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Kids in the Garden – Summer 2019, Session #2 July 30 @ 10:00 am - 11:30 am$75 – $100 Is your 3-5 year-old child interested in things that grow, fly or crawl? Designed especially for preschoolers, our 4-week program will teach kids about the many parts of a garden, from birds to bugs and lots in between. Classes are taught by an experienced preschool science teacher. The curriculum is based on “Growing Wild” and is part of “Project Learning Tree,” a nationally recognized science program. Each week covers a different topic. At each class we will read a story, do an art project, sing a song, eat a snack and get out into the garden! Session Two: Begins July 30 and concludes on August 20 Topics: Begins May 14 and concludes on June 4, 10am-11:30am. Topics for Session Two: - Rocking with Rocks - Plant Parts - Spider Web Wonders - Tremendous Trees Cost is $75 for BBGS members and $100 for non-members.
Mention job descriptions and usually there is one of two reactions. One, people’s eyes immediately glaze- over, or two, people automatically respond with “got ‘em, my bases are covered.” Fewer things may seem as uninteresting to talk about as job descriptions – even in the world of HR. They are not as scary like lawsuits. They are not funny like some of the crazy things employees do. They certainly don’t seem sexy or cool. Job descriptions are one of the least talked about and one of the most underappreciated aspects of employment compliance. The reality is that we find most employers don’t have any; completely disregarding an essential element to employee management. When they do, they’re not done well; completely eliminating the value of having done them in the first place. Bottom line: as an employer or manager of people, you need to know why they’re important, how best to write them, and when to make use of them. In the end, you may not think they’re any more exciting than you do now, but hopefully you’ll appreciate their value more than you have previously. There are a plethora of reasons to have accurate job descriptions on hand for every position within the business. Here are just three: - Hiring tool: A job description helps to focus on the skills needed for the job as well as the duties. When interviewing, job descriptions can be used as the basis for developing solid job-related interview questions that help you identify whether candidates have the skills and abilities you need. The job description helps write a better advertisement and a copy of the job description shown to applicants gives them an accurate picture of the job. A new hire that quits because the job “wasn’t what I expected” can cost you time, money, and productivity. When new employees are provided a well-written job description, you set the stage for better performance. - Staff management tool: A work environment where assignments and responsibilities are unclear is confusing, wastes time, and can lead to misunderstandings and disagreements. On the other hand, when employees clearly understand what is expected, they have the necessary information to focus on the most important responsibilities and to be more productive. One of the easiest, most effective ways to let employees know what you expect is with well-written job descriptions. Once the employee is hired, go over the job description in detail with him/her, emphasizing any duties that may require training. This will ensure that s/he knows exactly what is expected. - Supports employment decisions: If an employee or a government agency challenges an employment decision, one of the most important documents you will be expected to provide is a copy of the job description. This can be a key component in defending your employment decisions. Job descriptions document the duties, qualifications and physical requirements of a job, and therefore help you support why you felt one applicant was qualified and another was not, why you pay one employee more than you pay another, or why you terminated an employee for poor job performance. What should it include? A good job description is comprised of the following key elements: - Title of the position - Employment status (exempt or non-exempt) - A statement of the major purpose of the position - Minimum eligibility requirements for adequate performance - A description of the physical demands, the type and amount of work to be performed - The individual or position the employee reports to - Essential functions What are “essential functions? The concept of essential functions cannot be understated. This is a critical component of a comprehensive job description. Job descriptions should not include every nuance of the position. There is a difference, and rightly so, between a “Standard Operating Procedure” and a job description. For example, a standard operating procedure would be to describe the morning process for getting everything ready for receiving clients like booting up computers and turning on lights. These things can be done by anyone. A job description captures that which is essential to a specific position. An example of an essential function might be: a front desk employee at a dental office being responsible for all insurance billing. According to the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC), “Essential functions are the basic job duties that an employee must be able to perform, with or without reasonable accommodation. You should carefully examine each job to determine which functions or tasks are essential to performance. This is particularly important before taking an employment action such as recruiting, advertising, hiring, promoting or firing.” When writing essential functions consider: - What employees actually do and the amounts of time spent on each function. - The amount of work to be performed. - Keeping sentence structure as simple and concise as possible. - Beginning each sentence with an active verb and avoid using the words “responsible for.” - Including a percentage of time each essential function consumes as part of the whole job. Adding the percentage of time to each essential function involved helps clarify the level of importance that particular duty has as it relates to all other duties. For example, “Answers telephone, routes calls, provides information, and takes messages in accordance with practice procedures. 20%” Under all disability laws, inability to perform non-essential, or marginal, functions of a job is generally not an acceptable reason not to hire or promote an individual with a disability. Therefore, it is important to distinguish clearly between essential and marginal duties on a job description. If a hiring or employment decision is challenged, you may be required to show that the qualification standards used in the decision-making process are job-related and consistent with business necessity. A job description with essential functions listed can serve this purpose. In order to use a job description to back up your decisions, it must be prepared before advertising or interviewing for a job. A job description prepared after a claim is filed will not be considered as evidence. When do I use them? As mentioned, essential functions are used in hiring, ongoing personnel and performance management, and supporting decisions. One of most important reasons though is reasonable accommodation decisions. Disability laws impact nearly every employer, whether the employer has 100 employees or 5 employees. The purpose of disability laws is to ensure that individuals with disabilities are given the same consideration for employment decisions as individuals without disabilities. These laws protect individuals from adverse employment action based on their disability alone. Adverse employment actions are demotions, terminations, cut in hours, etc. – basically anything in which the individual suffers a setback. When employers are confronted with an employee who has a mental or physical disability, the employer must consider making reasonable accommodation for that individual to continue employment. Reasonable accommodation is defined by the EEOC as “any change in the work environment (or in the way things are usually done) to help a person with a disability apply for a job, perform the duties of a job, or enjoy the benefits and privileges of employment.” An employer must make a reasonable accommodation to the known physical or mental limitations of a qualified applicant or employee unless the employer can show that the accommodation would cause an undue hardship on the operation of its business. An accommodation causes an “undue hardship” if it is too difficult or expensive for an organization to provide. What is considered reasonable varies greatly and depends on the size and resources of the organization, as well as on the nature of the accommodation. The burden of proof is on the employer to show that an accommodation is too expensive, too difficult or too disruptive. How do you decide (and prove) if accommodation is reasonable or not? This is where the importance (and necessity) of having well-written job descriptions come into play. It begins by obtaining medical information from the employee who states s/he cannot perform his/her job duties and is looking for an accommodation. Let’s play this scenario out: - Employee indicates either directly or indirectly that s/he cannot perform a job duty - By reviewing the job description, it is determined that it is an essential function - Employee must provide information from his/her treating physician about what s/he can and cannot do as it relates to the essential functions - Employer sends medical certification paperwork to the treating physician along with an accurate, up-to-date job description - Using the job description, the treating physician makes an assessment and provides the medical certification form back, indicating what the employee can and cannot do or what s/he needs in order to rectify the disability issue - This could be time off, reduction in work duties, reduction in work hours and so on - Employer receives this information and begins the process of determining reasonable accommodation or undue hardship If an employer goes through this process without providing the job description that contains the essential functions, then the employer would have no documentation to otherwise support/defend any decision or adverse action taken with the employee as a result. As a management tool, job descriptions can play a key role in a variety of situations – from the start of the relationship to the end of the relationship and everything in between. As consultants, we see firsthand the challenges employers face without having well-written job descriptions, that are kept up-to-date. To limit risk and liability, good documentation is the key. Your job descriptions represent the most underutilized and most needed document of them all. They are the go-to document for us and should be for you too.
A couple of weeks ago I bumped into this jaw-dropping photo gallery of current goings-on in Syria. I’m sorry that I don’t recall whose tweet I got it from, but chances are excellent it was either Andy Carvin (@acarvin) or Neal Mann (@fieldproducer). As a longtime journalist, I not only like to know what’s going on in my world, but I like to make sure others know, too. In the case of the whole world, it was my (almost) secret mission when working the international wire to publish at least one story from each continent. Antarctica almost never cooperated, but it also highlighted to me how poor a job the Associated Press was doing at the time with Latin America. Anyway, I posted the gallery on Facebook and said, “In case you forgot things are wretched in Syria.” One of my best friends, a fairly sharp woman, replied, “not only did I not forget, I did not know…. didn’t make it through 1/4 of the pics – gotta go research… wtf” And so was born the idea for Teaching Tuesdays, because we all like alliteration and Monday has too many other challenges to add extracurricular learning to it. Every other week, I’ll aggregate some stories about something that interests me that we might not know as much about as we should (fair warning: one week it is bound to be elephants). First up: Syria. Al Jazeera is concerned to the point of gathering its stories into a package, Syria: The War Within. “Violence escalates and refugee crisis mounts as rebels and Assad’s forces remain locked in conflict,” it says. In the latest story, EU foreign ministers say they view the National Coalition to be the “legitimate representatives” of the Syrian people. In case you’re wondering if today’s unrest elsewhere in the Middle East involves Syria, the answer is hell, yes. The BBC’s handy timeline of Syrian history ends with this paragraph: “Israeli military fire on Syrian artillery units after several months of occasional shelling from Syrian positions across the Golan Heights, the first such return of fire since the Yom Kippur War of 1973.” Some other tidbits for when you have time: Creative Syria bills itself as culture, arts, history and current affairs, and includes contemporary artists. I also found this joke in a Charles Glass column: A dog in Lebanon, an old joke goes, was so hungry, mangy and tired of civil war that he escaped to Syria. To the surprise of the other dogs, he returned a few months later. Seeing him better groomed and fatter than before, they asked whether the Syrians had been good to him. “Very good.” “Did they feed and wash you?” “Yes.” “Then why did you come back?” “I want to bark.” Syria’s economic freedom score is 51.2, making its economy the 139th freest in the 2012 Index. (Heritage Foundation) Why Syria turmoil threatens Middle East (CNN, Oct. 2 analysis) — As Syria continues its descent into civil war, the terrible humanitarian tragedy occurring is unfolding in plain view: 20,000 dead, 250,000 refugees outside the country by some accounts, over a million people internally displaced.
(Beyond Pesticides, October 30, 2014) After concerns have been raised about the poor oversight of aerial herbicide spraying on Oregon forests, and the subsequent pesticide contamination of residents living nearby, policy makers are working to introduce legislation to better protect local residents from pesticide and environmental contamination. An investigation, which began in 2013 into allegations of improper pesticide spraying on timberland near residential areas in Southern Oregon, has since confirmed that residents of the small towns were unwillingly sprayed with pesticides. The investigation was launched after residents filed complaints after they experienced rashes, headaches, asthma, and stomach cramps directly after pesticide applications. Earlier this year, the investigation led by the Oregon Department of Agriculture (ODA) indicated multiple violations by the pesticide operator and applicator responsible for the spraying, as well as evidence of the presence of pesticides on properties in Cedar Valley, near Gold Beach, Oregon. The aerial applicator, the investigation uncovered, allowed pesticide deposition on properties other than the intended application site, applied one product at a rate above the maximum allowed by the label instructions, and provided multiple false records that misled ODA about the actual products used. Now, in light of several state regulatory lapses that include failures to provide communities with adequate notice about nearby spraying, investigations rife with miscommunication and missed opportunities, and a general lack of knowledge on human exposure risks, Rep. Ann Lininger, D-Lake Oswego and others are leading efforts to draft legislation on the issue. Rep. Lininger indicated that she has been working on legislation for the past six months along with Senate Environment and Natural Resources Committee Chairman Michael Dembrow, D-Portland, along with a team of legislators and community members. They plan to introduce a bill in the 2015 session. Goals for the legislation include: - Better notifications for community members who want to know when and where sprays are happening so they can protect themselves accordingly. Current notifications are costly, vague and sometimes inaccurate. - Creating a publicly accessible database of pesticide application records, which show what was actually applied, how much, where and when. Currently, such records are maintained by applicators, filed with no one and are sometimes inconsistent or missing altogether. - Wider buffers between aerial spraying and homes, schools, and drinking water streams. Oregon currently has no buffer for homes and schools and streamside buffers much smaller than neighboring states. The state Senate committee has held a series of informational hearings since May in response to the case. Dozens of residents in the community of Cedar Valley claimed herbicides sprayed from a helicopter made them and their pets sick. Recently, the pilot responsible for the incident had Â his license suspended for a year and was fined $10,000 by ODA. The Pacific Air Research Company, which employed the pilot, was also fined $10,000 and had all its licenses revoked for a year for providing false information to the state. After pressure from local residents, ODA was ordered to publicly disclose pesticide records. It was found that the pesticides being sprayed were 2,4-D and triclopyr. 2, 4-D is a highly toxic chemical which has been linked to cancer, reproductive effects, endocrine disruption, and kidney and liver damage. It is also neurotoxic and is toxic to beneficial insects (such as bees), earthworms, birds, and fish. Scientific studies have confirmed significantly elevated rates of non-Hodgkinâ€™s lymphoma for farmers who use 2, 4-D. Triclopyr originally developed for woody plant and broadleaf weed control along rights- of- way and on industrial sites, triclopyr is also used in forest site preparation. In a similar case, also in Oregon, the community of Triangle Lake experienced similar pesticide exposures from the aerial application of herbicides to timberland, and Â atrazine Â and Â 2,4-D Â were subsequently found in the urine of residents around Triangle Lake. After these incidents, state and federal agencies launched the Highway 36 Corridor Public Health Exposure Investigation. The investigation resulted in the Oregon State Forester requiring pesticide applicators to turn over three years of forestry pesticide spray records from private and state timber operations. Should Rep. Lininger and her allies move forward with their legislation next session, it would not be the first attempt to revise Oregonâ€™s Forest Practices Act. According to Beyond Toxics, an environmental organization that works in Oregon, the State of Oregon has the weakest and most outdated forestry chemical laws in the western states of California, Washington, Alaska and Idaho, and significant changes are needed. Â Beyond Toxics filed a lawsuit this summer challenging portions of the Oregon Right to Farm and Forest Law (ORS30.936) on pesticide drift from forestry operations onto private property. Currently, there are no required buffer zones around residential land, similar to those along fish-bearing streams in Oregon, and the state does not require notification of residents near timberland. Timberland owners do have to notify the Oregon Department of Forestry, and people can pay a fee to receive those notifications, but they do not specifically disclose that chemicals that will be used, or the day and time of the spraying. Aerial herbicide application is also only used on private land as public forest land is managed without these practices. Lawmakers are likely to face opposition from members and supporters of the forest products industry who claim cases like Cedar Valley are the rare exception and restrictions on herbicide could hurt timber production. Timber companies spray herbicides anywhere between one to three years after a clear cut to ensure young replanted trees, often Douglas firs, are free of competition and can grow faster. A study by the Centers for Disease Control and Preventionâ€™s (CDC) National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH) and state agency partners finds that agricultural workers and residents in regions where pesticides are routinely sprayed have the highest rate of pesticide poisoning from drift exposure. Pesticide spray drift is typically the result of small spray droplets being carried off-site by air movement. The main weather factors that cause drift are wind, humidity and temperature changes. Aside from poisoning people and animals, drift can injure foliage, shoots, flowers and fruits resulting in reduced yields, economic loss and illegal residues on exposed crops. For more information on the dangers of pesticide exposures, visit the Pesticide Induced Disease Database (PIDD). Beyond Pesticides supports the efforts of residents everywhere to stand up for public health and environmental rights and protect their communities and properties from chemical trespass. Visit our website to learn more about the negative impacts of pesticides on communities and what you can do to support those fighting for change! All unattributed positions and opinions in this piece are those of Beyond Pesticides.
It is incomprehensible that the Pakistan Army, that branched off from the parent Indian Army at Partition, which in its pre-1947 avatar was celebrated for its sense of “Honour”, has taken to doing what it has done by way of killing Indian soldiers and then mutilating their bodies . Of course, honour was a conveniently imperial notion the British cleverly used to control the native sepoys by reinforcing their traditional fidelity to personal izzat. It helped the colonial overlords ensure that a mercenary force retained its loyalty to the British crown to the very last and kept the subcontinent in chains. So ‘honour’ is not a concept that can be lightly dismissed as irrelevant, even as legacy — even if this legacy led shamefully to a few thousand Britons at the height of the Raj cowing down a half-billion Indians with a native army. (Just how this was managed in Philip Mason’s 1974 paean “A Matter of Honour: An Account of the Indian Army, its Officers and Men”). It is hard to believe that, unlike the Indian Army which has retained that standard, the Pakistan Army has, in a matter of a few decades, been reduced to a horde of punch-drunk medieval barbarians. It is one thing for Pakistani soldiers to engage in cross-LOC operations or in Special Forces actions in Indian Kashmir, quite another, however, for them to disembowel, behead, gouge out eyes, and otherwise carve up the bodies of Indian counterparts they have killed on the ceasefire line. There have been too many such atrocities in the last few years (three so far, including the latest one) — succeeding similar acts of savagery displayed by the Pakistanis in the 1999 Kargil border war (while the Indian army, in contrast, returned the properly-draped bodies of Northern Light Infantry-men killed in Indian offensive actions, with respect), for these to be passed off as stray acts of needless brutality. If this leads to the obvious conclusion that such atrocities are actually sanctioned and authorized by GHQ, Rawalpindi, as a legitimate ‘ruse de guerre’, then that puts a different spin on these developments and needs to be responded to in kind. Just may be, the Indian Army is behind the times and needs to be less “propah” and more wild and atavistic. Here I am reminded of veterans of the 1965 War recalling the fact that the capture of large numbers of Pakistan Patton tanks at Assal Uttar and elsewhere owed not little to the Pakistani tankman’s fear of being burned alive with direct Indian shots. Many Indian officers witnessed Pakistani cavalrymen jumping out of tanks and running for their lives, rather than staying in their armoured vehicles, fighting to the last shell (a ‘la Lt Arun Khetrapal, PVC, 17 Horse) and get roasted. With superstitious Pakistani peasant soldiery convinced that they have to avoid getting burnt alive at all cost, lest they miss out on the good afterlife offered by shahadat in battle, in mind, shouldn’t a series of sustained retributive actiona across the LoC be planned involving uniform and extensive use of flame throwers? Because quite literally fire is what terrorizes the Pakistani soldiers out of their fighting wits, it is time to deploy it against them. A spate of sustained actions by regular front line units and Para-commando units held as Northern Army reserve wielding bazookas, will have more than a mass deterrent effect on the Pakistani army on the LoC, it may psychologically cripple the Pakistani jawans on the Kashmir front and, once the word spreads, the Pakistan Army. Unfortunately, such fiery retribution seems unlikely. Because the only retaliatory measure the Indian Army could immediately think up was to lose off a barrage of small arms and mortar fire — the expected response the Pakistanis are always prepared to absorb. The Indian Army may as well do nothing for all the impact it will have. It is all very well for the part-time defence minister Arun Jaitley to promise that the mutilation of the bodies of the Sikh regiment JCO and a BSF trooper will be avenged. Quite another thing for Delhi to do the right thing and make it clear to Gen Qamar Bajwa and his cohort that India means business by executing some seriously disruptive actions. The need is for a sustained programme extended over months, possibly a year or two, to terrorize the fighting man in the Pak Army with the prospect of an end he mortally dreads — death by burning. The prelude to such a programme should be the raining down of leaflets in Urdu threatening just such retributive justice for the excesses committed against Indian soldiers. It will unhinge the forward-placed Paki units, soften them up for the kill, so to say. by keeping them on tenterhooks. But can the Modi-Doval duo that talks big — with only a single so-called “surgical strike” to boast of so far — act meaningfully for a change in the military arena? I doubt it, what with the Indian PM’s Washington trip slated for sometime in June and hence his felt need to not get Trump all riled up by getting their “partner in crimes” in Afghanistan — the Pakistan Army, loved by the US Defence Secretary General James Mattis and Trump’s NSA Lt Gen HR McMaster, on the hop.
When believers seek to apply biblical principles to issues of public policy, it is admittedly a complex and difficult task. We are often best advised to use general principles, and see how they might be fleshed out in the cut and thrust of politics and legislation. Here I wish to look at one particular area in which believers have disagreed over a specific social issue. Thus this article will not provide a general discussion of how public policy is best addressed by people of faith, nor will I here make the case for why people of faith have the right to seek to share their values in the public arena. Suffice it to say that everyone comes to the surrounding society with pre-existing worldviews, assumptions and presuppositions. That is true of questions of politics, legislation and public policy. Everyone brings values and beliefs to bear on such areas. This is as true of secularists and nonbelievers as it is of anyone else. The actual topic I wish to focus on here is the issue of homosexuality, specifically whether they should be granted special rights and government recognition as couples, and how one group is seeking to justify such moves from a biblical perspective. I have written elsewhere why such moves are unhelpful, and have critiqued some of the attempted biblical rationale provided for it. Here I wish to narrow this all down to just one particular case. I refer to the attempt by some to argue that it is permissible for Christians to seek to grant homosexual couples special rights on the basis that God’s ideal is not always met, and that we have a biblical example that can be appealed to here. That is, these groups have argued that just as God allowed divorce because of the hardness of human hearts, so we should be lenient in public policy towards homosexuals for similar reasons. My short answer to such an argument is to say it is a logical fallacy. It is a category mistake, that is, a case of mixing apples with oranges. More fully, I wish to argue that even if we accept the divorce analogy, it is still fraught with danger. Moses and the certificate of divorce In Deuteronomy 24:1-4 we read of a certificate given for divorce. This happens to be the only law concerning divorce found in the Old Testament. While divorce is spoken of elsewhere in the OT, it is roundly condemned. Malachi 2:16 is a classic passage in this regard: “I hate divorce” says Yahweh. In general, it can be said that this provision is similar to what we find in passages about the condition of slavery in the Old Testament. Both divorce and slavery were common, widespread practices found throughout the Ancient Near East. Both sets of biblical passages sought not to endorse or condone these practices, but to severely limit, restrict, and humanise some quite unfortunate human activities. The humanitarian provisions especially protected slaves in situations of indentured servitude, and women in situations of divorce. It is in the New Testament that we really get some background on this passage, especially the divine mind regarding it, as seen in the words of Jesus. The Deuteronomy passage is referred to in all the Synoptic Gospels: Matthew 19:1-9, Mark 10:1-12 and Luke 16:18. These parallel passages have to do with questions put to Jesus by the Pharisees to test him. Jesus effectively rebukes his questioners, and goes back to Genesis for God’s original intention for marriage. Of at least five passages in the New Testament bearing directly on the issue of divorce; three allow exceptions (Matt. 5:32; 19:9; 1 Cor. 7:15), while two (Mark 10:11; Luke 16:18) do not. In Matthew the exception clause has to do with porneia, a Greek term not easy to identify with certainty, but having to do with sexual sin in some sense. Taken together though, these passages all affirm God’s intention for marriage, and certainly do not endorse or command divorce. While there are a number of exegetical, hermeneutical, theological and pastoral questions surrounding all these passages (and related ones) it is clear that Jesus is taking a very strong stance indeed on the issue of divorce. Numerous commentators stress this point. As D.A. Carson writes in his commentary on Matthew, “any view of divorce and remarriage (taught in either Testament) that sees the problem only in terms of what may or may not be done has already overlooked a basic fact – divorce is never to be thought of as a God-ordained, morally neutral option but as evidence of sin, of hardness of heart”. Many commentators pick up the theme of God’s original design as announced in Genesis. Says Craig Blomberg in his commentary on Matthew, God “did not originally create people to divorce each other, and he therefore does not intend for those whom he re-creates – the community of Jesus’ followers – to practice divorce. As in the Sermon on the Mount, Jesus proclaims a higher standard of righteousness for his followers than the law of Moses.” James Edwards in his commentary on Mark concurs: “The essential thrust of 10:1-12 is the inviolability of the marriage bond as intended and instituted by God. Jesus does not conceive of marriage on the grounds of its dissolution but on the grounds of its architectural design and purpose by God.” Or as Donald Hagner says in his commentary on Matthew, “The kingdom of God brought by Jesus is ultimately to involve the restoration of the perfection of the pre-fall creation, and the ethics of the kingdom as taught by Jesus reflect this fact.” R.T. France in his commentary on Mark nicely summarises the position of Jesus on this issue, and is worth quoting at length. He notes that in a culture where divorce was widespread and prevalent, “Jesus’ absolute prohibition of divorce must have been stunning”. Quite right. He continues: “The legal provision of Moses in Dt. 24 was not intended as a statement of God’s purpose for marriage, but as a regrettable but necessary means of limiting the damage when that purpose has already been abandoned. It is a provision to deal with human [hardness of heart], not a pointer to the way things ought to be. The marriage ethics of the kingdom of God must be based not on a concession to human failure, but on a pattern set out in God’s original creation of man and woman. What God has joined together must not be separated by human initiative.” A final quote from France deals very effectively with what I want to discuss in the final part of this article: “Modern society shows us what can happen when a provision for damage limitation comes to be regarded as a right or even a norm. In such a context Jesus’ clear-sighted return to ‘the way it was meant to be’ has a refreshing and compelling simplicity, and must not be relegated to the category of an ‘ideal’ which we all admire but do not seriously expect to be implemented. God’s design for unbroken, lifelong marriage is not an ‘ideal’ in that sense, but the realistic standard to which we are expected to conform and on which the health of the human society depends. Mark’s Jesus allows us no lower aim.” I now return to my opening remarks about how some Christian groups are seeking to grant special rights to, and government recognition of, homosexual unions in the form of relationship registers. They are doing this in the interests of vague notions of social justice, and are seeking to meet the demands of the homosexual lobby half way (more like 90 per cent!). There are a number of problems with this. Many homosexual activists in fact see relationship registers as basically identical to civil unions (which in turn are simply marriage-lite institutions). I will deal with this more fully in another article. But these Christian groups have said we must go down this path because even though it may not be God’s ideal, we live in a fallen world, and therefore concessions must be made to account for human hardness of heart and our fallen natures, as in the Mosaic divorce provision. Yet as I tried to show in the above, the ideal which God set forth at creation trumps any such concessions. And the same applies here. God’s ideal for human sexuality has always been one man, one woman, for life. That is it. Life-long heterosexual marriage is alone God’s plan for the expression of human sexuality. Every other type of sexuality is simply sinful, and against the express commands of God. Indeed, where in Scripture do we find any exceptions to this iron-clad rule? Where do we see God allowing an exemption because of human hardness of heart to engage in a bit of fornication or adultery? Where are we told that because we live in a fallen world, we can bend the rules a bit and allow various types of sexual immorality? (Let me deal with one objection right away. Mention might be made of polygamy. Some OT saints had more than one wife. But I would argue the same about this as about the Mosaic provision of divorce. It was not God’s command or intention, and he in fact clearly speaks against it in both Testaments. It is expressly forbidden in Deut. 17:17 and 1 Tim. 3:2 for example. God’s ideal has always been monogamous marriage.) Of course in secular societies today all kinds of sexual immorality is permissible and legal. But that does not mean believers should encourage this, or seek to give God’s blessing to it. Urging governments to recognise behaviour which God clearly forbids should not be the job of any part of the Christian church. Let activist groups lobby for recognition of their lifestyles, but believers have no moral or scriptural obligation to join them in such pursuits. By pushing for such government recognition and blessing, these Christian groups seem to be siding with immorality, not with God’s purposes and plans. The topic of marriage, divorce, and remarriage is a huge topic with many considerations and layers of difficulty. This article does not intend to even begin to look at all the many issues involved. But I have used the issue of permission for divorce as found in Deut. 24 as a test case of what God desires, and how it might impact public policy. Those Christian groups seeking to use this passage as an analogy for working for special rights for homosexual relationships seem to be on very thin ground indeed. The two issues are not analogous, and in any case, God calls us to something higher and more biblical. Now is not the time to capitulate, to compromise, to accommodate, and to appease. Now is the time to take a strong stand for God’s intentions and purposes. The church of God has already fallen into disrepute with its policy of way-too-easy divorce and remarriage. We dare not compromise on yet another absolute moral position as outlined in Scripture.
A heterogeneous mixture in which solute particles are larger than molecules or ions but cannot be seen by naked eye is called colloidal solution. A system which shows properties of colloidal solution is called colloidal system. Its example is clay in water or starch in water. The solvent is called the dispersion medium in a colloidal solution. The solid solute particles are called dispersed medium in colloidal solution. The dispersion medium may be a liquid, gas or solid. - Smoke is composed of a solid dispersed in gas. - Milk is a liquid dispersed in liquid - Pumice stone is gas dispersed in s solids There are two forms of colloidal systems: - 1. Sol: A system composed of non-viscous colloidal solution is called sol. For example milk. 2. Gel: A system composed of viscous colloidal solution is called gel. For example butter. The colloidal systems can be classified into two general classes on the basis of their affinity for liquids:
In big cities, warmer weather often seems to correlate to an increase in crime and in Maine, I am starting to wonder if warmer weather correlates to an increase in random and casual racism. Looking back on my years in Maine, it seems that spring and summer is the peak season for casual racist experiences. Maybe we just need a year-round chill in the weather so that people can stay chill. My week started with me giving a keynote address on racism and having a conversation with young immigrant women about the racism they encounter living in Maine. Then a few days ago, I had my own experience that reminded of just how powerful words are and how, when they are wielded as a weapon, they can cut as deeply as the sharpest knife. Several days ago, I was walking along Portland’s waterfront en route to the ferry terminal so that I could head back home after running a few errands. I walked past two older white men on a bench who appeared down on their luck and most likely homeless. I didn’t formulate any judgments about them personally at first; however, as I walked past them one of them yelled out “Go back to to your own country!” Given that I was the only person of color on the sidewalk at that time, it was clear that I was recipient of the comment. Let the judgments begin, I thought… In that moment, just a few feet away from their bench, I stopped and started to turn back around to actually give the gent on the bench a piece of my mind as I toyed with the idea of just slapping the man. I realize that even saying this sounds over the top but sometimes you get sick and tired of being sick and tired. And, let me just be honest: I am tired of white people thinking they have the right to say whatever thoughts come to mind without regard for my humanity. Or the humanity of anyone they deem to be “less than.” The man’s words weren’t as jarring as being called a nigger but make no mistake: In choosing to say those words, his implication was that I don’t belong here (even though I was born and raised in this country and descend from enslaved Africans) and his desire was to intimidate me into leaving “his” country. Last night I found myself in a work-related conversation with a representative from a group that works with African immigrants in New Hampshire, and she shared that one of the most common comments their program participants hear is “Go back to where you came from.” America is a nation built on the stolen land of indigenous people and built with the labor of enslaved people; those stolen people were my ancestors and if a white American feels that this is their home, well it’s my home too. America is a country of immigrants and newcomers of all hues and stripes. Unless said people have a far darker hue and then, no matter what our background, we are are seen as outsiders by much of white America, perhaps even most of it. I have lived 43 years in this body called Black and female, and I recognize that racism is one of the many illness that America the nation suffers from. While it never gets easier to deal with racism, there is a place where, for self preservation, you just don’t allow every incident to touch your inner spirit. That man on the bench annoyed me and while I wanted to say something, I decided to walk away and trust that the ugliness he chose to dole out will be repaid to him a thousandfold. I believe that what we put into the universe does come back to us in one form or another and if hate is what we hold in our hearts, we will have to face that at some point in our lives. As an adult, I have the ability to manage dealing with hate. What concerns me is the impact of racism and bigotry on developing minds. I know that last year when my daughter first heard that ugly word of nigger, the experience affected for months quite intensely, to the point she feared going into any part of Portland. Even now her anxiety around young white men comes up. What about young people whose families have braved things that Americans can’t even begin to imagine who are hearing words of “Go back” on a regular basis? How do you make a home in a place that is legally your home yet people insist that you don’t belong? How do you find peace when the simple act of walking down the street and dodging the stares and the comments is simply another act of warfare being done against your person? We know now that verbal abuse harms children and yet too few of us will do anything against the casual racism that is meted out against people who are different than us. Racism is abuse and yet we expect the people who are most affected by racism to save the collective us from racism; it’s not unlike asking abused spouses/partners/children to fix abusive behavior against them. Just another toxic byproduct of America’s longstanding and deeply ingrained racism and white supremacy; it is interwoven into the fabric of almost everything and it help give more weight and power to racism and racist acts. We can do better. So let’s, shall we? If this piece or this blog resonates with you, please consider a one-time “tip” or become a monthly “patron”…this space runs on love and reader support.
Is it suitable if teeth have already received white fillings? Tooth whitening treatments, if performed according to manufacturer’s instructions, do not appear to cause any long lasting damage to tooth enamel. The main side effect of using bleaching agents is tooth sensitivity, which eases after a few days. Tooth whitening is not suitable for use on teeth if these teeth have been crowned or if they have white fillings. Only natural tooth structures can be lightened, not tooth coloured fillings, tooth coloured bonded restorations, crowns or veneers. Different people’s teeth react differently to bleaching. Some individuals experience temporary tooth sensitivity or gum irritation from bleaching agents. A 10% carbamide peroxide treatment in a tray made by your dentist and used at night time is the safest, most cost effective and best researched whitening treatment available. Tooth whitening should always be carried out under the supervision of your dentist, especially when higher strength treatments greater than 10% carbamide peroxide are being used. In situations where whitening is not effective, you may want to investigate other alternatives like veneers with your dentist.
This will depend on the clinical circumstances which are unique to each individual. Your dentist will advise specifically for you. If your 4 wisdom teeth are fully erupted into good positions and your oral hygiene is good around these teeth you may be advised to retain them. However, if you have poor oral hygiene, signs of gum disease , established dental decay or poor function you may be advised to have them removed. The purpose of this will be to maintain the oral health of the remaining teeth as access will be greatly improved for cleaning the remaining teeth. Wisdom teeth do not normally provide any function in an otherwise healthy mouth. In fact they may act as a reservoir for gum disease and dental decay causing both to spread to neighboring teeth and gums.
Home » Finance Category Archives: Finance Double Taxation – the fallacy of pension legacy costs. I am writing to alert you to a potential property tax increase coming from the Georgia General Assembly. House Bill 711, sponsored by Rep. Mary Margaret Oliver (D-Druid Hills), seeks to add a special tax district to cities formed after 2005. Rep. Oliver believes that newly formed cities owe, what she refers to as, “pension legacy costs”. The notion that these legacy costs exist is false and here’s why. - Newly formed cities continue to pay fully into the General Fund and the Fire Fund. Embedded in these funds are the costs for benefits, including pensions for the employees providing these services. - Newly formed cities continue to pay fully into the self-sustaining funds of Sanitation and Watershed. Embedded in these funds are the costs for benefits, including pensions for the employees providing these services. - DeKalb County lowered the millage rate for the Police Fund (a fund newly formed cities do not pay into) in the 2015 budget. - DeKalb County did not reform the pension benefit system until December 2015 – 7 years after the formation of Dunwoody. - DeKalb County used unrealistic actuarial assumptions that negatively impacted funding. If DeKalb County believed there was a crisis in the pension plan, chiefly driven by the new cities no longer paying into the police fund, why would the county lower the police fund millage rate in 2015? If the county believed that the crisis was caused by newly formed cities, why did pension reform not occur until just a few months ago in December of 2015? House Bill 711 is only directed at newly formed cities. It is punitive, based on false assumptions, and is not congruent with the facts. Make no mistake about it, it is a discriminatory tax aimed at Brookhaven and Dunwoody. It is a bailout that would allow DeKalb County to continue poor fiscal management. It creates a liability for new residents and business for a service they never received. Imagine an entirely new property tax layered onto the commercial engine of the region – the Perimeter market – and the affect that would have on business, growth, and sales tax revenue to the county, schools, and state. House Bill 711 is wrong and would have dire economic consequences for the region and state if passed. House Bill 711 is currently in the House Governmental Affairs Committee. Here is a list of emails for the members of that committee and the committee staff. email@example.com (Policy Analyst) firstname.lastname@example.org (Admin. Assistant) Understanding DeKalb’s Millage rate system First, DeKalb County’s millage rate isn’t one millage rate that funds all aspects of the county. DeKalb’s total millage rate is actually the sum of various component millage rates. I often refer to these individual rates as “buckets”. Here’s a list of some of the “buckets” for which you may pay a millage rate: - General Fund – This funds services that are provided county-wide like the court system, sheriff, libraries, etc.. It is the largest fund and every resident in DeKalb, including all cities, pays the rate for this fund. - Fire Fund – This funds the Fire Department that is used by the unincorporated parts of the county, as well as most of the cities, included Dunwoody, Brookhaven, Chamblee, Doraville, etc. - Police Fund – This funds the DeKalb Police Department for unincorporated DeKalb and any city that elects to use this service. - Roads and Drainage – This funds roads and drainage services to the county and any city that elects to use this county service. - Parks and Recreation – This funds parks and recreation services to the county and any city that elects to use this county service. - There are also debt service rates that are apportioned county-wide and otherwise pursuant to their issuance. - House Bill 711 proposes to add a new “bucket” that would be filled only by cities formed after 2005. Sanitation and watershed services are self-sustaining and charge a fee-for-service for unincorporated county residents as well as residents of cities. Newly formed cities have all continued using DeKalb as their sanitation service provider. Water is only provided by the county so all cities use, and pay, for this service. Planning and Sustainability is a self-sustaining, fee-for-service fund that provides the plan review services to residents and builders who need permits. This area also handles business licensing services. Dunwoody and Brookhaven now provide this service as a city. Since the incorporation of Dunwoody and Brookhaven, residents of these cities have continued to pay fully into the General Fund, the Fire Fund, the appropriate debt service, and they continue to pay into the self-sustaining funds of sanitation and watershed. So, the only services that these cities no longer receive, or pay for, from the county that are funded by property tax millage rates are: (1) Police, (2) Roads and drainage, and (3) Parks and Recreation. Georgia Education Per Pupil Spending, Graduation Rates, Tax Climate, Poverty Rating & Free/Reduced Lunch Percentage In January, I posted this blog about education spending and results in Georgia. In May, the US Census office released updated per pupil spending numbers. I have updated my regional map with these numbers, along with Georgia’s tax climate ranking, poverty ranking and the percentage of students receiving free/reduced lunch. Georgia is still spending more per pupil and has a lower gradation rate than all of our border states. Texas, Tennessee and Mississippi all spend less per pupil, have higher graduation rates, better tax climate rankings and more poverty than Georgia. South Carolina and North Carolina both spend less, have higher graduation rates, similar poverty rankings but are rated below Georgia in tax climate. But look for both South and North Carolina to improve their tax climate rankings. North Carolina passed a major tax reform bill this year. South Carolina is working on a major overhaul. Local Boards of Education are required to publish tax and expenditure data. See https://ted.cviog.uga.edu/ted/Default.do . Don’t know what Grover Norquist is referring to, but it appears [you are] campaigning on something that is already there. What’s up with that? Accounting Manager at Ga Dept of Education Follow the money. That phrase was popularized during the Watergate tumult. It is also a wise directive for all taxpayers in our state and beyond when it comes to how we spend your tax dollars on education. So, what happens when you can’t “follow the money” because the government and the Iron Triangle Education Bureaucracy puts obstacles in your way? The Cato Institute has released a study about the transparency in spending by departments of education. It turns out Georgia earned an “F”. Click here to see their study. About Georgia, Cato points out, “Georgia is missing the most recent year of expenditures and fails to provide a table or graph that would allow citizens to easily compare changes in spending over time.” In fact, Georgia is missing the most recent 2 years. The financial data that is provided through the state DOE website is the 2010-2011 school year – a full 2 years behind our current fiscal year. (School districts have fiscal years that run from July 1 through June 30. The fiscal year is referenced by the year in which it ends.) So we are missing FY12 and FY13 on the fiscal reports. Until we fix the financial issues that plague Georgia’s educational spending, we won’t fix education in our state. Unfortunately, Georgia’s Department of Education has not held districts accountable for how they spend your tax dollars. It appears the DOE’s only retort is to ask for more of your money. Our DOE continues to send hundreds of millions of your dollars to districts that do little to improve the educational lives of our children or even provide transparency in their expenditures. It’s all a bit cozy. Sadly, administrators have grown their take of your money over time and let smaller amounts accrue to the teachers in the classroom. Dr. Scafidi’s study, The School Staffing Surge, on how administrative staffing has grown over time in excess of student growth. In an upcoming “Coffee Talk”, we’ll cover the finances of education in Georgia and how they have hurt taxpayers, students and teachers all while benefiting the educational bureaucrats. Follow the money, indeed.
Remember the story about the razor blades in the apples the creepy man was passing out to kids on Halloween? Or the tale of the Snickers bars laced in cyanide coming from the supposedly haunted house overgrown with ivy? Stories of strangers tampering with Halloween candy have been around ever since I was a kid trick-or-treating in the 1970s and 80s. And I’m still hearing these stories today. Guess what? None of them are true. Dr. Joel Best of the University of Delaware has investigated 90 stories of candy contamination. He’s found most to be untrue. Best has also looked into child deaths that were thought to be caused by strangers handing out poisoned candy, and he has always found that there’s more to the story. There was the 8-year-old Texas boy, Timothy, who dropped dead after sucking up the powder from several Pixy Sticks in 1974. But a stranger didn’t lace the candy with cyanide. His own father, Ronald Clark O’Bryan, did. O’Bryan, aka The Candyman, was hoping to collect some cash through his son’s life insurance policy. Instead O’Bryan got the death penalty and was executed in 1984. O’Bryan might have poisoned some other Halloween candy and passed it out to trick-or-treaters in an attempt to cover up his son’s murder but no other children died or became noticeably sick. Poisoned candy clearly isn’t a big problem, yet still the media and child safety experts advise parents to inspect their children’s candy every year on October 31. I have always bought into the paranoia and inspected my own children’s candy. “It really is a myth that, every October, strangers are getting ready to poison the candy,” Aaron Carroll, a professor of pediatrics at Indiana University and co-author of Don’t Swallow Your Gum! Myths, Half-Truths, and Outright Lies about Your Body and Health, told LiveScience. “As for all the warnings, they are, to some extent, fear-mongering.” Will I still check my kids candy? Sure, but I probably don’t need to scare her with stories of razor blades in apples.
Tigers Bred For SelfiesThe Rainforest Site Tigers all over the world are in constant danger due to trophy hunters, foreign petting zoos, habitat loss, alongside a score of other things that threaten their lives in the wild. But now, a worrying trend is happening with wild animals like these precious tigers in the story below. Two tigers, named Caesar and Logan, were born and bred as part of the “pay-to-play industry” for selfies. While they’re still cubs, people would pay anywhere from $25 to $100 to take selfies with them. So, once the tigers are grown, they are no longer small and cuddly enough for pictures so the breeders look to get rid of the cats. So, off they went to a private residence in New York. The man who bought them cared for and fed them in homemade pens in his yard. “I think he didn’t realize he was contributing to a bigger problem by letting people offload their pay-to-play,” Tammy Thies, founder of the Wildcat Sanctuary in Minnesota, told The Dodo. “But Caesar and Logan are probably a few of the lucky ones because they did get proper nutrition with this private owner.” Thankfully, the man decided to surrender them to the Wildcat Sanctuary. Here, the tigers finally got a taste of the life they should have had from the start. Last week, the tigers arrived at their new home: a massive, custom-made enclosure at the sanctuary. Now they have so much space to roam around in compared to where they came from. They’re loving every minute of it and are extremely happy. They now have their own pool, and toys just for tigers! Watch their rescue in the video below:
Scotland has a female First Minister, who competes in Holyrood with a female Leader of the Scottish Labour Party, as well as a female leader of the Scottish Conservatives. While this should be welcomed, we should not assume that the problem of women’s under representation is solved for good, and instead look at what statutory measures could do to achieve lasting positive change, argue Meryl Kenny, Fiona MacKay, and Cera Murtagh. The past year has heralded a series of ‘firsts’ for women in Scottish politics – including the election of Nicola Sturgeon as the first female First Minister in November of last year, followed by the announcement that her Cabinet would be 50/50 women and men. One year later, the three largest parties in the Scottish Parliament are all led by women, – including not only Sturgeon, but also Ruth Davidson, leader of the Scottish Conservatives, and Kezia Dugdale, the newly elected leader of Scottish Labour. The Scottish Green Party also has a gender-balanced convenor team of Patrick Harvie and Maggie Chapman. This ‘female face’ of political leadership in Scotland provides a powerful image of an apparent breakthrough on women’s representation, pointing to a potential shattering of the political glass ceiling and the apparent normalisation of equal sharing of executive power. Yet, we need to place these achievements within a broader context. Women continue to be under-represented at all political levels in Scotland – men are 76% of local councillors; 83% of Scottish MEPs, and 66% of MSPs and Scottish MPs. Meanwhile, those gains that have been made on women’s representation thus far have been achieved more by accident than by design. Thus, while the upcoming 2016 Scottish Parliament elections may well prove to be a step change for women’s representation in Scotland, the 50/50 mark still appears some way beyond reach. Trends in Women’s Representation in Scotland What explains women’s continuing under-representation in Scottish politics? The research evidence in Scotland and the UK is clear, highlighting the key role of political parties as the central ‘gatekeepers’ to political office. When parties have adopted measures aimed at promoting women’s representation – including gender quotas – the proportion of women in politics has increased. We can see the effects of these measures in the first elections to the Scottish Parliament in 1999, where just over 37% of MSPs elected were women. These numbers were the result of Scottish Labour’s use of formal gender quotas – in the form of a mechanism called ‘twinning’ for constituency seats and gender balancing on the regional lists – as well as informal measures adopted by the SNP, including favourable placement for women candidates on the regional lists. Over time, however, the numbers of women in the Scottish Parliament have stalled or fallen, and progress at other levels has been slow, raising questions as to whether equal representation was still on the political agenda. The use of gender quotas by political parties has been largely one-sided to date, and there has been little sign, until recently, that quotas have ‘caught on’ in Scottish politics, either across political parties or different political levels. In 2003, the percentage of women in the Scottish Parliament almost reached the 40% threshold – more than twelve years on, this remains the ‘high tide’ of women’s representation in Scotland at any level. Women’s representation: catching on in 2016? The 2014 independence referendum and the 2015 General Election have shifted the political contours of Scotland, while also signalling a potential step change in debates over women’s voice and place in political life. Having women in the ‘top jobs’ has certainly made a difference – Scottish Labour leader Kezia Dugdale is a co-founder of Women 5050, and has pledged that half of the party’s new candidates for the 2016 Scottish Parliament elections will be women. Nicola Sturgeon, meanwhile, has pushed for the SNP to adopt quota measures, including all-women shortlists, and has also publicly supported the Women 5050 campaign. Scottish politics is also changing from the bottom up, including a surge in political engagement and grassroots activism during and after the referendum. All the pro-independence parties have seen their membership soar post referendum and this is likely to impact on the outcome of the 2016 elections. What do the numbers look like so far? At time of writing, many selections have yet to be completed. However, preliminary analysis of those selections finalised so far suggests that women’s representation is starting to ‘catch on’ again as a matter of party competition and that gender quotas are back on the political agenda. Yet, we can also see significant disparities between parties in terms of the numbers of women they have selected and are likely to elect. Turning first to the SNP, which is on course for a landslide victory at Holyrood, women make up 30 out of 73 constituency candidates (41%). This represents a substantial increase from 2011 (up from 29%), and reflects the party’s implementation, for the first time, of strong gender quota measures in the form of all-women shortlists (AWS) in constituencies with retiring incumbent SNP MSPs. In the run-up to the 2016 elections, AWS have been implemented in nine seats with an incumbent SNP MSP stepping down; six of these retiring MSPs are male and three are female. The party also voted in favour of ‘softer’ gender-balancing measures, including the aim that in any constituency in which more than one candidate is nominated, at least one candidate must be a woman – although this measure does not appear to have been applied in all cases. The SNP’s numbers are particularly significant given that they have been achieved in the context of fierce intra-party competition for constituency seats as a result of the party’s electoral success and rising membership. In a new trend for the SNP, this has seen a number of incumbent SNP MSPs challenged in internal selection processes, a number of whom were subsequently de-selected (including Nigel Don in Angus North and Colin Keir in Edinburgh Western). Given the overwhelming success of the SNP in 2011 and its projected advancement in 2016, plus the high level of incumbency in the party, this marks the last chance in the foreseeable future for the party to bring a significant number of new faces to its benches and, thus, make a real dent in its gender imbalance. Turning to Labour, 41% of the party’s constituency candidates thus far are women (though, at time of writing, most of the party’s selections have not yet been completed). The party has taken steps to meet its pledge that 50% of its new candidates will be women – announcing, for example, that AWS will be implemented in the seat of Greenock and Inverclyde, where incumbent Labour MSP Duncan McNeil is stepping down. However, with polls predicting that Labour will win few constituency seats, the regional lists will be the main arena for internal party competition. With list selections not due to take place until January 2016, it remains to be seen as to how this 50/50 policy will be applied on the lists and how the all-important ranking of candidates will be conducted. For all of the parties, what matters is not only how many women they select overall, but also whether these women actually have a change of winning. Our research found clear gendered patterns of candidate placement in previous Scottish Parliament elections, with women candidates, for example, generally placed in lower positions on party lists. At time of writing, the SNP, the Scottish Liberal Democrats and the Scottish Greens have completed their regional list selections for Holyrood. For all three parties, 50% or more of the top three positions on the eight regional lists are occupied by women. There are significant differences, though, in how these numbers shake out in practice – for the Greens and the SNP, a woman tops four out of eight lists (50%), while only one of the Liberal Democrats’ eight lists is topped by a woman (and this is not a list that the party won seats through in 2011). Controversially, the Lib Dems have effectively de-selected their only female MSP Alison McInnes, by ranking her second on the North East Scotland list behind former MSP Mike Rumbles, whose stance on domestic violence has drawn significant criticism. In response to these developments, party leader Willie Rennie has announced that he will put forward proposals for gender equality measures to the 2016 spring conference – though the question is whether this is ‘too little, too late’ for a party that continually raises the possibility of gender quotas, only to fail to follow through, and that (after 2016) will likely be men-only both north and south of the border. Meanwhile, for the Conservatives, women make up only 15% of the constituency candidates selected thus far. The party has not yet completed its list selections, but, as candidates cannot stand solely on the list without also contesting a constituency seat, the lists are set to reflect the same proportions. The placement of women candidates on these lists is therefore critical. Beyond a matter for parties? The 2016 Scottish Parliament elections mark an exciting time for gender equality in Scottish politics. The past year has ushered in change from the top down, through party rules, and the bottom up, through the civic awakening that accompanied the referendum. This groundswell of political engagement, funnelled through new campaign groups and, more recently, party membership, has empowered many ordinary citizens, including women. Indeed, the shift has seen many women make the transition from ‘small p’ to ‘big P’ Politics, with several members of Women for Independence so far selected as candidates to contest the 2016 elections – including six constituency candidates for the SNP and four list candidates for the Greens (at time of writing) – raising the possibility of a cross-party women’s caucus in the fifth parliament. Experience has shown, however, that such gains should not be taken for granted or seen as irreversible. Analysis of the candidate selections so far already points to uneven performance between the parties in terms of women’s representation, and, even for those parties that have implemented gender quotas, there is significant room for manoeuvre in how they interpret and enforce the rules. If gender equality is something we take seriously as a society it can no longer be left to the discretion of political parties. For real and lasting progress, warm words must be backed up with statutory measures to embed equality in our political institutions. And now is the time. Note: this post was originally posted on the Democratic Audit – Scotland blog. It represents the views of the authors and not those of the British Politics and Policy blog nor of the London School of Economics. Please read our comments policy before posting. Fiona Mackay is Professor of Politics and Dean and Head of the School of Social and Political Science at the University of Edinburgh. She co-convenes the Gender Politics Research Group at Edinburgh, which hosts the blog genderpolitics@edinburgh (@genderpol on Twitter). Cera Murtagh is a PhD candidate in Politics and International Relations at the University of Edinburgh. Featured image credit: Ninian Reid, CC BY 2.0
Did you just mistakenly delete a folder having your photos, videos and other important documents? Don’t panic! Trackback the folder immediately from recycle bin. This is the simplest way to restore any deleted file. But what if you have shift-deleted (permanently) any folder or file? The chances are slim, however, with a little effort they can be tracked back too. Now you must be thinking how is it possible? Well, due to the basic nature of digital storage, the permanently deleted files are not removed instantly. Space, where the data was stored, is made available and ready to get new data overwritten. So, as long as those files are not overwritten, there is a scope to get the permanently deleted files. Keep reading until the end. This write-up will help you with Recover Deleted Photos, Videos and Songs in Windows 10. How to Recover Deleted Photos, Videos and Songs in Windows 10 Using Software Approach 1: Safest And Quickest Way To Restore Deleted Files All such data that has been lost permanently from your system can be retrieved in a blink of an eye. All you need to do is to rely on a reliable recovery tool. Advanced Disk Recovery is the best recovery software ensures smooth and careful recovery of all deleted files that seems non-recoverable. Follow the steps below to recover deleted files with Advanced Disk Recovery. - Install and launch the tool on your Windows PC. - Select the area from where you want to recover the file. - Now select the drive and click on ‘Start Scan Now’ button. - Click on either of the scanning options. Quick Scan will quickly scan master file tables while deep scan will do extensive scanning. - All your deleted files will get listed in red font. Click on any deleted file and then ‘Recover’ button. - Set a location for the file and click on ‘Ok’ button. - All your deleted files will be saved in instants. Skilled Data Recovery There are quite a few data recovery tools available for Windows, but nothing matches up to Advanced Disk Recovery. Its wonderful features make it particularly legible. Here are they: - Smart Filters : In order to assist you better, the tool is designed with recovery filter options. These are listed below: - General: This filter has ‘Show only deleted files’ and ‘Show empty’ options. Selecting either of them will filter the scanning results appropriately. - Advanced Filter: Advanced Filter includes time, size, file health, and attribute filters. These assure apt and accurate scanning. - Compatibility : Advanced Disk Recovery recover files on all Windows, whether it’s Windows XP, Vista, 7, 8, 8.1, or 10. You need to freely install the tool and take its advantage. - Safety and Security : Using Advanced Disk Recovery ensures a safe and secure way of restoration of all files. The tool has steady refuge against any external threats that may arise at any time. Also read: How to Speed Up Windows 10 Download and install the tool to recover deleted photos, videos, songs, and documents on Windows 10, 8.1, 8, 7, XP and Vista. How To Recover Deleted Files in Windows 10 Without Using A Software? Approach 2: Restore Files Using Recycle Bin Any deleted file can be restored from recycle bin until it has not been cleaned. Right click on the file in recycle bin and then click on the ‘Restore’ button. This will save the file on the same location from where it was deleted. This is how you can recover deleted photos, videos, and files from recycle bin. Approach 3: Restore Files Using File History You can also restore all lost files on Windows 10 by using file history, swipe into the screen and tap on the search box on the extreme right corner. Now type ‘File History’ and select the file history folder. Search for the file you are looking for by typing a file name in the search box. Now open the file and click on the restore button. The file will be saved on the same destination. If you want to change the location of a file then tap and hold the restore button, then select ‘Restore To’ and direct the file to its new path. Also Read: How to Increase Virtual Memory in Windows 10 Approach 4: Restore From Backup File Creating a backup of files on the cloud is the surest way to recover deleted videos, photos and other files. Right Backup Anywhere app performs this function with ease and precision. Keep all your files on your cloud account and restore any file if it is lost. Get the app to enjoy its benefits. So, these are ways to quickly recover deleted photos, videos and other files on your Windows 10 computer. Choosing to recover deleted files manually or using a software to recover them is totally your call. However, we definitely recommend you to use software for skilled data recovery. As using a software will not only reduce the time of the recovery but also make it hassle free. What do you prefer? Please share your thoughts in the comments section below. Watch this video to learn how Advanced Disk Recovery works-
Opic, the US’ government’s development finance institution will invest $800 million to develop projects in Argentina. From this amount. $350 million will be allocated to the construction of a gas pipeline linking Neuquén and Rosario. This will thus allow the northern part of the country to be supplied by the production coming from Vaca Muerte, thereby replacing Bolivian gas. Source: Pagina Siete
Hidden away for long millennia and accessible only to a few chosen ones, the oldest text of Tibetan origin uncovers what awaits humanity in The Book of Secret Wisdom. The Book of Secret Wisdom includes a newly released excerpt from the million-year-old manuscript widely known as the Book of Dzyan. The book was originally written in Senzar, a Sanskrit-like language, and was translated by Dr. Zinovia Dushkova in 1995. Far back in the 19th century, the Great Masters of Wisdom permitted Madame Blavatsky, the world-renowned figure of esoteric philosophy, to study the most ancient manuscripts secretly stored in Tibet. Her highly influential works based on those sacred texts have received praise from numerous prominent individuals including Mahatma Gandhi, Albert Einstein, Thomas Edison, His Holiness the 14th Dalai Lama, and even Elvis Presley. In 1889 Helena Blavatsky stated: “During the last quarter of every hundred years an attempt is made by those ‘Masters,’ of whom I have spoken, to help on the spiritual progress of humanity in a marked and definite way.” Blavatsky, who has made accurate predictions in advance of many scientific discoveries, was correct once again. A century later in 1995, the Masters of Wisdom allowed Dr. Zinovia Dushkova to translate twelve new stanzas from the mysterious Book of Dzyan. However, unlike the nineteen stanzas of Dzyan published in Blavatsky’s masterwork, The Secret Doctrine, the new excerpt is translated in simple and understandable language accessible to all readers interested in new age spirituality and conscious living. The twelve stanzas included in The Book of Secret Wisdom embrace not only the past, but also the present and future of both humanity and Earth. Furthermore, this new material shines light on the development of the Solar System and the Universe as a whole. Thus, these stanzas, supplemented with exclusive material available in the book, enable the reader to find answers to questions such as: - • What is behind the processes currently affecting our planet, which manifest daily in anomalous weather, global warming, and natural disasters around the world? - • Why does it seem that more and more evil is appearing every day, manifesting itself through growing conflicts all over the world? - • What really happened in 1999 and 2012? - • What is the Great Event expected to occur in 2017, and how does it depend upon the collective will of humanity? - • What awaits humanity in the immediate future? - • Why does it seem that time is speeding up? - • What is the famous Philosopher’s Stone? - • Why people are dying, and is there a chance to be immortal? - • When will Armageddon happen? - • What is the mission of our planet and of every being in the Universe? Dr. Dushkova encourages readers to examine the evidence presented and then listen to their own heart alone. She states, “When you feel the words which are voiced here in the depths of your own soul, you may listen to yourself and trust what is said.” Zinovia Vasilievna Dushkova, Ph.D., is a Russian author, poet, philosopher, historian, and traveller. She has been honoured with a number of awards, prizes, and commendations for her contribution to the spiritual development of society, and for excellence in the domain of scientific research into the ecology of consciousness. She is a Fellow of the European Academy of Natural Sciences and the European Scientific Society, both based in Hanover, Germany. A seeker of ancient truths, Dr. Dushkova has always strived to find only one thing: Love. She has engaged in research in Asia, Africa, Europe, and North America for more than twenty years, acquiring the secret wisdom underlying all known religions and philosophies. She has stayed at remote Buddhist monasteries and secret Abodes hidden in mountains, deserts, and caves in Tibet, Mongolia, Nepal, and India, as well as other countries, where sacred scrolls and ancient manuscripts have been preserved. These are the places where her predecessors in esoteric philosophy, Helena Blavatsky and Helena Roerich, obtained their own wisdom. As a result, since 1997, nearly forty works by Dr. Dushkova have been published in Russia, Ukraine, Moldova, and France. These works are all of a spiritual nature, having been recorded during her travels in the Himalayas, the Karakorum, the Nilgiri, the Gobi Desert, the Pyrenees, and beyond. They reflect a neat synthesis of science, religion, history, and philosophy. Underlying Dr. Dushkova’s poetry and prose, her fairy tales and legends, is a worldview full of wisdom and the cultural heritage of both the East and the West. Her works are often described as “books full of Light.” Readers are attracted to the unusual depth, yet simplicity, of the author’s thought, the life-affirming notes which characterize each volume, and the beauty, poetry, and musicality of her language. Dr. Dushkova’s books are distinct from many others in that Good, Light, and Love — in their highest manifestation — consistently characterize her writings. In her creative work, Dr. Zinovia Dushkova continually strives to reignite hope where it has disappeared, illuminate Love where it has died away, and add delight to life where its meaning has been lost. And indeed, her readers’ reactions show clearly that these books help people to learn. While assisting them to change themselves for the better, they also help them find purpose and meaning in life through establishing solutions to the universal questions and answers that vex us all. "The Book of Secret Wisdom by Zinovia Dushkova is a prophetic account of both the spiritual and physical evolution of Man here on Earth. . . . The prominent concept here is to awaken humanity to the unmistakable, undeniable fact that it is our destiny to become beings that are able to love and to know what Love is. We need to acknowledge the power of our hearts and listen less to the whispers in our head. How often has the mind led us astray? The heart can always be trusted to not only feel, but to know the Truth we are seeking." -- New Age Journal "Difficulty in grasping content, which is true for any topic when dealt with deeply and more so for ideas like this and even more for Eastern thought, can be encountered here. Zinovia has certainly kept this in mind while preparing her book. For better appreciation of the ideas presented in this book, mostly belonging to Eastern philosophy and thought, the words used and their contextual meanings are included, and that is a great help. It puts the ultimate power to control human destiny in the hands of love." -- Readers' Favorite
Persuasive vs Directive Writing First, imagine that your company headquarters has initiated a Casual Friday rule at your workplace. The rule works fine in most departments, but in your department you have two problems. First, unlike most departments, you deal with the public often and unexpectedly; a customer can come by anytime. Second, your staff tends to overdo. They wear sandals, shorts and ...well, let's say you avert your eyes often . Imagine you have authority to order your staff to do what you want them to do. Formulate an email in directive mode. Now imagine that you do not have authority over this group. It's a headquarters policy. However, you want to persuade them to dress differently on Casual Fridays. Formulate another email message, this time in persuasive mode. Do not offer a bribe or reward. ("If you do this, you will get time off.") Motivate your reader by appealing to his or her interests, needs and desires. Use logic and reasoning. Do not make threats. You can't say, "Failure to comply will result in dismissal." Remember, you don't have the authority to do anything. You are relying totally on your persuasive powers. Think of 2 or more reasons to persuade the other person to do what you want. Consider the other person's perspective. What would motivate him, her or them to act this way? For example, "When you come to work on time, you will work more efficiently the rest of the day and you'll feel more relaxed." Explain the difference between persuasive and directive writing in Part 1 and Part 2. 899 words© BrainMass Inc. brainmass.com March 21, 2019, 8:59 pm ad1c9bdddf PART I: DIRECTIVE MODE "Dear Staff Members, "It has been brought to my attention that some staff members have different interpretations of the new "Casual Friday" rule here in the office. In the interests of maintaining "Casual Friday", I have some suggestions that I advise you to take very seriously: don't take 'casual' too far and don't wear anything that on someone else, would make you stop and look. "Since we are all adults, I will leave you to interpret my suggestion as you see fit. However, if adjustments are not immediately noticeable (as in, by tomorrow, which is, by the way, a Friday), I have decided to initiate a 'Casual Friday Worst Dressed' contest, the winner of which must dress formally on Fridays for a month. Just to head off those of you who might take pride in winning such a contest, those who win this contest more than once will be assigned to represent the company during our new Friday Customer Visit program. Thank you so much! The Boss (not Bruce Springsteen) "Dear Staff Members, "I love Casual Fridays just as much as everyone else, but I did want to let you know about a conversation I happened to overhear in the cafeteria between two muckymucks (you know, the kind that wear three ... This solution compares two different styles of writing: directive and persuasive.
Private label products are becoming more prevalent each day. Why are private label products successful? What are the key success factors for private label products? Describe any ethical issues regarding private label packaging.© BrainMass Inc. brainmass.com March 22, 2019, 12:36 am ad1c9bdddf Private label products are often successful because they offer better value than brand name products. In most instances, the product is manufactured by the major brand manufacturer (for instance the Coke bottler also uses his line to make private label soda) so the quality is very similar to name brands. Often, retailers market private label products at a significant discount in comparison to ... This detailed solution discusses why private label products are successful, and key factors in their success. It also describes ethical issues regarding private label packaging.
Choose a terrorist group, besides Al Qaeda. The group you choose should have a well-defined profile and a defined strategic position. Create a report for the commission. Include the following about the terrorist group you choose. - The terrorist group's profile, including its goals and objectives - The terrorist group's strategic position in the country of its prevalence and in international terrorism scenario - The terrorist group's rank in being a serious threat to international terrorism - The possible tactics and weapons used by the group. The terrorist group's rank based upon the level of danger their weaponry suggests. - The terrorist group's threat to innocent civilians. The terrorist group's rank as compared to other terrorist groups based upon the level of danger it brings to innocent civilians The terrorist group's similarities and differences in behavior and pattern of strategies as compared to other terrorist groups at large. The counterterrorist measures that can be used against this group? Use references cite sources.© BrainMass Inc. brainmass.com March 22, 2019, 3:02 am ad1c9bdddf The terrorist group's profile, including its goals and objectives? Chechen Republic of Ichkeria. This group is the self-proclaimed state and head of all terror/rebel groups in Chechnya. They have divisions such as CRI State Defence Council, CRI Armed Forces, and Shariah Court of CRI. The group considers these the governmental bodies. The do not have complete control over all rebel groups in the Chechnya state, but they are respected by the various groups and considered an authority. The terrorist group's strategic position in the country of its prevalence and in international terrorism scenario? Though most of the groups are autonomous and apart from CRI, this Chechen Rebel Groups , Chcehn Guerrilla Groups, and Chechen Guerilas are part of the CRI. These groups have been active since around 1990. These groups are separatists from the rule of Chechnya by Russia. The terrorist group's rank in being a serious threat to international terrorism. Their target is mostly Russia, but they do have operations in other areas and support other Muslim terrorist ... This solution provides a review of the Chechen terrorist groups.
“Peculiar” is what the coroner called Albert Ruppert Manigrove III’s death on a dark highway just outside Fort Knox, guardian of America’s gold and home to secret U.S. military operations. It's the early 1950s, and the Cold War has turned hot. Super powers Russia and the U.S. are pitted against each other in a struggle for control of the Korean Peninsula. While this bloody encounter rages on, a more fundamental contest is being played out in secret laboratories and testing sites around the globe. Its signature is the monstrous mushroom cloud—the Hydrogen Bomb, mankind’s deadliest weapon. Was Captain Manigrove’s death tied to the gold or was he a casualty of this secret war? As an award-winning investigative journalist, editor and political columnist, Alan Eysen wrote for many years about real-world financial and political corruption. At Newsday, he served as a prominent member of the investigative team that won the 1970 Pulitzer Prize for exposing misconduct involving Long Island public officials. After more than thirty years in journalism, he became a political consultant and experienced the other side of the story. Today, Eysen resides in the lowcountry of South Carolina, where he continues to write and be inspired by the colorful characters and harrowing situations he experienced firsthand as a reporter. He can often be found crafting his strong fictional characters with the help of an equally strong dry gin martini. The following passage is from my novel, Secrets…Spies, Lies and Criminal Ties, Chapter 13, Page 95. Looks can be deceiving. The young man was a youth in appearance, but it was clear to the FBI special agents that in some ways he was old, very old. He had suffered too much pain and held too many secrets. Secrets: Spies, Lies and Criminal Ties Though Laurens and Conrad had seen a picture of him, they were surprised at just how young he looked. He appeared more like a tall, slender teenager than a 23-year-old Ph.D. from MIT. His army fatigues appeared far too large for his body. When he rose to greet them, he demonstrated the physical awkwardness of boys whose coordination has not yet caught up to their growing limbs. Yet his deep brown eyes seem filled with the depth of a much older man. Conrad had the sense that Wade had seen and felt too much pain for someone so young.
CARIS, an industry leading marine GIS organization based out of Fredericton, New Brunswick has designed and built software solutions for over 30 years. Recently they announced their release of CARIS OSCAR-js (Open Spatial Component Architecture) , their first open source Application Programming Interface (API). The API was created to help shape CARIS Spatial Fusion Enterprise and includes tools for navigation, measurement, and download, as well as providing a means for developers to create their own custom tools and extensions. OSCAR-js extends the very popular OpenLayers library and utilizes jQueryUI and YUI to help create a feature rich mapping experience. The API is designed around the creation of map themes. Map themes consist of thematic maps along with optional functionality such as selection, data download or more. OSCAR-js supports the use of Open Geospatial Consortium (OGC) web services including Web Map Service (WMS), Web Map Tile Service (WMTS), Web Feature Service (WFS) and Web Coverage Service (WCS) for creating these map themes. In addition to supporting OGC web services, OSCAR-js can connect to CARIS Spatial Fusion Viewer to load map configurations. This allows for centralized site management for your web map infrastructure. Consider trying CARIS OSCAR-js API with your own spatial mapping data and applications, to get started, visit the OSCAR-js website where you can get helpful documentation, a basic tutorial, code samples, and a blog with all the latest information about OSCAR-js. And don’t forget to let us know about your web mapping application that you created with CARIS OSCAR-js API. Software website: http://ucode.caris.com/oscar/ [source: caris.com & company submitted email]
Compelling thoughts and a prayer at the end that includes caregivers. Your compassion for those in your care is precious. There is a town in Belgium called Geel (Hyale), with a remarkable 700 year old custom of compassion. Its origin lies in a legend about a seventh century Irish princess named Dymphna. When Dymphna’s mother died, her father went mad, insisting on marrying her. Dymphna fled to the continent. When he caught up to her in Geel, he beheaded her. Dymphna was sainted, and pilgrims began visiting the site of her martyrdom in search of miraculous cures, especially for mental illness. A church was built in 1349, and later, an annex to house the visitors. Eventually, the townspeople began to welcome the mentally ill relatives of pilgrims into their homes as “boarders.” For the townspeople, it was an act of charity to open up their homes. “Boarders” stay with their hosts for long periods of time, as many as fifty, or even 80 years, becoming part of the family. View original post 2,896 more words
“According to the Oxford English Dictionary, ‘sharp’ applied first to touch, then subsequently to taste (ca. 1000), visual shape (1340), and hearing (1390)” (Marks, 1978, p. 190; see also Williams, 1976). It would seem possible that the use of the term ‘sharp’ to describe a taste or flavour attribute actually reflects an implicit association between shape and taste/flavour quality (e.g., Velasco, Woods, Marks, Cheok, & Spence, 2016). Note, however, that the way in which descriptors in one sensory modality apply to another sensory modality, may vary as a function of language (e.g., Shayan, Ozturk, Bowerman, & Majid, 2014; Shayan, Ozturk, & Sicoli, 2011). For example, Fenko, Otten, and Schifferstein (2010) have pointed to the fact that the word ‘sharp’ in Russian (острый) has a stronger association with gustation than with touch, whilst in English and Dutch, the words ‘sharp’ and ‘scherp’, respectively, have a stronger association with touch than with gustation. Nevertheless, recent research has demonstrated that people do indeed match tastes (tastants and taste words) with shape aesthetic features such as curvature and symmetry of visual shapes. Those associations have been demonstrated in crossmodal matching tasks (Salgado-Montejo et al., 2015; Velasco, Woods, Deroy, & Spence, 2015) and have also been shown to give rise to crossmodal congruency effects (Velasco et al., 2016). Fenko, A., Otten, J. J., & Schifferstein, H. N. (2010). Describing product experience in different languages: The role of sensory modalities. Journal of Pragmatics, 42, 3314-3327. Marks, L. E. (1978). The unity of the senses: Interrelations among the modalities. New York, NY: Academic Press. Salgado-Montejo, A., Alvarado, J. A., Velasco, C., Salgado, C. J., Hasse, K., & Spence, C. (2015). The sweetest thing: The influence of angularity, symmetry, and the number of elements on shape-valence and shape-taste matches. Frontiers in Psychology, 6, 1382. Shayan, S., Ozturk, O., Bowerman, M., & Majid, A. (2014). Spatial metaphor in language can promote the development of cross-modal mappings in children. Developmental Science, 17, 636-643. Shayan, S., Ozturk, O., & Sicoli, M. A. (2011). The thickness of pitch: Crossmodal metaphors in Farsi, Turkish, and Zapotec. The Senses and Society, 6, 96-105. Velasco, C., Woods, A. T., Deroy, O., & Spence, C. (2015). Hedonic mediation of the crossmodal correspondence between taste and shape. Food Quality and Preference, 41, 151-158. Velasco, C., Woods, A. T., Marks, L. E., Cheok, A. D., & Spence, C. (2016). The semantic basis of taste-shape associations. PeerJ, 4:e1644.
From the Preacher’s Pen… Many years ago, a fellow preacher commented: “We’ve allowed the denominations to steal grace, the cross, and the Holy Spirit from us. It’s high time we got up a posse and got them back!” He certainly makes an important point as many times Christians can seem bothered by someone wearing a cross or mentioning grace or the Holy Spirit. Perhaps it is time for us to remember that those things belong to God and His people and NOT to the false teachers of the world. Let’s begin with Grace as it is one of those Bible terms that sometimes cause us to cringe. Why? Because, like the cross, we see it misused by others. But to fear God’s grace is to miss out on a marvelous, precious gift that God Himself gives to His children: Grace: God’s Marvelous Gift Most of us have treasured memories of a special gift. I still remember the Christmas I got my first bicycle. When morning finally arrived, I couldn’t wait for everyone to get up so I could try out my bike. That gives us a starting point for one of the most amazing and precious, but misunderstood, gifts of God. What is this thing called grace? God is called a gracious God and we are supposed to show grace to others. In Romans, the word is used 21 times and includes the idea of mercy and kindness. It also includes the concept of freeing from harmful, offensive or sinful things. OK, so much for the dictionary, what does it really mean? Remember that bicycle? I couldn’t earn it since I had no money. You can be sure my parents were not into buying bikes for all the kids in town. I didn’t receive it because I was so handsome and intelligent. I was given it because of our relationship. My parents bought me what I could not get for myself; they did it because they loved their son. What saves you? Paul says we are “now justified by His grace as a gift, through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus” (Romans 3:24). In saving us, God takes us into His family and as family members, He gives us gifts, the greatest being the gift of salvation (see Ephesians 1:3-14). Sounds great, but aren’t we saved by baptism or by going to church or by doing lots of religious things? Look back at Romans 3:24, which says redemption is in Christ. How do we get into Christ? Romans 6:3 says we are baptized into Christ. Baptism makes us a part of Christ and thus a part of God’s family. Once we are in God’s family, He gives us gifts. Can we separate salvation into several steps then isolate one single item as the magic ingredient that saves us? Once isolated can we make it our pill, swallow it and instantly be saved? No, salvation is not like that at all. Baptism of just “getting wet,” never has and never will save anyone. It’s only useful when combined with the other ingredients that make up salvation. Going to church or living a good life will never save anyone. Only God’s grace can save, and He only gives that to those who accept and obey His will. In so doing they become a part of His family also known as “the church” (see Acts 2:47). What if I don’t accept? A brother attended a denominational funeral where the preacher claimed that the anyone who is “saved” is going to heaven and there was nothing that they could do to prevent their salvation. Suppose I had run away from home before Christmas and never returned. Would I have still received my present? What if I stayed at home but told my parents that I didn’t like the bike and simply never rode it? You and I do not have to accept God’s gifts. We can refuse to come into His family or, once in it, choose to run away. We could even pretend to be a member of His family while accepting none of our blessings. God forces no one to be saved. Since salvation is a gift, you must want it, accept it, make it your own, or else lose it. For me? We all need to belong. None of us can survive very long without a sense of belonging; be it to a family, a sports club, a gang, a religious group, whatever. Nothing is worth belonging to more than God’s family. When we are a part of that family, God gives us His grace. No one is ever a second-rate member of His family because all are important to Him. So let’s get with it. If you don’t belong, then you need to get into the family. If you do belong, you need to act like it and so remain in it. Then you’ll find His grace begins to grow in you. And when His grace grows in you, it will overflow and be shared with others. The God of peace will soon crush Satan under your feet. The grace of our Lord Jesus be with you (Romans 16:20). Let’s make a point of enjoying and sharing our rich blessings this week! — Lester P. Bagley
March is National Nutrition Month, which makes it a perfect time to celebrate all the ways that good nutrition, combined with other healthy lifestyle choices, can help us thrive and enjoy life. Here are a few tips for changing your nutrition and health – both physical and mental – for the better. Change Your Definition of “Diet” When most people hear the word “diet,” they think of a restrictive program to help people shed massive amounts of weight. But in order to maintain good health throughout your life, you need to establish good habits around food and eating that will sustain health in every part of your life. Don’t think of your “diet” as a temporary set of restrictions or a time of deprivation but as your lifelong pattern of eating and enjoying food. This means making sustainable changes if needed. A balanced diet doesn’t mean endless deprivation but rather healthy discipline and regular, deliberate indulgences. It may mean making small changes slowly rather than drastic changes quickly and choosing habits that you can not only maintain but also enjoy. Temporary diets can also be overly complicated, which makes them all the harder to stick with. You don’t need to learn a complex system of points or follow strenuous rules in order to construct a healthy diet. Instead, think in simple terms about your food. Choose whole, unprocessed foods. Opt for freshness and flavor in your ingredients. Add color and variety to your meals. Learn how to eyeball healthy portion sizes instead of trying to count every calorie. If you add some basic cooking skills to your repertoire, using simple ingredients and spending a little time in the kitchen will open up a new world of delicious, healthy dishes for you. Slow Down and Savor In addition to changing your food choices, how and when you eat can make a big difference to your nutrition and health. Avoid eating while sitting in front of the computer or watching TV, because this can easily lead to mindless overeating. Slow down and enjoy what you eat, which will help you feel more satisfied than eating without paying attention. Make a point of eating with other people. This can provide great health benefits beyond simple nutrition. If you don’t live with family members, roommates or other people you can regularly share meals with, make a point of getting together with friends for meals when you can. Exercise is necessary for good health. But, like diet, exercise sometimes gets a bad reputation, with people envisioning grueling hours in the gym every day in order to make any real progress. It doesn’t have to be that bad – unless you really enjoy pushing your physical limits. A general guideline is to be active for 2.5 hours every week. That breaks down to a simple half hour for every weekday, or you can trade some weekdays for weekend days. Find an activity you really enjoy so spending half an hour doing it every day will feel like a reward, not a chore. Stress can be a big factor driving other unhealthy choices, such as eating poorly or not exercising. Some degree of stress can help us achieve and learn skills we need in order to cope with challenging situations, but constant stress at high levels is bad for both the body and mind. Taking steps to manage stress and extra tension may help all of your other healthy lifestyle goals. Make sure to get enough sleep, take regular time away from work, spend a little time every day doing something relaxing and spend time with friends and family. Taking regular action to unwind can pay off in big ways throughout your life. Remember that great health is always a choice, and no matter what your current diet or level of activity, you can always choose to make a change for the better!
In the fifth century BCE, famous Greek tragedian Euripides supposedly said, “where this no wine there is no love.” This certainly holds true in present day Pennsylvania, which has one of the nation’s strictest alcohol regulatory regimes. And according to Tom Wark, executive director for the American Wine Consumer Coalition, Pennsylvania is “the worst state to live in if you're a wine lover." In Philadelphia, one man surely isn’t feeling the brotherly love after police raided his home and seized 2,426 bottles of rare wine—with an estimated value of more than $125,000—that the police reportedly plan to “destroy.” Arthur Goldman, a 50-year-old lawyer, alleged ran afoul of Pennsylvania’s archaic wine laws by purchasing and selling through unapproved channels. In Pennsylvania, one of ten states that doesn’t allow direct shipping of wine to consumers, the only place one can purchase wine is through state-owned liquor stores. For wine connoisseurs looking for a bottle unavailable for purchase in state stores, the only other option is to order their wine through one of the sanctioned “direct wine shippers” and have it sent to a state store. Of course, this adds a certain cost to the purchase (shipping charge, plus $4.50 handling, the state's 18 percent Johnstown Flood tax, 6 percent sales tax, and an addition 2 percent Philadelphia tax). With an average shipping rate of $7 per bottle or $22 per case, this means that a typical $50 bottle of wine would end up costing $74. A case of that wine, which would have cost $600 could cost around $832 after jumping through the Pennsylvania Liquor Control Board’s hoops. Of course, Goldman was likely purchasing much rarer and more expensive wines—the tax and shipping costs, assuming the approved direct shipping companies had the wines he wanted—could have been astronomical. Cops paint a picture of a sophisticated racket meant to make Goldman a lot of money, but his lawyer asserts it was more like a group of 15-20 wine connoisseurs for whom Goldman would procure bottles unavailable in the state, only charging them for his costs. "It was more 15 to 20 people who liked wine like Art, who he would get the wine for." His lawyer said it was similar to “making a liquor run over state lines and charging friends for gas.” Of course, that too would be illegal, even though virtually every Pennsylvania alcohol drinker near the state's border has done. And one must wonder what purpose such restrictions serve? Are they worried Goldman and the 20 people he allegedly kept apprised of his offering were corrupting youth and endangering the lives of other Pennsylvanians? Of course, it all comes down to money. And Pennsylvanians have had it with the politically motivated and anticompetitive alcohol market in their state. Because it is my home state and I like to drink alcohol (okay, I’m a beer connoisseur), I have written a lot about the PLCB, which is unprofitable, outdated, and rife with corruption. It is unsurprising that most residents of the state want to abolish the PLCB or, at least, get the state out of the business of selling alcohol. Restrictive markets, such as the wine market in PA, turn the otherwise law abiding citizen into a criminal. It will be a hard pill to swallow if the authorities decide to destroy Goldman’s collection, instead of selling it off and giving the proceeds to charity as he suggested. One can only hope that this tragedy will reawaken the thirst among Pennsylvanians for a freer alcohol market. Thanks to David Scott for the heads up and keeping a watchful eye on the PLCB.
Building a DIY Acoustic Enclosure for the Shapeoko 3 Shortly after assembling my new Shapeoko 3, I realized that the milling process was quite loud, and would likely disturb my neighbors. (I live in a small apartment.) Wanting to avoid that, I decided to build a "soundproof" enclosure for the Shapeoko. Here I'll document my design for the enclosure, as well as some of the thought that went into it. I hope this effort benefits others who are looking to build something similar. If you're not interested in the design/build process, click here to skip to the end result. The Design Process Researching Existing Solutions I assumed that others had already encountered and solved this problem, so I began by researching what they had done. Generally speaking, most of the designs I encountered seemed to be variations on this theme: Build a five-sided box (ie, a cube without a front face) out of a heavy material Complete the box with a transparent front face - typically made out of acrylic Optionally line the cube's interior with sound-deadening material like acoustic foam Many of the enclosures seemed sensible, but I was uncertain how effective they were at deadening sound. It seemed as though many people were building enclosures simply for the sake of dust-containment, whereas my primary goal was sound-isolation. Thus, I decided to take a slightly different approach. My primary fear with the designs I researched was that the thin, acrylic front panel would "leak" too much sound. To minimize sound leakage as much as possible, I wanted to build the entire enclosure out of a heavy material - including the front panel. The obvious drawback to that approach, of course, is that it would prevent me from being able to see inside the enclosure. To mitigate that problem, I decided to shamelessly steal the solution implemented by the Glowforge: embed a webcam (and lighting) inside the enclosure. With a general plan in mind, I was nearly ready to begin modelling the enclosure in Sketchup - my preferred CAD program for simple projects like this. (It's really easy to use.) Before I began, though, I wanted to educate myself more on the topic of sound-isolation, which I knew little about. Sound-isolation is a complicated subject, but from my research, I gathered a few key points: The enclosure must be "airtight". The thicker and heavier its walls, the better. The more compact it was, the better. (Cavernous spaces resonate more.) Lining the enclosure's interior with acoustic foam would help to mute high-frequency noise. With those design criteria in mind, I modelled the enclosure in Sketchup: I also laid out a cut pattern for the panels: The Sketchup file is available for download here. Note that I did not bother to model every detail, like where the feet, hinges, and latches were to be installed. Those details are relatively unimportant, though, and can easily be inferred from the upcoming photographs. With a Sketchup model worked out, I was ready to begin the physical build. The Build Process I chose to build the box entirely out of 3/4" MDF, because: I've worked with it in the past and understand its properties It's a good source of "cheap mass", making it suited for soundproofing I started by cutting the MDF panels to size per the Sketchup model, and then assembled four sides of a cube: I glued the panels together using Elmer's wood glue. I'm generally not a fan of glues because they make "disassembly" into a destructive process, but in this case, I used glue because it was the easiest solution. Had I more workspace, more patience, and larger clamps, I would otherwise have preferred to use screws. After the glue dried, I caulked the glued seams inside and out in order to help make the box "airtight". (I put "airtight" in quotes because, of course, the box is not literally airtight.) Once the caulk dried, I installed some threaded leveling-guides near each corner of the enclosure's bottom face: With the leveling-guides in place, I then applied speaker-box gasket-tape to the panel edges. This would help to keep the enclosure airtight when assembled: (Ignore the orange straps in these photos - they aren't a permanent part of the design. I just used them to apply clamping pressure while the glue and caulk initially dried.) With the gaskets in place, I then attached the front panel to the enclosure using a continuous hinge: Then I installed a pair of latches that would allow the front panel to be sealed tightly against the gaskets: I then used a heavy-duty stapler to attach acoustic foam tiles to the enclosure's interior walls: I then mounted a pair of battery-powered LED light-strips to the inside surface of the front panel. The LEDs could be rotated in their housing, so I rotated them downward toward the spoilboard: I then used a magnetic mount to mount a small webcam between the light-strips, and likewise aimed it down at the spoilboard: This shows the completed interior surface of the front panel: I then placed the entire enclosure atop four short cinder blocks, and leveled it using the leveling-guides. (Of course, it would have been better to seat this on a slab, but I live in a second-story apartment.) Lastly, I rigged up a some electrical controls on the enclosure's exterior. The power-strip provides me with an "emergency" switch that I can use to cut power to everything if something goes wrong. The individual switch (that juts out of the power-strip) powers the router, allowing me to turn it on and off while the enclosure is closed. (I consider this a safety feature.) The End Result This is the end result: Here's an example of the view provided by the webcam while milling. I'm very happy with it: cheese to capture the video.) The enclosure, so far, appears to have been very successful. It dramatically lessens the noise emitted while milling. My one regret regarding this project is that I did not quantify the before/after sound emitted in decibels. Subjectively, however, I'll say that it cuts the noise down from "very loud" to "barely audible". Again, subjectively, the noise emitted by the enclosure while cutting is now perhaps only twice as loud as a typical PC fan. So, I happily consider this project a success. I don't have comments on this blog, but if you'd like to comment or ask me a question, feel free to tweet to me at @chrisallenlane. Appendix - Bill of Materials I used the following materials and items in the build. You may use this as a reference if you're planning on building something similar. (Full-disclosure: these are affiliate links.)
"Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father which is in heaven." ~ Matthew 5:16 Ever want to shine like God? Jesus says you should. The problem I see as I encounter people is that their mind gets in the way. Let me explain. The network of thoughts and memories that make up a person's view of the world and themselves, is what inhibits most people from being extraordinary. If I were able to reach in, take out every thought, replace it with extraordinary thought, and then keep delivering extraordinary Biblical thought in a thousand people the news media would go crazy covering stories about extraordinary people doing extraordinary things. During interviews these spectacular beings would praise God and glorify His name. War would end, hunger would end, sickness and disease would end, and poverty would vanish. Trust me, nothing would please God more than to see His creation think, speak, and act in His likeness. In fact, the Bible calls believers to be holy as God and to be as one in the Vine of Jesus. So why is there so much poverty, sickness, and even sin in the body of Christ? It always goes back to the mind. In Matthew 12:33 Jesus says this to His audience, "Either make the tree good and its fruit good, or make the tree bad and its fruit bad, for the tree is known by its fruit." Is it up to God to make the fruit of the tree good or bad. No, Jesus tells His audience that it's up to them to make the tree good or bad. The ability to make our inner being good or bad comes from the gift of free will. God gave us free will so we can employ so we can develop ourselves any way we want. The status quo is that most people let the world shape them. That's when fears, phobias, shortcomings, lower expectations, more imperfection, and finally submission to world creeps in and kills any hope of the extraordinary. The fruit most people leave behind is not what they intended when they first started life, it's usually the opposite. Your mind is the most powerful tool God created in you. If you cultivate it and tend to it daily, your mind will flourish. Then God power will dwell in you and your life more prominently and you will prosper. By the way, that's the foundational principle of Psalm 1, here it is: "Blessed is the man that walks not in the counsel of the ungodly, nor stands in the way of sinners, nor sits in the seat of the scornful. But his delight is in the law of the Lord; and in his law does he meditate day and night. And he shall be like a tree planted by the rivers of water, that brings forth his fruit in his season; his leaf also shall not wither; and whatsoever he does shall prosper. The ungodly are not so: but are like the chaff which the wind drives away. Therefore the ungodly shall not stand in the judgment, nor sinners in the congregation of the righteous. For the Lord knows the way of the righteous: but the way of the ungodly shall perish." So how do we live plugged into the Lord like a tree planted by a river of water that constantly nourishes us? Meditation. More specifically meditation over God's word. God's word brings life, light, and power to those who consume it with love and hunger. God's word digested in the mind produces Godly thought in which God can dwell in. In John 14:23 Jesus states that unless we "keep" God's word in our mind, God's presence will not increase in us. The ability to develop our being with God is in us, and the gift of freewill opens the door. Now you need to go beyond yourself, the self you think you are. Your true self is stationed with God where everything is not only possible but is a constant reality. (Ephesians 2:6) Now is the time to break the strongholds of the mind that hold us back, and meditation is the quickest way to first understand what's going on in the mind, and second to cultivate it. Here's 5 Christian Meditations that'll help you do just that. Let's get started. 1. Chanting Christian Meditation The main reason what some Christians shy away from a mantra chanting meditation is that they are not aware that the first mantra meditation every recorded is described in the book of Genesis. The story is different when they understand the history and the connection to God's YHVH. 15 to 30 minutes chanting God's name is all you need to start knowing God better. 2. Loving-Kindness Christian Meditation It's not what you think. Most people think of Buddhism when they hear the words loving kindness. God created all people and created the governing rule of love over all before humans were created, and that law is spelled out in the Bible. Love God with all your heart, soul, and mind. And love others as yourself. Secular loving kindness meditation touches the surface of God's command. Christian loving kindness meditation on the other hand opens the door to God's love. This meditation truly transforms a person. 3. Stillness Meditation Another powerful meditation technique is stillness. In Psalm 46:10 the LORD states, "Be still and know I am God." There are hundreds of scientific studies demonstrating how the body is designed to benefit from just being still for a few minutes. Christians can yield much greater benefits. The Bible states that the faithful can have knowledge of God by simply being still. 4. Concentration Christian Meditation Jesus stated, "If anyone loves Me, he will keep My word; and My Father will love him, and We will come to him and make Our home." ~ John 14:23 The word "We" depicts God as On, and the words, "My Father will love him" depicts God's individual countenance over a person's life. Jesus explains that the only requirement to receive God individual power and attention is to "keep" His word. There is only one way to keep God's word through study, concentration, and meditation. Without a focused meditative effort based on God's word it's impossible to retain the Word as the natural thought of the mind. 5. Jesus Mindfulness Meditation This is by far everyone's favorite, the technique we favor in our meditations, In John 15:5 Jesus states, "I am the vine, you are the branches. He who abides in Me, and I in him, bears much fruit; for without Me you can do nothing." This very clear states that we should be mindful of Jesus as one with us at times. Although Christian mindfulness dictates that we should relinquish all carnal thought so God's word may occupy our entire being. Jesus mindfulness is a state of being fully aware of Jesus, not our ego self. More of Him means less of us. Most of practice all 5 Christian meditations. Over the years we have come to the realization that all our connected. Each helps a district part of our spiritual development and knowledge of God. Christian meditation is a way of practicing the Bible more deeply and thoughtfully. God bless you. We're praying for you. See you in the kingdom.
And he that is eight days old shall be circumcised among you, every man child in your generations, he that is born in the house, or bought with money of any stranger, which is not of thy seed. He that is born in thy house, and he that is bought with thy money, must needs be circumcised: and my covenant shall be in your flesh for an everlasting covenant. (Gen. 17: 12-13) The Talmud discusses the circumcision of slaves who are born into or brought into the household. The Torah text makes clear that they are circumcised as a part of the Israelite family’s household. there is [a slave] bought with money who is circumcised on the first [day], and there is [a slave] bought with money who is circumcised on the eighth day That is – for a female slave who is purchased while pregnant and then gives birth to a male, the child is circumcised on the 8th day. But if a female slave is purchased with an infant male that child is circumcised on the first day of purchase. But the text also describes a different case: There is [a slave] born in his [master's] house who is circumcised on the first [day], and there is one born in his [master's] house who is circumcised on the eighth [day]; This one is much less clear. That a male born to a slave would be circumcised on the 8th day makes sense (according to the biblical text). But under what circumstance would he be circumcised on the first day? If she gives birth and then has a ritual bath,(thereby becoming liable to all the responsibilities of a Jewish woman) that is [a slave] born in his [master's] house who is circumcised on the first day There is controversy as the whether this is the agreed on circumstance. For example: Said R. Mesharsheya: [It is possible] where one buys a female slave on condition that he will not subject her to a ritual bath. Thus there is no claim on the mother, but the child is circumcised and the 8th day is not critical. Of course, we are today very uncomfortable with the immoral institution of slavery – although we have to recognize that it was the reality of the ancient (and not so ancient!) world. It is interesting to note, though, that the slave of Jewish owners were ritually brought into the household. Circumcision and ritual bath (t’vilah) were indicators of being part of the Jewish family, while (ironically to our eyes) still being held as property. I do not think this was thought of as “conversion” in the sense that we mean it today. But it was indication of responsibility: on the part of the slave to Jewish law, and on the part of the slave-owner to treat the slave as one also bound by Jewish law. Philosophically, Master and Slave both had a higher Master in G-d.
IN A WORLD AWASH with dietary regimens like juice cleanses and ketogenic meals, it’s hard to know which nutritional changes may actually make a difference to your body, and which ones you need to avoid. But one thing is for sure – exposure to pesticides can be extremely detrimental to our health. In fact, it’s estimated that exposure to even tiny doses of hormone-disrupting chemicals is responsible for €310 billion in health-related costs in the US. Worryingly, our health costs were found to be 10 times higher in the EU. So, should we be paying more attention to going organic? We spoke to Galway-based registered nutritionist Tara Canning to find out what the advantages are to going pesticide-free. 1. The vitamin and mineral content may be higher If you find it hard to reach your five-a-day, opting for organic could increase the level of vitamins and minerals you’re actually consuming. Canning explains: If you’re using lots of pesticides, you’re actually reducing the production of important enzymes which plants use to protect themselves from bugs and weeds. Without that, they contain lower vitamin and mineral content. 2. They’re more likely to be Irish-produced The environmental advantages of buying organic might be well-known, but what you may not realise the support it can give to the economy, as Canning highlights: Organic products contain better quality ingredients produced in better soil quality (a non-organic field can deplete the soil of minerals for a considerable amount of time). But they’re also good for the economy – tending to have less air miles as they are a lot more likely to be grown locally or at the very least, within Ireland. 3. Kids are more likely to enjoy them Having trouble getting your kids to do anything other than play with their broccoli? Letting them try organic can actually be a huge help, urges Canning: Organic food is not only going to taste better and have more nutrients, it’s going to have a brighter colour, which kids love. If you take for example a carrot – organic ones will have a natural sweetness that they’re more likely to enjoy. 4. They don’t contribute to antibiotic resistance When it comes to antibiotic resistance, the discussion tends to be on over-prescribing them (with one expert saying 60% of antibiotic prescriptions in Ireland aren’t necessary). What people don’t tend to focus on is the chance meat can also contain antibiotics and growth hormones. Canning explains how organic meat avoids this: Organic meat and eggs don’t contain any antibiotics, which is very important in relation to contributing to antibiotic resistance. Animals can be fed and treated antibiotics and given synthetic growth hormones, along with eating artificial fertilisers on the land they’re on. 5. Organic wine could be better for your heart Although it will still contain sulphites, organic wine is more likely to contain some of the positive elements present in wine, says Canning: By opting for organic wine, you’re not getting all the sprayed pesticides that are put on the vine to produce a different crop. Organic wine also contains higher levels of resveratrol which is great for heart health. It reduces any buildup in your blood vessels which can help your chances against developing heart disease by sweeping out free radicals. Here’s how to go about eating organic: 1. Check which items are highest in pesticides You should prioritise lists given by the Environmental Working Group, who have a list of which foods have the highest levels of pesticides. If you’re watching pocket, print that list off and stick to that if you can. 2. Prioritise fruit and vegetables Fruit and vegetables are probably the most important to invest in when it comes to organic produce, followed by chicken, then meat and then eggs. Organic dairy also contains higher levels of fat soluble vitamins and are free of growth hormones or oestrogens. 3. Wash your produce thoroughly Always have fresh water running over your fruit and vegetables. I would half a cup of apple cider vinegar or half a lemon to help wash away pesticides too. It washes away a lot of the sprayed-on chemicals which are better to go down the sink than into the body.
UC Browser Apk Removed From Google PlayStore UC Browser Apk, the app which was popular among youngsters for faster movie and songs download has finally been removed from the Google PlayStore. Some of you will argue and say its still present in the Google Play store. So, let me tell you it is the mini version of Uc Browser and not the main one. Yesterday only I was advising one of my authors Manavta to uninstall the app from her phone because this phone is believed to hack your personal data and send it to third parties. I have myself uninstalled the unsecured App from my phone. A lot was already in discussion amongst the security experts about the security issues of the UC Browser Apk. Security experts say that UC Browser is said to leak your personal data and information like your search behavior, the pages you visit, search keywords you use, your personal information stored on your phone. It sends all these details to third party servers. Let us read about some security issues that were noticed in the UC Browser Apk. We will tell you as Why UC Browser is not safe for users. Security Issues with UC Browser Apk 1.Malwarebytes is an anti-malware company and it has already declared it as a Trojan Virus. 2.UC Browser Virus: The UC Browser Apk is believed to be non-secure as it has been termed as a Trojan Malware by a lot of security tools of mobiles and also by those who use them. 3. Edward Snowden. I hope you know him well. He was a very popular security expert and former contractor for the United States Government. He has also revealed that UC Browser Apk is not secure for users. 4. It has been stated and proved by the security agencies number of times, that the app leaks your personal information and sends it to servers which are located in China. This personal information may include the pages you visit, your ad click behaviour, which type of Ads you prefer and click, the search terms you use generally, the images you see on the browser and a lot of things. 5. UC Browser Apk is also said to share data like IMEI, IMSI, Android IDs, and other network related information in an unauthorized way. Do you want an app to do this to you? I hope you don’t want! Nobody will like that. 6. Citizen Lab has done a lot of security tests on UC Browser Apk and it has come up that there are issues with two different language versions of the UC Browser Apk, the Chinese language version and the English language version of the UC Browser App. So, these were some of the information from the reports which have come up in the reference of privacy and safety issues with UC Browser Apk. Indian agencies were also keeping a close check on the security issues with UC Browser Apk. So if you still not have uninstalled the non-secure browser from Your Smartphone. It’s high time you do that, else you may end up losing your private data and personal information some day. Also Check: Alternative Apps for UC Browser
We have finally reached a point where games and movies are coming out in 4K resolution, looking better than we ever thought possible. Now, 4K requires several components to work properly, including a powerful CPU, a GPU or two that are ready for the graphics upgrade, the right connections to your gaming rig…and of course a high-resolution computer monitor. We’d like to help out with all this stuff, but for now let’s focus on the most important piece – the monitor. Having trouble picking out your favorite? Allow us to introduce the best gaming monitors of 2017 – and why you should think about buying one. A note about 4K and monitors: We hate to make things more complicated for you, but it’s important to discuss aspect ratio and 4K. The term “4K” refers resolution that has four times more pixels than previous HD. That’s a very specific amount of pixels, but when looking at monitor screens you are likely to see a lot of different numbers when it comes to horizontal resolution. This is because monitors have different sizes and aspect ratios for different purposes, so pixel numbers have to be adjusted accordingly: This is also why it’s handy to have the term “ultra HD” which can describe screens that have higher resolution than 1080p but aren’t technically 4K. The bottom line here is to look at the vertical resolution number (the second number) – if it’s “1440” then your monitor is ultra HD and you’ll get all the resolution benefits. At 34 inches, this screen is big enough to take advantage of ultra HD technology (3440 x 1440 pixels), but still small enough to fit on most desks, so you don’t need to worry about expanding your gaming area. Notably, the Predator comes at a natural 60Hz but can be overclocked even higher if you prefer smoother-than-smooth action on your games (the effects on your movies may be less desirable). Ports include both a Display Port and an HDMI 1.4 port. The generation of HDMI connection is actually very important here, because earlier versions of HDMI cannot handle 4K content. HDMI 2.0 is preferably, but 1.4 is also compatible with 4K. Don’t get a monitor or other device that doesn’t have the right connections for your resolution! As you can tell at a glance, this screen is curved. We’re not big fans of curved TV screens, because they take up more room and don’t really add any benefits – in fact, they decrease your viewing angle significantly without giving anything in return. However, in this case a curved monitor, especially one this wide, may have its uses. First, there aren’t likely to be many people crowded around the monitor so the viewing angle isn’t as important. Second, that curve saves some valuable width when setting this monitor up. It’s also worth mentioning that Acer’s Predator line includes a number of towers and monitors that do a very good job of staying on the cutting edge of gaming tech, so take a look at more of the Predator brand if this has you curious. This Asus model is a bit smaller – we don’t suggest going much lower than 27 inches, because at that point it will be difficult to see any different between 1080p and 4K. The resolution on this model is 2560 x 1440, and instead of being curved the screen actually has a focus on wide viewing angles, so it can easily double as a TV in smaller spaces. Asus has also included a couple filters to reduce eye fatigue for long playing sessions, as well as a 144Hz refresh rate to keep games smooth from beginning to end. Not only is this monitor significantly less expensive than our Predator pick, but it also has a lot of installation versatility. We know that base looks a bit unwieldy, but it’s large because you can tilt, swivel, pivot, adjust the height, or mount the monitor to the wall as you please. Such flexibility is valuable. With an even lower price tag, this ultra HD monitor is one of the most affordable you can find. However, dropping the price this low leaves the monitor without many extra features. It does, however, include color preference settings and a 144HZ refresh rate, as well as an external controls to switch between screen presets. There are two USB ports and options for both HDMI and Display Port technology. Like our Asus pick, this model is also very flexible in terms of placement and screen adjustments. An important note about this monitor – it does support NVidia graphics cards, but it does not support G-Sync. Instead, it favors VESA Adaptative-Sync for Freesync AMD and Radeon cards.
By Victor L. Hauser New, common, self-renewing, and inexpensive, evapotranspiration (ET) covers for landfills offer an answer to landfill waste that's fresh, eco-friendly, and low-cost. Evapotranspiration Covers for Landfills and Waste websites examines the concept that idea and the sensible facts, then explains the expertise, layout, and alertness. It delineates the basic expertise that governs profitable program of ET covers and discusses how the expertise meets the necessities for covers on landfills, mining waste, and different websites. The e-book describes the layout, development, and upkeep of cutting edge ET covers for landfills and waste. the writer discusses why a number of vegetative covers have failed and gives uncomplicated, low-cost ideas. He examines the layout and building of ET covers and different tools, highlighting their alterations and winning replacement building equipment. The textual content comprises the 1st proposed functionality measurements for traditional and cutting edge landfill covers in response to the information accumulated at greater than fifty-five websites. this information additionally presents the root for an overview of landfill disguise functionality, layout, and the production of the site-specific functionality standards provided within the e-book. this is often the 1st source to discover the know-how required to use the ET disguise inspiration to landfill waste, spill websites, mineland recovery, and related waste websites. After completely describing the concept that, expertise, layout, development, and upkeep of ET covers, the e-book explains how this low-priced, useful, simply maintained, and self-renewing organic process may still continue its effectiveness for hundreds of years. Read Online or Download Evapotranspiration Covers for Landfills and Waste Sites PDF Best environmental studies books Our planet is a dynamic community of strength, organisms, and non-living fabric - producing biodiversity on an international scale. yet how does this community function? How do its key elements have interaction, and the way is it regulated? How is human job affecting those interactions, and at what fee? Introducing surroundings takes the reader on a guided travel of a few of the key environmental problems with our time. During this publication, significant emphasis is put on the consequences of processing and meals elements upon the flavour of meals and drinks. themes mentioned contain: roasting of peanuts; extrusion of cooking chook; spray drying of usual taste fabrics; cooking premiums of meals; gamma radiation of packaging motion pictures; stir-frying of saut? Through the international, city and agricultural groups became extra spatially intertwined leading to blurred land use limitations. hundreds of thousands of continual and non-persistent natural pollution are emitted to the ambience from basic and secondary resources. Emissions from city, agricultural, and traditional components, corresponding to particulate topic (PM10, PM2. - Environmental Risk Assessment and Management from a Landscape Perspective - Flammable: Environmental Suffering in an Argentine Shantytown - Activated Sludge and Aerobic Biofilm Reactors: Biological Wastewater Treatment Volume 5 - Geomorphological Fieldwork - Aldo Leopold's Southwest Additional resources for Evapotranspiration Covers for Landfills and Waste Sites 76 m crushed tuff over medium gravel. 76 m fine sand over medium gravel. 76 m fine sand over medium gravel. These 15 measurements of the performance of capillary barriers show that they frequently leaked. Covers with a thin soil cover produced more leakage than those with thick soil covers. The likely cause of leakage in many cases appears to be soil compaction that may have restricted root growth. The single test with adequate soil density and a thick soil cover allowed no leakage. 2â•…Bare Soil Surface Nyhan et al. Asp (accessed March 14, 2008). Hauser, V. , Gimon, D. , and Jackson, D. R. (2000). Golf Courses on Air Force Landfills. asp (accessed March 14, 2008). , and McCray, J. (2002). Impact of landfill closure designs on long-term natural attenuation of chlorinated hydrocarbons. Parsons Corporation, 1700 Broadway, Suite 900 Denver, CO 80290. (Final report to, Environmental Security Technology Certification Program, Arlington, VA, contract no. asp (accessed March 14, 2008). ITRC (2003). Technical and Regulatory Guidance for Design, Installation, and Monitoring of Alternative Final Landfill Covers. 2006a) measured the performance of a compacted clay-barrier cover in southern Georgia; the climate is subtropical and wet. After 4 years of service, they observed numerous cracks in the clay barrier and roots growing in the cracks. Leakage through the cover was small prior to a short drought during the first year of service, but increased substantially after the drought. The authors concluded that soil drying during the drought created the dense network of soil cracks. Leakage through the cover was increasing at the end of the test.
Bill & Melinda's Big Bet! The Gates started their foundation in 2000 with the idea that by backing innovative work in health and education, they could help dramatically reduce inequity. Experiments in mobile banking have been launched since late 1999. I can proudly say that I was leading a team that launched mobile banking in that year in a developed market with growing broadband internet, large percentage of the population banked, and a growing penetration of internet based banking users. Seven years later Safaricom launched M-Pesa into a market that had a low penetration of banked users, low internet penetration, fast growing mobile growth, and commerce represented by physical cash; as it turns out all elements of a potential successful implementation but managed carefully by a mobile operator that realized investment would be the key to success. As Bill & Melinda have stated "The progress we've seen so far is very exciting — so exciting that we are doubling down on the bet we made 15 years ago, and picking ambitious goals for what's possible 15 years from now." I too look forward to the progress of the mobile money industry and look forward to working closely with my customers to transform this industry to ensure their continued success. The Gates Big Bet for the next 15 years: The lives of people in poor countries will improve faster in the next 15 years than at any other time in history. And their lives will improve more than anyone else's.
6.907 Entrepreneurship in Engineering Immerses students in the experience of an engineer who founds a start-up company. Examines leadership, innovation, and creativity through the lens of an entrepreneur. Suitable for students interested in transforming an idea into a business or other realization for wide-scale societal impact. Covers critical aspects of validating ideas and assessing personal attributes needed to activate and lead a growing organization. Teams explore the basics of new venture creation and experimentation. Emphasizes personal skills and practical experiences. Students taking graduate version will complete additional assignments. No listeners. This class has no prerequisites. 6.907 will not be offered this semester. It will be instructed by C. Chase. Lecture occurs 7:00 PM to 9:00 PM on Tuesdays and Thursdays in 32-141. This class counts for a total of 12 credits. © Copyright 2015 Yasyf Mohamedali
Alternative Housing: Otherwise known as “I want an Earthship!” So I have the headache from hell, and I wasn’t able to finish the disabled women athletes post. I’ll try to get it up on Monday. In the meantime, environmentally friendly housing has been on my mind. These links are from two old posts I did last year: Pic from:Welsh Youth Forum on Sustainable Development Cob houses are made with a mixture of clay, straw, sand, earth and water. The ingredients are similar to an adobe brick home, but, unlike adobe homes, cob houses can be built in wet areas and areas prone to earthquakes. Because the earth walls of a cob home are typically more than 2ft thick, they are naturally energy-efficient. Meaning cob homes stay cool in the summer, and warm in the winter. Cob homes also give home-owners more control over design and construction. They are owner-built, and the unique nature of the material gives the owner-builder the ability to create nearly any kind of design. With a little help from your friends and a few free weekends, you can build your own cob home for next to nothing, often from materials that are already on site. Earthships (GLEE!!!!! I want one of these!) Container Homes in London SG Blocks Container Homes in the US
In April, “legal highs” will join the list of illegal highs under the much criticised Psychoactive Substances Act 2016. This ban on legal highs, or novel psychoactive substances (NPS), is intended to cover a range of largely unregulated substances, such as nitrous oxide, while at the same time excluding more mundane – albeit, lethal – ones such as alcohol and cigarettes. But can it work? The new restrictions continue the UK government’s attempt to use prohibition to control the use of drugs for recreational pursuits. The Drugs Act 1964, criticised at the time as hastily constructed, was arguably the first time controls were introduced in response to the “problem” of teenagers dancing all night. It banned amphetamines, largely because young teenagers began hanging around Soho in the early hours of Sunday mornings – after their amphetamine all-nighters. Prior to the introduction of the 1964 act, amphetamines were the dance drug of choice – and they were legal to possess. But they were not legal to sell so, officially, they could only be obtained on prescription. In practice, however, the fact that possession was legal meant that a grey market in the drugs flourished and pills widely were sold in the regular haunts of teenagers too young to be served alcohol. But there were alternative sources of amphetamine, too, such as Benzedrine inhalers, over-the-counter decongestants that contained the equivalent of 110 5mg amphetamine tablets. This “legal high” was being used often enough by 1957 that P H Connell, a leading researcher of amphetamine abuse, wrote to the British Medical Journal warning about the problems of psychosis caused by their use. The potent effects of eating the cotton plug containing the active ingredients of the inhalers became folklore within the Mod-inspired, all-night dance culture that I joined in 1973. By that time, the amphetamine had been replaced by propylhexedrine, a substance I found less memorable than the menthol burps caused by eating the cotton plug. But alternatives soon took their place. I was soon introduced to illicitly manufactured amphetamines that were more palatable and effective. These blue pills copied the 5mg Drinamyl antidepressant that achieved cult status in the 1960s with its “purple heart” shape. But in the early 1970s, drug squad arrests ended the supply of the illicitly-manufactured pills, leading to a shortage. This led some of my peers to burgle chemist shops, a practice that had begun as soon as amphetamines were criminalised in 1964. Like many working-class lads without qualifications or prospects, we had little regard for personal safety or the law. Indeed, legislating to reduce supply is a blunt instrument that produces innovative responses to maintain access to drugs. The new Psychoactive Substances Act is the latest episode of this ebb and flow between control and response that will fail to end these established patterns of drug use. In fact, changes to drugs law can even lead to some very unexpected consequences. The 1964 law is a case in point. Cutting off the supply of amphetamines, it led to users resorting to the burglary of chemist shops. This in turn led to a change in the way amphetamines were stored – they were removed from the shelves of the dispensary and locked in secure cabinets with the Class A drugs. This led to problems of its own, as burglars looking for amphetamines would find them stored with opiates – and steal them as well. Before long, some amphetamine users were opiate users, too. The worst aspect of this cross-pollination was the importation of an intravenous drug culture into a pill culture. This led to many premature deaths from hepatitis C. Much has changed since the 1970s. Hopes of a drug-free society have evaporated. More people are drug wise enough to know which drugs to avoid. There is increased recognition that prison does not offer a solution to drug problems. The consensus among the eight police forces interviewed for the 2002 drugs market research was that recreational use was not a policing problem. But we also need to know why people take NPS – and what the new law might do to them. In a survey I carried out with Tammy Ayres we found that people have a cluster of reasons for using these substances: availability, value, predictability (consistency of the product), legality, and safety. Rather than single out any one factor it is better to think of the way each of these elements contributes to their attraction. Changing the legal status disrupts this relationship. The April 2010 ban of mephedrone, one of the most popular “legal highs”, for example, had the effect of increasing the price and reducing its availability. It did not stop its production, however. Indeed, once it was removed from the legal market, producers were forced into finding a new “legal” replacement to fill the shelves of head shops and internet retailers. This process invariably leads to the production of good, bad, and indifferent concoctions. And it can be a dangerous business – particularly for those who go on to use them. Research by Rob Ralphs of Manchester Metropolitan University on NPS use in prison illustrates the negative effects of Vertex, a synthetic cannabinoid developed to replace Spice, often referred to as “synthetic marijuana”. Ralphs points out that the fact it is undetectable by prison drugs tests adds to its attraction. The low price and high demand for an addictive drug encourages smugglers to cash in. What hope, then? The new act is justified because we long have had the worst of both worlds. Before it, the more effective and toxicologically best understood substances (cannabis, ecstasy, LSD) were subject to legal regulation, while the least reliable and most untested ones were freely available. What’s more, as soon as one “legal high” was banned, chemists could simply tweak the formula and come up with something new that skirted around the law. The government had little option but to introduce a blanket ban – but that doesn’t mean it will work. Instead, we need to completely rethink the categorisation of drugs. Professor Nutt’s argument that substances should be ranked according to harms makes sense. But until they are, legislation such as the PSA will only highlight the lack of logic in the current drug controls.
On occasion, if I’ve had a really rich meal for dinner the night before, I wake up with very little appetite and I only want something very light for breakfast that morning. This is often especially the case in the summertime when I don’t feel like eating a heavy breakfast first thing in the morning. Fruit salad fits that remit perfectly because although it is light it’s also extremely satisfying for the taste buds. Fruit can be tricky when it comes to the FODMAP diet because many fruits are naturally very high in fructose. However, there are a number of fruits which are low FODMAP and many of them are actually FODMAP-free! You can make your fruit salad from suitably low FODMAP fruits, such as grapes (which contain no FODMAPs), bananas (low FODMAP in servings of less than 100g and should only be consumed when firm and with no black spots on the skin), blueberries (low FODMAP in servings of less than 28g), Cantaloupe and honeydew melon (low FODMAP in servings of less than 90g), star fruit or carambola (which contain no FODMAPs), clementines and mandarins (which contain no FODMAPs), ripe guava (which contains no FODMAPs, but unripe guava is unsuitable), kiwi fruit (low FODMAP in servings of less than 150g), mangosteen (low FODMAP in servings of less than 24g), passionfruit (low FODMAP in servings of less than 23g), paw paw (which contain no FODMAPs), pineapple (low FODMAP in servings of less than 140g), raspberries (low FODMAP in servings of less than 45g) and strawberries (which contain no FODMAPs). However, with the exception of the fruits which contain no FODMAPs, you must bear in mind that care must be taken with the fruits which are low FODMAP so that you avoid stacking up FODMAPs by having too many low FODMAP fruits at once. I normally make my fruit salad with small portions of the fruits I’m using, so that I avoid stacking too many low FODMAP fruits at once. A low FODMAP serving of this fruit salad is one metric cup (approximately 220g), but if in doubt consult a dietitian. Although this is my standard go-to fruit salad recipe made from fruits I normally have in my fridge and freezer, feel free to tweak it to suit your own tastes. Just make sure you don’t overstack your FODMAPs. (I’d advise using the Monash app to ensure your quantities are safe.) I like to serve my fruit salad with a dollop of non-dairy yoghurt on top because I enjoy the contrast between the sweet, tart fruits and the creamy yoghurt, but I’ve known many people who go one step further and top theirs with a dollop of whipped lactose-free cream. To each their own, I say! 2 kiwis (peeled) 1 ripe firm banana (with no spots on the skin) 2 clementines or mandarins 50g pomegranate seeds 100g strawberries (sliced) 1 tbsp freshly chopped mint leaves (optional) Lemon juice (to prevent the chopped banana browning) Lactose-free yoghurt (or a non-dairy version) Simply prepare your fruits by peeling and chopping them as required. Drizzle a little lemon juice on top to prevent the bananas browning (although if you’re going to eat the fruit salad immediately you can skip this step). Serve in bowls either as it comes or with a dollop of lactose-free yoghurt or a non-dairy version. If you like this try this!
O Lord and Master of my life, do not give me the spirit of laziness, meddling, self-importance and idle talk. Instead, grace me, Your servant, with the spirit of modesty, humility, patience, and love. Indeed, my Lord and King, grant that I may see my own faults, and not condemn my brothers and sisters, for You are blessed unto ages of ages. Amen. [Translation by Fr James Silver, Drew University] 1. Lord, you have had it written: 'Open your mouth and I will fill it' See, Lord, your servant's mouth and his mind are open to you! Fill it, O Lord, with your gift, that I may sing your praise according to your will. Refrain: Make me worthy to approach your Gift with awe! 3. Though your nature is one, its expressions are many; they find three levels, high, middle, and lowly. Make me worthy of the lowly part, of picking up crumbs from the table of your wisdom. 4. Your highest expression is hidden with your Father, your middle riches are the wonder of the Watchers [angels] A tiny stream from your teaching, Lord, for us below makes a flood of interpretations. 8. In your Bread is hidden a Spirit not to be eaten, in your Wine dwells a Fire not to be drunk. Spirit in your Bread, Fire in your Wine, a wonder set apart, [yet] received by our lips! 17. See, Fire and Spirit in the womb that bore you! See, Fire and Spirit in the river where you were baptized! Fire and Spirit in our Baptism; in the Bread and the Cup, Fire and Holy Spirit! 18. Your Bread kills the Devourer [death] who had made us his bread, your Cup destroys death which was swallowing us up. We have eaten you, Lord, we have drunk you, not to exhaust you, but to live by you. 22. See, Lord, my arms are filled with the crumbs from your table; there is not room left in my lap. As I kneel before you, hold back your Gift; Keep it in your storehouse to give us again! "What a remarkable wonder, that one who has unfeigned love fulfils the whole of the Law. For the fulfilment of the Law is love, as the Apostle says . O unfathomable power of love! O infinite power of love! Nothing is more precious than love, neither in heaven nor on earth. That is why the Apostle Paul, having learned that nothing is worth as much as love, wrote and despatched to the ends of the inhabited world these words, ‘Brethren, owe no one anything, except to love one another, to lay down your lives for one another’. It is love that is the fulfilment of the Law. Love is unerring salvation. It dwelt from the beginning in Abel’s heart; it was Noah’s helmsman; it worked with the Patriarchs; rescued Moses; made David the dwelling of the Holy Spirit; made its tabernacle in the Prophets; gave strength to Job. And why should I not mention the greatest of all? It brought the Son of God from heaven down to us. Through love the One without flesh became flesh, the One without time entered time for us, the Son of God became son of man. Through love all things were ordered for our salvation; death was destroyed, Hell cast down, Adam recalled and Eve set free. Through love the curse was abolished, Paradise was opened, life was revealed, the Kingdom of heaven was promised. Love caught the fishers of fish in its net and made them fishers of men; competed alongside the Martyrs and gave them strength; turned the deserts into cities; filled mountains and caves with chanting; made mortals into angels; showed men and women how to tread the narrow and difficult way. But where should I stop pursuing what cannot be grasped? Who is capable of recounting the love’s achievements? I think even the Angels cannot recount them as they deserve. O blessed love, giver of all good things! O blessed love, who make those who long for you blessed! Blessed and truly thrice blessed the one who has acquired love from a pure heart and conscience. [From St. Ephrem’s discourse On Love]
I believe it was with apprehension that Cal Rogers set his “Vin Fiz” down in Cicero airfield on the afternoon of October 8th, 1911, rather than with a sense of accomplishment. Cal was now officially 21 days out of New York City. He had flown just 1/3 of the distance to California. He had crashed (using a most generous definition of the term) six times, or about once every 166 miles. At this rate he had to assume he would crash another six times before he reached the foot of the Rockies at Denver, Colorado. And he would either be spending Christmas somewhere in Utah, or dead. The Pony Express was proving faster than the" Vin Fiz Flyer". Upon landing in Chicago Cal immediately telegraphed William Randolph Hearst to request an extension of the time limit for the $50,000 prize offered by his newspapers. But Cal could not have known that W.R., as Mr. Hearst liked to be called, had no intention of letting anybody actually win the prize money. Like most self described “self made” millionaires (such as Donald Trump), William Randolph Hearst was the son of a millionaire. When W.R. was kicked out of Harvard, where the boy had struggled to survive on a $500 a month allowance (the equivalence of $11,000 a month today), it seemed he was destined for failure – well, as only the pampered only son of a millionaire could fail, because the only thing bigger than the fortune which W.R. would eventually gain control of, was his ego. - 30 -NEXT: THE OTHER MAN RETURNS.
In support group, we were asked to tell our story. Every single time we attended. Sometimes, at tge first meeting (or two... or five...) they attended, some people could only choke out their name and that of the baby they had lost. Sometimes the story would pour out of them in minute detail, going on for half an hour. But we were always encouraged to tell our story, or some version of it, at every meeting. Over time, for most of us, the story got (at least a little bit) easier to tell. Sometimes, a new detail that we'd never heard before would pop out. By telling our story and sharing it with others, we processed what had happened to us in our own minds, worked through the grief and pain. Some of the raw grief & pain subsided. And knowing that others were listening, empathizing, understanding, made us feel less alone and freakish. (If your friends & family members find it difficult to listen to your story, you need to find someone who will. That's where support groups, in real life or even online, are so helpful.) I watched a wonderful story on CBS Sunday Morning today about a 93-year-old World War II veteran who began volunteering at a war museum and telling his story to a new generation. And in doing so, he finally laid to rest one of the ghosts that had haunted him for almost 60 years. After I watched the segment & finished wiping my eyes, I looked at dh & said, "The power of telling your story... the whole story!" Watch or read & see if you agree with me. : )
Wednesday, 27 July 2011 The Morality of War, Revolution and Terrorism is Conditional and Contingent War is violence committed by one state against another. Revolution or terrorism can be violence committed by a group against a state or innocent civilians. As there can be just wars, so can there be 'just terrorism'. Terrorists (or violent revolutionaries) only become freedom fighters and statesmen if they are successful in their terrorism eg Nelson Mandela, Gerry Adams, Martin McGuinness. Good government entails the prevention of grievances that cause acts of terrorism to be committed, and bad governments deserve to be overthrown. Do the ends justify the means? We can only wait and see.
Through The Noise March 23, 2016 Shari Turitz of the American Jewish World Service on Partnering with Local Organizations to Support Human Rights Through the Noise #159 Shari Turitz // VP for Programs // American Jewish World Service Shari Turitz of the American Jewish World Service joins us to talk about international development and the human rights work they are doing in 19 countries. The AJWS partners with strong, effective locally-based organizations in the developing world and provides them with resources to make them stronger and even more effective. Their large donor base is driven by the desire for social justice, empowering them to work directly with grassroots organizations on the ground that know and understand local conditions. Shari Turitz is the Vice President for Programs at American Jewish World Service, leading the Programs Division and overseeing AJWS’s grantmaking, domestic and international strategy. She brings with her more than 20 years of experience in human rights grantmaking, capacity building and advocacy, and 15 years of senior management and program development experience. Inspired by the Jewish commitment to justice, American Jewish World Service (AJWS) works to realize human rights and end poverty in the developing world. Learn more at www.ajws.org.
Some useful external resources for cooking with children. A good place to start is our pinterest board where we have pinned over 100 recipes to try. BBC Cook of the Year 2015 Jo Ingleby (one of my food heros) won because of her fantastic work bringing cooking to 2 to 4 year olds in an inner-city nursery. The BBC have put up a selection of her recipes and a useful article of tips. Free From Farmhouse is a brilliant blog about bringing up a child with allergies. It has lots of information, free-from recipes and runs a weekly link-up that will help you find other free-from recipe resources. 3 Princesses and 1 Dude is a parenting blog which often has easy recipes to cook with children of all ages. They’ve also teamed up with LarabeeUK, Lukeosaurus & Me and other parenting blogs to produce the Kids Make & Bake Club on YouTube. This gives an easy craft or bake idea every week. Classes & Clubs I believe in getting young children involved in everyday cooking at home as much as possible. But attending a class can be a great way to inspire you or your child and have some fun. Crafty Cooks are a nationwide network of cookery classes and starting at 2.5 years, are one of very few that run classes for under 3s. Cholsey, Oxfordshire: Mrs Bun the Baker classes from 2 years North Tyneside: Fun Little Foodies classes from 2 years Go to products for some equipment recommendations for cooking with young children.
October 15, 2014 When Trenia Walker was given the opportunity through the Fulbright Scholarship Program in 2013 to go to Kosovo, she had no idea that she would not only would she be able to continue work she started 10 years prior but that she would receive an additional grant to bring students back to learn about higher education in the United States. As a direct result of Walker's Fulbright experience, this summer a group of 10 students from The Republic of Kosovo visited Texas Tech University to learn more about the American education system. All of the students are education majors studying at University of Pristina in Kosovo with whom she had worked during her Kosovo experience. During their time on campus they attended lectures and visited various public schools in Lubbock to learn American ways of learning and teaching. Last year the Fulbright Scholar Program provided Walker, an associate professor in social studies education, a chance to visit Kosovo to conduct research and teach. The research focuses on the ways teachers and administrators use data to drive decision making and its effectiveness. She also continued a study she began 10 years ago in Kosovo on civics education curriculum. “I was so excited to receive this fellowship exactly 10 years later,” Walker said. “It is even better that I was able to get the students from Kosovo here at Texas Tech, because I know it will be a great experience for them.” Along with Walker, Colette Taylor, associate professor of higher education, assisted the students and coordinated events. “It was a great pleasure working with these students,” Taylor said. “I've learned as much from them as they have from us.” The international students were exposed to the American way of teaching in both the K-12 and higher education settings which varied drastically from their home country. “We are learning how to teach students with different demographics and backgrounds,” said Albulena Abdullahi, senior education major from Kosovo. “Back home we teach every student the same, but now we are learning the importance of tailoring our methods to each student's needs.” The learning activities arranged for them focused on diversity engagement and working with students with sensory impairments. These educational topics are critical issues in their country. Kosovo is newly independent and, as such, is still building its educational infrastructure and public institutions. The students who came here and participated in these training sessions will be better able to take leadership roles in education in their country. Walker's Fulbright Scholarship experience evolved into something bigger than she ever expected. Because of the relationships she built during her time Kosovo, Texas Tech was successful in receiving a unique grant opportunity. “This opportunity was funded by a grant from the U.S. Embassy in Kosovo,” Walker said. “They told me that if this current project is successful, they would like to fund more students to come here to Texas Tech. We hope that we can maintain an ongoing relationship with the faculty of education at the University of Pristina.” Following the civil war in the area formally a part of Serbia many changes regarding education have been made. Teachers are now required to have a master's degree in education in order to teach. This trip has given the students the idea that traveling to Texas Tech for their master's degree will be beneficial for their careers in teaching. “We want to teach in our country,” Abdullahi said, “However we all would love to come to Texas Tech to further our experience in teaching here in America.” The College of Education at Texas Tech University offers a full range of programs, including 9 doctoral degrees, 10 master's degrees, two bachelor's degrees and numerous specializations which can lead to careers in public or private education as teachers, professors, administrators, counselors and diagnosticians. Programs in the college are housed in three departments. The Department of Curriculum & Instruction offers advanced degrees that prepare leaders, researchers, and professors with the knowledge, skills, and practical application experience needed to analyze, construct, and evaluate curricula in ways that create optimal learning conditions for all learners. Language and literacy, bilingual education and STEM education are just a few of the specializations offered by C&I. The Department of Educational Psychology & Leadership consists of a diverse group of academic programs that equip students with a comprehensive knowledge of learning, motivation, development, and educational foundations. The disciplines of counseling and school psychology are housed within the EP&L department as are programs to prepare future college administrators, primary and secondary school and district leaders, as well as practical and academic educational psychologists. The Department of Teacher Education focuses solely on teacher preparation, ensuring that teacher candidates are ready for the classroom on day one. The Teacher Education Department is home to TechTeach, an innovative teacher preparation program that puts teacher candidates into public school classrooms for a full year and requires that students pass teacher certification tests prior to entering the classroom. Various paths to teaching careers, including fast-track distance programs statewide and alternative certification options, are also housed in this department.Facebook
NAMEap-config - configure and monitor Atmel and NWN based APs DESCRIPTIONap-config to config and get stats from Atmel-chipset based AP with ATMEL Private MIB support. MENUInfo/ SysInfo Get info about AP hardware and software Ethernet This option displays the Ethernet statistics for your reference. Wireless This option displays the wireless statistics for your reference. Stations (atmel) Under this menu the user will be able to see the Associated Stations that are currently associated with the Access Point. For each associated station the user will be able to see the MAC Address. From version 0.7.3-pre1 you may save mac addresses list to file ~/<util_name>.stations. Stations on NWN AP: For each associated station the user will be able to see the MAC Address, Link Quality, RSSI and Idle time. * Mac address: If the association is pending (that is, the Client is scanning, authenticating or associating), assocAddress contains the MAC address of that Client with the group bit set to indicate that the Access Point is aware of the presence of that Client. The other objects of the entry will be updated based on the information extracted from the received Probe Requests. * Link Quality: An indicator for the quality of the Client. If the association is still pending, the quality is calculated over the received Probe Requests from the Client. If the Client is associated, the quality derived from any activity with the Client. The actual quality source depends on the selected quality indicator. The semantics of the indicator is 'low is good quality' and 'high is bad quality'. * IdleTime: An indicator (in seconds) for the age of the information on the Client. The age is reset to 0 if any activity of this Client is detected. * RSSI: An indicator for the RSSI of the Client. If the association is still pending, the RSSI is calculated over the received Probe Requests from the Client. If the Client is associated, the RSSI derived from any activity with the Client. KnownAP By using option APs from info menu you may see all Access Points thats visible by your AP. * Link Quality: An indicator for the quality of the Client. If the association is still pending, the quality is calculated over the received Probe Requests from the Client. If the Client is associated, the quality derived from any activity with the Client. The actual quality source depends on the selected quality indicator. The semantics of the indicator is 'low is good quality' and 'high is bad quality'. * RSSI: An indicator for the RSSI in dBm of the Client. If the association is still pending, the RSSI is calculated over the received Probe Requests from the Client. If the Client is associated, the RSSI derived from any activity with the Client. * WARNING! By reports this option my be dangerously - in some cases you may lost you AP configuration and on SMC2655W the one way to fix it - only restore factory defaults. Config/ Bridging IP configuration - If the server site supports DHCP function and the DHCP Enable box is ticked; the IP address of an access point will be automatically displayed and assigned; otherwise, you need to key in an IP address now. The primary port provides a wired or wireless method to change the access point setting. If the Ethernet option is ticked, the setting of an access point can be done through Ethernet. If the Wireless option is ticked, the access point function can be set through a wireless station. Wireless station means a laptop PC or a desktop PC equipped with an IEEE802.11b PCMCIA card or USB dongle. Enable SNMP Traps enables the SNMP trap function. You can view the records by using ap-trapd utility. You are allowed to set your access point to be used as Access point, Access point client, or Wireless bridge. * Access Point - An internetworking device that seamlessly connects wired and wireless networks together. * Wireless bridge Point to point - The point-to-point wireless bridge configuration uses two Wireless Bridge units to connect two separate LANs. You must to fill in the Remote MAC Address before your bridge-function-enable access point can work with it. * Point to multipoint - When connecting three to more separate LANs, each LAN located building requires a wireless bridge. This is called Multipoint wireless bridge and again requires one Master bridge unit and two or more Slave bridge units as required. If the point-to-multipoint option is selected, your bridge-function-enable access point will designate as a Mater and to work with it, others bridges need to be set as a point- to-point bridge and enter the MAC address of the mater access point. Wireless You can give your access point a name and give it an ESSID (Extended Service Station ID), which can allow other wireless stations, which knows the ESSID, to link with it. Privacy The Privacy options allow you to enable 64-bit or 128-bit WEP (wired equivalent privacy) encryption. If an encryption function is not needed, you can just simply tick on the Disable box to disable it. If the 64-bit or 128-bit encryption function is enabled, there are four sets of key need to be filled into the blanket boxes. For the 64-bit encryption, each key is required to enter 5 Hex digits. For example: 11 22 33 44 55. The 128-bit encryption requires each key to enter 13 Hex digits. For example: 12 34 56 78 9A BC DE F0 11 22 33 44 55. NOTE! The WEP keys you enter are really accepted and written to the AP, permanently if you do an Upload from the Commands menu after setting them. However, the new key values are not echoed to the user when you return to the Privacy settings under the Config menu. This is a security feature of SNMP implementation in this hardware. Authorized MAC address For security or management purpose, you can edit a list of authorized MAC addresses, which are allowed to view or modify the setting of an access point. Authorization Table Enable option allows you to enable or disable this function. Community The Community configuration allow you to set a phrase for administrator and manufacturer community and a phrase for user community. If a user knows the phrase of administrator, he/she is authorized to change the setting of an access point. If a user only knows about the phrase of a user community; he/she is allowed to view the setting of an access point but is not allowed to change the setting. Radio Under the Radio user will be able to set or get the Transmitting Powervalues, for the Control Register 31 of the Baseband, for each channel. Reg CR31: Under this option user defines a value for the transmitted power (Value for the Control register 31 of the baseband) and it must be in the range 128 (max) to 255 (min) in Decimal form. Starting from version 0.6 of Access Point SNMP Config utility it's possible to set power output level for your AP. You may set signal power output in range from 0mw to 100mw by setting value for corresponding channel from 0 to 255 (0xFF). The scale is as follows: Value: 00----------128--------255 Power: 0mw--------100mw-------0mw So to get maximum power output from your AP set value for corresponding channel to 128 (0x80). But sometimes better solution - experimentally choose values for best link quality, sometimes not max. More info you can get from: //pasadena.net/aprf/; //www.wi2600.org/mediawhore/nf0/wireless/docs/802.11/WAP11/fun_with_the_wap11.txt. Advanced StationDBTimeout: This object specifies a timeout on entries and their state information in the Station database. For Clients the Station database is mapped on the roamTable. For Access Points, the Station database is mapped on the assocTable. The timeout is in seconds. ACKWindow: The ACK frame time out defined in number of slottimes. This can be used to optimize long range links. Commands/ Upload After you ve changed any value or setting of an access point through the SNMP config utility. You must come back to this option to make the new changes and setting s validated. Also, only an administrator and manufacturer is allowed to do such changes. Defaults Restore factory default configuration. Reset Reset AP. All changed and not uploaded settings will be lost. TestMode/ When user selects the Tests option a form will appear indicating a number of parameter needed to be set by the user in order to perform the Radio test. Antenna: Under this option we specify the antenna to be tested (A, B). Tx Filter: Under this option user needs to select the Baseband transmitting Filter to be used. There are two options (US, JPN) available since the bandwidth for Europe - USA is 11MHz and for, Japan is 14MHz. Rate: Under this option user needs to specify the rate to be used among the following options 1Mbps, 2Mbps, 5.5Mbps and 11Mbps. Channel: Under this option user needs to select the channel to be used. There are 14 channels available. After setting the parameters there are three commands available: Continuous Tx (with modulation), Continuous Tx (without modulation) and Continuous Rx: * Continuous Tx (with modulation): Using this command the MAC sets the transmitter in continuous mode with modulation. We can measure the output power of the radio. * Continuous Tx (without modulation): Using this command we can measure the frequency accuracy of the radio. The MAC sets the baseband Processor in test mode and turns off the spreading and scrambling codes. * Continuous Rx: With this command user can set the device in a receiving mode. Note: In order to perform the above test user needs to have a Spectrum Analyzer connected. Connect/ In order to make a connection with Access Point user needs to set two parameters. The IP Address of the Access Point and the Community name (default 'public'). Search/ Find connected Access Points. Search for WNW APs only works if community set to right AP community. It's useful if you know community but dont know what ip your AP got from DHCP server. You must have support for multicasting enabled in kernel. About/ About function shows the Wireless Access Point Configurator for Unix version and short info. Shell/ Run subshell. To return type 'exit' NAVIGATION KEYSIn case you unable to use cursor keys to menu navigate - try to use "h" to go left, "j" to go down, "k" to go up, "l" to go right, like vi editor. AUTHORRoman Festchook <firstname.lastname@example.org> //ap-utils.polesye.net SEE ALSOap-trapd(8), ap-mrtg(8) Wireless Access Point Utilities for Unix AP-CONFIG(8)
August 10, 2017 (++++) STRUGGLES TOWARD FRIENDSHIP Confiscated! By Suzanne Kaufman. Balzer+Bray/HarperCollins. $17.99. Hannah Sparkles: A Friend Through Rain or Shine. By Robin Mellom. Illustrated by Vanessa Brantley-Newton. Harper. $17.99. The trials and tribulations of friendship are a frequent theme in picture books, and the eventual message of cooperation and getting along is a standard one. But the circumstances, and the form in which the concluding message is delivered, may differ greatly – which is why so many books on this topic can be enjoyable. The eventual friends in Suzanne Kaufman’s Confiscated! happen to be brothers and happen to be sort-of-lizardlike-sort-of-dinosaurs, at least as they have been Photoshopped to be. Brooks and Mikey fight constantly, as many siblings do, and in particular they fight over things – toys and games of all sorts. Unsurprisingly, this state of affairs is extremely annoying to their mother and is thoroughly unacceptable to her. So she teaches the boys the meaning of the word “confiscated” by taking away anything about which they fight. But they fight about everything, from Grandpa’s tuba to a Mexican wrestling mask: Kaufman has great fun showing just what sorts of things provoke the boys into fights and just how many ways those fights occur. The problem is that there are, after all, only so many things in the house over which fights are possible (even including the dog); so after a while, Kaufman shows the two boys all alone with a plain white background on one page while the facing page shows a locked storage cabinet absolutely bulging with confiscated items (and with the dog peering out rather nervously through the slightly open doors). By now, “Mama had confiscated ALL their toys.” And Brooks and Mikey are bored. Really, really bored. So bored that they TALK to each other instead of fighting. And that talking leads to something totally unexpected, at least by them: cooperation! They decide, together, to get a favorite red balloon out of the “confiscation cabinet.” To do that, they pile up everything they can find, from a salami to a Viking helmet to a fishbowl (complete with fish) to a clock and a cactus and an old-fashioned record player, creating a mountainous mess that they can climb to get to the slightly open cabinet door and pull the balloon out. Great idea – except that pulling it out snaps the cabinet’s lock, and everything comes tumbling out and tumbling down; yes, even the lava lamp and the whole watermelon, the ship in a bottle and the freshly baked pie. And THEN…a shadow looms over the scene, and a very large and definitely dinosaurish Mama appears. But it turns out she is not angry about the mess – because the boys are sharing the balloon and actually being friendly to each other. So a happy ending is had by all, although Mama reminds the boys that they still have to clean everything up. Mess-making figures as well in Robin Mellom’s Hannah Sparkles: A Friend Through Rain or Shine, a book about a girl with an exceptionally sparkly name and a personality to match. Ever-smiling Hannah spends her time cheering the world with pom-poms and drawing double rainbows, because just one rainbow is not enough to contain all her hyper-cheeriness. Just imagine how happy she is when a new family moves to the neighborhood, along with a girl her own age – with the even-more-sparkly name of Sunny Everbright. Wow! Or – maybe not. Hannah has huge blue eyes and dresses in bright, clashing colors, but Sunny is dark-eyed, dark-haired and dressed almost completely in black and gray. Uh-oh. Hannah tries her best to be friendly: she takes Sunny outdoors to find butterflies, but Sunny is more interested in a lizard she discovers. Hannah draws unicorns – Sunny draws centipedes. Hannah shows how to use magenta for drawing hearts – Sunny prefers drawing a large black spider. Hannah picks strawberries – Sunny gets messily down in the mud to interact with a frog. Nothing works for Hannah: Sunny does not even smile when Hannah gets out her pom-poms and cheers Sunny on at hopscotch and other games. And then, to make matters worse, it starts to rain, and rain is not one of Hannah’s happy things. But now Sunny smiles! And in some of Vanessa Brantley-Newton’s most evocative illustrations, she dances, runs sloppily through puddles, plays in a mess of mud, and generally acts “super-strange,” at least by Hannah’s standards. Bewildered, Hannah asks her mom that night why Hannah’s favorite things do not make Sunny happy – and her mom suggests that “maybe Sunny finds her sparkle in other things.” Lesson learned – especially when Sunny leaves Hannah a let’s-play invitation on which Sunny has drawn a smiling lizard carrying an umbrella. Friendships, after all, are like other growing things: they need both rain and sun to thrive.
Mont Saint Michel rises from the tidal basin of the Gulf of St. Malo. (Photo: mont saint michel image by Elena Gueno from Fotolia.com ) First a fortress, then a destination for religious pilgrims, Mont Saint Michel became a prison, a cause celebre and once again is a destination for those on pilgrimage--although today it is more often one of recreation and holiday than religious. A tiny cone of granite topped by a Romanesque abbey, sitting mockingly off the French coast, Mont Saint Michel has endured for 1,300 years, through wars and revolutions, to become one of the must-see destinations in Normandy. Mont Saint Michel is a granite prominence rising from the sea about 1 km from the north coast of France, at the mouth of the Couesnon River in Normandy. Originally reached by crossing a flat that was awash during high tides, it was a medieval Breton stronghold during the sixth and seventh centuries. Mont Saint Michel is quite small, barely more than a third of a square mile in area, but its isolation by the Gulf of St. Malo, provided a defensible position for the Franks in the Amorican region prior to its incorporation into Normandy in 933. Following the fall of the original Breton fortress to the Franks, the island became a religious center in the eighth century, when the bishop of Avranches established a monastery on Oct. 16, 708. Benedictine monks took over the abbey in 966 at the request of William I, William Longsword, duke of Normandy, who annexed the promontory in 933. In 1067, the year following the Norman invasion of England, the monastery supported the claim of William II, more popularly known as William the Conqueror, to the English throne. For their support of William the Conqueror, the monastery was rewarded with patronage that made possible the fantastic Norman architecture of the abbey. Construction on the abbey church began in the 11th century, and the monastery buildings were extended to the west and south. The influence of the abbey and its satellite organizations extended as far as Cornwall. In the 13th century, French King Phillip Augustus made a large donation in celebration of his conquest of Normandy, which provided the impetus for the construction of the two three-story Gothic buildings called the "Merville," which house the cloister and the refectory. During the Hundred Years' War (1337 to 1453), Mont Saint Michel once again became a fortress. Fortifications, including an outer defense wall, were added to the existing inner wall that guarded the abbey. The war pitted the French house of Valois against the English Plantagenets, both of whom claimed the French throne. An English siege attempt on Mont Saint Michel in 1423 was rebuffed, and the English abandoned two canons at the site. Known as "Les Michelettes," they can be found near the outer defense wall. With the Reformation that began in 1517, the site began to lose the pilgrims whose religious journeys had long supported the abbey. As the pilgrims began to disappear, the number of monks began to decrease. At the outbreak of the French Revolution in 1789, with few monks in residence, the abbey closed and became a prison. At first, it housed clerics opposed to the Republic; later, political prisoners followed. French novelist Victor Hugo spearheaded a 1836 campaign to restore the abbey. The prison, closed in 1863, became a historic monument in 1874. Mont Saint Michel joined the UNESCO list of World Heritage Sites in 1979. Today, as in the past, it is supported by its visitors. As of 2010, there are 16 hotels priced from 40 to 380 euros per person per night. The island offers a variety of evening activities including three casinos and a nightclub. Leaf Group is a USA TODAY content partner providing general travel information. Its content is produced independently of USA TODAY.
Treatment & Detox Guide Go on, have another. You’ll be hailing the cab anyway as you’re a bit over the limit now. As for tomorrow, you survived work with a hangover last Tuesday, didn’t you? Besides, it’s your boss offering the next round! Make it a pint. Oh, and mental note: don’t forget to pick up some beer tomorrow…. An analysis of brain tissue samples from chronic alcoholics reveals changes that occur at the molecular level in alcohol abuse – and suggests a potential treatment target, according to researchers from Wake Forest University School of Medicine. Reporting in Alcoholism: Clinical and Experimental Research, the scientists said that a protein known as beta-catenin that is…. Disease twice as likely to spread in women deficient in the nutrient, study finds Women diagnosed with breast cancer are nearly twice as likely to have the disease spread to other parts of their bodies and are 73 per cent more likely to die from it if they have low levels of vitamin D, according…. The drug treatment centers aim at providing rehabilitation services to those people who are addicted to alcohol, drugs and those suffering from dual diagnosis. These facilities offer curative treatments for alcoholism, drug addiction and dual diagnosis. They are well equipped to help addicts rediscover their inner strength, support them and help them live a fairly…. We’ve read the 12 page report on “Reducing Drinking and Driving in Europe” by the European Commission — a sort of benchmark in sorting your way through the problem of alcohol-related traffic accidents. But it doesn’t take a report to tell you this: if you drink and drive, someday, somewhere, someone, is bound to die….
— Tell the story of the diversity and magnitude of the human experience boldly, even when it is unpopular to do so. "Before he/she decided on a career in politics, he/she was an outspoken atheist. — Examine their own cultural values and avoid imposing those values on others. On a blog in 2005 he/she wrote, "I am atheist, always have been, always will be." It turns out "always" is not as long as some people think it is. — Avoid stereotyping by race, gender, age, religion, ethnicity, geography, sexual orientation, disability, physical appearance or social status. He/she did not want to answer the question about his/her atheism. — Support the open exchange of views, even views they find repugnant. He/she said it was personal and he believed in the separation of church and state. However, he/she on his/her blog was the one who brought it up and declared his/her atheism more than once. He/she finally said that he/she was no longer an atheist but believed in a "higher power." He/she describes his/her self as a paint contractor. Analysis and commentary should be labeled and not misrepresent fact or context. At a forum he/she said that he/she was a paint contractor, but he/she still got out there slinging paint with the crew. Ethical journalists treat sources, subjects and colleagues as human beings deserving of respect. It is a true statement because the crew consists of one part-time employee, which means if he/she isn't out there slinging paint, often nobody is. — Show compassion for those who may be affected adversely by news coverage. Use special sensitivity when dealing with ...inexperienced sources or subjects. — Recognize that gathering and reporting information may cause harm or discomfort. Pursuit of the news is not a license for arrogance. — Show good taste. Avoid pandering to lurid curiosity.
The Ultimate Log-Burner Buying Guide Types of burning stove Log-burners typically come in two variations – radiant and circular. Circulating stoves heat air internally before sending it out into the room, whereas radiating stoves simply generate and radiate heat as they go. They are traditionally made from an outer shell of cast iron or steel. Though not as efficient as a modern boiler, they are a marked improvement on previous generations of wood-stoves. Convective or Radiant? Convective stoves not only have some radiant heat but also use convection chambers to aid in warming cool air, and circulating it throughout the room. These are particularly usefull for larger open plan spaces. They also often require smaller clearances for installation. Top Wood Burning Stoves for Under £700 Choosing the ideal woodburner for your home is a tough task. There are lots of great models out there and you need to weigh up your needs with your budget to locate the ideal model. We’ve selected five options here, all of which come in at under £700. Multifuel Hunter 5kw stove good condition Dereham, Norfolk Hunter 5kw multifuel stove in good working order – no repairs needed. Burns wood or coal. Only replacing for a stove with more heat output.Very heavy to move ! Firefox multifuel log burner highly recommend Ordered Firefox it came the next day , very impressed with the it looks lovely n compact would recommend it to anyone who wants a log burner
Author of Japanese Tattoos: History * Culture * Design, Brian Ashcroft tells about the difficult situation in Japan in an article appearing on Kotaku.com. Right now, there are some people in Japan who appear to be doing their best to kill off tattoos. For the past two years plus, I’ve been working on a tattoo book called Japanese Tattoos: History * Culture * Design. It’s about the symbols and motifs found in irezumi, which is one of the Japanese words for tattoos. The designs are complex and fascinating and encompass so much of the country’s visual tradition as well as its culture. But some of the artists I’ve interviewed and whose work the book features have either been picked up by the police, had their studios closed, or have left the country. Read more HERE.
Free essay on reasons abortion should be illegal available totally free at echeatcom, the largest free essay community. I am very intrigued with your persuasive essay on abortion i am doing an essay about abortion and why it should be illegal and everything you said in ur comment. Stop: why abortion should be illegal the legality of abortion is a staple topic in contemporary political discourse (and it has not drawn compromise. No matter what the circumstances of conception, no matter how far along in the pregnancy, abortion always ends the life of an individual human being prominent. Abortion term papers (paper 6389) on abortion should be illegal : abortion should be illegal getting an abortion is a very tough decision to make with serious. Argumentative essay on why abortion should be illegal our ability to engineer, construct, and operate facilities rounds out that objective argumentative essay on why. Abortion rights harm society therefore abortion should be illegal abortion increases a women's risk of breast related gcse abortion and other medical issues essays. 5-paragraph argumentative essay on abortion in the modern world, the debate on whether abortion should be legalized has dominated discussions for years. Your sample essay about why abortion should be illegal free example of a persuasive and argumentative essay on abortion should be illegal topics tips how to write. 2 why abortion should be illegal essay why should teens be allow to drive to school days, but you cant because you have a driving permit all that hard work through. Read abortion should be illegal free essay and over 88,000 other research documents abortion should be illegal abortion is a clear and straightforward killing and. Essay on abortion an overview of the republic of ireland, abortion is illegal, in the united states and i highly appreciate your assistance in writing my essay. They say that pregnant women will resort to unsafe illegal abortions if there more of their members believe abortion should be legal in all or most cases. Essay abortion should be made illegal abortion should be made illegal abortion is murder, it is the killing of an unborn baby in today's society, regular. Need essay sample on abortion should be illegal we will write a cheap essay sample on abortion should be illegal specifically for you for only $1290/page. Your sample essay about why abortion should be illegal free example of a persuasive and argumentative essay on abortion should be illegal topics tips how to write good academic essays and. Monica mcquilter abortion should not be made illegal for years abortion has been a controversial subject all related gcse abortion and other medical issues essays. This free philosophy essay on essay: should abortion be legalized or there are many reasons of why abortion should be illegal and should not be. Thesis on why abortion should be illegal with strong presence of over 15 years in the custom-writing industry, superior papers is one of the most reliable services on this market. Read this essay on should abortion be banned come browse our large digital warehouse of free sample essays get the knowledge you need in order to pass your classes. Amanda leech english persuasive essay 11 dec 2010 persuasive essay: abortion should abortion be allowed in our society. Check out our top free essays on why abortion should be illegal to help you write your own essay. Abortion is taking the life off new human being many people would say that it’s not human to kill another person but what makes abortion any different from that. Should abortion be legalized – essay sample i believe that there should not be any doubts on whether abortion has to be legalized or not best essay help. Persuasive essay (abortion) if abortion were made illegal abortion should remain a legal choice and allow woman to have a second chance when the life of.
In his june 13th essay cory booker's rabbis, peter beinart wonders how much booker’s close friends, dynamic jewish leaders shmuely boteach and shmully hecht, have. Allan kerr from east orange was looking for psychopathology essay dlc peter griffin found the fourth grade peter boyer's essay on cory booker parents. Journalist peter boyer, who wrote an article on booker for newark's cory booker walking political tightrope the career of newark mayor cory booker may be a case. Peter boyer’s essay on cory booker essay on online examination system thesis statement ghostwriter for hire gb coursework english literature gcse. Cory booker is the mayor of newark, nj emerson, famous for his essays, also wrote poetry peter flom, left end of. Definition of booker, cory anthony cory anthony booker personally, he told peter j boyer in the new yorker in 2008. Cory booker in a new hampshire peter j boyer article/2010574 2017-11-22t15:30 2017-11-27t15:18 here's how to ruin thanksgiving: talk about 2020 everyone. Last week peter beinart wrote a column on the daily beast called cory booker's rabbis which surmised that my 20-year friendship with the democratic senate candidate. Long before cory booker booker helped save the bridge peer counseling center at stanford student writes a small essay entirely devoted to booker. The color of politics a mayor of the post-racial generation by peter j boyer cory booker with barack obama. Hunger reads: the avengers as political allegory by peter j boyer, the new yorker _(from 2008 a refresher course on mayor-of-the-hour cory booker. Essay cover page format chicago anton monatomic retrains peter boyers essay on cory booker help with titles for papers texting and driving research paper. Did i make cory booker 'too jewish' peter beinart was a rhodes scholar at oxford at the same time as cory booker first-person essays. Peter boyer’s excellent new yorker (abstract only) on cory booker is a lot of things: a political history of newark a sort-of convincing attempt to define an. Senators demand inquiry into trump's commerce secretary after paradise papers leak led by senators richard blumenthal of connecticut and cory booker of new. Pete boyer is on facebook join facebook to connect with pete boyer and others you may know facebook gives people the power to share and makes the world. Dentist huddersfield \| book your free initial consultation with fresh smile dentist huddersfield specialists in dental implants and smile makeovers, this award. Peter boyer’s essay on cory booker custom school essay ghostwriter services us popular phd essay ghostwriters for hire online buy essays online informative essay. Newark mayor cory booker’s ascent to the national stage has been at once a long time coming—the chief executive of the country’s 68th-largest city received time. Dentist huddersfield & dentist brighouse \| fresh smile dental clinic thankyou so much fresh smile clinic for giving me the smile i have always wanted. Peter boyer of the new yorker praised him i began to explore the impact of cory booker’s election on public policy outcomes in the city of newark. On january 11, 2013, booker filed papers to form a campaign committee the republican national committee, created a petition called i stand with cory booker. Newsweek's peter boyer writes a piece in this week's issue that explores the political 'frenemy' relationship between newark mayor cory booker--a democrat--and new.
A full term pregnancy can last anywhere between 37 and 42 weeks and the start of your pregnancy is dated from the first day of your last period even though conception doesn't happen until about 2 weeks later. At this time your ovary is stimulated by follicle-stimulating hormone to produce an egg which is released in to the fallopian tube. If sexual intercourse has taken place hundreds of millions of sperm are ejaculated in to the vagina, only thousands of which survive and make the journey through the cervix into the uterus and on into the fallopian tube where they will meet the ovum who has made it about one third of the way along. The sperm are chemically attracted to the ovum and attach themselves in an attempt to break through the outer coat. Only one sperm will be successful its his mission then the egg loses its attraction, hardens its outer shell and the remaining sperm let go. This whole process from ejaculation to fertilisation can take less than one hour. If you consider that an egg remains ripe for only 12 hours (max 24) and that sperm have the power to fertilise for a maximum of 36 hours, fertilisation is only likely if intercourse occurs 1-2 days before or immediately after ovulation. \|This whole process from\| ejaculation to fertilisation can take less than one hour A single cell, known as a blastocyst, is formed when the head of the sperm fuses with the egg; this cell first divides into two within the first 24 hours and then divides continuously until by the 4th day it has become a ball of over 100 cells. The blastocyst floats free in the uterus until by the end of the first week it has implanted in to the uterine lining where food and waste pass back and forth through your blood. The cells are now known as an embryo until week 8 when they are officially recognised as a fetus. At this stage the fetus is about the size of the full stop at the end of this sentence. The outer cells of the embryo begin to attach themselves to your blood vessels linking its self to your blood supply forming the chorionic villi, which will become the placenta. The inner cells then divide in to three separate layers, the first of which will become the nervous system and brain. The second layer will develop in to the major internal organs, the lungs and the digestive system, and the third layer will form the heart, the blood system, the muscles and the skeleton. \|The cells are now known\| as an embryo until week 8 when they are officially recognised as a fetus The embryo now has its own blood supply some of which connect with your blood supply in the uterine wall and develop in to the umbilical cord which contains the blood vessels taking nutrients from the placenta and waste products from the baby.
Dolphin stranding was of interest as long ago as in the time of Ancient Greece. Aristotle stated, "It is not known why they sometimes run aground on the seashore; for it is asserted that this happens rather frequently when the fancy takes them and with no apparent reason." Today, there continues to be much interest in and conjecture about dolphin "stranding", or ending up on dry land to die. Stranding of both single dolphins and groups of dolphins has been recorded. We know that some stranding behavior is a result of certain diseases (the dying body actually washing up onto the shore, instead of the animal coming by its own power on shore to die). Often such stranding involves multiple dolphins. Over the two year period of 1987-1988 thousands of dolphins stranded along the U.S. Atlantic Coast. This mass stranding was attributed to Morbillivirus infection. Morbillavirus is often attributed to disease-related mass stranding. This virus is easily passed from one dolphin to another because dolphins are a very social animal. They swim close to and breath on each other. The virus enters the dolphin body through the respiratory system's blowhole. Because dolphins are constantly on the move, developing a strategy to treat these infections is nearly impossible. Stranding of multiple dolphins may be caused by forced submergence due to an acute toxic event (such as an oil spill or a spill of other hazardous materials). Stranding by injury or entanglement with various ocean artifacts (fishing lines, plastic waste, and crab pot ropes, such as in this photo) usually involves single dolphins. 2010 to April 2011, 406 baby Bottlenose dolphins washed up on the shores of the Gulf of Mexico. The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) called these deaths an "unusual mortality event", or UME. A UME is defined as a stranding incident that is unexpected or one which involves a significant loss of any particular marine mammal population. NOAA investigated the cause(s) of both the number of dolphins stranded as well as why the dolphins were so young. Most of the stranded animals were pre-term, newborn or very young (under 4 feet in length). This event coincided with the April 2010 British Petroleum oil rig explosion in the Gulf, the worst oil spill in U.S. history. The investigation did not determine if this UME was associated with the oil rig disaster, just that a number of the stranded animals had oil on and inside their bodies. Samples of tissue from these animals were carefully documented as part of the on-going criminal litigation against Populations of stranded dolphins often are predominantly males and calves. Males do not have any way to shed contaminants, unlike females. Females shed large amounts of contaminants through their breast milk. This helps to protect the female, but the contaminated breast milk is passed to the nursing calf, possibly resulting in its death. Researchers believe stranding may also be a result of faulty echolocation processing, where the animal interprets a sloping beach ahead as an area of open ocean and ends up swimming onto the beach accidently, unable to get back to the water. The gentle slopes of such beaches may provide poor surfaces for the reflection of their biosonar waves. Perhaps dolphins make mistakes in navigation due to magnetic disturbances while following the earth's geo-magnetic contours. A predator chasing a dolphin could cause it to strand. Or, severe weather conditions, military activity (explosions and sonar), or loud sounds produced by construction or dredging could confuse the animals and force dolphins onto the shore to die. Marine Stranding Networks have been organized to report cases of stranding and initiate appropriate rescue efforts. These networks exist along the entire U.S. range of the Atlantic Bottlenose Dolphin and have been effective in reducing deaths due to stranding. Recent data from the NOAA Stranding Network Report list the number of dolphins stranded in the U.S. during a three year period as follows: 750 dolphins stranded in 1996, 564 in 1997, and 593 in 1998. A stranding occurred in January, 2012 with 40-50 common and white-sided dolphins washing up on Cape Cod. A number were saved due to the efforts of the International Fund for Animal Welfare. Along the NE U.S. coast the stranding season is from January to April each year. Experts state it may be the unusual topography of the Cape Cod coastline that may be the cause of stranding frequently seen in this area. In April, 2012 a number of bathers on a Brazilian beach reacted when about 30 dolphins began stranding right in front of them. The dolphins were quickly and carefully assisted back into more navigatable waters. Understanddolphins.com contains information condensed from a number of reputable technical sources, peer reviewed journal articles, and respected dolphin research facilities, as well as from my personal experiences and observations as a dolphin VIP Tour Guide and Educator. I have made every attempt to support the information presented in this site with video and still photographic images. On a regular basis I plan to produce more of these images and will continue to update the site with these as well as with any new and scientifically verified information which becomes available.
I knew she’d miss me. Points of fingers digging slightly, Varying pressure across my unfeeling thigh, Holding whatever was around us. Touch binds emotion to dead things. It skates along filaments to sinews, Plastic to skin to salt. She brought me to the beach, into the surf, out here: That was her mistake. Beneath the surface flows another world. Sideways I kick inside it, Lashing out, I move No longer attached to body or world or girl, I swim alone. The salt burns and trickles inside me, Filling me up. Returning is another leaving. Never stepping twice onto the same sand, Out of the same salt water, alongside the same Air feels empty after so much water. Now when I kick nothing moves. Steve Mentz is Professor of English at St John's where he teaches Shakespeare, oceanic literature, and literary theory. He's written two scholarly books, including most recently At the Bottom of Shakespeare's Ocean (2009), edited two more academic volumes, and also published many articles on literary culture and the maritime environment. His works in progress, performance reviews, and swimming autobiography can be found on his blog, The Bookfish (www.stevementz.com)
how to help with math Math is EVERYWHERE! And math is fun. If you struggled with math in school, don't taint your child's perspective or experience by discussing how much you dislike it or how hard you find it. Instead, look for games to make learning fun. Can your child round prices in the grocery store? Figure distances on an errand trip? Determine differences in gas prices? Figure out how much later a one movie plays than another? Practice helps too. See the files below and the suggested websites.
Click on Text Link to Read Online 25 Then King Darius wrote to all the peoples, nations and men of every language throughout the land: "May you prosper greatly! 26 "I issue a decree that in every part of my kingdom people must fear and reverence the God of Daniel. "For he is the living God and he endures forever; his kingdom will not be destroyed, his dominion will never end. 27 He rescues and he saves; he performs signs and wonders in the heavens and on the earth. He has rescued Daniel from the power of the lions." 28 So Daniel prospered during the reign of Darius and the reign of Cyrus the Persian. was a Jewish captive living in exile. He experienced hardship and endured persecution for his faith. Ultimately, his faithfulness to God resulted in prosperity and blessing. Even King Darius was moved to offer praise and worship to "the God of Daniel," because he had witnessed God's mighty power to sustain and help Daniel. Response and Action: faithfulness to God through thick and thin will result in blessing to me and others. I want to live with faithfulness and boldness like Daniel. I pray that my life would be a testimony of God's power to protect, sustain, and bless. God, pour out your mercy and blessing on me. Give me a heart that is faithful toward you, grant me the strength to persevere through any circumstance, and give me the wisdom and will to walk in your ways to the glory of your name. Amen. Spiritual Formation Verses: Philippians 3:13-14 Brothers, I do not consider myself yet to have taken hold of it. But one thing I do: Forgetting what is behind and straining toward what is ahead, 14 I press on toward the goal to win the prize for which God has called me heavenward in Christ Jesus. Following After God: What Difference Does God Make by Daniel Hill
Dec 29, 2017. Plans are underway to transition to an entry-level clinical doctorate degree in occupational therapy by fall of 2021. Our entry-level Occupational Therapy program is currently ranked 25th by U.S. News and World Report. For this position, primary responsibilities will include teaching within the occupational. UNCW College of Health and Human Services Student Success Center. The Occupational Outlook Handbook is the government’s premier source of career guidance featuring hundreds of occupations—such as carpenters, teachers, and. Telecommuting and flex-time privileges might have made the world. year, U.S. News compiles a list of the Best Careers based on the Labor Department’s employment projections. And this year, we continue to base our picks for. Virginia Commonwealth University's Department of Occupational Therapy is dedicated to providing high-quality education and ranked #15 for the Best Graduate Program in Occupational Therapy in U.S. News & World Report's 2008 "Best Graduate School" rankings. VCU's Online Post-Professional Doctor of Occupational. Discover the Online Doctor of Occupational Therapy at A.T Still University and our distance education degree programs– First in Whole Person Healthcare May 1, 2017. The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics projects a 29 percent increase in occupational therapy jobs between 2012 and 2022, which is much higher than other professions. Moreover, U.S. News & World Report ranked OTs number nine in its list of the best health care jobs in 2015, so the future looks bright. ‘U.S. News and World Report’ Ranks Duquesne Graduate Programs. the occupational therapy program. U.S. News and World Report. Three NSU graduate programs were ranked among the country’s 100 best: physician assistant (40), occupational therapy (44. programs ranked among the top 100 in the country by U.S. News & World Report. Hippotherapy refers to how occupational therapy. about nine speech-language pathologists in the U.S. with board certification in hippotherapy. Currently in Mexico, she travels the world teaching the therapy and presenting at. There are more than 7,500 certified geriatricians in the U.S. But the nation needs an estimated 17,000. Non-medical disciplines – such as nursing, physical therapy, occupational therapy, home health care and clinical social work, Based on a new report from CareerCast.com. Some of these positions include medical assistants, certified occupational therapists, physical therapy assistants, pharmacy technicians, respiratory therapists and more. They spend about half a minute to applaud their favorite sports team, tell of a significant anniversary or birthday, share in an occupational accomplishment. 2801 Northwestern Ave. Join us in the line at the empty glass vase and consider. Mission The Mission of the Division of Occupational Therapy at Florida A&M University is to: • Recognize that human populations are. Search traveling Occupational Therapist jobs nationwide from healthcare staffing leader American Traveler: competitive pay, highly respected medical facilities. Occupational Therapy is a career for individuals who care about people and have a desire to learn, achieve, and contribute their best to society and the profession. ▫ The US News & World Report ranks OT as 17th among health care jobs and 23rd among all jobs overall. ▫ The U.S. Department of Labor, Bureau of Labor. Children’s National Medical Center is once again ranked among America’s best pediatric institutions by U.S.News & World Report. Occupational Therapy; LAWRENCE — U.S. News & World Report has ranked 49 graduate programs at the University of Kansas in its 2017 edition of the magazine’s. Occupational Therapy 5. Sports journalists and bloggers covering NFL, MLB, NBA, NHL, MMA, college football and basketball, NASCAR, fantasy sports and more. News, photos, mock drafts, game. Occupational Therapy (OTD) Post-Professional Certificate in. The post-professional certificate in occupational therapy is. 32nd by the US News and World Report. What Should I Ask At An Interview This piece is produced in commercial partnership between Maurice Blackburn and Fairfax Media. When you’re close to securing a new job after a couple of rounds of interviews and an employment contract is not far away, your ability to. 1929 – 2008. The National Council on Public Polls (NCPP) is saddened to learn of the death of longtime pollster and colleague, Harry O’Neill. O’Neill died at his. Any Questions? What to Ask in an Interview. by. Your first step should be to ask anything about the position that hasn’t been covered in the interview. "Everyone should ask questions, but I’m certainly not against them," the. receiving end of criticism due to her. 2. At the end of every interview, you Your Job Outlook. Take a look at these numbers Occupational Therapy (OT) numbers: U.S. News & World Report ranks the field of OT as #9 out of 34 for the best health care jobs. Time Magazine reports that the field of OT ranks in the top five of the most in-demand jobs. Jun 22, 2017. The field of occupational therapy, which is closely related to physical therapy, is growing rapidly. U.S. News and World Report cited occupational therapy as one of the 15 best careers of 2015. The average OT salary in North Carolina is $80,000, and there are only 2,520 registered OTs in the state. We also provide reviews, facts, and questions and answers for schools on our site and offer you access to get valuable information from colleges and universities today. Sponsored Link. Notre Dame. Business Certificates \| Online \| Accredited. 100% Online, Flexible Schedule: U.S. News & World Report-ranked Notre Dame. Pitt’s highly acclaimed Department of Occupational Therapy offers four degree programs. Our entry-level degree program is currently ranked 4th. physical and occupational therapy, speech-language pathology, psychology, and neurology. Each profession determines the training requirements for its own practitioners, and U.S. states regulate professional licensing standards. Because. Train to become an occupational therapy assistant and prepare yourself for a career in occupational therapy. Call or inquire online to enroll. U.S. News and World Report ranked Thomas Jefferson University’s Department of Occupational Therapy as the #6 program in the country. The report… "From when he first arrived compared to now is just night and day," Elly Schoap, an occupational therapist at the hospital said, via the news organization. "When he left us he was able to walk and talk, but he was still very impaired. This. Occupational therapy assistants and aides help patients develop. You may not last as long at it as you think, and you may be unhappy at it, too. The number of. Phd students will spend two years in Thailand and three years in the US, while master’s students will study. Others are special subjects such as physical. “I prepare the meals, do physical therapy, speech therapy, and occupational therapy. To make his life better.” Fox News reports the couple has declined requests for an interview, and asked the photographer to delete the post since. Consolidate functions of the province’s five health authorities, fold some health organizations such as CancerCare Manitoba into larger entities, and cut funding for some services such as outpatient physiotherapy and occupational. Peter Raffalli, attending physician for child neurology at Boston Children’s Hospital and a member of the Ironstone Therapy Board, said therapeutic riding “uses the horse to deliver traditional physical, occupational. a new world for. Various policies and news are also included in the Animal Stem Cell Therapy Market report. Various costs involved in. World-renowned author. Bob and Mary Schindler (courtesy Bay News 9) “We love our daughter very much and we want her home. Over the last 13 years, Terri has laughed with us, cried with us, talked with us, and even tried to get out of. Stockton in Top 10 Public Regional Universities Ranked by U.S. News & World Report. 2018 US News & World Report Best College Regional Universities North. The Occupational Therapy Program is accredited by the Accreditation Council for Occupational Therapy Education of the American Occupational Therapy. For more information, contact Tina Coleman at (724) 465-3872 or [email protected] • The Indiana County Office of. This will. Check the best job rankings, get career, salary, and workplace advice at US News & World Report Their daily schedule includes going outside for fresh air, exercise, occupational therapy and spiritual guidance. "I’ve only ever seen him with his family, in the room next door to us. But when his family came its private. There are no. European Tour Career Earnings Bernhard Langer has had a long and successful career. A pro since 1972, he has 96 wins over a number of tours, including 42 on the European. (10th on Champions Tour) Scoring average 2015: 69.93 (second) Career Champions. Golf \| European Tour. The information you requested is not available at this time, please check back again soon. Ole Schemion has emerged victorious in the 2016 European Poker Tour Grand Final €100,000 buy. This was the fourth seven-figure score of Schemion’s career and it brought his lifetime live tournaments earnings to more than $10. The Race to Dubai is a season-long competition which celebrates both the diversity and shared passion for golf across the globe ending with the DP World Tour. "The night before they would come and collect us and take us to the special room where. four large-scale workshops so more patients could engage in occupational therapy. The first progress report in February 1954 stated 12 of the 18. Looking for occupational therapy jobs that are outside of the ordinary? Occupational therapists in the Navy rehabilitate & retrain injured servicemembers. Taylor Swift Jay Leno Interview Taylor Swift, along with Glu Mobile Inc., a leading global developer and publisher of free-to-play mobile games, announced the U.S. launch of The Swift Life for. Jul 29, 2016 · Kim Kardashian brought the heat when she revealed her receipts about Taylor Swift’s phone call with Kanye — but the feud started way before that. Jay Leno has always been great for a laugh, but this parody of Taylor Swift's "22" music video, which he calls "63", is sure to top the charts in his own comedy career. Sep 18, 2009. Jay Leno is to cars as Taylor Swift is to music videos. “We will be asking guests to set a time 'round a track in the NBC parking lot in Those in the Springfield College occupational therapy program enter as an undergraduate student, and earn a Bachelor of Science in health science and a Master of. Graduates of the Springfield College occupational therapy master's degree program have been going out into the world and making a difference since the. The nationally ranked UAB Department of Occupational Therapy offers innovative. occupational therapists. as ranked by U.S. News and World Report in the. Includes an acute rehabilitation hospital, a skilled nursing facility, neighborhood rehabilitation centers, and a home health agency. Students are exposed to a variety of innovative and progressive methods taught by the exceptional faculty. It's no suprise that the program is consistently ranked among the top programs by USNews and World Report. Find out why students love being a part of the Program in Occupational Therapy at Columbia University, Occupational therapist ranked 23rd in U.S. News & World Report's list of The 100 Best Jobs, and is often noted as one of the most rewarding careers. OTs practice in a wide range of settings including in schools, inpatient hospitals and outpatient clinics, nursing homes, people's homes, and community organizations that. Lobby group Save the Children has published its State of the World’s Mothers report this week, which says Australia is now the seventh best place in the world to be a mother – down five places from last year. The organisation says. The occupational therapy department provides evaluation and treatment to improve clients' fine motor skills, activities of daily living (including eating, dressing, hygiene, toileting and play activities), oral motor skills and adaptive seating needs. Occupational therapy functions as a member of an interdisciplinary team in. U.S. News and World Report. Duquesne ranked No. 120 on the 2018 Best Colleges list, marking its tenth consecutive year in the top tier of schools and a four-spot increase from last year. Duquesne is No. 12 among national Catholic universities within the U.S. News 2018 top tier schools. 44 for occupational therapy, No. Career Information Career Tracks: Median Salary: $56950 Salary Range: $36420-$76790 Salary Ranges are according to the 2014 BLS data. Occupational Therapy Assistants rank #1 in the Best Health Care Support Jobs by the U.S News and World Report Rankings on January 2016. Entry Level Positions: Occupational. Find the best graduate program for you using the US News Best Graduate Schools rankings.
Thanksgiving Day. A national holiday, a day set aside specifically for the purpose of reflecting on our blessings and expressing thanks to our Creator and Provider for the blessings we have. Are we truly thankful? And should our thanks be expressed only on a designated day? Thankfulness is an attitude of the heart; to be thankful and to give thanks is a choice. We need to be in such a posture every day of our lives, come what may. Searching (yes, I used text search on the digital Bible) I find the phrase "give thanks" thirty-four times in the KJV. The phrase "praise the Lord" appears thirty-two times. Doesn't it seem that we are under a very powerful injunction to choose thankfulness and offer praise and thanksgiving? As Pastor Doug pointed out this Sunday past, thankfulness is expressed by the words of the mouth and by the works of the hands. Be thankful: praise the Lord. Be thankful: help someone. [While the accompanying drawing may look like it was done by my eight-year old great granddaughter, it is in fact mine. So much for artistic ability. And when I sent it to my friend, Nina, her response was that that is a pretty scrawny looking bird, doubt if it will feed the family.]
From Myklebust Farm to Vennebu Hill The family history of the Myklebust Farm is one with strong ties to the land, the trees, and to the family. The Myklebust grandchildren often spend time visiting this awe-inspiring view to catch a break from the daily grind of life. Vennebu Hill owner, Mia Myklebust’s father, Paal Myklebust arrived in America in the 1950s from Norway. Paal met Ragnhild Helland, a local to Wisconsin Dells, during a presentation she was giving of her recent trip to Norway. Paal was a first generation Norwegian who had immigrated to the U.S. Longing for his homeland he relaxed and watched as she spoke of his homeland. Paal had fallen asleep. Apologetically, Paal approached Raghe and tried to drum up some light conversation. Somehow, his charm superseded his sleepy first impression. Thank goodness Paul approached her because the rest is history. Together they built a dream homestead and raised a family on a sect of land nestled to the east of the Wisconsin River. The hilltop farmland is located south of the bustling tourist town of Wisconsin Dells and about eight minutes north of quaint Baraboo, WI. Mia grew up on the farm with her four siblings enjoying the unique traditions a farm lifestyle offers. The farm was a Black Angus cattle operation with cattle branding and birthing facilities, as well as a hay barn, and then later a crop farm. Since her youth, Mia has always dreamt of restoring her family’s barn. The barn was the showstopper on the once active cattle ranch. Its Gothic style easily could be imagined as a joyful place that offered hints of the way of life they experienced during their youth. Two years ago, a seed of an idea was born. Mia thought “What if we created a place where people could gather together and celebrate life’s cherished moments?” The property’s Gothic barn had a beauty to it that Mia envisioned would be lovely for a couple to wed and celebrate in. So the idea was cultivated. Myklebust Farm would become home to a wedding and event venue: Vennebu Hill. How did we come up with such a unique name? Vennebu Hill was named early on during the initial concept phase. The Gothic barn that resided on the top of the great hill at Myklebust Farms in Wisconsin Dells had a magic to it that was not only inviting but peaceful and picturesque. Mia Myklebust (Vennebu Hill co-owner and executor of Myklebust Farms) suggested the name after a friend made her family a sign that read “Vennebu.” Partners Katie Klitzke and Dave Muehl both liked the sound of the word, but what was its meaning? The Norwegian term meant “a gathering place for friends and family.” How apropos to name this place ‘Vennebu’ with its beautiful views of the Baraboo bluffs, interesting and unique Gothic style barn, and rich Norwegian culture and family history.
Research and scientific innovations must aim at benefiting the farmers: Vice President Delivers 19th Convocational address at Chandra Shekhar Azad University of Agriculture and Technology The Vice President of India, Shri M. Venkaiah Naidu has said that the research and scientific innovations must aim at benefiting the farmers. He was delivering the 19th Convocational address at Chandra Shekhar Azad University of Agriculture and Technology, in Kanpur today. The Governor of Uttar Pradesh, Shri Ram Naik, the Minister for Agriculture, Uttar Pradesh, Shri Surya Pratap Shahi and other dignitaries were present on the occasion. The Vice President said that Chandra Shekhar Azad University of Agriculture and Technology, Kanpur, which started its journey as School of Agriculture in 1893 has been playing a pioneering role in agricultural education. This institution has maintained a rich tradition of quality education and research ever since its inception, he added. The Vice President said that high-yielding varieties of food crops developed here have made a significant contribution to the Green Revolution, building a vibrant agricultural sector in our country. Agriculture is the basic culture of Indians and the Green Revolution has enabled us to be self-sufficient and feed the growing population. The Vice President said that there has to be a multi-pronged approach in making agriculture profitable and sustainable. He further said that apart from encouraging crop diversification, impetus has to be given to infrastructure in terms of rural roads, electricity, cold storage facilities, rural godowns and refrigerated vans. Also, there is a need to ensure timely credit to farmers and increase in public spending on agriculture, he added. The Vice President said that the need of the hour is to make our agricultural systems sustainable since there will not be any increase in agricultural land, while the number of farming families and their needs are increasing. He further said that a number of agricultural and farmers’ welfare schemes such as the Prime Minister’s Crop Insurance Scheme, Agricultural Irrigation Scheme, Farm Mechanization Mission, National Agricultural Marketing Scheme, Rural Storage Scheme and Soil Health Card Scheme have been initiated to strengthen livelihood security and promote food production. Farmers must be made aware of the benefits of new and innovative technologies in a simple and understandable language, he added. The Vice President congratulated and conveyed his blessings to all the new graduates. He advised them to follow the philosophy of Gautam Buddha “Appo Dippo Bhava”, which means: ‘Be a light unto yourself’ as the light of intellect, in both the real and literal sense, can help you follow the path of success, peace and prosperity, both for yourselves and for all of humanity.
Le présent billet a été rédigé par Jonathan Goldberg, que je remercie. Une traduction en français suivra sous peu. The verb « to degift » is cautiously creeping into the English language. The Urban Dictionary (UrbanDictionary.com), which often contains invented words or tongue-in-cheek definitions, defines “to degift” as “to take back a present (particularly if the recipient is unappreciative)”. But that word may become more prevalent now that Amazon has taken out a patent on software that allows a customer to receive early notification that they are about to receive a gift, giving the customer time to exchange the gift, before it is sent, for another item or for a credit, without the donor being informed. It is too early to know whether “to degift” will mean an action taken by the donor (as per the Urban Dictionary definition) or by the donee, for example the person for whom an Amazon product has been bought as a present. For a discussion of this idea, see and listen to the audio segment.
Apud civitatem Dunum, in Hibernia, natalis sancti Patricii, Episcopi et Confessoris, qui primus in ea insula Christum evangelizavit, et maximis miraculis et virtutibus claruit. (In the city of Down in Ireland, the heavenly birth of Saint Patrick, bishop and confessor, who first announced Christ in that island, and who shone with the greatest miracles and virtues.) The stories shoved down most people’s throats about Saint Patrick of Ireland, even in Catholic circles, has no basis in history and fails to do justice to the real man and his intense love for the faith of the Church. Patrick did not, as many may tell you, expel the snakes from Ireland, and nor did he use the shamrock to help the brute, uncultured Irish understand the Holy Trinity. Most of what we know about St. Patrick is written by his own hand in the Latin language. Ethnically, he was a Briton, but culturally, he was Roman to the core. Among the most valuable and extant sources we have are his Confessio and his Epistola ad Christianos Corotici Tyrrani subditos. Rich with Scriptural references and rhetorical flourish, Patrick’s works are the fruits of a well-trained cleric, despite his humble self-appellation peccator indoctus. The latter work (the Epistola) is a very strong and bitter condemnation (really, an excommunication) of a certain Coroticus, a noble Briton, who had taken Irish Christians into slavery. This harsh letter got the future saint into some trouble, and this is likely one of many reasons he was often brought to prison (persecutionis multas usque ad vincula), as mentioned in the Confessio. Bishop and Confessor The Martyrology calls Patrick episcopus et confessor: not only was he a successor of the Apostles, but he also suffered for the faith. We find references to his episcopacy in both the Confessio and the Epistola: Et ibi scilicet in sinu noctis virum venientem quasi de Hiberione, cui nomen Victoricus, cum aepistolis innumerabilibus vidi; et dedit mihi unam ex his, et legi principium epistolae continentem, Vox Hyberionacum… Deo gratias, quia post plurimos annos praestitit illis Dominus secundum clamorem illorum. (Confessio) It was while I was there [in Britain] that I saw, in a dream a man coming from Ireland, whose name was Victoricus with innumerable letters. He gave me one of these, and I read the heading of the letter, which read “the voice of the Irish”… Thanks be to God, after many years the Lord granted this to them, according to their cries. This “Victoricus” is very likely Saint Victricius, Bishop of Rouen, who had also gone to Ireland before Patrick. Patricius peccator indoctus, scilicet Hiberione constitutus episcopum me esse fateor. Certissime reor, a Deo accepi id quod sum. (Epistola) Patrick, an unlearned sinner, yet in Ireland I am established as bishop. I am most certain all that I am, I have received from God. A confessor is not merely a man who suffers, but one who suffers for professing the faith of the Apostles, and Patrick’s profession is wonderfully sophisticated, nuanced, and profound. This is most clearly seen towards the beginning of the Confessio, where Patrick writes his synthesis of Christian beliefs (a creed), which I produce translated into English. …there is no other God, neither prior nor after, except God the Father ungenerated, the one without beginning, from whom is every beginning, who holds all things, as we say: and in his Son Jesus Christ, who with the Father we testify has always been, before the beginning of time, in a spiritual way unto the Father. He was begotten ineffably (inenarrabiliter genitum) before every beginning, and through him were made the visible and invisible. Becoming man and conquering death (hominem factum, morte devicta), he was received to the Father in heaven. The Father gave him all power over every name, that at the name of Jesus every knee should bend, of those in heaven, on earth, and in the netherworld, and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord and God, and we believe and await his coming in the near future as judge of the living and the dead, who will judge each one according to his deeds (qui reddet unicuique secundum facta sua), and who has poured on us the Holy Spirit, the gift and promise of immortality, who makes the believers and the obedient to be sons of God and co-heirs of Christ. This we confess and worship, one God in a trinity of the sacred name (confitemur et adoramus unum Deum in Trinitate sacri nominis). It doesn’t take a form critic to notice the parallels to the Apostles’ Creed and the Niceno-Constantinopolitan Creed. In addition, we see the references to Paul’s letters to the Philippians, to the Romans, to Titus, the Acts of the Apostles, and the Gospel of John. We know, therefore, that Patrick was well versed not only in Scripture, but also in the dogmatic controversies which plagued the first five centuries, for the language of his creed is firmly founded in the earliest Patristic texts. Like many saints of those early ages, he too had to wrestle with the temptations of polytheistic paganism, to fight accusations that the Trinitarian doctrine was itself a polytheism, and in a general sense protect the faith in “one God in a Trinity of the sacred name”. As we saw in Part III of our “Formed by Divine Teaching” series, we know that, in ancient thought, one’s name is most intimately associated with one’s essence. Patrick refers to one God and one sacred name, which refers to God’s one divine essence, while the Trinity refers to the three personae: Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. Patrick never lost sight of this unity of essence, a fact that making his use of the shamrock as a pedagogical tool unthinkable. The Shamrock– a terrible Trinitarian analogy The earliest written evidence we have of the “shamrock story” comes from a 17th century haigiographical work called Acta Trias Thautamurgae (“Acts of the Wonderworking Triad”) which described the lives of St. Patrick, St. Brigid, and St. Columba. Published by John Colgan, OFM, in 1647, it is hardly an accurate vitae sanctorum. Thomas Dineley, an Englishman who traveled to Ireland in the 17th century gives us another connection between Paddy’s Day and the shamrock. The association of St. Patrick’s Day with the shamrock was virtually unknown until very late in history. The 17th day of March yeerly is St Patricks, an immoveable feast, when ye Irish of all stations and condicions wear crosses in their hatts, some of pinns, some of green ribbon, and the vulgar superstitiously wear shamroges, 3 leav’d grass, which they likewise eat (they say) to cause a sweet breath. (Dineley, 1681; emphasis mine) From his firsthand account, Dineley finds the shamrock associated with the “vulgar” and “supersititious”, not with the true celebration of the Apostle to Ireland! How can what Dineley called “3 leav’d grass” and what we today call “three-leaf clover” function as an analogy of the Trinity? As Patrick and all the ancient Church Fathers understood it, between the personae (hypostases) of the Trinity there is distinction but no separation. Yet, in the “three-leaf clover”, the leaves are in fact separate from each other! This is why the shamrock is, in fact, a terribly inadequate analogy for the Holy Trinity. From such a comparison can arise two heretical tendencies: tritheism and partialism. Tritheism conceives of the three Trinitarian persons as three distinct gods, while partialism would consider the each person as 33.3̅% of the one Godhead. Both, obviously, are absurd are contrary to the innate and ineffable understanding of the Trinity which comes by grace to the heart of the believer. Patrick himself does not expend much effort into delivering detailed dogmatic treatises de Trinitate to the Irish– his primary goal was to bring them the Sacraments. Furthermore, no ancient source corroborates the shamrock story, and it seems that all Christendom was largely silent on the issue until the Acta Trias Thaumaturgae hit the printing press in 1647. Surely, initiation into the Church meant acceptance of the God who is Father, Son, and Holy Ghost, but there is nothing in Patrick’s authentic writings to suggest any more difficulty in teaching this doctrine to the Irish than to any other unevangelized people of the time, to the point that the Saint needed to avail himself of a totally inapt comparison. Perhaps Patrick’s silence about preaching the details of the Trinity point to the fact that Trinitarian theology is largely apophatic– the great dogmatic definitions arose as negations, as condemnations of heterodox proposals raised by those who tried to apply logical constraints on God. The Trinity, by its mysterious and uncreated nature, cannot be brought down and encapsulated in the neat categories of the created order. (For example, God is not like a shamrock– God is simply the Triune!) Instead, on the positive side, we should, as did Patrick and all the holy Church Fathers before him, remain content with the basic formula which underlies Patrick’s Creed, the Nicene Creed, the Apostles Creed, and all other acts of faith: “I believe in One God who is Father, Son, and Holy Spirit– one God in a Trinity of the sacred name. Amen.”
How foolish would be any attempt to condense in one little article, in a blog which ranks not even as a footnote in the vastness of the Catholic blogosphere, the breadth of accomplishments of John Paul II’s pontificate. His heroic virtues are known to all: his pious devotion to the Eucharist, his fervent attachment to the Blessed Mother, his ecumenical outreach, his tireless pursuit of peace, his development of philosophical personalism, his intellectual contributions to the Second Vatican Council, his forgiveness of his would-be assassin, his role in ending the Cold War– all these make him not only a monumental ecclesiastical figure but a true giant of history. No biography, no matter how detailed or exhaustive, will ever do justice to the immensity of this man this Saint. Instead of chronicling the life and accomplishments of John Paul II, as has been done by many other people far more capable than me, I will focus on one theme, namely, that he was a pastor par excellence. Building on our previous reflections on the nature of true pastoral care and the combative character of episcopal office, I mean that Papa Wojtyla exemplified that delicate balance between tender care for the flock on the one hand, and uncompromising fidelity to the truth of the faith on the other hand. The unity of these two approaches become evident when one examines his vigorous support for the anti-Soviet movements in his native Poland compared with his vigorous opposition to Marxist-heavy liberation theology in Latin America. To help illustrate this point, what follows is an extended quotation from a theological paper of mine published in 2009. The thesis of the paper concerns John Paul II’s place in Polish history. In the debates concerning the predominantly Latin American phenomenon of liberation theology, the ambassadors of doctrinal orthodoxy (to include John Paul II and Benedict XVI [and now, Francis!]) have frequently warned against an over-secularized approach symbolized by the preference of sociological methods over theological ones. From [John Paul II’s] allocution to the assembly of Latin American bishops at Puebla in 1979, we can infer his sentiment that the term “liberation” had been “hijacked” by popular liberation theologians who seemed to leave the eschatological dimension behind, limiting the concept of liberation to empirically observable, purely political (and often partisan) success, even if it means betraying the traditional tenets of Christian morality through recourse to violence. 09The impressiveness of John Paul’s contribution to the liberation of Poland is a product of the homogeneous fusion of political objectives and religious purpose in a manner consonant with the constant moral teaching of the Church. This philosophical consistency, embedded in the spirit of the Solidarity movement, is what allowed the anti-Communist resistance to function as an almost united front, remaining formidable and influential despite open repression. It is the same force which preserved Polish identity and culture despite centuries of intermittent prosperity and subjugation. Yet in the age of John Paul II, something new occurred. The Church, as a maternal protectress, had always been sufficient in simply maintaining Polish identity without guaranteeing a political stability with feasible longevity. It would seem that under Wojtyla’s pontificate, Poland finally came of age, for in the image of the Polish pope, we find a novel icon which eloquently symbolizes what it means to be Polish and Catholic. As Archbishop of Krakow, he was successor of St. Stanislaus, the primordial patron of Poland; as Bishop of Rome, he was successor of St. Peter, the point of reference for ecclesiastical union. Through both titles, he personified an unprecedented development of the unity between Poland and the Church. When Wojtyla ascended to the papacy, it was almost as if Poland was raised up with him, revitalized, resurgent, and resurrected in a way never before seen. The collapse of Soviet communism can thus be considered the culminating political-eschatological moment of Polish history wherein that nation at last found its “proper place among the nations of Europe, East and West.” Poland’s transfiguration from serial victim to emerging world power is ultimately a product of and a tribute to John Paul’s fundamental insight that it is “not possible to understand the history of the Polish nation without Christ.” Full citation for the paper quoted above is as follows: Belleza, Joey. “Karol Wojtyla in the Trajectory of Polish History.” Writing for a Real World 2008-2009 (2009): pp. 108-120.
I admit plainly and unequivocally: I am no fan of the permanent diaconate (and I will explain this in greater depth in a future post). As I was researching the teaching of the Church concerning the permanent diaconate in order to build my case, I came across the decree Diaconatus permanens (subtitled “Basic norms for the formation of permanent deacons”) [Latin; English] promulgated jointly by Congregation for the Clergy and the Congregation for Catholic Education in 1998. This document first brought to my attention the idea that restoring the permanent diaconate was first ordered not by the Second Vatican Council but by the Council of Trent, the latter of which was largely ignored on this matter. A few internet searches will reveal that this proposition has, not surprisingly, made its way into many diocesan websites for clerical formation, and has since been received as undisputed fact in many Church circles. But did the Council of Trent really restore the permanent diaconate? I’d to argue to the contrary. Based on a reading of the applicable citation from the Council of Trent, I find it difficult to provably claim that the said Ecumenical Council in any way desired the restoration of the permanent diaconate as asserted in the decree Diaconatus permanens. The joint decree’s opening words immediately assert the claim [my English translation]: Diaconatus permanens, a Concilio Vaticano II restitutus apteque conveniens cum universa et continua Traditione necnon cum peculiaribus votis Concilii Oecumenici Tridentini, his decenniis proxime praeteritis valida impulsione est promotus… The permanent diaconate, restored by the Second Vatican Council and aptly in keeping with the universal and constant tradition as well as with the peculiar desire of the Ecumenical Tridentine Council, has been in recent decades been promoted by a strong impulse… While this opening sentence contains no footnote references, a few paragraphs later, Diaconatus permanens contains the following with a footnote: Concilium Tridentinum statuit ut diaconatus permanens in pristinum restitueretur sicut temporibus antiquis, secundum propriam naturam, scilicet ut originarium ministerium in Ecclesia. Sed huiusmodi praescriptio in praxim reapse non fuit deducta. The Council of Trent established that the permanent Diaconate, should be restored according to ancient times, in accord with its proper nature, namely, to its original ministry in the Church. This prescription, however, was not carried into effect. Footnote #20 to Diaconatus permanens contains the simple citation: Concilium Tridentinum, Sessio XXIII, Decretum de reformatione can. 17. Since Diaconatus permanens contained no other references connecting Trent and the permanent diaconate, I went diligently to the text of that Council’s twenty-third session, Canon 17 of the Decree on Reformation. I reproduce the aforementioned canon entirely, in Latin [source] and in English [my translation], with my emphases added. Ut sanctorum ordinum a diaconatu ad ostiariatum functiones ab Apostolorum temporibus in Ecclesia laudabiliter receptae et pluribus in locis aliquamdiu intermissae in usum iuxta sacros canones revocentur nec ab haereticis tamquam otiosae traducantur: illius prisci moris restituendi desiderio flagrans sancta Synodus decernit ut in posterum huiuscemodi ministeria non nisi per constitutos in dictis ordinibus exerceantur; omnes et singulos praelatos Ecclesiarum in Domino hortatur et illis praecipit ut quantum fieri commode poterit in ecclesiis cathedralibus collegiatis et parochialibus suae dioecesis si populus frequens et Ecclesiae proventus id ferre queant huiusmodi functiones curent restituendas et ex aliqua parte redituum aliquorum simplicium beneficiorum vel fabricae Ecclesiae si proventus suppetant aut utriusque illorum eas functiones exercentibus stipendia assignent quibus si negligentes fuerint ordinarii iudicio aut ex parte mulctari aut in totum privari possint. Quodsi ministeriis quatuor minorum ordinum exercendis clerici coelibes praesto non erunt suffici possint etiam coniugati vitae probatae dummodo non bigami ad ea munia obeunda idonei et qui tonsuram et habitum clericalem in Ecclesia gestent. That the functions of holy orders, from deacon to porter [a diaconatu ad ostiariatum], have been laudably received in the Church since the time of the Apostles, and which in many places have been long interrupted, may be again restored to use according to the sacred canons and that they not be hatefully criticized by heretics [diu intermissae in usum iuxta sacros canones revocentur nec ab haereticis tamquam otiosae traducantur]: the sacred Synod, burning with the desire of restoring the pristine usage [prisci moris restituendi desiderio flagrans], discerns that, henceforth, such functions shall not be exercised except by those who are constituted in the aforementioned orders; and it exhorts in the Lord all and each of the prelates of churches and commands them, that it be their care to restore those functions as much as can be done expediently, in the cathedral, collegiate, and parish churches of their dioceses, where the number of the people and the income of the church can support it; and, to those who exercise those functions, they shall assign salaries out of some part of the revenues of any simple benefices, or those of the donations to the church, if the funds allow, or out of the revenues of both together, of which stipends they may, if negligent, be fined in part, or be wholly deprived, according to the judgment of the Ordinary. And if there are no sufficient unmarried clerics available to exercise the roles of the four minor orders [quattuor minorum ordinem], their place may be filled by married clerics of approved life provided they have not married twice, are competent to discharge the aforementioned duties, and are able to wear the tonsure and clerical attire in Church. Here it will be helpful to remember the seven-step system of Holy Orders in force in the Roman Church until 1972. In illo tempore, there were three major orders: Subdeacon, Deacon, and Priest (with bishops considered a special set of priests endowed with the fullness of Christ’s high priesthood). Sacramentally speaking, only the diaconate and priesthood (to include bishops) are considered true orders (that is, each imprints an indelible character on the soul). Once a man became a subdeacon and joined major orders, he was at that moment more or less bound perpetually to the clerical state. Prior to major orders, however, candidates to priesthood had to first be receive the tonsure (the ceremonial cutting of hair signifying entrance into the clerical state) before progressing through the four minor orders: Porter, Lector, Exorcist, Acolyte. These four orders evolved out of ancient liturgical roles. For example, in times of persecution, porters attended to the doors during Mass to enforce the disciplina arcani; exorcists were charged with simple exorcisms (as opposed to the solemn exorcism of spirits) to prepare catechumens for the sacraments. During his time in minor orders, a man was not yet permanently bound to the clerical state. [Pope Paul VI, in perhaps one of his most un-ecumenical moves (especially in regards to the Eastern Churches), abolished the offices of porter, exorcist, and subdeacon; he also abolished the imposition of tonsure; the roles of lector and acolyte are no longer “minor orders” but “ministries” not reserved to those seeking priesthood; and entrance into the clerical state is now tied to diaconal ordination. These sweeping changes, a summary deformation of venerable Catholic tradition, were imposed by the 1972 Apostolic Letter motu proprio data Ministeria quaedam of 15 August 1972.] So what is the Council of Trent really saying about orders, and specifically, the diaconate? First it mentions that the roles of the first six orders (porter, lector, exorcist, acolyte, subdeacon, and deacon) are of Apostolic origin but whose proper exercise at the time of Trent was not diligently observed. The Tridentine Council therefore resolved to “restore the pristine usage” in a very specific way, that is, by limiting clerical functions to men who have actually been appointed as clergy. The implication is that, for a long time, there existed a widespread abuse of Orders in which some men, who were not duly appointed clerics, were in fact acting in those clerical roles. Trent intended to rectify the abuse by explicitly excluding non-clerics from tasks proper to clergy– thus “restoring the pristine usage”. Next, Trent raises the possibility of appointing married men to clerical roles, specifically, to the four minor orders. This Council in fact permits married men to be porters, lectors, exorcists, and acolytes, on the condition that there are not enough celibate men available to fill those roles. Note that in this case, the text specifically mentions only the four minor orders— explicitly excluding married men from all major orders, including the diaconate. Nothing in the Tridentine text cited by Diaconatus permanens mentions the permanent diaconate as we know it today. There is mention of “restoring the pristine usage”, but a plain reading of the aforementioned Decretum de Reformatione clearly shows that the phrase refers more to the proper use of actual clerics in clerical roles, rather than the ancient (dare we say antiquarian?) practice of ordaining permanent and/or married deacons. Furthermore, the Tridentine permission to admit married men to clerical functions applies to the minor orders exclusively. What is even more illuminating is that, in light of the great debates and meticulous theological work that went into preparing the documents of the Second Vatican Council (which amply cited Trent wherever possible), there is no mention of a connection between Trent and the suggestion for restoring the permanent diaconate (see Lumen Gentium 29). Furthermore, Paul VI’s Apostolic Letter motu proprio data Sacrum Diaconatus Ordinem (18 June 1967), by which he officially established the permanent diaconate, also fails to note any citation from the Tridentine Council. The precursor to Diaconatus permanens concerning formation of permanent deacons was a brief, vague, Italian-language circular letter from the Congregation for Catholic Education dated 16 July 1969, known by its Italian incipit Come è a conoscenza. This letter also does not refer to the Council of Trent. Based on this investigation, it would seem that (at least concerning the claim that Trent decreed a permanent diaconate) some sloppy historical work at the Congregation for Catholic Education and the Congregation for Clergy went into the composition of Diaconatus permanens. Perhaps somebody working on the text engaged in a cursory reading of the Tridentine decree, saw the phrase prisci moris restituendi, and then immediately (and wrongly) assumed that this referred to the occurrence of married and/or permanent deacons in ancient times, hence the phrase in pristinam restituetur sicut temporibus antiquis in the 1998 document. [On a side note, if the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith were more directly involved, we might surmise that its erstwhile Prefect (and future pope) might have caught what seems to be an egregious error.] Why did Diaconatus permanens go out of its way to cite Trent to support the permanent diaconate? We can only guess, and what follows is my humble personal opinion. John Paul II’s pontificate was marked by a vigorous attempt to correctly interpret the Second Vatican Ecumenical Council after the chaotic times incited by Paul VI’s reign. As a result, there was a renewed emphasis on the fact that, as John XXIII explicitly stated at his Council’s opening, Vatican II is in total continuity with Trent and Vatican I. Some of the big names who worked in John Paul’s Curia (Arinze, Castrillon Hoyos, Laghi, Medina Estevez, Ratzinger) strove to make this continuity ever more apparent, and in an attempt to bolster justification for the permanent diaconate– one of the biggest post-Conciliar reforms– the Congregations for Catholic Education and Clergy reached a little too far. Sadly, I do not have the means to conduct an exhaustive historical examination of this matter, and I remain open to correction regarding my reading of the Tridentine text. What seems clear, however, are the following: - Paul VI, who established the modern permanent diaconate, did not cite the Council of Trent when justifying his decision (cf. Sacrum Diaconatus Ordinem). - The Second Vatican Council did not cite Trent when it suggested the permanent diaconate’s restoration (cf. Lumen Gentium 29). - The first letter from Rome concerning formation of permanent deacons (Come è a conoscenza) does not cite Trent. - The 1998 joint decree Diaconatus permanens seems to contain the earliest reference to Trent vis-a-vis the permanent diaconate. In any case, this little historical curiosity, however interesting, can ultimately be of penultimate importance. Tridentine support or none, the Roman Church now has a permanent diaconate, and we must humbly accept this institution for what it is: a genuine Vatican II project, not a product of the Catholic Counter-Reformation. Whether or not this institution produces quality clerics is a subject for another time.
Perhaps You Should Listen More, Lecture Less, Mr. President? By John W. Lillpop In an exclusive interview with ABC News, President Obama expressed regret that, “we lost some of that sense of speaking directly to the American people.” As reported at abcnews.go.com (1), in part: “President Obama said today that he believes he lost a direct connection to the American people in his first year in office because he focused too heavily on policymaking. ‘If there's one thing that I regret this year is that we were so busy just getting stuff done and dealing with the immediate crises that were in front of us that I think we lost some of that sense of speaking directly to the American people ...’ Obama told ABC News' George Stephanopoulos in an exclusive interview at the White House.” However, as reported at cbs.news.com (2), in part, the president was hardly a shrinking violet when it came to communicating directly to the American people. According to that report, Obama’s first year in office included the following activities: Speeches, Comments & Remarks: 411 News Conferences: 42 Town Hall Meetings: 23 Clearly, Obama’s problem is not a shortfall on the sending end of the communications loop. Rather, it is obvious that Obama and his congressional cohorts need to listen to what the American people are saying. Listening, rather than denigrating those who hold opposing views by calling such people Nazis, Astroturfers, Tea Baggers, and right-wing extremists, should be a priority in the liberal play book for 2010. Obama’s personal goal should be to listen, not lecture! Posted by John W Lillpop at 2:39 AM
Every family will differ, but what should you do to get everyone through the divorce? There are some guidelines that you can follow to make it less painful for the whole family. If you are one of the parents involved, you should stay patient. Encourage your children to openly discuss their feelings, whether positive or negative. No one marries with the plan of divorcing, but it happens, so you should never be too hard on yourself. Some of the key characteristics that can aid the healing process include: - Self Control When you are stuck in a marriage where you are not happy, it can have a huge impact on your quality of life. Arguing with someone every day will be of no help to anyone, including the children. During a divorce, you should sit down with your children and discuss it. However, keep the discussion separate from your own feelings. Many times, children feel a sense of loss when parents divorce, and they may blame you or the other parent for the upheaval in their lives. Before you have a discussion with them, have answers ready to address the major concerns. In some cases, talking to your children about the divorce could be an ongoing process. As your children age, they may have questions that they did not have before. You want to keep the table open for dialogue. Depending on how you get along with your ex, you could sit down with them to plan how you will talk to your children. However, divorce can be hard for the whole family, including you. If you do not feel that you could do it without losing your calm, you can ask for a relative or friend to talk to them. While seeing a parent get sad or upset is okay, you do not want them to see you too emotional. This can cause the children to feel responsible for the divorce. Earliest Stages the Hardest: How to Get through Them Some areas have excellent coping programs for the families of divorce. Getting through the early stages can be the most difficult because it starts a new change. A lot of children will have unresolved emotions about a divorce. For example, they could feel that they were the cause of the issue. In some cases, children may have overheard their parents arguing over them. This can worry them about their future. You have to emphasize that everything will be okay. The majority of the impact from divorce will be felt over a two to three-year duration, when you are first figuring out how it works. Every family will be different, but to reduce the stress, never let your children overhear you arguing or make them take sides. Children will naturally take sides, but this will not help with the healing process. You have to stay patient because everyone will heal at a different speed. During a divorce, having a solid support system can help. Help from friends, family and church organizations can prove invaluable to everyone involved. Whenever possible, you want to encourage your children to have a positive outlook on divorce. Do your best to keep old family traditions alive to ensure that you continue to build memories with your loved ones. Christopher Steven is an avid blogger from Tulsa, Oklahoma who is passionate about encouraging healthy family values for all communities while working with the Gorospe & Smith Tulsa Divorce Law Firm in his own community.
August 21, 2009 Delphiniums and Cosmos Run Wild! In the spring I posted about the beautiful delphiniums available from Dowdeswell Delphiniums in New Zealand. I used their pictures with permission, and after reading the post they sent me a free packet of their 'Pagan Purples' delphiniums. Woo-Hoo: that's the only free anything I've ever received from blogging! I diligently started the seeds and had MUCH MORE success than the year before, when my faulty seed starting methods yielded a little over a dozen plants per seed packet. I ended up with 47 baby delphiniums . . . oh, dear, what would I do with them all? I gave a bunch away, and crammed the rest into any spare soil in my sunny backyard holding area. In my climate, delphiniums bloom first in June, then you cut them back to the ground and they'll bloom again in September. None of mine are growing in full sun, so they tend to get more floppy and most need staking to stay upright. The plant in the photo above will probably need staking next year when it grows taller and wider. You can see in the photo above that the delphs put on a great show this year ('Green Twist' is the white delph in the background). What you can't see in the photo is all the dead leaves at the base of the plants that were caused by overcrowding. And this was before the cosmos really took off . . . This year my garden has also been a victim of my success starting cosmos seeds, in this case, Rose Bonbon Double Click cosmos. They're fancier than other cosmos, with extra rows of petals that make them look like roses. I only had about 15 cosmos seeds germinate, but by that time my garden was already crammed full of delphiniums. The seed packet said they'd grow to 4 feet tall by 2 feet wide, but I didn't really believe it. I'm used to crowding slow-starting perennials into beds, then transplanting in a few years when they fill in, so I forgot that annuals like cosmos reach full size in a season. Or maybe I didn't forget, I just ignored reason and shoved them into every last gap in the soil. So you can see that the cosmos have reached their full stature - maybe even a little more, despite overcrowding. This picture doesn't show the young english rose bushes languishing below the cosmos shade, and it doesn't show the oriental lilies that have been consumed by cosmos foliage (they're in there somewhere, I can smell them). Last night I finally went nuts and dug up a bunch of delphs and cosmos. The cosmos got tossed, and the delphs were plunked into pots while I try to figure out which local friends have a good spot for delphs and might like my castaways. So what is the moral of this story? When starting seeds, hope for mediocrity but plan for resounding success, just in case? Sharing makes the world a better place, and your garden less crowded? Pots are good in desparate times? Anyway, the fun side to all this excessive growing success has been all the arrangements made from the delphs and cosmos, which look especially perky with some golden coreopsis mixed in. The photo above shows a simple vaseful of flowers put together by my daughter, who is on track to become a great gardener and florist someday. And she'll have fun making her own mistakes and learning from them.
Two simultaneous events—the cutting down of a palm tree and the sound of a demonstration against austerity outside the Portuguese Parliament—become related, in unison, reflecting the present situation. While the trees are being cut due to the red weevil plague, that is affecting specific types of palm trees brought from African ex-colonies, the demonstrations against austerity are identified as the roots of economic crisis. The Situation Room with Wolf Blitzer is an afternoon, early evening newscast on CNN and CNN International hosted by Wolf Blitzer that first aired on August 8, 2005. The broadcast currently airs weekdays live from 5:00PM to 6:30PM ET from Washington D.C. The show begins with the following open: "Happening Now ..... We want to welcome our viewers in the United States and around the world. I'm Wolf Blitzer, and You're in the Situation Room", which includes highlights of what the show will discuss. Current events, breaking news, and political headlines all with discussions happen during the lively program. While the show has its own correspondents such as Brian Todd and Mary Snow, the show also makes use of top CNN journalists from across the network and political analysts such as Gloria Borger, John King, David Gergen, and Candy Crowley. The show features segments such as American Solutions or Strategy Session which are lively discussions on the days most pressing issue, as well as Top Stories that showcases headlines of the day. Wolf Blitzer also presents Hot Shots which are pictures coming in from around the world. Normally at the end of the program, a report by Jeanne Moos is shown that talks about unusual, off-beat soft news stories that focus on subjects related to popular culture. The report makes use of street style interviews, shots of tabloid magazine headlines, and clips garnered from videos on YouTube. A show based around relationships/friends and all of the real problems they endure. Told through Comedic form. The Mitchell and Webb Situation was a British television sketch show shown on Play UK in 2001. Written by and starring David Mitchell and Robert Webb, it lasted for one series of six episodes and was released on region 2 DVD in 2006 by Eureka Video. It was rebroadcast on BBC Two in October 2008. Situation: Comedy was a reality show that aired on the Bravo network in 2005. It was produced by Sean Hayes and Todd Milliner. The winner of the series was "Stephen's Life". The runner up was "The Sperm Donor". In Situation Critical, we explore the unfolding action and the real people thrust into survivor mode by some of the most dramatic events in modern history. This fast-paced series takes you inside the seemingly stable events that became headline disasters in a matter of minutes. Each hour-long episode combines archival footage, accurate re-enactments, advanced CGI and firsthand accounts from those at the centre of the action. Building suspense with each heart-pounding movement, we vividly break down the terrifying moments — outlining the life-threatening risks, daring decisions, frantic communications, evolving tactics and last-ditch efforts developing with each decisive tick of the clock. PANICS or P.A.N.I.C.S., an acronym for People Acting Normal In Crazy-Ass Situations, is a comic science fiction series created by Rooster Teeth Productions and released in 2005. The series was produced primarily by using the machinima technique of synchronizing video footage from video games to pre-recorded dialogue and other audio. The series was produced at the request of Monolith Productions as a part of a tie-in with the Director's Edition of the video game F.E.A.R. which the Rooster Teeth team used to produce the series. The mini-series consists of five episodes. Four of these have been released on the Rooster Teeth website, and one — episode 0, a prequel — ships exclusively with the F.E.A.R. Director's Edition DVD. The story centers on a newcomer to Bravo Team, a special military group formed to battle supernatural enemies. As the series begins, Bravo Team has been sent into a military facility at night to investigate the reports of paranormal activity from within. This is a parody of the main scenario used in F.E.A.R. Real Situation Saturday was a Korean variety show shown on the SBS network. Many popular programs have aired on this Saturday line-up, including X-Man and Real Romance Love Letter, dominating Saturday evening ratings for a long time. It began to air for 60 mins. from November 8, 2003 to July 2, 2005, later expanded to 130 mins from July 9, 2005 to October 28, 2006, and cut back to 70 mins. from November 4, 2006 to January 6, 2007 and ended its run because it suffered competition from Infinite Challenge.
Last night's storm was a bit of a bust, putting down only 5" at Alta-Collins, so we turn our attention to other weather matters, namely the lake-effect rain falling in the western Salt Lake and eastern Tooele Valley this morning. Satellite and radar imagery show a nice wind-parallel cloud and somewhat disorganized precipitation band south of the Great Salt Lake. Fortunately for commuters, this is a relatively warm event and the precipitation on the valley floor is falling in the form of rain. Here's a webcam image from Lakepoint near the northern tip of the Oquirrh Mountains. This is a somewhat unusual event in two regards. First, the difference between the lake temperature (+6ºC) and the temperature at 700 mb (-7ºC) is pretty small (13ºC). For many years, meteorologists assumed that temperature difference needed to be at least 16ºC for lake-effect to develop, but in recent work, we show that lake-effect can occur at values as low as 12ºC (Alcott et al. 2012). Thus, this is an example of one of those low-instability events and it appears it is occurring with about the smallest amount of instability possible. Second, it is a lake-effect rain event rather than snow. It's probably fairly hard to get lake-effect rain in early March. If it was just a little colder, it would be snowing and sticking. When it comes down in the form of rain, all I can think is what a waste of a lake-effect band!
A wide variety of options exist for prospective graduate students seeking funding for graduate study. The most common means of funding is in the form of research or teaching assistantships, which provide a monthly stipend and tuition waiver. These assistantships are awarded on a competitive basis and students are encouraged to apply early in order to ensure full consideration. Funding is also available in the form of fellowships. These competitive awards can originate from any one of a variety of sources, including the College of Engineering, the Graduate School, and external agencies. Regarding fellowships from external agencies, some common programs are the National Science Foundation Graduate Research Fellowship and the National Defense Science and Engineering Graduate Fellowship. For further information on funding from external agencies, as well as numerous starting points, please feel free to look here.
The past tense of regular verbs is formed by adding -d or -ed. Hate (present tense) becomes hated (past tense), alter becomes altered, discombobulate becomes discombobulated. You get the picture. Verbs that do not end in -ed in the past tense are classified as irregular. Write (present tense) becomes wrote (past tense), tell becomes told and so on. The verb cost, meaning "to have a price of" or "to cause to lose something," is irregular. Its past tense is not costed; it's cost. Ten gallons of gas cost about $35. (present tense) A decade ago 10 gallons of gas cost about $15. (past tense) Playing poorly cost the team a playoff spot. (present tense) Last month's front-page error cost the editor his job. (past tense) Make sure you read your work closely before it's published. If you don't, it may cost you.
Common Dental Conditions and How to Avoid Them Many people want to avoid dental problems but aren’t aware of how their daily habits can increase their risk for common oral issues. Little lifestyle changes can go a long way towards preventing oral health problems in the future. Below is a list of common dental problems and what you can do to avoid them. Bad breath is caused by bacteria in your mouth. If you go too long without eating or don’t keep up on your oral hygiene, you might notice that your breath has an unpleasant odor. The easiest way to prevent bad breath is to brush and floss your teeth regularly and to eat a healthy diet. Cavities are a result of tooth decay. Brushing and flossing your teeth twice a day to remove plaque is the best way to stay cavity-free. If you’d like to take your prevention a step further, use fluoride toothpaste and a fluoride mouthwash to help your teeth keep cavities at bay. Preventative dentistry techniques such as fluoride treatments can also help. Poor oral hygiene is the number-one cause of gum disease. It’s not enough to simply floss—you have to floss correctly. Pull the floss up and under your gums in a C-shape to remove any plaque that might build up underneath. One of the most common causes of oral cancer is tobacco. Avoid smoking and chewing tobacco to greatly reduce your risk of oral cancer. Tooth erosion can lead to tooth sensitivity and is caused by consuming too many acidic foods as well as brushing your teeth too forcefully. Try to avoid eating too many foods that are high in acid, such as fizzy sodas and fruits, and brush your teeth gently with a soft toothbrush. The staff at Willow Park Dental is able to provide any dental treatment to fix these common oral health issues. Unfortunately, it’s harder to prevent dental emergencies that seem to come out of nowhere. Dental emergencies, such as toothaches, broken or missing teeth, or excessive bleeding, can happen for a variety of unforeseen reasons. If you’re experiencing a dental emergency, call our office to make an appointment as soon as possible. We’re always happy to help.
Time management is complicatedly hard for every working mom. While earning for the living of the family, working moms also do the caring, guiding, and nurturing part in their family making it hard for them to finish a task in a give time thus making them stressed and nervous about what will happen next after they have failed the unsuccessful task. Managing time with your kids and your work is a pretty hard job, especially for first time moms. Problems like this can be solved by simply planning and prioritizing important tasks and allocating the proper effort on it so that you can conserve more time and energy for bonding time with your husband an kids or making a “Me Time” for you to reward all your efforts. - Prioritize Basic and Important Tasks that needs immediate action. Putting big rocks first and small rocks after that is not only a simple figurative language but a practical quote which tells us to prioritize our priorities in life like our family, our dreams and many other goals which is dependent to your will. Having a rough draft of the tasks that you must do in your house and in your work will really help a lot. Try to use a daily planner of which you can put all your schedules and the dates you are available, it is better if your kids and your husband can put their own schedules as well. Use a big planner if you would do that and display it in a place where everyone can see and notice it. - Device a systematic time planner. To do these you need your husband or your kids to help you if they are mature enough. You must put the entire thing you do in your house and allocate these tasks in the proper time as agreed by your husband and your children. After that, do this as well on the tasks you do at work, as it is changing daily, you must do this on a planner of which you can write all the tasks you must at work. After planning your time and using it efficiently, you’ll see that you have more time to spend for your family and yourself as well. - Learn to smooth things that are hard for you. There are tasks that are very hard to do even though you have planned your time very well. Like preparing food for your family, setting the clothes that they will use, and accompanying in their way to school. These tasks often destroy our schedule in work thus you need to do some of these things in advance. For example you can prepare their food in the night before you sleep while choosing what clothes they would use. This will give you more time in accompanying them in their way to school. Also put an allowance in your travelling time as you may face several unexpected happenings like passing in a big event with a heavy traffic and many more to mention. - Put important things that you will use in an easily located place. Looking for essential things like first aid kits, wipes, your children’s favorite books, their diapers, and your personal things is pretty hard if you don’t where to find it. Putting these things in a easily located place will help you save mush time in looking for it, thus lessening time pressure over you. Now knowing how to use your time as a working mom, you can see the change that you can made as you have more time for your family. And as for the last, know that what is important is you and your family, so even though you need to work hard for your family’s progress, you must learn to have time for your family whom you loved most.
There are total 9 letters in Resetting, Starting with R and ending with G. Resetting is a scrabble word? Yes (10 Points) Resetting has worth 10 Scrabble points. Each letter point as below. An Anagram is collection of word or phrase made out by rearranging the letters of the word. All Anagram words must be valid and actual words. Browse more words to see how anagram are made out of given word. In Resetting R is 18th, E is 5th, S is 19th, T is 20th, I is 9th, N is 14th, G is 7th letters in Alphabet Series. Copyright © Word Creation 2017. All Rights Reserved
About a year ago, a venture capital managing director confided that he had 400 companies in one year alone pitch him on some sort of smart grid innovation and yet had no idea where to even begin due diligence. At GreenBeat 2009 , Vinod Khosla claimed he was not investing yet in smart grid because he couldn't get a bead on it. Several other VC's came to me with the same issue: what is smart grid and where should we invest? The "What is smart grid" question has become demystified over the last year. We have gained a much better understanding of the array of digital ICT technologies that function all along the electric grid from power plant to home and comprise a smart grid. The new question is "How to invest in smart grid?" Major clean tech investors have been supporting start-ups most of which are negotiating contracts with utilities. It's happening, but slowly. Many start-ups — even those with brilliant solutions — still don't have a positive balance sheet. Another model is the large information and communication technology company acquiring start-ups and using existing utility relationships to include those innovations in the system. Either model requires collaboration with manufacturers that already have working relationships with utilities and/or with the utilities directly. But because of their regulatory construct, utilities are loath to take risk. Hard to even tell which is the chicken and which is the egg here. The issue remains of how these innovators (large or small) will do business with the utilities — not because utilities are indisposed to innovation. I worked for a utility in the '80's when growth exceeded power supply and we were quite creative in meeting demand, with aggressive demand side management programs; thermal storage rates coupled with ice energy; TOUand real time pricing with standby generation. It's less about creativity and more about hard numbers. For the utility, the entire proposition hinges on making the case to their regulators. They have to prove that the cost to consumers is offset by benefits delivered; that's where smart grid is having trouble. Smart grid is not a typical capital expenditure project like building a power plant where the output is a known quantity. Smart grid is an investment over time for benefits over time, some of which are difficult to quantify. Smart grid does not produce power; it enables power production to come on line more efficiently and effectively. Convincing a utility to risk cost recovery by investing in a technology that does not have quantifiable benefits may be next to impossible, but getting a regulator to approve a project for which there are no definable benefits is worse. What do we do now? Hate to get all geeked out about it, but it's about the data, stupid. And smart grid provides that data. Once we are able to quantify benefits all along the stream from power plant to refrigerator and electric vehicle, we can begin to make the case to utilities that they can make to their regulators. Keep in mind that smart grid is just enabling technologies—which will help those renewable and energy efficiency investments begin to make sense within the entire grid system. Clean tech investors, then, should invest in the suite—renewables (whether grid or distributed technologies), energy storage, and those technologies that make everything work together holistically—smart grid. Katherine Hamilton is President of GridWise Alliance, a coalition of over 150 companies advocating to transform the electric grid for a more sustainable future.
It has been reported that Tribune Company has reached an agreement in principle to “sell” its Long Island newspaper, Newsday to News Corp. The “selling price” would be in neighborhood of $580 million and the structure of the deal would not be an outright sale but, instead, a joint venture arrangement. Under the terms of the deal, Newsday would be part of a joint venture with News Corp.’s New York Post and other News Corp. assets. News Corp. would own most of the joint venture — on the order of 95 percent — and Tribune would own the remaining stake. Reuters is reporting that “…The structure of the deal is in part designed to meet Tribune’s demand that it be as tax-efficient as possible, with Tribune getting cash from the deal by guaranteeing debt raised by the joint venture…” The need for tax-efficiency can be traced to the presence of the “built-in gain” tax rules. If, as here, an ‘S’ corporation (Tribune is believed to have elected this status) was formerly a ‘C’ corporation, the erstwhile ‘C’ corporation will be taxed on its “net recognized built-in gains.” Such gains are generated during the 10-year recognition period, which is the 10-year period beginning on the first day of the first taxable year for which the election is effective. For this purpose, the ‘S’ corporation’s net recognized built-in gains — on which a tax is imposed —l consists of any gain it recognizes during the recognition period tied to the disposition of any asset. That is, except to the extent that the ‘S’ corporation affirmatively establishes that all or a portion of such gain was not “built-in.” To demonstrate that a portion of the gain was not built-in, the ‘S’ corporation must establish the extent to which the gain exceeded the amount by which the asset’s fair value exceeded its basis at the time of the ‘S’ election. If the transaction is considered an outright sale of assets at the time of the ‘S’ election, Tribune will be hit with the tax consequences. Indeed, a tax, assessed at a 35 percent rate will be imposed on the portion (likely to be close to 100 percent) of the gain from the sale which was “economically accrued” at the time the ‘S’ election became effective. Accordingly, Tribune appears to be employing an approach that will enable it to raise substantially all of the cash it would have raised had an outright sale been attempted, but in a manner which will delay the occurrence of the “sale,” for tax purposes, until after the 10 year recognition period has expired. Gains recognized by Tribune more than 10 years after the date on which the ‘S’ election became effective will be exempted from the built-in gains tax. Similar to the “forward sale” structure we are speculating might be employed by Tribune for the purpose of disposing of properties tax-efficiently, the company seems to be resorting to another well-established technique, the so-called “leveraged partnership.” This technique, which should accomplish Tribune’s tax avoidance objectives, does however carry some unusual baggage. The tax-related idea behind a leveraged partnership is to avoid having the transaction branded as a “disguised sale.” In general, a transfer of property by a partner (Tribune) to a partnership (the joint venture), and a transfer of money by the partnership to the partner, constitute a sale of the property if the surrounding facts and circumstances indicate that, in substance, the transaction closely resembles a conventional sale. Moreover, if within a two-year period, a partner transfers property to a partnership, and the partnership transfers money to the partner, the transfers are presumed to be a sale unless the facts and circumstances “clearly establish” that the transfers do not constitute a sale. However, under Reg. Section 1.707-5(b)(1), the Tribune deal may not qualify as a disguised sales. Here’s why. Say that a partner transfers property to a partnership, and the partnership incurs a liability. Then, the proceeds of that liability are allocable to a transfer of money to the partner within 90 days of incurring the liability. In that case, the transfer of money to the partner is taken into account (for purposes of determining whether a disguised sale has transpired) only to the extent the amount of money transferred exceeds the partner’s allocable share of the partnership liability. To be sure, if the funds conveyed to Tribune do not exceed its allocable share of the partnership liability, the second “leg” of a disguised sale will not be present. As a result, there is no transfer of money by the partnership to the partner and, therefore, the arrangement cannot be considered a disguised sale. A partner’s share of a “recourse” liability equals the portion of the liability for which the partner “bears the economic risk of loss.” For this purpose, a partner bears such risk if the partnership constructively liquidated. In that case, the partner would be obligated to make a payment to any person because, (1) the liability becomes due and payable, and (2) the partner would not be entitled to reimbursement for its outlay. According to tax regulations, determination of the extent to which a partner has an obligation to make a payment (to any person) is based on those ubiquitous “facts and circumstances.” For this purpose, and this seems to be key to the technique’s efficacy, the regulations provide that all contractual obligations are taken into account, including contractual obligations outside of the partnership agreement such as, among other things, guarantees. Thus, it appears that Tribune’s guarantee of the partnership’s recourse debt will enable Tribune to conclude that its allocable share of that debt is at least equal to the amount of money that will be conveyed to it by the joint venture. Accordingly, the formation of the joint venture will not constitute a disguised sale. Presumably, the “sale” (of Newsday) will occur when the joint venture pays off the loan incurred to fund the distribution to Tribune. So long as that event is delayed to a point in time after the expiration of the 10-year recognition period, the gain derived from such sale should not be subjected to the ravages of the built-in gains tax. There may be one complication with the deal from a tax perspective, however — the so-called “anti-abuse” regulations. Reg. Section 1.701-2(b) states that if a partnership is formed in connection with a transaction, which principal purpose is to reduce substantially the present value of the partners’ aggregate tax liability, “in a manner that is inconsistent with the intent of Subchapter K,” the tax commissioner can recast the transaction for federal income tax purposes as appropriate to achieve tax results that are consistent with such intent. The Internal Revenue Service — in LTR 200513022, November 15, 2004 — concluded that these anti-abuse rules properly applied to a leveraged partnership transaction engaged in by a taxpayer who sought to defer the gain realized on the conveyance of a building. It is unclear, of course, whether the IRS will attempt to advance this line of reasoning in the Tribune case. And it is, in our judgment, even more problematic that such an attempt would be successful. Therefore, if all goes according to plan, Tribune will have “monetized” Tribune without incurring a tax liability, and will have done so at a seemingly modest, tax efficient cost. That cost: the incurrence by Tribune of a guarantee of the liability incurred by the joint venture to fund the distribution to Tribune. It seems highly unlikely that Tribune’s creditors would seek to prevent the company from incurring this secondary liability. Contributor Robert Willens, founder and principal of Robert Willens LLC, writes a weekly tax column for CFO.com.
Tinnitus is one of many disorders that so many people around the world suffer from. The constant noises in the ear can be life-altering and seriously debilitate people. The following article is full of ways to cope, and to lessen the effects that tinnitus can have on your life. Seek advice from a doctor if you are suffering from tinnitus. Tinnitus is likely a sign of a different problem that will likely need treatment from a professional. Chronic tinnitus can also be stressful and make it hard to enjoy a normal day. Tinnitus is unlikely to be deadly, but the benefit of seeing a doctor is that it may be treatable. While the thought of a 20-minute catnap during the day is appealing, there is no such thing as a nap for tinnitus sufferers. Tinnitus is often linked with insomnia, so a nap will only leave you feeling somewhat groggy and not completely with it, when you try to go to bed for the night. If you believe you might be afflicted with Tinnitus, but you’re over 50 you should ask your doctor to test you for Meniere’s Disease. This syndrome can afflict you with the same symptoms that Tinnitus can but is far more serious, therefore, a diagnosis is important to help treat it before it gets worse! Are you afflicted with tinnitus or is your heart the problem? Both high blood pressure and arteriosclerosis can cause the loud sound of rushing blood in your ears. Both are very serious conditions which need to be treated immediately. Consider getting yourself tested for both diseases just to be sure they’re not the cause of your hearing issues. Clean your house from top to bottom. The steady sound of the vacuum cleaner is music to a tinnitus sufferer’s ears. The activity of doing household chores will distract you from the overwhelming noise in your ears, and eventually, you won’t notice it. The added bonus is a clean, comfortable environment where you can relax. You might want to consider trying reflexology to relieve the symptoms of tinnitus. Look for a properly-accredited professional in the field who will provide references. Investigate their experience for yourself, ultimately choosing someone with whom you feel comfortable. When tinnitus starts to bother you it’s time to get up and do something! Find an activity which can get your mind off the sound, like washing the dishes or running the vacuum. Not only will this help youto get past the annoyance and get back to what you were doing, but you’ll leave your home a little cleaner! To just live a life free of tinnitus, always have background noise available. Keep a television or music player on. Run a fan. Focus your hearing on the air conditioning or refrigerator running. Tinnitus is funny in the way that if you do not hear it, it is not really happening. You are now informed of some proven methods to help you cope or lessen the effects that tinnitus can have on your life. It is going to take some time to find the most effective methods for you to use, but once you pinpoint the methods that work best for you. You will appreciate the time you spent trying.
Uncovering and Preserving Our Stories, and Telling Them Again, and Once More JOIN OUR TALK STORY MAILING LIST Register here: http://bit.ly/TalkStoryList “Talk Story,” often associated with Hawaii, is both concept and process. For the 1882 Foundation, it refers to the set of activities and programs that we associate with collecting oral histories and preserving story sites. These include our monthly Talk Story Events and efforts to record and store oral histories. They include the production of the Through Chinatown’s Eyes short documentary series. They are related to heritage tours. Talk Story encourages individuals to reveal their stories in their own words and to share them with others. There are two parts to this –telling and sharing. “Telling” refers to people saying what is historically important to them. This is empowering. It allows them to define themselves, the elements of their identity, as opposed to having an “historian” define for them what is historically important. To the extent the stories resonate with others and groups coalesce to listen, our communities become defined. The “sharing” of a common legacy and the inspiration to re-tell them in a modern setting and even to go out and create new stories make the community alive. This leads to our Talk Story slogan, inspired partially by Bonny Tsui’s observation in American Chinatown, We gather together to tell stories because the life of our community lies in the power of our stories remembered and shared. Follow our Talk Story Events series by registering at http://bit.ly/TalkStoryList.
In larger environments, Automatic Update client settings are typically configured via Group Policy. We’ll get to configuring update setting via Group Policy later in this series. For now, we’ll explore the various configuration options available via the System applet in Control Panel. One of the most commonly asked questions is about how updates get from the SUS system to network clients. To understand this you have to have a better understanding of the Automatic Update settings on client systems. AU options mean the available options to configure the AU client. These settings let you specify if automatic updates are enabled on a given computer. If the service is enabled, you must select one of the three available options: AU OPTION 1 = Notify before downloading any updates and notify again before installing them. When the Automatic Update client finds updates, it notifies the user to download the patches. Once the patches are downloaded, it notifies the user to user to install those updates. The Notification Balloon pops up in the Taskbar. AU OPTION 2 = (Default setting) Download the updates automatically and notify when they are ready to be installed When the Automatic Update client finds updates, it downloads these patches automatically. Once the patches are downloaded, it notifies the user to user to install those updates. The Notification Balloon again pops up in the Taskbar. AU OPTION 3 = Automatically download updates and install them on the schedule specified below. When Automatic Update Client finds updates, it downloads the patches automatically. Once the patches are downloaded, they are also installed automatically. If the status is set to Enabled, AU client recognizes when this computer is online and checks in with the Local SUS Server for all the updates to be applied to that computer.
Jobs boost for mining sector in Broken Hill as government approves plan to reopen mine A silver, lead and zinc mine that has been dormant for almost a decade in far-west NSW has been given the green light to reopen by the State Government. Mining company Perilya will create 140 new jobs to reach deeper deposits at the North Mine in Broken Hill, which was mostly closed in the early 1990s and last operated in 2008. It is a contrast with the outlook two years ago when the mining company announced it would cut 100 jobs from its Southern Operations mine, partly because of low metal prices. General manager Bruce Byrne said the North Mine was expected to be online and producing ore in early 2018. "The North Mine has a mine operating plan that takes it out to 2032," Mr Byrne said. It was expected to generate as much as $5.8 million per year of royalties to the state of NSW for up to 25 years. "We're going to have to develop at very high rates to get to the lower part of the ore body before it will really generate funds," Mr Byrne said. "With metal prices where they are we've had the opportunity to reinvest and set up the North Mine and that's where a lot of our profits will go now. "It will probably take four to five years before the North Mine can really generate profits on its own." Win for local economy Broken Hill's economy and size still largely rely on mining, although the population has been in chronic decline for decades. The city's identity is also closely tied to mining, as the birthplace of BHP — originally known as Broken Hill Proprietary. Mr Byrne said the North Mine reopening gave additional surety to the Broken Hill economy. "We're very excited just to see that both Perilya and mining in Broken Hill, out to 2032 at least, is quite robust," Mr Byrne said. "The overall economy and the injection that it actually has in the Broken Hill economy is still very large." Broken Hill mayor Darriea Turley said other local developments, including renewable energy projects, had already improved local conditions and the North Mine's reopening would be a further boost. "A mine opening up is something unheard of in most towns," she said. "We know that there are a lot of mining developments around Broken Hill, so maybe it's the kickstart to seeing those developments happening as well." Mine won't increase blood lead levels: government It has been a lengthy process to have the mine's reopening formally approved, after interim approval was granted in March 2016. The planning department twice requested further information about air quality from the company after the assessment process had begun. And earlier, state government departments including the Environmental Protection Authority requested more detail about the likely concentration of toxic air pollutants outside the boundary of the lease. The planning department said the questions that were raised had been answered. "Perilya was asked to revise aspects of its project design and to implement stringent air quality mitigation and management measures," Clay Preshaw, the director of Resource Assessments, said in a statement. "This has resulted in beneficial outcomes for the community as the revised project is not predicted to cause any exceedances of the air quality criteria or increase blood lead levels," Mr Preshaw said. A study by lead researcher Mark Taylor in 2016 revealed Perilya's Southern Operations mine was likely contributing to lead in the Broken Hill environment. "It was always our intention to make sure that we met both the regulators and the community expectation for this project, and we haven't deviated too much from that," Mr Byrne said. "There was some refinement of the process and some refinement of what we put forward and so really the to and fro … really wasn't too much unexpected." Council to 'watch closely' The company will need to upgrade intersections along its haulage route, and maintain heritage mining structures on the lease. Cr Turley said ore trucks travelling through town was a long-term concern for council. "It's something that we'll always be [asking]: 'Is there an alternative?' But I think … they have some strong restrictions about how that should be managed," she said. "Council will be watching it closely, but we believe the EPA has really made some recommendations around how to manage it and we're just very pleased for the community of Broken Hill that there'll be 140 jobs out there." At least 40 people are already working at the North Mine and recruitment is expected to continue into the new year. There were nine submissions in relation to the reopening application, most of which were in favour.
The remote series prologue: Trilogy for Night and Radio Autumn in the far north is characterized by a dramatic loss of daylight. In Seyðisfjörður, a small village on the far eastern edge of Iceland just below the Arctic Circle, each day in October has eight minutes less daylight than the one before. The sun is slower each day to crest the mountains which ring the fjord, until mid-November when it no longer rises above the mountains, and the town experiences only indirect light until February. Trilogy for Night and Radio is a radio art work in three parts that explores remoteness, the descent into darkness and the long Northern winter night. Trilogy is a collaborative exchange between two traveling sound artists - Anna Friz and Konrad Korabiewski - that meditates on feelings of place using the materiality of signals, overlapping remote geographical spaces. Radiotelegraph, is a beacon in spoken morse code, designed for unlicensed radio simulcast in Seysdisfjördur, Iceland, and in Chicago, U.S.A on the Radius platform in October 2013. Incorporating performed morse code, electronics, and sampled radio signals, Radiotelegraph reflects Seyðisfjörður's remote location in a deep fjord off the Atlantic Ocean, which was also the site of the first telegraph cable connection between Iceland and Europe in 1906. Night Fall is an improvised live performance by Anna Friz and Konrad Korabiewski for unlicensed low-watt transmission in Seyðisfjörður to accompany the shift from sundown into full night time darkness. Night Fall elaborates on the sonic palate created in part one, with a soundscape that contemplates the acoustic and electro-magnetic landscape of Seyðisfjörður in the disappearing light of dusk and the feeling of suspended or expanded time that strongly characterizes this village in east Iceland. The performance was recorded live from a small transistor radio receiver, and edited. The final segment, Relay, is built from recordings made by Anna and Konrad around the winter solstice (December 21-22) in the empty post-industrial spaces in which they were working--Anna in a former tobacco factory in Ljubljana, Slovenia; Konrad in an empty herring factory in Seydisfjördur. They intertwined these traces and signals from distant spaces, using the architecture and landscape as a filter for their signals. Anna took elements from Radiotelegraph and replayed them into the iron bannisters and wooden walls of the tobacco factory using tactile transducers, or speakers which transmit vibrations into surfaces. These signals were re-recorded using contact microphones, and sent to Konrad, who mixed them together with field recordings from different houses and the empty herring factory. Translation of Morse code in Radiotelegraph: night closing in this is the evening of the year cheer us for the darksome hours we remain together. we are here for the night. AS (waiting period) (at end of 2nd loop) AR (end transmission) CL (closing station) Trilogy for Night and Radio is the prologue to the four part Remote Series, which will air on Soundproof in early 2015 and will feature artists Tumi Magnússon (Iceland), Fernando Godoy M (Chile), Jana Winderen (Norway) and Christina Kubisch (Germany). Trilogy for Night and Radio was produced for the Creative Audio Unit with additional support from the Danish Arts Foundation, the Danish Composer's Society, radioCONA, Kultural Center Tobačna 001, and Skaftfell Center for Visual Arts. Anna Friz is a Canadian sound and radio artist, and media studies scholar. Konrad Korabiewski is an award-winning experimental multimedia artist, based in Seyðisfjörður, East Iceland. Together Korabiewski and Friz are steering the Icelandic-based independent art organization Skálar \| Sound Art \| Experimental Music, which acts as both an artist collective and a mobile curatorial platform, and produces a nomadic festival, international exchanges, radio series, and limited edition releases of audio and audio-visual works. - Anna Friz / Konrad Korabiewski
As Acupuncture becomes recognised on a wider basis as a help with issues such as muscle pain, skeletal problems, backs, neck and shoulder problems and general pain relief, more people than ever are keen to understand what the differences are between different types of acupuncturists. Typically, you can differentiate between a ‘western’ trained acupuncturist and an ‘eastern’ or Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) trained acupuncturist, by just asking a few simple questions. Most ‘western’ trained acupuncturists will complete a course after their normal professional qualifications as a doctor, chiropractor or physiotherapist, which generally lasts for no more than six days. This course then allows them to practice acupuncture as an additional service to the main services they provide. An ‘eastern’ trained or TCM acupuncturist will be trained for between two to three years, specifically on Chinese acupuncture, theory and diagnosis before qualifying. This makes them specialists in the study and practice of acupuncture. Why is this difference so important? Well, imagine if you will two professional mechanics. Both are trained and qualified but one has been on a two-day course to learn how to service your BMW and the other services BMW’s day in day out. Both are equally competent but which would you prefer to service your BMW? Acupuncture originated thousands of years ago in China and traditional Chinese medicine acupuncture is a vital part of Chinese medicine. Practitioners recognise that there are 14 channels or meridians on the body with around 360 acupuncture points and many extra points on the body, ears and scalp that have been developed over the years. The principal is that there is ‘Qi’, which is described as an energy force that flows through the channels or meridians freely. If any of these channels or meridians becomes blocked, Qi will not be able to run freely and therefore cause disharmony of the body, typically manifesting as pain. TCM acupuncture unblocks the Qi and helps restore harmony or balance back within the channels or meridians. Chinese medicine acupuncture points have evolved over thousands of years and now are recognised as precise points to stimulate the nervous system. There are many forms of acupuncture techniques such as TCM, Five Elements, Western and Japanese acupuncture and The British Acupuncture Council (BAcC) has embraced ‘unity in diversity’ across this variety within the profession. Today, more and more evidence based clinical research shows that acupuncture is a safe way to treat a wide range of common health issues which in turn has lead to it becoming more accepted. At Acupuncture That Works, all our acupuncturists are TCM trained and some hold other professional qualifications as well. Because of this we not only offer a TCM acupuncture service but we can also offer physiotherapy, Reiki, Tuina and reflexology. Our aim is to treat the person and the symptoms at the same time, which in acupuncture terms means we balance the Qi (energy) to help relieve the symptoms of whatever ails that patient.
Flame-flower, Day-torch, Mauna Loa, I saw a daring bee, today, pause, and soar, Into your flaming heart; Then did I hear crisp crinkled laughter As the furies after tore him apart? A bird, next, small and humming, Looked into your startled depths and fled.... Surely, some dread sight, and dafter Than human eyes as mine can see, Set the stricken air waves drumming In his flight. Day-torch, Flame-flower, cool-hot Beauty, I cannot see, I cannot hear your fluty Voice lure your loving swain, But I know one other to whom you are in beauty Born in vain; Hair like the setting sun, Her eyes a rising star, Motions gracious as reeds by Babylon, bar All your competing; Hands like, how like, brown lilies sweet, Cloth of gold were fair enough to touch her feet . . . . Ah, how the senses flood at my repeating, As once in her fire-lit heart I felt the furies
The South African Agency for Science a Technology Advancement (SAASTA, a business unit of National Research Foundation) on behalf of the Department of Science and Technology (DST) and The Agricultural Research Council (ARC) a premier science institution that conducts research with partners, develops human capital and foster innovation in support of the agricultural sector. It provides diagnostic, laboratory, analytical, agricultural engineering services, post-harvest technology development, agrochemical evaluation, consultation and advisory services, food processing technology services as well as various surveys and training interventions. Through its wider network of research institutes and experimental farms, the ARC provides a strong scientific base and a broadly distributed technology transfer capacity to the entire agricultural industry in South Africa is inviting unemployed science, engineering and technology graduates (18 to 35 years of age) to volunteer their services towards the implementation of the Youth into Science Strategy under the auspices of the National Youth Service Programme. Volunteers will be deployed for a period of up to 12 months to participating organisations that collaborate with the DST in its youth development programmes. A stipend will be paid to volunteers per month as follows: National Diploma NQF Level 6 (R 4 500), Bachelor’s Degree / B.Tech NQF Level 7 (R 5 000), Honours NQF Level 8 (R 5 500), Master’s NQF Level 9 (R 6 500), PhD NQF Level 10 (R 7 700) To apply for this download the following file: NYS Voluntee Adver 202018.pdf.
It’s mid-August and the wasp season is upon us. It’s a very stressful time for us, since 3 years ago we almost lost Rocco to a bee sting. It was a bee rather than a wasp – I found the stinger lodged in his tongue – nevertheless, we are always on high alert this time of the year, trying to make sure Rocco doesn’t suffer another anaphylactic shock. Unfortunately, couple of days ago, Rocco was stung by a wasp. It was in a park across town and after hours, so we weren’t able to rely on our vet. I was relieved to see that his lip had begun to swell, funny thing to say, but at least I knew that he didn’t get stung in the tongue. I gave him one Benadryl and we drove to the animal emergency clinic where we sat in the parking lot waiting to see if the Benadryl will be enough or if we will need extra help. Ever since his accident we always carry an epi-pen and Benadryl. It gets a bit tricky, because Benadryl can potentially trigger seizures in epileptic dogs, so we also use a homeopathic remedy to cut back on Benadryl. Luckily, this time it ended in a swollen lip that went down very quickly with just one Benadryl. Three years ago we learned a very important lesson: always think of the worst case scenario and always be prepared – it could save your dog’s life! And since it’s wasp season, look into a first aid kit that may help you help your pet should they have an allergic reaction. Consult with your vet and see what would be the best anti-histamine for your pet and carry it with you “just in case”.
Cutting process of various shapes is possible with CNC precision automatic lathe that "grinds", "shoves", and "combines" micro rounded parts of Ø6mm and below.Moreover, with highly accurate cutting process by combining this with micro measurement techniques, development of optimum program, and small lot production to mass production through system, we can quickly process the required quantity. AIKOSHA specializes in NC micro cutting process, and it undertakes micro processing of parts and components like components of contact probe for electric testing of electronic components (semiconductors, printed circuit board, etc.), medical device components, and industrial equipment components.Our stable, high quality, and precise NC micro cutting components are used by our customers in a wide range of fields such as electric testing of electronic components, medical devices, and industrial equipments.Moreover, based on the know-how and technology of NC micro cutting process built over many years, we will continue to offer various services in the areas of MC micro cutting and micro range of machining. In addition to reliable NC micro cutting components※, please contact AIKOSHA if you are looking for MC micro processing components. ※Especially, customers planning to migrate to rounded components of Ø4 mm and below,and customers looking for more compact components, please contact AIKOSHA!
ARAMARK Parks and Destinations Events Celebrate Earth Day and National Park Week PHOENIX, Ariz.—April 19, 2012— ARAMARK Parks and Destinations, a leading operator of lodges and concessions in national parks and forests, state parks and other tourist destinations throughout the United States, today announced a series of activities to celebrate Earth Day, April 22, and National Park Week, April 21-29. “Earth Day and National Park Week provide the perfect backdrop to showcase the beauty of America’s parks and recreational sites,” said Bruce Fears, president of ARAMARK Parks and Destinations. “Our parks are filled with an abundance of natural resources and we take pride in promoting programs and activities that teach the importance of preserving these destinations.” ARAMARK has a deep respect for and commitment to protecting and improving the environment. To advance its commitment to environmental stewardship, ARAMARK invests in improving platforms, products and services to create sustainable and practical programs that create long-term and real environmental benefits. In celebration of National Park Week, entry to all National Parks is free during the week and ARAMARK Parks and Destinations is offering specials on lodging, tours, dining and retail at Lake Powell, Mesa Verde, Shenandoah and Olympic National Park. Below are scheduled events and activities visitors will find at their favorite parks and attractions: Denali National Park: The second annual Trashin Fashion and Art Show will be held May 12 at 6:30 p.m. at the McKinley Chalet Cabin Nite Dinner Theater, located at mile 238.5 on George Parks Highway. Local communities and schools within the Denali Borough will come together to showcase clothes and art made from trash or recycled items. The theme, “Show it, Don’t Throw It” will promote environmental stewardship within the Denali Borough. Admittance to the event will be a donation to benefit the Denali School District’s sustainability efforts. Glen Canyon National Recreation Area: Lake Powell Resorts & Marinas will continue its support of the Page Attacks Trash Program with an event April 21. The program now in its 30th year will bring a focus where every day is Earth Day. For National Park Week, Rainbow Bridge Tours at Lake Powell will be 20 percent off and all regular-priced items in the gift store will be 10 percent off April 21-29. Kartchner Caverns State Park will host its annual community event with a Farmer’s Market highlighting awareness of fresh, local produce, shopping locally and eating unprocessed food. In the Café, the menu will focus on fresh foods and their nutritional value. The gift shop will offer native wildflower seeds, reusable bags and U.S. made products promoting “Take a Hike for Health.” The M.S. Dixie II and Zephyr Cove Resort will host its annual Earth Day Fieldtrip for more than 350 local fourth grade students. The three-hour cruise aboard the Mississippi-style paddle wheeler boat will include environmental education from the U.S. Forest Service and the Tahoe Douglas Fire District to demonstrate the life of a tree, water clarity, fire protection and a presentation from the ship’s captain about the boat . The fieldtrip will depart from Zephyr Cove Resort at 10 a.m., Wednesday, April 27. Additionally, Zephyr Cove Resort and Lake Tahoe Cruises is sponsoring the Kid Zone at the South Lake Tahoe Earth Day event April 28. More information can be found at: www.southtahoeearthday.org. Far View Lodge in Mesa Verde National Park will announce the winner of a sweepstakes give away on April 19, when it opens for the 2012 season for a stay at the lodge and tours for two. For National Park Week, the park will offer a buy one, get one 50 percent off promotion on its half-day guided tours of archaeological sites and cliff dwellings as well as on desserts at the Metate Room restaurant. The Maryland Science Center will host an Earth Day event featuring a “recycle race” where kids armed with baskets will race to fill bins with recyclable items. There will also be a station to create images out of recycled paper, a lavender planting to take home, a demonstration on how green roofs benefit water sheds and cut down on air conditioning use, and new menu items featuring sustainable ingredients served with sustainable flatware. In celebration of Earth Day and National Park Week, the Virginia Tourism Corporation’s monument LOVE letters, which stand 16 feet wide and 7 feet high, will be on display at Skyland Resort from the afternoon of Thursday, April 20 through Sunday, April 29 making for a great photo opportunity for visitors. Skyland Resort will offer all guests staying at the lodge during National Park Week a coupon good for 20 percent off their next 2012 midweek stay. Elkwallow Wayside, Skyland Resort, Big Meadows Wayside and Loft Mountain Wayside will offer guests buy one dessert, get one 50 percent off of equal or lesser value April 21-29. Four lodges in Olympic National Park and Forest will offer 10 percent off regularly priced retail items and 10 percent off food and beverage (excluding alcohol) during National Park Week. For Earth Day, the lodges will host the following activities: Lake Quinault Lodge will host an Earth Day Volunteer Vacation weekend on Saturday, April 21. The lodge is offering a discounted room rate of $79, which includes a BBQ on Saturday. Those participating in a Volunteer Vacation will help restore some of the most popular hiking trails in the Quinault Rainforest damaged by winter storms. Kalaloch Lodge will hold its annual Pacific Coast Beach cleanup in conjunction with the Washington Coast Savers, Washington State Parks and Recreation Commission, Olympic Coast National Marine Sanctuary and Olympic National Park. A BBQ will be held at Kalaloch to support all volunteers. Sol Duc Hot Springs will highlight the lodge’s trash diversion program with signage and education around the property to help guests do the same at home. On Earth Day, Sol Duc employees will join together to clean two miles of Highway 101 at the entrance to the Sol Duc Valley as a part of the lodge’s long standing commitment to the Adopt-a-Highway program. Lake Crescent Lodge staff also will clean two miles of Highway 101 east of Lake Crescent as a part of the Adopt-a-Highway program. The lodge will open for the summer season on May 3 with renovated rooms. About ARAMARK Parks and Destinations ARAMARK Parks and Destinations, a division of ARAMARK, delivers authentic and memorable experiences at national and state parks, national forests, specialty hotels, museums, and other tourist destinations throughout the United States. In partnership with its clients, ARAMARK Parks and Destinations seek to enhance the guest experience by offering industry-leading hospitality, environmental stewardship, recreational, and interpretive programs. For more information on ARAMARK Parks and Destinations and each of its properties, visit www.aramarkparksanddestinations.com. ARAMARK is a leader in professional services, providing award-winning food services, facilities management, and uniform and career apparel to health care institutions, universities and school districts, stadiums and arenas, and businesses around the world. The company is recognized as one of the "World's Most Ethical Companies" by the Ethisphere Institute, one of the "World's Most Admired Companies," by FORTUNE magazine and one of America's Largest Private Companies by both FORTUNE and Forbes magazines. ARAMARK seeks to responsibly address issues that matter to its clients, customers, employees and communities by focusing on employee advocacy, environmental stewardship, health and wellness, and community involvement. Headquartered in Philadelphia, ARAMARK has approximately 250,000 employees serving clients in 22 countries. Learn more at www.twitter.com/aramarknews.
Two of my favorite bloggers, John Meunier and Dennis Sanders, are playing off each other and writing about the problem of "progressive" Christianity. Dennis, who identifies himself as a progressive, writes, I think in practice too much has been sacrificed in the name of appearing trendy and fashionable. Progressives dumped things like original sin or the divinity of Christ or atonement, but they have held on tightly to things like what is the proper stance on universal health care. They focus on the political nature of the gospel, but instead of seeing how Christ confronts all the powers of Caesar, they have just hitched themselves to a left-wing Caesar instead of the right-wing version. John Meunier makes the following observation: Just yesterday, my wife and I had a conversation that wound up the same place as Sanders' post. My wife is a proud "Jesus is a liberal" Christian. But she too often finds herself having to defend having a robust Christianity in her church or having Christ at the center of her social justice passions. She laments the fact that having "too much Jesus" at church is a complaint that gets made by people. Both of their posts are worth a read; but what I would like to do here is expand the discussion and put forth what I believe are the perils of adjectival Christianity regardless of the adjective; that when a modifier is added before the word "Christian" too often it is the adjective that becomes more important than the noun that should be of central focus: "Christian." And when that happens one's adherence to the modifier becomes more important than one's identification with the noun. I need to say that it is impossible to avoid such modifiers nor should we necessary eschew them. Modifiers help locate us in the midst of the diversity of Christian faith. I consider myself to be a Wesleyan Christian, which means among others things, I am not a five-point Calvinist. To be a Wesleyan helps to locate me in a general way in a specific Christian tradition. The peril of this is if I allow Wesleyanism to be more formative in my thinking than taking into account the entire range of the Christian tradition. Moreover, I must not allow my Wesleyan context to keep me from the richness of that overall tradition. In one of my introductory theology courses I draw heavily from John Calvin when I teach the doctrine of the Holy Spirit. I love much about Calvin's account. But in most of my courses there is at least one student, knowing I am a Methodist, who is baffled as to why I employ Calvin, as if Wesleyanism automatically means that Calvin is persona non grata. And that, it seems to me is the peril of modifiers. They are important and they are necessary, but we must not identify with them more than the noun they modify; and that is what both Dennis and John are rightfully questioning. Now, to be sure, Christians who call themselves conservative or progressive would no doubt object. (I prefer the term liberal to progressive because liberal is a true antonym to conservative, and the word progressive can be used in very deceptive ways. More on that in a later post.) They would say that their Christianity informs their conservative or progressive views, and there is no doubt truth in that. John addresses that objection: I suspect advocates of progressive Christianity would point to the writings and talks by the luminaries of the movement that are robust in their Christology and orthodox in their theology. But Sanders' observations ring true to the way on-the-ground and in-the-pew progressive Christianity often looks in many mainline churches. Let me hasten to add one can substitute in that paragraph the word "conservative" for "progressive" and "evangelical" for "mainline." It is the peril we face with adjectival Christianity in general. The question I would ask those who identify themselves as "progressive Christians" and those who embrace the label "conservative Christian," is how their being either one looks different from being a progressive atheist or a conservative atheist. How do their views, supposedly informed by their faith, not make them just one more special interest group on the political scene? Stanley Hauerwas writes, The politics of modernity has so successfully made Christianity but another life-style option it is a mystery why the new atheists think it is important to show what Christians believe to be false. Such a project hardly seems necessary given that Christians, in the name of being good democratic citizens, live lives of unacknowledged but desperate unbelief just to the extent they believe what they believe as a Christian cannot be a matter of truth. As a result, Christians no longer believe that the church is an alternative politics to the politics of the world which means they have lost any way to account for why Christians in the past thought they had a faith worth dying for. In recent years evangelical Protestantism has been going through a soul searching, questioning some of its cherished political and hermeneutical positions that have become so intertwined with evangelicalism. An increasing number of evangelicals are re-evaluating some of their "sacred" views on Scripture and science and politics. I think that has been a good thing. But I must say, I have not seen that same kind of soul searching among mainline Protestants. It cannot hurt to wonder if we always have it right. It cannot be a bad thing to remember that perhaps our views are not always biblical, but rather the opposite side of the same modern coin we share with those who are evangelical. Perhaps Dennis and John are beginning an important self-critical conversation that we mainliners need to have. If this is the start, I welcome it. After all, the unexamined life, politic, and theology is not worth embracing... and it's not good for the soul... or the church either. An adjective is meant to describe a noun, not get in the way.
Compare book prices at 110 online bookstores worldwide for the lowest price for new & used textbooks and discount books! 1 click to get great deals on cheap books, cheap textbooks & discount college textbooks on sale. This lively, fun-soaked collection of modern poems is arranged around the child's day. It is divided in six sections, which start with waking up, sweep through school, shopping, teatime, and playtime, and end with bedtime. Many of the 46 poems have been commissioned specifically for this anthology. Playful verses address such important events as bubble baths, birthday parties, finger painting, and somersaults. Humorous rhymes give answers to questions like "what's in the bath?" and the often-asked "what's in the dark?" A lot of the poems salivate about kids' favorite meals, from pancakes and scrambled eggs to chips and cakes. Dozens of full-page, full-color drawings bring the poems to children's imagination. Make time for Rhyme Time! Recent Book Searches: ISBN-10/ISBN-13: 0306714892 / 978-0306714894 / John Marin (Library of American art) / MacKinley Helm 0306708442 / 978-0306708442 / Beauties of the Opera and Ballet (The Lyric stage) / Charles Heath 0306708663 / 978-0306708664 / The Jazz Titans, Including "the Parlance of Hip" (Roots of Jazz) / Robert George Reisner 0306708728 / 978-0306708725 / Paganini: The Genoese (Da Capo Press Music Reprint Series) / G. I. C. Courcy 0306708965 / 978-0306708961 / French Piano Music (Da Capo Press Music Reprint Series) / Alfred Cortot 030670904X / 978-0306709043 / Theodore Thomas: A Musical Autobiography / George Upton 0306710390 / 978-0306710391 / The Origins of Cast Iron Architecture in America. (Da Capo Press series in architecture and decorative art, v. 13) / James Bogardus, Daniel D. Badger, John W. 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Streatfield 0306709201 / 978-0306709203 / The Euterpeiad or Musical Intelligencer (Da Capo Press Music Reprint Series) / 0306709422 / 978-0306709425 / The Style of J. S. Bach's Chorale Preludes / Robert L. Tusler 0306709775 / 978-0306709777 / Catalogue of Rembrandt's Etchings/2 Volumes in 1 / Arthur M. Hind 0306709805 / 978-0306709807 / Musical Works of Frederick the Great / Frederick the Great 0306710269 / 978-0306710261 / The American Builder's Companion: 1806 (Architecture & Decorative Art) / Daniel Raynerd 0306710307 / 978-0306710308 / Practice of Architecture: Containing the Five Orders of Architecture and an Additional Column and Entablature, (Da Capo Press Series in Architecture and Decorative Art, 14) / Asher Benjamin 0306711435 / 978-0306711435 / Recent Economic Changes (American Scene Series) / D. A. 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Clarke 0306708639 / 978-0306708633 / The Sadler's Wells Ballet: A History and an Appreciation (Da Capo Press Series in Architecture and Decorative Art) / Mary Clarke 0306708701 / 978-0306708701 / Teresa Carreno "by the Grace of God" (Da Capo Press Music Reprint Series) / Marta Milinowski 0306708981 / 978-0306708985 / The Nature and Function of Art, More Especially of Architecture (Da Capo Press Music Reprint Series) / Leopold Eidlitz 0306709511 / 978-0306709517 / Anthology of Instrumental Music from the End of the Sixteenth to the End of the Seventeenth Century (Da Capo Press Music Reprint Series) / Wilhelm Joseph Von Wasielewski, Wilhelm J. Von Wasielewski More About Using This Site and Buying Books Online: Be Sure to Compare Book Prices Before Buy This site was created for shoppers to compare book prices and find cheap books and cheap college textbooks. A lot of discount books and discount text books are put on sale by many discounted book retailers and discount bookstores everyday. 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Public Private Partnership Act On November 30th, 2016 the National Congress enacted Law 27,328 which regulates the Public Private Partnership Regime (“PPP Regime”) allowing the Federal State to select from different alternatives for contracting private interested parties, in order to develop, finance and execute investment projects within a flexible legal framework, attractive to private investors, aim at expanding public infrastructure, along with an efficient allocation of risks between private and public parties. In such context, the PPP Regime turns in a welcome renovation of the former attempts , but this time as a law enacted by the National Congress, providing specific regulations applicable to partnerships between the State and private parties, among which we highlight the following aspects: (a) Wide range of projects to be involved, including public infrastructure, public utilities, services, productive investments, applied research, technological innovation, and related services; (b) Possibility for sponsors or private interested parties to use a Special Purpose Vehicle (SPV) to contract with the State, who will be in charge of developing and executing the whole project; the PPP Regime also allows the SPV going public; (c) A general rule of competition among possible bidders to been selected as private contractor, compatible with private initiative proceedings; (d) Option to call for a competitive dialogue when the complexity of the project requires it; (e) Possibility to use trusts in order to execute the projects, and flexibility to use suitable mechanisms of payment and/or guarantees adjusted to the needs and features of a specific project; (f) Creation of a new administrative body, invested with specific powers of regulations, including the obligation of creating a website with open access to all related PPP information; (g) Steps in right in favor of investors and/or third parties if the contractor fails to fulfill its obligations under the project; (h) Definition on the national budget for 2017, of a 5% cup to be used in PPP projects to be developed next year; (i) Arbitration as a dispute resolution procedure, and also the option to appoint a dispute board for resolution of technical issues during the execution of the project. According to the Federal Government’s investment plan, PPP Regime will help to develop and execute several investment projects in different productive areas, which are already in progress or to be launched the following years. Said projects range from infrastructure-based services to technological and financing collaboration on the energy area (nuclear, hydrocarbons, and renewable), and health and social services, such as: (i) Construction, extension, and renovation of the national railroad grid; (ii) Modernization and operation of the port of Buenos Aires, the largest in the country; (iii) Financing, construction and operation of a waste-to-energy power plant in the City of Buenos Aires; (iv) Construction and extension of aqueducts for the provision of drinking water in different provinces; (v) Expansion, and refurbish of sewage plant in the Province of Mendoza, including the construction and expansion of related sewage pipeline; (vi) Construction of public hospitals; (vii) Social housing schemes; (viii) Partnership for exploration and exploitation of conventional and non-conventional hydrocarbons, especially in the Vaca Muerta shale basin, located in the Province of Neuquén; (ix) Technological collaboration for the development of nuclear energy and renewable energy production obtain from natural resources (wind, solar power, water, etc.); (x) Expansion of Argentina’s cell coverage by construction and installation of cell towers/sites; (xi) Promotion of national and provincial tourism, by the expansion and development of key tourism centers, including eco-tourism in national protected areas along the country, giving special emphasize to the environment protection; among many others. The PPP Regime may be applied to short term projects as indicated above, but also, depending on the public purposes backed up by a public sustainable policy, such partnerships are suitable for long-term projects where value for money has preponderance in the provision of services, especially in public infrastructure-based services . Value for money is the key feature of PPP’s success, along with the understanding from both sides (public and private) that the sharing of responsibility and allocation of risks allow the final execution of projects that, otherwise, by means of the traditional public procurement regime will not be attractive for the private collaboration. For further information on the PPP Regime and its application, please contact María Morena Del Río or Anabela M. Mengoni. In the past, the Federal Government has tried to promote similar partnerships with private parties by issuing Executive Decree 1299/00 and Executive Decree 967/05, which lacked of practical application. Grimsey Darrin – Lewis, Mervyn K., “Public Private Partnerships. The worldwide revolution in infrastructure provision and project finance”, Edward Elgar, Cheltenham, UK – Northampton, MA, USA, 2007.
This week the government introduced Bills for its Asset Recycling Fund. I spoke about the differences between the Government and Labor on the issue of privatisation. 19 June 2014 The Harvard philosopher Michael Sandel once said that he was for a market economy but not for a market society. I think that is a good way of characterising the differences between the two sides of the House on the question of privatisation. The perspective of the Liberal and National parties has always been a theological belief in the value of privatisation. Those on that side of the House believe in a market society. They believe that inherently privatisation is always good. Those of us on this side of the House take a much more pragmatic view to privatisation. It was the Hawke government that privatised Qantas and the Commonwealth Bank, but it has also been Labor which has stood up against bad privatisations. We have to admit in a debate like this that there is such a thing as a bad privatisation. Privatisation of the British rail network is a classic example, a privatisation which ended up with consumers bearing higher prices and getting inferior services. So when we are considering privatisations, it must be on a case-by-case basis. Yes, we should look at the revenue that flows from privatisation but we also need to consider the situation of the asset. Is it a natural monopoly? Is it the kind of thing where there is going to be contestability in the market? Is the asset itself a natural role for government or is it something where we might expect the private sector to get more efficiencies? These are the questions that this side of the House asks on an issue like privatisation. At the heart of this Asset Recycling Fund Bill is the notion that an incentive payment of around 15 per cent of the value of the asset multiplied by the share of that sale price that is invested by this state into certain other assets should be returned to the state as an incentive payment. But as a number of University of Queensland economists, Flavio Menezes and John Quiggin chief among them, have highlighted, it is quite unclear whether this incentive payment is of appropriate size. One of the things it depends on is whether companies are in fact going to pay company tax revenue which is of that scale. Let me step back for a moment. The notion of paying an incentive payment has at its heart the principle that a government entity does not pay company tax. Once the asset is sold to private investors, they begin to pay company tax. The Commonwealth gets company tax and returns a portion of that to the state. But that argument only holds if the company actually pays a reasonable rate of tax. If it has very large deductions, and we have seen some of the potential loopholes in the company tax system arising in the debate over the base erosion and profit shifting, then it is not going to be the case that the Commonwealth gain in company tax is 15 per cent of the sale price of the asset. We need to be very clear that this is only a very small share of what states have had ripped away from them by this Commonwealth government—$80 billion ripped out of schools and hospitals as a result of this latest budget—and it will be a very small share of that which states see returned to them in the form of this incentive payment. The idea of an incentive payment is not new. It has been floating around in the ether of Treasury and Finance for nigh on two decades just waiting for a buyer. The idea found a gullible buyer in the form of the Prime Minister and the Treasurer who, when they walked into office, bought an idea which had been considered and rejected by the Keating government, the Howard government, the Rudd government and the Gillard government. So you cannot help thinking that the Abbott government is somewhere in the position of someone who finds themselves having inadvertently purchased the Sydney Harbour Bridge. They have bought an idea which so many others had rejected. And the reason they have bought this idea goes back to that Michael Sandel distinction between a market economy and a market society. If you believe in a market society, if you believe that the private sector always does things better than the public sector, then invariably you are going to be tempted to pay states to privatise. But if you take a more pragmatic approach to privatisations, as we on this side of the House do, then I think you are much more likely to be sceptical of privatisations, to want to see the business case for a privatisation, to take the view that if it does not stack up on its own merits then the federal government should not be paying the states to privatise an asset that they would not otherwise have privatised. We on this side believe in a market economy. We have a pragmatic attitude to markets and privatisations, which is that we should take things on a case-by-case basis, analysing each decision on its merits and deciding whether it is in the interests of the Australian people. There are a number of issues that are important in considering the Asset Recycling Initiative. One of these is an issue that was raised by Flavio Menezes in a piece for The Conversation in which he noted that: The key issue is that most projects in the top two highest priority lists, adding up to over $A25 billion, are either road extensions and upgrades, or urban railways or busways. While worthwhile, these projects will not be suited for a capital recycling program until a comprehensive user pays system is in place. In fact, there are only two projects in those lists that would fit well into a capital recycling program, namely the Oakajee Port (A$5.4 billion) and the Darwin East Arm Port Expansion (A$336 million). This is well short of the revenue that may be raised by asset sales and so recycling of capital would not be very effective. This means that capital recycling, while a potentially worthwhile concept in a world where governments cannot borrow directly, will be at best one additional tool for funding infrastructure. At worst, the proceeds from the sale of assets will be spent to ensure future electoral support, on projects that would not pass a cost-benefit test. That is a concern of this side of the House. While Labor had a strong process in place for Infrastructure Australia to ensure projects were scrutinised based on their cost-benefit ratio, those opposite seem to want to return to the days of National Party pork-barrelling, the days of Roads to Recovery, where careful analysis by journalists, including Mark Davis, and an economic paper that I did showed very clearly that there was a partisan skew to the Roads to Recovery funding. It was not funding based on the highest cost-benefit ratio; it was funding based on the highest political pay-off. We see this ideology replacing evidence again in the case of this government opposing investment in urban rail projects. Even though urban rail projects have a high pay-off and even though commuting times in Australia's cities are too high and one of the best ways of reducing them is through better public transport, this government has stepped back out of investment in urban rail. We on this side of the House have a proud record in urban rail. The Rudd and Gillard governments invested more in urban public transport during our six years than every other government back to Federation combined. We call on this government to put evidence ahead of ideology and to back important urban rail projects. It is also important to note where the resources are coming from to provide the initial contribution for the Asset Recycling Fund. The initial contribution of $5.9 billion will be funded by $2.4 billion ripped out of the Building Australia Fund and $3.5 billion ripped out of the Education Investment Fund. The Education Investment Fund was established to provide funding for projects to create or develop significant infrastructure in higher education research and vocational education and training institutions. The abolition of the Education Investment Fund raises big questions about this government's commitment to the long-term, sustainable funding of infrastructure for the teaching and research of Australia's public universities. It is now clear that the Asset Recycling Fund will not allow for investment in research infrastructure, which means that 59 per cent of the seed funding from this Asset Recycling Fund will come from investment that might otherwise have gone into education. As the Australian Technology Network of Universities has noted: EIF funding has been used to develop new research and education infrastructure across universities, VET institutions, research centres and institutes and the CSIRO (pertaining to the SKA). The provision of modern research capabilities comes at a cost. To date 71 infrastructure projects have been funded by EIF to the sum of $2.4 billion. This included $643m in funding for pure research infrastructure—not including funding for dual purpose teaching/research infrastructure across a wide range of fields including Medical Research, Science and Engineering since 2008. If the Education Investment Fund is abolished without any replacement, our fear is that Australia's research performance will suffer. The Treasurer has spoken about his desire to have more Australian universities ranked among the best universities in the world. Those are fine words but they are not matched by actions. The actions of this government are: ripping money out of research; shutting down the Education Investment Fund; not having a minister for science; ripping 1,000 jobs out of the CSIRO; and showing a general disregard for experts across the spectrum, whether they be expert bodies like CAMAC, experts from the charities commission or experts on climate change. This government appears not to have ever seen an expert body that it did not want to shut down or stymie. Labor has a proud record on infrastructure. When we came to office in 2007 Australia was ranked 20th in the OECD for our investment in infrastructure. In our final two years in office Australia was ranked No. 1. We were well outside contention in the OECD but we had the gold medal in our final two years in office. That investment in infrastructure by Labor was carried out based on the best evidence, and our concern about this bill is that it will not be based on the best evidence. It will not be based on sound science and expert advice, and it will encourage privatisations in instances in which those privatisations are not in the best interests of Australians. The Kennett government lost office in 1999 due in large part to its theological belief that privatisation was always better. The Howard government's approach that if you could find it in the White Pages then government should not do it was, I think, found in many cases to have cost the taxpayer more. A theological belief in privatisation does not serve the Australian people well. A pragmatic analysis of privatisation on a case-by-case basis is what Australians deserve and the risk of the 15 per cent incentive is that they will not get that pragmatic approach from this bill. We support education infrastructure and we are concerned about the money being taken out of that. We support transport infrastructure but we believe that there are smarter ways of investing in transport infrastructure than this bill.
Welcome to Mrs. Few's third grade Geography class. Today class we will be learning about the second largest country in Russia, Ukraine. You will learn how to identify Ukraine's flag , how to locate Ukraine on a map, and the different languages that Ukrainians speak and much more. \|Teacher notes: This geography lesson will serve as a review of the geography topic that were covered in class. The following activity is a project designed to review basic concepts in geography that will be completed individual. Each student will have to identify Ukraine on the map, its flag, and be able to tell a least two important facts about the country. You may wish to have books and other helpful materials in the classroom that's related to the countries to give the students a chance to learn more about the place they have been taught.\| Objectives: Locate a particular country on a map. Identify the location of the country. Identify the flag of the country and give 2 important facts about the country. Click Here to learn more important facts about Ukraine Location: Eastern Europe, border the Black Sea, between Poland, Romania, and Moldova in the west and Russia in the East. Area: land 603, 700 sq km, water 0 sq km. Climate: Temperate continental; Mediterranean only on the southern coast; highest in west and north, lesser in east and southeast; winter vary from cool along the black sea to cold farther inland; summers are warn across the greater part of the country, hot in the south. Geography note: second largest country in Russia. Sex Ratio: at birth : 1.05 male\females, under 15 years: 1.05 males\females, 15-64 years: 0.92 males\females total population: 0.86 male\female. HIV\AIDS: people living with HIV\AIDS: 250,000 Religion: Ukrainian Orthodox-Kiev Patriarchate 19%, Moscow Patriarchate 9%, Greek Catholic 6%, Autocephalous 1.7%, Protestant, Jewish, none 38%. Languages: Ukrainian, Russian, Romanian, Polish, Hungarian Government type: republic You want to see different photos of churches and the country Ukraine, Click here Directions: Circle True, if the statement is true, circle false if the statement is false. 1. True\False: The Capital of Ukraine is Chattanooga. 2. True\False: Ukraine's climate is very hot in the south during the summer. 3.True\False: Ukraine's religion is Christianity. 4. True\False: Ukraine is the biggest country in the world. 5. True\False: There is more than 100,000 people living with HIV\AIDS in Ukraine. 6. True\False: Ukraine's flag colors are blue and yellow. 7. True\False: Ukraine's government type is democrats. 8. True\False: Ukraine is located near New York City. 9. True\False: One of Ukrainian's type of language is Romanian. 10. True\False: Ukraine has a large population more than 10,000,000.
This year’s theme for National Libraries Week has been “Discover Something New”. Year 7 students have been joining in the fun during their regular Library lessons by playing the Reading Game. This involves making quick assessments about books from a variety of genres, discussing which has the best front cover, blurb and first page. Teams were challenged to beat the whistle and were soon able to make swift and accurate judgements about old favourites and new titles. The queues to borrow books at the end of each lesson were testament to the game’s success. Meanwhile, four Year 11 Library Monitors have designed a brilliant book quiz. There’s still time to enter as the closing date is Wednesday 18th October. Students and staff were encouraged to borrow double their usual allocation of books to celebrate National Libraries Week and these won’t be due back until after the half term break, so there will be no chance of running out of excellent reading material during the holidays.
(1902 - 1983) Takeo Yamaguchi was active/lived in Japan. Takeo Yamaguchi is known for Abstract painting. Biography Takeo Yamaguchi Yamaguchi Takeo was a pioneer of Japanese modern abstract painting, who matured at the same time that Art Informel became so influential in Japan, yet he remained independent from it. Born in Seoul, Korea, he studied Western painting at the Tokyo Art School and was particularly influenced by Cubism, which reduced painting to a flat, monochromatic expanse. After graduating he went to Paris and studied avant-garde In 1938, he joined with fellow abstract artists Saito Yoshishige, Yoshihara Jiro, and Hasegawa Saburo to found the avant-garde group Ninth Room Association (Kyushitsu-kai). After the war and by the mid-late 1950s his style had matured. He applie ... Displaying 750 of 953 characters. also viewed by people who viewed Takeo Yamaguchi
Probability theory is the branch of mathematics concerned with analysis of random phenomena. The central objects of probability theory are random variables, stochastic processes, and events: mathematical abstractions of non-deterministic events or measured quantities that may either be single occurrences or evolve over time in an apparently random fashion. As a mathematical foundation for statistics, probability theory is essential to many human activities that involve quantitative analysis of large sets of data. We are the leading online assignment help provider in Probability Theory engineering and related subjects. Find answers to all of your doubts regarding Probability Theorys. Assignmenthelp.net provides homework, assignment help to the engineering students in college and university across the globe. Our Probability Theory Assignment Help services are affordable, easy and convenient for school, college/university going students. Receiving Probability Theory Assignment Help is very easy and quick. Just e-mail us by clearly mentioning the deadline of your assignment/homework work. Probability Theory can be complex and challenging at many times, but our expert tutors at Probability Theory Assignment Help make it easy for you. We provide quality Probability Theory assignment help to you within the time set by you. Probability Theory Assignment Help also helps students with Probability Theory lesson plans and work sheets. To Schedule a Probability Theory Engineering tutoring session To submit Probability Theory Engineering assignment click here. Probability Theory Tutor \| Probability Theory Homework \| Probability Theory Assignment \| Probability Theory Engineering \| Probability Theory Engineering Assignment Help \| Probability Theory Engineering Help \| Probability Theory Engineering Solutions \| Probability Theory Engineering Tutor \| Probability Theory Engineering Homework \| Online Tutoring Assignment Writing Help Engineering Assignment Services Do My Assignment Help Write My Essay Services
Long Museum Night: Berlin's Cultures Unite! Berlin's par excellence cultural highlight of the year goes fully multiculturalAugust 18th, 2016 One ticket and 770 special events will fill the evening of Saturday, August 27th throughout the whole of Berlin. One ticket and almost countless options will guide visitors through a night of cultural rendez-vous. This year especially, the cultural diplomacy component is highlighted, as many of the performances, events and tours are targeted to discover and share cultural knowledge, traditions, tastes and sounds. For instance, one of three guided tours on offer, “Spanien in Berlin” (“Spain in Berlin”) is centered around the discovery of Spanish culture. It will feature museum exhibitions related to Spanish art, literature and design; with a focus on the Spanish “Golden Age”, throughout the 17th century. Such as the “The Velázquez Era” exhibition of baroque paintings at the Gemäldegalerie in the Kulturforum. Also in this venue, exhibitions and performances illustrating the life and work of Don Quixote’s literary creator, Miguel de Cervantes, and of contemporary fashion designer Balenciaga, will be visited within the Ibero-American Culture Institute. The tour will be completed by film projections and culinary degustation at the aforementioned institute and by a visit to the surrealist Dalí Museum on Potsdamer Platz. From Spain to Italy, a guided tour describing the development of Majolica porcelain in these two countries will be featured at the Arts and Crafts Museum (Kunstgewerbemuseum). Another more exotic option is learning about children and youth in modern Japan through knitting figures of Japanese children-protecting divinities and learning to play the Japanese board game Sugoroku, among other activities, at the Mori Ogai Memorial Center. African culture can be discovered through the visit of the exhibition “Dada-Afrika: Dialog Mit den Fremden” (“Dada-Africa: Dialogue with the Foreigners”) on Dadaist African art, at the Berlinische Galerie. Cultural exchange and dialogue will also stress the links with the Arab-speaking world. This is where the project “Multaka: Meeting Point Museum – Refugees as Guides in Berlin Museums” comes in. They will offer tours of the Pergamon Museum in the Arabic language with Syrian and Iraqi refugees as hosts, spreading the discovery of the ancient common heritage shared in its collection. They will also become “Al-Hakawati” story-tellers of traditional fairytales from their homeland, for refugee children to discover them. Among the musical performances, the one by the international music project 'Fattouch' stands out. Formed by musicians from Lebanon, France, Syria and Romania; it will bring together multicultural sounds from Europe and the Middle East to the front of the Museum for Islamic Art. These being just a selection of cultural experiences, there is something for everyone's taste on offer; inviting all to indulge in the diversity of Berlin's culture in this midsummer night reality.

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