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(CNN) -- Tyrone Woods became a Navy SEAL after his mother suggested he join the military.
Friday afternoon, Cheryl Croft Bennett attended a ceremony to honor the life of her son, Ty, and grieve his death alongside three other Americans in Tuesday's assault on the U.S. Consulate in the Libyan city of Benghazi.
Woods, who had retired from the Navy, handled security for diplomats and perished with fellow former SEAL Glen Doherty, computer expert Sean Smith and U.S. Ambassador Chris Stevens.
"Tyrone's friends and colleagues called him 'Rone,' and they relied on his courage and skill, honed over two decades as a Navy SEAL," Secretary of State Hillary Clinton said.
"In uniform, he served multiple tours in Iraq and Afghanistan. Since 2010, he protected American diplomatic personnel in dangerous posts from Central America to the Middle East. He had the hands of a healer as well as the arm of a warrior, earning distinction as a registered nurse and certified paramedic. All our hearts go out to Tyrone's wife Dorothy and his three sons, Tyrone Jr., Hunter, and Kai, who was born just a few months ago."
Back at home in California, Woods worked as a registered nurse in his wife's dental practice in La Jolla, his mother told CNN affiliate KGW TV in Portland, Oregon, but he gained fulfillment in his military role.
"He loved the cutting edge. He loved danger. He loved an adrenaline rush," Bennett said.
"But he loved the thinking part of it, too. He was very street smart, and he was the guy you would want to have in your corner if you were in a tight situation."
A diplomatic source told CNN that Doherty was in Libya to search for shoulder-fired anti-aircraft missiles -- a mission given high priority after the fall of longtime Libyan strongman Moammar Gadhafi.
Doherty grew up in Massachusetts with a passion for the outdoors, particularly the mountain West, his family said. Outside the family's home in Woburn, near Boston, his sister remembered him as "our American hero."
"Glen lived his life to the fullest," Katie Quigley told reporters. "He was my brother, but if you ask his friends, he was their brother as well."
The 42-year-old graduated from high school in 1988 in neighboring Winchester, where flags were displayed at half-staff on Thursday. He played on the varsity tennis and wrestling teams, school officials said in an announcement marking his death. His junior-year English teacher, Judy Hession, recalled him as "bursting with life."
"Every day his huge smile and his happy-go-lucky optimism filled my classroom," Hession said in a statement released by the school district. "He got along with all types of people, was a class leader and, from the perspective of 30 years of teaching, one of my most memorable students."
After college in Arizona and stints as a "ski bum" and raft guide in Utah, Doherty joined the Navy and became a member of the elite Navy SEAL commandos in 1995, his family said in a statement.
"He told me he wanted to be a SEAL and I tried to use reverse psychology with him and say, 'Well, you won't make it. You can't make it. You don't pay attention to me -- never mind a superior officer,'" his father, Ben, told CNN affiliate WCVB in Boston. "He showed me."
Doherty had planned to leave the service after knee surgery in 2001, but after the al Qaeda attacks on New York and Washington, he "was not allowed to leave and didn't want to," his family said.
Doherty served two tours of duty in Iraq, starting with the U.S. invasion in 2003, before leaving the military in 2005. He then became a private security contractor, working in Afghanistan, Pakistan and Yemen -- a job that took a toll on his home life and contributed to a divorce, his family said.
He also joined the advisory board of the Military Religious Freedom Foundation, a group that has battled religious intolerance in the U.S. armed forces. Its president, former Air Force officer Michael "Mikey" Weinstein, said he was "in a state of shock" after learning of Doherty's death.
"He was one of our most active advisory board members," Weinstein said. "I was surprised he was willing to come on and lend the gravitas that comes with being a Navy SEAL to our cause." Doherty's involvement "made it easier for others to come to us," Weinstein added.
He said Doherty believed the kind of violent jihadists American troops faced were "a very small percentage of the overall mosaic of the Muslim faith," and saw anti-Muslim sentiment in the United States and in the ranks as something that hurt U.S. national security.
"He went back to the Middle East because he cared deeply about the Muslim people, and because he cared about bringing freedom and democracy and human rights to the Middle East," Weinstein said. Doherty "was a kind and caring person, and I'm sure that he gave every last bit of his courage and strength" to defend the consulate and Stevens, he added.
"All this is going to do is light a further fire under us in Glen's name and memory to continue to fight for religious freedom and respect and tolerance."
He also co-authored a 2010 book, "The 21st-Century Sniper: A Complete Practical Guide," with former comrade Brandon Webb. In a statement accompanying the family's, Webb said, "Don't feel sorry for him, he wouldn't have it."
"He died serving with men he respected, protecting the freedoms we enjoy as Americans and doing something he loved," Webb said.
In her statement, Clinton said Doherty, a paramedic, was referred to as "Bub" by his friends and family. "In the end, he died the way he lived -- with selfless honor and unstinting valor," she said.
Smith's death was among the first reported in the Benghazi fracas. Clinton eulogized him Wednesday as a 10-year veteran of the Foreign Service, an information management officer who had served in Iraq, South Africa, Canada and the Netherlands.
Smith was better known by his online alter ego, which was legendary in the gaming world.
In real life, he was an Air Force veteran with a wife, a son and a daughter. But in the virtual universe of the computer game EVE Online, Smith was "Vile Rat" -- one of the leaders of a gamers' alliance renowned for his diplomatic skill in the multi-player space warfare simulation.
"If you play this stupid game, you may not realize it, but you play in a galaxy created in large part by Vile Rat's talent as a diplomat. No one focused as relentlessly on using diplomacy as a strategic tool as VR," Smith's friend Alex Gianturco wrote in a tribute posted on his website.
Gianturco wrote that Smith had been under fire before, while posted to Baghdad. When that occurred, he usually broke off his messaging. "We'd freak out and he'd come back OK after a bit," Gianturco wrote. But Tuesday night, after reporting "GUNFIRE," Smith "disconnected and never returned," he added.
A few hours earlier, Smith had posted, "assuming we don't die tonight. We saw one of our 'police' that guard the compound taking pictures," he recounted.
The death of Stevens also left many across the United States and in foreign posts around the world reeling.
The U.S. ambassador died in the very city where he had arrived aboard a cargo ship in the spring of 2011 to help build ties between the upstart rebellion and the rebels.
Stevens graduated from the University of California, Berkeley, in 1982, then took a pause in his studies to join the Peace Corps. He later worked as an international trade lawyer in Washington before joining the Foreign Service, the career diplomatic corps, in 1991.
"When he went to Libya, he had no illusions about where he was going," said longtime friend Daniel Seidemann. "He has probably done more than anybody on the planet to help the Libyan people."
On Friday, in a ceremony marking the return of the four victims to the United States, President Barack Obama said that amid all of the horrific images coming out of Benghazi this week, "I also think of the Libyans who took to the streets with homemade signs expressing their gratitude to an American who believed in what we could achieve together.
"I think of the man in Benghazi with his sign in English, a message he wanted all of us to hear. It said, 'Chris Stevens was a friend to all Libyans.' Chris Stevens was a friend."
CNN's Chris Lawrence, Elise Labott, Chuck Johnston, Ben Brumfield and Greg Morrison contributed to this report. | <urn:uuid:4e03f9f1-e35b-4a30-a437-105295e4e1e5> | 2013-05-26T03:09:41Z | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | [
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Question & Answer With Shlomo Katz - "Composing" Niggunim
A Simple Jew asks:
Each night, I put my 16 month-old daughter to sleep and I sing to her a niggun I "composed" which is put to the words of Tehillim 101:2 אַשְׂכִּילָה, בְּדֶרֶךְ תָּמִים מָתַי, תָּבוֹא אֵלָי. As I sit in the rocking chair holding my daughter in my arms, I sing and my daughter attempts to sing this niggun along with me.
Undoubtedly, I must have borrowed a bar from another niggun that was lodged in my memory. My attempts to figure out which niggun this was, however, have been unsuccessful. As someone who composes his own music, at what point can you consider a composition to be your own and not derivative of another piece?
Shlomo Katz responds:
Your question couldn't have come at a more perfect time. Just last week a well known musician who co-hosts a radio show approached me after appearing on his show. He told me he was in the midst of putting together an album in the style of a Shabbos Tisch and wanted to know if he could buy any songs from me. Knowing that this concept of selling songs exists, I found myself at a complete loss for words, not having any clue as to express to him what I felt at the moment. My response was a very confusing one, basically telling him that it's not so much my thing to sell a niggun.
However, I truly feel that a niggun is not something one can sell. You can sell songs, but a niggun, a real niggun is a gift from shamayim which only has one real owner, Hakadosh Baruch Hu.
Having said that, we must always remember that chazal teach us that since Matan Torah there hasn't been any chiddush, meaning to say that all our Chiddushei Torah and niggunim which we 'compose' are (hopefully) a tapping into the one word, ANOCHI. This based on the Ba'al Shem Tov's explanation of David Hamelech saying 'Toras Hashem Temima', Temima meaning complete.
On a totally technical note - When you think a niggun came down to you yet one of it's parts is note for note the same niggun that someon eelse brought down, I would definitely recommend to really daven over it, and only then see if it still shayach to be put out. | <urn:uuid:ff254bd5-d082-4f7f-9637-d9d73fa01dab> | 2013-05-26T02:41:49Z | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | [
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The Gustavus women’s swimming and diving team compiled 114 points to finish in eighth place, while the men’s swimming and diving team scored 23 points and finished 23rd at the 2010 NCAA Swimming and Diving Championships held in the Aquatics Center on the campus of the University of Minnesota on Saturday. The women’s team’s eighth place finish is the best finish at the NCAA Championships in the history of the program.
Skylar Davis had the top Gustavus finish of the NCAA Championships by taking third in the 1650 freestyle with a time of 15:39.12. Skylar became a four-time All-American in the 1650 freestyle, making the podium in the top three for the first time in his four-year career at Gustavus.
Whitaker finished in seventh place in the 1650 freestyle, receving All-American honors in the event and finishing with a time of 15:46.99.
Carley Mosher turned in another top ten performance with a seventh place finish in the 200 backstroke with a time of 2:03.78. Carrie Gundersen placed 13th in the 1650 freestyle with a time of 17:13.07. The women’s 400 free relay team of Mosher, Dajana Vidovic, Jonna Berry, and Carrie Gundersen placed 10th with a time of 3:30.34. The 400 free relay team broke the school record.
Other Gustavus finishes included Vidovic taking 36th (53.05) and Sarah Hund taking 41st (53.40) in the 100 freestyle. Maggie Hansvick also added a 16th place finish in the 200 breaststroke with a time of 2:26.83, while Anika Erickson finished 21st in the same event with a time of 2:24.49. | <urn:uuid:9637f87c-e638-4f2a-a91e-106b6ef1f20c> | 2013-05-26T03:03:04Z | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | [
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Seventh Grade - Practice Vocabulary Word List
A / B / C / D / E / F / G / H / I / J / K / L / M / N / O / P / Q / R / S / T / U / V / W / X / Y / Z
Vocabulary Words - Seventh Grade - E:
1 - 25 (of 26)
(adj.) Honest and polite; serious.
(adj.) Related to the economy.
(adj.) Using time, money, or goods carefully and without wasting any.
(n.) The financial situation in an area.
(n.) A group of plants, animals and their environment that work together as a unit.
(n.) A change that is made on a person or thing.
(adj.) Doing something without wasting time and doing it well.
(adj.) Something that can be stretched.
(n.) Energy carried by wires that you use to provide heat or light or to make machines work.
(v.) To put into another substance.
(v.) To do something to the surface of an object.
(v.) To make something possible.
(n.) A set of books that give information on many topics.
(n.) The area where people or animals live.
(v.) To wish for someone else's talents or possessions.
(adj.) Needed; important.
(v.) To judge how well something or someone works.
(v.) To surpass or go beyond what was expected.
(n.) Something left out of the usual rule.
(n.) A short trip.
(n.) A manager or supervisor.
(adj.) Related to the job of a manager or supervisor.
(n.) A display in public.
(v.) To make a public display.
(v.) To increase.
(v.) To treat someone unfairly to make money.
(n.) When something is made bigger or longer.
We've taken all of the words found in our Practice
Vocabulary Word Lists and created an online vocabulary building game that
anyone can play. We call it
Lemons for Literacy.
This vocabulary building game is meant to be a fun way to improve vocabulary comprehension,
spelling and reading skills, but it is also tool for people to help in the cause
of literacy. As you play, and match vocabulary words with their definitions, Reading
Horizons will donate money and it's award winning reading
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- Created on 06 March 2013
This is why we can’t have nice things. Following in the footsteps of the “Star Wars” Death Star and Secession “We The People” petitions, S.R. of Wilmington, North Carolina has created a petition to make R. Kelly’s “Ignition (Remix) the new National Anthem of the United States.
The petition, posted on WhiteHouse.gov, reads as follows:
- Created on 05 March 2013
(CNN) -- Hugo Chavez, the polarizing president of Venezuela who cast himself as a "21st century socialist" and foe of the United States, died Tuesday, said Vice President Nicolas Maduro.
Chavez, who had long battled cancer, was 58.
Chavez's democratic ascent to the presidency in 1999 ushered in a new era in Venezuelan politics and its international relations.
Once a foiled coup-plotter, the swashbuckling former paratrooper was known for lengthy speeches on everything from the evils of capitalism to the proper way to conserve water while showering. He was the first of a wave of leftist presidents to come to power in Latin America in the last dozen years.
As the most vocal U.S. adversary in the region, he influenced other leaders to take a similar stance.
But the last months of Chavez' life were marked by an uncharacteristic silence as his health condition became "complicated," in the words of his government. Chavez underwent a fourth surgery on December 11 in Cuba, and was not publicly seen again. A handful of pictures released in February were the last images the public had of their president.
Chavez's ministers stubbornly maintained a hopeful message throughout the final weeks, even while admitting that the recently re-elected president was weakened while battling a respiratory infection.
Chavez launched an ambitious plan to remake Venezuela, a major oil producer, into a socialist state in the so-called Bolivarian Revolution, which took its name from Chavez's idol, Simon Bolivar, who won independence for many South American countries in the early 1800s.
"After many readings, debates, discussions, travels around the world, etcetera, I am convinced -- and I believe this conviction will be for the rest of my life -- that the path to a new, better and possible world is not capitalism. The path is socialism," he said on his weekly television program in 2005.
Chavez redirected much of the country's vast oil wealth, which increased dramatically during his tenure, to massive social programs for the country's poor. He expanded the portfolio of the state-owned oil monopoly to include funding for social "missions" worth millions of dollars. That helped pay for programs that seek to eradicate illiteracy, provide affordable food staples and grant access to higher education, among other things.
But Chavez also leaves a legacy of repression against politicians and private media who opposed him.
He concentrated power in the executive branch, turning formerly independent institutions -- such as the judiciary, the electoral authorities and the military -- into partisan loyalists.
Through decrees and a judiciary tilted in the president's favor, many political opponents found themselves barred from running in elections against the ruling party. Even former allies, like Chavez's onetime defense minister, Gen. Raul Baduel, faced accusations that critics called trumped-up corruption charges.
Chavez's government similarly targeted opposition broadcasters, passing laws and decrees that forced at least one major broadcaster and dozens of smaller radio and television stations off the air.
Opponents also have criticized his social programs, calling them unsustainable over the long run and responsible for unintended consequences. Price controls, for instance, drove up inflation, while expropriations of farmland depressed production.
In lengthy, freewheeling speeches, Chavez saved his most acerbic barbs for the "imperialist" United States and its "colonial" allies in the region.
He accused the United States of trying to orchestrate his overthrow, and referred to President George W. Bush as the devil in front of the United Nations General Assembly.
At home, business interests accused him of scaring off investment by abusing the power of expropriation. Venezuela struggled to grow its economy during this period, even as the nation was flush with money from oil, which was at about $17 a barrel when Chavez took office and rose to more than $100 a barrel.
In addition to domestic social programs, the Chavez government pumped money into his foreign policy interests. He invested millions of dollars in oil and cash in countries that were ideologically similar.
Chavez considered former Cuban leader Fidel Castro a mentor, and aligned his country with Iran and other nations opposed to the United States.
Cuba loses a benefactor in Chavez, whose provision of an oil lifeline at below-market prices could be at risk under a new government.
While Chavez admired Castro, he found most inspiration from Bolivar, even renaming the country the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela.
An affable, if sometimes bombastic, man, Chavez had a disarming manner that even his critics could not deny.
Some called his style buffoonish, but he spoke like an ordinary Venezuelan -- not like a bureaucrat -- and voters reacted positively.
Other leftist leaders elected after him, like Bolivia's Evo Morales, Ecuador's Rafael Correa and Nicaragua's Daniel Ortega, followed Chavez's example to varying extents.
Chavez could also be secretive. He was slow to publicly admit that he had cancer, and never shared what type of cancer affected him. The government kept a tight seal on details of the president's treatment and declining health.
The death of the Venezuelan president leaves a sharply polarized country, with no clear successor for his party and an untested opposition. Chavez' passing means new elections will be held, although he had said previously he wanted Maduro to succeed him.
Chavez was born in the plains state of Barinas, in southwest Venezuela, on July 28, 1954, the third of the seven children of two educators.
As a child, he was an altar boy who went on to develop a great love of baseball. Recently, even as questions arose about his health, the media-savvy Chavez sought to reassure the public by playing catch with his foreign minister on state television.
As a young man, he enrolled in the Military Academy of Venezuela, reaching the rank of sub-lieutenant in 1975. He joined the parachute corps of the army and rose through the ranks to become a lieutenant colonel.
His first political steps came when he founded the Revolutionary Bolivarian Movement, or MBR-200, in 1982. A decade later, on February 4, 1992, he led a failed military rebellion against then-President Carlos Andres Perez. He also made his first public appearance in front of the television cameras.
"Compatriots, sadly for now the objectives that we proposed were not achieved in the capital city," he said. "That is to say, we here in Caracas did not succeed in gaining power. You did it very well out there, but now is time to avoid more bloodshed. Now is time to reflect and new situations will come."
Chavez served two years in prison before then-President Rafael Caldera granted him amnesty.
Chavez went on to form a new political party, the Fifth Republic Movement, which carried him to a presidential election victory in 1998. His fiery campaign speeches blamed the traditional parties for corruption and poverty.
Chavez married twice and divorced twice. He had three children with his first wife, Nancy Colmenarez: Rosa Virginia, Maria Gabriela and Hugo Rafael.
Years later, he married Marisabel Rodriguez, with whom he had a fourth daughter, Rosa Ines. He divorced in 2003; Venezuela has had no first lady since then.
Upon taking office, Chavez made rewriting the constitution one of his first orders of business. A July 2000 referendum affirmed the new constitution, which the government printed as a little blue book that Chavez used regularly as a prop during speeches.
In the following years, the charismatic Chavez rattled off a string of electoral victories that made him seem almost invincible.
He won re-election in 2000, survived a recall election in 2004, and won another six-year term in 2006.
Chavez secured another re-election victory in October, describing his win as "a perfect battle, and totally democratic." He vowed to "be a better president every day."
A turning point for Chavez came in April 2002, when a coup briefly removed him from office.
But the interim government couldn't consolidate power, and within 48 hours, with the help of the military, Chavez returned to power.
While short-lived, the coup had a profound effect on Chavez, who took a more accelerated authoritarian and leftist turn afterward.
Human Rights Watch wrote in 2010 that the coup provided a pretext for policies that undercut human rights.
"Discrimination on political grounds has been a defining feature of the Chavez presidency," the report concluded.
"At times, the president himself has openly endorsed acts of discrimination. More generally, he has encouraged his subordinates to engage in discrimination by routinely denouncing his critics as anti-democratic conspirators and coup-mongers -- regardless of whether or not they had any connection to the 2002 coup," the report said.
Consolidation of power in the presidency -- to the detriment of separation of powers -- became a theme in Chavez's policies.
Another challenge to Chavez's rule followed the coup. From December 2002 to February 2003, a crippling general strike pressured the president. The economy took a hit, but Chavez outlasted the strikers.
The following year, in 2004, the opposition gathered enough signatures to hold a recall referendum on Chavez, but again, the president survived.
Chavez's vitriol toward the United States also increased in the period after the brief coup because Washington had tacitly approved it.
In one of his most memorable insults, Chavez said of Bush in 2006 before the U.N. General Assembly:
"The devil came here yesterday. And it smells of sulfur still today."
In 2007, Chavez tasted defeat for the first time, in a referendum seeking approval for constitutional reforms that would have deepened his socialist policies. Nonetheless, thanks to a National Assembly friendly to him, Chavez achieved some of his goals, including indefinite re-election.
That same year, Chavez created a new political party, the United Socialist Party of Venezuela, which merged his party with several other leftist parties.
His detractors accused him of being authoritarian, populist and even dictatorial for having pushed through a constitutional reform that allowed indefinite re-election.
Increasingly, Chavez used legislation to clamp down on broadcasters and other media. His government relentlessly went after opposition broadcaster Globovision, accusing it of a number of violations, from failure to pay taxes to disregarding a media responsibility law.
The broadcaster is the last remaining TV network that carries an anti-Chavez line, since the president refused to renew the license of another opposition station, RCTV, allegedly over telecommunication regulation violations. The station had to go off public airwaves and transmit solely on cable.
Abroad, Chavez was also known for his colorful -- if sometimes strange -- statements.
Last year, after several Latin American leaders were diagnosed with cancer, himself included, he wondered if the United States was behind it.
"Would it be strange if (the United States) had developed a technology to induce cancer, and for no one to know it?" he asked.
During a water shortage that Venezuela suffered in 2009, he took to the airwaves to encourage Venezuelans to take showers that lasted only three minutes.
At a summit in 2007, his repeated attempts to interrupt resulted in King Juan Carlos of Spain saying to him, "Why don't you shut up?"
Chavez was a believer that the days of the "Washington consensus," a model of economic reforms favored by the United States for developing countries, were over.
Along with Cuba, Ecuador, Bolivia, Nicaragua and some Caribbean countries, Chavez formed the Bolivarian Alliance for the Peoples of Our America, or ALBA, a group intended to offer an alternative to U.S. influence in the region.
As president, Chavez made clear his ambitions of being a regional and international leader who left, in his own way, changes that awakened passions and feelings in favor and against -- everything except indifference.
CNN's Mariano Castillo reported from Atlanta and journalist Osmary Hernandez reported from Caracas. CNN's Catherine E. Shoichet contributed to this report.
- Created on 04 March 2013
Speaking with “Fox News Sunday” host Chris Wallace, former Massachusetts governor and presidential candidate, Mitt Romney, said that it “kills him” that he didn’t defeat President Barack Obama in the 2012 election, reports Salon.com.
“It kills me not to be there, not to be in the White House,” Romney said dejectedly.
His wife, Ann, who sat next to
- Created on 05 March 2013
(CNN) -- Vote counting began in Nairobi, Kenya, Monday after largely peaceful elections in which millions of voters stood in line to choose their next president in a tightly contested general election.
The Elections Commission said some of the nation's 30,000 polling stations would remain open late to accommodate those still in line and to make up for having opened late.
"Definitely, there is going to be some hiccups here and there, but I think, when you assess the whole, then we think the work, so far, is very good," said Abdullahi Sharawi, a commisssioner of Kenya's Independent Electoral and Boundaries Commission. "I think all Kenya, it looks like they have faith in the system, in the new constitution."
Though some people waited in the sun for more than eight hours to cast their ballots, there was "no reporting at all" of intimidation, said John Stremlau, the Carter Center vice president for peace programs. The center, at the invitation of Kenyan authorities, placed 60 observers in all 47 counties.
In Nairobi, some lines stretched for more than a kilometer (0.6 miles), he said.
But the observers' initial reports were "universally complimentary to the citizens of this nation in showing their determination to have their votes counted," Stremlau said.
Those glitches that did occur appeared related to a new system of computer-based biometric identification of voters, he said. "Sometimes a couple of computers would get kind of out of whack and would slow the process down," he said.
Residents were eager to avoid a repeat of the last election, in December 2007, when the nation plunged into ethnic violence after results were disputed. Some 1,200 people were killed and 600,000 displaced.
"There have been so many steps and safeguards put into the system so far to prevent that kind of cataclysmic event that we're kind of encouraged that that is not going to happen," said Stremlau. Carter Center observers were not in the country during the 2007 vote.
Hours before the polls opened, a group of heavily armed men attacked a police post in the port city of Mombasa, killing at least 10 people, including two police officers, officials said.
David Kimaiyo, inspector general of Kenyan police, said a group of men approached police officers manning a post between 9 p.m. and 10 p.m. and refused to comply with orders to stop. Police fired on the men, who fled into a nearby slum, he said.
When police called for backup, about 200 men ambushed them on a road, Kimaiyo said.
Prime Minister Raila Odinga blamed the attack on the Mombasa Republican Council, a separatist group that wants Mombasa, the second-largest city in Kenya, and its surrounding coastal area to secede.
Stremlau said the violence may have been unrelated to the election.
Party agents representing the two main coalitions contesting the elections will let observers and everyone else know if they have concerns about the violence being linked to the election, Stremlau said. "They can be adjudicated by the courts, as needed," he said.
Elsewhere, ETV correspondent Soni Methu told CNN that her crew came across the bodies of five people at a polling station in the coastal town of Kilifi. Two of the bodies were wearing police uniforms; one had on a Kenya Wildlife Service uniform, Methu told CNN.
In Mandera -- near the border with Somalia and Ethiopia -- witnesses said bombs exploded at two polling stations. Red Cross Mandera Coordinator Abdi Ahmed said three people were slightly wounded.
And in the Kenyan town of Kitengela, south of Nairobi, at least 20 people were hospitalized after a stampede at a polling station, CNN affiliate NTV reported.
But voting in the rest of the country was largely peaceful. "We want a leader who would be mindful of people who are living below the poverty line," one enthusiastic young man told CNN as he waited for his turn to vote. "You see, the majority of Kenyan people live below the poverty line, so we want a leader who will be mindful of these people."
The stakes are high. After the 2007 election, the government boosted security and set up an ambitious new constitution, making this election one of the nation's most complicated polls since the country gained independence from Britain in 1963.
Eight contenders are vying for the presidency, including front-runners Odinga, the prime minister; and his deputy, Uhuru Kenyatta.
Polls show a tight race, raising the possibility of a second round of voting. Kenya's constitution calls for a runoff within a month of the results if no candidate gets more than half of the vote.
After the last election, the nation also revamped various political systems, including the constitution, the electoral process and the judicial system. The new system aims to empower citizens and local governments, thereby ensuring a peaceful election.
"It is one thing to change the constitution, but we have to change our underlying issues of ethnic sentiments that have dated years," said Mark Kamau, who lives in the capital, Nairobi.
After the last election, Odinga disputed results that declared the winner to have been the incumbent president, Mwai Kibaki. Odinga alleged the election had been rigged.
Protesters took to the streets, where supporters of both camps fought one another. More than 1,200 people were killed and hundreds of thousands displaced -- the worst violence since the nation gained independence.
Optimistic, but prepared
Leading up to this election, the candidates declared they would settle any election disputes in court.
Candidates have implored their supporters to avoid bloodshed, no matter the vote's outcome.
But some citizens remained wary.
"I don't know what possessed people last time," Kamau said of the violence. "I hope there will be no violence. I'm waiting for Kenya to restore my faith this time."
But as he waits, he is prepared. His refrigerator is stocked and his car is filled with fuel.
"Just in case," he said. "You never know."
'My main issue'
The economy, security and the fight against corruption, which is rampant in the country, are among voters' top concerns in the election.
The election also poses a challenge: Kenyatta has been indicted by the International Criminal Court for allegedly inciting a local militia to conduct reprisal attacks in the last election. He has denied the charges.
His running mate, William Ruto, also faces ICC charges.
Though Kenyatta nevertheless enjoys widespread popularity, some voters expressed fear that the international community will isolate the nation if a candidate facing ICC charges is elected.
Dominic Muia, 35, was in line at 5 a.m. to cast his ballot in the town of Nakuru.
"My main issue is the economy," he said. "I'm voting for Uhuru (Kenyatta) because he is younger and has a better vision to move the country forward."
At 51, Kenyatta would be the youngest Kenyan president ever. Odinga is 68.
'Things an average citizen worries about'
Harrison Mario, 37, said his vote is based on issues and policies, and will go to Odinga.
"Basically, he has been fighting inequality." he said. "He has been campaigning for the less fortunate. His manifesto focuses on security, education and food -- things an average citizen worries about."
Both leaders are campaigning on almost the same policies, leaving the more than 14 million registered voters to choose based on criteria that include personality, ethnicity and links to political parties.
"I don't know that much about their differences, so I'm voting for the candidate of my favorite political party," said Susan Kamau, who lives in Nairobi. "In short, I'm voting on loyalty to my party, not issues."
In addition to the presidential race, the nation will also pick governors, senators and a slew of other local candidates under the new constitution.
Whoever wins, the race evokes memories of a political dynasty.
Kenyatta's father was the nation's founding president, while Odinga's father was his vice president in the 1960s.
Both started out as allies in the fight for independence from Britain, but they had a falling out that led Jomo Kenyatta, a member of the Kikuyu tribe, to force out Jaramogi Odinga, a Luo tribe member, as his vice president.
Their history has strained relations for decades between Kikuyus and Luos.
Nima Elbagir and Lillian Leposo reported from Nairobi, Nic Robertson reported from Mombasa, Faith Karimi reported and wrote from Atlanta.
- Created on 02 March 2013
From the newest star of Bravo's hit show "The Real Housewives of Atlanta," Kenya Moore, a former Miss USA, comes the secret for looking fit and fine, the "Kenya Moore: Booty Boot Camp" DVD debuts on March 5.
A triple threat with beauty, brains and talent, Moore with instructor Nikki Veal, offers three 20-minute workouts to sculpt the lower body, shrink the waistline, flatten and define abs, and, most importantly, lift and firm the backside.
"I've had a passion for fitness since I was 12 years old, while working out to an aerobics television show several times a week. Since then, fitness and staying active have been a huge part of my life," says Moore.
"Whether I was competing in Miss USA or trying out for a new acting role, it's always been important to me to look and feel good and staying red carpet ready. I'm excited to share my fitness plan with the 'Booty Boot Camp' workout, so that everyone can be Gone With The Wind Fabulous!"
Since joining this season, Kenya quickly became the newest breakout star of Bravo's "The Real Housewives of Atlanta." The series averages nearly 4 million viewers each week and is a top-rated cable show in its Sunday time slot. Season five marks Kenya's debut as a cast member, and it is also the most-watched season in the show's history thus far. (Source: Nielsen Media Research, L7 data through 2/03/13.)
Moore's monikers include actress, author, producer, director, singer, and CEO of her own production company, Moore Vision Media, which also produces her "Booty Boot Camp" video.
The popular actress has starred in more than 14 movies, including the blockbuster "Waiting to Exhale," and over 20 television shows. She's the author of Game, Get Some, published in 2007, and her second book, Invisible, will be coming out later this year. Moore also released her hit single, "Gone With The Wind Fabulous" debuting at #30 on the iTunes charts. For more information on Moore, visit kenyamoore.com and follow her on Twitter @KenyaMoore. | <urn:uuid:8addec19-7399-46ab-adeb-6bcbdc3522dd> | 2013-05-26T03:10:29Z | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | [
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For the first time ever, scientists have mapped out the underground reservoirs of water throughout Africa and found that the northern part of the continent has the most groundwater stored.
Contrary to the common notions, beneath Africa's vast desert landscapes there exists about 0.66 million km3 of groundwater, a hundred times more than can be found on the surface and twenty times more than in Africa's lakes.
Researchers from the British Geological Survey (BGS) and University College-London mapped out the groundwater reservoirs, also known as aquifers, by cross-referencing a geological base map of the African continent with previously published maps of the African continent's aquifers, in addition to conducting studies of 283 African aquifers.
The results were the first "quantitative groundwater maps for Africa."
As the climate became drier, transforming the Sahara into a desert, water was trapped underneath the surface in these aquifers more than 5,000 years ago.
In Africa, more than 300 million people do not have access to safe drinking water. The discovery of these reservoirs offer hope for the continent, provided that the water resources are not exhausted by recurrent droughts.
"Much lower storage aquifers are present across much of sub-Saharan Africa. However, our work shows that with careful exploring and construction, there is sufficient groundwater under Africa to support low-yielding water supplies for drinking and community irrigation," Helen Bonsor, co-author of the BGS report, told the BBC.
However, these underground acquifers have not been replenished for an estimated 5,000 years due to the lack of rain, meaning that the stored groundwater is of limited supply. This fact has raised debate over how to best extract the water for drinking purposes.
Generally, groundwater is accessed by drilling boreholes, deep and narrow holes.
However, caution must be exercised given the limited supply. Wide developments of boreholes could actually deplete the aquifers.
"It is not as simple as drilling big bore-holes and seeing rice fields spring up everywhere. In some places it could be economically and technically feasible to use groundwater to reduce crop loss, but I would question whether that is true everywhere. It will need detailed evaluation," Dr Stephen Foster, a London-based senior adviser for aid group Global Water Partnership told Reuters.
In addition the yield of boreholes, as in how much water is delivered from pumping, might not be enough for large-scale irrigation.
The uneven groundwater distribution is another cause for debate and potentially violent conflict between African countries as they become more desperate for water.
The discovery of groundwater under the notoriously dry continent Africa could dramatically affect its population, but practical access and extraction of the water could further delay the thirst relief.
To contact the editor, e-mail: | <urn:uuid:810aa6f4-66af-4193-8a69-d6bae46caad2> | 2013-05-26T02:43:10Z | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | [
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An NFL fan fell to his death while attending a Houston Texans preseason game on Thursday. The 25-year-old fan fell an estimated 60 feet off an escalator at Reliant Stadium in Houston. The death is being considered accidental.
A view of the field at Houston's Reliant Stadium, where a 25-year-old NFL fan fell to his death on Thursday night.
The fan fell to his death after a game between the Texans and the Minnesota Vikings, according to the Associated Press.
The man was identified as Jonathan Kelly by the Harris County Institute of Forensic Sciences, the Houston Chronicle reported.
A Houston police representative, John Cannon, could not verify the circumstances of the fall, as they are still under investigation.
"[The victim] was transported to Memorial Hermann Hospital after we had had some fans get the attention of some Houston police officers who were nearby where the body fell," Cannon said.
According to the Houston Medical Examiner's Office, the fan survived the initial fall, but ultimately died in a emergency room at the hospital.
It is likely the operators of Reliant Stadium will take measures to ensure that no more fans can fall from a dangerous height at the arena.
When Shannon Stone fell 20 feet onto concrete from the left field stands at Rangers Ballpark in Arlington, Texas, last year, the ballpark erected railings across the field. The stadium's operators also commissioned a statue of Stone and his 9-year-old son Cooper in front of the home-plate gate at the park.
To contact the editor, e-mail: | <urn:uuid:f8098648-6cde-4361-9f61-f180e7be4b1b> | 2013-05-26T02:36:29Z | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | [
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To add speed, add lightness.
These wise words are attributed to the legendary English motoring magician, Colin Chapman. For the uninitiated, Chapman founded the famous sports car company, Lotus, and before his death in 1982, led it to seven Constructors' Titles, six Drivers' Championships, a little ol' race in Indianapolis, , and production of many classic sports cars for lucky owners around the world. While his influence and credentials are truly gold standard, it is his engineering theory as noted in the title above that continues to win the hearts of true automotive enthusiasts around the world. And just to make sure we all understood, he also said: "More power makes it fast on the straight, less weight makes it fast everywhere." | <urn:uuid:dbafa292-8977-4f33-87dd-2440e65b1818> | 2013-05-26T02:35:41Z | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | [
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The captured agent was an ordinarily tough Dai Li agent who was captured by Iroh during the coup d'état in Ba Sing Se. He was taken to Team Avatar's home, where he revealed Katara's location of imprisonment, which was down in the Crystal Catacombs of Old Ba Sing Se. An identifiable trait of his was a medium-sized scar going from his right lower eye-socket toward the bottom of his right cheek.
When PrincessAzula proved true to her word on her taking charge of command of the Dai Li, she gathered the agents to organize them for the planned coup. While stating the consequences of any disloyalty or dishonesty, he was the only agent looking slightly bewildered at her statement.
He was later captured by Iroh, who was trying to get information in hopes of learning where Azula was holding Prince Zuko captive. He bound and gagged the agent and stripped him of his earth gloves and shoes, rendering him helpless. Iroh dragged him outside of Team Avatar's house in the Upper Ring, where Toph wedged him between two earth slabs, forcing him to stand. As soon as Iroh removed the gag, the agent revealed Azula and Long Feng's plan to overthrow the Earth King. Upon Sokka's demand to know where Katara was being kept, he told them that she was being held captive in the Crystal Catacombs of Old Ba Sing Se, deep beneath the Earth Kingdom Royal Palace. Iroh, Aang, Sokka, and Toph promptly left to help their loved ones, leaving the agent still bound by ropes and trapped by Toph's earthbending on the porch of the house.
The way that he was restrained by Toph in this episode was very similar to the way that she trapped one of Azula's Dai Li agents: by removing his rock gloves and squishing him within the space of a steel support beam, rendering him unable to bend. | <urn:uuid:69ec1086-11e4-40b1-b281-5bbc972041cf> | 2013-05-26T02:41:54Z | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | [
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The story of the relationship between Sigmund Freud and his American nephew, Edward Bernays. Bernays invented the public relations profession in the 1920s and was the first person to take Freud's ideas and use them to manipulate the masses. He showed American corporations how they could make people want things they didn't need by systematically linking mass-produced goods to their unconscious desires.
Bernays was one of the main architects of the modern techniques of mass-consumer persuasion, using every trick in the book, from celebrity endorsement and outrageous PR stunts, to eroticising the motorcar.
His most notorious coup was breaking the taboo on women smoking by persuading them that cigarettes were a symbol of independence and freedom. But Bernays was convinced that this was more than just a way of selling consumer goods. It was a new political idea of how to control the masses. By satisfying the inner irrational desires that his uncle had identified, people could be made happy and thus docile.It was the start of the all-consuming self which has come to dominate today's world.
The programme explores how those in power in post-war America used Freud's ideas about the unconscious mind to try and control the masses.
Politicians and planners came to believe Freud's underlying premise - that deep within all human beings were dangerous and irrational desires and fears. They were convinced that it was the unleashing of these instincts that had led to the barbarism of Nazi Germany. To stop it ever happening again they set out to find ways to control this hidden enemy within the human mind.
Sigmund Freud's daughter, Anna, and his nephew, Edward Bernays, provided the centrepiece philosophy. The US government, big business, and the CIA used their ideas to develop techniques to manage and control the minds of the American people. But this was not a cynical exercise in manipulation. Those in power believed that the only way to make democracy work and create a stable society was to repress the savage barbarism that lurked just under the surface of normal American life.
In the 1960s, a radical group of psychotherapists challenged the influence of Freudian ideas in America. They were inspired by the ideas of Wilhelm Reich, a pupil of Freud's, who had turned against him and was hated by the Freud family. He believed that the inner self did not need to be repressed and controlled. It should be encouraged to express itself.
Out of this came a political movement that sought to create new beings free of the psychological conformity that had been implanted in people's minds by business and politics.
This programme shows how this rapidly developed in America through self-help movements like Werber Erhard's Erhard Seminar Training - into the irresistible rise of the expressive self: the Me Generation.
But the American corporations soon realised that this new self was not a threat but their greatest opportunity. It was in their interest to encourage people to feel they were unique individuals and then sell them ways to express that individuality. To do this they turned to techniques developed by Freudian psychoanalysts to read the inner desires of the new self.
This episode explains how politicians on the left, in both Britain and America, turned to the techniques developed by business to read and fulfil the inner desires of the self.
Both New Labour, under Tony Blair, and the Democrats, led by Bill Clinton, used the focus group, which had been invented by psychoanalysts, in order to regain power. They set out to mould their policies to people's inner desires and feelings, just as capitalism had learnt to do with products.
Out of this grew a new culture of public relations and marketing in politics, business and journalism. One of its stars in Britain was Matthew Freud who followed in the footsteps of his relation, Edward Bernays, the inventor of public relations in the 1920s.
The politicians believed they were creating a new and better form of democracy, one that truly responded to the inner feelings of individual. But what they didn't realise was that the aim of those who had originally created these techniques had not been to liberate the people but to develop a new way of controlling them.
The purpose of the second part of this book is to show various aspects of political and non-political strategy used to change the feelings and thoughts of the masses, starting with simple advertising and propaganda, then surveying psychological warfare and actual cold war, and going on to examine the means used for internal streamlining of man's thoughts and behavior. Part Two ends with an intricate exmination of how one of the tools of emotional fascination and attack -- the weapon of fear -- is used and what reactions it arouses in men.
The ordinary, law-abiding citizen of Totalitaria, far from being a hero, is potentially guilty of hundreds of crimes. He is a criminal if he is stubborn in defense of his own point of view. He is a criminal if he refuses to become confused. He is a criminal if he does not loudly and vigorously participate in all official acts; reserve, silence, and ideological withdrawal are treasonable. He is a criminal if he doesn't LOOK happy, for then he is guilty of what the Nazis called physiognomic insubordination. He can be a criminal by association or disassociation, by scapegoatism, or by projection, by intention or by anticipation. He is a criminal if he refuses to become an informer. He can be tried and found guilty by every conceivable "ism" -- cosmopolitanism, provincialism; deviationalism, mechanism; imperialism, nationalism; pacifism, militarism; objectivism, subjectivism; chavinism, equalitarianism; practicalism, idealism. He is guilty every time he IS something.
The only safe conduct pass for the citizen of Totalitaria lies in the complete abdication of his mental integrity. | <urn:uuid:bd1a0564-efbb-4449-bb6a-f324168f30d6> | 2013-05-26T02:49:53Z | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | [
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If you and your partner want to coordinate your Halloween costumes, here are some ideas:
Decide if you want to be dressed up as the same thing, such as a pair of dice; as opposites, such as a cat and mouse; as complimentary objects, such as salt and pepper; or as a famous couple, such as Mickey and Minnie Mouse.
Look through your closet to find old work, school, or sports uniforms that can be turned into Halloween costumes for couples. Some ideas include flight attendant and pilot, football star and cheerleader, nun and priest, Indian chief and princess, king and queen, photographer and model, lawyers, doctors, graduates, farmers, and ninjas.
Search your house for paired item costume ideas, like toothpaste and a toothbrush, a cereal box and milk carton, or a pillow and blanket.
Try the animal kingdom for good opposites: a wolf and lamb or bird and worm. Other ideas for opposites are angel and devil, rich person and poor person, Beauty and the Beast, mother and baby, or person and pet.
If you are new parents, include your baby in the costume. Some ideas are Fred, Wilma, and Pebbles Flintstone (or Barney, Betty, and Bam Bam Rubble); the Three Bears, Blind Mice, or Pigs (or any animals); Alvin and the Chipmunks; or Huey, Dewey, and Louie. Easier options are to be doctors with a newborn baby or farmers with a vegetable or animal. Search baby costumes for more ideas.
Be creative and have fun! Wear a different Halloween costume for every party you go to. To save money, share costumes with other couples. | <urn:uuid:ef1e08c9-7e3f-469a-851c-d96b23d44a70> | 2013-05-26T02:48:39Z | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | [
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Anonymous asked: Who ever thinks you owe them everything are full of shit. I hate that they think they're better than you. Good luck to your sister in raising her baby. I hope she has a good experience and enjoys being a mother.
I don’t interpret it as them thinking they’re better, I interpret it more as them thinking I don’t really count as a real live person and exist for their continued entertainment. :-P | <urn:uuid:f7f3d884-87f1-4106-8650-37b575b467f0> | 2013-05-26T03:09:36Z | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | [
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Reynoldsburg School District Levy Addition (May 2010)
This measure was approved
- YES 5,816 (55%)
- NO 4,759 (45%)
This measure sought to add a levy of $.99 per $100 of assessed property value to help pay for the current operational expenses of the school district. Although this measure was approved, the school district is still expected to be short $3 million and will have to find further ways to cut back. | <urn:uuid:1f91a3fe-febc-44f8-a566-2a574709005a> | 2013-05-26T02:48:48Z | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | [
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I have a horrible ear for music. I would like to train my ears to hear and pick out the beats to songs better. I can hear the rhythm of the beats, but I can't pick out the "one" beat. That makes it pretty hard to count the rest of the beats. Does someone know of any software or classes or what-knot that can help me to better hear and discern the beats?
There is a recording named "Rhythm Music," by Helmut Licht, that has tracks with the rhythms for 10 dances. Each track starts with a minute or so of nothing but the rhythm, followed by another minute with a simple melody added. Something like that may help you.
rgswoohoo. Try listening to none vocal disks. A singer on a disk can be an hindrance They often sing off the beats especially in a Waltz. I would put a disk on and tap my foot on every first beat. With if possible somebody who can tell me if I am on the correct beat. | <urn:uuid:fe0abfd3-8aa3-4abf-a464-b2bd16fc9c6f> | 2013-05-26T03:09:28Z | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | [
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Each spot on your roster (not each player) allows for a maximum
number of games played.
This table shows you how many of each you have used, how many you have
remaining, your projected pace and the maximum allowed.
Once you exceed the maximum, you will no longer accumulate stats for the | <urn:uuid:6d39b922-cba8-4092-8822-c0d16b025324> | 2013-05-26T02:55:43Z | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | [
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If you are going to make changes in your life then you need to change your lifestyle and daily routines. Do you feel like you wakeup and do the same thing everyday? Does your day start off being motivated but goes downhill from there?
If you are asking yourself these questions on a regular basis then you need to make some changes. First, you need to surround yourself with positive and self motivated people. This economy will bring out the naysayers and they will try to bring you down with negativity. When you happen to see these people (and you know who they are) say something positive and quickly separate yourself from them. Start looking for the friend, co-worker, church member that is always positive and spend some quality time with them understanding their lifestyle.
A very important aspect to your well-being is your health. Are you eating a healthy diet? Are you getting enough exercise and good quality sleep? What are the consequences if you DON’T change? Not everyone is in the best health or physical shape they are capable of achieving. If not and you are slightly dissatisfied with your weight or your physical abilities you can set goals to exercise more and be specific about it or to eat healthier and set specific ways you can achieve these goals. Also you must set a timeline for goal accomplishment.
So take some time out of your day to really think about the changes you would like to make in your life. Make it very clear about what you want your future to hold for you. Does it relate to finances, more freedom, travel, job, business or career situation. As you do this exercise really think about stepping outside your own limitations you have set for yourself, step outside your comfort zone.
~ If you are not happy in your life and don’t make changes be certain that happiness will not be part of your day~ | <urn:uuid:f17cd353-0774-4c15-b433-e61bc498372b> | 2013-05-26T03:09:24Z | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | [
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1. In those days again, when there was a great mass of people and they had no food, he made his disciples come to him and said to them,
2. I have pity for these people because they have been with me now three days, and have no food;
3. If I send them away to their houses with no food, they will be overcome by weariness on the way; and some of them have come from far.
4. And his disciples said in answer, How will it be possible to get enough bread for these men here in a waste place?
5. And he put the question, How much bread have you? And they said, Seven cakes.
6. And he made the people be seated on the earth: and he took the seven cakes and, having given praise, he gave the broken bread to his disciples to put before them; and they put it before the people.
7. And they had some small fishes; and blessing them he had them put before the people in the same way.
8. And they took the food, and had enough; and they took up seven baskets full of the broken bits.
9. And there were about four thousand people: and he sent them away.
10. And he got into the boat with his disciples straight away, and came into the country of Dalmanutha.
11. And the Pharisees came out and put questions to him, requesting from him a sign from heaven, testing him.
12. And he was very sad in spirit, and said, Why is this generation looking for a sign? truly, I say to you, No sign will be given to this generation.
13. And he went away from them, and again got into the boat and went across to the other side.
14. And they had taken no thought to get bread; and they had only one cake of bread with them in the boat.
15. And he said to them, Take care to be on the watch against the leaven of the Pharisees and the leaven of Herod.
16. And they said to one another, We have no bread.
17. And Jesus, hearing it, said to them, Why are you reasoning among yourselves because you have no bread? do you still not see, and is it still not clear to you? are your hearts so hard?
18. Having eyes, do you not see? and having ears, have you no hearing? and have you no memory?
19. When I made a division of the five cakes of bread among the five thousand, what number of baskets full of broken bits did you take up? They said to him, Twelve.
20. And when the seven among the four thousand, what number of baskets full of broken bits did you take up? And they said to him, Seven.
21. And he said to them, Is it still not clear to you?
22. And they came to Beth-saida. And they took a blind man to him, requesting him to put his hands on him.
23. And he took the blind man by the hand, and went with him out of the town; and when he had put water from his mouth on his eyes, and put his hands on him, he said, Do you see anything?
24. And looking up, he said, I see men; I see them like trees, walking.
25. Then again he put his hands on his eyes; and looking hard, he was able to see, and saw all things clearly.
26. And he sent him away to his house, saying, Do not even go into the town.
27. And Jesus went out, with his disciples, into the little towns round Caesarea Philippi; and on the way he put a question to his disciples, saying, Who do men say that I am?
28. And they made answer, John the Baptist; and others, Elijah; but others, One of the prophets.
29. And he said to them, But who do you say I am? Peter said in answer, You are the Christ.
30. And he put them under orders not to say this of him to anyone.
31. And teaching them, he said that the Son of man would have to undergo much, and be hated by those in authority, and the chief priests, and the scribes, and be put to death, and after three days come back from the dead.
32. And he said this openly. And Peter took him, and was protesting.
33. But he, turning about, and seeing his disciples, said sharply to Peter, Get out of my way, Satan: for your mind is not on the things of God, but on the things of men.
34. And turning to the mass of people with his disciples, he said to them, If any man has the desire to come after me, let him give up all other desires, and take up his cross and come after me.
35. Whoever has a desire to keep his life, will have it taken from him; and whoever gives up his life because of me and the good news, will keep it.
36. What profit has a man if he gets all the world with the loss of his life?
37. And what would a man give in exchange for his life?
38. Whoever has a feeling of shame because of me and my words in this false and evil generation, the Son of man will have a feeling of shame because of him, when he comes in the glory of his Father with the holy angels.
Comente sobre este trecho da bíblia
Você está lendo Marcos na edição BBE, Basic English, em Inglês.
Este lívro compôe o Novo Testamento, tem 16 capítulos, e 678 versículos. | <urn:uuid:7940d87b-3c55-4983-98c9-aaf7c881a9ad> | 2013-05-26T02:34:21Z | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | [
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My attempt: I'm not sure this is right but this is what i did. I found the allele frequencies to be:
A=0.4 B-0.3 a=0.1 b=0.2
I think to find Dmax I just multiply the two alleles with the larges frequencies so it would be .4 * .3 = 0.12 (correct answers are in red). This method gives 0.12, but I'm not sure that's how the problem is done. (I can do the other parts). | <urn:uuid:1ab7b8af-1d86-476a-9f45-9df56104d086> | 2013-05-26T02:47:50Z | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | [
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A Parable on Mothering
Good Housekeeping, 1933
The young mother set her foot on the path of life.
"Is the way long?" she asked.
And her Guide said: "Yes. And the way is hard. And you will be old before you reach the end of it. But the end will be better than the beginning."
But the young Mother was happy, and she would not believe that anything could be better than these years. So she played with her children, and gathered flowers for them along the way, and bathed with them in the clear streams; and the sun shone on them and life was good, and the young Mother cried, "Nothing will ever be lovelier than this."
Then night came, and storm, and the path was dark, and the children shook with fear and cold, and the Mother drew them close and covered them with her mantle, and the children said, "Oh Mother, we are not afraid, for you are near, and no harm can come," and the Mother said, "This is better than the brightness of day, for I have taught my children courage."
And the morning came, and there was a hill ahead, and the children climbed and grew weary, and the Mother was weary, but at all times she said to the children, "A little patience and we are there." So the children, climbed, and when they reached the top, they said, "We could not have done it without you, Mother." And the Mother, when she lay down that night, looked at the stars and said: "This is a better day than the last, for my children have learned fortitude in the face of hardness. Yesterday I gave them courage. Today I have given them strength."
And the next day came strange clouds which darkened the earth--clouds of war and hate and evil, and the children groped and stumbled, and the Mother said: "Look up. Lift your eyes to the Light." And the children looked and saw above the clouds an Everlasting Glory, and it guided them and brought them beyond the Darkness. And that night the Mother said, "This is the best day of all, for I have shown my children God." And the days went on, and the weeks and the months and the years, and the Mother grew old, and she was little and bent. But her children were tall and strong, and walked with courage. And when the way was hard, they helped their Mother, and when the way was rough, they lifted her, for she was as light as a feather; and at last they came to a hill, and beyond the hill they could see a shining road and a golden gate flung wide.
And the Mother said: "I have reached the end of my journey. And now I know that the end is better than the beginning, for my children can walk alone, and their children after them."
And the children said, "You will walk with us, Mother, even when you have gone through the gates."
And they stood and watched her as she went on alone, and the gates closed after her. And they said: "We cannot see her, but she is with us still. A Mother like ours is more than a memory. She is a living presence. | <urn:uuid:d3f61be4-c623-415c-9f33-027a752d4fc4> | 2013-05-26T03:02:55Z | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | [
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Saturday June 30, 2012
Up close and personal with Abdul Hamid Bhat
By JOHN LOH
Abdul Hamid Bhat is one of those rare people who can talk about saving the world with a straight face.
The Kashmir native speaks with a certain navet with words that might evoke anything between a wince and a smile, but this mechanic-turned-millionaire is no daydreamer.
Maybe his humble roots have something to do with it. At 16, he was a dropout, flunking his high school diploma in the 10th grade.
Abdul Hamid, who prefers to go by the name Rahim in honour of his father, was then jobless for two years.
Coming from a family that lived off the land, Rahim's prospects were not bright and he took up a job as a scooter mechanic.
Nonetheless, ambition throbbed in his veins, and in 1996, he asked to use a portion of his father's farmland in the outskirts of Srinagar, Kashmiri's capital, and for some seed capital to open a repair shop.
Though reluctant at first, his father eventually consented and gave him 25,000 rupees (US$450), with which Rahim set up a simple tin shed and hired two workers.
The business was named Rahim Motors after Abdul Rahim, his father.
“I didn't want to sleep while my father was working,” he says, adding the company bore the Rahim name because “I love my parents, that's why their blessing is with me”.
The Maruti connection
The very next year, he approached Maruti Suzuki, India's largest automaker and a subsidiary of Suzuki Motor Corp, to be appointed as one of its service centres.
Rahim describes simply that he worked with “hard work, dedication, passion, and honesty”, which was what led the business to quickly receive multiple accolades.
He won 10 awards over five consecutive years for, among others, his quality of service, and was promoted thrice from category C to A within a short time.
The icing on the cake was when he achieved the distinction of Maruti Service Master, becoming the first in the Kashmir and Jammu states to do so. A collaboration with Mahindra & Mahindra, another prominent automobile manufacturer in India, soon followed.
The company today makes US$4.5mil a year in revenue, and has 250 people on its payroll and four workshops in Srinagar.
His service centre is no ordinary workshop either as customers waiting for their vehicles can pass the time at its well-stocked library.
Rahim has two other units, Rahim Automobiles and Rahim Engineering Works, at other sites.
Heart for social work
With a thriving business in hand, Rahim could very well have left it at that if not for his yearning to give back.
Calling it the “common man's social responsiblity”, Rahim says: “Every man is responsible for the society. It is not just an environmental issue.”
To this end, he founded Rahim Greens, the group's corporate social responsibility (CSR) arm, some years ago.
About 25% of the company's annual profit is channelled to various initiatives carried out by Rahim Greens.
Rahim even decided to divert the money used to pay for the calendars and diaries the company made as advertising material towards CSR.
One of the first things he did was to help maintain the trees planted by the Government along the roads.
“Then I decided to plant the trees myself. One diary can make 10 trees,” he reasons, “so I stopped making diaries.”
“In 2009, I began with 6,000 trees, then 20,000 in 2010. In March this year we have planted a total of 57,600 pine trees.”
And why pine trees? Because they are the cultural tree and identity of Kashmir, he enthuses. “It is a tourist place, people say Kashmir is paradise on earth.”
“This year I will plant trees in deforested areas. I can create the forest again,” he continues.
Just before this interview, Rahim was locked in conversation with Datuk Paul Low, president of Transparency International Malaysia, on the rampant problem of illegal logging in his country.
“I told him I am concerned about the environment because it is for all humans. We cannot live without forests. Concrete solutions are not good for human beings. You don't compromise on forests.”
Wearing his trademark white sneakers, which he apparently dons to all occasions, Rahim tells StarBizWeek during a recent trip to Malaysia that the customers who frequent his workshop on “environment day” each get a complimentary check up for their car and two plant saplings to take home.
Almost 1,000 saplings are given out during this yearly affair, he points out.
His service centres are also equipped with machines that check and control a car's pollution output.
Not stopping there, he regularly tours schools to speak about the importance of preserving the environment, and has been invited to countries such as South Korea, Thailand and Australia to give lectures on climate change.
Besides this, Rahim sponsors education for underprivileged children and offers free repair services for ambulances. He has even volunteered to drive the ambulance himself.
Out of adversity
Meanwhile, a for-profit solar business is in the offing. This could involve providing solar panels, lights and water heaters.
He has, in the past, donated 50 solar lights to remote village homes without electricity near the India-Kashmir border to be used for studying.
Perhaps loftiest of all is his plan to build a solar-powered car.
“If it's not possible (to do in Kashmir) I will go to China or other countries. It is a big project, will take three to four years or more,” he explains without elaborating.
Rahim's home state remains, to this day, a disputed territory caught between India and Pakistan.
Although officially under India's administration, resentment against it runs deep among many Kashmiris and separatist groups have fought since 1989 for independence or a merger with Pakistan.
More than 68,000 people have been killed in the uprising and subsequent crackdown by the Indian government.
Although Rahim shies away from the topic of politics, he says the situation is now under control as both countries have begun talking.
Asked how he felt growing up in the midst of conflict, he replies: “It was tough. Yes, we were very scared. But I'm alive.”
Rahim is a firm believer in informal education. Saying, on the one hand, that he does not feel the need to obtain a proper degree, he then adds: “My passion is education.”
“It is not necessary to have a degree, you need to have passion,” he proclaims adamantly. “If you have passion, dedication, you can do anything.
“I'm sorry to say that now we are learning only to get a degree, not for knowledge. You can go anywhere when you have knowledge.”
His two children have also heard this advice, and according to him, they agree. His son will pursue engineering while his daughter is studying computer science.
Neither of them intend to helm Rahim Motors, he says.
Rahim, who speaks halting English, is clearly very conscious of his command of the language, enquiring several times throughout this interview whether he could be understood.
Laughingly, he shares that in an attempt to practise English, he once tried to talk to some people from China as they, too, were not proficient.
“I start from there. I talked to them at an exhibition in Bombay because I was shy that I could not speak English well. He tried and I tried. Both of us benefited.”
The 47-year old was here to give a talk to students at the Albukhary International University in Alor Setar, Kedah, which was founded by media-shy billionaire Tan Sri Syed Mokhtar Albukhary.
Rahim credits his Islamic faith as a key pillar in his life. “In my office we start every morning with a prayer.”
On his business, he says the aim is to grow it to have 10,000 employees. As for Rahim Greens, he intends to create a helicopter rescue service as well as a charity hospital.
“We are living in hilly areas where lot of people die because there are no resources,” he explains.
Asked whether he would like to start any other business ventures, Rahim shakes his head.
“God gave me a lot. My dream is to serve the nation. Money is not my dream.”
BORN: March 3, 1965
HIGHEST QUALIFICATION: High school dropout
CAREER: Chairman of the Rahim Group
NOTEWORTHY: Scooter mechanic-turned-millionaire
FAVOURITE FOOD: Mutton
FAVOURITE PLACE: Kashmir
HOBBY: Social work
VALUES: Hard work, dedication, passion, and honesty
INSPIRATION: Prophet Muhammad | <urn:uuid:2499d1af-8648-46b9-9d63-311ce62e387d> | 2013-05-26T03:01:36Z | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | [
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Fighters Should Never Use Death as a Promotional Tactic
There's no question that, like Chael Sonnen, Ronda Rousey knows her way around a microphone.
She's good at building up fights, plain and simple. Her trash-talking ways are responsible—even more so than her awesome fighting skills and her beauty—for her meteoric rise to the top of mixed martial arts. It was just March 2011 that she made her professional debut, and just over a year later she's the Strikeforce bantamweight champion and a media darling.
But lately, it feels like Rousey is going overboard. That was certainly the case at Thursday's pre-fight press conference in San Diego, where she unleashed the following gem:
If I get her in an armbar, I'm going to try to rip it off and throw it at her corner...If I get her in a choke, I'm going to hold onto it until she's actually dead. And if I get a knockout, I'm going to go all the way. I'm going to try to pound her face into the ground and she's depending on the competence of the California (State) Athletic Commission to walk out of that cage alive.
Look, I'm fine with a little trash-talking. We don't get a ton of it in the sport, so it's a refreshing change of pace when it does happen. I'd prefer that it developed naturally instead of being forced, but I'll take what I can get.
But there is a line, and saying you're planning to kill your opponent is close to it. But I can understand the situation, what with the heat of the moment and all that jazz. But going into explicit detail about how you plan on doing it, like Rousey did? That's crossing the line. No question about it.
I'm sure you remember the time Frank Mir said he planned on making Brock Lesnar the first fighter to die from Octagon-related injuries. That one didn't go over too well with the brass at Zuffa. Mir was forced to apologize for the comment, and Dana White publicly scolded Mir as well.
I don't know if anyone at Zuffa took Rousey aside and told her to chill out. If they didn't, they probably should. Build up a fight all you want, but don't wish death on your opponent. That's asking for trouble, and it doesn't exactly reflect well on the company you work for or the sport as a whole.
Rousey has it all: the skills, the looks and the promotional talent. She's a goldmine. But stuff like this will turn off fans even as she attempts to earn new ones.
What is the duplicate article?
Why is this article offensive?
Where is this article plagiarized from?
Why is this article poorly edited? | <urn:uuid:dcc24215-a954-403f-a506-8e8cffae7bb1> | 2013-05-26T03:12:37Z | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | [
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-0.006... | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368706499548/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516121459-00000-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.977459 | 589 | http://bleacherreport.com/articles/1302195-ronda-rousey-and-other-fighters-should-never-use-death-as-a-promotional-tactic | 0.340951 |
UNWANTED .SECTION 354 IPC
The photograph has been readjusted to make the 'perpetrators' unrecognizable. Blank Noise seeks to build dialogue about street sexual harassment and is not attempting isolate any one person or incident.
He placed his hand on my breast and stood still. I didn�t even realize it until I looked down and saw his hand there.
�Excuse me! What are you doing!?�
Silence. He looks the other way.
�Hello! Mister?! Answer me!�
�It was an accident. The bus is crowded.�
The bus is not crowded. This is not an accident.
I start shooting him down.
What do you do?
I manufacture mementos and trophies.
He answers the questions with ease. I am alarmed at his not feeling threatened. I call a male friend who is standing in the other end of the bus
My friend gets into a conversation before which he asks me if I was sure if this guy �really did it�.
My friend and he talk in the local language. Next thing I know is that the guy has his hand towards in close proximity with me, once again violating my space and asking me to forgive him.
He continues to explain the situation to my friend, saying that the bus was �crowded� and that this was an accident. I continue to shoot him down.
We get off the bus. He gets off the bus.
� I have a family. I have two children. Please don�t do this!� | <urn:uuid:ab55f15b-7d3c-43b0-922b-b153b4286a86> | 2013-05-26T02:56:22Z | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | [
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In a case of first impression under Virginia law, the Virginia Court of Appeals has applied “familiar principles of constructive possession of contraband” to define “possession” in the context of computer files.
In the case of Kromer v. Commonwealth, the appellant challenged the sufficiency of the evidence put forward to convict him of unlawful possession of child pornography. Specifically, the appellant argued that the Commonwealth failed to prove that he knowingly possessed the illegal images contained on the hard drive of his computer. The Court of Appeals rejected the appellant’s arguments and affirmed the conviction.
The appellant had contended that the images were “hidden” on his computer, and that someone else could have downloaded them from the Internet. However, the court tipped its hat to the federal case of U.S. v. Tucker, 305 F.3d 1193 (10th Cir. 2002) to conclude that whether the appellant or someone else sought after the images was not relevant to the analysis. Instead, the relevant inquiry was whether the appellant knowingly possessed the images after they were downloaded.
In holding that there was sufficient evidence to show that the appellant had knowingly possessed the images, the court applied a “constructive possession of contraband” analysis. Under the “totality of the circumstances,” the trial court was correct in determining that the appellant knowingly possessed the illegal images.
To support a conviction based on constructive possession under Virginia law, the Commonwealth had to show (1) that the appellant was aware of the presence and character of the illegal images and (2) that the illegal images were subject to his dominion and control.
The appellant had stored the images in a KaZaA directory which was linked to a desktop shortcut. This provided sufficient evidence to show he was aware of the presence of the files. Furthermore, the descriptive file names would have put him on notice of the character of the images. Regarding the question of whether the appellant had control of the images, the court observed that the appellant had disallowed sharing of the contents of the KaZaA folder in which the images had been stored. Moreover, the copy of Windows XP on the computer was registered in the appellant’s name, and he had provided consent for the F.B.I. to search his residence and computer.
Kromer v. Commonwealth, — S.E.2d —, 2005 WL 1388056 (Va.App., June 14, 2005). | <urn:uuid:d9dd47cf-2503-410f-9c5a-fc1ac3cc0d21> | 2013-05-26T02:48:01Z | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | [
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Bad news Netflix users. It appears that Sony is pulling their films from the popular streaming service, at least for the time being. The problem is apparently due to a contract dispute with the network Starz. Both Netflix and Sony have a contract with Starz -- the latter provides films for Starz Play, which is then streamed through the Netflix service.
Unfortunately, the success of the program has caused Starz to surpass the maximum number of users that the contract allowed far earlier than expected.
Hit the jump to see what the companies will have to do in order to fix the situation.
Analyst Richard Greenfield told the Hollywood Reporter that if Sony and Starz don't simply work out a deal, then Netflix can offer Starz streaming to a subset of users in order to reduce the streaming count. Another way to solve this is for Netflix to come to the table and renegotiate their deal with Starz six months before the contract ends (January 2012).
[via the Hollywood Reporter] | <urn:uuid:db59979d-fe39-464c-a2e9-069c393bbf93> | 2013-05-26T02:48:52Z | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | [
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In Buenos Aires, bad 70's and 80's pop music was everywhere. When I stepped into the hotel lobby the day of our conference, for example, REO Speedwagon's "Keep on Loving You" was playing (Ray can share his latest Wang Chung exposure in another blog if he chooses). In Sao Paulo the music I heard was far more indigenous, with samba beats everywhere I went. Our conference here, however, was held in a very somber building with no piped-in music. So what soundtrack did my mind play throughout the conference? "Keep on Loving You." I've managed to survive the experience with only minor psychological scarring. | <urn:uuid:fe04150b-c0ef-494a-a166-857864362917> | 2013-05-26T03:02:00Z | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | [
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As she made a stab at discrediting charges of engaging in class warfare, she denied it by attempting to fan the flames of class warfare, and inadvertently exposed her naked idiocy in public,
"No. There is nobody in this country who got rich on his own — nobody."Uhm. How can I put this best. Oh, here we go,
Do you know how their fortunes were MADE lizzie?! By EMPLOYING people, hiring people - and for the governmentally impaired, that means rewarding them for their Work with the MONEY they earned, which they did not have, and would not have had, without first being hired to work in the factory which they could not have created themselves - in order to help Produce the product that factory made!
|Ho-ho! Adam Sharp of SharpElbows provides the video... and an extra little tie in at the end:|
You ignorant leftist D.O.B! (Hey, if her buddies in the unions can call me and my buddies an S.O.B., I'm ok returning the favor. Just be glad I started it with a 'D', and not a 'B').
But lizzie Warren wasn't done yet (no word yet on whether she'll be arrested for such indecent exposure of her dark and private soul),
"You built a factory out there? Good for you. But I want to be clear. You moved your goods to market on the roads the rest of us paid for."Hey! Lizzie! Where do you suppose 'the rest of us' got the money to help pay for those roads? Hmmm? It was earned, made, produced, and otherwise became the property of 'the rest of us' because of either our labor in 'their' factories, or 'our' farms, businesses, etc.
Because of the Free Market, people were able to offer their services in trade with others, creating wealth in the process, and from the profit each of 'the rest of us' earned from those transactions, 'we' were able to, in some way, turn around and pay a (once) small percentage of our excess profits towards taxes so that 'the roads' could be built. And you know what else? Those 'rich people' also paid taxes, one hell of a lot more $$$ than 'the rest' of us did, and do you know why they were able to build factories and hire people for a wage and become rich?
Because we had a legal system that protected Private Property, and so wise risks of time, effort and wealth could be directed towards producing a product that might possibly be of interest to enough of 'the rest' of us to voluntarily purchase, and if so, the initiator of that cycle could then become 'Rich', and the people working for them, could then earn livings which they otherwise would not have. And if it turned out not to be such a wise risk? The 'rich' had a damned good chance of becoming 'the poor'.
Anyone ever explain this to you lizzie?
And guess what else Lizzie... those 'roads' didn't magically appear by socialist-govt decree, they were contracted for and built by contractors in the Free Market, who hired skilled, and not so skilled, labor to produce the roads which you, and 'the rest' of us drive on, and so the virtuous cycle continues on, and on and on.
Or at least it does until some damn bureaucratic _.O.B. gets the slobbering idiot idea in their brain pans that they can just print money and 'roads' will appear (BTW, do you know what comes of the idiot notion that money can just be 'printed' and distributed? Experts become surprised at the crash the 'rest of us' saw coming from decades away).
"You hired workers the rest of us paid to educate."I won't go into the obvious repetition of the above for how those schools are built and paid for, but I will say that the world today, and your own blatant ignorance, is a direct reflection of the pitiful job which you and your like minded ninnies, have wrought upon the field of 'education'.
“Now look, you built a factory and it turned into something terrific, or a great idea. God bless — keep a big hunk of it. But part of the underlying social contract is, you take a hunk of that and pay forward for the next kid who comes along.”Ladies and Gents, do you see the arrogant attitude with which she dismisses the time, effort, blood, sweat and tears that goes into building either a factory or a paycheck? Do you see the predatory ease with which she assumes she can use power to take whatever she wants, from whoever she wants to?
Look at that face folks, that is the face of a truly, ravenously, greedy, D.O.B.
I'm going to put another post up soon, an economics lesson which is simple enough that even a leftist economist, and possibly even a leftist politician (no promises on the last part there, but I'll try) can understand.
Good lord, the horrible price we pay for ignorance.
Post-chill pill Update:
As the froth fades from my lips, I should probably say something more than the above... and a bit more calmly.
The statement from her “No. There is nobody in this country who got rich on his own — nobody."... is such a thoughtless, condescending and – no other word worthy for it (other that ‘duh’) idiotic one, it is as appalling, and it was infuriating.
Where did that Chill Pill go... it was here a moment ago....
I got some feedback (and flames fanned) from a friends facebook page as well, who actually captioned her words as "Well, said, well said.", and a friend of his said of this post, after chiding me on my rantguage, that,
"Regardless, you don't address the thesis, that there is a social contract that exists prior to and in conjunction with our system of Market Economy. That the conditions that allow you to do exercise your rights are built upon that foundation."
Well. To say that her comment had a 'thesis' is I think stretching it a bit, but while I'll agree that her subject was the social contract, the only meaning of one that can be taken from her description, is that of master to a slave - and in her scenario, the person who actually makes the workers job possible, is the one that is being put into the position of a slave to 'the rest of us', by her version of, what amounts to, a 'socialist contract'.
Saying the words ‘social contract’ doesn’t give you a free pass to ignore everything that a contract entails, such as coming to an agreement with the parties involved - in her view it is just assumed that the factory owner OWES those employed by him, more than their jobs. According to her statement, the factory owner does nothing but take from the 'working people' of America... how he does that by first offering them a job, for a wage which the worker agrees to before ever coming to work, she doesn’t get around to saying in her 'thesis'. How the worker and 'the rest of us' ever get our own money, from which we somehow (as she would have it) entirely pay for ‘the roads’ and so forth out of our pockets alone, she doesn’t say, ignores, and tries to bluff her way on past as if the thought is unthinkable.
That she says, and even worse, doesn’t say, all of this, while running for the office of a United States Senator... is sickening to me.
She, and other such non-thinking leftists, while mouthing the words of Liberty, proceed to make demands, which if ever fully implemented, would mean the complete loss of liberty and individual rights throughout the land.
In short, they petulantly whine for effects, while trying to ignore, and even denigrate, the causes of them. I will try and keep my cool better, but I will not stand aside and allow such vitriol (and that is what such language truly is) go by unchecked.
If anyone has an interest in pursuing the matter beyond this point, I'll direct you to a couple of my previous posts, Liberty - It all hangs together, or we all hang separately for the highlights, or
Liberal Fascism: The Spiral of Knowledge for a broader overview. If you're up to really digging in to matters, here are a few from my Justice (Posts series in progress...) posts:
* There oughta be a Law
* Teaching Justice at Harvard - NOT!
* Point of order
* What IS Justice? eh.. what is the question again?
* What is Justice: Two mis-States of Nature
* Forgotten Beauty and lost Justice
* Cruising for Justice
* The Contextually Tortured Thoughts of Man Caused Disasters
* Unknown Conspiracies – You don’t think, therefore, they are
* Louis L'Amour: Laconic Law - From Cicero to Blackstone to You
* Back To The Basics: Where Is Justice To Be Found?
* The Liberal Mind of a Conservative - what may not be known - Must be known
* What does Athens have to do with Justice?
* Athens and America: The Bog Of The Gaps
* What Would the Founders Do? Common Sense says WHO CARES!
* Common Sense Anti-Americanism
* Arbitrary Disasters - The Health of Justice in the Age of Obamao
* Common Sense Conspiracies - a Race To The ... Where?
* ♫ ♪ ♬ You say you want a Constitution ... wellll ya know, we all want to change the world ♬ ♪ ♫
If anyone who disagrees with me, and is capable of rubbing a couple thoughts together briskly enough to produce a spark - I always enjoy a good argument.
Pick a spot and dive in, comments are always open and welcome.
Heh... one final comment. A fellow at my friend's site says
"Again, her point was simple- that individual accomplishment does not occur in a vacuum."No, it wasn't a simple point, it was a fairly complex one, and it insinuated that businesses contribute nothing and intentionally leach off the benefits 'the rest of us' provide for it.
"She did not say that individual accomplishment is not of value, nor did she say..."
It isn't necessary to say that individual accomplishment is not a value, if you do say that 'too much' individual accomplishment should not be allowed... you've said the same, and created the power to determine how much is too much.
How much has anyone read of what she has said, when she wasn't saying it to an audience she wants to woo? Words don't simply have meanings, they come from the ideas a person holds. and those ideas will guide her actions - and the results of those actions - more accurately than the words we choose for others to hear. If you read the report of the panel which she chaired, the Congressional Oversight Panel (COP), the measures she calls for would have the effect of essentially nationalizing - though under different terms (as with G.M.) - of banks and other financial institutions.
I'll try and find a line to the actual the report itself, but a quick scan looks like this one hits the highlights, such as,
"The report essentially argues for nationalization on the grounds that, under government reorganization, bad assets can be removed, failed managers can be ousted or replaced and business segments can be spun off from the institutions. "Depositors and some bondholders are protected, and institutions can emerge from government control with the same corporate identity but healthier balance sheets," the report argues, parroting a position that has been staked out by many prominent economic pundits.My friend's friend continues,
Clearly, this is Elizabeth Warren's particular crusade against the banks, since a majority of panel members dissented from the direction the report took and two refused to sign off on it at all. Her letters to Secretary Geithner and Chairman Bernanke stop just short of attacking them for trying to restart the market for asset-backed securities. These markets have been an important part of the financial intermediation system for decades, funding student loans, consumer credit and small businesses. But Professor Warren has had a long-standing antipathy to consumer credit markets."
Sometimes a cigar is just a cigarYes, well, and sometimes a smokescreen is just a smokescreen for something else. Before striking the 'reasonable' pose, it's a good idea to look into matters a bit more to see whether or not being 'reasonable' is actually a reasonable thing to do.
Sometimes the things we think we see lurking in the shadows tell us more about ourselves than the world we live in.”And of course the obvious reply is that sometimes what we want to pretend to not see lurking in the shadows, can tell us even more about ourselves and the reality we’ll soon find ourselves in.
You may want to believe what I’ve said is a stretch, that Warren doesn’t intend to practice what her fundamental ideas clearly mean. I have too many friends & family on the left to think that they have bad intentions, but frankly, their intentions don’t concern me too much, and I’m not interested in interpreting peoples actions to match my conclusions – I’m more interested in the ideas they’ve demonstrated that they accept – those ideas are what precede their actions and my conclusions about them; I’m more interested in philosophy than psychology.
I’m quite sure those who pushed for prohibition didn’t intend to establish organized crime or cause the death of thousands through gang warfare. Same with those wanting a war on drugs. I’m sure that those who want to impose a minimum wage, don’t intend to put people out of work. I’m sure Ben Bernanke feels he learned the lessons of the Great Depression and really intends to help the economy, not wreck it.
Doesn’t really matter. Despite their best of intentions, the place they lead to is still the same old hot, dry place.
Intentions don’t count for much, when their ideas are put into practice and given the force of law, certain things are bound to follow from them. President Obama says he never wanted to run G.M., nevertheless....
If nothing else, the last twenty years has given me a lot of empathy for Cassandra.
But as Lance says, we’ll just have to agree to disagree. While we can. | <urn:uuid:8546bc67-6cbc-4d40-98f3-432f06d168be> | 2013-05-26T02:55:56Z | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | [
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If you are interested, you can try the this ipython notebook. You will need to download the development branch of the ipython v 0.13 to see the notebook. The notebook itself includes some of the explanation on how to run it and how it is done. I did not spend too much polishing the code and the motion chart, but it got the basic ingredients. If you want to peek it, here is a short screen recoding to show it looks like. | <urn:uuid:e45f05bc-456f-4203-b297-34a65a8752f7> | 2013-05-26T02:56:32Z | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | [
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August 25, 2012 5:03 pm
The man who uttered the iconic phrase, “That’s one small step for (a) man, one giant leap for mankind” has died today at the age of 82 years old. As reported by the Associated Press, Armstrong died following complications resulting from cardiovascular problems.
On that momentous day of July 20, 1969, Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin walked on the Moon’s surface for three hours, collecting rock samples, taking photographs and conducting experiments. From the AP obit:
“The sights were simply magnificent, beyond any visual experience that I had ever been exposed to,” Armstrong once said.
The moonwalk marked America’s victory in the Cold War space race that began Oct. 4, 1957, with the launch of the Soviet Union’s Sputnik 1, a 184-pound satellite that sent shock waves around the world.
Although he had been a Navy fighter pilot, a test pilot for NASA’s forerunner and an astronaut, Armstrong never allowed himself to be caught up in the celebrity and glamor of the space program.
“I am, and ever will be, a white socks, pocket protector, nerdy engineer,” he said in February 2000 in one of his rare public appearances. “And I take a substantial amount of pride in the accomplishments of my profession.”
The Guardian offers a nice background on his rise to NASA:
Armstrong was born in Wapakoneta, Ohio, and from a young age was fascinated with aviation, experimenting with model airplanes and a home-built wind tunnel. At 15 he began flying lessons in an Aeronca Champion, and by 16 acquired his student pilot’s licence. In 1947, he enrolled at Purdue University on a Navy scholarship to pursue a degree in aeronautical engineering, but in 1949 the Navy called him to active duty in the Korean War. As a navy pilot, he flew 78 combat missions. He was shot down once and received three medals for his military service. In 1952 he returned to his studies and completed his BSc at Purdue and an MSc in aerospace engineering at the University of Southern California.
In 1955 he became a civilian research pilot at the Lewis research centre of the National Advisory Committee for Aeronautics (Naca), the forerunner of the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (Nasa). Later that year, he transferred to Naca’s high-speed flight station (today, Nasa’s Dryden flight research centre) at Edwards Air Force Base in California as an aeronautical research scientist, and then as a pilot. He was a test pilot on many pioneering high-speed aircraft, including the 4,000mph X-15. He flew over 200 different models of aircraft, including jets, rockets, helicopters and gliders.
Armstrong was engaged in both piloting and engineering aspects of the X-15 programme from its inception. He completed the first flight in the aircraft equipped with a new self-adaptive flight control system and made seven flights in the rocket plane. In 1962 he was of the nine test pilots chosen by Nasa for its second astronaut-training programme.
Here’s a round-up of some of the reactions from the Twitterverse — :
A flash of some of the reactions as the space community reacts to news of Armstrong’s death
Armstrong’s reticence to make public appearances or give interviews means that, for many Americans, their sole memory of Armstrong was his trip to the moon. On a related note, it also made his autograph one of the most valuable in the memorabilia market, ahead of Queen Elizabeth II, Paul McCartney and Muhammad Ali. In 2010, our sister publication Air and Space‘s Mike Klesius reported:
According to his biography, [Armstrong] signed anything he was asked to for the first fifteen or so years after the moon landing. Then, dealers of collectibles began misrepresenting themselves as school teachers or children, asking for signed photos by mail. By 1993, Armstrong saw that forgeries of his signature were being sold on the Internet, and stopped giving his autograph, advice that Charles Lindbergh had given him in September 1969 at a banquet of the Society of Experimental Test Pilots.
Nonetheless, Armstrong’s autograph, according to Paul Fraser Collectibles of the United Kingdom, is the most valuable in the world, and fetches more than $7,500 these days
In 2010, Owen Edwards wrote in Smithsonian about the model of the Eagle lunar lander, on view at the National Air and Space Museum on the Mall:
Today, visitors to the Apollo exhibition witness an artifact that looks—with a little help from artful curators—much as Eagle looked when it made that giant leap 40 years ago. When Buzz Aldrin radioed back to us riveted earthlings that “this stands as a symbol of the insatiable curiosity of all mankind to explore the unknown,” he was talking about the overall mission. But he might as easily have been referring to the ungainly marvel that made it possible.
This weekend, the lander module, the Apollo to the Moon gallery and the Apollo 11 capsule would be a good place to start to pay tribute to the American icon.
Sign up for our free email newsletter and receive the best stories from Smithsonian.com each week. | <urn:uuid:631ac3cb-777c-4ca3-bb32-9f0d708301cf> | 2013-05-26T03:03:38Z | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | [
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The Olympics are over. It was a couple of weeks of some very incredible performances from athletes from around the world. But how’d it go in Sweden?
There were 134 athletes competing in 20 different sports. Sweden managed to win eight medals total. They came home with one gold medal, four silver medals, and three bronze medals. Not a bad haul and better than the Swedish showing in Beijing in 2008, but not the best they’ve ever managed either. In fact, back in 1912, when Stockholm hosted the Olympics, the Swedes won 65 medals (24 of them gold). Not too bad.
(Fun fact about Stockholm hosting the Olympics. In 1956, Melbourne, Australia hosted the summer Olympics. But, because of a quarantine on horses at the time, all of the equestrian events were held in Stockholm earlier in the year.)
This year, the winners of the Swedish medals come from a wide array of sports.
The gold medal was awarded to Fredrik Lööf and Max Salminen in Star class sailing.
The silver medals were awarded to Sara Algotsson Ostholt for individual eventing equestrian, Håkan Dahlby for men’s double trap shooting, Lisa Nordén for women’s triathlon, and of course, the men’s national handball team which lost to France 22-21.
The bronze medals were awarded to Rasmus Myrgren for laser class sailing, Johan Eurén for men’s Greco-Roman wrestling in the 120 kilo class, and finally, Jimmy Lidberg for men’s Greco-Roman wrestling in the 96 kilo class.
An impressive showing by all of the athletes, and while there were some disappointments (especially in some of the swimming events); there were also some exciting performances (like the handball team!). Only a couple of years until the winter Olympics. The country tends to do just a bit better with the winter sports. | <urn:uuid:9c503a3d-e8f6-486f-9ccc-e3f6b65d9962> | 2013-05-26T02:35:00Z | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | [
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Hey person, you know that David guy? The one who killed that giant named Goliath?
Yeah, him. Whatever happened to his sheep – and his sheep dogs?
What? He didn’t? Other people had to take care of them? Why? Won’t David miss them?
My person says that after David killed Goliath he became a big hero and all the Israelites loved him. King Saul kept David in his service and didn’t let him go home any more to his family and his sheep – and sheep dogs.
But then something happened. After that battle with the Philistines all the people praised King Saul, but they praised David even more.
And King Saul got really jealous.
King Saul got so jealous that while David was playing the harp for him he threw a spear at him and tried to pin David to the wall.
He what!? He threw that spear at David twice? I hope David was okay.
My person says that David got away from King Saul and then King Saul was afraid of David because he knew the Lord was with him. So you know what that mean old King Saul did? He sent David out to battle, hoping that David would get killed.
David didn’t get killed, did he person? What would his sheep do without him?
He was? Oh that’s good. My person says David was very successful in battle because the Lord was with him, and he became even more of a hero in Israel.
So then what happened?
No way. You know what happened next? That mean old King Saul threw another spear at David while he was playing the harp. David had had enough by this point and he knew King Saul meant business, so that night he escaped.
What happened next person? Oh, come on. Tell me more.
I don’t believe it. My person won’t tell me any more. She says King Saul chased after David and David had lots and lots of adventures.
What kind of adventures person? Did David’s sheep have adventures too?
Really? David’s sheep didn’t have any adventures, but some other sheep did?
Come on person, I think you’re pulling the wool over my eyes. | <urn:uuid:2f43a53a-ddef-405d-9ef7-bcb5df788523> | 2013-05-26T02:40:48Z | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | [
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Published in 2005. 258 pages.
I've had Snow Flower and the Secret Fan on my to-read list for a long time, so I was happy that my sister picked it for our book club back in May.
Lisa See's website has reviews of the book, links to information about foot binding and the secret women's language Nu Shu, and book group discussion questions.
Here are a few of my favorite passages from the book:
For my entire life I longed for love. I knew it was not right for me - as a girl and later as a woman - to want or expect it, but I did, and this unjustified desire has been at the root of every problem I have experienced in my life.
But this is the nature of fate. You make choices that are good and sound, but the gods have other plans for you.
If a man does not value his wife upon marriage, why would he treasure her after? If he sees his wife as no better than a chicken who can provide an endless supply of eggs or a water buffalo who can bear an endless amount of weight upon its shoulders, why would he value her any more than those animals? He might appreciate her even less, since she is not as brave, strong, tolerant, or able to scavenge on her own. | <urn:uuid:c2f00428-fe3d-4ade-841e-8969597539fc> | 2013-05-26T02:40:24Z | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | [
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The other day, our conversation turned to the subject of adoption and I was telling Ashu how I had always wanted to adopt a baby but it never happened. And she had many questions about babies without a parent and asked how it happens and why it happens, etc...I explained it to Ashu and was asking Ashu if she wished she had a brother and Antu quickly replied, "I dont want a brother. I want a sister." "A little sister?", I asked her. Yes, she replied! :) "May be I should adopt a baby girl now. What do you think, Ashu?"
No Amma. I dont think you should.
I dont think its a good idea.
Why not? I just told you how some children need a home! Dont you think those kids deserve a loving family too?
Adoption is great, Amma. Its a good thing to do. But I dont think YOU should do it!
EXCUSE ME? Why would you say that?
You are already stressed with just the two of us, Amma. And you are so strict with us. I dont want you to be strict with an adopted baby!
I dont remember what I replied to her or if I replied at all! My heart sure broke a little though. | <urn:uuid:3936d0b3-84a6-46af-9636-11f8c01b4d22> | 2013-05-26T03:01:48Z | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | [
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Let me first give you the context of this post: my team is standing in a straight, horizontal line. Coach Ross stands in front of us. "Pushup position," he orders and we obey. "Down," he says and we all do a push-up."Down...down...down." the speed increases, "Down, down, down, down." The push-ups continue until we reach about 40 of them. "Stand up," says Ross. "Arms straight out."
So my right arm is held straight out to my right and my left is held straight out to my left. After a minute, Ross says, "20 forward". We move our arms in little circles 20 times. After another set of circles, Ross tells us the purpose of this drill- as we're still holding our arms up.
"One of the purposes of this, is to teach you how to shut your mind off. Everyone feels pain, but you can either ignore it or give into it. You have to get into that mindset that will let you shut off the pain. I would expect and athlete like James Anderson to be good at this. In cycling, after the first mile you're already hurting..." he continued on with his speech, while I was lost in my own thought. How do I suffer? I don't shut the pain off. What do I do? I came to the conclusion that when I'm really suffering, I tell myself that pain is temporary and it will go away eventually. When the suffering does end, I'll be so happy, but if I give up, I'll be kicking myself for a long time.
It's a lot like Lance Armstrong's quote:
"Pain is temporary. It may last a minute, or an hour, or a day, or a year, but eventually it will subside and something else will take its place. If I quit, however, it lasts forever."
So we suffered on into the evening. We kept on with that pushup/arms out torture for about twenty more minutes. After a short water break, we did several sprints to midfield and back. When I say "several", I probably should say "7 or 8". It was pretty tough, but for the most part, I was almost always the third or fourth best finisher. Right now I am really happy that I actually trained for the soccer season, because the people who didn't train are struggling right now.
It was an intense practice, but it will make me stronger. | <urn:uuid:73773f85-2d5f-47eb-8a9d-224795a224b5> | 2013-05-26T02:41:03Z | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | [
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the soccer game.the thing is, i needthe soccer game.2 years ago in Stories & Vignettes More Like This
the deer to mean something.
i go to the soccer game and smile
and nod while something furious
inside of me is screaming.
a deer appears while the sun
is setting and it's like a scene
from a movie: green grass and gold rays
that spread out, tingeing our feet
with one last bit of wednesday.
everyone watches the deer and makes
noises of appreciation and i look
around and i think to myself
"okay, this is it, i am happy."
the deer is watching me and i try
to decide if it's a metaphor.
i want the deer to be death, see,
to represent fucking or blacking
out or apathy or loneliness.
someone does something
The Business Wolf stopped gnawing on his third plate of Lapin Bleu d'Auvergne and pointed at Deer with his fork. "The problem," he said, "is that you've got a bum deal going on with your agent. You're paying him far too much if all he was able to get you was public affection. I mean, there's what-- thirteen million white-tailed deer in the United States alone, right?"The Business1 year ago in Flash Fiction & Vignettes More Like This
Deer looked down at his glass, which was half-full of some white wine. He was a little unsure whether or not he liked it, as he didn't really know what made wine good or bad or even what type of wine it happened to be. He'd looked
Play The GamePlay The Game3 months ago in Short Stories More Like This
“Dammit!” Scott heard his friend Will shout from the other room. “Not again!” Scott was lounging on the couch and reading a magazine when Will stormed into the room. “That thief has stolen some more things!” Scott set down the magazine.
“You sure it’s not just raccoons or something?” Scott asked. “Sure of it!” Will replied, “Raccoons would of taken food or something; this guy just took some bottles of alcohol and other things that I don’t think any raccoon would want!”
Scott and Will were on a hunting trip in the forest, they were staying in a log cabin u
the legend of the white deer..."My granny told me a story when I was a child. She said to me, even her grandmother told her the legend of the white deer in magical nights. The story is several centuries old and yet it finds the waythe legend of the white deer...10 months ago in Short Stories More Like This
into the hearts of the human. This story doesn't begin like any stories with "Once upon a time ", but with
A long, long time ago lives a tribe in the heart of a deeply forest. This tribe called himself shadow-dancer". They live in small huts in the boughs of the trees. When they moved hide behind the wildlife, it seemed as if they were dancing with the shadows. The first voice of this tribe had a beautiful young daughte
The DeerThe Deer8 years ago in Philosophy & Perspectives More Like This
Have you ever had that feeling as you walk down a street or move about a shop, you'd like to say hello to some complete stranger? I don't mean that he or she reminds you of someone you know, just that person makes you feel close. I don't get out of this town much. Although once as i was in Tallin with my friends, and as always, i was just like a tourist, having a croud of quides around me - i knew the city the least of us. We took a train to a village house of some guy that i didn't really know. We boarded at the Balti station and took off. Just outside the station, on a field, where at least a dosen of railways run side by side, there was a
The White Deer, a short storyThe White Deer, a short story4 years ago in Fantasy More Like This
The White Deer
Once upon a time, there was a black prince. He was strong and valiant, and everyone loved him. He was intimidating, but very kind, and would stand up for his people during times of need.
Living in a nearby kingdom was a white prince. He was beautiful and compassionate, and everyone under his rule loved him dearly.
One day, the white prince decided that he would go out into the woods to pass the time. He loved to play music to the animals that lived there.
The black prince also decided to go into the forest, to hunt some animals. This was a favorite pastime of his. But before he could get out his bow and arrow to shoot at an
The Deer in the HeadlightsThe Deer in the HeadlightsThe Deer in the Headlights2 years ago in Introductions & Chapters More Like This
Celestia's eyes slowly opened. Her head resting on a rugged furry neck and her body covered by a big blue Pegasus wing. Coiled around her hind leg was a dragon's tail. Resting next to her was the deformed head of a pony still sleeping with a blissful grin on his face. Sleeping on a bed of rugged hay, she and her "partner" had another tender night in their secret meeting place. Despite the fact that the affair began half a week ago, only now did she start to fade from her love-struck state of mind and think, out loud no less. I'm a sick pony!
There was only one time in her life where she even remotely liked Discor
deer transformationSamdeer transformation1 year ago in Short Stories More Like This
The lazy afternoon sun shone down from the clear blue sky, the wind gently whispered in the trees and bushes, the faint aroma of mown grass drifted across the parking lot. The weather was simply perfect, but Sam didn't care. He didn't notice. Instead his head pounded from a severe headache, his eyes were red and watering, and the gentle breeze only made them sting. He suppressed a sniffle and unlocked his car, throwing himself limply into the driver's seat. He sat there, hands on the wheel, until finally he couldn't take it anymore. The tears came freely. Tears of pain, tears of sadness. His girlfriend who he had be
To Punish and EnslaveThere was no such thing as law enforcers in this world.To Punish and Enslave2 years ago in Short Stories More Like This
The police did not protect and serve the public.
They did not keep the streets a safe place.
Murderers, Rapists, Robbers, and the corrupt were not arrested.
In this world, the cops were there to punish and enslave.
Kaine was one of many who knew that when you saw red and blue lights flashing, you hid. Immediately. The blond rebel, however, was no stranger to the treatment of the police once captured. Many were amazed that he was still out on the streets. No uniformed ijit could contain him.
On these streets, you either did what you were told: stay in line, don't ask questions, and k
Deer Little TayuyaWarm. Thats what it was, the brisk ambiance of a seemingly forever lasting tranquillity which has absorbed the surrounding lands. Hardly anyone with the right sense would deem this anything but decent. The grand beauty of a bright warmth, illuminated even more so by the teasing show of flickers and silhouettes of not shadow but light caused by the heavily looming trees. The edge of this small kingdom was very much a paradise it its own right, even if there were others who didnt always appreciate so. And even though it was off the commoners roads to experience such a sight, to those who made the venture would hardly be disappDeer Little Tayuya5 years ago in Science Fiction More Like This
Heaven is Other Roko INA part 1Heaven is Other Roko INA part 11 year ago in Short Stories More Like This
A roko's life does not belong to himself; it has and always will belong to all roko. For this reason, on behalf of the Upper Court and the nation of New Haven, you are hereby branded with the white cross, which shall not be erased until you turn thirty years of age.
Sharikola swung the sword in a wide overhead arc. The runes painted on the wall appeared to burn in his vision as he threw his concentration onto them. The whole room shook with a fervent, percussive force that rattled the crates and the stones in the chamber wall.
Shari did not forget what had been taken from him. Shari did not forgive, despite what the nation decreed.
Crazy Norwegen Laws ReaderXNorway ~Crack~You sat down in your husbent's office as you boardly look at the books on his shelves. You saw a book that read 'something something laws.' Interested you grabbed it and started reading it. Not all you could read but the small amout you could made you burst out laughing.Crazy Norwegen Laws ReaderXNorway ~Crack~6 months ago in Short Stories More Like This
"What are you laughing at?"your husbent asked as he stood right beside you.
"WHA!"you yelped as you jumped up surpried.
"I'm just reading this law book of yours."you said holding up the book.
"What so funny about it?"he asked blinking at you.
"W-Well, some are just rediculous!"you said trying to hide your laughter.
"Oh, which ones?"he asked raising an eye brow.
"Well I can't read all of them but this one here."You said pointing to it.
"Prostitution is illegal, but being a prostitute is not."you said as you quickly went to another.
"Licenses must be bought in order to own a television sets, and even VCRs. If you challenge a man to a fist fight to the death, he must acceot or pay a penalty of 4 deer. This one's not that
Deer WalterWarm. Thats what it was, the brisk ambiance of a seemingly forever lasting tranquillity which has absorbed the surrounding lands. Hardly anyone with the right sense would deem this anything but decent. The grand beauty of a bright warmth, illuminated even more so by the teasing show of flickers and silhouettes of not shadow but light caused by the heavily looming trees. The edge of this small kingdom was very much a paradise it its own right, even if there were others who didnt always appreciate so. And even though it was off the commoners roads to experience such a sight, to those who made the venture would hardly be disappDeer Walter5 years ago in Fantasy More Like This
NaturalA nice walk to clear my mind yeah. Thats all I need. Thought Maria White, as she left her countryside high school. She was a very clever girl, and always got very good grades. However, the big test in math today had completed slipped her mind. When the teacher had announced it her heart had nearly stopped. She hadnt studied a bit!Natural5 years ago in General Fiction More Like This
Maria grumbled angrily as she trudged through the woods as a detour to her house. Im always the top of my class and now thanks to one test, Im barely making B average! Damn that test. Damn it all! She mumbled, when suddenly she tripped over a fallen log. Mar | <urn:uuid:915850cf-bf81-48cb-83c7-dff52e612ecb> | 2013-05-26T03:10:15Z | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | [
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The core teaching of Buddhism is dependent origination by Zen Master Jongbeom Sunim
What is the truth Buddhism expounds? What are its foundational teachings? These are essential questions for the newcomer. In a nutshell, Buddhism teaches dependent origination and the Middle Way. These two principles form the core of Buddhist philosophy-dependent origination explains the principle of Buddhism, while the Middle Way defines the practice of Buddhism. Gautama Buddha was enlightened to the principle of dependent origination, and then for the rest of his life he taught students the practice of the Middle Way. This was Lord Buddha¡¯s succinct explanation: ¡°Whoever sees dependent origination sees the Dharma; whoever sees the Dharma sees dependent origination.¡±
What is dependent origination?
According to the principle of dependent origination, everything in the universe, including objects, ideas, beings, events, and processes, depends on numerous causes and conditions. Nothing ever exists entirely alone or independently of others. Because causes and conditions exist, there are effects. With dependent origination, ¡°If there is this, then there is that; with the arising of this, that arises.
Everything is interconnected: there is nothing separate, nothing standing alone. Things arise depending on other conditions, and then coexist with others for a while, and then disappear depending on other things. All beings are in causal relationships, for example Buddhas with sentient beings, monastic with lay communities, the wise with the foolish, and parents with their children.
Causes and conditions
Dependent origination came to be used interchangeably with ¡°causes and conditions,¡± and then with ¡°cause and effect.¡± In a world of dependent origination both physical and mental things arise from dependence on causal conditions. Nothing can exist outside of cause-effect linkages. The present arises from the causal conditions of the past, and the past from the further past. The link of these causal conditions extends endlessly to the past and to the future. Therefore, we need to see clearly the significance of causal conditions in our lives.
Buddhists often talk about impermanence. All things appear and disappear because of the concurrence of causes and conditions. This is why the causal-conditional phenomena are said to be impermanent. For this reason Buddhism teaches us to be attached neither to existence nor to non-existence. When the smoke blows west, we feel the wind blow west, and when the smoke blows east, we feel the wind blow east. Likewise, when you encounter good causal conditions, you could conclude, ¡°I must have created good causal conditions in my previous lives.¡± The Buddha¡¯s teaching is free of the slightest error. If we are in evil causal conditions, we should get out of them as soon as possible and approach good ones. Lord Buddha said that even the Buddhas cannot save those to whom they are not linked causally. Therefore, we should refrain from making bad causes and conditions and strive to make good ones.
The Twelve links of dependent origination
Lord Buddha said all our sorrow, physical pain, mental agony, and suffering arise from the twelve causal conditions. Let us examine each one in sequential order.
¨ç Ignorance (Avidya-) : The sanskrit word ¡°Avidya-¡± literally means ¡°no illumination.¡± We cannot readily find our way in the dark. Likewise, when our mind is not illuminated, we tend to judge a wrong thought as a right one.
¨è Formations (Sam. ska-ra) : Once ignorance causes us to confuse wrong with right, attachment arises. Then we try to give concrete form to the concept we get attached to. That is, with Ignorance as condition, Mental Formations arise.
¨é Consciousness (Vijn~ana) : When an object takes form by our actions, we tend to discern it. There is the consciousness of seeing, hearing, smelling, tasting, touching and thinking. That is, with Mental Formations as condition, Consciousness arises.
¨ê Name and Form (Namarupa) : When we discern an object through our Consciousness, we tend to judge if it is a material or nonmaterial being. ¡°Name¡± describes non-materiality and ¡°Form¡± materiality. That is, with Consciousness as condition, Name and Form arise.
¨ë Six Sense Gates (S.ad.a-yatana) : When we judge an object as a material or non-material being using Name and Form, then we have a renewed perception of it through our Six Sense Gates of eyes, ears, nose, tongue, body and mind. That is, with Name and Form as condition, Six Sense Gates arise. From this moment we begin to see, hear, smell, taste, touch and think, and we are aware of things as they happen.
¨ì Contact (Spars¡Ça ) : When we perceive an object through our Six Sense Gates, we conceive of six-sense objects such as visible objects, sound, odor, taste, touch, and mental objects. In other words, we see, hear, smell, taste, touch and think. Contact is the encounter between the sense gates and the sensory information. That is, with Six Sense Gates as condition, Contact arises.
¨í Feeling (Vedana-) : When there arises shape, sound, smell, taste, touch and thought of an object through Contact, then one or more out of the following three feelings arise-pleasant, unpleasant, and neutral (neither pleasant nor unpleasant). All the objects we perceive in this world can generate one or more of these three feelings. With Contact as condition, Feeling arises.
¨î Craving (Tr.s.n.a-) : When one or more of the pleasant, unpleasant and neutral feelings arise depending on Feeling, we crave only for the objects that give us the pleasant feeling. Even when the objects are not the ones that can give us pleasure, we pour in blind love to make those objects render pleasure. That is, with Feeling as condition, Craving arises. This craving is far from Buddha¡¯s compassion, but rather close to love based on greed and hunger.
¨ï Clinging (Upa-da-na) : In response to Craving we attach to and pour our love on an object. When this object gives us a pleasant feeling, then naturally we engage in some kind of action to possess it. That is, with Craving as condition, Clinging arises.
¨ð Becoming (Bhava) : In response to Clinging we try to possess the object of pleasure. That is, with Clinging as condition, Becoming arises. We get to possess a certain material, object or feeling. All the objects in the world did not start out having existence from the beginning, but were made to exist because of Clinging. This is called the process of becoming - becoming someone or something other than what is.
¨ñ Birth (Jati) : When we get to possess a certain object or feeling in response to Clinging, an object or thought has been generated. Consequently, Birth refers to the birth of all beings. Ideas can also be birthed. That is, with Becoming as a condition, Birth arises.
¨ò Aging and Dying (Jara-maran.a) : When an object comes into existence in response to Birth, it will also inevitably age and die. This process is not limited to the aging and dying of the body but encompasses the suffering coming from the thought that we are born, age, and die.
Whether form or formless, if a thought arises and then disappears, from the perspective of dependent origination it had a birth, lifespan, and death. That is, with Birth as condition, Aging and Dying arise.
What we can learn from dependent origination
Buddhism emphasizes the importance of efforts we make at this very moment. If we put in wholesome work at this moment, we will reap wholesome results, and if we put in unwholesome work, we will reap unwholesome results. Therefore, rather than begging or wishing for things from a third party, we should be mindful of the frame of mind we inhabit and the actions we produce in this moment. Then the frame of mind and action will naturally make their own results.
As there can be no effect without a cause, there cannot be people we start out loving or hating from the beginning. An object or situation of confrontation will create the conditions for love or hate. Therefore, we should be introspective rather than blaming or hating others. We should think of others¡¯ hard work instead of raising the self on a pedestal. This is the Buddhist way, and the path on which we practice the truth of dependent origination as taught by Lord Buddha. | <urn:uuid:3bcde091-387e-479a-b0f3-72ce70b9b825> | 2013-05-26T02:48:39Z | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | [
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While some of the items in this chapter are related to the operating system Bugzilla is running on or some of the support software required to run Bugzilla, it is all related to protecting your data. This is not intended to be a comprehensive guide to securing Linux, Apache, MySQL, or any other piece of software mentioned. There is no substitute for active administration and monitoring of a machine. The key to good security is actually right in the middle of the word: U R It.
While programmers in general always strive to write secure code, accidents can and do happen. The best approach to security is to always assume that the program you are working with isn't 100% secure and restrict its access to other parts of your machine as much as possible. | <urn:uuid:cdbbaed4-e05d-4aff-90a1-9a94a05c6b35> | 2013-05-26T03:02:22Z | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | [
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Gems and jewellery exports rose by 31.24 per cent to $2.46 billion in May on the back of jump in shipments of cut and polished diamonds.
Exports from the world's largest supplier of gems and jewellery were valued at $1.87 billion in May 2009.
Cut and polished diamonds exports grew to $1.79 billion in May, up 73.44 per cent from the previous period, according to the data by the Gems and Jewellery Export Promotion Council, the apex body of the sector.
Gems and jewellery, the number one contributor to the country's total export basket (at about 16 per cent), saw a reversal in its fortunes after demand revived in the Western markets from November 2009.
Exports were hampered severely due to the economic meltdown, which had started in September 2008.
With the recovery in global markets, the demand for gems and jewellery has seen a rise not only in traditional markets, but also new ones like Russia [ Images ], China and Latin America.
The UAE is the main destination for Indian gems and jewellery, accounting for 31 per cent of the total exports, followed by Hong Kong and the US.
The gems and jewellery exports sector employs about 13 lakh (1.3 million) people. In April the export shipments had almost doubled to $2.56 billion from the previous year.
The shipments during the first two months of the current fiscal totalled $5.6 billion, up 57 per cent year on year. | <urn:uuid:ee3f1513-7328-4e67-baf6-8c1a38910407> | 2013-05-26T02:48:06Z | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | [
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How to create an ISO 9660 image file
Does anyone know or have any source code that shows how to create and iso image from a directory of files? I am not interested in creating from a cd, i simply want to add files and dirs and create the iso image from that.
Leave a comment...
- 0 Comments | <urn:uuid:c327355a-f26b-48e9-a503-9182f1e47d74> | 2013-05-26T02:55:31Z | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | [
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Sometimes I struggle with how enormous the problem is. How invisible the animals' suffering remains in a society determined, by and large, to stay blind, deaf and indifferent. And I struggle particularly with the last of these, which is by far the worst: indifference. Even when people, individually, carefully and with compassion, are shown the truth and see how easy it is to prevent the pain, suffering and death of others, they turn their faces away and shrug their indifference:
But it TASTES so good!
But I can't live without MY cheese!
But I WANT it!
I want; I want; I WANT!!!
Sometimes this kind of casual, unthinking selfishness just rips me apart. Some days I really can't take the despair, the powerlessness, the knowledge.
Today is one of those days. It's a day in which I can't seem to see much redeemable in humankind.
I discovered a piece of writing by Jim Willis and could not help but think of my own two dogs. Both boys were both brought home from a shelter or a pound - society's cast-offs - and, in each case, I could not want for a more loving and loyal companion.
"How Could You?"
"When I was a puppy I entertained you with my antics and made you laugh. You called me your child and despite a number of chewed shoes and a couple of murdered throw pillows, I became your best friend. Whenever I was "bad," you'd shake your finger at me and ask "How could you?" - but then you'd relent and roll me over for a bellyrub.
My housetraining took a little longer than expected, because you were terribly busy, but we worked on that together. I remember those nights of nuzzling you in bed, listening to your confidences and secret dreams, and I believed that life could not be any more perfect. We went for long walks and runs in the park, car rides, stops for ice cream (I only got the cone because "ice cream is bad for dogs," you said), and I took long naps in the sun waiting for you to come home at the end of the day.
Gradually, you began spending more time at work and on your career, and more time searching for a human mate. I waited for you patiently, comforted you through heartbreaks and disappointments, never chided you about bad decisions, and romped with glee at your homecomings, and when you fell in love.
She, now your wife, is not a "dog person" - still I welcomed her into our home, tried to show her affection, and obeyed her. I was happy because you were happy. Then the human babies came along and I shared your excitement. I was fascinated by their pinkness, how they smelled, and I wanted to mother them, too. Only she and you worried that I might hurt them, and I spent most of my time banished to another room, or to a dog crate. Oh, how I wanted to love them, but I became a "prisoner of love."
As they began to grow, I became their friend. They clung to my fur and pulled themselves up on wobbly legs, poked fingers in my eyes, investigated my ears and gave me kisses on my nose. I loved everything about them, especially their touch - because your touch was now so infrequent - and I would have defended them with my life if need be.
I would sneak into their beds and listen to their worries and secret dreams. Together we waited for the sound of your car in the driveway. There had been a time, when others asked you if you had a dog, that you produced a photo of me from your wallet and told them stories about me. These past few years, you just answered "yes" and changed the subject. I had gone from being your dog to "just a dog," and you resented every expenditure on my behalf.
Now you have a new career opportunity in another city and you and they will be moving to an apartment that does not allow pets. You've made the right decision for your "family," but there was a time when I was your only family.
I was excited about the car ride until we arrived at the animal shelter. It smelled of dogs and cats, of fear, of hopelessness. You filled out the paperwork and said "I know you will find a good home for her." They shrugged and gave you a pained look. They understand the realities facing a middle-aged dog or cat, even one with "papers."
You had to pry your son's fingers loose from my collar as he screamed "No, Daddy! Please don't let them take my dog!" And I worried for him and what lessons you had just taught him about friendship and loyalty, about love and responsibility, and about respect for all life. You gave me a goodbye pat on the head, avoided my eyes, and politely refused to take my collar and leash with you. You had a deadline to meet and now I have one, too.
After you left, the two nice ladies said you probably knew about your upcoming move months ago and made no attempt to find me another good home. They shook their heads and asked "How could you?"
They are as attentive to us here in the shelter as their busy schedules allow. They feed us, of course, but I lost my appetite days ago. At first, whenever anyone passed my pen, I rushed to the front, hoping it was you - that you had changed your mind - that this was all a bad dream...or I hoped it would at least be someone who cared, anyone who might save me. When I realized I could not compete with the frolicking for attention of happy puppies, oblivious to their own fate, I retreated to a far corner and waited.
I heard her footsteps as she came for me at the end of the day and I padded along the aisle after her to a separate room. A blissfully quiet room. She placed me on the table, rubbed my ears and told me not to worry. My heart pounded in anticipation of what was to come, but there was also a sense of relief. The prisoner of love had run out of days. As is my nature, I was more concerned about her. The burden which she bears weighs heavily on her and I know that, the same way I knew your every mood.
She gently placed a tourniquet around my foreleg as a tear ran down her cheek. I licked her hand in the same way I used to comfort you so many years ago. She expertly slid the hypodermic needle into my vein. As I felt the sting and the cool liquid coursing through my body, I lay down sleepily, looked into her kind eyes and murmured "How could you?"
Perhaps because she understood my dogspeak, she said "I'm so sorry." She hugged me and hurriedly explained it was her job to make sure I went to a better place, where I wouldn't be ignored or abused or abandoned, or have to fend for myself - a place of love and light so very different from this earthly place. With my last bit of energy, I tried to convey to her with a thump of my tail that my "How could you?" was not meant for her. It was you, My Beloved Master, I was thinking of. I will think of you and wait for you forever.
May everyone in your life continue to show you so much loyalty."
~ Jim Willis, 2001
By nature, I guess I am not exactly an optimist. I would win no prizes in the 'Person Most Likely to See the Bright Side' Awards - hell, I wouldn't even be placed! But then I also read this, and it helped me breathe:
“The Animals’ Savior”
'I looked at all the caged animals in the shelter...the cast-offs of human society.
I saw in their eyes love and hope, fear and dread, sadness and betrayal.
And I was angry.
"God," I said, "this is terrible! Why don't you do something?"
God was silent for a moment and then He spoke softly.
"I have done something," He replied.
"I created you.” '
~ Jim Willis, 1999
Find something to help you breathe, and be well, vegan friends. | <urn:uuid:13f68dd7-a794-49cd-8a4e-69f0f8249edb> | 2013-05-26T02:54:22Z | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | [
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The page you're looking for cannot be found
We are sorry but the page you requested cannot be found. It seems the page you were trying to reach doesn't exist anymore, or maybe it was just moved. We think the best thing to do is start again from the home page. Please contact us if the problem persists or if you definitely can't find what you are looking for. Thank you. | <urn:uuid:2c9f3677-16e2-4d17-a42b-9fb2f85568e1> | 2013-05-26T03:09:19Z | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | [
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Hi I am sorry if its not the right place to put the question.(I'll request modeartor to put it to right place, but i think we dont have a subforum to testing c++ program).
Coming to my question, what kind of functions can be tested by unit testing. If a function,
take some arguments and returns a value. its easy to write test code for it. But what if a functions takes no argument and call few other functions inside it (and those functions are from different classes). How to write test code for it. Will it still be called a unit test.
I have read many articles over net but getting no clear idea. I am currently using QT test framework ( qttestlib) but i m interested in c++ unit testing in general(CppUnit or any other).
A good reference to book or article will also be a great help. | <urn:uuid:7fb7f4ae-649e-4390-929c-3142856ebf4d> | 2013-05-26T03:11:03Z | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | [
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Chandra "Hears" a Supermassive Black Hole in Perseus
A 53-hour Chandra observation of the central region of the Perseus galaxy cluster (left) has revealed wavelike features (right) that appear to be sound waves. The features were discovered by using a special image-processing technique to bring out subtle changes in brightness.
These sound waves are thought to have been produced by explosive events occurring around a supermassive black hole (bright white spot) in Perseus A, the huge galaxy at the center of the cluster. The pitch of the sound waves translates into the note of B flat, 57 octaves below middle-C. This frequency is over a million billion times deeper than the limits of human hearing, so the sound is much too deep to be heard.
The image also shows two vast, bubble-shaped cavities, each about 50 thousand light years wide, extending away from the central supermassive black hole. These cavities, which are bright sources of radio waves, are not really empty, but filled with high-energy particles and magnetic fields. They push the hot X-ray emitting gas aside, creating sound waves that sweep across hundreds of thousands of light years.
The detection of intergalactic sound waves may solve the long-standing mystery of why the hot gas in the central regions of the Perseus cluster has not cooled over the past ten billion years to form trillions of stars. As sounds waves move through gas, they are eventually absorbed and their energy is converted to heat. In this way, the sound waves from the supermassive black hole in Perseus A could keep the cluster gas hot.
The explosive activity occurring around the supermassive black hole is probably caused by large amounts of gas falling into it, perhaps from smaller galaxies that are being cannibalized by Perseus A. The dark blobs in the central region of the Chandra image may be fragments of such a doomed galaxy. | <urn:uuid:7c5032f8-872f-474b-bda7-8c70bc31adaa> | 2013-05-26T02:34:37Z | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | [
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Okay so I'm sitting here wondering, after having watched the video and having read most of the comments, why doesn't Microsoft rewrite all of those OS libraries that were written in managed code in C++? Why not write the .NET framework in C++ while keeping the APIs as they are? Then the only meta data that is needed is for the .NET app itself, not the entire framework.
If you have developer productivity managed apps that are running as a thin layer on top highly optimized C++ doesn't everybody win? What am I missing? | <urn:uuid:d1d490b0-cbed-4e90-afa5-836262986ff0> | 2013-05-26T03:05:39Z | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | [
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The experiences in New York, Washington and the Oklahoma City bombing illustrate the tragic impact of a building explosion.
We know that the use of explosives can result in collapsed buildings, fires and loss of life.
People who live or work in multi-level buildings should:
- Review emergency evacuation procedures of their building
- Know where fire exits are located
- Keep fire extinguishers in working order. Know where they are located; and how to use them.
- Learn first aid
Contact the local chapter of the American Red Cross for additional information.
The following items should be kept in a designated place on each floor of any building:
- Portable, battery-operated radio and extra batteries
- Several flashlights and extra batteries
- First aid kit and manual
- Several hard hats
- Fluorescent tape to rope off dangerous areas.
During an Explosion
In a building explosion, get out of the building as quickly and calmly as possible.
If items are falling off of bookshelves or from the ceiling, get under a sturdy table or desk.
If there is a fire:
- Stay low to the floor and exit the building as quickly as possible
- Cover nose and mouth with a wet cloth
- When approaching a closed door, use the palm of your hand and forearm to feel the lower, middle and upper parts of the door. If it is not hot, brace yourself against the door and open it slowly. If it is hot to the touch, do not open the door - seek an alternative escape route.
- Heavy smoke and poisonous gasses collect first along the ceiling. Stay below the smoke at all times. | <urn:uuid:7aeb3dfc-90e2-4214-b119-b9c401af1c98> | 2013-05-26T02:35:37Z | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | [
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In a large skillet, preferably nonstick, combine the butter and oil with the corn, onions, sugar, and Magic Seasoning Blend. Cook over high heat until the corn is tender and a crust starts to form on the bottom of the skillet, about 12 to 14 minutes, stirring occasionally, then stirring more as the mixture starts sticking. Gradually stir in 1 cup of the stock, scraping the bottom of the skillet to remove the crust as you stir. Continue cooking for 5 minutes, stirring occasionally. Add the margarine, stir until melted, and cook about 5 minutes, stirring frequently and scraping the skillet as needed. Reduce the heat to low and cook about 10 minutes, stirring occasionally, then add ¼ cup additional stock and cook about 15 minutes, stirring fairly frequently. Add the remaining 1 cup of stock and cook about 10 minutes, stirring occasionally. Stir in ½ cup of the milk and continue cooking until most of the liquid is absorbed, about 5 minutes, stirring occasionally. Remove from the heat.
Combine the eggs and the remaining ½ cup milk in a bowl and beat with a whisk until very frothy, about 1 minute. Add this mixture to the corn, stirring well. For color, just before serving, add 1 cup chopped fresh tomatoes and ½ cup chopped fresh scallions or green onions or spring onions. Serve warm.
Copyright © 1995 by Paul Prudhomme | <urn:uuid:d8d0d796-1d3b-44f2-a5bd-6bfc7a7bbfb3> | 2013-05-26T02:54:59Z | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | [
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A comfortable king-size double en-suite room with tea & coffee making facilities, television, iron/ ironing board available on request, hairdryer on request, radio alarm clock and complimentary welcome tray. Guests can also enjoy a quieter moment in the tastefully furnished guest lounge. Prices are inclusive of breakfast.
- Alarm clock
- Colour television
- Ironing board
- Tea and coffee making facilities
- Wireless internet connection | <urn:uuid:f9db83a5-5dd0-4417-a14b-0cc2f855eac4> | 2013-05-26T02:49:00Z | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | [
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I've been working with oils for about a year now and I think I'm finally beginning to get comfortable with the medium. I love the buttery texture and the way you can mix and blend colors. I also have no idea where these new pieces came from but all of a sudden, I'm simplifying my composition to a central figure, surrounded by color and light. I like them a lot and I'm curious as to how others might see them.
Boring? Interesting? Intriguing? Minimal? Mysterious? Anybody? | <urn:uuid:4008f406-8259-4ff4-b5f6-129d55f4886a> | 2013-05-26T02:48:32Z | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | [
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Recitation: After holding for six seconds, say: "Allaho Akbar"
and move to next position.
Instructions: While rising from the bending
position of Ruku', recite "Sami-Allaho liman hamidah, Rabana wa lakal hamd
(Translation: Allah hears the one who praises Him; Our Lord, Yours is the praise.) Then
return to standing position, arms at side.
Beneficial Effects: The fresh blood moved into torso in prior posture returns to
normal. Body regains relaxation and releases tension. | <urn:uuid:806ab900-66aa-4d7b-aca3-a2aa7bac47f0> | 2013-05-26T02:54:35Z | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | [
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This section provides primary sources that document how Indian and European men and one English and one Indian woman have described the practice of sati, or the self-immolation of Hindu widows.
Although they are all critical of self-immolation, Francois Bernier, Fanny Parks, Lord William Bentinck, and Rev. England present four different European perspectives on the practice of sati and what it represents about Indian culture in general, and the Hindu religion and Hindu women in particular. They also indicate increasing negativism in European attitudes toward India and the Hindu religion in general. It would be useful to compare the attitudes of Bentinck and England as representing the secular and sacred aspects of British criticism of sati. A comparison of Bentinck’s minute with the subsequent legislation also reveals differences in tone between private and public documents of colonial officials. Finally, a comparison between the Fanny Parks and the three men should raise discussion on whether or not the gender and social status of the writer made any difference in his or her appraisal of the practice of self-immolation.
The three sources by Indian men and one by an Indian woman illustrate the diversity of their attitudes toward sati. The Marathi source illuminates the material concerns of relatives of the Hindu widow who is urged to adopt a son, so as to keep a potentially lucrative office within the extended family. These men are willing to undertake intense and delicate negotiations to secure a suitably related male child who could be adopted. This letter also documents that adoption was a legitimate practice among Hindus, and that Hindu women as well as men could adopt an heir. Ram Mohan Roy’s argument illustrates a rationalist effort to reform Hindu customs with the assistance of British legislation. Roy illustrates one of the many ways in which Indians collaborate with British political power in order to secure change within Indian society. He also enabled the British to counter the arguments of orthodox Hindus about the scriptural basis for the legitimacy of self-immolation of Hindu widows. The petition of the orthodox Hindu community in Calcutta, the capital of the Company’s territories in India, documents an early effort of Indians to keep the British colonial power from legislating on matters pertaining to the private sphere of Indian family life. Finally, Pandita Ramabai reflects the ways in which ancient Hindu scriptures and their interpretation continued to dominate debate. Students should consider how Ramabai’s effort to raise funds for her future work among child widows in India might have influenced her discussion of sati.
Two key issues should be emphasized. First, both Indian supporters and European and Indian opponents of the practice of self-immolation argue their positions on the bodies of Hindu women, and all the men involved appeal to Hindu scriptures to legitimate their support or opposition. Second, the voices of Indian women were filtered through the sieve of Indian and European men and a very few British women until the late 19th century.
- How do the written and visual sources portray the Hindu women who commit self-immolation? Possible aspects range from physical appearance and age, motivation, evidence of physical pain (that even the most devoted woman must suffer while burning to death), to any evidence of the agency or autonomy of the Hindu widow in deciding to commit sati. Are any differences discernible, and if so, do they seem related to gender or nationality of the observer or time period in which they were observed?
- How are the brahman priests who preside at the self-immolation portrayed in Indian and European sources? What might account for any similarities and differences?
- What reasons are used to deter Hindu widows from committing sati? What do these reasons reveal about the nature of family life in India and the relationships between men and women?
- What do the reasons that orthodox Hindus provide to European observers and to Indian reformers reveal about the significance of sati for the practice of the Hindu religion? What do their arguments reveal about orthodox Hindu attitudes toward women and the family?
- How are Hindu scriptures used in various ways in the debates before and after the prohibition of sati?
- What is the tone of the petition from 800 Hindus to their British governor? Whom do they claim to represent? What is their justification for the ritual of self-immolation? What is their attitude toward the Mughal empire whose Muslim rulers had preceded the British? What is their characterization of the petitioners toward those Hindus who support the prohibition on sati? How do the petitioners envision the proper relationship between the state and the practice of religion among its subjects?
- Who or what factors do European observers, British officials, and Indian opponents of sati hold to be responsible for the continuance of the practice of sati?
- What were the reasons that widows gave for committing sati? Were they religious, social or material motives? What is the evidence that the widows were voluntarily committing sati before 1829? What reasons did the opponents of sati give for the decisions of widows to commit self-immolation? What reasons did opponents give for widows who tried to escape from their husbands’ pyres?
- What are the reasons that Lord Bentinck and his Executive Council cite for their decision to declare the practice of sati illegal? Are the arguments similar to or different from his arguments in his minute a month earlier? What do these reasons reveal about British attitudes toward their role or mission in India? Do they use any of the arguments cited by Ram Mohan Roy or Pandita Ramabai?
- What do these sources, both those who oppose sati and those who advocate it, reveal about their attitudes to the Hindu religion in particular and Indian culture in general? | <urn:uuid:672e69ee-fd10-42dc-8e01-f4fde95914a0> | 2013-05-26T03:08:59Z | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | [
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More on What the Bible Says:
Believers should seek God, and not a legalistic rule, about how much to give.
- 2 Corinthians 9:7
Each man should give what he has decided in his heart to give, not reluctantly or under compulsion, for God loves a cheerful giver. (NIV)
Giving is meant to be a joyful expression of thanks to God from the heart, and not a legalistic obligation.
The value of our offering is not determined by how much we give, but how we give.
- Mark 12:41-44
Jesus sat down opposite the place where the offerings were put and watched the crowd putting their money into the temple treasury. Many rich people threw in large amounts. But a poor widow came and put in two very small copper coins, worth only a fraction of a penny.
Calling his disciples to him, Jesus said, "I tell you the truth, this poor widow has put more into the treasury than all the others. They all gave out of their wealth; but she, out of her poverty, put in everything—all she had to live on." (NIV)
The Widow's OfferingI see at least 3 important things about giving in this story of the widow's offering:
- God values our offerings differently than men do.
In God's eyes, the value of the offering is not determined by the amount of the offering. The text says that the wealthy gave large amounts, but the widow's offering was of much higher value because she gave all that she had. It was a costly sacrifice. Note that Jesus did not say she put in more than any of the others, he said she put in more than all the others.
- Our attitude in giving is what is most important to God.
The text says Jesus "watched the crowd putting their money into the temple treasury." Jesus observed the people as they gave their offerings, and he watches us today as we give. If we give to be seen by men or with a stingy heart toward God, our offering loses its value. Verse 41 says the rich threw in their offerings, further indicating that they gave carelessly with no thought. The widow carefully put in her offering. Jesus is more interested and impressed by how we give than what we give.
We see this same principle in the story of Cain and Abel. God evaluated Cain and Abel's offerings. Abel's offering was pleasing in God's eyes, but he rejected Cain's. Rather than giving to God out of thankfulness and worship, Cain may have presented his offering with evil or selfish intentions. Maybe he had hoped to receive some special recognition. No matter what, Cain knew what was the right thing to do, but he didn't do it. God even gave Cain an opportunity to make things right, but he chose not to.
This illustrates again that God watches what and how we give. God not only cares about the quality of our gifts to him, but also the manner in which we offer them.
- God doesn't want us to be overly concerned with how our offering is spent.
At the time Jesus observed this widow's offering, the temple treasury was no doubt being managed by the corrupt religious leaders of that day. But Jesus did not mention anywhere in this story that the widow should not have given to the temple.
Although we should do what we can to ensure that the churches and ministries we give to are good stewards of God's money, we can't always know for certain that the money we give will be spent correctly. We should not be overly burdened with this concern. Nor should we use this as an excuse not to give.
It's important for us to find a good church that is wisely managing its financial resources for God's glory and for the growth of God's kingdom. But once we give to God, we don't need to worry about what happens to the money. This is God's problem to resolve. If a church leader or ministry misuses its funds, God knows how to deal with it.
We rob God when we fail to give offerings to him.
- Malachi 3:8
Will a man rob God? Yet you rob me. But you ask, 'How do we rob you?' In tithes and offerings. (NIV)
The picture of our financial giving simply reveals a reflection of our lives surrendered to God.
- Romans 12:1
Therefore, I urge you, brothers, in view of God's mercy, to offer your bodies as living sacrifices, holy and pleasing to God—this is your spiritual act of worship. (NIV)
A ChallengeIn conclusion, I'd like to explain my personal convictions and offer a challenge to my readers. As I've already stated, I believe tithing is no longer the law. We are under no legal obligation to give a tenth of our income. But my husband and I feel strongly that the tithe ought to be the starting point of our giving. We see it as the minimum to give, a demonstration that everything we have belongs to God.
My husband and I also believe most of our giving should go to the local church (the storehouse) where we are fed God's Word and nurtured spiritually. Malachi 3:10 says, " 'Bring the whole tithe into the storehouse, that there may be food in my house. Test me in this,' says the LORD Almighty, 'and see if I will not throw open the floodgates of heaven and pour out so much blessing that there will not be room enough to store it.' "
If you're not currently giving to the Lord, I challenge you to start by making a commitment. Give something faithfully and regularly. I'm certain God will honor and bless your commitment. If a tenth seems too overwhelming, consider making it a goal. Giving may feel like a huge sacrifice at first, but I'm confident you'll eventually discover its rewards.
God wants believers to be free from the love of money, which the Bible says in 1 Timothy 6:10 is "a root of all kinds of evil." Giving honors the Lord, and allows his work to go forward. It also helps build our faith. We may experience times of financial hardship when we can't give as much, but the Lord still wants us to trust Him in times of lack. He, not our paycheck, is our provider. He will meet our daily needs.
A friend of my pastor once told him that financial giving is not God's way of raising money—it's his way of raising children. | <urn:uuid:22fc567d-2689-4403-b029-4f0900b19e03> | 2013-05-26T03:01:51Z | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | [
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No one has ever seen God; the only God, who is at the Father's side, he has made him known. (John 1:18 ESV)
I have always had trouble understanding what this verse is actually saying, partially because I can't determine which person of the Trinity each noun is associated with.
I've tagged each eligible noun with a number. Please explain which person of the Trinity is associated with which noun and your reasoning for thinking so. | <urn:uuid:9cf0b01c-b62a-430a-a616-de636c970667> | 2013-05-26T02:41:53Z | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | [
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Golden Harvest Cinema
319 Main Street,
1 person favorited this theater
The Golden Harvest Cinema was built in 1974. This theater closed in the 1990’s.
Around 2004 the Golden Harvest was purchased by film producer William Vince (Capote). The theatre was renovated and used primarily for art films. William Vince passed away in 2008. The Golden Harvest is currently used for private screenings.
Just login to your account and subscribe to this theater | <urn:uuid:457c5c4f-ef91-4c94-8847-d15509201edc> | 2013-05-26T02:35:30Z | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | [
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Louis Killen: Born and raised in Tyneside in a musical family of Irish/Scottish extraction, Louis was a founder member of the Newcastle Folk Club in 1958 and an original member of the High Level Ranters. He recorded several seminal albums with Topic in the 1960s and then emigrated to the USA where he continued a career in folk music, joining the Clancy Brothers between 1971 and 1976 [sic]. Now back on home ground, Louis is recognised as one of the most knowledgeable singers and influential voices of the folk revival, noted in particular for his knowledge of shanties and maritime songs.
A mainstay of British folk music since the '50s best-known for his collections of sea shanties and whaling songs, Louis Killen is a singer, archivist, lecturer, and historian on the level of Ewan MacColl, Pete Seeger, and A.L. Lloyd, all of whom Killen worked with at one time or another.
Born in the northern village of Gateshead-on-Tyne, County Durham, England, in 1934, Killen first became interested in folk music as a young man attending Oxford University, where he fell in with the local folk music crowd and developed his vocal technique as well as learning the pennywhistle and concertina. Leaving school to return north in 1958, Killen settled in Newcastle and opened one of Britain's first folk clubs while also working in the city's shipyards. Unemployed in 1961, Killen decided to turn professional and signed with the legendary British folk label Topic Records. His first releases were a pair of EPs, The Colliers Rant (recorded with Johnny Handle) and A Northumbrian Garland, both in 1962. A series of collaborations and appearances on compilations followed, with his first full-length solo recording, Ballads and Broadsides, not appearing until 1964.
Source: AOL Music | <urn:uuid:5ba9e420-d2ce-4648-b6a2-b7b4b33c1702> | 2013-05-26T03:03:21Z | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | [
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Warranties are a pretty standard part of buying and selling in this country, whether they're required by law or given by responsible traders. The new Australian Consumer Law is going to make some important changes to the way that warranties operate, including what's in them.
Express and extended warranties, and the new ACL
Kirsten Webb, Partner, Competition Law
Warranties are a pretty standard part of buying and selling in this country, whether they're required by law or given by responsible traders. The new Australian Consumer Law is going to make some important changes to the way that warranties operate, including what's in them. What seems simple will actually be a bit more complicated in practice and we think could put you more at risk of making a false or misleading representation to your customers, which could be an expensive mistake.
To understand the problem, you need a bit of background. Retailers and manufacturers are already prohibited from making false or misleading representations about the existence, exclusion or effect of any condition, warranty, guarantee, right or remedy.
The Australian Consumer Law changes this in two ways:
It then specifies the sorts of things that should be in your express warranty against defects, including that the warranty's benefits are in addition to a consumer's other rights and remedies. It also sets out some standard text that must be included.
Seems simple, right?
There are two important issues for retailers and manufacturers.
The first one is this: are your express or extended warranties, or the way in which they are marketed, likely to mislead consumers about the rights and remedies to which they may otherwise be entitled under the Australian Consumer Law?
This is a fairly obvious risk.
The second one is a bit less obvious, and arises when you're selling an express or extended warranty.
The risk is that the warranty you're selling might not actually give a consumer any rights and remedies that they don't already get under the Australian Consumer Law.
If it doesn't, you might be making a false or misleading representation to the consumer that they need to pay for something they already have. That could be so even if you put in a statement preserving consumers' rights under the ACL and expressly outlining those rights, if the warranty you sell doesn't actually give them anything beyond that.
There are a few things that retailers and manufacturers should be looking at now.
First, you need to make sure that your frontline staff understands what rights and remedies a consumer has under the Australian Consumer Law. For example: when can a customer reject goods? Who determines whether the customer is entitled to repair or replacement or a refund? What is a major failure?
Secondly, you'll need to look at the warranty products that you sell. Do they go beyond the protections in the Australian Consumer Law? If they overlap, but your warranty is more limited, you'll need to make it clear that consumers still have the broader rights under the Australian Consumer Law, and that the payment for the extended warranty is only for the benefits that go beyond those in the ACL. What are the benefits that you are selling? | <urn:uuid:088a5fad-027d-430f-9e5d-c9dcb2d7795f> | 2013-05-26T03:01:45Z | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | [
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Clinical Applications and Evaluations of A Portable In-Shoe Plantar Pressure Monitoring and Biofeedback Gait System for Ambulation Training in Stroke Rehabilitation
Recruitment status was Active, not recruiting
The purposes of this paper were to determine whether walking speed affected gait parameters and force impulse in patients with stroke or not, and if the changes varied in various foot regions.
|Study Design:||Observational Model: Defined Population
Primary Purpose: Screening
Time Perspective: Longitudinal
Time Perspective: Prospective
|Official Title:||Clinical Applications and Evaluations of A Portable In-Shoe Plantar Pressure Monitoring and Biofeedback Gait System for Ambulation Training in Stroke Rehabilitation|
|Study Start Date:||August 1999|
|Estimated Study Completion Date:||July 2002|
Stroke patients often suffer from persistent physical, psychological, and motor dysfunction, which severely affect their independence in daily life. Therefore, restoration of independent ambulatory ability is one of the most important goals in stroke rehabilitation. To achieve such a goal, ambulation aids are important and necessary devices to assist their ambulatory ability or ambulation training. Whereas the use of ambulation assistive devices promotes early mobility and facilitates early restoration of function for these patients, improper or prolonged use of these devices may inevitably cause negative training effects, such as patients may become over-dependent upon the assistance offered by these devices. The formation of such dependence would hinder the progress of stroke patients to achieve the ultimate goal of independent walking without any assistive devices. To assess the influences of using ambulation assistive devices, it is therefore imperative that clinicians closely and subjectively evaluate the gait pattern and force production pattern of patients when they walk with ambulation aids. In addition, ambulation assistive devices equipped with device pressure feedback function can be used not only to assist in ambulating but also to monitor patient's level of dependence on devices. The device pressure feedback information can be used to train patients to gradually reduce their dependence on devices. To date, due to the limitations of conventional laboratory methods of gait analysis, the "multi-footed" gait patterns presented by stroke patients, when they are walking with ambulation aids, have not yet been studied with biomechanical analysis. Moreover, whether the use of ambulation assistive devices equipped with feedback function can effectively improve stroke patients' gait patterns or their ability to achieve independent walking remains unknown. Answers to both questions would provide important knowledge for clinicians to base upon in evaluating weight bearing symmetry between the two lower extremities in stroke patients and the training effects of using ambulation aids for these patients.
|School and Graduate Institute of Physical Therapy College of Medicine, National Taiwan University|
|Taipei, Taiwan, 100|
|Principal Investigator:||Pei-Fang Tang, PhD||National Taiwan University Hospital| | <urn:uuid:af837935-5720-4b63-9fa4-8f6b84022139> | 2013-05-26T02:42:57Z | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | [
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Friday, May 2, 2008
John Sadler received this land certificate for having fought at the Battle of San Jacinto 1836.
John Sadler was born on 24 May 1811 in Tennessee. He died on 18 Apr 1885 in Oletha, Limestone, Texas. He was buried in the Ferguson Cemetery, Limestone, Texas.
John married Bathsheba Lindley, daughter of Samuel Washington Lindley and Elizabeth Whitley, on 18 Nov 1830 in Shelby, Illinois. Bathsheba was born on 5 Mar 1811 in Madison, Illinois. She died on 17 Oct 1885 in Oletha, Limestone, Texas. She was buried in the Ferguson Cemetery, Limestone, Texas. John and Bathsheba had 9 children. | <urn:uuid:e0a74652-0f6d-465c-accf-482004d1b282> | 2013-05-26T02:55:11Z | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | [
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A bank may issue letters of credit permissible under chapter 1305. Of the Revised Code, provided that all letters of credit are issued in conformity with all of the following:
(A) Each letter of credit shall conspicuously state that it is a letter of credit or be conspicuously entitled as such;
(B) The bank's undertaking shall contain a specified expiration date or be for a definite term;
(C) The bank's undertaking shall be limited in amount;
(D) The bank's obligation to pay shall arise only upon presentation of a draft or other documents specified in the letter of credit, and the bank shall not be called upon to determine questions of fact or law at issue between the bank's customer and the beneficiary;
(E) The bank's customer shall have an unqualified obligation to reimburse the bank for payments made under the letter of credit.
All items listed in paragraphs (a) to (e) of this rule shall be evidenced in writing.
R.C. 119.032 review dates: 11/15/2006 and 11/15/2011
Promulgated Under: 119.03
Statutory Authority: 1121.03
Prior Effective Dates: 5/29/97, 4/7/90, 9/9/88 | <urn:uuid:dd157175-f5f5-4ff0-8d0b-a7ff3b95c61e> | 2013-05-26T02:55:19Z | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | [
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Re: I need an understanding of what C++ is good for -Thanks
Date: Tue, 20 Apr 2004 18:37:02 -0400
"Howard" <firstname.lastname@example.org> wrote in message
> > > A truly good programmer should be able to pick up a new language
> > > easily. Now, given the (at least potential) complexity of C++, I
> > > hardly expect the person to become a "good C++ programmer" in a few
> > weeks...
> > Exactly, which is why it's ridiculous not to ask about C++ programming.
> Well, that's where I disagree with you. I'd rather have a truly good
> programmer with little or no C++ experience than a mediocre C++
There was no such choice given. I'd rather have that too. The point is
there's no substitute for experience. I'd rather have a truly good
programmer with plenty of C++ experience than a truly good programmer with
no C++ experience. THAT is the point.
- Re: How to prevent passed value types from being changed
... Then I don't see how you come to disagree with my position that the feature isn't *as* useful within a method. ... the XSL language doesn't have _any_ mutable variables. ... That's the only kind of programmer that would also change a method variable from "readonly" to not "readonly" without first considering why the variable was marked that way, and understanding the implications of their change. ... I don't know why you should feel unhappy about the discussion. ...
- Re: Open letter to sun about java generics syntax
... > The me they smell of eau de kludge. ... When I first saw Java's Collection collection, ... Objects" and require lots of casting by the programmer. ... I don't really disagree with you on this ...
- Re: What is wrong with this: *p++=*s++
... email@example.com (Strix Nihildom) writes: ... > when you do stuff like this use parentheses ... I disagree. ... Every C programmer ...
- Re: Which do you prefer?
... I disagree ... Master Programmer is always right.. ... haven't you guys seen the pattern ...
- Re: looking for some feedback about Certification
... James Edward Gray II wrote: ... I disagree. ... If a programmer has any experience at all, he or she has to have passed numerous coding tests. ... I look for attitude first. ... | <urn:uuid:fa705725-6e23-4fa3-aad5-ef806d21c9e3> | 2013-05-26T02:56:12Z | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | [
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National Republican Trust
The National Republican Trust Political Action Committee is an independent American political grassroots organization founded to promote conservative values to the United States. It places great emphasis on continuing the conservative values that former U.S. President Ronald Reagan held.
It is one of the groups that helped to successfully re-elect Georgian Senator Saxby Chambliss and defeat Jim Martin in the 2008 U.S. Senate Election in Georgia. This prevented the Democrats from gaining a 60-seat majority in the U.S. Senate, which would have allowed the Democrats to block filibusters. | <urn:uuid:14c9ce46-f59e-41ae-97f0-6e1d1c91f34f> | 2013-05-26T02:55:14Z | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | [
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When I use my immersion blender (for soups etc.), I always have a lot of splatter. Is there a way to minimize this splatter? Is it better to put the blender on and put it in the to-blend substance or the other way around? Are there other tricks?
First, use the highest-sided, smallest diameter container available. The food you're puréeing should have several inches from the top of the container. If the diameter is small enough, your blender will be able to get all the food moving at once -- you'll get a nice vortex right in the middle, and won't have to do any horizontal movement, just vertical. (Essentially the same thing as would happen in a counter-top blender's jar.)
The absolute best container is what's known as a "bain marie", a cylindrical metal pan that's much taller than it is wide:
You can get these fairly cheaply at restaurant supply stores. It's not absolutely essential, though, and if you don't want to buy one, use your pasta pot or stock pot.
Next, always turn the blender on and off while it's in the food, and keep the blade and its hood submerged. You should be able to move the business part of the blender near the surface, but keeping it a good inch or so underneath, and have the food at the top being sucked under and into the blade. Bringing the blade to the top, so that it's partially in the air, is all but guaranteed to splatter.
Start blending near the top of the container, then slowly and smoothly move your way down and back up. If your container requires you to move horizontally, do the top "layer" before moving downwards.
If you have speeds on your blender, go through all of the food on low, getting it uniformly chopped up before raising the speed. If you have especially chunky food, it will take a while on low before it's safe to raise the speed without splashing.
It will occasionally happen that the blade isn't making contact with the food, especially if you get too near the bottom or it's something especially thick that you're trying to purée. It may feel like the blender "grabs" the bottom of the container -- I guess there's some kind of vacuum forming, although that doesn't quite make sense to me. The motor will start going too fast and the vortex, if you had one, will fall apart. You can usually get it restarted just by tilting the mixer, but you may have to stop the blender, go back to the top, and begin again.
Cut a hole in a paper plate and put the shaft through the hole. The plate will act as a lid. | <urn:uuid:32267678-57d7-445f-8235-bf40a79cdb1e> | 2013-05-26T03:03:08Z | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | [
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Recipe Cook Time
Melt butter, sugar, honey and peanut butter together.
Stir in flour, baking powder, oats and nuts.
Press into an oiled 8" by 12" tray.
Bake at 180 degrees C for 15-20 minutes. Cool.
Spread and decorate with chocolate before cutting into squares
For Iced Mint Tea:
Place mint leaves in a jug.
Pour on hot water. Infuse with teabag. Sweeten to taste. Cool and strain.
Sharpen with lemon juice and serve with ice. | <urn:uuid:78401992-aa9b-4069-8fef-657ef5079315> | 2013-05-26T02:55:22Z | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | [
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Deductive versus Inductive Reasoning
Noah D. Alper
[Reprinted from Land and Freedom, March-April
In his History of Civilization in England, Henry Thomas
Buckle makes some interesting observations on the respective merits of
the deductive and inductive methods of propagating thought in the
development of civilization. In the deductive method we begin with a
general conclusion and then attempt to point out the facts which
support it. In the inductive method we first select our facts and then
seek to lead to the acceptance of the general conclusions or
principles. Buckle says:
"If we take a general view of those countries where
science has been cultivated, we shall find that, whenever the
deductive method of inquiry has predominated, knowledge, though
often increased and accumulated, has never been widely diffused. On
the other hand, we shall find that, when the inductive method has
predominated, the diffusion of knowledge has always been
considerable, or, at all events, has been beyond comparison greater
than when deduction was prevalent.
If, in any civilized
nation, two men, equally gifted, were to propound some new and
startling conclusion, and one of these men were to defend his
conclusion by reasoning from ideas or general principles, while the
other man were to defend his reasoning from particular and Visible
facts, there can be no doubt that, supposing all other things the
same, the latter man would gain most adherents.
Facts seem to
come home to every one, arid are undeniable. Principles are not so
obvious, and, being often disputed, they have to those who do not
grasp them, an unreal and illusory appearance, which weakens their
We find historically that the establishment of the
modern inductive philosophy, with its varied and attractive
experiments, its material appliances, and its constant appeal to the
senses, has been intimately connected with the awakening of the
public mind, and coincides with that spirit of inquiry, and with
that love of liberty, which has been constantly advancing since the
sixteenth century. . . .
"In both cases [induction and deduction] there is no doubt a
line of argument essentially ideal; just as, in both cases, there is
an assemblage of facts essentially sensuous. No method is pure, or
stands entirely by itself. But inasmuch as, in induction, the facts
are more prominent than the ideas, while, in deduction, the ideas
are more prominent than the facts, it is evident that conclusions
arrived at "by the former plan, will, as a general rule, obtain
a wider assent than conclusions arrived at by the latter plan.
Obtaining a wider assent, they will produce more decisive results,
and will be more likely to shape the national character and
influence the course of national affairs."
Buckle's penetrating observations may be taken as a guide to
Georgeists in the dissemination of their principles.
What is the Georgeist objective? It is to free men. Its practical
goal is to abolish all forms of special privilege in order that an
environment might exist in which the free enterprise system of
production and distribution of wealth can operate. More specifically,
it is to abolish all forms of securing public revenue save those which
collect for the use of the community the publicly created rental value
How are we to bring this about? We must secure favorable interest and
decision on the part of a large majority of the people. We cannot hope
to be the beneficiary of any dictatorship or of any totalitarian
revolution. We must maintain and use the discriminating democratic
processes. We must influence thought, difficult as that may be. We
must educate in ways that will give understanding.
The advice of Buckle comes in for consideration here. The Georgeist
philosophy is adaptable to both the inductive and the deductive
methods. But when we use the latter, we find that the statement of
strong conclusions leads to antagonism toward them. Farther
investigation is discouraged, and the prospective convert is in no
mood to ask for or receive facts.
But if facts are presented first, people will listen. To many
self-styled practical people, a principle, however sound it seems to
be, is not a fact. A fact to these observers is a figure, a
measurement, an example. Facts promote curiosity, interest, inquiry.
Witness our ubiquitous radio quiz programs and pictorial "believe-it-or-not"
presentations. Facts, then, must be our starting point.
It was my pleasure and privilege to be associated with Judge Jackson
H. Ralston of California during the years 1935-1938 in his gallant
effort to secure the adoption of a strong application of Georgeist
principles in that State. It is from this experience that I have
arrived at what I feel is a pattern of activity which can be followed
to bring about the acceptance of our social and economic proposals.
This pattern follows the principles of influencing thought presented
by Buckle, making use largely of the inductive method, though not, of
course, excluding use of the deductive.
The great majority of the people must be made to feel that they will
gain materially from the Georgeist proposal and that it is on the
whole sound and just. Two propositions relating to our method of
securing public revenue must be demonstrated factually so that they
will be understood and accepted by the people. The first proposition
is that the people, who should hold title to the land values of the
nation, today hold little or no title to it. The second is that a tax
on the value of land, or a direct levy on the rent, must be paid out
of the rent now collected by the present title holder, and that he
cannot shift this charge to the people in higher prices or rents and
so recover an equal amount for himself.
Of course, during the process of education, the other points in the
Georgeist theory must also be demonstrated. People must be made to"
see that rent is the measure of communal privileges; that the economic
activities of all who labor and spend contribute to the rent fund;
that the taxing of land values and the untaxing of labor and industry
will benefit all.
How is this objective to be accomplished? First, a study must be made
of the land values in the community where the program is to be
launched. This is a problem of research, of accumulating the facts in
the given geographical area. They involve records, public sales, etc.
-- facts that are familiar to people.
During the Ralston campaign in California such a study was made.
Because of data regularly collected, the problem in that state was not
so difficult. Based on 1936 figures compiled by Prof. Alfred S. Niles,
of Stanford University, it was found that over 50% of the state's land
value was located in only three of the fifty-eight counties. The three
counties were Los Angeles (36.02%), San Francisco (11.09%), and
Alameda (5.78%). This left the vast remaining area of fifty-five
counties with bat 47.01 % of the land values. In the city of San
Francisco it was demonstrated that 3% of the city blocks contained
over one-third of the total land value of the city.
By a breakdown of the distribution of land values in this manner it
can be shown where the land value is to be found. By studies of
ownership of titles it can be shown what percentage of the property
holders and what percentage of the total population control and enjoy
the vast bulk of the rental income of the land.
This is a matter of statistical effort and study which any Georgeist
group that hopes for any sort of success in a political way must be
prepared to make. Such facts as these the people can grasp. Further,
they are facts which cannot be denied or argued by the land-title
holders or their agents of agencies.
Our second proposition must also be demonstrated -- the proposition
that a tax on land values cannot be shifted, and that the net effect
of the Georgeist proposal is to make land holders pay fairly and
equally to the community for the privilege of holding land. Unless the
idea of the non-shiftability of our method of raising public revenue
is accepted by the majority of the people, we cannot hope to secure
favorable action on our proposals.
There is another important point to be remembered in the planning of
an educational program -- that is, its "timing." We lost the
1938 Ralston campaign in California, not because the methods used were
unsound, but simply because we did not have the time or the funds to
reach the people with our information. If any group of Georgeists feel
they are prepared or will one day be prepared for a political
campaign, they must first and above all plan a long-range campaign of
basic factual education. In far too many cases (perhaps in all cases,
so far) the campaign method has never had a chance to succeed, because
the correct sort of preliminary barrage of facts had not been laid
down, and hence the ground was not prepared for political action.
Although Georgeist campaigns have in the past failed, they have left
us a precious heritage -- that is, anticipation of the probable line
of attack on us by the opposition. Chief among the arguments used
against the Georgeist proposal is that it will hurt the small home
owner and raise rents, and that it will ruin the fanner. Preparation
against such arguments should be undertaken by dissemination of facts
on the case, before any political action is undertaken.
A campaign should not begin with a draft of an amendment or
legislative enactment. Such an action will not only interfere with the
preliminary educational program, but will draw the fire of the
opposition on the nature of the measure. It will place us at a
disadvantage in the ensuing fight. The legislative draft, which is
only able to incorporate principles, is about the last thing to be
After the work of research, which is the first requirement in a
Georgeist campaign, must come the work of publicizing these facts. All
the attributes of the good salesman and advertising man, the radio
quiz artist and the educators need to be brought into play to present
the figures and facts to the people.
During our California campaign, we held a meeting before the Pomona
Grange, consisting of the Grange organizations of Shasta and Trinity
Counties. The type of facts we presented profoundly affected those
attending the meeting. The farmers of Trinity County were asked how
much land value there was in their county. None of them knew. Then we
presented the facts: The 1937 figures of the Controller's Report of
California showed that there was $2,728,715 in land value in that
county. Along with this figure we gave the figures for the land value
of block 329 in the City of San Francisco. This small, triangular
block of 1.54 acres had a land value of $2,766,020 -- more than all of
Trinity County. The fanners of Shasta County were also asked about the
land value in their county. They, too, did not know. The 1937 report
gave Shasta County a land value of $12,166,890. It was shown that
three large blocks between Third and Sixth Streets in San Francisco,
some 17 acres, had a value of over $13,000,000 -- nearly a million
more than all of Shasta County.
Another presentation designed to attract attention might be in the
form of weekly releases of the accumulated facts. In California we
distributed such releases. One read: "Less than one acre of land
under the Russ Building (in San Francisco) rents for $120,000 a year.
This is paid to the title holder for .99 years. It would take 120 men,
working eight hours a day, making $1,000 a year, to produce wages or
salaries equal to the wealth taken by the title holders to this land
each year. Here is a measure of the value of privilege and the value
of wages." All the channels of publicity can be used in
distributing the facts.
If this policy were carried on continuously for a period of time
without any concrete political proposal, it is of course to be
expected that the enemies of the "to be proposed" measure
would in time suspect the situation. But in the face of indisputable
facts, they would be at a disadvantage as compared to their position
if a legislative amendment were first drafted.
Sooner or later, in the course of the educational campaign, the
question of the non-shiftability of the land value tax will have to be
faced. Several types of arguments can be used. It might be started on
a quiz basis, a series of questions, such as the following: If the
community increased the tax on the value of a vacant lot, could the
owner shift the tax or would he have to pay it himself ? To whom could
he shift it ? If the supply of vacant lots for sale or rent increased,
due to a tax on land value, would their price go up or down? If a man
is getting all the land rent he can for the use of a certain piece of
land, could he collect more if the taxes on his rent were increased?
If he could increase his rent, would he wait for the tax in order to
do so? If a tax on land values can be shifted, why do landowners
oppose it so strongly?
A carefully prepared campaign, planned to run over a period of
several years, could become more specific as the time came to launch a
definite proposal and the actual campaign. Until some definite
proposal was made, the opposition would be at a great disadvantage. If
they attacked in advance of a definite proposal, it would have to be
over fundamental principles, the facts being indisputable. Of course,
Georgeists would welcome such an attack. If it did not come, the
Georgeists should even provoke it. The best thing that can happen to
our cause is to have our principles brought out into the open,
discussed, argued, made into an issue. We can then be sure that we are
making real advances. | <urn:uuid:fbe17957-fcdd-47ad-a4cc-535ff449f557> | 2013-05-26T03:03:06Z | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | [
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Lowell Anthony Smith
It is with great sadness that the family announces the passing of Lowell Anthony Smith.
Lowell, of Chino Valley, Ariz., passed away on Saturday, Jan. 19, 2013, at the age of 81 after a brief battle with cancer at the VA Hospice in Prescott, Ariz. Cremation has taken place. Funeral services will be held at a later date.
Lowell was born in Conrad, Mont., on July 24, 1931, to Edmond and Lucy Smith. Their family moved to Malta, Mont. soon after. Lowell graduated from Malta High School and spent four years in the Navy. In 1956 he married Fay Smith. Together, Lowell and Fay raised three children. In 1971 he packed up his family and a U-Haul and headed south, and the family settled in Cortez. Lowell built homes until he moved to Truth or Consequence, N.M. in 1982, where he built The Fabric Shop for his wife. They operated the shop until 1995, when they moved to Williams, Ariz. They enjoyed the mountain trails there until they moved to Chino Valley, where they lived until Lowell's death.
Lowell's lifetime spanned five states; Montana, Colorado, New Mexico, Oregon and Arizona. Lowell owned and flew planes, built many homes and a few businesses, and was an avid sportsman. Eventually the couple bought a motor home and traveled throughout the Western United States, including parts of Canada and Mexico, to fish and to visit family. He also enjoyed many trips to Las Vegas and Laughlin, Nev., where he was known by name at the craps tables.
With his help, his kids grew up to be responsible and successful adults. He was the man to go to if a job needed done or an idea needed to be carried out. He didn't waste any time.
Lowell is survived by his wife, Fay; his children, Tony Smith of Elizabeth, Colo., Karen Carley and husband John of San Antonio, Texas, and Ron Smith and wife Lorraine of Flagstaff, Ariz. Lowell also leaves behind five grandchildren; two great-grandsons; and his brothers, Duane and Gary of Billings, Mont., and Curtis of Georgia.
Lowell was preceded in death by his parents, Edmond and Lucy Smith; and by his daughter-in-law, Erica Smith. | <urn:uuid:18e9cfee-d38b-47ec-b47a-75b850ec3d4d> | 2013-05-26T03:03:33Z | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | [
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On the Europa/radiation thread I started, someone brought up the fact that radiation might actally be part of a possible life cycle inside the icy moon. I thought about this some more, and I came up with the idea for this particular thread.
And this subject most likely has been discussed here, but just in case...
How would one go about defining what life is on another planet? Keep in mind that there is the danger of allowing ourselves to define life based solely on what we've been exposed to on Earth. It is a vast Universe, and to use the Earth as the definitive example of what to look for in regards to life might be rather limiting.
What are the suitable criteria to start off with, and where should we see about thinking beyond the box? | <urn:uuid:d79180dd-b7f6-42c9-b9de-3c548d2939e5> | 2013-05-26T02:56:32Z | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | [
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Tra la la Baby Names: Game #5
FN: What’s your favourite colour?
MN: What’s your ideal vacation?
Beach resort: Emma
Tour of Europe: Violet
Road trip: Charlotte
FN: What is your favourite sport to play/watch?
I don’t play/watch sports: Harry
MN: How many siblings do you have?
You’re a twin, triplet, etc.: Max
FN: If you could live abroad, which city would you live in?
Hong Kong: Annika
MN: What is your favourite flower?
FN: If you adopted a pet right now, what animal would it be?
MN: What colour are your eyes?
1. Delaney Hazel
2. Beckett Caleb
3. Fleur Eve
4. Isaiah Benjamin
Tra la la Baby Names: Baby Name Game - Chance #1
If you are 20 or younger you have a baby boy. FN and MN come from: http://nameberry.com/list/341/Royal-Names-for-Boys
If you are 21 to 40 you have B?G twins. Boy F&Mn: http://nameberry.com/list/336/Popular-Names-for-Boys Girls F&Mn:http://nameberry.com/list/335/Popular-Names-for-Girls
If you are 41 or older you have a baby girl. Fn and Mn come from: http://nameberry.com/list/340/Royal-Names-for-Girls
Name(s): Olivia Grace & Anthony James
If you watched the Flintstones growing up you have a girl. FN and MN Come from: http://nameberry.com/list/240/Ancient-Names-for-Girls
If you watched Scooby-Doo growing up you have a boy. Fn & Mn:: http://nameberry.com/list/218/Yupster-Names-for-Boys
If you didn’t watch either of these you adopt a cat from the humane society. Cats names: http://petrix.com/catnames/index.html (Pick a letter)
Name: Ezra Patrick
If you have shoes and socks on you have B/B twins. Names from: http://nameberry.com/list/239/Athlete-Names
If you have just socks on you have G/G twins. Names from: http://nameberry.com/list/79/Boys-Names-for-Girls
If you have neither you have a single baby. You chose the gender. Names: http://nameberry.com/list/376/Hunger-Game-Names
Name(s) girl twins Austyn James & Sawyer Eliot
If you are wearing Pink, Purple, or Yellow you have a girl. First Name: http://nameberry.com/list/255/Color-Names-for-Babies Middle name:http://nameberry.com/list/366/Designer-Names
If you are wearing Blue, Green, or Orange you have a boy. First name: http://nameberry.com/list/259/Invented-Baby-Names Middle Name:http://nameberry.com/list/318/Unique…s-from-History
If you are wearing any other color you lose the baby.
Name: Teagan Wystan
If your favorite music genre is Country you have twin girls: FN: http://nameberry.com/list/370/Country-Music-Names Mn:http://nameberry.com/list/407/Biblical-Names-for-Girls
If your favorite music genre is Rock you have twin boys: FN: http://nameberry.com/list/402/Names-…sic-Rock-Songs MN:http://nameberry.com/list/234/Rocker…per-Kids-Names
If you don’t like either of these you have B/G/B triplets. Fn: http://nameberry.com/list/232/Musician-Names Mn:http://nameberry.com/list/367/Modern-Hero-Names
names : Miranda Chloe & Ashton Ruth | <urn:uuid:02dcea01-5df0-42d7-85de-c498849b0bc4> | 2013-05-26T02:55:06Z | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | [
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Life’s irreducible structure—Part 2: naturalistic objections
In Part I of this article, I showed that autopoiesis (self-making) provides a compelling case for the intelligent design of life because all aspects of life lie beyond the reach of naturalistic explanation. Here in Part II the argument from autopoiesis is tested against commonly cited naturalistic objections to intelligent design. It comes through soundly intact, even strengthened because the opponents of design agree on the facts. They disagree on the historical inferences, but only intelligent design meets the criterion of an acceptable historical inference according to the Law of Cause and Effect. Naturalistic explanations of biological origins in the face of universally contradictory evidence depend upon faulty reasoning such as: (i) exclusion by definition and ridicule, (ii) assuming what must be proved, (iii) misinterpreting the scientific evidence, (iv) assigning unrealistic properties to the environment, and (v) misusing the concept of chance. In Polanyi’s terms, now is a very reasonable time to declare the impossibility of a naturalistic origin of life and accept that it was intelligently designed.
Image by Alex Williams
Figure 1. The irreducible structure of the autopoietic hierarchy is separated from the dirty chemistry of the natural environment by an unbridgeable abyss.
In Part I of this article,1 I argued as follows:
- Autopoiesis (self-making) is universal and therefore essential to life, so it is required at the beginning for life to exist and is thus not the end product of some long naturalistic process.
- Each level of the autopoietic hierarchy is separated from the one below it by a Polanyi impossibility, so it cannot be reduced to any sequence of naturalistic causes.
- There is an unbridgeable abyss between the autopoietic hierarchy and the dirty mass-action chemistry of the natural environment.
In this part, I test the integrity of this argument in the face of naturalistic objections to intelligent design. I then go on to assess evolutionary arguments for a naturalistic origin of life in the face of universally contradictory evidence.
Objective knowledge and historical inference
Science gets results by observation and experiment upon repeatable phenomena. Its most valued products are general laws that are observed repeatedly which we can confidently call ‘objective knowledge’. These general laws may be incomplete or even false, but they are objective in that they are open to testing by others. New information may cause them to be modified or discarded. Meanwhile, this objective knowledge is usually useful in curing disease, improving technology and food production, etc.
Our general laws can tell us what might have happened in the past but they cannot tell us what did happen.
But the subject of origins is quite different. It deals with unique sequences of unobservable and unrepeatable past events. No one can develop general laws about unique, unobservable and unrepeatable past events. Our general laws can tell us what might have happened in the past but they cannot tell us what did happen. Nor does anyone have a time machine to go back and observe what actually happened.
The best that science can do is extrapolate backwards in time from present day objective knowledge, using the principle of uniformity. This principle says that the laws of nature remain the same through all of time and space. Note that this principle is not objective knowledge—we cannot visit all of time and space to verify it, so it is just a convenient but necessary philosophical assumption. Most people do not realize that this principle underlies all of evolutionary theory, nor do they realize that it is potentially an anti-God assumption because it assumes that God has never intervened in history.
Historical inference is thus quite different to objective knowledge. We cannot test it by observation or experiment, so it is only as good as the assumptions it is built upon. If the assumptions are wrong, the ‘knowledge’ will be faulty. In the following discussion, the objective knowledge of life is available to all sides. Surprisingly, there is universal agreement on the fact that at present there is no naturalistic explanation for the origin of life. The controversy lies entirely in the historical inferences about what might have happened in the past. The only way we can evaluate these historical inferences is to examine the assumptions used to make those historical inferences and test the logical connections for internal consistency.
Naturalistic objections to Intelligent Design
The fact of autopoiesis
There has been a general reluctance among biologists to acknowledge and develop the idea of autopoiesis.2 But it is a fact of biology beyond dispute, so the reasons must be ideological rather than scientific. Organisms do repair themselves. For example, there are at least 148 known genes dedicated to DNA repair, using at least 14 known different methods, carrying out up to a million repair events per cell per day.3 Organisms do maintain themselves. For example, every production pathway for every molecular component in a cell has a corresponding degradation pathway so that redundant, used and/or damaged molecules can be broken down and the parts recycled. There are even programmed cell death mechanisms to remove unwanted cells from a developmental pathway (apoptosis) and to cleanly dispose of malfunctioning or injured cells (necrosis). Damage to these degradation pathways often leads to disease and death because cells and tissues become clogged with molecular rubbish. Organisms do reproduce themselves, and in an astonishing variety of ways, and they do produce variable offspring as everyone since Darwin has acknowledged. There are no sustainable objections to the fact of autopoiesis.
The universality of autopoiesis
The universality of autopoiesis is also a fact of biology beyond dispute. In Kirschner and Gerhart’s groundbreaking book The Plausibility of Life: Resolving Darwin’s Dilemma,4 in which they announce the first ever theory—called facilitated variation—of how life works at the molecular level, they identify two basic components:
- conserved core processes of cellular architecture, metabolic function and body plan organization; and
- modular regulatory mechanisms that are built in special ways that allow them to
be easily rearranged into new combinations to generate new and variable phenotypes.
Concerning the conserved core processes, they say,
“Core processes may have emerged together as a suite, for we know of no organism today that lacks any part of the suite … The most obscure origination of a core process is the creation of the first prokaryotic cell. The novelty and complexity of the cell is so far beyond anything inanimate in the world of today that we are left baffled” (pp. 253–256).
The central message of Kirschner and Gerhart’s theory is that not genes but the cell, with its highly conserved architecture, machinery and regulatory circuitry, is the centrepiece of life and heredity. When these ideas are combined—that the cell as a whole is the functional entity, that cell structure and function is highly conserved, that its origination as a whole entity has no naturalistic explanation, and that the “suite of core processes” is universal—this clearly supports the universality of autopoiesis.
The separation of autopoietic levels by Polanyi impossibilities
The existence of Polanyi impossibilities is also beyond dispute. This is demonstrated in Part 1 in figures 1 and 2, where man-made artefacts clearly have structure that cannot be explained by the properties of the materials they are made of. The parallel with biology is also clear—life is made of carbon, hydrogen, oxygen, nitrogen, phosphorus etc., but life cannot be explained simply by the properties of these materials.
Nobel Prize winning biochemist Christian de Duve, in his latest book on the origin of life, itemizes numerous obstacles to a naturalistic origin, which he calls singularities—events that only happened once and have never been repeated. He then offers seven different possible explanations, six of which are naturalistic and the seventh is intelligent design. Of the latter he says “it can come into account only after all natural explanations have been ruled out, and, obviously, they never can be.”5 This is an appeal to ignorance, not knowledge. What we do know, even by de Duve’s own admission, rules out naturalistic explanations and leaves only intelligent design.
The ground level of the autopoietic hierarchy is perfectly pure components, such as only left-handed amino acids (in contrast to the dirty chemistry of the natural environment). De Duve has no naturalistic explanation for this transition because the mass-action laws of environmental chemistry drive it towards mixtures rather than purity. The next level is specific structure of individual molecules. De Duve has no naturalistic explanation for this transition because the mass-action laws of environmental chemistry drive it towards the statistically far, far more likely non-functional structures. The all-pervasive problem of hydrolysis is not even mentioned in his book. The next level in the hierarchy is integration of specially structured molecules into functional machines. De Duve has no naturalistic explanation for this transition because the mass-action laws of environmental chemistry have no functional goal-orientation. The next level is information-driven regulation of the cellular machinery. De Duve has no naturalistic explanation for this transition because environmental chemistry carries no coded information. The next level is the inversely causal meta-information that keeps the functional information intact and passes it onto its offspring for the purpose of survival in a changing world. De Duve has no naturalistic explanation for this transition because without any coded information, environmental chemistry has no mechanism for handling meta-information.
De Duve can explain none of the structure or function of life using the properties of its constituent materials because in every case the laws of environmental chemistry work against, not towards, life. Each level of the autopoietic hierarchy is thus separated by Polanyi impossibilities. The most reasonable historical inference to make from this conclusion is that it could not have arisen by any of de Duve’s six naturalistic processes, so that leaves only the seventh, intelligent design.
The unbridgeable abyss
The third crucial argument is that there is an unbridgeable abyss below the autopoietic hierarchy, between it and the dirty, mass-action chemistry of the natural environment. Does this abyss actually exist?
The existence of the abyss is clearly established by the title of Professor de Duve’s book just mentioned, Singularities. Even though he puts all his great intelligence and skill into seeking ways to circumvent these singular obstacles, he (and many others) cannot, and that is why he chose that title. Another recent book by Hubert Yockey, the result of half a century of research on the subject, approaches the origin of life from the point of view of information theory and comes to the conclusion that the question of origin is undecidable.6 Together, these two long-time researchers in their respective fields give us a good definition of the abyss:
- The environment can provide organic ‘building blocks’ such as amino acids, thioesters, and pyrophosphates, but only in a “dirty gemisch (heterogeneous collection of molecules)” of other useless and often toxic materials (de Duve).
- Life runs on 100% pure reagents. De Duve has no explanation.
- Life processes are information-driven, a feature unknown in the natural world (Yockey).
- The digital information of the genetic code has been faithfully transmitted across the whole time span of life on Earth and leads back to no known naturalistic originating source (Yockey).
- Both the laws of physics and Gödel’s incompleteness theorem allow for undecidable propositions, so we should not shy away from concluding that the origin of life is an undecidable question (Yockey).
This leads to a simple definition of the abyss: “it is a naturalistically undecidable question because there is no evidence of a naturalistic cause.” Yockey’s claim of undecidability is not compelling, however, because neither physics nor Gödel’s theorem identify which questions are undecidable. Yockey has simply grabbed onto this excuse to conveniently avoid the uncomfortable conclusion that life was intelligently designed.
Naturalistic fudges and fumbles
Since even the specialist scientist opponents of intelligent design agree that there is at present no naturalistic explanation for the origin of life, why is the world at large so convinced otherwise? Here are five common reasons:
- exclusion by definition and ridicule,
- assuming what needs to be proved,
- misinterpreting the scientific evidence (unintentionally),
- assigning unrealistic properties to the environment, and
- misusing the concept of chance.
Exclusion by definition and ridicule
Dawkins and Coyne write, “[Intelligent design] is not a scientific argument at all, but a religious one. It might be worth discussing in a class on the history of ideas, in a philosophy class on popular logical fallacies, or in a comparative religion class on origin myths from around the world. But it no more belongs in a biology class than alchemy belongs in a chemistry class, phlogiston in a physics class or the stork theory in a sex education class.”7
Exclusion of intelligent design by definition fails on the grounds that the issue is fundamentally about history, not science.
By defining intelligent design out of the field of science, they appear not to have to answer its scientific challenges. But the issue here is history, not science. Unique events of history—either creation or evolution—are not science. But we can certainly use science to assess historical inferences of either kind, and when we do so we come up with very strong support for intelligent design as an event in history, and very strong evidence against a naturalistic origin. Exclusion of intelligent design by definition fails on the grounds that the issue is fundamentally about history, not science. Exclusion by ridicule would only be valid if the arguments were ridiculous, but they clearly are not, so the ploy is nothing more than bluff—the resort of those who have nothing better to offer.
Assuming what must be proved
In Singularities, Professor de Duve personally rejects both chance and intelligent design as explanations for life, and concludes that life evolved naturalistically, via “strictly chemical phenomena that … were bound to occur under the physical-chemical conditions that prevailed … leaving no room for chance” (p. 238). How did this happen?
The first trick that he uses is equivocation—two different meanings in the same argument for the one word protometabolism. On p. 15 he says,
“These early chemical processes [cosmically produced and Miller-type amino acids] are generally referred to as prebiotic, or abiotic, chemistry. They will be designated protometabolism in this book [emphasis in original].”
Then, on p. 150 he presents a summary table of his model, and there we find that all the essential properties of metabolism (life chemistry) have been moved down into protometabolism, and before that he still has ‘abiotic chemistry’ continuing to churn out the building blocks.
The second trick he uses is assuming what must be proved. His first singularity is the 100% purity of proteins (homochirality). “How this could have happened is not known. … but whatever the starting situation, one would expect homochirality to emerge by selection” (p. 12). But selection can only occur if you already have organisms. He assumes what he is trying to prove, and even admits to doing so:
“How RNA could possibly have emerged from the clutter [dirty gemisch] without a ‘guiding hand’ would baffle any chemist; it seems explainable only by selection, a process that presupposes replication [emphasis in original]” (p. 78).
In his famous Blind Watchmaker argument, Richard Dawkins does the same thing, saying “The theory of the blind watchmaker is extremely powerful, given that we are allowed to assume replication and hence cumulative selection.”8 Replication with cumulative selection only occurs in living organisms so he assumes the existence of what he is trying to prove.
Misinterpretation of biological evidence
Because of a prior commitment to naturalism,9 many scientists and media organizations reject any thought of design and only discuss evidence of apparent naturalistic origin. Here are five common examples, all of which are faulty.
(1) Natural variation
Neo-Darwinists assume that genes produce organisms, mutations in genes produce changes in organisms and genes have a continual influence on organisms. Since only about 3% of our genomes are protein-coding genes, they assume the rest is mostly ‘junk’—left-over mutation-disabled genes from past evolutionary stages. In his book The Ancestors Tale: A Pilgrimage to the Dawn of Evolution, Richard Dawkins says,
“We don’t need fossils to peer back into history. Because DNA changes very slowly through the generations, history is woven into the fabric of modern animals and plants, and inscribed in the coded characters.”10
In his book Climbing Mt Improbable11 Dawkins overcame the most daunting design challenges by “going around the back way”—natural selection captures every tiny useful mutation and accumulates them until self-aware human beings emerge at the top. He continues to rely on this mechanism in his latest book, The God Delusion.12 In the section ‘refuting’ intelligent design he argues that we can easily imagine situations where “half an eye [i.e. 50%] is better than 49%” and so natural selection will select the superior version and work towards ever-more-advanced and “apparently designed” eyes.
The added limitless range and plasticity of these natural variations is contradicted by all our experience with plant and animal breeding, which shows that there is a limit to natural variation—it is not infinitely plastic.
Natural variation thus appears to point back to a naturalistic origin of life, but it actually assumes everything that needs to be proved—the existence of fully functional organisms with the ability to reproduce variable offspring. The added limitless range and plasticity of these natural variations is contradicted by all our experience with plant and animal breeding, which shows that there is a limit to natural variation—it is not infinitely plastic.
Recent discoveries in molecular biology have completely overturned this neo-Darwinian picture of life. The ‘junk DNA’ concept has been discredited by the ENCODE project.13 They examined the RNA sequences transcribed from just 1% of the human genome and discovered that virtually all the DNA is transcribed from both strands of the double helix (not just the gene-coding regions of the ‘positive’ strand, as expected). And there are multiple layers of interleaved transcripts, not the beads-on-a-string model that neo-Darwinists used. So genes are no longer the centrepiece of life and heredity but vast numbers of RNAs that are derived from multiple overlapping transcriptions of the whole genome. Almost all DNA is being used right now so Dawkins’ record of history does not exist!
According to Kirschner and Gerhart’s facilitated variation theory mentioned earlier, genes do not have a continual influence on organisms; they only work when switched ON. Natural variation is mostly the result of rearrangements of modular regulatory switching circuits, plus some contribution from mutations that disrupt these switching circuits. The conserved core processes (all the architecture and the machinery in the cell) and the modular regulatory circuits (which they compare to ®Lego blocks which can be easily pulled apart and rearranged) have to be in place before natural variation can occur.
An example of facilitated variation is found in the phylogenetic history of a group of sibling species in the fruit fly genus Drosophila, where a particular wing pigment pattern has been gained twice and lost twice, but for different reasons. All pigment patterns were produced by the one pleiotropic14 gene called yellow. The two loss events occurred via mutations that inactivated the switch that turned yellow ON. But the two independent gains of the pattern resulted from the gene being switched ON by other switches.15 These gene switches have ‘signature sequences’ that can be changed about in numerous different permutations and combinations to produce different outcomes.16
This means that natural variation is not merely the passive result of mutations, as neo-Darwinists assume, but rather cells actively use random changes to produce useful new combinations of existing circuitry. Natural variation is thus built-in. Kirschner and Gerhart argue that without this built-in capacity for variation, a purely mechanical kind of life would break down at the first encounter with a mechanical malfunction. This is powerful evidence of design.
Figure 2. Truly random outcomes are difficult to obtain. They require precisely designed structures (such as coins, dice, or a roulette wheel) that can consistently maintain their integrity and performance. They point to an intelligently designed source. Image by Alex Williams
(2) Random outcomes
Gregor Mendel showed experimentally that—for certain carefully chosen characters—inheritance was carried by paired factors (genes on homologous chromosomes) that dissociate during gamete formation (meiosis) and then recombine randomly (according to the laws of chance) during fertilization. It has ever since been widely assumed among biologists that random natural variation points back to the possibility of a random natural origin. Nothing could be further from the truth.
A random outcome is surprisingly difficult to obtain, and it is always constrained and not open-ended as evolutionists require for ‘goo-to-you-via-the-zoo’ evolution. The tossing of an unbiased coin can produce a random result but only between two possibilities—heads or tails. The tossing of an unbiased die can produce a random result, but only among its six possible faces. Even a computer cannot produce a truly random result because it does calculations and calculations always produce predictable results.17
Truly random outcomes are difficult to obtain because they crucially depend upon the stability of the system that produces them. If Mendel’s pea plants had not reliably produced seeds from independently segregating cell divisions every generation, and had not produced a sufficiently large amount of pollen to ensure independent fertilization events, he could never have discovered the random outcomes that showed him the laws of hybridization. Likewise, coin-tossing produces random outcomes only while the coin remains solidly round and flat, and the die only works if it remains rigid and unbroken. Any system that is capable of continually producing a chance outcome must have a stable core mechanism. Indeed, any system that varies continually in any manner, random or otherwise, without a core of stability will quickly encounter an error catastrophe—changes mount upon changes until the core functionality collapses.
The random variation we observe in biology provides a powerful case for intelligent design. It requires a well-engineered underlying mechanism of stability to protect itself from error catastrophe, and it is not infinitely plastic but constrained to the range of possible outcomes provided by the kinds of gene regulation combinations accessible to it.
(3) Error tolerance
Living things tolerate errors remarkably well. Evolutionists use this property to argue that since life is error tolerant, then it could have arisen in an error tolerant (sloppy, haphazard, inefficient, mutation-ridden) stepwise, Darwinian manner. This fallaciously assumes that error tolerance is an intermediate step between non-functionality and functionality, but it is not. Error-tolerant systems are very much more complex than error-intolerant systems.
The computer industry provides an excellent illustration of this principle. Word-processing software of thirty years ago produced very similar results as today, but with very much shorter software codes. Today’s error-tolerant software that detects, interprets and corrects errors as you type, requires far more code, far greater programming skills, and far more computer memory and processing power, than the earlier models. Error tolerance is therefore not a sign of error-prone evolution, but a sign of advanced engineering design.
As I showed in Part I of this article, the reason that organisms tolerate errors is because they have the most wonderful repair and maintenance mechanisms built-in by design!
A common objection to Michael Behe’s claim that the bacterial flagellum is irreducibly complex is to point to other bacterial flagella that require fewer parts than the one Behe chose. This argument is superficially persuasive, but false, because it assumes an important property of life that cannot be assumed—redundancy. Living organisms usually carry with them more than they really need to survive. The obvious reason for this is that God intended them to have the capacity to adapt to changing conditions, in particular to the stress of living under the curse of Adam’s sin after the Fall. Evolutionists have never come near to explaining how even the simplest living organism could arise naturalistically, so the difficulty is multiplied many-fold if the first organism has to contain more than it needs at that time to survive. If it did not, it could not have adapted to environmental change and would have gone extinct before life got to the second generation.
To illustrate how much redundancy can be present, consider the bacterium Salmonella enterica. Of 700 enzymes identified in infected mice hosts, over 400 of those enzymes can be knocked out without reducing Salmonella virulence, reflecting “extensive metabolic redundancies and access to surprisingly diverse host nutrients.”18 The mouse genome provides another example. In gene knockout experiments, only about 15% of single-gene knockouts were developmentally lethal.19 That is, about 85% of the mouse genes can be knocked out (one or a few at a time) and still produce a viable adult. If naturalistic experiments are unlikely to produce an organism with sufficient functionality to survive and reproduce, then they are even less likely to produce one with more functionality than is needed. Redundancy is powerful evidence of design.
(5) Self-organizing chemicals
To propose that chemicals could come to life by chance is as absurdly anti-scientific as the idea that a cow could jump over the moon by chance.
Because many steps in biochemistry have a self-organizing component, origin-of-life researchers are always looking for self-organizing systems in nature that might perhaps explain the origin of life. However, self-organizing components in life already have ultra-pure composition and ultra-specific structure. For example, tubulin, the protein that forms much of the internal scaffolding (cytoskeleton) of cells, and kinesins, the motor proteins that travel along tubulin pathways, when put together in a test tube, will spontaneously form networks similar to those inside cells, such as the mitotic spindle apparatus that assists in cell division.20 However, it is the pure composition and remarkable structure of these amazing proteins that causes them to behave in this way, not any innate tendency of environmental chemistry towards self-organization. They behave in this way because their purity and specific design (whatever its origin) causes them to behave in this way!
Similarly, RNA shows a wide range of interesting self-organizing activity in pure solutions. However, this very same activity creates great problems for any origin-of-life experiment. A long strand of RNA is like a long strand of sticky tape—it sticks to anything it touches, including itself, and quickly ‘self-organizes’ into a jumbled mess. Moreover, it is highly unstable outside of its normal cellular environment and breaks down in a matter of minutes.
(6) Assigning unrealistic properties to the environment
According to Christian de Duve, the two components that produced life from non-life were chemistry and environment. At no point does he make any systematic attempt to describe what these special conditions in the environment might have been, so it is an appeal to ignorance once again, not an argument based on objective knowledge.
The most he says is things like “it is not known.” However, on p. 167 he speculates on what environmental conditions might have caused nascent proto-life to overcome the final singularity and become the first life form. What were these special conditions? “Starvation, acidification, and excessive heat.” These conditions are not at all special—they are repeatable in every laboratory—and none of them produce life!
Misuse of the concept of chance
Since no one has any naturalistic explanation for life, cosmologists have suggested that perhaps an infinite number of other universes exist and we are just the lucky one where life occurred by chance. But chance cannot make impossible events possible. Chance is nothing more than the mathematical calculation of how often real events might occur if they are not certain to occur.
For example, the laws of physics do not prevent a cow from jumping over a fence. Cows do jump over fences, but only rarely, so we could gather information and use statistical theory to predict how likely that event might be, given various circumstances. However, the laws of physics do prevent a cow from jumping over the moon (it would need a rocket engine to do that) so the idea of a cow jumping over the moon by chance is absurdly anti-scientific. In similar manner, Professor de Duve has met impossibility after impossibility in his search for the origin of life because the laws of chemistry work against, not towards, his goal. To propose that chemicals could come to life by chance is as absurdly anti-scientific as the idea that a cow could jump over the moon by chance. Both are Polanyi impossibilities.
Identity of the Designer
Photo by William Wallace Denslow, from wikipedia.org
The laws of physics do not prevent a cow from jumping over this Moon, but they do prevent a cow from jumping high enough to escape the Earth’s gravity and jump over the real Moon. In exactly the same way, the laws of chemistry prevent environmental chemicals from organizing themselves into living organisms. Neither events can occur by chance and it is profoundly anti-scientific to suggest that they could.
Richard Dawkins argues that intelligent design is a non-solution to the origin of life issue because it begs the question of the identity of the designer.
“If complex organisms demand an explanation, so does a complex designer. And it’s no solution to raise the plea that the Intelligent Designer is simply immune to the normal demands of scientific explanation. To do so would be to shoot yourself in the foot. You cannot have it both ways.”7
This is a red herring. There is a pencil on my desk that I can deduce was intelligently designed, and Richard Dawkins would agree with me. But neither of us need to know the identity of the designer in order to come to that conclusion. All we need is the evidence of objective knowledge and the logic of historical inference. The identity of the designer is a separate issue to the evidence of design.
Actually, the Law of Cause and Effect that Dawkins appeals to does, when used correctly, give us a strong argument for design and at least some clue to the designer’s identity. An effect can only be produced by a cause that is sufficient, or competent, to produce that effect. For example, an ant cannot push a bulldozer, but a bulldozer can push an ant. The movement of an ant therefore cannot be accepted as a sufficient cause to explain the movement of a bulldozer, but the movement of a bulldozer could be accepted as a sufficient cause to explain the movement of an ant. Correspondingly, the astonishing sophistication of autopoietic life could only be explained by a comparably astonishingly sophisticated cause. The only causes available are chance, chemistry-and-the-environment, and intelligent design. Of these, only intelligent design meets this criterion.
Life’s irreducible structure and the concept of autopoiesis are not in any way contradicted by the common arguments against intelligent design. Yockey’s claim that the origin of life is an undecidable question does not stand up to scrutiny—it is an empty play on words designed to hide the uncomfortable conclusion of design.
The idea that life arose naturalistically from non-living chemicals is not objective knowledge, nor is it based upon any inference, deduction or extrapolation from objective knowledge. Quite the reverse—it is an ideological statement formulated in opposition to universally contradictory objective knowledge. Only intelligent design meets the criterion of an acceptable explanation according to the Law of Cause and Effect.
Naturalistic explanations of biological origins all depend upon faulty reasoning such as: (i) exclusion by definition and ridicule, (ii) assuming what must be proved, (iii) misinterpreting the scientific evidence, (iv) assigning unrealistic properties to the environment, and (v) misusing the concept of chance. In Polanyi’s terms, now is a very reasonable time to declare the impossibility of a naturalistic origin of life and accept that it was intelligently designed.
- Williams, A., Life’s irreducible structure Part 1: autopoiesis, Journal of Creation 21(2):109–115, 2007. Return to text.
- Luisi, P.L., Autopoiesis: a review and a reappraisal, Naturwissenschaften 90(2):49–59, 2003. Return to text.
- DNA repair, <en.wikipedia.org/wiki/DNA_repair>; Human DNA repair genes, <www.cgal.icnet.uk/DNA_Repair_Genes.html>, 20 June 2007. Return to text.
- Kirschner, M.W. and Gerhart, J.C., The Plausibility of Life: Resolving Darwin’s Dilemma, Yale University Press, New Haven, CT, 2005. Return to text.
- de Duve, C., Singularities: Landmarks on the Pathways of Life, Cambridge University Press, 2005, pp.4–5. Return to text.
- Yockey, H., Probability Theory, Evolution, and the Origin of Life, Cambridge University Press, 2005. Return to text.
- Dawkins, R. and Coyne, J., One side can be wrong, The Guardian, September 1 2005, <www.guardian.co.uk/life/feature/story/0,13026,1559743,00.html>, 20 June 2007. Return to text.
- Dawkins, R., The Blind Watchmaker, Penguin, London, 1988, p.140. Return to text.
- Lewontin, R., Billions and billions of demons, The New York Review, p. 31, 9 January 1997; See Amazing admission. Return to text.
- Dawkins, R., The Ancestors Tale: A Pilgrimage to the Dawn of Evolution, Houghton Miflin, New York, p. 20, 2004. Return to text.
- Dawkins, R., Climbing Mt Improbable, Norton, New York, 1996. Return to text.
- Dawkins, R., The God Delusion, Houghton Miflin, New York, 2006. Return to text.
- Williams, A., Astonishing DNA complexity uncovered, 20 June 2007. Return to text.
- A pleiotropic gene is one that influences many different aspects of an organism’s development. Return to text.
- Prud’homme, B. et al., Repeated morphological evolution through cis-regulatory changes in a pleiotropic gene, Nature 440:1050–1053, 2006. Return to text.
- Carroll, S.B., Endless Forms Most Beautiful: The new science of Evo Devo, Norton, New York, pp.114–122, 2005. Return to text.
- Computer-generated random numbers are technically called pseudorandom; they are chosen from a series that is very much longer than most common applications require so the series is unlikely to start repeating itself. Return to text.
- Becker, D. et al., Robust Salmonella metabolism limits possibilities for new antimicrobials, Nature 440:303–307, 2006. Return to text.
- Knockout mouse, <en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Knockout_mouse>, 20 June 2007. Return to text.
- Karsenti, E., Nédélec, F. and Surrey, T., Modelling microtubule patterns, Nature Cell Biology 8(11):1204–1211, 2006. Return to text. | <urn:uuid:bc685d1a-c4a4-4a0f-9aa1-78633b3bc48d> | 2013-05-26T02:49:31Z | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | [
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Environment, Health and Safety Policy
Crew Energy Inc. is committed to achieving superior performance with respect to Environment, Health, & Safety Management. The main goals of our systems are to protect the public, our employees/contractors, and the environment. In order to achieve this goal, Crew Energy will:
- Assess the health, safety, and environmental aspects and impacts of all proposed activities in order to design appropriate hazard control measures.
- Comply as a minimum with all government regulations, industry standards, and codes of practice.
- Ensure proper training is in place to assist company personnel in understanding government regulations, industry standards, and company procedures.
- Develop and effectively communicate the environment, health, and safety management systems to all employees/contractors.
- Continuously improve the environment, health, and safety management systems by consulting employees/contractors.
- Require all employees and contractors to comply with the environment, health, and safety management systems.
- Management, employees, and contractors are governed by our environment, health, and safety management systems, as well as all applicable federal, provincial, and municipal acts and regulations. Individuals at every level within the company are responsible and account for their performances.
Management is responsible for supporting the environment, health, and safety management systems. Setting the example, auditing the system, communicating to the company and ensuring that the process is being followed.
Supervisors are responsible for overseeing safe work practices and ensuring that rules,
regulations, policy, and procedures are being followed at the worksite.
Employees/contractors are responsible for performing their work in a safe and conscientious manner, reporting any hazardous conditions to an on-site supervisor, and ensuring that the worksite is safe for all.
To achieve all environment, health, and safety objectives the support and participation of all Crew Energy Inc. employees/contractors is required to fulfill this commitment. | <urn:uuid:81e766d5-3c02-413e-ad5d-faaf920ec2d9> | 2013-05-26T03:10:16Z | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | [
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I hope people can find this and get use out of it before someone else gets taken advantage of..
This guy seems to be promising people a job, and in my knowledge of the issues, he wanted a person to use THEIR vehicle and THEIR gas -- drive him to Florence, Alabama -- then from Chelsea to Auburn, back to Chelsea -- then from Sylacauga to Tuscaloosa, and again from Sylacauga to Tuscaloosa. The end, and where the buck stopped was when Gary asked to be taken to Mobile, Alabama, asked that gas and room be paid for by the so-called "employee" with Gary, and when refused..Gary claimed that he lost money by not being able to get to Mobile by himself and do the jobs, and supposedly now he can't pay the hourly wage nor the remaining gas that was used prior to Mobile's trip.
Funny thing, Gary sent text messages the morning of the Mobile trip, after he received word that he no longer had an employee -- that he was headed out and the person should contact him Monday for timesheet.
On top of this, Gary bragged about being able to steal someone's identity -- named the people, told how much he could steal, and told what he knew about them their finances. He also tried to negotiate with someone to sell painkillers for money, and pawned numerous items during the week of "work"
Gary is searching for some "assistant/secretary" that he claims he needs...and says he'll pay $26/hour, but knowing his track record...this would NOT be a wise move.
48 years old, white male, 5'10 and 160lb to 180lb | <urn:uuid:13dbc8ab-1de3-448a-81c1-5d42d5a5a27d> | 2013-05-26T02:41:02Z | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | [
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Have a snowball fight.
Give a present.
Receive a present.
Watch A Christmas Story.
Kiss someone under the mistletoe (and use this as an excuse to do it).
Build a snowman.
Roll in the snow before jumping in the hot tub.
Build a bonfire.
Read a classic novel.
Take five naps in one day.
Eat a bigger breakfast than dinner.
Build a fort with blankets and couch pillows.
Learn about a holiday you haven’t celebrated.
Build a jump out of snow and go off it in a sled.
Complete a jigsaw puzzle.
Spend more time sleeping in one day than awake.
Call someone you haven’t talked to in a while.
Roast marshmallows in your fireplace.
Wear a bad holiday sweater.
Host a party.
Join the countdown to the New Year.
Make dinner for someone you care about — whether you can cook or not.
Please read our Comment policy. | <urn:uuid:69f76946-8fc3-4ab4-b09c-8ce8dd921b4b> | 2013-05-26T02:36:02Z | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | [
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or: Selfishness vs. Self-Centeredness in Maintaining Friendships
Way back in October of 2008, I wrote an article titled Get Over Yourself!, or Selfishness vs. Self-Centeredness in Meeting New People. In that article, I contrasted the approaches of the rationally selfish man vs. the self-centered man in meeting new people. The selfish man, I explained, treats each new person as a potential value to be explored; while the self-centered man sees new people primarily as a potential receptacle for information about himself. The selfish man endeavors to make new people comfortable and asks them questions about their lives and interests; the self-centered man looks for opportunities to soliloquy about his own life and interests. The selfish man tends to make friends, influence people, nail the interview, and get the girl; the self-centered man comes across as arrogant and annoying.
Since the conflation of selfishness and self-centeredness is relatively common among Objectivists, I had always intended to follow-up on my 2008 article to further explore this widely misunderstood issue. And over a year later, it’s high time to do so. This time, I will contrast the approaches of the selfish vs. the self-centered man in maintaining friendships. I will conclude the series (ideally before 2011!) with a discussion of these principles in relation to long term romantic love relationships.
Long term friendships are among the most significant values one can attain in his lifetime. Their survival value is crucial in many ways, including: emotional support, psychological visibility, specializations in different hobbies and areas of knowledge (allowing one more effectively to expand his horizons), and as deep wells of spiritual fuel. So critical a value warrants special study, specifically how to gain and keep it. In the last article of this series, I discussed some methods of gaining and earning this value. This article will focus on how to keep it. So: how does the rationally self-interested man maintain friendships?
First, the selfish man acknowledges that long term friendships are indeed values which require maintenance. A friendship is not a static entity automatically formed and sustained given the existence of shared values. It requires work to create, build, and sustain. The selfish man understands this and looks for ways to build and nurture his friendships. The self-centered man does not understand this. He believes, in effect, that friendships spring into existence, grow in depth, fade away, or collapse into enmity -- all without action on his part. He does not consider ways in which he can build a friendship or contribute to its growth. He is often not even aware of the state of his own relationships: Are they healthy and thriving or sick and dying? He does not know, nor does he think it in his self-interest to care.
The selfish man places value on the individuating characteristics of his long term friends. By individuating characteristics, I mean those legitimate optional values (hobbies, interests, career, etc.) that make each man unique. Just as the selfish man initiates relationships by showing sincere interest and asking questions, so he continues to show interest and ask questions about his friends’ values throughout the life of a friendship. He does this even if he does not share those particular values. Such questions go a long way in adding depth to the relationship, even with regard to a friend’s minor hobbies.
For instance, I have no particular interest in World of Warcraft (WoW), but I have a good friend, Nancy, who absolutely loves it. When I talk to her on the phone, or visit her apartment, I often ask how her Blood Elf is doing, what new weapons the Elf has acquired, if she’s created any new characters, if she’s gotten into any new similar games, etc. And believe me, she can spend many happy hours waxing philosophical about WoW! This is a good example, because knowledge of WoW does not otherwise improve my life -- I don’t learn any special life lessons from these conversations. But I do gain a value from taking the time to talk to her about WoW: I am learning more about what makes this woman unique. Nancy would not be Nancy if she wasn’t a fanatic RPG enthusiast.
But her love of RPGs is only a small part of Nancy’s personality. With a friend’s more significant values, like career or children, it’s much more important to keep tabs on these things. For instance, I have no particular interest in the World of Wall St. (I don’t even read the Business section of the Newspaper), but my good friend Sherry has dedicated her life to it. She is a superstar in her field, and I am very proud to be her friend. But I would never have known how passionate she is, how competent a businesswoman, how brilliant her business acumen, had I not taken the time to talk to her about her work life. I take pleasure in hearing about the World of Wall St. from Sherry’s perspective. I share her elation when she closes an important business deal, and I share her pain when a client pulls out at the last minute. Gaining knowledge about the business world and her role in it serves to strengthen our relationship.
In a good friendship, these kinds of efforts are reciprocal. My close friends also take stake in my interests, my career, my field of study, etc. Most of them don’t regularly attend Slam poetry performances, but they are always interested to hear any new poems I write. They will often read my essays and comment on them. They will spring to my defense if I am wrongfully arrested. These efforts do not go unnoticed. These are the kinds of friends who contribute the spiritual fuel to keep me going. They actively love, encourage, and inspire me.
The self-centered man, by contrast, does not expend much effort to maintain his friendships. To him, “selfishness” means that any friendships ought to focus on his own interests, his own life, his own career. He is very happy to tell friends about his values, but he usually doesn’t take the time to ask about theirs. He will tolerate friends telling him about their lives, but learning about them is not a primary objective to him. He doesn’t seek out friends whose interests differ from his own; he has no desire to broaden his horizons. Instead, he thinks that friendships ought to focus on “shared interests,” i.e., on interests he already has. He may ask Nancy about her Blood Elf in World of Warcraft, but only if he is already an RPG fan. And even then, his inquiry is usually only an excuse to pontificate on the virtues of his own Orc Beserker.
With regards to emotional support, again the rationally selfish man makes a point to contribute to the emotional health of his friends. He maintains an awareness of his friends’ emotional states, and can usually tell if they are proud or discouraged, joyous or depressed. Just as he relishes in sharing his friends’ triumphs, so he gladly shoulders their pain in difficult times.
For instance, I often talk to my friends about their romantic lives. I can often tell when a friend is unhappy with his current romantic relationship, even before the friend recognizes it himself. This is not at all uncommon. The outside perspective of a good friend can be invaluable in helping one understand relationship issues. But this kind of understanding does not come automatically. It is only because I take interest in my friends’ love lives that I am able to provide appropriate emotional support and friendly advice. I can share their hopeful excitement when love begins to bloom, and offer sympathy when a promising relationship disintegrates. I look for opportunities to be there for my friends, to hear their stories, to take part in their emotional lives.
But to the self-centered man, taking stake in his friends’ emotional lives seems sacrificial or altruistic. He acknowledges that sharing his own emotional pain with a friend can have a positive cathartic effect, and he may lean on them in difficult times. But when roles are reversed, he would rather not endure a friend’s tears over some heartache which he does not share. Why put a bummer on an otherwise pleasant day? The self-centered man may be happy to share in his friend’s triumphs at work, particularly if he shares an interest in his friend’s profession. But when sorrow strikes, he prefers to keep his distance. He is the classic fair-weather friend.
I don’t need to tell you which kind of person, the selfish man or the self-centered man, makes a better friend. Everyone has at some point been exposed to both types, and anyone could tell you that the rationally self-interested man makes the better business partner, the better lover, and overall the better person to have in one’s life. We seek out those who not only share our moral values, but who also take sincere interest in our individuating characteristics. Most of us tend to avoid those who take the self-centered approach, those who take interest only in those aspects of one’s personality that he already shares. We seek out friends who relish sharing in both our joys and pains, and we eschew those for whom emotional support is a one-way street. The selfish man is the kind of life-long friend who can become like a family member. The self-centered man usually doesn’t rise above the status of “temporary activity partner.”
Over time, long term friendships can grow into some of the highest values in one’s life. Whether one acknowledges it or not, we need deep friendships; they have a survival value which is difficult to quantify. In theory, it is easy to make the mistake that being independent means that one doesn’t need friends. In some respects, this is true. One ought not need anyone else to provide him with epistemological certainty, productive independence, or self-esteem. But friendships -- and to a greater degree romantic relationships -- so enrich our lives that they deserve a high degree of focus, consideration, and sustained effort.
In part III of this series, which I hope to publish with a few weeks, I will apply these same principles to romantic love relationships. How does the rationally self-interested man treat his lover at home, in the bedroom, with family, and in public? How does the self-centered man act in these situations? Which type of man makes a better lover, and why?
As always, thanks for reading, and I look forward to any comments! | <urn:uuid:df6bc437-6f12-446c-8ea2-137b6dd2770b> | 2013-05-26T02:41:45Z | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | [
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I have a table with ~200 million rows and ~15 columns in it. I am planning to create a
COLUMNSTORE index on my table.
Will there be any change in performance based on the order of columns that I use in the columnstore index? If yes, what is the logic behind it? | <urn:uuid:90f75680-c580-4cbc-b7f9-3669c467b374> | 2013-05-26T02:36:23Z | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | [
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The UFC has implemented the Interim Title on several occasions in the past. The first time the UFC used the Interim Title was back in June of 2003 when Randy Couture fought Chuck Liddell for the title since Tito was in limbo with the UFC brass and had not had a fight in about a year. Randy went on to win the fight and 3 months later Randy defeated Tito to become the undisputed UFC LHW Champion.
The next time the title was used was when Frank Mir, who just defeated Tim Silvia, was not able to defend the title due to the injuries he sustained in a motorcycle accident. On February 2005, Andrei Arlovski fought Justin Eilers at UFC 53 for the Interim HW title. Arlovski won the fight and in August 2005, the title was changed to the undisputed champion due to Frank’s uncertain future in the division. The title was only promoted to undisputed after it became clear that Frank may never come back and needed to move the division along without him.
In UFC 81, Antônio Rodrigo Nogueira would face off against Tim Sylvia for another Interim Title while the UFC and Randy Couture worked out their differences. Once those differences were worked out and Randy signed a new contract with the UFC, he made his title defense against Brock Lesnar at UFC 91, where he lost the title in the second round by TKO.
Once again, the HW division needed to crown an Interim champ when Brock Lesnar became seriously ill as a result of his coming down with Diverticulitis. The UFC set up a fight between Frank Mir with Shane Carwin only to lose by KO in under 4 minutes. Then about three months later. Finally, when Lesnar was healed and ready to unify the titles, Carwin and Lesnar met at UFC 116 in the MGM Grand Garden Arena where Brock Lesnar was once again the undisputed UFC HW Champion.
The WW division also had to use the Interim belt back in 2007 when Matt Serra had a herniated disc in his lower back. With Serra being out of the fight, the UFC put the Interim Title up for a fight between two former champions, Matt Hughes and Georges St. Pierre. Georges St. Pierre would end up submitting Hughes late in the second round to secure his chance to regain the title from Matt Serra when he became healthy and he did just that in UFC 83.
This brings us to the current situation with the UFC WW title picture. Georges St. Pierre has been the champion of the division since April 19th 2008. He is also a 2 time champion in the division with only 2 blemishes on his record. The first being, his title fight loss to Matt Hughes via arm bar at UFC 50 and then his TKO loss to Matt Serra at UFC 69. This is the first time, since Randy defeated Chuck at UFC 43, the Interim Title been used for a long time Champ. Most of the time, the title has been used for fighters that haven’t been the champion for a long time; however, this is not the case for the current UFC Interim WW Champion. | <urn:uuid:d2e14bdc-9e3c-4c40-88df-368299faedde> | 2013-05-26T02:41:40Z | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | [
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The Treasury Table, designed by Lucie Koldová for Process, looks like an ordinary table but under the top hides secret compartments for just about anything from pens to poems. The concept was inspired by the idea that creatives need specialized spaces to store their items. The table has drawers sized from A5 to A2, along with compartments perfectly sized for writing utensils. It is made of painted MDF with a matte glass on the surface.
Photos by Martin Chum. | <urn:uuid:9faf72b6-1a63-4618-9b26-0c896959466d> | 2013-05-26T02:48:53Z | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | [
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Long before the trial, people started talking about the possibility that Casey Anthony and or the defense would "throw George under the bus." And sure enough, they did. Yesterday in the courtroom, they rolled out their fleet running over the whole family.
Jose Baez questioned Cindy Anthony about an argument with her son Lee over the Dominic Casey-James Hoover search and videotaping in the woods. Cindy denied that it ever happened.
The defense then put Lee on the stand to ask him about the fight. He admits to it and provides more detail. He claimed that his mother sent Dominic Casey into the woods to follow up on a tip from a psychic. Lee was angered by that because he wanted to believe Caylee was alive and his mother was sending someone in search of a dead body. Essentially, the defense just impeached their own witness Cindy Anthony--the only person who accepted responsibility for the computer searches that the state alleged showed premeditation by the defendant.
Then Baez took on George Anthony, accusing him of having an affair with Krystal Holloway/River Cruz. George denied it. I imagine the defense will call her to the stand before it's over. But, really, how much credibility can you give a woman with an alias?
At this point, I wouldn't have been surprised if the defense called a witness to impugn the credibility and character of Winnie the Pooh, naming him as yet another evil influence in the life of their client.
Before the called the family to the stand, they put up Joe Jordan who took the fifth and I cannot believe that the experienced Cheney Mason didn't see that one coming. They followed up with a sloppy assault on Roy Kronk. In the opening statement, they called Kronk "morally bankrupt" and claimed he'd had the body in his possession before placing it where it was found. They certainly didn't prove that allegation.
The day wrapped up with a series of proffers outside of the presence of the jury. Judge Belvin Perry ruled that testimony about Casey Anthony being a happy prisoner was not relevant or material and deferred a decision about the admissibility of Jesse Grund's testimony. Jesse wanted to tell the jury about Lee groping Casey while she slept. I can't see how a tale told by known liar Casey Anthony to a boyfriend can have any credibility even if the judge does allow it.
Wednesday will start with Anne Finnell delivering argument for the defense motion about the illegality of the death penalty in Florida via telephone. I hope she prevails. With a death sentence, Casey will have unlimited resources to appeal. With a life sentence, Casey will be just one more inmate without any extraordinary assistance from the State of Florida.
The defense told the judge that they have half a dozen witnesses remaining before they rest. The state will definitely call rebuttal witnesses. After that, it all will be in the hands of the jury. Hopefully, they will see the big picture and delivery justice for Caylee Anthony. | <urn:uuid:eafaddcd-1c3a-44c9-8d4f-683ff096c2e9> | 2013-05-26T02:47:31Z | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | [
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1. a German medal awarded for outstanding bravery or service during wartime.
2. (l.c.) Gymnastics.an upright, crosslike position held between the rings, with the arms fully extended laterally and the legs held together and pointed downward.
Random House Unabridged Dictionary, Copyright © 1997, by Random House, Inc., on Infoplease. | <urn:uuid:ab817a28-3bf9-4039-aabb-c940081670c6> | 2013-05-26T02:34:27Z | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | [
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|a medicine protected by a patent and available without a doctor's prescription|
|a scrap or morsel of food left at a meal.|
|a stew of meat, vegetables, potatoes, etc.|
patent medicine pat·ent medicine (pāt'nt)
A nonprescription drug or other medical preparation that is often protected by a trademark. | <urn:uuid:d09a6f50-23b4-41f1-a73c-368f9d6ea00a> | 2013-05-26T02:49:32Z | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | [
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Hammett, Dashiell, 1894-1961--Criticism and interpretation; Chandler, William, 1888-1959--Criticism and interpretation; Women and literature--United States--History--20th century; American fiction--California--History and criticism; City and town...
Polka by Mr. Selkirk = Sontag polka --
Schottish from G. Strongberg, Camp Washington Idaho Warrens Diggins --
Polka mazourka --
Waltz N.. 1 by Haug of Murphey's Camp California --
Dixie sett no. III --
Edward Rhodenbaugh's daily, sometimes hourly, account of activities during the summer break of 1924. As a teacher at Gooding College, Edward had the summer off. He spent his time traveling throughout Idaho and Easter Oregon, including Craters of...
Sandoz, Mari, 1896-1966--Criticism and interpretation; Women and literature--United States--History--20th century; Frontier and pioneer life in literature; West (U.S.)--Intellectual life; Indians in literature; Nebraska in literature; | <urn:uuid:7e1e2b3f-4f7a-460c-b3ad-20b24b87eebe> | 2013-05-26T02:41:48Z | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | [
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Date: June 3, 1996
Creator: Doyle, Charles
Description: The Antiterrorism and Effective Death Penalty Act of 1996 is the product of legislative efforts stretching back well over a decade and stimulated to passage in part by the tragedies in Oklahoma City and the World Trade Center. This report summarizes the six titles of the Act, its sources, and related legislation.
Contributing Partner: UNT Libraries Government Documents Department | <urn:uuid:95501d89-a264-49d9-a68e-db3b48281176> | 2013-05-26T02:36:43Z | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | [
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The earliest of the maps was drawn by Thomas Kitchen for the Reverend Dr. Robertson's History of America and is titled 'Mexico or New Spain in Which the Motion of Cortes May be Traced." Another of the early maps appears as the frontispiece in Henderson Yoakum's History of Texas, and shows rivers, location of Indian tribes, Indian Villages, missions, crossings, roads with dates of origin, presidios and trails. Texas is listed as "New Phillipines." There is a set of military maps of the Texas Revolution, which accompanies Andrew Jackson Houston's Texas Independence. The U. S. War Department's map by W. H. Emory is titled 'Map of Texas and the Countries Adjacent,' dated 1844, prior to annexation. The Walker map of 1949 and the Marcy maps of 1850 and 1853 show additions to knowledge of Indian tribes, fortifications, wagon routes, rivers and numerous notes on topography. In 1857-60, the United State Department of the Interior, J. H. Clark, Commissioner, produced the 'Map of the United States and Texas-Boundary Line and Adjacent Territory Determined and Surveyed.' The 'New Map of Texas as it is in 1874,' was prepared "expressly for Morphis' History of Texas." Robert T. Hill produced the 'Map of Texas and Parts of Adjoining Territories' for the U. S. Geological Survey in 1899. Many of the map descriptions are found in Day's Maps of Texas 1527-1900: The Map Collection of the Texas State Archives, Austin, 1964. | <urn:uuid:135bfdab-2278-4b7d-b21d-b231cdef6a12> | 2013-05-26T02:48:50Z | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | [
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If you assign a task to the computer. It can only complete the task if it can understand everything you want to say to computer. If your words are signs that you use to deliver the message to computer. The computer will not be able to fulfill the requirement and cannot perform according to your instructions.
Contextual computing is the source for computer to understand user and to deliver the best services according to the instructions of the users. Dictionary definition of context is it is the general situation of an idea that is associated with that idea and helps that idea to be understood by people.
In Contextual computing the used context enables the computer to understand the user and his situation for a proper output. Various contextual computing techniques are working for different fields of life like education, engineering, health-care etc. Many applications have no use without contextual computing like GPS devices used in Cars are useless without proper direction guidelines
- Top Emerging TechnologiesNew innovative technology moving towards the height of development is called Emerging technologies.
Top 10 Disruptive Technologies
- Distributed Computing A field of computer sciences being very popular now a day is called distributed computing.
- Social Media networksSocial media network has been very popular during the last few Years.
- Cloud ComputingA computer based technology that reduces the pain of running a business with a mess of employees.
- Web MashupsA next step to a largely experimental work in web 2.0 environment is known as web mashups.
- User InterfaceInteraction between a computer and a human being is called a user interface.
- Ubiquitous ComputingHave you ever thought about an invisible force watching your activities and participating.
- Contextual ComputingIf you assign a task to the computer. It can only complete the task if it can understand.
- Augmented RealityMost of us can watch Cartoons, Movies and games which are not actually in real environment.
- SemanticsA very important area of linguistic study is called Semantics.
- Multicore and Hybrid ProcessorsTo reduce the consumption of power and increase the performance of a computer. | <urn:uuid:be8c328d-0611-452e-8182-7908000f6143> | 2013-05-26T03:01:44Z | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | [
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Improve this page Quickly fork, edit online, and submit a pull request for this page. Requires a signed-in GitHub account. This works well for small changes. If you'd like to make larger changes you may want to consider using local clone. Page wiki View or edit the community-maintained wiki page associated with this page.
std.mathspecialMathematical Special Functions The technical term 'Special Functions' includes several families of transcendental functions, which have important applications in particular branches of mathematics and physics. The gamma and related functions, and the error function are crucial for mathematical statistics. The Bessel and related functions arise in problems involving wave propagation (especially in optics). Other major categories of special functions include the elliptic integrals (related to the arc length of an ellipse), and the hypergeometric functions. Status:
Many more functions will be added to this module. The naming convention for the distribution functions (gammaIncomplete, etc) is not yet finalized and will probably change. License:
Boost License 1.0. Authors:
Stephen L. Moshier (original C code). Conversion to D by Don Clugston Source:
- real gamma(real x);
- The Gamma function, Γ(x)
Γ(x) is a generalisation of the factorial function
to real and complex numbers.
Like x!, Γ(x+1) = x * Γ(x).
Mathematically, if z.re > 0 then
Γ(z) = ∫0∞ tz-1e-t dt
Special Values x Γ(x) NAN NAN ±0.0 ±∞ integer > 0 (x-1)! integer < 0 NAN +∞ +∞ -∞ NAN
- real logGamma(real x);
- Natural logarithm of the gamma function, Γ(x)
Returns the base e (2.718...) logarithm of the absolute
value of the gamma function of the argument.
For reals, logGamma is equivalent to log(fabs(gamma(x))).
Special Values x logGamma(x) NAN NAN integer <= 0 +∞ ±∞ +∞
- real sgnGamma(real x);
- The sign of Γ(x). Returns -1 if Γ(x) < 0, +1 if Γ(x) > 0, NAN if sign is indeterminate. Note that this function can be used in conjunction with logGamma(x) to evaluate gamma for very large values of x. Example:
- real beta(real x, real y);
- Beta function The beta function is defined as beta(x, y) = (Γ(x) * Γ(y)) / Γ(x + y) Example:
- real digamma(real x);
- Digamma function The digamma function is the logarithmic derivative of the gamma function. digamma(x) = d/dx logGamma(x)
- real betaIncomplete(real a, real b, real x);
- Incomplete beta integral Returns incomplete beta integral of the arguments, evaluated from zero to x. The regularized incomplete beta function is defined as betaIncomplete(a, b, x) = Γ(a + b) / ( Γ(a) Γ(b) ) * ∫0x ta-1(1-t)b-1 dt and is the same as the the cumulative distribution function. The domain of definition is 0 <= x <= 1. In this implementation a and b are restricted to positive values. The integral from x to 1 may be obtained by the symmetry relation betaIncompleteCompl(a, b, x ) = betaIncomplete( b, a, 1-x ) The integral is evaluated by a continued fraction expansion or, when b * x is small, by a power series.
- real betaIncompleteInverse(real a, real b, real y);
- Inverse of incomplete beta integral Given y, the function finds x such that betaIncomplete(a, b, x) == y Newton iterations or interval halving is used.
- real gammaIncomplete(real a, real x);
real gammaIncompleteCompl(real a, real x);
- Incomplete gamma integral and its complement These functions are defined by gammaIncomplete = ( ∫0x e-t ta-1 dt )/ Γ(a) gammaIncompleteCompl(a,x) = 1 - gammaIncomplete(a,x) = (∫x∞ e-t ta-1 dt )/ Γ(a) In this implementation both arguments must be positive. The integral is evaluated by either a power series or continued fraction expansion, depending on the relative values of a and x.
- real gammaIncompleteComplInverse(real a, real p);
- Inverse of complemented incomplete gamma integral Given a and p, the function finds x such that gammaIncompleteCompl( a, x ) = p.
- real erf(real x);
- Error function The integral is erf(x) = 2/ √(π) ∫0x exp( - t2) dt The magnitude of x is limited to about 106.56 for IEEE 80-bit arithmetic; 1 or -1 is returned outside this range.
- real erfc(real x);
- Complementary error function erfc(x) = 1 - erf(x) = 2/ √(π) ∫x∞ exp( - t2) dt This function has high relative accuracy for values of x far from zero. (For values near zero, use erf(x)).
- real normalDistribution(real x);
- Normal distribution function.
The normal (or Gaussian, or bell-shaped) distribution is
normalDist(x) = 1/√ π ∫-∞x exp( - t2/2) dt
= 0.5 + 0.5 * erf(x/sqrt(2))
= 0.5 * erfc(- x/sqrt(2))
To maintain accuracy at values of x near 1.0, use
normalDistribution(x) = 1.0 - normalDistribution(-x).
http://www.netlib.org/cephes/ldoubdoc.html, G. Marsaglia, "Evaluating the Normal Distribution", Journal of Statistical Software 11, (July 2004).
- real normalDistributionInverse(real p);
- Inverse of Normal distribution function Returns the argument, x, for which the area under the Normal probability density function (integrated from minus infinity to x) is equal to p. | <urn:uuid:ebafde47-8925-4e30-83f4-36d383682cda> | 2013-05-26T02:54:52Z | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | [
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This is a text description of asoag032.gif, an image which shows the structure of a typical Oracle Context. An Oracle Context is an entry in Oracle Internet Directory called cn=OracleContext. All Oracle software relevant information is kept in the Oracle Context, including entries for Oracle Net directory naming and enterprise user security. Each identity management realm in an Oracle Internet Directory instance has one Oracle Context.
This diagram shows a hierarchical structure that resembles an inverted tree. The identity management realm, labeled "realm DN" for realm distinguished name, is at the top of the tree. Branching off under the realm DN are containers for Users, Groups, and the Oracle Context. Branching off under the Oracle Context are containers for Products, Groups, and Database Servers (in this example, the Database Servers container is labeled "Sales.") Of these three containers that branch off of the Oracle Context container, Products and Groups are default container names. Under each of these containers additional sub-containers branch out as follows:
The Products container holds two sub-containers. These are the subcontainer which holds the User Search Base and the Group Search Base, and the OracleDBSecurity subcontainer. These two subcontainers are both default containers. The OracleDBSecurity container has two sub-containers that branch off under it. These are: An Enterprise Domain container, labeled "Services" in this example, and the OracleDefaultDomain container. The OracleDefaultDomain container is a default container. Under the Enterprise Domain container that is labeled "Services," is one sub-container. This sub-container is the Services Domain container and it is labeled Domain Admins in this example. The second container under OracleDBSecurity, the OracleDefaultDomain container, has three sub-containers branching off under it. These are "Domain Admins," which is an example of a Default Domain container, "Schema Mapping," which is an example of a user-defined container, and the "Manager" sub-container, which is an example of an Enterprise Roles container.
The Groups container is actually another subtree that branches off under the Oracle Context. It contains subtrees with root containers for the following groups: OracleDBCreators, OracleContextAdmins, OracleDBSecurityAdmins, OracleUserSecurityAdmins, and OraclePasswordAccessibleDomains.
The Database Server container that is labeled "Sales" has three sub-containers that branch off under it. These sub-containers are OracleDBAdmins Group, Schema Mapping, and Networking. The Networking subcontainer is another subtree that branches off under the database server container. OracleDBAdminsGroup and Networking are default containers. User-Schema Mapping is an example of a user-defined container. All of these containers are described in the surrounding text. | <urn:uuid:79ba33ea-4130-4461-8ded-8a8fa28cc83b> | 2013-05-26T02:49:04Z | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | [
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The HTTPHandler class supports sending logging messages to a
Web server, using either "GET" or "POST" semantics.
||host, url[, method])|
Returns a new instance of the HTTPHandler class. The
instance is initialized with a host address, url and HTTP method.
If no method is specified, "GET" is used.
Sends the record to the Web server as an URL-encoded dictionary.
See About this document... for information on suggesting changes. | <urn:uuid:1cd333e0-715d-413e-bafc-25b8feef7f00> | 2013-05-26T03:02:28Z | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | [
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The mixer object provides two file-like methods:
The remaining methods are specific to audio mixing:
mixer=ossaudiodev.openmixer() if mixer.controls() & (1 << ossaudiodev.SOUND_MIXER_PCM): # PCM is supported ... code ...
For most purposes, the SOUND_MIXER_VOLUME (master volume) and SOUND_MIXER_PCM controls should suffice--but code that uses the mixer should be flexible when it comes to choosing mixer controls. On the Gravis Ultrasound, for example, SOUND_MIXER_VOLUME does not exist.
See the code example for the controls() function for an example of getting data from a bitmask.
(left_volume,right_volume). Volumes are specified as numbers from 0 (silent) to 100 (full volume). If the control is monophonic, a 2-tuple is still returned, but both volumes are the same.
Raises OSSAudioError if an invalid control was is specified, or IOError if an unsupported control is specified.
|control, (left, right))|
rightmust be ints and between 0 (silent) and 100 (full volume). On success, the new volume is returned as a 2-tuple. Note that this may not be exactly the same as the volume specified, because of the limited resolution of some soundcard's mixers.
Raises OSSAudioError if an invalid mixer control was specified, or if the specified volumes were out-of-range.
mixer.setrecsrc (1 << ossaudiodev.SOUND_MIXER_MIC)
See About this document... for information on suggesting changes. | <urn:uuid:22594359-2561-489e-b917-7fd373898309> | 2013-05-26T02:36:14Z | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | [
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Examples of Python source code or interactive sessions are represented as \verbatim environments. This environment is a standard part of LaTeX. It is important to only use spaces for indentation in code examples since TeX drops tabs instead of converting them to spaces.
Representing an interactive session requires including the prompts and output along with the Python code. No special markup is required for interactive sessions. After the last line of input or output presented, there should not be an ``unused'' primary prompt; this is an example of what not to do:
>>> 1 + 1 2 >>>
Within the \verbatim environment, characters special to LaTeX do not need to be specially marked in any way. The entire example will be presented in a monospaced font; no attempt at ``pretty-printing'' is made, as the environment must work for non-Python code and non-code displays. There should be no blank lines at the top or bottom of any \verbatim display.
Longer displays of verbatim text may be included by storing the example text in an external file containing only plain text. The file may be included using the standard \verbatiminput macro; this macro takes a single argument naming the file containing the text. For example, to include the Python source file example.py, use:
Use of \verbatiminput allows easier use of special editing modes for the included file. The file should be placed in the same directory as the LaTeX files for the document.
The Python Documentation Special Interest Group has discussed a number of approaches to creating pretty-printed code displays and interactive sessions; see the Doc-SIG area on the Python Web site for more information on this topic.
See About this document... for information on suggesting changes. | <urn:uuid:8e8afdb8-adcd-4d41-a263-cdcb0e2a135e> | 2013-05-26T03:09:04Z | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | [
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The modules described in this chapter support storing Python data in a persistent form on disk. The pickle and marshal modules can turn many Python data types into a stream of bytes and then recreate the objects from the bytes. The various DBM-related modules support a family of hash-based file formats that store a mapping of strings to other strings. The bsddb module also provides such disk-based string-to-string mappings based on hashing, and also supports B-Tree and record-based formats.
The list of modules described in this chapter is: | <urn:uuid:9658ddde-001b-43ce-b86a-c2ce800a0eb2> | 2013-05-26T03:10:00Z | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | [
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Phlebitis is the term for the swelling of a vein, most often in one’s leg. Thrombophlebitis is the term for inflammation of a vein caused by a blood clot. The term is often shortened to phlebitis. The condition is easily treatable, though it sometimes leads to more serious health concerns.
There are two kinds of phlebitis: superficial phlebitis (affecting veins near the skin's surface) and deep venous thrombosis (DVT).
When the clot is embedded into a deep vein, thrombophlebitis can become much more serious. The condition, appropriately named deep vein thrombosis , can cause blood clots in the lungs ( pulmonary embolism ), heart attack , and stroke .
Phlebitis is often caused by:
- Prolonged bed rest following an operation
- Use of estrogen
- Lack of exercising your legs over an extended period of time (eg, long airplane trips)
- Prior episodes of phlebitis
- Trauma to the lower extremity
- Cancer malignancy—Certain cancers may put you at risk for a clotting condition. This condition can lead to venous thrombosis. Cancers such as pancreatic , stomach , prostate , and colon cancer, as well as acute leukemia are known to increase clots.
A risk factor is something that increases your chance of getting a disease or condition.
The following factors increase your chance of developing phlebitis:
- Sitting for long periods of time, such as on an airplane or being confined to bed rest
Health conditions that increase the risk of blood clots
- These include cancers particularly of the pancreas which is associated with recurrent phlebitis
Blood disorders which increase the clotting potential of blood
- These include Protein C deficiency due to Factor V Leiden (hereditary blood coagulation disorder)
- Very visible, cord-like vein that is tender and sensitive to pressure. This cord may develop over several hours to days.
- Redness and warmth surrounding the vein.
- Swelling around the vein.
- A low-grade fever may be seen, however a high fever and drainage that is purulent (pus) indicate infection.
- Call your physician immediately should you develop a fever, shortness of breath (which may indicate that the clot may have traveled to the lung), and severe pain and swelling in the arm or leg.
Your doctor will ask about your symptoms and medical history, and perform a physical exam.
Tests may include the following:
- Physical exam
- X-ray or ultrasound to check for deeper blood clots
- Venogram in which dye or contrast is injected
- In case of recurrent episodes of phlebitis, screening for blood disorders is done.
Talk with your doctor about the best treatment plan for you. Treatment options include:
- Anti-inflammatory medication—you may be advised to take over-the-counter pain relievers, like aspirin or ibuprofen.
- Exercise—walking is typically recommended.
- Compress—another option is applying a warm compress over the inflamed vein.
- Elevation—elevating the arm or leg with the inflamed vein to a level above the heart may be beneficial.
If you are diagnosed with phlebitis, follow your doctor's instructions .
Phlebitis can sometimes be prevented by the following actions:
- If you fly for long periods of time, walk around the cabin and stretch your limbs every hour or so.
- If you drive for long periods of time, pull over and stretch your limbs ever hour or so.
On flights or car rides lasting more than four hours, take additional precautions to reduce your risk of thrombosis. These include:
- Avoid wearing tight clothing around your waist.
- Drink plenty of fluids to avoid dehydration.
- Reviewer: Michael J. Fucci, DO
- Review Date: 09/2012 -
- Update Date: 00/92/2012 - | <urn:uuid:34cf8425-0429-45cf-9892-c14ad51da724> | 2013-05-26T02:51:00Z | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | [
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(Click this Canons Gate of Dover Castle text link to see the largest size)
bridge entrance is accessible from Canons Gate Road, a turning off of Castle Hill Road not far from the Victoria Park junction. The pedestrian entrance to the castle is via Constable's Gateway to the north.
The tower on the left of the Canons Gate entrance is Rokesley's Tower, a D-type mural tower complete with Garderobe (a medieval latrine, or toilet).
Further to the left, Fulbert's Tower lies 80 yards north of Rokesley's Tower; out of view to the right is the Tudor Bulwark.
The photo was taken at 11.40 am on Easter Sunday, 12th of April, 2009.
The following account refers to the original and now demolished "Canon, or Monk's Gate", once located out-of-shot to the right, and to the "New Entrance" - the Canons Gateway shown in the photo:
Canon, or Monk's Gate: This gate probably took its name from the canons, or secular priests, formerly belonging to the garrison, whose apartments, surmounted with battlements, were over the arched passage. It is uncertain at what period the gates were taken down, and the walls of the gate-way nearly levelled with the ground, on the inside of the curtain. A platform was then made, by filling up the passage with earth, and cannon placed on it.
When alterations were making at this place, in 1797 (see below), the stone frame of the old gates, and the iron hooks on which they hung, were found on the inside of the arch. It is evident there could be no necessity for a bridge in passsing to these gates, which were only a few feet above the basement of the present ditch (moat). After the demolition of this gate, another was made a little farther from the cliff; and the arch of it remained in the curtain until 1797; but the passage had been closed many years.
A souterrain, excavated out of the solid rock, and several feet under the present surface, was discovered, a short time since, in sinking the ground for a new road: but the use for which it was intended, is very uncertain. A well was likewise discovered, about the same time, near Monk's gate.
Within these last fifty years, great alterations have taken place at this part of the wall. A military road (Castle Hill Road and Canons Gate Road) has been constructed, rising with an easy ascent from the town to this point. Here a new entrance (Canons Gate) was constructed, and defended with a draw-bridge, a caponniere (see below) under it, and a tete-du-pont (bridgehead), or an outwork, to annoy an enemy marching up the military road. Several other precautions have been taken, to defend this new entrance.
Rokesley's Tower: This was a circular tower, built by Albrincis, and it has been called by his name; but the tower, in which he commanded, is on the north-east side of the Castle (see Avranches Tower).
Several of the towers had open fronts, and without the least accommodation for the watchmen, when they were not on duty. This obliged them to build houses, near their stations; and Thomas de Rokesley, of Lenham, had a house belonging to this tower, near the old gate (Canon Gate or Monk Gate, close to the present Canons Gate entrance).
He probably descended from Malerinus de Rokesley, who settled at North Cray, in Kent, in the reign of William the First (William the Conqueror). It was the custom of those, who commanded in the different towers, to have their arms cut in stone, and fixed in the wall, to shew from what family they descended; and it is very probable that they were removed; either at the decease, or at the resignation of the commander, as vey few of them have reached our time.
Heraldry: Thomas de Rokesley's arms were - Argent, a fesse, between three etoiles.
In a response to the French Revolution of 1789 and subsequent Napoleonic Wars with France a major programme of modifying the castle and its defences took place, between 1794 and 1805, implemented by Lieutenant Colonel (later General) William Twiss of the British Army's Corps of Royal Engineers.
This included instalment of additional gun batteries and four powerful outworks (earthworks): Constable's Bastion to the West and Horseshoe Bastion, Hudson's Bastion, and the detached East Arrow Bastion to the East, some of the latter linked to the castle by underground tunnels.
(A bastion is a structure projecting outward from the main enclosure of a fortification, situated in both corners of a straight wall or curtain, facilitating active defence against assaulting troops. It allows the defenders of the fort to cover adjacent bastions and curtains with defensive fire.) (4)
Ravelin, a raised gun platform) and the ditch behind flanked by brick caponiers.
Caponiers were also built at the Constable's Gate and beneath the bridge of the newly formed Canon's Gate at the South-West corner of the outer bailey.
(The term "caponier" refers to a covered passage way that traverses the ditch between the walls of a fortress and a ravelin outside the wall. This was more than simply a passage however as fire from this point could sweep the ditch between the ravelin and the curtain wall and inflict devastating damage on any attempt to storm the wall. Thus the passageway was equipped with musket ports and cannon ports that fired along the ditch.) (5)
Keep (Great Tower, or Palace Tower) made it bombproof and heavy artillery guns were installed on its roof.
By 1810 the Keep was in use as a gunpowder magazine.
Barracks and a military hospital were also constructed within the castle. However, by 1797 due to severe space limitations excavations were started on underground accommodation. This eventually housed over 2000 soldiers.
These underground excavations were added to over the years and are now known as the "Secret Wartime Tunnels", their most visible entrance being the Cliff Casemates Balcony on the White Cliffs of Dover above East Cliff.
(1) "New History Of Dover & Dover Castle During The Roman, Saxon, And Norman Governments" by William Batcheller, 1828.
"New History Of Dover & Dover Castle During The Roman, Saxon, And Norman Governments: With A Short Account Of The Cinque Ports, Compiled From Ancient Records, And Continued To The Present Time. To Which Is Added A New Dover Guide, And A Description Of The Villages Near Dover"
The book was printed and published by the author at the King's Arms Library, 1 Snargate Street, Dover.
The History of the Town and Port of Dover and of Dover Castle (With a Short Account of the Cinque Ports)".
Volume I dedicated by the Reverend John Lyon, Minister of St Mary the Virgin of Cannon Street, to John Gunman, Esquire, on May 14th, 1813, and published the same year.
Volume II dedicated to Jonathan Osborn, Edward Thompson, and John Shipdem on April 21st, 1814, and published the same year.
(3) English Heritage Pastscape entry for Dover Castle
(4) From Bastion:
The bastion was designed to offer a full range on which to attack oncoming troops. Previous fortifications were of little use within a certain range. The bastion solved this problem. By using a cannon to cover the curtain side of the wall, the forward cannon could concentrate on oncoming targets.
(5) From Caponier
The main photo first appeared at:
Rokesley Tower and Canons Gate, Western Outer Curtain Wall, Dover Castle
All castle photos first appear under the Dover Castle and Castles category labels.
The castle is one of Dover's Grade I Listed Buildings and English Heritage sites.
A Dover British Army, Medieval (Middle Ages), Napoleonic Wars, and History photo.
More Dover Architecture and History photos.
Clickable thumbnails of all Dover Castle-related photos on the main Panoramio Images of Dover website are available on this blog on the Dover Castle Page (also linked to below the blog title).
The Panoramio photos are each accompanied by a Google Earth satellite map. However, the images are smaller than those on the Images of Dover Blog and the captions are less well formatted.
John Latter / Jorolat
Dover Blog: The Psychology of a Small Town | <urn:uuid:840d9141-a0ad-439c-822f-9ef762d95fc9> | 2013-05-26T03:09:30Z | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | [
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Dragons are creatures with nearly unlimited life spans. They can survive for long periods of time, and no one has found a dragon that has died of old age. Adolescence is usually marked by the growth of a hatchling’s wings, although not all breeds of dragons grow wings and some breeds have other traits that indicate the beginning of maturation. Once they hit adolescence, hatchlings change quickly, maturing to their full forms in only 2 years.
Dragons don’t communicate with each other verbally, but they will growl to scare off predators and frighten prey. Young dragons will emit an extremely high-pitched squeal when they are frightened. To communicate, they use telepathy with each other and to speak to other creatures.
Dark green dragons, once they mature, appear to become an entirely different species. However, this isn’t true. Rather, they burrow underground and get nutrients from their vines. These vines are sometimes referred to as Dragon Grass. These dragons are very violent, and will use their vines to capture, kill, and eat anything that moves, as well as nearby plants. Luckily, their range is limited and they cannot use magic. Dark green dragons tend to be easy to spot since they usually kill all plants around them and thus are usually surrounded by a large clearing. | <urn:uuid:26002123-0ea3-41da-bda3-e2300e94cf78> | 2013-05-26T02:48:16Z | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | [
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The white, mottled area in the right-center of this image from NASA’s Shuttle Radar Topography Mission (SRTM) is Madrid, the capital of Spain. Located on the Meseta Central, a vast plateau covering about 40 percent of the country, this city of 3 million is very near the exact geographic center of the Iberian Peninsula. The Meseta is rimmed by mountains and slopes gently to the west and to the series of rivers that form the boundary with Portugal. The plateau is mostly covered with dry grasslands, olive groves and forested hills.
Madrid is situated in the middle of the Meseta, and at an elevation of 646 meters (2,119 feet) above sea level is the highest capital city in Europe. To the northwest of Madrid, and visible in the upper left of the image, is the Sistema Central mountain chain that forms the “dorsal spine” of the Meseta and divides it into northern and southern subregions. Rising to about 2,500 meters (8,200 feet), these mountains display some glacial features and are snow-capped for most of the year. Offering almost year-round winter sports, the mountains are also important to the climate of Madrid.
Three visualization methods were combined to produce this image: shading and color coding of topographic height and radar image intensity. The shade image was derived by computing topographic slope in the northwest-southeast direction. North-facing slopes appear bright and south-facing slopes appear dark. Color coding is directly related to topographic height, with green at the lower elevations, rising through yellow and brown to white at the highest elevations. The shade image was combined with the radar intensity image in the flat areas.
Size: 172 by 138 kilometers (107 by 86 miles)
Location: 40.43 degrees North latitude, 3.70 degrees West longitude
Orientation: North toward the top
Image Data: shaded and colored SRTM elevation model, with SRTM radar intensity added
Original Data Resolution: SRTM 1 arcsecond (about 30 meters or 98 feet)
Date Acquired: February 2000
Image Courtesy SRTM Team NASA/JPL/NIMA | <urn:uuid:e494080f-4b89-4fa9-91cc-95cd733c7b72> | 2013-05-26T02:49:41Z | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | [
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Activity Plan for Respect Wildlife
Exploring Respect for Wildlife
This activity should take about 70 minutes.
What Your Group Will Learn
After participating in this activity plan, which calls for participants to
observe impacts on wildlife, participants will be able to
- Describe what activities cause impacts to wildlife.
- Identify the actions that
can be taken to minimize impacts to wildlife.
Your participants are going on an imaginary hike to a marshland area where
they will encounter a flock of ducks, a doe, and a fawn. This activity will help
them think about their potential impacts to wildlife and how these impacts can
Materials and Preparation
- A garden hose or some other means of marking the marshland
- Duck decoys, silhouettes, or pictures of ducks
- Pictures or silhouettes of a doe and fawn deer
- Read the entire lesson plan and the Background on the
Principles of Leave No Trace thoroughly.
- Lay out the garden hose or some other means or marking the
- Place the duck, doe, and fawn pictures or silhouettes in the
Grabbing Your Group's Attention (20 minutes)
Explain to participants that they will be hiking along a trail and will come
to a marsh area with ducks, a doe, and a fawn. Ask them to explain the actions
they will take so they do not disturb the ducks and deer.
Steps for Teaching the Activity (30 minutes)
How Wild Is Wildlife?
The participants will demonstrate the techniques they feel will help minimize
impact to wildlife in the marshland area. After demonstrating these techniques,
group members will move past the marshland. The activity will help them become
more aware of their potential effects on wildlife and how they can avoid
As they approach the marked marshland, ask group members to
demonstrate how they will avoid disturbing the wildlife and how they will be
able to tell if they were successful.
After participants have passed the
marshland, ask them why they used the techniques they did to minimize their
impacts to the ducks and deer in the marsh. Ask them if there are any other
techniques they could use. Emphasize that the best means of determining their
success is the degree to which the wildlife may have altered their normal
behavior. In contrast, if the ducks fly or the deer run away quickly, you know
you have gotten too close.
Quick movement and loud noises are stressful to
animals. Considerate campers should
- Observe wildlife from afar to avoid
- Give animals a wide berth, especially during breeding, nesting,
and birthing seasons.
- Store food securely so wildlife will not be attracted to
- Keep garbage and food scraps away from animals so they will not acquire bad
Remember, you are too close to an animal if it alters its normal activities.
Wrapping Up the Activity (15 minutes)
Your group is considerate of wildlife needs and knows how to respect
wildlife. Group members also know the techniques for minimizing their impact on
wildlife and means of determining if they have been successful. Do the
- Discuss some of the local areas participants might visit
that have wildlife. What additional techniques or specific precautions
should they use to avoid disturbing the wildlife species in these areas?
- Talk about the behavior of some group members or the
behavior observed of others on previous outdoor activities that may have
disturbed wildlife. What could have been done differently to avoid
disturbing the wildlife? How can the group help encourage others to keep
Congratulations on conducting a well-prepared meeting for your group!
Visit a local wildlife refuge and have the wildlife managers explain how they
recommend viewing wildlife species at the refuge without disturbing them in the
wild. Take a walk with the wildlife manager around the refuge to practice the | <urn:uuid:5633521c-7421-4635-a493-f29f4e634353> | 2013-05-26T02:48:01Z | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | [
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unfortunately, I'm shelving this project for the time being. I don't think that I'm going to have enough money, and if I'm going to do it, I would like to do it right. Hopefully when I'm a little older and have more money, I can finally build my dream car.
Instead, I'm planning on building an electric motorcycle this summer
It'll take less time, cost less, and it'll be really practical because I live 1 mile from school and 1 mile from work.
I'll start a thread about that when I start getting parts together. | <urn:uuid:6b4b721f-6691-4a2d-aa6d-00a8d76db4fa> | 2013-05-26T02:35:10Z | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | [
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Filed under: Boomer's Health
Morton's neuroma is a painful condition that affects the ball of your foot, most commonly the area between your third and fourth toes. Morton's neuroma may feel as if you are standing on a pebble in your shoe or on a fold in your sock.
Morton's neuroma involves a thickening of the tissue around one of the nerves leading to your toes. In some cases, Morton's neuroma causes a sharp, burning pain in the ball of your foot. Your toes also may sting, burn or feel numb.
Morton's neuroma may occur in response to irritation, injury or pressure. Common treatments for Morton's neuroma include changing footwear or using arch supports. Sometimes corticosteroid injections or surgery may be necessary.
|Most Viewed||Most Emailed| | <urn:uuid:663955af-0fc7-4ad8-96d8-0ca1057ad9bf> | 2013-05-26T03:05:09Z | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | [
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You see, a lot of monosexual people within LGBT and feminist movements regard me with suspicion, because I claim queer identity, yet I'm in a long-term relationship with a man. Apparently this means I have across-the-board heterosexual privilege.
It's taken me a long time to sort out my thinking about privilege in relation to my sexual orientation. (For those of you unfamiliar with privilege as a term, I suggest you go here.) On the surface, being in a long-term relationship with a man does give me some of the benefits of heterosexual privilege. I can talk about my partner openly in mainstream society without fear of hate speech or violence. I can go to any mainstream venue with my partner, hold hands and kiss in public, without fear of hate speech or violence.
But heterosexual privilege isn't just about that.
Here is a heteresoxual privilege questionnaire, which I have amended to test whether bisexuality gives me heterosexual privilege. (It's long. Feel free to skip to the bottom! I found it here.)
( Behind a cut tag, because it's long. )
So, that's a definite YES to just 2 out of 40 questions, i.e. according to this questionnaire I have just 5% heterosexual privilege. So why do so many 'radical' feminists - and a fair number of normally apolitical lesbians - insist on telling me that I have it in spades?
I think it's because that's what they see: they see me being able to go anywhere with my male partner, hold hands, kiss in public, talk about him at work, get married (if we wanted to), be treated as human beings in mainstream society, without reserve.
But what they see is only a tiny part of the picture of my life: they see me passing in public as heterosexual, whether I want to or not. And passing? Passing is not privilege. It is a daily, grinding reminder of how much I don't fit in. It confronts me with and rubs my face in all of the ways in which I am not understood, all of the ways in which there is no place for me in either mainstream or queer society, except as a travesty of myself.
It's no accident that bisexual people have much worse mental health than either our heterosexual or our lesbian and gay counterparts. The dissonance between what we know ourselves to be and what we are perceived to be and is projected on to us - even if we are continuously and loudly OUT - can be unbearable. And when all our attempts to be out are met with reassertions that we are either gay or straight, the effort can become too much.
Even in academia, in a social science/research environment, where people should really know better, my friends have talked to me as if they believe that they are greater experts in my experience than I am, that there is no alternative to 'choosing' between gay and straight, between women and men (never mind all the other gradations and expressions of gender which exist).
My very existence is daily erased. And this is something I share with my trans sisters.
The same 'radical' feminists who tell me that I have heterosexual privilege are busy telling trans women, loud and long, that they have male privilege. And it strikes me that trans women, and genderqueer people assigned female at birth, are in a similar position in this to bisexual women.
Because when trans women are born, right up until they transition and beyond, they are passing as boys and men, whether they want to or not. (If you doubt that, I refer you to Lana Wachowski's moving HRC Visibility Award acceptance speech:
(Here's a link in case the embed doesn't work.)
The same applies to trans men, of course. And passing, if one goes on mental health experience, is much more distressing for trans folk than it is even for bi folk. Because while sexual orientation is an important aspect of identity within society, sex and gender are foundational. We don't need to know why or how or when those aspects of identity emerge or are shaped to know that.
Passing is not privilege. It corrodes our sense of ourselves. It stymies our attempts to be and feel part of society, whether mainstream or queer. It eats away at our sanity. And people who claim the personal is political as their watchword need to recognise that. | <urn:uuid:9c7a17cb-30cb-44e1-bfb7-480453d8d6a2> | 2013-05-26T03:09:11Z | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | [
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Chavez confirms Dilma’s invitation to Mercosur meeting in Rio on July 31
Venezuelan president Hugo Chavez said he had talked with his peer from Brazil Dilma Rousseff who confirmed the invitation to an extraordinary meeting of Mercosur next July 31 in Rio do Janeiro.
“I’ve had a most satisfying chat with President Dilma, our most beloved compañera. She confirmed I’m invited to the Mercosur summit” said Chavez on Friday in his Twitter@chavecadanga.
The message is followed by a second in which he asserts “Venezuela to Mercosur! This is really GREAT! A new Venezuela! A new South America! New Geopolitics!”
Last Tuesday Chavez confirmed he would be travelling to Rio do Janeiro July 31 for the formal incorporation of Venezuela as full member of Mercosur (Argentina, Brazil, Paraguay and Uruguay), even when Paraguay was suspended from the group last June following the removal of Fernando Lugo, who was replaced by Federico Lugo.
Argentina, Brazil and Uruguay at the end of last June in a controversial decision agreed to suspend Paraguay and admit the incorporation of Venezuela which was pending for several years and blocked precisely by the Paraguayan Senate. All Mercosur decisions are supposed to be taken by consensus. | <urn:uuid:5c18a897-cda7-4287-869b-fd7b093cfde5> | 2013-05-26T03:03:09Z | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | [
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Anatolian Weights and Measures
The use of metal in Anatolia increased significantly towards the end of the Chalcolithic period, reflecting the development of trade relations in the region, and from commercial documents that have been deciphered, we know that units of weight originating in Mesopotamia were used in Anatolia. Although there is no firm evidence about the use of weights and measures in Anatolia prior to the Assyrian Colonies period, finds made of valuable metals with graduated markings are thought to have been used for measuring or for exchange in trade. For example, at Troy small gold bars and in particular graduated rods seem beyond doubt to show the existence of trade based on measurement.
The Hittites, like the other tribes of the Near East, used silver as a medium of exchange, in the form of rings or rods of specific size and weight. As in earlier times, hematite weights continued to be used to measure shekels and manas, units of weight that originated in Babylon.
Anatolian Weights and Measures in the Hellenic Period
The laws of Solon implemented around Athens in the Greek period are also thought to have been used in Anatolia. Solon ruled that the talent of weight (Greek talanton) should be 3 manas heavier than the monetary talent, distributing the difference between the constituent parts of the weight talent. This unit was the stater (873.2 g), equivalent to the old currency unit, the didrachmon. Fractions of this unit were also used.
The main Greek units of weight were the talent and mana, but these were not identical everywhere. For example, in Athens after the introduction of the Solonian standard this was equivalent to 36.39 kg when weighing commodities. As a monetary unit it was equivalent to metal weighing 25.92 kg. One sixtieth of a talent was a mna or mana.
The principal liquid measures were the katule (0.27 litres) and the amphora (1.27 litres), while dry measures were the khonix (1.08 litres) and medimnos (51.84 litres).
In the famous History by Herodotus of Halicarnassus we find almost all the measurements of length used in Anatolia during the ancient Greek period:
foot: 0.296 cm (the modern foot is 30.48 cm)
finger: one sixteenth of a foot, 0.0185 metres
cubit: 1.5 feet, 0.444 metres
fathom: 6 feet, 4 cubits, 1.776 metres
plethron: 100 feet
stadium: 600 Greek feet. The Athens stadium was equivalent to 177.6 metres.
palm: one quarter of a foot, 6 palms equalled one cubit
skenes: Egyptian unit equivalent to 60 stadiums, 10.656 km
parasang: Iranian unit equivalent to 30 stadiums, 5.328 km | <urn:uuid:281b5975-6ce8-4853-91d2-99b761b2b493> | 2013-05-26T02:50:28Z | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | [
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Octet: Selected Works from the School of Visual Arts, New York
Relational Aesthetics, a term coined in 2002 by Nicolas Bourriaud refers to a kind of art that interacts with its onlookers. Not based on formal concerns of aesthetic experience, audience participation is a necessary and required aspect of this type of work. Like the Situationists before them, practitioners in this field aim towards developing collective social experiences, and endeavors to fuse art with life.
Word As Image
To conceive of words as flesh, or breath or abstract signs, integrating words with the visual arts has had a cross-cultural history. From the Rosetta Stone to oracle bones, from bark cloth paintings, to illuminated manuscripts, words turn sounds into a concrete script. Simple lines and dots, dabs and flows, arabesques and undulating rhythms displace the articulating voice in the external world.
Identity and Identity Politics
What does it mean to be human? What does it mean to be part of a marginalized social group? How do race, religion, and/or gender, constitute an identity? The manner in which the self is defined is expressed through physical attributes, shared social values or political persuasions. In heterogeneous societies, such as America, a melting pot of citizens from Italian, Irish, Jewish, Arab, African, Chinese, Hispanic and Turkish descent among others, form distinct communities. Assimilating variegated cultural identities into the larger fabric of American life creates a multi-racial, multi-ethnic composite population. What does it mean to be an Asian-American or a Latino in the USA? Although we all share the primary structure of DNA, making us human, we each are also distinctly unique. | <urn:uuid:9b863cdd-5c64-48fa-89fe-4edbf3d08558> | 2013-05-26T02:34:54Z | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | [
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23.10.2012Interview with Mouhanad Khorchide''God Is Not A Dictator''
The Koran has thus far been subjected to erroneous interpretation, says Mouhanad Khorchide, professor of Islamic Religious Education at the University of Munster. Khorchide is calling for an emancipation of the faith. Interview by Arnfrid Schenk and Martin Spiewak
Professor Khorchide, what was your reaction to the recent controversial Mohammed film on YouTube?
Mouhanad Khorchide: I thought it was tedious and tasteless. I didn't recognise the Prophet Mohammed as he was portrayed in the film so I didn't feel it was directed at me as a Muslim.
Many Muslims find it difficult to adopt this attitude, what is your advice to them?
Khorchide: Ignore it, don't allow yourselves to be provoked. The film is a trap laid specifically to provoke, and Muslims repeatedly fall into this trap.
Why do Muslims react in this way to insults aimed at the Prophet? After all, unlike Jesus he doesn't have divine status.
Khorchide: The problem lies elsewhere. On such occasions, Muslims vent their pent-up anger. The video itself isn't the cause of the agitation, just the trigger. The Islamic collective memory is still etched by crusades, the colonial era and what is perceived as an unjust Middle East policy, as well as the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan.
You have just written a new book in which you describe the Koran as a love letter from God to humanity. How did you arrive at this interpretation? The Koran would normally be described as a powerful book – and in the West also as a dangerous one.
Khorchide: The question is: which image of God are we talking about? Many Muslims assume that their God wants to be glorified, that he despatches orders and makes sure these orders are obeyed. Those who obey are rewarded, and those who don't are punished. But this is a perception of God similar to that of a tribal leader who cannot be challenged. This is why many Muslims view the Koran as a rulebook.
In his new book, Khorchide describes the Koran as a love letter from God to humanity: "The Koranic God presents himself as a loving God. That's why the relationship between God and man is a bond of love similar to the one between a mother and child" And you don't?
Khorchide: I have a different reading of the Koran. God is not an archaic tribal leader, he's not a dictator. Of the book's 114 suras, why do 113 of them begin with the phrase "In the name of God, Most Gracious, Most Merciful"? There has to be a reason for this. The Koranic God presents himself as a loving God. That's why the relationship between God and man is a bond of love similar to the one between a mother and child. I would like Muslims to emancipate themselves from the image of an archaic God that's being connoted in many mosques, in religious education or during courses of theological instruction.
Are you saying that for centuries, Islamic theology has provided a flawed instruction manual for the Koran?
Khorchide: Contemporary Islamic theology is at least unilateral. It is based on a master-servant relationship. Reformers who interpret the Koran differently, who say Islam is more than just a religion of rules and regulations, have so far not succeeded in asserting themselves.
Khorchide: For political reasons, partly. Many rulers of Islamic kingdoms describe themselves as "shadows of God on earth". This sends out an unequivocal message: anyone contradicting the ruler is also contradicting God. In order to make sure that the populace remains compliant, they construct the image of a God for whom obedience is paramount. To this very day, this plays an important role in a dictatorial state such as Saudi Arabia, where any opposition is not only held up as a secular opposition, but also as a movement against God.
The concept of God's mercy also existed in Christianity, but a different interpretation of the Bible was nevertheless accepted. Why has this not happened within Islam?
Khorchide: Many theologians have forged alliances with those in power, such as the Salafist scholars in Saudi Arabia, for example. After all, they also benefit from an Islam that serves as a regulatory legal framework. People defer to them when they have questions about what they should and should not do. Repressive structures intermingle as a result. Christianity has succeeded in overcoming this incapacitation of the faithful. That's not quite been the case in Islam.
Do you see yourself as a source of enlightenment?
Khorchide: I wouldn't put it like that. If you take terms out of their European context, people suspect that you're trying to impose something alien upon Islam. Change can only come from within. We don't need an enlightenment of the kind we know from European history, but perhaps a reform that focuses on the maturity and reason of humankind. The Koran does exactly this, incidentally.
Many young Muslims in Germany turn to Salafism in their search for identity, but according to Mouhanad Khorchide, the identity they find there is an "external identity without a core". He says that the Salafists have "reduced the faith to nothing more than a façade"
There is much talk of hell in the Koran. How does this fit in with the concept of mercy?
Khorchide: Hell is nothing other than the confrontation with one's own transgressions. It's not a punishment that comes from without. As a famous mystic once said: "I'd like to extinguish the hellfire and set paradise alight, so that people don't act out of fear of hell or hope for paradise." We humans should strive for something higher, the closeness and companionship of God. However, traditional theology has taken a less metaphorical view of the images of paradise and hell, and instead literally described them as material spaces with material pleasures and punishments. But if you're only doing something good because you fear punishment or hope for reward, then that's not enough.
But this literal interpretation appears to be widespread, particularly among young Muslims in Germany.
Khorchide: Not just in Germany, and not just among youngsters, unfortunately. This is a highly simplified faith that presents God as nothing more than a bookkeeper or a judge, who calculates how often I've prayed. I can understand those who want to keep a kind of religious to-do list. But it's a pity. This kind of approach doesn't allow faith to move on from a highly elementary stage. It's more difficult to say: I would like to do something good for the sake of goodness; or I strive for internal perfection that finds its expression in good character traits and actions.
But this obedient take on Islam, as preached by radical Salafists, really seems to resonate with young people in Germany right now. Why?
Khorchide: These youngsters feel rootless, sidelined. They are searching for an identity and, above all, for something that will distinguish them. Many young people aren't hearing a "you belong", but rather a "we Germans – you Muslims". The Salafists provide them with the validation they seek. An identity that flies in the face of mainstream society. They pick out elements of Islam that accentuate the differences, such as a beard or clothing that's exactly the same length as the Prophet's. But this is an external identity without a core.
You train Islamic religious teachers. How do German Muslims react to your views?
Khorchide: The young ones say: that all sounds very nice, why did no one tell us about this before? I can identify more with this merciful God, they say. And even though there are also some reservations, my views have also met with appreciation from associations perceived as conservative – although they are actually quite heterogeneous. I try to provide theological explanations for everything, using Islam as my basis. I sustain my arguments with the Koran. The 220 pages of my book contain references to 400 passages of the Koran in order to show that this is not just my personal view.
And what about reactions to your work in the Arab world, is there some understanding there too?
Khorchide: In the summer, I went to Al-Azhar University in Cairo, the most important Sunni authority in Islam. After my lecture, the older scholars were reticent and didn't say anything. But the undergraduates and doctorate students came up to me and asked if they could study in Munster or write their doctorates there. The young ones are looking for something new.
Khorchide says that because of the difficult archaic language in the Koran, "most Muslims don't concern themselves with the true essence of the Koran", which means that they base their faith on what they are told, "harking back to statements made by theologians in the ninth and tenth centuries"
Will your book also be translated into Arabic?
Khorchide: Yes, but I'll tailor it slightly to the Arab mentality.
Take the sting out of it a little?
Khorchide: I suppose you could put it like that. But the main message will be the same: that God is a God of mercy, that Islam is a religion of mercy. Any other interpretation of Islam is not Islam.
Why is it that most Muslims have a completely different understanding of Islam? They're reading the same Koran, after all.
Khorchide: The Koran was written in the classical Arabic of the seventh century. It's therefore very difficult for non-Arabs to understand. When Arabs read it, they perhaps understand 40 per cent as far as the language is concerned. But even greater difficulties arise in the theological reading of the verses. Most Muslims don't concern themselves with the true essence of the Koran. That's why we Muslims often base our faith on what we are told. We are harking back to statements made by theologians in the ninth and tenth centuries.
In your book you write that when viewed as a legal system, Sharia is a contradiction of Islam. Why?
Khorchide: For the very reason that it reduces Islam to a legal system. Some Muslims even go as far as to say that if you're not in favour of physical punishment, then you're not a Muslim. All the discussion surrounding Sharia means that it's only about whether or not you follow rules.
Your parents are Palestinian, but you went to school in ultra-conservative Saudi Arabia and studied in Austria; what impact has this had on your religious socialisation?
Khorchide: Saudi scholars claim that their nation is pure, true Islam's only home. But this Salafist mindset has reduced the faith to nothing more than a façade. A man is a sinner if he shaves off his beard; a woman is a sinner if she doesn't wear a headscarf. In mosques, I saw how only those with the longest beards were allowed to serve as imams and lead the prayers. What's the point of that? As a Palestinian in Saudi Arabia, I wasn't allowed to study or get any medical insurance, but in Austria, a non-Islamic nation, none of this was a problem. I started asking questions, I wanted to get to the core of this religion.
The crux of Khorchide's book is that God is a God of mercy, and Islam is a religion of mercy: "Any other interpretation of Islam is not Islam" You also criticise those who are described as liberal Muslims. Why? Are you not singing from the same song sheet?
Khorchide: They also reduce Islam in a similar way to the fundamentalists. The fundamentalists hollow it out, by focussing on the façade, on outward features. The liberals provide a radical response by dispensing with almost all outward features and rituals and limiting it to the shahada, the declaration of belief. That's not enough. The shahada must find its expression in life.
So what needs to happen for your understanding of Islam is to find wider acceptance?
Khorchide: There must be a discourse, and a discourse needs institutions, it must be taught, students must perpetuate its message. I think Islamic theology here in Germany represents a good opportunity because we have much greater freedom of movement. But it will take one or two generations.
Arnfrid Schenk und Martin Spiewak
© DIE ZEIT 2012
Translated from the German by Nina Coon
Editor: Aingeal Flanagan
Mouhanad Khorchide has been Professor of Islamic Religious Education at the University of Munster since July 2010. His new book Islam ist Barmherzigkeit – Grundzüge einer modernen Religion (Islam is Mercy – Essential Traits of a Modern Religion) was published by Herder in October. | <urn:uuid:7153a6e6-badd-41aa-bd0f-b8a83503c87a> | 2013-05-26T03:10:36Z | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | [
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Handbook of Genetic Counseling/CADASIL
From Wikibooks, open books for an open world
CADASIL = Cerebral Autosomal Dominant Arteriopathy with Subcortical Infarcts and
- Leukoencephalopathy (destruction of myelin sheath covering nerves)
- Microangiopathy (disease of the arteries) mainly affecting the brain
- Welcome and Introductions.
- I understand you have come to discuss your family history of CADASIL disease.
- Why have you sought out genetic counseling at this point in your life?
- What do you already know about CADASIL? How familiar are you with your family history? What reading/research have you done on your own? Why are you interested in genetic testing?
- What are you hoping the test can tell you? What are you planning to do with the information? How will the results affect your life?
- Set agenda: get a little more information about your family, review CADASIL, talk about the different kinds of testing available (what they can tell us, how sensitive they are, how much they cost), and help you make a decision about testing
- Review medical history
- Any health concerns? Any problems with migraines, depression, TIA's, high blood pressure, memory loss?
- Has you doctor been screening you for any signs or symptoms?
- Have you ever had a brain MRI? Skin biopsy?
- Review family history
Disease Characteristics
- Symptoms (variable phenotype)
- migraine headaches (w/ or w/out aura-- sensations of lights, voices or numbness) (40 to 60%)
- recurring TIA's and strokes (>80%)
- cognitive and behavioral disturbances (extent is variable)
- psychiatric disturbances (depression, personality changes) (~30%)
- dementia (subcortical type - memory disturbances, psychic slowing, loss of initiative) (>85% in patients older than 65)
- pseudo-bulbar palsy -- slurred speech, difficulty with swallowing, weakness of face, tongue, and swallowing muscles, a tendency for uncontrollable laughter or crying, and brisk jaw and gag reflexes due to the degeneration or loss of the lower motor neurons (in the brainstem) that supply nerves to the muscles of the throat, larynx, face etc.
- epilepsy (10%)
- diffuse white matter lesions and subcortical infarcts on neuroimaging
- Ages of Onset
- Variable (even within the same family)
- Mid-Adult onset (30's - 60's)
- extensive testing has identified individuals who have relatively mild disease, or may even be clinically unaffected in the 7th or 8th decade
- Progression/Stages of disease
- migraines first occur at a mean age of 26
- TIA's and stroke beginning, on average, at 45 years of age (range 20-60's)
- Cognitive decline can start as early as 35 years of age (by age 45, more than 50% of patients have it)
- Dementia/severe cognitive deficits by age 65
- Death usually in the 7th decade
Genetic Etiology
- Due to mutations in the NOTCH3 gene (19p13.2-13.1)
- identified in >90% of patients
- all pathogenic sequence alterations result in the gain or loss of a single cysteine residue (95% of mutations are missense)
- penetrance is probably 100%
- Autosomal dominant inheritance
- affected person has a 50/50 chance of passing it on to each child
- de novo mutations are rare
- Prevalence is unknown
- some 200 families have been described from all continents, but most have been of European origin
- many families are likely undiagnosed or misdiagnosed
- Diagnostic Testing
- Neuroimaging (MRI)
- diffuse periventricular and deep white matter lesions
- subcortical infarcts in white matter, basal ganglia, and brain stem
- external capsules and temporal lobes are often affected
- Leukoencephalopathy is often present on MRI before developing symptoms
- When white matter abnormalities are absent on MRI of a person older than 35 years of age, CADASIL is usually excluded.
- Sensitivity 89-93%, specificity 45-86%
- Skin biopsy (Electron Microscope evaluation)
- electron dense granules in the media of arterioles
- granular osmiophilic material in the media
- Sensitivity 45%, specificity 100% (false negative rate is unknown)
- New immunostaining technique has a sensitivity of 96% and specificity of 100%
- Neuroimaging (MRI)
- Genetic Testing
- Available on clinical basis at Athena and CHOP
- Identifies 90-95% of mutations
- Scanning of the 5 exons with the highest mutation frequencies (3, 4, 11, 18, 19) detects 87% of patients with skin biopsy-confirmed CADASIL
- When testing at-risk people, an affected family member should be tested first to confirm that the mutation is identifiable by currently available techniques.
- To get the most information, we need to know an identified mutation in an affected relative
- Otherwise, we will not be able to rule CADASIL out completely (even with a negative genetic test because we won't know if you have a mutation that they just couldn't find)
- Possibility of a variant of uncertainty
- Prenatal testing is available for identified mutations (uncommon request since adult-onset disorder)
- Motivations for testing (reproduction, career, financial matters, need to know)
- Testing is not useful in predicting age of onset, severity, type of symptoms, or rate of progression
- How will you feel if you pay the money to have the testing, but we don't really know the answer for sure?
- Future life plans
- Concern about insurance/employment discrimination
- There is no preventative or symptomatic therapies available
- many neurologists prescribe salicylates - no studies on whether these have any effect on preventing stroke
- angiography and anti-coagulants are contraindicated because they may provoke cerebrovascular accidents
What if this turns out to not be CADASIL? What if it is something else we cannot test for?
- Make decision and establish plan for testing and follow-up
- GeneClinics handout
- United Leukodystrophy Foundation, Inc.
- 2304 Highland Drive
- Sycamore, IL 60178
- 1-800-728-5483 or 815-895-3211
- "CADASIL." GeneReviews. www.geneclinics.org
- Markus HS et al. "Diagnostic Strategies in CADASIL." Neurology 2002; 59: 1134-1138.
- Joutel A et al. "Skin Biopsy Immunostaining with a Notch3 Monoclonal Antibody for CADASIL Diagnosis." Lancet 2001; 358: 2049-2051.
- Mayer M et al. "Muscle and Skin Biopsies are a Sensitive Diagnostic Tool in the Diagnosis of CADASIL." J Neurology 1999; 246: 526-532.
|Autosomal Dominant||pattern of inheritance|
|Arteriopathy||disorder of blood vessels|
|Subcortical Infarcts||type of stroke|
|Luekoencephalopathy||destruction of white matter below the surface of the brain|
- Approximately 90% of individuals with CADASIL will show white matter abnormalities
- CADASIL can usually be ruled out in individuals over age 35 if no abnormalities are found on MRI
Skin Biopsy (electron microscope evaluation)
- Detection of a substance called granular osmiophilic material in the small blood vessels is diagnostic
- Substance only detected in about half of individuals with CADASIL
- Immunostaining is being developed which detects approximately 96% of individuals with CADASIL
Genetic Testing
- Mutation scanning and sequencing available for up to 23 of the 33 exons in NOTCH3
- If a disease associated mutation is found in an asymptomatic individual than the individual will likely develop symptoms eventually
- If a disease associated mutation is not found in an asymptomatic individual than we don't know if it is because they didn't inherit the mutation present in the family or if a mutation was not found due to limitations of the test
- Therefore it is best to test a family member with CADASIL first
- Chance that a variant of uncertain significance could be identified
The information in this outline was last updated in 2002. | <urn:uuid:a1d24b42-7de0-404a-8049-393ad8dc3c2b> | 2013-05-26T02:42:19Z | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | [
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Runtt has written and released five songs: "Welcome (Furry Forest Theme)", "Crawl", "Cuddle", "Shy Away" and "Angry Wah". The first three are available on furrymusic.org under the heading of Furry-Themed songs. All his music is available for download on his Fur Affinity site, including a mix of "Welcome" that is different from the one posted to furrymusic.org.
Runtt has also written an adult comic series called "Life In The Co-Op", along with a spin-off comic called "Tales From The Co-Op". Both comic series are published by Rabbit Valley Comics under their 'Spooo Presents' title. The first issue of "Life In The Co-Op" titled "Moving In" was illustrated by the artist Meesh. This was before Runtt had a proper title for the series. After Meesh decided not to continue with the series, it was taken over by the artist Diman, who continues to illustrate it as the primary artist. Runtt created a Yahoo group specifically for the announcement and discussion of his comic.
The spin-off series features guest artists with the first being Rika. The first story "Freedom part 1", features Rika's art.
Welcome (Furry Forest Theme) is a rock and roll style song by Runtt. It was originally written and recorded in 2002 after Runtt met Belic Bear and his mate, K'gra. The song is about how he came to find Belic’s web group, The Furry Forest, a PG-rated forum. Runtt has said that this was the fastest he ever wrote a song.
There are two versions of the song. The first recording can be found on Furrymusic.org. Runtt plays all instruments and sings all vocals himself. The second version is available for download on his Fur Affinity page. This edition is a collaboration of three musicians recording under the band name of The Paw Offs: Belic Bear on guitars and vocals; Sedge Hare on bass guitar and vocals; and Runtt on drums, vocals and keyboards. Runtt sings lead on the verses and Belic sings lead on the chorus. The song has minor changes to the lyrics and a faster tempo compared to the original recording. Runtt states that this is a “first draft mix,” and so far it is the band’s only finished song.
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