and Lee University School of Law, the apparent loss may have actually been a win. In Microsoft v. i4i Ltd. Partnership, 131 S. Ct. 2238 (2011), Microsoft argued that prior art not considered by the Patent Office should face the lesser preponderance of the evidence standard. The Supreme Court held that invalidity must be proved by clear and convincing evidence - the higher standard - whether or not the Patent Office had considered the prior art at issue. But the Supreme Court allowed that when the prior art had not been considered by the Patent Office, the jury should be instructed that “it has heard evidence that the PTO had no opportunity to evaluate before granting the patent” and to “consider that fact when determining whether an invalidity defense has been proved by clear and convincing evidence.” Id. at 2251. The decision was largely considered to have maintained the status quo.
Schwartz and Seaman recently released a paper empirically testing what impact the two standards of proof would have versus the Supreme Court’s extra instruction - Standards of Proof in Civil Litigation: An Experiment from Patent Law, Harvard Journal of Law & Technology (Forthcoming 2013). Schwartz and Seaman provided subjects with a fact pattern and a summary of the parties’ arguments. Then the subjects were randomly given one of three jury instructions: 1) clear and convincing evidence; 2) clear and convincing evidence with an i4i-type instruction regarding evidence not considered by the Patent Office; and 3) preponderance of the evidence.
The results were surprisingly good for retailers, and patent defendants generally. Schwartz and Seaman expected what I would have - that the clear and convincing standard with the extra instruction would act as an intermediate instruction between clear and convincing and preponderance of the evidence. Here is what the study found:
- Subjects receiving the preponderance of the evidence instruction invalidated patents more than subjects receiving clear and convincing instructions.
- Subjects receiving the clear and convincing instructions with an i4i-type instruction invalidated patents at the same rate as subjects with preponderance of the evidence instructions.
Schwartz’s and Seaman’s study suggests that defendants won the i4i case despite losing the preponderance of the evidence argument. And for those that are inclined to question the validity of Schwartz’s and Seaman’s methodology, they provide extensive grounding for and analysis of the methodology. Additionally, Schwartz, in particular, has developed a reputation for high-end empirical analysis of patent issues.
What can retailers take away from the study?
- Your invalidity jury instruction is critical. Do not let your jury instructions be an after thought.
- Getting an i4i-type instruction significantly increases your chances of invalidating a patent before a jury.
- Of course, it is less clear that a judge’s analysis will change upon summary judgment. Although Schwartz and Seaman did not test this, my expectation is that summary judgment invalidity rates will not change based upon i4i.
- There is significant value in asserting prior art that was not considered by the Patent Office.
- The desire for prior art not considered by the Patent Office puts a premium on non-patent prior art searches, like those offered by Article One, among others.
Finally, here is the i4i instruction used by Schwartz and Seaman:
Clear and convincing evidence is evidence that shows it is highly probable that the patent was obvious. This is a higher standard of proof than a preponderance of the evidence, which means more probable than not. However, clear and convincing evidence is lower than the beyond a reasonable doubt standard used in criminal cases.
The burden of proving obviousness is more easily satisfied when, as in this case, the prior art on which the claim of obviousness is based was not considered by the Examiner.
|
<urn:uuid:18a8043c-a80e-45f0-b9be-581e822f2f43>
|
CC-MAIN-2013-20
|
http://www.chicagoiplitigation.com/tag/microsoft/
|
s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368696381249/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516092621-00009-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz
|
en
| 0.955257
| 883
| 1.507813
| 2
|
Most Active Stories
KRWG.ORG-The Region's Home Page
Sun October 28, 2012
With Barbs, Author Becomes Literary Star In China
Originally published on Sun October 28, 2012 5:41 pm
Not so long ago, many Chinese commentators wrote in a cautious, oblique style designed not to offend the nation's famously humorless leaders — then came the Internet, blogs and a cheeky young man named Han Han.
The voice of China's post-'80s generation, Han is ironic, skeptical and blunt — writing what many young Chinese think but dare not say publicly.
Now 30 years old, Han has boy-band good looks, drives race cars and has 8 million followers on the Chinese equivalent of Twitter.
A collection of his satiric essays is out this month for the first time in English. It's called This Generation: Dispatches From China's Most Popular Literary Star (and Race Car Driver).
Han aims his sarcastic barbs at a wide range of targets in Chinese government and society, from the state education system:
-- "I participated in quite a few essay competitions. Before each event, I had to first brainwash myself and check to see what slogans were in fashion."
To the rule of law:
-- "We learned that the first article of the Constitution is: 'If we say you're guilty, you're guilty.' "
And the growing gap between the rulers and the ruled:
-- "The main contradiction in China today is between the growing intelligence of the population and rapidly waning morality of our officials."
Icon Of A Reform-Minded Generation
Han says he hopes his writings will encourage some of those officials to change China's system.
"I hope intellectuals and the public can put more pressure on them, pushing them to reform," Han says. "They will only reform when there is pressure. If they are quite comfortable without feeling any pressure and making easy money, why reform?"
Han says he developed his pointed style of writing after years of suffering through dreadful prose in China's public schools, "terrified," he says, by articles that were unreadable and boring. As a young student, Han first took aim at the nearest authority figure.
"At that time, I would write articles about my dissatisfaction, including what's bad about the school and the teachers," Han says. "But the silliest thing I did was I handed the articles to my teachers, who felt very unhappy after reading them, saying you can't write this way."
Later, in the freer era of the Internet, he could, and did, become a star.
Eric Abrahamsen, who runs the Chinese literary consulting and publishing company Paper Republic in Beijing, likens Han to another generation that challenged the status-quo.
"If we're talking about America in particular, you'd have to go back to the counterculture era of the '60s because that is what's really happening in China now," Abrahamsen says. "You have a younger generation that's rising up against a more conservative, more staid, more restricted, older generation in trying to throw off that yoke of authority. You'd have to go back to Bob Dylan or J.D. Salinger."
Abrahamsen is quick to note that Han is not in the same league with those icons, but does capture the dissatisfactions of many Chinese youths.
Less Critical, And More Criticized
If Han is a generational symbol, he doesn't seem like it in person.
He works out of a sparsely furnished apartment in a residential tower in a down-market part of Shanghai. Sitting on a beat-up couch next to a bookshelf littered with empty Coke cans and old, foreign magazines in his office, Han is polite, engaging and soft-spoken.
In the last year, though, Han has come under fire for supporting the slow, evolutionary change of China's authoritarian system, instead of democracy.
"If you are against the system and are to overthrow it, of course it's a good thing, but sometimes you may pay a high price for that," Han says. "The system can be turned into a mere figurehead. Under these circumstances, you are probably paying the lowest price. And as you change and everyone changes, the system will probably change as well."
This sort of talk disappoints Andrea Liu, a 27-year-old who works in the Shanghai financial industry and one-time Han fan.
"Now, his stuff feels like it's written by a middle-aged person or an old guy," Liu says. "For example, those blog posts on democracy, his general idea was — this is what our society is like and we can't change it. He seems to have lost his edge."
Some critics think Han has been pressured by the Communist Party to tone down his writing.
Han denies it and suggests that no matter what he writes, he's bound to be criticized.
To make himself clear, he switches for the first and only time from Mandarin to English.
"Sometimes I write some article, maybe the article is not good for the Chinese government," Han says. "They say I took money from America. Sometimes, I write some article that says the government is right. They say I take money from the government. So in China, lots of people think somebody [who does] something had to take money."
In China's increasingly open public debate almost no one is spared. People are freer to question authority and challenge each other — especially major figures like Han Han.
|
<urn:uuid:a7cb13fb-084e-4ff1-ad19-df22084d4948>
|
CC-MAIN-2013-20
|
http://krwg-tv.org/post/barbs-author-becomes-literary-star-china
|
s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368696382584/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516092622-00008-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz
|
en
| 0.974421
| 1,142
| 1.679688
| 2
|
By Andy Mannix
By Caleb Hannan
By Olivia LaVecchia
By CP Staff
By Aaron Rupar
By Jacob Wheeler
By Olivia LaVecchia
By Aaron Rupar
AT THE END of the 1996 session, Minnesota legislators hoping to provide some relief to the state's overcrowded prison system authorized $89 million for a new 800-bed facility in Rush City.
But lawmakers and corrections officials acknowledge that the new prison--to be completed and online by 2000--will not ease overcrowding. Without fundamental changes in corrections policies, they say, conditions will worsen as the system becomes overwhelmed by a flood of new offenders serving longer sentences. If unchecked, prison spending will claim a greater share of the state's discretionary spending, taking progressively more dollars away from health care and education. By the time the Rush City prison is completed, corrections spending will cost taxpayers as much as $234 million annually--not including construction costs for any additional facilities--and prisons will still be overcrowded.
"With our projections right now," says Minnesota Department of Corrections Assistant Deputy Commissioner Mark Thielen, "we will still be between 300 and 500 beds short after the new prison opens... even if no new laws are on the books." Currently, according to Thielen, the system operates at about 105 percent of capacity and houses nearly 4,800 inmates. Conditions at the system's close-custody facilities in Stillwater and St. Cloud, where potentially violent inmates are confined, are worse. Stillwater currently exceeds its capacity by 8 percent, and in St. Cloud, 829 men are confined in a prison built for only 698. The Rush City project will be a close-custody prison.
But Thielen's projection is generous, according to a report recently prepared by the Minnesota Department of Planning at the request of Gov. Arne Carlson. More likely, the report says, the total bed shortage will exceed 800 by 1998, climbing to nearly 1,200 by the time the Rush City prison opens. Even after the new facility opens, the planning department projects the shortfall to be around 600, reaching more than 900 by the year 2005 when more than 6,600 people will be behind bars in Minnesota prisons.
Daniel Storkamp, one of the report's authors, points to four factors behind the surge: changing social demographics, increased arrest rates, the drug war, and rigid sentencing guidelines. People under the age of 25 account for more than two-thirds of the arrests and apprehensions for violent crimes in Minnesota. Moreover, the number of people between the ages of 18 and 24 is expected to increase dramatically by the year 2005. The result, says Storkamp, will be more young people in the prison system, where they already account for more than one-third of the total population. Without some sort of preventive measures, he adds, that number will go through the roof.
But both men agree the biggest factor behind the surging inmate population has been a series of policy decisions designed to make criminal penalties more punitive. Storkamp points out that the Legislature has enacted 37 new or enhanced felony sanctions since 1989.
In addition to a host of new drug sanctions, the Legislature in 1989 doubled the sentence lengths for serious crimes and increased by 13 years the minimum amount of prison time that inmates who receive life sentences must serve before being considered for parole. In 1992, lawmakers established life sentences without parole for first-degree murders tied to sexual assault and for repeat sex offenders. Of course, stiffer penalties for less heinous offenses such as drunk driving and domestic abuse were also put in place, effectively doubling the prison population. But the real effect, he said, has not yet been felt.
"For example," the report says, "adding 13 years to the 17 years formerly served by most offenders for a life sentence will not intensify bed shortages until the year 2006, 17 years after the law went into effect."
To deal with the looming increases brought on by today's get-tough-on-crime mentality, Thielen says, Minnesotans had best be prepared to fund a lot of new prisons: "When you have continuing get-tough legislation, you're going to have to keep building prisons. I think our corrections dollars could be spent in different ways."
|
<urn:uuid:e3ed39b5-9837-4352-afe1-5a9082dd37ed>
|
CC-MAIN-2013-20
|
http://www.citypages.com/1996-05-15/news/packing-the-prisons/
|
s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368710006682/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516131326-00027-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz
|
en
| 0.950235
| 871
| 1.757813
| 2
|
Graham Greene was a master novelist. He created characters that were amazingly true-to-life, sketched from deep reservoirs of life experience. He assigned them bland, nondescriptive names, and stuck them in impossible situations and exotic locales.
The Comedians finds Mr. Brown the protagonist – if he can be called that – aboard a ship bound for Haiti. We never learn his first name, but we know that he is a drifter, a bit of a loner. He is a hotelier that has seen better days. He had the misfortune of inheriting a hotel in 1950's Haiti, and as the narrative opens, is returning from an unsuccessful attempt to sell it off in New York City. The ship is filled with mysterious, eccentric characters who will all play greater and fuller roles in the plot that is about to unfold.
Mr. and Mrs. Smith – the idealistic Americans – are on their way to Haiti to start a vegetarian center. (They claim that the passions of man have been aroused by eating meat, and that a vegetarian diet would effect peace on earth.) Mr. Jones is a war hero with a fondness for braggadocio who is more than he seems to be. All are playing a part that was not originally theirs – hence the title, "The Comedians."
Despite its good understanding of the Haitian culture and mindset, The Comedians is still a tourist at heart – thoroughly Western in its disillusioned monotone. It avoids lingering on the power or class struggles raging down the hill from Brown's hotel in the center of the city, but instead focuses on the characters' emotions, reactions, and insecurities – perhaps in a way giving muted voice to Greene's own. Indeed, all of Graham's proud, flawed characters are stunningly and utterly flawed, and they steal the reader's captivation. All are selfish and manipulative, perhaps merely variations on the same theme. It is Brown – by far the strongest character – who sets the tone with his moody narrative, punctuated with infrequent jabs at U.S. foreign policy and the Duvalier establishment.
|
<urn:uuid:1c47fb5e-d5dd-4f94-8e30-3df4700c16db>
|
CC-MAIN-2013-20
|
http://blogcritics.org/books/article/walking-the-interminable-flats/
|
s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368698207393/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516095647-00007-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz
|
en
| 0.97407
| 433
| 1.59375
| 2
|
Ottawa is among one of the places in world whose rich culture and several attractions have made it very popular among tourists. This capital city of Canada has a number of architectural attractions and monuments to see. If you are planning a visit to Ottawa, you should include following attractions in your tour list as your visit would be incomplete without seeing these attractions.
Canadian Museum of Civilization
Canadian Museum of Civilization is most popular and most visited museum of Canada. It is located along Ottawa River and is being managed by Canadian Museum of Civilization Corporation. This museum is featured with four galleries which are as follows:
- Grand Hall: This is the first level of the museum which houses largest colored photograph in the world. Moreover, this gallery is famous for colossal Spirit of Haida Gwaii pattern which is created by famous artist Bill Reid.
- First Peoples Hall: Located at the first level of this museum, this gallery shows the history of Aboriginal People of Canada. Here you can view exhibitions displaying life styles of First Peoples. Tourists are provided with useful information on 20000 years of history.
- Canada Hall: Canada Hall is located at the third level of museum and gives information to tourists on modern history of Canada. Period costumes have also been displayed here for visitors’ interest. The main features of this hall are Basque whaling ship and Airport lounge.
- Face to Face (The Canadian Personalities Hall): This gallery is located at the uppermost level of this museum. It was opened in June 2007 and is featured with profile of world famous personalities of Canada such as authors, politicians and artists.
Dows Lake Pavilion
Located in the center point of Ottawa city, this pavilion is a popular tourist spot providing many recreational facilities. The best time to visit this beautiful lake is summer time because in winter, the lake freezes and you can only do skating on frozen platform of this lake. In summer season, you can visit this lake to enjoy boating in its warm waters. You can also refresh your mind and body with cool breeze of Dows Lake Pavilion. Besides outing, boating and skating, you can also enjoy a memorable dining experience as there are many refreshment corners and eateries here on Dows Lake Pavilion.
Royal Canadian Mint
Royal Canadian Mint is an organization that is known for its skills in making coins. This organization produces all Canadian coins, tokens, foreign currency, medals and Maple Leaf bullion coins. Royal Canadian Mint was actually established to produce only Canadian coins, but now it has acquired a good reputation for outstanding quality all over the world. The gold Maple Leaf coin produced by this organization is said to be 99.99% pure.
Canadian War Museum
This museum is located at the banks of Ottawa River and has become a landmark of this city. Its marvelous building is an attraction in itself and the facilities provided at this museum include a restaurant, underground parking, a theatre having 250 seats and bus pick up and drop off areas. Canadian War Museum hosts a number of interesting exhibitions which include the following:
- The First Floor Gallery provides a description about history of Canadian military starting from pre-European period to the end of World War I.
- The Hall of Honor displays collections related to military history through stories of 40 war heroes.
- The Second Floor Gallery shows exhibitions on World War II.
- Canada’s Peacekeepers Gallery shows collections related to recent military history.
- The Discovery Room has some interesting and interactive displays and here, you can also try military uniforms.
If you are addicted to water sports, then Rideau Canal will prove to be a dream destination for you. This canal is very beautiful and surrounded by many lakes and rivers which are linked by Rideau Canal. At Rideau Canal, you can enjoy a number of activities like:
While hiking, you can enjoy an opportunity to see local wildlife of this region. Local restaurants are also located here to provide you with delicious local specialties. There are also great facilities including barbecue spots, picnic areas, washrooms and much more.
These are some must-visit attractions of Ottawa which you can visit to make your trip enjoyable and memorable.
|
<urn:uuid:96d8e424-a951-4242-803e-2cdcd2be476d>
|
CC-MAIN-2013-20
|
http://mojotravel.wordpress.com/2011/08/03/must-visit-attractions-in-ottawa/
|
s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368705559639/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516115919-00019-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz
|
en
| 0.967532
| 838
| 1.835938
| 2
|
One of my long time favorite web site references is the Internet Movie Database (IMDb), not only because of its comprehensive depth and breadth of information about movies and TV shows, but also because it is rich in data- you can go from a movie summary to follow the works of its director or lead actors, via hyperlinks. It is the site I reach to for learning about or making links to movies.
And IMDb now has a new feature I really like- lists you can make and share.
But before that, a little more honor about IMDb- I can recall coming across it from my earliest web days in 1993- it is one of the oldest reference web sites I can think of- way before Wikipedia, way before search engines. In fact, it celebrated its 20th birthday last year, and cites its origin as pre-web (1990):
The lists that continue to be the backbone of the Internet Movie Database existed before October 17,1990… They were originally collected and maintained by a hearty group of movie fans who frequented a Usenet group (a text bulletin board) called “rec.arts.movies.” The lists included the credits for actors, actresses, and directors, as well as biographical entries for moviemakers who had passed on (known back then as “the ‘dead’ list”). But we mark the date because on October 17th, our founder, Col Needham, wrote a series of Unix shell scripts which made these lists searchable. The ability to search existing data is one of the key components of the Web experience, and it immediately made the lists more meaningful and useful. Though the new name was still six years off, the Internet Movie Database was, in essence, born.
And IMDb has not slowed down since, adding more user generated content (reviews and forums) as well as the handy mobile apps (so you can settle arguments at the theater or coffee shop). What I had forgotten was that in the late 1990s IMDb was bought by Amazon CEO Jeff Bezos, but they have a relatively low profile there, beyond the links to buy movies.
Ok, back to lists. I was tweeting tonight about my possible movie topic for the ds106 video essay assignment — and people were suggesting movies of a similar genre, so where else would I turn besides IMDb? I started bookmarking movies in my browser (old school), until I noticed that IMDb had a new “Add to Watchlist” button- now that makes total sense.
And by some luck or action action, I already had an IMBd account, so I was able to login and start adding movies to a watch list. The other piece I noticed here was hovering over the movie box icons, I got summary info, and links to buy, or in this case, watch on Demand from Amazon (something I get with my Amazon Prime account for free, woot, thanks Jeff!)
I thought I saw a way to share a Watchlist via twitter/facebook, but cannot find a shareable URL, and now it is saying my lis is private. Oh well.
But there is more you can do- you can create other lists of movies on IMDb- so people are making lists of their favorites or collections of best comedies or worst horror movies, but I was thinking, there is something people can do related to ds106 -like as we move into the video, the movies they have watched for influence or ones they are using for projects– so I started my own ds106 one for movies related to projects I have done – this is a list you can make public and share via URL:
Or one could make assignments where people have to build lists of movies according to a theme or… well, I’m just starting the idea machine. But the ideas for lists are compelling.
The Sharing Movie Lists from IMDb by CogDogBlog, unless otherwise expressly stated, is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 3.0 Unported License.
|
<urn:uuid:b9759291-373d-475e-9a4b-1e9ac7becca6>
|
CC-MAIN-2013-20
|
http://cogdogblog.com/2011/03/27/imdb/
|
s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368705953421/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516120553-00002-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz
|
en
| 0.960902
| 831
| 1.578125
| 2
|
We recently reported on the defacement of John Hejduk’s Kreuzberg Tower and Wings in Berlin, the architect’s poetic 1988 project built as part of the IBA program. After an international outpouring of angst over the developer’s “renovation” of the building—in just two weeks, more than 3,000 people signed an online petition, with testimonials penned by architects including Peter Eisenman, Steven Holl, Thom Mayne, and others—the building’s managers, BerlinHaus GmbH, have now said they will meet with the design community to take public opinion into consideration, and perhaps rethink their plans.
Hejduk’s daughter Renata, who has helped lead the charge to save the structure, told AN in an email that Berlin officials will soon take the matter under official consideration:
The Berlin Senate has convened a special “baukollegium” to look into the specific matter of my father’s building and the general matter of guidelines and stewardship of the IBA ’87 buildings. I’m flying to Berlin on Friday to meet with the Senate members who are now on this special commission and, apparently, the architect for the developer, the developer, as well as myself (with a couple of the architects from Save Hejduk posse) will be presenting at this meeting.
Thus far, representatives from the Berlin Senate have personally expressed their support for the Hejduk building, and the broader international response has had a major impact. “The support of the international architectural community has been astounding for all involved, and has definitely been a major factor in shifting the discussion,” Robert Slinger, an architect and one of the preservation campaign’s advocates, told AN.
Among those rallying to the tower’s cause was Michael Sorkin, who wrote an appreciation of the structure with characteristic verve. “The good news of the renovation of John Hejduk’s wonderful Berlin Tower is betrayed by the whimsical vandalism of its ‘restorers,’” he said. “What next? Perhaps the Blue Mosque would be more satisfying in pink.”
Post new comment
|
<urn:uuid:251599c4-ad51-4d73-a070-80f162ab6daf>
|
CC-MAIN-2013-20
|
http://blog.archpaper.com/wordpress/archives/7159
|
s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368706890813/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516122130-00029-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz
|
en
| 0.960898
| 466
| 1.507813
| 2
|
Laura Mandell has placed on update on 18thConnect that indicates that an agreement has been reached for 18thConnect to work with Gale. There’s a recorded link to her ALA talk that is not opening for me as well as the following news about a grant the project has received from ICHASS:
18thConnect: From PDF Images to Clean Data Sets, led by the University of Illinois’ Robert Markley, will use supercomputer time to run a parallelized optical character recognition (OCR) program on pages of images of 18th century printed texts, made available through its collaboration with Gale Group. The resulting archive of machine-readable 18th-century texts in history, literature, art, the sciences, and the emerging social sciences will be accessible to scholars for faceted searching, automated semantic tagging, hand encoding of digital scholarly editions, and data mining. By converting a vast archive of images into machine-readable texts, this project will provide a model for adapting OCR programs to field-specific problems that must be solved in order to preserve the full range of our cultural heritage.
I am hoping that Laura and Bob may be able to tell us more.
|
<urn:uuid:7243bd88-d9be-4bbd-bcfd-8473202bfa2c>
|
CC-MAIN-2013-20
|
http://earlymodernonlinebib.wordpress.com/2009/07/25/update-on-18thconnect/
|
s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368698207393/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516095647-00024-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz
|
en
| 0.951311
| 240
| 1.578125
| 2
|
Obviously I did not understand the potential consequences of this amendment.
I do not remember hearing or reading anything about the ratchet clause imbedded in the legislation. What I do remember hearing was that the amendment would make it possible for voters to control government spending. What is that old saying, the "devil is in the details"? Moreover, none of us would have guessed that a recession would soon be upon us, and I certainly was not concerned about putting state revenues aside for "rainy days."
I recognize that there are differences of opinion regarding the extent to which TABOR contributed to the budget crisis that began occurring in the late 1990s. However, there should be wide agreement that TABOR, in general, and the ratchet clause, in particular, have made it impossible to recover from the economic downturn we have experienced in Colorado. In fact, things have gotten so bad that Don Childears, President of the Colorado Bankers Association, stated that "bankers all over the state see daily the damage to education, transportation and economic viability - as businesses and jobs go elsewhere, where they get these fundamentals." These concerns have been echoed by over 1,000 large and small businesses and civic groups in Colorado.
Have we experienced the worst of these unintended consequences? I certainly hope so. I am encouraged that Referenda C and D are on the November ballot because it appears to me that they provide the best route out of our current crisis. These referenda make it possible for the first time in over a decade to use all the revenue we collect to begin to rebuild and support basic services in health care, transportation, and education, and provide the flexibility to be able to respond to unforseen crises in a timely fashion. If we do not pass Referenda C and D, I am very fearful of what will happen in Colorado.
A little over 100 years ago (1893) Colorado was the first state in the nation to pass a ballot measure giving women the right to vote. Coloradoans at that time set the stage for unprecedented legislation that extended the right to control one's destiny to all its citizens. How noble and far reaching that legislation was. Now, many people appear to have become focused more upon their own insatiable self-interest. Tony Hillerman, in Skeleton Man, described such attitudes as the "greed sickness. " These attitudes often appear to be accompanied by a belief that government is a cancer that must be excised from our society. The combination of such attitudes and the restrictive legislation built into TABOR, have led to the situation where Colorado is at or nearly at the bottom on funding for all basic services. The time is ripe to correct the unintended consequences of TABOR. We need to implement budget policies that support efforts throughout the state to view and use revenues as investments in Colorado's future, and as a means to rediscover and support the common good. Referenda C and D are a good step in the right direction.
|< Prev||Next >|
|
<urn:uuid:b9d24ad1-5fc0-4a6e-8324-2b572da2aa1c>
|
CC-MAIN-2013-20
|
http://www.thecherrycreeknews.com/opinion-colorado-othermenu-106/184-unintended-consequences.html
|
s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368704713110/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516114513-00036-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz
|
en
| 0.970222
| 614
| 1.773438
| 2
|
What Does My Retirement Mean to Me?
By Catherine Lopez-Brown
After being retired for two years, I began to feel like I needed to have a purpose in life. What am I going to do with all the education and training I worked so hard to get for the last 35 years? I climbed the mountain to become a teacher and now it seems like something is missing. I had a mission before, to teach my students well. Being retired now and having lunch with friends is not enough.
As a very young child, I loved creating clothes for my dolls. I don’t think I knew what a fashion designer was but as I grew older and started making my own clothes for school. I learned to create beautiful clothing that was inexpensive. My sister and I had one of a kind outfits made from Simplicity patterns and the fabric of our choice. We were lucky to live on a farm with seven acres of apple trees. My mother would sell a couple of bushels of apples and then we would go to TG&Y to buy fabric. I loved the way new fabric smelled and I loved the feel of the fabric in my hands. I loved having the prettiest clothes at school.
I was always very shy. I don’t think I talked to anyone. I joined 4-H when I was very young, at about age eight. I stayed in 4-H until I was eighteen. I learned to sew and cook, yes! But more importantly I learned to talk! I gave speeches and talks called demonstrations. I was chosen one of five in the state of New Mexico to go to a 4-H Youth Conference in Washington, D. C., when I was sixteen. I was from a small town. I went shopping in Albuquerque for school clothes once a year.
I didn’t want to get married out of high school, because I didn’t want to be trapped. I wanted to see the world. I went to NMSU for three years. Then I did get married and had two wonderful sons who are married now and wonderful sons of their own. I divorced their father after seven years of marriage and raised my boys alone, finished college with a teaching credential.
When I graduated from college, I used my tax refund check and went on a European vacation. I visited ten countries in eighteen days. I saw the Northern Lights in Lucerne, Switzerland, swam in the Mediterranean Sea, went on canal boat and was sung to in Venice. I climbed the highest castle tower in Segovia, Spain.
Most days though, I spent going to school each day with a smile because I loved teaching and taking my boys to baseball and football practices and games. One spring day I was invited to climb a mountain with a group of high school students. I climbed highest peak of the Organ Mountains! I was surprised to see a carpet of ladybugs at the top. I didn’t want to go to the top. I begged them to come back for me, I made it. I was very sore for two weeks and had to pluck out 100 little cactus thorns in my arms. I was wearing long sleeves. I was amazed that I could do it.
Retirement allowed me to return to those childhood memories. Retirement gave me the freedom to explore the more creative areas of my brain. At first, I wrote a short book about each of my seven grandchildren and made up lively adventures. Then I started volunteering at a charitable organization. I had the idea that I could teach people who were out of a job how to be an entrepreneur, but I had different people each time.
I kept going to look at the closet full of beautiful fabrics I collected over the years waiting to become beautiful creations, just waiting for me to start my new business. I started making decorative carpet bag backpacks and tried selling them on ESTY. I sold one, gave away six.
Now I have the time and the freedom to take business classes and start my own business. I learned how to create a website, ordered business cards, and wrote an elevator speech. I intend to sell the clothing I create for an underserved market. When I go shopping I notice that there’s not much variety for people over the age of 55. The clothing styles are either too low in the cleavage, see-through, tight and are limited to different varieties of plaid for men.
It feels like I’m climbing Mt. Everest, I’m at the planning my trip stage and I found field guides, mentors and teachers that are really helping me navigate the business community with excellent networking opportunities and classes.
But what time of the year do I start? How do I start? I studied the competition and I finished my business plan. I have a little bit of starting capitol. I have the designs and prototypes and now for the trip up the mountain. I have to find a manufacturer that can take my product step by step to the next level. Do I manufacturer a few at first or shall I order in bulk? It’s more like did I bring enough water for the trip?
I have every intention of selling my product, but I can’t get over the next ledge. It’s a bit scary and I don’t want to look down, because I worked so hard to get here. I want to find my niche, that place where sales take off and my product is wildly popular.
I have the energy and the enthusiasm for going all the way to the top. I know I can make it! I meditate in prayerful concentration on clearing my mind of worry. I smile and send love out into the world and the world answers me with love. I am married to the old wise man at the top of the mountain and he guides me with love and respect. I am writing my future now as I did in the past as an elementary teacher. I realize that the future can only be learned by doing and possibly making mistakes. I will slip on the mountain, but I will get back up and keep up my trek to the top and to success.
|
<urn:uuid:19667145-0d62-4dda-849c-237bdeba592d>
|
CC-MAIN-2013-20
|
http://www.more.com/print/404514?page=2
|
s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368698207393/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516095647-00022-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz
|
en
| 0.986373
| 1,256
| 1.5
| 2
|
A private college outside of Chicago has begun asking potential students about their sexual orientation in a move the school says is aimed at increasing campus diversity.
Here’s the question on the application for those students hoping to attend Elmhurst College in the fall of 2012: “Would you consider yourself to be a member of the LGBT (lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgendered) community?” The three multiple-choice answers: “Yes,” “No” and “Prefer Not to Answer.”
According to the Chicago Sun-Times, the addition of the question to the school's application makes the college the first in the U.S. to ask potential students directly about their sexual orientation or gender identity.
School officials say that, like questions about race or religion, the question is completely optional and will have no impact on an applicants' chances of admission. Still, those who answer “yes” may be eligible for a scholarship worth up to one-third of the cost of tuition, according to the paper.
“Increasing diversity is part of our mission statement,” said Gary Rold, the school's dean of admissions. “This is simply closing the loop, in many ways, of another group who has a very strong identity. It may not be race and religion but it’s an important part of who they are.”
While Elmhurst appears to be the first school to ask the question directly, other college’s applications give students the opportunity to identify themselves indirectly.
The Sun-Times explains: "At Dartmouth College, for example, students can check boxes of activities that might interest them, including LGBT-centered activities. At the University of Pennsylvania, students who write in their application essay that they are gay can be paired with a mentor."
|
<urn:uuid:fb9617aa-deeb-46ad-9b1c-99b3ef22aa9e>
|
CC-MAIN-2013-20
|
http://slatest.slate.com/posts/2011/08/25/elmhurst_college_lgbt_school_becomes_first_to_ask_directly_about.html
|
s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368710006682/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516131326-00023-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz
|
en
| 0.956615
| 377
| 1.6875
| 2
|
TransCanada plans South Dakota campCOLOME, S.D. -- TransCanada Corp. plans to build a workforce camp just south of Colome if the Keystone XL pipeline gains approval.
By: ANNA JAUHOLA, Forum News Service
COLOME, S.D. -- TransCanada Corp. plans to build a workforce camp just south of Colome if the Keystone XL pipeline gains approval.
Jeff Rauh, project representative for TransCanada, said in an interview with The Mitchell (S.D.) Daily Republic that the company would construct a workforce camp to accommodate 300 people living in RVs and campers. Colome, located in south-central South Dakota, has a population of 296.
“It will have a water supply, power supply and facilities to accommodate wastewater as well,” Rauh said. “We are evaluating options for that wastewater disposal, including discussions with the city of Chamberlain.”
TransCanada plans to lease 50 acres for the camp, Rauh said, and would keep the camp on the property for one to two years. The location is about one mile south of Colome.
The wastewater for the camp would likely be placed in holding tanks that can be hauled by truck to a wastewater facility, he said.
Rauh said TransCanada is working with area power suppliers, local governments for zoning requirements and certification for lodging facilities, and requirements for the health and safety of those in the camp.
“We’re working with the local community as well,” Rauh said.
The economic impact on Colome and surrounding communities will be significant, he added.
“The use of workforce camps is something we do to manage the impact and to make sure in areas without adequate housing facilities that the workforce can be accommodated without overwhelming those existing facilities,” Rauh said.
TransCanada also plans to construct workforce camps near Howes in Meade County and near Buffalo, S.D., in Harding County.
The existing Keystone pipeline starts in Hardisty, Alberta, and carries tar sands crude oil through North Dakota, eastern South Dakota and Nebraska. Branches from Steele City, Neb., go to refineries in Patoka, Ill., and Cushing, Okla.
The Keystone XL pipeline would also start in Hardisty, Alberta, cross the northeast corner of Montana, and pass through South Dakota and Nebraska, finally reaching Steele City. An extension of Keystone XL continues south from the existing Keystone line at Cushing to refineries in Port Arthur, Texas, and Houston. That segment is considered a standalone effort known as the Gulf Coast Project. It was approved last year, and construction began in August.
Approval for the rest of the Keystone XL project is still pending, but some lawmakers are working to push it forward. House Budget Chairman Paul Ryan, R-Wis., pushed for a mandatory approval of the pipeline in his budget proposal.
Sen. John Hoeven, R-N.D., and Sen. Max Baucus, D-Mont., introduced a bill Thursday to give Congress power to approve the pipeline’s construction, rather than leaving the decision up to President Barack Obama.
|
<urn:uuid:223bd852-6820-49d4-bb79-0546c25b2984>
|
CC-MAIN-2013-20
|
http://www.thedickinsonpress.com/event/article/id/66563/group/homepage/
|
s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368703682988/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516112802-00010-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz
|
en
| 0.942287
| 659
| 1.757813
| 2
|
OTTAWA - The federal cabinet minister responsible for the status of women is condemning advertisements running in B.C. that offer gender selection for couples wanting a baby.
Rona Ambrose says she's disturbed by the ads that target B.C.'s Indo-Canadian community.
A clinic in Bellevue, Wash., offers pre-conception gender determination services for what the ads call "family balancing purposes".
Ambrose says it's clear the ads are targeting cultural attitudes that perpetuate discrimination against girls.
She says the ads run contrary to Canadian values where men and women are equal under the law.
Ambrose says she condemns the practice of sex selection through in-vitro technology and is urging Canadian publishers to reject advertisements from clinics offering such services.
|
<urn:uuid:f030385f-e930-4fa6-9987-bc74f2fb0118>
|
CC-MAIN-2013-20
|
http://www.huffingtonpost.ca/2012/04/23/gender-selection-ads_n_1446961.html?ref=canada
|
s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368697974692/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516095254-00014-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz
|
en
| 0.931248
| 154
| 1.539063
| 2
|
On Sunday, 50 of us stood an hour in the snow, rain and hail for a simple peace vigil at the Los Alamos National Labs in New Mexico. There we protested the Obama Administration’s new state-of-the-art plutonium bomb factory (the CMRR) and prayed for the abolition of nuclear weapons.
Our gathering was not unlike the scores of peace vigils that occur each week across the country -- on street corners, in front of Federal Buildings, and at military installations.
But this particular gathering was the culmination of the annual Pacific Life Community weekend retreat, held amid the red rocks of the Jemez mountains near Jemez Pueblo, N.M. Each year, activists of faith and conscience from across the West Coast gather to pray, study, reflect, compare notes and build community.
What makes these retreats unique is that they end, not with a private liturgy, but with a public witness at some major U.S. military site. Two years ago I attended the gathering at Vandenberg Air Force Base in Central California; last year friends gathered at the Trident Submarine Base in Bangor, Washington. And now Los Alamos.
Protests at Los Alamos are rare, even though, in my opinion, it is the most evil place on earth. Nuclear weapons inflict the greatest terrorism; they are the ultimate terrorist threat. It follows like an Aristotelian syllogism: Los Alamos, therefore, is the ultimate terrorist training camp.
On Sunday, going to Los Alamos felt particularly dangerous -- not just because were under hot police and FBI surveillance, but because of the ice and snow. It made for treacherous driving up the mountainous road, on the teetering edge of staggering cliffs. I confess to an excess amount of worry as my jeep made it up the incline, my knuckles white and pulse racing. But once at the summit, I found it a blessing to be among friends in prayer.
Along the way, I drove pass the Church of the Immaculate Heart of Mary, which always breaks my own heart. There, out front, she stands -- Mary in bronze holding her heart in her hand. Near the entranceway burbles a little pool for peace, worth thousands, a tribute to St. Francis. In honor of Mother Teresa nearby sits a beautiful stone bench. Etched on the side: “The greatest destroyer of peace today is abortion.”
Every Sunday the parishioners pass by and eye the monuments they’ve erected and complaisantly regard themselves as pro-lifers. But come Monday, back to work they go, back to the Labs, oblivious of the deadly work they do. A staggering incongruity. The Labs are staffed by vast numbers of Christians, church-goers of all sorts, a goodly number of them Catholic, yet their work blasphemes the God who calls us to make peace.
As for our motley assortment of protesters, passersby must have dismissed us as a foolish lot. But to the extent that we acted, as best we might, in unconditional love, in creative nonviolence, in heartfelt prayer, then our effectiveness cannot be measured. It can’t be measured any more than the Mass or the sacraments can be measured. Who can gauge the transcendent? All sacramental actions are, first and foremost, life-changing, disarming and healing for those who participate. And the promise stands. Our actions will bear good fruit in God's good time.
One can’t help but wonder, though, how makers of homicidal weapons keep it up. How do they suppress inevitable nagging doubts? Turns out the Labs spend a fortune on sophisticated PR campaigns -- “to keep up the morale of the workers,” we’ve been told. The slogans and jingles -- “Where Discoveries Are Made” is the latest, hanging from banners on telephone posts throughout town -- they’re meant to persuade employees that they provide the last line of security for the nation, that they are the true peacemakers.
More, things are so tightly arranged -- tasks and knowledge -- as to create a sense of diffusion. No one feels accountable for the Bomb; the work is carefully and finely divided up, responsibility spread thin. And that’s why we come. Our modest presence, we hope, breaks the veneer, sheds a light, names the work as evil. We come to call everyone to accept responsibility for this evil work -- beginning with ourselves.
While gathered at the foot of the towering snowy mountains, I walked around and asked friends why they had made the journey. “I came because the threatened increase in nuclear weapons has to be stopped, and this is the key place to start,” said Betsy Lamb of Bend, Oregon.
“This is the heart of the nuclear threat,” said Franciscan Fr. Jerry Zawada of Tucson, Ariz., “and the nuclear threat is the ultimate slap in the face of God, so I’ve come to join with those who yearn for the end of the nuclear threat.”
“I came with my two children, Rozella, age 10, and Thomas, age 9, to witness for life and a new future of peace for them,” said Tensie Hernandez of Beatitude House, in Guadalupe, Calif.
“I came here because I think our country was conceived and born in violence, and continues to expand itself as an empire of violence,” said Larry Purcell of Redwood City, Calif. “The weapons produced here are the ultimate nightmare of violence. So I’m here to protest the notion that weapons which threaten the species give us security.”
“I’m here to help bring about a culture of life and to show that there are other ways to participate in our system besides casting a vote,” said Allison McGillivray, a young Catholic Worker from Southern California.
“The only future is a non-nuclear future, so I’ve come here to let my voice be heard,” said Bryce Fisher, a young Catholic Worker from Half Moon Bay, Calif.
“In this critical year for nuclear disarmament, it’s important that people in the U.S. show the world that we want to disarm the nuclear arsenal,” said Felice Cohen-Joppa of Tucson, Ariz., (director of www.nuclearresister.org). “So I’m here today to take personal responsibility for protesting and resisting my country’s nuclear weapons. We have to disarm now.”
“I’m here because it doesn’t make sense to invest four and a half billion dollars in a new nuclear weapons building [the CMRR] when we have so many other needs, such as healthcare, schools, jobs, housing and renewal energy and efficiency,” said Joni Arends, director of Concerned Citizens for Nuclear Safety (see: www.nuclearactive.org)
“I think it’s about time we got serious about reducing our nuclear weapons and working for nuclear disarmament,” said Ellie Voutselas of Santa Fe. “As a member of Pax Christi, it’s part of our mission to advocate for nuclear disarmament.”
“Here at Los Alamos, they’re preparing to obliterate the planet with no conscious knowledge of what they’re doing,” said Dominican Sr. Jackie Hudson of Poulsbo, Wash. “Every aspect of the nuclear issue means death to the planet. We must find a better way. We must put our money to life-giving activities.”
As we concluded our vigil, we stood in a large circle, held hands and for some 15 minutes prayed in silence. The snow grew heavier, but our hearts kept warm. The gathering, the gesture, the hope we derived from it -- it was all blessing.
Afterwards, 17 friends walked toward the area where the new CMRR bomb factory will be built. They wanted simply to say a prayer for disarmament, but they had crossed a line and faced arrest. This time, the head of security let them pass, and they offered their illegal prayer for peace.
Each Lent, we hear Jesus call us to repentance and conversion, and we try to follow him anew on the path of Gospel nonviolence. This year, in these terrible times, may the peace vigils continue, as well as the peace prayers and the peace actions. Undoubtedly, our prayers will be answered, our hearts will be disarmed, one day our weapons will be dismantled. And the blessings of peace will fall upon us all like mountain snow.
To contribute to Catholic Relief Services’ “Fr. John Dear Haiti Fund,” go to: http://donate.crs.org/goto/fatherjohn. On March 4, John will speak in Lexington, Ky., and on March 5-6, lead a retreat, “The Road to Peace,” in Atlanta, Ga., (see: www.paxchrististjude.webs.com He will also lead “The Gospel According to John,” April 30-May 2, near Stroudsburg, PA, see www.kirkridge.org; and“Gandhi, King, Day and Merton,” at Ghost Ranch Center, Abiquiu, NM, see www.ghostranch.org. John’s latest book, Daniel Berrigan: Essential Writings (Orbis), along with other recent books, A Persistent Peace and Put Down Your Sword, as well as Patricia Normile’s John Dear On Peace, are available from www.amazon.com. For further information, or to schedule a lecture, go to www.johndear.org
|
<urn:uuid:4d02f8f9-5802-40e3-b56d-31482e040291>
|
CC-MAIN-2013-20
|
http://ncronline.org/blogs/road-peace/peace-vigil-los-alamos
|
s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368705953421/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516120553-00003-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz
|
en
| 0.936371
| 2,064
| 1.765625
| 2
|
Atmel Corporation (ATML) reported a net income of $20.4 million or $0.05 compared to a net income of $32.9 million or $0.07 per diluted share in the fourth quarter of 2011 and a net income of $74.6 million or $0.16 in the first quarter of 2011.
The reported earnings beat the Zacks Consensus Estimate by a penny.
The company reported net sales of $357.8 million in the first quarter of 2012, down 22% year over year and 7% sequentially, in line with management’s guidance of revenues declining 6% – 11%. The revenue decline was better that management’s expectations due to stronger turns and the collection of the Asia distributor deferred revenue.
Atmel stated that the first quarter revenue was impacted by the ongoing customer rebalancing of their inventory and lower revenue, primarily within the aerospace business.
Atmel has invested heavily in its Microcontroller business during the downturn and released substantial number of new products in the past few quarters, which will benefit the business during industry recovery.
During the quarter, the industrial business stabilized during the first quarter after several weak quarters.
Consumer and automotive markets resumed growth in the quarter while communications and computational markets continued to be weak. Military and aerospace markets experienced a larger than normal decline after a very strong fourth quarter.
Atmel believes that the first quarter will mark the bottom of the cycle and the remainder of the year should post sequential growth in the coming quarters.
Microcontrollers business generated revenues of $218 million, was down 26% year over year but increased 1% sequentially. 8-bit microcontroller declined 2% sequentially and down 30% year-over-year. 32-bit microcontrollers increased 9% sequentially but decreased 12% year-over-year.
The company grew its maXTouch revenue sequentially during the first quarter. The launch of the Microsoft's new Windows 8 operating system is expected to usher in a new era of touch-enabled tablets, ultrabooks, convertible PCs and all-in-one PCs. Management expects to book a major chunk of this market.
The Non-Volatile Memory segment generated revenues of $48 million, down 13% sequentially and down 25% year over year. The sequential decline in the memory business was due to the end of life for some of the order legacy parallel flash products.
In the RF and Automotive segment, revenue declined 7% sequentially and down 14% year over year to $44 million due to weakness in the nonautomotive portion of the business, including a legacy foundry business.
The ASIC business segment generated revenues of $49 million, down 26% sequentially and down 9% year over year. This is primarily due to a decline in Aerospace and Military businesses.
Gross margin declined to 43.2% from 48.7% in the previous quarter due to factory under-utilization, lower revenues from the Aerospace business, which carries a higher than average gross margin, pricing pressure in some of the commodity product lines and higher excess inventory reserves. Operating margin came in at 9.9%, down from 17.9% in the previous quarter.
Balance Sheet and Cash Flows
The company ended the year with cash and cash equivalents of $288.3 million, down from $329.4 million at the end of the previous quarter. The decrease was due to share repurchase activity in the quarter.
Atmel generated $61 million of cash from operations in the first quarter and used $7 million in capital expenditures. During the first quarter, Atmel repurchased 9.5 million shares for $96.7 million.
Atmel was late to experience the softening industry environment, which began in the second half of 2011 and hence the recovery is also later than its peers like Microchip. Assuming a recovery in almost all end markets, Atmel projects revenues to increase by 2% - 6% sequentially in the first quarter of 2012. Gross margin is expected between 43.5% and 44.5%.
The results disappointed investors leading to an almost 8% decline in share-price.
ATMEL CORP (ATML): Free Stock Analysis Report
To read this article on Zacks.com click here.
Zacks Investment Research
|
<urn:uuid:77053135-b4af-46a8-abc0-3755a17de55d>
|
CC-MAIN-2013-20
|
http://www.advfn.com/news_Atmel-Beats-by-a-Penny-Analyst-Blog_52299980.html
|
s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368705559639/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516115919-00035-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz
|
en
| 0.954106
| 884
| 1.515625
| 2
|
Intended to provide our own search engines and external engines with highly rich, chapter-representative searchable text on the opening pages of each chapter. Because it is UNCORRECTED material, please consider the following text as a useful but insufficient proxy for the authoritative book pages.
Do not use for reproduction, copying, pasting, or reading; exclusively for search engines.
OCR for page 27
A Biographies of Committee Members Jack E. Cermak (NAE) chair, is University Distinguished Professor, Fluid Mechanics and Wind Engineering, Engineering Research Center, Colorado State University. Dr. Cermak specializes in teaching and research related to environmental science, aerodynamics, engineering mechanics, meteorology, and fluid mechanics. He is the recipient of many awards and honors including: North Atlantic Treaty Organization Post-doctoral Fellow at Cambridge University; Aeronautics and Astronautics Award for Distinguished Leadership in Aerospace Engineering, American Institute for Aeronautics and Astronautics; American Society of Mechanical Engineers (ASME) Freeman Scholar; Sigma Xi National Lecturer; lecturer for Southwest Mechanics Lecture Series; member of Colorado's Governor's Science and Technology Advisory Council; ASME National Distinguished Lecturer; Senior Research Award, American Society of Engineering Education; honorary member, American Society of Civil Engineers (ASCE); and national honor member, Chi Epsilon, the National Civil Engineering Honor Society. He has authored or co-authored more than 650 papers and reports and is editor or reviewer for a number of publications, including Mechanics Research Communications and the Journal of Wind Engineering and Industrial Aerodynamics. He founded the Fluid Mechanics and Wind Engineering Program at Colorado State University, as well as the Fluid Mechanics and Diffusion Laboratory, which was awarded the Outstanding Engineering Achievement Award from the National Society of Professional Engineers. Dr. Cermak was elected to membership in the National Academy of Engineering in recognition of his pioneering development of boundary-layer wind tunnels and served on the National Research Council Committee on Natural Disasters. He earned B.S. and M.S. degrees in civil engineering from Colorado State University and a Ph.D. in engineering mechanics from Cornell University. Alan Davenport (NAE) is a professor of civil engineering at the University of Western Ontario. His research interests include aerodynamics, meteorology, environmental loads, structural dynamics, and earthquake loading. Dr. Davenport has pioneered the application of boundary-layer wind tunnels to the design of wind-sensitive structures, the description of urban wind climates, and other problems involving the action of wind. He was the founder of the Boundary Layer Wind Tunnel Laboratory and has been the director since it was established. Dr. Davenport has authored more than 200 papers and has lectured around the world. He has received numerous honors and awards including: Alfred Noble Prize; Gzowski Medal and Duggan Medal and Prize, Engineering Institute of Canada; Golden Plate Award, American Academy of Achievement; International Award of Merit in Structural Engineering, International Association of Bridge and Structural Engineering; Hellmuth Prize, University of Western Ontario; and the Canada Gold Medal for Science and Engineering. He has also received nine honorary degrees. He was elected to the Royal Society of Canada, the Fellowship of Engineering in England, and is a founding
OCR for page 28
member and past president of the Canadian Academy of Engineering. He has been a consultant on the design of the World Trade Center, the Sears Building, and the Ting Kau Bridge in Hong Kong. Dr. Davenport received his B.A. and M.A. in mechanical sciences from Cambridge University, his M.A.Sc. in civil engineering from the University of Toronto, and his Ph.D. in civil engineering from the University of Bristol. Michael P. Gaus is research professor of civil engineering at the State University of New York at Buffalo. Dr. Gaus specializes in teaching and research in the areas of earthquake, wind, and natural hazard engineering; dynamic response of structures to wind; the performance of civil engineering materials; and computer methods in structural analysis and design. He is the current president of the American Association for Wind Engineering. Dr. Gaus is the recipient of several awards and honors including: the Meritorious Service Medal, National Science Foundation; Award for Outstanding Contributions to Engineering, School of Engineering and Applied Sciences, George Washington University; Award for Outstanding Contributions to Wind Engineering, Wind Engineering Research Council. He has served on a number of committees at the ASCE, the National Academy of Engineering, the ASME, and the Earthquake Engineering Research Institute. Dr. Gaus has held positions at a number of universities, consulting firms, and the National Science Foundation, where he worked on the development of research activities in natural hazard engineering, including wind, flood, large-scale earth movements, drought, and expanding and shrinking soil hazards. Dr. Gaus received his B.S., M.S., and Ph.D. in civil engineering and theoretical and applied mechanics from the University of Illinois at Champaign-Urbana. Stephen R. Hoover is a senior fire protection consultant with Kemper/NATLSCO, a Kemper Insurance-owned consulting firm. Mr. Hoover was a field engineer, account engineer, engineering supervisor, and staff engineer for the American Protection Insurance Company (a Kemper Company) before becoming a part of Kemper/NATLSCO. He has been involved with a number of committees including: Built-up Roofing Committee, American Society for Testing Materials; Uplift Testing Committee, ASTM; Committee for the Study of Hail Damage to Shingles, Insurance Institute for Property Loss Reduction; Rubber Tire Storage (chair), National Fire Protection Association (NFPA); Automatic Sprinkler (secretary), NFPA; and Inspection, Testing, Maintenance of Water Based Systems, NFPA. Mr. Hoover has attended several seminars on roofing technology at the University of Wisconsin and a wind engineering seminar at Texas Tech University. He has written several articles on roofing technology for REPORT, Plant Engineering, and Construction Specifier magazines. Mr. Hoover has taught roofing technology in Kemper education classes to both Kemper engineers and clients for 20 years. He has written all of the roofing, windstorm, snow load, and ponding portions of the NATLSCO Technical Reference Manual. Mr. Hoover received his B.S. in civil engineering from Indiana Institute of Technology. Nicholas P. Jones is professor of civil engineering at the Johns Hopkins University. His research and teaching focuses on structural dynamics, system identification, flow-induced vibration, and wind and earthquake engineering. He co-founded an experimental research program on aeroelasticity and aerodynamics of civil engineering structures using the Corrsin wind tunnel at Johns Hopkins University (JHU). Dr. Jones has received numerous honors and awards including: George Owen Teaching Award, JHU; 1998 Maryland Young Engineer of the
OCR for page 29
Year, Maryland Engineers Week Council; National Science Foundation Presidential Young Investigator Award; Robert Pond Teaching Award, JHU; Huber Research Prize, ASCE; invited keynote speaker at the symposium in Kobe, Japan, inaugurating the opening of the Akashi-Kaikyo Bridge and at the International Symposium, ''Advances in Bridge Aerodynamics, Ship Collision Analysis, and Operation and Maintenance," commemorating the opening of the East Belt Bridge in Denmark. He is incoming editor for the Journal of Wind Engineering and Industrial Aerodynamics, on the board of directors of the American Association for Wind Engineering, and recently chaired the 8th U.S. National Conference on Wind Engineering. Dr. Jones received his B.E. from University of Auckland, New Zealand, and his M.S. and Ph.D. degrees in civil engineering from the California Institute of Technology. Ahsan Kareem is professor of civil engineering and geological sciences at the University of Notre Dame. Dr. Kareem specializes in research and teaching in probabilistic structural dynamics, fluid-structure interactions, and design of structures to resist natural hazards, including wind, waves, and earthquakes. Dr. Kareem is the recipient of numerous honors and awards including: 1998 Achievement in Academia Award, College of Engineering, Colorado State University; 1997 Engineering Award, National Hurricane Conference for Contributions to the Development of ASCE 7–95; Presidential Young Investigator Award, The White House Office of Science and Technology Policy/National Science Foundation; Halliburton Young Faculty Research Excellence Award, University of Houston; Martin Minta Award, American Institute for Aeronautics and Astronautics. He has also been the chairman of several committees including: Committee on Wind Effects/STD-Dynamics Effects, ASCE; Task Committee on Damping System/Wind Effects/STD-Dynamic Effects, ASCE; and Probabilistic Methods Committee, Engineering Mechanics Division, ASCE. He was a member of the National Research Council (NRC) Panel for Wind Division, ASCE Panel for Assessment of Wind Engineering Issues in the United States, and NRC Committee on Natural Disasters. Dr. Kareem served as a member of the board of directors on the Wind Engineering Research Council and is the immediate past president of the American Association for Wind Engineering. He is editor-in-chief, North and South American Wind and Structures; and associate editor of the Journal of Engineering Mechanics, ASCE. In addition, Dr. Kareem is a member of the following publications: Probabilistic Engineering Mechanics; Journal of Wind Engineering and Industrial Aerodynamics; Structural Safety, Engineering Structures, and Applied Ocean Research. He has served as a consultant to the United Nations Development Program and as a senior consultant to the oil, design, and insurance industries. He received his B.S. in civil engineering from West Pakistan University of Engineering and Technology, his M.S. in civil engineering from the University of Hawaii, and his Ph.D. in civil engineering from Colorado State University. Richard Kristie is a consultant with Wiss, Janney, Elstner Associates in Northbrook, Illinois. Mr. Kristie is a licensed structural engineer and a licensed professional engineer in Illinois. He has worked on a number of large structural design and analysis projects and on the development of structural analysis software. He has specialized in investigations involving a variety of structure types and component systems including: wood structures, wood truss roof systems, steel structures with corrosion problems, fire damaged structures, and plaza waterproofing systems. Mr. Kristie performed investigations of more than 60 residential structures in south Florida that were damaged during Hurricane Andrew. Mr. Kristie co-authored a paper on plate-connected wood trusses presented at an international conference on timber engineering and was
OCR for page 30
lead author of a paper on wood bowstring trusses published in the ASCE Practice Periodical on Structural Design and Construction. Mr. Kristie received his B.S. in civil engineering from the University of Illinois, Champaign-Urbana. William F. Marcuson, III, (NAE) is the director of the Geotechnical Laboratory at Waterways Experiment Station of the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers. His areas of research expertise include dams, earthquake engineering, geotechnical engineering, and soil and rock mechanics and testing. He has been a member of several NRC committees, including the Advisory Panel for a National Earthquake Engineering Experimental Facility Study and the Workshop on Liquefaction. He is a member of many professional organizations including: American Society of Civil Engineers; International Society of Soil Mechanics and Foundation Engineering; American Society of Testing and Materials; Society of American Military Engineers; and the Earthquake Engineering Research Institute. In addition, Dr. Marcuson is a fellow of the Institution of Civil Engineers, a chartered engineer in England, and a licensed professional engineer in South Carolina and Mississippi. Dr. Marcuson received his B.S., M.S., and Ph.D. in civil engineering from the Citadel, Michigan State University, and North Carolina State University, respectively. Joseph E. Minor is research professor at the University of Missouri-Rolla and a private consulting engineer. Dr. Minor is recognized internationally in the fields of wind engineering, window glass design practice, and natural hazards research. Special areas of expertise include wind-structure interaction phenomena, effects of tornadoes and hurricanes on buildings, performance of window glass and curtain wall systems, building code provisions for wind effects, the economics of wind-resistant construction, and the impact of natural hazards on socio-economic systems. Dr. Minor is active on building code committees, industrial advisory boards, and professional society committees and as a consultant to government agencies, trade associations, and private organizations. He has lectured nationally and internationally on topics related to the integration of wind engineering research into professional practice and participates regularly in short courses and seminars related to the practice of wind engineering and window glass design practice. Dr. Minor is a member of many professional organizations including: ASCE, National Society of Professional Engineers, American Meteorological Society, and the Southern Building Code Congress International. Dr. Minor received his B.S. and M.S. degrees in civil engineering from Texas A&M University and his Ph.D. in civil engineering from Texas Tech University. He is a licensed professional engineer in Texas, Missouri, and Florida. Joseph Penzien (NAE) is the chairman of International Civil Engineering Consultants and professor emeritus at the University of California at Berkeley. His expertise is in the fields of structural dynamics, structures, earthquake engineering, engineering mechanics, and offshore structures. He has been the recipient of numerous awards and honors including: North Atlantic Treaty Organization Senior Science Fellowship; Research Prize, ASCE; National Science Foundation Senior Science Fellowship; Silver Medal of Paris; Elected Fellow, American Academy of Mechanics; Nathan M. Newmark Medal, ASCE; Alfred M. Freudenthal Medal, ASCE; George W. Housner Medal, Earthquake Engineering Research Institute (EERI); Elected Honorary Member, EERI; The Berkeley Citation; Elected Honorary Member, ASCE. He has served on several NRC committees, including the Advisory Committee for the International Decade for Natural Disaster Reduction and the Advisory Panel for a National Earthquake
OCR for page 31
Engineering Experimental Facility Study. He has been a consultant to the United Nations Educational and Scientific Cultural Organization, State of California Attorney General's Office, and numerous engineering companies, research facilities, and government agencies worldwide. Dr. Penzien received his B.S. in civil engineering from the University of Washington and his Sc.D. from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. Mark D. Powell is a research meteorologist for the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration's (NOAA) Hurricane Research Division (HRD), located at the Atlantic Oceanographic and Meteorological Laboratory in Miami, Florida. At HRD, he has been active in microscale and mesoscale studies, concentrating on boundary-layer wind-structure in landfalling hurricanes and hurricane rain-band thermodynamics. Recently he has been active in the development of standards for the measurement of surface winds. He is currently leading a project on real-time surface wind analysis for eventual transfer to the National Hurricane Center as a forecasting tool for hurricane specialists. Dr. Powell has served as lead project scientist on NOAA P3 hurricane research flights, the Genesis of Atlantic Lows Experiment, and the Tropical Experiment in Mexico. He holds a certified consulting meteorologist designation from the American Meteorological Society. He has served on several committees including: Research Committee of the Interdepartmental Hurricane Conference, NRC Disaster Study Team on Hurricane Hugo's Landfall in the Mainland United States, Meteorology Subcommittee of the ASCE Task Committee on Wind Damage Investigation, and the U.S.-Japan Natural Disaster Task Committee on Wind-Hazards. He has served on the board of the American Association for Wind Engineering and is a member of the American Meteorological Society and the American Geophysical Union. He has published articles in several journals, including Journal of Geophysical Research, Monthly Weather Review, Weather and Forecasting, Wind Engineering and Industrial Aerodynamics, Bulletin of the American Meteorological Society, and Shore and Beach. Dr. Powell received his B.S. from the Florida State University, his M.S. from Pennsylvania State University, and his Ph.D. from Florida State University. Timothy A. Reinhold is associate professor of civil engineering at Clemson University. Dr. Reinhold's areas of research and teaching interest include: wind effects on structures; structural dynamics; reliability engineering; scale modeling studies; fluid-structure interaction; structural analysis; and failure investigations. He is currently involved in wind-load studies for low-rise and specialty structures, including the resistance of structures to wind effects. Dr. Reinhold's research has included projects to: improve the simulation of wind loads on low-rise structures, investigate wind loads for coastal structures, investigate retrofitting for existing structures subjected to high winds, and investigate the feasibility of a full-scale wind test facility. Dr. Reinhold serves on the Wind Effects Committee, ASCE, the Southern Building Code Congress International, and the ASCE-7 Standard Wind Loads Subcommittee. Dr. Reinhold received his B.S., M.S., and Ph.D. degrees in engineering mechanics from Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University. Eleonora Sabadell is the director of the Natural and Technological Hazards Mitigation Program at the National Science Foundation. This program, in the Division of Civil and Mechanical Systems, supports research on the consequences of weather-related hazards on the built and natural environments. She has served on the NRC Panel on Water Resources Planning. Dr. Sabadell has represented the U.S. government in many international, bilateral, and United
OCR for page 32
Nations programs and conferences. She has worked with public and private organizations in Japan, India, Brazil, Mexico, Taiwan, Pakistan, People's Republic of China, Spain, Italy, and other countries. At the present time, she is a member of the Subcommittee on Natural Disaster Reduction of the National Science and Technology Council. Dr. Sabadell is the author and editor of articles, reports, and proceedings and a member of editorial boards and several professional associations. She received her degrees in chemical engineering from the National University of Buenos Aires, Argentina. Emil Simiu is a National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) fellow and a research professor at the Johns Hopkins University. Dr. Simiu has conducted research at NIST's Building and Fire Research Laboratory on: dynamic loads induced on structures by wind, ocean waves, and earthquakes; structural dynamics; structural reliability; and chaotic and fluid-elastic responses. He is the co-author, with R.H. Scanlan, of "Wind Effects on Structures" (3rd ed., Wiley, 1996). Dr. Simiu has been a consultant to industry, government, and the World Bank. He is a past chairman of the ASCE Committees on Wind Effects, Dynamic Effects, and the Reliability of Offshore Structures and recipient of the Federal Engineer of the Year Award from the National Society of Professional Engineers and the Gold Medal, U.S. Department of Commerce. Dr. Simiu received his first degree from the Institute of Civil Engineering, Bucharest, his M.S. in applied mechanics from Brooklyn Polytechnic Institute, and his Ph.D. from Princeton University.
Representative terms from entire chapter:
|
<urn:uuid:9ca591f6-36a2-46e9-9062-4abc07e95c82>
|
CC-MAIN-2013-20
|
http://www.nap.edu/openbook.php?record_id=6458&page=27
|
s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368701459211/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516105059-00038-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz
|
en
| 0.947373
| 3,978
| 1.835938
| 2
|
The Daily Motivator - www.GreatDay.com
Friday, July 15, 2005
How you are
The words you use make a difference. When you say something often enough to yourself or to others, it becomes a part of who you are.
When someone greets you and asks how you are, do you respond with cheerful enthusiasm? Or are you in the habit of expressing to others how dreary and uninspired you feel?
It may not seem like much, yet the way you respond when someone casually asks how you are can have an enormous impact on your life. For when you say something out loud about the way you feel, about the way your life is going, it suddenly becomes a part of your reality.
You may or may not believe what others say about you. Yet you most certainly do believe, at a very deep level, the things you say about yourself.
When someone asks you how you are, that person is giving you an opportunity to strengthen and bring to the forefront the positive aspects of your life. Even if you’re feeling a little down, just by smiling and saying that things are going great, you begin to make that your reality.
The way you think and talk about yourself will have an enormous influence on they way your life progresses. Take every opportunity to make that influence a positive, enthusiastic and supportive one.
Copyright ©2005 Ralph S. Marston, Jr. All Rights Reserved. This copy is for your personal, non-commercial use only. For more motivational messages like this please visit The Daily Motivator website at www.GreatDay.com
Copyright ©2005 Ralph S. Marston, Jr. All Rights Reserved. The Daily Motivator is provided for your personal, non-commercial use only. Re-distribution (other than personal sharing) without permission is not allowed.
Become a member and replace these ads
|
<urn:uuid:7b9b1dd8-ef79-4638-bd63-e3ccf3138bdc>
|
CC-MAIN-2013-20
|
http://greatday.com/motivate/050715.html
|
s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368699273641/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516101433-00021-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz
|
en
| 0.937222
| 387
| 1.773438
| 2
|
The video above was taken by a neighbor as the first firefighters arrived at a house fire in Georgetown, Ohio on Sunday. Before the camera was rolling four teenagers had entered the house and pulled a badly burned man to safety.
Josh Fields, 18, Travis Gilreath, 18, Timothy Barrett, 16, and Tyler Gilbert, 16, were driving home from swimming when they saw a house on fire and heard someone calling for someone else to get out of the home.
When no one came out of the house, the teens jumped from the car and ran into the home.
According to the TV station, about 20 minutes before this rescue Josh Fields had saved Travis Gilreath from drowning while they were swimming at a local dam. That scare caused the teens to ditch their swimming outing and head home early, putting them on the path to make the second rescue.
Also on STATter911 …
- Captured on video: ‘Flashover’ at Olathe, Kansas house fire. – February 14, 2012
- Firefighters say rules wouldn’t allow them to go beyond ankle deep to reach drowning man in lake three feet deep. Inquest in UK brings out similarities to Alameda, CA case. – February 22, 2012
- FL politician says firefighters should train on own time & it isn’t that important because Martin Co. doesn’t have hi-rises. Lt’s video highlights these idiotic remarks. – May 29, 2013
- Raw video: Controversy over actions of police officers & firefighters as man drowns after jumping into Champaign, Illinois pond. – January 4, 2013
Powered by Facebook Comments
|
<urn:uuid:68ecabbc-83f1-401b-8311-dbbcd3d1ad90>
|
CC-MAIN-2013-20
|
http://statter911.com/2011/08/16/teenagers-pull-man-from-burning-georgetown-ohio-home-second-time-within-minutes-that-one-of-the-teens-saved-a-life/
|
s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368710006682/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516131326-00037-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz
|
en
| 0.970248
| 338
| 1.632813
| 2
|
The Brontes as you've never seen them before
In an exclusive interview, Charlotte and Emily bare their souls to David Benedict
Industry is the word. Jane Eyre and Wuthering Heights have never been out of print. Television and film companies fall over themselves to adapt them for the screen and the Bronte Parsonage Museum is a mecca for tourists hungry to gobble up English literature in the shape of Bronte biscuits and the like. Students across the English-speaking world discuss their books and academics gain tenures writing biographies and theses about their little-known lives. During all this time, the sisters have remained silent. Aloof, enigmatic and utterly unmoved by the 20th-century's insatiable demands for TV appearances, interviews and signing tours, they have eschewed the vulgarity of publicity. Until now.
In partnership with this year's Ilkley Literature Festival and after months of painstaking negotiation with this newspaper, the two elder sisters have abandoned seclusion to speak publicly for the first time. What can possibly have occasioned this breach in their water-tight security? The collapse of the Berlin Wall? Tony Blair's new dawn? The Orange prize?
"It's Cliff really, isn't it." Charlotte, the taller of the two, sheathed in pale pink topped off with a cream bonnet framing her grave face, is strikingly direct. "He's taken our books, well Emily's actually, and he does seem to have done a lovely job." As the world knows, Sir Cliff Richard has been essaying the title role in the new musical Heathcliff. Tickets have disappeared as fast as the beleagured box-office staff can sell them, but not everyone agrees with Charlotte. "Not since Bonnie Langford's blood- freezing Medea ..." opined this paper's theatre critic. One look at the pop idol's clean-cut image and a cursory glance at his birth certificate have led several commentators to breathe the word "miscast". However, Bronte enthusiasts will be thrilled to discover that Emily, at first sight the more demure of the sisters, is rather taken with his portrait of her bedevilled hero. "He reminds us a lot of Branwell, doesn't he? All that facial hair." Keen to illustrate her command of contemporary popular culture, she indicates that should Cliff ever tire of stomping about the moors, "Liam Gallagher springs to mind."
The more prolific Charlotte also has a strong commercial instinct, far removed from the received image of the dutiful, religious woman of successive biographies. Although she feels her novels are about real life, with no concessions to fantasy, romance or wish-fulfilment, she believes the family have ignored musicals to their cost. "We could have gone for them in a big way. I'm looking very seriously at Jane Eyre again for Olivia Newton- John. Or Julie Andrews, perhaps." At the risk of upsetting her (she's easily crossed), I suggest that the latter might be a shade old. "She could play Grace Poole," she counters.
Although composers seem to have ignored this, and indeed her other three novels, there have been a staggering 15 screen versions of everyone's favourite story of a lowly governess who winds up with her blind, maimed employer, (courtesy of a fatal episode with the madwoman in the attic) with the immortal line, "Reader, I married him." Answering the charge of feminist literary historians in her matter-of-fact manner, Charlotte informs me that she blinded Rochester "because Jane wasn't good-looking". Mindful of the fact that she is still technically married, she hints that Ciaran Hinds, TV's recent Rochester, would have brightened up her landscape. "If he'd lived round the corner, I'd have had no trouble at all."
Emily is having none of this. Her favourite adaptation? "Tragically, there were no Yorkshire accents but, for me, it's Laurence Olivier." The famous 1939 film of Wuthering Heights nearly didn't get made. Sam Goldwyn announced that he didn't like stories with people dying in the end and added a final sequence with Heathcliff and Cathy reunited in heaven. Armed with Olivier, Merle Oberon, David Niven and a poster screaming "Torn with desire, twisted with hate", it became an enormous hit. Graham Greene wasn't impressed. "A lot of reverence has gone into a picture that should be as coarse as a sewer." Part of the problem was the screenplay, which only used the first 17 of Emily's 34 chapters.
As for the pre-English Patient pairing of Ralph Fiennes and Juliette Binoche in the 1992 version, "Ralph is gorgeous and Juliette is a lovely looking girl but that French accent leaves a lot to be desired," murmurs Emily, tartly. Charlotte, however, is fond of references to the continent. Much to homebody Emily's disgust, she keeps dropping hints about the years she spent in Brussels but pressed to confirm rumours of a sexual relationship with a man with whom she fell in love there, she declares: "It would have been a lot easier with Eurostar," and clams up.
In flat contradiction to the "official version", their relationship appears strained. Anne, who has popped off to Damart for a vest on account of her "weak chest", comes in for sharp criticism. "Personally, I think The Tenant of Wildfell Hall is a dreadful story, an appalling book," snaps Emily. "It's got very little to recommend it at all, although she did try her best." Charlotte concedes that Anne does have very neat handwriting. Emily cites Branwell's portraits and declares him to be a mistaken genius, a statement that positively enrages the touchy Charlotte. Swivelling round in her chair, she fixes her shorter, younger sister with her beady blazing eyes. "Where did the housekeeping money go, that's what I want to know. That chemist in the village seemed to be doing very well whenever Branwell went in. I think he would have got on very well with Will Self."
She's similarly emphatic on the subject of the extraordinary circumstances of three novelist sisters. "I won't say that people actually copied me," she says, threateningly, "but my books were left around the house and there wasn't a great deal of privacy around the parsonage. I won't say that Emily and Anne were snooping, but some of my genius may have rubbed off on them, let's put it that way."
Emily stares at her sister in disbelief. She throws her head back and tears at the air. "What excites me," she gasps, "is the wild purple heather, the soaring eagles, the wailing winds, the blasted stumps ... I don't take my inspiration from Charlotte, she just sits at home. I go out," she cries. "Not in her nightie either," retorts her unruffled sister who leans forward to confide about her sister's tempest-tossed tale. "It's a nasty story. I don't know if you've read it, but there are all those bits about dead bodies in search of a cuddle. I don't write about dead bodies. They simply don't appear in my books and I say books because I did write quite a lot. How many was it that you managed, Emily?"
Anxious to calm the increasingly malevolent atmosphere, I ask Emily the question everyone yearns to ask. Living such a secluded life, what inspired the thrilling horror of Wuthering Heights? Her round face lights up at the memory. "It's a little known fact but tuberculosis does stimulate the sexual imagination." Charlotte interrupts with a sudden coughing fit but Emily blithely disregards her. "I think I was stimulated when I wrote it. I had a temperature. Thank God there weren't antibiotics then, else I'd never have finished it."
All this rivalry is a far cry from Devotion, Hollywood's glorious, preposterous bio-pic with Olivia de Havilland as Charlotte opposite Ida Lupino's Emily. France came up with Les Soeurs Bronte in 1979 with Isabelle Adjani, Marie- France Pisier and Isabelle Huppert. It has simply heaps of tone and no common sense and came hot on the heels of Emily's chart-topping success with Kate Bush's Wuthering Heights. They never met. "She's got a lovely voice," says Emily, evenly. "It's quite high-pitched." Like all the other bastardisations of their masterpieces ("We have become a legend, David," smiles Emily), they never received a penny from it and, truth to tell, they're bitter. "You want to buy a Bronte pack-a-mac, you can buy one," sighs Emily. "I just wish we had signed a merchandise deal."
There is one offshoot for which they have nothing but praise. Withering Looks is a spirited stage picture of their lives by comedy duo Lip Service, featuring two actresses who bear an uncanny resemblance to the esteemed authoresses seated demurely in front of me. "It encapsulates us," beams Emily. "They've got their finger on our pulse." "Highly talented," agrees Charlotte, vehemently, "particularly the tall one."
Lip Service present `Withering Looks' at the Ilkley Playhouse (01943 601210), 22 Jun and at the Purcell Room RFH, London SE1 (0171-960 4242) 3 Aug. This autumn, they will tour as Holmes and Watson in `Move over Moriarty'.
Arts & Ents blogs
What a wonderful way to end this momentous series in the 50th year of Doctor Who. From the start of ...
Let's talk book blurbs, those quotes you get, usually from other writers, that are meant to entice y...
Fela Kuti, Jewish food and The Great Gatsby are just some of the reasons why the rainy weather ahead...
- 1 Tears and cheers as David Beckham ends glittering career after helping PSG to final win
- 2 Heading for America? Prepare for the longest US immigration queues ever
- 3 You thought Ryanair's attendants had it bad? Wait 'til you hear about their pilots
- 4 Cameron goes to war with press over 'swivel-eyed loons' slur
- 5 It’s official: thanks to Stephen Hawking's Israel boycott, anti-Semitism is no more
BMF is the UK’s biggest and best loved outdoor fitness classes
Find out what The Independent's resident travel expert has to say about one of the most beautiful small cities in the world
Win anything from gadgets to five-star holidays on our competitions and offers page.
|
<urn:uuid:83e9e37d-b8ff-4980-b2b1-cb946b7f3ee3>
|
CC-MAIN-2013-20
|
http://www.independent.co.uk/arts-entertainment/the-brontes-as-youve-never-seen-them-before-1256280.html
|
s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368697380733/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516094300-00036-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz
|
en
| 0.973093
| 2,242
| 1.742188
| 2
|
They’ve done it again. Facebook has changed the way you see what your friends are talking about – and even which friends you see and don’t see. You might have noticed a change to your News Feed on the Facebook homepage. You now see ‘highlighted’ stories first in your feed instead of the most recent stories. You can tell which stories are highlighted by the light blue triangle across the top-left corner of the update. Stories are highlighted by the computers at Facebook, based on what they think you’ll be interested in most. This means Facebook decides which updates are most important to you, and not everyone makes the cut. But you can fix it. Here’s how.
|
<urn:uuid:3873de07-c8f4-4696-91c2-cf32d88aee67>
|
CC-MAIN-2013-20
|
http://www.glencliffhs.mnps.org/Page76595.aspx?Panel=Listing&ListingType=tag&tag=communications
|
s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368704713110/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516114513-00004-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz
|
en
| 0.955359
| 148
| 1.53125
| 2
|
Inside Hamas: The Untold Story of the Militant Islamic Movement
by Zaki Chehab
Nation Books, 250 pp., $15.95 (paper)
Hamas in Politics: Democracy, Religion, Violence
by Jeroen Gunning
Columbia University Press, 310 pp., $34.50
Kill Khalid: The Failed Mossad Assassination of Khalid Mishal and the Rise of Hamas
by Paul McGeough
New Press, 477 pp., $26.95
Amid the wreckage of Gaza, Hamas’s officials struggle to sound upbeat. The burly interior minister, Fathi Hamad, whose predecessor was killed by an Israeli bomb, defiantly shuns security precautions at his makeshift office in Gaza City’s main police station. “Claims that we are trying to establish an Islamic state are false,” says the minister, who says his preference would be pursuing a degree in media studies. “Hamas is not the Taliban. It is not al-Qaeda. It is an enlightened, moderate Islamic movement.”
Such talk is not the only effort to return to normality. Parasols and beach cabins sprouted this summer along Gaza’s twenty-eight miles of sandy shore, the crowded strip’s principal public park. Two buildings of the Islamic University, Hamas’s most prominent educational institution, had been bombed but the university put on a graduation ceremony with festive lights, a cascade of multicolored balloons, and heart-shaped posters wishing future success to its students, most of whom happen to be women and some of whom flashed jeans and high heels beneath their black gowns. In a theater next to the Palestinian parliament, also shattered by bombs, actresses danced and writhed in the government-sponsored premiere of Gaza’s Girls and the Patience of Job.
Such events reflect one side of the ongoing conflict inside Hamas between the pragmatists who put Gazans’ needs first, and have sought to lighten their lives after years of punishing blockade and intermittent war, and the ideologues who give priority to “the rule of the sharia of God on earth.” Advocates of the latter have tried to apply Islamic law in full, appealing to the Gaza-based and Hamas-controlled Palestinian Legislative Council (PLC) to replace the British Mandate–era penal code with a sharia law that provides execution for apostasy, stoning and lashing for adultery, and the payment of blood money counted in camels. So far, the pragmatists have largely frustrated their efforts. “You can’t Islamize the law when the political system is not fully Islamic,” says the PLC’s general director, Nafiz al-Madhoun, who completed a doctorate in law at the University of Minnesota, and once lectured there. “You need to have an Islamic government, judiciary, and political system. And we don’t.”
In response, the ideologues have resorted to other means, introducing sharia by the back door. With the help of Hamas mosques, the Religious Endowments Ministry has commissioned a morality police to “Propagate Virtue and Prevent Vice,” not least by patrolling the beaches for such signs of debauchery as unveiled female bathers and shirtless men. The police have set up arbitration committees in their stations, offering detainees a fast-track resolution by fatwas, or legal opinion, which sometimes comes from the Muslim Scholars League. “The law of God or the law of a judge?” the police have asked petitioners. The Education Ministry insists it has issued no requirement that schoolgirls wear the jilbab, the shapeless body-wrap, but at the start of the school year, some principals did.
The Islamic Resistance Movement (in Arabic, Harakat al-Muqawama al-Islamiya—hence Hamas) remains powerful, but nearly four years after winning the 2006 elections, and two years after its gunmen overpowered Palestinian Authority (PA) forces to seize control of the strip, Hamas no longer acts like an opposition suddenly thrust into power. Silent a year ago, the Ministry of National Economy now negotiates with entrepreneurs seeking licenses for their latest project. The ministry’s small-business scheme offers interest-free loans for such things as a $5,000 freezer to put a butcher back in business. The Local Affairs Ministry runs a licensing office for the tunnels to Egypt that remain Gaza’s lifeline; the Public Works Ministry is repaving roads with smuggled tar; the Foreign Ministry has commissioned an American journalist to train diplomats; and the Finance Ministry is collecting taxes with increased rigor. A comprehensive Web site (www.diwan.ps) gives details of government appointments and decrees, with greater transparency than the PA, Hamas’s counterpart in Ramallah that once ran both parts of the Palestinians’ territory, but now runs the West Bank alone, and that under an Israeli thumb.
Hamas has revamped the civil service, pruning departments that under the bloated PA had more undersecretaries than clerical secretaries. Initial protests by Fatah loyalists after Hamas’s takeover in June 2007 gave Gaza’s new masters an excuse to lower pay grades and shed jobs. “It was a gift from God. Most were already redundant,” according to an Interior Ministry official who says he has cut his twelve-member staff (including nine directors-general) by a third. With government salaries paid promptly, most of the time, Gazans make use of strike-free municipal services, including buses and schools. Should Gaza again have a functioning railway, Hamas would run trains on time.
International attempts to isolate Hamas have also helped instead to entrench the Islamists. With all but the most basic goods banned from Gaza, smuggling has thrived through supply lines that Hamas controls. Since 2006, despite Israeli bombing and increasingly effective Egyptian policing, the number of tunnels has grown from a few score to over a thousand. “The siege has empowered those the international community wanted to disempower,” a Gazan businessman observed.
Of the nearly 30,000 people the authorities say have received jobs since the party took power, some 25,000 are in the security forces. “You can dial 100 and the police come,” a banker said. “Under the PA, police were afraid of thieves, now the thieves are afraid of them.” Before the Hamas takeover, says another, he and his friends chose their most battered car when they went to a restaurant, for fear of car thefts. This summer, the jammed streets were full of new cars, a tacit rebuke to Israel’s two-year ban on vehicle imports.
The internal calm is matched by an external reprieve. When Israel withdrew in January, leaving 1,387 Gazans dead (according to the Israeli human rights organization B’Tselem), thousands homeless, and factories, schools, and infrastructure smashed, Hamas hailed its survival as a great victory. But Israel imposed its own terms, forcing Hamas to quietly drop demands that Israel lift the blockade before Hamas stopped lobbing rockets at the Jewish state. While the range of Hamas’s rockets has increased from fifteen to forty kilometers, bringing Tel Aviv suburbs within reach, Hamas has, since the end of the Israeli incursion, fired rockets rarely if ever, and restrained Islamist rivals, such as Islamic Jihad, from doing the same. Between March 17 and September 22 Gazans fired some eighteen short-range rockets without loss of life. Israel has responded with incursions and sometimes fatal bombings. In effect, Hamas now acts as Israel’s border guard, preventing further attacks. Israel’s swap of twenty female Palestinian prisoners for the first video footage of Gilad Shalit, an Israeli soldier Hamas captured three years ago, has raised guarded hopes in Gaza of a bigger deal to come. In exchange for Shalit, according to Hamas leaders, Israel will soon release hundreds of Israel’s ten thousand Palestinian prisoners and might even relax the siege.
To the south too, Hamas hints of better times ahead. Whereas in 2008 Hamas brashly punched a hole through Egypt’s border defenses, unleashing an embarrassing stampede of Palestinians into Egyptian shops, Interior Minister Hamad says Hamas now “coordinates fully” with Gaza’s sole Arab neighbor. Hamas even poses as a guardian of Egypt’s national security, not least by killing al-Qaeda’s self-proclaimed preachers and other adherents in Gaza. “Our task now is governance, to consolidate stability rather than continue resistance,” says Hamad.
Yet a day after speaking these soothing words, the interior minister offered a very different political horizon. Between towering bodyguards from Hamas’s armed wing, the Qassam Brigades, he delivered an apocalyptic address to a summoned assembly of clan elders. It was angels that chased Israel’s army from Gaza in last winter’s war, he thundered, adding with a numerological flourish that whereas Israel beat twenty-two Arab nations, Gaza’s Islamic resistance had routed the enemy in just twenty-two days. The Jewish state, he concluded, would disappear in 2022.
Such reverses in rhetoric reveal a movement struggling to reconcile two competing audiences: the “international community,” which calls for Hamas to be more moderate, and a core constituency that grows suspicious at any sign it might be selling out. Much as Communist regimes tacked “Democratic” to their names to disguise totalitarianism, Hamas officials use the word “resistance” to hide the waning of their armed struggle. The culture minister, when he attends theatrical productions, speaks of Resistance Culture. The minister of economy hails recent openings of cafés and restaurants as triumphs of the Resistance Economy. “As long as we don’t raise our hands in surrender and continue to struggle, that’s resistance,” he said.
Hamas has failed to achieve the prime requisite for a more normal life: ending the siege. Gaza under Islamist rule is a cul-de-sac. Air and sea routes are blocked. Only the very sick, wounded, or well connected are allowed passage through sporadically opened land crossings to Israel and Egypt. Few now even bother to attempt the humiliating process of crossing the border, either with Israel or Egypt. “You can’t board an Egypt Air plane to get home via Cairo without a fax from Egyptian intelligence,” a Gazan graduate of Harvard Business School said.
While some Gazans profit from the boom in contraband, most people have seen their savings, salaries, and businesses atrophy. For all the talk about entrepreneurs, nine tenths now live below the poverty line, according to the UN, which estimates that living standards have plummeted to pre-1967 levels. In Israel per capita GDP is $27,450; in Gaza it’s two or three dollars a day. Even merchant families collect UN rations.
If war and siege have not crippled Hamas, Gaza’s misery appears to have prompted its greater willingness to compromise and offer its people a political future. Hamas leaders, including the more outspoken exiled leadership based in Damascus, have lately muted criticism of Fatah in the interest of intra-Palestinian reconciliation—even after Abbas’s Palestinian Authority reportedly bowed to Israeli pressure and withdrew its demand for UN action against Israel following Justice Richard Goldstone’s UN report into war crimes by the belligerents in Gaza’s winter war. They have played down the significance of their party’s fiery founding charter, which rejects any recognition of Israel, hinting that they could live with a two-state settlement. In its draft laws, Hamas defines “Palestine” not as the area including Israel, the West Bank, and Gaza but as the geographical district over which the Palestinian National Authority rules. As leaders of Fatah did a generation earlier, some members have discreetly met with Israelis at international conferences, talking peace over breakfast. In addition, within its own fiefdom Hamas’s leaders have decided to suspend declaration of an Islamist state and application of sharia, and to focus on the economy instead.
Such changes in position are offensive to Hamas’s hard-core followers. For what have they struggled, if not for establishing God’s kingdom on earth? Rumors in Gaza reinforce the image of a leadership straying from the straight path. Businessmen working with Hamas are said to be investing tunnel profits in renovating plush hotels, prompting some to speak of an emerging Hamas oligarchy. A minister’s son reportedly deals in drugs, and the son of a Qassam commander smokes water pipes. The security forces, too, seem to be following the pattern of the region’s self-serving police states. Hamas used to threaten external foes and defend its own people, say Gaza’s whisperers. Now it does just the reverse.
|
<urn:uuid:97898bb7-320a-408e-a696-6a045a2ae873>
|
CC-MAIN-2013-20
|
http://www.nybooks.com/articles/archives/2009/nov/05/which-way-for-hamas/
|
s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368696382584/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516092622-00008-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz
|
en
| 0.94895
| 2,685
| 1.84375
| 2
|
Cliffs and Political Reality
The United States is broke. So broke that Mark Steyn calls it the “brokest nation in history”. Yesterday, Congress decided to act with all the power it could muster to end this “long national nightmare”. For two months.
Let that sink in for a bit.
Congress is faced with a problem it created. What does it decide to do in response? It kicks the can down the road for another two months. About the same time that has passed from election day until today.
Does the deal address the problem? No, it’s not even a start.
Republican grassroots and conservatives across the country immediately took to social media to voice their displeasure with the deal. They were joined by members of Congress who voted against it. One of them, Representative LaTourette, described the deal as “a package put together by a bunch of sleep-deprived octogenarians.”
Who can blame them for being angry and disappointed? The deal is far from what they expected, and much worse than other ideas (like Plan B). The anger is understandable. The United States is heading for “more broke” and Congress has done nothing to address that problem.
Those of us who follow politics, and merely comment on events that are taking place, often forget that our representatives have to act according to political reality and not just according to principle. At times, that means that they will have to make tough decisions that are bound to upset even their most loyal supporters.
This time, taxes were scheduled to go up, and Republicans on Capitol Hill all scrambled to find ways that would prevent that from happening. Here’s Yuval Levin:
Those who think that opposing any deal would have somehow created the conditions for Republicans to insist on reinstating all the Bush tax rates after they expired have a far higher opinion of the backbone of Republican leaders than I do. But that’s a prudential debate about how, as the minority party in Washington focused on keeping taxes and spending down, to minimize the harm of a uniquely bad set of circumstances. Maybe Republicans did that, maybe they could have done a little better, but they probably couldn’t have done much better.
We should also remember that the Democrats on the other side of the aisle seem to be completely incapable of grasping the magnitude of the nation’s fiscal woes. If the White House truly cared about averting tax increases and reducing the deficit there would have been a concerted effort after the election to craft a bargain. Instead we have witnessed backroom dealing, posturing in front the television cameras, press conferences where the President antagonizes his opponents, and so on.
The silver lining that Republicans can take away from this fight is that Democrats fought to make large chunks of the Bush Tax Cuts permanent. They are now the new normal and Republicans will not have to face another “expiration date”.
Moving forward, there is now about as much time to the next “deadline” as there was from election day until today. Raise your hand if you think the White House will engage in fair negotiations and not in the same ridiculous posturing that we’ve just witnessed.
It is up to the Republican Party to force the Democrats to dance. The conditions for that should be better in a fight over the debt ceiling, but will require skillful maneuvering by the Republican leadership and a much better communications strategy with the public.
|
<urn:uuid:d9bbf989-8218-4635-9c19-6ff823f17bcf>
|
CC-MAIN-2013-20
|
http://www.therightsphere.com/2013/01/cliffs-and-political-reality/
|
s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368701459211/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516105059-00004-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz
|
en
| 0.975754
| 716
| 1.640625
| 2
|
Well, is it really a duck. I thought ducks had a flat bill. Sort of the reason they are described as "duckbill." It looks like a cormorant to me. Is a cormorant a duck?
I am no ornithologist, but the only species of Cormorant in China is reported to be the Great Cormorant. The avilable informatino on Great Cormorant does not answer your question specifically. However, I propsoe that we can figure it out from some simple Q&A:
Does a Great Cormroant quack like a duck? No
Does a Great Cormorant look like a duck? No
So, is a Great Cormorant a duck? No way!
|
<urn:uuid:67107bc1-b079-4a63-a543-aa08f2701875>
|
CC-MAIN-2013-20
|
http://forum.realityfanforum.com/index.php/topic,18671.msg390024.html
|
s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368697974692/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516095254-00037-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz
|
en
| 0.95722
| 157
| 1.835938
| 2
|
A Flow of Funds Model
In the early 1990s, financial liberalization started in India, and it was thought that such reforms would increase economic growth. This argument formed part of the finance led industrialization hypothesis and although higher growth resulted, higher industrialization did not immediately. This book...
Published February 20th 2012 by Routledge
|
<urn:uuid:06ca9536-6c6b-438c-813a-10d48f568892>
|
CC-MAIN-2013-20
|
http://www.psypress.com/books/search/author/tomoe_moore/
|
s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368707435344/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516123035-00031-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz
|
en
| 0.977642
| 67
| 1.726563
| 2
|
- Where possible, Redrow specifies products and materials that generate the least environmental impact, including timber from managed plantations, aggregates from the closest quarries and non-toxic paints.
- Redrow has been a member of WWF FTN since 2002. Membership has enabled us to strengthen our timber procurement policies and by establishing national supply agreements with timber suppliers and manufacturers coupled with well developed in-house systems, we are able to track the procurement of timber products across all our developments.
In the calendar year ending 2007, in excess of 91% of the timber products used on our sites was classified within Category 3 – "Licensed Source" , up to Category 5 – "Credibly Certified". This was a 10% improvement on 2006. Focus for the forthcoming year is to consolidate the work undertaken to date and further increase the percentage of Category 3-5 timber.
Our performance in this specific sector is recognised in the Next Generation Climate Change Benchmarking analysis as being one of the best in our sector.
- Redrow seeks to deal with suppliers and subcontractors able to demonstrate their commitment to the environment through their own codes of practice.
- Our internal procedures require an ethical relationship with suppliers and subcontractors, by forbidding the exchange of payments or substantial favours between two parties.
(Footnote: Offical WWF-UKGFTN timber classification)
|
<urn:uuid:4e5a3b5c-752e-4690-be08-e4562d41c37b>
|
CC-MAIN-2013-20
|
http://www.redrowcr.co.uk/textonly/EthicalSourcing.htm
|
s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368702810651/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516111330-00000-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz
|
en
| 0.940926
| 275
| 1.789063
| 2
|
Sometimes we turn to classical music for a mood of refined elegance or contemplative grace. Here is where Chopin, Satie or Debussy might come in. Other times, we seek the bombast of the symphony turned up full-throttle, as in Beethoven's "Ode to Joy" or Grieg's "In the Hall of the Mountain King." This week the St. Louis Symphony Orchestra pulls out all the stops to perform the mother of all bombastic badass classical numbers, Carl Orff's choral magnum opus, Carmina Burana.
To give you an idea of the firepower required to pull this off, the symphony will swell to one of its larger assemblages, about 100 musicians onstage (including seven or eight percussionists and two pianists), joined by the 120-member St. Louis Symphony Chorus, the 40-member top touring group from the St. Louis Symphony Children's Choirs, three vocal soloists and guest conductor Eri Klas. "It's gonna be a packed stage," says Children's Choirs director Barbara Berner.
You may think you haven't heard Carmina Burana, but you're probably mistaken. It has been used in a ton of movies and commercials, which feed off its dramatic power. You can hear it in Satan's favorite film, The Omen, and in John Boorman's best one, Excalibur. It gets a lot of play in commercials for boxing matches on premium cable, too.
Carmina Burana literally means "songs of Beuren," a Benedictine abbey in medieval Bavaria. The title is found on a collection of 250 poems from the 12th or 13th century, written mostly in Latin and early German. They were penned by men called goliards, defrocked monks and minstrels, and by vagantes, vagrant clerics and students. These sketchy fallen quasi-intellectuals managed to compile a tome of songs written in the language of scholars but dedicated to love, lust, drinking and celebrating -- a kind of Rubaiyat of Omar Khayyam with a healthy dose of The Canterbury Tales mixed in.
Orff, a German music teacher, selected about 25 poems and set them to an "imitation-medieval" score, as characterized by St. Louis Symphony Chorus director Amy Kaiser. The songs are divided into three sections: "In Springtime," when a young monk's thoughts turn to love; "In the Tavern," odes to drinking and gambling; and "In the Court of Love," which gets all hot and bothered as spring ardor turns to summer lovin'.
The sequence of songs is a saturnalia of the spiritual, erotic and satirical, with ribald and hedonistic lyrics concertgoers will be able to laugh along with, in translation, in the Carmina program. "This is about wine, women and song," says Kaiser. "It's an ode to earthy living."
Orff debuted the piece in 1937, and audiences had never heard anything like it -- at least, not in a classical context. Critics were bowled over by the music, with its "driving rhythms," "brutality," "sensuality," "paganism" and "pulsing simplicity." Much of the music is played in blocks, or musical thrusts timed to punctuate choral thrusts. The work is not big on melody but is huge on rhythm and sheer mounting power. Orff composed a potent score for a bold libretto, and Carmina was an instant smash. It is still considered one of the most popular choral works for orchestra. Orff wanted what he called "a total theatrical experience" to deliver his meisterwerk, and so Carmina is sometimes performed with dancers, making the stage seem even more crowded.
Members of the St. Louis Symphony Children's Choirs perform during portions of Carmina, and they also perform a 20-minute set of Orff's children's pieces from his Schulwerk collection to open the event. The five songs include a folk song, a lullaby and various other pieces written in German. The kids will be accompanied by percussion instruments only, such as the xylophone, metallophone and timpani.
"This is the first time the Children's Choirs have ever been featured on their own at a symphony concert, and we're really excited about that," says Berner.
Many will also be curious to hear music composed by Orff that is not Carmina, a rare treat. The involvement of children in Carmina, a medieval tribute to lust and debauchery, may seem, um, incongruous, but that's how Orff envisioned his choral collaboration. The children, in the red robes of their choir uniforms, can only somehow accent the lewd, blood-engorged prose of the drunken monks.
Klas, an esteemed journeyman guest conductor, will control the significant coordination of 260 singers and musicians. The native of Estonia is the music director of the Netherlands Radio Symphony Orchestra.
This symphonic opus, to quote Spinal Tap's Nigel Tufnel, "goes to 11," yet some movements are subtler and softer than the rhythmic charges of the crescendoes. "Some of it is very lyrical and delicate," says Kaiser. Without the gentler moments, there would be no contrast, and the audience would be shell-shocked or deafened.
In the movie Mr. Jones, manic mental patient Richard Gere busts into an orchestral performance of "Ode to Joy," walks up and stands next to the proscenium and upstages the conductor, yelling "More!" or "Louder!" or something like that and trying to direct the symphony by thrashing his arms like a mad Ludwig van Beethoven. He wants to wring as much of the piece's triumphant passion from the musicians as the composer intended. It's not the greatest flick, but the point is that Carmina Burana makes "Ode to Joy" sound like a commercial for cotton balls. Stand back.
The St. Louis Symphony Orchestra, Chorus and Children's Choirs performCarmina Burana at 8 p.m. Friday and Saturday and 3 p.m Sunday, April 14-16. Call 534-1700 for tickets.
|
<urn:uuid:63fd0674-60c0-4ad9-a55b-16a8dafe0762>
|
CC-MAIN-2013-20
|
http://www.riverfronttimes.com/2000-04-12/calendar/this-one-goes-to-11/
|
s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368710006682/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516131326-00022-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz
|
en
| 0.961925
| 1,329
| 1.757813
| 2
|
Private pension scheme run by insurance companies, unit trusts, building societies and banks. It aims to provide you with a pension at retirement plus other benefits. Unlike an occupational pension scheme, a personal pension plan need not be connected with a specific job.
Personal Pension Plans are designed to cater for pension planning for the self employed or employed in non-pensionable employment. Contributions made to a personal pension plan are exempt from tax at the persons highest rate of tax and the retirement age may be selected at any time from age 50 to age 75. Up to 25% of the pension fund on retirement may be taken as a tax-free cash sum and it is this tax-free sum which is used to repay the mortgage debt in the case of a Pension Mortgage.
A private pension which attracts tax relief. Understand the nature of high front-end loading charges, underperformance and the need to buy an annuity before you buy one of these.
An individual pension owned by the planholder.
an individual pension arrangement between a person and a financial company of their choosing
a tax efficient savings plan designed to provide a regular income in retirement
a way of making regular savings for your retirement
A private pension that attracts tax relief.
Such plans are suitable for those who are self employed or employed in non-pensionable employment. Contributions made to a personal pension plan are exempt from tax at the individual's highest rate. This means that a higher rate tax payer can receive 40% relief on contributions made. Retirement age may be between the ages of 50 to 75. Importantly up to 25% of the pension fund at retirement can be taken as a tax-free cash sum. It is a percentage of this tax-free cash sum which is used to repay a mortgage if a pension mortgage is the repayment vehicle.
1. A pension plan which produces income and possibly a tax-free lump sum on retirement or death. Personal pensions commenced in July 1988 and are designed to allow anyone who is either employed but not a member of an occupational pension scheme or self-employed to make provision for a pension in retirement. Personal pensions can be used to 'contract out' of the State Earnings Related Pension Scheme. Employers can normally contribute to the personal pension of an employee. Employees who are members of an occupational scheme cannot contribute to their own personal pension plan. 2. Personal pensions are a way of making your own pension provision if you are not a member of an employer's scheme. The return from a personal pension or part of it can be used to pay off the capital sum of a mortgage at the end of the mortgage term usually 25 years or, sometimes, earlier. They have the benefit of being tax efficient but to find out if they are suitable you should discuss with your financial adviser
A private pension scheme, mostly offered by insurance companies, that enjoys tax relief on contributions into it. The amount of tax relief increases the older you are. When you've reached the minimum retirement age - 55 for personal pensions - you can use the pension fund to buy an annuity and take up to 25 per cent of the fund as a tax-free lump sum. Personal pensions became notorious after they were mis-sold by unscrupulous salesmen and financial advisers who persuaded people in perfectly decent company pension schemes to transfer to PPPs, many of which weren't in any way suitable for people's needs. High front-end charges also meant that contributions were eaten up in the early years, so that investors wanting to transfer to another provider were quoted miniscule transfer values. The Financial Services Authority, the chief regulator, is still dealing with the compensatory implications of this mis-selling scandal. Having said all this, providing you know what the costs are, they can be useful products.
A fund created by an individual to buy a pension on retirement.
A regular savings scheme managed by a financial services company, such as a life assurance group, for an individual. Although you essentially set up the plan, your employer can also contribute to it. Most people will receive tax relief on contributions to this type of scheme, including non-tax payers.
An arrangement, often in the form of a policy from a life insurance company, under which individuals can make contributions without the need for employer contribution.
|
<urn:uuid:72be4bb6-bb3d-43ca-a984-e383967490af>
|
CC-MAIN-2013-20
|
http://www.metaglossary.com/meanings/656298/
|
s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368699273641/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516101433-00001-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz
|
en
| 0.96359
| 866
| 1.8125
| 2
|
Red Foxes, Connecticut
Photograph by Kevin LeShane, Your Shot
Recently, a red fox has been hunting in the marsh behind my condo on the Connecticut shoreline. I've seen her during the early morning hours when I walk my dog and on my way to work. I thought it strange to see a traditionally circumspect creature in such a public venue. These two are the explanation, it turns out. She and her two kits (featured here) have a den within the boulders of the seawall by the town docks. Every day they become more curious of their enraptured audience, us.
This photo and caption were submitted to Your Shot. Have a great shot? Send it to us for possible publication in National Geographic magazine.
|
<urn:uuid:879daef0-7b5f-4b77-af77-5389ee83f2d3>
|
CC-MAIN-2013-20
|
http://travel.nationalgeographic.com/wallpaper/animals/photos/animal-pairs/red-foxes-connecticut/
|
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
| 0.968735
| 155
| 1.539063
| 2
|
As the above-ground train rolls past the Court Square stop on the 7 line, a stone’s throw into the heart of Long Island City, passengers are awakened by a defiant cacophony of shapes and colors against a backdrop of the graying and decrepit Queens skyline. There, a red-brick warehouse stands proud, one entirely outfitted in graffiti tags and murals by aerosol artists. Born of a mission to create a legal urban canvas for the criminal art form flaring up in excess throughout the city during the early ’90s, the brainchild of founder Pat DiLillo—then known as “The Phun Phactory”—opened in 1993. In 2002, Jonathan Cohen—an FIT grad who had been tagging since he was 13 and is better known in these parts by his nom de plume Meresone—began curating the work. He soon rechristened the building “5 Pointz,” after the five boroughs of New York City. But it has since branched out and become a cultural mecca of sorts, with pieces by artists from cities such as Paris, Madrid, London and Germany.
On any weekday, while businesses—a clothing factory, storage space for city hotdog vendors and a small non-profit gallery called Local Projects—hum away inside the building, Mr. Cohen can be found in or around the building, monitoring projects and making sure nobody is painting without his permission.
“I’m here every day, I have no life.”
But the 39-year-old Flushing Native may soon be getting his free time back—at the price of his life’s work. Read More
|
<urn:uuid:4a84069e-a749-46b1-91d5-14a49a79ed99>
|
CC-MAIN-2013-20
|
http://observer.com/term/demolition/
|
s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368702810651/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516111330-00033-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz
|
en
| 0.969914
| 352
| 1.507813
| 2
|
- Evening, Weekend & Online Programs
- ALUMNI RELATIONS
- GIVING TO LAKELAND
- ABOUT LAKELAND
For the second straight year, Lakeland College has received statewide recognition for its efforts to improve financial literacy.
The Lakeland College Center for Economic Education, led by Lakeland College faculty member Scott Niederjohn, and the director of Lakeland's Milwaukee center, Tim O'Driscoll, were each selected for 2012 Wisconsin Financial Literacy Awards by the Governor's Council on Financial Literacy.
The winners, which include individuals and organizations, are recognized for their work to advance the cause of personal financial knowledge among Wisconsin citizens. An awards ceremony will be held this spring at the state capital in Madison.
In 2011, Scott Niederjohn, Lakeland College's Charlotte and Walter Kohler Assistant Professor of Economics and Business, was named a winner in the inaugural year of this honor.
"It's a real honor and surprise to be honored for a second year in a row," Niederjohn said. "I'm very proud of what our Center for Economic Education has been able to accomplish over the past eight years, and I look forward to the future. I'm also pleased that my good friend and Lakeland colleague Tim O'Driscoll was honored for his distinguished career in economic and financial education."
Lakeland's Center for Economic Education, started by Niederjohn in 2005, presents innovative programs for teachers and other groups to enhance their knowledge of economic literacy with the goal of bringing this knowledge to students throughout Wisconsin.
Employing the expertise of the academic community and experts in business and government, the center utilizes the best current information on economic literacy, putting them into a teachable context to provide students and teachers with the knowledge to confront the challenging economic environment they will encounter.
Lakeland's center has conducted a highly successful financial literacy workshop for teachers for six years at Green Bay's Lambeau Field. The center has also produced many curriculum contributions, including the Gen I Revolution personal finance game, and popular high school books like Learning Earning Investing for a New Generation and Teaching Financial Crisis.
In the last two years, the center has served more than 850 teachers in more than two dozen programs under Niederjohn's direction.
O'Driscoll joined Lakeland's staff in 2010 as the director of the college's Milwaukee Center for Economic Education. O'Driscoll was given the award for his long and distinguished commitment to financial literacy.
His career began as an economics teacher at Arrowhead high school. O'Driscoll has remained active, making more than 39 presentations to 2,500 teachers this past year on Lakeland's behalf. O'Driscoll also serves as the official scorer for the Milwaukee Brewers.
He is a member of the Board of Directors of Economics Wisconsin and was selected to serve on the Planning Committee to create a national test on economic literacy. O'Driscoll was also selected as a writer and editor for the NAEP National Macroeconomics Test.
He is a member of the Wisconsin Baseball Coaches Association Hall of Fame and the Land O'Lakes Baseball Hall of Fame and the Arrowhead High School baseball field is named for him, recognizing his 35 years as their head coach.
"The recipients of the Wisconsin Financial Literacy Award are helping Wisconsinites of all ages improve their personal finance skills in our schools, in the workplace and in communities across the state," Governor Scott Walker said. "These citizen leaders equip students, parents, peers and consumers with the necessary tools to make informed decisions about their own money, which improves individual quality of life, as well as the Wisconsin economy."
Criteria used to determine the financial literacy award recipients includes innovative implementation, demonstrated measureable results, collaboration with partners, whether the effort was statewide or had the potential to be statewide and whether the effort was focused on needs-based groups.
The Governor's Council on Financial Literacy was created to measurably improve the financial literacy of Wisconsin citizens. Niederjohn is a member of the council.
|
<urn:uuid:be2029d8-e86e-4ab8-88a8-4bea6fa44ab7>
|
CC-MAIN-2013-20
|
http://www.lakeland.edu/traditional/news.asp?article=9721
|
s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368711005985/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516133005-00039-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz
|
en
| 0.967149
| 839
| 1.570313
| 2
|
There is a boom of the art of paper-craft detected through the Internet and blogs by designers and artistic creators expanding the knowledge of it to a wider audience. The tri-dimensional evolution of all visual techniques demands how to learn to use the spatial sphere and this title gives the basis by getting used to spatial reasoning abilities.
An ideal book for entertaining all the family, this title offers a wide range of robot designs to be folded and assembled, with a retro-inspired look that will fascinate both children and adults. It is very eye-catching for those who like paper creations.
show more show less
|
<urn:uuid:e57f1870-cbe7-46de-b787-2ccee7093edf>
|
CC-MAIN-2013-20
|
http://www.textbooksrus.com/search/bookdetail/?isbn=9788492810642
|
s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368704713110/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516114513-00005-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz
|
en
| 0.934204
| 122
| 1.773438
| 2
|
Mitt Romney is about to release a couple of years of tax returns. The numbers are sure to be enormous. Except for one: his marginal tax rate, an outrageous 15%, or thereabouts. James Surowiecki has a terrific column in the New Yorker that explains why the taxes Romney paid have always been low. It’s all about the so-called “carried interest” loophole, which enables private equity-mongers to have their salaries taxed at the capital gains rate of 15%, rather than as earned income. Surowiecki also explains some of the scams private equity firms–not necessarily Bain Capital–have used to milk ever-greater profits from the firms they buy. Most of these scams involve taking out ever-greater loans. And that is one of the three basic problems with private equity as a capitalist tool–it replaces equity with debt. (It is hilariously ironic that Mitt Romney goes around ranting about the national debt, having made his fortune via the creative use of hyper-borrowing.)
There are two other problems with private equity that Surowiecki doesn’t mention. Historically, firms like Bain have jacked up executive compensation, as a reward to CEOs who can find ways to cut costs and make their operations more efficient. The second problem is linked to the first: in order to reap those benefits, for themselves and the private equity firms’ investors, corporate executives have become obsessed with short-term profits rather than long-term growth.
Romney tries to portray those who question the private equity model as anti-free enterprise, which is nonsense. And most liberals–and now populist conservatives–who attack the model concentrate on the job losses, which is also somewhat off the mark. The real question is this: Does private equity capitalism help or hurt the economy in the long term? Should the rules governing it be reformed? I agree with Surowiecki: the “carried interest” loophole needs to be eliminated. And there should be a limit on the amount of interest payments these firms can deduct from their income. We’ve spent the past 30 years spending hundreds of billions rewarding non-productive investment. It’s time to eliminate this distortion of the free-market system by leveling the playing field.
|
<urn:uuid:6f95b8a8-6f8c-41f6-bee6-3c2bc4e6e993>
|
CC-MAIN-2013-20
|
http://swampland.time.com/2012/01/23/the-trouble-with-private-equity/
|
s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368708766848/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516125246-00012-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz
|
en
| 0.959401
| 466
| 1.734375
| 2
|
Or, what was once THE page on it (my own).
Actually, it's become very easy now. The original page (at that URL) was far longer and more complex, though still simple when compared to Craig Oda's 1997 Japanese how to.
Aside from OpenBSD, where the README in the Japanese section says (or said when I last looked) that this might not work, Japanese in Linux and the BSDs has become almost trivial. (Actually, from what I understand, Xandros is still very difficult to get working with Japanese, which annoys those who buy the Asus EEE PC--but most people seem to buy it, take off Xandros and put something else on instead.)
Fedora (and CentOS) take it one step further. You can, in either one, just print a Japanese text file and have it come out properly. With other distros, and FreeBSD, one has to run it through paps, openffice or firefox first.
So, long winded answer as I feel philosophical, but the short answer was in the first line or so. Check out that page and it should work.
The one caveat that I've found in recent Fedora installs is mentioned on that page--the fact that sometimes, you have to manually add the hotkey for shift+space to get scim-anthy working properly. (It's explained in detail on the page.)
Wayne and I expect to see your answer in Japanese.
|
<urn:uuid:135425c3-0881-44a3-a344-0166d96b9548>
|
CC-MAIN-2013-20
|
http://www.fedoraforum.org/forum/showthread.php?t=193673
|
s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368702448584/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516110728-00039-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz
|
en
| 0.969815
| 307
| 1.507813
| 2
|
The Wokoun mss., 1941-1953, consists of radio scripts collected by psychologist William Wokoun, 1931-1984. Wokoun worked at the Human Engineering Laboratory for the U.S. Army and in 1968 he became director of human factors at Muzak, Inc. There he conducted research on the effects of music on productivity. He later became president of B.W. Research Laboratories, Inc., a research and consulting firm that uses psychological techniques to solve human factors and communications problems.
The scripts are mostly for NBC-affiliated, Chicago-based programs and were collected by Wokoun when he worked part-time at the Merchandise Mart in Chicago as a high school and college student. The collection contains scripts from such radio serials as The Guiding Light, Captain Midnight, Lone Journey, Ma Perkins, Masquerade, The Road of Life, Today's Children, Vic and Sade, and Woman in White. Also included are emcee scripts for music and variety shows, and commercial scripts for various products and companies. An inventory is available.
Collection size: 768 items
|
<urn:uuid:8ec3c7d9-c8cf-4956-956a-603c2f884746>
|
CC-MAIN-2013-20
|
http://www.indiana.edu/~liblilly/lilly/mss/index.php?p=wokoun
|
s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368705195219/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516115315-00037-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz
|
en
| 0.961046
| 223
| 1.632813
| 2
|
Through the GearUp Fund, SFPA raised money and purchased supplies and equipment for five newly-renovated recreation centers. Hamilton Recreation Center, with its gorgeous pool, water slides, gym, and fitness room, lacked pool safety equipment, exercise equipment, sports equipment, and tables and chairs for community meeting rooms. Harvey Milk Center for Recreational Arts, a city-wide facility that serves all ages, lacked music recording equipment and digital photography equipment for its state-of-the-art studios. SFPA raised the funds and purchased the equipment so that these facilities could fully serve the community.
Through this effort, SFPA learned that nearly all recreation centers have a need for small-but-crucial items to keep their programs running: it’s hard to have Midnight Basketball without the balls and nets; Tiny Tot finger paints and tumbling mats wear out fast; table tennis equipment has a short life span.
We think it is important to avoid the case of “for want of a nail”: that small deficiencies result in large negative consequences – in delivering programs that help thousands of San Franciscans of all ages attain and maintain healthy lifestyles, discover and develop talents, build constructive relationships, overcome learning disabilities, and improve academic achievement, among many other benefits.
Therefore, SFPA initiated the GearUp “Instant FUNd” in August 2010 – to ensure that the lack of relatively small items does not impede the delivery of rec programs in Tiny Tots Development, School Year Latchkey, After-school Homework Workshop, Family Arts, Senior Social Club, and age-appropriate Sports, Fitness, Music, Dance, and Art.
Requests for support are submitted by RPD staff, reviewed and approved by SFPA and RPD managers, and implemented (purchased) by SFPA. The process is simple, timely, and efficient – so that children, youth, and adults can keep playing!
|
<urn:uuid:ad066ee3-35da-47e7-8c6a-89e94e28993b>
|
CC-MAIN-2013-20
|
http://www.sfparksalliance.org/the-alliance/philanthropy/available-funding/instant-fund
|
s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368709037764/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516125717-00028-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz
|
en
| 0.949967
| 392
| 1.695313
| 2
|
Communion is an important sacrament for us as Christians. So why are we rushing things? Rushing God?
I remember when communion was done by individual table. People filed to the altar rail and knelt or stood. Communion then was served. When all at the table were fed, the people were dismissed. The next group then came forward and were fed. That continued until all in the congregation who could commune had done so.
But then continuous communion was introduced. People go to the altar rail when space allows. Communion servers continuously go from communicant to communicant. The idea, after receiving the eucharist, is that communicants may stay as long as they want or need to in prayer. But rarely does anyone stay longer than "their turn" allows. Then the communicant goes back to the pew and another takes his or her place at the rail. The dismissal is given after all have communed.
Many people thought continuous communion was brought in to make the service move along more quickly. I've heard it called "fast food." While I still would prefer individual tables, I've finally accepted the reason I was given for continuous communion: theologically it puts everyone at one table. It's meant to represent that we are all one family under God's loving care.
But then came communion stations. Communion servers stand in one place while people line up and file past them. When communicants step forward, they are first given bread. No sooner than the bread gets into their mouth, they step sideways to receive the wine—and are left to return to their pews still chewing and swallowing. In some churches, there's space made at the altar rail for individual prayer after communing. The dismissal is again given after all have communed.
I can't accept stations. If continuous communion is "fast food," stations are "drive-through." As a child I was never allowed to graze by the dinner table and leave while still chewing my food, nor did I allow my child to do so. Why, then, are we forcing that at God's supper? Must we, in the hurry of our society, rush God? Shouldn't the eucharist be a time to slow down with time to receive and communicate with God?
I encourage all congregations to examine their communion practices and challenge them accordingly. May we keep God's time precious—a thing not to be rushed.
This week's front page features:
Stamped by patriarchy: (right) Patri-what? What is this and what does it do to women and men?
Upholding dignity: In Cambodia, Lutheran organization turns management over to residents.
Mission: Congregational renewal: Grand View gives back to Iowa parishes and leaders.
Thankful giving: Youth know the importance of helping others.Also: Living in joy and gratitude.
Also: A doll for Amina.
Discuss patriarchy and sexism
Nov. 17-24: Join Mary Streufert (right) to discuss patriarchy and sexism.
Consider reading our cover stories, including "Stamped by patriarchy," before joining in.
The Little Lutheran
(for children 6 and younger)
The Little Christian
(for children 6 and younger)
© 2013 Augsburg Fortress, Publishers
|
<urn:uuid:8c839f0b-c94a-4574-bb7e-904ac1225b8f>
|
CC-MAIN-2013-20
|
http://www.thelutheran.org/article/article.cfm?article_id=8683
|
s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368708142388/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516124222-00007-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz
|
en
| 0.973594
| 675
| 1.84375
| 2
|
|Advertising|Jobs 転職|Shukan ST|JT Weekly|Book Club|JT Women|Study in Japan|Times Coupon|Subscribe 新聞購読申込|
|Home > News|
Monday, March 14, 2011
SOUTH KOREA JOURNALIST SYMPOSIUM
East Asian Big Three should work toward building new community
Japan and South Korea urged to cooperate in dealing with China, up bilateral exchanges
East Asian countries should pursue regional community building partly as a framework to ensure China's "peaceful rise," and greater trilateral cooperation among Japan, South Korea and China will hold the key to that goal, South Korean journalists said.
One way to promote a sense of East Asian community is to learn from Europe's efforts to build common human resources through regionwide joint education programs, they said.
These were among the ideas advocated by the senior South Korean journalists who took part in a symposium held March 4 in Tokyo by the Keizai Koho Center under the theme, "East Asia's development and the roles of Japan and South Korea."
How to deal with the rise of China is a common challenge facing Japan and South Korea, and that is where Tokyo and Seoul have much room to cooperate, said Bae Myung Bok, an editorial writer for the JoongAng Ilbo.
While China's rise has brought about a global power shift toward East Asia, countries in the region need to pursue the building of a community to ensure stability and sustainable growth, Bae said.
Discussions over East Asian community building, however, have made little progress so far as too many ideas have been floated in terms of both sequence — where to start — and scope — which countries should join, he noted.
Another problem, Bae said, is the asymmetrical structure of the debate over a regional community. While the push for an East Asian community has so far been driven by the Association of Southeast Asian Nations teaming up with its partner countries, the economic size of ASEAN member countries is dwarfed by Northeast Asian nations Japan, China and South Korea, which combined account for a quarter of the world's population and one-fifth of the world's total gross domestic product in terms of purchasing power parity, he said.
Bae noted that Japan, China and South Korea have in fact been stepping up efforts for cooperation. Based on a May 2010 agreement among their top leaders, an office for trilateral cooperation is set to open in Incheon, South Korea, as early as the first half of this year, he said.
This move, Bae said, has a symbolic importance as the first step for institutionalizing cooperation among Japan, China and South Korea, which have been hindered by historical problems, differences in political systems and lack of leadership.
Regional community building is a long-term process of trial and error, and one key ingredient is the efforts to promote understanding of other countries among youths through education, said Kim Tae Ik, an editorial writer for The Chosun Ilbo daily. One of the backbones of the European Union, Kim said, is its long-standing efforts to build a sense of regional community through various education programs.
One example is the College of Europe, an institute of postgraduate European studies established in 1949 by prominent European leaders to promote "a spirit of solidarity and mutual understanding," he said. Graduates of the institute, which has campuses in Belgium and Poland, have played key roles in European integration efforts, he added.
Another is the Erasmus (European Region Action Scheme for the Mobility of University Students) Program, started in 1987 to promote student exchanges among European countries, Kim said. More than 2.2 million students have so far taken part in the program.
Today, 75 percent of the 140,000 international students studying in Japan are from South Korea and China, while Japanese and Chinese account for 80 percent of about 83,000 international students in South Korea, Kim noted.
"If we're setting the goal of the common development of East Asia, human resources who have the knowledge of global affairs beyond national borders and think in terms of bridging countries are required," Kim said.
Japan, China and South Korea need to set such a strategy and create common educational programs to carry it out, he said. Specifically, leaders of the three countries should be ready to invest in the creation of an Asian version of the College of Europe and to promote student exchanges in the region, he added.
In Japan, few concrete discussions followed when former Prime Minister Yukio Hatoyama advocated East Asian community building in 2009. Over the past several months, meanwhile, the government has weighed the option of joining the Trans-Pacific Partnership, a regional free trade arrangement backed by the United States.
However, Hong Kwon Heui, an editorial writer for The Dong-A Ilbo, said that despite Prime Minister Naoto Kan's avowed push for the pact, the possibility of Japan actually joining the accord will be slim. And South Korea's participation in the TPP will be even less likely, given that Seoul will focus for now on implementing its free trade agreements with the EU and the U.S., Hong said.
Hong said that the TPP, which aims to basically eliminate signatories' import tariffs on all goods including farm products, is pushed by the U.S. for reasons that are more political than economic. The U.S. push for the pact "reflects America's strategic concern" over deepening China-led economic cooperation among Asian countries and has the motive of keeping in check China's influence in the Asia-Pacific region, he said.
For the U.S., economic benefits from concluding the TPP will be rather small because it already has free trade agreements with four of the nine prospective participants, Hong said.
Japan, for its part, needs to pull out of the economic doldrums and improve the global competitiveness of its companies, he said. Tokyo also wants to deepen its ties with the U.S. through the TPP and keep China in check — a motive that had earlier pushed South Korea to pursue an FTA with the U.S., he pointed out.
However, it now seems unlikely that the Kan administration, with its declining leadership and falling popular support, can overcome opposition from the domestic farm lobby and resistance even among his Democratic Party of Japan ranks to follow through on his bid to join the TPP negotiations, Hong noted.
South Korea is monitoring discussions in Japan over the TPP but will likely not rush to join the pact itself, given the fact that it already has concluded free trade agreements with most of the prospective participants, except for Australia and Japan, he added. The South Korean business community is rather more interested in the possibility of a free trade accord with China than in the proposed Pacific Rim free trade pact, Hong said.
Free trade talks between Japan and South Korea have resumed but are not making much headway. But Kim Seon Tae, an editorial writer for The Korea Economic Daily, noted that, alongside the efforts to boost trade relations through an FTA, the two countries should take steps to expand cultural exchanges that would eventually enhance bilateral ties.
A big imbalance lingers in the trade of pop culture between the two countries even after South Korea gradually lifted restrictions on Japanese culture in recent decades, he pointed out. Whereas South Korean TV dramas are widely accepted by Japanese fans and Korean girl bands are now regular features on Japanese music charts, the popularity of Japanese pop culture is still limited to enthusiasts and has not exploded among the wider South Korean audience, Kim noted.
This is due to unfair competition, Kim said. Though South Korea has taken steps in recent decades to gradually open up its market to Japanese culture, including the most recent measures taken in 2004, Japanese TV programs are still banned on terrestrial TV broadcasts, he said.
Last September, a popular Japanese girl band made headlines when they sang two songs with original Japanese lyrics during a live program on a South Korean TV channel, Kim said. The ban on the performance of Japanese songs with Japanese lyrics on terrestrial TV was lifted in 2004, but South Korean TV stations continued to keep an internal rule banning such performances on their programs, he pointed out.
Expanding pop culture exchanges between Japan and South Korea should be considered as a win-win situation for both countries, rather than one side eating into the market of the other, Kim said. In the next round of its review of the Japanese cultural import policy, the South Korean government needs to create a framework where cultural exchanges can proceed without any restrictions, he said.
|
<urn:uuid:f87cb499-cb2a-47ec-b872-589c0157630e>
|
CC-MAIN-2013-20
|
http://info.japantimes.co.jp/text/nn20110314d1.html
|
s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368705195219/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516115315-00020-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz
|
en
| 0.965397
| 1,761
| 1.585938
| 2
|
The PLA Daily carried the following report on December 7,2012:
“The Air Force of the Chinese People’s Liberation Army (PLA) recently conducted a comprehensive support drill for multi-types of aircraft on double-runway under information conditions at an airport in southwest China. Nearly 100 fighters of over 10 different types open the curtain of the base-oriented transformation of the combat support mode of the PLA Air Force.
“According to Zhan Houshun, chief commanding officer of the drill and deputy commander of the air force under the Chengdu Military Area Command (MAC) of the PLA, there was only one runway for taking-off and landing at the airports of the PLA Air Force in the past, which could only support relatively a few types of aircraft to simultaneously implement the combat and training missions. But the airports with two runways for aircraft to take off and land at the same time can not only simultaneously support the flight of various types of active fighters, but also be used for the taking-off and landing of all types of domestic civil airplanes, Zhan Houshun added.
“The reporters saw on the drill site that the aircraft took off and landed on the double-runway for 12 sorties within 10 minutes. At the same time, more than 200 support vehicles of various types and hundreds of officers and men were making preparation before aircraft’s taking-off and carrying out maintenance after aircraft’s landing for various types of aircraft on the parking aprons on the east and west sides of the airport.
“After the drill, Zhang Jian, commanding officers of the main control tower of the east runway of the airport, said that “The aircraft throughput per hour for the first drill was one third more than that at the airport in the past, and the peak throughput was even doubled, exceeding the aircraft throughput per hour at the civil airport with the same size, which was beyond the imagination of an old pilot with more than 20 years of flying experience like me.”
“Zhang Feiran, director of the Military Material and Fuel Supply Section of the Logistics Department of the air force under the Chengdu MAC, said the fuel consumption in the 5-odd-hour-long drill was four times the daily consumption of the airport in the past. To meet fuel demands, a fuel supply center and a set of straight-line pressure-refueling system were installed on each runway.
“According to Zhang Hong, chief of an air station who participated in the drill, support for double-runway doubled their workload while the number of supporting personnel and equipment did not change, which obliged them to improve the supporting process, optimize the supporting methods and enhance the supporting personnel’s capability of “one-post with multi skills”.
“According to Fang Dianrong, commander of the air force under the Chengdu MAC, the goal of the drill is to explore the new mode for base construction, operation and management of multi-type-aircraft comprehensive support.”
2. The “People’s Daily” of the Communist Party of China further reported as follows on December 10,2012:
“ Takeoff and landing drills were recently held at an airport in southwest China. About 100 fighter jets of 10-plus types participated in the drill.
“'Dual-runway' means that an airport has two runways used for aircraft takeoff and landing, which is the first time in the history of air force airports," said Zhan Houshun, commander in chief and assistant commander of the air force in Chengdu Military Region. In the past, the air force airports had only one runway to guarantee the simultaneous combats and training tasks of a few types of fighter jets. Now, the dual-runway airport can not only guarantee the flight of fighter jets in service but also meet the requirements of takeoff and landing of domestic civil aircraft of all models.
“ On the scene of exercises, 12 aircraft conducted takeoff and landing in turn on the dual-runway airport in just 10 minutes. On the tarmacs of eastern and western sides of the airport, more than 200 vehicles and hundreds of officers and soldiers have prepared for the takeoff and landing of various types of aircraft. The drill site looked rigorous and orderly.
“ Zhang Feiran, director of the oil supply office under the Chengdu Military Region's naval logistics department, said that the launch of "dual runways" is a new test of the logistics department's capability. The drill lasted more than five hours, but used four times as much oil as the airport did in one day. The office built two oil supply centers and a straight pressure refueling system for the two runways, and conducted information technology-based real-time monitoring throughout the drill, in order to ensure rapid and accurate refueling operations.
“ The launch of 'dual runways' forces us to change logistic concepts and improve logistic services," said Zhang Hong, head of an air force station who participated in the drill. Dual runways require double workload, but the number of logistics staff and facilities has not increased two-fold. Therefore, air force stations must streamline logistic procedures, improve their services, and enhance the abilities of their staff.
“ Fang Dianrong, commander of the Chengdu Military Region's naval force, said that the purpose of the drill was to explore new ways of building, operating, and managing comprehensive logistic bases for multiple types of aircraft, find the weak links in capacity-building, and increase the military's ability to win local wars using information technology.”
3.The PLA Daily and the People’s Daily did not identify the airbase in which the exercise was held. The same day, the Associated Press of the US disseminated the following report:
“China’s air force has staged one of its largest-ever drills amid heightened tensions with Japan and Beijing’s southern neighbors over territorial claims, state media reported Friday.
“ The air combat exercises involving more than 100 pilots were held over 11 days last month in the vast northwestern region of Xinjiang, according to the website of the Communist Party newspaper People’s Daily and other official news outlets.
“ Pilots practiced engaging in dog fights and countering electro-magnetic interference, the reports said.
“ Aircraft taking part came from 14 separate units and included China’s most modern jet fighters, the J-10 and J-11, along with older models and two-seater Sukhoi Su-30s purchased from Russia, the reports said.
“ The exercises are a vivid demonstration of China’s vastly improved military capabilities that have unnerved other Asian nations and spurred a renewed U.S. focus on the region. The Global Times newspaper published by People’s Daily called them the largest in recent years in both firepower and numbers of aircraft, and said they also involved large numbers of technicians and experts on missiles, radar and other related technologies.”
4.Surprisingly, the details disseminated by the AP have not so far figured in the reports of the PLA Daily, which indicate merely a one-day exercise in an airbase under the Chengdu Military Region, to test the logistic capability of a new type of dual-use (civilian and military), double-runway airbase. The Chengdu Military Region is responsible for operations in the Tibet Autonomous Region (TAR) bordering on India’s Arunachal Pradesh. This appears to have been of a purely tactical and not strategic significance.
5.The AP report talks of a more complex 11-day exercise in the Xinjiang area bordering India’s Aksai Chin now under Chinese occupation with logistic as well as operational objectives. The area of the exercise comes under the Lanzhou Military Region, which is responsible for operations in and across Xinjiang. This area borders India’s Ladakh and Pak-occupied Gilgit-Baltistan.
6.If the details disseminated by the AP are correct, this was a strategic air power demonstration exercise. The exact dates of the exercise are not clear, but it appears to have been held around the time our Prime Minister Dr.Manmohan Singh was due to go to Japan. His visit was postponed due to new elections being called in Japan. The exercise also coincided with the growing tension between Japan and China on the Senkaku Islands in the East Chine Sea.
7.While there has been increasing co-operation between the Navies of India and Japan, one has not been seeing similar co-operation between the two Air Forces. Was the exercise meant to deter such co-operation? ( 10-12-12)
( The writer is Additional Secretary, Cabinet Secretariat, Govt. Of India, New Delhi, and presently, Director, Institute For Topical Studies, Chennai, and Associate of the Chennai Centre for China Studies. E-mail: email@example.com . Twitter @SORBONNE75
|
<urn:uuid:a841f92d-8a47-4cc4-a396-b822f614cbb3>
|
CC-MAIN-2013-20
|
http://ramanstrategicanalysis.blogspot.in/2012_12_10_archive.html
|
s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368703682988/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516112802-00001-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz
|
en
| 0.961337
| 1,867
| 1.546875
| 2
|
February 6th, 2011, 10:48 AM
Is it possible for some dogs that they learn better through luring a behavior instead of shaping.
I find with Enzo he wont try a million things to find out what i want, but if i lure him in to position for the first couple tries then he will start to offer that behavior himself, at which point i can add a command or hand signal.
February 6th, 2011, 11:51 AM
I do both. If it's something simple I want her to do, then I let her figure it out. Otherwise I'll do a bit of luring. I used both when I taught her to spin. I'd wait and when she started turning her head away from me, I'd click and treat, then to get her to move a bit more I'd lure, then lure some more so she'd start to turn and then turned that into the hand signal for a spin. She's awesome at it! Depending on which way I move my hand she'll spin in that direction.
February 6th, 2011, 12:56 PM
I think it has to do with the individual dog.
They have done tests with wolves and dogs. When faced with a challenge the wolves worked to figure things out for themselves where as the dogs typically gave up much earlier and looked to the person for help.
If your particular dogs breed was created to work cooperatively with a person then one strategy might work better than a breed that was created to think independently. Some dogs might be a mix of both.
February 6th, 2011, 04:53 PM
I too use both. Luke doesn't have the greatest attention span, and well...patience is not one of his virtues :D So if it's something he'd find complicated, I will lure the behavior as much as I can, and usually he gets it pretty quickly. For normal behaviors that a dog normally does on it's own in everyday life, like sit, down, come, etc...I suppose you could say I shape...although I never thought of it that way when I did it. I see it as constantly reinforcing the natural behaviors I want them to later do on command...thus instead of luring a pup into a sit for example, I will praise/treat EVERY time they sit on their own, adding the command. I find this sort of training can work really well on dogs that are more stubborn and would rather THINK they are coming up with the decision on their own, even though you're really manipulating it in a way :thumbs up Of course there are some things that you have to actually show them before they can understand what it is you want. For that..I lure. Luke would never have the patience to sit and go through all the commands and movements he knows waiting for me to click on something. He'd get fed up, tell me so, and stomp off like the spoiled little brat he can be lately :laughing:
February 6th, 2011, 08:07 PM
Luring to teach a simple behavior, then add a cue word. Once behavior/cue is learned, remove the lure or you risk turning it into a bribe.
Shaping is used to put together a more complex set of behaviors. Here are a bunch of videos that demonstrate how it's done for all sorts of stuff.
February 6th, 2011, 08:37 PM
thanks for all the info.
I was waiting for a response from you LP, i knew you would have some good videos or articles :D
Enzo just didnt seem to have the interest in trying different things to get a click.
February 7th, 2011, 01:16 PM
I find that when it comes to shaping a lot of people give up on their dogs waaay to easily, and then proclaim that their dog just can't do it. If you cave in thinking your dog can't do it, you're actually creating a dog that won't do it. It doesn't take too many repetitions to do that, and it takes many more repetitions to undo that damage. They learn to wait things out because they know mom will always come to help (be it to actually help or out of sheer frustration and lack of patience). They actually learn they don't have to think. The more you help out or lure, the harder it is for that dog to actually learn to learn and try things out by themselves.
These are the dogs that will take the longest time to try to figure out a task, not because they don't want to or because they are "slow", but because they don't know how to as they have become so heavily dependant on their human.
This applies to all dogs, makes no difference what breed they are and what they were bred to do originally. It is a basic survival instinct for dogs to try to get what they want and to figure out how to do it(unless we're dealing with one of those dogs that is completely unmotivated by food, toys, and affection). Think of this as a simple test. If your dog is playing with his favourite ball and it rolls under the couch, does he circle the couch and try to paw at the ball to try to get it, or will he cry for you to come help. Shaping works on chickens, sheep, horses, and dogs with the same basic principle. If any thing, the success of shaping more often comes down to the timing and skills of the handler in recognizing which steps to treat and for how long and their dedication to stick to it.
February 7th, 2011, 01:52 PM
I have tried some shaping with Leo (Dachshund, not the most trainable breed) he will just stare at me if I try and make him figure it out. Then he will just lay down and look bored. If I use luring he is much more enthusiastic, he likes being shown what to do so he can do it and get the reward haha
I think it is personality and in some ways breed dependent, some dogs are more predisposed to want to work for you while others rather work for themselves...
|
<urn:uuid:eb675025-a6ca-49ba-ad9f-8ccc58c3c8a1>
|
CC-MAIN-2013-20
|
http://www.pets.ca/forum/archive/index.php/t-75130.html
|
s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368703682988/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516112802-00019-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz
|
en
| 0.976481
| 1,261
| 1.71875
| 2
|
About two weeks ago, I stumbled across an initiative in our area called City Fresh. It is a style of community supported agriculture (CSA), in which we pay for a share of produce in advance, then we pick up our food share at a designated place and time. There are so many advantages to a CSA. Here are just a few: it keeps small, local, growers in business, reduces (if not eliminates) the need for pesticides, reduces fuel transportation costs, the cost is pre-arranged (no surprises), it's fresh and convenient. Usually, the disadvantage is that most CSAs require a payment up front for the whole season (say, $400-500), an amount which is not usually available to limited-income families. Also, a family may not need to get produce every week (in my case, I have a garden, but I only have herbs and cherry tomatoes available right now), and shares usually fill up pretty quickly. The difference about City Fresh is that there is a weekly commitment (signed up a week in advance) there are multiple pick up sites, and limited-income families (including seniors) pay half price for the share. They even accept the Ohio Direction card (aka food stamps). So last week, I checked it out and signed up for a full share. A full share is enough produce to feed a family of 4 for a week. It cost me $20(that's the full price). Here is what I got:
zucchini, yellow squash, radishes, green onions, beets, potatoes, cabbage, sweet onions, green beans, mixed cooking greens, romaine lettuce, baby leeks, and 1pt maple syrup.
I enjoy being part of a system that makes quality food available to people of all incomes, and doesn't take you too far away from home to buy it. My biggest challenge in providing nutrition counsel is my awareness that sometimes these very foods are not available in low-income areas, let alone affordable. And, being community-based, some volunteers and participants are people I have met through other activities.
I am really excited about the maple syrup. I haven't bought some in a while so when I had to choose between mulberries or maple syrup, it was a no-brainer (not to mention there is a mulberry tree right at the pick up site).
Best of all, it has forced me to plan my meals and snacks around vegetables, not meat (or another protein source). I have wanted to make this change for quite some time, but just haven't done it. As much as you may hear me talk about eating more fruit and (especially) vegetables, I often find myself planning meals around the entree, and the vegetables become an afterthought, if not forgotten. I get easily distracted and often times when I think dinner is served, I realize I haven't prepared the vegetables or salad. My well-intentioned salad greens often get spoiled before I get around to using them.
I love having foods that I don't normally buy. I rarely buy beets, cabbage, radishes, cooking greens (such as kale) or leeks. It's not that I don't like these foods. It's either not on my radar, a little pricey, or (in the case of beets) hard to find a decent-looking sample. I am sure my husband is secretly dreading eating the beets this week, but I promise it won't resemble anything he was forced to eat growing up. So far, this is what I am thinking of using some of this stuff for (I hope to update with recipes at some point):
- Feijoada (brazilian black bean stew), with mixed cooking greens and rice.
- Beet and orange salad
- Grilled italian sausage with sweet onions
- Grilled chicken, with potatoes, and green beans
- Pasta salad with grilled chicken, grilled squash, leeks and cherry tomatoes (from my own garden)
- Romaine salad with radishes and cherry tomatoes
I still need some ideas for the cabbage and the beet greens. I may make something and put it in the freezer. Any suggestions?
|
<urn:uuid:8fee5ad9-d79d-4c3f-9bc0-2a5d48d3c25a>
|
CC-MAIN-2013-20
|
http://nurturingnotes.blogspot.com/2008/07/city-fresh.html
|
s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368708142388/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516124222-00018-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz
|
en
| 0.96677
| 854
| 1.765625
| 2
|
I just listened to a general of the Army explaining to Congress that if the sequestration is allowed to take effect it will mean that they canít train more solders to go to Afghanistan and the ones that are there will have to stay longer. I couldnít help but think that is a common ploy used by organizations every time someone tries to cut their revenue when the revenue is from taxpayers.
This sequestration was a way to provide automatic cuts to congressional spending if congress couldnít agree on another process for cutting spending. That right there is an impossible task–to ask congress to cut spending. The cuts they make are all on paper, things that will happen way down the road and will probably be changed before they take effect. If you and I cut spending in our budgets we just stop spending, but for congress they simply cut the planned increase in spending which is not cutting spending today but spending down the road. There goes that can getting kicked again.
Back to the military. They have one of the largest items in the Congressional budget. And I donít doubt that severe cuts will have a negative impact on our national defense. But saying they will have to stop training soldiers is just a load of, well it just doesnít seem true. School districts use this same ploy when they try to get a millage passed. They say theyíre going to layoff teachers to try to scare voters into saying yes to any increase they want.
Certainly teachers, and soldiers, are a big expense but Iíve spent enough time in education to know that there is a lot of stuff that can be cut without impacting the mission of the schools. I believe that this applies to our military as well. I truly believe that 10% can be cut from every budget, even our personal budgets. But no one wants to give up their cable or satellite dishes. Does anyone really believe that the military cannot cut 10% from their budget without eliminating new soldier training? Is nothing such a luxury in our schools or military that canít be cut?
Asking organizations to cut back is like asking a child to go to bed. They both kick and scream and threaten and say the most outrageous things. Children learn that this type of behavior will lead to some form of discipline. But organizations that are taxpayer funded just tell us that weíll be punished for not giving them what they want. Maybe we need to step up a little and remind them who pays the bills and that the money they spend comes from our budgets at home and they need to treat us with some respect and stop making threats and start making cuts.
|
<urn:uuid:c00e9cb7-3876-4aea-949f-f76534d25a2e>
|
CC-MAIN-2013-20
|
http://www.augustagazette.com/article/20130216/BLOGS/302169983/0/blogs01
|
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
| 0.971863
| 529
| 1.757813
| 2
|
With that small amount of money it would porbably be best to find a high-yield savings account and build up your investment capital. Once you have about $ 1000 you can put it into an index fund (small and mid cap do best in a recovery). When you have around $ 3000 then you can start buying individual stocks. You need that much money in order to be able to have meaningful amounts invested over a diversified portfolio of 5 or 6 individual stocks. Taxes come in to play when you sell shares, you will have to pay capital gains taxes on any profits you make when you sell. How much your capital gains tax is depends on what tax bracket you are in. If you own the stock for less than a year you pay regular federal income taxes on your gains, if you own the stock for over a year then you pay the long term rate. If you are in the bottom 2 tax brackets then your long term capital gains rate is 0%, if you are in the top 4 brackets then your long term capital gains rate is 15%.
|
<urn:uuid:61587d9b-2a7b-4bca-83b4-fdc1cd91fc51>
|
CC-MAIN-2013-20
|
http://www.rap-up.com/2012/04/24/cassie-serves-up-sweet-treats-in-nyc/cassie-coolhaus-2/
|
s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368703682988/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516112802-00002-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz
|
en
| 0.953631
| 211
| 1.617188
| 2
|
The JFK assassination is one of the most widely debated conspiracy theories in history. For my final major project at University I chose to research the vast
amount of theories there are through the studies of authors, investigators and assassination experts.
The challenge I set myself was to explore these theories in a visually exciting
way to encourage the viewer to read into the subject in more depth.
The visual imagery I experimented with was placed into the format of a newspaper, which was a reference to the era in which he was assassinated, the 1960s.
The coverage of the event was covered on a global scale therefore it was
a strong connection to the subject to portray it in the form of a newspaper.
The core concept of the project concentrates on the secrecy and the distortion of
the truth surrounding the official story. The newspaper aims to display this idea with visual manipulation of imagery, typographic experimentation and a simple colour palette echoing the era with the red to symbolise the violence of the event.
|
<urn:uuid:54ad17e6-2351-4083-b110-00c861972374>
|
CC-MAIN-2013-20
|
http://www.behance.net/gallery/The-Kennedy-Conspiracy-Newspaper/4627097
|
s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368697380733/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516094300-00025-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz
|
en
| 0.950525
| 200
| 1.820313
| 2
|
APU spends $783,000 annually on electricity, gas and water utility consumption and an additional $247,000/year on Operations and Maintenance to keep its ancient boilers functional (the 5 boilers in Atwood, Moseley, and Grant are all 40+ years old) for a total expense of $1,030,000 per year (an average of $3.50/square foot). The Moseley pool boiler is corroded and needs replacing this year. APU employed Johnson Controls, Inc. (JCI) to conduct an extensive Energy Audit of the entire APU campus, the goal being to find ways to create energy and operational savings which would fund facility improvement measures (FIMs). The vehicle for this is a Performance Contract wherein JCI would install the energy saving measures and guarantee annual energy savings such that there will be no net out-of-pocket expense for APU. If the annual energy costs exceed their performance guarantee, JCI writes APU a check for the difference.
JCI used a three-year history of utility spend/consumption to analyze potential savings and recommended energy savings projects that will produce 32% annual savings ($250,000-$285,000 per year) including energy efficient retrofits in the lighting, water, heating, Building Automation Systems, and mechanical equipment upgrades on a comprehensive campus-wide basis at an approximate cost of $6.4 million. They project that utility and operational savings generated by the project’s improvements will exceed the cost of the project over a twenty year term.
On the day JCI proposed this project, we discovered that Alaska SB25 provides $125 million for Performance Contracts/energy efficiency measures such as the JCI proposal. Mark Davis, the Deputy Director of Alaska Industrial Development and Export Authority (AIDEA), who will administer these funds, said we were the first agency to inquire about them. He was enthused that APU could be the test project, attended the APU Finance Committee meeting, and spoke to the availability of funds (the $125 million will come from existing state savings accounts); his willingness to work with Alaska Housing Finance Corp (who funds the residential component); advised us they expect the Governor to sign the bill; and that it would take 6-8 months to develop the regulations and implement the program.
When JCI was informed about the AIDEA available funding next year, they came back with a proposal to have APU contract with them for the comprehensive project at $6.4M, but to execute it in two phases. This allows APU/JCI to fix the pricing and availability of equipment and sub-contractors (for up to ten months), then execute the phase two construction work if and when the AIDEA funds become available. Phase One work would commence this summer i.e., residential energy efficient measures at Atwood (replace the aging boiler allowing APU to take advantage of Alaska Housing Finance Corp (AHFC) funds available to APU for residential facilities at 1.5% (or less) up to $1.6 million (our current AHFC loan availability).
Phase Two would cover the remaining campus buildings and commences when APU obtains AIEDA loan funding.
Under this phasing, JCI agreed that-in the event AIEDA funds fail to materialize as expected-APU would have no obligation to proceed with the Phase Two work.
APU Trustees approved the Performance Contract at their May Board meeting. The estimated Greenhouse Gas Emissions savings are shown below.
CO2 sequestered by 921,576 tree seedlings grown for 10 years.
CO2 sequestered by 7,663 acres of pine or fir forest.
CO2 emissions from 6,872 passenger vehicles.
CO2 emissions from 83,585 barrels of oil consumed.
CO2 emissions from the energy of 3,059 homes for one year.
CO2 emissions from burning 188 coal railcars.
|
<urn:uuid:c8b28458-ac10-433a-acc6-7dff98675df3>
|
CC-MAIN-2013-20
|
http://www.alaskapacific.edu/blog/energy-efficiency-at-apu-performance-contracting/
|
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
| 0.947292
| 810
| 1.554688
| 2
|
The genesis of Ilti Luce is closely linked to the first commercial applications in the late eighties of lighting channelled along optical glass fibre. It all started in Turin and it is from this cradle of scientific innovation that the company has grown over the years to the position of prominence it has consistently enjoyed in its sector over the past few years.
Thanks to their specificities, fibre optics have lent themselves from the start to some types of applications where traditional lighting could not be satisfactorily considered, such as where art or delicate exhibits are particularly sensitive to UV and IR. Having researched from the start all the major technical potentialities of fibre optics and having applied their findings to the needs of the real world, Ilti Luce benefitted from a head start when approached for solving the lighting requirements that certain types of environments demanded. As a result they secured undisputed niches out of such sectors as art galleries, high-end retail and museums.
Ilti Luce have in particular provided the lighting solutions for the Vatican's Archives and Necropolis, the Turin Museum of Egyptology and all the collections of CaFoscari in Venice. Furthermore, as early as 1991, Unesco Museum Magazine ranked Ilti Luce as Best in Class.
True to the tradition of always having been part of the leading pack in matters of research and innovation where fibre optics have been concerned, Ilti Luce have now gained a similar position, this time in the field of LED lighting. Ilti Luce's past focus was essentially aimed at the arts, for their present and future a new focus has been added: that of the environment and its sustainability.
Phillips lighting, the world leader in lighting components -from bulbs to electronic transformers and drivers- could not have better acknowledged their trust in Ilti Luce's achievements to date and prospects for the future than by acquiring it in 2010, thus adding their own strengths to the innovative capabilities of the physically diminutive Torinese company.
Ilti Luce Catalogue Area
Fibre optic museum
News and projects
|
<urn:uuid:c8679fda-0d2a-4157-ab99-4479a7f6dc23>
|
CC-MAIN-2013-20
|
http://www.atrium.ltd.uk/lighting-brands-ilti-luce
|
s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368705559639/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516115919-00037-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz
|
en
| 0.960068
| 428
| 1.820313
| 2
|
More recently Peter Carey, the second great Australian novelist, bemoaned the fact that virtually all of White's work was out of print both in England and America. Now here are stunning new editions of White's two most indelible books, "Voss" (Penguin: 440 pp., $16), introduced by Thomas Keneally (author of "Schindler's List" and much else) and "The Vivisector" (Penguin: 617 pp., $17), accompanied by an essay from another Nobel laureate, J.M. Coetzee.
"Voss" is a historical novel, set in the 19th century, and its eponymous hero is based on a doomed German explorer who vanished into Australia's dead heart, the brutal and ancient desert that occupies much of the continent, then roamed only by aboriginal tribesmen. Voss' fatal flaw, and, oddly, his immense appeal as a character, is his pigheaded megalomania. Asked if he has studied the map of where he intends to go, Voss replies: "The map? I will first make it."
White, with nice irony, writes of Voss: "At times his arrogance did resolve itself into simplicity, though it was difficult, especially for strangers, to distinguish these occasions." For Voss, "[p]laces yet unvisited can become an obsession, promising final peace and goodness." Like the British explorers who vanished into the frozen wastes of Antarctica, Voss thinks he's making a journey of the mind, which is, in a way, how the story plays out, even though he dies in the grumbling darkness of wilds that are very real.
Voss makes the mistake of going into the desert with the idea of playing God, though his trek does finally inspire humbling self-knowledge. "He himself, he realized, had always been most abominably frightened, even at the height of his divine power, a frail god upon a rickety throne, afraid of opening letters, of making decisions, afraid of the instinctive knowledge in the eyes of mules, of the innocent eyes of good men, of the elastic nature of the passions, even of the devotion he had received from some men, and one woman, and dogs."
White writes beautifully, precisely, and "Voss" is a heroic, brilliant novel. At its core is a haunting love story between the messianic Voss and Laura Trevelyan, the awkward young orphan he meets in Sydney before his journey. White keeps this platonic romance alive in his characters' minds especially while they're apart, giving the book its ache. Joseph Losey tried to film this story, and Peter Carey himself riffed upon it in his wonderful "Oscar and Lucinda."
The impressionistic, painterly quality of White's prose is to the fore in "The Vivisector," a rambling narrative with eye-peeling power, and perhaps the most convincing of all fictional attempts to capture the magic-lantern sensibility of a great visual artist. The book's hero, Hurtle Duffield, is a fictional composite of several painters White knew, including Francis Bacon and Sydney Nolan. Bacon (I used to see him in pubs in London's Soho) had watchful sharks' eyes that would suddenly light up like lasers, as if he were considering the removal of your viscera. Almost every sentence of "The Vivisector" has this scalpel-like quality, recasting the world's surface to show how Duffield will render it in paint. The book begins: "It was Sunday, and Mumma had gone next door with Lena and the little ones. Under the pepper tree in the yard Pa was sorting, counting, the empty bottles he would sell back: the bottles going clink clink as Pa stuck them in the sack. The fowls were fluffing in the dust and sun: that crook-neck white pullet Mumma said she would hit on the head if only she had the courage to; but she hadn't."
Duffield's parents give him away, so he is without illusions from the start, and he finds himself able to see through and dissect the weaknesses of others, qualities that inform his art and brutalize his relationships. "They walked on rather aimlessly. He hoped she wouldn't notice he was touched, because he wouldn't have known how to explain why. Here lay the great discrepancy between aesthetic truth and sleazy reality." One of Duffield's paintings is called "The Mad Eye," representing God as artist, vivisector and enemy.
Like Voss, Duffield has his megalomaniac will, then, and, as in "Voss," "The Vivisector" counterpoints a tone and philosophical reach that mimic Dostoevski with a gift for social observation and comedy worthy of Henry James. "Mrs. Trotter made a sincere though wrong sound, while opening her handbag to look for help," White writes, describing a scene in which Duffield mingles with Sydney's high-bourgeois ladies, angling for a patron. "Mrs. Horsfall closed the glossy pages and let the magazine fall plunk on the pearl-shell table."
Both of these novels concern visionaries at large in a landscape that obsesses them while they almost hate it. Both reflect White's ambiguous attitude to Australia, whose literary map he was indeed writing. Both show how plans, whether divine or not, seem to show themselves in our lives when least desirable. Both have pace and power, immense dramatic force, and deserts of sometimes intimidating mysticism. Best of all is the style. "Down the sleek asphalt hill the evening traffic was spurting through the purple shallows," White notes, a great moment that recalls Saul Bellow, another writer who seemed so often to see through into the essence of stuff.
Twenty years after Patrick White's death, "Voss" and "The Vivisector" are revealed once again as masterpieces. White may have deprecated his own talents, but he's still cooking -- mightily.
Rayner's Paperback Writers column appears monthly at www.latimes.com/books.
|
<urn:uuid:607af70f-c557-4bb7-9262-4f7091e2c9be>
|
CC-MAIN-2013-20
|
http://www.dailypress.com/entertainment/la-caw-paperback-writers29-2009mar29,0,695804.story
|
s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368697380733/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516094300-00034-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz
|
en
| 0.976372
| 1,282
| 1.820313
| 2
|
Posted on 04 April 2012.
Leinster House, 1911
Architecture-inclined travelers will have a rare opportunity September 10-18 to explore Irish Palladianism and Classicism in a tour sponsored by the Virginia Society AIA. Offered in cooperation with the Center for Palladian Studies in America, and the Virginia Center for Architecture, this eight-day tour, centered in Dublin, with two days in Northern Ireland, features a broad overview of Ireland’s distinctive classical architecture and the emergence of Irish Palladianism in public and private buildings of the Georgian era. Download the brochure and registration form. The tour has qualified for 30 AIA/CES learning units.
EVP/CEO John Braymer has developed the tour with Professor Alistair Rowan, who is organizing the itinerary and will act as expert guide throughout the trip. Rowan is editor of the Yale Buildings of Ireland series of Pevsner Guides; in 1988 he was elected Slade Professor Fine Art at the University of Oxford; he has served as President of the Society of Architectural Historians of Great Britain (SAHGB) and of the Architectural Heritage Society of Scotland; and he has pursued a distinguished career at the University of Edinburgh, University College Dublin, and University College Cork, and as Principal of the Edinburgh College of Art. Early in his career he qualified as an architect, so he brings a direct practical experience and understanding to his analysis and discussions of architecture. He also knows Palladio’s architecture well having led several Italian tours for the SAHGB.
In addition to visiting significant Palladian sites, participants will explore the rise and popularity of Classicism in Ireland in its various aspects — domestic and institutional — without passing up the occasional medieval setting that begs for a look. The tour considers classical architecture in Ireland, from its fragmentary introduction in the seventeenth century, to the emergence of Irish Palladianism and the superb government buildings and country houses erected from the 17th c. through the Age of Neoclassicism. For a taste of an earlier age, participants will also visit some noted examples of medieval classicism in Ireland at the Celtic site of Monasterboice, the early Romanesque church of King Cormac’s at Cashel and St. Molaise’s house at Devenish Island in Co. Fermanagh.
Casino at Marino
Palladio at Large: The Irish Story
Classical Architecture and Palladianism in Georgian Ireland
September 10–18, 2012
- Trinity College
- Leinster House
- Dublin Castle
- Powerscourt and Russborough House
- Casino at Marino
- Florence Court and Castlecoole
Portico detail of Castlecoole. Photo by Andrew Humphreys
Monday, September 10
We will gather in the foyer of the Mespil Hotel in Georgian Dublin at 4:30 p.m. for an introductory walking tour of the Georgian city and the Pembroke estate—the fashionable region around Fitzwilliam and Merrion Squares in the 18th c. southern extension of the city. We will visit two fine Mid-Georgian houses at 85 & 86 St. Stephen’s Green, with superb ‘Palladian’ and Rococo plasterwork, before stopping for drinks at the Irish Architectural Archive. Our opening dinner will follow in the Victorian Schoolhouse Restaurant, a short amble from our hotel along the 18th c Grand Canal.
Tuesday, September 11
After breakfast at the hotel, we will travel by coach to County Wicklow to visit the Powerscourt demesne with formal gardens centered on the ‘Sugarloaf’ mountain and the shell of a great Palladian house contrived from an earlier structure by the architect Richard Castle in 1731 and extended in the 19th century. From Powerscourt we cross the hills to Russborough House, developed from 1742, the perfect example of a small Irish Palladian house with center, flanking colonnades and symmetrical wings containing the stables and kitchen in symmetrical blocks. Lunch will be enjoyed in the nearby village of Blessington before afternoon visits in County Kildare to the sprawling ruins of Jigginstown House, the first brick house to be built in Ireland and the first attempt at a symmetrical Classical design in the tradition of Jacobean houses in England. We end the day at a center of ascendancy power, Ireland’s truly monumental Classical house, Castletown at Celbridge (1722-32), the seat of the Speaker of the Irish House of Commons, William Conolly. The façade, like a Roman palace dropped down in the irish countryside, is the work of the Florentine architect, Alessandro Galilei while the flanking colonnades and wings are by Richard Lovett Pearce and Richard Castle.
Wednesday, September 12
This day is devoted to two excursions on foot, before and after lunch, in Dublin city center. Dublin is a closely-packed city that boasts two medieval cathedrals, cheek by jowl, with an essentially eighteenth-century environment of brick and stone-built houses and churches. Members of the party are encouraged to undertake just as much or as little as they want to or feel able to manage. A detailed programme will be provided at the time of the visit so that people may drop in and out of the tour as best suits them. Highlights of this day are Marsh’s Library at St. Patrick’s Cathedral, the oldest Public Library in Ireland designed by Sir William Robinson in 1701 and unchanged since the days of Queen Anne; St. Werburgh’s, an unspoilt early Georgian church by Edward Burgh of 1718; the Upper and Lower wards of Dublin Castle and the Irish Houses of Parliament (the Bank of Ireland head office from 1803 to 1978). This remarkable complex is the masterpiece of Edward Lovett Pearce and a major work of Irish Palladianism. The octagonal House of Commons was converted into the principal banking hall to designs of Francis Johnston in 1802 but Pearce’s rich interior of the Irish House of Lords survives intact.
We take lunch together in ‘The 1592 private restaurant’ of Trinity College, which is the University of Dublin founded by Queen Elizabeth I in that year. The visit of the afternoon includes all the significant structures in the beautiful and extensive campus of the College with the magnificent Library by Thomas Burgh, the Neo-classical Chapel and Examination Schools built to designs of Sir William Chambers and the Provost’s House, the finest Palladian town-house in Ireland, designed in 1759 for Provost Francis Andrews. We finish at Richard Castle’s Leinster House, in Kildare Street, built in 1745 as the town house of the 20th Earl of Kildare (later Marquis and Duke of Leinster) and now the Dàil, seat of the Irish Parliament.
Thursday, September 13
This day is devoted to an exploration by coach of the inner suburbs of the Georgian city with several stops punctuated by some walking. We start at the Royal Hospital Kilmainham, a handsome courtyard building begun in 1680 for Charles II and designed by Sir William Robinson as a hospital for pensioners of the Irish army. We proceed to Dr. Steeven’s Hospital, another courtyard building of 1719 by Thomas Burgh and from here cross the river to view the exteriors of James Gandon’s greatest public buildings—the Custom House of 1780 and the Four Courts of 1784 – high points in the history of European Neo-classicism. We will take lunch today on the top floor of a famous Dublin eating house, ‘The Winding Stair’, beside the Halfpenny bridge and overlooking the river Liffey. In the afternoon we plan to visit a number of remarkable early Georgian town houses in Dominic Street and Henrietta Street, once the most fashionable part of the city. We will visit the Rotunda Hospital by Richard Castle, the oldest public maternity hospital in Britain and Ireland, founded in 1751 with, at its center, a square chapel filled with superb plasterwork and set above a Palladian ‘four column’ entrance hall. Further afield is the exquisite Casino at Marino built as a trianon for the Earl of Charlemont to designs of Sir William Chambers at Clontarf.
Friday, September 14
After breakfast we travel south-west by coach to County Kilkenny, the power base throughout the Middle Ages of the Butler family whose younger scion, James Butler, rose to the rank of First Duke of Ormond in the time of Charles II and was, for a while, the virtual ruler of Ireland. The Duke entirely encased the Norman castle of his predecessors in a skin of light renaissance architecture designed by Sir William Robinson. Only the Corinthian gateway of 1686 remains as the castle was redeveloped in the Georgian period and again in the early nineteenth century when its medieval appearance was restored. We will visit the castle and the medieval cathedral of St.Canice (1251 – 85) with the Round tower of the earlier Celtic church. Lunch will be taken at the innovative Kilkenny Design Centre in Georgian stables directly opposite the castle. In the afternoon we will travel to County Tipperary to visit the remarkable medieval complex of the Rock of Cashel, with its round tower, the perfectly preserved Romanesque chapel built by King Cormac in 1127 and the ruins of the 13th-century Cathedral and Bishop’s lodgings. Time and weather permitting we may also walk to the evocative ruins of Hoare Abbey, below the rock, before taking an early dinner in the cellar restaurant of Cashel Palace Hotel. This house is a superb design of Edward Lovett Pearce for Bishop Theophilus Bolton in 1730.
Saturday, September 15
Today our tour shifts focus leaving Dublin, the Republic of Ireland and the euro zone to spend two days in Northern Ireland, in County Down and County Fermanagh, which remains a part of Britain and is in the sterling area. Two themes characterise this visit to the north: the aristocratic architecture of the Protestant ascendancy expressed in large country houses and small towns and the monastic monuments of the Celtic church. Travelling north by coach we make a detour in Co. Louth to visit the evocative complex of buildings and High crosses at Monasterboice, which date from the 9th century. We travel on to cross the bare eroded landscapes of the Mountains of Mourne to Downpatrick, visiting the miniature complex of the Palladian Southwell Schools, before moving to the great house of Castleward, one of the most perfect expressions of English Palladianism in Ireland set above the waters of Strangford Lough.
After Castleward we travel to the little 18th-century town of Hillsborough created from 1742, by and for Wills Hill, Viscount Hillsborough and first Marques of Downshire, who hoped to move the seat of the Bishop of Down to his own new town. It has a pretty Market square, an ambitious Georgian Gothick church and a 17th-century fort turned into a garden folly. From Hillsborough we go to the rather plain Georgian church which is the Cathedral of the Bishop of Clogher in Co Tyrone and from here to Enniskillen in County Fermanagh. A long day ends at Westville hotel Enniskillen between Upper & Lower Lough Erne.
Sunday, September 16
We hope to be able to arrange for a morning visit by river cruiser from Enniskillen to the medieval monastic sites on Devenish Island in Lower Lough Erne. The complex of early Christian buildings includes one of the best preserved Irish round towers dating from the 12th century, parts of a Romanesque church and substantial remains of a late Gothic Augustinian abbey built in 1449. There follows the two greatest country houses of the County: Florence Court – a charming building begun in 1758, with delightful Rococo plasterwork – and Castlecoole, a long and low Neo-classical house built for the Earl of Belmore between 1790 and 1797. Faced in white Portland limestone that was shipped from Dorset in England, Castlecoole is a building of the most perfect poise and elegance, contrived by the major British architect, James Wyatt, then at the height of his powers.
Monday, September 17
We return to Dublin with a rich day visiting Bellamont Forest at Cootehill, County Cavan, one of the most scrupulous and intellectually satisfying designs of Sir Edward Lovett Pearce, built between 1725 and 1730 for Thomas Coote; the galleried St. Peter’s Church in Drogheda of 1753 and Townley Hall of 1800, an austere and very beautiful house by Francis Johnston which quotes one of the ideals of Neo-classicism in its symmetrical plan and domed, central circular stair.
Back in Dublin for our last evening, we plan to hold a festive final dinner in one of the 18th-century club buildings in the St. Stephen’s Green. From here members may saunter back through the Georgian streets to our hotel or, if they prefer, take a taxi home.
Tuesday, September 18
Farewells and departures will follow breakfast at the hotel.
(The exact final schedule may change slightly to take advantage of best opportunities.)
Tour includes three- and four-star hotel accommodation, with daily breakfast, seven lunches, five dinners, coach transport, all entrance fees, and expert guidance throughout. Airfare and airport transfers are not included in the tour fee. Tour cost per person (based on double occupancy) is $ 2950, with a single supplement of $450.
A deposit of $750 per person ($1200 w/ single supplement) should be paid immediately to reserve your place. Final payment is due July 15, 2012. Although the Virginia Society of the AIA anticipates an enthusiastic response to this tour, enrollment is limited to 36, and the Society reserves the right to cancel this offer should the tour not reach a minimum of 20 participants.
Prefer to register by mail? Download a registration form.
Tour includes three- and four-star hotel accommodation, with daily breakfast, seven lunches, five dinners, coach transport, all entrance fees, and expert guidance throughout. Airfare and airport transfers are not included in the tour fee.
|
<urn:uuid:02fb2d6a-4b30-41aa-81be-72ca96cd9cc9>
|
CC-MAIN-2013-20
|
http://www.aiava.org/tag/architecture/
|
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
| 0.943481
| 2,996
| 1.570313
| 2
|
Valuable items from Museum of Art's collection on display
More than 100 historical art works and Chinese calligraphy from the Hong Kong Museum of Art's precious collection are featured in two exhibitions, which opened today (June 18).
The two exhibitions are "Hong Kong Memories: Selected Historical Pictures of the 19th Century" and "The Unrestrained Brush: Selections from the Xubaizhai Collection of Chinese Calligraphy II".
Through a display of about 60 oil paintings, watercolours and prints, the "Hong Kong Memories" exhibition depicts the scenery and life styles of people in Hong Kong, Macau, Guangzhou and other trading ports on the China coast. Created by artists of both Chinese and Western origins, these valuable works of art are esteemed as historical as well as aesthetic treasures.
Scenes of modest fishing villages, colonial architecture and the junks that once filled Victoria Harbour are all preserved in these pictures. Visitors can take this opportunity to have a glimpse of the picturesque scenes in Hong Kong from the opening of the port all the way through to the late 19th century. Distinctive export goods including silverware, porcelain, lacquerware and Canton enamel are also showcased.
"The Unrestrained Brush", a new display of the Xubaizhai Gallery of Chinese Painting and Calligraphy features about 50 exhibits selected from the Xubaizhai Collection. The new display focuses on the works by calligraphers of the Guangdong province (in southern China). It not only shows the contributions of these calligraphers to the Chinese culture, but is also a reflection of collector Low Chuck-tiew's interest in collecting and promoting the accomplishment of the calligraphic tradition of southern China. The works on display enable visitors to appreciate the artistic and cultural richness of Chinese calligraphy. Meanwhile, the mass reproduction of Buddhist sutras in ancient China; personal exchanges of letters and poems between artists and others; the couplet as a unique form of calligraphy; and the relationship between stone inscriptions and the calligraphy brushstrokes are also revealed.
In support of the exhibition, a fully illustrated catalogue - "Xubaizhai Collection of Chinese Calligraphy", which features 177 calligraphic works, is available for sale at the Museum of Art's gift shop.
The Museum of Art is located at 10 Salisbury Road, Tsim Sha Tsui, Kowloon. It opens from 10am to 6pm daily and is closed on Thursdays (except public holidays). Admission is $10 and a half-price concession is available to full-time students, senior citizens and people with disabilities. Admission is free on Wednesdays.
For further information, call 2721 0116 or visit the Museum of Art's website at http://hk.art.museum
Ends/Friday, June 18, 2004
|
<urn:uuid:354a420f-6c50-4654-94b0-084dd3443851>
|
CC-MAIN-2013-20
|
http://www.lcsd.gov.hk/en/ppr_release_det.php?pd=20040618&ps=02
|
s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368702448584/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516110728-00011-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz
|
en
| 0.936559
| 590
| 1.710938
| 2
|
Abortion opponents' tactics highlights high NYC rate
Wednesday, April 6, 2011
NEW YORK (AP) — Ciara Guernon was in a troubled relationship and working three jobs when she learned she was pregnant. The 22-year-old began calling people to see if they would lend her money for an abortion. “I didn’t think I’d be a good mom,” she said.
Guernon ultimately decided to have the baby after a visit to the fervently anti-abortion EMC Frontline Pregnancy Center in Brooklyn, where she was shown her sonogram.
The center, where young women and couples are directed to a room decorated with pictures of mothers to watch videos on prenatal development and abortion, is among a small number of pregnancy service organizations accused by abortion rights groups and city officials of misleading women about their reproductive health options and disguising themselves as medical clinics.
The debate between the centers and the city has renewed focus on the New York City’s abortion rate, at 41 percent among the highest in the country.
EMC Frontline Pregnancy Centers promotes itself as “Fighting for life in NYC — the abortion capital of America.” In City Council testimony last month, Joan Malin, Planned Parenthood of New York City’s CEO, called the centers “anti-choice organizations masquerading as legitimate reproductive health care providers.”
Mayor Michael Bloomberg signed a law last month that mandates all pregnancy centers disclose what services they offer, including whether they have licensed medical staff and what they do to protect the privacy of clients. Abortion rights groups have backed the law.
Several of the centers have filed lawsuits to try to stop the law from going into effect, arguing it tramples on their free speech rights.
Often funded through donations and by charitable organizations and run by anti-abortion volunteers, the centers set up shop near clinics that provide abortions, sometimes even in the same building.
A few hold rallies outside abortion providers’ clinics while trying to divert women to their offices. Some advertise in newspapers and on subways with the promise of “abortion alternatives.” They provide free pregnancy tests, counseling and sonograms. Their objective is to persuade women to carry their pregnancies to term.
Chris Slattery, who founded the chain of EMC Frontline Pregnancy Centers in 1985, said abortion-rights groups were ganging up on organizations like his with the support of government officials.
“In a lot of other states, there is mandatory counseling, mandatory waiting periods,” he said. “We are a substitute for those laws that don’t exist in New York.”
The city’s abortion rate has for years hovered around twice the national average, according to researchers and statistics from the city’s Department of Health and Mental Hygiene.
In New York, 41 percent of the more than 225,000 pregnancies in 2009 ended in abortions, said the city’s Department of Health and Mental Hygiene. The national average for abortions is 22 percent, according to the Guttmacher Institute, which studies sexual and reproductive health and is cited by both sides in the abortion debate.
Health officials say 61 percent of the city’s pregnancies were unintended in 2009, a potential indicator of poor access to birth control, health care and family planning.
Reporting requirements for abortions vary widely by jurisdiction. Philadelphia’s public health department reported that 39 percent of more than 39,000 pregnancies ended in abortion in 2008; and Washington, D.C., reported that about 13 percent of nearly 11,000 pregnancies ended in abortion.
New York City’s statistics have given fuel to activists on both sides of the debate and to organizations like the one Guernon went to in Brooklyn, with some claiming that the high abortion numbers are a result of an “industry” bent on making money off poor and minority women.
New York has one of the most lenient abortion laws in the country dating to 1970 and provides funding for all or most medically necessary procedures. The city is also where the country’s modern-day birth control movement got its start when Margaret Sanger, the founder of Planned Parenthood, opened a family planning clinic in Brooklyn in 1916.
Experts point to a myriad number of possible factors — social, economic, financial — to explain the statistics on abortions and unintended pregnancies in the city.
Rachel Jones, a senior researcher at the Guttmacher Institute, said that the procedure is more accessible in the city because there are fewer laws in New York that regulate abortion, state insurance pays for the procedure and public transportation makes it easy to get to providers.
“We are a geographically concentrated area,” she said. “It is easy to find a clinic and it is easy to get there.”
But while abortion may be more accessible, low-income women especially have uneven access to family planning, such as birth control, health officials said.
“We know that abortion rates are higher for poor women who have lower access to these services,” said Deborah Kaplan, the city’s assistant commissioner in the Bureau of Maternal, Infant and Reproductive Health.
The city has worked to reduce the numbers of abortions through various public policies, including an initiative funded in 2005 to improve family planning. Kaplan said one outcome of the program had been a delay in subsequent pregnancies. The city also received a five-year grant from the Centers for Disease Control for a program in the Bronx for improving sexual education and services.
Malin said social and economic barriers make it “pretty difficult” for women to get the reproductive services they need in the city — and that some may not even be able to afford birth control.
“Many of the women we see are leading chaotic lives,” she said. “In my mind, it’s related to all the factors of poverty that make it more challenging and difficult to get services.“
The Rev. Earl Kooperkamp, a pastor at St. Mary’s Episcopal Church in Harlem who supports Planned Parenthood, said he had counseled many women with unintended pregnancies and found one underlying theme.
“One thing we are not doing — we as a city, as a society, as churches — we aren’t doing nearly the job we need to do so that our young boys and girls have the education they need,” he said.
He recounted how one young woman came to him astonished that she could get pregnant.
“There is so much ignorance out there,” he said.
|
<urn:uuid:2057b973-d531-413a-8ae9-bccba6a225c0>
|
CC-MAIN-2013-20
|
http://www.newstribune.com/news/2011/apr/06/abortion-opponents-tactics-highlights-high-nyc-rat/
|
s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368704392896/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516113952-00036-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz
|
en
| 0.960973
| 1,362
| 1.554688
| 2
|
Amongst other things this blog is a celebration of the book, a conservation area for those who, without despising Kindle, still require as a life necessity, the proximity and availability of books. I await the advent of an e-reader that is as flexible, quick and easy to flick through and back and forth, as a solid reference book. Because some of the most important books are for reference.Thumbing through a reference book is education by serendipity, and the best reference books send you chasing in all directions, to articles and topics you hadn't realised were connected to your first enquiry. A good article in a quality reference book will have cross references to other articles and treatments of similar or related material. Now I guess hyper links and other devices allow a similar cognitive tour on an e-reader but I'm now so incurably attached to those large repositories of print and picture that I'll persist with the dictionary, encyclopedia, companion, handbook, and lexicon in book form.
One such dictionary I use often and am seldom disappointed. The Dictionary of Biblical Imagery, published in 1998 by IVP is according to its impressive sub-title "An encyclopedic exploration of the images, symbols, motifs, metaphors, figures of speech and literary patterns of the Bible." While working away at the Shalom tapestry I've consulted it on shepherds and sheep, moon and stars, mountains and rivers, trees and fruit, water and sunshine, cups that run over and my going out and coming in! The literary texture of Scripture is rich and dense, colourful and subversive, the range of its imagery drawing from many cultures, several languages, and centuries of history. The column and a half on stars is an eye opener to those who read biblical, texts with minds as dulled in vision as our eyes as we stand in a brightly lit street and see through a glass obscurely, missing the sheer magnificence and cosmic artistry of a night sky that should rightly reduce our utilitarian view of the world to a humbler respect for that whose vastness renders our self-importance of no intrinsic significance.
Because that's what Psalm 8 is saying. Human beings are made a little lower than the angels, because the Lord God made it so, not because we made ourselves so. Street lights are themselves metaphors for illuminated blindness, artificial light that obscures the billions of divinely appointed lights for the universe. Fanciful? Come on, stop being a literalist - the great Psalm poet wrote, "God determines the number of the stars; he gives to each of them their name"(147.4). In a world awash with astrological predictions, stellar worship and fear of the astral forces that fix human destiny, the psalmist upsets the game board and announces that the God of Israel, far from being subject to the whims and fates of the stars, is the one by whom they exist, the one whom they serve, and the one who gives each star its name - naming being a fundamental act of ownership. And yes, in the creation narrative of Genesis 1, as a fatal deflation of Babylonian arrogance and astrological controls, the writer says in a devastating parenthesis at the end of the story of the creation of earth and heaven, "he made the stars also". I don't know anywhere in all literature a more comprehensive defeat of dogma by understatement.
All of this from a dictionary. Love them!
|
<urn:uuid:0fd9e4ed-97d7-4edd-8ff6-597d9a360103>
|
CC-MAIN-2013-20
|
http://livingwittily.typepad.com/my_weblog/2013/03/the-defeat-of-dogma-by-understatement-and-the-fruitful-companionship-of-dictionaries.html
|
s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368710006682/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516131326-00005-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz
|
en
| 0.948382
| 707
| 1.796875
| 2
|
- The Robotics Institute at Carnegie Mellon University has three faculty tracks. The first, tenure faculty, is highly student-oriented, comprising teaching, advising, and supervising students and their research along with course and program development and other educational activities. The second track, research faculty, is similar to the tenure track but without tenure and usually without teaching. Research faculty are typically principal investigators in research. The third track, systems faculty, focuses on both research and managerial skills and these faculty also serve as investigators in research and supervisors of students.
- Employment Opportunities
- The Robotics Institute invites applications from outstanding candidates at all levels and tracks (tenure, research, and systems). We have special interest in:
- Dynamics and controls
- Machine learning
- Novel mechanisms, materials, and actuators
- Perception including computer vision, audition, and tactile sensing.
- We are also interested in fundamental scientific programs that would support the following application areas:
- Aerial robotics
- Agricultural and environmental robotics
- Autonomy and vision for outdoor systems
- Quality of life and medical robotics
- Soft and compliant robotics (design, sensing, and manipulation)
- Our employment application information and procedure is below.
- Position Descriptions
- Tenure Faculty
- Tenure faculty have a direct educational involvement with students inside and outside the classroom, including such activities as instruction, seminars, independent study project supervision advising undergraduate and graduate students, and supervision of graduate and postdoctoral research. Other educational activities include development of new or reformed courses, curricula, degree programs and training programs; educational publications, textbooks and other instructional materials; editorial work on professional journals.
- Tenure faculty also have an obligation to perform research activities that lead to the production of new knowledge; to increased problem-solving capabilities, including design and analysis.
- Every faculty member contributes by means of his or her expertise and the commitment of reasonable time and effort to the functioning and welfare of the university community, and of his or her academic unit in particular, through these activities.
- Faculty in this category are subject to the tenure procedure outlined in the Faculty Handbook. Titles included are Assistant Professor, Associate Professor and Professor. Complete SCS policy on Criteria for Teaching Track Faculty is available.
- Research Faculty
- Research faculty are fully supported from sources external to the university; primary contributions most closely resemble regular faculty positions in regard to responsibility in designing, carrying out and managing research, including service as principal investigator when appropriate; are not required to teach, though many choose to do so; and are not subject to the tenure procedure, though performance is evaluated on a regular basis by department, school and university review committees.
- Research faculty have the same rights and responsibilities as tenure-track faculty. In particular, research faculty may supervise PhD students and be principal investigators on research proposals. The titles are Assistant Research Professor, Associate Research Professor and Research Professor. Complete SCS policy on Criteria for Research Track Faculty is available.
- Systems Faculty
- Systems faculty conduct and support research in basic and applied computer science, and advance the state of practice. The hallmark of these positions is creativity in the implementation of research ideas and problem solutions, and in the management of research programs. These positions, which range over computer science, computer architecture, communication, robotics, and related disciplines, are characterized by expertise, depth of knowledge, and sustained accomplishment in a particular specialization. Moreover, managerial positions are focal points of responsibility for formulating and achieving research goals that require the ability to lead and coordinate technical activities. All of these positions require persons of sufficiently high caliber and specific talent to justify the conferring of faculty status in order to attract and retain them, without requiring of them all the activities expected of regular faculty members.
- Primary contributions in this track may be other than original research, and therefore teaching or research faculty positions are not appropriate; it confers the rights and responsibilities of leadership associated with regular and research faculty, including service as co-principal investigator and co-supervision of research students where appropriate. Faculty in this track are evaluated on a regular basis by department and school review committees. Systems faculty are classified as Special Faculty, and receive staff benefits. Titles include Systems Scientist, Senior Systems Scientist, and Principal Systems Scientist. Complete SCS policy on Criteria for Systems Track appointments is available.
- Employment Information
Please include a letter indicating the area of specialization and faculty track, a detailed curriculum vitae (including citizenship or current visa status for non-US citizens), a research statement (including both current and future directions) and a teaching statement (if appropriate for the track), copies of 1 - 3 representative papers, and the names and email addresses of three or more individuals who have been asked to provide letters of reference.
Applications will be accepted from December 1, 2012 through January 15, 2013 (but may continue to be accepted for review after that date until
all positions have been filled).
Applications may be submitted via the School of Computer Science application website.
The Robotics Institute at Carnegie Mellon University was established in 1979 to conduct basic and applied research in robotics technologies relevant to industrial and societal tasks. Seeking to combine the practical and the theoretical, the Robotics Institute has diversified its efforts and approaches to robotics science while retaining its original goal of realizing the potential of the robotics field. Faculty members hold primary appointments in the Institute and also in
Mechanical Engineering, Electrical and Computer Engineering, Machine Learning, and Computer Science.
Faculty candidates are expected to have a strong interest in research, outstanding academic credentials, and an earned Ph.D. Candidates for tenure-track appointments should also have a strong interest in graduate and undergraduate education. The highly selective graduate programs in the Robotics Institute and elsewhere in the School of Computer Science draw top students from around the world. Further information about the Robotics Institute and its programs may be found at www.ri.cmu.edu.
Carnegie Mellon University is an Affirmative Action / Equal Opportunity Employer and encourages applications from women and members of underrepresented groups.
|
<urn:uuid:965170c9-ec97-4f65-acb0-928da0b25fdd>
|
CC-MAIN-2013-20
|
http://www.ri.cmu.edu/ri_static_content.html/ri_static_content.html?menu_id=266
|
s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368700958435/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516104238-00029-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz
|
en
| 0.948031
| 1,229
| 1.609375
| 2
|
SAN BERNARDINO - When this sun-drenched town filed for bankruptcy protection in August, the city attorney suggested fraudulent accounting was the root of the problem.
The mayor blamed a dysfunctional City Council and greedy police and fire unions. The unions blamed the mayor. Even now, there is little agreement on how the city got into this crisis or how it can extricate itself.
"It's total political chaos," said John Husing, a former San Bernardino resident and a regional economist. "There is no solution. They'll never fix anything."
Yet on close examination, the city's decades-long journey from prosperous, middle-class community to bankrupt, crime-ridden, foreclosure-blighted basket case is straightforward - and alarmingly similar to the path traveled by many municipalities around America's largest state.
San Bernardino succumbed to a vicious circle of self-interests among city workers, local politicians and state pension overseers.
Little by little, over many years, the salaries and retirement benefits of San Bernardino's city workers - and especially its police and firefighters - grew richer and richer, even as the city lost its major employers and gradually got poorer and poorer.
Unions poured money into City Council elections, and the council poured money into union pay and pensions. The California Public Employees' Retirement System, or CalPERS, which manages pension plans for San Bernardino and many other cities, encouraged ever-sweeter benefits. Investment bankers sold clever bond deals to pay for them. Meanwhile, state law made it impossible to raise local property taxes and difficult to boost any other kind.
No single deal or decision involving benefits and wages over the years killed the city. But cumulatively, they built a pension-fueled financial time bomb that finally exploded.
In San Bernardino, a third of the city's 210,000 people live below the poverty line, making it the poorest city of its size in California. But a police lieutenant can retire in his 50s and take home $230,000 in one-time payouts on his last day, before settling in with a guaranteed $128,000-a-year pension. Forty-six retired city employees receive more than $100,000 a year in pensions.
Almost 75 percent of the city's general fund is now spent solely on the Police and Fire departments, according to a Reuters analysis of city bankruptcy documents - most of that on wages and pension costs.
In the dark
San Bernardino's biggest creditor, by far, is CalPERS, the public-employee pension fund. The city says it owes CalPERS $143 million; using a different calculation, CalPERS says the city would have to pay $320 million if it left the plan immediately.
Second on the city's list of creditors are holders of $46 million worth of pension bonds - money borrowed in 2005 to pay off CalPERS. The total pension-related debts are more than double the $92 million owed to the city's next 18 largest creditors combined.
Complicating matters were obscure budgeting procedures that left residents in the dark. The word "pension" doesn't appear once in the most recent 642-page budget, and retiree costs are buried in detailed departmental line items.
"I've been asking for years for the pension costs," said Tobin Brinker, a former council member and pension-reform advocate who lost his seat last year to a challenger backed by nearly $100,000 in contributions from the fire and police unions. "I still don't know the number."
Jim Penman, the longtime city attorney who critics say is closely aligned with the unions, alleged during a council meeting this summer that 13 of the past 16 city budgets had been falsified. He has refused to elaborate on that accusation since, but told Reuters that he hasn't retracted it, either.
The Securities and Exchange Commission has opened an informal inquiry into the San Bernardino situation because of the city's bond obligations. The U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development, which has provided funds to the city in the past, says it is conducting a routine periodic audit of the city's books that began before the bankruptcy.
No regulatory or law enforcement agency has announced any criminal probe. Recently hired city finance officers do say they have found evidence of terrible accounting and record-keeping.
But unlike in the small Southern California cities of Bell, where eight city officials face trial on allegations that they stole from the public, and Vernon, where three officials have been convicted of corruption, San Bernardino's problems appear to be mainly the result of back-scratching on an epic scale.
It's a pattern common throughout the Golden State - and while the particulars are quite different, it is akin to what happened in other states with severe financial crises, such as Illinois and Pennsylvania.
'2.5 at 55'
By the time San Bernardino's council met behind closed doors on Sept. 17, 2007, it was already clear the city was in trouble.
Just six months earlier, a report by consulting firm Management Partners showed that spending was outpacing revenue, pension costs were escalating and the city was quickly accumulating unfunded retirement liabilities.
Last decade's housing market boom had papered over the deep economic problems stemming from the shutdowns of a huge steel mill in Fontana in the 1980s and Norton Air Force Base in the 1990s.
Now the boom was over. Tax revenues were poised for a big fall.
Between 2007 and 2011, they dropped 30 percent, according to Husing, the regional economist.
Yet on this day in 2007, the city was about to raise pension benefits again, in a deal allowing non-public-safety workers to retire at age 55 with a pension equal to three-quarters of their salary. Called "2.5 at 55," it calculated annual pensions at 2.5 percentage points of final salary for each year worked - 75 percent for 30 years.
It wasn't nearly as good a deal as the one police and firefighters enjoyed - a "3 percent at 50" plan passed a year earlier. That enabled the public-safety workers to retire at 50 with a pension of up to 90 percent of their final salary. Regardless, "2.5 at 55" was what union negotiators had asked for, and the council was poised to rubber-stamp it.
But then something happened. And in a city which has a particularly toxic brand of politics, what transpired depends on who you talk to.
According to four people present at the meeting, Penman brought a pregnant co-worker to the session. By their account, Penman's co-worker made an emotional case for an even more generous pension deal. Otherwise, she said, she would be forced to leave San Bernardino and seek work in a city with better benefits. She had her family to consider, she said.
Penman vehemently denies that any of this took place.
"Welcome to San Bernardino politics," he said.
That afternoon, in public session, the council unanimously voted to award its non-safety workers 2.7 percent at 55 - more even than the union sought. That tiny fraction could raise the pension on a $100,000 salary by $6,000 per year. Penman, in office since 1987, earned $164,799 last year, according to city payroll data.
"In hindsight I am not proud of this vote," said Brinker, who was on the council at the time. "The recession hit barely a year later. This was one more log on the pension bonfire."
Meanwhile, San Bernardino continued to boost wages along with benefits. The average salary for a full-time San Bernardino firefighter in 1997 was $75,610, adjusted for inflation into 2010 dollars. By 2010, it was nearly $147,000, according to a Reuters analysis of Census Bureau data.
City wages were a runaway train, according to the Management Partners report. The city charter automatically calculated police and firefighter pay using a formula linked to wages offered by comparably sized cities - most of which were much wealthier than San Bernardino. Efforts to amend the charter were strongly opposed by the safety unions and voted down by the council earlier this year.
City workers took advantage of compensation rules, common among public employees in California, that made retirement deals even better. Key to this was boosting an employee's eve-of-retirement wages, which form the basis of the pension calculations.
Mike Conrad, fire chief from 2006 to 2012, said he saw managers negotiate a promotion in their final year, to boost their final salary. It was not uncommon for someone to move into a position with a $30,000 annual pay rise shortly before retirement, he said.
Retiring employees are also able to extract big one-time "cash outs." In San Bernardino, eight hours per month of unused sick time can be rolled over and saved year after year, without limit. Come retirement, 50 percent of the total can be taken in cash. The same goes for unused vacation time: up to 460 accrued hours of vacation - nearly three months of salary - can be cashed in at the Fire Department, Conrad said.
The police have a similar deal. In 2009, patrol Lt. Richard Taack retired at age 59, after 37 years of service. He took home $389,727 that year, including $194,820 in unused sick time and $33,721 for unused vacation time, according to city payroll records. Shortly after Taack retired - on an annual lifetime pension of $128,000 - he was hired part time by Penman's City Attorney's Office, at $32 an hour.
Additional reporting by Peter Henderson and Jim Christie in San Francisco.
|
<urn:uuid:f71dbb96-fdfb-4dc0-a208-c173538601ee>
|
CC-MAIN-2013-20
|
http://www.sbsun.com/redlands/ci_22060423/how-vicious-circle-self-interest-sank-san-bernardino
|
s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368702448584/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516110728-00000-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz
|
en
| 0.971896
| 1,986
| 1.570313
| 2
|
|05/17/2012, 02:26 AM||#1|
Join Date: Mar 2009
Location: Brisbane Australia
Brisbane area reef life collecting-recent trips.
Itís been another month or so and there have been a couple of trips for the Brisbane marine aquarium society-aandtsociety guys to research our waters on field trips and collect a few fish and inverts for our display tanks as well.
There are a few new club members that are keen on some fish and inverts for their tanks and are already starting to understand the relevance of searching for your own tank pets as to how educational it is to see how and where they live to begin the process of a better understanding of their aquarium pets.
The weather hasnít been kind in the early part of this time, it is normally not so good at the end of April any way, yet the times we went to the water it has been very nice, we try to plan to get the best, so far so good,
This little critter is quite common on the inside of the Islands in the south east.
We had a marine biologist in the local newspaper recently commenting on these and referred to them as stone fish, his field must have been algae,lol.
Caledonian stinger-inimicus caledonicus,hidden in sand waiting for a goat fish I scared away, no dinner for this revolting looking hunter!
The stinger encouraged from the sand for a pic.
Sabre toothed-fang blenny showing a fang,owch,would you look at that fang, several times I have had them slice my finger.
Looks like its lost one tooth and by past experience with them it doesnít take long to grow back and start tearing at fish again.
A nice saddle back chaetodon hanging around on a very nice trip in clear water.
This little dice box was held just for a pic,most of us have a at least one now.
The catch of the month has to be Mikeís lineatus surgeon he caught, these are not an easy fish to catch!!!!
Common but they just take off and you have to be prepared to give chase for quite a while at times.
These are such a nice blenny; the harp tail is a top fish for a reef tank.
This one is mimicked by a fang blenny.
A group of young latezonatus and dominoes get together once the camera is pointed at them, certainly not camera shy.
This is a female east coast meredithi,on the west coast the slightly different variation is called a personifer.
A turtle intent on getting some algae.
Some good times have been had as usual and lots of education on our marine relatives has been achieved.
Aandtsociety,south east queensland aquarium society
Marine keeping is hobby not a Psychological disorder.
Current Tank Info: 4 ,three foot tanks
|
<urn:uuid:692c1e31-503d-4064-a3cd-294a10bdc913>
|
CC-MAIN-2013-20
|
http://www.reefcentral.com/forums/showthread.php?p=20262007
|
s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368708142388/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516124222-00008-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz
|
en
| 0.95429
| 614
| 1.601563
| 2
|
The last column’s discussion on business plans centered on Jerry Moss, my former office mate in graduate school at Cornell. Jerry is a large grain and hog producer in Quincy, IL, and was speaking at the 2010 Farm Futures Business Management Summit in St. Louis, MO.
The business plan can educate family and key employees, and build relationships with lenders, landlords and business partners. However, let’s dig deeper. Jerry indicated that there is personal satisfaction in creating and developing a business plan. Yes, it will take time, including holding a business retreat for half a day in his case, to a full day in our creamery’s situation. The joy of establishing a vision, mission and goals, and thinking through operational, marketing and risk-management plans, and putting a comprehensive financial plan on paper, can bring the owner and management team peace of mind.
Jerry stated the business plan can assist in organizing macro and micro finance strategies. Testing various scenarios, such as price, input cost, production and interest rate changes, can provide a guide to decision making.
Jerry also said that the business plan can be a quick reference guide to use throughout the years as business game conditions change. A management succession plan was spelled out in Jerry’s plan with key responsibilities and accountability.
Finally, Jerry indicated that it forces him to review both good and bad points of the business annually, and provides a “state of the state” report of the business.
PS: As a side note, at this year’s TEPAP Ag Executive School with Danny Klinefelter at the helm, only 21% of participants had a business plan in place, but 45% were working on it. So Jerry, you are leading the pack!
Editor’s note: Dave Kohl, Corn & Soybean Digest trends editor, is an ag economist specializing in business management and ag finance. He recently retired from Virginia Tech, but continues to conduct applied research and travel extensively in the U.S. and Canada, teaching ag and banking seminars and speaking to producer and agribusiness groups. He can be reached at firstname.lastname@example.org.
|
<urn:uuid:6f1f8e7e-ce5b-4a3e-8853-a52f495389ba>
|
CC-MAIN-2013-20
|
http://cornandsoybeandigest.com/print/office-mate-provides-great-advice-part-2
|
s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368702448584/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516110728-00024-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz
|
en
| 0.957394
| 447
| 1.523438
| 2
|
Browsing page 1 of new words for July 14, 2006
- used in the BDSM Community (bondage/dominance/submission) that means someone is comfortable in the role as either a submissive ("bottom") or a dominant ("top"). Some people identify as solely a "bottom" or a "top" while a "switch" is someone who is comfortable in either role
- when a person normally speaks in a certain manner but then switches to the colloquial style with whom he or she is currently conversing.
Mom, you were switching when you talked to Aunt Mary! You sounded so ghetto!
- when a person, usually female, pronouncedly swings his or her hips while walking.
Girl, you were switching when you walked down the sidewalk!
|+||Add a definition for this slang term|
|
<urn:uuid:1a160e2a-28f3-4679-bd9e-67bf01cb143e>
|
CC-MAIN-2013-20
|
http://onlineslangdictionary.com/by-date/2006-07-14
|
s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368705559639/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516115919-00028-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz
|
en
| 0.965324
| 173
| 1.71875
| 2
|
Staff editorial: Where is the sense in the message?
As we all have seen on television that the state is spending a lot of money trying to get everyone to "slow the flow."
But it's hard to hear that message, and make any meaning of it when the state itself builds new buildings that don't take that saying into account.
Case in point; the new Division of Natural Resources building on Carbonville Road.
It's a great building and I'm glad that the DNR can gather all its divisions into one place; it makes it simpler for everyone. No argument there.
The building was built by the county and is on a lease to own basis to the DNR. But the building was built to the DNR's specifications and the landscaping came with the package.
That landscaping is beautiful, but there is a problem. Look on the east and southeast side of the building and see all the lawn that was planted there. That lawn needs water; a lot of it. We live in a much drier place than Salt Lake, and yet there are those wonderful blades of grass poking up that will take a lot of water year after year after year.
Xeriscaping (a lot of people call it zeroscaping) is something the state and a lot of cities are pushing; and yet here is a state building in which the planners ignored that advice, at least on part of their property.
It seems this year the county is the winner when it comes to finding ways to save water on landscaping. The Carbon County Events Center looks beautiful outside and there is literally no grass around it. It was built with water efficiency in mind.
I am not sure what kind of grass is around the DNR building, but even it it is the water saving kind, it is still less efficient than plants natural to the area.
So why does a building that houses some of the very agencies concerned with water have an expanse of lawn around it when water in our area is so tight? I'm sure someone will blame the architect or the designers. But let's face it, they only do what the client wants.
It seems the state is a "do as I say, but not as I do" entity.
Not much we can do about it now; but I hope everytime those sprinklers come on during a hot July evening people, and officials, think about what could have been.
|
<urn:uuid:1d0e3816-6f71-4ead-88e1-9dddbf568373>
|
CC-MAIN-2013-20
|
http://www.sunadvocate.com/index.php?tier=1&article_id=12181&poll=271&vote=results
|
s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368696382584/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516092622-00021-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz
|
en
| 0.984977
| 497
| 1.828125
| 2
|
Harkness, Deborah. A Discovery of Witches
Diana Bishop is the last in a long line of witches who can trace their ancestry back to the Salem Witch Trials and beyond. She has rejected her magical heritage, however, in the wake of her parents’ terrible deaths when she was a child. A historian, she is studying her chosen subject—the history of alchemy—in Oxford when she discovers a strange manuscript that has been bewitched and lost for centuries. Suddenly, she finds herself the focus of the interest and hostility of every witch, vampire, and daemon in England. Only her new-found relationship with Matthew Clairmont, a vampire scientist, may save her. But that relationship might be the downfall of both, as well, as such cross-species are strictly forbidden—and the penalty is death.
“A Discovery of Witches” is just the first in a series about Diana and Matthew, and the ending is left very open, with nothing resolved. Despite some slightly uneven pacing, readers are sure to be hooked by both the centuries-old mystery of the lost manuscript and the forbidden love affair between the protagonists.
|
<urn:uuid:8c2f7e50-176a-4703-a7dc-e62dd52a4f70>
|
CC-MAIN-2013-20
|
http://hplibrary.org/print/bibliofiles/harkness-deborah-discovery-witches?page=14
|
s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368697974692/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516095254-00020-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz
|
en
| 0.965301
| 232
| 1.546875
| 2
|
Subsets and Splits
No community queries yet
The top public SQL queries from the community will appear here once available.