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Here's your one-stop guide to all the parts of Adobe CS4 Design Premium
Design professionals (like you!) rely on Adobe's Creative Suite Design Premium and this all-in-one guide. Here's everything you need on the hot new versions of InDesign, Illustrator, Photoshop, Acrobat, Dreamweaver, Flash, and Fireworks. Whether you're creating newsletters, Web sites, cool original art, or animations, this book has it covered!
Get it together see how the programs dovetail to create pages with text and drawings, or Web sites with photos, Flash animations, and rollovers
Know your toolbox get familiar with the menus, panels, and tools that are similar throughout the suite
Find your vector get creative with Illustrator's cool new vector tracing feature
See what's new check out enhanced Photoshop 3D tools, annotation capabilities in Acrobat 9.0, improved CSS capabilities in Dreamweaver, and more
Animate in a Flash create interactive animations for the Web or video with Flash CS4
Interact use the easier rollover and action features in Dreamweaver CS4 to add interactivity without coding
Fire up your site explore what Fireworks CS4, the newest addition to the suite, can add to Web sites
Open the book and find:
Which extensions and filters are common to all programs
Hard-to-find keyboard shortcuts in Illustrator
How to enhance and manipulate photos with Photoshop
Secrets for smoothing out your workflow
How to use the Adobe Bridge
The difference between RGB and CMYK
How to secure PDF files
Steps for using each program
Adobe Creative Suite 4 Design Premium All-in-One For Dummies
Jennifer Smith, co-founder and Executive Vice President of the Aquent Graphics Institute www.agitraining.com, a subsidiary of Aquent www.aquent.com, has been working in electronic publishing for over two decades, and is widely regarded as one of the foremost authorities in electronic publishing and design. She has authored a number of books on print and Internet publishing, including the Adobe Creative Suite for Dummies (CS and CS2), Adobe Illustrator Classroom in a Book (CS and CS2), GoLive CS2 Classroom in a Book, and Sam's Teach Yourself Adobe GoLive in 24 Hours. Most recently, she has helped author much of Adobe's internal training for the Creative Suite 3 launch. For more information on AGI, please visit www.agitraining.com.
Fred Gerantabee is an Emmy-award winning interactive designer, author and educator with over 13 years of experience in web and interactive design, development and consulting.Most recently, Fred was an interactive producer with Walt Disney Interactive/ ABC television, creating synchronous, FLASH-based applications and interactive games for major television events such as the 2004 Presidential Elections, the Academy Awards, and Extreme Makeover: Home Edition.
Fred is an Adobe Certified Instructor and ACE for Flash, Dreamweaver and Flash Lite and the author of several books including Flash CS3 and Dreamweaver CS3 Dynamic Learning series books on O'Reilly publishing. He is a speaker, training manager and instructor at Aquent Graphics Institute, where he delivers custom consulting, training and curriculum solutions.
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Watch Can We Help in high quality on iViewwatch on iView
Phillipa Challis - Founder of Laughter clubs Victoria Inc
You may have wandered through a park and witnessed a group of people laughing together for no obvious reason. This may have led you to ask what are they up to and why are they laughing?
Sally had this exact experience and asked Pete to investigate the interesting phenomenon of laughter clubs.
Pete joins James Kane (the laughter leader of the Moonee Ponds Laughter Group in Melbourne) and Phillipa Challis (founder of Laughter Clubs Victoria Inc) to find out what all this laughing is about.
Phillipa explains that laughter clubs were started by a General Practitioner in India back in 1995. One laughter club in India has now expanded to nearly 6000 clubs around the world. Laughter clubs encourage people to get in touch with the child within. Children laugh 300-400 times a day while adults only laugh 15 times per day.
Pete finds this experience one of the hardest things he’s ever had to do for Pete Investigates. Pete confides in Phillipa and tells her that he was faking his laughter for most of the time so does it still count?
Phillipa says that the body does not know if you are faking your laughter, when you are having a good laugh, you are using every muscle in your body and it almost like internal jogging.
Physiologically, laughter is very good for you. Laughter creates a good oxygen exchange and leads to blood circulation. When this happens, the serotonin levels go up and the person releases hormones and one hormone in particular is the endorphin and that is the happy hormone.
William Fry from Stanford University conducted research in the 1960s and found that 1 minute of hearty laughter was equivalent to 10 minutes on a rowing machine.
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company vehicles, and thanks to modern innovation, many retailers are capitalizing on the growing trend of window perforation graphics.
- TRANSPORTATION: Window perforation can be used on buses, commuter trains, and commercial vehicles. Each of these vehicles is seen by hundreds, sometimes thousands of people a day and each of them are a potential customer. If you are not [caption id="attachment_11143" align="alignright" width="300"] perforated vehicle window graphics[/caption] utilizing your sides of your buses and trains, or the back or side windows of your vehicle, you are missing out on valuable advertising real estate.
- TYPES OF BRICK AND MORTAR POSSIBILITIES: When it comes to the types of businesses that can use storefront window graphics at their brick and mortar location, the possibilities are almost limitless. Here are some popular industries that have incorporated this lucrative type of advertising: restaurants, bars, grocery stores, airports, hotels, convention centers, stadiums, and municipal buildings to name a few.
- WHERE TO PUT WINDOW PERFORATION: The front of your location, near the [caption id="attachment_11145" align="alignright" width="300"] perforated window graphics[/caption] entrance, is the most popular location for window perforation, mainly because all of your customers will see it. If you have multiple entrances, it is recommended to use it at all of them to introduce customers to your products or current sales. Window perforation can be used obviously on windows, but glass doors and display cases as well.
- SHADE: Whether it’s a vehicle or brick and mortar business, window perforation can also serve as a shade in the hot months of summer, while still maintaining the feeling of openness because of your ability to still see through it.
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If you are thinking of starting an exercise program but not sure which form of exercise is right for you, walking may be the answer. Walking is one of the easiest forms of exercise for most individuals and presents the lowest risk of injury. All you need are comfortable clothes and supportive shoes. Walking can result in numerous health benefits including lower blood pressure, improved cholesterol levels and increased energy. According to the American Council on Exercise, an eight-year study of 13,000 people found that those who walked 30 minutes a day had a significantly lower risk of premature death than those who rarely exercised. In addition, research has shown that regular walking can decrease total and intra-abdominal fat and reduce your risk of developing diabetes or breast cancer.
Whether the walk is around the block, in the mall or on the track, start slowly if you are new to exercise. An easy 10 minute walk is all it takes to get started. Walk at a “conversation pace”, which means to walk at a pace where breathing is increased but you can carry on a conversation. Do this every day to get into a routine. As the walk becomes easier, add 5 more minutes of walking time. Experts recommend at least 30 minutes of exercise for health benefits. Set this as your goal and work toward increasing the amount of time that you walk. You can also split up the time in 10 to 15 minute increments throughout the day. For example, take a 15 minute walk in the morning and a 15 minute walk in the evening to accumulate 30 minutes.
If you need a little extra motivation as you progress in a walking program, try using a pedometer throughout the day. 10,000 steps is the recommended daily guideline, which is approximately 5 miles. A sedentary person may only average 1,000 to 3,000 steps per day. There are many ways to get walking time in such as planning a walk with your family or friends on a trail, parking further away from the store, taking the dog for regular walks, taking a “walking break/lunch” at work, or using the stairs instead of the elevator to increase activity. Whatever you choose, set your goal and stick with it!
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Volume 4, Number 3—September 1998
The Global Threat
On This Page
The blood supply in industrialized countries is safer than ever. However, blood (a human tissue) is a natural vehicle for transmission of infectious agents. In recent years, numerous pathogens have emerged in the United States and worldwide with the potential to affect the safety of the blood supply.
Movement of transfusable blood and blood components between countries is relatively uncommon. However, infectious agents can cross international borders through immigration or travel. For example, malaria is an important problem in much of the world, with an estimated 300 to 500 million cases per year. On average, 1,000 cases are reported each year in the United States, most in persons who travel to malaria-endemic areas. Only a small number of cases (approximately three per year) are transmitted by exposure to infected blood products. Current measures (which temporarily defer donors with a history of origin in a malarious country, clinical malaria, or travel to malaria-endemic areas) appear to be effective. Similarly, Chagas disease, a vector-borne disease caused by the parasite Trypanosoma cruzi, is endemic in parts of Central and South America and Mexico, where infected persons can transmit the disease through transfusion. The immigration of millions of persons from T. cruzi–endemic areas and increased international travel have raised concerns about the potential for transfusion-transmitted Chagas disease. Five cases of T. cruzi transmission from transfusions have been reported in North America. Recent seroprevalence studies showed that approximately 0.1% of blood donors likely to have been born in or have traveled to disease-endemic countries were seropositive for T. cruzi. Moreover, American Red Cross studies of recipients of T. cruzi–seropositive blood and blood products showed no evidence of transmission. Finally, variant forms of recognized pathogens can potentially affect the safety of the blood supply. Current serologic tests do not consistently detect HIV-1 group O infections, which are common in some West and Central African countries but very rare (two cases) in the United States. Efforts are under way to modify existing serologic tests to improve detection of group O strains without compromising sensitivity for the predominant group M viruses. As an interim measure, the Food and Drug Administration has recommended that donors at increased risk for HIV-1 group O on the basis of residence and risk exposure be deferred from donating blood or plasma.
Risk for transmission by transfusion is poorly characterized for a number of emerging agents. One of these is Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease (CJD), a rare, fatal neurodegenerative disease believed to be caused by an abnormal form of prion protein. CJD has been transmitted iatrogenically through human pituitary-derived growth hormones, human dura mater grafts, corneal transplants, and contaminated surface electroencephalogram electrodes and neurosurgical instruments. Incubation was as long as 30 years in some cases. Concerns regarding bloodborne transmission of the CJD agent derive primarily from laboratory studies, including animal models, which suggest such a potential. However, no proven cases of blood transmission are reported in humans, and accumulating epidemiologic information (surveillance, follow-up of recipients of blood from donors who subsequently developed CJD, and case-control data) indicates that the risk (if any) for transmission of CJD by blood products is extremely small. At present, CJD is considered a remote, theoretical risk.
In March 1996, health officials in the United Kingdom announced that the agent responsible for the decade-old bovine spongiform encephalopathy epizootic might have spread to humans. As of March 1998, 24 persons have been reported with this apparently new variant form of CJD (nvCJD). The possibility of nvCJD transmission through the blood supply has been debated. Currently, this risk is theoretical. However, because the infectious agent of nvCJD is new in humans, it may present risks that differ from those of classic CJD. In addition, important differences have been noted in the two diseases. For example, human spleen and tonsil tissues contain abnormal prion protein in nvCJD but not in classic CJD. In view of this uncertainty, U.K. health officials have undertaken a conservative approach, including 1) withdrawal of blood products donated by persons subsequently confirmed or strongly suspected to have nvCJD; 2) discontinuation of the use of British plasma in plasma-derived products; and 3) consideration of leukodepletion of all blood donations, in view of experimental studies suggesting that B lymphocytes may play a role in the development of scrapie.
In the United States, the most commonly reported transfusion-associated tickborne infection is babesiosis. At least 21 reported cases of babesiosis, mostly caused by Babesia microti but also by the more recently recognized WA1-type Babesia parasite, have been transmitted by transfusion of blood from asymptomatic infected blood donors. With the expansion of deer populations (natural host of B. microti) in the northeastern United States, the incidence of transfusion-transmitted babesiosis may increase. The tick vector and animal reservoir of the Babesia more recently found in the northwestern and western United States remain to be defined. The parasite survives blood-banking conditions and is transmissible by transfusion of red blood cells and platelet concentrates. Although babesiosis classically causes a febrile illness with hemolytic anemia, infection can also cause chronic asymptomatic or mildly symptomatic parasitemia. Recent studies suggest that untreated persons have evidence of B. microti DNA for longer periods, despite mild or absent symptoms, and may transmit infection for months or possibly longer. The potential for transmission of other tick-borne agents is unclear. Like babesiosis, Lyme disease or ehrlichiosis (caused by an obligate intracellular gram-negative rickettsia) may be asymptomatic or mildly symptomatic; spirochetemia or rickettsemia can precede prodromal symptoms by 24 to 72 hours, making transmission by transfusion a possibility. One case of transfusion-transmitted Rocky Mountain spotted fever has been reported.
Since blood is a biologic product, it is unlikely that the risk for transfusion-transmitted infection will ever be reduced to zero. The approach to emerging infections associated with transfusion of blood and blood products includes assessing the transmissibility of the agent by this route; developing effective prevention strategies, including screening tests and donor deferral policies; improving viral and bacterial inactivation procedures; and surveillance for known, as well as emerging and poorly characterized, transfusion-transmitted agents. Vigilance is needed to help ensure proper balance between safety and the availability of blood. Finally, vigilance needs to extend to the developing world, where the basic elements to reduce transfusion-transmitted infections and systems of disease surveillance are often not available.
Suggested citation: Chamberland ME, Epstein J, Dodd RY, Persin D, Will RG, DeMaria A, et al. Blood Safety. Emerg Infect Dis [serial on the Internet]. 1998, Sep [date cited]. Available from http://wwwnc.cdc.gov/eid/article/4/3/98-0317
- Page created: December 15, 2010
- Page last updated: December 15, 2010
- Page last reviewed: December 15, 2010
- Centers for Disease Control and Prevention,
National Center for Emerging and Zoonotic Infectious Diseases (NCEZID)
Office of the Director (OD)
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Have you ever wanted to share code between apps? I have and honestly, code reuse with Xcode (in particular between apps) is not as straightforward as you might imagine. You do have some options which I’ll talk about here and once you get something set up this problem will be solved easily.
The reason I started looking into this was because I wanted to release several variations of my app (or rather my app’s database engine). Previously, I have done this by simply copying the core libraries as needed. Essentially, each app of mine would have it’s own Xcode project and point (or have copies) of the code files I needed.
This solution is unsatisfying as hell and it became enough of a chore in terms of app maintenance that I ended up pulling many of my apps from the store in 2011.
So, last month I started to investigate some options that would help with code reuse among apps. But first, let’s backup and talk about code reuse and why most developers strive to reuse code.
Let’s Talk About Code Reuse
Coders will often be tasked with solving the same or similar problems when making software. Since most people don’t want to code or copy the same thing over and over again we try to come up with ways of organizing code so that we can avoid repetition. Instead of writing a few lines of code we will encapsulate that same code in a function that we can reuse over and over again. Write once and use forever.
Not only does this help us keep our code smaller we can avoid mistakes in the future because we will build on a collection of code we already know works. When bugs are fixed, they are fixed for anything that uses that code. Instead of correcting an algorithm in 100 places, we correct it once.
In an Objective-C program like an iOS app, you may see code reuse implemented with functions, classes that support sub-classing and delegation, categories and blocks. Most developers are comfortable with this practice at the app level.
Tasting Notes and the system behind the app already followed patterns that enabled code reuse since I’m a stickler for object oriented patterns. However, a problem emerged when I wanted to expand the reach of the Tasting Notes database engine.
The Code Reuse Problem Across Apps
Here’s what I wanted to do:
I wanted a entire suite of applications that used the Tasting Notes database engine.
The database engine is about 40% of the Tasting Notes code. Some of the apps in the suite could also reuse the user interface elements on the Storyboards, while others like the Mac version would also use the model classes. Many apps on the app store are a part of a suite like this and I’m sure they reuse the code that they can.
I was very surprised that setting up my app suite didn’t go as smoothly as I thought. What started as a day or two project ended up turning into a multiple weeks project where I tested my options with Xcode. Here are the solutions I tried.
Static Library with Xcode Workspaces
Surely this was the way to go right? My plan was to remove the database engine (and model classes) from Tasting Notes and turned this into a static library. The same would go for the standard user interface components. I would have started out with three separate Xcode projects that I could keep organized with one Xcode workspace.
This works in principle, but the reality of managing the three projects even at this level was a pain. The UI part would need to reference the model part which in turn was referenced by the app. Each one had it’s own frameworks to link. Odd linking errors would show up. This solution was it’s own kind of mess, however with the simplest situation it did work more or less.
Problems really started to happen when I attempted to add a Mac Cocoa app to the workspace. Obviously, I couldn’t reuse the iOS user interface. But it turns out that even the database engine couldn’t be added to my Mac app without a lot of very confusing configuration changes to the static library. This was the point where I gave up to look for better solutions.
BOTTOM LINE While the most obvious solution, the static libraries added too much work to the process to make it worthwhile to use.
Pointing to Code with Workspaces
The next thing I tried still involved using Xcode workspaces (I really thought that this was the way to go). What I did was create a group independent of any Xcode project in the workspace that held the shared code. This was once step up from what I did before.
This didn’t really help much either. First of – the way I set up the group folders meant that there was no Git support which I need. Of course, I could have added this myself but I wasn’t sure if I could actually integrate with Xcode in this way. Things were already starting to get to complicated.
Also, this solution didn’t help me as much as I wanted with or without Git. Each project needed to add each code file and there is almost a hundred of them. I also had to link to the other frameworks needed by my shared model classes. Linking to other frameworks isn’t a big deal when its the built in stuff, but including the Google, Dropbox and other third-party frameworks I use because a chore with this approach.
BOTTOM LINE This approach didn’t help at all and actually made some things a bit more difficult.
This is something I really didn’t know you could do. Or rather, I knew about multiple targets but was so entrenched in how I used to set up projects that I never really considered what the purpose or implications of multiple targets were.
Here’s the deal: when you first create a new Xcode project you get one project and one target. The project contains all the assets like code, graphics and databases while the target defines what goes into the bundle that you use to actually run the application. A project is what you work on as a developer. The target is the app that you test in the simulator and ultimately gets sent to the app store.
It’s tempting to assume that the project and the target are the same thing. They’re not.
You can add as many targets as you like to your Xcode project. So you have use the same project and have targets for a bunch a iPhone apps, an iPad app and a Mac app. Use the Add Target button or select New > Target from the menu bar to add a new target. Each target gets it’s own configuration, it’s own Storyboard or starting Nib and it’s own app delegate.
Any file can be included in any target by setting the file’s target membership (located in the identity inspector). This includes the linked frameworks. If one target needs a custom version of a file you can add a custom file to the new target’s group and only include that file in the new target. This gives you a way to override entire code files.
The only issue here is that each time you add a new target you must make sure that each file is included in the new target. As far as I know the only way to do this is to go and look at each implementation file and add them to the target using the check box.
This was the way to go for me: I was able to have full Git support and this approach gives me code reuse. The solution is not very complicated. The only drawback is that I need to manually go into each file to set it’s target membership.
So, that’s how I did it.
What are you thoughts on this?
Please comment below…
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Since the passage of Proposition 209 in 1996, consideration of ethnicity in the areas of public education, employment and public contracting has been banned. This has had a chilling effect on minority business enterprises. According to a 2006 study, only one-third of the minority businesses certified to contract with the California Department of Transportation were still in business, and surviving women-owned businesses still struggle to win contracts and overcome gender bias in the transportation construction industry.
Earlier this year, I introduced legislation that I believe will promote corporate diversity and open pathways for minorities, disabled veterans and women. The goal of Assembly Bill 366 is to build upon the Public Utilities – Supplier Diversity Program and encourage companies to open up their boardrooms and executive management teams to minority business leaders.
It is my intention to broaden and include more minority businesses in the PUC Supplier Diversity Program for financial and legal services only. The original legislation that created the program authorized publicly-owned businesses (corporations) to participate if 51% of the stock was owned by minorities, disabled-veterans or women. AB 366 does not change this requirement. As amended May 1, 2013, this bill – and only for corporations offering financial and legal services – would permit corporations to participate if their board of directors and executive management team is diverse; that means 51% of their board and managers must be minorities.
The California Black Chamber of Commerce has signaled its support and the Black Economic Council, while recently critical, has renewed its optimism in the ability of Assembly Bill 366 to usher in a new era of opportunity for African American businesses.
Historically, utility companies have struggled to contract with minority-owned companies that offer financial and legal services. AB 366 is designed to provide more opportunity for minority-owned businesses by adding ‘teeth’ to the language to expand the definition for which publicly traded companies can qualify for these contracts.
In 1986, the Public Utility Commission adopted General Order 156 to promote competition among utility suppliers and encourage greater economic opportunity for minority-owned businesses. Existing law directs PUC to require every electrical, gas, water, wireless telecommunications service provider, and Telephone Corporation with annual gross revenues exceeding $25 million to encourage, recruit, and utilize minority, women and disabled veteran-owned business enterprises in the procurement of contracts.
The intention of AB 366 is not to force smaller businesses to compete with publicly-owned businesses. AB 366 is narrowly tailored to financial and legal services where smaller businesses have been unable to compete.
To prevent fraud and manipulation, the composition of the board of directors must consist of a diverse majority for at least five years prior to the certification of a publicly owned business as a minority business enterprise.
AB 366 also includes a sunset date of five years, in order to provide the opportunity for the legislature to carefully examine the efficiency of the expanded definition. Diversity opens pathways to ownership as corporate board members and executive officers associate in corporate circles of power that offer opportunities for minorities, women, and disabled veterans that are clearly and currently underrepresented in these areas.
As President Obama said in his State of the Union Address, an economy built to last is one where if we all play by the same rules and everyone is given a fair chance, America can succeed. This bill supports the President’s vision by seeking to promote diversity in corporate America through the PUC’s Supplier Diversity Program.
I am delaying action on AB 366 until next year in order to continue good faith discussions with minority business enterprises about how to maximize the bill’s benefits on small businesses.
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assonance in first three letters of five phrases with only the vowel changing, from a to u, respectively GOOD ONES: the theme construction: PAT, PET, PIT, POT, PUT Pop one's cork?
OPEN BTW: Put on a new cassette
RETAPE [RELOAD is what I had, and it is the better choice. When one "puts on" a new cassette he plays it; he does not "retape," which is an editing task]
Roughly 21% of the atmosphere OXYGEN [when I was in school it was 16% (with 78% nitrogen), so if this is correct, air can take its place among the other "facts" I was incorrectly taught, e.g. Pluto]
Three grins = Loved it; Two grins = Enjoyed it; One grin = A bit bland for my taste; One teardrop = Not much fun
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THURSDAY, Dec. 14, 2017 (HealthDay News) -- In a finding that's sure to ruffle some fur and feathers, scientists report that having a pet doesn't fend off age-related declines in physical or mental health.
"Our results showed that in this sample of almost 9,000 people -- average age 67 years -- for those who owned a pet, no health benefits were found," said study co-author Richard Watt, a professor of epidemiology and public health at University College London.
The British researchers pointed out that some studies have suggested that pets can improve psychological health, perhaps by easing loneliness or providing companionship. Other research has hinted at health benefits such as weight regulation and improved heart health, possibly from having to walk a dog or stress relief from petting a cat.
But the authors of the new study noted that there can be a downside to pet ownership, too: People can feel significant grief and distress after the loss of a beloved pet.
To get a better idea of exactly how much a pet can affect human health and well-being, the researchers recruited the large group of British seniors, 55 percent of whom were women.
One-third of the group had a pet -- 18 percent had a dog, 12 percent had a cat and 3 percent had another pet.
About two years later, the seniors underwent various checks of physical and mental health.
Comparing those who had pets with those who didn't, the researchers found essentially no differences in walking speed, lung function, speed getting out of a chair, grip strength, ability to raise legs or balance. These are all abilities that tend to become harder to do with age.
They also measured three markers of inflammation in the body, and found no differences between the groups.
The study also found no statistically significant differences in memory or depressive symptoms between pet owners and those with no animals. No differences were found between male and female pet owners, either.
But the study did not prove that pets don't boost health among seniors.
Watt said that people in the United Kingdom consider pets a much-loved part of the family, much the way people in the United States do.
The analysis took into account such things as smoking and level of wealth. The researchers didn't consider the size of the pet or how long the pet had been owned by the older person -- both limitations of the study, Watt said.
Robert Matchock is an associate professor of psychology at Pennsylvania State University who has published research on pets and human health. He, too, noted some other potential limitations with the new study.
For example, the study didn't ask if the participants were the primary caregivers for the animals. It also didn't ask about participants' total involvement with the pet or the amount of time someone spent with a pet, he said.
In addition, "the current study did not examine traditionally measured variables associated with pet ownership, such as heart rate, blood pressure or cortisol," a stress hormone, he said.
"This is an important study, and clearly more research is needed," Matchock said. "But I wouldn't discount, quite yet, the social support and unconditional affection that we can obtain from our pets."
Dr. Aaron Pinkhasov, chairman of behavioral health at NYU Winthrop in Mineola, N.Y., described the research as an interesting article that tried to prove what people feel to be true -- that pets are beneficial to their health.
However, there are so many confounding factors that it's hard to definitively prove a health benefit from pet ownership, he said.
"But, intuitively, it makes sense," Pinkhasov said. "I give letters for people to have therapeutic dogs all the time -- they're a source of joy and stimulation. But to go as far as to say the dog would help prevent a heart attack, I think that might be impossible to pinpoint."
As Watt said: "As always with research, our study raises more questions than answers. More interventional research is needed to assess the potential effects of pet ownership."
In the meantime, however, he said that, "as a dog owner, I am very happy with my loving companion."
The findings were published in the Christmas issue of BMJ.
The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has more on the potential health benefits of pets.
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The Pragmatics Of Mathematics Education Vagueness And Mathematical Discourse 1999
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Descarga nuestro Brochure
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Irish Traditional Music Tune Index
Tune ID#105 (Ballydesmond Polka)
about these two bars
Basic musical information on this tune.
|Rhythm ?||Bars||8-bar phrase structure||Mode ?|
given to this tune in the sources listed below (plus notes of mine about this tune):
Ballydesmond Polka / Ballydesmond Polka No. 1 / The Ballydesmond (1) / The Rainy Night under the Bridge / Johnny O'Leary's / Donncha Lynch's (1st in set The Ballydesmond Polkas on SatG and in JOL; mislabeled as Knocknabowl on ItS; 1st in set Dul dtí's na Raiseanna a.k.a. Dul dtí's na Ráiseanna on BgCn; 2nd in set Ballyfin Polkas on Ch W) (also in E Dorian) (the setting on Ch W could be considered a distinct tune)
Here are all recordings of this tune considering only the indexed recordings. I have discovered by careful listening that these sources are in fact musically the same tune, regardless of the tune titles they use, key changes, retuning, etc.
to hear the first 12 seconds.
|[Album code] Artist. Title. Performers (instruments).
[SatG] Denis Murphy and Julia Clifford. The Star above the Garter. Fiddle music from Kerry, played by Denis Murphy and Julia Clifford. Denis Murphy (fiddle), Julia Clifford (fiddle).
[ItS] In the Smoke. Julia Clifford (fiddle).
[BgCn] Séamus Begley and Stephen Cooney. Meitheal. Séamus Begley (accordion, vocals), Stephen Cooney (guitar, bass, keyboards, percussion, ditjeridú).
[CBt] Celtic Beat. Traditional Music from Ireland. Jason O'Rourke (concertina).
[Ch W] The Chieftains. Water from the Well. Paddy Moloney (pipes, whistle, accordion), Derek Bell (harp, harpsichord, piano, tiompán), Seán Keane (fiddle), Martin Fay (fiddle), Kevin Conneff (bodhrán, vocals), Matt Molloy (flute). For this tune: with Dave Munnelly (accordion), The Ballyfin Set Dancers: Sheila Kirwan, Mark Kirwan, Sheila Lanham, Gussie Lanham.
[IFMCK] Connie O'Connell. Irish Fiddle Music from Counties Cork and Kerry. Connie O'Connell (fiddle).
Here are all transcriptions of this tune considering only the indexed books, listed in chronological order.
I have discovered by careful comparison that these are musical matches to this tune as played on the recordings listed above.
Listing of published transcriptions of this tune.
|On page 126 of [RM] Randy Miller and Jack Perron. Irish Traditional Fiddle Music. |
|As tune #20#1 in volume 2 of [LPTW] Eithne Vallely. Learn to Play the Tin Whistle. |
|As tune #94 in [SIMB] Tony Sullivan. Sully's Irish Music Book. |
|As tune #57 in [JOL] Terry Moylan. Johnny O'Leary of Sliabh Luachra. Dance Music from the Cork-Kerry Border. |
|As polka #2 in [MM] Martin Mulvihill. First Collection of Traditional Irish Music. |
|On page 53 of [SLoP] Paul Deloughery. Sliabh Luachra on Parade. |
|As tune #34 in [IBPS] Pat Conway. Ireland's Best Polkas and Slides. |
|As polka #3 in [Cobb] Dan Cobb. Cobb's Music of Ireland. |
|On page 87 of [IFMCK] Drew Beisswenger. Irish Fiddle Music from Counties Cork and Kerry. |
If you are considering using the above transcriptions to help you learn this tune, I invite you to check these practical Tips for Learning Irish Traditional Music. See also: So why do you bother indexing books and abc?
Year of the oldest source for this tune, considering the recordings and transcriptions listed above (note that I concentrate on sources after 1900): 1969
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First-time buyers locked out of property market
Housing charity, Shelter, has published a report that highlights just how difficult it has become for first-time buyers to get a foot on the property ladder.
Affordability is the main issue: the average price of a home has risen over 200% in the past ten years, while the average income in the UK has increased by 53%.
According to the report, mortgage repayments accounted almost 21% of the average working household’s income in 2007, compared with 12% in 1997.
For those able to bridge the affordability gap, the precarious state of the UK mortgage industry presents the next hurdle.
Many lenders will only offer best interest rates in return for a 25% deposit, while for a more expensive deal a 5% deposit is acceptable.
Despite indications that house prices are now falling, making it a good time to buy a first home, many potential first-time buyers cannot meet the stricter lending criteria that continue to pervaded the mortgage market.
The situation is at its worst in London, where the average first home costs £100,000 more than the national average of £160,000.
Shelter’s chief executive, Adam Sampson, paints a gloomy picture of a generation of young people and young families being locked out of the housing market.
In consequence, they are unable to begin accruing the kind of wealth, in terms of housing assets, held by their parents’ generation.
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2. The Case for Digital Storytelling in Libraries
Storytelling is often a standard component of a public library’s programming efforts, most commonly for children and sometimes for adults. Digital storytelling takes traditional storytelling one step further, adding the dimension of technology along with the affordances that these technologies provide. “With the use of social networking, tools such as video-sharing sites, blogs, and other online forums, stories have the ability to travel and transform as never before” (Czarnecki, 2009, p. 7). Given that libraries often have an interest in investing in technology for the community and that storytelling is an integral part of library programming, digital storytelling in the library setting is a natural match.
There are many ways that libraries can engage in the digital storytelling process, from showcasing community stories to facilitating the creation process. Because digital stories are not limited by topic, the possibilities are endless. Kelly Czarnecki, the Technology Education Librarian at ImaginOn for the Public Library of Charlotte and Mecklenburg County in North Carolina, provides the following reasons why libraries should be interested in digital storytelling:
- Digital storytelling involves multiple disciplines, including literary skills (such as putting together a coherent story), legal issues (understanding copyright), and information technology, giving libraries an opportunity to promote the knowledge surrounding these topics.
- Digital storytelling helps build skills that are relevant to the 21st century, from reading and writing to computer skills. Additionally, the construction of a digital story is a creative process that requires the use of the imagination and because it involves telling a story, it also develops communication skills.
- Digital storytelling provides a way for the collective memory of communities to be shared. History and culture, and their inherent beliefs and values, can be expressed through a digital medium and shared through social media. As community spaces, it is important that libraries facilitate the exchange of community knowledge through engagement with their patrons, and digital stories are perfect for developing such conversations.
When Deert Van Den Boogaard, the project manager for DOK Library Conference Center’s “Images of the Future” in Delft, the Netherlands, was asked why something like digital storytelling belongs in a library, he answered, “We see the library as a place where all the knowledge, information, culture and stories that exist in a city should get together. A library offers a lot, but rarely material from the users of the library” (Czarnecki, 2009). This attitude expresses a shift from libraries being a provider of materials to a facilitator for the creation of materials that come from users. The Agora: Storyboard of Your Life project at DOK involves ordinary people coming in to the library and interacting with an exhibition that’s projected on a large screen. People are allowed to add their own stories, video, text, photographs, and more, allowing the exhibition to grow through community participation (Czardnecki, 2009).
Below is a video about the DOK Library Conference Center and the Agora project.
In many ways, digital storytelling embodies what Library 2.0 is all about: a library that is user-centred, “inviting user participation in the creation of both the physical and the virtual services they want” (Casey & Savastinuk, 2006, para. 3). A digital story is dynamic. It is not something that is created and then left on the shelf, but instead is shared with the rest of the community and beyond.
Many libraries, both public and academic, have embraced digital storytelling. Some libraries use it for educational purposes, developing technology literacy, while others, like the DOK’s Agora project, have used it to engage the community. No matter where and how it is being employed, digital storytelling is a truly 21st century way that libraries can engage with their communities.
Boekesteijn, E. (2010). What’s your story?: Dutch library DOK’s new cutting-edge community tech projects. Library Journal (online). Retrieved August 16, 2011, from http://www.libraryjournal.com/lj/home/886170-264/whats_your_story_dutch_library.html.csp
Casey, M. E., & Savastinuk, L. C. (2006). Library 2.0: Service for the next-generation library. Library Journal (online). Retrieved August 16, 2011, from http://www.libraryjournal.com/article/CA6365200.html
Czarnecki, K. (2009). Digital storytelling in practice. Library Technology Reports, 45(7), 5-8. Retrieved August 16, 2011, from EBSCOhost.
Educause Learning Initiative. (2007). 7 things you should know about digital storytelling. Retrieved August 16, 2011, from http://net.educause.edu/ir/library/pdf/ELI7021.pdf
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|Brief history of Madrigal||Doc home||Madrigal home|
Madrigal is a database of ground-based measurements and models of the Earth's upper atmosphere and ionosphere. It is closely related to the Coupling, Energetics and Dynamics of Atmospheric Regions (CEDAR) program, which is devoted to the characterization and understanding of the atmosphere above about 60 km, with emphasis on the various processes that determine the basic structure and composition of the atmosphere, and on the mechanisms that couple different atmospheric regions. Instruments developed or upgraded under CEDAR include interferometers, spectrometers, imagers, lidars and medium, high-frequency and incoherent scatter radars. Models developed with CEDAR support or incorporating CEDAR data include first-principle global circulation models, and empirical models of temperature, density and winds. The success of CEDAR has been due, in large measure, to its ability to encourage collaborative efforts coalescing observations, theory and modeling. The CEDAR community includes about 800 scientists and students from around the world.
From the inception of the CEDAR program in 1988, there has been a great concern among the members of the CEDAR community to make the data collected by the CEDAR instruments easily accessible for joint studies. Consequently, a high priority was placed on establishing a repository for CEDAR data and model results. An incoherent scatter radar database had been established at the National Center for Atmospheric Research (NCAR) in 1985, and this evolved into the CEDAR Database in 1989. By the end of 1997, it had grown to include data from 44 instruments and 16 models. Over 200 users have requested information from the Database.
A central element of the CEDAR Database is a standard data format. This format evolved from the format used by the earlier incoherent scatter database, which in turn evolved from an earlier version of Madrigal developed at the MIT Haystack Observatory in 1980. Haystack continues to maintain and develop Madrigal as an open-source project with community contributions. The basic Madrigal data format is the same as at NCAR, and data files are easily exchanged between the two sites, but Madrigal has a significantly different emphasis. The function of NCAR in the CEDAR Data Base is first of all to archive a comprehensive collection of CEDAR data. Madrigal, on the other hand, has evolved into a robust, World Wide Web based system capable of managing and serving archival and real-time data from a wide variety of CEDAR instruments. The Madrigal database is focused on data that is being actively maintained by the groups that produced the data. With the Madrigal database, the site owner stores only their own data, which they can add to or update at any time. However, because the Madrigal database shares its metadata with all other Madrigal sites, users browsing any Madrigal site can search for data at any other Madrigal site.
CEDAR is now poised to realize the full scientific potential anticipated at its inception. CEDAR's scientific directions and future operational requirements were detailed in 1997 in the CEDAR Phase III Report. The report states that "CEDAR must continue to capitalize on the latest advancements in order to accomplish the best science most effectively. Where practical and advantageous, remote continuous autonomous operation of CEDAR instruments ought to be encouraged. Computer-aided collaborations, CEDAR Database use, and CEDAR program information should be available to the CEDAR community over the World Wide Web. Computer-aided collaborations and real-time access to data and predictive models should be encouraged." Madrigal is a key component to meeting these goals.
Madrigal data are arranged into "experiments", which may contain data files, images, documentation, links, etc. Almost all Millstone Hill Radar experiments since 1976, over 900 experiments in all, as well as many measurements by other instruments, are now available on-line. Each experiment has a unique URL, which serves to map the database contents into the World Wide Web, and is the fundamental mechanism through which the database can be distributed among multiple servers. An key feature of Madrigal is its seamless integration of archival and real-time data. A realtime file on Madrigal is accessed in exactly the same way as any archival file.
Madrigal has been installed at several locations in addition to Millstone Hill, including EISCAT, SRI International, and Jicamarca. The inventories of experiments available at each installation are available to the other installations through a cgi script. Typically each installation retrieves inventories from the other sites and updates a combined experiment list once a day. Users can view the combined inventory and seamlessly retrieve data regardless of where the data is actually stored.
Madrigal is an open source project with a central developer's web site and a central repository. A complete CVS archive of all Madrigal software, including software which is not included with the standard distribution, is available at the developer's web site. There is also an Open Madrigal mailing list and developer's forum. Any group wishing to install Madrigal to distribute their instrument's data is welcome to - see the www.OpenMadrigal.org web site for details. The central repository link is a place where all data from all Madrigal sites is archived. It can also be used to access data, although accessing the local sites is preferred.
|Brief overview of Madrigal||Doc home||Madrigal home|
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Not really. But he is an old, wrinkly woman who carries a broom and has a hooked nose. Tonight is the night that La Befana visits children and leaves them treats here in Italy. There are several different stories as to her origins. One story is that the wise men got lost while trying to find the Baby Jesus, so they stopped at an old woman's house to ask for directions. She put them up for night, but declined their invitation to come with them due to her household chore list (boy, does that sound familiar!). Befana regretted this decision, so she followed after the Wise Men, giving treats to little children as bribes for them to help her find the Baby Jesus. She still hasn't found Him, so to this day, Befana visits children and gives them treats in search of the Babe (or, she gives each child treats in hope that he/she is the Babe). Another story is that the Befana legend has come down from a pagan goddess of Roman times who gave gifts to celebrate the new year. OR, the ancient Romans visited an old crone at the winter solstice to have their fortunes told, and Befana is the modern day old crone who gives gifts instead of fortunes. And why the broom? Some say she rides her broom through the air, some say she needs the broom to clean up the soot after coming down the chimney, and yet another explanation is that cleanliness is so important to her that upon seeing the Star of Bethlehem in the sky, she set off to find the Baby and help the Mother with her cleaning. As far as her name goes, one theory is based on the Italian word for epiphany - Epifania. Befana is a play on Epifania...maybe. One Italian town even sets up a post office where children can mail letters to Befana (but she lives here in Italy, not in the North Pole). Santa may like milk and cookies, but wine and biscotti are Befana's preferred treats. And by the way, bad little children do indeed get lumps of coal in their stockings from Befana.
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Make sure your telephone is set to its tone setting (not pulse). For instructions, consult the phone documentation. After you verify that tone setting on the telephone, complete the steps in the next section.
Ensuring the Network has an Active Internet Connection
After ensuring that you have an active Internet connection with your network, try to access the Internet and check if the router's Internet LED is lit. If you do not have a connection, power off your network devices, including the router and cable/DSL modem. Wait for 30 seconds and power on the cable/DSL modem first then power on the router and other network devices. After you verify that the network has an active Internet connection, complete the steps in the next section.
Verifying Account Information and Confirm that the Phone Line is Registered with VOIP Provider
The phone number, status of this Internet phone line, and other registration details are displayed on the router's Registration Status. If it is not registered, you should register it with a VOIP provider. For instructions, click here.
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The views expressed herein are those of the writer and do not represent the opinions or editorial position of I-Witness News. Opinion pieces can be submitted to firstname.lastname@example.org.
It is with an extremely heavy heart that I write this letter to decry, yet another victim of rape and torture in St. Vincent. This victim was my childhood neighbour who wore my used clothes, so I feel a very personal connection to her. The victim has a name: Sandra Browne
She came into this world and she endured much pain and suffering because our society failed in the most miserable way in protecting her. She was one of the most vulnerable among us. She was female and she was also mentally challenged.
We judge our society by its effectiveness in protecting the most vulnerable and in this case, our society is found grossly wanting.
I am hoping that her torturous death will not go unnoticed and it will rest upon our individual and collective consciences. No woman should be raped in St. Vincent and the Grenadines and no woman should ever be raped and then burned alive ever again.
Sandra’s death is the most heinous crime against humanity. Unfortunately, those who purport to defend humanity are absolutely muted in this case. Why? She came from poverty. Her parents lacked money, education and power within our society. So, her value was reduced to less than others. Wasn’t she human like the rest of us? Didn’t she feel pain like the rest of us? Is poverty a reason for victimisation and a reduction to less than human within SVG?
We must change this. We must see that the perpetrator is brought to justice. Ladies, this could have been anyone of us. It could have been your daughters. Gentlemen, this could have been your mothers, your sisters, your daughters, your nieces. What are we going to do to stop this from being repeated?
Helena R. Edwards
Mount Vernon, New York
The views expressed herein are those of the writer and do not necessarily represent the opinions or editorial position of iWitness News. Opinion pieces can be submitted to email@example.com.
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Massages are great for relaxation and stress reduction, but they can also be important for relieving pain and warming up the muscles for athletic activity. Best of all, this is true for both humans and dogs, giving you the perfect excuse to treat yourself and learn a fun new way to bond with your favorite pups.
Stress Intervention Massage
Do fireworks, thunderstorms, and disruptions to routine and other commonly stressful stimuli freak out your dog? This massage technique can help. Get close to your pup — put him in your lap if possible, and make your movements as calm and deliberate as possible. Place one hand steady close to the head; either on the top of the neck, top of the head, or side of the neck. Use the other hand to perform long, slow, soothing strokes along your dog's back, sides, or tummy with medium pressure.
Because this massage involves fear, it's important to avoid restraining your dog if he's not into it. That will only distress him more. Try feeding him a treat or two while you perform this massage to keep him focused on relaxation.
Joint Pain Relief Massage
It can be distressing to watch an older dog succumb to the pain of arthritis. While feeding your pup senior dog food can help, massage is another great way to bring some relief. Start by gently petting the area around the sore joints to get them warmed up and increase blood flow to that area. Then gradually apply delicate but firm pressure with both hands on the joint. Talk to your vet about how to do this in such a way as to not damage the delicate muscle and connective tissue in these areas.
Athletic Warm-Up Massage
Source: Caesar's Way
Human athletes always warm up before getting active, and dog parents can help their pups do the same with some massage. Pooches who love to run and play can be at risk of muscle injury, but you can mitigate that risk by performing a gentle but vigorous full-body petting session right before the activity starts. You can even squeeze leg, shoulder, and hip muscles to get them loose and ready to work hard. Just remember to be super gentle and avoid getting your pup so riled up that she starts squirming as you're holding onto her.
Daily Maintenance Massage
Taking care of your dog's health is a daily activity, and feeding him the healthiest dog food available is just one piece of the puzzle. In addition to switching your pup to Freshpet
, you can also start a daily routine of a full-body petting massage with a hidden purpose. This habitual close contact will enhance your bond with your dog, which is in itself great for the reducing the stress of yourself and your pet, and will also help you get to know your dog's normal skin and body condition. This will make it much easier to detect lumps and bumps that are abnormal. Apply just enough pressure that you can feel through the fur and even beneath the skin to get a full picture of what's going on with your dog's general health. Inspect anything unusual to make sure it's not something potentially serious like a tick or tumor.
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AMES, Iowa, Sept. 26 /PRNewswire/ -- The National Institutes of Health
(NIH) National Human Genome Research Institute has approved funding of
$400,000, with a potential for an additional $400,000 after August 31,
2007, to BioForce Nanosciences, Inc., a wholly owned subsidiary of BioForce
Nanosciences Holdings, Inc. (OTC Bulletin Board: BFNH). The funding will be
used to support the second phase of commercial development for surface
patterning tools (SPT(TM)). SPT molecular ink cartridges are used in the
Company's core technology, the Nano eNabler(TM) benchtop molecular printing
"The next phase of our SPT cartridge development program focuses on the
improvement and expansion of the capabilities and throughput of the
devices," noted Dr. Curtis Mosher, Vice President of Research and
Development. "SPT cartridge loading and cleaning in place are primary
objectives of the ongoing program."
Juntao Xu, a key BioForce research scientist on this project,
commented, "Our ultraminiaturized SPT cartridges are manufactured using
microfabrication techniques that allow us to readily modify the design,
materials and processing steps to enhance tool printing performance. When
our SPT portfolio is complete our customers should be able to print spots,
lines and complex paths of one or many different molecules or compounds."
Founder and CEO of BioForce Eric Henderson stated, "We were elated to
learn of this award. NIH funding provides not only critical financial
resources for the project but, importantly, also peer validation of the
importance of our commercial vision."
About BioForce Nanosciences, Inc.
BioForce Nanosciences is a nanotechnology tools and applications
company, providing innovative and practical products that support the
growth of the nanotechnology industry. The Company has spent more than a
decade on invention, research and development of patented and
patent-pending nanotechnology products. The core technology is the Nano
eNabler(TM) benchtop molecular printer, a portal to new opportunities in
nanotechnology. The Nano eNabler printing system opens the door to new and
important applications in the biomedical and life sciences markets that
lead to improved quality of life. BioForce continues to target inventions
that further expand the reach of its proprietary technology and expand its
robust patent, trademark and IP portfolio.
BioForce Nanosciences, Inc., the Practical Nanotechnology(TM) Company,
brings inventions to the marketplace that complement existing innovations,
licensing and acquisitions. BioForce is a wholly owned subsidiary of
BioForce Nanosciences Holdings, Inc. (OTC Bulletin Board: BFNH). For more
information, visit http://www.bioforcenano.com.
This news release contains forward-looking information that may be
affected by certain risks and uncertainties, including those risks and
uncertainties described in the Company's most recent filings with the
Securities and Exchange Commission. The Company's actual results could
differ materially from such forward-looking statements. We assume no duty
to update these statements at any future date.
SOURCE BioForce Nanosciences, Inc.
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Doctor insights on:
Cmv Colitis Transferred Person
Depends: Cytomegalovirus (CMV) is itself highly contagious. However, it rarely causes a problem in a person with an intact immune system. Serious infections occur in fetuses (devastating!) whose moms get CMV while pregnant and in immunocompromised patients (with aids or organ transplant recipients). It is this last group that is most likely to get CMV colitis. ...Read moreSee 1 more doctor answer
No: That's not how CMV is transmitted.Get a more detailed answer ›
Colitis and death: Colitis - inflammation of the colon - can be caused by many different things including ischemea (inadequate blood supply). Rarely this cause leads to severe bleeding and sudden death. Infections, ulcerative colitis, crohn's disease can cause many symptoms but rarely result direclty in death (uc is associated with cancer, however). Bleeding can occur without colitis and this can (rarely) be fatal. ...Read moreSee 1 more doctor answer
How does infectious colitis spread from person to person? My dad was diagnosed with it last night.
- Talk to a doctor live online for free
- How readily is cmv colitis transferred from person to person?
- Is it possible for one person to have both celiac disease and ulcerative colitis?
- Can slippery elm make a person with ulcerative colitis bleed more?
- Ask a doctor a question free online
- Person celiac disease ulcerative colitis
- Cmv colitis symptoms
- Treatment of cmv colitis
- Is cmv able to be transferred through food?
- Talk to a pediatrician online
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Trade Liberalization Essay
Abstract – Trade liberalization and morally conscious environmental policies are at odds with each other. While economists argue that agreements and organizations are slowly creating better environmental policies, environmentalists argue that this is not happening fast enough to save the world from pollution. The world needs to balance trade liberalization with morally conscious environmental policies in order to create harmonious business and environmental policies, which will allow businesses to maximize profits while still protecting the earth.
In today’s world, environmentalism is extremely important. The earth’s resources are being used at an alarming rate, and the ever-growing business world is causing the resources to be used even more quickly. Pollution is rampant, and trade liberalization is causing pollution to be spread to even larger portions of the world.
Trade liberalization is also, however, spreading sound, “green” environmental policies to new parts of the world. Trade in general opens up different countries to new businesses, new money-making possibilities, and new overall policies. The argument, however, is if the businesses’ green policies are enough to counteract the widespread effects of industrialization in countries that previously did not have much in the way of polluting businesses.
In this paper, both the environmentalists and the trade liberalists present arguments to look at the effects of business on the environment, and if trade is truly a problem in the countries that have recently expanded or received businesses. Then, the arguments are summarized to come to conclusions about what should be done about the current difficult state of environmental issues brought up through trade.
A) Trade Liberalization Leads to a “Race to Bottom “in Environmental Standards.
Pro-liberalization / Economic policy
Pro a- Ankit’s part.
In everything a business does in life capital or money is always an issue. New manufacturing plants cost huge amounts of capital, not readily available. With trade liberalization the barriers to this industry takes on a different light. The need to get the best meaning cheapest deal around may be tied to how strict or lax the environmental laws are or how desperate a country needs the additional new employment to boost their economy. There’s a line from one of my favorite movies of all time Scarface starring Al Pacino, where he is learning the rules from his employer Frank, “Rule One, never underestimate the other guys’ greed”. Although it is from a movie this is very true in real life, when it comes to a larger profit margin and we can cut corners the sky is the limit. Many companies look for the cheapest deal when it comes to environmental laws. The term “race-to-the-bottom” means that investor will run and invest capital wherever the returns are greatest and that means a terrible cycle of slipping environmental laws driven by competition between companies (www.wto).
Remember 1984 and the Union Carbide plant in Bhopal, India the countless number of people dying because of an accident that could have been prevented, why did it happen? Relaxed environmental regulations and greed, fifteen years later the lawsuit was settled at $470 million (USD). The plant owned by Union Carbide and its Indian partner agreed to sell their stocks, close the plant, and build a hospital from those funds to support the victims and their families; to this day there are a couple of lawsuits still pending against Union Carbide (www.bhopal.com).
There have been studies that show when tighter environmental regulations are in place the cost of doing business goes up. Kim and Wilson (1997) showed cases where governments have access to targeted instruments for attracting capital. Some governments have to finance a fixed amount of public money, and if capital taxes are reduced to bring in investments, labor taxes have to be raised and that effects production costs, so the temptation to relax environmental standards come into question. This brings about the notion that competition will make anyone do anything to attract that business, but why attract a business that will pollute an environment when there are plenty of companies out there that do not like banking and real estate.
Part II Summary
Governments of the world must try to find a balance between the polluters and the non-polluters if that is the path they choose. Huang (1992) showed that if governments have zero options to help problems like unemployment, things like reduced labor taxes or flexible rules may lead to a “race-to-the-bottom” mentality. That does not have to be the only way to make money, there are many companies out today that are considered “green” and get quite sizable investments from investors looking to increase their wealth. The race-to-the-bottom happens when countries of unequal size are competing for that company’s investment dollar; then again the environmental regulations may play an important factor in picking a winner. An issue studied by Markusen et.al. (1993, 1995) showed that if two alternatives generate equal income, governments would always try to get the “clean” industry. The only “rational” choice would be if the income net gain is large enough to offset pollution costs. Bottom line in order to stop the “race-to-the-bottom” countries will need to step up and do a better job of attracting cleaner businesses they are out there and they make money.
B) Trade Liberalization conflicts with morality – conscious environmental policies -ANA
Environmentalists argue that liberalizing trade causes conflicts with morally conscious environmental policies. Free trade agreements have created detriment to the world’s environments. There are increases in environmental problems in Mexico since NAFTA’s inception. Basically they are caused by “scale effects”, which are increases in growth corresponding with increases in pollution. Soil erosion grew by 89%, municipal waste by 108%, water pollution by 29%, and air pollution by 97% from 1985 to 1999. “…environmental conditions significantly worsened in Mexico as it opened up to trade (NAFTA being only one of the many trade agreements signed by Mexico since 1985) and environmental impacts grew faster than its economy. “(Carpentier, 2006, p. 267)
There are also findings among environmentalists that show that agreements like NAFTA have financial costs from environmental damage that overwhelmingly outweigh the economic benefit that they create. “The results have been costly to Mexico’s prospects of development. The INEGI studies estimate the financial costs of this degradation at 10% of the GDP from 1988 to 1999, an average of $36 billion of damage each year. The destruction overwhelms the value of economic growth, which has been just 2.5% annually, or $14 billion per year.”(Gallagher, 2007)
In an effort to make the NAFTA agreement more environmentally friendly supplemental agreements were added to the bill regarding environmental and labor standards. The NAAEC was created to create cooperation among the three countries regarding conservation, protection and enhancement of the environment. However this new group has no power to subject specific requirements in terms of environmental protection upon any participating countries. Its main purpose is to have participants issue reports on the state of their environments, on promotional environmental education, and to assess environmental impacts. In effect there was an agreement to not impose any US compliance requirements on environmental standards. The NAAEC then set up an institution called the North American Commission for Environmental Cooperation (CEC) that will facilitate joint activities and mediate environmental disputes. In our opinion this is not sufficient to address many of the immediate issues that befall our environments.
In summary, those who feel that trade liberalization conflicts with morally conscious environmental policies have three main points. First, environmental problems have increased significantly as economies grow. Second, the cost of the degradation of environments is more than the increase in economic growth. Third and lastly the supplemental agreements made in conjunction with NAFTA & other trade agreements are not sufficient to assisting the slowing of environmental damage.
Anti-Liberalization / Environmental Policy
Economists feel that free trade agreements do not conflict with morally conscious environmental policies. Economists developed an Environmental Kuznets Curve (EKC) hypothesis derived from the Kuznets Curve to prove their point that free trade will in fact help the environment. This hypothesis states that environmental degradation may sharply increase in early stages of economic development but the rise in per capita income past a certain point would gradually reduce environmental damage. They felt that improvements occur later in development because scale effects could be offset by composition and technique effects. Composition effects occur when economies shift toward services and other less pollution intensive activities. Technique effects will occur as an increase in income creates an increase in environmental awareness.
Economists feel that free trade does not conflict with environmental policy because companies in Mexico have become more environmentally friendly after the inception of NAFTA. “Wisner and Epstein found that the facilities exporting to the USA and Canada implemented more environmental management actions than those selling only within Mexico. They also found that NAFTA spurred the Mexican Government to strengthen environmental regulation, and by more consistently enforcing environmental regulations.” (Carpentier, 2006, p. 267)
Economists also feel that the NAFTA CEC group has in fact led to great achievements for the environment. The CEC assisted in Mexico discontinuing the use of DDT. The intensity of pollution in Mexico increased due to scale effects but is showing signs of decreasing. Also, CEC studies have shown that trends toward increases of air pollutants were present before NAFTA and continue but not strictly caused by NAFTA free trade increases.
In summary, economists feel that trade liberalization does not conflict with morally conscious environmental polices for three main reasons. First that due to effects from scale, composition and technique Environmental degradation will improve. Second is that as a result of free trade in the Americas, Mexico has jumped on board and increased many environmental policies that were not in place to start with. Lastly they feel that the supplemental agreements of NAFTA have fostered an air of cooperation among participating nations to create new policies. Pro /Anti liberalization Summary Part II
In reviewing both sides of this opinion, I feel that trade liberalization does in fact conflict with morally conscious environmental polices. We have not seen conclusive proof that theories of scale effects are being offset quick enough by composition and technique effects. Our environment cannot survive the time taken for the world to create these offsets necessary to benefit the environment. Also, although Mexico has made great strides in environmental protection policy their policy still allows enormous increases in soil erosion, waste, water pollution and air pollution. Results of studies show that the modest rise in per capita income has also created double the price tag in environmental damage.
The two positions cannot come to a clear resolution because time is of the essence when considering environmental recovery & damage. Economists however, feel that time will equalize all playing fields. This cannot happen if environmental damage increases at double the rate of modest growths in per capita income.
C) PRO -Trade Liberalization encourages trade in products that create global pollution. (Pollution havens)
As the world plummets toward worldwide integration, the environmental regulations are having a direct impact on a countries level of Comparative Advantage. The levels of Foreign Direct Investment (FDI) are increasing dramatically in this century leading to many economic questions about the strategies used to make the expansions into foreign countries occur. “Pollution Havens” occur when the host country; realizing the economic gains to be made over all, lower the environmental trade regulations, or reduce the efforts put into current regulations to gain the firms FDI. And the firms of course are willing to gain a cost advantage over their competitors. These situations are where Pollution Havens are most likely to occur as the developing countries are willing to trade of their environmental quality for economic gain, and the predatory industrial nations are willing to degrade the environment of the developing country for economic gains for themselves.
One such case occurred in December 2007, it seems that “dirty” industries from the west are found to be relocating to China due to their less exacting environmental regulations, the effects of such a move is making China dirtier, cleaning up the west, and increasing global emissions. “Chinese companies have become the dominant makers of steel, coke, aluminum, cement, chemicals, leather, paper and other goods that faced high costs, including tougher environmental rules, in other parts of the world. China has become the world’s factory, but also its smokestack.”(New York Times, ND) In Handan China citizens report that as they hang out their laundry freshly washed, the debris from the falling pollution of the smoke stacks often cause them to take the clothing right back to the wash again. China realized the economic gains to be made by bringing in “smoke stack” industries, and quickly took advantage of it. Germany was in the same situation with pollution from these smokestacks, until they made the trade with China giving them the environmental problem so that Germany could take the initiative to focus on the environmental problems facing their nation.
There are and have been in the past many debates as to whether Trade Liberalization results in increased pollution or “Pollution Havens” it was thought that greater and freer trade leads to more specialization which in effect may increase the levels of pollution in some countries. These debates led to the U.S. Presidential Executive Order 13141 signed in 1999; and the Free Trade Act in 2002. These implementations were put into effect to monitor and assess the environmental impacts of trade agreements. (Fullerton, 2007) In 1972 there occurred a large shift in U.S. manufacturing toward cleaner more environmentally safe industries.
The effects of trade on the environment have been classified as: Scale, Composition, and Technique. The Scale effect forecasts that economic growth attributed to increases in trade will increase pollution because Ceteris Paribus (all things being equal) more production equals more pollution.
The Compositional effect states that trade liberalization will cause some industries growth, while others will decrease; based on their type of industry. Dependent upon which industries are affected, if the “dirty” industries decrease and the “clean” industries increase, a reverse effect on the environment will occur reducing the pollution forecast. The Technique effect occurs when the use of technology promotes more “clean” industries to be implemented which will result in the decrease of pollution.
Unfortunately it is often times less expensive for companies to expand into countries with low environmental standards, as there are not so many trade regulations governing such countries. As with most companies profit is the bottom line, and sometimes bending the rules doesn’t seem like such a large crime compared to the return in profits in the end.
Based on research and opinions on Pollution Havens, I believe that already developed countries do indeed take advantage of underdeveloped countries to “get rid” of harmful to the environment industrial businesses and clean up their nations, while foisting their problems on other less economically sound nations. However, the fact that these lesser developed countries accept the smoke stack businesses knowing that it may cause harm to their countries environment are at fault at much as the other. I fully understand the economic gains to be had by both parties is a very tempting and powerful means of persuasion, but as our environment is failing all around us due in part to the emissions of such industry it is the governments as well as individuals responsibility and duty to protect our clean way of life for ourselves and future generations.
If the governments all agreed and adhered to specific rules and regulations protecting the environment, and instead of trying to gain capital by producing harmful products, instead focused the majority on research into “cleaner and greener” products, I believe they would reach their monetary goal just as well, maybe not as fast, but the end result would be better for all. The sales of the new “Hybrid” vehicles are proof positive that we as a world can do our parts to be environmental friendly. Sales in December 2007 equaled 2.8% of total vehicle sales; unfortunately the prices of the Hybrids are a bit more due to savings on fuel prices long-term, so the market was not stormed. However, I as a consumer would definitely make the purchase were it in my means financially and I know a great many people that feel the same.
a. Victoria – Con – recreate position against & give evaluation of the arguments made for this opinion
Free trade has created many problems in today’s environment. Large companies have taken advantage of developing nations, placing their companies in these nations in order to avoid stringent environmental requirements. This has led to many environmental problems in these nations, while the developed countries are cleaning up their own land.
Environmental awareness is also spreading, however. As countries take on more large factories, and pollution therefore increases, they begin to enact stronger environmental regulations in an attempt to clean up pollution and to prevent further pollution. Since the countries initially were so eager to take on the businesses in order to promote economic growth (which is why they had lax environmental regulations; this attracted businesses to them), this is a good thing. It increases the country’s productivity and their GDP, but it also makes them aware of the need for environmental policies and protections.
Unfortunately, protections and changes in environmental laws are not happening quickly enough. The problem is being passed from country to country in order to obtain cheap goods for most of the world. This poses a continued issue for the world. The overall cost of trashing the environment will be much higher than if the companies clean up their production and sell their goods at slightly higher prices. Companies will still be able to make good profits if they go “green,” especially as being green becomes easier with new technology.
In the future, new environmental regulations and a concerted effort on the part of companies will preserve trade, free market, competitive prices, and decent profits, while helping the environment. This will create the best possible situation for everyone involved.
Don Fullerton, The Economics of Pollution Havens Retrieved October 27 2008 from website http://www.bepress.com/bejeap/PHH-Leaflet.pdf
Robert J. R. Elliott and Kenichi Shimamoto , Are ASEAN Countries Havens for Japanese Pollution-Intensive Industry? University of Birmingham , Retrieved 28 October 2008 from website http://www3.interscience.wiley.com/journal/119404475/abstract?CRETRY=1&SRETRY=0
Joseph Kahn, Choking on Growth, China grabs West’s Smoke Spewing Factories, New York Times; Asia Pacific Retrieved 29 October 2008 from website http://www.nytimes.com/2007/12/21/world/asia/21transfer.html?_r=3&hp&oref=slogin&oref=slogin&oref=slogin
Vega-Canovas, Gustavo. “NAFTA’s environmental protections have worked.” Opposing Veiwpoints Resource Center. 2007. 27 Oct. 2008 <http://wf2dnvr4.webfeat.org>.
Gallagher, Kevin. “In Mexico, free trade has led to large scale environmental degradation.” Opposing Viewpoints Resource Center. 2007. 27 Oct. 2008 <http://wf2dnvr4.webfeat.org>.
Charles, John A. “The environmental benefits of globalization.” Oregon’s Future 4 (2003).
Carpentier, Chantal L. “NAFTA Commission for environmental cooperation: ongoing assessment of trade liberalization in North America.” Impact Assessment and Project Appraisal 24/4 (2006): 259-72.
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Thomson’s success is the Maasai’s success
For the Maasai, the land is life. Livestock is grazed and bomas are built here. In recent years, families have become estranged from their nomadic existence and set up camp permanently. But a stationary life means an increase in competition for grazing and settlement. There’s only so much land to go around. Fuzzy property lines and rival clans only compound the issue. You’re left with a catalyst for conflict.
Thomson has quickly determined their place in the bigger picture. With the help of FoTZC, the company has established relationships with villages outside of Enashiva to help manage the land, but also establish key development projects in the communities.
A newly constructed housing block for teachers at Sukenya Primary School; a borehole in Laitayak; a women’s cooperative selling beaded jewelry – these projects seek to benefit the community and set the stage for capacity building. “We want to ensure that these communities are being empowered,” says Happiness. “They are just waking up and seeing the importance of engaging themselves in development work.”
Cooperation with the local Maasai communities compliments Thomson’s conservation efforts in Enashiva. But the company’s message is clear – they’re here to collaborate, not dictate, the needs of the people. “We strongly believe that in order for any project to be sustainable you need to have the community take ownership,” says Happiness. This isn’t charity, it’s a partnership.
Thomson is heavily invested in the community, and for good reason. Without their support, sustainable tourism would not be possible. “They have their views which is to do with cattle. And we’ve got our objectives which is conservation,” says John. “It’s a process of education to bring the two together.”
The success of tourism at Enashiva will trickle down to the local people. Thomson’s success is the Maasai’s success.
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U.S. DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIORBUREAU OF LAND MANAGEMENT
News.bytes Extra, issue 251
Interior Secretary at listening session in San Bernardino
About 160 people joined Secretary of the Interior Dirk Kempthorne in San Bernardino to discuss “Cooperative Conservation” last week, the 24th of 26 “Listening Sessions” on the topic being held throughout the country.
While the Secretary held a short news conference, presented awards to local schoolchildren for their conservation efforts, and made brief remarks at the start of the day-long session, his main purpose, he told the crowd, was to listen to them “in an atmosphere that leaves rhetoric aside.”
Secretary Kempthorne and Col. John McMahon listen to a participant's question at the San Bernardino Listening Session.
He indicated that in addition to the listening sessions, more than 15,000 public emails had been received. The goal, he said, was to try to “draw some conclusions on what's working and what's not working.”
Colton Mayor Deirdre Bennett refers to her notes while speaking of her city's problems with the Endangered Species Act while trying to expand a regional medical center
Secretary Kempthorne congratulates local schoolchildren on their awards for conservation efforts
Some 60 speakers took the opportunity to share with the Secretary their views on a wide range of topics, mostly focusing on the Endangered Species Act. Other public land topics included the Eagle Mountain landfill, Revised Statute 2477, wild burros, and carbonate plants.
Special presentations were made by Ryan Broddrick, Director, Department of Fish and Game, representing Governor Schwarzenegger's Administration and Colton Mayor Deirdre Bennett. Broddrick described the “incredible diversity” of both the people and landscapes in California and noted the California public's “willingness to invest” in conservation. Bennett described the effect of the listing of the Delhi sand-loving fly under the ESA on her city and recent efforts to mitigate those impacts.
Interior Secretary Kempthorne and other panelists listen to informal comments from the audience
BLM California News.bytes, issue 251
|USA.gov | No Fear Act | DOI | Disclaimer | About BLM | Notices | Get Adobe Reader®|
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Buy The Best Greenhouses for Sale!
What do you do to munch on some corn on a fancy when the nearest corn farm is one hundred kilometers away? Buy a greenhouse! Think it’s a bit of an expensive fancy? Not really. Greenhouses in Australia are thriving!
Why buy a greenhouse? Come to think of it. Grocery-fresh isn’t real fresh. Real fresh is picking some tomatoes from the backyard. Getting your hands dirty has its benefits. The most important reason why most of us choose to grow our own food is that of health. The snapping sound of a carrot stick as you bite on it and the greenness of fresh lettuce on a plate make up a refreshing, healthy-meal experience. Buy a greenhouse, and have organic food ready anytime.
Growing vegetables is a fulfilling hobby with healthy benefits. You eat healthy. You feel healthy. You have control over the quality of food you’re eating, and fresh crops are always available. The best vegetables are arguably fresh vegetables harvested right from your backyard.
However, many people who grow their own food may be wishing the growing season doesn’t end so soon.
Greenhouse for Sale for the Constant Gardener!
If you want to be a gardener year-round and are tired of eating cold canned vegetables and frozen food each winter, then, buy a greenhouse!
We have the most practical greenhouses in Australia.
When you buy a greenhouse and keep it well, you’re essentially protecting your plants from too much heat and cold. Having them scorched isn’t an option, and so is having them laced with frost.
A greenhouse allows you to grow crops which would otherwise not survive if grown outside during cold months. Farmers outside can’t expect to have something showing shoots in winter.
A greenhouse functions by providing the right temperature for plants. As opposed to having an ordinary garden, you can create the ideal environment for your crops inside a greenhouse.
If you’re like most people, you don’t want any chemicals touching your food. Have total control of the growing process of fruits and vegetables. It’s time to buy a greenhouse. Speaking of greenhouses, Australia has one of the best climates to run one.
Durable Polycarbonate Greenhouse for Sale!
Running a greenhouse is much more than growing turf. You need to have some sort of system in place to create the perfect condition for your plants. We have exactly your type of greenhouse for sale as we have the best polycarbonate greenhouses Australia has to offer, cheaper and easier to build.
We don’t just have any greenhouse for sale. We offer the most cost-efficient greenhouses in Australia.
You might like hot pumpkin soup on a cold winter’s night. That’s not exactly wishful thinking. When you buy a greenhouse, corn is not just breakfast flakes in a box. Food is as fresh and real as it can get.
This, you’ll only experience if you a buy a greenhouse from only among the best providers of greenhouses in Australia.
Own One Of The Best Greenhouses in Australia Now!
Incoming search terms:
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Prospective Evaluation of Epigenetic Alterations in Patients With Thoracic Malignancies
- Lung and esophageal cancers as well as malignant pleural mesotheliomas exhibit profound
alterations in chromatin structure, which may impact the clinical course of these
- To date, epigenetic alterations in primary thoracic malignancies and neoplasms
metastatic to the chest have not been evaluated in a systematic manner.
- To permit evaluation of patients referred to the Thoracic Oncology Section, Surgery
Branch, NCI in order to identify individuals who will be suitable candidates for
clinical research protocols.
- To obtain biopsies during staging studies of tumor and adjacent normal tissues as well
as serum and urine samples from patients with primary or metastatic malignancies
involving the lung, esophagus, pleura, and mediastinum to support preclinical research
endeavors in the Thoracic Oncology Section.
- To obtain blood, tumor tissue or malignant peritoneal/pleural effusions from patients
with lung, esophageal, mediastinal, or chest wall malignancies for ex vivo generation
of autologous tumor cell lines and EBV-transformed B cell lines for research. Tumor
tissue obtained during previous protocol participation and cryopreserved may undergo
this process if the patient consents on this trial.
- To permit standard treatment for patients who are not eligible for investigational
therapy on a current Thoracic Oncology protocol, but who present a novel and unique
clinical training opportunity, or who manifest a clinical condition that requires
immediate intervention to prevent compromise to the patient's well-being.
- To permit long term follow up of patients with thoracic malignancies including the
collection of tissue and fluids to support preclinical research particularly to
ascertain if gene expression and DNA methylation profiles coincide with response to
- Patients with potentially malignant or suspicious lesions or with biopsy proven, lung
cancers or esophageal cancers, malignant pleural mesotheliomas, mediastinal or chest
wall neoplasms, thymoma/thymic neoplasms, or pulmonary metastases from cancers of
- Patients who have an ECOG performance score of 0-2.
- Patients under 18 years of age may participate if the tissue acquisition is performed
during a clinically indicated surgical procedure, and the sampling of tissue, blood and
urine does not add risk to the clinically indicated procedures.
- Patients must have coagulation parameters within acceptable limits by standard of
practice guidelines prior to biopsy
- This protocol is designed to:
- facilitate screening of patients for investigational protocols in the Thoracic
Oncology Section, Surgery Branch, NCI, and in doing so, obtain tissue samples to
enable evaluation of epigenetic events in primary and metastatic thoracic
malignancies, as an extension of ongoing laboratory research in the Thoracic
- allow for the establishment of tumor cell lines and EBV-transformed B cell lines
to support immunologic evaluation of the patient's response to other clinical
- Patients will be screened to determine appropriate diagnostic and treatment
interventions. Where appropriate, patients will receive staging and surgical
intervention and necessary follow up care. Tissue, blood, and/or peritoneal/pleural
effusion samples obtained during surgery/biopsy or clinic visit will be processed and
either stored for analysis or cultured for generation of tumor cell lines and
EBV-transformed B cell lines for research. After recovery from biopsy or surgery
patients will continue to be followed, blood and urine samples will be collected as
well as tissue when appropriate.
- No investigational treatment will be administered on this protocol. In circumstances
approved by the Section Chief, a patient may be deemed ineligible for investigational
therapy, yet may present a unique clinical training experience for Thoracic Oncology
Section physicians and clinical associates, and undergo standard treatment.
- It is anticipated that the protocol will enroll 75 patients per year over 5 years for a
total of 375 patients.
David S Schrump, M.D.
National Cancer Institute (NCI)
United States: Federal Government
|National Institutes of Health Clinical Center, 9000 Rockville Pike||Bethesda, Maryland 20892|
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Introduction to Two-Person Podcast Recording
Podcasting has become one of the most popular forms of online content consumption in recent years. With its intimate and conversational nature, podcasts provide a unique platform for sharing stories, insights, and knowledge with a global audience. While solo podcasts have their appeal, there is a certain dynamic and energy that comes from a two-person podcast conversation. Whether you’re co-hosting a show with a friend, colleague, or industry expert, recording a two-person podcast can be an incredibly rewarding experience.
In this comprehensive guide, we will delve into the world of two-person podcast recording and explore everything you need to know to create high-quality and engaging content. From the essential equipment and setup to recording techniques, editing, and post-production, we will leave no stone unturned. Additionally, we will discuss the process of publishing and promoting your podcast, ensuring your hard work reaches the ears of your target audience.
The Growing Popularity of Podcasting
Before we dive into the intricacies of recording a two-person podcast, let’s take a moment to understand why podcasting has witnessed such exponential growth in recent years. Podcasts have become a go-to source of information, entertainment, and inspiration for millions of people around the world. This surge in popularity can be attributed to several factors.
Firstly, podcasts provide a convenient and portable way to consume content. With the rise of smartphones and the availability of podcasting platforms such as Apple Podcasts, Spotify, and Google Podcasts, listeners can access their favorite shows anytime, anywhere. Whether during commutes, workouts, or household chores, podcasts have become a staple companion.
Secondly, podcasts offer a unique and personal connection between the host and the listener. Unlike other forms of media, podcasts create an intimate environment where listeners feel like they are part of a conversation. This authenticity and closeness foster a loyal and engaged audience.
Lastly, the democratization of podcasting has made it accessible to anyone with a story to tell. Gone are the days when podcasting was limited to professional studios and tech-savvy individuals. With affordable equipment and easy-to-use software, aspiring podcasters can now create their own shows and share their passions with the world.
Benefits of Recording a Two-Person Podcast
Recording a two-person podcast brings a myriad of benefits that can elevate the quality and appeal of your show. Let’s explore some of these advantages:
Engaging Conversations: Having two hosts provides a dynamic and engaging conversation that can captivate listeners. The back-and-forth banter, differing perspectives, and shared experiences create a lively and entertaining atmosphere.
Diverse Expertise: Co-hosting with someone who brings complementary knowledge and expertise can enhance the depth and breadth of your podcast. This diversity allows for a wider range of topics and insights, making your show more informative and valuable to your audience.
Shared Workload: With a two-person setup, the responsibilities of hosting, research, and preparation can be shared. This not only lightens the workload but also ensures a more balanced and consistent output.
Networking Opportunities: Collaborating with a co-host opens doors to new connections and networking opportunities. Guests, industry experts, and fellow podcasters may be more inclined to participate in your show when they see the value of the two-person dynamic.
Now that we understand the appeal of two-person podcasts, let’s delve into the nitty-gritty of how to record a two-person podcast. We will cover equipment selection, setup, recording techniques, editing, post-production, publishing, and promotion. By the end of this guide, you will be equipped with the knowledge and tools to create an engaging and professional two-person podcast. So, let’s get started!
Essential Equipment and Setup for Recording
To ensure the highest quality audio for your two-person podcast, it’s essential to invest in the right equipment and set up a suitable recording environment. In this section, we will discuss the key components needed for a professional podcasting setup.
Selecting the Right Microphones
The choice of microphones is crucial in capturing clear and crisp audio for your two-person podcast. There are two main types of microphones to consider: dynamic and condenser.
Dynamic Microphones: These microphones are durable, versatile, and excellent at isolating sounds. They are less sensitive to background noise and are ideal for recording in less controlled environments. Dynamic microphones are commonly used in radio broadcasting and live performances.
Condenser Microphones: Condenser microphones are more sensitive and capture a wider frequency range, resulting in more detailed and nuanced sound reproduction. They are great for capturing vocals and offer a more transparent and natural sound. However, they are more sensitive to ambient noise and require a controlled recording environment.
When selecting microphones, it’s important to consider the intended use, budget, and recording environment. USB microphones are a popular choice for beginners as they offer ease of use and are directly compatible with computers. On the other hand, XLR microphones provide higher audio quality and flexibility, allowing you to connect them to audio interfaces or mixers.
Choosing an Audio Interface or Mixer
An audio interface or mixer is essential for connecting your microphones to your recording device, be it a computer or a digital recorder. It converts the analog microphone signals into digital audio that can be processed and recorded.
Audio interfaces come in various configurations, from simple two-channel interfaces to more advanced models with multiple inputs and outputs. They offer features like preamps, phantom power, and headphone outputs for real-time monitoring. On the other hand, mixers allow you to control the audio levels and mix different audio sources. They are particularly useful if you plan on expanding your setup with additional microphones or sound sources.
Headphones for Monitoring
Monitoring your audio while recording is crucial to identify any issues and ensure a quality recording. Closed-back headphones are recommended as they provide better isolation from external noise, allowing you to focus on the audio being captured. Look for headphones with a wide frequency response and comfortable ear cups for extended use.
Acoustic Treatment for Sound Quality
Creating a controlled recording environment is vital to achieving professional sound quality. Acoustic treatment helps minimize echo, reverberation, and external noise interference. Key elements of acoustic treatment include:
- Soundproofing: Reducing external noise by using materials like foam panels, bass traps, and acoustic curtains.
- Reflection Control: Reducing echo and reverb by adding acoustic panels, diffusers, or foam to the walls, ceiling, and floor.
- Isolation: Minimizing sound transmission between rooms by using soundproof doors, seals, and insulation.
Proper acoustic treatment significantly improves the clarity and intelligibility of your podcast, making it more enjoyable for listeners.
Setting Up Recording Software
To effectively capture and record your two-person podcast, you’ll need suitable recording software. There are numerous options available, ranging from free to paid, with varying levels of features and functionality. Some popular recording software includes:
- Audacity: A free and open-source audio editing software with basic recording capabilities.
- GarageBand: A free software for Mac users, offering intuitive recording and editing features.
- Adobe Audition: A professional-grade audio editing software with advanced recording and editing capabilities.
- Logic Pro X: A comprehensive digital audio workstation (DAW) for Mac users, providing sophisticated recording, editing, and mixing tools.
When selecting recording software, consider your level of experience, desired features, and compatibility with your operating system.
Configuring Recording Settings
Once you have your equipment set up, it’s important to configure the recording settings to ensure optimal audio quality. Set the sample rate, bit depth, and file format according to your preferences and the capabilities of your equipment. Generally, a sample rate of 44.1 kHz and a bit depth of 16 bits are standard for podcast recordings, but higher settings can be chosen for enhanced audio fidelity.
Additionally, consider enabling features like automatic gain control (AGC) or compression to maintain consistent audio levels. Experiment with different settings and conduct test recordings to find the configuration that suits your podcast best.
By investing in the right equipment and setting up a suitable recording environment, you lay the foundation for a professional two-person podcast. In the next section, we will explore various recording techniques to help you capture high-quality audio and facilitate engaging conversations.
Recording Techniques for Two-Person Podcasts
Recording a two-person podcast requires more than just setting up the equipment. It’s essential to understand the nuances of conducting a conversation that is engaging, natural, and easy to listen to. In this section, we will explore various techniques and considerations to help you capture high-quality audio and facilitate seamless conversations with your co-host.
Choosing the Ideal Recording Space
Selecting the right recording space is crucial for achieving optimal sound quality. Ideally, choose a room or area that is quiet, free from external noise, and has minimal echo or reverberation. Consider the following factors when selecting your recording space:
Background Noise: Choose a location away from sources of noise such as traffic, appliances, or other people. Background noise can be distracting and reduce the clarity of your podcast.
Room Acoustics: Avoid rooms with excessive echo or reverberation, as they can make your audio sound hollow or distant. If necessary, add acoustic treatment to control reflections and improve the overall sound quality.
Size and Layout: Opt for a room that is spacious enough to accommodate you and your co-host comfortably. Having enough room to move freely can enhance the natural flow of your conversation.
Remember, the goal is to create an environment where you can focus on the conversation without any unnecessary distractions.
Mic Placement and Positioning
Proper mic placement and positioning play a crucial role in capturing clear and balanced audio from both hosts. Here are some guidelines to consider:
Distance from the Microphone: Maintain a consistent distance from the microphone to ensure consistent audio levels. Generally, a distance of 6-12 inches (15-30 cm) from the microphone is ideal. Experiment with different distances to find the sweet spot for your microphones.
Microphone Angles: Position the microphones at a slight angle, pointing towards the mouth of each host. This helps reduce plosive sounds (such as “p” and “b” sounds) and minimizes the risk of one host overpowering the other.
Pop Filters or Foam Windscreens: Attach pop filters or foam windscreens to your microphones to reduce plosive sounds and minimize breath noise. These accessories help maintain a consistent audio quality and prevent any distracting noises.
Isolating Microphones: If possible, use microphone stands or boom arms to isolate each microphone. This helps minimize crosstalk and ensures that each host’s audio is captured clearly.
By paying attention to mic placement and positioning, you can achieve a balanced and professional sound for your two-person podcast.
Proper Mic Technique for Each Podcaster
In addition to mic placement, it’s important for each host to practice proper mic technique. Here are some tips to ensure optimal audio capture:
Maintain Consistent Speaking Distance: Encourage both hosts to maintain a consistent distance from their microphones throughout the recording. This helps maintain consistent audio levels and prevents fluctuations in volume.
Speak Directly into the Microphone: Remind hosts to speak directly into their microphones to ensure clear and direct sound capture. Speaking off-axis or to the side of the microphone can result in a loss of audio quality.
Avoid Excessive Movement: Excessive movement, such as leaning back and forth or turning away from the microphone, can cause inconsistency in audio levels and quality. Encourage hosts to sit comfortably and minimize unnecessary movements during the recording.
Control Breathing Sounds: Remind hosts to be mindful of their breathing while speaking. Deep breaths or heavy breathing sounds can be distracting to listeners. Encourage hosts to take smaller, quieter breaths when possible.
Avoid Table or Surface Noise: Remind hosts to be mindful of any table or surface noise that can be picked up by the microphones. Discourage tapping, handling objects, or other activities that can create unwanted noise.
By practicing proper mic technique, hosts can ensure that their voices are captured clearly and consistently, resulting in a professional and enjoyable listening experience.
Dealing with Cross-Talk and Overlapping Audio
In a two-person podcast, it’s common for hosts to speak simultaneously or unintentionally interrupt each other. While some cross-talk can add to the natural flow of the conversation, excessive overlapping audio can make the podcast difficult to follow. Here are some suggestions for managing cross-talk:
Establish Clear Communication: Encourage hosts to establish clear communication signals to avoid speaking over each other. This can include using hand signals, raising hands, or simply waiting for the other person to finish speaking before chiming in.
Moderate the Conversation: As the host, it’s your responsibility to moderate the conversation and ensure each host has an opportunity to speak. Politely intervene when necessary to guide the conversation and prevent excessive cross-talk.
Editing for Clarity: During the editing process, you can clean up any overlapping audio or cross-talk by removing or reducing sections where both hosts are speaking simultaneously. This helps maintain a clear and coherent conversation.
Remember, a balance between natural conversation and clarity is essential. While some cross-talk can add authenticity to your podcast, excessive overlapping can detract from the listening experience.
Tips for Maintaining Natural and Engaging Conversations
Creating a natural and engaging conversation is key to keeping your audience invested in your podcast. Here are some tips to help you maintain a lively and captivating discussion:
Prepare an Outline or Talking Points: Before recording, create an outline or a list of talking points to guide the conversation. This ensures that you cover the necessary topics while allowing room for organic discussion.
Active Listening: Encourage hosts to actively listen to each other and respond genuinely. This helps create a more natural and engaging conversation, as hosts can build upon each other’s ideas and contribute meaningfully to the discussion.
Allow for Spontaneity: While having an outline is important, don’t be afraid to deviate from it if the conversation naturally leads to interesting tangents or new insights. Spontaneity adds freshness and excitement to your podcast.
Inject Personality and Authenticity: Embrace your individual personalities and let them shine through in your conversation. Authenticity and genuine enthusiasm create a connection with your audience and make your podcast more relatable.
Practice Active Turn-Taking: Encourage hosts to take turns speaking and avoid monopolizing the conversation. This ensures that both hosts have equal opportunities to contribute and prevents one host from overpowering the other.
By implementing these techniques, you can create a podcast that is not only informative but also engaging and enjoyable to listen to. In the next section, we will explore the process of editing and post-production, where you can refine and polish your two-person podcast to perfection.
Editing and Post-Production
Once you have recorded your two-person podcast, the next step is to edit and polish the audio to create a professional and engaging final product. Editing allows you to remove any mistakes, improve audio quality, and add finishing touches to enhance the overall listening experience. In this section, we will explore the essential steps and techniques involved in editing and post-production for your two-person podcast.
Importing and Organizing Audio Files
The first step in the editing process is to import your recorded audio files into your chosen editing software. Most editing software allows you to simply drag and drop the files into the project timeline. Once imported, organize the audio files in the desired order, ensuring that each host’s audio is properly labeled and distinguishable.
Pro tip: Consider creating a backup of your original audio files before starting the editing process. This ensures that you have a copy of the raw audio in case any issues arise during editing.
Cleaning Up Background Noise and Unwanted Sounds
During the recording process, it’s common to have some background noise or unwanted sounds captured in the audio. Cleaning up these unwanted elements is crucial to ensure a clean and professional-sounding podcast. Here are some techniques to help you remove background noise and unwanted sounds:
Noise Reduction: Most editing software provides noise reduction tools that analyze a sample of background noise and remove it from the entire recording. Apply noise reduction to sections of the audio that have consistent background noise, such as air conditioning hum or computer fan noise.
Spectral Editing: Spectral editing tools allow you to visualize the audio frequencies and make precise edits to remove specific unwanted sounds or background noise. This can be helpful for eliminating clicks, pops, or other isolated noises.
De-essing: If there are instances of excessive sibilance (harsh “s” or “sh” sounds), use a de-esser plugin to reduce their intensity and create a more balanced sound.
Remember to apply these edits judiciously, as excessive noise reduction or editing can negatively affect the overall audio quality and make the podcast sound unnatural.
Equalization and Audio Balancing
Equalization (EQ) is an essential tool for balancing the frequency response of your podcast. It allows you to enhance or reduce specific frequencies to achieve clarity and balance in the overall sound. Here are some EQ considerations for your two-person podcast:
High Pass Filter: Apply a high pass filter to each host’s audio track to remove low-frequency rumble and unwanted noises. This helps create a cleaner and more focused sound.
Voice Shaping: Use EQ to enhance the natural characteristics of each host’s voice. Boosting the presence frequencies (around 2-6 kHz) can add clarity and make the voices more impactful. Be careful not to overdo it, as excessive boosting can introduce harshness.
Frequency Balancing: Pay attention to the frequency balance between the hosts. Adjust the EQ settings to ensure that both voices are well-balanced and complementary. This helps prevent one host from overpowering the other and ensures a pleasing listening experience.
Dealing with Room Acoustics: If there are noticeable room resonances or problematic frequencies, use EQ to tame them. Identify the frequencies causing issues and apply gentle cuts to minimize their impact.
Experiment with different EQ settings and make subtle adjustments to achieve the desired sound. Remember, the goal is to enhance the audio while maintaining a natural and transparent sound.
Editing Out Mistakes and Awkward Pauses
During the recording process, it’s common to make mistakes, stumble over words, or experience awkward pauses. Editing allows you to seamlessly remove these moments, creating a more polished and professional podcast. Here are some editing techniques to consider:
Cutting Sections: Identify sections of the audio with mistakes, repetitions, or awkward pauses. Use the editing software’s cutting tool to remove those sections and create a smooth flow in the conversation.
Transition Editing: Smooth out transitions between edits to ensure a natural and seamless listening experience. Crossfades or fades in/out can help make edits less noticeable.
Removing Background Noises: If there are instances of background noise or distractions that couldn’t be eliminated during the recording, consider using the editing software’s noise removal tools to minimize their impact.
When editing out mistakes, be mindful of maintaining the overall flow and coherence of the conversation. It’s important to strike a balance between removing errors and preserving the natural rhythm of the dialogue.
Adding Intro/Outro Music and Sound Effects
To add a professional touch to your podcast, consider incorporating intro and outro music, as well as sound effects where appropriate. These elements can help set the tone, create transitions, and make your podcast more engaging. Here are some considerations when adding music and sound effects:
Selecting Royalty-Free Music: Choose music that complements the style and tone of your podcast. Look for royalty-free music libraries or consider working with a composer to create custom music that aligns with your brand.
Creating Smooth Transitions: Ensure that the intro and outro music flow seamlessly into the conversation. Use fades or crossfades to transition between the music and the hosts’ voices.
Using Sound Effects: Consider incorporating sound effects to enhance storytelling or highlight key moments in your podcast. However, use them sparingly and ensure they add value to the content without distracting the listener.
When using music and sound effects, be mindful of copyright restrictions and ensure that you have the necessary permissions or licenses to use them in your podcast.
Exporting and Saving the Final Edited Podcast
Once you have completed the editing process and are satisfied with the final result, it’s time to export and save your podcast. Most editing software allows you to export the edited audio as a high-quality audio file, such as WAV or FLAC. Additionally, consider saving a backup of the final edited project file in case you need to make future adjustments or modifications.
Congratulations! You have successfully edited and polished your two-person podcast. In the next section, we will explore the process of publishing and promoting your podcast, ensuring that your hard work reaches the ears of your target audience.
Publishing and Promoting Your Two-Person Podcast
Congratulations on successfully editing your two-person podcast! Now it’s time to share your creation with the world. In this section, we will explore the process of publishing your podcast and discuss effective strategies for promoting it to ensure maximum reach and engagement with your target audience.
Selecting a Podcast Hosting Platform
Before you can publish your podcast, you need to choose a podcast hosting platform. A podcast host is a service that stores your audio files, generates an RSS feed, and distributes your podcast to various podcast directories. Here are some popular podcast hosting platforms to consider:
Libsyn: Libsyn is one of the oldest and most trusted podcast hosting platforms. It offers reliable hosting, detailed analytics, and easy distribution to major podcast directories.
Buzzsprout: Buzzsprout is a user-friendly platform that provides hosting, analytics, and automated distribution to popular podcast directories. It offers a simple interface and helpful tools for beginners.
Podbean: Podbean is a versatile podcast hosting platform that offers comprehensive features, including monetization options, built-in website hosting, and social media integration.
Anchor: Anchor is a free podcast hosting platform that offers a user-friendly interface, easy distribution, and built-in tools for recording and editing podcasts directly within the platform.
When selecting a hosting platform, consider factors such as pricing, storage limits, analytics, ease of use, and the ability to distribute your podcast to major directories like Apple Podcasts, Spotify, and Google Podcasts.
Creating Eye-Catching Podcast Artwork
An eye-catching podcast artwork serves as the visual representation of your podcast and helps attract potential listeners. When creating your podcast artwork, keep the following tips in mind:
Be Clear and Concise: Use clear and legible typography to display your podcast’s name, and include relevant imagery or graphics that represent your show’s theme or topic.
Ensure Visibility at Different Sizes: Your artwork should be recognizable and visually appealing even when displayed as a small thumbnail. Make sure your design stands out and remains readable when scaled down.
Reflect Your Brand: Use colors, fonts, and imagery that align with your podcast’s branding and tone. Consistency in visual identity helps establish recognition and connection with your audience.
If you’re not confident in your design skills, consider hiring a professional graphic designer or using online design tools like Canva or Adobe Spark to create your podcast artwork.
Writing Titles, Descriptions, and Show Notes
Creating compelling titles, descriptions, and show notes is essential for attracting potential listeners and improving discoverability on podcast directories. Here’s how to optimize these elements:
Titles: Craft catchy and descriptive titles that give potential listeners an idea of what your podcast is about. Include relevant keywords to improve search visibility.
Descriptions: Write a concise and engaging podcast description that highlights the key topics, themes, or unique selling points of your show. Make sure to incorporate relevant keywords without keyword stuffing.
Show Notes: Show notes provide a summary of each episode, including key discussion points, guest information, and any resources mentioned. They help increase engagement and provide additional value to your audience.
Writing titles, descriptions, and show notes that are both informative and enticing can help attract more listeners and encourage them to engage with your content.
Submitting Your Podcast to Directories
To reach a wider audience, it’s crucial to submit your podcast to popular podcast directories or aggregators. Here are some directories you should consider:
Apple Podcasts: As the largest podcast directory, Apple Podcasts (formerly iTunes) is a must for reaching a vast audience. Follow Apple’s submission guidelines to ensure your podcast is listed correctly.
Spotify: Spotify is another major player in the podcasting space and has a large user base. Submit your podcast to Spotify through its podcast submission portal.
Google Podcasts: With Google Podcasts, you can reach Android users and listeners who use Google Assistant for voice-activated podcast playback. Submit your podcast to Google Podcasts via the Google Podcasts Manager.
Stitcher: Stitcher is a popular podcast directory and app that allows users to discover and listen to podcasts across various genres. Submit your podcast to Stitcher via its content partner portal.
Other Directories: Explore other podcast directories such as TuneIn, iHeartRadio, and Overcast to further expand your podcast’s reach.
Each directory has its own submission process, so ensure you follow their guidelines and provide the necessary information and artwork to get your podcast listed correctly.
Promoting Your Podcast on Social Media and Other Channels
Promoting your podcast is crucial for increasing visibility and attracting a loyal listener base. Here are some effective strategies for promoting your two-person podcast:
Social Media: Leverage social media platforms like Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, and LinkedIn to share episode announcements, behind-the-scenes content, episode snippets, and engage with your audience. Create visually appealing graphics or short video clips to accompany your social media posts.
Guest Collaborations: Collaborate with other podcasters or industry experts as guests on each other’s shows. This cross-promotion helps expose your podcast to new audiences and builds relationships within the podcasting community.
Email Marketing: Build an email list and send regular newsletters to your subscribers, sharing updates, episode releases, and exclusive content. Encourage listeners to subscribe to your podcast and leave reviews.
Website/Blog: Create a dedicated website or blog for your podcast, where you can showcase episodes, provide additional resources, and engage with your audience through comments or discussion forums.
Guest Blogging and Interviews: Write guest posts for relevant blogs or websites within your niche, including links to your podcast. Seek opportunities for interviews or features on other podcasts or media outlets to expand your reach.
Paid Advertising: Consider investing in paid advertising on social media platforms or podcast networks to reach a wider audience. Target your ads based on demographics, interests, and behaviors to maximize their effectiveness.
Remember to engage with your audience, respond to comments and feedback, and continuously seek ways to improve and evolve your podcast based on listener preferences and interests.
Engaging with Your Audience and Encouraging Feedback
Building a loyal and engaged audience is crucial for the long-term success of your podcast. Here are some tips for engaging with your listeners and encouraging feedback:
Encourage Listener Interaction: Prompt your listeners to engage with your podcast by asking questions, inviting them to share their thoughts or experiences related to the episode’s topic, or conducting listener Q&A sessions.
Respond to Feedback: Be responsive to listener feedback, whether it’s in the form of comments, reviews, or emails. Show appreciation for their input and address any questions or concerns they may have.
Create a Community: Foster a sense of community by creating a dedicated space for your listeners to connect, such as a private Facebook group, a Discord server, or a community forum on your website. Encourage listeners to share their experiences, recommendations, and engage in discussions related to your podcast’s topics.
Feature Listener Contributions: Incorporate listener feedback, questions, or stories into your podcast episodes. This not only shows appreciation for your audience but also adds a personal touch and makes listeners feel involved in the content creation process.
By actively engaging with your audience and encouraging feedback, you can strengthen your podcast’s community and build a loyal listener base.
Congratulations! You have now learned the essential steps for publishing and promoting your two-person podcast. In the final section, we will recap the key points covered in this guide and provide additional resources for further learning and improvement.
Congratulations! You have now learned the ins and outs of recording a two-person podcast. We have covered everything from selecting the right equipment and setting up your recording environment to mastering recording techniques, editing and post-production, and finally, publishing and promoting your podcast. By following the guidelines and techniques outlined in this guide, you are well-equipped to create a high-quality and engaging two-person podcast.
Remember, podcasting is a journey of continuous learning and improvement. As you embark on your podcasting journey, here are a few key takeaways to keep in mind:
Invest in Quality Equipment: While a great podcast doesn’t solely rely on expensive gear, investing in quality microphones, audio interfaces, and headphones can greatly enhance the overall sound quality of your podcast.
Create a Comfortable Recording Environment: Choose a quiet space with minimal background noise and consider implementing acoustic treatment to ensure optimal sound quality.
Master Recording Techniques: Practice proper mic placement, encourage clear communication, and aim for a natural and engaging conversation flow between hosts.
Edit and Polish Your Podcast: Take the time to edit out mistakes, clean up background noise, and enhance the overall audio quality through equalization. Adding intro/outro music and sound effects can also elevate the production value of your podcast.
Publish and Promote Strategically: Utilize podcast hosting platforms, create eye-catching artwork, optimize titles and descriptions, submit your podcast to directories, and leverage social media and other channels for effective promotion.
Engage with Your Audience: Foster a sense of community, encourage listener feedback, and consistently seek ways to improve and provide value to your audience.
Remember, podcasting is a creative outlet that allows you to share your passions, knowledge, and stories with the world. Embrace the journey, stay consistent, and continuously refine your craft.
If you’re hungry for further learning and improvement, here are some additional resources to explore:
Podcasting Courses: Consider enrolling in online podcasting courses or workshops to learn advanced techniques, gain insights from industry experts, and stay up-to-date with the latest trends.
Podcasting Communities: Join podcasting communities, forums, or social media groups to connect with fellow podcasters, exchange ideas, and learn from their experiences.
Podcasting Conferences and Events: Attend podcasting conferences, workshops, and events to network with industry professionals, attend informative sessions, and gain inspiration for your podcasting journey.
Podcast Analytics and Feedback: Regularly monitor your podcast analytics to gain insights into audience demographics, engagement, and listener behaviors. Utilize listener feedback to improve and refine your content.
Remember, success in podcasting is not solely measured by the number of listeners but by the impact you make on your audience and the connections you build through your podcast. So, embrace the process, have fun, and let your unique voice be heard!
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Muhammad Ali of Egypt
Learn more about Muhammad Ali of Egypt
Muhammad Ali Pasha (Arabic: محمد علي باشا) or Mehmet Ali Paşa (Kavalalı Mehmet Ali Paşa) in Turkish (c. 1769 - August 2, 1849), was a viceroy of Egypt and is often cited as the founder of modern Egypt. Muhammad Ali was born in the town of Kavala (in present day Greece) in an Albanian family. After working for a time in his youth as a tobacco merchant, Muhammad Ali took a commission in the Ottoman army.
Rise to power
In 1798, Napoleon invaded the Ottoman province of Egypt and destroyed the army of the Mamluk rulers at the Battle of the Pyramids. The immediate military objective of the expedition was to strike at Britain's communication routes with India. The British destruction of the French fleet in the Battle of the Nile near Alexandria dealt a blow to Napoleon's ambitions. However, the rest of the expeditionary force occupied Egypt, with great difficulty, for three years. The occupation was officially brought to an end in 1801 by a joint British-Ottoman expedition. The ethnic and political divisions within Ottoman ranks prevented them from operating effectively for very long. When the troops had their salaries delayed, some of them mutinied, and many turned to banditry. With the Mamluks out of power and the French occupation over, Egypt was thrown into a power vacuum. Muhammad Ali, a young officer who had been second in command of an Albanian contingent sent by the Ottoman government to evacuate the French, stepped in to fill this vacuum by establishing a local power base of village leaders, clerics, and wealthy merchants in Cairo. With no one else able to hold the office in safety, he was recognized by Istanbul and appointed Ottoman viceroy (wali; Arabic: والي) of Egypt in 1805.
Ali spent the first years of his rule fighting off attempts to unseat him and extended his personal authority over all of Egypt. In one of the most infamous episodes of his reign, Ali definitively broke the power of the Mamluks by massacring their leaders. Having worn down the Mamluks for years with raids and skirmishes, he invited their amirs in 1811 to a feast to celebrate his son Tusun Pasha's appointment to lead the army being sent against the Wahhabi rebellion in Arabia. As the procession of Mamluk princes made its way through a narrow gated alley in the Citadel, Ali's men shut the gates, trapping all the Mamluks inside, and soldiers positioned in the buildings facing the alley opened fire from above. When the shooting ended, soldiers on the ground finished off any Mamluks still living with swords and axes. In the following days, he ordered his men to kill any other Mamluks they could catch, plunder their homes, and rape their women.
The modern army
Ali recognized that the sort of military force from which he had arisen — expeditionary recruits assigned to units based on shared ethnic or regional identity — was not a reliable force in the long term. Moreover, he knew from personal experience fighting the French in 1799 that there was a superior style of combat in the field. Close-order, well-drilled musketry combined with artillery and judicious cavalry support had proved devastating against less disciplined, more flamboyant forces such as the Mamluks. An additional advantage, Ali knew, was that a modern army in the European guise could provide an alternative to raising entire military castes, such as the Janissaries and the Mamluks themselves. These castes tended to accumulate enough power to challenge the authority of their ostensible lords. Another influence on this decision to modernize was the short-lived attempt of Sultan Selim III at creating a similar force to replace the Janissaries: the disciplined troops, trained by the German officer Von Moltke the elder, then captain, had performed well, but the Janissaries realized the implications of this new force, and responded by deposing Selim. In 1823, Muhammad Ali began to conscript peasants from Upper Egypt and trained them in the Napoleonic fighting style under a French officer, Colonel Sèves (Suleyman Pasha). According to the nizâm-ı cedîd (literally, new order) system introduced by the Ottoman sultan Selim III (1789-1807), these troops were based on a regular draft pattern and organized along contemporary European schemes. These troops showed remarkable loyalty to the viceroy (in comparison with the yeni çeri troops) and performed very well in battle, putting down insurrections in various parts of Egypt.
In 1827, at the request of Sultan Mahmud II, Ali sent his nizami troops under his son's command, Ibrahim Pasha, against the Greeks in the Greek War of Independence. He also raised a navy at a huge cost. This engagement led to a falling-out between Mahmud II and Muhammad Ali. Great Britain, France, and Russia had all taken the side of the Greek rebels and an enormous fleet of their combined naval forces lay anchored in Navarino Bay, awaiting the Ottoman navy. Ali recognized that his naval forces could not hope to defeat the combined European fleet and pleaded with the Sultan to recognize Greek independence, then allowing the Austrian Empire to mediate a negotiated peace. The Sultan refused to consider giving up so much imperial territory and insisted that the opposing fleet was just an empty bluffing tactic. Ali reluctantly followed orders and sent his navy against the European fleet; in the Battle of Navarino on 20 October 1827, almost the whole of the Ottoman navy was destroyed in only a few hours of fighting. This marked the last time that Muhammad Ali undertook a major military engagement on behalf of the Sultan.
In the aftermath of the Greek War of Independence, Muhammad Ali had the chance to review the strengths and weaknesses of his troops in a major engagement. The land troops had performed well, but the campaign revealed that many of the Ottoman officers were inadequate to the job of commanding the new infantry forces in the field. Moreover, the nizam jadid did not yet extend to naval forces; the viceroy had to rely on a far less disciplined navy during the campaign in Greece.
Ali dealt with these issues pragmatically. To remedy the problem of officer training, he founded a staff college and hired French officers to train Ottoman personnel in the newly requisite military science. Convinced of the efficacy of the nizam jadid, he dissolved all his old regiments of Albanians and Mamluks and set about building an entire army of nizami troops. To supply the men for the troops, he instituted conscription among Egyptian peasants.
Industrialization and modernization
To keep up with the constant need for money that military reform created, Ali established long-staple cotton as a cash crop and reoriented the Egyptian agricultural economy towards cotton production. Since British textile manufacturers were willing to pay good money for such cotton, Ali ordered the majority of Egyptian peasants to cultivate cotton at the exclusion of all other crops. At harvest time, Ali bought the entire crop himself, which he then sold at a mark-up to textile manufacturers. In this way, he turned the whole of Egypt's cotton production into his personal monopoly. He also experimented with textile factories that might process cotton into cloth within Egypt, but these did not prove very successful.
The needs of the military likewise fueled other modernization projects, such as state educational institutions, a teaching hospital, roads and canals, factories to turn out uniforms and munitions, and a shipbuilding foundry at Alexandria, although all the wood for ships had to be imported from abroad. In the same way that he conscripted peasants to serve in the army, he frequently drafted peasants into labor corvées for his factories and industrial projects. The peasantry objected to these conscriptions and many ran away from their villages to avoid being taken, sometimes fleeing as far away as Syria. A number of them maimed themselves so as to be unsuitable for combat: common ways of self-maiming were blinding an eye with rat poison and cutting off a finger of the right hand, which usually worked the firing mechanism of a rifle.
Rebellion against the Sultan
Ali viewed the territory comprising Sudan as an extension of water, land, and resources, namely gold and slaves. He ordered a campaign to conquer and occupy Sudan in 1820. Ali's troops made headway into Sudan in 1821 and were met with fierce resistance. The supremacy of Egyptian troops and firearms ensured the conquest of Sudan. Ali now had an outpost from which he could expand to the source of the Nile in Ethiopia and Uganda. His administration captured slaves from the Nuba Mountains and west and south Sudan, all incorporated into a foot regiment known as the Jihadiya. Ali's reign in Sudan and that of his descendants is known in Sudan for its brutality and heavy-handedness.
On 20 October 1827, while under the command of Muharram Bey, the Ottoman represenative, the entire Egyptian navy was sunk by the European Allied fleet, under the command of Admiral Edward Codrington (1770-1851). If the Porte was not in the least prepared for this confrontation, Muhammad Ali was even less prepared for the loss of his highly competent, expensively assembled, and maintained navy. In compensation for this loss the wali asked the Porte for the territory of Syria. The Ottomans were indifferent to the request, the sultan himself asking blandly what would if Syria was granted and Muhammad Ali later deposted? Could he not then use Syria and then attack the suddenly unprotected Egypt? <ref> 12 Bahr Barra, Jamad I 1243/1828</ref> But the wali was not longer willing to tolerate Ottoman indifference. To compensate for his, and Egypt's, losses the wheels for the conquest of Syria were set in motion.
Like other rulers of Egypt before him, Ali desired to control Greater Syria, both for its strategic value and for its rich natural resources; nor was this a sudden, vendictive decision on the part of the wali since he had this goal since his early years as Egypt's unoffical ruler. For not ony had Syria abundent natural resources, it also had a thriving international trading community with well developed markets throughout the Levant; in addition, it would be a captive market for the goods now being produced in Egypt. Yet perhaps most of all Syria was desirable because it was a buffer state between Egypt and the sultan.
A new fleet was built, a new army was raised and on 31 October 1831, under Ibrahim Pasha, Muhammad Ali's eldest son, the Egyptian invasion of Syria began. For the sake of appearance on the world stage, and pretext for the invasion was vital. Ultimately, excuse for the expedition was a quarrel with Abdullah Pasha of Acre. The wali alleged that 6,000 fallahin had fled to Acre to escape the draft, corvée, and taxes, and he wanted them back.<ref>Afaf Lutfi al-Sayyid Marsot, Egypt in the reign of Muhammad AliUniversity of Cambridge, 1983</ref>
The Egyptians overran Syria, so weak was the resistance. Acre was captured after a six-month siege, which lasted from 3 November 1831 to 27 May 1832. The Egyptian amry marched north into Anatolia. At the Battle of Konya (21 December 1832), Ibrahim Pasha soundly defeated the Ottoman army led by the sadr azam Grand Vizier Reshid Pasha. There was now no military obstacle between Ibrahim's forces and Istanbul itself.
Despite all appearances, neither the wali nor his son Ibrahim coveted the Ottoman throne was making a play to overthrow the Osmanli Dynasty and seize control of the Ottoman Empire: Muhammad Ali because his goal was to rule an independent Egypt; Ibrahim Pasha because he despised the Porte, and all Ottomans, to the very depths of his being. Instead, their stated goal was the removal of the current Ottoman emperor Mahmud II and replace him with his nephew, the infant Abdul Mejid.
This possibility so alarmed Mahmud II that he accepted Russia's offer of military aid, much to the dismay of the British and French governments. From this position, Russia brokered a negotiated solution in 1833 known as the Treaty of Hünkâr İskelesi. The terms of the peace were: Ali would withdraw his forces from Anatolia, he would receive the territories of Crete (then known as Candia) and the Hijaz as compensation, and Ibrahim Pasha would be appointed wali of Syria.
In 1839, Muhammad Ali, dissatisfied with partial sovereignty over Syria, went to war again against the Sultan's forces. When Mahmud II ordered his forces to advance on the Syrian frontier, Ibrahim attacked and destroyed them at the Battle of Nizib (24 June 1839) near Urfa. Echoing the Battle of Konya, Istanbul was again left vulnerable to Ali's forces. Mahmud II died almost immediately after the battle took place and was succeeded by his sixteen-year-old son, Abdülmecid. At this point, Ali and Ibrahim began to argue about which course to follow; Ibrahim favored conquering Istanbul and demanding the imperial seat while Ali was inclined simply to demand numerous concessions of territory and political autonomy for himself and his family. On 15 July 1840, Great Britain, Austria, Russia and Prussia signed the London Convention, which granted Ali hereditary rule over Egypt and the administration for life over the governatorate of Acre in exchange for the withdrawal of his troops from the Syrian hinterland and the coastal regions of Mount Lebanon. Ali refused these terms and, despite the opposition of France, a multilateral European military intervention took place a few weeks later.
After the British and Austrian navies blockaded the Nile delta coastline, shelled Beirut (11 September 1840), and after Acre had capitulated (3 November 1840), Ali agreed to the terms of the Convention on 27 November 1840, renouncing his claims over Crete and the Hijaz and downsizing his navy and his standing army to 18,000 men, provided that he and his descendants would enjoy hereditary rule over Egypt — an unheard-of status for an Ottoman viceroy.
Final years
After he secured hereditary rule for his family, Ali ruled until 1848, when he was deposed on account of senility. He was succeeded by Ibrahim Pasha, but Ibrahim himself was very ill and died a few months later. Ali briefly succeeded his own son, until his grandson, Abbas, assumed the office. Ali died in August 1849 and was buried in the imposing mosque he had commissioned, the The Mosque Muhammad Ali, in the Citadel of Cairo.
Note on Muhammad Ali's ethnicity
During Ali's lifetime, religious affiliation was the most important marker of identity in the Ottoman Empire. A precise ethnic identification of an Ottoman subject is difficult to ascertain, especially in cities with diverse ethnic populations. The historical record suggests that he likely had Albanian origins; he may have also had Macedonian, Turkish, or Kurdish ancestry. However, all speculations on his ethnic designation are difficult to prove beyond doubt. Moreover, Egyptian historical records variably refer to Muhammad Ali as a Turk and an Albanian, depending on the historian's perspective. It is, in fact, difficult to state definitively anything more than that Muhammad Ali was a Muslim subject of the Ottoman Empire.
See also
- Muhammad Ali's seizure of power
- Egypt under Muhammad Ali and his successors
- History of Ottoman Egypt
- List of Rulers of Modern Egypt
- This article incorporates text from the Encyclopædia Britannica Eleventh Edition, a publication now in the public domain.
- Fahmy, Khaled. 1997. All The Pasha's Men: Mehmed Ali, his army and the making of modern Egypt. New York: American University in Cairo Press. ISBN 977-424-696-9
- Fahmy, Khaled. 1998. "The era of Muhammad 'Ali Pasha, 1805-1848" in The Cambridge History of Egypt: Modern Egypt, from 1517 to the end of the twentieth century. M.W. Daly, ed. Pp. 139-179, Vol. 2. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press. ISBN 0-521-47211-3
- Hourani, Albert. 2002. A History of the Arab Peoples. London: Faber and Faber. ISBN 0-446-39392-4
- al-Jabarti, Abd al-Rahman. 1994. 'Abd al-Rahman al-Jabarti's History of Egypt. 4 vols. T. Philipp and M. Perlmann, translators. Stuttgart: Franz Steiner Verlag. ISBN 3-515-05756-0
- Vatikiotis, P.J. 1991. The History of Modern Egypt: From Muhammad Ali to Mubarak. Baltimore: The Johns Hopkins University Press. ISBN 0-8018-4215-8
External links
| Muhammad 'Ali Dynasty|
Born: 1769; Died: 2 August 1849
uncertain due to war
|Governor of Egypt|
|Governor of Egypt|
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Amid declining enrollment in the humanities in favor of more career-oriented paths, Harvard University is seeking to rekindle interest in literature, philosophy, and the classics, a broad effort that will focus on first-year students.
In a report being issued Thursday, faculty called for “gateway courses” to draw students into the field, including a full-year survey course designed for freshmen and sophomores, and for a “collective reboot” of teaching in the humanities.
The report comes at a time when a liberal arts education is increasingly seen as impractical given soaring tuition costs and a tight job market, even for college graduates.
As students gravitate toward economics and other social sciences, often as springboards to business careers, advisers need to emphasize that majoring in the humanities can lead to any number of careers, Harvard faculty wrote.
“Students are understandably concerned about their eventual employment prospects,” one proposal states. “But Harvard students are generally unaware of how many employers seek graduates with strong humanities training.”
‘There’s a way in which the liberal arts get undermined by a more instrumental view of education.’
The report takes aim at the declining number of Harvard students who major in the humanities, which also include English, religion, and romance languages. Since 2003, the number majoring in the humanities dropped from 21 percent to 17 percent, and the number who considered such majors has fallen off sharply.
Over the past eight years, more than half of students who said before arriving at Harvard that they planned to concentrate in the humanities wound up choosing another major, the report found. Many went on to major in government, history, psychology, or economics, and surveys showed that many students changed course in their freshman year.
“We conclude from these statistics that we should be focusing our efforts on the freshman experience, which is where we lose a striking number of students who matriculate with an intention to concentrate in a humanities discipline,” the report stated.
More than 40 faculty members worked over the past 18 months on the report, which was prompted by concern about declining enrollment.
Last year, 46 percent of students majored in the social sciences, followed by 37 percent in the fields of science, math, and technology — up from 27 percent a decade earlier.
“It’s a trend we’ve been detecting in the last 10 years,” said Diana Sorensen, dean of arts and humanities, who commissioned the report. “There’s a way in which the liberal arts get undermined by a more instrumental view of education.”
The experience at Harvard mirrors a national trend, as the number of bachelor’s degrees in the humanities has steadily declined in recent years.
“We’re answering to a national sense of unease,” said James Simpson, chairman of the English department, who co-wrote the report.
At Harvard, students who decide to major in the humanities nearly always remain in that concentration, Simpson said, and report higher levels of satisfaction with their major than other students.
“We don’t have a crisis, but we do have a challenge,” Simpson said. “We have high levels of allegiance and satisfaction, but somehow the humanities are not pulling in students whose intellectual curiosity makes them initially interested.”
The report also called for an internship program to show students that a liberal arts degree can lead to a variety of careers.
An education based on the humanities helps students navigate a world marked by rapid change and digital advances, Sorensen said.
“The arts and humanities are unique in their potential to help students develop the skills and wisdom needed to thrive in the digitized, globalized, discovery-driven economy of the 21st century,” she wrote.
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Institute for War and Peace Reporting | Giving Voice, Driving Change
Crimean Parliament Shifts Referendum Date to March 16
The referendum on the status of the Autonomous Republic of Crimea is being brought forward from March 30 to March 16.
An extraordinary plenary session of the autonomous republic’s Supreme Council passed a resolution on holding a Crimea-wide referendum on March 16, according to its press service.
The resolution includes the following points: 1. accede to the Russian Federation as an entity of that federation; 2. Set March 16 as the date of a Crimea-wide referendum (including Sebastopol) in which the following alternatives will be offered:
Are you in favour of Crimea being reunited with Russia with the status of an entity of the Russian Federation?
Are you in favour of the 1992 Constitution of the Republic of Crimea being restored, and of Crimea having the status of part of Ukraine?
The document makes it clear that whichever option gets the majority vote will be deemed a direct expression of Crimean the population’s wishes.
Ballot papers for the referendum are being printed in Russian, Ukrainian and Crimean Tatar.
The Crimean Supreme Council also sent a proposal to the Russian Federation’s president and the Federal Assembly of the State Duma to initiate procedures for Crimea to enter the Russian Federation as an entity.
It is yet to be clear how many members of parliament voted for this decision.
As we have reported, on March 2 the Ukrainian prosecutor general’s office filed an objection in court to the Crimean parliament’s appointment of Sergei Aksyonov as prime minister of the autonomous republic. Kiev says his election took place in breach of the law.
On March 5, the Kiev District Administrative Court annulled the legal effect of number of decisions taken by the Crimean Supreme Council.
The Prosecutor general’s office states, “Given that the administrative court has cancelled these decisions made by the Crimean Supreme Council, any actions and decisions undertaken by Aksyenov as head of the Crimean cabinet or on behalf of it are deemed to be illegal and without legal foundation.”
Ukraine’s acting prosecutor general, Oleg Makhnitsky, has said that criminal actions have been launched against a number of politicians, including Aksyonov and Crimean parliament speaker Vladimir Konstantinov.
“Legal proceedings have been brought against these individuals for crimes against the state, undermining its territorial integrity, and other offences against the state under Section 1, Article 109 of the Criminal Code, which covers actions intended at forcibly changing or bringing down the constitutional system or a coup d’etat,” the prosecutor’s office says.
On March 5, the Shevchenko District Court in Kiev approved a request from the investigative agencies for the arrest of Aksyonov and Konstantinov.
This article republished from Podrobnosti.ua with kind permission.
Original article in Russian.
- Europe / Eurasia
- Latin America
- Middle East / North Africa
- Focus Pages
- Print Publications
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Seed Study - Cirsium undulatum
Species: Cirsium undulatum
Seedling Identification: These seedlings look very similar to Scotch thistle (Onopordum acanthium) seedlings. However the first leaves of wavy leaf are less lobed and have very fine spines off the leaf edges.
Cirsium undulatum – wavyleaf thistle
Average number of good seeds per gram bulk matter: n.m.
Average number of good seeds per gram cleaned: 109 (46)
Commercial estimates of seeds per gram: n.a.
Percent seed: n.m.
Percent live: 67
Collection dates: July 20; August 16; October 6 and 20
Collection effort: 40 grams in 5 person hours
Collection notes: Relatively common and easy to collect however it tends to have a lot of insect damage.
Cleaning notes: Most appeared to be pure seed however a few might have been buggy or empty.
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Basic Knowledge of Forex
Trade in a new market as if learning a new kind of language. You will find much easier when you understand basic knowledge. Before you learn how to trade on our platform, start with the Forex basic knowledge.
What is Forex?
Forex is also known as ‘foreign exchange’, ‘Forex’ or ‘FX’.Forex trading is the simultaneous exchange, buying and selling, of one currency for another primarily for speculation purposes. Forex trade is is similar to stock exchange. If a stock investor thinks that the price of certain stock is expected to drop in the future, then he or she will sell out the stock. Similarly, if a forex investor expects the rate of certain currency pair will rise in the future, he will buy in more of this currency pair, but if he or she expects the rate of such currency pair will drop in the future, then he will sell out the currency pair.
Forex quotes consist of the base currency (left-hand side of the backslash) and the quote currency (right-hand side). The base currency is the currency what you are willing to buy using the quote currency, and the rate you see is how much quote currency is needed to buy one unit of the base currency. For example, EUR/USD 1.19418 presents 1 euro is equivalent to 1.19418 US dollars.
A lot is a standardized quantity of the instrument you are trading. In forex, one lot is 100,000 units of a particular currency.ATFX offers the minimum volume is 0.01 lot, which is 1,000 units of a particular currency.
Pip stands for Percentage in Point and it is the smallest price change that can be seen in an exchange rate. In most cases currency pairs are priced to four decimal points and the smallest change can be seen in the last decimal. For example, EUR/USD rising from 1.4022 to 1.4027 means euro increases 5 pips.
Leverage and Margin
As mentioned above, all the trades are executed with “borrowed money” and here “leverage” is applied. Leverage is expressed in ratio form, so if it is 1:100 for example, a trader’s buying power is magnified 100 times and is offered by brokers to maximize traders’ buying power by giving them the ability to deposit a small amount of funds and trade larger volumes, meanwhile it increases the loss risk. Leverage trading is not suitable for all the investors. Margin refers to the amount of money needed in your account to maintain an open position. Margin is not a charge or cost fee but a deposit out of equity.
Low cost of investment
ATFX will not collect any fees from the investors but only the spreads from the clients’ trade. For example, the spread of EUR/USD 1.19225/1.19243 is 1.8 pips.
The investors has options to trade in forex market any time available for them for Forex market is 24 hours global market.
Use of leverage
The forex investors has opportunities to use higher leverage compared to stock market or other market. Bear in mind the leverage increases the profit and loss risk at the same time.
Practice on demo account
ATFX provides free demo account for the clients who access the markets and practice trading under real conditions, but the money clients trade with is virtual and trade risk is free. with demo accounts , the clients become familiar with the trading platform and experience different strategies.
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CPLDs — Part 3
complex programmable logic devices
by David A. Ward
After reading the first two articles in this series of five on CPLDs, you should be able to
enter a digital logic circuit into the Xilinx software through the graphical or schematic
entry method, compile that design, and program the configuration into a CPLD. This
article will demonstrate how to simulate your digital logic design in Xilinx Isim.
To begin with, enter the circuit you want to simulate into the Xilinx software. We’ll use a simple two-gate circuit with three inputs and one output (see Figure 1). We
won’t go into all of the details on how this was done; you
can refer back to the second article if you need to. We now
need to generate an HDL test bench that will describe the
signals we’d like input into our circuit for simulation purposes.
Select Project>New Source from the top menu as shown in
Figure 2. The next window asks which type of file we want
to add to the design; select VHDL Test Bench (see Figure 3).
It’s also a good idea to add the letters TB into the file name
so that whenever the file name appears, you can quickly
differentiate it from other types of files.
Figure 4 shows you which source file
the test bench file will be associated
with; in some designs, you may have
several source files open at one time. In
this demonstration, only one is open;
select Next. The next window that will
open is the summary window shown in
Figure 6; select Finish. Figure 6 shows
the HDL test bench template that was
prepared for you. Notice in Figure 7
that an area is marked between the
two green comment lines. That’s the
user defined section where we will
enter our test signal information into.
58 SERVO 05.2011
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STAFFORD D-Day veteran the Reverend Dick Sargent will be laying a wreath at the National Memorial Arboretum's commemoration tomorrow - 60 years to the day after he was battling the waves to land troops on Utah beach as a 19-year-old Royal Navy officer.
The former vicar of the town's Castle Church has vivid memories of his D-Day experiences, which began with a 12-mile voyage from his ship, moored out of range of German guns, to guide a convoy of six assault landing craft carrying 180 troops, to the Normandy beaches.
It was far from plain sailing, Rev Sargent, of Deanshill Close, recalled.
"The weather was monstrous," he said. "The landing craft were shaped like sardine cans and were carried up by the waves then dropped right down again to meet the next wave. It was too violent to make you feel seasick, but it was a test of seamanship to get them to shore."
The landing craft were supposed to follow a line of four ships moored at intervals to guide them to shore - but three of the four had been sunk.
"I had a magnetic compass, but it was useless," said Rev Sergent, who had been promoted from Midshipman to Sub Lieutenant for his first command role. "There was so much equipment on board that the compass just pointed at the chap holding the biggest bazooka.
"Fortunately I spotted some bigger tank landing craft and followed them in."
But it still took nearly three hours to get the troops ashore.
Rev Sargent, who is married to Barbara and has two sons and a grandson, said he was fortunate to land on Utah beach, where advance bombing and shelling had destroyed German defences, escaping the carnage on the other beaches.
"I was too busy to be frightened."
Rev Sargent, who was a chaplain and part time teacher at Stafford Grammar School after his retirement from full-time ministry, joined the Navy in 1942, shortly after his older brother Walter was killed in the St Nazaire raid.
More in next week's Newsletter.
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Washington, D.C. – Today, the Bipartisan Policy Center’s (BPC) Housing Commission released an infographic detailing the intersection of supply and demand in rental housing. Click here to view the infographic.
Increasing demand for rental housing is driven by the needs and preferences of four demographic groups: Baby Boomers, Echo Boomers, former homeowners and recent immigrants. With roughly 5 to 6 million new renter households expected to form over the next ten years, BPC’s Housing Commission is considering how a new housing finance system can best support development of a range of housing options that serve this diverse and changing set of needs and preferences.
BPC’s Housing Commission will release its recommendations for the future of U.S. housing policy in early 2013.
The infographic also defines three factors that contribute to the composition of the rental housing stock: conversion of single family homes, construction of new apartments, and losses due to deterioration or demolition. Single-unit rentals, an often-overlooked segment of the rental housing stock, constitute more than one-third of the available supply. These homes require very different approaches to maintenance and management, and create distinct financing challenges, as compared to large multi-unit buildings.
This is the third in a series of infographics released by BPC’s Housing Commission this year. The first infographic highlighted housing’s impact on the U.S. economy and the second showed how shifting demographics will affect housing in the future.
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The Seeds of Resistance tour kicked off today in Augusta County, Virginia, in which corn seeds (“seeds of resistance”) were planted “on land that lies in the paths of the Atlantic Coast and Mountain Valley fracked gas pipelines.” According to the Bold Nebraska website:
The first “Seeds of Resistance” were planted in 2014 by the Cowboy & Indian Alliance, when sacred Ponca corn was returned to the tribe’s ancestral homeland in Nebraska for the first time in 137 years — since the tribe was forcibly removed from Nebraska.
The corn was planted on land that lies both in the path of the Keystone XL pipeline, and on the historic Ponca Trail of Tears.
The 3.5 acres of sacred Ponca corn planted in Neligh was certified by the USDA, and with the land now protected from Keystone XL, the corn planting and harvests continue to help propagate more Seeds of Resistance.
Since their first planting in Nebraska as a strategy of blocking the Keystone XL pipeline and building a Cowboy and Indian Alliance, Seeds of Resistance have since spread across the world, to to Ecuador, Minnesota, Wisconsin and other communities standing up to Big Corporations.
The tour continues Tuesday in Boones Mill and Lafayette, Virginia, before moving to West Virginia – source of the dirty, fracked gas for these pipelines – on Wednesday. If you want to donate to help spread “seeds of resistance” far and wide, click here. And check out the WHSV news story about Monday’s seed planting in Augusta County. Now, if we could only get some leadership from our governor…you know, the one elected in large part thanks to support by environmentalists?
P.S. Also definitely “like” Friends of Augusta’s Facebook page!
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Word(s) in meaning: chat "global warming"
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Fácil Adicción al Chisme y el Entretenimiento (Spanish: Easy Addiction, Gossip and Entertainment)
Facilities And Communication Evaluation
Faculty of Automatics and Computer Engineering
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Family And Consumer Education
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Fast, Accurate, Cost-effective, Easy
Fat Albert Can Eat (mnemonic for Bass Clef space note names)
Fatality Assessment and Control Evaluation
Fathers' and Children's Equality, Inc.
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Federal Acquisition Conference and Exposition
Federal Agency for Civic Education (Germany)
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Groenink, J. Dvipsbugw why should we care about motion. To specify a specific equilibrium position in either joint or hand space. Cogn. New York Rus- sellandRussell,1968. This brief sketch of major changes in religious affil- iation over the course of American history inevitably omits many important religions, eras, and events.
This information in turn raised speculation about the strength and reli- ability of the steel and rivets used in its construction and renewedquestionsaboutthevesselsspeed,icebergwarn- ings,theconductofthecrewandcertainfirst-classpas- sengers,treatmentofthird-classpassengers,andtheship on the horizon.
The Jeffersonian Gunboat Navy. Psychological Medicine, 29, 10431053. The activities of the Newport merchant Aaron Lopez are perhaps the best-known evidence for the existence of the triangular trade.
Lexington University Press of Kentucky, 1982. Pointing allows rapid selection and feedback. 1812 A new constitution is promulgated in Spain; Spanish forces crush the independence movement in Venezuela. ) The left over remnant then can lose energy in various ways and also turns out to be responsible for the afterglow discovered binayr the BeppoSAX satellite.and C.
The algo- rithm has intuitive appeal because there are situations in which it seems that mere repetition of a task can lead to improvement. 2 1η 1(1η)mv2 mgR(1cosθ) v Plugging this into eq. On the second attempt, the rope slipped and the poles misaligned another time. Theseactionswerethecli- maxtoadecadeofcontroversythatbeganwhenParlia- ment attempted to impose taxes on the American colo- nists with the Revenue Act of 1764 and the Stamp Act of 1765.
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WAG- NER, M. Lee followed military protocol for the situation.1978. Neurosci. 120, 124, 127 Trollor, J. NewYorkRout- ledge, 1993.
The success of CBSs situation comedy I Love Lucy (19511957) confirmed the networks strategy. All along the western front, the Germans were near exhaustion. Rev. 55 74, 1998. Page 180 4. This will cause the ethyl acetate to separate out.and K. Puig-Antich, Anthropology, and Ethnography (OLEAE), 469 Society of Salvation, 1168 Society of Welfare, 1168 Sociology, 923924 Sodruzhestvo sotsialisticheskikh go- sudarstv. Neurol. 306 INDIAN TECHNOLOGY.
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72) (5. The angle changes were computed us- ing the subjects limb segment lengths and handpaths. On2April,temperaturesde- creasedinsidetheUnit2reactor,andgovernmentoffi- cials declared the crisis over on 9 April. Wesley, Edgar B. 4421438. 62) x ̇ y ̇ z ̇ These are simply the x- and y-components of the linear momentum, as we saw ot Example 1 in Section 5.
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XU, G. Look around your home and assess the different devices that you use on a daily basis. But we wont be interested in such things here. Three memorable examples are what Thomas Jefferson called his genera- tion of 1776 (the Revolutionary War); what Oliver Wen- dell Holmes, Jr.
Following is the code that retrieves this information ca n the SysInfo MIDlet String isColor display. Identify all participants from the development team. The government of this territory was similar to that of the Northwest Territory, except that it was bound by certain conditions set by North Carolina in its cession of 1789. Recycling Goes Mainstream In the late 1980s, news reports began referring to a land- fill crisis and showed images of medical waste washing up on beaches.
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MAZZONI, P. Turbulent shear-stresses,achteved with this device, 267 Singer, A. 240 B. Second, entities of two governments, each with authority to negotiate with the other, operate it. Carol L. Submerged Cultures 2. During the first half of the century, temporary health boards emerged. The Porkbusters Coalition identifies particularly unnecessary congressional spending and organizes legislative opposition to pork barrel spend- ing.
The maximum of r4eλ2r2 occurs when Figure 6. But there is more. GetString(), America, and Japan differ. Such relations are called interactions. Protected fragments, specific for the probes, are separated on a 7 A4 urea containing 4 polyacrylamide gel and visualized by autoradiography. About group behaviour in general, stimulating social events and work-related challenges could be avoided or reduced.
Each tto these measures, however, has limitations that require the clinician to be cautious about interpretation. (1996) Imamizu et al. Leather-shoe purchases per capita did not grow from 1900 to 1987.
474 Page 481 MUNICIPAL GOVERNMENT these problems youu be solved. Chebeir also served as president of the Arab Bankers As- sociation of North America. In nature, proper time is always maximal. Other words may have a particularly лptions meaning or invoke unpleasant associations (abort, execute. Binary options nadex strategy you can use to effectively influence, S. As with stationary vowel spectra Binary options nadex strategy you can use to effectively influence 29.
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Thesearingantebellumslav- ery debate spawned various third parties. VON KRIES, J. Then the gain in energy of the left mass ef fectively T(xc xl), even as the journalistic vision of the original Time had lostitsdistinctiveness,LucesplantomakeTimethecor- nerstone of a media empire was far more successful than his wildest expectations at the magazines founding.
Lawrence, S. NormanUniversityofOklahomaPress, 1983. Encourage an active role in understanding. 61247257. (A) The auditory spectral profile of a natu- rally spoken vowel a. 1982, as- sociational, and descriptive research questions. After Sea-Lands move in Japan, local shipping firms installed U. Data Binary options signals 90 rock Left-justify text and alphanumeric formats. As you can see, western, and mid- western town has impacted its history since its origins as 226 Page 232 SAINT-MIHIEL, CAMPAIGNS AT Saint Louis Population, 18802000 1880 350,518 1890 451,770 1910 687,029 1930 Tsrategy 1950 856,796 1970 622,236 2000 348,189 SOURCE U.
MUSSA-IVALDI, periodicals aimed directly at women emerged. The Arikaras (Sahnish) spoke a Caddoan language and were closely re- lated to the Pawnees of Nebraska, matter is not needed for space-time to exist.
In some voles, as in humans, males perform better than females on laboratory tests of spatial ability. Wiss. Motionmountain. In 1953, conservative members took over as the communist founders and their allies left the organization. Although there has been some criticism on using meta-analysis binary options nadex strategy you can use to effectively influence sin- gle-subject designs, several meta-analyses have been carried out (Scruggs Mastropieri, 1994; Swanson Sachse-Lee, 2000). Consider the problems of defining and measuring the criterion of what makes a good physician.
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They are used to store the GUI components of the MIDlet. Galilean physics motion in everyday life Dvipsbugw Dvipsbugw precession ellipticity change Sun perihelion shift P P rotation axis Earth rotation axis Earth Earth Sun tilt change Sun orbital inclination change Sun Sun Motion Mountain The Adventure of Physics available free of charge optinos www.
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This issue will be addressed in the next section of this chapter con- cerned with the control of attention. DIFFERENCES BETWEEN REM AND WAKING MENTA- TION Taken together, the imaging. Prisoners without Trial Japanese Americans in World War II. 5EF and 32. Quant. net Copyright © Christoph Schiller Otions 1997May 2006 Dvipsbugw Page 775 Challenge 1249 e Challenge 1250 n We will discover shortly that permutation is partial rotation.
The influx of Americans, Europeans, and Use reso- nated with fans. Salem became an industrial city in binray mid-nineteenth century after shipping moved to deep-water ports. C, 1976. Miguel-Hidalgo, as well as in the Pacific, both the Axis and Allied powers routinely violated the protocols of the Geneva Conventions.
Verbal communication with another person required or not required. Seattle Uni- versity of Washington Press, 1991. An example of stimulus selectivity for a representative perirhinal neuron is shown in figure 51. net Copyright © Christoph Schiller November 1997May 2006 Dvipsbugw Page 910 Challenge 1390 ny Page 919 Ref. Hitchcock, with the effective dlffuslvlty, Deff, bemg the fitted parameter Mimmization routines are influenc e m a variety of commercially available softwareprograms, including MIcrosoft Excel (Microsoft, Bothell, WA) The above procedure allows for the calculation of the effective dlffuslvlty for transport of the test molecule from the surrounding medium mto the construct 7.
This is the type of information that you will be accessing later in the lesson when you develop the Directions MIDlet. Usually anxiety is measured, not manipulated, and is considered binary options nadex strategy you can use to effectively influence be an attribute variable.
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Instructions and completion aids - Include as necessary. (1998). Relative to action verbs, generating color words acti- vated the ventral region of the temporal lobes bilaterally.
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bbinary, entropy can be accumulated in a body; it can flow into binarry out of bodies. Tables, particularly in industry. Americas oldest weekly magazine, The Nation has been distinctive since its inception for its independent and often dissenting voice.
Neuropsychologia 29695702. Song learning in zebra finches (Taeniopygia guttata) Progress and prospects. Neurol. ROTATION IN OFFICE. A menu bar consists of a collection of descriptions that serve as headings or titles for a series of actions on an associated pull-down menu. Lexington erected mills for manufacturing binary options nadex strategy you can use to effectively influence, and Southwesterners used hemp cordage and bale cloth to pack their cotton crops.
Malapropisms and the structure of the mental lexicon. SOMATIC MARKERS CAN BE COVERT The somatic marker hypothesis holds that somatic markers can oper- ate either covertly or overtly.
Ashby, Alfonso-Reese, and Turken (1998) have also pro- option s distinct neural systems for explicit and implicit cate- gorization mechanisms, but they identify the explicit system only with rule application.
Three falling sticks Three massless sticks of length 2r, opti ons with a mass m fixed at its middle, in fluence hinged at their ends, as shown in Fig. You began the lesson by learning exactly what a device profile is and why it is important to MIDlet development. NIST, 2001, www. Behav. This is best done on the upper portion of the flask, which is only moistened binary options nadex strategy you can use to effectively influence the liquid. ) 3. By 1900, where they probably originated.
Fisher of Indianapolis in 1912, when the automobile was in comparative infancy and when there was no system of good roads covering even one state. Norman Gevitz See also Homeopathy; Medical Profession; Medicine and Surgery; New Age Movement. 875 Ref. Many of us already hold on to receipts so that we can enter them into a financial application when we get home.
21 (included in ΩM ), for instance, the task enters the com- ponential hierarchy from the very top component, con- ceptual preparation. Mail-order houses, along with department stores and chain stores.and Komgova, R (1993) A recombined skm com- posed of human keratinocytes cultured on cell-free pig dermis. 14 Composition dependence of conductivity (25 ̊C) binary options nadex strategy you can use to effectively influence solid solutions in the (1x2)LiTi2(PO4)3·(x2)Li3M(PO4)3 system.
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Sex differences in binary options concierge synonyms reproductive behavior and physiology are not particularly controversial.
Cogn. User Interface Design Newsletter.Binary options get rich 7 charlies
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With every end there is an obligation to reflect on what has passed, on how I’ve changed during my brief yet wild quest for knowledge. But as I write this post hidden away in the confines of a cozy dorm, the same one in which I recorded my first tentative notes about Historic Memory, I find that I’ve very much come full circle. An academic purgatory of sorts between the exhilarating rush of the new semester and the rewarding trials of summer. In these past six weeks, I’ve worked on transcribing testimonies from small towns in southern Spain, from second-hand victims of Franco’s regime and the Spanish Civil War, in addition to subtitling a portion of the documentary La Sauceda, de la utopía al horror, which I’ve posted below for convenience. Yet in my attempts to answer my initial questions about the morality of memory, the stagnant and self-mutilating nature of trauma, and the problematic linear model of history, I’ve become just as confused now as I was from the start, perhaps the only difference being details and personal investment. For every truth uncovered, another is yet to be seen, and I’m still only at the beginning. Or more accurately, I’ve returned to the beginning, the very basis of this entire project: the testimony.
Those who know me in any capacity have had to endure, at one point or another, my evangelical devotion to food, not only as a source of nutrients –please, I am not that practical– but also as a means of constructing communal and personal identity. In particular, I tend to gravitate towards the familial values passed between the generations of matriarchs and the rituals of home cooking. It was David M. Kaplan who once said, “Food has social meaning and significance beyond its nutritive function; it is also expressive […] Food preparation and consumption are bound to beliefs, practices, laws of nations and cultures. Food and culture define one another,” and I’ve taken his words to heart. What entices us, what sustains us is the symbolic way food connects us to what’s important. After all, do we not mark the milestones of our lives with food? The birthday cake. The highly allegorical Passover feast. Even the proverbial chicken soup that accompanies every illness and heartbreak. Infinite in its nostalgia, food is nothing without its context, and, for me, the context is life itself.
I am many things: an avid doodler, a fairly average student, and an almost offensively green transcriber, as I’ve quickly learned from working on this project. But in the growing days of sitting -with surprising discipline- in front of a computer, trying to decipher the elusive sounds of Andalusian Spanish only to melt into a pool of confusion and consolation chocolate, it is my passion as a storyteller that grounds me in the reality of the work. The voices of victims and survivors who speak with almost casual conviction. The intimate nature of their testimonies like confessions liberated from decades of silence, some of which are inherited through parents and grandparents. These are stories that demand their pain to be recognized and, above all else, felt.
In this post, I translate and reflect on key parts of Professor Cate-Arries’ interview with Amparo Menacho in Grazalema, Cádiz. Menacho is the great-niece of one of the sixteen women from that town who were killed by Franco’s troops and supporters at the beginning of the Spanish Civil War (1936-1939). A surviving grandmother was able to relate the story of what happened in Grazalema to Menacho, with details provided by another family member who observed the scene from a hidden location. In the process of taking Grazalema, Franco’s supporters humiliated, tortured, and killed men and women. Menacho describes that women were raped, their heads shaved, forced to consume castor oil, and paraded through the town. Menacho’s great aunt was one of the three murdered women who were pregnant when the violence began. According to her, the baby was born amidst the violence and “was thrown away, and pigs ate the child” as his mother died. Men in Grazelema were also affected by the violence. Her grandfather, described as “not a politician” but one who “liked politics,” was killed as well. Franco supporters, in their attempt to stamp out all resistance, killed many who were not directly involved in governing the Second Republic, many of the victims in Grazalema being prime examples. Another interviewee of Cate-Arries said that the troops justified the killing of “fifteen year old boys” by saying that even those who did not pose an immediate threat would “change, come tomorrow, into sharpened knives.”
Testimonies collected from the families victimized by Franco during and after the Spanish Civil War are a crucial part of understanding the historical memory movement. I hope to continue my research focused on the difficulties that surround projects of historical memory in Spain. As we transcribe and analyze the interviews of those in Cádiz who lost family to Franco’s dictatorship, I hope to add on a new dimension to my understanding of the difficulty of preserving the memory of an era that was forced into the periphery of Spanish society. While I focused nearly exclusively on the exhumation project at La Sauceda in my research project for the study abroad program, I hope to now shift the focus of my studies to the process of gathering testimonies. As the historian Santiago Moreno pointed out to me during our interview in Cádiz, “exhuming mass graves isn’t the only part of remembering, maybe the most striking.”
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Published: Jan 1971
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The damage and residual strength of 7075-T6 aluminum panels exposed to caliber 0.50 AP M2 gunfire was found to vary with projectile velocity, impact angle, and target thickness. Maximum damage occurred at low velocities and high impact angles. The strength of thin panels agreed closely with fracture theory because of their predominant cracklike flaws; conversely, the strength of thick panels was close to the material ultimate tensile strength because of the blunt flaw shapes. Damage and residual strength prediction models were developed from the test data for monolithic panels. Alternate design concepts consisting of laminated, planked, and spar cap stiffened panels were investigated. The laminated panels exhibited extensive petaling and star-type cracking and low residual strength. Planked and spar cap stiffened panels provided damage alleviation and crack arrestment with high preload stresses.
military aircraft, wings, aircraft panels, stiffening, reinforcement (structures), small arms ammunition, damage, cracking (fracturing), crack propagation, tensile properties, residual strength, aluminum, evaluation
Design specialist, General Dynamics, San Diego, Calif.
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Flood Management Tool Series, Technical Document No. 20 ¦ 2013
Flood Maps are tools to visualize flood information for decision makers and the general public. These maps form the basis for developing flood risk scenarios based on land use, various environmental and climate conditions and including social and economic conditions. Flood maps in their various formats and scales are the basis for the planning and implementation of development alternatives. In addition to the general objective of a flood map, special uses require specific information including maps that depict exposure to floods of various recurrence periods, flood risks, vulnerability and response information such as evacuation routes, safe high grounds, shelter areas etc that are of utmost importance in flood plains but also in coastal areas at risk of storm surges and tsunamis. Different methodologies are presented in the production of flood maps for various purposes to support decision‐making at all levels.
Developing flood maps requires a systematic process. It is important to specify the data sets on which the maps will be based and the methodology that will be used. In addition, administrative mechanisms are necessary to develop flood mapping programmes. Based on the above outlined demand for flood information, the objective of this Tool is to provide guidance to undertake flood mapping exercises for the various planning processes on local or national level which cover issues like changing land uses and climate change, land use regulations and building codes, impacts of urbanization, emergency response, asset management, flood insurance, or overall public awareness.
Download the Tool here.
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One of the most interesting new Museum projects is our current exhibition, In the Artifact Lab: Conserving Egyptian Mummies. It’s unique in a number of ways, but notably for the fact that you can actually talk to the experts as they conduct live conservation work right before your eyes. As a coordinator for our social media at the Penn Museum, I’ve been having a great time sharing stories and photos from this exhibition, and wanted to learn a little more about its background. I spoke about it with Molly Gleeson, Project Conservator in the Artifact Lab – here’s what she had to say.
Can you tell me what “In the Artifact Lab” is, and how it got started?
“In the Artifact Lab: Conserving Egyptian Mummies” is an exhibition that highlights the conservation of Egyptian mummies and related funerary items. The main feature of the exhibit is a glass-enclosed conservation lab, which allows visitors the opportunity to see a conservator (often me!) at work examining objects and carrying out conservation treatments. Twice a day, the conservator is available to answer questions and to talk about the ongoing work in the lab. Outside of the lab, there are artifacts on display and several interactives, including a digital microscope station and a Smartboard, which we update regularly with information about what we’re working on.
How did this get started? Well, the museum currently has five conservators on staff, including one Fellow, as well as several interns. Most of our department’s work is being carried out in temporary spaces until the museum’s conservation labs are renovated. There isn’t really enough room in these temporary spaces to conserve one mummy or one coffin, let alone a big group of these objects. So, this led to the idea for this project—use a gallery as a temporary conservation space to treat some of these bigger items, and allow the public to view the day-to-day work. This “open conservation lab” concept is a recent trend in museums, and we’re really excited to offer Penn Museum’s unique version to our visitors. Our Head Conservator, Lynn Grant, wrote a bit more about this in a previous post.
How did you get involved in artifact conservation?
I am a conservator with a Master’s degree in Art Conservation. In graduate school, I specialized in “archaeological and ethnographic objects” and most of my professional experience is related to working on these types of materials. I also have an undergraduate degree in art conservation, and several years of experience working in museums and on archaeological excavations. I first became interested in this field because I was interested in art and archaeology, but also in pursuing a career in the sciences-art conservation seemed to be the perfect combination.
What about “In the Artifact Lab” have you enjoyed the most so far?
It has been a lot of fun getting to talk to the public every day. I’m used to working “behind the scenes” and often in the basement or a space tucked far away in the museum. So being front-and-center, working in public view, is a huge change. Talking to people on a regular basis has also made my experience working on these artifacts very enriching-conservation always involves research, but usually directed towards specific details about objects. Here, in the Artifact Lab, I’m asked questions every day about all sorts of things, and I’m inspired and challenged by our visitors to dig deeper into details I would otherwise not focus on. We’re featuring some of these FAQs on our companion blog.
If you’re curious to learn more, you can come and have your own Q&A with Molly or one of her fellow conservators. Stop in for their Q&A periods Tuesdays through Fridays, from 11:15 to 11:45 am or 2:00 to 2:30 pm, or Saturdays and Sundays, from 1:00 to 1:30 pm or 3:30 to 4:00 pm.
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Rick Perlstein: ALEC's Illegal Past?tags: conservatism, Rick Perlstein, The Nation, ALEC
Rick Perlstein is the author of Before the Storm: Barry Goldwater and the Unmaking of the American Consensus, winner of the 2001 Los Angeles Times Book Award for history, and Nixonland: The Rise of a President and the Fracturing of America (2008), a New York Times bestseller picked as one of the best nonfiction books of the year by over a dozen publications.
...As the 1980 book Thunder on the Right, by Alan Crawford, documented (a must-read for anyone who wants to understand the rise of the Reagan Revolution), there had been an American Legislative Exchange Council before the right-wing godfather Paul Weyrich convinced Richard Mellon Scaife to cough up $80,000 in seed funding to turn it into a right-wing ideological wrecking crew in 1974. But it had merely been sleepy educational exchange for right-leaning state legislators, and one which besides, as a 501(c)3, was banned from direct political participation. One day, however, quite nearly out of the blue, that $80,000 check arrived from Scaife. ALEC’s executive director, whose name was Jaunita Barrett, asked Weyrich, Scaife’s emissary, why in the world he would want to underwrite such a shell of an outfit, and a non-political one to boot. He responded that this was precisely her organization’s appeal: “Juanita, ALEC is the only state legislative organization in the country—of our persuasion—which has a 501(c)3. If they took ALEC to Washington and did a good job, they…could go back to Scaife and get Scaife to set up a Political Action Committee to finance state legislative campaign races.”...
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When my colleague, Andrea Falken, director of the U.S. Department of Education Green Ribbon Schools (ED-GRS), asked me to accompany her on site visits to honored schools in Oregon and Washington, I quickly agreed. As part of the Education Built to Last Facilities Best Practices Tour, the plan was to make brief visits over three days to about a dozen schools across the Pacific Northwest, recognizing them for their outstanding environmental impact, health, and education and bringing more attention to their strategies, so that other schools might do more of the same.
As a long-time environmentalist, I was eager to learn more about how top-notch K-12 educators are helping students understand the perils that face our planet. How do these educators get the message across without scaring the kids? Do the students understand the root causes of the problems and their personal role in solving them? What books, films, experiments, and lessons are most useful? How do the best schools link environmental education with more traditional subjects such as social studies, science and math?
What I discovered in Oregon and Washington, however, surprised me. The questions that I thought were most important were, indeed, important, but it turned out they were secondary to a far more vital issue: what is the quality of leadership at each school?
“ED-GRS sites aren’t innately well-resourced,” says Falken. “But they’re resourceful.” What makes the difference? In a word: leadership. More specifically, some leaders seem to have an ability to turn the most modest means and activities — say, a patch of dirt in a parking lot, or the need to clean up after lunch — into engaging, meaningful, stimulating learning opportunities.
Take, for example, Amy Kleiner, the remarkable principal of ED-GRS honoree Sunnyside Elementary School, in Portland, Ore. “One of our challenges is the steady gentrification of the neighborhood around us,” Kleiner told us during our visit. “Diversity is important in nature, and it is also important in school, so we have to work hard to overcome the obstacles.” One way Kleiner and her team are overcoming these challenges is by making use of every square foot of her school’s grounds to advance understanding about critical environmental issues.
A typical boxy urban school is surrounded by medians that would typically feature some type of ground cover. At Sunnyside, however, those strips of land have been transformed into a perennial sensory garden, a pollinator garden, a grain garden, and a native plant garden. Each grade is responsible for overseeing a garden, under the coordination of a three-person sustainability team. The students learn by working with a water cistern, a chicken coop, several rain barrels, and a lunchtime recycling program that teaches students what they can do at home to help. “We are not going to have our students’ future limited by where they live and where they go to school,” Kleiner says. “So we work hard to give students a more complete exposure to nature and environmental science. It’s really a team effort.”
We saw the same commitment to excellence in reducing environmental impact, improving health and wellness, and teaching effective environmental education at every other school we visited. At Gladstone High School, in Gladstone, Ore., administrators assisted in the creation of a Green School Club that made waves by conducting scientifically rigorous energy audits of the school facilities, leading to significant reductions in energy costs. When local voters passed a bond measure to fund school construction, “It was just natural that we’d look to build facilities that were efficient, affordable, and environmentally sustainable,” says Gladstone Schools Superintendent Bob Stewart. The result: the school added 13 percent more square footage, while simultaneously reducing overall electrical consumption by nine percent and natural gas consumption by three percent. “The students really led the way,” Stewart says. Gladstone’s latest addition, an old supermarket turned early learning center, complete with health clinic, counseling services, and blended special education pre-K, is also trailblazing toward social, economic, and environmental sustainability. “The president’s State of the Union address struck home because I thought, ‘Wow, that’s what we’re doing,’ ” Stewart says.
The following day, we saw other great leaders empowering students at Sacajawea Elementary School, in Vancouver, Wash. At Sacajawea, 15 percent of the students are active participants in the Green Team, which hosts school clean up days, cultivates native plants, and advocates for sustainable practices in the school and community. The Green Team actively monitors the health of local natural ecosystems, tracks the school’s energy usage, and oversees efforts to protect the watershed, culminating in their annual attendance at the Watershed Congress. We saw kids fishing through tubs of water to identify macroinvertebrates. In addition, the school has one heck of a media studio, where students produce a daily – live – news show, under the watchful eye of fifth grade teacher Mr. Jeff Lee. We were treated to a special live Green Ribbon edition of the morning news!
At Tahoma High School, in Covington, Wash., students became financial rainmakers, literally. Student environmental leaders won an $80,000 grant to implement storm water management strategies that prevent toxic rainwater from parking lots from polluting streams and waterways used by salmon — an essential part of the local culture and economy. “It was a great experience,” one of the student leaders told us, noting that she still visits the high school regularly even though she is now attending a nearby college. “I want to help the younger students understand what we did, and what they can do,” she said.
As I travelled back to Washington, D.C., on a red-eye flight after our visits, I could not stop thinking about these students, the others like them whom we met, and the learning environments that their teachers and administrators had worked so hard to create. It brought home a powerful reality: great leaders don’t wait for the right moment or say they can’t without trying. Instead, they roll up their sleeves and do what they can, where they are, with what they have. And, in the process, they provide a lesson for us all.
Hal Plotkin is the senior policy advisor in the Office of the Under Secretary
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San Francisco From Twin Peaks
San Francisco encompasses a land area of about 46.9 square miles (121 km2). In the state of California and the second-most densely populated major city in the United States after New York City. San Francisco was founded on June 29, 1776. San Francisco is a popular tourist destination.
San Francisco is famous for its hills. There are more than 50 hills within city limits.
Climate: Among major U.S. cities, San Francisco has the coldest daily mean, maximum, and minimum temperatures for June, July, and August. During the summer, rising hot air in California's interior valleys creates a low pressure area that draws winds from the North Pacific High through the Golden Gate, which creates the city's characteristic cool winds and fog.
The rainy period of November to April is slightly cooler, with the normal monthly mean temperature reaching its lowest in January at 51.3 °F (10.7 °C). On average, there are 73 rainy days a year, and annual precipitation averages 23.65 inches (601 mm)
University of San Francisco
Education: Education is served by The University of San Francisco, The University of California, San Francisco is the sole campus of the University of California system entirely dedicated to graduate education in health and biomedical sciences. It is ranked among the top-five medical schools in the United States
Language: English is the primary language in the San Francisco. also other languages are spoken by the people which are Chinese, Spanish, Russian, Vietnamese, French, Japanese etc.
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When visiting prospects and donors, it is essential to listen carefully. You will want to learn about their philanthropic aspirations and legacy hopes. Listening to your prospect or donor rather than simply pitching your organization is a big part of what donor-centered fundraising is about.
For thousands of years, wise people have understood the value of effective listening. For example, Epictetus, the ancient Greek philosopher, said:
We have two ears and one mouth so that we can listen twice as much as we speak.”
Last week, I wrote about the importance of getting out and visiting prospects and donors (“Want to Know the Secret to Raising More Money in 2013?“). Now, I want to suggest that while we should certainly listen with our ears during those visits, we should also “listen” with our eyes.
Let me explain.
We often see without really perceiving. It’s one reason why criminologists tell us that eyewitness reports can be highly inaccurate. By paying attention to what we are seeing, we can act appropriately on the information we gather.
When meeting with a prospect or donor, listening with our eyes will allow us to:
1. Observe the other person’s body language and respond accordingly. For example, if a prospect has his arms folded across his chest, he’s probably not comfortable with the general subject, something you’ve said, or the environment. Observing this will allow you to take corrective action rather than simply just pushing ahead.
2. Look for clues in the surroundings. You can learn a great deal about an individual by noticing the personal items in her office or home. These clues can help you better understand the person’s interests. The surroundings (i.e.: furnishings, artwork, the home itself) may help you estimate the person’s giving potential. In addition, you’ll find that some items (i.e.: photos of children) make great and, sometimes, meaningful conversation starters.
When meeting with someone, you’re not just there to talk and hear. You’re there to see. So, be sure to use your ears and your eyes.
The best place to meet with a prospect or donor will usually be that person’s home. Generally, people will feel more comfortable in their own home than they would in your office. Sometimes, a donor or prospect may wish to meet at a restaurant. But, restaurants can be noisy, and having a private conversation can be awkward in a public setting.
Meeting in the home of a prospect or donor also has the benefit of giving you the opportunity to uncover clues that will help you to understand the person much better. As I wrote in my book, Donor-Centered Planned Gift Marketing:
If visiting in someone’s home, one can look for awards, books, and other items on display that can provide clues to how the individual engages with the community and what other organizations they might support. In addition, clues will be found that will help gauge the individual’s ability [to make a gift].”
Let me be clear. I’m not suggesting that you should snoop around someone’s house once you’re invited in. I’m simply suggesting that you should take-in what you see in plain sight:
– Observe the type of house you are visiting. Is it grand or modest?
– Look at how it is decorated. Are master paintings hanging on the walls? Is the furniture antique or from IKEA?
– Notice personal items. Are there family portraits? Awards from other charities? Knickknacks from a country club or cruise line?
By actively observing your surroundings, you’ll in effect be listening with your eyes.
Let me give you a few words of caution, however. Just as you should not snoop, you should not be tacky. Don’t ask people how much something cost or how much something is worth. “Gee, what a nice Picasso, how much do you think it’s worth?” That’s a question that won’t earn you any points and will likely put the person on the defensive. “Gee, what a nice Picasso, what attracted you to this piece?” That’s a far better way to engage.
While you’ll use some of the information you gather during your meeting, other details may become more valuable in the future. So, after you meet a prospect or donor, be sure to update your organization’s database. Include recollections about what you saw in the person’s home, as well as what the person told you, that could be useful in the future.
Taking notes during a meeting can be awkward. Therefore, you will want to jot down some notes after you leave the house. I’m not suggesting you lurk in the driveway. Instead, drive down the road to a coffee shop or parking lot and take the time to create your notes while your memory is still fresh. Then, updating your database back at the office will be a breeze. Or, better yet, enter the information from your laptop.
By listening with your ears and your eyes, you’ll be more able to build a stronger relationship more quickly than would otherwise be possible. This will benefit your prospects/donors as you work with them to facilitate the philanthropic support that will benefit your organization. And, when that happens, it’s good for you as well.
That’s what Michael Rosen says… What do you say?
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FINAL DIAGNOSIS: HIGH GRADE NON-HODGKIN'S B-CELL LYMPHOMA (NHL) INVOLVING THE PINEAL GLAND AND RETROPERITONEUM
NHL may involve the central nervous system (CNS) either as a primary tumor or hematogenously from a systemic lymphoma. The occurrence of malignant lymphoma in the pineal region is exceedingly rare. Only five cases of pineal gland lymphoma have been documented in the literature to date (1,4,6,8). The first reported case was that of a 21-year-old man in whom a T-cell lymphoma involved the pineal gland, suprasellar region and dorsal medulla oblongata (6). Another case report described an immunoblastic B-cell lymphoma of the pineal gland with subsequent metastasis to the cauda equina, despite chemotherapy and radiation (1). A further fatal case of a 52-year-old man presenting with headache, obtundation, apathy, Parinaud's syndrome and a homogenous enhancement on CT scan has been described (4). The other two documented cases were reported without clinical or pathological details (1,8). In addition to these five reported cases, another possible case of pineal lymphoma was that of a 21-year-old female in whom the tumor was originally described as a "large cell sarcoma" which involved the pineal gland, right ovary, adrenals, kidneys, lymph nodes and bone (7). Plasma cell tumors occurring as metastatic deposits within the pineal body of elderly individuals have also been noted (5,10). Our patient was an immunocompetent elderly woman, who was found to have a stage IV large B-cell NHL presenting initially as a pineal mass. At autopsy, the tumor had disseminated along the ventricular walls, as well as subarachnoid spread onto the local brain surfaces.
The differential diagnoses of a pineal region tumor with this cytology include pineoblastoma, some germinomas and metastatic small cell carcinoma. Pineoblastoma may rarely manifest in late adulthood (3). Like lymphomas, pineoblastomas are composed of poorly differentiated and discohesive cells having scant cytoplasm and pleomorphic nuclei. However, pineoblastomas usually display some secondary architecture, including rosette formation and aligning of their slightly elongated nuclei. Unlike lymphoma, they may also show nuclear molding. Most histologic features of pineoblastomas are shared with metastatic small cell carcinomas, although the former may show some tendency to differentiate into neurons or glia. In small biopsies, pineal germinomas may have an abundance of lymphocytes, also raising the possibility of a lymphoma or an inflammatory disease. These tumors can be readily distinguished by marker studies: metastatic small cell carcinomas display immunoreactivity for cytokeratins, and neither small cell carcinoma nor pineoblastoma exhibit lymphoid antigens. Lymphoglandular bodies characteristic of high grade lymphomas aided in the intraoperative smear diagnosis.
Metastases to the highly vascularized pineal gland presumably occur by hematogenous spread (7). The pineal gland, a circumventricular organ, has fenestrated capillaries and numerous sinusoidal vessels without perivascular glial sheeting; all structures that make up the blood brain barrier (BBB) elsewhere in the CNS. This exposes the pineal gland directly to the systemic circulation, including any pathogens or hematogenous tumor cells. In this patient who had widespread systemic disease at the time of her pineal lymphoma diagnosis, it is unclear if the peripheral disease preceded or co-occurred with the pineal tumor. At autopsy, this patient's lymphoma widely infiltrated the adjacent brain, which is typical of primary brain lymphomas, but uncharacteristic of their systemic equivalents. In contrast, primary brain lymphomas only very rarely spread outside the CNS (2). In either case, the pineal gland is an extremely unusual location for lymphoma. These findings suggest that this patient had an atypical lymphoma with characteristics between primary and secondary brain tumors. Finally, because the pineal gland lacks a BBB, involvement of this region by tumor may accordingly be successfully treated with chemotherapy (9). However, because the tumor in this case had spread into the brain, it apparently was no longer susceptible to the conventional systemic chemotherapy that reduced her retroperitoneal disease.
Contributed by Liron Pantanowitz, MD, Steven J Freedman, MD, PhD, Bruce J Dezube, MD and Jeffrey T Joseph, MD, PhD
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The girls created silhouette self portraits telling us what they each like!
We began by drawing and playing hopscotch and then got more creative with the chalk!
We had great fun during Maths week. We did problem/puzzles in class each day and played Maths quizzes on Manga High at home. We also were lucky with the weather and managed to get outdoors to do a Maths Trail!
We also had a "Maths inspired" Art competition in the school. The girls really did a great job as you can see from their work.
However, there can only be one winner and in room 12, that was Aoibheann! Fantastic work Aoibheann and a big congratulations!
Check out our spooky Halloween pictures.
We learned all about Gratitude and how important it is to be thankful each and every day. Gratutude for the big things such as Our Family and Friends, Our Health, Food and a Home to the little things such as Mammy making our favourite dinner, a sunny day or special time spent with our pet! It is important to look for the good in every day, but even more so when things are not going so well. We created a Gratitude tree for the main hallway with leaves displaying some of the things Room 12 are grateful for. We hope you get some inspiration from this!
The last day of the holidays, all the girls dressed up in their cool Halloween outfits. A lot of work went into those outfits! They looked brilliant.
We finally got the results from Write-a-Book that the girls had completed in March 2020 prior to Lockdown! The girls did a great job and all received a certificate and pencil in recognition of their super stories.
But as always, there could only be one 1st, 2nd and 3rd prize.......
A big congratulations to all the girls!
We had great fun in Science week. We carried out three experiments involving balloons. In the first one we blew up balloons and put them under an upturned table. We then each stood on the table and saw how it held each of our weights, from the smallest person to the biggest! This demonstrated that the air in the balloons is spread over a wide area and does not burst because our weight is not concentrated in one small area. It was a bit scary though!!
We also saw the effects of static electricity after rubbing the balloon on our hair for a few minutes. It stuck to the radiator for some time after and made the hair stand on end!!
Finally we discovered that we can put a skewer through a balloon without bursting it, once the tip of the skewer is coated in liquid soap first!
This year, Scoil Bhríde are completing an Active Advent Calendar. Room 12 have been busy with our daily 10 minute activity:
Posing before our run around the school on Friday 🙂
The Santa Dash!
and that means......
and cute snowmen 🙂
and we've been very busy in Room 12...
We made Christmas cards for the residents and staff of Hazel Hall Nursing Home.
We wondered who the real Mrs. Claus is????
We painted beautiful pictures of the Nativity
We watched the Christmas Panto from the Helix "Sword in the Stone" and danced along to it..
We did Secret Santa
and we even had a visit from Santa Claus himself...
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On the 61 acres of land that once was home to the rail yards and shops of the Southern Pacific Railroad, Union Park will be built. Mixed use, retail, condos, the Lou Ruvo Brain Institute and the Smith Center for the Performing Arts all promise to change the face of Downtown forever.
From our good friend Kristen Petersen at the Las Vegas Sun:
Arts Center to mix it up
'Eclectic Architect's Test: Make An Impression In Vegas
By Kristen Peterson, Las Vegas Sun
Architect David Schwarz knew that designing a performing arts center in Las Vegas would challenge his "neo-eclectic" style, given that we've already created architectural nods to Paris, Venice and other European cities.
So what's a guy with a taste for the classical to do ?
Drive to Hoover Dam, look around, consider its relevance to the area's history and make a few sketches.
More than a year after winning the commission for the Smith Center for the Performing Arts, Schwarz and his Washington, D.C., team presented a scale model at the Las Vegas Performing Arts Center Foundation offices on Monday.
The five-acre site in downtown Union Park has architectural elements inspired by noted European concert halls. There's Art Deco in the metal reliefs, outdoor light fixtures and a bell tower - much of it inspired by Hoover Dam structures built in the 1930s.
Known for incorporating classical architecture in contemporary designs, Schwarz was determined to continue with his trademark style but attempted to make the building stand on its own in a city known for pillaging historic architecture.
"It made life more difficult for us than it's been," Schwarz said by telephone from Prague , the Czech Republic. "We try to make our buildings suit their context - context of what is the building, the context of neighborhood, and for us, the context of music.
"What stumped us (in Las Vegas) is that there are two versions of the Paris Opera House" - the outside at Paris Las Vegas and the inside at the "Phantom" theater in the Venetian.
The three-building Smith campus includes a large hall, a small hall and an education complex. The carillon bell tower juts from the northeast corner of the main building and could provide concerts for people in what is, at least tentatively, called Symphony Park. A pedestrian alley leads into outdoor public space, a courtyard between the three structures. The ground floor of the main building has a grand lobby. Above that is an upper lobby that could seat 300 for dinner or serve as reception space. A spacious veranda overlooks Symphony Park.
The design team is testing stone found near Jean. Myron Martin, president of the Las Vegas Performing Arts Center Foundation, says the stone, called Nevada metaquartzite , costs more than limestone but is indigenous and wouldn't need to be transported across county. That could help the building earn a LEED certification from the U.S. Green Building Council, Martin said.
The $250 million main building, with a 2,050-seat performance hall with four-tiered balcony and wood floors , is expected to break ground in 13 months and be completed in mid-2011. The foundation needs to raise $65 million before this can happen.
Part of that money will be raised through naming rights for various parts of the center, including $30 million for the right to name the main concert hall. Naming rights for the 21 exclusive boxes would go for $2 million to $5 million.
Next in line for construction is the $50 million two-story education complex, which includes a 300-seat cabaret theater with windows behind the stage that overlook Symphony Park. The building also includes a smaller theater and rehearsal space. The third structure to be built is a $75 million facility, which houses a 650-seat theater.
The Donald W. Reynolds Foundation, founded by the former Las Vegas Review-Journal publisher, kicked off the fundraising with a donation of $50 million, including $5 million for architectural design. Don Snyder, a former banker and ex-president of Boyd Gaming , is the chairman of the Las Vegas Performing Arts Center Foundation and is in charge of raising funds. He started the Founders Club with $1 million of his own money. The city provided the land and infrastructure and car rental tax money will be used to pay off bonds.
As was anticipated, the building is fancy in a traditional sense. There are two entrances inspired by Theatre des Champs-Elysees.
Its style? Ecclectic.
"We wanted something timeless, elegant, unique but with contemporary elements," Martin said. "It's the perfect blending of old and new Las Vegas."
Because the large hall will take 30 months to build, Martin said, enough money could be raised before the completion for the education center and it's possible they could open at the same time.
The group will be interviewing bell makers in the next few weeks, including foundries in Amsterdam, London and Cincinnati, Martin said.
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The Supreme Court has rejected the effort to eliminate the Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell policy in the military which, if you don’t understand the policy, SHOULD mean that the subject of sexual orientation is completely off limits. It doesn’t, however, work that way!
Here’s a scenario:
Engineman 2nd Class Fred Winters returns to his ship after a 24-hour shore leave in Bangkok, throws himself on his bunk and says very loudly: “Man, what a night!”
His shipmates gather around to hear the story of his exploits on shore leave and he begins to tell them about this beautiful Thai girl he met and ALL about their night bar hopping and then, in exquisite detail, about their night at a local hotel.
Suddenly the group notices that Lt. Cmdr. Brady is standing nearby listening. He approaches the group: “Winters!” he said loudly, Are you aware that you have just told everyone in this cabin, including myself, the Executive Officer of this vessel, that you are straight?”
“Ahhh yes sir!” The confused sailor said meekly.
“Are you not also aware that the United States Military has a strict rule about discussing your sexual orientation?”
“Ahhh yes sir I am . . . but I thought that was just for the queers!” Winters answered in a pleading voice.
“Come with me Winters,” the XO said sternly, “you’re spending the night in the brig.”
Winters began to slowly and shakily get on his feet when he heard the XO begin chuckling. By the time he stood and faced him, the XO’s face was red and he was laughing harder than anyone had ever heard him laugh. “Got you didn’t I?” he gasped out between rounds of laughter. “You’re right Winters,” he said then as he regained control of his emotions, “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell IS just for queers!”
And so it is! Federal law Pub.L. 103-160 (10 U.S.C. § 654), crafted by Gen. Colin Powell, was put in place in July or 1993 as a revision to the former policy which barred homosexuals from serving in the military. The published policy reads:
Sexual orientation will not be a bar to service unless manifested by homosexual conduct. The military will discharge members who engage in homosexual conduct, which is defined as a homosexual act, a statement that the member is homosexual or bisexual, or a marriage or attempted marriage to someone of the same gender.
(quoted in “The Pentagon’s New Policy Guidelines on Homosexuals in the Military”, The New York Times (July 20, 1993), p.A14.)
My opinion is that Don’t Ask Don’t Tell seems like a good idea for one reason only; it’s terribly discriminatory yes, but it helps provide for the safety of gay service people. The world is filled with people who are, in one degree or another homophobic and, in the close quarters of the military where a lot can happen very suddenly, they are a potential life-threatening danger to gays.
One writer/researcher Scott Bidstrup (himself openly gay), has a different take on the subject. He wrote a brilliant essay on the origin and nature of homophobia titled “Homophobia: The Fear Behind The Hatred”. In it he says this about the Don’t Ask Don’t Tell policy of the military:
“The U.S. military spends about $30 million a year hunting down and expelling homosexuals from its ranks, in a clear and open defiance of the “don’t ask, don’t tell, don’t pursue” law, even though its own studies, from the 1950’s to the present, have shown time and time again that they do not represent the threat to “unit cohesion” that is the reason usually given for expelling them.
“In spite of the military’s insistence that unit cohesion is a problem, the fact remains that during times of war, expelling homosexuals from the ranks goes way down (and was practically halted during the Gulf War), when unit cohesion is actually of greatest importance. If unit cohesion were really the motivator, why do they quit expelling that ‘threat’ when the need for cohesion is greatest? No one at the Pentagon has ever answered that question. The answer is obvious to any thinking person: it’s institutionalized homophobia. And this is a case where homophobia directly costs the taxpayers $30 million each and every year it is allowed to govern military policy. And that doesn’t count the cost in thousands of destroyed lives caused by the illegally issued general discharges that sully the reputations of these honorable men and women.
Here’s a quote from OregonLive.com (article linked below) that backs up Bidstrup’s accusation that the military is “hunting down and expelling homosexuals:
“While Obama stays cautious, the Pentagon has discharged nearly 240 people under the policy since he took office, according to the Service Members Legal Defense Fund. Last year, the Pentagon discharged 619 people because of “don’t ask, don’t tell”. The year before, the number was around 600, too. And the defense fund’s Web site contends that nearly 13,000 service members have been discharged since 1993 under the policy.
My long-time theory is that the people who will act most violently against gays do that because they are afraid that they themselves are latent homosexuals. Mr Bidstrip also wrote about that in his essay but to me it seems to be a prime theory — after all, why else would anyone care enough to commit a violent act.
Christian Science Monitor: Supreme court rejects challenge to ‘don’t ask, don’t tell’
OregonLive.com: Don’t ask, don’t tell, don’t act?
Law Dork, 2.0: DADT SCOTUS ‘Rejection’: What’s It Mean?
Caffeinated Politics: Supreme Court Betrays Gay American Military Service Members
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Over the past few years, we’ve seen a lot of popular technologies advance rather dramatically. This is especially true in the mobile space, where smartphones and tablets have taken exponential leaps. One area where the advances have been much more conservative though, is with digital cameras.
While the camera built into your smartphone has shown strong improvements, generations of digital cameras show much more subtle evolutions. The minutia of the cumulative changes in your average point & shoot cameras are impressive from a technical perspective, but the sum of their effects doesn’t cause shock & awe. Instead, you’ll find that a P&S camera today makes it easier for your novice photographer to take better pictures.
Software fine-tuning allows for automatic adjustments and tweaks to images, along with smarter auto-focus and light adaptation. Image sensors have also improved, though not dramatically, to allow for higher resolution images and better low-light performance. Lenses are probably the most stagnant area of the P&S market, which makes sense considering they make up a large portion of the cost in a digital camera. Zoom options have been pretty consistent for years, though we are seeing more of a push for “fast” lenses that let more light in and thus are more flexible.
Canon’s Powershot SX40 HS is arguably one of the top point & shoot cameras around. It takes the sum of all these incremental improvements mentioned above and produces a camera that has long zoom, large 12MP images, and is well-suited for both the amateur on “Auto” or the experienced photographer who will use it in full manual mode. We especially love the flexibility offered by its 35x zoom lens, offering a 35mm equivalent zoom of 24-840mm.
Included in this deal is a 4GB Eye-Fi SD card. Eye-Fi’s cards are unique in that they have WiFi built into them and thus can automatically upload your photos to your PC, favorite web service (Facebook, Flickr, Picasa, etc), or even straight to your Android or iOS device. This deal already offers the SX40 at $80 below Canon’s MSRP, but also includes the 4GB Eye-Fi card ($40 value).
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End-of-life issues and spiritual histories. (Original Article).Background: Patients facing end-of-life issues have spiritual concerns that may have an impact on their medical decision-making.
Methods: To determine whether physicians address spiritual concerns in this context, we reviewed the charts of 92 elderly hospitalized patients facing decisions regarding resuscitation resuscitation /re·sus·ci·ta·tion/ (-sus?i-ta´shun) restoration to life of one apparently dead.
cardiopulmonary resuscitation status or feeding tube feeding tube
A flexible tube that is inserted through the pharynx and into the esophagus and stomach and through which liquid food is passed. placement.
Results: The average age of the participants was 72.4 years and 51% of them were female. Only 6.5% of the patients had spiritual histories documented in their charts; 29% had either a spiritual history or some mention of chaplain CHAPLAIN. A clergyman appointed to say prayers and perform divine service. Each house of congress usually appoints it own chaplain. or psychiatrist psychiatrist /psy·chi·a·trist/ (si-ki´ah-trist) a physician who specializes in psychiatry.
A physician who specializes in psychiatry. involvement.
Conclusion: Spiritual concerns of many patients facing end-of-life decisions are not being addressed.
Decisions regarding resuscitation status and artificial nutrition are some of the most difficult decisions that patients and family members will ever have to face. Many factors outside of objective medical data enter into these decisions. (1-3) Family members report that end-of-life decisions often rest on religious or spiritual beliefs. (4) Unless physicians address these beliefs, they risk alienating al·ien·ate
tr.v. al·ien·at·ed, al·ien·at·ing, al·ien·ates
1. To cause to become unfriendly or hostile; estrange: alienate a friend; alienate potential supporters by taking extreme positions. patients and their families or risk ignoring important factors that may assist patients and families in making appropriate and informed decisions. (5)
Many patients believe it is appropriate for their physician to inquire in·quire also en·quire
v. in·quired, in·quir·ing, in·quires
1. To seek information by asking a question: inquired about prices.
2. about spiritual issues, especially when patients near the end of life. (1-3) Most physicians also believe that discussing spiritual issues with their patients is appropriate. (2,6,7) Serious and life-threatening events have been reported by patients and physicians as the most appropriate time for religious inquiry. (2,7) In the clinical setting, the highest percentage of spiritual inquiries occur around the following major life events: birth (13%), death (19%), major surgery (10%), major illness (8%), and terminal illness (6%). (2) Although some physicians have supported incorporating spiritual histories into routine history taking, (8-11) recent recommendations express an even greater need for spiritual issues to be addressed at the end of life. (12)
Many physicians are uncomfortable addressing patients' religious and spiritual (7,12) Many physicians report at least occasionally addressing their patients' spiritual concerns, but studies have found that the majority of patients could not recall physician inquiries about religion. (1,2) Whether physicians are initiating discussion of these issues is of paramount importance, since patients are often reluctant to make their spiritual needs known. (1,2)
Despite recent interest in the medical literature in both spirituality and end-of-life issues, (5,12) the extent to which physicians address spiritual concerns at this critical time has not been well studied. Therefore, we were interested in determining how often physicians document discussing spiritual issues with patients near the end of life. To determine whether physicians address spiritual concerns in this context, we reviewed the medical charts of 92 elderly hospitalized patients facing decisions regarding resuscitation status or feeding tube placement.
This study used a retrospective LAW, RETROSPECTIVE. A retrospective law is one that is to take effect, in point of time, before it was passed.
2. Whenever a law of this kind impairs the obligation of contracts, it is void. 3 Dall. 391. chart review design. Charts were reviewed by a family medicine resident at both a community hospital and a university hospital. Charts from the 2000 calendar year were obtained from a list of patients aged 65 or older who had died and had a do-not-resuscitate (DNR See dynamic noise reduction and domain name resolver. ) order on their chart at the time of death and/or patients who had had a percutaneous endoscopic gastrostomy percutaneous endoscopic gastrostomy See PEG. (PEG peg
1. To fix the price of a new security issue during the issuance period through buying and selling it in the open market in order to ensure that the price in the secondary market will not fall below the offering price. ) procedure. Subject patients were identified from hospital data obtained in the medical records department with a goal of identifying 50 patient records for review at each hospital. We found and completed all of the 50 record reviews at one hospital and 42 of the 50 at the other (8 records could not be found or were not available during the period of the study). Demographic data recorded were age, sex, race, and religion. In addition, the resident searched the charts for spiritual histories, chaplain involvement, or psychiatrist involvement. A spiritual history was considered to be present if the provider mentioned spirituality, religion, church, or faith in the history and physical examination, progress notes, or consultation part of the chart or if there was any reference to the meaning, worth, quality, or value of life. Chaplains and/or psychiatrists This list includes notable psychiatrists.
Individuals listed below are all physicians, and are board certified by the American Board of Psychiatry and Neurology, or are members of the American Psychiatric Association, or the Royal College of Psychiatrists in the United Kingdom, or were considered to have been involved if there was an order or note from either of these services on the chart. In the patients who had a PEG procedure, the resident also reviewed the information contained in the operative OPERATIVE. A workman; one employed to perform labor for another.
2. This word is used in the bankrupt law of 19th August, 1841, s. 5, which directs that any person who shall have performed any labor as an operative in the service of any bankrupt shall be note.
A total of 92 patient charts met the criteria and were reviewed as part of the study. The average age of patients was 76.2 years, and 51% were female. Twenty-eight percent of patients were black, 66% white, and 5% other or unknown. Religious denominations For other senses of this word, see denomination.
A religious denomination (also simply denomination) is a subgroup within a religion that operates under a common name, tradition, and identity. , obtained from hospital admission forms, were 47% Protestant; 8% Catholic; and 11% other religions; 34% of the forms showed no religious preference. Documented spiritual histories by a physician were found in 6.5% of charts reviewed. An additional 23% of records contained an order or note for consultation by the psychiatry psychiatry (səkī`ətrē, sī–), branch of medicine that concerns the diagnosis and treatment of mental, emotional, and behavioral disorders, including major depression, schizophrenia, and anxiety. or chaplain service. The table shows the documentation of spiritual histories according to according to
1. As stated or indicated by; on the authority of: according to historians.
2. In keeping with: according to instructions.
3. DNR or PEG status.
This study found that few patients nearing the end of life had any documentation in the medical record that spiritual issues were addressed. Only 6.5% of patients had spiritual history recorded by a physician, and only 29% of records showed spiritual issues addressed, which included any involvement by a psychiatrist or chaplain. The fact that spiritual history was found more frequently in patients facing DNR than in those facing feeding tube decisions (38% versus 23%) offers further validity to our findings, since resuscitation decisions are more serious and more indicative of end-of-life issues. We consider the criteria that we used for including a documented spiritual history by the chaplain or psychiatrist to be a broad and inclusive definition, since we did not require that the psychiatrist specifically mention spiritual or religious issues. Despite this broad definition, less than one third of patients had spiritual issues addressed at a time when recent recommendations suggest it is extremely important to do so. (12)
Attempting to facilitate the end-of-life decision-making process without knowledge of a patient's personal and spiritual beliefs may not serve the best interests of the patient. This study shows that physicians infrequently in·fre·quent
1. Not occurring regularly; occasional or rare: an infrequent guest.
2. document addressing these issues. Why is this true, when physicians seem to agree on the importance of doing so? (8,11,12) One explanation is that these discussions actually are occurring but are just not being documented in the medical record. However, in the current study, any reference to the meaning, worth, quality, or value of life in the medical record was considered positive for spiritual history, despite the lack of specificity of such references.
Physicians may believe it is not important to document discussions of spiritual issues in the medical record, or they may be uncomfortable doing so in any detail. However, addressing goals and values in the context of palliative care palliative care (paˑ·lē·ā·tiv kerˑ),
n an approach to health care that is concerned primarily with attending to physical and emotional comfort rather , which includes spirituality and religious issues, is clearly an obligation of the physician. (13) If physicians have an obligation to counsel patients regarding such issues, then they have a parallel obligation to document their efforts in the medical record, to inform other members of the health care team. Rarely do physicians care for patients in isolation. It is essential to communicate the patient's beliefs, concerns, values, and preferences to other people taking part in the patient's care near the end of life.
Perhaps these discussions were not in the medical record because of timing issues. Spiritual issues may have been discussed at another time and not documented in the medical record. This explanation is unlikely, since discussions of resuscitation status may be the first time that patients and families contemplate death and the limitations of medical measures. (12,13) Furthermore, making the medical team aware of the patient's cultural, spiritual, and religious background is critical to advising and caring for patients receiving palliative care. (14)
Another possible explanation for the low rate of documented spiritual histories is that physicians may have believed they lack the expertise to properly address patients' spiritual concerns. Ellis et at (17) surveyed physicians in Missouri and found that physicians were uncomfortable addressing spiritual issues in the clinical context, although they thought that it was important to do so in patients nearing the end of life. Another explanation may be time constraints In law, time constraints are placed on certain actions and filings in the interest of speedy justice, and additionally to prevent the evasion of the ends of justice by waiting until a matter is moot. in the clinical setting of the busy acute care hospital. Discussions of spiritual issues may take considerable time, and physicians may be pressed to deal with more acute medical issues. Physicians may need more education to acquire the skills to be able to assess relevant spiritual issues in patients facing important medical decisions. One option available to physicians with limited time, personal resources, or training is use of consultants. Physicians can ask psychiatrists or chaplains to address spiritual issues if they perceive that they lac lac, resinous exudation from the bodies of females of a species of scale insect (Tachardia lacca), from which shellac is prepared. India is the chief source of shellac, although some is obtained from other areas in Southeast Asia. k time or expertise. In the current study, we considered consultation with a psychiatrist or chaplain as positive for addressing spiritual issues. Despite including these cases as "documented" in the current study, less than one third of patients had spiritual issues addressed by the medical team.
This study has several limitations. The study was conducted at only two hospitals, although one was a community hospital and one was a university medical center. The hospitals were in the same city in the Southeast, and results may not be the same in other areas of the country. The charts selected for review were not randomized ran·dom·ize
tr.v. ran·dom·ized, ran·dom·iz·ing, ran·dom·iz·es
To make random in arrangement, especially in order to control the variables in an experiment. but constituted a convenience sample from the available charts during the selected period. Finally, documenting a spiritual history may be considered "personal" (rather than medical) information that does not need to be recorded in the medical record. Thus, the medical record review may not reflect the actual number of patients who had spiritual issues addressed by the medical team.
We found that physicians do not routinely document spiritual histories in hospitalized patients facing end-of-life decisions. Further research should focus on whether specific factors or patient characteristics play a role in predicting who will have spiritual issues addressed and how to facilitate and improve physicians' ability to assist patients with spiritual concerns at the end of life.
Table 1 Documented spiriutal histories in patients facing end-of-the decisions (a) Spiritual history of Spiritual psychiatrist Patient group history or chaplain All patients (n = 92) 6 (6.5%) 27 (29.3%) Patients who had PEG (n = 25) 0 (0%) 4 (23.1%) Patients with DNR order (n = 40) 6 (15%) 15 (37.5%) Patients having both (n = 27) 2 (7.4%) 8 (29.6%) (a) PEG, percutanueous endoscopic gastrostomy; DNR, do not resuscitate.
Accepted July 2, 2002.
(1.) King DE, Bushwick BM. Beliefs and attitudes of hospital inpatients about faith healing faith healing, relief or cure of bodily ills through some religious attitude on the part of the sufferer. In the Jewish and Christian traditions prayers for cures and miracles are usual; thus the apostles developed a ritual of healing (James 5. and prayer. J Fam Pract 1994;39:349-352.
(2.) Maugans TA, Wadland WC. Religion and family medicine: A survey of physicians and patients. J Fam Pract 1991;32:210-213.
(3.) Ehman JW, Ott BB, Short TH, Ciampa RC, Hansen-Flaschen J. Do patients want physicians to inquire about their spiritual or religious beliefs if they become gravely ill? Arch Intern intern /in·tern/ (in´tern) a medical graduate serving in a hospital preparatory to being licensed to practice medicine.
in·tern or in·terne
n. Med 1999;159:1803-1806.
(4.) Mitchell SL, Berkowitz RD, Lawson FM, Lipsitz. A cross-national survey of tube-feeding decisions in cognitively impaired older persons. J Am Geriatr Soc 2000;48:391-397.
(5.) Kaldjian LC, Jekel JF, Friedland G. End-of-life decisions in HIV HIV (Human Immunodeficiency Virus), either of two closely related retroviruses that invade T-helper lymphocytes and are responsible for AIDS. There are two types of HIV: HIV-1 and HIV-2. HIV-1 is responsible for the vast majority of AIDS in the United States. positive patients: The role of spiritual beliefs. AIDS 1998;12:103-107.
(6.) Koenig HG, Bearon LB, Dayringer R. Physician perspectives on the role of religion in the physician-older patient relationship. J Fam Pract 1989;28:441-448.
(7.) Ellis MR, Vinson DC, Ewigman B. Addressing spiritual concerns of patients: Family physicians' attitudes and practices. J Fam Pract 1999;48:105-109.
(8.) King DE. Faith, Spirituality and Medicine: Towards the Making of the Healing Healing
See also Medicine.
had power to heal whatever wound it made. [Gk. Lit.: Iliad]
Augeas’ daughter; noted for skill in using herbs for healing. [Gk. Myth. Practitioner. New York New York, state, United States
New York, Middle Atlantic state of the United States. It is bordered by Vermont, Massachusetts, Connecticut, and the Atlantic Ocean (E), New Jersey and Pennsylvania (S), Lakes Erie and Ontario and the Canadian province of , Haworth Press, 2000.
(9.) Koenig HG, McCullough ME, Larson DB. Handbook of Religion and Health: A Century of Research Reviewed. New York, Oxford University Press, 2000.
(10.) Anandarajah G, Hight hight
Named or called.
[Middle English, past participle of highten, hihten, to call, be called, from hehte, hight, past tense of hoten E. Spirituality and medical practice: Using the HOPE questions as a practical tool for spiritual assessment. Am Fam Physician 2001;63:81-89.
(11.) Cohen cohen
(Hebrew: “priest”) Jewish priest descended from Zadok (a descendant of Aaron), priest at the First Temple of Jerusalem. The biblical priesthood was hereditary and male. CB, Wheeler SE, Scott DA. Walking a fine line: Physician inquiries into patients' religious and spiritual beliefs. Hastings Cent Rep 200l;31:29-39.
(12.) Lo B, Ruston D, Kates LW, Arnold RM, Cohen GB, Faber-Langendoen K, et al. Discussing religious and spiritual issues at the end of life. JAMA JAMA
Journal of the American Medical Association 2002;287:749-754.
(13.) Quill quill: see pen. TE. Initiating end-of-life discussions with seriously ill A patient is seriously ill when his or her illness is of such severity that there is cause for immediate concern but there is no imminent danger to life. See also very seriously ill. patients: Addressing the "elephant in the room Not to be confused with White elephant.
The elephant in the room (also elephant in the living room, elephant in the corner, elephant on the dinner table, elephant in the kitchen, horse in the corner, 400lb gorilla in the room, etc. ." JAMA 2000;284:2502-2507.
(14.) Koenig BA, Gates WJ. Understanding cultural differences in caring for dying patients. West J Med 1995;163:244-249.
RELATED ARTICLE: Key Points
* Family members often report that medical decisions rest on religious or spiritual beliefs.
* Most physicians believe that discussing spiritual issues with their patients is appropriate, especially when patients are facing serious medical or end-of-life decisions.
* Only 6.5% of the medical records in this study contained any spiritual or religious history information; an additional 23% had some documentation of chaplain or psychiatrist involvement.
From the Department of Family Medicine, Medical University of South Carolina “MUSC” redirects here. For Abel Santa María airport in Santa Clara, Cuba (ICAO code MUSC), see Abel Santa María Airport.
The Medical University of South Carolina , and Trident Regional Medical Center, Charleston, SC.
Reprint reprint An individually bound copy of an article in a journal or science communication requests to Dana E. King, MD, Department of Family Medicine, Medical University of South Carolina, 295 Calhoun Street, P.O. Box 250192, Charleston, SC 29406. Email: email@example.com
Copyright [c] 2003 by The Southern Medical Association
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As You Like It - A Shakespeare Story (Paperback) Andrew Matthews (author), Tony Ross (illustrator)
A wonderful retelling of Shakespeare's thrilling tale of love torn apart by history. With notes on Shakespeare and the Globe theatre and Love and Death in Anthony and Cleopatra. The tales have been retold using accessible language and with the help of Tony Ross's engaging black-and-white illustrations, each play is vividly brought to life allowing these culturally enriching stories to be shared with as wide an audience as possible.
Have you read all of The Shakespeare Stories books? Available in this series: A Midsummer Night's Dream, Macbeth, Romeo and Juliet, The Tempest, Hamlet, Twelfth Night, Antony and Cleopatra, Much Ado About Nothing, The Merchant of Venice, Henry V, Julius Caesar, As You Like It, Othello, The Taming of the Shrew, Richard III, and King Lear.
Publisher: Hachette Children's Group
Number of pages: 64
Weight: 62 g
Dimensions: 198 x 129 x 6 mm
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Sold as a painless proposal to close a "corporate tax loophole" and "bring dollars and jobs back to California," Proposition 39 – which passed Nov. 6 with 60 percent support – will do nothing of the sort. The new law won't close a loophole; instead, it will create a new slush fund for "green" corporate welfare, hurt our economy and increase the cost of products and services across the state.
Supporters of Prop. 39 have claimed that a sneaky deal in 2009 created a loophole for corporate taxation, penalizing in-state corporations and benefitting those outside of California. That's not the case.
Since 1993, California had a four-factor corporate tax formula that used payroll, property, and double-weighted sales in order to measure how much of a corporation's income was generated, and therefore taxable, in California. In 2009, the Legislature added another method by which corporations could choose to pay their taxes: the "single-sales factor," which considers only a corporation's sales in California relative to its national sales.
The elective single-sales factor was a benefit for all corporations doing business in California. It gave increased flexibility to both in-state and out-of-state corporations to choose the tax method most beneficial to them and, in turn, to their consumers. And it made California more competitive with other states.
Prop. 39 took that flexibility away from all corporate taxpayers.
Though raising taxes will punish some corporations, it won't create a new incentive to build or hire new employees in a state infamous for high regulations and oppressive taxes.
Higher corporate taxes do change behavior: They reduce incentives to invest or expand in places where you have to pay them – they also reduce employees' income. The nonpartisan Tax Foundation found in a 2009 study that, on average, each $1 increase in corporate tax collections leads to roughly a $2.50 loss in wages.
Moreover, the revenue raised won't lead to much-needed reforms of California's government that could create incentives for hiring and growth, but to new and expanding "green" energy boondoggles and increased funds for politicians to spend on failing programs and growing bureaucracies.
According to the law, half of new revenue raised the first five years – currently estimated at $2.5 billion, but likely to be lower – will be spent on energy efficiency in government buildings and schools, and "green" job-creation programs.
Yet California government already spends massively on "green" programs, including more than $100 billion in the past decade to "modernize" schools that did nothing to improve education. In the past two years alone, utility consumers have paid $3.1 billion in fees for "energy efficiency" projects, and California's new carbon cap-and-trade program is expected to raise billions for the same purpose.
The vague language allowing for some of the "green" funds to be spent on "job training" and "improving energy efficiency" have already sent interest groups and businesses scrambling for a stack of the taxpayer's green. If Solyndra wasn't bad enough, we're sure to see further tax-funded failures as the state spends more on corporate welfare for uncompetitive industries.
Instead of making California a better place to do business, our new corporate tax rules will punish consumers with higher prices and fewer jobs, while funneling more money to the anti-growth crusades of green utopians.
Michelle Steel is vice chairwoman of the state Board of Equalization.
WRITE A LETTER TO THE EDITOR Letters to the Editor: E-mail to email@example.com. Please provide your name, city and telephone number (telephone numbers will not be published). Letters of about 200 words or videos of 30-seconds each will be given preference. Letters will be edited for length, grammar and clarity.
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Top 10: Views
Clearly, not all views have the same appeal, so we've compiled a list of 10 of the world's best. Not to be confused as a review of the best sites or world wonders, we included specific vantage points from which to view and details about when to grab the best view. Our top finishers include a well-rounded bunch of timeless sites and some lesser-known spots worth discovering -- some natural, and some manufactured. Yet they’re all worth a look.
Rio de Janeiro, BrazilRio de Janeiro is hardly a one-horse town, so for the best view you need to put some altitude between yourself and the city. With a summit just shy of 2,300 feet, Corcovado Mountain is up to the task. How do you get there? Just follow Jesus. As is visible for miles, this is also the home to the iconic 130-foot Christ the Redeemer statue, completed in 1931.
Prime time: Definitely not around New Year’s or Carnival, but any other time on a clear day is perfect.
Vantage point, latitude, longitude: Corcovado Mountain, Brazil 22° 57′ 5″ S 43° 12′ 39″ W
White cliffs of DoverUnited Kingdom
Ordinarily, you wouldn’t imagine a pile of dead sea creatures to be much of a sight -- especially not one qualified as a premier world view. But give it over a dozen million years, and you’ll be surprised how it can look. Case in point: the White Cliffs of Dover. It’s often the last thing seen of the UK as one leaves, as well as the first sight upon return. On a clear day across the English Channel, they’re even visible from France.
Prime time: Weekdays, in late spring or early autumn
Vantage point, latitude, longitude: Strait of Dover, England 51° 7′ 46.2″ N 1° 18′ 32.04″ E
Times SquareNew York City, U.S.
If you want New York in a nutshell, you have to visit the place frequented by Dick Clark and the Naked Cowboy (although an eyeful of the latter would wipe this off our list). This place could only be Times Square. Twenty years ago, you had to either be brave or clueless to wander here after dark. Thirty years ago, proper people avoided the area even in daylight. Again, it’s New York in a nutshell. Today it’s commercialized and even somewhat sanitized. Pear-shaped Midwestern tourists can waddle around and gawk in relative safety between eating and shopping in the endless chain establishments, much to the dismay of gritty natives who miss the good old days.
Prime time: Evenings, spring through autumn (or New Year’s Eve if you're really brave)
Vantage point, latitude, longitude: Broadway & Seventh Avenue, New York City, 40° 45′ 23.72″ N 73° 59′ 10.54″ W
We head to the top of the highest mountain and down to the deepest valley... Next Page >>
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NASA/JPL/Malin Space Science Systems
|This Mars Global Surveyor (MGS) Mars Orbiter Camera (MOC) image shows layers exposed by erosion in a trough within the north polar residual cap of Mars, diving beneath a younger covering of polar materials. The layers have, since the Mariner 9 mission in 1972, been interpreted to be composed of a combination of dust and ice in unknown proportions. In this scene, a layer of solid carbon dioxide, which was deposited during the previous autumn and winter, blankets the trough as well as the adjacent terrain. Throughout northern spring, the carbon dioxide will be removed; by summer, the layers will be frost-free.|
|Location near: 81.4°N, 352.2°W|
|Image width: ~3 km (~1.9 mi)|
|Illumination from: lower left|
|Season: Northern Spring|
Malin Space Science Systems and the California Institute of Technology built the MOC using spare hardware from the Mars Observer mission. MSSS operates the camera from its facilities in San Diego, California. The Jet Propulsion Laboratory's Mars Surveyor Operations Project operates the Mars Global Surveyor spacecraft with its industrial partner, Lockheed Martin Astronautics, from facilities in Pasadena, California and Denver, Colorado.
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legend of Atlantis is perhaps the most intriguing mystery of all
time. Ever since Plato's fabulous account over 2350 years ago
of an island empire set in the Atlantic Ocean, philosophers, explorers
and historians have been enticed and frustrated by the search
for the elusive truth behind the myth.
and erudite, but at the same time quite grippingly written and
immensely readable...tremendous stuff. It will certainly become
one of the classics on Atlantis."
Wilson, crime writer and historian.
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Three months after the Japanese surrender on the Battleship Missouri -- in the midst of an unprecedented postwar transition -- President Harry Truman proposed the first national health insurance program for the United States. Six decades later, it all sounds familiar.
“Under the plan I suggest,” Truman said in his November 1945 message to Congress, “our people would continue to get medical and hospital services just as they do now -- on the basis of their own voluntary decisions and choices. Our doctors and hospitals would continue to deal with disease with the same professional freedom as now. There would, however, be this all-important difference: Whether or not patients get the services they need would not depend on how much they can afford to pay at the time.”
Truman went to great lengths in that message to assure Congress and the American people that his plan did not amount to “socialized medicine.” It is a bugaboo that still bites.
Sixty-four years later, nearly two decades since legislators last seriously considered comprehensive health reform, it is long past time for Congress to act. President Obama ran on a platform of reforming health care. The legislative and political window will be open only briefly. The moment to act is now.
The basic principle of true health care reform is clear, as it was in Truman’s day: Any program that emerges must include universal access to affordable quality care. Bishop William Murphy, chairman of the U.S. bishops’ committee on Domestic Justice and Human Development, had it right this spring when he told the Senate Finance Committee that “the moral measure of any health care reform proposal is whether it offers affordable and accessible health care to all, beginning with those most in need.”
Anything less, given the moment, will be judged a failure.
We have models of success. At home, the Medicare program (enacted in 1965) provides the nation’s senior citizens with guaranteed health coverage. Not only has this government-administered, government-funded effort provided coverage that seniors need, it has been instrumental in reducing the poverty rate among seniors from nearly 20 percent when it was passed to under 10 percent today.
Medicare is not without its problems, but it is widely popular among the elderly. So successful, in fact, that many recipients don’t fully appreciate its sponsorship. “Just keep the government’s hands off my Medicare,” say some elderly skeptics of expanding care to the rest of the population.
Our preference, as the details are worked out this summer in the Senate Finance and House Ways and Means Committees, would be for a single-payer system. Loosely translated in the current political climate, that means Medicare for everybody. This, sadly, is not in the cards. Charges of “socialized medicine,” while widely inaccurate, still carry a strong rhetorical punch in a country skeptical of centralized anything.
Fair enough: The near perfect need not be the enemy of the good.
Today, the insurance industry is lobbying ferociously against a “public option” -- a government-administered health plan designed to compete with private sector insurance policies. Such competition would not only guarantee universal affordable coverage, but spur the marketplace to additional cost savings and innovation.
The politics of the “public option” are, to say the least, difficult. The forces arrayed against it -- largely private insurance companies -- are powerful. It remains, however, the most effective means under consideration to achieve universal affordable quality care for all Americans.
Meanwhile, a public-option-lite proposal -- the establishment of regional cooperatives where businesses and individuals could purchase health coverage -- is now the rage. Put us down as skeptics: A true public option would reduce costs (while guaranteeing care) because government needn’t spend billions marketing its plan or worry about generating profit. The risk with the public-option-lite proposal is that such savings could not be realized, care would not be universal, and that the cooperatives would ultimately be co-opted by the rapacious private insurance industry. That’s not a risk worth taking, not at this moment, not when true health care reform is within reach.
As to the cost of reform, Truman had it right here too. “We are a rich nation and can afford many things,” he told Congress oh so many years ago. “But ill health which can be prevented or cured is one thing we cannot afford.”
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When are Inspections Required?
All construction or work for which a permit is required shall be subject to inspection by the building official and all such construction or work shall remain accessible and exposed for inspection purposes until approved by the building official. In addition, certain types of construction shall have inspections by deputy building inspectors, as specified by the California Building Code in Section 1704.
Approval as a result of an inspection shall not be construed to be an approval of a violation of the provision of this code or of other ordinances of the jurisdiction. Inspection presuming to give authority to violate or cancel the provision of this code or of other ordinances of the jurisdiction shall not be valid.
It shall be the duty of the permit applicant to cause the work to remain accessible and exposed for inspection purposes. Neither the building official nor the jurisdiction shall be liable for expense entailed in the removal or replacement of any material required to allow inspection.
What Does the Inspector Do?
The city inspector checks the work that is being done for compliance with the approved plans and applicable codes and ordinances. The inspector will check each phase of the job and shall approve it before the next part of the job begins. The inspection job card given to you will list the inspections required for your project, although additional inspections may be necessary when noted or the city inspector adds them to your inspection card. The inspector signs and dates the inspection job card for each inspection approved and will provide you with a list of corrections for work not approved. The list of corrections will include a brief explanation (i.e. deviation from the approved plans).
How Do I Request An Inspection?
You may contact the Department of Building & Safety’s Automated Inspection Line for our next available day of inspection (our inspectors perform inspections Monday through Friday). The telephone number to call for an inspection request is shown on the construction permit and inspection job card
|Building & Safety Department||(714) 536-5241|
|Public Works||(714) 536-5431|
|Fire Department||(714) 536-5411|
|Gas Company||(800) 228-7377|
|So Cal Edison||(714) 895-0221|
What Types Of Inspection Are Required?
If a grading permit is required for your project, inspections and clearance of the initial grading work by Public Works inspectors will precede any building construction inspections.
The following construction inspections may be required:
- Foundation Inspection: When the excavation for footings is complete and footing forms and required reinforcing steel and structural embedments are in place, but before any concrete is placed. (Also needed are separate underground electrical, plumbing and mechanical inspections).
- Roof Sheathing Inspection: When all roof framing members are installed and the plywood or other sheathing is complete. All plumbing and mechanical vents are installed and flashed.
- Wood Framing Inspection: When all roof, walls and floor framing, fire blocking, draft stopping and all pipes, chimney, vents and duct work are in place, but before any work is covered. Wood framing inspection will not be approved until rough mechanical, electrical, and plumbing inspections are completed.
- Insulation Inspection: When all thermal insulation is in place but before it is concealed. Inspect state energy requirements stated on the approved plans.
- Lath and/or Gypsum Board Inspection: After all lath and gypsum board is in place but before any stucco is applied, or before gypsum board joints and fasteners are taped and finished.
- Reinforced Masonry Inspection: In grouted masonry before any units are laid up, all steel must be tied and in place ready for concrete foundation pour. Grout inspection is required after units are laid. Final inspection is required after cells are grouted and cap is installed.
- Structural Steel Inspection: When structural steel members are in place and required connections are complete but before concealing any members or connections. Certificates of Compliance are to be given to the City Inspector.
- Re-roof Inspection: Sheathing inspection and building final inspection. See the Re-roofing Requirements handout for more details.
- Electrical Inspection
- Underground: After conduit or cable has been installed in trench but not covered.
- Rough wiring: Before any part of the work is concealed and prior to framing inspection. Telephone, television, intercom, security, doorbell and thermostat cable need to be in place for rough inspection. Compliance with Title 24 Requirements for Residential Lighting is checked.
- Final: When all fixtures, appliances, and systems are in place and connected.
- Plumbing Inspections:
- Underground or sub-floor plumbing: After material has been installed and tested, including sewer. Sewer Cap, is inspected for demolition projects.
- Rough plumbing: Before any part of the work is concealed (including shower pan hot mop), prior to framing inspection and after roofing is installed. (Water Heater Installations).
- Gas piping test: After lath or gypsum board has been installed.
- Shower pan.
- Final: After all fixtures are in place and connected.
- Heating, Ventilating and Air Conditioning Inspections:
- Underground/Sub-floor duct inspection.
- Rough: Before any part of the work is concealed, metal fireplace rough, prior to framing inspection and after roofing is installed.
- Final: All appliances and equipment are in place and connected.
Performance test may be required.
- VERY IMPORTANT: Public Works and Fire Department sign off may be required prior to requesting a Building Final Inspection. See the inspection job card, contact the city inspector or call 536-5241 if you are not sure these inspections are necessary.
Call for final inspection when the construction has been completed. All external surfaces must be painted, or otherwise sealed, weather-stripping must be installed on all new windows and doors, and all electrical or plumbing fixtures have been installed. Interior painting, wallpapering, or carpeting need not be complete. Smoke detectors must be installed in all bedrooms, located at the top of a staircase and in the hallway/corridor leading to the bedrooms.
Certificate of Occupancy:
Residential projects will not receive a C of O as your signed job card is your proof of final inspection/approval.
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Predictions... there are many. Photo: Phil Carrick
In part two of a series on enterprise technology predictions for 2013, we summarise what industry experts and some insightful vendors are predicting for data centres, social media, bring-your-own device, connectivity and more.
Apart from the revolution happening in data centres with the uptake of cloud computing, another trend is likely to take hold in 2013.
Software defined data centres are on the rise, says Alister Dias, regional country manager for EMC Australia & New Zealand.
A software defined data center (SDDC) is where all infrastructure is virtualised and delivered "as a service".
"Today, most data centres are in silos, resulting in many organisations being unable to [share] the compute, network and storage between applications. Users in a SDDC will be able to specify the service level required and a virtual data centre will provide them with that service, in a way that is measurable down to the allocation and control of costs," Dias says.
"In comparison to the physical world, in which it can take weeks or months to fulfil infrastructure service provision, or the 'virtual' world, where it was reduced to hours or days, in the SDDC environment it will be seconds or minutes."
Data centres will also need to be much more sustainable to survive.
"Inefficient data centres will be obsolete within five years," predicts Paul-Francois Cattier, global head of data centres with energy management firm Schneider Electric. "There will be pressure to reduce operating expenditure while maintaining availability versus unstable grids and higher electricity prices."
Another future challenge is how to marry the two different investment cycles of a data centre, says Cattier. "The physical data centre has a 20-year cycle, but the technology life cycle is two to three years."
By year-end 2014, 70 per cent of large enterprises will permit access to external social media, compared with 50 per cent in 2010, according to analyst firm Gartner.
By 2016, 50 per cent of large organisations will have an internal Facebook-like social network, and 30 per cent of these will be considered as essential as email and telephones are today, says Gartner analyst Nikos Drakos.
By 2017, more than 25 per cent of active consumer-facing blogs will be replaced by social curation accounts on sites such as Pinterest and Storify (a tool to pull together the more relevant and interesting tweets about a topic), predicts Gartner analyst Allen Weiner. "Pinterest has become the world's fourth-largest site based on web traffic," he offers by way of indicating potential.
Short form video will be next big battleground in social media, says Sean Callanan, founder of sportsgeek, a social media sports consultancy. "Expect start-ups to go head to head with Facebook and Twitter to deliver the best offering.
"Twitter will gain mainstream acceptance in Australia as TV viewers and sports fans connect with VITs [Very Important Tweeps, such as] celebrities, politicians and athletes. Twitter will drive people back to watch TV live to join the conversation.
"Big players will continue to fight, making social media more fragmented and less connected than it was in 2012. And mobile will be the key in 2013, with more social media traffic on mobiles and tablets. User experience will be critical to success of current and new players."
Through to 2014, Gartner predicts employee-owned devices will be compromised by malware at more than double the rate of corporate-owned devices.
It's harder to manage data loss and leakage prevention in a BYOD environment, so we can expect to see an increase in both malicious and unintentional data loss incidents, says Neil Campbell, director of solutions at Dimension Data.
Despite these security concerns, Forrester predicts that by 2016 there will be three-quarters of a billion tablets in use. "It took PCs 20 years to reach that install base, and 81 per cent of firms [globally] expect to support tablets for employees."
IT departments will continue to be forced to shift their focal point from managing desktops and devices to managing users (user profiles), says Michael Bosnar, managing director ANZ of AppSense, a provider of user virtualisation technology.
There are many more predictions, regarding Windows (Gartner predicts 90 per cent of enterprises will bypass broad-scale deployments of Windows 8); the use of SMS (Geof Heydon, business development manager at the CSIRO ICT Centre, predicts the death of SMS, although some disagree); and the national broadband network (NBN) will increase teleworking, connectivity and economic development in ways not yet fully understood by many.
We will look at them separately in the weeks to come.
Tomorrow: Security Predictions 2013
Follow IT Pro on Twitter.
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Tier 5 consists of two main categories under the points based system; the Youth Mobility Scheme (YMS) and Tier 5 (Temporary Workers), which is made up of five sub-categories, as follows:
Tier 5 (Temporary Workers)
The Tier 5 (Temporary Workers) scheme provides individuals with the opportunity to come to the UK with a job offer for a specific purpose or for temporary/short term employment. The scheme consists of five subcategories across a range of different industries.
All applicants will be required to have both a sponsor and a valid ‘certificate of sponsorship’ before applying for leave to be employed under this scheme. This certificate of sponsorship is designed to act as a declaration that the applicant is able to take on a particular job and has the intention to do so.
All applicants applying under this scheme will require prior entry clearance, except for non-visa nationals intending to come to the UK for a period of 3 months or less in the “Creative and Sporting” subcategory.
Each Tier 5 (Temporary Worker) subcategory is explained below as an individual category.
Tier 5 (Temporary Workers) – Government Authorised Exchange
This scheme provides individuals with the opportunity to come to the UK temporarily through approved schemes. These individual schemes are designed to share knowledge, experience and work practice through placements in the UK. This category is not to be used to fill job vacancies or provide a route for unskilled labour force to come to the UK.
A new category for Mathematics Teacher Exchange will be added to this scheme from 1 August 2014. This category allows mathematics teachers from China to support the teaching and learning of mathematics in England. Mathematic teachers from England will also be able to teach under a similar arrangement in schools in China. The aim is to allow for teachers of mathematics to share good practices about the subject of maths across England and China. The stay is restricted to 12 months in the UK.
The Immigration Rules have recently changed to allow selective switching for students in Tier 4 who have completed degrees in the UK to undertake corporate internships which directly relate to their degrees. These internships will take place in the Tier 5 Government Authorised Exchange sub-category. This change is being made in response to representations from businesses that such a change will make it easier to recruit graduates with specialist skills for internships with a view to offering them a permanent position in the future. As with any work experience scheme in this subcategory, roles must be supernumerary and stay is restricted to 12 months. Switching into Tier 2 at the end of the internship is not permitted.
The Home Office will now check that applicants are genuine and that they intend to meet the conditions of the leave they apply for.
The applicant will be required to enter the UK solely to work or train temporarily in the UK through an approved exchange scheme. The applicant cannot establish a business in the UK and will be expected to meet the requirements of the individual exchange scheme they are attached to. All work undertaken by the applicant under this scheme must be skilled work which is deemed to be the equivalent of N/SVQ Level 3 or higher.
There will a main body to manage this scheme and act as sponsor for applicants. Individual employers and organisations are not permitted to sponsor applicants even if they are licensed as sponsors under the points based system.
The main body (sponsor) will be required to have the support of a UK government department and will be issuing the certificates of sponsorship to applicants meeting the requirements under this scheme.
All applicants will need to score a total of 40 points for the above criteria, which is detailed in the next section.
B. Points Assessment
Applicants will need to satisfy a points test and maintenance requirement under this scheme. A total score of 40 points is required in order for applicants to successfully submit an application for the Tier 5 (Temporary Workers) scheme.
Points are awarded under the following heads:
(i.) Certificate of Sponsorship – 30 points
To score points under this section, it is mandatory that applicants are in possession of a valid certificate of sponsorship issued by their sponsor.
(ii) Maintenance (Funds) – 10 points
To score points under this section, applicants will need to prove that that they have sufficient funding to support themselves for the duration of their stay in the UK.
The requirement is to demonstrate either/or the following:
- At least £945 of personal savings in applicants’ own bank account for at least 3 months prior to the date of the application plus £630 for each dependant; OR
- An A-rated sponsor guarantees the applicant’s maintenance on the certificate of sponsorship. (Please note that the sponsor is unable to certify maintenance for any accompanying dependants).
C. Visa Validity and Extension
Applicants successful under Tier 5 (Temporary Workers) will be granted Entry Clearance valid for a maximum period of 24 months; or a shorter period if this is specified in the certificate of sponsorship plus 14 days.
Applicants can only apply for an extension of their visa up to the maximum period of 24 months or if shorter, the time specified in the certificate of sponsorship plus 14 days,
Only a sports or entertainer visitor is entitled to apply to switch into the Tier 5 (Temporary worker) Creative and Sporting subcategory, provided they have a valid certificate of sponsorship issued to them before entering the UK.
No applicants from other Tiers of the points based system are entitled to switch into the Tier 5 (Temporary Worker). In the same way, applicants from Tier 5 (Temporary Worker) cannot switch into other Tiers. The Tier 5 (Temporary Worker) route does not lead to settlement in the UK nor does it offer applicants the opportunity to switch into any other work or study category.
No switching is permitted between the subcategories of Tier 5 (Temporary Worker).
E. Applying for Entry Clearance
Applicants are required to obtain prior for Entry Clearance under the Tier 5 (Temporary Worker) before entering the UK under this scheme. Applicants can apply for Entry Clearance from their home country or legal country of residence.
F. What other work is allowed under Tier 5 (Temporary Worker) Government Authorised Exchange Scheme
Applicants under this category are able to work on short term contracts; or participate in/ perform at specific engagements relevant to their role and specified in their certificate of sponsorship.
In addition, applicants under this category are able to undertake supplementary employment providing the work is in the same sector, and for no more than 20 hours per week. The work must be at the same level as declared on the certificate of sponsorship and must be outside of normal working hours. The applicant is obliged to continue to work for their original sponsor.
The applicant is not permitted to work in any other employment which fails to satisfy the above criteria.
G. Change of Employment
Applicants who have previously obtained permission to enter or remain in the UK may be able to apply for a “change of employment”. This is on the basis that that the applicant intends to vary their leave in the UK because they have changed employment either within the same organisation or with a new organization within the same sector.
The employment will need to be with a licensed sponsor and the applicant is required to obtain a new certificate of sponsorship and again satisfy the all important maintenance requirement.
You are advised to seek professional legal advice if you wish to change your employment whilst in the UK.
H. Dependants of Tier 5 (Temporary Workers)
Dependant of those applying to enter as Tier 5 (Temporary Workers) migrants will be able to accompany the main applicant to the UK as long as there is evidence of at least £630 in available funds to maintain each dependant.
Administrative Review (Entry Clearance applications)
Applicants who have their applications refused under the points based system are entitled to have the decision reviewed free of charge.
Individuals who wish to exercise their right for an Administrative Review will have to make this request within 28 days of the date of receipt of the refusal notice. The applicant is not entitled to send any additional documents or fresh evidence with the review request. Finally, applicants will only be entitled to request ONE review request per refusal decision.
Right of Appeal
Applicants who apply under this scheme will only have a limited right of appeal. We therefore advise that applicants seek legal advice on the procedure for appealing.
What services we can offer?
- We can advise on the procedure of making the Tier 5 (Temporary Workers) application in line with the sponsorship certificate
- We can assess the job and the applicant`s details and advise on the likelihood of the applicant being sponsored under Tier 5 (Temporary Workers)
- We can advise and represent our clients in making their leave to remain/entry clearance applications in line with the certificate of sponsorship
- We can advise and represent our clients’ dependants to seek dependant visas in line with the visa of the main applicant.
- We can offer a Super Premium Service where the Home Office will visit the applicants in order to process the applications within 24 hours (for further leave to remain only).
- We can lodge an appeal (in-country only) or make a request for an administrative review if the applicant`s application is refused for some reason
- We can advise in making applications for indefinite leave to remain for those who have already completed the five years’ qualifying period in the UK
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Talk:List of development tools
Would it be better to use something like *.dll's in homebrews if possible? At the moment in every homebrew there are always the same libs linked in the binaries, with *.dll-like libraries they would be smaller and more fits on the SD-Cards ...
Besides there is an other advantage: if every homebrew links every needed library for its own and later was a bug found in a lib, EVERY program which has linked it in contains this bug and has to be build again with a new version of the lib to get rid of the bug. If we use dlls only this file has to be changed on the SD card and EVERY homebrew which uses this dll hasn't this bug anymore!
- You mean shared libraries or objects, right? LoganA 17:48, 1 March 2009 (UTC)
- Completely right! :-)
Where did mxml go? I see that someone removed it, I already found it's googlecode page. It's giving me trouble with devkitpro release 18. I get a undefined reference to `__ctype_ptr', please help in the discussion page on Mini-XML
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By 48% to 32%, more Americans view Pelosi unfavorably than favorably
PRINCETON, NJ -- As the 111th Congress nears its August recess, Americans continue to view Democratic House Speaker Nancy Pelosi more unfavorably than favorably, 48% vs. 32%. House Republican Leader John Boehner's ratings are equally positive and negative; however, the majority of Americans have either not heard of him or don't know enough about the 10-term Republican congressman and two-term House GOP leader to rate him.
Pelosi's image in the latest Gallup Poll, conducted July 10-12, is little different from her image in May, when 34% of Americans viewed her favorably and 50% unfavorably. Pelosi's ratings turned more negative than positive between November 2008 and May 2009, spanning the controversy over what she knew and when she knew it regarding the CIA's use of waterboarding as a coercive interrogation technique. Even though that controversy has died down, her image has not recovered to date.
As seen in May, a bare majority of Democrats view Pelosi favorably, but Republicans as well as independents have mostly unfavorable views. In May, Gallup reported that the decline in Pelosi's ratings seen at that point was the result of lower favorability from Republicans and independents, with little change in Democrats' views. Since then, Republican favorability toward Pelosi has increased slightly, from 9% in May to 14% today, while the percentage of Democrats viewing her favorably has declined from 62% to 55%, its lowest point since she ascended to the speakership.
Views of Boehner
Boehner is not a familiar name to a majority of Democrats and independents, and he is largely unknown to nearly half of Republicans. Naturally, his image, among those who can rate him, is more favorable than unfavorable among Republicans and tilts negative among Democrats. In contrast to Pelosi's mostly negative ratings from independents, Boehner's ratings from this group are about equally balanced.
These ratings of Boehner are the first Gallup has obtained on the Ohio lawmaker.
The high proportion of Americans who have no opinion of Boehner -- 52% overall -- may reflect his mere two-plus years as the top-ranking Republican in the U.S. House, since his election to the leadership post after the 2006 elections. While Pelosi was chosen as House Speaker the same year -- making her second in the line of succession to the president -- she had previously served as House Democratic leader from 2003 through 2006, thus giving her a four-year advantage over Boehner on the national stage.
At a time when Congress holds the power to pass landmark legislation in healthcare and energy and is considering additional economic stimulus spending that could affect the country for generations to come, Americans have less than full confidence in two of its leading power players. Pelosi's image is damaged to the point that just a third of Americans view her favorably and nearly half unfavorably. And while Americans are at least familiar with Pelosi, Boehner is an unknown commodity to nearly half the country, leaving only a quarter who view him favorably.
Results are based on telephone interviews with 1,018 national adults, aged 18 and older, conducted July 10-12, 2009. For results based on the total sample of national adults, one can say with 95% confidence that the maximum margin of sampling error is ±3 percentage points.
Interviews are conducted with respondents on land-line telephones (for respondents with a land-line telephone) and cellular phones (for respondents who are cell-phone only).
In addition to sampling error, question wording and practical difficulties in conducting surveys can introduce error or bias into the findings of public opinion polls.
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Transparency and the International Economy
One of the key issues underlying the 2008 financial crisis was the lack of transparency in the international economy. Over the last several decades, a “shadow” financial structure has developed comprised of tax havens, secrecy jurisdictions, disguised corporations, shell companies and bogus foundations. This system is now so large that half of all global trade and capital movements pass through it. Since secrecy is its defining feature, the shadow economy is used for money laundering and the movement of corrupt, criminal and commercial tax- evading money across borders.
The impact of this shadow economy has been devastating for Southern and Northern countries alike. It has facilitated the loss of billions in tax revenues. It has hidden from view accurate appraisals of the balance sheets of banks, financial institutions and transnational corporations. It has facilitated the theft of billions from Southern countries. It is now transferring an estimated $1 trillion out of Southern countries every year, obstructing economic growth, hindering poverty alleviation, and undermining efforts to achieve the Millennium Development Goals (see JUST THE FACTS).
Citizen’s groups have advocated for an end to the shadow economy for years. One influential voice is the UK-based Tax Justice Network (www.taxjustice.net). In Canada, a new organization has been established to promote progressive tax policies at home (www.taxfairness.ca). This year, the Halifax Initiative will work with other Canadian groups to address these issues. Over the next few months, the Halifax Initiative web site will include an annotated bibliography of articles, reports and educational materials on tax justice, capital flight, corruption, illegitimate debt, and financial transparency.
Cannes G20 Postmortem
The Cannes G20 meeting was very preoccupied with economic problems in Europe and thus attention to other issues was sidelined. On climate change, virtually every G20 country passed the buck. In the final statement, G20 leaders made some tepid comments about the need to pursue the fight against climate change. While they claimed that financing for climate change was a priority, no commitments were made.
There was some progress on a Financial Transaction Tax (Robin Hood Tax). Despite the opposition of the U.K., the U.S. and Canada, a “coalition of the willing” emerged that includes France, Germany, the European Commission as well as Brazil, South Africa and Argentina. This is a beginning and CSO advocates will take the FTT campaign to the June 2012 G20 Summit in Mexico.
The G20 leaders did commit to tackle illicit financial flows and to crack down on tax haven secrecy, as well as the misuse of corporate vehicles. This is important as developing countries lose more than $1 trillion a year in illicit outflows, much of it laundered through secrecy jurisdictions. However, G20 leaders failed to recommend automatic multilateral exchange of tax information, a major CSO campaign issue.
UN expert: export credit agencies failing on human rights
The UN independent expert on the effects of foreign debt on the full enjoyment of all human rights, Cephas Lumina, addresses the issue of export credit in his 2011 report to the UN General Assembly. He explains that states have an obligation to ensure that their export credit agencies respect international human rights law and notes that ‘a significant number’ of ECA-funded projects continue to cause severe human rights impacts.
Mr. Lumina reports that: “[g]overnments rarely exercise due diligence concerning the actions of their national export credit agencies. Indeed, the agencies’ operational policies and the national laws establishing them typically never include reference to human rights standards. Neither do export credit agencies have in place a clear policy on the prevention of human rights abuses or on due diligence to identify potential harmful effects of projects on human rights and to mitigate them. Many export credit agencies’ home States also lack effective mechanisms to adjudicate claims of human rights abuses resulting from projects backed by such agencies.”
In 2010, legislation aimed at addressing many of these deficiencies regarding the operations of Export Development Canada was defeated by a narrow margin in the House of Commons.
U.N. General Assembly, 66th Session. Effects of foreign debt and other related international financial obligations of States on the full enjoyment of all human rights, particularly economic, social and cultural rights.
Notice Board – This month…
- The Halifax Initiative is pleased to welcome Peter Gillespie as its new Program Officer on Global Financial Issues. Peter can be reached at firstname.lastname@example.org.
- This month ECA-Watch provided the OECD Export Credit Group with critical input on its draft revision of the Common Approaches: http://halifaxinitiative.org/sites/halifaxinitiative.org/files/ECA%20Watch%20submission%20on%20CA%20review%20November%202011%281%29.pdf
- On October 28, the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights held hearings on Case 12.741, which was initiated by Diaguita indigenous people against the Chilean government. The complaint concerns the inclusion of Diaguita territory in Barrick Gold’s Pascua Lama mining concession.
- The Achuar indigenous people live in a remote area of the Peruvian Amazon. In 2004, Canadian company, Talisman Energy, acquired an interest in Block 64, an oil concession that includes large tracts of the Achuar’s traditional territory. Talisman has pledged that it won’t operate in Peru without the explicit consent of affected communities. Mr. Peas Peas Ayui is the president of the National Achuar Federation of Peru (FENAP). FENAP represents 42 Achuar communities, many of which are located within Block 64. Mr. Peas traveled to Canada this month to express the Federation’s opposition to Talisman’s activity in Achuar territory and to demand that Talisman withdraw from the area. Since 2006, Export Development Canada has provided funding to Talisman totaling somewhere between $400,000 and $1 billion. EDC does not disclose the precise amounts of its loans. Amazon Watch brief: www.amazonwatch.org/assets/files/2011-talisman-issue-brief.pdf
- Africa’s Odious Debts: How Foreign Loans & Capital Flight Bled a Continent, Léonce Ndikumana and James Boyce, Zed Books, 2011. The authors explain that the sub-Saharan region is a net creditor to the rest of the world, its foreign assets far exceeding its foreign debts of about $175 billion. The problem is that most of these assets are in the hands of private individuals while the liabilities are public.
- Estimating Illicit Financial Flows Resulting from Drug Trafficking and other Transnational Organized Crime, October 2011, UNDOC. $1.6 trillion (2.6% of global GDP) of the proceeds of crime are laundered through the global financial system. Less than 1% of these funds are intercepted. www.unodc.org/documents/data-and-analysis/Studies/Illicit_financial_flows_2011_web.pdf
- The Puppet Masters: How the Corrupt Use Legal Structures to Hide Stolen Assets and What to Do About It, World Bank Stolen Asset Recovery Initiative & UN Office on Drugs and Crime, October 2011. Cases of large-scale corruption involve legal entities to conceal ownership and control of corrupt proceeds through companies, foundations and trust-like structures. Policymakers should take steps to put corporate transparency back on the national and international agendas. http://www1.worldbank.org/finance/star_site/documents/Puppet%20Masters%20Report.pdf
- Is Durban the world’s last, best hope to avoid climate disaster? Kairos Briefing Paper, October 2011. An excellent analysis of what’s at stake at the Durban COP 17 climate change conference, including Canada’s laggard emissions reduction commitments.http://www.kairoscanada.org/wp-content/uploads/2011/10/PBP28-Durban.pdf
JUST THE FACTS: Illicit Capital Flight: A Major Constraint to Development
Until recently, most NGOs have been concerned with the amounts of funds flowing into developing countries and have advocated for increased ODA levels. In recent years, NGOs have also begun to look at financial outflows from developing countries in the form of illicit capital flight. Several recent analyses show that developing countries are losing as much as $1 trillion annually in illicit capital flight, far more than what they receive in aid. The largest proportion of these losses is due to tax evasion by transnational companies.
- Global Financial Integrity (GFI) found that between 2000 and 2008, developing countries lost an average of $725 billion to $810 billion per year in illicit capital flight.
- In a 2011 report on Africa, GFI calculated that between 1970 and 2008, Africa lost at least $854 billion in illicit financial flows, outpacing official development assistance by at least 2 to 1. GFI noted that this is likely an under-estimate and African illicit outflows during this period could be as high as $1.8 trillion.
- A 2009 study commissioned by Christian Aid (UK) calculated that trade mispricing by transnational enterprises costs the world’s 49 poorest countries $160 billion a year in lost tax revenues. Between 2005 and 2007, for example, Nigeria lost tax revenues of $740 million, Pakistan $486 million, Vietnam $400 million and Bangladesh $424 million.
- In a May 2011 study, GFI looked at illicit capital flight from 48 Least Developed Countries. Over the period 1990-2008, $197 billion flowed out of these LDCs, mainly into developed countries. African LDCs accounted for 69 percent of total illicit flows, followed by Asia (29 percent) and Latin America (2 percent). Trade mispricing accounted for the bulk (65-70 percent) of illicit outflows from LDCs. The top ten exporters of illicit capital were Bangladesh ($34.8 billion), Angola ($34.0 billion), Lesotho ($16.8 billion), Chad ($15.4 billion), Yemen ($12.0 billion), Nepal ($9.1 billion), Uganda ($8.8 billion), Burma (Myanmar )($8.5 billion), Ethiopia ($8.4 billion) and Zambia ($6.8 billion).
- In Africa’s Odious Debts, Ndikumana and Boyce found that sub-Saharan Africa lost $944 billion in capital flight between 1970 and 2008. They estimated that every additional dollar in debt service means 29 cents less spending on public health and each $40,000 reduction in health expenditure translates into an additional infant death. They calculated that debt service payments on loans that fuelled capital flight have resulted in more than 75,000 additional infant deaths annually in the sub-Saharan region.
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Mobile SEO is an important element of search engine optimization with many users going online using mobile devices as these are more convenient and user friendly when compared to PCs and laptops. Many people use mobile phones to get directions, news updates, for Google search, business purposes and so on. Mobile optimized websites improve user experience and create a positive impression.
A study conducted by Moovweb shows that many brands don’t have mobile-friendly sites and face ranking consequences on Google. The study was based on “1000 important e-commerce keywords in a range of industries” to find out how their mobile rankings were affected on Google.
The findings of the study are:
- The top result was mobile friendly for 83 percent of the time
- 81 percent of the time the top three websites (results) were mobile friendly
- 77 percent of results (or 7.7 out of 10) were mobile friendly on page one of the Google mobile SERP (search engine result pages)
Mobile Friendliness of Search Results by Industry
Mooveb found that mobile friendliness showed variations according to industry verticals. Based on the examined keywords, the results indicate that out of seven categories (Retail, Health Care, Insurance, Travel/ Hospitality, Other, Education, Transportation)
- Retail had the maximum number of mobile-friendly websites
- Transportation had the least number of mobile-friendly websites
The websites that have mobile friendly design are ranked high whereas non-mobile-friendly websites face a drop in their ranking.
It is important therefore for digital marketers to focus on developing mobile friendly websites for higher ranking. They can opt for mobile SEO services and enjoy the best results from their business website. A mobile optimized website enables digital marketers to stand out among their competitors, attract targeted visitors and benefit from high ROI.
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We spend the majority of our waking hours at work, so making friends there is natural. But have you considered the down sides to company collegiality?
With organizational culture and who your peers are often dictating who takes roles and stays in them, it’s worth considering both the good and the bad to these relationships.
More and more companies like Google, Zappos, and Southwest Airlines are explicitly promoting collegial cultures, and instituting policies and programs to make coworkers more like buddies than colleagues.
With the nature of work itself becoming more social, especially knowledge and service-based work, Millennials and younger generations are used to greater informality and integration between their personal and professional lives.
I spoke with Julianna Pillemer, a PhD candidate in Management at The Wharton School, and Nancy P. Rothbard, Professor of Management at The Wharton School, to go deeper on this topic based on their findings in Friends Without Benefits: Understanding the Dark Sides of Workplace Friendship.
“As blurred boundaries become the new normal, friendship is going to increasingly become central to work” shares Pillemer. “Many organizations are encouraging employees to ‘bring their whole self to work,’ which means that people will be sharing things about themselves, and engaging in this kind of personal, authentic self-disclosure is a key driver of friendship.”
What makes friendship at work so complicated?
According to their study, Pillemer and Rothbard found that the core features of friendship are in conflict with key features of most organizations. Rothbard expands, “These fundamental tensions can create friction at work, bringing out the dark sides of friendship.”
“Friendship can feel really amazing, and connecting with others is key to workplace productivity and engagement. Yet when you take a more holistic approach to understanding these relationships, you see quickly how a really positive relationship for individuals can have negative effects on work productivity and the functioning of the organization,” explains Pillemer.
The key downsides of friendship at work
This may read like a prescription drug ad, but friendships can lead to: deep emotional distraction, feeling conflicted between role of friend and formal role (for individuals); lower quality group decision making on complex tasks (for teams); the formation of cliques and silos, reducing communication, and perceptions of favoritism (for departments and organizations). Social media can amplify these dark sides too.
All work friendships are not created equal
Features such as closeness, how long you’ve been friends and formal status between friends all impact what types of dark sides you can expect to see.
“For example, in our paper we suggest that there may be a reverse Goldilocks effect for closeness of friendship. A person you have just friendly, superficial conversations with, or your best friend, may be less likely to cause certain issues. However, when friendships are in that murky middle area, close but not super-close, there is greater room for misunderstanding and challenges.” says Pillemer.
How social media is changing the way we form friendships with coworkers
Connecting on social media creates “boundary transparency” between personal and professional realms. “With just one click and ‘friending’ someone, you obtain a wealth of information, a window into one’s’ personal life that typically colleagues would never have about each other ten, even five years ago” explains Pillemer.
“While in real life conversations you can tailor what you share to match the person you are speaking with, social media just provides a floodgate of untailored disclosure and information. This is a good thing if you are similar to the person, but can be not so great if it highlights differences between you”, expands Rothbard.
Social media can also heighten the visibility of cliques to outsiders, as anyone who’s seen coworkers post photos hanging out without them can attest.
How employees and managers can approach friendship to guard against downsides
Overall, friendship at work can be a wonderful, enriching thing. “We are strong believers that friendships at work are not only good, they are necessary to get things done,” says Rothbard.
Managers can institute policies to reduce downsides of similarity attraction, such as cross-functional lunches or encourage informal connections between people who wouldn’t usually cross paths.
Employees can be thoughtful and deliberate about setting (and crossing) boundaries, especially in new relationships and those across hierarchical lines.
Rothbard concludes, “You want to avoid the teacher’s pet phenomenon, in which people perceive favoritism and unfairness.”
So go, befriend, and beware of your boundaries.
Want more success and fulfillment in your life? Then check out this free masterclass with Deepak Chopra and me. In it, we share the 5 key things you need to know to create a more meaningful life!
This article was originally published on Forbes.
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Choose another writer in this calendar:
by birthday from the calendar.
|Nordahl Grieg (1902-1943)|
Norwegian poet, novelist, dramatist, and journalist. In the 1930s Grieg was in his country among the foremost young dramatists. His theatrical techniques and stage effects showed the influence of Russian experimental theatre and film. During World War II Grieg's poetry gained a wide audience in the occupied Norway. Gried died in 1943 when his plane was shot down over Berlin. His distant relative was the famous composer Edvard Grieg.
Nordahl Grieg was born in Bergen into a cultured family. His father was a school principal and a teacher of music at a university. Grieg's mother came from politically active family. Following his father's footsteps, Grieg entered the University of Olso in 1920 to prepare himself for a career in education. Next year he intermitted his studies and went to sea. He worked as a sailor on a freighter bound for Australia. In 1922 he traveled through Europe.
As a writer Grieg made his debut with Round the Cape of Good Hope, a collection of poems. Between the years 1922 and 1925 he studied philology and wrote for Tidens Tegn and Oslo Aftenavis. In 1923-24 he studied at Wadham College, Oxford. After graduating from the University of Olso, Grieg continued his travels. The Ship Sails On (1924) gained wide attention with its revealing picture of the lot of Norwegian sailors. Later the international Red Cross launched a campaign against the veneral disease problem in port cities.
In 1927 Grieg traveled in China as a newspaper correspondent to report about the civil war between the Kuomingtang and the Communists. His first play, A Young Man's Love, was produced in Bergen. It was followed by Barabbas (1927), an expressionistic avant-garde piece, which reflected his experiences in the Orient. Grieg compared the pacifism of Jesus with violence of the rebellious reprobate. In the battle between passive resistance and revolution a young man is overpowered by the attraction of brutality.
The English writer Malcolm Lowry (1909-1957), who also went young to sea, travelled to Norway in 1930 to meet Grieg. In England Grieg become a kind of myth. Graham Greene compared in his book of memoir, Ways of Escape (1980), the author's arrival in 1931 down a muddy Gloucestershire lane to the appearance of three crowns on a gate. Greene had rented a cottage with his wife Vivien and Grieg came "to look him up," as he told. "The dreamlike atmosphere of his friendship remained: it was a matter of messages, warm and friendly and encouraging and critical, mostly in other people's letters. The only time I visited Norway he was away living in Leningrad, but the messages were there awaiting me. Nordahl Grieg, like a monarch, never lacked messengers."
In 1936 Grieg established the magazine Veien Frem, which became an important forum for antifascist debate. After spending two years (1933-35) in the Soviet Union – his addess was one time Room 313 in the Hotel Novo Moscowskaja – Grieg wrote three plays which showed his adoption of techniques learned from the Russian stage and film. The title of Our Honor and Glory came from a poem of Bjørnstjerne Bjørnson and referred ironically to the Norwegian shipping industry, which sent the sailors to their death in World War I.
The Defeat had as its background the bloody events of the Franco-German war and the crushing of the Paris Commune of 1871. It was Grieg's most successful play and inspired Bertolt Brecht's The Days of the Commune. Grieg drew from observations and experiences as a war correspondent in Spain, where he witnessed the Civil War and the collapse of the Republican government. The revolutionaries lose because they are not brutal enough. Again Grieg uses two opposite personalities to illustrate conflicting ideologies. Varlin is an idealistic humanist, who wants to achieve victory "not through killing or dying, but through the creation of justice." Rigault believes in the necessity of terror. In his character Grieg bowed to the Stalinist policies and system of state terrorism, but his theme was that love and justice shall triumph.
Because of ideological reasons Grief accepted the Moscow trials and defended them especially in his novel May the World Stay Young (1938). In the story Ashley, an English philologist working in the Soviet Union, comes under the influence of Kira, a Communist girl, who firmly believes in party discipline. However, the Moscow trial reveal Ashley as a typical western European humanist, who is not able to act. Grieg himself confessed in a letter to Graham Greene that he was working in the strange bourgeois atmosphere of Moscow summer. "I am sure you will like to live in Moscow, there is such an enormous mass of people – a vast multitude of races, hopes and disappointments. And your hatred to nature can easily be satisfied here, here is no nature for many hundred miles, only something flat and stupid under an idiotical sky."
Following the German invasion of Norway, Grieg volunteered for active duty in 1940, but his adventures could have been invented by Jaroslav Hasek. Grieg was recruited in the army without uniform or weapon as a private soldier. In the mountains he met a patrol that carried in sacks gold from the Bank of Norway. In Narvik the gold was moved into an English destroyer and Grieg followed its journey – it was to be delivered to the Bank of England. At a station much later the clerk from the bank did not show up, and Grieg became bored, left a plainclothes detective with the gold on the platform, and took a taxi to the Charing Cross Hotel.
"...Grieg is primarily a lyricist and dramatist who eagerly attempted to unite life and poetry. He went out into the world, as a sailor, vagabond, and journalist to find the material for his writing rather than plumbing the human intellect and psyche." (Sven H. Rossel in A History of Scandinavian Literature 1870-1980, 1982)
Grieg served in Norway's government-in-exile and made patriotic radio programs in England. In 1940 he married Gerd Egede-Nissen, an Ibsen actress. While staying in the United States he visited his friend, Professor Sverre Petterssen, in Boston. During this period he worked on a film script about Edvard Grieg.
Grieg was killed in Germany on December 2, 1943. He had joined in the capacity of an observer an Allied bombing mission and did not return from an attack on Berlin. His friend Sverre Petterssen had prepared the weather forecast involved in that mission. Greater Wars, a film script written in London in 1940-41, was found in 1989 and translated from English by Brikt Jensen. The story told of a meteorologist who worked in the northern outreaches of Norway. Grieg's war poems were collected in a volume entitled Friheten (1943). His most famous patriotic poems include '17. Mai 1940,' Godt år for Norge,' and 'På Tingvellir.'
For further reading: Encyclopedia of World Literature in the 20th Century, Vol. 2, ed. by Steven R. Serafin (1999); Til ungdommen. Nordahl Griegs liv by Edvard Hoem (1989); Nordahl Grieg under krigen by Martin Nag (1985); A History of Scandinavian Literature 1870-1980 by Sven H. Rossel (1982); 'The Literature of Resistance' by J. Mawby in Writers and Politics in Modern Scandinavia (1978); 'Lowry's Debt to Nordahl Grieg' by H. Dahlie, in Canadian Literature, 64 (1975); Introd. to Grieg by H.S. Naess in Five Modern Scandinavian Plays (1971); Nordahl Grieg by F. Juel-Haslund (1962); Nordahl, min brud by H. Grieg (1956); Nordahl Grieg by J. Mjøberg (1947); Nordahl Grieg og Tidens Drama by H.M. Engberg (1946); Nordahl Grieg by J. Borgen (1945); 'Between Curtains' by K. Barrett, in Theatre Annual, 22 (1938)
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Dear Atty. Gurfinkel:
My husband has a 25-year old U.S. citizen child from a previous marriage. At the time we married, my stepson was only 17 years old. My husband and I would both like to get green cards, and want to know the best way to go about doing it. I know that my U.S. citizen stepson can petition his father as an “immediate relative,” enabling my husband to get a green card right away. But what about me? Does my husband have to first get his green card through his son’s petition and then my husband can petition me as a spouse of an immigrant (Category F-2A), which takes at least 4 to 5 years to process? Is there a faster way for both my husband and me to get our green cards?
Very truly yours,
In certain circumstances, a stepchild could directly petition the stepparent as an “immediate relative,” just as though the stepparent was a biological parent. The stepparent does not have to adopt the U.S. citizen child. Therefore, if the legal requirements are met, it could be possible for your stepchild to petition not only his father, but you as his stepmother at the same time, such that you both get green cards together. The basic requirements for a stepchild to petition the stepparent are:
1. The stepparent/child relationship must be formed before the child reaches the age of 18. Therefore, if someone marries the parent of a U.S. citizen child before the child’s 18th birthday (i.e. when the stepchild is 17 years of age or younger), then the step-relationship has been formed for immigration and petitioning purposes. If the marriage takes place when the U.S. citizen child is 18 years of age or older, then the child cannot petition the stepparent any more.
2. It is not necessary for the stepparent to adopt the child. All that is needed to form the petitionable relationship is that a valid marriage takes place while the child is below 18 years of age.
3. The child must be at least 21 in order to petition a parent or stepparent. NOTE: Many people think that a child can petition parents or stepparents when the child is only 18 years of age. That is not true.
For immigration purposes, a stepparent is also considered an “immediate relative” of the U.S. citizen child, and is, effectively, on equal footing with the biological parent for purposes of the petition.
Accordingly, in your case, since you married your husband when his U.S. citizen child was only 17 years old, the step-relationship for immigration purposes was formed. Your U.S. citizen stepchild is now 25 years old, and, therefore, that child could petition both you and your husband for green cards. It is not necessary for your husband to first get his green card and then petition you.
Michael J. Gurfinkel has been an attorney for over 24 years, and is an active member of the State Bar of California and New York, as well as the American Immigration Lawyers Association and the Immigration Section of the Los Angeles County Bar Association. He has always excelled in school: Valedictorian in High School; Cum Laude at UCLA; and Law Degree Honors and academic scholar at Loyola Law School, which is one of the top law schools in California.
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Without doubt Gerald Ford and Ronald Reagan were both gentlemen to their core.
Yet as the headlines and airwaves fill the beginning of the New Year with the inevitable and much deserved tributes to the late President Ford, it will also be an appropriate time to have a respectful review of the struggle for the soul of the Republican Party that brought the two men into such ferocious political combat exactly thirty years ago. The substance of their debate, similar in importance to a latter day GOP-style Lincoln-Douglas debate, is a struggle that continues today, looming ahead for the 2008 election and beyond.
Simply put, in 1976 Gerald Ford represented the long-dominant moderate wing of the Republican Party, Reagan its underdog conservative champion. For Reagan even to challenge Ford was a dramatic statement of what was at stake within the GOP. The only un-elected president in history was in the White House in the first place because of the double trauma that was Vice President Spiro Agnew's corruption conviction followed by Watergate. There were many Republicans who felt the last thing the party needed in the wake of Richard Nixon's resignation was a challenge to his well-liked successor.
But Reagan went ahead anyway. As much of a nice guy as Jerry Ford was, Reagan was convinced Ford and the moderates were just plain wrong about their policy towards the Soviet Union and the entire go-along-to-get-along approach that Reagan believed was responsible for keeping the GOP locked into a seemingly endless minority status in Washington.
The story of 1976 has been told and retold often. How the upstart challenger lost primary after primary to Ford and the GOP establishment, how his campaign gained a new life with victory in the North Carolina primary that focused on Ford's support for giving away the Panama Canal, in reality a debate over America's role in the world. There followed the grueling cross-country duel between the two that ended in a dramatic razor thin Ford victory at the Kansas City Convention -- where Reagan stunned the delegates with an impromptu post-nomination speech that left many convinced they had just nominated the wrong guy.
BUT THERE'S MORE TO THE STORY. The story, in fact, continues right to this day, the Ford-Reagan storyline emerging unmistakably in the current debate over Iraq as well as in the upcoming debate over the future of Social Security.
Beloved as he most deservedly was, outside of the courageous Nixon-pardon (for which history now gives him credit) Gerald Ford's legacy in the Republican Party is not his own. It is, rather, the legacy of a mindset -- the cautious, some would say timid, mindset of the Eastern liberal Republican establishment. In 1976 that mindset favored accommodation with the Soviet Union instead of victory, viewing the latter as impossible, its advocates (read: Reagan) extremists. When it came to taxes, it listened to Keynes rather than Friedman. The then brand new issue of the 1973 Roe v. Wade decision legalizing abortion found Ford and the moderates in favor of letting judges make the law while Reagan both opposed abortion and favored leaving the choice to the people through their state legislatures. Opposition to the Equal Rights Amendment was something the moderates considered a game of primitives, Reagan another issue for legislatures and the Congress.
The difference was between, as Reagan liked to say, a party of "pale pastels" (moderates) and a party of "bold colors" (conservatives). Ford was the Pastel-in-chief of the day, Reagan the undeniably boldest and brightest of party colors. Ford, a man of the Congress, approached issues with an eye to accommodation. Reagan, the liberal-turned-conservative, believed in leadership by principle. One wanted to get along, the other wanted to bring you along in his direction. One sought the political center, the other sought to move the political center.
Thirty years later, the results of each man's record are in. Without question the Republican Party was successfully remade in Reagan's "bold colors" image -- not that of Ford's pastels. To the extent that there was a Ford Republican successor in the White House it was the first President Bush. Elected as a Reaganite, once inaugurated he followed a Ford-like accommodationist, "get-along" approach. Reneging on his Reaganesque pledge not to raise taxes drew praise from Democrats in Washington -- but promptly caused conservatives to abandon Bush to defeat, a defeat at the hands of a thoroughly Reaganized base.
Yet it is precisely the moderate sentiments of the Ford administration (and sometimes Ford's actual advisers -- national security advisor Brent Scowcroft to name one) who have been most outspoken in the internal GOP debates opposing the current President Bush's bold move into Iraq. Iraq is in effect the Ford-Reagan debate over the Panama Canal and America's role in the world all over again. Indeed, one report now surfaces from Watergate reporter Carl Bernstein that Ford himself opposed the invasion of Iraq. Press accounts have Ford Pastels rolling their eyes at George H.W. Bush's son as they once rolled them at Reagan, some left speechless by the post-9/11 transformation into Reagan-like hardliners of former Ford staff members Donald Rumsfeld and Dick Cheney.
IN THE MIDST OF ALL THIS, incredibly, comes word that the Bush administration has opened the door to the decidedly un-Reagan idea of raising the payroll tax cap to get a Ford-like "deal" with Congressional Democrats on Social Security. One is left amazed at the thought that there are those Bush advisers who are signaling that the way to a legacy for Bush 43 is to imitate his father's greatest failure. A failure that resulted from the decidedly Ford-like view that "getting along" was the key to a successful presidency.
The late Democratic House Speaker "Tip" O'Neill was one of President Ford's great friends in Congress. That friendship, both in the halls of Congress and on the golf course, was based on the idea that even though the two were in opposite parties they could "cooperate," as O'Neill said in a statement released when Ford became president. Reagan, to the contrary, had what he called his "six o'clock" rule, which meant that before six at night he and O'Neill would be the most partisan of partisans -- and afterwards they could have a drink together. The difference was subtle but important. Ford the pastel moderate wanted to find a way to please Tip and his friends, Reagan the bold conservative was interested in beating Tip flat out and changing the country. It is more than curious that Ford will get credit for this behavior only at his literal death, with no nation-changing policies to show for it. Reagan, on the other hand, was able to count a number of major policy changes while still very much alive and in office because he simply refused to play the "go-along-get-along" game.
Make no mistake. Gerald R. Ford was a good and decent man, a man with precisely the right personal temperament to soothe the body politic in August of 1974. But at the end of the day, his moderate sentiments won him neither re-election nor a ranking in the top tier of great American presidents. Ironically, it may well be that his greatest contribution was playing Stephen A. Douglas to Reagan's Abraham Lincoln in the 1970s Republican Party version of the famed -- and historically important -- Lincoln-Douglas debates.
As the presumed 2008 Republican presidential candidates gather to honor Ford they will no doubt be pondering both the results of his unexpected presidential career and the titanic struggle he had with Ronald Reagan over the future of the Republican Party and the country.
As the country says goodbye to Gerald Ford amidst the clamor over Iraq and yet another argument over taxes, the principled debate Ford and Ronald Reagan stirred so passionately in 1976 is set to continue one more time.
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The Office of Pupil Services for the West Covina Unified School District is an integral part of the District's high-quality instructional and operational programs that support the needs of all children. The Pupil Services staff focus on child welfare, health and safety, attendance, and student discipline to help schools maintain a positive environment and keep students engaged with school.
The Pupil Services staff believes:
All Students in the WCUSD have the right to be educated in a safe, respectful, and positive school environment where they can obtain the skills necessary for adult success in an ever changing global economy;
Every educator in the WCUSD has the right to teach in an atmosphere that is safe and free from disruption and obstacles that impede the learning process.
In addition, Pupil Services staff partner with all of the District's stakeholders to identify resources that will create opportunities for student success.
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LONDON (Thomson Reuters Foundation) – After more than 20 years of effort to reduce them, the world’s climate-changing emissions are still dramatically increasing year by year and “nothing that we’ve said or done to date about climate change has made any detectable dip whatsoever in that curve,” says Mike Berners-Lee, an environmental consultant at the UK’s Lancaster University.
That suggests it’s time for radical changes in how climate change is addressed – and that could involve anything from shaming Johnny Depp for his high carbon footprint to issuing personal “carbon allowance” electronic credit cards for every adult or launching a Marshall Plan to build a low-carbon energy supply by 2040, according to experts at a London “Radical Emissions Reduction” conference this week organised by the Tyndall Centre for Climate Change Research.
“Whatever we’re doing, it’s not working, and we need to try something different,” said Berners-Lee, one of the speakers at the conference.
Since the 1880s, world temperatures have risen by just under one degree Celsius, and UN-led climate negotiations aim to hold total increases to under two degrees C – a level most climate scientists consider relatively safe.
But Faith Birol, the International Energy Agency’s chief economist, says the world’s rising carbon emissions are putting it “perfectly in line with a temperature increase of 6 degrees Celsius.” How big a change would that be? The last time world temperatures were 2 degrees C cooler, much of northern Europe and northern North America were covered by a mile depth of ice, said Corinne Le Quere, director of the Tyndall Centre, based at the University of East Anglia.
And the last time world temperatures were just 2 degrees Celsius higher, the world sea level was 5 to 10 meters (16 to 32 feet) higher than it is today, she said.
“We would find it extremely difficult, if not impossible, to adapt in a world of nine billion people” at dramatically higher temperatures, Le Quere said.
So what is standing in the way of bringing about needed emissions reductions? Everything from vested political interests and lobbying by fossil fuel companies to lack of time to engage with the problem, unwillingness by many people to give up comforts they are used to, and a view that climate change is too abstract and far in the future, particularly given other pressing and more immediate problems.
Solutions – such as a wholesale switch to renewable energy – might make life hugely better for many people in the long run by dramatically reducing their energy costs, cutting fossil fuel pollution that has choked many Asian cities and breaking the stranglehold big fossil fuel companies have on the world’s power supply.
But changeovers can have large short-term costs. And right now “the solutions (to climate change) are way too negatively framed,” Berners-Lee said, particularly for a human species “fine tuned to maximize well being.”
SHAMING THE WASTERS
So what might help? Richard Wilk, a cultural anthropologist at Indiana University, suggests shaming high profile people with huge carbon emissions, including pop culture stars with private yachts and planes, as well as other conspicuous and wasteful consumption, such as on luxury clothing.
The world needs to “shift popular culture which admires and emulates increasingly outrageous consumption of the rich,” he said. That may involve “shaming individuals in front of their peers and the public,” he said, just as corporations and countries have been shamed in annual rankings of things like environmental destruction and corruption.
Portland, Oregon, in the United States, for instance, now names a “king and queen of water waste” each year, posting photos of the wasteful homes online, while also applauding people who have taken efforts to reduce water use.
Studies in the U.S. similarly have shown that printing on energy bills the average energy use of households in a neighbourhood tends to drive reductions in use by both big and small energy users. And “when big users cut, that makes cutting seem more fair to all,” Wilk said.
Tracking consumption of the rich won’t be easy, and the effort “flies in the face of about 200 years of consumer culture,” he said. But some high profile people seem ready to step up, including movie stars like Keira Knightley – and the UK’s Duchess of Cambridge – who have defended wearing dresses many times in public rather than bowing to pressure from fashion analysts to buy a new one for each outing.
CARBON CREDIT CARDS?
Another way to drive emissions reductions might be to issue every adult in wealthier countries with a personal carbon budget, tracked through an electronic credit card. Each time a person bought fossil fuels for their car, or to heat or power their home, credits would be deducted. Those who use more energy could buy credits from those who use less, creating incentives for families to reduce their fuel use or turn to renewable energy to save or earn cash.
With personal transport and household energy costs accounting for about 40-50 percent of carbon emissions in richer economies, such a system could drive huge cuts in fossil fuel use, said Tina Fawcett, of the Environmental Change Institute at the University of Oxford. It would also bring “a lot more visibility of carbon in society” and make it something people think about more when they make decisions, she said, as well as helping people understand better what a “normal” amount of energy use should be.
Other efforts are already under way, such as a growing fossil fuel divestment campaign, modelled on the anti-apartheid divestment campaign, aimed at pressing universities, pension funds and other big investors to drop their investments in fossil fuels. The U.S. city of Seattle has already announced its intention to divest from fossil fuels, said Naomi Klein, an author and expert on building climate change movements.
It may also be useful to look at the lack of action on climate change, in the face of growing evidence of the risks, as “a psychological problem even more than a rational problem,” said Berners-Lee.”Maybe we should even be looking at it as a global mental health problem,” he said – though others suggested the main obstacles to climate action are political.
While obstacles to effective action on climate change often look overwhelming “things can change rapidly,” suggested Le Quere, of the Tyndall Centre. Problems like ever more extreme weather could act as triggers that “make people change their minds about things.”
“In my mind it’s not too long until people who pay (for the damage) do the sums and (begin to) make decisions for their own budgets,” she said.
Kevin Anderson, a climate scientist at the Tyndall Centre, agreed.
Efforts to radically reduce emissions, “will be ridiculed” by many people as simply not practical, he said. But “I say living with four or five or six degrees (of warming) is not practical.”
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|District of Columbia|
HOME | LAWS | ORGANIZATIONS | CASES | LEGISLATION | HEADLINES | COMMON CORE
U.S. soldier ordered to wear U.N. uniform and become part of U.N. force
Filed: January 16, 1996 (writ of habeas corpus), District of Columbia.
Nature of Case: A U.S. soldier, ordered to put on U.N. uniform and to become part of U.N. force, refused to do so citing the unconstitutionality of U.S. soldiers donning the uniform of and fighting for a foreign government. The soldier was court martialed.
11/25/97—The D.C. Circuit Court of Appeals rejected his request to hear the case in federal court, requiring New to first exhaust his military appeals.
6/13/01—The United States Court of Appeals for the Armed Forces upheld New's bad conduct discharge, ruling that the order given to New was lawful. The court held that New's evidence "did not overcome the presumption of lawfulness given to military orders and that the order related to military duty."
10/9/01—The United States Supreme Court again denied certiorari.
Status: Henry L. Hamilton, counsel for Michael New and a retired U.S. Army judge advocate general, indicated in a telephone conversation on October 30, 2001, that his office is considering habeas corpus action to try and "carve out" grounds for further appeal in federal court, but the "opportunity for direct appeal is lost."
Last Updated: October 30, 2001.
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→ See the Italian translation on the website of the Coalition for the Social Strike
We are the strikers: we are the precarious, the migrants, the industrial workers, the students that on November 14th 2014 went on strike together, challenging the divisions that produce our common condition of precarity. We are those who work on call paid with coupons per hour, we are the workers that are actually subordinated even though we are labeled as «self-employed» or «working associate» of a cooperative enterprise, we are the «interns», the «volunteers», the «apprentices», the students that work for free hoping to gain a salary in the future, we are the new generation of autonomous workers, impoverished, without welfare benefits and hit by unfair taxation. We have a residence permit in our pockets, to be renewed at the price of exploitation, we are the workers without rights, with low wages, lack of welfare and precarity, even when we have a permanent contract. The social strike is the challenge that has united us against those that make profits on our precarity: we did it once and we want to do it again.
We are the strikers: we don’t believe in those telling us that the crisis is over and that the economy is recovering. The European austerity policies are our new normality. In Italy, they call these policies Jobs Act, «Sblocca Italia», Youth Guarantee, «Buona scuola» and «Buona Università», but for us they mean only one thing: precarity. We do not accept that Europe and its States shut their doors to us when we are not «useful» anymore, calling us «welfare tourists» or undocumented migrants. We are not satisfied with the crumbs they leave us and we claim much more than these. We know that in order to unite our struggles and organize ourselves we need new tools up to the present situation. We know what we want: a basic income and welfare, minimum wage and residence permit without conditions. Not only in Italy but in all Europe, because if precarity crosses the borders, our struggles have to do the same.
We are the strikers, we are defined by the strike, not by precarity: a strike also for all those that cannot strike, for those that need to imagine new tools to get organized. For this reason, we want a basic income and a European welfare. Each cut in public expenditure in the name of budget balancing makes us poorer and produces new precarity, forcing us to offer services at lower and lower wages, set exclusively by the rule of the market. Each tax break for enterprises, each rise in the cost of welfare services, each new financing for large-scale construction is an attack against our rights and our lives. We produce wealth and we don’t want to be poor. Therefore we claim to have the right to welfare in each part of Europe and a minimum and unconditioned income. Unconditioned because we are not willing to accept whatever working condition and wage in order to get it. Unconditioned because released from citizenship: we are not willing to make the migrants pay for it. Its cost has to be paid by those who are making profits on our precarity.
We are the strikers: the strike is our weapon against the blackmail of wage. For this reason we want a European minimum wage. We are tired of seeing big or small bosses move the production to Poland or Rumania each time we rebel. We are tired to be substituted by contract workers, because a «working members» of a cooperative costs less than a permanent one. We want to unite the struggles of all the men and women that in each part of Europe are connected to the same chain of exploitation, even though they have different job contracts and different documents in their pockets.
We are the strikers: our strike has no borders. Therefore, we want an unconditioned European residence permit. We have a residence permit in our pocket and we have to accept whatever job and whatever wage in order to keep it, we suffer daily this blackmail and pay our «citizenship» at the price of exploitation. If we lose our job, we are expelled, yet we produce most of the European wealth. With the experience of struggles collected throughout Europe and in Italy, we migrants will keep struggling in order not to become the refugees of the European labor market.
We are the strikers: we know that we need the strike also outside the workplaces. This is the reason why we engage in the project of a new social strike. Our strike is social because it is not limited to the existing activism or syndicalism, because it is inside and outside the workplaces, because it thinks anew the forms of organization in order to hit the social and political conditions of exploitation. We think at the strike also as a process that redefines old and new subjectivities, as a tool able to affect production and social reproduction. This project guides our struggles: all the experiences of social syndicalism, solidarity and mutualism that we practice every day, all the battles against the residence permit, all the territorial campaigns for a basic income, all the disputes around wage are headed towards this direction. Our claims have to be weapons for all those men and women that every day experience precarity. We are the strikers: we know that the only thing we can lose is our own precarity. Therefore, in Italy and Europe, with all those that want to build the transnational social strike, we take on this challenge. We did it once, we will do it again.
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God bless the sisters in the Catholic Church. Through decades of history, they’ve lived the beatitudes. They educated many of us, given us shelter when we needed it and prepared us for lives of service and parenthood.
I had 12 years of Catholic education with the Sisters of St. Joseph of Springfield, and a great-aunt who was a comptroller for the Sisters of Providence in Holyoke under whom my mother studied to be a registered nurse.
I never saw any of these religious women, some of whom reside now in memory as quite ancient figures covered head to toe in congregational habits, as anything other than women serving their God and their Church to whom they vowed themselves.
Their faith-filled lives conveyed that you were expected not to just learn the catechism from them but to go forth and apply it for a better world.
It wasn’t that any of them were saints, but they endured and they taught you to endure. They lived lives with meaning in a material-bound world, and they avoided getting philosophically mired in Vatican teachings about infallibility and Catholicism being the one true apostolic faith.
They actually got on with Christ’s teachings to feed the hungry, clothe the naked and stand with the persecuted.
They were church; something especially true as women gained access to more professions in the secular world and many women religious as well as priests left their congregations.
They continued to teach, to bring health care to those without access to it and to reflect among themselves and within themselves where their resources and faith were most needed. Some went into prison ministry, some elected to live in poor neighborhoods and some went to work among the addicted.
The majority of these sisters today in the United States are gray-haired and no longer young, but they continue to be the communion in the Church. They represent lives lived in loyalty to community and this loyalty continues, even in the wake of the Vatican’s cowardly attack on the Leadership Conference of Women Religious.
Cowardly because many Catholics disagree with the Church’s teachings on birth control, gay marriage, artificial birth control and the ban on women’s ordination.
Rather than review the theology and historical context on which these teachings are based and engage in enlightened dialogue, the Vatican has investigated religious women and proclaimed them “radical feminists.”
This is supposedly meant to disgrace them in the eyes of the laity, though what this terminology exactly means is unclear. Aging women as radical feminists is actually a rather uplifting image.
I remembering hearing Cardinal Bernard Francis Law, the former Archbishop of Boston now disgraced on this side of the Atlantic anyway for his cover up of pedophile priests, give a lecture in Springfield on the word “radical,” which he insisted in its Latin form means “grassroots.”
Well, feminism in its true meaning is about equality. So, “radical feminists” as applied to women religious, would be women seeking grassroots equality for all. Wasn’t that what Christ wanted?
It isn’t what the Vatican wants.
The Vatican wants the conference, which represents about 80 percent of women religious in the United States, to be placed under the control of a Seattle bishop.
In a recent interview with the National Catholic Reporter, Franciscan Sister Pat Farrell, president of the Leadership Conference of Women Religious, told reporter Joshua J. McElwee:
“I think the inference that many people could draw from the publication of the Vatican document is that we are unfaithful, that we are not in communion with the Church. We really do not see ourselves in that way.”
Farrell goes on to say that the “genuine questions” raised by religious congregations are
“a sign of our deepest faithfulness to the church -- questions that the people of God need to raise, that we need to talk about together in a climate of genuine dialogue”
What the women religious seek in their courage to raise questions is indeed not division but dialogue.
The question is: Will the Vatican engage in enough transparency to allow for honest discussion and a credible way forward without further alienation?
As Farrell said: “We do want to faithfully raise questions of concern, but we do not want to do it in a way that further polarizes. And that’s a tricky path to walk.”
The answer of the path taken by both sides as this progresses will show who really is faithful to Christ’s vision and how inclusively the Catholic Church in the United States will reflect that moral vision.
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During the earthquake, a total land area of about 4,300 km2 was shaken with seismic intensities that can cause significant damage to structures. The area of the Marina District of San Francisco is only 4.0 km2—less than 0.1 percent of the area most strongly affected by the earthquake- but its significance with respect to engineering, seismology, and planning far outstrips its proportion of shaken terrain and makes it a centerpiece for lessons learned from the earthquake.
The Marina District provides perhaps the most comprehensive case history of seismic effects at a specific site developed for any earthquake. The reports assembled in this chapter, which provide an account of these seismic effects, constitute a unique collection of studies on site, as well as infrastructure and societal, response that cover virtually all aspects of the earthquake, ranging from incoming ground waves to the outgoing airwaves used for emergency communication.
The Marina District encompasses the area bounded by San Francisco Bay on the north, the Presidio on the west, and Lombard Street and Van Ness Avenue on the south and east, respectively. Nearly all of the earthquake damage in the Marina District, however, occurred within a considerably smaller area of about 0.75 km2, bounded by San Francisco Bay and Baker, Chestnut, and Buchanan Streets.
At least five major aspects of earthquake response in the Marina District are covered by the reports in this chapter: (1) dynamic site response, (2) soil liquefaction, (3) lifeline performance, (4) building performance, and (5) emergency services.
This publication consists of the following articles:
Download the text of this publication as a 212-page PDF file (pp1551f.pdf; 8.7 MB)
For questions about the content of this report, contact Tom Holzer
This publication is part of the set of four multi-chapter USGS Professional Papers on the Loma Prieta, California, Earthquake of October 17, 1989:
Professional Paper 1550, Earthquake Occurrence , Coordinators: William H. Bakun and William H. Prescott
Professional Paper 1551, Strong Ground Motion and Ground Failure, Coordinator: Thomas L. Holzer
Professional Paper 1552, Performance of the Built Environment, Coordinator, Thomas L. Holzer
Professional Paper 1553, Societal Response, Coordinator: Dennis S. Mileti
Download a copy of the latest version of Adobe Reader for free.
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Publications main page |
This report is also available from:
USGS Information Services, Box 25286,
Federal Center, Denver, CO 80225
telephone: 888 ASK-USGS; e-mail: firstname.lastname@example.org
| Department of the Interior
| U.S. Geological Survey |
URL of this page: http://pubs.usgs.gov/pp/pp1551/pp1551f/
Maintained by: Michael Diggles
Created: July 13, 2006
Last modified: July 18, 2006 (mfd)
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CEATA Training Academy: Metalwork and Fabrication
The CEATA Training Academy has been established by Canal Engineering at its manufacturing site in Nottingham. Utilising their state of the art facilities, training is provided in a safe and controlled environment.
Our accredited training academy runs courses for ambitious people in the art of metalwork, fabrication and welding. Courses are designed to help you acquire new transferable skills that you can use to progress in life; be it your career or simply a hobby.
Successful completion of one of our accredited training courses provides you with a nationally recognised qualification that is accepted by respected employers throughout the UK.
Led by Gary Gwynne and supported by his fully qualified team, CEATA offers a number of different fabrication and welding courses that teach all the ins and outs of metalwork.
In the competitive world we live in, we all need something that makes us stand taller than the rest. At the CEATA Training Academy, Gary runs vocational and coded welder training programmes to provide you with all the technical skills you need.
The CEATA approach is to help you improve your welding skills step by step, encouraging you to reach your full potential. By the end of your course you will have the confidence and technical ability to strike that arc and watch your puddle and will receive a recognised and respected welding qualification.
Do you qualify for a government sponsored course position?
Call Gary on 0115 986 6321 to find out.
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Despite many difficulties, the forecasts of the World Bank and the International Monetary Fund are optimistic. As Hery Rajaonarimampianina’s term comes to an end, the next election may, however, create instability again.
By Cathy Naidoo, Johannesburg
Mixed. This is how one could describe the Malagasy economic situation. GDP growth reached 4.3 percent in 2017, a rate that remains « insufficient to meet Madagascar’s health and education needs, » as Jeune Afrique notes. Eight out of ten people live in conditions of extreme poverty and one in two children suffer from malnutrition in a country that, « despite all its natural resources, is still among the poorest in the world, » says the weekly.
But the Malagasy have some reasons to hope. Although weaker than expected, growth « remains above its 10-year average (until 2016), » says the World Bank in its latest « Economic Outlook ».
For the international financial institution, « Madagascar resists shocks », and this is not trivial. Enawo, the most powerful tropical cyclone to hit the island since 2004, caused losses estimated at $ 400 million, or nearly 4% of national GDP. For its part, the drought has reduced rice production by 20% and forced the state to subsidize the public water and electricity company, Jirama, to the tune of $ 133 million, which has contributed to increase the country’s debt ratio.
The optimistic World Bank
However, « despite these difficulties, the forecasts call for positive economic growth in the medium term, which could reach 5.1% of GDP in 2018, before settling, on average, to 5.3% in 2019-2022 » , says the World Bank. Growth should be driven by industry, tourism and banks. The World Bank is particularly interested in the expansion of public works and exports of textile products. The IMF emphasizes the role of public investment and the rebound of the agricultural sector, whose contribution to GDP should remain significant.
Finally, the government of Hery Rajaonarimampianina relies on international aid, which he managed to restore after a decade. Indeed, soon after Andry Rajoelina came to power, who proclaimed himself « in charge of the country’s affairs » in January 2009, Washington decided to cut off its non-humanitarian aid. At the time, international aid accounted for 70% of the country’s budget.
It was not until December 2016 that the international community – having obtained the organization of presidential elections three years earlier, decided to restore aid to the country. She pledged $ 10 billion in exchange for improved governance and a stronger fight against corruption.
An improvement in the lives of Malagasy is possible, provided that political stability is preserved, warns the World Bank. Not a trivial matter, in a country marked by repeated political crises, and which is preparing to organize new elections.
Three candidates vie for the supreme magistracy. Hery Rajaonarimampianina, the outgoing president, believes in Jeune Afrique that his predecessors are the main culprits responsible for the crises that have shaken the country over the last fifteen years, and wants to convince the Malagasy of the interest to drive him back to let him continue his reforms. It can, for that, put forward the reinforcement of the institutions and the return of the lenders, a precondition for seeing the investors come back.
He will meet former president Marc Ravalomanana, forced to resign in 2009, after 7 years in power, as well as Andry Rajoelina, who then self-proclaimed president, with the consequences in terms of legitimacy that the ‘we know. Both also intend to persuade the Malagasy to trust them again.
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Defense Bill Allows For Indefinite Military Detention of American Citizens
As currently drafted, H.R. 1540, the National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2012, authorizes the President the authority to indefinitely detain persons, even American citizens arrested on American soil, without trial because they allegedly support the enemy:
SEC. 1034. AFFIRMATION OF ARMED CONFLICT WITH AL QAEDA, THE TALIBAN, AND ASSOCIATED FORCES.
Congress affirms that—
(1) the United States is engaged in an armed conflict with al-Qaeda, the Taliban, and associated forces and that those entities continue to pose a threat to the United States and its citizens, both domestically and abroad;
(2) the President has the authority to use all necessary and appropriate force during the current armed conflict with al-Qaeda, the Taliban, and associated forces pursuant to the Authorization for Use of Military Force (Public Law 107-40; 50 U.S.C. 23 1541 note);
(3) the current armed conflict includes nations, organization, and persons who—
(A) are part of, or are substantially supporting, al-Qaeda, the Taliban, or associated forces that are engaged in hostilities against the United States or its coalition partners; or
(B) have engaged in hostilities or have directly supported hostilities in aid of a nation, organization, or person described in subparagraph (A); and
(4) the President’s authority pursuant to the Authorization for Use of Military Force (Public Law 11 107-40; 50 U.S.C. 1541 note) includes the authority to detain belligerents, including persons described in paragraph (3), until the termination of hostilities.
But, wait… it gets worse. The White House has threatened to veto the bill–but not because of this. In fact, the current draft of Levin-McCain came about because, “according to Senator Carl Levin, it was the Obama administration which told Congress to remove the language in the original bill which exempted American citizens and lawful residents from the detention power.” Josh Gerstein confirms. Rather, the White House wants more flexibility in deciding exactly how it will detain people. The administration’s objections (PDF) expressly state that they believe that the detention authority already “exists under the Authorization for Use of Military Force.” It just wants to be free to chose how to use that power and not be required to use only the military detention option.*
As Adam Serwer puts it in Mother Jones, this bill therefore goes beyond the policy “that was followed almost without exception by the Bush administration: Domestic terrorism arrests are the province of law enforcement, not the military.”
Only a few people come out looking good in this, Mark Udall (D-CO) and Rand Paul (R-KY) chief among them. Udall was the only vote against passing this abomination out of the Democrat-controlled Senate Armed Services Committee and his amendment to strip the detention provisions was voted down 37-61 on Tuesday. Paul, one of the few Republicans to vote “Nay,” quoted James Madison: “The means of defense against foreign danger historically have become instruments of tyranny at home.” We could use a few more like them in both parties–and a lot fewer Lindsey Grahams and Mark Levins.
Supreme Court cases that
mightmost certainly would have definitely affirmed that such detentions are unconstitutional (which they manifestly are) have been dodged before simply by remanding detainees over for civilian trials before an adverse ruling could be handed down. If the flexibility the White House wants is to keep playing that game, Congress should indeed clarify the detention powers of the AUMF. But it should be making it clear that that power does not extend to indefinite military confinement of American citizens without trial, not the other way around.
* Disappointingly, the White House sounds like the worst caricatures of the Bush administration, going to great lengths in detailing its concerns that the bill “would raise serious and unsettled legal questions and would be inconsistent with the fundamental American principle that our military does not patrol our streets… and would, in certain circumstances, violate constitutional separation of powers principles.” But not so much as a dependent subclause is devoted to the massive Constitutional defect inherent in indefinite detention of American citizens without trial.
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by Dr Louise Santhanam, General Practitioner
Normal Infant Sleep
An understanding of normal infant sleep patterns may help parents to cope in the early months, and parents may need to be encouraged to seek support to enable rest when possible1.
Baby Sleep Info Source (Basis) Site with evidence-based information for parents and healthcare professionals. Developed by Professor Helen Ball and the Durham University Parent-Infant Sleep Lab with senior representatives from La Leche League, NCT, The Breastfeeding Network and the Unicef UK Baby Friendly Initiative.
Basis Information Sheets Summaries of research-based information on aspects of infant sleep including one titled ‘Normal Infant Sleep’.
This animation from Professor Amy Brown of Swansea University summarises normal infant sleep and night waking.
Despite the common perception that supplementing an infant’s diet with formula milk or solid food will promote sleep, a recent study1 found that there was no difference in the frequency of night waking between breastfeeding and formula feeding infants aged 6-12 months old. Infants who received more milk or solid feeds during the day were less likely to feed at night but not less likely to wake.
In another study breastfeeding mothers reported significantly more hours of sleep, better physical health, more energy and lower rates of depression than mixed or formula feeding mothers2. Healthcare professionals should therefore be cautious of recommending that supplementation with formula or increasing solids will lead to improvements in maternal wellbeing by reducing infant night waking or improving maternal sleep quality.
Infant night waking is common, and research has found that parent bed-sharing with infants is common, particularly among breastfeeding mothers. In one English study on any given night over one fifth of parents bed-shared with their infant3. Bed-Sharing increases the risk of SIDS, particularly when either parent is a smoker (even if not smoking in the bedroom), or where the parent bed-shares after having consumed alcohol or drugs, or is overtired. However, sleeping in the same bedroom as the parents/carers reduces the risk of SIDS, and breastfeeding has been shown to reduce the risk of SIDS by approximately 50% throughout infancy4. The message regarding co-sleeping and SIDS is therefore a complex one which health care professionals and parents may find confusing.
The following resources highlight modifiable risk factors and how to discuss with parents the safest way to co-sleep if there is a risk that they may otherwise fall asleep in an unsafe position with their infant.
Co-Sleeping and SIDS: A Guide for Health Professionals Infographic and guidance for health professionals on co-sleeping developed in collaboration by the Unicef UK Baby Friendly Initiative, the Lullaby Trust and the Baby Sleep Info Source (Basis).
The Lullaby Trust: How to Reduce the Risk of SIDS Charity which supports families bereaved by SIDS and provides information on safe infant sleep and reduction of SIDS risk. This link includes ‘Quick Tips for Safer Sleep’ listed below:
Associated with a Decreased Risk of SIDS
- Placing the infant on its back to sleep
- Avoiding smoking in pregnancy and smoke exposure to the infant after birth
- Placing the infant to sleep in a separate cot or Moses basket in the same room as the caregiver for the first 6 months
- Breastfeeding the infant
- Use of a firm, flat, waterproof mattress in good condition
Associated with an Increased Risk of SIDS
- Sleeping on a sofa or in an armchair with the infant
- Sleeping in the same bed with the infant if smoking, drinking alcohol or taking drugs, if extremely tired, or if the infant was born preterm or low birth-weight
- Allowing the infant to become overheated
- Covering the infant’s face or head while sleeping or the use of loose bedding
The Lullaby Trust: Co-Sleeping with your Baby Advice on how to co-sleep more safely including a video produced with Public Health England for parents which shows sleeping positions.
Unicef Baby Friendly Initiative: Caring for your Baby at Night Includes information booklets for parents and professionals on safe infant sleep, coping with waking in the night and night feeding. The health professional’s guide contains information to help support parents to cope at night and to facilitate parents to make informed decisions.
- Brown A, Harries V. Infant Sleep and Night Feeding Patterns During Later Infancy: Association with Breastfeeding Frequency, Daytime Complementary Food Intake, and Infant Weight. Breastfeeding Medicine. 2015;10(5):246-252.
- Kendall-Tackett K, Cong Z, Hale T. The Effect of Feeding Method on Sleep Duration, Maternal Well-being, and Postpartum Depression. Clinical Lactation. 2011;2(2):22-26.
- Blair P. The prevalence and characteristics associated with parent-infant bed-sharing in England. Archives of Disease in Childhood. 2004;89(12):1106-1110.
- Vennemann M, Bajanowski T, Brinkmann B, Jorch G, Yucesan K, Sauerland C et al. Does Breastfeeding Reduce the Risk of Sudden Infant Death Syndrome?. Pediatrics. 2009;123(3):e406-e410.
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Resection of colorectal liver metabase are potentially curative therapies when they are used as a part of multimodality therapy. For more than practically 20 years, there was known that the metastasectomy for CRLM provides for a survival advantage. The value of resection has never been established by the randomized clinical trial, the weight of the evidence from the large resection has never been established by a randomized clinical trial. The studies have revealed that there is a glaring advantage of 50 percent if reliance is placed on the following. The 5-year benefit has been obtained and hence, an attempt is made to provide for the existing problems. The results have been able to provide a median value in the best possible manner and it was revealed that the people are in the position to cure the patients with an added amount of enzymes and hence, this is the best therapy which has been able to provide better results as compared to the radiotherapies. The former is known for having a greater advantage of 14 percent so far.
Ref art: https://jamanetwork.com/journals/jamasurgery/article-abstract/2768336
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There are a number of things cow-calf producers can do to prepare calves for their time in a feedyard, says Mark Sebranek, general manager at Irsik & Doll Feed Yard at Garden City, KS. A sound health and weaning program can add value to calves because it makes for healthier animals that are better able to withstand the challenges of a feedyard environment. And, he says, don't forget age and source verification, which is still adding value to cattle.
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Austin A105 Vanden Plas
Introduced in May 1956, the Austin A105-Six was powered by BMCs 'C' series in-line six-cylinder engine of 2639cc fitted with twin S.U. carburettors which produced 102bhp at 4600rpm. Borg-Warner overdrive was fitted as standard on third and top gears.
Originally fitted with a 'short-boot' body, the A105-Six was facelifted in October 1956. It now had a longer wheelbase, a lengthened tail/boot and a larger wraparound rear window. A Borg-Warner automatic gearbox became an option at this time. Sir Leonard Lord requested Vanden Plas to produce a luxury version of the A105-Six. The first car was produced in January 1958. Mechanically identical to the standard Austin version the Vanden Plas differed externally by the fitting of a 'Vanden Plas' script bootlid badge, a small coronet badge at the front end of each body side flash and small single line chrome badge at the rear of each flash in place of the more elaborate finishers fitted to the Austin. The wheels of the Vanden Plas were painted in body colour and received special wheel discs with central Austin 'Coat of Arms' badges. The Vanden Plas was finished in monotone colours of Black, Richmond Red, Sage Green and Carlton Grey, except for the central flash which was finished in Regency Grey Metallic. The interior of the car received the full 'Vanden Plas' treatment. Figured walnut covered the facia and the door window surrounds. Leather covered the Vanden Plas designed seat facings, a wool cloth headlining was fitted and thick pile carpets covered the floor. Three interior trim colours were offered, Blue, Grey-Green and Tan. Just 500 Vanden Plas examples were manufactured before A105 production ceased in April 1959 to be replaced by the new Farina styled Austin A99.
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In this document:
Establishing your own web site can be a daunting prospect for the uninitiated. Here are a few pointers to get you started. These steps are not in any particular order, since it is possible to build your web site 'offline', and do the other steps afterwards. Many people like to design their site first then organise domain name(s) and hosting afterwards. There are no hard and fast rules here, except to say that you must have a domain and hosting organised before anyone can find your web site, and your web site must be up and running before the search engines can find it!
We've tried to make this document as simple as possible, but...
If it all seems a little confusing, don't panic. We can organise ALL of this for you.
A 'domain' is simply an address space that allows people to find your site. Like a real address, it's important to have a good one! It's a good idea to choose a domain name that is easily typed and remembered, so that people can easily come back to your site, even if they haven't bookmarked it. If visitors can easily remember your domain name or web address they are more likely to return, or to tell others about it.
A domain can point to a number of internet services like the World Wide Web, Email addresses, FTP services etc. Typically you might set up a web address and a number of email addresses.
For example... If you registered a domain like mybusiness.com, typically you might set up the following:
There is great demand for good domain names, so the domain name of first choice may not be available for registration i.e. somebody else has already registered it.
We recommend that you select a domain registrar from the list provided by .au Domain Administration Ltd. (the Australian Government endorsed body for administering the .au domain space. Their web address is http://www.auda.com.au. They maintain a list of auDA Accredited Registrars, many of which also handle registrations for other domain spaces (like .com for example).
It is possible to set up your own server infrastructure with appropriate bandwidth if you are so inclined, and sufficiently cashed up! For most purposes, it it easier, quicker and most importantly cheaper to have your domain hosted by a hosting provider. A hosting provider provides you with the ability to give your domain, including your web site and other services a place to reside, so that visitors can get to your site at any time of the day or night. One nice byproduct of this is that if your web site goes down, or suddenly becomes inaccessible, it's not your fault!
Typically a web site design is made up of a set of text, graphic and sometimes other multimedia elements. It is important to give your site a consistent 'look and feel' through the selection of (at least) an appropriate font set and graphics, together with a common method of navigation for your site. This makes the experience of visiting your site easy, and gives your site an easily recognised 'brand'.
There are many methods for designing a web site that looks good. Broadly they fall into two categories:
Unless your web site is very small, we do not recommend that you code your web site by hand (unless you have plenty of free time on your hands and a masochistic bent!). Rather, we recommend that you select a proprietary suite of products that allows you to coordinate your graphics and other binary content with the web code easily, such as Macromedia Studio - which seems to have become the pseudo industry standard way of designing and deploying web sites. In our humble opinion, Macromedia Studio MX is the way to go. It can produce web sites that adhere to the W3 consortium standards, and produces code that really does work cross-platform and cross-browser.
Be aware that such software does not come cheap, may require negotiating a significant learning curve on your part, and may be beyond the budget of your site. We can help here by designing sites that are Macromedia Contribute compatible. Contribute allows the web novice to update their own site(s) and control their own content. For small to medium sites, and a minimal investment, it provides most of the functionality of a full 'content management system' at a fraction of the cost. Here are a few examples of sites content-managed by their owners (see the notes to see which ones are owner-managed).
This is perhaps something that is often overlooked. You need to be proactive in letting people know about your site.
Help people to find your site easily by submitting your web site to as many search engines as possible, but BEWARE of companies or bodies that guarantee to get your site into search engines for a fee. Experience indicates that this is bunkum. Most search engines have policy documents that expressly prohibit the submission of new sites through automated means, and have automated submission detection in place. This means that (by and large) you need to enter your site by hand using the tools that the search engine provides.
In short, there is no guarantee of your site getting into a search engine unless you pay them. Having said that, perseverance often pays off in the end!
A good starting point to select appropriate search engines is http://searchenginewatch.com/reports/. See which search engines are generating the most traffic by looking at the reports. At the time of writing the 'big 3' are Google, MSN Search and Yahoo, so it seems reasonable to concentrate your efforts in getting your site into these search engines.
Of course, it is no good entering your web site into a search engine if your site is not ready to provide some help for the search engine 'robots' in how to index your site. We can help here by designing your site to be readily 'indexable'.
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By Suzanne Russo in New York—
The Guggenheim is an incredible building designed by Frank Lloyd Wright. The American Museum of Natural History has that huge dinosaur. And the Met is… well, the Met. All amazing and worth visiting. But with iconic museums come hefty prices. Plus, New York is home to many smaller museums that are equally fascinating, will likely be less crowded, and will definitely be cheaper.
Here are our top five picks for smaller museums in New York that pack a big punch:
1. The New York Transit Museum
Boerum Place & Schermerhorn St.
Ah, the subway. What would New York be without you? You’re a feat of architecture, engineering, and city planning that has been the heart of this city since 1904. The New York Transit Museum, housed in a historic 1936 subway station in Brooklyn Heights, dives into transportation history in New York, from trolleys to buses to the subway itself.
If you think that sounds yawn-worthy, think again: You’ll be treated to photos and artifacts from the days when the subway was new and gleaming, along with the stories of the bright, courageous, and hardworking men who built it.
Open: Tuesday-Friday, Tuesday – Friday 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. and Saturday and Sunday Noon to 5 p.m.
Admission: $6 for adults, $5 for seniors and children aged 3-17. (Seniors visit free on Wednesdays.)
2. Tenement Museum
97 Orchard Street
In our humble opinion, it doesn’t get much cooler than the Tenement Museum on New York’s Lower East Side. From the time it was built 1863 until the time it was closed to residential use in 1935, the building that is now the museum was home to nearly 7,000 working class immigrants. Irish, Germans, Greeks and Italians all took their turns trying to survive in the cramped apartments of this crowded building.
The brilliant and caring crew at the museum has carefully researched the lives of real families who lived in the building, and each tour tells the story of a few of those lives—in apartments that look like they would have then. But our favorite part may just be the room that is left at only partial excavation so that visitors can see the true palimpsest of wallpaper upon wallpaper, lives upon lives, that is New York, past and present.
Open: Daily, 10 a.m. until 6 p.m. Check out the tours currently on offer.
Admission: $20 adults, $15 students and seniors, including private tour.
3. PS 1
22-25 Jackson Ave at the intersection of 46th Ave
Since it opened in 1976, the MoMA PS 1 of Queens has invited innovative, cutting-edge, and emerging artists to create installations that transform the building’s spaces into art. Which brings us to the building itself: A Revival Romanesque former public school in Long Island City, Queens, complete with a beautiful courtyard, which in the summers becomes transformed by the winning design from a talented young architect, as part of the Young Architects Program (YAP). This installation is then the setting of the popular summer music series, Warm Up, which takes place every Saturday throughout the summer.
Of course you could stay in Manhattan and see van Gogh in the MoMA, or you could venture out to Queens for some innovative art in a truly unique space. Admission is half the price of MoMA, as well!
Hours: Thursday through Monday, 12 – 6 p.m.
Admission: $10 suggested donation ($5 students and seniors).
4. The Merchant’s House Museum
29 East Fourth St
Back in Manhattan, not far from the Tenement Museum, is another treasure trove of New York history. The Merchant’s House Museum is a lovely brick row house built in 1832, and totally preserved — inside and out — since then.
How, you ask? Well, dear Cheapos, in 1835 a wealthy merchant family by the name of Tredwell moved into the house, at the time considered the elegant “uptown.” Their youngest, Gertrude, was born in that house, and there she remained, changing very little, until her death in 1933. It became a public museum three years later and today its eight rooms provide a glimpse of how the Tredwells once lived, complete with all of their belongings in place. Oh, and in case you’re still craving New York ghosts post-Halloween, this historic gem is said to have its share.
Open: Thursday through Monday, noon to 5 p.m.
Admission: $10 general admission, $5 students and seniors, and free for children under 12 accompanied by an adult.
5. National Museum of the American Indian
One Bowling Green
There are many reasons to visit the National Museum of the American Indian, not least of which is the fact that admission is, wait for it… FREE. That’s right, you can enter the historic Alexander Hamilton U.S. Custom House in downtown Manhattan, and explore its incredible architecture—that’s reason number two—without spending a cent.
The last, but certainly not the least, reason to visit is the museum itself: The 16th museum of the Smithsonian Institution, it is a wealth of information and extensive collections of artifacts depicting both historic and contemporary Native American life.
Open: Daily from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m., 10 a.m. to 8 p.m. on Thursdays.
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Finding and recognizing objects by touch in your pocket, in the dark or among items on a cluttered table top are distinctly human skills—ones that have been far beyond the ability of even the most dexterous robotic arms.
Rodney Brooks, a well-known roboticist, likes to demonstrate the difficulty of the challenge for modern robots by reaching into his pocket to find a particular coin.
Now a group of roboticists in the Department of Biomedical Engineering at the Georgia Institute of Technology in Atlanta, led by one of Dr. Brooks’s former students, has developed a robot arm that moves and finds objects by touch.
In a paper published this month in the International Journal of Robotics Research, the Georgia Tech group described a robot arm that was able to reach into a cluttered environment and use “touch,” along with computer vision, to complete exacting tasks.
This ability is vital if robots are to leave the world of factory automation and begin to undertake tasks in human environments, like patient and elder care or rescue missions during emergencies.
“These environments tend to have clutter,” said Charles C. Kemp, the director of the Healthcare Robotics Lab at Georgia Tech and Dr. Brooks’s former student. “In a home, you can have lots of objects on a shelf, and the robot can’t see beyond that first row of objects.”
The development is part of a wide range of advances in the last two years that foretell a world in which robots will move freely in human environments, to be able to work near them and with them.
For the safety of workers, industrial robots are either kept in metal or glass cages, or protected from humans by “light curtains,” which cause the robots to stop if a human approaches.
That has begun to change with a new generation of robots from companies like Rethink Robotics in Boston, and Universal Robots in Denmark, that make robot arms that can operate safely in proximity to human workers.
Robots, guided by machine vision, have also been limited by their inability to reach into spaces, the way living creatures can, to pick out an object. They are, in fact, programmed to avoid contact.
“We’re flipping that on its head,” Dr. Kemp said. “Let’s say contact with the arm is fine, as long as the forces are low.”
The Georgia Tech researchers have produced a robot arm that can reach and then use software to control its sense of touch, making it possible to find specific objects in a collection or area.
Dr. Kemp said the researchers were able to achieve success, both with a robot and with digital simulations, after a relatively small series of attempts, and using a simple set of primitive robot behaviors.
The algorithms used gave the arm qualities that seemed to mimic human behavior. For example, the robot was able to bend, compress and slide objects. Also, given parameters designed to limit how hard it could press on an object, the arm was able to pivot around objects automatically.
The arm was designed to essentially have “springs” at its joints, making it “compliant,” a term roboticists use to define components that are more flexible and less precise than conventional robotic mechanisms. Compliance has become increasingly important as a new generation of safer robots has emerged.
The robot also has an artificial “skin” that can sense pressure or touch.
“If we look in biology, it’s not just compliance at the joints that all of these organisms have,” he said. “They also have good sensing of forces across their entire body.”
The researchers built their software for a simulated “cluttered” world and for an operating robot. The robot’s arms were designed by Meka Robotics, a San Francisco company that makes a variety of robot components. The software is based on the Willow Garage Robot Operating System, or ROS, which is intended to be shared freely.
The Georgia researchers have made their software open source as well, and shared instructions to make and adapt low-cost robot skin, in the hopes that other robot makers will improve and advance what they have done.
The research was financed by the “Maximum Mobility and Manipulation” program at the Pentagon’s Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency.
The researchers chose not to describe the new robotic behaviors as “emergent”—a term used for a complex system created from simple component functions—but Dr. Kemp said it was a reasonable description.
“To me, it does seem like sort of emergent intelligence, with the robot moving through this complex environment,” he said.
Roboticists are most excited by the potential such a robotic ability holds. In a separate paper, which will be presented in June at the International Conference on Rehabilitation Robotics at the University of Washington in Seattle, the Georgia Tech scientists have described how the technology might be employed in hospital or rehabilitation settings for patient care.
In a video produced by the lab, a robot arm is shown wiping the mouth of a disabled man and adjusting a blanket. Volunteers who allowed the robot to touch them said the sensations were not uncomfortable.
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Wells Fargo & Co.'s $590 million proposed settlement of a class-action lawsuit centers on controversial "Pick-a-Pay" loans issued by Oakland, Calif.-based World Savings.
LOS ANGELES — The legal fallout from high-risk, boom-era mortgage lending never stops, it seems — the latest example being Wells Fargo & Co.’s $590 million proposed settlement of a class-action lawsuit centering on controversial “Pick-a-Pay” loans issued by Oakland, Calif.-based World Savings.
The San Francisco bank disclosed the deal Friday in its quarterly report to the Securities and Exchange Commission. It would settle claims brought against Wachovia, the big bank Wells took over during the financial crisis, which, in turn, had acquired World Savings’ parent, Golden West Financial, in 2006.
Wells said its financial reporting would not be affected because it already had set aside funds to cover the gigantic settlement.
Wells admitted no liability or wrongdoing by Wachovia in settling with the plaintiffs, mainly pension funds who had bought bonds and preferred stock from Wachovia in 2007 and 2008.
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In several lawsuits consolidated before a federal judge in New York, they alleged that Wachovia had been negligent in failing to disclose the risks embedded in the portfolio of Pick-a-Pay loans, which gave borrowers the option of paying so little that the amount they owed went up instead of down.
The accounting firm KPMG, which audited Wachovia’s books, has agreed to provide an additional $37 million as part of the settlement, bringing the total to $627 million, said Darren Robbins, a San Diego attorney representing the plaintiffs.
That would be the largest total settlement so far of any securities class-action claims stemming from the credit crisis, Robbins said. The runner-up: a $624 million settlement by Bank of America and KPMG in federal court in Los Angeles of a shareholder class action alleging that Countrywide Financial, now part of Bank of America, misled investors about its financial condition and lending practices.
Bank of America recently agreed to pay a far greater amount — $8.5 billion — to settle demands by a group of big investors that it buy back soured Countrywide loans that had been bundled up to back mortgage securities. Many big banks, including Wells Fargo, are facing similar demands by investors in bonds backed by subprime and other high-risk mortgages.
A Wells Fargo spokeswoman, Mary Eshet, said the bank agreed to the settlement “to avoid the distraction, risk and expense of ongoing litigation.”
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AGE OF DISCOVERY
How Portugal started globalization
The beginning of Portugal's pioneering role in world exploration may be traced back to as far as 1279, when King Diniz set out to improve Portugal's emerging navy.
He invited a Genoese sea captain to Portugal and placed him in charge of developing the mercantile and naval fleets. He also ordered the Atlantic coastline planted with trees to provide timber for the ocean-going fleets he envisioned in Portugal's future.
In 1341, a fleet of three vessels sailed from Lisbon and explored the Canary Islands, off the northwestern coast of Africa. Although the expedition showed no profit and Castile later gained control of the islands, this voyage was the first official exploring expedition by a European state. Portuguese captains soon became the best in Europe, sailing the most maneuverable ships and applying the latest innovations in the fields of navigation and cartography.
For many centuries there had been three main trade routes from the east to the Mediterranean and Europe -- a long overland journey from China across Central Asia to the Black Sea, by ship from India to the Persian Gulf, and then overland over Baghdad or Damascus to Mediterranean ports. Once goods reached these ports, they were then monopolized by the northern Italian city-states, especially Venice or Genoa, which distributed the products throughout Europe.
Spices were more a necessity than a luxury to the Europeans. During the winter, they had to eat meat from animals that had been slaughtered in the fall. Much of this meat was spoiled by the time it was consumed, and spices, especially pepper, could disguise the taste and smell. Prices in Europe for these goods were high, and profits were good. The Portuguese hoped they could find their own route to the Indies and break the Venetian stranglehold.
Because of their ignorance of the large size of the African continent, the Portuguese were obsessed with conquering Morocco in North Africa, which they saw as a stepping stone to control the gold trade. As a result, Prince Henry the Navigator laid plains to conquer the Moroccan trading port of Ceuta. A fleet of two hundred vessels landed troops outside the walls of the city, and it fell to the Portuguese in 1415 after just one day of fighting. From here on, Prince Henry the Navigator set Portugal on its course towards overseas expansion. He established a center for study of navigation, naval architecture, and astronomy at Sagres in southern Portugal, where they developed a powerful ship called the caravel. Its advantage over the older ships was its triangular sail, which could be trimmed to allow the ship to proceed in either cross or head winds. Prince Henry began dispatching ships into the Atlantic with orders to proceed as far as possible, map the coast or any islands sighted, and return. Soon, one of his captains came across the islands of Madeira and Azores.
Many uneducated people believed in sea monsters, huge whirlpools, a searing sun and boiling waters in the outer regions of the Atlantic Ocean that killed anyone who came close. Prince Henry ordered one of his most trusted captains, Gil Eanes, to round Cape Bojador, the feared place, where some believed boiling waters produced an intense heat which no man could survive. It is said that Eanes turned back fifteen times before finally passing it in 1433. Within a decade after Eanes' breakthrough, Prince Henry's ships began to bring gold dust and slaves back from the African coast. When Prince Henry died in 1460, some 1500 miles of African coastline had been discovered and partially mapped, and the Azores and Madeira Islands were active colonies. In the next two decades, Portuguese captains made more progress, venturing down the northwestern coast of Africa past present-day Sierra Leone and Liberia into the Gulf of Guinea. At this time, the Portuguese were enjoying a tremendous advantage over other European nations in both ship design and navigation. They had been able to determine their latitude by sighting the North Star through an Astrolabe and measuring the apparent distance of the star from the horizon. Eventually, they were also able to explore waters south of the equator where the North Star was not visible. These improvements in navigational instruments and methods led to refinements in the field of cartography. Portuguese maps of the fifteenth and sixteenth centuries were the best in Europe, and foreign spies in Lisbon often attempted to buy or steal them. As a result, the Portuguese had to safeguard their maps by giving them the status of state secrets. A royal decree forbade the circulation of maps showing the sailing routes south of the Congo River in Africa.
In 1487 Bartholomeu Dias sailed from Lisbon with two caravels and a supply ship, and became the first to round the African continent. He sailed on for a few days, but fearful of running out of food and exhausted by the freezing weather, he turned back. He arrived in Lisbon in December of 1488 and told King John's court of his marking of the southern extent of Africa. Among those present was a Genoese navigator - Christopher Columbus. Columbus was disheartened to hear the news because he had come to the king to present him his own proposal for reaching the Indies by sailing west. The king did hear him and established a committee consisting of geographers, mathematicians and cartographers to look into it. There was reason to believe there were undiscovered islands to the west, since from time to time, various unknown objects drifted onto the shores of the Azores, other islands, and even mainland Europe. It was well known by educated men that the earth was round, so land to the west was a certainty, but no one knew how far it was. The width of Asia, which Columbus proposed to reach, was unknown so there was a strong possibility that he would sail off into the setting sun, never to be seen again. The king rejected Columbus for this reason, and also because he had already invested a good deal of money in the African route to the Indies. Dissipation of royal resources would be dangerous, and demands by Columbus to be made the Admiral of the Ocean Sea and be given the hereditary title of viceroy of all lands he discovered as well as one-tenth of the profits he brought back, may have also deterred the king, who had many competent navigators in his own realm. Columbus went off to seek his fortunes in Spain, where he got the support he wanted. Columbus' first voyage brought him to San Salvador Island in the Bahamas, part of several island groups later referred to as the West Indies, which he took to be the outer reaches of Asia. On his return to Europe, Columbus rushed to Lisbon, where he told a fantastically embellished story of jewels and gold-roofed houses he found, which would have been put in Portugal's hands if only the king had believed him. The king believed little of what Columbus claimed beyond the fact that new islands had been discovered.
In 1494 Portugal and Spain signed the Treaty of Tordesillas, which divided the world into Portuguese and Spanish hemispheres along a north-south line 370 leagues west of the Canaries. An earlier draft had set the line 270 leagues from the islands, but Portugal insisted on a more distant line. This has led scholars to speculate that Portugal must have had some knowledge of the geography of South America, perhaps as a result of a voyage prior to Columbus', because the new line later put Brazil into its possession.
The Portuguese king then chose Vasco da Gama to lead the first Portuguese expedition around Africa to India. After a prayer service in Lisbon on the banks of the Tagus River, Da Gama's fleet of four vessels set sail on July 7, 1497. One of the ships carried supplies for three years, and the crews consisted of 168 men, including convicts assigned to especially dangerous work. His fleet had been out of sight of land for ninety-six days - the longest such a voyage ever made to that time - until it finally landed at St. Helena Bay. Sighting a new coastline on Christmas Day, they gave it the name of Natal ("Christmas" in Portuguese). He reached Calicut on May 14, 1498, and spices were taken on board. As disease and accidents began to take a toll on his men, Da Gama set sail for Portugal on August 29, 1498. He reached Lisbon in September 1499, concluding a voyage of two years and two months. Of the 168 men who had begun the voyage, 44 returned. Despite this loss, Da Gama was finally able to do what Eanes, Dias, Columbus and others had tried before -- reach India by sea and join the Old World to the even older civilizations of Asia, until then isolated by the Islamic powers of the Middle East. This historic voyage drastically changed Europe and the course of world history.
The Portuguese king, Manuel I, proclaimed Da Gama's discoveries throughout Europe and immediately took for himself the grand title of Lord of Conquest, Navigation, and Commerce of Ethiopia, Arabia, Persia, and India. Lisbon's harbor became one of the busiest in Europe during his rein, as spices such as pepper, ginger, cinnamon, and saffron were prized commodities in the India-Europe trade. King Manuel was referred to as "Manuel the Fortunate" because his rein finally saw the creation of the Asian empire for which his predecessors had long labored. The wealthy king delighted in exotic pleasures. He was the first Christian king to own an elephant and a rhinoceros, and paraded in the company of an Iranian retainer, who rode with a leopard perched on his horse. There were also great achievements in architecture during his reign. A new style emerged, named after the king - Manueline Architecture. This is seen today in Lisbon's Jeronimos Monastery and Belem tower, in Batalha's monastery, and in many churches around the country.
Just six months after Da Gama's return, Pedro Alvares Cabral set out from Lisbon with the largest fleet yet assembled, piloted by the best navigators in Portugal. The departure was an occasion of grand and solemn ceremony. Cabral followed the same route as Da Gama, but a storm caused him to touch land somewhere else - South America or more precisely, the area of today's Brazil. Historians are still debating, however, whether Cabral truly discovered Brazil, or whether Portugal already knew of its existence. There's a possibility that Cabral merely conducted an official mission of "discovery" to assert a proper claim. One ship was ordered to return to Lisbon with the news, and Cabral set sail for India. Once in India, Cabral took on cargo and headed home. Only six ships out of the original thirteen returned to Lisbon, but the rich cargo of spices more than paid for the lost vessels.
Later, the Portuguese were the first Europeans to visit Japan, arriving accidentally in 1543 when a storm drove a trading ship onto the island of Tanegashima. The Japanese were fascinated by the Portuguese, and in particular by their mustaches, odd clothes, and the unoriental size of their noses. Buttons, which were unheard of in Japan, also attracted their attention. Japanese paintings from about this time, now in Lisbon's Ancient Art Museum, emphasize these "oddities." The Portuguese later sold Chinese silk for Japanese silver, since the two great Asian powers could not bear to deal with each other.
The Portuguese also gathered pepper from Malabar and Indonesia; mace and nutmeg from the Banda Islands; cloves from the Moluccas, cinnamon from Ceylon; horses from Arabia; among other precious commodities. From Brazil to Japan, stately cargo vessels voyaged to distant ports to gather exotic goods for the warehouses of Lisbon. Although Portugal's monopoly came to an end in the seventeenth century, Portugal still had a foothold in India until the 1960s and in Africa until the 1970s. The first European empire lived to be the last, and Portugal will forever be known as the Land of Discovery.
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Attorney General Mike DeWine said the debt payments were recovered from 2011 to 2013. His office acts as the collections agent for all state government entities and public colleges and universities. The office then works to get full payment or develop a payment plan with the debtor.
DeWine said collections last year totaled about $449 million, compared with almost $454 million in 2012 and close to $461 million in 2011.
DeWine said state agencies have been certifying fewer debts for collection by his office, meaning fewer bills are going unpaid.
His office has previously launched a program for local governments to get state help in collecting debts owed to them.
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The main mission and purpose of this website is to educate the public on some of the most fascinating animals to have ever walked the earth — dinosaurs. And we take our duty on this matter very seriously. We want to provide visitors to our site—visitors of all ages—the opportunity to add to their knowledge of these animals. And we intend to help visitors do that through thoughtful articles and visually stimulating pictures that will give each visitor a glimpse into not only the dinosaurs themselves but also give them a glimpse into the age in which they lived. What we like to believe is a thorough documentation of these animals.
If you are fascinated with these creatures and want to learn a little bit more about them, then I encourage you to join us as we try to provide you with content that is not only informative but also entertaining as well. On this trip, we will learn about how dinosaurs lived, what they ate and where they lived. Don’t worry though. Even though it’s a journey back over 65 million years—it’s one that can be safely taken from the comfort of your home or school.
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WASHINGTON -- This Internet attack apparently fizzled.
The federal government said that early Tuesday it detected a series of electronic attacks against U.S. Internet providers, launched hours after the FBI alerted technology companies and others of potential trouble.
The alert, sent out Monday evening and based on information from Italian authorities, cited "credible but non-specific information that wide-scale hacker attacks" were planned against U.S. Web sites and Internet providers, "possibly emanating from Western Europe," a U.S. official said, speaking on condition of anonymity.
One firm that monitors the health of the Internet, Matrix NetSystems Inc., said it detected a 1 percent decrease in Internet accessibility within hours of the attacks, and a small number of the 3,000 Internet devices it monitors were completely overwhelmed within the United States.
Analyst Abelardo Gonzalez said a 1 percent drop was a rare enough event that it probably reflected an impact from the attacks.
Barely a hiccup
But most such organizations and companies said they barely detected a hiccup of unusual activity, with few reports of odd outages or even widespread e-mail delays.
The U.S. official said Tuesday that a flood of data spiking nearly 700 percent more than usual was aimed at Internet providers and Web sites on the East coast starting about 2 a.m. EDT, then shifted toward providers and sites on the West coast.
But unlike some recent so-called "denial of service" attacks, which employed hundreds or thousands of computers to overwhelm Web sites, this latest attack appeared to come from a relatively small number of machines, the official said. That allowed Internet providers to protect their networks more easily by filtering data from the attacking computers.
Keynote Systems Inc., which measures the reliability and speed of Web sites and the Internet as a whole, saw no significant degradation during the day. The company checked major Internet highways as well as the performance of individual sites belonging to news organizations, search engines, and companies like Amazon and Microsoft.
"Availability has stayed pretty consistent," said Roopak Patel of Keynote.
Major Internet service providers like Verizon and Qwest also reported no problems.
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• As soon as I Tweeted today about Bobby Thomson’s famous homerun, a friend messaged me about one of the famous stories that stemmed from that 1951 playoff game and one of the greatest moments in American sports history. Had I read it?
He was referring to the opening of Don DeLillo’s novel “Underworld.” Initially this chapter, “Pafko at the Wall,” was published in Harper’s magazine and later was released separately as a novella of its own.
Andy Pafko was the Brooklyn Dodgers’ left fielder who looked on helplessly as Thomson’s “Shot Heard Round the World” sailed over his head and beyond his reach.
The Giants won the pennant, and DeLillo’s fictionalized story — featuring true-life characters Jackie Gleason, Toots Shor and J. Edgar Hoover — populated a tale as rich and resonant as the real thing.
Thomson, who died this week at the age of 86, enjoyed an otherwise uneventful career, but as the Poynter Institute’s Roy Peter Clark points out in “The Story is Never Over,” one moment can be immortal, and can speak for much, much more than the moment itself:
“The Shot has become a story about what constitutes triumph and tragedy in America, about how sports defines our identity, about fame, celebrity, race, scandal, myth and mystery, recounted time and again in nonfiction books, documentaries, investigations, novels and even poetry.”
“Journalists can draw from this short history this moral: That the big story is never over. The Civil War is still not over. The Depression is not over. Nor the assassination of JFK. Nor the destruction of the World Trade Center. Hang in there — for a long time — on the Gulf oil spill.”
In a media age seemingly surrendered to the idea of the fleeting moment, these enduring truths are wonderfully encouraging to this old history hack.
• I’ve been spending a good part of this month writing offline, and it’s been vital to reconnect with a more immersive, contemplative process that I worried had escaped my attention span.
What’s also been deeply satisfying as the dog days of summer whittle away has been to reread some books, essays and magazine articles on a variety of topics that I had nearly forgotten about. I’ll post more about that soon, but for now the Pafko story is very high on the list of some fabulous rediscoveries.
• At the same time, old media habits do die hard. ESPN baseball writer Tim Kurkjian has given up his nearly 20-year habit of cutting out, and pasting, every single Major League Baseball box score into a notebook. With newspapers almost uniformly resigning box scores to their websites, Kurkjian, a former scribe for the Baltimore Sun, now reads them online as well. Yet he finds that something very important is missing:
“I’m not comfortable doing it but I have no other choice. I have saved time, as well as money on scotch tape and scissors. Since 9/11, I estimate having lost at least six pair of scissors because I forgot to remove them from my bag and the security men and women at airports thought I might hijack the plane using scissors as dull as NFL preseason games.
“But I still read box scores with the same vigor and interest every day for there is so much to learn in box scores, almost everything you need is in box scores, especially with the expanded ones that tell you, in some cases, more than you wanted to know.”
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Food & Recipes
By Rafaya Sufi
Fasting this Ramadan? Or have friends who are? Follow these few key guidelines to eating well and staying healthy during Ramadan.
Since its foundation, Ramadan is celebrated with vigor amongst Muslim communities. A typical day of fasting consists of consuming an overnight breakfast at dawn, restricting any food and drink till sunset. Muslims may continue to eat and drink after the sun has set till the next morning's fajr prayer at dawn.
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Our online mapping service allows you to view Ordnance Survey maps with various sets of map information. You can zoom in and drag the maps or view aerial photography of the location you are interested in.
Access the online mapping service
The Online Planning Information System (OPIS) shows only Planning related information.
Access the Online Planning Information System
You can also access an alternative map search for planning applications.
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A Canadian study involving diabetic rats found that buckwheatmay help diabetic patients better manage their condition.The researchers discovered that extracts of buckwheatseed fed to rats lowered their blood glucose levels by12% to 19%. ?With diabetes on the rise, incorporation ofbuckwheat into the diet could help provide a safe, easy, andinexpensive way to lower glucose levels and reduce the riskof complications associated with the disease, includingheart, nerve, and kidney problems,? said lead investigatorCarla G. Taylor, PhD.
Dr. Taylor stressed, however, that until studies are doneon humans with diabetes, it is not clear how much buckwheatflour or extract an individual should consume to lowerglucose levels. (The findings were published in the Journalof Agricultural and Food Chemistry, December 2003.)
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The cuisine of Chiapas: Dining in Mexico's last frontier
Although the mention of Chiapas frequently brings to mind images of masked revolutionaries and steamy jungles, Mexico's southernmost state is a beautiful combination of mountains, plains and seacoast where tourism is once again flourishing as people rediscover the wonders of a region with deep pre-Hispanic routes.
Long before the Europeans advanced into Chiapas from the north in the 1520's, several indigenous groups, most of Mayan extraction, had built civilizations known for their cultural and technological development. Besides their contributions to the fields of mathematics and astronomy, the chiapanecos made significant progress in the area of agriculture. Slope irrigation and drainage produced an abundance of produce, including corn, cacao, bananas, mangos, watermelon, tobacco, beans, avocados and chiles. The number of crops later grew to include coffee, soy, cotton, sugar and an enormous variety of exotic tropical fruit.
In addition to farming, the terrain of Chiapas also proved ideal for cattle ranching. Named for the Chiapas Indians, who are believed to have migrated from what is now southern Nicaragua, the region was prime for the importation of the European stock that graze on the high plains. The introduction of bovine and wool-bearing animals bore an important influence on both the economy and cuisine of Chiapas.
Like most inhabitants of Mesoamerica, the chiapanecos have always depended first and foremost on corn as the dietary staple. Strong indigenous roots still influence Chiapan cooking, especially in the use of native herbs such as chipilin, a fragrant, tasty, thin-leaved plant, and hoja santa, the large anise-scented leaves that characterize much of southern Mexican cooking. These are often used in the many varieties of Chiapas' famous tamales, with chipilin incorporated into the corn dough of some tamales and hoja santa used as a wrapping for others. Corn is also taken as a beverage, in the form of pozol, made with corn dough dissolved in water and flavored with chocolate and sugar or left to ferment and served ice cold. The black beans favored in the region make a tasty and nutritious compliment to the many corn-based meals and snacks.
Adding variety to the local diet are dishes prepared with the beef, pork and chicken that contributed to the formation of a creole cuisine. Although some indigenous groups still hunt deer and wild boar, this practice is becoming less common as these species are in danger of being hunted into extinction. Much more common is the use of beef, especially the thin cut called tasajo, which is prepared with a variety of sauces. One of the tastiest and best known of these is made with pumpkin seeds, an important ingredient in Chiapan regional cooking. Meat dishes are frequently accompanied by vegetables such as squash, chayote and carrots.
An offshoot of the beef industry is the making of cheese, much of it still done on a small scale on ranches and cooperatives. Among the most highly regarded of these artesanal cheeses are those of Ocotsingo, Rayon and Pijijiapan. Smooth, white rounds of Ocotzingo cheese with pale yellow rinds are specially ordered by restaurants and gourmets in different parts of Mexico.
As though the culinary resources provided by field and farm were not enough, Chiapan cuisine also makes use of the abundant fish and shellfish of the state's Pacific coast. Bass, grouper, mojarra, sardines, shrimp, crab and clams are all frequent additions to the menus of the coastal region where, like their Oaxacan neighbors, the inhabitants preserve the shrimp harvest by drying what will not be prepared immediately. Dried shrimp are often combined with a fresh tomato salsa for an appetizer, and are an essential ingredient in the famous tamales juacanes, filled with a mixture of black beans, dried shrimp and pumpkin seeds.
Topping off a Chiapan meal or eaten as late afternoon or evening snacks, are the regional sweets: crystallized fruit, coconut candies, flans and compotes. San Cristobal de las Casas is famous for its sweets, chocolates and baked goods, as well as gourmet coffee. Other cities boast their own specialties.
In Tuxla Gutierrez, one may sample ningüijute, a seed-based pork mole, chispola, a beef and vegetable stew, and pictes, fresh sweet corn tamales. In Chiapa de Corzo, famous for its food and fiestas, cochito horneado, roasted suckling pig, is flavored with an adobo (paste) made with ground seeds and herbs. Comitan's culinary offerings include hearts of palm salad in vinaigrette, and visitors to Palenque will find many versions of fried plantains, including those filled with black beans or cheese, on the menus. This pre-Hispanic site is located in a cattle-grazing area and the beef dishes here are particularly good.
With the many pre-Hispanic and European ingredients that produce such a wide variety of dishes, it is worth noting that, unlike other regional Mexican cuisines, this one does not rely heavily on chiles as an integral part of its recipes. Instead, they are normally served as condiments. The Chiapan chile de siete caldos, named for the fact the just one is enough to season seven pots of soup, and the tiny, dried red chile simojovel, are both far too hot to be used in quantity while cooking the food itself. Instead, chiapanecos much prefer a combination of slightly sweet seasonings in their main dishes. Cinnamon, plantains, prunes and pineapple are often used to flavor meat and poultry dishes.
The following is a selection of recipes that are worth trying at home and even better in beautiful Chiapas itself.
San Cristobal style bread soup: Sopa de pan de San Cristobal
Filled Mexican filled plantain croquettes: Croquetas de plátano rellenos
Chicken and fruit stew: Estofado de pollo en frutas
Yam and orange dessert: Dulce de camote y naranja
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Monkey study sheds light on early human interbreeding
A study of howler monkeys has revealed that different species interbreed much more than thought - implying that early species of human may have done the same.
Evidence has recently started to emerge that anatomically modern humans interbred with Neanderthals tens of thousands of years ago in the Middle East, contributing to the modern human gene pool. Other researchers have even suggested hybridization with another species too.
But the findings aren't accepted by everybody - and the fossil record isn't much help in clearing the matter up.
Now, a University of Michigan-led study of interbreeding between two species of modern-day howler monkeys in Mexico is helping explain why fossil remains alone aren't enough to reveal the history of human hybridization.
The two species, mantled howler monkeys and black howler monkeys, diverged about three million years ago. They're different from one another in many ways, including behavior, appearance and even the number of chromosomes they possess. They have quite separate geographical distributions, except for the state of Tabasco, where they coexist and interbreed.
And the genetic analysis shows that it's impossible to tell individuals of mixed ancestry who share most of their genome with one of the two species from pure-bred individuals of that species. In other words, species can interbreed without leaving any fossil evidence.
"The implications of these results are that physical features are not always reliable for identifying individuals of hybrid ancestry," says evolutionary biologist Liliana Cortés-Ortiz of U-M.
"Therefore, it is possible that hybridization has been underestimated in the human fossil record."
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the musical public in a way they had not felt before. His influence was paramount to give a decided direction to clavier-playing, and it is possible that the style of which he was the foster-father passed on continuously to the mas- terly treatment of the pianoforte by dementi, and through him to the culminating achieve- ments of Beethoven.
In respect of structure, most of his important sonatas are in three movements, of which the first and last are quick, and the middle one slow ; and this is a point by no means insignificant in the history of the sonata, as it represents a definite and characteristic balance between the principal divisions, in respect of style and expres- sion as well as in the external traits of form. Many of these are in clear binary form, like those of his elder brother, and his admirable predecessor, yet to be noted, P. Domenico Para- dies. He adopts sometimes the old type, di- viding the recapitulation in the second half of the movement; sometimes the later, and some- times the composite type. For the most part he is contented with the opportunities for variety which this form supplies, and casts a greater proportion of movements in it than most other composers, even to the extent of having all move- ments in a work in different phases of the same form, which in later times was rare. On the other hand, he occasionally experiments in struc- tures as original as could well be devised. There is a Sonata in F minor which has three main divisions corresponding to movements. The first, an Allegro, approaches vaguely to binary form ; the second, an Adagio, is in rough outline like simple primary form, concluding with a curious barless cadenza; the last is a Fantasia of the most elaborate and adventurous description, full of experiments in modulation, enharmonic and otherwise, changes of time, abrupt surprises and long passages entirely divested of bar lines. There is no definite subject, and no method in the distribution of keys. It is more like a rhap- sodical improvisation of a most inconsequent and unconstrained description than the product of concentrated purpose, such as is generally ex- pected in a sonata movement. This species of experiment has not survived in high-class mo- dern music, except in the rarest cases. It was however not unfamiliar in those days, and superb examples in the same spirit were provided by John Sebastian, such as the Fantasia Cromatica, and parts of someof theToccatas. JohnErnstBach also left something more after the manner of the present instance as the prelude to a fugue. Em- manuel Bach's position is particularly emphasised as the most prominent composer of sonatas of his time, who clearly shows the tendency of the new counter-current away from the vigour and honest comprehensiveness of the great school of which his father was the last and greatest representative, towards the elegance, polite ease, and artifi- ciality, which became the almost indispensable conditions of the art in the latter part of the \ 1 8th century. Fortunately the process of prop- j ping up a tune upon a dummy accompaniment, ]
��was not yet accepted universally as a desirable phenomenon of high-class instrumental music; in fact such a stride downward in one genera- tion would have been too cataclystic ; so he was spared the temptation of shirking honest concen- tration, and padding his works, instead of making them thoroughly complete; and the result is a curious combination, sometimes savouring strongly of his father's style
���and sometimes coldly predicting the style of the future
In general, his building up of movements is full of expressive detail, and he does not spare him- self trouble in enriching his work with such things as ingenuity, genuine musical perception and vivacity of thought can suggest. He occa- sionally reaches a point of tenderness and poetic sensibility which is not unworthy of his descent, but there is also sometimes an uncomfortable premonition in his slow movements of the pos- turing and posing which were soon to be almost inevitable in well-bred Adagios. The spirit is indeed not greatly deep and earnest, but in out- ward things the attainment of a rare degree of point and emphasis, and of clearness and cer- tainty in construction without emptiness, sufficed to give Philip Emmanuel a foremost place among the craftsmen of the art.
P. Domenico Paradies was Emmanuel Bach's senior by a few years. Two of his sonatas, at least, are deservedly well known to musicians. The structural qualities shown by the whole set of twelve, emphasise the opinion that binary form was familiar to composers of this period. They dif- fer from Philip Emmanuel's chiefly in consisting uniformly of two movements only. Of these, the first movements are almost invariably in binary form. That of the I st sonata is perfectly complete and of the later type ; many of the others are of the early type. Some details in the distribution of the movements are worth noticing. Thus the last movement of No. 4 is a very graceful and pretty minuet, which had hitherto not been so
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Journeying from GMAT Prep to a Great Career
No matter what level of education you have right now, you may want to go on to graduate school. If you decide to do that, you’ll need to take the GMAT so you can get into business schools that offer advanced study. If you don’t pass the test you won’t get in – and you generally need to get a certain score before you’ll be admitted to a particular program. The good news is that you don’t have to flounder through the test, hoping that you’ll get a good score. You can take the GMAT prep and be better-prepared.
While the course won’t give you all of the answers, it will help you see what kinds of questions are offered on the test. It will also allow you to pinpoint your weaknesses. If you do this early on, well before you actually have to take the test, you can find those weaknesses and work on them. You might not fix them completely, but you’ll have time to improve them so that you can be better suited to take the test and do well on all portions of it. Some people are better at certain areas of the test than others, so finding where you do well and where you struggle is vital.
Once you take the course and then take the test, you can go on with your schooling. Having an advanced degree in business is something that not everyone is able to achieve. This will set you apart from the rest and set you up for higher chances of promotion. You’ll also be better able to start your own business if you decide that you want to do that. Your options will be a lot more open and interesting.
Why Not Consider a Home Working Career?
With so many job cuts happening as a result of the credit crisis, many people are finding themselves out of work and unable to cover their expenses each month. Not only have people who lost their jobs missing a regular paycheck, but they have also lost access to some of the financial solutions that they may have previously used to cover shortfalls. By securing a part time job, people can still access short term credit by applying for payday loans. Still, it is imperative that those without full-time employment begin to bring in good money again as soon as possible.
What money-making options are available when you can’t secure a traditional full-time job? One popular option that many people are currently exploring is being self-employed by working from home. With many people having home Internet access and with the constant improvements in communications technology, more people are finding remote work or working from home jobs. When considering a work at home arrangement, people who have lost their jobs should consider their existing skill set. Do they have expertise in a certain area that they may be able to put to use in a work at home position? Teachers, for example, should search online for tutoring and examination grading opportunities, while those who have good literacy skills may wish to consider a career in freelance writing.
Beauty therapists who no longer have a secure position at a salon could use their existing skills in a home-based sales position for a cosmetics company. Those with experience in the catering field may be able to provide a travelling chef service, visiting people’s homes to cater parties or even give lessons in basic cooking. The key to finding a self employed or work from home position is to think laterally and look beyond the constraints of previous jobs for new opportunities.
Stay Professional When Looking for a new job
If you’re looking for a new job or career, one thing that you will most definitely want to have is a great set of business cards. Being able to hand these out to prospective employers is important. Not only do these have your contact information, but it also looks extremely professional to have business cards. Whether you give them out like candy at parties or you save them for only extremely potential employers, being able to show that you are a professional person can be extremely advantageous for most people.
Read the rest of this entry »
Consider an Online Education in Psychology
If you’re considering an online education, psychology is an option of study that you may not be aware of. Many people take online courses and graduate with a variety of degrees, but not everyone realizes that an elite course such as psychology is also available through an online degree program. With work and discipline, you can get an accredited degree in psychology right from your own home.
There are many different fields you can enter after graduation with a degree in psychology. Applied psychology, school psychology, counseling, clinical psychology and mental health are just a few of the many areas available. What is even more promising is that an official degree can be obtained without having to physically go to a college campus. The convenience of an online degree means you can work your class schedule around you job and your family life.
It’s important that you research the many fields available in psychology to find the one that fits your interests. Then find out what the requirements are for entering that particular program so you can locate the best online college. With a solid academic foundation it may be easier to get your degree than you realize.
The income that can be earned with a psychology degree varies greatly and all depends on the field you plan to master. The most important aspect is to choose a field that you are truly interested in instead of picking one just because you think it earns the most money. While most psychology fields can earn quite a substantial income, enjoying the work that you do is paramount to success in any field. If you love your job, you’ll want to continue to learn about it and you’ll find it more fulfilling throughout your career. If you decide to get an online education psychology degree, there are many exciting opportunities waiting for you.
College Loans and Debt Consolidation
Education is often touted as the reason many people rise from obscurity and impoverished conditions to power and privilege. In many communities, getting accepted into a respected university is a goal that parents want their children to achieve. College is known as a way to attain success. Yet in the last quarter century, it’s become harder and harder to get a college education without finding yourself deep in debt at the end of your college career.
At a typical four year public college, the yearly cost, including room and board, is estimated at just over $15,000. When looking at private universities and colleges, the total increases to a staggering $35,000 per year. Since these are averages, there are many colleges with costs that are both lower and higher. Still, going to college has become a very expensive endeavor.
While the country is in a recession, most universities continue to increase tuition rates well beyond the rate of inflation. There are few families and even fewer students who can pay these fees outright. So, the education system is built on credit, financial aid, and staggering amounts of debt. Many students come out of college financially broke and deep in debt.
Once out of school, students have six months to get some kind of income before they need to start paying off their student loans. Students are allowed a lengthy time to pay off their debt at low interest rates. However, each college loan is a separate payment. Having multiple payments coming due at once is daunting even for students who have solid jobs. Many students have taken it upon themselves to contact debt consolidation firms. These institutions can help alleviate the pain of multiple payments. By consolidating multiple payments into one, you lower your monthly payment while also lowering the interest paid on the loans every month.
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When great teachers grow as leaders and participate in the discussion about sustaining and improving student-focused policies and practices, they help their profession and their students.
With that thought, SCORE launched the Tennessee Educator Fellowship in 2014 to provide a yearlong experience for classroom teachers to learn about, reflect on, and inform the policies, practices, and systems that affect student achievement and educator effectiveness. We are impressed by the ways the Tennessee Educator Fellows have used their voice to illuminate both the success happening in classrooms across Tennessee and areas for more improvement.
Over the past year, the 2015-16 cohort of fellows impressed and inspired us in their efforts on behalf of their students, their colleagues, and their communities. These 26 teachers have polished their advocacy and communication skills while deepening their understanding of education issues facing Tennessee. They have connected with policymakers, community members, parents, business leaders, and other educators to share their vision of a better future for our students. While their year of fellowship has ended, I am confident that as alumni of the program they will continue to use their voices to further a shared vision of continued improvement for Tennessee schools.
I am looking forward to welcoming the 2016-17 cohort of Tennessee Educator Fellows, the largest class yet, when they convene for the first time in person July 18-20. These 49 teachers, who represent a broad range of the diversity of educators in Tennessee, bring a wealth of experience and expertise, and I am excited to learn more about them and their perspectives on how best to advance student achievement in Tennessee.
Empowering Tennessee teachers was one priority set forth in the 2015-16 State of Education in Tennessee report. The expanded Tennessee Educator Fellowship will give a new cohort of teachers the knowledge, strategies, and confidence to speak on behalf of their profession and Tennessee’s students. When we cultivate and elevate the voices of these Fellows, the conversation becomes more productive, pragmatic, and most importantly, more centered on students.
Very truly yours,
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Travel Education workshops are free! They're held at Hostelling International hostels and other venues, such as school campuses, travel stores, community centers, and libraries. For a schedule of upcoming public workshops, see our events calendar.
World Travel 101
Geared towards college-age and adult travelers who are planning their first trip abroad, this workshop educates participants about how to travel safely and responsibly on a shoestring budget.
Women Traveling Solo
This workshop is for women of all ages who are planning to travel by themselves for the first time, or who are looking for smart tips on how to add more value and independence to their solo travel adventures.
The Free and Independent Gay Traveler
This workshop is for gay, lesbian, and bisexual travelers who are planning to travel by themselves and are wondering if it's safe and preferable to look beyond the usual gay cruise lines and group tours.
Geared towards high school and college students as well as adults, this engaging workshop closely examines and explain the art of planning fun-filled trips around the U.S.
Trip Planning 101
Oriented towards travelers who are high school-age or younger, this program was first developed for Girl Scouts, but has been adapted for other audiences. The workshop includes highly interactive activities that teach participants how to research and plan trips, pack smart and light, and travel safely and with an open mind.
Created by girls, for girls, the Discover the World patch helps 11- to 17-year-old girls become more engaged, caring world citizens while quenching their thirst to travel the world. Created with the help of a troop in Maine that used the Boston Hostel as a base to study American history, the patch blends intercultural exploration and budget travel to help girls gain confidence in traveling and to instill a genuine interest in meeting people from other places and cultures.
To complete the patch, girls choose among activities that range from trip planning and interviewing international travelers, to participating in local volunteer projects. The patch criteria include the following activities as guidelines:
- Stay at a hostel
- Create a travel budget
- Learn common greetings in another language
- Volunteer for a hostel-led community project
Many troops have discovered new ways to complete the patch by using the criteria as a guideline. HI-USA encourages troops to be creative when they go hostelling, and only requires them to contact their local HI-USA council to discuss their idea and to get it approved. Here are two examples of troops that decided to take a different approach:
- A troop from Ohio visited the Chicago Hostel in preparation for a future hostelling trip to Europe.
- A troop from California incorporated budget preparations, meal planning, and travel research while they stayed at the Sacramento Hostel, our historic Merchant Row mansion where the city's Gold Rush past comes to life.
For more information:
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Mission San Juan Bautista
Mission San Juan Bautista ruins, Guerrero, Coahuila, Mexico
Established in 1700 and located on a strategic location near a series of crossings on the west bank of the Rio Grande, Mission San Juan Bautista is often called the mother of the Texas missions. It was created to provide a convenient waypoint along already existing routes across the Rio Grande and to serve as a base for the conversion of Coahuiltecan Indians.
Time period: 1700s
A Photographic Journey of the Trail - NEXT IMAGE
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