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Derek Drouin jumps to bronzeAugust 7, 2012
LONDON – Derek Drouin of Coruna, Ont. earned Canada’s latest medal at the London 2012 Olympic Games, taking bronze in the men’s high jump event with a jump of 2.29 metres.
“I thought a medal was a realistic possibility. I had to sit there and wait for Jamie Nieto of the USA to miss his jump to confirm the bronze medal, that was really hard,” said Drouin. “It was great to celebrate on the track with the Canadian flag signed by my community in Sarnia. Their support has been amazing. I can’t wait to get my medal tomorrow night.”
Drouin finished in a three-way tie for third with Mutaz Essa Barshim (Quatar) and Robert Grabarz (Great Britain) behind Olympic champion Ivan Ukhov (Russia – 2.38 metres) and silver medallist Erik Kynard (United States – 2.33 metres).
Drouin’s medal is the first for Canada in the high jump since Greg Joy took silver in Montreal in 1976.
“What a night for Derek Drouin and the Canadian Olympic athletics team tonight!,” said 2012 Chef de Mission Mark Tewksbury. “Derek rose to the occasion on the biggest stage and did something that hasn’t been done in close to forty years – an Olympic medal in high jump. I couldn’t be happier and more proud.”
“The Olympic Games are made for moments like this,” said Assistant Chef de Mission Sylvie Bernier. “Derek Drouin surprised a lot of people tonight and now all Canadians will be able to cheer for him as he steps onto the Olympic podium.”
“Derek Drouin’s performance was a thing of beauty,” said Canadian Olympic Committee President Marcel Aubut. “With the whole world watching, his grace and determination were on full display as he focused on the task at hand. Now he is Canada’s newest Olympic medallist and we are all very proud.”
Canadian Olympic Committee Media Office:
Mathieu Gentes, Media Attaché, Athletics
Tel.: +44 7714000807
Jane Almeida, Media Relations Officer, 2012 Canadian Olympic Team
Tel: +44 7714000818
Dimitri Soudas, Press Chief, 2012 Canadian Olympic Team
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Four years ago, during his campaign and during the presidential debates, Barack Obama promised a few things.
He promised to focus on Al Qaeda and responding to those who attacked the U.S. on 9/11.
He delivered. Osama bin Laden is dead; the leadership of Al Qaeda is in tatters.
He promised to withdraw our troops from Iraq.
In December 2011, the last U.S. troops left Iraq.
He promised to put together a national health care plan.
On March 23, 2010, President Obama signed the Affordable Health Care Act into law. It isn’t the sun, moon, and stars we were all hoping for (I particularly wanted a public option), but it is a start.
He promised to end the “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell” policy for U.S. military servicemen.
On September 30, 2011, that policy was ended. Amazingly enough, our military forces are not in disarray as a result, and the world has not ended.
He did try to close Guantanamo; the prison is still open because…well, there are still prisoners, and Congress refused to pass a bill to cover the costs to transfer the prisoners to a facility in the U.S.
He did try to pass a cap-and-trade bill, but once again this was obstructed by Congress.
He has instructed the Justice Department to stop enforcing The Defense Of Marriage Act.
He signed the Lily Ledbetter Act into law shortly after he was inaugurated.
When President Obama was elected four years ago, the economy was in freefall. The stock market hit its low in March, 2009, two months after Obama was inaugurated, but had done the majority of its fall the previous year. The high of 14,164 for the Dow Jones Industrial Average was hit in October 2007; by late October 2008, it was already down to 8,451, and it wavered around that point for the remainder of the year. Now? The DJIA is back up around 13,000. By the end of 2008, the U.S. GDP was plummeting by almost 9% for the last quarter of the year. Starting with the third quarter of 2009, the GDP has been positive again. By late 2008, the U.S. had lost 2.6 million jobs for the year. Job losses continued, though slowing down, until March 2010, and have been on a continuous upward trend since October 2010. Even though faced with a recalcitrant Congress, President Obama managed to get a jobs stimulus bill passed in 2009, and economists agree that without it, unemployment would currently be much higher and GDP much lower.
The world economy tanked in 2008. There are countries out there—ironically enough, many European countries that Republicans consider “socialist”—that followed the austerity path, rather than the economic stimulus path. Those countries are now still mired in deep recession and high levels of political unrest (Greece, for instance, is facing unemployment of 25%).
Climate change is on everyone’s mind right now (even though there was no mention of it during the presidential debates), what with Hurricane Sandy’s recent hit on the Northeastern U.S. Barack Obama is aware of and his administration is quietly working on dealing with global climate change. The U.S.’s carbon emissions have dropped to a 20-year low, natural gas and renewable energy resources have become much more prevalent as energy sources for the U.S. during his administration, and U.S. auto MPG rates have been ramped up, with the most recent requirement going up to 54 mpg (average) by 2025.
I think Barack Obama did a hell of a job given the mess he walked into. When he was elected, the Onion’s headline was “Black Man Given Nation’s Worst Job”. Why he still wants it is anyone’s guess (my personal opinion is that his poor performance during the first presidential debate this year was that he was wondering if he really wanted to deal with this shit for four more years). But since he wants it, I’m going to vote that he gets it.
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Stars Flock to Justin Timberlake Concert
Justin Timberlake's comeback performance at DIRECTV's Super Saturday Night whipped the New Orleans crowd into a frenzy on the eve of Super Bowl XLVII. Check out which stars stopped by the show!
- Photo By Neilson Barnard/Getty Images Sun, Feb 3, 2013 7:00 AM EST
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Ok, so this doesn’t have a whole lot to do with actual posters, but poster artist Mike Klay invented it, and I happen to think that’s pretty awesome. The Munkey is a rad little media stand that will hold the iPhone, iPod Touch, Droid, Zune, etc, while you watch movies. It costs $29.95 and includes a strap and travel pouch. Again, it’s pretty cool that someone we actually know has invented something. Visit TheMunkey.com.
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So, whether or not you’re a fan of the teams that are playing in the big game, you could be a fan of this dish. It’s a bacon wrapped shrimp with a chipotle barbecue sauce and starts up with these bad boys right here. It’s a nice slices of bacon, I mean everybody is a fun of that, right? So, what happens is we’re taking this bacon cooking a little bit, wrap it around the shrimp. Double secure it, throw it on the grill and baste with some of that dynamite chipotle barbecue sauce on point.
Okay now, we’re going to start with this chipotle barbecue sauce that I was telling you out of the beginning. So, we get a little bit of your favorite barbecue sauce. Now, when it’s overly flavored, a little bit of oil, Dijon mustard here, a little bit of lemon juice, a little bit of chipotle pepper that’s in adobo sauce which is kind of like a tomato vinegary sauce so it’s not a dry chipotle, a little bit of cayenne pepper and a little red chili flake for a little bit of heat. All right, we will taste, make sure it’s right. A little bit of spice coming through there. A little bit of heat from that chipotle, it’s great on the shrimp.
So, let’s talk about the shrimp. So, I cooked the bacon just a little bit, it’s friable, wrap it around the shrimp then this is the big piece. Soak the bamboo skewers and some water so they don’t burn up when they’re on the grill. One skewer through the shrimp, grab that other skewer, run it through the shrimp and this will keep those bad boys spinning around when we try to turn them on the grill.
Okay so now that the bacon is wrapped around the shrimp and double secured onto a hot grill, let them cook about 80% on the way then heat the barbecue sauce or whatever your basting it with so it doesn’t drip down to create the flares up and burn the food.
So, the girls always have their specialty and that’s this right here, the bacon wrapped sealed with chipotle barbecue sauce. The key here is having something nice to present them on because you know that’s what they’re always expecting. So, just hold it right on there for my wife Flory, ladies enjoyed.
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A bus slammed into a Hempstead home Tuesday night as two young boys slept in the front bedroom. Police said a 6-year-old
was killed, and his 7-year-old brother was injured.
According to the Nassau County Police, Department a Nassau Inter County Express bus was driving westbound on Fulton Avenue just after 9:30 p.m. Tuesday when the bus driver saw a pedestrian crossing at Nassau Place.
Tags:Bus crash,bus driver hits home,bus into home,child hit by bus,deadly bus crash,deadly crash,pix11
PIX11 has been bringing New York City the latest in breaking news since 1948. PIX11 is owned and operated by the Tribune Company and is an affiliate of the CW Television Network and is seen in over 10 million homes.
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18. | Female. | Germany.
"In my mind I am eloquent.
I can climb intricate scaffolds of words to reach the highest cathedral ceilings and paint my thoughts.
But when I open my mouth, everything collapses."
Tu Vas Me Detruire
2 notes · 10 months ago
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Last Modified: July 4, 2004
Dear OncoLink "Ask The Experts,"
I have a friend who is undergoing chemotherapy for breast cancer following a mastectomy. I have a problem with her family's continued smoking in the home and car with her. I have been looking for some research that I could show them demonstrating that passive smoke is harmful to chemotherapy patients. Can you point me in the right direction?
Barbara Campling, MD, Medical Oncologist at the Abramson Cancer Center of the University of Pennsylvania, responds:
It is not surprising that you have a problem with your friend's family smoking in the home and car with her. You would probably have a problem with this even if your friend did not have breast cancer. Your question is whether there is any evidence that her exposure to environmental tobacco smoke will be harmful while she is on chemotherapy.
There is really nothing in the medical literature which specifically addresses this issue. However, there are some publications in related areas which may give some clues. Is your friend herself a current or former smoker, and if so, is this in any way related to her breast cancer diagnosis? There have been dozens of studies examining the question of whether active or passive smoking increases the risk of breast cancer. Here are two review articles (1; 2), as well as a recently published study on this subject (3). The results are inconclusive at best, with some studies showing a positive association of breast cancer risk with active smoking, others showing no association, and others showing a protective effect. The bottom line is that there may be a slightly increased risk of developing breast cancer in current or former active smokers compared to never-smokers. There is not likely any significant effect of passive smoking on breast cancer risk.
Does passive smoking increase the toxicity or decrease the effectiveness of chemotherapy? There are no studies of which I am aware which answer this question. However, there is abundant evidence in a variety of cancers (including lung, breast, colon, prostate, cervix, kidney, head and neck cancer and melanoma) that never-smokers or ex-smokers have a better survival than continuing smokers. For example, a recent study of small cell lung cancer patients showed that those who stopped smoking prior to receiving chemotherapy and radiation survived longer than those who continued to smoke (4). In all these studies, the effect of active smoking on outcome was significant, but relatively small. Since the exposure to tobacco carcinogens is much lower in people exposed to environmental tobacco smoke, I would not expect to see any effect of passive smoking on cancer survival.
I think it is unlikely that her relatives are doing any measurable harm to your friend by smoking in her presence. However, they are certainly harming themselves. Should they stop smoking? Absolutely! How can you approach them about this? This could be a difficult situation. You should remember that smoking is a very powerful addiction, and smoking cessation is an enormously difficult process. External stresses (such as a cancer diagnosis in a family member) will make it even more difficult for them to quit. Most smokers know they should stop, and want to quit but are unable to do so. Simply telling them to quit is not likely to have any effect. The motivation will have to come from them. They should consult their physician about medications to help with smoking cessation and smoking cessation support facilities which are available in your area. It won't be easy for them.
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Wednesday, January 09, 2013
Thursday Thirteen #205
THIRTEEN POPULAR COLD REMEDIES
Like everyone else in my office, I have a cold. And I'm completely preoccupied by it. So here are the thirteen most popular items in the "Cold, Allergy, Sinus & Flu" aisle of the online shopping service, Peapod.
1) Conventional cough drops (Halls, Ricola, Luden's)
2) Vicks Vapo-Rub
3) Vicks NyQuil
4) CareOne Saline Nasal Spray
5) Zyrtec 24-Hour Allergy Relief
6) Coricidin Cold & Flu Tablets
7) Coldeeze homeopathic cough drops
8) Vicks DayQuil
9) Mucinex Expectorant
10) Afrin Nasal Spray
11) Allegra 24-Hour Allergy Relief
12) Robitussin Cold and Cough Syrup
13) Breathe Right Nasal Strips
I took Zycam at the beginning of my cold and, while it certainly did a number on my gut, I believe it has lessened the severity of the cold. And now I'm taking #8, Vicks DayQuil.
What about you? What do you take when you have a cold?
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Fed up with the alpine cost of books? Amazon.com sells previously unpublished short stories, essays and other works for 49¢ through its Amazon Shorts program. The online bookseller requires that all sellers have at least one book for sale on Amazon. And some of the authors who have posted their work may surprise you, including actor John Lithgow, journalist Melissa Fay Greene and mystery novelist James Lee Burke.
But you could easily miss hearing about the program, because it isn’t listed on the home page for www.amazon.com. You have to use the search bar to look “Amazon Shorts” or go to the pull-down menu that says, “See All 41 Product Categories.” I knew nothing of the program until a writer friend persuaded me to post my “A Year in Cleveland,” a parody of A Year in Provence, there. So you may want to check this section of the Amazon site if you enjoy short fiction, nonfiction and poetry. You can read the shorts by downloading them, having them e-mailed to you, or following an HTML link.
© 2007 Janice Harayda. All rights reserved.
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On Monday the American Library Association will announce the winner of its highest award for a picture book, named for the great English illustrator Randolph Caldecott (1846–1886). Why was Caldecott so important? Here’s an answer from Maurice Sendak, who won the Caldecott Medal for Where the Wild Things Are:
“Caldecott’s work heralds the beginning of the modern picture book. He devised an ingenious juxtaposition of picture and word, a counterpoint that had never happened before. Words are left out – but the picture says it. Pictures are left out – but the word says it. In short, it is the invention of the picture book.”
* * *
“My favorite example of Caldecott’s fearless honesty is the final page of Hey Diddle Diddle. After we read, ‘And the Dish ran away with the spoon,’ accompanied by a drawing of the happy couple, there is the shock of turning the page and finding a picture of the dish broken into ten pieces – obviously dead – and the spoon being hustled away by her angry parents. There are no words that suggest such an end to the adventure; it is purely a Caldecottian invention. Apparently, he could not resist enlarging the dimensions of this jaunty nursery rhyme by adding a last sorrowful touch.”
Maurice Sendak in Caldecott & Co.: Notes on Books & Pictures (Farrar, Straus and Giroux, 1988), a collection of Sendak’s reviews and other writing for adults. The first quote comes from his essay “Randolph Caldecott” and the second from his acceptance speech for the 1964 Caldecott Medal. Sendak is one of the few great picture-book artists who is also a great critic. Caldecott & Co. has only a dozen pages of pictures but doesn’t need more, because Sendak makes you see books without them.
(c) 2008 Janice Harayda. All rights reserved.
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There’s usually at least one Delete Key Awards finalist that reads like an entry in a Bad Hemingway Parody contest. This year that spot on the shortlist goes to this passage from James Frey’s Los Angeles novel, Bright Shiny Morning:
“He said she would have a better life the sun shining every day more free time less stress she said she would feel like she had wasted a decade trying to get to the major leagues only to demote herself once she got into them.”
Should Frey’s effort be among the winners named on Monday?
Consider this: Terry McMillan made the 2007 shortlist for the passage below. But she didn‘t win, because the competition from Mitch Albom and Danielle Steel was just too tough even for this jawbreaker from her The Interruption of Everything:
“We tried you on your cell but you didn’t pick up so we got a little worried since we didn’t know where your appointment was and we tried calling Leon at work but his assistant said he left early to pick up his son at the airport and against our better judgment we tried your house and Hail Mary Full of Grace answered and after she deposed us, I asked if she knew your doctor’s number and she said she had to think for a few minutes and while she was thinking I started thinking who else we could call and that’s when I remembered your GYN’s name was a hotel: Hilton!”
Should Frey win — even though McMillan didn’t — given that Bright Shiny Morning isn’t up against a novel written third-grade reading level (Albom’s For One More Day) or brimming with stereotypes of Jews (Steel’s Toxic Bachelors)? If you would like to try to tamper with the jury, you have until Saturday.
© 2009 Janice Harayda. All rights reserved.
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A main character’s name often gives you the first clue to what a novel is “about,” especially when it’s also the title of the book. A good example turns up in Olive Kitteridge, the collection of linked short stories that won the 2009 Pulitzer Prize for fiction. A just-picked olive is as bitter — and the color olive is as drab — as the title character of the book appears at first to be. The salt added during curing removes the bitterness just as love, the salt in this book, removes some of Olive’s. In Ireland a kitter is a left-handed person. And Olive is at least metaphorically left-handed: She’s out of sync with others in her coastal town in Maine. A surname database says of Kitter: “This is an Olde English or Anglo-Saxon pre 10th Century name which derives from the word ‘Cyta’ and is a nickname of the medieval period generally given to one of fairly violent attitudes.” Olive’s views of life are “fairly violent,” especially in the first story, when they are so angry they verge on caricature.
May 29, 2009
What’s in a Character’s Name? ‘Olive Kitteridge’
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Earlier today, a Haverhill, Mass., court convicted teenager Aaron Deveau of motor vehicle homicide for texting while he was driving. It is one of the first cases of its kind following the state’s new law that bans texting while driving. The 18-year-old was allegedly texting, and it was this distraction which caused his car to veer across the center line and crash head-on into another vehicle. That car’s driver, 55-year-old Donald Bowley, suffered massive injuries and died after 18 days in the hospital. The court judge sentenced Deveau to one year in prison, suspending the rest of the concurrent sentences from the verdict.
The only positive thing in such a horrible situation is that maybe, just maybe, people will start thinking about their actions behind the wheel. To me, the idea of texting — which requires the use of both hands — while driving is just plain dumb. But then again, I’m not a teenager who uses texting as a primary form of interpersonal relationships. Maybe some of those teens, also new to driving, will hear of this case and see the possible consequences of this kind of distracted driving. I hope so.
Then again, maybe it’s not just teens who need to pay attention. Even if you don’t text, you are probably just as distractible when you’re behind the wheel.
Think about it. How often do you glance away to change the radio or fiddle with your iPod settings? Or turn to talk to your passengers — or the kids in the rear seats? Or let your eyes linger over a neighbor’s pretty new landscaping? Or peer through the sunroof at the amazing sky at sunset?
In that instant, the world can change.
A number of years ago, I had just picked up the younger kids from preschool. It was an almost unbearably beautiful day. I had to drop something off at Town Hall, and took an atypical route home, up a pretty main road, the sort that garners my town all kinds of notice. The kids were bouncy and ready to get out and play. We were listening to music, singing along, laughing. Mitzi was unusually active, unbuckling herself and standing up a few times, ignoring my eyes in the rear view mirror and my repeated command to sit down.
Finally, I couldn’t take it — I turned around and raised my voice. And that’s when the crash happened.
The car in front of me had stopped short because the car in front of him had stopped to suddenly turn into the library driveway. I had looked ahead in just enough time to know that, despite slamming on my brakes and turning the wheel, there was nothing I could do to stop the impact. Nothing.
In the end, luckily, blessedly, no one was seriously hurt. Though I was driving at about 30 mph, the airbags did not go off. The kids had a few seat belt bruises, and I had a cut on my leg. More fortunate were the passengers in the other car — my car was bigger, heavier and I really smashed the holy heck out of the rear end. The passengers were all seniors, and a couple were taken to the hospital as a precaution (thankfully, none were hurt).
That accident lingers in my mind every day — I am even more cautious behind the wheel, and am a little paranoid about driving. I still have the occasional nightmare about it, and never take for granted that we all walked away.
Because, instead of hitting a car, it could have been a person I struck while distracted behind the wheel. I could have killed someone.
Today’s verdict is a sad one. One life lost, another irrevocably damaged, just because of a little stupidity, a bad decision, and a moment of distraction.
I hope at the very least we can all learn something from this story. When I first sat behind the wheel of a car, excited and eager, my mom, who was teaching me to drive, put her hand on top of mine and said, “This is a deadly weapon. Never forget that.”
She was right.
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When European Central Bank president Mario Draghi announced an unlimited bond-buying program on Thursday, global markets rallied. International-fund managers reacted, however, with a resounding "eh."
The news, in short, is that the ECB is willing to buy bonds issued by euro-zone countries. This should make it easier for countries to raise money to pay their debts and keep their governments running, and generally shore up the euro. "In general, it's a good thing, but it's not a huge surprise," says Erik Weisman, who manages the MFS Global Bond Fund (ticker: MGBAX), which has more than 20% in euro-zone bonds. What should reassure the bond market in particular is that the ECB won't claim any senior status, putting it on par with other investors. "The bottom line is that this is a far more credible backstop than what we've seen," Weisman says.
It also makes the worst-case scenario of Spain leaving the euro-zone much less likely, says Jurrien Timmer, Fidelity's head of global macro, though any country that wants to issue debt for the ECB to buy will have to agree to certain fiscal conditions. Spain has yet to ask, and may put off doing so until it is in even more-dire straits. There's also the issue of "sterilization" -- the ECB bond purchase will be offset by sales of other assets, so there's no net difference to the balance sheet, Timmer says. The quantitative easing the U.S. Federal Reserve has done twice recently (and is likely to do a third time) is nonsterilized, which makes the balance sheet of the federal government larger. The sterilization was a nod to Germany, which opposed the bond-buying program.
All of this is keeping international stock-fund managers cautious, especially value managers, who still see too much uncertainty to warrant the recent bump in share prices. David Samra, manager of the Artisan International Value Fund (ARTKX), is keeping 10% of his portfolio in cash, the most allowed, in anticipation of further dips. "This news more or less avoids an emergency, and that's what the market gets worried about," he says. "But these changes are not made rapidly."
The "bottom up" approach to stock picking is especially important in this market, where good companies with solid long-term prospects are hurt by poor macroeconomic news. Fund managers are increasingly targeting European companies that are cheap because of where they're headquartered, but that derive much of their revenue from other parts of the world. "It looks like 70% of my portfolio is in Europe," says Sarah Ketterer, manager of the Causeway International Value Fund (CIVIX). "But those are multinational companies that derive their revenues globally." Ketterer also hedges the euro, to lock in more-favorable dollar-euro exchange rates. "We want to protect shareholders from what we think is euro weakness," she says, adding that she doesn't anticipate a collapse in the currency.
Whether or not European stocks are cheap is a matter of debate. Artisan's Samra argues that European markets are fairly valued, but Rob Taylor, director of international research for Oakmark, and co-manager of the Oakmark International Fund (OAKIX), thinks otherwise. The past 12 to 18 months have been fraught with fear, which has kept stock prices around the world too low, he says. "If the market in general is that cheap," he says, "we can find companies that are even cheaper."
Comments? E-mail: firstname.lastname@example.org
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Shed a delicate light on the memory of their loved one with this Whispering Wings Memorial Candle. The candle holder features the verse, "When someone you love becomes a memory, the memory becomes a treasure". MoreWe specialize in meaningful sympathy and condolence gifts. Many custom and personalized gifts available. Fast shipping!
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ALMOST HIDDEN: A rebel fighter stood in a field near to the village of Shasha, in the east of the Democratic Republic of Congo Monday.
DAMAGED SCHOOL: A Palestinian girl visited her classroom in a damaged school in Rafah, southern Gaza Strip, Monday. The school was damaged some days earlier.
MAKESHIFT SHOWER: Men took a shower in water from a leaking pipeline under a bridge in Mumbai Monday.
FIRE REMEMBRANCE: People gathered Monday outside a garment factory in Dhaka, Bangladesh, where at least 120 people died after a fire swept through the eight-story building Saturday, Dhaka, police and fire department officials said.
MILK PROTEST: Dairy farmers sprayed police officers with milk during a demonstration outside the European Parliament in Brussels Monday. Farmers drove tractors into Brussels for a two-day demonstration to protest what they believe are unfair milk prices.
CIVIL SERVANTS-TO-BE? People walked past a statue as they entered a test center to take the national civil service exam Sunday at Huazhong University of Science and Technology in Wuhan, China.
GRAND PRIZE: People cheered during the Brazilian Grand Prix in São Paulo Sunday. Sebastian Vettel won the Formula One title.
SNIPER'S DISGUISE: Britain's Queen Elizabeth met a sniper from the Household Cavalry during a visit to Combermere Barracks in Windsor, England, Monday.
WHALE OF A TIME: Taxidermist Werner Beckmann posed with a sperm whale skeleton at the Natural History Museum in Muenster, Germany, Monday. The whale was stranded a year ago on the German island Pellworm, and its skull, vertebrae and jaws are on exhibit at the museum.
HO HO HO: The U.S. Capitol Christmas tree was lifted off a flatbed truck on the west side of the Capitol in Washington Monday. The Engelmann Spruce is from Meeker, Colo., and will be decorated in the coming days for the holidays.
INDIGENOUS PROTEST: An indigenous man protested before a visit from FIFA Secretary General Jerome Valcke at Maracana Stadium in Rio de Janeiro Monday. A community is opposed to the destruction of a museum adjacent to the stadium, as part of renovation and construction before the 2014…
AIRPORT STANDOFF: Demonstrators opposed to a new airport in Notre-Dame-des-Landes, France, gathered on a road Monday. In recent days, riot police have faced off against protesters who oppose the airport for environmental reasons and are illegally occupying the site.
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Mr. and Mrs. William Lingar of Longmont, CO announce the engagement of their daughter, Anna Sheerah Lingar, to Wesley Paul Elder, son of Mr. and Mrs. Gene Elder of Winterville, GA.
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Miss Lingar received a Bachelor of Science in Electrical Engineering from Arizona State University. She is an RF Engineer for Sprint. Mr. Elder is the owner of Elder Construction, Inc.
The wedding is planned for 6:00 p.m. on September 9, 2005 in Longmont, CO.
Athens Banner-Herald ©2013. All Rights Reserved.
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ROME -- Italian fashion designer Fernanda Gattinoni, whose elaborate creations were worn by such screen stars as Audrey Hepburn and Ingrid Bergman, died Tuesday. She was 95.
Gattinoni died at Rome's Policlinico Umberto I hospital, her fashion house said.
Despite her age, Gattinoni was still actively involved in fashion. She was working at her atelier's headquarters near Rome's Via Veneto on Monday night when she became ill and was taken to the hospital.
Gattinoni made her name as a jet-set fashion designer during Rome's cinema boom in the 1950s and 1960s. In those years, she also excelled as a film costume designer, creating, among other things, Audrey Hepburn's attire in the 1956 movie ''War and Peace.''
Born in Italy's northern Lombardy region, Gattinoni left for London at 17 to work at the Molineaux fashion house. Turning down an offer to work for famed French designer Coco Chanel in Paris in the late 1920s, she returned to Italy, where she went on to design haute couture under her own label.
A funeral was scheduled today in Rome, the fashion house said. There were no survivors.
Published in the Athens Banner-Herald on Wednesday, November 27, 2002.
Athens Banner-Herald ©2013. All Rights Reserved.
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Definition of rebound
noun - uncountable
- the period of time immediately after the end of a relationship, during which time the members of the relationship are incapable of entering into a new relationship in a healthy way.
Person A: Who was your brother with last night?
Person B: Some rebound girl.
|+||Add a definition for this slang term|
Slang terms with the same meaning
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Other terms relating to 'rebound':
|Definitions include: having recently been in a relationship that ended.|
|Definitions include: A temporary girlfriend after the end of a moderate to long-term relationship.|
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Average of 4 votes: 4% (See the most vulgar words.)
Your vote: None (To vote, click the pepper. Vote how vulgar the word is – not how mean it is.)
To link to this term in a web page or blog, insert the following.
To link to this term in a wiki such as Wikipedia, insert the following.
Some wikis use a different format for links, so be sure to check the documentation.
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If someone had told me a few months ago that I'd be spending more hours in PowerPoint than PyCharm (an IDE for programming in Python) I'd have laughed at them (not out loud though). Sure, I've been known to create some slides — and I do some occasional public speaking, but I don't usually spend crazy amounts of time on a slide deck.
Except this time. I've now clocked well over 200 hours on a single deck (including thinking/discussion time). It's the HubSpot Culture Code deck (available for your viewing pleasure below, or http://CultureDeck.com).
I've been reading, thinking and talking a lot about culture lately. A couple of years ago, I started a simple document for use within my startup, HubSpot, that talked a bit about culture. The document described the “people patterns” of HubSpot — what kinds of people were likely to do well at the company. Said differently, if I were to write a grading algorithm to predict the likelihood of success of a given employee, what would the parameters of that function be? We identified things like being humble and analytical (2 of the 7 things). That document turned out to be relatively useful — and well worth the time. We've used it during the interview process, we use it during reviews.
I continued to get feedback from the HubSpot team that the original culture deck at HubSpot was starting to get a little dated — and it didn't go far enough. It talked about the kind of people that were a match — but it didn't talk at all about beliefs or behaviors. Meanwhile, the company is growing like wildfire. We're 460 people now and adding 25+ people every month.
So, I thought to myself: “Self, maybe it's time to update the deck…” I set out on a quest to talk to a bunch of folks, run some surveys, get some feedback, read a bunch of stuff, etc. One thing led to another…and another…and another, and here I am.
If one needs 200 hours and 150+ slides on culture, is something wrong?
Maybe. But, this is likely more a function of my neuroses than a reflection on HubSpot. And, all things said and done, I don't really regret having spent the time. The result, I think, is really good. People I trust to tell me the truth and that I respect immensely have told me the deck is good. It's not the same level as the Netflix culture deck, but it's not terrible.
Speaking of the Netflix culture deck, you've read it right? Right? If you have time to read only one 100+ slide deck about company culture, you should read the Netflix culture deck (convenient URL: Netflix.CultureDeck.com). If you have time to read two 100+ slide decks on company culture — read the Netflix deck twice. It's that good.
Why I'm thankful to Jason Fried and 37signals
Jason is a brilliant thinker and a brilliant writer. He's got some great posts on culture, like “You Don't Create a Culture”. Which is why I was a little worried when I sent him a preview (private beta) of the deck I was working on to get his reaction. I was fearful. My thought was “He's going to think I'm an idiot. Or worse, clueless.” Turns out, he was gracious. He acknowledged that 37signals and HubSpot are different companies, pursuing different paths. I could have been brave and dug into this comments a bit more, but I decided not to push my luck because it would have been somewhat crushing.
I also enjoyed “When Culture Turns Into Policy” by Mig Reyes of 37signals. He's right But, I feel like I'm in the correct side of truth and justice on this particular front.
The more sobering article was “What Your Culture Really Says” (not by 37signals, but by @shanley — someone I don't know). Well written and biting in its criticism of what she calls “Silicon Valley Culture”, it was something I read a couple of times and circulated around to a few folks on my team. I recommend it. It's dark, but worth reading.
Why I think it was worth it, and why I'd do it again.
1. Culture is super-duper important, and it's worth spending time on. Check out my recent post “Culture Code: Creating a Company YOU Love”. I think it makes a pretty good case.
2. Already, the deck is being used internally within HubSpot. I've gotten both physical high fives and virtual high fives from people on the team. That makes me happy.
3. Even before posting the HubSpot culture code deck to public beta today, I had already started sending it to people that I was trying to recruit to HubSpot. Though ideally, I'd get to meet everyone and tell them about our culture code in person, that's just not possible.
4. Going through the exercise was one of the most challenging and revealing things I've ever done since starting the company 6+ years ago.
5. Working on our culture code project caused me to talk to a bunch of people that I didn't otherwise know and would probably not have been able to connect with. People like Patty McCord (co-author of the Netflix culture deck).
6. It's been therapeutic. Now, if HubSpot ends up going down in crashing, burning flames (which is totally not the plan) — at least I'll know that we tried to design and defend our culture.
7. We're about 4 hours into the public beta release of the HubSpot culture code deck. It's already gotten 16,000 hits and is going strong. This is gratifying. My hope is that a few of those people found the deck useful. (And maybe a few of them will join our merry band of misfits at HubSpot someday).
If you're getting started, spend 20 hours, not 200.
One of the common questions I get from my startup friends is how much time they should be spending on culture — given everything else going on (like you know, building a business). I'm not sure what the optimal number is — but I can say with confidence that the number is not zero. I'd suggest 20 hours. Just enough time to think about it, talk to your team, read some stuff and describe it. You don't need to put posters up on the wall. Just something — even if it's a one-pager that captures your current thinking on the kind of company you want to be.
Quick hint: You want to build a company that you love working for. The rest will work itself out.
What do you think? Have you scanned through the deck? Was it useful? Lame? Interesting? Would love to hear your thoughts. I think of the deck as being in “public beta”, so I'll be iterating on it and updating it regularly.
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SELECT COMMITTEE ON ALTERNATIVE FUEL SOURCES
COMITÉ SPÉCIAL DES SOURCES DE CARBURANTS DE REMPLACEMENT
Wednesday 30 January 2002 Mercredi 30 janvier 2002
Wednesday 30 January 2002 Mercredi 30 janvier 2002
Our first presenter is Bill Eggertson, executive director, Canadian Association for Renewable Energies. Thank you very much for coming forward. It's much appreciated. We look forward to your presentation. There are 20 minutes set aside for you and you can use that in presentation. What is left over we'll divide between the three caucuses for questions.
Mr Bill Eggertson: Thank you very much, Mr Chairman, and members of the committee. My name is Bill Eggertson. I'm executive director of the Canadian Association for Renewable Energies, a national organization set up in 1997 to promote feasible applications of renewable energy. Obviously, our focus is on national issues, perhaps not as much as it should be on provincial, so we do appreciate the opportunity to dabble in your affairs to the extent possible.
My background is almost 20 years in the renewable energy sector. I started in 1984 as the executive director of the Solar Energy Society of Canada, when a new federal administration decided to cancel Canada's solar energy programs. In the last eight years I've shared my time with the Earth Energy Society of Canada as executive director; that is ground-source heat pumps. I've just finished a contract with the Canadian Solar Industries Association and am currently doing a contract with the Canadian wind energy industry. So I am a generalist in energy policy, an expert in none, but I was actually one of the three Canadians on the advisory panel to the G8 Renewable Energy Task Force that reported to the G8 meeting in Geneva a number of months ago.
Our association's claim to fame was that we started a newsletter called Trends in Renewable Energies back in 1997. It teamed up with our US counterparts about a year ago. We now are the largest electronic newsletter on renewable energy in the world. We have close to 10,000 subscribers. Just before Christmas we celebrated our 1,000th issue of publication. So again, a lot of my focus is from outside of Canada. Much to my dismay -- I am a Canadian and the newsletter was set up to promote how much was going on in Canada about renewables -- it became easier to talk about what was going on in other countries and hopefully the Canadians would adopt it.
One final anecdote: our association has actually set up Canada's first and only green hosting Internet service, where we had to move our server out to Calgary, because it was the only province at the time that offered certified green power both from the generation of wind turbines and through the municipal utility ENMAX in Calgary, but we now offer to associations and organizations in the country an opportunity to host your domain service on a wind-powered service based in Calgary.
I will comment very briefly on some of the 65 questions that were contained in your interim report. We're hoping to scramble and get together some written submissions, a little bit more detailed than I will be able to provide today. What I'm hoping to do is to give you the benefit of our association's viewpoints or special interest views so that it helps your committee understand some of the issues that you should be asking some of the other people later on in testimony.
My belief is very clear: renewable energy is the energy of the future in this world. You've had Shell repeatedly enunciate its forecast that by 2050, 50% of the energy in this world will come from renewables. You have BP, which owns the largest solar PV production facility in the world. Even now, companies in Canada like Suncor are dedicating $100 million -- albeit Canadian dollars, it's still real money in many cases -- to the support of non-conventional fuels. Obviously, there have been some setbacks: the California crisis, which impacted on Alberta prices; the more recent issue with Enron, which is scaring a number of people away from energy issues. These are setbacks, renewables being a subset of energy. However, it is our very clear belief that Canada and Ontario must start the transition to renewable energy. It's going to come. The question is not how it's going to come, but when. The faster we get on the bandwagon, in our opinion, the better it is for our economy.
Most countries don't have the same energy options that Canada does. We are blessed in this country with a large number of natural resources. Consequently, I think a large number of Canadians, and Ontarians by extension, don't realize that Canada is facing an energy crisis, which puts a very heavy onus on your committee to raise the profile in the provincial assembly as to what needs to be done and to come up with some very good recommendations to enable the province to move in what we consider the proper direction.
California has shown very clearly that government is frequently the engine of vision down there. A lot of the municipalities in California are the key stakeholders, the clear leaders in the adoption of renewable energy. Up here, because energy is not per se a federal jurisdiction -- it is provincial -- very few of the provinces, including Ontario, have really done anything. I know of four people in the Ministry of Energy, Science and Technology in Toronto who are involved with renewables. They have no political directive to do anything to support renewables. They certainly have no program budget. They are wonderful bureaucrats doing wonderful stuff, but their hands are tied to a very large degree.
A lot of what we see here in Canada is happening at the municipal level, spearheaded largely by groups like the Federation of Canadian Municipalities and Jack Layton, who is the current elected head of the FCM. We would certainly love to see the province get a little bit more involved in terms of the promotion of renewables.
I'm going to make about six very broad comments in response to your interim report. In your report you frequently mentioned a number of the innovative activities that are taking place in the province, specifically building integrated photovoltaics, where you clad a building in solar panels. You were talking about the federal green power procurement. You're talking about renewable portfolio standards. One of my personal complaints, I guess, is that if we're talking environmental mitigation, adopting an energy source that is good for the environment and therefore adopting renewables because they are good, far too much of the focus in Canada, and I think in your report, has been placed on electricity generation, green power. There are a number of reasons for this and it's natural. Most jurisdictions in the world do it. However, if you're looking for bang for the buck, both in terms of incentives or policy, please do not overlook the impact of renewable energy in space conditioning, meaning space heating, space cooling and water heating.
In Canada there is far more energy -- BTUs, gigajoules, whatever measurement you want -- used in space conditioning than is used for electricity, but the focus is very frequently on electricity. If you're looking at it from an environmental point of view, a lot of our electricity is generated by nuclear and/or hydraulic, which actually have no GHG emissions, so therefore it is a bit of a moot issue, as opposed to space conditioning where most of the residential buildings and most of the commercial-institutional buildings are heated and cooled and water-heated using natural gas, oil, propane or whatever. So it's an appeal to this committee to not overlook the space conditioning market as you consider your report.
I should mention that the two organizations with which I'm involved, both the Canadian Association for Renewable Energies and the Earth Energy Society, have teamed up with the Canadian Solar Industries Association and two biomass groups. We have formed a partnership called the GreenHeat partnership. For reference, we've got a preliminary Web page at greenheat.org. The intent here is to focus far more attention on space conditioning than on electricity, based on the fact that if you look at residential and institutional-commercial institutions in Canada, they emit 65 megatons a year of carbon dioxide alone just for heating and cooling and water heating in those two sectors. Approximately three times more energy is used for those applications than for electricity. So I'm not downgrading the need for green electricity. We are a society that is electrifying very heavily. Electricity is very important and, certainly, go green whenever you can, but do not ignore the space conditioning.
The GreenHeat partnership has been set up to basically replicate the federal green power procurement. What we're trying to do is rush our submission into the climate change to say that the federal government should obtain 20% of its space conditioning in federal facilities from the four technologies that are recognized by the federal government as renewable energy space conditioning technologies, those being earth energy, solar thermal air, solar thermal water and advanced biomass. So again, the appeal to this committee is to consider that same aspect.
My second comment: in your interim report, you said there was considerable uncertainty and debate over the definition of green power and you wanted to hear how Ontarians define it. We would appeal that you wait until March 7, the expiration of the Environment Canada draft definition, which is out for public comment right now through the EcoLogo/Terra Choice environmental choice program. The end result of that will be a federal Environment-Canada-defined, low-impact renewable energy. Even though we may not agree 100% with what we expect the Environment Canada definition to be, we would certainly encourage the province to embrace whatever they come out with, simply to avoid inconsistency across the country. If Ontario takes the lead and says, "Gosh, whatever the feds have called it, we'll define it the same way," that stops other provinces from considering their own definitions. I have been involved with some activities in the United States where you have different specific photovoltaic certification levels in different states, and it's a mess down there. We would hate to see the same thing happen up here in Canada.
The third point is an underscoring of your intent expressed in the interim report that any goals or policies you implement or recommend be incremental and realizable. The US experience has shown that a lot of people will say they want green power, they want renewable energy; however, when the programs are introduced, a lot less people pick up the programs and pay the premium than had been expected. We are paying a very hefty premium for our green hosting service out in Calgary. I was expecting people to pound on my door. It has not happened. Very few environmental groups are hosted on the green Web site that we offer. Even the Canadian Wind Energy Association, whose turbines are generating the electricity to power the Internet server, has refused to basically move over to our domain. So it's a little bit of a warning. As I'm sure you, as politicians, have realized, people say one thing but they don't always adopt it in the second.
Another example is Earth Energy. In a residential installation, you're talking a six- to eight-year simple payback period. That is far too long for most consumers. They don't understand life cycle costing. It's the sticker shock that turns them off. So for any policies or whatever, if you can reduce the first cost, it's much better than many other policies, simply because it gets you over that very strong hurdle or barrier.
Another point is that obviously the government has options in terms of both monetary and non-monetary incentives. You've referenced the renewable portfolio standards, the green power procurement, the various incentives. From our position, we prefer non-monetary incentives, partly because monetary incentives have to end. The predecessor to the Earth Energy group had actually had a very long-standing program with Ontario Hydro to install ground-source heat pumps. Ontario Hydro gave a $2,000 rebate. Ontario Hydro had to stop the program after four years, I believe it was. The perception among consumers was, "Oh, something is wrong with the technology."
There was nothing wrong with the technology; the government trough ran dry. When the federal government offered Earth Energy an incentive under the Renewable Energy Deployment Initiative program, the REDI program, our industry took an unanimous decision to say, "Thanks, but no thanks." We did not want an incentive. We're the only one of the four technologies that does not receive a kickback or a bribe, call it what you will, because we knew that the feds would not be able to continue it forever and we did not want the roller coaster ride to go up again, which is beautiful for business, wonderful for commerce, but when it ends -- I think in Ontario, when that program ended with Ontario Hydro, we didn't sell a single system for about two years. That hurts. So our recommendation is, stay away from bribing us with our own tax money incentives.
We agree with you totally on energy efficiency and conservation and the fact that this committee should be looking at it. Energy efficiency and conservation is a key to renewables. The trick is to get your demand down to the lowest level possible; then any of our technologies can far more feasibly meet your supply requirement. We would hate to see a policy saying that solar photovoltaics will be the energy source for the steel producers in Hamilton -- not feasible.
Earth Energy people: if you've got a leaky house like a log cabin or anything that is not an energy-tight operation, an Earth Energy dealer will not even talk to you. It's not our intent to charge you -- well, I suppose some of our dealers would actually love to charge you -- to install a large number of loops, but it's stupid if you're going to then be heating the outside.
So as I say, conservation. Ratchet down your demand to the lowest level possible. Eventually, though, you will need some energy, either for electricity or space conditioning. As much as possible, in our opinion, that should come from renewables.
The final point on this one is that obviously I'm hoping this committee has looked at a number of studies, primarily US and European-based -- very little has been done in Canada -- showing the benefits from renewable energy in terms of price stability, job creation and environmental benefits. They are quite profligate down in the United States and if you ever needed a reference, I could probably pull off about 50 studies that have been done by reputable groups: the Union of Concerned Scientists, the Renewable Energy Policy Project-Crest operation. Purdue has just come out with a study. A study currently in Congress just came out last week by a Democratic pollster, to be fair. It says that 69% of Americans believe more jobs would be created through federal support for renewable energy than would be created through drilling in the Arctic reserve -- which of course is part of President Bush's energy policy -- versus 18% of the respondents who thought that drilling in the Arctic would create more than the renewables. That's a key point of the President's energy policy, and he's received support from the Teamsters and stuff like that, but most Americans seem to believe -- and the Sierra Club said the President is obviously out of step -- that renewables do create more jobs per energy delivered than any of the other options. So whenever we talk to government, I turn the phrase, "If you come, they will build it." If there is a market for it, the industry will come in and set up whatever production facilities are required to do it.
I always believe that government should be congratulated when they come out with a good document. Certainly your committee is to be commended on the interim report where you talk about your broad consultation and the fact that you don't wish to focus on a particular energy technology. I agree with you 100%. There is no silver bullet; you'll never come up with it. The issue is to come out with a diversification or a balance of technologies. Obviously, we think renewables have a large role to play in that diversified match.
Some of the questions you pose in your report, such as, "What percentage of what fuel source would contribute what to the energy mix?" are difficult to answer without knowing what it is the province would do. Obviously, if you were to pass a regulation or legislation saying all energy technologies must be renewable by Tuesday afternoon, that's one answer. Depending on what it is that government sets, it's a difficult one to respond to. Certainly, if there's time for questions, I can perhaps elucidate on that a little bit.
But what we'd love to see this committee recommend or come out with is some type of econometric model that allows you to plug in a lot of these parameters, that if you increase the tax rebate and you have an RPS for this and you do that and the other, that would have this type of output. I've never seen it in Canada; I don't believe a model like that exists up here. There have been some good attempts down in the United States and it may be something worth the committee investigating.
Your report talks about the benefit of renewable energy to the grid. Again, you're talking grid electricity. There are many applications for renewables in off-grid applications and of course for space conditioning as well. Among the major benefits of renewables are their local contribution, their local job creation and their energy security factors, all of which need to be factored into your report.
One objection is when you use the term "cost," such as, "What would wind cost in relation to others?" I'd love this committee to define your cost. For example, we have never really costed a lot of the life cycle costs and security costs and health costs from some of the conventional sources, and I know that we in the renewable energy sector are always very sensitive when people say, "Well, how much more will wind cost?" More than what? What is the baseline against which we are being compared? Also, what would incentives or subsidies cost the government?
I throw it back at you: what would it cost our economy and our society in Ontario if you don't promote renewable energy or cleaner energy options? At some point in the future, if we run out of conventionals or if we start killing more and more people with the use of fossil fuels, that is a cost, and you need to balance those ultimate costs -- hypothetical costs, perhaps -- against the costs we are factoring into our equation.
You said, "Are there any downsides for renewables?" There are a lot of downsides, and I don't think any professional practitioner within the renewable energy sector would try to deny it. However, we do try to keep the attention focused on legitimate downsides. Wind has always suffered from the fact that they killed a number of raptors down in the Altamont Pass in California when the first turbines went up. Turbines were put in a migratory bird path. They had fast-moving turbine blades. The raptors, probably not one of the brightest bird species going, went into the blades and were chopped up. They have now evolved to larger, slower-turning blades, and they are not in the migratory paths. It would take a really stupid bird to mix itself up in turbine blades, but the industry is still criticized for this.
When the Toronto Renewable Energy Co-operative wanted to get their application for the CNE site and the Toronto Islands site for turbines, they had to go through a very exhaustive analysis, and that was one of the questions, basically: "How much wildlife will you kill?" They were able to go around to the downtown Toronto high-rises, the TD towers and stuff like that, and there were hundreds of birds that whacked themselves out every year cracking into the towers. But they never said, "Let's take down the TD towers," simply because they were killing birds. That's the type of focus.
We have a downside. One dead raptor is far too many. I think the studies from Europe show that each turbine kills an average of one and one-half birds per year. So my cats are already equivalent to about 20 turbines. Maybe I should get rid of my cats. If you're going to concentrate on downsides, we do have some, but please try to keep them to the legitimate downsides and not some of the red herrings like turbine blades.
I'm going to skim very quickly and just throw back some comments on your public policy questions. Obviously we totally support the development of a provincial strategy on renewable energy. You need to define what you mean by "renewable energy," you need to identify what your feasible applications and options in the province are and then set some type of goal, whether it's a renewable portfolio standard or government procurement etc, and do it; perhaps a set-aside for some of the longer-term technologies, things such as BC Hydro is now investigating, ocean current energy on Vancouver Island.
The Chair: Could I just interrupt for a half second? We have arrived at the 20-minute point. I need to get permission from my committee for you to extend. Tremendous information, but is the committee comfortable that we --
The Chair: Great. He's zeroing in so much on our report, and the information is just excellent. My apologies for interrupting, but I do have rules I have to follow as Chair. If the committee is comfortable, so am I.
Mr Eggertson: I respect that and thank you very much, Mr Chairman. What I'll try to do is finish in about two minutes, so that I can entertain any questions, because I think that would be more relevant.
Very quickly, keep your specific financial incentives to a minimum. Most of the money that is developing the renewable energy sector in the United States is private, and by that I mean system benefits, charges and other foundations, which are heavily involved there. You're probably aware of the San Francisco bond that was passed by the community last October or November, I think, a $100-million bond, and this was in US dollars, so we're talking real money here. Your committee could recommend some creative activities where perhaps the provincial Legislature would empower municipalities to enact the same type of operation, so it doesn't necessarily require provincial tax dollars. As a citizen, I'm very concerned about your doing that, but I think there are ways of doing it other than bribing us with our own tax dollars, as I said before.
In the absence of a carbon tax, which of course is a no-no term in Canada, obviously we would encourage your committee and the province to set a date for some type of transition or increased penetration of renewables. Show that the province is serious. We could have a debate up until that date, and we probably would, but nonetheless at least we would hope the province does something to go for that.
We would certainly encourage a provincial green power procurement, including the MUSH sector, and certainly both electricity and space conditioning. Don't ignore where you can get the benefits. In terms of supporting a lead ministry being set up, a number of jurisdictions have already set this up, like India, which has a ministry for non-conventional energies.
Many of the people in our sector aren't comfortable with the renewable energy group at Natural Resources Canada because it's in under the electricity branch, which means you've got a director at NRCan who is responsible for renewable energy and electricity in Canada. We don't necessarily think we get a full share of the gentleman's attention. So we're worried about ghettoizing if you were to set up a specific government ministry to handle renewable energy.
Researching programs: most of our technologies are already commercially ready. All we need is a market in order to sell the technology to consumers. Fuel cells are a slightly different case. Fuel cells are not an energy source; they are an energy-delivery technology. We fully support fuel cells because of the fact that renewables can be used quite effectively to split the water to make the hydrogen to stack the fuel cells. Renewable technologies are quite well suited to the application of fuel cells, and we also love them because it means we are shaking up the status quo. When people start looking at fuel cells, they also, by extension, start looking at other technologies, like renewables.
In conclusion, why should Ontario adopt renewable energies? Profit. A lot of money can be made in this. If you look at Denmark, the largest single industry in Denmark is now wind turbines. Japan is making a lot of bucks off photovoltaics. A large number of companies have stayed out of Ontario simply because there is no market here.
The provincial and federal governments are going to back the ITER fusion reactor because it attracts qualified, high-quality, high-value employees. It would be the same in renewables. If you start making it an integral part of an industrial strategy, again, they will come.
Also, we've said before that for every joule or watt of energy we can displace in this province, it means we can export it and it becomes a revenue source. If we sell it to the Americans, it allows them to reduce their reliance on oil, which has implications for the whole issue of terrorism and their foreign policy. We encourage Canada to save our conventional energy. If necessary, ship it to addicts like the Americans and help them out of their current situation.
We're certainly not advocating a demise of fossil fuels. We will always need them. Ontario, as you know, does have an image as a bit of a dirty province because of the amount of industry we have. If the provincial government were to take a very strong stance supporting renewable, clean energy, I think it would give the province a wonderful image makeover. We should keep the petrochemicals for things like Velcro and polyester and all of the other items that consumers in Canada and Ontario use very heavily.
We view the committee work as an ideal opportunity for you to make recommendations to the Legislature which will have a long-standing potential impact on the province and, by extension, the country. Timing is critical, and we certainly appreciate the open mind that you have displayed in your interim report, in terms of not closing any doors, keeping everything open. We wish you the best of luck in your deliberations and look forward to your final report.
Unless anybody objects, I'm going to give three minutes to each of the caucuses for questions, and then we'll go from there. But I'd really encourage you to address in writing the 65 policy concerns that we have. We look forward to that. Who would like to start off? Dr Bountrogianni.
Mrs Marie Bountrogianni (Hamilton Mountain): Thank you for your presentation. It was excellent. I went into your green hosting Internet service last night, and I wish I had done that earlier. It's an excellent site. Thank you.
"A Canadian biomass company, DynaMotive Europe, a subsidiary of DynaMotive Technologies ... received one of Britain's largest grants to develop its process. It received £1.16 million from the UK Department of Trade & Industry to enable commercial production testing of an integrated BioOil and electricity generating plant in the U.K."
Mr Eggertson: I have to be careful, because a number of our members in various technologies do like and do rely on government support. So I am not saying the government should not give incentives if obviously necessary, and the more nascent the technology, like a fuel cell or a biogas operation -- many of the innovative technologies do need financial support and you're either going to get it from government or from some venture capital. There are pros and cons to each of the operations. What we're worried about is a consumer incentive, where you pay people in Ontario X dollars to do what they should be doing, but at some point you're going to stop paying us, because you have to, and that has a bit of an immediate impact on consumer perceptions. So if you were to do something -- we've never advocated a straight cash kickback, which is how the Earth Energy incentive worked. People bought the units for the $2,000 grant; they didn't even know what they were buying. We don't want to walk into that trap again.
Mrs Bountrogianni: Again on your Web site you cited that the Canadian government is reviewing the definition of a test wind turbine which may lead to changes under federal tax law. Are you aware of the process of that and where that's at?
Mr Eggertson: I know they are dealing with finance and Revenue Canada, and it's simply that wind turbines are eligible for the conservation renewable energy expense. I'm not a tax expert. They get something based on one application. They want to expand the application, because most wind turbine manufacturers and users tend to be small companies. They can't use the flow-through provision. So there's a whole accelerated capital cost depreciation, which is largely of no use to the actual users because they're not in a position to handle it. They want to basically expand the definition so that they can capture some of that revenue.
Mr John Hastings (Etobicoke North): Sir, thank you for coming in. My first question would relate to your views on grants. You're saying that some organizations in renewables are reliant on grants as the best way of giving them a launch. But if you look at the history of grants from the solar industry perspective in Canada, and probably other renewables in the 1970s and 1980s, where did it get the solar industry? At one time there were up to 40 companies; now in Ontario I think they're down to one.
Mr Eggertson: There is a very chequered history, as obviously you are aware. There were companies that were abusing the grants. Some companies ended up in court as a result of it. You need better monitoring. I guess it's like any government research, tax incentive, grants, whatever: you offer something and somebody is smart enough to figure out the loophole and scam you. You don't want to set it up so that there are no scams, because then your enforcement and administration costs outweigh the value of the grant. But certainly if you have some type of incentive -- and I'll use the term "grant" or whatever -- just make sure that you get your money's worth out of it. Have some benchmarks. Advance the money only when they reach milestones.
I understand that the practice is tighter down in the United States, where you meet actual milestones before the next cheque is cut. Up here, Canadians tend to be a little bit more benevolent. Again, I'm ambivalent making this comment, because I've worked with groups that have received government funding and we swear about how long it's taking the money to come in and it's drying up our cash flow etc. It's just -- please be careful.
Mr Hastings: Do you think there is good material from an industry perspective, a university perspective, from the state and commonwealth government's perspective? They have done a number of interesting things down there to create an industry in renewables: solar, wind, what have you, especially solar.
Mr Eggertson: I would submit that the Australian government, which has the same messed-up confederation as Canada has, has probably been more successful in promoting it, because they have set up the SEDA and they do have state governments which are promoting it. They are more committed to developing their industry, I think, than Canada is.
Mr Eggertson: We have always not criticized the federal government, because we recognize it is not their jurisdiction to get involved in renewables and we realize that when they put their neck out to support renewables, if the provinces wanted to, you could slap their wrist, simply because it's not really their job. So we're always conscious of not getting into the whole constitutional push and pull.
Mr Hastings: Then isn't there a conflict here in terms of having to be resolved? If we sign the Kyoto agreement and implement it, aren't they going to have to take a federal policy leadership role in terms of the C carbon emissions and all that?
Mr Eggertson: Yes, but they have to work with you at the provincial level, so you have to work together on that. You're right. They are signing it, you're largely implementing it, and that's why you have to be friends.
The Chair: We'll move on to our next one, the Planetary Association for Clean Energy, Mr Andrew Michrowski, president. Thank you very much for coming forward. For the sake of Hansard, please state your name. Also, as you have heard, there's 20 minutes for your presentation and what's left over we'll divide between the caucuses.
Dr Andrew Michrowski: My name is Andrew Michrowski and I'm president of the Planetary Association for Clean Energy. The paper I have given you a copy of is probably longer than the talk that I should give. I'll try to glide over it and leave as much room as possible for questions. This may be a novelty to all of you. That's why there are some specifics in the printed format.
We're discussing the possibility of using water as a fuel, and this could have implications, if so desired, on many levels in Ontario. Our association is an international, interdisciplinary, collaborate network of advanced scientific thinking, founded in 1975 and based in Ottawa. We would like to bring to your attention the potential technological choices to Ontario offered by the systematic use of water as a fuel.
Our network has followed and facilitated one such system since its inception: Brown's Gas. Because so much research has been conducted with this technology, it is possible to describe many office applications with the specifics. We believe that it is in the economical and political interest of Ontario to consider some of these applications in this decade.
Brown's Gas is water separated into its two constituents by an advanced alkaline electrolysis process in a way that allows them to be mixed together under pressure and to be burned together and safely in a 2-to-1 proportion. The process results in a gas that contains ionic hydrogen and oxygen -- of course, molecular too and hydroxy as well. When sparked the gas recombines safely, by implosion, back to water, collapsing in a vacuum-water ratio of 1,886 units to 1.
There are three decades of research with this, and you'll see there's a list of 26 applications. At this time, just for your interest as I'm getting off the document, the one that we're working the most on successfully with Atomic Energy of Canada Ltd is for nuclear waste decontamination. Within 10 seconds it is possible to reduce the radioactivity of nuclear materials down to 4% of their previous levels, which is a very important thing which would mean that we could inexpensively -- especially in Ontario; this is a big Ontario problem -- decontaminate nuclear reactors when they're decommissioned.
Brown's Gas generators and some of the applications were first developed and manufactured in Australia. In the late 1970s, production was transferred to the People's Republic of China at the inducement of the government, resulting in mass production of generators for national distribution -- by the way, by a company as large as General Electric. That's Norinco, which is the electrical appliance company, if you wish, of China.
The important Chinese applications, besides welding and brazing, include water desalination, medical and toxic waste management and destruction, pharmaceutical production applications and material hardening.
In 1996, the Chinese re-invited Yull Brown to build a Brown's Gas system for deployment in cars. That was after the terrible smogs of Beijing and Shanghai; the Chinese said, "There must be a better way than the normal combustion system." This particular technology transfer was interrupted in part due to ill health when Yull Brown decided to return to his homeland, Australia, to spend the last months of his life.
Through the auspices of our association's network, Yull Brown made arrangements for additional manufacturing facilities to produce generators and applications that would meet North American and European Union standards here in Canada. One novel Canadian application now underway is for the synthesis of heavy crude and oil sands. Our Canadian colleagues are now successfully investigating applications in automobile engines and in optimizing the combustion of other fuels such as wood, coal, natural gas etc into near-complete burn and minimal emissions.
There is also a very convincing case, but not yet test-proven on a large scale, for using Brown's Gas for the purpose of storing energy in such situations as excess hydro capacity and wind and solar energy by producing Brown's Gas from electrolysis during slack demand periods and then using Brown's Gas to produce electricity on demand during high consumption periods. The efficiencies in both phases are very exciting. The efficiency of electrolysis is near 99%, which can't be better, and the use of Brown's Gas to produce energy is on a level around 80%.
The ready and limitless availability of water makes Brown's Gas the best carrier for solar energy and other alternative energy sources developed to this time. It has higher energy-conversion efficiency than hydrogen alone, which is conventionally considered to possess the highest conversion efficiency as a fuel. Brown's Gas is non-polluting; it does not even emit the nitrogen oxides which result from hydrogen burning. It is naturally recyclable. The product of its burning is pure water. Brown's Gas is adaptable, like hydrogen, to most of the existing energy utilization technologies without any modifications.
I would like to bring in an aside here that one of the world's experts on hydrogen economy, a member of our association and former dean of chemistry at ANM University, Professor Pappas, stated that if hydrogen economy were ever to be implemented, Brown's Gas would be the best choice.
Just to give you an idea, and this is only for the purpose of illustration of how Brown's Gas can be used, this analysis was actually done for the Canada Mortgage and Housing Corp when they wanted to make a stand-alone healthy house in Toronto that would not depend on hydro, water or the sewer system. It was built, by the way.
You can have heat by attaching catalytic heaters to a supply of Brown's Gas, from a generator, as any gas. That can be used for elements and for space heating. So it's catalytic combustion, just the passage of gas. Then you can have cooling. Water cooling and space cooling requirements can be provided by compressing the gas or by venting the result directly into the medium, or to be put in the space to be cooled. The other way, of course, is to expose the Brown's Gas flame to circulating Freon gas tubing, not unlike the old method of applying lit gas lamps with paraffin wicks in the pioneer Frigidaires.
The other use, of course, is to use it as an energy storage system. One litre of water with about five kilowatts' input generates 1,866 litres of Brown's Gas, which can be released to a chamber located up to 10 metres above floor height and which is linked by a flexible pipe connected to a water basin subject to ambient atmospheric pressure. When that chamber is ignited with sparks, it creates a vacuum by implosion, and that would trigger the raising of 1,866 litres of water up to the height of 10 metres, and now you can have a mini-hydroelectric facility even in most residential apartment buildings, for example. So you can have quite a bit of electricity available, even at major inefficiencies, that could be used to run the apartment building.
Such a system -- not for an apartment building but for a smaller house in Australia -- has been operated for 10 years, and it was found that Brown's Gas storage is over 98% efficient, as are current hydrogen/oxygen tank storage systems. However, it is found that it is not worthwhile in such circumstances just to have bottled gas but to have the generator on the spot. The same thing applies to hydrogen. There are too many problems associated with operating the tanks.
I went down to a house with a solar cell system where you have a generator in the house that would take the excess power from solar or wind energy to be stored in Brown's Gas and then you'd have all these things: heating, cooling, clean water, energy stored and so on. This fits well with certain initiatives in northern Ontario, where the federal government is now installing houses in isolated communities, to assure problem-free energy production, heating, air venting, clean water -- great water -- and storage treatment, all in one unit. Brown's Gas generators are small and not noisy. They can do that work very neatly.
Of course the scope of your committee is not to cover only special housing or isolated regions. There is the question of the big picture. Existing combustion technology can be boosted from low efficiency to extremely high efficiency by spraying Brown's Gas onto flames. That's an application that already exists in China for waste and medical waste incinerators. Large-scale application of this can mean big advantages to the provincial economy, which essentially is dependent on an imported fuel supply.
A similar context exists in Germany, where an econometric study by the University of Hagen -- and I have deposited one sample of that study -- showed that they apply low-cost Brown's Gas nationally for heat and electricity generation in both centralized and decentralized settings in Germany. As you know, in Germany they have lots of these heating facilities for apartment blocks and so on, or even for entire neighbourhoods, but there's also a demand for autonomous services -- like in the mountains, for example -- and for the transportation sector.
That study showed that a phased implementation of such a system over 10 years would be beneficial in terms of the national budget because of decreased expenditures related to the environment, and it would also lead to an increase in employment. It would be so inexpensive to run cars that people would be using cars more, and this was seen as bad in Germany. In Germany that's a tremendous problem. In fact, the country is relatively small for the population, and just thinking they would have to build more 400 series highways was enough to make the government say, "My God, we might be saving something, but we may have to build more highways to take care of greater car use." That is not necessarily the case for Ontario. Of course, they saw the economy would be stimulated because there would be greater purchasing power. We expect a similar and desirable consequence for Ontario.
Let's go back to the electrolyzers. We have conversion efficiencies anywhere from 90% to 95% for electrolysis in the real-world setting. When you start selling these things, the efficiency decreases on site, in context, from 99%. We also know that the theoretical energy level of hydrogen/oxygen gas is around 50,000 BTUs per pound. But Brown's Gas has at least 66,000 BTUs per pound, and the inventor found a way of getting it up to 210,000 BTUs, which is almost at a nuclear level. If just 80% of this energy can be recaptured, it will be a significant improvement over the main problem with all variable-power input systems: energy storage -- solar, wind, tidal etc; of course, tidal is not important to Ontario. The gas storage development is of a very high priority for future developmental work in this area, yet experience suggests that the off-the-shelf liquid petroleum gas technology storage system is adaptable to Brown's Gas. That means we do not have to reinvent the entire problem of storing the gas, because the LPG system applies as is.
There's also the possibility -- this has never been tested, but was thought through by a major engineering firm in the Unites States -- of using Brown's Gas to energize magnetohydrodynamic systems; that is, an electrical plant of no moving parts. So MHD would convert hot gases directly into electricity. The temperatures required for such a thing can be obtained with Brown's Gas. The prediction is that, in using Brown's Gas, you would have a 20% overall improvement over a conventional system.
This raises a very interesting situation. Sooner or later we'll have to get rid of nuclear power plants in Ontario. Ontario has a very high density of them. You can see a situation where Brown's Gas could be used to make sure these plants are no longer radioactive very quickly -- all the concrete in the whole thing becomes very radioactive. So you can clean it up and then you can use the same shell and use that facility with probably no new capital costs and now have it produce electricity with Brown's Gas instead. Water, which is always near a nuclear power plant, would be the fuel. That would certainly pay, I think, for Ontario, whatever the company and the power generation that it has for these plants.
The other possibility of a new industry for Ontario is that there is such a thing, instead of using a normal combustion engine, an optimal engine that will work on Brown's Gas, and that is a push-pull configuration. The normal combustion engine tries to use explosion to fight against atmospheric pressure to get that piston moving. You can have another piston that would just collapse into a vacuum by sparking the gas, and that would now have a great advantage, because atmospheric pressure would actually be pushing the other piston. So it would be a three-cylinder radial engine that could work on that basis, and we think it would have very good emission characteristics and a low vibration during operation.
It may interest you to know that Yull Brown drove a number of cars with a variety of internal combustion engines. These were tested, and he came out officially with 1,000 miles in the Outback of Australia on one gallon of water, which shows you how the BTU content of Brown's Gas is so much superior to gasoline or all those things. Of course, this sounded incredible, so the best electronics magazine in Australia, Electronics Australia, tested this in all their staff cars and were able to, with very little modification, run those cars on Brown's Gas.
You see the statistics. Basically, it turns out that a small gasoline car in Ontario costs about two cents a kilometre to operate, an electric car would cost about a cent a kilometre, but a Brown's Gas full-size car would run at about 0.13 cents per kilometre.
I'm not going to go further. All I can say is that there are already certain Ontario citizens -- usually people who have the courage to do this, like lawyers and doctors -- who run cars on Brown's Gas. And the unit that does it is probably as big as the 1.5-litre Pepsi-Cola or Coke bottle. That's how big the Brown's Gas generator has to be to run a car. So that would be of interest to you to know.
The last thing I'd like to say is that if it's so desired, our collaborative network worldwide would be very happy to co-operate with the government of Ontario to get through any technology transfer that you may wish. That's it.
Mr Gilchrist: -- and discussion about monoatomic versus diatomic hydrogen and oxygen. Going back to my chemistry class, I'm struck how gases that just normally do not exist in nature, and even when created as a result in this case of the use of a catalyst, would not then in and of themselves want to recombine in a normal state. What keeps the hydrogen and the oxygen from doing what hydrogen and oxygen -- they told us at school -- always do?
Dr Michrowski: OK, let me explain to you. This is not the only way, but the classical way, the way the Chinese opted to do it, is that you have a cell and you have sheets of metal, and on one side -- of course you'll have current going through, direct current, polarizing each sheet. And this is all immersed in water. So out of one will come oxygen; the other one will be hydrogen. But they bubble, bubble, bubble. As a matter of fact, I've seen quite a few generators which are totally Plexiglas; you could see right through. You can see what happens. They eventually do merge, and then you have basically a soup.
You know, when I told you that you can have Brown's Gas up to 210,000 BTUs, the secret of that is partially in the kind of circuitry that you have, what kind of pulsation and type of wave forms you have, but also in how you're allowing this soup to be there and how fresh is the gas that you're using when you want it. So there are all kinds of problems of an engineering type. For example, just to tell you the kind of problems people have had when they tried to imitate Brown's Gas is that the bubbling just becomes like foam and then it's hopeless. You want it to be like bubbles of something that is not a foam-like type of thing and can be circulating.
But in these mixtures you have all kinds of situations, and some we have now been able -- which is not easy, by the way, to make the spectroscopic analysis. What the hell do you have there? Because you do normally expect just to have the hydrogen molecules and the oxygen molecules -- and they do appear -- but you also have these different types -- and there are three types possible -- of hydrogen. There is tritium, for example, and so on. And they can be in a very short-lived time too.
Mr James J. Bradley (St Catharines): My quick question, because I know I have only a minute, is regarding what kind of specific commitment you have from Atomic Energy of Canada for the use of Brown's Gas.
Dr Michrowski: We have an agreement with them. First of all, one of our members has already, for a year and a half, perfected the system. Basically, let's say this is a radioactive material and you have a Brown's Gas flame and you don't know anything -- just chance. You're not going to reduce radioactivity more than 60%, just the interplay. It takes time and effort to find the best environmental context, if you wish, for the process and the durability of the flame -- you know, things start moving and spark all over and so on -- to assure that this does get to the optimal. It took the Atomic Energy of Canada scientist -- who, by the way, is responsible for the Chalk River plant itself; that's his job -- about nine months to come to the situation where you get about 4% to 5% radioactivity left over. This was so impressive that the principal scientists of Atomic Energy of Canada decided to go forward, and any week now we expect to have the tests on the real thing, real cobalt rods, not just small pieces and chunks and so on, where we have had good work. Of course, that's a commitment where we've used about $200,000 just for the laboratory setting and all to think it through, and we hope to see good results.
We know that Yull Brown did that for the Chinese already. The plant where he made the first generators was adjacent to the nuclear facility the Chinese have for both military and commercial purposes. There, Yull worked successfully on uranium and plutonium, not just cobalt, and of course radium. The Chinese reported on this way back, about six years ago, if I remember correctly.
The Chair: Our next delegate this morning is Mr Whitman Wright. Mr Wright, we have 10 minutes for individuals, so there is a total of 10 minutes for your presentation. Please state your name for the sake of Hansard.
When I was a young man, I designed the movable bridges for the St Lawrence Seaway. Later I had some experience moving radioactive material for the nuclear industry. I've also had extensive experience with the Canadian Standards Association developing standards for the Canadian computer industry.
One thing our profession actively encourages is a readiness for us to attempt to look into the future and visualize the long-term consequences of our actions. I suggested this idea to my wife and said, "How would it work if I tried to visualize what the young lady sitting next to me would be like in another 50 years?" She did not want to pursue that topic.
My contact with the Ontario search for alternative energy sources began when I was watching television and became aware of the interest. I was already aware of the problem because in Ottawa, working with a small group of people who were concerned with the adequacy of our planet to handle the increasing population, we made an attempt to look into what the planet was capable of and what was being expected of it. We were not entirely happy with what we saw.
In the last 100 years -- and I've lived most of that 100 years -- the global population has multiplied by a factor of almost four; not two, but four. You can imagine the consequences. If we look around in the shopping mall and the buildings built in Ottawa, we can see the consequences. People have come out from all parts of the world and are looking for a place where they can live and enjoy the good things of life, and they look to Ontario. We in Ontario have to provide for these people. This requires energy, and lots of it. The magnitude of the demand is now overwhelming our conventional energy sources. We can't look to Niagara Falls any more to supply all of our energy needs. This goes on and on. We in Ottawa have to deal with the new congestion on our highways, and something that we used to call Winterlude, we now call Waterlude. The government of Ontario has quite rightly decided to look ahead for new energy sources. Whether it can find these sources and whether they will be affordable is another matter.
The two obvious potential sources seem to be wind and solar. We've heard of both of these. I couldn't really figure out what the gentleman preceding me was talking about; maybe you people can. That's my problem -- I'm having trouble speaking, but I couldn't figure that out. We have received glowing accounts about how well wind and solar energy are working in Europe. We are encouraged to go the same way. We do wonder whether these two power sources, where the technology is known and could be implemented, would be adequate for the gap that is going to exist in the future between our ability to generate energy and the desire to use it. There is room for improvement. The technologies are reasonably well known. I have not personally examined these technologies in great detail, but I know this could be done, and the cost probably could be manageable. If it were otherwise, I suspect Ontario would not be asking us to come up with answers; they would have the answers themselves.
One of the advantages of both wind and solar is that these two energy sources are renewable. This means that somebody cannot get a corner on an oil well or on a forest and pump out all the oil or cut down all the forests at once and have a big fire sale. The energy can only be acquired so fast. We can have maybe not as much energy as we want, but at least a continuing source.
An alternative that might be considered in one of its forms is biomass, but we also know that the world is wanting more and more food for its people. If you put corn into your gasoline, it's not available for eating. Anyone who has read the book Who Will Feed China?, written by Lester Brown of Worldwatch, will quickly realize that anything that competes in any way with the production of the world's food supply is definitely ruled out. We can't go in that direction.
Another alternative is the hard-pressed nuclear industry, which would probably like to see us all go nuclear. The nuclear industry could certainly provide the industry, but it is intrinsically not a very safe kind of industry. We know that Ontario has avoided accidents up to this point, but we also remember Three Mile Island and Chernobyl, and we know that people are human. Of course, to jump a little bit to another field, but still analogous, the Walkerton report has recently come out and we have seen an example of human fallibility.
I see by the newspapers that some people are trying to involve Ontario in nuclear fusion. This is an alternative to nuclear fission, and some people say that this is a safer industry. However, it is up to now really an unproven technology. It's the sort of thing that Ontario could conceivably enter into an investigation of, in combination with other financial resources, because nuclear fusion is not only an untested technology, but it is also very expensive and we, the Ontario taxpayers, are expected to provide the financial resources.
The energy question has caused a great deal of confusion with the public. Certain individuals, such as the Danish economist Bjorn Lomborg and, earlier, Julian Simon, have added to the general public confusion by writing books that try to make the energy problem almost trivial. We know that this is not true and that these people's message, although it is very seductive, is really false and will lead us into a bad route. This issue has been taken up recently by the magazine Scientific American. Those of you who have been reading this magazine are aware of the objections that have been given by knowledgeable scientists to these individuals.
If we want to be practical, the most effective cost route would not be to attempt to increase the supply of power, but to reduce the demand. This would mean more building insulation and the conversion to fluorescent lighting -- although, who wants that? But maybe we have to have it. We could also reduce the demand for motor fuel by providing more adequate public transportation, but this would be expensive, and who would want that? We would be looking for a future with more restrictions, more regulations and more expenses. These are all the consequences of unrestricted growth.
We have been very uncritical of the notion of unrestricted growth as the solution to all of our economic and political problems. Anyone who questions the doctrine of unrestricted growth is somehow labelled as an enemy of the people and is ostracized. But our Mother Earth has its limits, and is trying to tell us that if we want to survive into the future, we must be prepared to think a little more carefully and a little more deeply.
The Chair: No, it's been just excellent. No problem at all. Thanks very much for the presentation. We are actually well over the 10 minutes so, again, thank you for coming forward. It was much appreciated.
I have just one short question that I was going to ask of committee members. I'm not sure if you presented or not, but certainly you two have had some very interesting visits over the last while. I wondered if maybe, when we reconvene -- is it the 18th? -- after we travel, we might have you present for 20 minutes or a half-hour or whatever, each one?
The Chair: I'm just asking now so you can prepare. I think it's been asked that a written report be given, but I think it would be interesting to hear from you in a presentation. Are you comfortable with that?
The other thing I've been discussing with our researcher, Mr Richmond, is looking a little further at some other policies that we didn't get in that report, looking at Denmark, Germany, Spain, Holland, and particularly how they got wind into place.
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Many of you will be aware of the Food Bill that is due to be passed through Parliament shortly after the summer holidays. This Bill directly effects Ooooby and its members.
'In a nutshell, if the new Food Bill is passed then 'unexempted' trading of homegrown food could be treated as a criminal offence attracting fines of up to $100,000 and 5 years imprisonment. That means, if a person or corporation has motivation to prevent you from sharing food between neighbours and friends, they could use this law (along with a well argued accusation and fistfuls of money), to send in privately contracted indemnified Food Safety Officers' to search and stop operations at your premises without a warrant and also to gain a warrant to search your private home. They may use any force that is 'reasonable' to find and confiscate any potentially incriminating evidence. This proposed Food Bill is highly discouraging for cottage food.
It also means that there will be registration and compliance costs (money and time) that could make small-scale cottage food operations unviable.
Ooooby submits that an automatic exemption should be granted to all cottage food operations with annual sales under $60,000.' - Pete
Below are three independent interpretations of the Food Bill. They are a longish read (nowhere near as long as the actual Food Bill itself) and they highlight the main points of concern.
These interpretations are not Ooooby's nor can we validate that they are entirely correct. Use your own discretion.
The Food Bill and how it could affect small-scale and hobby food traders
By Johanna Knox
A lot of people are worried about the Food Bill that's on its journey through parliament at the moment. The Food Bill is a proposal for a new set of laws (The Food Act) that would replace NZ’s current 1981 Food Act.
The Bill is here:
There are many issues being raised by different people, but I have a particular personal concern with the Bill's impact on very small-scale, interpersonal food trades. So I've spent my time reading the Bill in order to try to understand and summarise only this aspect of it.
I've come to the conclusion that the bill could potentially make life more difficult for numerous people and groups if passed into law as it stands. In my own life:
- My mother in law who was thinking of selling her incredible backyard surfeit of figs wholesale to a local fresh market (who would then retail it).
- The people I buy cultures (yoghurt, sourdough, kefir etc.) from for a few dollars, when my own die of neglect.
- The people at a local vege swap whose presence I always appreciate because I swap my fruit with them for honey, jam or chutney.
- The people on green dollars schemes who I have bought home-baked loaves of bread from.
And many more.
SO - starting from the beginning to give some background ...
What are some general differences between the current Act and the new Bill?
First of all – the new Bill is nearly four times as long and detailed!
Under the 1981 Act, local authorities have more responsibility for food safety in their area, with different areas of NZ having different by-laws. The new Act creates one law for the whole country, and gives central Govt greater responsibility for making and enforcing all food safety regulations.
Under the 1981 Act, many food safety regulations relate to the premises from which food sellers operate. These premises are generally required to be licensed. The new bill shifts emphasis from ensuring food businesses operate from premises that are licensed as safe, to ensuring their entire operation runs according to a regulated plan. It’s about what they do in its entirety rather than where they are.
ONE OTHER THING …
Designated ‘Food Safety Officers’ have greater powers to enforce the law. (For example while they cannot search private homes under the 1981 Act, under the new Food Bill they would be able to.)
What will be the overall effect of these general changes?
I’m interested to hear from people about how they think these general changes may affect them, in terms of their small scale trades. Which would be harder on you - local council regulation, or central govt regulation?
For example, there have been at least two cases in the media in recent years where local councils have come down very hard on community groups and individuals with regard to food safety regulations. (In fact, many of us have probably been subject to a local authority’s ‘bureaucracy gone mad’ approach in one way or another .)
On the other hand, I believe those issues have been resolved satisfactorily with the councils now, and lobbying for fairness and lenience at a local level can sometimes be easier than lobbying against central Govt, especially when it is a local community-based issue. ALSO some of us may be lucky enough to live in an area where a council supports the kinds of food-related activities we are involved in, from the outset.
Anyway, getting down to the details ...
An overview of the proposed new system under the Bill
Under the new Food Bill there are three tiers of regulation. In any undertaking where you sell or barter food, (as far as I can see - even on the tiniest scale) you will be subject to one of three regimes depending on the perceived risk of your undertaking:
- A Food Safety Plan
- A National Safety Plan
- Food Handler Guidance
Under a Food Safety Plan, you have to submit your own food safety plan for approval,presumably with a fee, and if it is approved you will be registered and then checked up on over time.
Under a National Safety Plan, you have to apply to be registered (again presumably with a fee) and then follow the guidelines in a previously written set plan that covers many businesses in your particular food sector.
Food Handler Guidance is the third and least onerous of these regimes. Under Food Handler Guidance you do not have to register any kind of a plan. You will just be targeted with safety advice in some way (pamphlets? brochures? I'm not sure) and expected to comply with basic, general food safety regulations. There should be no compliance costs.
Several types of undertaking fall under this third, least onerous, Food Handler Guidance category (See Schedule 3 of the Bill in particular). Here are three of them:
- People fundraising for a specific purpose for an individual or group (e.g. sausage sizzles for a sports team’s trip), and not selling more than 20 times a year. (See section 94A)
- People selling/bartering food for a ‘charitable purpose’ and either not selling more than 20 times a year, OR operating from a premises where what you are doing is not the main activity. (See Section 94.)
- Individuals selling their own garden produce directly to consumers (See Schedule 3).
ALSO - the Bill says some people/businesses who might be covered by the other two regimes where they need to register a plan, can apply for an exemption from registration - OR be exempted on the initiative of the Chief Executive of the Ministry. Once they are exempted, they would be subject only to Food Handler Guidance.
(Note - the law is clear that granting those latter exemptions is entirely at the discretion of the chief executive, who can also revoke them at any time. And it's not known yet how hard it would be to get an exemption for your undertaking, and what it would involve.)
So where does that leave community vege swaps, etc.?
One of the things that all this means is that people doing the traditional community surplus vege swap are exempted from having to be registered, as long as
OR they apply for and gain an exemption.
If they are not meeting all those requirements, and do not gain an exemption, then as far as I can see, under this new legislation as it stands they would NOT be complying with the law. So in theory …
* People swapping or selling honey, surplus pickles, jams, preserves, cultures, baking, charcuterie etc. would have to gain an exemption or be registered. (Update re eggs: I've just been told eggs come under a different piece of legislation - more detail soon.)
* People who sell a little surplus fresh garden produce wholesale to a local shop to retail would have to gain an exemption or be registered.
The Minister and NZFSA have made comments to the effect that the Bill's intention is not to prevent the exchanges of food within communities that have always gone on. And yet I cannot reconcile the actual wording of the Bill with that. Whatever the intention of the Bill, it contains nothing I can see that says the two groups of people in the list just above don’t have to be registered or apply for/gain an exemption. In fact it says they DO.
(And remember that exemptions and their continuation or revocation are always at the discretion of the chief executive.)
A note (at the risk of being repetitive): I think there may be an issue of 'weasel words' creeping into some of the public discourse on this ... 'food' and 'produce' should not be spoken of or read as interchangeable. They're not.
It's clear in the Bill that direct trades of home-grown fresh PRODUCE within communities ARE exempted from needing registration. That's good. But it's NOT clear that other home-made FOOD is. (So anything that is more processed than basic fresh horticultural produce is not automatically exempted from the need to register.)
Where does the bill say very small-scale and hobby-based trades are covered?
Section 9 of the Food Bill defines a food business as Business, activity, or undertaking that trades in food (whether in whole or in part) …
(So, 'businesses' in the Act are not just what we would normally define as a business – they are any activity or undertaking.)
Section 12 defines sale as selling food for processing and handling or for human consumption; and includes
(i) reselling food for processing and handling or for human consumption; and
(ii) offering food or attempting to sell food, or receiving or having food in possession for sale, or exposing food for sale, or sending or delivering food for sale, or causing or permitting food to be sold, offered, or exposed for sale; and
(iii) bartering food; and
(iv) selling, or offering to sell, any thing of which any food forms a part; and
(v) supplying food, together with any accommodation, service, or entertainment, as part of an inclusive charge; and
(vi) supplying food in exchange for payment or in relation to which payment is to be made in a shop, hotel, restaurant, at a stall, in or on a craft or vehicle, or any other place; and
(vii) for the purpose of advertisement or to promote any trade or business, offering food as a prize or reward to the public, whether on payment of money or not, or giving away food; and
(viii) exporting food; and
(ix) every other method of disposition of food for valuable consideration.
There is no mention of the scale of activity, so in theory the law covers these activities at any scale.
The bartering issue
Just to clarify, both the current 1981 Act and the new Bill see bartering as the same as selling. (Tax law generally does too.)
I personally feel that the bartering vs selling issue is a red herring. I think the scale of trades covered by the Food Bill is a bigger issue than the form those trades take.
I am worried about the degree to which the Bill interferes in and appears to regulate very small-scale trading – whether it is bartering OR selling for money (including NZ$ and other community currencies.)
Much of the very small-scale food trading that takes place within communities is not taxed, as tax law sees it as ’hobby’ rather than ‘business’. (See http://mcleanandco.co.nz/Page115.htm for a very clear description of how non-taxable income from a hobby is defined. )
However, as you can see, many of those hobby-based transactions that go on in the food world are certainly seen as ‘food businesses’ that are needing regulation under the Food Bill.
Where is the bill at, right now?
The Bill passed its first reading in July 2010. Since then a number of amendments have been made, and according to two MPs and the NZFSA website it is set to go to its second reading possibly quite soon after the general election, although no firm date is set down for this yet.
What amendments have been made so far, and which are pending?
There are a number, but these are the ones that interest me most, given my scope of interest:
Previously in the Bill – farmers markets and other organisations, groups or individuals that simply offered a premises for the sale of food were covered by the Bill. One of several worries with this was that a whole market could be shut down or penalised for hosting a food seller that didn’t comply with regulations. An amendment now makes it clear that the Bill doesn’t cover these organisations.
Trade in seeds is covered in the Bill – bringing up many troubling issues. The Minister Kate Wilkinson has promised repeatedly and publicly that amendments will be made to the Bill to clarify that the Act will NOT cover seeds. As yet, those changes have not been made in any version of the Act that I can find. It’s important that people remain aware of this issue and check that the bill does not pass its second reading without it being explicit that seeds for storing, saving, planting, growing, etc. are not covered by its regulations.
Green MP Sue Kedgley has asked that it be made explicit in the Act that several types of small-scale transactions have blanket exemptions. So far this request seems to have been rejected. (See http://www.stuff.co.nz/national/politics/5767084/Political-stoush-o... - although it has a slightly tabloid take on it all.)
Inconsistencies in the Bill and why small traders should be given automatic exemptions (IMO)
* The Bill claims to regulate activities on a risk basis. These risk calculations presumably include frequency and volume of sales. (The more that's sold, the higher the risk to the public.)
I have no way of knowing this for sure, but I don't think there would be more home-made food items (jams, baking etc.) traded on a small hobby-based scale for the trader's personal gain than there are items like this traded to fundraise. Fundraising is huge across the country.
And yet the hobby traders need registration or to apply for an exemption, while in many cases the fundraisers don't.
* While NZ law has for a long time seen raw milk as a high-risk food, it has enabled, and looks set to enable (see below) raw milk sales from 'the farm gate' on a small scale and on a 'buyer beware basis'. In the new discussion document for changes to raw milk sales legislation, it acknowledges that farm gate sales allow the buyer to assess the farms' hygiene and processes and make a more informed decision about their comfort with buying from this producer.
Surely buying a bit of jam, baking, cheese etc., from someone who operates at home, could be done on the same 'buyer beware' basis? Why is it different in the eyes of the law?
* Tax law makes a fairly clear case for exemption of hobby traders - why can't food law also?
What happens next?
I personally think pressure needs to stay on the Government and the Minister of Food Safety to give blanket exemptions to several categories of small food trader.
The Bill still has a way to go before it is passed into law, and there are a few more stages I believe where these explicit changes could be made. But they certainly might not be made, if there is no pressure on them to do so.
The most important thing you can do this week, before Christmas.
By Valera K.
I don’t usually forward petitions or e-mails concerning legislation, but this one made me very upset.
Legislation is being pushed through parliament during the holiday break which restricts our basic right to freely trade, barter or even serve the food we grow in our backyard.
The legislation allows for “Food Safety Officers” who are:
- not employed by the Government.
- can enter and search people’s premises without a search warrant.
- have exemption from civil and criminal law.
The proposed bill is posted on the Government web site and I’ve looked through it myself. Sadly this is for real:
Anyone who trades or sells any quantity of food (ex: sells a jar of homemade jam at a craft market, or exchanges an avocado for an orange with a neighbour) will be considered a “food business”. Serving food is also covered. See 9, 10, 12:
Food safety officer does not have to be a person employed by the State sector:
Food safety officer may enter without a search warrant:
And seize or dispose of food that does not comply with requirements of the Act, or even “exclude a particular person from all or part of a place” (see 270, 272):
On top of this, actions of Food Safety Officers are above civil and criminal law:
Essentially NZ Food Bill allows our basic human rights to be violated under the guise of protecting us from “bad food”. And we may be forced to only buy commercial food, which will be more tightly controlled by the large corporations.
The bill does have some good aspects, such as increasing quality standards for mass produced food. However it should not apply to backyard and small scale growers, and it should not allow anyone the power to search our property without a search warrant or be exempt from civil and criminal law.
I encourage you to read the forwarded message below which explains the situation in more detail, and sign the online petition:
Also please let anyone who cares to know urgently and contact your local elected politicians about this. We may only have few weeks to stop this nonsense.
You can contact your local MP via e-mail here:
Feel free to modify or forward my e-mail.
Requiring home gardeners to be registered? Making it illegal to trade vegetables and seeds? There’s a high level of concern and conjecture about the new Food Bill. What’s real and what’s exaggerated? Our founder Emily, an ex-lawyer, investigates.
What does the Food Bill cover?
The main purpose of the Food Bill is to make sure that food sold in New Zealand is safe and suitable for consumption. Any person who trades in food has a duty to ensure it is “safe and suitable”. Trading in food includes producing (growing) and processing food for sale, as well as actually selling it. In the Food Bill, “sale” also includes bartering and any other form of exchanging food for valuable consideration. So, if you’re going to grow food to sell or barter, you have a duty to make sure it’s safe and suitable, which basically means it’s unlikely to cause illness. And if you’re growing food purely for your own household’s consumption, the Food Bill doesn’t apply.
So what does the Food Bill mean for small scale, local food trading?
Trading home-grown produce with your neighbours
The Bill prescribes additional duties and requirements for “food businesses”, which are “a business, activity or undertaking that trades in food” (remember trading includes growing and processing for sale, as well as actually selling). “Food businesses” have to comply with certain requirements set out in the Bill, which are different for different types of food businesses. There has been concern that individuals who grow food on a small scale then trade their excess with neighbours could fall within the definition of a “food business” and that local food trading between unregistered food growers will become illegal. Thankfully, the New Zealand Food Safety Authority has made it clear that the Bill’s requirements are not intended to apply to backyard food growing and neighbourhood food swapping.
Selling food you’ve grown or made
If you’re growing or making food (e.g. jam, chutney) to sell it, you could be considered a “food business” under the Food Bill. The implications of that depend on how you sell the food. If you’re going to sell the food direct to consumers, for example from a table at your front gate or a stall at your local farmers market, you’re in the lowest risk category of food businesses under the Food Bill, and you’re just subject to “food handler guidance”. What that means is that guidance on safe food handling will be made available to you, but it doesn’t impose any legal duty on you.
Things get more complicated when there’s a third party involved. Say you want to sell your food to a local café, or to someone like Ooooby, who then onsells your food to consumers, you fall into a different categorisation under the Food Bill. This categorisation means you are subject to a whole lot more paperwork than someone who sells direct to consumers. You’ll have to apply to register, meet all the requirements set out in a “National Programme”, and have your compliance verified by an external verifier.
Trading seeds and seedlings
The definition of “food” in the Food Bill is so wide that it technically includes most seeds and seedlings, as they are “capable of being used for human consumption”. A lot of people were pretty concerned about this, and when it was brought to the attention of the Minister for Food Safety, she requested that the definition by amended to make it clear that seeds for cultivation and food plant seedlings are not covered by the Food Bill.
Exemptions for small-scale food businesses
The Food Bill provides for exemptions for small-scale food businesses. The Bill gives as an example of someone who might qualify for an exemption, a person who produces in their own home food for sale, sells it directly to the consumer, and doesn’t employ any other person to assist in the sale or production of the food. You would have to apply to the chief executive of the Ministry of Agriculture and Fisheries for an exemption.
Don’t like the implications? What can you do about it?
The Bill has already passed Select Committee stage, when public submissions are heard, so if you want to have your say now you’ll have to go direct to the lawmakers. You could email Kate Wilkinson, the Minister for Food Safety: email@example.com. Or get in touch with the Food Safety spokespeople from other parties and ask them to take your concerns to the Minister (Labour – Ashraf Choudary firstname.lastname@example.org, Green – Sue Kedgleysue.email@example.com).
We’ll keep tabs on the progress of the Food Bill and let you know about any developments or other opportunities to have your say.
So there you have it folks. If you have any ideas on how we can best respond to this Bill, please let us all know in the comments below.
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I have been a technology journalist and consultant for nearly 30 years, covering
the Internet since March 1994, and the free software world since 1995.
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569 F.2d 690
187 U.S.App.D.C. 35
NATIONAL CONFECTIONERS ASSOCIATION, Appellant,
Joseph A. CALIFANO, Jr., Secretary of Health, Education and
Welfare, et al.
United States Court of Appeals,
District of Columbia Circuit.
Argued April 22, 1977.
Decided Jan. 20, 1978.
Alan H. Kaplan, Washington, D. C., with whom F. Kaid Benfield, Washington, D. C., was on the brief for appellant.
Arthur E. Korkosz, Atty., Consumer Affairs Section, Dept. of Justice, Washington, D. C., with whom Earl J. Silbert, U. S. Atty., Richard A. Merrill, Chief Counsel, Forrest T. Patterson, Assoc. Chief Counsel, Food and Drug Administration, Charles R. McConachie, Acting Chief, Consumer Affairs Section, Dept. of Justice, Washington, D. C., were on the brief for appellees.
Before ROBINSON, MacKINNON and ROBB, Circuit Judges.
Opinion for the Court filed by ROBB, Circuit Judge.
ROBB, Circuit Judge:
The appellant National Confectioners Association (NCA), a trade association of candymakers,1 appeals from a judgment of the District Court granting summary judgment to the Secretary of Health, Education and Welfare and the Commissioner of Food and Drugs (Collectively, FDA). We affirm.
The Association asked the District Court to declare void and to enjoin enforcement of portions of a Food and Drug Administration Regulation entitled "Cacao Products and Confectionary", 21 C.F.R. § 128c (1976).2 The Association attacked the parts of the Regulations that require candymakers (1) to mark each shipping container with a code that identifies the plant where the candy was packed and its production or packaging lot, 21 C.F.R. 128c.7(d) (1976),3 and (2) to keep records of the initial distribution of the candy for a period exceeding its shelf life but not more than two years, 21 C.F.R. § 128c.8(c), (d) (1976).4 According to the Association, the challenged requirements are in excess of statutory authority and arbitrary because the need for them is not supported by record evidence. The relevant statute is the Federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act, 21 U.S.C. § 301 et seq.
The "Good Manufacturing Practice" Regulation at issue here was promulgated under authority granted to the Secretary of Health, Education and Welfare by section 701(a) of the Act, 21 U.S.C. § 371(a), "to promulgate regulations for the efficient enforcement of this (Act)".5 The Act prohibits the "introduction or delivery for introduction into interstate commerce of any food . . . that is adulterated", the "adulteration . . . of any food in interstate commerce", and the "receipt in interstate commerce of any food . . . that is adulterated". 21 U.S.C. § 331(a)-(c). The FDA intends that its Regulation will implement section 402(a)(4) of the Act, 21 U.S.C. § 342(a) (4), which states that:
A food shall be deemed to be adulterated
(4) if it has been prepared, packed, or held under insanitary conditions whereby it may have become contaminated with filth, or whereby it may have been rendered injurious to health . . .
The FDA justified the contested provisions of its Regulation in this way:
The Commissioner is of the opinion that the benefits to the consumer from (the record-keeping) requirements are clear. It would expedite the recall of dangerous or potentially dangerous products from the market. He considers the requirement to be a logical companion to the one for coding . . . and that it serves the same purpose in protecting the public health. The rapid identification of suspected food lots by their code marks together with a knowledge of the meaning of the code marks and a knowledge of their distribution can make a recall much easier and faster and thus result in increased consumer protection.
40 Fed.Reg. 24,169 at P 92 (1975).
STATUTORY BASIS FOR THE CONTESTED PROVISIONS OF THE REGULATION
The Association's argument rests on this premise: because the FDA has cited section 402(a)(4) as the substantive basis for its Regulation, that section alone must provide the statutory justification for the Regulation. The Association asserts that previous judicial and administrative interpretations of section 402(a)(4) indicate that Congress intended it to control the physical processes of manufacture, to prevent contaminated foods from entering commerce. By contrast, the mandatory coding and record-keeping provisions contemplate a remedy for contaminated foods already in commerce, by expediting their location and removal. Therefore, the Association concludes, these provisions are alien to the settled meaning of section 402(a)(4). Stressing the distinction it draws between prevention and remedy,6 the Association observes that the contested provisions would permit criminal prosecution under section 402(a)(4) of a manufacturer, whose processes are sanitary but whose source coding and distribution records are deficient, for having "prepared, packed, or held (food) under insanitary conditions . . . whereby it may have been rendered injurious to health". Criminal liability for such conduct, says the Association, would distort the language of section 402(a)(4) impermissibly. Finally, the Association states that the FDA, by justifying the contested provisions on a need to expedite "recalls"7 of adulterated foods, has clearly exceeded its statutory authority, because recalls are voluntary actions by manufacturers. Recalls are not among the remedial alternatives given to the FDA in the Act8 and therefore, the Association concludes, not subject to regulation by the FDA.
We believe that the Association's analysis of the FDA's statutory authority is unreasonably cramped. At the outset we must reject the Association's contention that the validity of the contested provisions must stand or fall on section 402(a)(4) alone. There is no persuasive evidence that Congress intended to immunize food manufacturers from mandatory source coding and record-keeping.9 Therefore, in assessing the validity of regulations promulgated under section 701(a) for the efficient enforcement of the Act, we must consider "whether the statutory scheme as a whole justified promulgation of the regulation." Toilet Goods Ass'n v. Gardner, 387 U.S. 158, 163, 87 S.Ct. 1520, 1524, 18 L.Ed.2d 697 (1967). The consideration concerns "not merely an inquiry into statutory purpose" but also practicalities, such as "an understanding of what types of enforcement problems are encountered by the FDA (and) the need for various sorts of supervision in order to effectuate the goals of the Act." Id. at 163-64, 87 S.Ct. at 1524. "The Act is not concerned with the purification of the stream of commerce in the abstract. The problem is a practical one of consumer protection, not dialectics." United States v. Urbuteit, 335 U.S. 355, 357-58, 69 S.Ct. 112, 114, 93 L.Ed. 61 (1948).
Turning to the relevant aspects of the statutory scheme, we find that if a unit of food in fact contains contaminants that render it "injurious to health", 21 U.S.C. § 342(a)(1), that are "filthy, putrid, or decomposed substance(s)" present in significant quantity10 or that make it "otherwise unfit for food", 21 U.S.C. § 342(a)(3), it is "adulterated". Moreover, if a unit of food is processed, packed, or stored under unsanitary conditions whereby it may have become contaminated or rendered injurious to health, it is "adulterated" in the eyes of the law even though it is not actually contaminated. 21 U.S.C. § 342(a)(4); Berger v. United States, 200 F.2d 818, 821 (8th Cir. 1952). The Act prohibits interstate commerce in adulterated foods. 21 U.S.C. § 331(a)-(c). It permits the FDA to petition a district court to enjoin such commerce. 21 U.S.C. § 332(a). Most important, it permits the FDA to stop interstate commerce in adulterated food by obtaining a court order to seize it:
Any article of food . . . that is adulterated . . . when introduced into or while in interstate commerce or while held for sale (whether or not the first sale) after shipment in interstate commerce . . . shall be liable to be proceeded against while in interstate commerce, or at any time thereafter, on libel of information and condemned . . . .
21 U.S.C. § 334(a)(1).
In light of this statutory scheme as a whole, we find no basis for the Association's distinction between the FDA's roles in preventing and remedying commerce in adulterated foods. In our opinion the Act imposes on the FDA an equal duty to perform each role. We conclude that the FDA's purposes in enacting the contested provisions of its Regulation, which were "to prevent the introduction of adulterated foods into (interstate) commercial channels", 40 Fed.Reg. 24,162 (1975), and to hasten their removal from circulation once there, id. at 24,169, reflect the objective of the Act and carry out its mandate. See Ewing v. Mytinger & Casselberry, Inc., 339 U.S. 594, 601, 70 S.Ct. 870, 94 L.Ed. 1088 (1950); United States v. 7 Barrels of Spray Dried Whole Eggs, 141 F.2d 767, 770 (7th Cir. 1944). See also United States v. Lexington Mill & Elevator Co., 232 U.S. 339, 409, 34 S.Ct. 337, 58 L.Ed. 658 (1914) (interpretation of predecessor statute).11
We think the FDA has reason to believe that source coding and the keeping of distribution records will expedite locating and removing adulterated food in two situations: (1) when one unit of a packaging or production lot already in commerce is found to be adulterated, and the other units in the same lot need to be found and removed; and (2) when a plant where food already in interstate commerce was processed is found to be unsanitary, and the plant's recent production needs to be found and removed. Coding will also facilitate segregation of an adulterated lot that is in a manufacturer's warehouse.
The Association and the FDA agree that when it is suspected that candy is adulterated, its manufacturer customarily recalls it in order to avoid condemnation proceedings under the seizure provision of the Act. We may assume that recalls are completely voluntary because the FDA does not have authority to mandate them, United States v. C.E.B. Products, Inc., 380 F.Supp. 664, 672 (N.D.Ill.1974). Nonetheless we believe that the voluntary nature of recalls does not foreclose their regulation. When accommodation between the FDA and private industry has produced an efficient procedure for enforcing the Act, and when that procedure emphasizes voluntary cooperation in lieu of a more disruptive and cumbersome remedy specifically authorized by the Act, the FDA may regulate the procedure of voluntary cooperation. Moreover, it is proper for the FDA to conclude that it cannot rely exclusively on voluntary compliance to protect the public interest. Regulations that require source codes and distribution records may be based legitimately on the need to expedite seizure when voluntary recalls are refused.
In any case, the regulation must be consistent with Congressional intent and the substantive provisions of the whole statute. Section 701(a) is not a license for expansion of the FDA's regulatory authority based on fanciful interpretations of the substantive portions of the Act. In our opinion however the coding and record-keeping requirements here at issue clearly do not distend the scope of regulation authorized by the Act.
As we have seen, the FDA justified its mandatory coding and record-keeping provision on the ground that they would expedite the recall of adulterated food.12 The Association complains that there is no evidence in the record to show (1) that recalls as presently conducted are not fast enough, and (2) that codes and records will make recalls faster. The FDA's position is that when the public health may be at stake, the fastest approach is the best one, and that when manufacturers are required to set up the means of tracing adulterated food, it is likely that the full lot of adulterated food will be located more accurately and removed more quickly. We believe that this is a rational justification for the contested provisions. A regulation that is self-evidently rational is not less legitimate than a regulation whose rationality must depend on elaborate statistical, expert, or other evidence.
The judgment of the District Court is
Five of its members did not participate in this litigation
This Regulation is one of a series of "Good Manufacturing Practice" regulations promulgated for specific segments of the food industry. The particular "Good Manufacturing Practice" regulations supplement a general regulation, promulgated in 1969, that pertains to the entire food industry. 21 C.F.R. § 128 (1976). The general Good Manufacturing Practice regulation refers to source coding and distribution records but does not mandate them. 21 C.F.R. § 128.7(i) (1976)
The provision states:
(d) Coding. Permanently legible code marks shall be placed at a readily visible location on each shipping container or they shall be placed on each finished product package delivered or displayed to retail purchasers and be visible on the unopened package. The code marks may be placed in both locations if desired by the manufacturer. Such marks shall identify at least the plant where packed and the product lot or packaging lot.
The provision states:
(c) Records shall be maintained to identify the initial distribution of the finished product to facilitate, when necessary, the segregation of specific food lots that may have become contaminated or otherwise rendered unfit for their intended use.
(d) The records required by paragraphs (a), (b), and (c) of this section shall be retained for a period of time that exceeds the shelf life of the finished product, except that they need not be retained more than 2 years.
The Secretary has delegated administration of the Act to the Commissioner of Food and Drugs. 21 C.F.R. § 2.120 (1976)
Apparently guided by this distinction, the Association did not challenge the provisions in the Regulation that deal with food processing procedures. We therefore have no occasion to consider their validity under the statute. The processing provisions, which comprise the bulk of the Regulation, cover such topics as condition of plant, equipment and utensils; personnel and equipment sanitation; and handling and storage procedures for raw materials and finished products
In a "recall" a manufacturer undertakes to recover his product from distributors and retailers
The FDA may enforce the statute by obtaining court-ordered injunctions, 21 U.S.C. § 332(a), fines and imprisonment, 21 U.S.C. § 333, and seizures, 21 U.S.C. § 334(a)
The appellant directs our attention to a bill, S. 641, introduced in the Second Session of the 94th Congress. The bill would give the FDA explicit authority to require food manufacturers to use source codes and to keep distribution records. The bill has not been enacted. We cannot accept petitioner's assertion that its existence indicates that Congress intended to exclude such authority from the Act as it is presently written. We acknowledge that 21 U.S.C. § 373 requires that only food carriers and recipients, not manufacturers, allow FDA officials to inspect records voluntarily kept in the exercise of business judgment. We think, however, that the narrower scope of this provision does not preclude the imposition of a limited records-keeping requirement on food manufacturers, when the requirement clearly assists the efficient enforcement of the Act and when there is no evidence that the burden of record-keeping would be unreasonably onerous
We base our holding on the compatibility of the contested provisions of the Regulation with the whole statutory scheme, especially the grant of seizure authority in 21 U.S.C. § 334(a). Therefore we need not determine whether past judicial and administrative interpretations of section 402(a)(4) establish conclusively that its scope is solely "preventive" and not "remedial". The cases on which the Association relies, Berger v. United States, 200 F.2d 818 (8th Cir. 1952) and United States v. 1500 Cases More or Less, Tomato Paste, 236 F.2d 208 (7th Cir. 1956), did not consider the possibility that the section might have a broader scope. We find little significance in the FDA's belated extension of a 39-year old statute from "prevention" to "remedy": the FDA's authority, if it existed under the section, did not die merely because it was dormant. United States v. Morton Salt Co., 338 U.S. 632, 647-48, 90 S.Ct. 357, 94 L.Ed. 401 (1950)
The Regulation was promulgated after informal rulemaking. We believe that paragraphs 84, 85 and 92 of its order, 40 Fed.Reg. 24,168-69, provide a "concise general statement of (the) basis and purpose", (5 U.S.C. § 553(c)) of the contested provisions that was sufficiently detailed to permit judicial review. Automotive Parts & Accessories Ass'n v. Boyd, 132 U.S.App.D.C. 200, 208, 407 F.2d 330, 338 (1968); National Nutritional Foods Ass'n v. Weinberger, 512 F.2d 688, 701 (2d Cir.), cert. denied, 423 U.S. 827, 96 S.Ct. 44, 46 L.Ed.2d 44 (1975)
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882 F.2d 1417
19 Envtl. L. Rep. 21,154
OREGON NATURAL RESOURCES COUNCIL; Hells Canyon Preservation
Council; Friends of Lake Fork; Ric Bailey,
Richard LYNG, Secretary of Agriculture; U.S. Forest
Service; Robert Richmond, Wallowa-Whitman
National Forest Supervisor, Defendants-Appellees,
Eagle Cap Logging, Inc.; RMH Aeroservices, Inc.;
Boise-Cascade Corp.; Ellingson Lumber Co.; Idaho Timber
Corp. of Oregon, Inc.; North Powder Lumber Co.; Sequoia
Forest Industries; Union Forest Products Co.; Northwest
Timber Workers Resource Council; Save Our Snake,
United States Court of Appeals,
Argued and Submitted Feb. 8, 1989.
Decided July 21, 1989.
Gary K. Kahn, Portland, Or., Kerry L. Rydberg, Eugene, Or., for plaintiffs-appellants.
John A. Bryson, Washington, D.C., for defendants-appellees.
Michael E. Haglund, Portland, Or., for defendant-intervenors-appellees.
Appeal from the United States District Court for the District of Oregon.
Before WRIGHT, REINHARDT and TROTT, Circuit Judges.
TROTT, Circuit Judge:
Plaintiffs Oregon Natural Resources Council, Hells Canyon Preservation Council, Friends of Lake Fork, and Ric Bailey (collectively "ONRC") appeal the district court's dismissal of their action for declaratory judgment, mandamus and injunctive relief. Alleging violations of the National Environmental Protection Act ("NEPA"), the Clean Water Act ("CWA"), and the Hells Canyon National Recreation Area Act ("HCNRA Act"), ONRC sought declaratory relief and an order enjoining the forest service from offering a timber sale in the Duck Creek area of the Hells Canyon National Recreation Area ("HCNRA") in the Wallowa-Whitman National Forest. ONRC also sought a mandatory injunction compelling the Secretary to promulgate regulations under section 10 of the HCNRA Act, 16 U.S.C. Sec. 460gg-7. Finally, ONRC requested costs and attorneys' fees in accordance with the Equal Access to Justice Act ("EAJA"), 28 U.S.C. Sec. 2412. We have jurisdiction over this timely appeal pursuant to 28 U.S.C. Sec. 1291. We affirm in part and reverse and remand in part.
The Hells Canyon National Recreation Area was established by Congress in 1975. It encompasses 652,488 acres of land in Eastern Oregon and Western Idaho, most of which had been managed under the National Forest System. This land, which includes the deepest gorge in North America and the seventy-one mile segment of the Snake River between the Hells Canyon Dam and the Oregon-Washington border, became the Hells Canyon National Recreation Area. The specified purpose of the HCNRA Act is "[t]o assure that the natural beauty, and historical and archeological values" of this area "are preserved for this and future generations, and that the recreational and ecologic values and public enjoyment of the area are thereby enhanced...."1 16 U.S.C. Sec. 460gg(a).
The Act requires the Secretary to develop a "comprehensive management plan" ("CMP") that provides for a "broad range of land uses and recreation opportunities" in the HCNRA. 16 U.S.C. Sec. 460gg-5. In accordance with NEPA, and after consulting with a large number of federal, state and local agencies, elected officials, and private organizations, the forest service prepared an Environmental Impact Statement ("EIS") to aid in formulating the CMP. The EIS, issued in May of 1981, identifies key issues and concerns pertinent to the management of the HCNRA and proposes seven alternative plans for managing the area. The CMP, finalized in 1984, designates "Alternative C" as the HCNRA management plan. This alternative allocates the HCNRA to seven land-use classifications. Twelve percent of HCNRA land, including the Duck Creek area at issue in this appeal, is designated as "dispersed recreation/timber management." This designation permits timber management but requires it to be consonant with providing "ample opportunities for dispersed recreation." Permissible timber management activities include salvage cutting and the harvest of between five and nine million board feet of timber each year.
In November of 1981 a violent storm toppled many trees in the HCNRA. During the following two summers bark beetles attacked storm-felled Engelmann Spruce trees in the Duck Creek area. By the summer of 1984, the bark beetle population had begun to attack standing green trees. The voracious beetles had infested virtually all large Engelmann Spruce trees in the Duck Creek area by the summer of 1987. Health and life departed from the Duck Creek area, which held an estimated twenty million board feet of dead and dying Engelmann Spruce timber by early 1988. Because Engelmann Spruce is a soft white wood that deteriorates quickly, salvage value of this specie declines rapidly after the year of infestation.
The forest service responded to the bark beetle epidemic, which has spread to other areas of the HCNRA, by preparing a site-specific "Environmental Assessment" ("EA") for the Duck Creek area. This EA, issued in February of 1988, identifies issues and opportunities related to the beetle problem and considers six alternative methods of managing the Duck Creek area's beetle-infected spruce. These methods range from taking no action to harvesting fifteen million board feet of timber. The EA designates "Alternative F" as the preferred alternative. On April 3, 1988, Robert Richmond, Supervisor of the Wallowa-Whitman National Forest, approved this alternative and concluded that its implementation would not have a significant impact on the quality of the human environment.
Alternative F calls for the harvest of approximately six million board feet of beetle-threatened, beetle-infected and dead trees from the Duck Creek area. The harvest is to be accomplished by cable logging and helicopter systems in order to protect wet areas and soils on steep ground and to avoid having to build a road system in the large, "unroaded" section of Duck Creek. The proposal leaves nearly sixty percent of the damaged timber unharvested in wildlife and visual areas and in riparian no-cut zones. The sawlog volume removed will postpone or defer cutting of an equal amount of volume on lower priority timber stands. Alternative F also requires that spruce "stringers" in a particular section of the Duck Creek area be left unharvested so as to protect elk habitat and migration.
On June 21, 1988 plaintiffs-appellants filed their complaint seeking declaratory, injunctive and mandamus relief from the proposed timber harvest. Plaintiffs-appellants also filed a motion for a temporary restraining order on the same day. On June 27, 1988 District Judge Owen Panner imposed a temporary restraining order, effective from June 23, 1988 to July 12, 1988. The contract for the Duck Creek timber sale had been awarded to Eagle Cap Logging, Inc., the only bidder, on June 23, 1988. Eagle Cap intervened in this action after a bench trial on the merits. Judge Panner found for defendants-appellees on July 11, 1988. Plaintiffs-appellants appealed this judgment and filed a request for an emergency injunction pending appeal both with the district court and with this court. Both requests were denied. Timber harvesting began in July of 1988, after Judge Panner's decision, but was suspended for the winter months. We heard oral argument in this appeal on February 8, 1989. On April 25, 1989, ONRC filed an emergency motion with this court seeking an injunction pending our ruling. We denied this motion, and logging resumed in late April.
I The National Environmental Protection Act
The National Environmental Protection Act requires federal agencies to file an environmental impact statement before undertaking "major federal actions significantly affecting the quality of the human environment." 42 U.S.C. Sec. 4332(2)(C). A federal agency must continue to gather and evaluate new information about the impact of its actions on the environment after it has released an EIS. Oregon Natural Resources Council v. Marsh, 832 F.2d 1489, 1494 (9th Cir.1987), cert. granted, --- U.S. ----, 108 S.Ct. 2869, 101 L.Ed.2d 905 (1988). When "significant new circumstances or information relevant to environmental concerns and bearing on the proposed action or its impact" arise, the agency must prepare a supplemental EIS. 40 C.F.R. Sec. 1502.9(c)(2)(ii). If an agency is unsure whether a proposed project requires an initial or supplemental EIS, federal regulations2 direct the agency to prepare an environmental assessment on which it may then base its decision. See 40 C.F.R. Sec. 1501.4(b)-(c). The role of the EA is thus to "provide sufficient evidence and analysis for determining whether to prepare an environmental impact statement or a finding of no significant impact." 40 C.F.R. Sec. 1508.9.
Courts must uphold an agency determination that a supplemental EIS is not required if that determination is not arbitrary and capricious.3 See Marsh v. Oregon Natural Resources Council, --- U.S. ----, 109 S.Ct. 1851, 1859-60, 104 L.Ed.2d 377 (1989). The decision not to prepare a supplemental EIS will not be considered arbitrary and capricious if it appears from the record that the agency has based its decision on a reasoned evaluation of the relevant factors. Id. 109 S.Ct. at 1861-62.
Appellants base their attempt to undermine the forest service's decision not to supplement on the EA. They contend that the EA does not adequately address the factors contributing to the environmental impact of the bark beetle epidemic and timber sale. They argue first that EA minimizes the significance of the beetle attack and timber sale by failing to afford adequate consideration to their combined effect on elk, other wildlife, and water quality. Second, they allege that the EA is per se inadequate to support a finding of no significant impact because it fails to analyze the cumulative effect of the Duck Creek timber sale, to examine seriously the no-action alternative, and to obtain missing information or provide a worst case analysis. On the basis of these contentions appellants conclude that the forest service violated NEPA by finding the EA a sufficient basis on which to rest a decision regarding the fate of the dead and dying timber in the Duck Creek area.
Judge Panner found that the EA was not inadequate in the respects alleged and that defendants-appellees thus reasonably decided not to prepare a supplemental EIS. We review the findings of fact underlying Judge Panner's decision for clear error. Cf. Oregon Environmental Council v. Kunzman, 817 F.2d 484, 493 (9th Cir.1987) (applying clearly erroneous standard to findings of fact supporting district court's decision that EIS was legally adequate). We review de novo, however, Judge Panner's implicit conclusion that the forest service's decision not to supplement was not arbitrary and capricious4 but based on a reasonable evaluation of the environmental consequences of the Duck Creek timber sale. Cf. id. (ultimate decision that EIS complies with NEPA and Council on Environmental Quality regulations presents an essentially legal question, which we review de novo ).
We find that Judge Panner correctly decided that a supplemental EIS was not required. We agree with the district court that the EA was not inadequate in the respects alleged.5 We choose, however, to ground our decision on the fact that the bark beetle attack and proposed timber sale were encompassed by the terms of the EIS and accompanying CMP6 and thus did not constitute "significant new circumstances" requiring a supplemental EIS under 40 C.F.R. Sec. 1502.9(c)(2)(ii).
The CMP specifically takes into account that insects and disease such as "Douglas Fir tussock moth, grasshoppers, western spruce, budworm, dwarf mistletoe, root diseases, and bark beetle " (emphasis added) are "integral parts" of the HCNRA and have "caused significant losses" in the HCNRA in the past. The CMP proposes to cope with unacceptable insect and disease outbreaks through prevention measures such as removal of infected trees, logging residue cleanup, and prescribed burning, and through other management activities consistent with the policies expressed by the CMP and with other environmental values.
The EIS provides the fullest explanation of the policies embodied in the CMP and thus establishes the current range of permissible responses to an insect outbreak. The EIS specifically states that accepted silvicultural (forest management) practices in dispersed recreation/timber management areas such as the Duck Creek area include "salvage." The glossary to the EIS defines salvage cutting as "removal of recently dead trees." The EIS further specifies that the total potential timber yield of those areas in the dispersed recreation/timber management category is to be between five and nine million board feet annually. The CMP states that timber in these areas is to be considered part of the regulated component of the Wallowa-Whitman National Forest timber base.
The Duck Creek EA acknowledges and respects these restrictions on the amount of timber that may be cut from dispersed recreation/timber management areas. The proposed Duck Creek cut is of approximately six million board feet. The EA specifies that the sawlog volume removed from the Duck Creek area will count toward the allowable sale quantity and will postpone or defer cutting of equal amount of volume from other timber stands until a later date. In explaining his finding of no significant impact, Supervisor Richmond noted this specification and emphasized that the EIS and CMP had already made the decision to allow logging within environmental constraints in dispersed recreation/timber management areas.
In sum, the forest service prepared the EA in a context where an EIS and CMP had already contemplated serious bark beetle and timber sales of the type and magnitude proposed.7 The beetle attack and timber sale, which explicitly respects the constraints imposed by the EIS and CMP on logging and dispersed recreation/timber management areas, thus did not constitute "significant new circumstances" requiring a supplemental EIS under 40 C.F.R. Sec. 1502.9(c)(2)(ii). Cf. Preservation Coalition, Inc. v. Pierce, 667 F.2d at 861 ("[w]here a federal project conforms to existing land use patterns, zoning, or local plans, such conformity is evidence supporting a finding of no significant impact."). A reasoned evaluation of the Duck Creek timber sale was provided in general terms by the EIS and CMP and in terms more specific to the Duck Creek area by the EA. The forest service's decision not to prepare a supplemental EIS was well-grounded, not arbitrary and capricious. The timber sale complies with NEPA requirements.
II The Clean Water Act
The Clean Water Act, 33 U.S.C. Sec. 1251 et seq., imposes restrictions on the degree to which pollutants may be permitted to affect Duck Creek. The CWA requires development of a state process to identify agricultural, silvicultural (forest management), and other nonpoint sources8 of pollution and to set forth procedures and methods to control such sources. See 33 U.S.C. Sec. 1288(b)(F)-(K). These state procedures are called "best management practices" ("BMP's"). The CWA also requires states to implement water quality standards with which federal agencies must comply. See 33 U.S.C. Secs. 1313, 1323. Proper implementation of state-approved BMP's will constitute compliance with the CWA unless water quality monitoring reveals that the BMP's have permitted violation of these water quality standards. See Nonpoint Source Controls and Water Quality Standards, EPA Water Quality Standards Handbook, Chapter 2 at 2 (August 19, 1987).
Appellants contend that, despite its implementation of BMP's, the timber sale will violate the CWA, 33 U.S.C. Sec. 1323, by increasing turbidity by more than the amount permitted by Oregon's water quality standards. Oregon requires that nonpoint sources of pollution not increase stream turbidity by more than ten percent above natural levels. See Or.Admin. Rule 340-41-765(2)(c). The district court rejected appellants' argument, finding that the testimony of Ken Hauter, hydrologist for the Wallowa-Whitman National Forest, did not establish that the sale would increase turbidity by more than ten percent. We review this finding for clear error.
Hauter's testimony on the timber sale's likely effect on turbidity is confused and confusing. Hauter declared that "[t]imber harvesting activities on the Duck Creek sale area will cause a turbidity increase of more than ten percent in one out of twenty samples, or five percent of the time...." And Hauter also testified that if, in the wake of the timber harvest, one were to examine the turbidity level of Duck Creek, "20 times randomly selected, completely unbiased, and one of those times you will see a turbidity increase." Counsel were not sure how to interpret Hauter's "1 out of 20" statements, and they subjected him to a good deal of questioning about them. Judge Panner chose to interpret Hauter's testimony as indicating that there is only a five percent chance that Duck Creek's turbidity will increase more than ten percent as a result of the timber sale.
We agree with appellants that Judge Panner's interpretation may not be correct. We find, however, that Judge Panner's ultimate conclusion that Hauter's testimony did not establish an impermissible turbidity increase is not clearly erroneous. If one reads the whole of Hauter's testimony two facts become apparent. First, Hauter intended to state not that he would expect to see a turbidity increase of more than ten percent in one out of twenty samplings of Duck Creek, but that he would not be surprised to see such an increase in one out of twenty samplings. Second, in response to questions by counsel, Hauter stated that he regarded his "1 out of 20" comment as "a quantitative measure that I use to say the chances are low ... it's essentially another way of saying the chances are low that turbidity would be occurring." Hauter also agreed that by making his "1 out of 20" remark he was essentially saying "that a scientist can really never be 100 percent certain of anything." It is thus apparent that Judge Panner did not err in holding that Hauter's testimony did not establish that the timber sale would violate Oregon water quality standards and the CWA.
III The Hells Canyon National Recreation Area Act
Appellants allege that the timber sale violates the HCNRA Act in two respects. First, they state that section 8(f) of the Act limits timber harvesting to areas where such activity was occurring at the time of enactment. Second, they assert that section 10 of the Act compels the Secretary to promulgate regulations governing when, where, and how certain activities, including timber harvesting, may occur in the HCNRA.
The district court rejected both arguments. Judge Panner reasoned that if appellants' interpretation of section 8(f) were correct, the EIS and CMP would have violated the Act by permitting restricted timber cutting in the Duck Creek area. Finding that it was too late for appellants to challenge the EIS and plan, Judge Panner then held that appellants were barred from making their first argument. With respect to appellants' second contention, Judge Panner held that the Act did not require the Secretary to promulgate regulations, and, even if it did, appellants had not shown the need for such regulations. We review de novo the district court's interpretation of the HCNRA Act. See Callejas v. McMahon, 750 F.2d 729, 730 (9th Cir.1984).
We need not decide whether appellants' first contention is barred by failure to exhaust administrative remedies or by laches. Even if we did not find that it was too late for appellants to argue that section 8(f) prohibits timber harvesting in the Duck Creek area, they would not prevail on this issue. Section 8 is entitled "Management plan for recreation areas." 16 U.S.C. Sec. 460gg-5. Section 8(f)9 must thus be interpreted as part of a Congressional effort to describe the process by which the CMP is to be developed, the issues it must consider, and what may occur in the HCNRA while the CMP is under preparation. If section 8(f) is read in the context of section 8 as a whole, it becomes evident that section 8(f) addresses only that period of time between passage of the Act and development of the CMP and is not relevant to the Duck Creek timber sale. Appellants argue that the legislative history of the Act supports their interpretation of section 8(f). Their arguments appear to have little force. Because the statute is clear on it face, however, we need not be concerned with legislative history in interpreting its scope. See Tennessee Valley Authority v. Hill, 437 U.S. 153, 184 n. 29, 98 S.Ct. 2279, 2296 n. 29, 57 L.Ed.2d 117 (1978).
We now turn to appellants' second contention, that section 10 of the Act directs the Secretary to promulgate regulations governing certain activities, including timber harvesting, in the HCNRA. In the almost fourteen years since enactment of the HCNRA Act, the Secretary has not promulgated any rules and regulations. This court has concluded that it would not be consistent with the overall purpose of the HCNRA Act, protection of the HCNRA, to interpret section 10 as stripping the Secretary of his general regulatory authority over the HCNRA, leaving him without power to act until he promulgates regulations under section 10. See United States v. Hells Canyon Guide Service, 660 F.2d 735, 737-38 (9th Cir.1981). If other regulations already apply to an activity in the HCNRA, we will not view section 10 as invalidating those regulations and requiring the Secretary "to take an additional, in fact, a redundant, affirmative step before he would be able to take any action to protect an area placed under his supervision." Id. at 738.
Thus, the question we must answer is whether section 10 compels the Secretary to promulgate the regulations it describes when those regulations would not be duplicative of other rules already in effect in the HCNRA. We respond to this question in the affirmative. The language and legislative history of section 10 clearly reveal an intent to create a mandatory duty to promulgate regulations in the specified categories.
Section 10 reads:
The Secretary shall promulgate, and may amend, such rules and regulations as he deems necessary to accomplish the purposes of section 460gg to 460gg-13 of this title. Such rules and regulations shall include, but are not limited to--
(a) standards for the use and development of privately owned property with the recreation area, which rules or regulations the Secretary may, to the extent he deems advisable, implement with the authorities delegated to him in section 460gg-6 of this title, and which may differ among the various parcels of land within the recreation area;
(b) standards and guidelines to insure the full protection and preservation of the historic, archeological, and paleontological resources in the recreation area;
(c) provision for the control of the use of motorized and mechanical equipment for transportation over, or alteration of, the surface of any Federal land within the recreation area;
(d) provision for the control of the use and number of motorized and nonmotorized river craft: Provided, That the use of such craft is hereby recognized as a valid use of the Snake River within the recreation area; and
(e) standards for such management, utilization, and disposal of natural resources on federally owned lands, including but not limited to, timber harvesting by selective cutting, mining, and grazing and the continuation of such existing uses and developments as are compatible with the provisions of sections 460gg to 460gg-13 of this title.
16 U.S.C. Sec. 460gg-7. Judge Panner perceived the phrase "as he deems necessary" to indicate that section 10 leaves the decision regarding whether to issue regulations to the Secretary's discretion. We do not believe that, read as a whole, the language of the section supports this view. The first sentence directs the Secretary to promulgate regulations but seems to limit that mandate to rules the Secretary decides are necessary to accomplish the purposes of the Act. The second sentence, however, extends that mandate beyond the confines of the Secretary's discretion to specific types of regulations. This interpretation makes grammatical sense. In both the first and second sentences of section 10 the predicate nominative of the word "shall" is "rules and regulations": "shall" describes the Secretary's relationship to the regulations. See Fernandez v. Brock, 840 F.2d 622, 632 (9th Cir.1987) (The argument that 29 U.S.C. Secs. 1053(b)(2)(C) and 1054(b)(3)(D) compel the Secretary of the Treasury to issue regulations makes little grammatical sense because the predicate nominative of the word "shall" in those sections is "period" rather than "regulations.").
Such legislative history as exists supports our interpretation of section 10. The House Report on the HCNRA Act states that section 10 "directs the Secretary to promulgate regulations needed to accomplish the intent of the legislation. Specific regulation are to include...." House Committee on Interior and Insular Affairs, H.R.Rep. No. 94-607, 94th Cong., 1st Sess. 12, reprinted in 1975 U.S.Code Cong. & Admin. News 2281, 2286. And the Senate Report, which summarizes section 10 by subsection rather than as a whole, also states that the Act "directs" the Secretary to promulgate the specified types of regulation. See S.R.Rep. No. 94-153, 94th Cong., 1st Sess. 8 (1975).
We thus find that section 10 compels the Secretary to promulgate nonduplicative regulations of the sort described by subsections 10(a) through 10(e). In addition, the Secretary has discretion to issue additional regulations that he deems necessary to accomplish the purposes of the Act. Section 10(e) mandates regulations for timber harvesting by selective cutting on federally owned lands. We therefore reverse the district court's ruling on the regulation issue and remand for issuance of an order directing the Secretary to promulgate the regulations required by section 10.
It is conceivable that had the regulations been issued they would have affected the Duck Creek timber sale. This fact would ordinarily cause us to ask the district court to determine whether the Secretary's failure to issue the relevant regulations requires that the Duck Creek sale be enjoined. Given that timber harvesting in the Duck Creek area resumed in late April, however, such a request might be pointless. We therefore ask the district judge to consider the necessity of an injunction only if the Duck Creek harvest has not been completed on the date this opinion is filed.
IV Attorneys' Fees
ONRC seeks attorneys' fees under the Equal Access to Justice Act for both the underlying district court action and for this appeal. The EAJA provides that a court shall award attorneys' fees to a prevailing party in a civil action against the United States "unless the court finds that the position of the United States was substantially justified or that special circumstances make an award unjust." 28 U.S.C. Sec. 2412(d)(1)(A).
The terms of this statute entitle the ONRC to attorneys' fees. First, ONRC's success on the regulations issue renders it a "prevailing party" for purposes of the EAJA. See Southern Oregon Citizens v. Clark, 720 F.2d at 1481 (citing Hensley v. Eckerhart, 461 U.S. 424, 103 S.Ct. 1933, 76 L.Ed.2d 40 (1983)). Second, we find no special circumstances that would render an award unjust. The litigation did not involve a close or novel question. See Animal Lovers Volunteer Association, Inc. v. Carlucci, 867 F.2d 1224, 1226 (9th Cir.1989) (citation omitted). Third, we hold that the government was not substantially justified in arguing that the Secretary did not have a duty to promulgate regulation under Section 10 of the HCNRA Act. "Substantially justified" means more than merely being undeserving of sanctions for frivolousness. Pierce v. Underwood, --- U.S. ----, 108 S.Ct. 2541, 2550, 101 L.Ed.2d 490 (1988). We will find the government's position to be substantially justified if it is " 'justified in substance or in the main'--that is, justified to a degree that would satisfy a reasonable person." Id. While the "as he deems necessary" language in Section 10 may at first glance make the government's position seem reasonable, when one reads beyond the first sentence of Section 10, one discovers that it is not. The district court's endorsement of the government's position is grounded on a limited reading of the statute (the district court's amended opinion quotes only the first sentence of Section 10) rather than on a belief that the statute read as a whole supports the government's position or is ambiguous. As we noted in deciding the merits of this issue, the language and legislative history of section 10 clearly reveal an intent to create a duty to promulgate regulations in the specified categories. ONRC has performed a public service by ensuring that the Secretary will fulfill the duties assigned him by section 10. Cf. National Wildlife Federation v. Federal Energy Regulatory Commission, 870 F.2d 542, 545-46 (9th Cir.1989) (noting significance of this fact in the EAJA context).
We affirm that portion of the district court's opinion holding that the Duck Creek timber sale complies with the National Environmental Protection Act, the Clean Water Act, and section 8(f) of the Hells Canyon National Recreation Area Act. We reverse the district court's holding that section 10 of the Hells Canyon National Recreation Area Act does not compel the Secretary to issue the specified regulations. We remand for issuance of an order mandating the Secretary to promulgate these regulations and for determination, if appropriate, of whether the Secretary's failure to issue the relevant regulations requires that the Duck Creek sale be enjoined. On remand the district court shall also determine the amount of attorneys' fees to be awarded ONRC for the original district court action and for this appeal. Pursuant to the authority granted us by 28 U.S.C. Sec. 2412(a), we hold that the United States shall bear the costs of this appeal.
AFFIRMED in part, REVERSED and REMANDED in part.
REINHARDT, Circuit Judge, concurring:
I join fully in Judge Trott's opinion. However, for the reasons set forth in Part III, I believe appellant's request for an emergency injunction should have been granted.
Section 7 of the HCNRA Act provides a more detailed description of the Act's objectives:
[T]he Secretary shall administer the recreation area in accordance with the laws, rules, and regulations applicable to national forests for public outdoor recreation in a manner compatible with the following objectives:
(1) the maintenance and protection of the freeflowing nature of the rivers within the recreation area;
(2) conservation of scenic, wilderness, cultural scientific, and other values contributing to the public benefit;
(3) preservation, especially in the area generally known as Hells Canyon, of all features and peculiarities believed to be biologically unique including, but not limited to, rare and endemic plant species, rare combinations of aquatic, terrestrial, and atmospheric habitats, and the rare combinations of outstanding and diverse ecosystems and parts of ecosystems and parts of ecosystems associated therewith;
(4) protection and maintenance of fish and wildlife habitat;
(5) protection of archeological and paleontologic sites and interpretation of these sites for the public benefit and knowledge insofar as it is compatible with protection;
(6) preservation and restoration of historic sites associated with and typifying the economic and social history of the region and the American West; and
(7) such management, utilization, and disposal of natural resources on federally owned lands, including, but not limited to, timber harvesting by selective cutting, mining, and grazing and the continuation of such existing uses and developments as are compatible with the provisions of sections 460gg to 460gg-13 of this title.
16 U.S.C. Sec. 460gg-4.
Pursuant to an Executive Order, the Council on Environmental Quality issued regulations to guide federal agencies in the implementation of NEPA. Sierra Club. v. Penfold, 857 F.2d 1307, 1312 n. 9 (9th Cir.1988) (citing Exec. Order No. 11991, 42 Fed.Reg. 26, 967-68 (1977)). These regulations are binding on all federal agencies and guide courts in interpreting NEPA requirements. Id. (citing 43 Fed.Reg. 55,978 (1978))
At the time the district court rendered its decision, case law mandated that the agency's decision not to supplement be reviewed under a reasonableness standard. See, e.g., Connor v. Burford, 848 F.2d 1441, 1446 (9th Cir.1988); Preservation Coalition, Inc. v. Pierce, 667 F.2d 851, 858 (9th Cir.1982). Subsequent to the district court's decision, however, the Supreme Court held that, although the agency must apply a rule of reason in deciding whether to prepare a supplemental EIS, a court may only overturn the agency's decision if it is arbitrary and capricious. See Marsh v. Oregon Natural Resources Council, --- U.S. ----, 109 S.Ct. 1851, 1859-60, 104 L.Ed.2d 377 (1989)
We may treat Judge Panner's decision as a judgment that the forest service's failure to prepare a supplemental EIS was not arbitrary and capricious. The reasonableness standard involves less deference to the agency than does the arbitrary and capricious standard. Cf. Marsh v. Oregon Natural Resources Council, 109 S.Ct. at 1859-60 (equating argument that reviewing court must make its own determination of reasonableness with contention that agency decision does not deserve deference afforded by arbitrary and capricous standard). A finding that the agency's decision meets the more rigorous reasonableness standard thus necessitates the conclusion that the agency decision was not arbitrary and capricious
Judge Panner did not commit error by holding that the EA affords adequate consideration to the effect of the timber sale on elk and other wildlife. As the EA points out, elk and wildlife will be affected by the bark beetle epidemic regardless of whether the timber sale takes place: The amount of dead and dying timber in the Duck Creek area reduces the coverage and forage available to elk and increases the amount of snag habitat present for nesting and shelter. The EA asserts that it is not possible to measure the additional impact any of the alternative timber sale plans would have on elk because "the migration corridor is wider than just the Duck Creek drainage, migration is time variable each season depending on weather conditions and forage readiness, and elk are moderately versatile with the ability to adapt to various habitat conditions and locations." The alternative selected by the EA and by Supervisor Richmond attempts to minimize any additional effect of the timber sale on elk by leaving in place the "stringers" used for elk migration and habitat. The EA further explains that all of the timber sale plans would maintain snags at the optimum level required by the CMP. The EA thus considers and attempts to mitigate any incremental effect the timber sale might have on elk and other wildlife
Nor did Judge Panner err in holding that the EA affords sufficient consideration to the effect of the timber sale on water quality. It will become clear in our discussion of the Clean Water Act that the EA attempts to ensure that the sale will be consistent with Oregon water quality standards.
Judge Panner was also correct in finding that the EA studies adequately the cumulative effects of the sale. The EA includes an analysis of the cumulative effects of this sale on stream flow and, by requiring buffer zones and placing other restrictions on logging near streams, seeks to prevent other possible cumulative effects on water turbidity and temperature. The cumulative effect of the sale on timber in the HCNRA is explicitly permitted by the EIS because the sale volume counts toward allowable sale quantity in dispersed recreation/timber management areas.
Moreover, Judge Panner properly held that, although the EA is missing information with regard to the precise effect of the beetle infestation on water quality and elk migration, those gaps do not require a worst case analysis. The Supreme Court has recently held that uncertainty in protecting environmental harms does not require a worst case analysis. See Robertson v. Methow Valley Citizens Council, --- U.S. ----, 109 S.Ct. 1835, 1846-47, 104 L.Ed.2d 351 (1989).
Finally, the district court rightly found that the EA sufficiently considers the no-action alternative. The EA includes the no-action proposal in its list of alternative responses to the bark beetle epidemic and, in Section III, describes the environmental impact of that proposal as well as of the others. The fact that the description of the no-action alternative is shorter than those of the other proposals does not necessarily indicate that the no-action alternative was not considered seriously. It may only reveal that the forest service believed that the concept of a no-action plan was self-evident while the specific timber sale plans needed explanation.
The HCNRA Act designates the CMP as the authoritative document for purposes of determining permissible management activities in the HCNRA. See 16 U.S.C. Sec. 460gg-5. It is thus appropriate to take the CMP into account when assessing the adequacy of the environmental analysis the forest service had in hand when it approved the Duck Creek timber sale. See Southern Oregon Citizens v. Clark, 720 F.2d 1475, 1480 (9th Cir.1983) ("[T]he label of the documents is unimportant. We review the sufficiency of the environmental analysis as a whole.")
The fact that the forest service prepared an EA in this context reveals the care with which it evaluated the environmental effects of the proposed action
A "nonpoint source" is any source of water pollution or pollutants not associated with a discrete conveyance. It includes runoff from fields, forests, mining and construction activity. W. Rogers, Environmental Law 375 (1977). Nonpoint sources constitute a major source of pollutants in this country's waters. Oregon National Resources Council v. United States Forest Service, 834 F.2d 842, 849 (9th Cir.1987)
Section 8(f) reads:
(f) Continuation of ongoing activities
Such activities as are as compatible with the provisions of sections 460gg to 460gg-13 of this title, but not limited to, timber harvesting by selective cutting, mining, and grazing may continue during development of the comprehensive management plan, at current levels of activity and in areas of such activity on December 31, 1975. Further, in development of the management plan, the Secretary shall give full consideration to continuation of these ongoing activities in their respective areas.
16 U.S.C. Sec. 460gg-5.
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Last month the Institute of Network Cultures organized a two day conference entitled Society of the Query. Below you can find a wrap-up of the notes I took during the … Continue reading →
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Talk:20.109(F12) Pre-Proposal: Engineering Viral Magnetic Nanoparticles for Magnetic Hyperthermic Cancer Therapy
- This is a brainstorming page.
You are very welcome to write any crazy / non-crazy / inventive / conventional / knowledgeable ideas or information you may have about our project.
Some key words: Magnetic Nanoparticles (MNP), Viruses, Magnetic Hyperthermia, Bioengineering
What is Magnetic Hyperthermia?
How it works?
Under an alternating magnetic field, MNP releases heat due to relaxation of magnetic moments (hysteresis). This can cause an increase in temperature to the range of 41C to 47C. Since tumor cells are more heat sensitive than normal cells, they will be killed by this thermal dissipation.
Here is an interesting tidbit from a paper I was reading: "In addition to the expected tumor cell death, hyperthermia treatment has also induced unexpected biological responses, such as tumor-specific immune responses as a result of heat-shock protein expression. These results suggest that hyperthermia is able to kill not only local tumors exposed to heat treatment, but also tumors at distant sites, including metastatic cancer cells." (Kobayashi)
- Clinical trials in prostate cancer
- Shows promising results when coupled with irradiation on breast cancer (mouse)
Current Limitations (This information will help us shape and define the problem.)
(1) To achieve the necessary rise in temperature with minimal dose of MNP.
- In other words, this means:
- High specific loss power / specific absorption rate (SLP) of the MNP.
- why is higher applied dosage bad? > leads to unnecessary heat dissipation
(2) Lack of knowledge about the metabolism, clearance, and toxicity of MNP.
Biomedical potentials of MNP
- Could be used as early detection for the following using MRI:
- Drug Delivery
- Cellular labeling and tissue targeting
- Purifying and separating cells and DNAs
- Transfection by magnetic nanoparticles
- Tissue repair
- Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI)
Types of Relevant Viruses
1. Tobacco Mosaic Virus (TMV)
- 18nmx300nm, helical
- Can withstand high temperatures up to 50C for 30mins (conventional hyperthermia involves heating up to 50C from an external source
- Safe for human consumption
- Mann group has active research on it
- 2130 molecules of coat protein
2. M13 Bacteriophage
- 6.6nmx880nm, helical (Length is too long - pose an issue in targeting cells)
- Lots of research done by the Belcher group, including attaching MNPs to M13 for imaging purposes
- We are familiar with the system
3. Cowpea chlorotic mottle virus (CCMV)
- 26nm, icosahedral
4. Cowpea mosaic virus (CPMV)
- 27nm, icosahedral
5. Brome mosaic virus (BMV)
- 28nm, icosahedral
6. Turnip yellow mosaic virus (TYMV)
- 30nm, icosahedral
Current Work in Viral MNP Attachment
Attachment of MNPs to M13 phage for in vivo imaging of prostate cancer
What we propose to do
See flowchart sketch.
- Identifying / Screening for appropriate virus vehicles and tumor-specific anchoring sequencse
- Developing / Engineering viral MNPs
- in vivo testing for efficacy of engineered vMNPs in mouse tumor cells.
We will start with using ferritin (Fe3O4) as the MNP.
Stage 1: Virus Hunt
- We need to investigate how the selected virus (likely one of the following: TMV, M13, CCMV, CPMV, BMV or TPMV) interacts with mammalian cells in vivo.
Stage 2: Screening for MNP binding site on virus
- We will start by using Fe3O4 as our MNP of interest. With this, a protein coat screen of the selected virus for a protein coat that can bind with our MNP is necessary.
Stage 3: Screening for tumor-specific sequence binding site on virus
- We need to do a protein coat or RNA screen of the virus for a region that can bind with a tumor-specific peptide sequence. If necessary, we might need to screen tumors for unique short sequences on their cell surfaces.
Stage 4: Virus engineering
- We can now engineer wild-type viruses using specific protein coats or RNA regions isolated in Stage 2 and 3 to produce the viral MNP of interest.
Stage 5: in vivo testing
- Perform an in vivo experiment by injecting the engineered viral MNPs into the circulatory system of mice that have developed tumors. By subjecting these mice to an alternating magnetic field under standard hyperthermia conditions and measuring the change in tumor size, we will be able to quantify the efficacy of using viral MNPs in magnetic hyperthermia.
- Experimenting with double layer MNP to increase response
- Target other cancerous cells
- Experiment with other types of viruses
Quantitative Goals (We can quantify with IC50 value)
- Currently, with the aid of 10Gy radiation, the hyperthermia treatment successfully accumulated less than 0.3mg Fe/g tissue. Dosage: 0.2mg Fe per gram of mouse. Say mouse is 25g, so 5mg total dosage injected. so 1% efficiency with the aid of radiation. (MNP sizes used: 70nm and 120nm; murine flank breast tumors were 150mm3)
From http://manalis-lab.mit.edu/publications/grover%20PNAS%202011.pdf, we estimated that a typical cell has an average density of 1.1g/mL. Since the murine flank breast tumors were 150mm3, and 0.25mg Fe/g of tumor was detected in the tumors, we can calculate that only a total of 0.0495mg of Fe is accumulated in the tumors. This gives a % efficacy of 1%.
- South Korean experiment: 75ug of MNPs were injected.
- From Belcher lab's paper, what is the % efficacy of using M13?
- "The actual rotations of the nanoparticles are disordered because the microviscosity of the local environment in cancer cells is not constant, and effective elasticity depends on the binding conditions between nanoparticles and membranes."
- but this is actually present because when treatment is done with individual MNPs, one side of the MNP is always bound to the targeted cell, so direction is never constant!
- Gupta AK, Naregalkar RR, Vaidya VD, and Gupta M. Recent advances on surface engineering of magnetic iron oxide nanoparticles and their biomedical applications. Future Medicine. 2007. 2(1), 23-39.
- Bakoglidis KD, Simeonidis K, Sakellari D, G. Stefanou, and Angelakeris M. Size-Dependent Mechanisms in AC Magnetic Hyperthermia Response of Iron-Oxide Nanoparticles. IEEE Transactions on Magnetics. 2012. 48:1320-1323.
- Great layman's way of explaining magnetic hyperthermia http://trialx.com/curetalk/2012/11/cancer-treatment-multifunctional-magnetic-nanoparticles-for-molecular-imaging-and-hyperthermia/
- A.J. Giustini, A.A. Petryk, S.M. Cassim, J.A. Tate, I. Baker, P.J. Hoopes. Magnetic nanoparticle hyperthermia in cancer treatment. Nano LIFE 2010; 01: 17.
- D. Ghosh, Y. Lee, S. Thomas, A. G. Kohli, D. S. Yun, A. M. Belcher, K. A. Kelly. M13-templated magnetic nanoparticles for targeted in vivo imaging of prostate cancer. Nat. Nanotechnol. 2012; 7 (10): 677–82.
- Add more references as deem appropriate
11/29 from Professor Angela Belcher:
- Look at Nature Nano Belcher lab paper
- Need to do very good characterization of materials using TEM, elemental analysis, etc.
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It’s coming down to the wire for UPS and other delivery services as they rush to get presents to where they need to go before the holiday. Getting them there on time is not just about providing good service; it’s also about revenue. The Wall Street Journal reports that UPS takes a hit for late packages even when the cause is a blizzard or some other bad weather beyond their control (Inside UPS’s Weather Machine, Dec 23)
Freight operators generally have to eat the cost when a shipment doesn’t make its delivery on time, so snow, ice, rain, and fog can frost their bottom lines. UPS expects this week to be its busiest of the year, and estimates it will ship 120 million packages, 6% more than in the same week last year. Each late shipment will cost UPS between $5 and $30 in revenue, said spokesman Mike Mangeot.
So how do they cope with a rush of packages and winter weather? For one, they meteorologists and other staff who constantly monitor weather and develop contingencies. But they also have an operational hedge in the form of extra capacity.
A “hot status board” on the wall listed cities and regions where UPS had positioned spare pilots and planes, prepared to “rescue volume,” or packages stuck somewhere because of mechanical problems or visibility that makes it difficult to land.
The company says its “hot spares program” annually rescues more than one million packages that, if late, would cost UPS more than $20 million in revenue.
Near 10 p.m., a call came in from a UPS crew in Wichita, Kan. Heavy rain was affecting the aviation equipment on a jet that was due to take off in a half hour.
The jet, loaded with cargo in Wichita, was slated to travel to Springfield, Ill., where it would pick up more packages, and then continue on to Louisville, arriving at the hub at 1:16 a.m. with time for the packages to make connecting flights.
With some 5,900 packages potentially stranded in Wichita and Springfield, UPS’s contingency team diverted an empty jet that was flying from Laredo, Texas to Louisville to rescue the packages at Wichita, and “sent a hot spare” to Springfield, said Steve Merchant, contingency department manager. By 2 a.m., the packages were in Louisville.
This is a nice example of an operational response to risk. The article does not say just how many planes or how many crews are tied up in this rescue role. However, if they save $20 million annually with the program, that could justify a fairly significant investment just on a hard dollar basis. If one also considers more nebulous cost like customer good will that are very real but hard to quantify, this will look even better.
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On Saturday America turns 233 years old, but the first chance Bernie Madoff will have to celebrate the Fourth of July as a free man will be the nation’s 383rd birthday. Before you enjoy any schadenfreude, however, remember that you and I are no more likely to make that party than he is. We will, however, have more room to roam in the interim.
150 years is an astonishingly long sentence. But then, bloggers remind us, it was an astonishingly large crime.
Madoff is 71 years old, so Judge Denny Chin clearly imposed the sentence as a symbolic measure. (And yes, you political trivia junkies, this is the same Judge Chin who tossed out the copyright-infringement lawsuit brought by Fox News against our newest senator, Al Franken, for his book “Lies and the Lying Liars Who Tell Them: A Fair and Balanced Look at the Right,” with the pronouncement that a person would have to be “completely dense” not to realize the cover was a joke.) But given the statistics on, say, whether the death penalty actually deters homicide, do we really think Judge Chin was fair and balanced this time around?
The Corner’s Eli Lehrer certainly doesn’t think so (and he gets bonus points for proper use of the term “penologist,” which is sure to make my tweenage children giggle):
Let’s begin with the basics. Penologists typically see three purposes for putting people in prison: Protection of society, deterrence, and punishment. Putting Madoff in prison, of course, does nothing to protect society. He harmed people through the bloodless act of stealing their money. So long as he doesn’t start an investment firm — something that’s not going to happen — he’s no threat to society. Deterring future cons along the same lines as Madoff’s, of course, provides a pretty good reason to imprison Madoff. But a longer sentence seems unlikely to change the deterrence factor very much. No high-living investment manager wants to spend any time in prison and the certainty of any sentence for fraud provides sufficient deterrence. Nearly all sophisticated white-collar criminals operate on the basis that they are too smart to get caught. Finally, one can turn to punishment. And Madoff deserves that. But even a 12-year sentence is a pretty severe punishment. His life expectancy is 13 years and the rigors of prison life — particularly for a man used to living at the height of luxury — hardly seem likely to extend that. Even with the shortest sentence on the table, in short, Madoff would probably die in prison anyway. The sentence length he received is little more than a bit of judicial showmanship. It has no useful purpose.
Finally, Madoff also displays many of the factors that tend to reduce individuals’ sentence length. He had strong ties to his community, a previously clean criminal record, and an apparently strong family life. An ordinary defendant would likely be able to use these factors to argue for a reduced sentence. In fact, federal probation administrators recommended “only” 50 years for Madoff. There’s no single correct number for Madoff’s sentence length, but the 150-year sentence he received is very likely too long.
“Oh, please,” responds Eric Florack at BitsBlog. “Eli, I’ve got respect for you man, but this one’s all out of whack. Take the 150 years, and be damned glad the judge didn’t just turn him loose in a room full of his victims, which would have been justice in my view. As I said yesterday, I’m uncomfortable with the populist/wealth envy tilt this thing has predictably taken but let’s let’s not get stupid, either.”
Dr. Helen Smith doesn’t seem to think Lehrer’s getting stupid at all:
I just read the verdict of 150 years for Bernard Madoff and all I can really think is “Why is it that someone who set up a Ponzi scheme gets more jail time than the majority of murderers?” I realize that many people were involved and yes, I would be angry if someone cheated me out of my life’s savings (though I would not give only one person all of my money to invest but that is beside the point). Is Madoff just a symbol of Wall Street greed, which in today’s society is worse than murder to so many? Is it because the people feel they trusted him and were ripped off and therefore justify any horrible thing they can think of to happen to him? Can anyone explain to me how what Madoff did is worse than murder?
The answer comes not from “anyone,” but her own husband, the one-and-only Instapundit, Glenn Reynolds: “I think it’s because he made powerful people look stupid.”
Writing at the Nation, Robert Scheer sees the big sentence as a bit of misdirection that will let the real bad guys off the hook:
How convenient for the judge and the media to paint Bernard Madoff as Mr. Evil, a uniquely venal blight on an otherwise responsible financial industry in which money is handled honestly and with transparency.
Madoff, sentenced Monday to 150 years in prison for bilking investors of billions, should be exhibit A in why the dark world of totally unregulated private money managers and hedge funds should be opened to the light of systematic government supervision. Instead, he is being treated as an aberrant menace, with the danger removed once the devil incarnate, as his victims describe him, is locked up and the key thrown away.
For goodness’ sake this was not some sort of weird outsider who flipped out, but rather a key developer of the modern system of electronic trading and a founder and chairman of Nasdaq. Madoff often was called upon to help write the rules on financial regulation and therefore became quite expert at subverting them.
While Scheer thinks we’re all victims, the Times business columnist Joe Nocera doesn’t have much sympathy:
Let’s dispense first with the idea that the S.E.C. should be reimbursing Madoff victims. Why? Government agencies make mistakes, treat people unfairly and do all sorts of things we all wish they wouldn’t. But by law, the federal government cannot be sued when it carries out an unjust prosecution or, for that matter, when it fails to uncover a giant fraud. Government negligence led pretty directly to the recent financial crisis. Does that mean the feds should be reimbursing us for our stock market losses? Of course not. Because it’s not really the S.E.C. that would be paying out the money — it would be the taxpayers. Why should my tax dollars go to helping Madoff victims? This is not 9/11.
Besides, as I’ve argued before, the S.E.C.’s negligence notwithstanding, shouldn’t the Madoff victims have to bear at least some responsibility for their own gullibility? Mr. Madoff’s supposed results — those steady, positive returns quarter after blessed quarter — is a classic example of the old saw, “when something looks too good to be true, it probably is.” What’s more, most of the people investing with Mr. Madoff thought they had gotten in on something really special; there was a certain smugness that came with thinking they had a special, secret deal not available to everyone else. Of course, it turned they were right — they did have a special deal. It just wasn’t what they expected.
Tapped’s Tim Fernholz manages to find common cause with both Scheer and Nocera:
The more I consider it, the less important I think Madoff really is. I side with Joe Nocera on the subject of the victims; sympathy for their plight (and the plight of some of the important nonprofits that were ruined by the scheme) aside, the fact is that the performance of his fake fund really should have raised a lot of questions, and I don’t have a ton of sympathy for the wealthy people participating in the fund who could afford lawyers and advisers to protect their money from this sort of thing (and should presumably know how to diversify their portfolios).
we still haven’t seen much in the way of prosecutions for pernicious actions that stripped wealth from people who couldn’t afford to lose it and lacked the resources to protect it — homeowners who saw their limited assets vanish thanks to predatory lending, people whose 401ks and pension funds have disappeared, etc. These broad-reaching prosaic losses are worth getting worked up about while the rare sensational crime holds attention; it’s the broad, systematic failing of our financial system that’s truly outrageous.
While Fernholz and Scheer rail like Bones McCoy, Douglas Berman at Sentencing Law and Policy plays Mr. Spock:
As many people recognized in anticipation of Bernie Madoff’s sentencing, any prison term of 20 years or more was a functional life sentence for the 71-year-old super Ponzi schemer. And, notably, the presentence report for Madoff apparently recommended a term of 50 years, perhaps to give him a kind of break due to his decision to plead guilty and also because this was double the 25 years given to Bernie Ebbers for what was previously thought to be the biggest corporate fraud sentenced in New York federal courts.
But the government argued for a maximum permissible statutory sentencing term of 150 years in prison, and Judge Denny Chin apparently decided that only this term was “sufficient, but not greater than necessary” to achieve the purposes of punishment than Congress set out in 3553(a)(2). And though the choice of this magic sentencing number of 150 years — as opposed to 30 years or 50 years or 100 years — really means very little to Bernie Madoff, it could end up meaning a lot to the government and to some future defendants as a new white-collar sentencing benchmark.
Before Madoff, defendants like Ebbers and Jeff Skilling and others prominent white-collar defendants who were sentenced to around 25 years often served as the functional benchmark for sentencing debates for corporate fraudsters. In more than a few prominent white-collar cases, both the feds and defense attorneys would often compare and contrast the defendant to be sentenced to Ebbers and Skilling and the sentences they were given. Now, the most prominent benchmark will be Madoff and the number 150.
Because there will be few other Madoffs (we all hope), I suspect that few other defendants will also get the magic number 150. But if the original Madoff got only about 15 or 20 years in this case, lots of lesser fraudsters likely would be claiming that they deserved only a few years because Madoff caused so much more harm. But now that Madoff got 150, only the prosecutors are likely to be talking about the sentencing benchmark that his case has now set.
Miriam Baer at PrawfsBlog, however, doesn’t think (or least she hopes) that Madoff’s crimes will remain incomparable in scale.
Madoff’s attorney, Ike Sorkin, had previously argued for a sentence of 12 years’ imprisonment, which Sorkin contended constituted Madoff’s life expectancy (Madoff is 71 years old) minus one year. (Sorkin was using data drawn from the Social Security Administration). Even assuming Sorkin’s prediction of how long Madoff would live is correct, the problem with life expectancy sentences is that they lack expressive value. We tend to use prison sentences as a shorthand for moral culpability and societal disgust. “Expectancy” based sentences, calibrated to the particular defendant’s circumstances, undermine our ability to rely on those shorthands. And for a guy like Madoff, “12 years” sounds awfully tame.
Moreover, as Doug Berman explained, even if Judge Denny Chin had sentenced Madoff to something like 20 years’ imprisonment (which presumably would have lasted the remainder of Madoff’s life), it would have set a new ceiling for future white collar sentences. Defendants who caused merely hundreds of millions of dollars in fraud losses (rather than Madoff’s billions) would have been able to argue that they should receive significantly lower terms of imprisonment. I’m not sure this is right – if Chin explicitly had said that the 20 years’ was intended to exceed Madoff’s life expectancy, government prosecutors would have been able to reject later attempts to use the “20″ as a ceiling or anchor for sentencing. Nevertheless, you can see the problem with life-expectancy sentences: they can be easily manipulated by later defendants who seek to make false comparisons.
At the same time, I don’t think Judge Chin’s 150 year sentence raised the ceiling all that much for “typical” white collar or corporate fraudsters. 150 years is a fanciful number, and Madoff’s fraud is an outrageous, once-in-a-lifetime (one hopes) case. Madoff’s sentence may therefore be seen by most future courts as simply an outlier, only to be mentioned in passing, whereas 20-25 year terms of imprisonment will continue to remain the standard “frame” with which sentencing courts approach large-scale criminal frauds.
Well, with Madoff’s future all but certain, what of his inner circle? J. Ezra Merkin, the money manager who lost billions of his investors’ money in the Madoff scam, took it right in the Rothko; the Associated Press tells us that “prosecutors expect to charge at least 10 more people in connection with the scheme; and then, of course, there is the now less-than-devoted wife, Ruth Madoff.
New York Magazine’s Jessica Pressler hopes she’ll move on with a renewed reputation:
When Judge Denny Chin sentenced Bernard Madoff to 150 years earlier this week, he condemned his crimes as “extraordinarily evil.” “You deceived your own wife,” he added, cutting Ruth Madoff, who had long been suspected of aiding her husband’s crimes, her first real break. Today she got another one: The Post, citing an anonymous source, says that after a six-month probe, federal authorities have found no evidence that Ruth had anything to do with her husband’s fraud. But the world, it seems, is not quite ready to give up the idea of Ruth as a villain. The tabloids are still dogging her. The fact that the government allowed her to keep $2.5 million cash was met with disbelief; her statement, in which she described herself as a victim, dismissed (“I guess it’s somewhat better than rolling around naked in hundred dollar bills and shrieking ‘too bad for you’ to the others — but only just,” one Forbes columnist wrote). And the victims are still convinced she was in on it.
Personally, we’d be relieved for Ruth to be innocent. The idea of two people together systematically conducting a twenty-year crime uninterrupted by conscience is pretty horrible to contemplate. But it’s understandable that, especially now that he’s in prison, Bernie’s clients would want another figure on which to lay blame. In a way, they’re right: It truly is “unbelievable” that no one close to Bernie noticed his impossibly high returns, that no one questioned the secrecy of his trading methods, or wondered why his statements were printed on a dot-matrix printer. But who should have noticed? Who should have been paying attention? The person with whom he shared a casual chicken Parmesan every night, or the people who received his statements? Of course they can’t believe that Ruth is innocent of aiding and abetting a fraud. Because in a way, it would mean that they are the ones who are guilty.
And, as her society friends collectively turn their back on her, an old admirer has come to the fore:
“I was in the Class of 1958 [at Far Rockaway High School in Queens], two years behind Bernie, but in the same class as his wife, Ruth,” writes The Washington Post’s Richard Cohen. “She was my friend, or so our yearbook strongly suggests, although my memory of our friendship no longer speaks to me. I remember her only as really cute, an object of desire across a classroom or another.”
Wow, and we thought he had a crush on President Obama ….
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Sleep apnea is a condition in which breathing is repeatedly interrupted during sleep. The time period for which the breathing stops or decreases is usually between 10 and 30 seconds. When these episodes occur repeatedly, sleep apnea can seriously disrupt the quality of sleep.
There are three types of respiratory events:
- Obstructive apnea—caused by a temporary, partial, or complete blockage of the airway
- Central apnea—caused by a temporary failure to make an effort to breathe
- Mixed apnea—combination of the first two types
These factors increase your chance of developing sleep apnea. Tell your doctor if you have any of these risk factors:
- Sex: male
- Large neck circumference
- Age: middle to older age
- Family history of apnea
Structural abnormalities of the nose, throat, or other part of the respiratory tract. Examples include:
- Severely enlarged tonsils
- Deviated nasal septum
- Medicines: sedatives and sleeping aids
- Alcohol consumption
- Fatigue and sleepiness during waking hours
- Loud snoring
- Breathing that stops during the night (noticed by the partner)
- Repeated waking at night
- Unrefreshing sleep
- Morning headaches
- Poor concentration or problems with memory
- Irritability or short temper
People with chronic untreated sleep apnea may be at risk for:
An overnight sleep study is used to help diagnose sleep apnea.
Overnight Sleep Study (Polysomnography)
This test helps detect the presence and severity of sleep apnea. During sleep, it measures your:
- Eye and muscle movements
- Brain activity ( electroencephalogram )
- Heart rate
- Breathing (pattern and depth)
- Percent saturation of your red blood cells with oxygen
There are a number of treatment options for sleep apnea, including:
- Lose weight if you are overweight.
- Avoid using sedatives, sleeping pills, alcohol, and nicotine, which tend to make the condition worse.
- Try sleeping on your side instead of your back.
- Place pillows strategically so you are as comfortable as possible.
- For daytime sleepiness, practice safety measures, such as avoiding driving or operating potentially hazardous equipment.
Continuous positive airway pressure (CPAP) entails wearing a mask over your nose and/or mouth during sleep. An air blower forces enough constant and continuous air through your air passages to prevent the tissues from collapsing and blocking the airway. In some cases, dental appliances that help keep the tongue or jaw in a more forward position may help.
In some cases, surgery may be recommended. It is most often beneficial in pediatric patients.
Types of surgery that may be done to treat severe cases of sleep apnea include:
- Uvulopalatopharyngoplasty—The doctor removes excess soft tissue from the nose and/or throat.
- Maxillomandibular advancement—The jawbone is repositioned forward.
- Tracheotomy —For life-threatening cases of sleep apnea, an opening is made in the windpipe to allow for normal breathing.
Bariatric surgery may help with weight loss in some people who are obese . This surgery may reduce many of the complications that are related to obesity, including sleep apnea.
Only used in central apnea, acetazolamide (Diamox) may help improve the ability to regulate breathing. Overall, there is not a lot of evidence to support the use of medicines to treat sleep apnea.
Supplemental oxygen may be given if blood levels of oxygen fall too low during sleep, even after opening the airway.
You may be able to prevent the onset of sleep apnea by maintaining a healthy weight . Avoid alcohol, nicotine, and sedatives, which may contribute to airway obstruction.
- Reviewer: Rimas Lukas, MD
- Review Date: 09/2012 -
- Update Date: 00/93/2012 -
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Made in USA
Mini QD Loops
Availability: In stock
- 1mm or 1.5mm Nylon cord loop works great with small connection points
- Sold in sets of four
- Made in the USA
With the OP/TECH USA System Connectors, the camera/binocular owner has several connection options. You can buy an extra set of connectors to customize the strap to best suit your needs. Straps can be lengthened to be worn across the chest or shortened to be worn at chest level.
Mini QD Loops allow users to fasten small cameras to many OP/TECH USA neck straps. They incorporate a thin cord loop for tight camera strap connection areas and 3/8" quick disconnects for easy attachment to strap. They are approximately 2.5" in length when attached to a camera. The Mini QD Loops System Connector is available in sets of four.
The Mini Loop Connector is small but mighty and perfect for compact cameras! It has a tensile strength of 44lbs which far exceeds the demands of a compact camera.
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Sexual conflict over care: antagonistic effects of clutch desertion on reproductive success of male and female penduline tits
Szentirmai, I., Szekely, T. and Komdeur, J., 2007. Sexual conflict over care: antagonistic effects of clutch desertion on reproductive success of male and female penduline tits. Journal of Evolutionary Biology, 20 (5), pp. 1739-1744.
Related documents:This repository does not currently have the full-text of this item.
You may be able to access a copy if URLs are provided below.
A fundamental tenet of sexual conflict theory is that one sex may increase its reproductive success (RS) even if this harms the other sex. Several studies supported this principle by showing that males benefit from reduced paternal care whereas females suffer from it. By investigating penduline tits Remiz pendulinus in nature, we show that parental conflict may be symmetric between sexes. In this small passerine a single female (or male) cares for the offspring, whereas about 30% of clutches are deserted by both parents. Deserting parents enhance their RS by obtaining multiple mates, and they reduce the RS of their mates due to increased nest failure. Unlike most other species, however, the antagonistic interests are symmetric in penduline tits, because both sexes enhance their own RS by deserting, whilst harming the RS of their mates. We argue that the strong antagonistic interests of sexes explain the high frequency of biparental desertion.
|Creators||Szentirmai, I., Szekely, T. and Komdeur, J.|
|Departments||Faculty of Science > Biology & Biochemistry|
|Additional Information||ID number: ISI:000249166200010|
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2300 SE Bristol St,
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ORANGE — Christmas is still approximately three months away, but, for those in need, its arrival is coming all too soon.
The Blue Santa program, sponsored by the Orange County Sheriff’s Office, will begin accepting applications Monday, Oct. 1, for the coming holiday season for families who will need assistance for toys this Christmas. The deadline is 5 p.m., Thursday, Nov. 1.
“If it wasn’t for the Blue Santa program, a lot of children in Orange County would not have Christmas presents each year,” said Deputy John Badeaux with the Orange County Sheriff’s Office.
The Blue Santa program is for children ages 13 and younger. Parents or guardians applying for assistance must provide four documents, including a current utility bill, a birth certificate for each child, social security number for each child, and the drivers license or state ID number for each parent on the application.
Two copies of each required document is needed, as well as the original application form and a copy of the form. A set of documents must be attached to the original and copied application form.
Donation boxes will be placed at various businesses across Orange County starting in November. Only new toys still in original packaging will be accepted in the donation boxes for children from infant to age 13.
Cash donations are also accepted and are very useful.
“We try to get five gifts for each child to match their wish list,” Badeaux said. “We have a $20 limit per present. Cash donations help us purchase these gifts. Even if it is a $5 donation, it helps go toward a gift for a child. And we take all of the donations we can get.”
The Blue Santa toy giveaway will be held from 9 a.m. - noon, Saturday, Dec. 15, at the VFW Post 2775, 5303 N. 16th St. in Orange.
Visit www.ocsheriffsoffice.com for more information.
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Resequencing of positional candidates identifies low frequency IL23R coding variants protecting against inflammatory bowel disease.
Momozawa, Yukihide ; Mni, Myriam ; Nakamura, Kayo et al
in Nature Genetics (2011), 43(1), 43-7
Genome-wide association studies (GWAS) have identified dozens of risk loci for many complex disorders, including Crohn's disease. However, common disease-associated SNPs explain at most approximately 20 ... [more ▼]
Genome-wide association studies (GWAS) have identified dozens of risk loci for many complex disorders, including Crohn's disease. However, common disease-associated SNPs explain at most approximately 20% of the genetic variance for Crohn's disease. Several factors may account for this unexplained heritability, including rare risk variants not adequately tagged thus far in GWAS. That rare susceptibility variants indeed contribute to variation in multifactorial phenotypes has been demonstrated for colorectal cancer, plasma high-density lipoprotein cholesterol levels, blood pressure, type 1 diabetes, hypertriglyceridemia and, in the case of Crohn's disease, for NOD2 (refs. 14,15). Here we describe the use of high-throughput resequencing of DNA pools to search for rare coding variants influencing susceptibility to Crohn's disease in 63 GWAS-identified positional candidate genes. We identify low frequency coding variants conferring protection against inflammatory bowel disease in IL23R, but we conclude that rare coding variants in positional candidates do not make a large contribution to inherited predisposition to Crohn's disease. [less ▲]Detailed reference viewed: 69 (29 ULg)
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[en] Numerous works are related to the use of unconventional feed resources, and particularly to Mucuna Spp., in poultry diet. This review aims at describing the context of their use, their nutritional values and the constraints related to their upgrading, before considering the effects of the various methods of treatment on the reduction of the toxic substances that they could contain and on their chemical compositions. The methods of treatment are very variable and their standardisation should allow using them in rural area. Those feed could thus constitute an alternative to costly conventional feed usually used in poultry production.
Administration générale de la Coopération au Développement - AGCD
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Cleaving of TOPAS and PMMA microstructured polymer optical fibers: Core-shift and statistical quality optimization
Publication: Research - peer-review › Journal article – Annual report year: 2012
We fabricated an electronically controlled polymer optical fiber cleaver, which uses a razor-blade guillotine and provides independent control of fiber temperature, blade temperature, and cleaving speed. To determine the optimum cleaving conditions of microstructured polymer optical fibers (mPOFs) with hexagonal hole structures we developed a program for cleaving quality optimization, which reads in a microscope image of the fiber end-facet and determines the core-shift and the statistics of the hole diameter, hole-to-hole pitch, hole ellipticity, and direction of major ellipse axis. For 125μm in diameter mPOFs of the standard polymer PMMA we found the optimum temperatures to be 77.5°C for both blade and fiber. For 280μm in diameter mPOFs of the humidity insensitive polymer TOPAS® (grade 8007) the optimum temperature was 40° for both blade and fiber. A 100μm thick flat-edge blade was found to minimize the core-shift by the cleaving to only 298nm or 5% of the pitch for the PMMA mPOF at the optimal temperature.
|Citations||Web of Science® Times Cited: 5|
- Microstructured polymer optical fibers, TOPAS, Cleaving, PMMA
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Just received this email via ASUO Multicultural Advocate Alexis White, via the infamous United States Student Association:
Currently the USSA Board of Directors is in violation of diversity guidelines. It is important that we respect these guidelines for reasons we all might or might not understand. The Board has not met the diversity guidelines stipulated in the Constitution, which require that 30% of the Board identify as openly queer. So there are opportunities for those that are interested in applying for the DREAMERS Caucus Chair or as a at large Board member.
This is very important and I am taking the diversity guidelines very seriously. When we set guidelines as a organization it is important that we all do our part to meet them. I have attached the documents via Google docs underneath. Please consider applying to the positions and/or forward to anyone you know that might be interested.
The question arises: does one need to identify directly with a specific group of people to advocate on their behalf? I have a good friend — a white friend — who recently started work with the NAACP. She advocates on behalf of a population she is NOT a part of and — SURPRISE — does a pretty damn good job. It is certainly possible for individuals outside a certain demographic to advocate for those in that demographic. Maybe this is why the ASUO has been without a Non-Traditional Student Advocate for so long. Maybe if the student government understood that traditional students can advocate on behalf of non-traditional students, the non-trads might be better off.
Additionally, where did the 30% figure come from? Why not 20%, or 10%, a figure closer to the general makeup of the out-and-queer population of the United States? It’s likely an arbitrary number that a few students in a room (traveling on the student dime) came up with and decided they needed to fulfill, to maintain a commitment to diversity, or something. Personally, I’d prefer competent students serving on USSA boards regardless of sexual orientation than limiting the open positions to a very specific demographic, thus creating a smaller pool of applicants and a likely less competent supply of board members. But that’s just me.
This brings up another good point. How gay do you have to be to be a member? Is there some sort of gay-o-meter? What if you make out with a girl at a party, does that count? Do you have to date your girlfriend/boyfriend for a specific amount of time in order to be considered? Oh, but I digress.
The United States Student Association (and also the Oregon Student Association) have long faced criticism from the Oregon Commentator for wasting student money on conferences so people can discuss various pieces of legislation and continue to “advocate for students.” Bigger pieces of that tasty financial pie go to board members. Why not open that up to all members of the student populace? Isn’t that the point of the United States Student Association, to advocate on behalf of all students? Then let all students apply to be on student boards, regardless of skin color / sexual orientation / breakfast food preference. Maybe USSA could ACTUALLY serve students instead of taking student money and hiding it away at a retreat site in Seattle.
Please upload your governing documents in a format that has a file extension, so interested parties can open them.
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Don A. Kruse
Information Technology Manager
Professional Experience: Don has worked at Fujitsu Computer Products of America in hard disk drive product technical support. He was the Information Technology Manager at Cheskin, an Apple Service Specialist at Rosai Group, and has done technical support for Beatnik and Future Networks. He has been a technical editor of the HL7 (Health Level Seven) ISO standards publication.
- San Mateo High School San Mateo, CA. Graduated 1982
- College of San Mateo San Mateo, CA.
- San Francisco Art Institute San Francisco, CA. Bachlor of Fine Arts in Film.
Professional Activities: Don is a member of the Portland Filemaker Pro User Group and the Apple Developer Connection. Recently Don became of member of the InterFace 2010 Advisory Council for Oregon and Southwest Washington.
Interests: Don enjoys long drives, photography, and video making. He is currently writing a novel and working on videos which may some day actually be completed. He enjoys blogging on his own web sites and others, providing technical support tips in web forums, talking long walks with his wife and son, and learning home improvement and gardening.
Phone: (503) 222-9115
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With support from Blackboard’s global community, OSU is partnering with Blackboard to bring you a faculty training webinar series entitled The Blackboard Innovative Teaching Series (BITS). This program will bring best practices and evolved online pedagogy training to you in a concise and effective series consisting of weekly training webinars that have been designed for educators and will be led by your peers and product experts.
All educators are invited to join, regardless of your technical know-how or experience using Blackboard or other learning management solutions. To help you better gauge which sessions to attend, the webinars are divided into three tracks: Getting Started, Collaboration, and Assessing Learners.
More information about the tracks, the schedule, and registration can be found at http://www.blackboard.com/bits. All webinars are recorded and available online.
Here are a few upcoming offerings in this year’s series:
Creating and Planning Content for K-12, April 22, 2013 10AM PDT
Strategies for Generating Collaboration Online for K12, April 29, 2013 10AM PDT
More About Rubrics, May 6, 2013 10AM PDT
Motivating and Engaging Your Online Students, May 13,2013 8AM PDT
Organizing Your Content, May 20, 2013 10AM PDT
Please note - some of the webinars may demonstrate Blackboard functionality that OSU has not yet upgraded to...
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Sebastopol, CA--Microsoft Access has its share of fans. Author Ken Bluttman is one of them. "Access really is an amazing product," he says, enumerating some of its strengths: "Its power is vast, and yet its maintenance is low. It's flexible enough to be used by one person or to run an entire company. It's a rapid application development (RAD) tool that outshines other such tools, such as Visual Basic, in time to development and ease of use." As one who has been hacking Access for many years, Bluttman knows how to make Access jump through hoops. In his new book, Access Hacks, (O'Reilly, US $24.95), he shares his secrets with Access users of all levels, from those sitting down to Access for the first time to gurus like himself.
"I've been working with Access for more than a decade," says Bluttman. "In that time, I've developed some interesting approaches to technical problems, and have seen how peers have mastered certain techniques. It's great being able to assemble many of these mini-solutions and make them available for the Access user and developer communities."
Access Hacks takes users beyond the familiar tables, forms, and reports, providing them with new insights into making their database applications more valuable and exciting. There are hacks to tickle every fancy, whether it's running Union queries, playing video files in Access, viewing web sites within Access, or even controlling Access from another product.
Each chapter in the book explores a different facet of Access, beginning with the basics in the first chapter, and then delving into tables, users' needs, and presentation. Later chapters deal with more advanced topics such as running queries, multi-user issues, external programs and data, programming, and third-party applications. The book is not meant to be a sequential read, says Bluttman, "Although I won't complain if you read it straight through, from cover to cover! The book contains one hundred hacks, and each stands on its own merit." Some have a common theme with other hacks, in which case the flow is noted. "Other than that, just dig in and see what interests you," advises Bluttman. "One group of hacks might be what you need for today's project, and another group might be what you need tomorrow."
Access Hacks shows users how to:
"Microsoft Office is available on nearly every computer," Bluttman reminds his readers. "Knowing how to make good use of Access, including being able to integrate Access with other Office products, makes for some powerful technical solutions." Everyone who uses Access, from casual office users to high-powered Access developers, will discover tips and tools to boost their productivity and more in Access Hacks.
ISBN: 0-596-00924-0, 333 pages, $24.95 US, $34.95 CA
O'Reilly Media spreads the knowledge of innovators through its books, online services, magazines, and conferences. Since 1978, O'Reilly Media has been a chronicler and catalyst of cutting-edge development, homing in on the technology trends that really matter and spurring their adoption by amplifying "faint signals" from the alpha geeks who are creating the future. An active participant in the technology community, the company has a long history of advocacy, meme-making, and evangelism.
PRESS QUERIES ONLY
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Sebastopol, CA--"The more an administrator knows about IP, the more
effective they will be," says Eric A. Hall, author of the just-released
book Internet Core
Protocols: The Definitive Guide. If you've ever been
responsible for a network, chances are you agree. You know that sinking
feeling: your pager has gone off at 2 a.m., the network is broken, and you
can't figure out why, using a dial-in connection from home. You drive into
the office, dig out your protocol analyzer, and spend the next four hours
trying to put things back together before the staff shows up for work.
Until now, the only real guide to the protocols has been the Internet
RFCs--and they're hardly what you want to be reading late at night when your
network is down. There just hasn't been a good book on the fundamentals of
IP networking aimed at network administrators. "I'm sure that whoever reads
this book will be as impressed as I was, not just at the insights, but at
the level of depth and usefulness. Among the glut of technology books, this
is one that truly stands out. Every network manager needs this book," says
Fritz Nelson, Editor-In-Chief of Network Computing Magazine.
"The original concept behind this book came from a series of technology
primers that I was writing for a magazine, which generated a significant
amount of mail from the readers," says Hall. "The existing material in the
market was geared more towards programmers and developers than for users
(my readership), so I decided to pursue it. O'Reilly's brand name
recognition made them a natural choice, and thankfully they agreed to
publish the book."
Protocols: The Definitive Guide provides thorough coverage of
the fundamental protocols in the TCP/IP suite: IP, TCP, UDP, ICMP, ARP (in
its many variations), and IGMP. It includes many packet captures, showing
you what to look for and how to interpret all the fields. It has been
brought up-to-date with the latest developments in real-world IP networking.
The CD-ROM included with the book contains Shomiti's "Surveyor Lite," a
packet analyzer that runs on Win32 systems, plus the original RFCs, should
you need them for reference. Shomiti Systems President and CEO Bill Shaw:
"We have always prided ourselves on being able to provide today's network
administrators with the high performance analysis tools they need to solve
their network problems. We were very happy that Eric Hall and O'Reilly
chose our software for this purpose."
"Shomiti's software was chosen because it offered an extremely powerful and
highly mobile analysis platform," adds Hall. "The quality and quantity of
the protocol decodes, the powerful alarms and triggers, the ability to edit
and generate packets and the availability of a variety of hardware options
were all key factors in my decision. Shomiti's software plus the original
RFCs, should you need them for reference, give you everything you need to
troubleshoot your network."
Protocols: The Definitive Guide
Help for Network Administrators
By Eric A. Hall
1st Edition February 2000
1-56592-572-6, 472 pages, $39.95, Includes CD-ROM
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Kristensen, Hanne L. and Thorup-Kristensen, Kristian (2006) Roots below one meters depth are important for nitrate uptake by annual crops. [Rødder under 1 meters dybde er vigtige for et-årige afgrøders optagelse af nitrat.] In: CD-rom "The American Society of Agronomy - Crop Science Society of America - Soil Science Society of America International Annual Meetings, November 12-16, 2006, Indianapolis, USA. No. 205-9., CD-rom "The American Society of Agronomy - Crop Science Society of America - Soil Science Society of America International Annual Meetings, November 12-16, 2006, Indianapolis, USA., no. Abstract No. 205-9..
The root depths of annual crops vary from 0.2 m to more than 2 m depending on root growth rate and length of growing season. However, studies of root growth and N uptake are often restricted to a depth of 1 m or less, as root biomass is assumed to be negligible below this depth. We have studied the importance of root growth and N uptake to a depth of 2.5 m in fully grown field vegetables and cover crops by use of minirhizotrons and deep point placement of 15N. Deep rooted crucifereous crops were found to have high root densities to a depth of 1.5-2 m and high 15N uptake to this depth. The work shows that knowledge of the interactions between root growth and soil N below a depth of 1 m are important to understand crop N uptake and nitrate leaching from agro-ecosystems.
|EPrint Type:||Conference paper, poster, etc.|
|Type of presentation:||Paper|
|Subjects:|| Soil > Nutrient turnover|
Crop husbandry > Crop combinations and interactions
Crop husbandry > Production systems > Vegetables
|Research affiliation:|| Denmark > DARCOF III (2005-2010) > VEGQURE - Organic cropping Systems for Vegetable production|
Denmark > AU - Aarhus University > AU, DJF - Faculty of Agricultural Sciences
|Deposited By:||Kristensen, Ph.D. Hanne L.|
|Deposited On:||28 Nov 2007|
|Last Modified:||12 Apr 2010 07:35|
|Refereed:||Peer-reviewed and accepted|
Repository Staff Only: item control page
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Friday, August 11, 2006
My 500th Post
I just noticed this is the 500th time I have posted- it does not seem so long. I also meant to notice my 60,000th visitor but that has also been and gone.
I have started putting in the stitching to what i am temporarily calling " all the sweet perfumes of Arabia..."- it is an allusion to the Lady Macbeth scene in the play of the same name by Shakespeare ( i did this play four years running- my last three years of high school and then in English literature at University, however this and the witches Double double toil and trouble-fire burn; and cauldron bubble, are about the only things that hang in my memory except ofcourse the plot ) . I am always amazed at how much stitching changes a thing. The unstitched spaces will probably be hand stitched. I like combining machine and hand stitching.
Debra asked what i meant by Alternative Visual Tradition- it was a phrase I picked up out of my previous post that was reviewing a book which discussed visual hapticity in relation to film- it said that visual hapticity was something more commonly associated with the alternative visual tradition- which included weaving and embroidery ( and other things) and by extension no doubt quilting. I thought it was a neat phrase as so many quilters/quilt artists and textile artists are desperate to be part of the mainstream art world or "the" visual tradition ( though it is splintered in so many directions that to say mainstream is not a very accurate description)- to be practising in an alternative tradition can be played up and used- as something desirable - we need a spin doctor LOL. Another aspect of this is I like textiles for what they are and the more I think about it, that is what is important about the way I make things- I don't necessarily want to make paintings or visual images- although I do work with images-i like what happens when I work with cloth/fabric and stitching and combining cloth for effect, and it is part of the reason I have returned to hand stitching- that was how I started - it feels right to use the things I have accrued and to use the things I started with together.
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Gossip Girl Sneak Preview Clip: Wedding Planning Woes
It looks like planning a wedding can be a royal pain for Blair Waldorf. Hand me downs? For a princess? Give a girl a break! Who better to call and vent to than her BFF, who's out on the country's opposite coast.
In this clip from tonight's season premiere (airing at 8 p.m. EST), Blair and Serena talk about their lives, which are at very different points, yet both transitional. It'll be interesting to see where their paths lead.
Watch the nearly 90-second scene from "Yes, Then Zero" here and comment below:
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Creator of Showtime's Homeland Gideon Raff steps out from behind the camera to say a few powerful words about horrific military tests in which animals are poisoned and cut up.
Almost all of us grew up eating meat, wearing leather, and going to circuses and zoos. We never considered the impact of these actions on the animals involved. For whatever reason, you are now asking the question: Why should animals have rights? Read more.
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C$10 Shipping to Canada on orders over C$100*
Just enter promo code: CANADA13 at checkout
*C$10 Shipping offer valid with orders of C$100 and more through Monday, June 3rd, 2013, at 11:59pm(ET). Offer valid at Saks.com only. To redeem, select Standard or Express shipping and enter promotional code: CANADA13. Valid only on shipments to Canada addresses only. Not valid on US or other international shipments. Offer may not be used when shipping to multiple addresses. Not valid in Saks Fifth Avenue stores or Saks Fifth Avenue OFF 5TH stores. Not valid on purchases of Gift cards. No adjustments to prior purchases. This offer is non-transferable.
Click here for additional shipping and tax information.
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Ribbens McCarthy, Jane; Holland, Janet and Gillies, Val
Multiple perspectives on the 'family' lives of young people: methodological and theoretical issues in case study research.
International Journal of Social Research Methodology, 6(1),
The use of interviews from related individuals has become increasingly common in social research. This is particularly apparent in the area of family sociology, which has previously been criticized for relying on research of family lives based solely on interviews with mothers. Obtaining such accounts can raise postmodern ontological and epistemological themes of multiple perspectives and multiple realities, but there has been little explicit discussion of how to tackle the analysis of such related interviews. This paper explores approaches to the analysis of interviews with nine individuals drawn from three case study 'families'. An ideal typical categorization of possible approaches is developed, based on the cross-cutting themes of (1) degree of similarity/divergence, and (2) an objectivist/ interpretationist ontology. The powerful role of the researcher's 'bird's eye view' is highlighted, involving the active interpretation of both disagreements and agreements between related interviews. A major feature of these approaches is the complexity of the data generated and the time involved in the analysis. Such analytic choices yield different forms of knowledge and lead us to 'see' varying patterns and themes according to the focus we take, whether we reveal the possibility of 'family cultures', the relevance of standpoint differences around gender and generation, or wider structural issues of class and ethnicity. Within individual accounts we can see how these different aspects are interwoven in particular histories. How we represent such complexities and tensions between related accounts is a further choice, which may depend upon the audience and purposes involved. Even where we choose to weave the threads into one apparently coherent overall story, we argue for openess and reflexivity concerning the difficult analytic choices that underlie such a production. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]
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If you have already purchased a competing forensics package, we want to offer you a competitive upgrade to make it an easier transition to OSForensics.
You will receive a discount of 30% on your purchase of OSForensics if you qualify for the competitive upgrade.
To qualify for the competitive upgrade, you must be able to provide us with a proof of purchase of the competing product. This includes receipts, invoices, and scans or photos of the box or disc of the software. The competing product must have been valued or purchased at over US$100.
Simply e-mail us at with the information required attached and we will get back to you as soon as possible, and help you with the purchase.
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You are using Internet Explorer 7.0 to view this site. IE7 is a 6-year-old browser that does not display modern web sites properly. Please upgrade to a newer browser to make best use of this site. Contact your local library branch if you require assistance. For more information, see this FAQ page.
Imagine the Library you want! Join the
discussion from May 15 to June 15, 2013. Imagine-opl-bpo.ca. / Imaginez la Bibliothèque que vous
désirez! Joignez-vous à la discussion du 15 mai au 15 juin 2013. Imagine-opl-bpo.cahide
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There's never been a better time
to apply to Otterbein University.
Apply online today!
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You can try:
Otterbein University, 1 South Grove Street, Westerville, OH 43081, 614.890.3000
© 2013 Otterbein University. Otterbein University is an affirmative-action, equal-opportunity employer.
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Fresh air. Not the conditioned stuff we breathe in every day within these concrete walls. The real deal, mixed with the aroma of dried leaves, faint perfumes of wildflowers, smoke from someone clearing land, nature’s composting of soil, leaf mold, decaying plants and rain about to fall. We only had a short time to spend but it was worth it.
We drove a bit south of Bartow, the Polk County (FL) seat. Just off U.S. Highway 98 at Homeland, there is a nice park on either side of the road on the banks of the Peace River. One of the areas has a nice, long boardwalk which takes you through hardwood swamp down to the edge of the river. We didn’t have time to walk its length today and instead visited the area on the south side of the county road called Peace River Landing.
The Peace River has its beginnings in the springs within the Green Swamp, northeast of Lakeland. It’s a “blackwater” river, so called because of its dark color from leaf and plant decay. It flows from Lake Hancock, southeast of Lakeland all the way to Punta Gorda and the Gulf of Mexico. It was named by a Spanish cartographer in the early 1500′s as he wrote on his map: “Rio de la Paz”. The Seminoles called it: “Tallackchopo”, the river of long peas, due to the large number of wild peas along the banks.
We’ll be back to report more on this area in the future. For now, we were happy to have a few moments of “peace” along the dark, slow moving stream where we enjoyed the company of a few feathered friends.
A juvenile Little Blue Heron hunts patiently at the base of a large Bald Cypress tree.
A Northern Mockingbird perched nearby on the lookout for an insect snack.
This Snowy Egret caught a nice bream! In the background, how many young alligators can you count?
The egret decided he didn’t want to share his catch.
As we prepared to leave, a Bald Eagle assured us he would keep the “peace” over the river until we return.
A short trip but it sure felt good to have actual “fresh” air in our lungs!
Enjoy your search for a natural place and come back for a visit!
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Fourth of July holiday closures
Government offices, courts, schools, libraries, banks and post offices
LOS ANGELES, Calif.—Government offices, courts, schools, libraries, banks and post offices will be closed tomorrow for Independence Day.
Trash collection in the city of Los Angeles will be pushed back by one day, according to the Los Angeles Bureau of Sanitation.
All Metro-operated buses and trains will operate on a Sunday schedule.
For information on Metro schedules, visit www.metro.net.
Metrolink trains will not be operating, except for two round-trip trains between Lancaster and Union Station. Regular service will resume Thursday.
For train schedules, visit www.metrolinktrains.com.
The following Foothill Transit lines will operate on a weekend schedule: 178, 185, 187, 195, 197, 269, 272, 274, 280, 281, 282, 284, 285, 286, 289, 291, 480, 482, 486, 488, 492 and Silver Streak.
LOS ANGELES, Calif.—An Independence Day fireworks show will return to Marina Del Rey after a one-year absence Wednesday while Rose Bowl officials seek donations to avoid the end of its long-running July Fourth event.
The Marina Del Rey show was not held in 2011 because of budget cuts but has been revived thanks to donations from area sponsors, Los Angeles County Supervisor Don Knabe said. It is among more than a score scheduled in Los Angeles County on the Fourth of July, including an inaugural fireworks show in the Crenshaw district.
LOS ANGELES, Calif.—Leaving the fireworks to the professionals this July Fourth is a safer alternative than setting off pyrotechnics yourself.
That’s the message from safety officials to residents of Los Angeles County cities that allow the personal use of fireworks.
All fireworks are illegal for personal use within the city of Los Angeles, said Brian Humphrey of the Los Angeles Fire Department.
LOS ANGELES, Calif.—A Los Angeles County supervisor whose district includes the high desert reminded residents today that all fireworks are illegal in unincorporated Los Angeles County.
“While some cities allow ‘safe and sane’ fireworks, fireworks of any kind are illegal in Los Angeles County,” Supervisor Michael Antonovich said.
Fireworks violations can include fines of up to $1,000 and as much as a year in county jail. In some cases, violators can be charged with a felony.
LOS ANGELES, Calif.—Higher temperatures will come to the Southland today, ushering in a heat wave expected to last through the Fourth of July weekend and beyond.
“Strong high pressure ... will bring a rapid warming trend to the area for the holiday weekend,” warned a National Weather Service (NWS) advisory. “The air mass will warm additionally through the weekend...”
The Fourth of July calls for a carefree party, with good friends, fab food, fun and fireworks—a real star-studded holiday celebration.
The entertaining experts from Wilton have plenty of ideas to add star power to the occasion, beginning with the decorations. Festive stars and stripes napkin rings in red, white and blue dress up napkins and containers of colorful blossoms to brighten up the table. Then, on to the main course. Serve an all-American favorite meal of grilled burgers and corn on the cob, appropriately topped with a star-shaped pat of butter.
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Jenkins threw a 5-under 292 over five rounds for a $950 prize.
Catrina Allen of Phoenix became the new national champion with a 14-under 283, taking home a $3,160 prize. Paige Pearce of Plano, Texas, took second, also with a 14-under 283, for a $2,100 prize; and Sarah Hokom of Caldwell, Idaho, took third with a 10-under 287 for a $1,500 prize.
Results included in this report are from the PDGA website.
Check out some photos from the event here.
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The organization I work with has used NOLS Wilderness Medicine Institute for training in Wilderness First Aid for several years until this past one when we switched to American Red Cross's Wilderness & Remote First Aid course. We have our own staff that are now ARC instructors is the reason for the switch. I can honestly say that NOLS WFA compared to ARC WRFA is very, very similar. There are some different takes on how to handle certain situations, and in some ways WRFA covers more material. However you can't go wrong with either one as they both will teach valuable skills. Both are essentially two day courses and require a current CPR certification for your certification to be valid (it can be taken after the WFA course.)
I noticed you linked to the Wilderness First Responder course on the NOLS site. I can't speak for that level of training, since I haven't taken WFR yet, but hope to do so before next summer. Though I can say this: I know and have worked with several people with WFR certifications through NOLS WMI and can vouch that they are very well prepared to handle backcountry emergencies. An important thing to note is that ARC doesn't offer an equivalent to WFR.
I don't have any experience with SOLO or Wilderness Medical Associates so I can't compare those, but I'm sure they are excellent organizations as well.
You first need to decide what level of training you want to get. That will help you decide which organization to go with. If you're just testing the waters or just want a solid foundation then I would recommend taking a WFA course. You can still go up if you think you need more training later and it covers a lot of material. However if you are out in the middle of nowhere quite often and you plan an being very prepared then I recommend taking a much more involved WFR course. If you're in the outdoors for a living then WEMT might even be something to consider, although it also involves becoming an EMT.
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November 14, 2012
I never thought I would say this, but I want to thank you for cutting me out of your life for good and finally putting an end to the insanely tumultuous years we spent together. I still think about you way too often, and sometimes I drive myself crazy attempting to understand and figure out just what our relationship was about, and if it had any meaning or purpose at all. I need to let it all go; I’m working on it.
Although we certainly had some nice, good times together, mostly all I remember is drinking, doing drugs, fighting and fucking. Mostly fighting.
My life has greatly improved without you, and I sincerely hope yours has improved as well. As I’ve often told you: I do think you are a strikingly handsome guy, and unusually intelligent in many regards; those are the traits that initially drew me towards you and kept me with you for so long. You have an amazing side to you, a lot of good qualities and you have a lot of potential if you don’t throw it all away on drugs, alcohol, self-hate and anger. I hope you someday face and deal with your demons; I’m currently facing and dealing with mine.
I’m not blaming you for everything. I certainly played a role in all of our misery and fights and we often reacted to each other in ways that accelerated our anger, sadness and unhappiness until it spun out of control. We hurt each other a lot. Simply put: We obviously were not good for each other. Part of me wants to just accept that, move on and wish you well. Unfortunately, I have difficulty with that because a large part of me remains bitter and angry at the way you treated me, my son and my friends.
Like Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde, you have a brutally cold, cruel, vicious side to you. You constantly picked at me in the places I had the most shame and guilt in my life and I allowed you to make me feel like the “murderer,” "killer," “liar,” “useless piece of shit” “pathetic loser” you accused me of being. I now understand that such abusive attacks deeply took hold within me because I had my own, similar self-judgments and shame and believed you were right. You fed those self-doubts and self-judgments and helped them grow to a point where I began truly hating myself, yet I stuck with you because you also comforted me at times and I believed I loved you (and believed you loved me). I think now that we were just addicted to each other, and both of us are addicted to alcohol, drugs and intensity – It obviously made for a pretty dangerous, potent, volatile mix.
I think I can eventually forgive you for what you did to me, since I allowed you to do it; but I am not sure I can ever forgive you for how impatient and cruel you often were to my son -- a wonderful, beautiful young child with Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy. I fear I will always maintain some guilt, shame and self-judgment for having let you talk to and treat my son the way you did. He would sometimes cry and beg me to leave you and stay away from you. He’s a smart boy, and I should have listened to him. But I don’t need to forgive you; I need to forgive myself. Fortunately, Cory has forgiven me.
Sometimes I wish I could go back in time and do it all differently. You had no right to judge me. The first time you talked to and treated my son the way you often did I should have thrown you out of my house and out of my life forever. The first time you talked to and treated me the way you often did I should have thrown you out of my house and out of my life forever. Ah, see . . . more guilt, shame and regrets. . . regrets upon regrets -- that’s the unfortunate impact I let you have on me.
A friend once told me to never regret having tried to love someone; but I regret you.
As you well know, when we met I was still struggling with an identity crisis, still coming to terms with coming out and being gay, and trying to figure out just who I really was. I was still in a place where I had too much guilt, shame, sorrow and regrets from my past. I was vulnerable to your verbal abuse and cruelty. At some level, I think you knew that and enjoyed the power you had over me. Perhaps it’s something I needed to experience to grow into a better person – like a wildfire that seems devastating at the time but makes a forest healthier in the long run. Who knows? I obviously still think about it entirely too much.
I’m not sure why I am writing you all this. I know you well enough to know that you will dismiss everything I have written, and likely berate me for what I have written -- if you even bother to read it at all. I guess a part of me wants you to know how your cruelty affected me and others in the small hope you will examine yourself, get help and become a better person. And why do I even give a shit? I don’t know. I am not sure. I guess a part of me still cares about you and hopes you will turn out okay and achieve your dreams and contribute something useful to the world. I wish I could just forget about you entirely and delete you from my memory.
I’m working on it.
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Dock & Play Radio
Dock & Play Radio
Overview: The SiriusXM Edge Dock & Play Radio + Home Kit provides SiriusXM Satellite Radio programming in your
home. The SiriusXM Edge Dock & Play
Radio lets you pause, rewind, & replay live SiriusXM Radio. You can view the
artist name, song or program title and channel info on its large, color graphic
display. And with optional accessories you can listen to the Edge Dock & Play
Radio in your vehicle, at the office, or even outdoors (optional
accessories sold separately). All with just one SiriusXM subscription.
Note: The SiriusXM Edge Dock & Play Radio + Home Kit with SiriusXM programming operates on the XM network (subscription sold
SiriusXM Satellite Radio Programming: The SiriusXM Edge Dock
& Play Radio supports SiriusXM programming with access to XM & Sirius
Satellite Radio stations. You can receive
more than 150 channels of exclusive programming directly from SiriusXM, via the
All Access" package (subscription required). Here is a partial
list of available channels - Howard Stern, Oprah, NFL, NASCAR, ESPN, Elvis
Radio, Foxxhole, HairNation, Fox News, CNN, & many more. Visit
for a complete list of subscription options & channel guide.
Note: SiriusXM Satellite Radio operates on the XM
Network. However, you can easily add this SiriusXM tuner to an existing
Sirius or XM account for a Multi-Radio Discount Plan.
SiriusXM Xtra Channels: The SiriusXM Edge Dock & Play Radio also lets
you enjoy SiriusXM's Xtra channels; a number of
additional comedy & music channels as well as SiriusXM Latino - a set of
dedicated Latin music, sports & talk channels. Visit
SiriusXM.com/newchannels for the latest channel listings.
Note: Access to Xtra channels depends on subscription package.
Subscription sold separately
Large Color Graphic Display: The SiriusXM Edge Dock & Play
Radio features a large color display which lets you view artist name, song
title, and channel information. You can adjust the brightness of the unit's
Real-Time Channel Guide: The unit's Real-Time Channel Guide
allows you to browse programs, artists, and songs playing on other channels,
without having to change the channel you are currently listening to.
Instant Replay: The SiriusXM Edge Dock & Play Radio supports the SiriusXM Instant
Replay function, so you can pause, rewind, and replay up to 30 minutes of
live content. Listen to your favorite programming over again.
Favorite Presets: You can save and enjoy fast access to up
to 10 of your favorite SiriusXM Satellite Radio channels.
Direct: The Direct button allows you directly tune in an
SiriusXM Satellite Radio station, using the keypad (0-9) on the front-panel of
the SiriusXM Edge Dock & Play Radio or supplied remote control.
Channel Scan: You can scan a category and listen to each channel for
10 seconds before the Edge automatically tunes to the next channel.
One-Touch Jump: The One-Touch Jump function allows you to
directly access traffic or weather of the 22 most congested cities, or go back
to the previous channel to which you were listening.
Parental Controls: You can easily lock and unlock channels
or an entire category with mature content. The Parent Control feature is protect
by a 4-digit code.
Auto Shut-Off: When the Edge is in the home dock, and Auto
Shut Off has been enabled, the Plug & Play Radio will automatically shut off
after 8 hours of inactivity, when no buttons have pressed.
Home Dock: The XM Dock & Play home kit includes everything you
need to connect the SiriusXM Edge Dock & Play Radio to your home stereo system
or powered speakers. The kit includes a tabletop cradle, an AC power adapter, an
indoor/outdoor antenna, remote control, and a minijack-to-RCA audio cable.
Tabletop Cradle: The home kit comes with a tabletop docking
cradle that holds the receiver upright. The antenna, power, and audio output
connections are made to the docking cradle.
- Audio Out: Stereo 3.5mm mini-jack (included 3'
- Antenna In: Single SMB jack for use with supplied
- DC In: Jack for use with the supplied AC power adapter
(input: 110-240V~0.4A, 50-60Hz; output:
5.2 Volts/1.6 Amps).
Antenna: The supplied antenna is weatherproof, giving you
interior and exterior mounting options and features a hinged base for flexible
positioning. There are four keyhole slots on the base for mounting.
Remote Control: An included IR remote provides wireless operation over
the SiriusXM Edge Dock & Play Radio.
Optional Vehicle Kit: An optional vehicle kit (220XADV2,
sold separately) can be purchased to install the SiriusXM Edge Dock & Play Radio
in your vehicle.
Additional Home Kit (optional): An additional home kit (220XADH1,
sold separately) allows you to listen to SiriusXM Edge Dock & Play Radio
in your second home or office.
Boombox (optional): The optional Portable Speaker Dock
(220SXABB1, sold separately) lets you enjoy SiriusXM Satellite Radio
programming in your home, at the office, or on the deck.
Dock & Play Radio:
- Width = 4.625"
- Height = 2.5625"
- Depth = 1.125"
- Width = 3.675"
- Height = 1.175"
- Depth = 2.365" (with cables attached)
Dock & Play Radio in Vehicle Kit:
- Width = 4.625"
- Height = 3.0625"
- Depth = 2.875" (with cables attached)
- Width = 2.365"
- Height = 0.875" (3.0625" when open)
- Depth = 2.785"
|
Our Product Research Team
At Crutchfield, you'll get detailed, accurate information that's hard to find elsewhere.
That's because we have our own in-house Product Research team — they open the box,
verify contents, check the owner's manual, and record dimensions, features and specs.
We stay on top of new products and technologies to help people make informed choices.
Cast Alloy Baskets: The Evolution C5 component speakers feature cast
alloy woofer baskets, while incorporating JL Audio's patented "Elevated Frame" cooling system. This cooling
technology, also found on the flagship ZR component systems and W7 and W6v2 subwoofers, allows air to flow directly
across the top plate and onto the voice coil windings to greatly improve
linearity at all listening levels.
Motor Structure: The DMA (Dynamic Motor Analysis)-optimized motor
structure achieve outstanding linearity.
Woofer Cones: The cone and suspension elements were designed and manufactured
by the world-famous Dr. Kurt Müller & Co of
Germany. The speakers feature low-mass, mineral-filled polypropylene cones with
butyl rubber surrounds. The cone and surround are inherently well damped to
deliver an uncolored, neutral midrange without any coloration. The speakers are
also equipped with symmetrical-roll, hybrid-weave spiders.
Silk Domes: The C5 component system's 3/4" silk dome tweeters are
incredibly smooth on- and off-axis for accurate imaging and a big, stable
Neodymium Magnets: The small neodymium magnets and small chassis give
you excellent tweeter placement flexibility.
Performance: Each pair of C5 tweeters is tested and matched to within 1 dB of
JL Audio's reference curve to ensure optimum system performance.
Mounting Options: The tweeters come mounted in JL Audio's RSR mounting
system to permit precise angling of the tweeters after installation. There are
five available positions for angling the tweeter inside the flush mount. The
mounting dimensions are as follows:
- Mounting Depth: 0.56" (1.67" screw depth)
- Mounting Height: 0.36"
- Frame Diameter: 1.758"
- Cutout Diameter: 1.49"
Two-way Crossover System: The C5 component system utilizes a true
2-way crossover system:
- High Pass: On the tweeters is a second order high-pass filter
utilizing premium Mylar capacitors combined with an air-core inductor. Four
tweeter level settings are selectable via jumper pins: +2.0dB, Reference,
-1.5dB, and -3.0dB.
- Low Pass: The low-pass section features a first order filter with
three levels of user-definable midrange presence: Low, Reference, and High.
Polyswitch: Polyswitch tweeter protection is incorporated into each C5
component system crossover system.
Barrier Strips: Connections to each crossover network are made via
protected nickel-plated barrier strips.
Dimensions: The C5 crossover systems have the following dimensions:
Width=3.367", Height=4.72", Depth=1.44"
Connection Note: The C5 component system comes with no speaker wire.
Instead, a number of spade connectors and quick slides are included in the
hardware pack to be crimped onto speaker wire you provide.
|
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We had a running joke in science ed that kids get so overexposed to discrepant events involving density and air pressure that they tend to try to explain anything and everything they don't understand with respect to science in terms of those two concepts. Why do we have seasons? Ummm... air pressure? Why did Dr. Smith use that particular research design? Ummm... density?
I think we need another catch-all explanation. I suggest index of refraction.
To simplify greatly, index of refraction describes the amount of bending a light ray will undergo as it passes from one medium to another (it's also related to the velocity of light in both media, but I do want to keep this simple). If the two media have significantly different indices, light passing from one to the other at an angle (not perpendicularly, in which case there is no bending) will be bent more than if indices of the two are similar. The first four data points are from Hyperphysics, the final one from Wikipedia... glass has a wide range of compositions and thus indices of refraction.
Water at 20 C: 1.33
Typical soda-lime glass: close to 1.5
Since glycerine and glass have similar IoR, light passing from one to the other isn't bent; as long as both are transparent and similarly colored, each will be effectively "invisible" against the other.
So, why does it rain? Umm... index of refraction?
A Bright Moon Impact
12 hours ago
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Ojai Valley School is an extraordinary place where children like yours come to learn and grow, a place that nurtures and challenges children, and awakens a thirst for knowledge and wisdom. The school’s philosophy is to challenge students’ minds and bodies while fostering self-respect, respect for others, and value for the community in which they live. Our goal is not only to promote scholarship, but to give children the kind of life-learning experiences that will forever shape their world views. This is accomplished in a warm and caring community where children feel safe to grow and explore.
Everyone at OVS knows that a sense of community is an important part of what makes this place special, and everyone is proud to be part of it. Students have numerous opportunities to show leadership, teamwork, and caring. Each student receives a high level of individual attention through small classes taught by knowledgeable, experienced, and caring teachers, facilitating success for children inside and outside of the classroom.
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Topshop SS12 Lookbook
Boyish tendencies meet girlish grace.
Topshop's SS12 lookbook is here! Plaids are overlaid, outerwear is oversized, and leather is printed. Boyish tendencies meet girlish grace — camo jackets teamed with metallic skirts and sneakers and delicate dresses are made less so by lots of layering. In one instance a baja jacket is worn over a Picnic at Hanging Rock-worthy white lace dress, and, in another, a shearling puffer vest sits atop a long sheer floral number. On point, as usual.
The lookbook combines four of Topshop's SS12 collections — 'Band Camp', 'Factory Girl', 'Scandi Girl' and 'Sensationalist'. SS12 will be available at Topshop Melbourne from the end of July, and Topshop Sydney upon the store opening this October.
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Separate names with a comma.
Discussion in 'Tech Troubles' started by Zac marshall, Mar 18, 2013.
could you send me a link : D
they don't have a UK dedicated site as far as i know but i believe the phone number is 01206 756241
Ask politely, and ask for a couple of them. Thats the correct number.
Have you checked you actually have the check valve in your gun? I use a piece of wire, to pick it out, and bend the end of the wire so it cant come off (for cleaning the gun). And pop it back in using the wire aswell. Easy lost though!
@liam92 the check valve (aka. flow restrictor) is a small, plastic air port that slows down pressure flow in one direction. Its used to help control the movement of the bolt during firing, or in other words, they reckon its softer on paint all i know is, its certainly better with one!
cheers mate, good to know!
also iv been reading and it sound like my gun has blow back as well ???
Get a check valve in there, and test the gun. If there are other faults, come back on here and we'll sort it out. First things first, check valve.
you could always ask KEE when you call them.
Thanks guys for the help
well i rang Kee up and they said they dont sell to public so im going to ring fat bob
Perfect, Fat bobs will help.
If not, Just Paintball, LiPS or any of the other retailers who stock Empire kit should be able to help.
Kee are random you gotta buy through someone else. I had this problem with my axe gotta explain to some one who doesn't service empire guns what parts your after.... Not sure really sure why but it did my head in personally. Rang kee yup we got what you need please either ring someone else or travel to your nearest dealer and hope he orders the right stuff. Its faster to just order from the states..
RAP4 have all the parts for the Mini, altho in all honesty i havent seen a check valve on the site, but then again i havent looked.
2nd class postage is about 95p.
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The Armstrong County Genealogy Project are maintained by Nathan Zipfel.
I wish to express my gratitude to Alice Gayley for the many years (nearly
10) she has worked along side me in the development of the Armstrong
County Genealogy Project. She has had to step aside and she'll be
greatly missed as an active member of this project!
Please contact me if I can be of help. Please don't ask me to do your
research for you.
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utilize the form below to contact me.
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2009 Executive Summit - Marketing and Technology
JOIN TODAY'S TOP MARKETING EXECUTIVES FOR
A ONE-DAY STRATEGIC SUMMIT - MAY 8TH, 2009
The Executive Summit: Marketing & Technology - The Next Frontier explores secrets of mining new marketing technologies to succeed in the current economic climate.
Advertising, media, direct/interactive media executives and entrepreneurs seeking strategies for success have a one-day opportunity to glean insights and expertise from many of the nation's leading marketing innovators, when Pace University convenes its Executive Summit: Marketing & Technology - The Next Frontier on May 8, 2009. The summit convenes a marketing brain trust from a broad range of industries for a general session as well as a series of compelling tutorials and panel discussions (see the detailed program schedule below). This information rich program will help you maximize returns, improve efficiency, and achieve your business goals.
Keynoting the Executive Summit is Richard S. Braddock, the CEO of FreshDirect, whose career includes significant tenures as chairman/CEO of Priceline.com and president/COO of Citicorp and Citibank, N.A. Panels cover such timely topics as product development: leveraging technology to get results; the role of technology in building brands, making Internet and e-mail marketing work, and balancing business results and consumer privacy. Tutorials cover how marketers can optimize their database marketing efforts though multi-channel analytics, how to effectively deploy search engine marketing, and how to best utilize branded entertainment.
The summit will take place on Pace University's lower Manhattan campus (One Pace Plaza, east of City Hall) and is limited to 250 attendees. Advance registration is required; no registration at the door.
The Executive Summit is co-sponsored by Pace University's Lubin School of Business, McGraw-Hill/Irwin, the Marketing Executives Networking Group (MENG) and The Wall Street Journal. Proceeds benefit Lubin School of Business scholarship programs.
Pace University, One Pace Plaza, New York, NY 10038 - Continental breakfast.
|8:40 am||CONFERENCE OVERVIEW
Dr. Larry Chiagouris, Associate Professor of Marketing and Co-Chairman of the Executive Summit
|8:50 am||PRODUCT DEVELOPMENT: LEVERAGING TECHNOLOGY TO GET RESULTS
Michael Cole, Professor of Marketing, New Jersey City University and formerly EVP, Reed Business Information moderates a panel featuring Sara Frankel, Senior Consultant, Tikatok; Peter Koen, Director of Consortium for Corporate Entrepreneurship, Stevens Institute of Technology; Dan Michael, R&D Director-Mars Direct, a division of Mars, Inc.; and John Sateja, Executive Vice President - Consumers Union (Publisher of Consumer Reports). (Panel Discussion)
|9:40 am||THE ROLE OF TECHNOLOGY IN BUILDING BRANDS
Richard Guha, Principal, Max Brand Equity moderates a panel featuring Lili Gil, Director of Sourcing (Multicultural Marketing Champion), Johnson & Johnson Pharmaceutical Services; Tim Gilchrist, Director of eBusinesss Strategy, WellPoint Healthcare; Peter Horst, Senior Vice President Brand Marketing, Capital One; and Greg Marshall, Charles Harwood Chair of Marketing and Strategy, Crummer Graduate School of Business, Rollins College; and Patrick Walsh, Senior Vice President, North America Retail, Brooks Brothers. (Panel Discussion)
|10:30 am||COFFEE BREAK|
|10:50 am||WEB 2.0: WHAT WILL MAKE IT WORK?
Bill Sobel, Chief Connections Officer, SobelMedia LLC moderates a panel featuring Bonin Bough, Global Director Social Media, PepsiCo; Howard Greenstein, President, Harbrooke Group; Elizabeth Pigg, Vice President, Edelman Digital; and Richard Carey, Founder & Chief Engagement Officer, Intentional Games. (Panel Discussion)
FEATURED KEYNOTE SPEAKER
Rick Braddock, CEO of Fresh Direct/ former CEO of Priceline.com
|2:15 pm||BALANCING BUSINESS RESULTS WITH PROTECTING CONSUMER PRIVACY
Martin T. Topol, Chair and Professor of Marketing, Pace University moderates a panel featuring Brian O'Connor, Chief Security and Privacy Officer & Director, Worldwide Corporate Security, Eastman Kodak; Todd A. Hood, Director of Regional Privacy, The Americas, Pitney Bowes; Lee Peeler, President and CEO of the National Advertising Review Council (NARC) and Executive Vice President, National Advertising Self-Regulation, Council of Better Business Bureaus (CBBB); and Barton Weitz, JCPenney Eminent Scholar and Executive Director, David Miller Center for Retailing Education and Research; Professor, University of Florida. (Panel Discussion)
|3:05 pm||BRANDED ENTERTAINMENT IN THE DIGITAL AGE
Shelly Palmer, Managing Director, Advanced Media Ventures Group and President of the National Academy of Television Arts & Sciences. (Tutorial)
|3:30 pm||STRATEGIC DATABASE MARKETING FOR SENIOR EXECUTIVES
Al DiGuido, President of Zeta Interactive. (Tutorial)
|3:55 pm||SEARCH ENGINE MARKETING FOR BOTTOM-LINE RESULTS
Jorge Gutierrez - Director, Microsoft Advertiser Solutions - US Search Services. (Tutorial)
|4:20 pm||EXECUTIVE SUMMIT WRAP-UP
Larry Chiagouris and Martin T. Topol, Co-Chairs of the Executive Summit
|4:30pm||WINE AND CHEESE RECEPTION
|
- Published on Thursday, 01 March 2012 00:50
- Written by Staff Reporter
ITALY – Local packaging equipment manufacturer Ronchi Mario Spa is presenting the new sanitary version of its EXACTA filling machine for food and pharmaceutical applications, at IPACK-IMA (28 February – 3 March, fieramilano, Milan, Italy)
Introducing several updated characteristics from the standard version, the latest version of EXACTA is a filling-capping monoblock that features special ultra-cleaning solutions ideal for pharmaceutical products, foods and cosmetics.
The magnetic flow-meters offer the same efficiency and accuracy as those usually adopted on the Ronchi filling machines, but with the addition of a new advanced washing system that has a draining baseframe with double inclination and collecting tray on the exterior – making it particularly ideal in meeting the strictest sanitary requirements.
Ronchi, a leading manufacturer of filling machines, capping machines, unscramblers and orientors for the packaging industry, works closely with multinational companies which require fast, accurate and reliable equipment.
Ronchi is currently exhibiting at IPACK-IMA, hall 22, Booths D01 and D11.
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The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks
YOU ARE CORDIALLY INVITED TO:
CREATING COMMUNITY THROUGH CONVERSATION: Diversity Book Discussion
Our first selection is “The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks” by Rebecca Skloot. This book raises questions around ethics in research, ownership of scientific discoveries and patient rights.
Join us as we create a dialogue about diversity that will explore the convergence and divergence of the complex elements around diversity including race, ethnicity, gender, poverty, language, environmental factors, education, and ability.
***Please come prepared to share a passage from the book that means something to you in an emotional, scientific, ethical or other way that is truly striking.
You can purchase a copy of the book in the University Bookstore located in Thwing Center
Her name was Henrietta Lacks, but scientists know her as HeLa. She was a poor Southern tobacco farmer who worked the same land as her slave ancestors, yet her cells—taken without her knowledge—became one of the most important tools in medicine. The first “immortal” human cells grown in culture, they are still alive today, though she has been dead for more than sixty years. The author takes us on an extraordinary journey, from the “colored” ward of Johns Hopkins Hospital in the 1950s to stark white laboratories with freezers full of HeLa cells; from Henrietta’s small, dying hometown of Clover, Virginia—a land of wooden slave quarters, faith healings, and voodoo—to East Baltimore today, where her children and grandchildren live and struggle with the legacy of her cells.
"These cells became one of the most important tools in medicine, vital for developing the polio vaccine, cloning, gene mapping, in-vitro fertilization, and more. “ –Rebecca Skloot
All sessions will be held in Adelbert Hall’s Toepfer Room from 12:00 p.m. to 1:00 p.m. Feel free to bring your lunch.
|Part I: Life||5/25/2011||To Register: Click Here|
|Part II: Death||6/29/2011||To Register: Click Here|
|Part III: Immortality||7/27/2011||To Register: Click Here|
|
It's Only Natural!
Making Your Own Luck
Outfitting for Discovery
By Tamia Nelson
April 23, 2002
If you paddle to get closer to nature, you know how
important good luck can be. Chance encountersa bear crossing a river, say,
or a moose foraging in the shallow margin of a pondare often the ones
you'll treasure most and remember longest. But Luck doesn't love everyone
equally. She has to be wooed. How? By being prepared, of course! Louis Pasteur
probably said it best. Dans les champs de l'observations le hasard ne favorise
que les esprits préparés. My rather free translation: "Luck's a
lady only if you're ready for her."
Seems obvious enough, doesn't it? But how many folks do you know who've missed
chances because they weren't prepared? A lot, I'm betting.
OK. As a paddler with an interest in the natural world, you'll want to be
ready to welcome Lady Luck anytime she shows up. And being ready means always
having the proper gear, because you never know when Luck will come calling.
It makes no difference if you're going out for a few hours or a few
daysor a few months, come to that. There are some things you always ought
to have with you. Period. After all, you wouldn't leave your paddles behind, or
your boat, would you? Well there's more to a voyage of discovery than transport.
You need tools, too.
A naturalist's field kit doesn't have to be expensive, heavy, or high-tech. In
fact, the basic list is short and simple. Here it is:
- Small rucksack or knapsack
- First-aid kit
- Drinking water
- Field journal, pencils and pens
- Hand lens
- Pocket ruler
See what I mean? Simple and short. It's common sense, really. You won't
discover much if you're wet or thirsty, and you'll be hard-pressed to make good
notes on credit-card receipts. Now let's take a look at each item in turn.
Rucksack or Knapsack
Whatever bag you choose to haul your kit, make sure it's sturdy and easy to
carry. With so much gear being produced for the recreational market today, you
shouldn't have any trouble finding just what you need.
Can't make up your mind? Then carry both. I do. My favorite rucksack is
an old Cold Warrior, and so is my field knapsacka handy canvas satchel
that's perfect for my "discovery kit."
The satchel's a naturalist's dream come true. Just big enough to accommodate a
standard-sized clipboard, it holds all my basic field kit, including the folded
poncho. It also has a flap-protected full-width outer pocket, while a webbing
sling and handle make it a snap to carry. But it still slips easily into the main
compartment of my rucksack.
You'll probably have your own favorite, of course. But whatever you use to
carry your stuff, be sure that you can close it up tight. If not, you'll find out
just how easy it is to lose small items when you're on the move. And once you've
made your choice, put all your kit in the bag and keep it there, ready to
go. That way, you'll always be ready to make the most of Lady Luck's surprise
visits. (Be sure to dry everything after each trip, though.)
This shouldn't require any explanation. A single blister can spoil your day,
after all. So learn basic first aid and carry what you need. Your kit doesn't
have to be elaborate. Band-aids, alcohol swabs, gauze squares, an Ace bandage, a
few aspirin tablets
. You know the particular weaknesses your flesh is heir
to. So carry what you need. (CAUTION This is a first-aid kit. On
long trips, or on any trip to a truly remote area, you should have a
comprehensive medical-surgical kit in every boatand you should know how to
use it. You can't dial 911 "north of fifty" and expect an ambulance to pull up at
your door five minutes later.)
I carry a surplus poncho. It's cheap and sturdy, and it doubles as a shelter
of sorts for note-taking in the rain. It can even be used to make a serviceable
blind. But it's not a good choice on the water. If you've ever tried to
paddle into the teeth of stiff blow while wearing a poncho, you'll know what I
mean. (A poncho makes a pretty good sail in a following wind, however.) As for
swimming with oneforget it! So wear your paddling jacket and pants when
you're in your boat, but take a poncho, too.
The rivers and lakes you paddle won't always be safe to drink, and you can't
drink sea water. But paddling's sweaty work, and you'll need to quench your
thirst regularly. I always take at least one one-quart bottle with me, even in
cool, wet weather. In hot weather I carry more, often a whole lot more.
Field Journal, Pencils and Pens
If the First Law of Discovery is Be Prepared, the second is Write it
Down. But you can't do that if you don't have something to write in (and
It doesn't have to be fancy. I've used pads of lined paper from the shelves of
the local supermarket, spiral-bound stenographer's notebooks, and hard-backed
surveyor's field books. The field books are the sturdiestand the most
expensivebut any of these will serve you well. Just keep it dry. (Ziplock
bags work fine.) And then use it!
Pencil or pen? Use whichever you prefer. But beware: most ink runs when it
gets damp, so pencil's best in wet or humid weather. Use a relatively soft lead,
too. It's hard to make fine lines with a soft pencilthough a chisel point
on the working end helpsbut you're much less likely to tear damp paper.
You'll need them to stay found. You also need them when you're making notes.
Where is just as important as What and When, after all.
Topographic maps are best. Protect them from water. (You might even want to make
multiple photocopies. Then you can take notes directly on your map.)
Another must-have. And be sure you know how to use it. (We'll be doing a
series on navigator's tools later in the year.) A map without a compass is like
an ax without a helve.
I know. You go paddling to escape the demands of the workaday world. But it's
often as important to know the time of day in the backcountry as it is in the
office. So get a waterproof watch with a one-piece, pass-through strap and wear
it. Cover the dial if you like. Then you'll only see it when you want to.
These little magnifiers are cheap, light, and easy to use. And they'll open
new windows on even the most familiar landscapes. William Blake was right.
There's "a World in a Grain of Sand/And a Heaven in a Wild Flower." Isn't it time
you got your passport to this hidden world? Read Small is
Beautiful and see for yourself. I think you'll agree.
No angler would leave home without a tape to measure the size of a lunker, and
every paddler should have a ruler, too, particularly if she's interested in the
natural world. Science begins with measurement, and the paddling naturalist is a
scientist. You can never tell when you might want to take the measure of a track
in the sandor even a scat on the shore. (You can learn a lot about animals
from their scats. They're almost always worth examining, if only to confirm
exactly what bears do in the woods. Never handle them, however. Some may
You'll find a wide selection of plastic rulers in any stationery store or
supermarket. Keep the one you choose with your field journal. And if it happens
to be transparent, as many are, stick a bit of brightly-colored tape on one end.
You'll see just why this is a good idea the first time you drop it.
A more exotic alternative is set of engineer's scales. I have one. It looks a
little like the small fans flourished by Victorian ladies in their drawing rooms.
Instead of a fan, however, the case conceals a selection of plastic rulers. In
addition to both centimeter and inch rules, it has a number of map-scales,
ranging from 1:12,000 to 1:250,000. It also has a photographic scale printed on
the case, with boldly-drawn inch and centimeter graduations. This is perfect for
showing the scale in photos of tracks, scats, or flowers.
Another no-brainer. I always carry a sheath knife when paddling, but I also
keep a well-sharpened pocket knife with my field kit. It's been used for
everything from removing splinters to sectioning buds. I wouldn't leave home
* * *
That's the basic kit. Now here are a few other items to consider:
- Binocular (or monocular)
- Field guide(s)
- Camera or camcorder
- Sketchpad and pencils or paints
Binocular or Monocular
I really should list these with the basic kit, I suppose, but since there are
times when I don't carry them, they ended up here. Good binoculars are expensive
and more or less heavy, but there's no better tool for enlarging your world. To
learn more about them, read The Far-Seeing Eye, Part 1 and
You can't tell the players without a score card, can you? Still, our library
of field guides takes up more than 15 feet of shelf space, so it's impossible to
carry every guide we might want. Instead, we often take "theme" trips,
concentrating on a single aspect of the natural world and carrying only one or
two of the most useful guides.
Too much trouble? Then leave the guides on the bookshelf and make careful
notes about anything you can't identify. Once you get back home, take out your
journal and start "keying out" your finds. There's probably no better way to
learn to seeand to take good notes, into the bargain!
Camera or Camcorder
Not very long ago, naturalists did most of their work with a shotgun. Their
motto? "What's hit is history. What's missed is mystery." Now the Age of the
Collector is over. Today, almost all collecting is done with a camera. And a very
good thing that is, too. The choice of cameras is extraordinarily wide. Use
whatever meets your needs and fits your budget. Don't forget a really
waterproof bag, though!
Sketchpad and Pencils or Paints
What the canoe is to the jet-ski, the sketchpad is to the camera. Drawing and
painting aren't for everyone, but anyone can learn to do either if he wants to. I
think it's worth the effortand the rewards can
extend far beyond the finished picture.
* * *
Is that all? Of course not! It would be easy to add even more items to this
list. Too easy, in fact. We've carried everything from pH paper to Secchi disks
with us when we've ventured out on the water. If you begin by assembling the kit
I've just described, however, you're already outfitted for discovery. And that's
what really matters, isn't it? See you on the water!
Copyright © 2002 by Verloren Hoop Productions. All rights
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"The only reason he has the chance of winning is because he has an incredible car," French Canadian Villeneuve, who has been signed up by F1's new French broadcaster Canal+ for 2013, said.
"His only problem is that he does not learn from his mistakes," the former Williams and Sauber driver is quoted by France's RMC Sport.
"I found all of last year's nonsense amazing," continued Villeneuve. "He didn't change from the first to the last race.
"It's a shame because he is a very fast driver."
Of the other F1 drivers, outspoken Villeneuve admitted that his favourite is Fernando Alonso.
"The best car is certainly Adrian Newey's Red Bull. But apart from Alonso, there is no driver capable of driving at the limit of the car the whole race.
"When Vettel does, he makes mistakes," said the 41-year-old.
"The only standout is Alonso.
"After him, maybe Lewis Hamilton. He is no longer at McLaren, with his family, and so he is not protected any more, but he is a fighter so it will be very interesting," added Villeneuve.
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MAYFIELD — Wanda G. Gream, 83, of Mayfield died at 6:30 p.m. Sunday at Martin Healthcare Center.
She was a retired city clerk from Warren, Mich., and of the Baptist faith.
Mrs. Gream is survived by a son, Jensen L. Gream of Mayfield; four brothers, Robert Herring and Don Herring, both of Mayfield, L.B. Herring of Memphis, Tenn., and James Herring of Murfreesboro, Tenn.; and a grandson.
She was preceded in death by her husband, Glen D. Gream; and a brother. Her parents were Bob and Olene Smith Herring.
Services will be at 2 p.m. Wednesday at Brown Funeral Home in Mayfield with the Rev. Jason Sipes officiating. Burial will be in Highland Park Cemetery.
Friends may call after 5 p.m. today at the funeral home.
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The PageLines Customize plugin allows you to make any change you need to without editing the core framework. This way when the PageLines 2.0 framework gets updated, you won’t have to worry about losing any custom changes you’ve made. Many of you upgrading from PlatformPro will remember using the Base child theme to add your custom code. In PageLines 2.0, the PageLines Customize plugin does the same thing.
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The PageLines Customize plugin is available for free in the PageLines Store.
From your WordPress Administration Panel:
You will now be able to edit the new style.css & functions.php. They are located in \wp-content\plugins\pagelines-customize
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fee is $675 per attendee, which includes meeting materials, sessions,
and meal functions. The spouse/guest fee is $200, which includes all
To register online, please click here and complete the online form. If you choose to register on-site, there will be a $25 processing fee applied.
*PLEASE NOTE: Registrations
are processed manually and may take 2-3 business days to process and
send receipts. We appreciate your patience and apologize for any
The Annual Meeting is going to be hosted at the Boston
Renaissance Waterfront located at
606 Congress Street, Boston, MA 02210. To
take advantage of the discounted group hotel rates, please call reservations
at 1-800-266-9432. When calling to reserve your room, mention "SGAC Meeting" and have your credit card ready to guarantee your reservation. We have blocked guest rooms for an early check-in on
March 19th thru March
24th to ensure you get
your choice of room type and our discounted rate, please make your reservations
as early as possible.
Please note: If you previously made
your reservation at the Fairmont Copley Plaza, your information has been
transferred to the Boston Renaissance Waterfront. Please call the Boston
Renaissance Waterfront with credit card information to secure your reservation.
For those who have not made a reservation, please secure your lodging
accommodations as soon as possible. The last day to provide credit card
information for an existing reservation or to make a new reservation is Monday,
February 27, 2012.
We sincerely apologize for any
inconvenience this may cause and we appreciate your patience and understanding.
If you have any questions, please do not hesitate to contact us (703-684-0967).
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Exactly one month has passed since I arrived in Nairobi, Kenya. As a complete newbie in Africa, I had no idea what to expect when I first landed at Jomo Kenyatta International Airport.
Before my arrival, I had done some research about the country that was going to be my home for the coming months. A quick google search on Nairobi informed me that Kenya’s capital is the 12th largest one in Africa, the name Nairobi is a Maasai phrase that translates to “cold water” and it’s located 1,800 meters above sea level. My internet search also informed me that the capital is commonly known as Nairobbery, due to the high level of crime, particularly armed robbery in the city. When I asked around amongst friends and acquaintances who had visited Nairobi, they described it as a dirty and boring city that should be avoided. For tourists, it is mostly used as a transit point for safaris in Maasai Mara, or beach holidays along the Indian Ocean coast. With this in mind, I did not have particularly high expectations of Nairobi when I first arrived on the African continent.
After four weeks in this city, I have now formed my own opinion. Nairobi has more to offer than I could ever have imagined. It is definitely a city of contrasts. Within a 15 minute drive you get from the modern city center, to the beautiful leafy suburbs to East Africa’s largest slum.
Nairobi City Center
The colorful Maasai Market in down town Nairobi
The leafy suburb of Kilimani
Rooftops in Kibera
There is only a well trafficked road that separates the two neighborhoods Kilimani and Kibera. Kilimani is one of the wealthiest areas in the country and is home to Mwai Kibaki, the president of Kenya. On the other side of the road you’ll find Kibera, one of the largest slums in Africa, where people live in unbearable conditions.
Kibera is one of the most densely populated places on the planet. Exactly how many people live here is impossible to say, but estimates range from 500,000 to 1.2 million. Only 20% of residents have electricity, and even fewer have access to clean water. Education is scarce, which traps the vast majority of people in a spiral of poverty. One in five children will not live to experience their fifth birthday.
Walking the streets of Kibera, Photo: Katarina Shakarian
During my visit to Kibera, I visited the organization “Shining Hope for communities”. Shining Hope founded “The Kibera School for girls”, where they give young, at-risk girls a brighter future through education. It’s an amazing organization that works to create a better life for the people of Kibera. Read more about them here.
Kids playing at “The Kibera School for Girls”
Pascalia from Kiva giving a presentation in Kibera about Kiva Zip
As I already stated, Nairobi is a city of contrasts. Just outside of the city center, not far from modern skyscrapers or Kilimani and Kibera, you will find Nairobi National Park. Here you can see giraffes, elephants, black rhinos, zebras and other wildlife attractions with the capital’s skyline in the background.
Nairobi National Park
Elephant Orphanage, Nairobi National Park
Nairobi has definitely given me a new perspective on life, and I would recommend anyone that has the possibility to visit this city. After spending a few weeks here I have learned that the city is not only know as Nairobbery, but also as “The green city in the sun”, which I think is a better description.
My new friends
Lend money to a low-income entrepreneur in Kenya here
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I am not a morning person. I know this about myself, but am starkly reminded of this fact when my alarm goes off at 6am. In a zombie trance I get out of bed, put the kettle on and have a shower. I put on the clothes I chose the night before, as I know that at 6am in the morning my brain does not work at its best and there is a high risk I may choose clothes and footwear completely impractical for riding on the back of motorbikes and sitting cross-legged on the floor. Today I head out to Bac Ninh, where SEDA has one of their regional offices and where the actual work of meeting clients, disbursing loans and collecting repayments occurs. All of the Kiva clients are serviced out of Bac Ninh and I travel there twice a week, travelling 2 ½ hours each way on 3 local buses to get there.
Back to my cup of tea. I gulp it down and head to the bus stop down the road to catch my first bus of the day. It’s 6.40am and the routine is to meet Huyen – my university student translator – at Long Bien bus depot at 7am. From there we catch the next bus to Bac Ninh. Long Bien is the largest bus depot in Hanoi and a nightmare to navigate. There is no order to the buses, no signage or timetable to indicate where you can find your particular bus. You basically wait and pray. The one positive is that it’s still early and there are less hawkers about to bother us. The Bac Ninh bus arrives and we get on quickly to ensure we get a seat. Getting a seat on a Vietnamese bus resembles a competitive sport and women get no special treatment. I try and avoid any diplomatic incidents despite what I observe, but once I saw a young man nearly trample a pregnant woman to get to a seat. I could not help myself and stood directly in front of him, loudly announcing that he should be ashamed of himself. Despite the language barrier I think everybody in the bus could understand what I was saying. At the next stop he sheepishly got up and offered the pregnant woman his seat. One thing I do admire however is the fact that older people are treated very respectfully and as soon as they board a bus, somebody will instantly get up and guide them to a seat.
It’s a 1 hour journey to Bac Ninh. Huyen and I usually chat away for the first half an hour, but then after a while we put on our respective MP3 players and listen to music to pass the time. The journey is primarily highway and the scenery would not make it onto a postcard. An hour later we reach Bac Ninh town. We disembark and walk to the bus depot to catch our next bus to Yen Phu, a small town in Bac Ninh province where the SEDA office is based. The Bac Ninh bus depot is one of the few places I get approached by beggars. There is one particular young man – I’d guess early 20s – with a severe limp and facial disfigurement who is there every week. The first time we saw him Huyen told me not to give him money as he would most certainly be hired by somebody to beg and would have to pay his ‘pimp’ the bulk of his takings. This knowledge coupled with telling myself that I am already doing some good by volunteering in Vietnam for 4 months makes me feel more comfortable about ignoring the beggars.
Our last bus arrives and we board for the final 45 minutes journey to Yeh Phu. In contrast this is a stunning journey and I still enjoy looking out over the rice fields and slices of life in the small villages we pass. Then we arrive at Yen Phu. It’s 9.30am and it feels like we have done a full day’s work already, but we have just begun.
We are warmly welcomed by the SEDA credit officers. Then onto the back of a motorbike and off we go to visit clients. The credit officers have 3 days of client interaction – Tuesday through to Thursday. In the morning they have their weekly repayment collection meetings and in the afternoon they disburse new loans. On Monday and Friday they are in the office catching up on paperwork. I enjoy the motorbike rides out to visit clients. The preparation beforehand is hilarious. I basically lather my face, arms and neck in sun-cream, put on sunglasses and sometimes a hat. And that’s it. The locals however have a much more fastidious routine. They wear long shirts, gloves, hats and face masks to ensure that no skin whatsoever is exposed to the sun and that they stay white. It makes me laughingly think of the women back home who pay a lot of money for regular fake sun-tans.
We drive through all manner of surrounds – narrow village laneways, along canals, pass cemeteries, through rice fields- arriving at the location for our first collection meeting. The meetings are usually held in a central location such as a school, pagoda or a home and we will meet with 4-5 groups at once. I always get a little nervous at schools as invariably one of the students sees me and then bedlam ensues. They leave their classrooms and jump and dance around singing “hello, hello, hello”. After a few minutes a teacher will appear and yell or dramatically bang a drum and they scurry back to class. Occasionally some persistent little rascals will remain throughout the meetings, intriguingly observing us.
The credit officer meets with each group leader one by one and collects the weekly repayments. I then enquire if I can ask them a few questions. It never ceases to amaze me how open the clients are with a complete stranger and they patiently answer my questions about their family finances, families and hopes for the future. Interview over, I ask if I may take a photo. This usually draws a response of nervous laughter and protestations that they are not suitably dressed for a photo. The credit officers interject telling them that’s nonsense and that they look fine, so they acquiesce whilst patting down their hair or straightening a shirt – the response to having a photo taken really is universal! One time while I was taking photos of clients, one of them was taking a photo of me with their phone – the shoe very firmly on the other foot!
The meeting is repeated 3 times at separate locations and we usually meet with 10 -15 groups per session. Lunchtime. The Vietnamese take their lunchbreaks very seriously. Usually we drive back to the office and will have lunch at one of the food stalls in Yen Phu. Occasionally we are too far from the office and may have lunch at a client’s home. I am always humbled by our client’s hospitality when we visit their homes. They are always delighted to see me and dust off their best chair for me to sit down on. Cups of tea will be thrust into my hand and instantly refilled the moment they are empty. It’s an honour when we eat with them but I also feel a little guilty that we are taking food from their families’ mouths. I quash the strong desire to ask the credit officers to give them some money for the meal as I know that would be incredibly insulting. Thankfully for my western conscience we don’t have meals with clients very often.
After lunch we have disbursement meetings where new loans are distributed. These are large meetings as every member of the group must attend, so 20 – 30 women may be in attendance. These meetings are held in a public area as a home could not comfortably contain this many people. The credit officers commence by talking about loan discipline, the importance of meeting their repayment obligations and also of making savings. Typically a SEDA client will also have a savings account where they will contribute 5,000 Vietnamese Dong ( $US 0.30 ) a week in savings. That does not seem like a lot – and it isn’t – but instilling a behaviour of savings is important and even a small amount will ultimately pay dividends. Once the ‘pep talk’ is over, the groups approach one by one and each member of the group needs to sign a basic contract acknowledging that they have received the funds and will repay accordingly. It’s very businesslike and the women usually count their loans to ensure they have received all their funds. One woman once made me laugh as she did not like the fact that some of her notes were old, so she emphatically asked the credit officer for newer notes!
About 2 – 3 disbursement meetings are held in an afternoon and then it’s back to the office. It’s typically 4 – 4.30pm and Huyen and I bid the Yen Phu team good-bye. We trudge back to the bus stop, fervently praying that we don’t have to wait too long for the bus. The longest we have had to wait is 50 minutes! There is absolutely nothing at the Yen Phu bus station so that was 50 of the longest minutes of my life. Eventually the bus arrives and we commence our 3 return bus journeys. The music I choose on the way back to Hanoi tends to be mellow as I am often reflecting on the clients I have met and the sneak peek I have had into their lives. I am always in admiration of the resilience, hospitality and sheer hard work demonstrated by the Kiva clients – there is no ‘woe is me’ self pitying attitude.
Eventually, mercifully, I turn the key and enter my apartment. In reality it’s modest but in contrast to where I have been today it’s palatial. It’s already dark and usually between 7 and 7.30pm. I immediately head to my shower as I am always sweaty and grimy. I cook a modest meal and usually treat myself to ice-cream. Exhausted it’s early to bed, but satisfied that in a small way I am doing my bit to help.
This is what I do two days a week. They are long, hot and tiring days, but they are also my favourite days of the week.
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(born 3 November 1981) is a German-born American soccer player who plays for Schalke 04
Jones grew up in Frankfurt-Bonames
. His father is an African-American
soldier who was stationed in Germany. As a child, Jones lived in Chicago
and Greenwood, Mississippi
in the U.S. before his parents divorced and he returned to Germany with his mother.
Jones is a good friend of female football player and multiple national champion Steffi Jones
, who also is a German-American and the child of an African American soldier. They both started in the same club, SV Bonames (albeit not at the same time). The two are not related.
Jones started his youth career at SV Bonames, moving to FV Bad Vilbel
when he was 13 in 1994 and in 1995 was purchased by Eintracht Frankfurt
to play in their academy. He spent the next five years learning and building the quality of his game, and made his first appearance in the Eintracht Frankfurt II
team in the 2000–01 season making 25 appearances and scoring eight goals. He made the step up to the main squad in 2001. Jones made 46 appearances for the Frankfurt senior team over two years in the 2001–2003 seasons, scoring seven goals as he was primarily played as a central denfensive midfielder.
His good form at the time saw him purchased by Bayer Leverkusen
, however first team chances were scarce, and he was relegated to... Read More
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Kulasekara Alwar (Tamil
:குலசேகர ஆழ்வார்)(800- 820 AD) also known as Kulashekhara Alwar
was an Tamil
King who from his hyms is Kongar Kon
or king of Kongu Nadu
and his mountains were the Kolli Hills
He is also one of the famous Hindu Alvar
saints of the Vaishnavite movement of South India who composed the Perumal thirumozhi
, one of the most celebrated devotional works of the Tamil Bhakti
cult. In this work he calls himself ruler of kolli (a mountain in Namakkal dt.), the master of Kudal (Madurai), the ruler of Kozhi (Uraiyur near Trichy) and the overlord of Kongu (Salem- Coimbatore region).
He is also considered the author of the beautiful devotional lyric in Sanskrit, the Mukundamala
. His poems are devotional in nature, being dedicated to the most prominent Avatars
). The great Advaita philosopher Sankaracharya
is a younger contemporary of Kulshekhara Alwar. Kulasekhara Alwar is said to have married a Pandya Kings' daughter. Kulasekhara was supported by the Tamil Clans Villavar, Malayar, Vanavar and Pazhuvettaraiyar.
It is believed that he renounced the crown to become a sanyasi
and lived in Srirangam
to serve the deity of Ranganatha
. He is revered as the 9th of the alvars
(one of 12 mendicant saints venerated by South Indian Sri Vaishnavism
) and composed bhakti songs filled with yearning towards God called......
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Samuel David Dealey
(September 13, 1906 – August 24, 1944) was a United States Navy submarine
commanding officer during World War II
. He was among the most decorated naval officers of the war, receiving six awards for valor
including the Medal of Honor
for his actions aboard the during her fifth war patrol.
Early Life and Career
Samuel David Dealey was born on 13 September 1906 in Dallas, Texas. He was appointed to the U.S. Naval Academy from that same state and graduated in June 1930. Dealey was commissioned an Ensign and reported for sea duty on board , where he was promoted in June 1933 to Lieutenant Junior Grade. In March 1934, he briefly transferred to , then reported that summer for submarine training at the Submarine School, New London, Connecticut. After graduating, he served on board the submarines and . Remaining on sea duty, he reported on board then .
In May 1937, he was assigned as Aide to the Executive Officer at Naval Air Station, Pensacola, Florida. While at the Naval Air Station, he was promoted in June 1938 to Lieutenant. In the Summer of 1939, he was assigned as the Executive Officer on board , transferring to be the Executive Officer on board . In April 1941, he reported to Experimental Division One for duty as the Prospective Commanding Officer of to support at-sea experiments off New London. He commanded for two years, serving onbpard upon during the United States' entry into World War... Read More
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Doofus vs. idiot
Although my husband, who is French, has spent more than twenty years in the U.S., he still sometimes asks for clarification of obscure linguistic issues. One that I have found to be especially elusive is “doofus.” What is the exact difference, my husband wondered, between a doofus and an idiot? It seems to me that “idiot” can be used to describe any old bonehead, but that a doofus is always male, white, fat, AND stupid. I would be interested in others’ points of view on this topic.
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Liu Ye @Sperone Westwater415 West 13 Street, New York, NY 10014(212) 999-7337
This is very...cute. I do not know what to make of it!Nice orange lips?
this is interesting, it's very much like some of the Japanese artist who work in this vain.The cute factor with a sardonic twist.
are dimensions available on this work? somehow i'd like it more if it was a bigger work. more domineering?
they are all small paintings.I think this is in the 14x20 inch range
the glasses are very glassesy
I like the elizabeth murray better.
me too, very very much.
This is so slight it is hard to discuss. The glassy glasses really are the best part. I would like it if they reflected something totally inconguent with the image like flames.
I don't know muc about the context this is made in but painterdog where do you see the sardonic twist?
Saw these first time in person when Station Gallery were looking after him. The Director and I had a good talk, because I was a little lost too! These small things, with Mondrian paintings, were ratty, and kind of plain, had pika-pika jewel like qualities littered throughout them. He's since moved on to Tokyo's leading Gallery, so obviously has a hot European market. The work is more clear now, as to which camp it fits into. I would say Ye is very interested in the stumbling point, the place where the pinch and leaver loose their hold, thus shift the subsequent...
I went the gallery site and the other work has some paintings that to me have this sligthly off thing going on.
preach itthis blog looks good
I see a nod to tradition (expected I suppose) in the stereotypical characters (history in folk arts a well as in the figurines and mag culture)...and the small diminuitive scale speaks well to this aspect. These works are quiet and almost disturbingly so...(to my western eye). I wonder how they play in the motherland. Does it matter? Hmmmm. And is that drool?
Blinded by white noise?
These are sold at CHinese wal-marts with huge gilded frames along side bullfrog carcasses and Udon.It's all true.
statementMaoism is a selling point I guess. Fight the power.
How is this any better or worse than Mark Kostabi? Can we get a kostabi up?
Similar to Lisa Yuskavage's paintings. Looking at the gallery's site ;a bit of unreal cuteness pervades. Can't take them seriously although I want to.
Its interesting because this image - this TROPE -is common, be it glasses or the black brim of a cowboy at high noon, or the hood of an acolytes robe. THere are several issues that are identified with (asian/kostabi) art - true or not:1) the academicism2) lack of originality 3) (beaurocratic) conformity4) didacticismAfter visiting a Lichtenstein exhibition in Chicago, attorney Mark Weissburg wrote an article titled ``Roy Lichtenstein, Copyright Thief?" ``I was struck by the fact that Lichtenstein was never sued for copyright infringement," Weissburg wrote. ``Under copyright law if you copy a protected work without permission you are breaking the law . . . . The Copyright Act also prohibits what are called `derivative works.' These are works that play off of or incorporate or embellish another work. Virtually every one of Lichtenstein's paintings was either an out and out copy or at least a derivative work."herenutty professorsdead metaphors
(she's) Blinding me with science....
The comparison with Kostabi is interesting. Though I detect an undercurrent of eroticism which never occurs in Kostabi and can momentarily pique my interest. But really this work is so similar to so much asian work, not only pop culturally like manga but also in someone like Nara, and half a dozen other asian painters that I have been too lazy to remember. Either its originality of tone doesn't translate, or I am being reflexively xenophobic. My gut feeling though is that there is an international hip pre-pubescent suberotic illustrational cuteness that American and European collectors can understand or simply love. They can get it and congratulate themselves for having an international all encompassing art sensibility. So major galleries can show the stuff for the same reasons, and then we as artists feel obliged to evaluate it in some way. But really this work has nothing to further a dialog about our issues as American artists.
Must agree with Scott Taylor with the resonancewith Yuskavage..It's in the weird way they stylize-- I see it as an inverse-of and the-same-asMargaret Keane's "Keane Eyes" paintings -- Amplified cuteness... But whereas Ye and Yus. spin-off on the knowingness of thrift-store-cache and lowbrow-cuteness-to-highbrow-knowingess...Keane still seems like the keeper.I must say, I've grown weary of yuskavage.Ye, well, there's still the value of decoratingthe homes in the next 12 issues of Dwell.You know, in the light-filled nook, overthe light-filled bowl of fruit, next to thelight filled actionings of cool-folk.Whereas Keane -- Ah yes. Hanging amidstveneered wood paneled interiors, and smokyenclaves where every surface is non-descriptand oh-so telling...Which of each is the real-deal?
i like this over Elizabeth Murray.Goes better with my Cinema Display.
The trouble with references to Manga, is that Manga is almost always better. It is rooted deep in an Asian sensibility and has no pretensions, as it is an art form in itself. Somehow when east meets west everything gets screwed up and we get cute.What the world needs now is "cute"?Bury it with the corpses of the recently murdered.
Remember George Manga is Japanese--This artist is Chinese. Manga magnifies the flat, emphasizes line and contour to give rise to form. Ye uses a strange mix of outline and blending color to create the form, similar to, as mentioned by Scott, a western way--Yuskavage, as close as you can get. But of course the concerns are very different. The paint usage seems particular to what is coming out of China recently, not mattering abstract of figurative. There is a western sense, and then there is not--the feeling, believe me, is very Chinese, plus a delicate and quite restraint, which is a little unusual. Japanese painting is usually framed, well, gentle.All Asian art looks alike, like all Asians look alike, right!?The truth is, well--I met for coffee a friend I hadn't caught up with for over a year. I picked her waiting, she looked straight thru me. When sitting down she apologized, adding, of course, that was easy to make a mistake, after-all "All Western people look the same." Chuckles.If you have seen Nara, know his work well, go see this show. You'll understand the 'no comparison'. Nara doesn't work with messages, it's all just what you see, the disparity. Ye, blends codes, throws out simple information, or suggestion, very much to do with identity, politics, and The New Chinese, anything but heroic, but somehow is.
brent,Yeah, I know the differences. It was late.Asian art, in particular Chinese painting has a long history and as you know, can be incredibly subtle and refined. I still think the east meets west thing produces an odd result but it’s something which may play out over time. I don’t find cute appealing, east or west.One area that interests me is Chinese writing. Since it is based more on combinations of symbolic forms rather than single tokens, I suspect that it might potentially have an affect on the way thought processes are expressed. I don’t have any proof, it’s just a speculation, but I would think their must be a different, possibly more refined or heightened relationship with the symbolic (pictorial forms) Does this make any sense? It’s just a thought, I need more coffee.
Death March for Cutie?
I hate to comment on work I haven’t see in person, but I think the discussion about cultural differences is interesting. One way of noting a culture’s essence it to look at its erotica. The Chinese practice of foot binding and its depiction has to be one of the strangest “fetishes” there is. I read a similar “restraint” and a bizarre kind of enforced cultivation of childhood in this image, like trimming bonsai trees, or 40 year olds wearing baby-doll dresses in role playing sex games.A designer friend had a chair that he wanted to mass produce. He sent out blueprints to several factories all over the world to see who could make it the best and cheapest. When he showed me some of the proto types he’d gotten back it was amazing. Although all the examples were to factory specks I liked the model that was made in Italy, it stood out.. Something about it just had an embodied energy that said the people who mad it had a great feeling for the material and the tradition of woodworking. The example from China though mechanically the same just lacked somehow the same joy of manufacture. Maybe I’m nuts but I could feel the difference. That’s not to say that there isn’t a long and fantastic tradition of craft and art in China, but perhaps it has more to do with their view of mass producing product for Western markets. What does this have to do with this painting? I don’t know except that this cross cultural stuff is a lot more complex than it might appear. By the way, my friend went with the Chinese manufacturer, about half as expensive as the Italians.
went to the opening, they are not that small - this was not one of the most interesting pieces in the show, in life NIght's (5/8 x 67 inches) red shoe has an eerrie amazing effect. Once Upon a Time in Broadway and Boogie Woogie, Little Girl - where the girl is looking at the Art are show very curious relationship between this Artist and Painting.
"The trouble with references to Manga, is that Manga is almost always better."I was watching Catoon Networks manga stuff and its pretty trippy. Made by men for children, this stuff makes one yearn for the inner child.Kostabis paintings have a flatness to them - an affectless effect. And they are faceless! No Feckless!Its like the twilight zone episode or ten where someone turns towards the camera, the mirror, "the and" and......so in a sense we go back to maigritte, dont we? On the short buss? Inhabiting his studio, with its pipes that are not pipes, its bowler hatted people, its nights that are day? I prefer works such as Michael Baldwin's:"Map of Thirty-Six Square Mile Surface Area of Pacific Ocean West of Oahu" (1967)herePositively INSCRUTABLE.Pacific rim, you give me fever.
Kostabis paintings are done for brain dead consumers.I read this account how he hid in the bathrooms at the new Moma to crash the opening, he was not invited, and spent hours siting on top of a tolet.WTF! How sad is that... and it was on his web site that this story was told by non-other than the man himself.Sad, so desperate to be part of the "art scene".
And yet the man makes millions in italy. I guess its the italian interest in craftsmanship that slave labor in China doesnt have.My advice to you who are manufacturing your paintings in china - visit the factory regularly. Here's what to watch for:1) Workers doing fun runs at lunch. DOnt be fooled, workers do not want to run at lunch. In an ideal world they would much prefer to eat lunch at lunch, and then go to a Crunch and do tai-bo.2) Wokers working overtime. THis may seem cool to the average manhattanite working their way up the corporate ladder, but there is no ladder in a factory. In a factory there is a floor and a tin ceiling.In conclusion, shouldn't we artists unionize? Isnt it time that artists use collective bargaining to cease the flow of QUALITY luxury goods to a class that neither cares about nor heeds our demands for INTELLECTUAL RIGOUR?God help us all.
I Pod People
Has someone been demanding intellectual rigor? I would settle for that. Oh wait, isn't that how we ended up with all those monochromatic canvases? I guess you were being ironic, but still your ipod people article just points out how the forces of globalization are so all encompassing we can't even begin to think about how many lives touch our own constantly. We assume a privileged intellectual position that doesn't exist anymore. We are not considering Liu Ye because of how good, or relevant his work is to our issues. The fascination with global art comes from a primarily imperialist place. But the center of the art world is shifting out of the US in front of our eyes for a variety of economic and political reasons. And the shift will be complete when the issues that inform Liu Ye's work seem compelling and relevant to our own. The privileged imperialism of our global power is biting us in the ass. At the risk of sounding like some flag-waving redneck racist(which I am not) on a certain level I don't want to truly understand this work too well because I think it coopts Euro-American painting. Which means it threatens to dilute those qualities that are unique to our experience and tradition. Or not. Perhaps this line of thought is too 20th century. But we are discussing painting after all.
z, i think your statement must have had an effect
I have stopped using the word "we". My ipod didnt work for too long.
amy sillman talked at strand last week.anyone went? Marlene Dumas talking at Cooper Union on 23rd if anyone cares, and last but not least Zip's intimations were correct on Rhoades (as per artnet). Foot binding is is irrelevant to this painting...............................
Decay! That guy, Malcolm X, which part of Provincial France did his ancestors come from? Before Chris sailed over I was told he got a fax saying, 'Quess what, Chris, it's inhabited!'Yeah, I'd like to talk more, but probably, I think painter has in mind a new image.http://www.ted.com/tedtalks/tedtalksplayer.cfm?key=hans_rosling
Decay... "the center of the art world is shifting out of the US in front of our eyes for a variety of economic and political reasons ... I don't want to truly understand this work too well because I think it coopts Euro-American painting"Appreciate the honesty.And you're right... Cultural dominacyis indeed entwined with economic dominancy.We will see a great shift before our eyes.
weird.This made me think of Su-En Wong-her paintings-the cute objectified stereotype thing. Sometimes going as far as expoiting it themselves with no further illumination. The one called Strawberry was so cute, too cute, that it bacame not cute-morphed into annoyingly cute-like the child beauty contests and how annoying those kids are or like eating a fudge +marshmallow+ caramel topped sunday. Eh.
brent, there is no new image today. Although I assume we will be seeing Yuskavage soon. Saw her new show today, but I don't know if I'm ready for a discussion. I do think it is powerful work, and no comparison to Ye. That said I am not sure if she is breaking new ground here, but she has a pretty full plate. No one strikes this note. And the longing and sadness are poignant, the anger, which I think has been a big part of the work seems very subdued.I wasn't talking actual ancestors here. Russian Jewish myself, but that is not very relevant to my painting culture. The painting culture that has informed my thinking for the last 30 odd years is not world wide. I enjoy the exotic, but my thought patterns are totally western. I practice Yoga, but I would hardly expect Iyengar et al to learn anything from my interpretation or it. I just think that all cross-cultural appropriation is imperialistic because of military or economic conquest, and I'm suggesting that our culture is the one being appropriated and fed back to us in a changed form that isn't helpful to us. Just as it wouldn't have helped African art in the early 20th century to study Picasso and company's cubist reformulations. I think this an apt analogy.
if you look at the rest of the show i see foot binding - also reflected in the almost "forced" cuteness. i was chatting with a film critic last night who was morning the antiquation of print, and intellectual rigor thru the recent layoff of another film critic at the Voice. She said they won't be replaced, because people just "don't care"
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English translation is given at the end.
Following ‘azad’ poem is by one of my favourite writers, Shafiq-ur-Rehman and it comes from his book ‘lehreN’. The poem is actually a satire on modern day poets who write ‘azad’ Urdu poem by using all the ‘azadi’ they can get. The poem describes a situation of fighting cats in a garden. I hope it brings a smile to you just like it has been bringing smiles to me for the past 20 years.
Here is my attempt at an approximate translation for our English readers:
Cats are fighting
May be cats are fighting in garden now
There is the haze of dusk
It is time to rest
And cats are fighting
May be they are 4 in number
or may be 3
But this little doubt has made house in my heart
that the cats are 5 in number
and definitely they cannot be 6
and the night is glowing in moonlight
and the moon is shining bright
and the moonlight is ubiquitous
and this moonlight will only last for a little while
and then there is a pitch dark night ahead
What was i saying?
Aah, it just slipped out of my mind
What happened to my memory?
Only God can fix it
Oh Yes, I just remembered!
the cats are fighting
Cats are probably finghting in the garden now!
Photo Credits: Flickr.com
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From a recent health magazine for women: EAT MORE FISH!
(OK, I can get behind that.)
BUT IF YOU'RE TRYING TO LOSE WEIGHT, SKIP THE FATTY FISH LIKE SARDINES AND SALMON, AND GO FOR TILAPIA.
From a friend who is trying to get pregnant: "Well, I eat plenty of whole grains, so no problem there. But I'm going to stop eating fish and carrots. They're dangerous!"
Same friend to me (I'm also TTC): "Aren't you going to eat like a normal person once you're pregnant?"
"I can't eat artichokes. They're too high in fat!" (???)
"No avocado - too fattening. Could I have a side of ranch?"
"I'll have the (menu item), but could you take out the broccoli, cabbage, peppers, and onions?"
Waiter: "So.. you just want the tofu and noodles, nothing else?"
"Oh, I could never do that. I couldn't live without bread!"
"So, basically, you just eat meat, right?"
"You're so good for bringing your own lunch to work. I try, but I always forget." (Um, it's not that hard?)
My biggest thing, and this goes for my history of pre-Paleo eating as well, is that I just don't have a sweet tooth. Friends, family and coworkers just can't understand why I don't want a cookie or piece of candy or other "treat". They stare at me incredulously, like, how can you possibly be denying yourself? You might as well be from another planet if you don't take the proferred sugarbomb, no matter what your reason is.
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Palermo’s has worked with catering halls, restaurants, and banquet halls throughout the past 25 years. Venues that include a cake within your party package usually provide a basic sheet cake or a selection of buttercream tiered cakes. Before beginning your cake selection process, it is best to ask your caterer what exactly they are providing for your event.
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I am a female professional - a working mother - who lives in Wisconsin. I created this blog to monitor, and round up, the sexist treatment given to Republican VP nominee, Sarah Palin. This blog will focus on sexist reactions to the Palin nomination by the media and politicians.
Please email me tips at:
All criticisms of Sarah Palin are not sexist. It would be sexist to expect that she would receive no criticism, or that she SHOULD receive no criticism, because she is a woman. I admit that some of the criticism of Palin may really be the result of ideological bias, or simply sloppy reporting, not sexism. Some of the questions are fair game in isolation (yes, of course, it's fair to talk about Palin's experience in general; it's that she's held to a higher standard than males in the race that's the issue).
The Palin piling on is a complex cultural stew. In some cases, I suspect ideological and gender bias are working together. A reader has challenged me to define what I consider to be sexism. Broadly, I would define sexism in the political sphere as the following: When the woman is held to a higher and different standard than a similarly situated male, especially but not limited to issues that have no relevance to the race and that tend to diminish the woman's professional accomplishments by playing into gender stereotypes.
Specifically, here is a list of what I consider to be sexist behavior:
Coverage of a female politician that fixates on her physical appearance, pro or con. I admit that male politicians sometimes face this (Obama walking shirtless out of the Hawaiian surf got a lot of attention, and there was a lot of attention about John Edwards' shiny hair). And I think that some women have mixed feelings about this. After all, who doesn't want to be considered good looking? But, for many women, when they are in a professional setting, and supposedly professional media commentators place the focus back on their physical appearance, as a positive or a negative, it feels diminishing of their professional accomplishments. This works both ways, of course. Hillary Clinton has been viciously attacked by some on the right for supposedly not being good looking. That, too, is sexist, especially since unattractive male politicians are generally not held to this standard. If you think about it, good-looking male politicians also find their appearance the topic of discussion in many cases, but that's not true of unattractive male politicians. It's true in both cases for women. Simply put, appearance is not relevant to competence, so why are we talking about Palin's hair and looks?
Sexual-related comments about a female politician.
Blatant belittling of one's intelligence without evidence and in a manner not accorded to male opponents (i.e. saying the woman is stupid, needs a teleprompter, needs a lot of coaching, etc.)
Implying that the woman must not really believe her positions or must be under the intellectual sway of a more powerful male. (This happens in racism too. Consider how opponents argue that Clarence Thomas is a tool of intellectual white men like Antonin Scalia).
Double standards relating to motherhood; i.e., the female politician is asked questions about motherhood that her male counterparts aren't asked about fatherhood. (Why doesn't Palin stay home to take care of the kids? Hillary, why don't you want to stay home to bake cookies and hold teas?) The reverse is also true. It's also wrong for people to demean females who CHOOSE to stay home and raise their families. I personally believe that whether a woman chooses to be a housewife, a career woman, or, like Palin, a mixture of both, is her personal decision and debate about it really isn't relevant in a presidential election.
Slurs that are typically used to demean women but aren't applied to similarly aggressive men; i.e. when attributes that would be praised in a man are reduced to a negative in the woman (b-tch, nag, etc.). The Martha Stewart phenomenon. The tough woman is a b-tch, but the overly emotional woman is too weak to lead (women can't win sometimes!)
The woman is held to higher standards for intelligence/professional qualifications than a male opponent. (Palin is utterly unqualified, but Obama is then not?)
Diminishing of traditional female roles as being silly (the PTA, chortle, chortle, chortle. She was a housewife once, how pathetic, etc.). I don't know about you, but right now I am thinking about the woman, a housewife, who ran my child's Catholic Bible school this summer, and she was quite a force to be reckoned with. I'd love to pit her against Putin.
Emphasis on female roles traditionally seen as silly when discussing an accomplished, professional woman (she was a beauty queen 24 years ago!!!!!!)
Assuming incompetence. (she's a woman, so she won't be a strong leader, etc.)
The woman becomes defined by a single gender-related issue in a manner that males do not (consider how the abortion question is defining Palin, but doesn't define Obama or even McCain.)
Issues that aren't used against male opponents are magnified out of proportion against the woman. (Bristol-mania. I admit this one might be ideological bias more than sexism, but I do think it's caught up in Palin's cultural role as a "mother")
Invasion of the personal sphere and personalization/lifestyle focus of/on the candidate. In other words, covering the woman through the gauze of personality and lifestyle issues, rather than professional accomplishment. (Why are we talking about Palin's prenatal care and amniotic fluid again? It's creepy. Do we talk about Biden's sperm count? I admit that's a really creepy thought, and I do admit that Palin invited some of this by talking about her breastfeeding to People magazine. But still.)
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Hypnotherapy Audio Tracks (I only use "The Gift of Relaxation"...it's not actually hypnotherapy, rather deep guided relaxation. I usually add it on in front of other ones ---- I mix and match all of mine for daytime or bedtime relaxation intentions). *
Healthy Living To Go Audio Library by Kaiser (A big name in the medical/hospital community). I really like some of theirs. I use some of the ones under "Relieve Stress" and "Healthful Sleep".
Serenity at UMB Relaxation CD University of Massachusetts -- Boston. I have them all downloaded but I think I only use one or two of them as they are more yoga stuff versus "just lying there" stuff.
Relaxation Exercises (MP3 audio) University of Wisconsin - Madison. I have these downloaded, but I don't believe that I use them. At least not on a regular basis.
Sleep Wellness Page Tufts University, which has links to other sites of free downloadable relaxation stuff. Some may already be mentioned above. But there are others, many of which I really like. I believe it's the Liverpool University that you can't access unless you are a student there. But the other ones are available to the public. They include MIT (I think I use their Guided Imagery), University of Mary Washington, Western Washington University, Indiana University, University of Liverpool, University of Texas (I know I use some of theirs), University of North Carolina, and Hobart and William Smith Colleges (I know I use some of theirs).
Online Relaxation Exercises I don't use this as it is not downloadable and is something that you play on your computer while you are online. And because we have a dial up connection, I've never listened to them because it would be too slow. But there might be something in there helpful for you if you have high speed.
This post has been edited by kataroo: 07 December 2009 - 04:47 PM
Reason for edit: updates/remove broken links
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Two months ago, if you had asked me to describe Willa Cather, I would have pictured her writing in the middle of the Nebraska farmland, surrounded by as many sheaves of paper as sheaves of wheat. I didn’t realize that, when she was 33, Cather left the Great Plains for the big city; she moved to Pittsburgh and then to New York, where she lived for the rest of her life. She didn’t publish her first novel until 16 years after the move, when Fifth Avenue must have been just as familiar as the farm.
It’s no wonder, then, that food played such a major role in Cather’s writings: She needed it to bring her back to life on the frontier. With their incredible power to conjure up a time and place, food memories are some of the strongest associations around. More than anything else about a trip, I remember the meals: crabs in Baltimore, étouffée in New Orleans, pain au chocolat in Paris. When I left home in California for the unknowns of the East Coast, my mom sent me off with a bound compilation of our family’s favorite recipes. Seven years later, in my New York kitchen, I still flip it open when deciding what to make for dinner. It’s one of the best gifts I’ve ever gotten.
In Nebraska, Cather drew her cooking inspiration from Annie Pavelka, a Bohemian immigrant to the town of Red Cloud whose life (and food) would serve as the basis for My Ántonia. In her own New York kitchen, hundreds of miles from home, I imagine Cather consulting her recipes and rolling out her pastry dough like Annie did, mentally recreating the pioneer communities of her childhood.
* * *
The foods that filled Annie’s kitchen had a strong connection to the local German and Czech families who settled in Red Cloud: rabbit with gravy, dumplings, sauerkraut. Those are all familiar, but I had never heard of kolache until I read My Ántonia. The slightly sweet, yeasted pastries filled with spiced plums that Cather described made me curious enough to try them myself.
Everyone seems to have her own way of making kolache, and one of the “great kolache controversies” is their shape: round and flat, with the filling plopped in the middle, or square and folded, with filling peeking out from inside. According to an interview with Annie’s granddaughter, Antonette Turner, there are even variations between successive generations of bakers. I just like the look of the squares, not to mention the confused stares they got from my boyfriend (“HOW did you get them to stay like that?”). And anyway, the important thing, Turner notes, “is not to be stingy with the filling.”
Spiced plum filling:
1 pound plums, quartered, pits removed
3/4 cup sugar
1/4 teaspoon cinnamon
1/8 teaspoon ground allspice
1/8 teaspoon ground cloves
Kolache dough: (adapted from Simply Recipes)
3 1/2 cups all-purpose flour, divided, plus more for kneading
1 package active dry yeast
1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg
1 cup whole milk, plus 1 tablespoon for egg wash
1/2 cup unsalted butter
1/4 cup sugar
1 teaspoon salt
2 eggs, plus 1 for egg wash
1 teaspoon lemon zest
1. Make the filling: Combine plums and sugar in a small bowl and let sit 1 hour. In a food processor or blender, purée plum mixture. Combine plum purée, cinnamon, allspice, and cloves in a medium saucepan over high heat. Stirring constantly, bring to a boil and cook 10 minutes, or until mixture has thickened (and passes the plate test). Cool completely.
2. In a large bowl, combine 2 cups flour, the yeast, and nutmeg. Set aside.
3. In a medium saucepan, combine 1 cup milk, the butter, sugar, and salt. Warm over low heat until mixture reaches 120 to 130°F. Add milk mixture and 2 eggs to dry ingredients, stirring until fully combined; then beat with an electric mixer on high speed 3 minutes. Stir in lemon zest and remaining 1 1/2 cups flour.
4. Turn dough out onto a lightly floured surface. Knead until dough is soft and elastic, adding additional flour if necessary. Place in a lightly greased bowl, turning once to grease the surface. Cover and let rise in a warm place until doubled in size, 1 to 1 1/2 hours.
5. Punch dough down and turn out onto a lightly floured surface. Divide dough in half and roll out each half into a 16×8 inch rectangle, about 1/8 inch thick. Cut each rectangle into 8 4×4 squares.
6. Place 1 heaping tablespoon of plum filling on center of each square. Brush the corners of each square with water, draw them up, and gently press together. Secure with a toothpick. Place on 2 greased baking sheets, 2 inches apart. Cover and let rise 30 minutes.
7. Preheat oven to 375°F. In a small bowl, beat remaining egg with 1 tablespoon milk and brush over each square. Bake 12 to 15 minutes or until golden. Transfer to wire racks and cool 10 minutes. Remove toothpicks.
(Photo of Willa Cather by Carl Van Vechten)
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Alexandra D. Lahav
University of Connecticut - School of Law
George Washington Law Review, Forthcoming
At the core of the controversy over mass torts lies a fundamental question: what justifies collective litigation? Scholars considering this question make one of two arguments. They either argue that collective justice must be limited by a process-based right to participation based on autonomy values, or they argue that collective justice is justified by utilitarian values and dismiss participation altogether. This Article presents a third alternative: that the democratic nature of the jury trial validates "group typical" justice, a subset of collective justice. The Article re-envisions the trial as a democratic enterprise, rather than solely an atomistic one. An innovative procedure that illustrates this democratic justification is the bellwether trial. In a bellwether trial procedure a random sample of cases from a mass tort is tried to a jury and the results extrapolated to the remainder of the cases. The practice of bellwether trials prompts us to think more deeply about the political economy of modern adjudication and the possibility of adapting our eighteenth-century common law institutions to the needs of twenty-first century society.
Number of Pages in PDF File: 58
Keywords: Jury, Trials, Complex Litigation, Mass TortsAccepted Paper Series
Date posted: October 3, 2007
© 2013 Social Science Electronic Publishing, Inc. All Rights Reserved.
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The banks have responded by stopping their Credit Protector programs. However, this is actually the wrong move since it leaves consumers with no default protection insurance.
Default Insurance that should only cost 2 to 4 cents per 100 dollars of coverage per month, not the 99 cents per 100 dollars per month that the Credit Card Companies were charging.
While I am never be acknowledged or thanked by the powers that be, I did start Credit-Protector.com back in October of 2007 that warned about how dreadful Credit Protector "Insurance" actually was. Almost five years later and my warnings have come to fruition.
However, now there is a much bigger fish to fry. All the consumer credit card defaults from the past 15 years need to unwound since those consumers did not have access to a fair debt suspension insurance program that was actually reasonably priced.
You are viewing Parallel Foreclosure blog. Please check out UNfair Foreclosures blog and Swarm The Banks blog as well.
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The new WeeZee play complex in Westchester has a cute name, but a serious mission: Louise Weadock, a psychiatric nurse and parent, founded the facility, based on her own and others’ research, to provide play and developmental activities for children with (and without) sensory disorders, and to continue the research into the effectiveness of sensory play as therapy.
WeeZee’s goal, and the goal of centers like it, is twofold: to provide the therapeutic activities that help children with sensory processing disorders to adapt and function in an environment that’s fun for all children, and to provide many of the services children with the developmental disorders that often accompany sensory disorders need in a single location. Limiting the travel and scheduling struggles that can surround the effort to get a child who needs a variety of therapies the help she needs benefits the child — and her parents and siblings.
But “integrating” the services only works if the other pieces of the puzzle come together as well — if the therapies are the right ones, if the insurance coverage (for those lucky enough to have it) works, or the state supports the program, and if the services fit with the child’s needs.
WeeZee is new, but similar facilities have been opening around the country. Has a sensory learning center worked for you and your family? Would you encourage a parent beginning to structure a plan for a recently diagnosed child to try to work with a center? What, in a therapy center, works — and what doesn’t?
In Wednesday’s earlier Motherlode post, it was mentioned how the writer Beth Arky described what it takes to do something as simple as attend a Broadway show when your child has autism.
Now Lorraine Duffy Merkl, author of the novel “Fat Chick,” writes about deciding when “what it takes” is just to much, and learning to make it take less.
WHEN NOTHING CAN MEAN EVERYTHING
By Lorraine Duffy Merkl
“I would do anything to help my child.” Who hasn’t said that and followed up their words with actions? But the parents of special needs children get to prove it on what seems to be a daily basis, since there is always a new therapy, medication, school or tutoring option being presented to us. And we often leap before we look. Even when a program doesn’t sound quite right, hey, like the lottery, you never know. What if this one thing you choose not to try is “it”? Aside from fearing that, we get afraid of being branded as the mother who doesn’t care enough to go through the wringer as well as her life savings.
I learned the hard way that doing “anything” may not always be the best thing. Read more…
Illustration by Barry Falls Stress
Lori Gottlieb is training to be a therapist. All the books she read in graduate school taught her that behind every patient, there is a problem parent — one who is not supportive or loving or empathetic enough. Then, as she puts it in a piece in The Atlantic hitting newsstands next week, “I started seeing patients.” And one after the next they came to say they were depressed, and unmoored, and anxious, and that “they had little to quibble with about Mom or Dad.”
To the contrary, she writes, these patients, all in their late 20s and early 30s: Read more…
Samantha Contis for The New York Times Brian Dennis working on binocular coordination in a vision-therapy session.
In The New York Times Magazine article “Concocting a Cure for Kids With Issues,” Judith Warner writes about a controversial practice called vision therapy, in which some optometrists say they can treat learning disabilities. She reports:
According to Visionandlearning.org, a behavioral-optometry Web site, vision therapy can be used to treat reading problems, learning problems, spelling problems, attention problems, hyperactivity, coordination problems; it can also treat a child who experiences “trouble in sports,” who “frustrates easily,” displays “poor motivation,” and “does not work well on his own” — virtually anything that presents as an “impaired potential for achievement,” to borrow a phrase from the prominent late optometrist Martin H. Birnbaum.
Read the full article here, then post a comment.
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Aesop taught that slow and steady won the race. In Homeward Bound 2, a quiet little movie containing no bad language and little sex or violence, another message may be brewing.
In this sequel, the Seaver family is flying to Canada with Shadow, Chance, and Sassy (voiced by Ralph Waite, Michael J. Fox, and Sally Field) packed for the trip in the luggage compartment. But Chance gets nervous about being locked in a cage and flies the coop while they are parked on the tarmac. Now it's Home Alone goes to the dogs (and cats) as the three pets must find their way from the San Francisco airport back to their home in the burbs.
Obvious content concerns for parents are few, with the main source of violence being two guys who want to kidnap dogs to sell to a science lab. Otherwise, an occasional dogfight breaks out as the trio crosses into another group's turf (maybe gang violence is an animal control problem). A few sexual innuendos are also present, as scriptwriters struggle to attract older audience members through easier means than crafting a great story.
My real concern, however, is how Chance plays his role of being the dog who always throws fate to the wind, and forever winds up lucky. His wisecracking lines and refusal to obey or listen to anyone sets a negative example for younger audiences. Chance's actions are reinforced by having him cast as the star "hero" dog and getting the girl in the end. By comparison, the slow and steady Shadow is boring and out of date.
Often children's movies are marketed at a price intended for purchase. Be especially selective when deciding to put a movie that your children will watch repeatedly into your family's collection. Themes not apparent after a single viewing become much more powerful when watched over and over. I'm sure if Aesop sold the movie rights to his fable today, most certainly the tortoise wouldn't stand a hare of a chance.
Homeward Bound II: Lost In San Francisco is rated G:
Cast: Michael J. Fox, Sally Field
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Parents Across America is proud to have a new affiliate in Chicago; 19th Ward Parents. Their website is www.19thwardparents.com and their email is email@example.com . Becky Malone wrote the below post, about their fight to preserve and improve Chicago’s public education system – for all students, and their campaign for an elected school board.
19th Ward Parents is a grassroots organization of Chicago public school parents. We stand together with parents, teachers and community groups across Chicago in support of quality public education for all.
Our organization initially came together in early 2011 in opposition to Mayor Rahm Emanuel’s plan to extend our public school day to make it the longest in the nation — 7.5 hours — with no additional funding. We investigated the research behind the plan, found it seriously wanting, and organized petition signings, community forums and rallys; we wrote relentlessly to media and spoke at every school board meeting for 5 months straight. [An excellent fact sheet they helped produce is 90 percent of its 26,500 members vote to authorize a strike if summer contract negotiations fail.
This essentially negated a law that was passed just last year, designed specifically so teachers wouldn’t have the ability to strike even though the right was maintained, by deeming that they needed 75% of their membership to vote in favor! Our teachers met and far surpassed what they needed, sending a strong message to CPS that they are done being demonized and bullied!
Our most recent effort has us working with community and parent groups from nearly every neighborhood in our city, a cooperative effort that has never before happened in Chicago. This coalition, called Communities Organized for Democracy in Education (CODE), is initiating a city-wide petition drive to move CPS to a representative elected school board. Currently the Mayor controls the public schools and he appoints the school board. Nationwide, 96% of school boards are elected and Chicago has the only appointed school board in Illinois. As long as we have an appointed board accountable only to the Mayor, we will never see real change in our public schools.
Moving forward 19th Ward Parents will serve as a resource of information for parents and teachers through hot topic discussion panels about subjects like standardized testing, charter schools and the impact of a possible teachers strike on our children. Finally, we will continue to demand that our school board provides for the quality education all our children deserve.
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Yesterday's record of what I ate and what I bought...
First stop - marche President Wilson near Metro Ilena.
Why can't I leave the house before 11:30? Lunch time.
I've had this before. A kind of pita with thyme + sesame seeds. On top brochette of poulet + taboule + hummos = MIAM
Then heated and rolled up like a buche de noel or jelly roll.
The dog of the day.
Nearby a stop into the Palais de Tokyo
The observers look like sculptures...
Further on a bit - musee Guimet with a special exhibit on tea.
At the end a sniffing display somewhat like The Art of Scent...
On Champs-Elysees a Christmas marche is still going on...
Time for a warming cup of chocolat chaud. Not Le Meurice but still good.
Bus 42 to rue de Rivoli for a fast stop into the Apple store - this has become a daily habit.
Browsing on Rivoli a look through the window at Angelina - just a look. Too crowded to go in.
But not to crowded to stop inside Fromagerie Laurent Dubois.
A petite piece de Roquefort - bleu de Laqueville for dinner.
Bleu + apple cider + grainy bread = heaven.
That was my day yesterday.Let me know if you want more daily reports?
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Jeudi 24 Janvier Mon Traiteur
The great thing about living in Paris is you have your own deli, boulangerie,poissoniere, patisserie, fromager, la poste etc. You're loyal to the purveyors in your quartier and if you're lucky they will remember you and give you the occasional smile...
Mon traiteur has the yummiest stuff...miam miam
Almost always a line out the door.
No matter how many times I pass their vitrine/windows...
I have to stop and leche-vitrine/window shop/drool. I'm especially crazy for coquilles Saint Jacques. There's a special fete this weekend in Montmartre for the coquille Saint Jacques - la fete de la Saint-Vincent, le patron saint des vignerons/wine growers. 'Toute la Butte Montmartre sera en Fete! I really want to go to this.
Twice a week I get 100 grs(3 ounces) of beet salad and red cabbage salad from mon traiteur for about 2.50 euros...
To make 'Detox salade'.
Anything to counter balance the tres riche goodies I ate over New Years and the daily impulsive indulgences ahem.
While Django's doggie dreams of the traiteur's saucisson I dream of coquille Saint-Jacques. Have you tasted this?
BONNE WEEK-END PBers!
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About the Village
The centre of the village is a Conservation Area with many old stone properties from the 17th, 18th and 19th centuries. Vicar's Wood, adjacent to All Saints parish church is a haven for wildlife and in spring is carpeted with snowdrops, daffodils and bluebells.
On the village green a colourful village sign, which was based on designs by local children, depicts scenes of Nettleham's past. The Beck, which runs through the centre of the village, has beautiful waterside walks which attract many a photographer and artist. Mallard ducks are always to be found here and also on the small lake in the attractively landscaped grounds of the Lincolnshire Police Headquarters, located on the west side of the village.
Present day amenities include several shops and a café located in the village centre; a Church and a Methodist Chapel; Health Centre; Post Office; 4 Public Houses; Village Hall; a beautifully restored old stone village school (used by numerous organisations and the location of the Parish Council offices); library; many sports and social clubs; primary and junior schools and playgroups.
The village is officially twinned with Mulsanne in France, exchanges taking place each year.
A quarterly magazine, Nettleham News, keeps everyone up to date with village news and annually publishes a directory of the numerous organisations and services in the village.
The Gardeners Association has a large and active membership and visitors frequently comment not only on the obvious charm of the village, but of the care taken with attractive gardens and properties in the community. It is perhaps not surprising therefore that Nettleham has achieved a number of awards in the annual 'Best Kept Village Competition', sponsored by the Council for the Preservation of Rural England.
The village is well served by public transport with a number of different bus companies providing regular services, both into the city of Lincoln and further afield.
Despite its relatively large size, the village deservedly has a reputation for being a very friendly place in which to live, with a strong community spirit.
History of the Village
Situated approximately four miles north of the City of Lincoln, Nettleham is an attractive village with a current population about 3,500.
Although its history may be traced back to the Iron Age, its early development may be attributed to the Romans, who, after establishing their garrison at Lincoln in 43AD, discovered a spring on the outskirts of the village, from which they supplemented their supply of fresh water from the wells in the upper city.
Following the departure of the Romans in the 5th century, the invading Anglo Saxons settled in Lincoln and the surrounding area. Although initially they claimed the manorial rights in Nettleham, the manor eventually became the property of Queen Editha, wife of Edward I, also known as Longshanks, and finally Queen Maud, wife of Henry I. The manor was then passed on to the Bishops of Lincoln. It was then that the early Saxon manor house was enlarged to create a 'palace' more suitable as a country retreat for the Bishop to entertain visiting nobility.
Participants in the Lincolnshire Rebellion in 1536, protesting against Henry VIII and his reformation of the monasteries, passed Nettleham on their way to the City of Lincoln and caused much damage to property, particularly to the Palace, and it was from this time that the building began to fall into disrepair. However a number of grass mounds, marking the outlines of the original buildings and gardens are still visible in the Bishop's Palace field today.
The parish church of All Saints, whilst of Saxon origin, has modifications and decoration from the Middle Ages through to the 19th century, with beautiful stained glass windows and an attractive modern east window in the chancel which replaced the original damaged by a devastating fire in 1969.
An unusual feature in the old churchyard is a gravestone dated 1732, recording the murder of a postboy, Thomas Gardiner, aged 19, on the outskirts of the village.
Want to know more about our village?
Then read one or more of the following books:-
- Life in Nettleham and other Places by Tom Lane
- All Saints Church Nettleham by Rev Gordon Sleight
- A Sign of the Times - The Story of Nettleham a Lincolnshire Village by Barbara Taylor
- Nettleham Yesteryears - by Pearl Vose
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