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warc | 201704 | The Wonders Of Parenthood
Parenthood brings a lot of positive changes in one’s life. For one, when you become a parent, not only do you have someone who will always be there for you, inshaaAllah, but you will also have someone who will remember you even after you die (if you die before your child/children, that is).
As wonderful as parenthood is, the challenge and responsibility that comes with it can be overwhelming. You have to put in a lot of time, effort and energy to raise active, healthy children who are responsible and pious. All parents, no matter where they live in the world, have similar challenges and struggles with raising their children.
For those of us who are Muslim and live in a country where the majority is non-Muslim, like the U.S., the challenges, struggles and worries we go through as mothers and fathers are even more pressing.
Environment
The moment your little one comes into this world, you begin to ask yourself many questions.
How can I protect my child from the environment we are currently living in? An environment which no matter how hard we try, is extremely difficult to avoid.
As soon as you step out of your house, you will see women who are wearing next to nothing (especially in the summer), you will hear loud music coming from the car next to you and you will see men and women smoking and drinking.
In other words, you will come across everything that Islam prohibits and you will find it difficult to see everything that Islam encourages. This is the reason that protecting your children from these things while they’re living in it and witnessing it on a daily basis becomes really difficult.
As your children grow up, your efforts to protect and safeguard them from their surroundings will become even more challenging.
Why? Because the older the child becomes, the more things she will be exposed to.
So as a Muslim parent, you need to understand how your child can be influenced and where your child’s influences come from.
There are two major things that influence children, especially when they are young.
1. School
Most, if not all, public schools are administered and taught by non-Muslims. At a young age (if you decide to take your child to a public school) he or she will learn about non-Muslim holidays and see non-Muslim teachers who dress nothing like his/her parents.
From the time they are just five years old, they will be exposed to things which are not liked or permissible in Islam, for example music.
Just observe any Muslim preschooler or kindergartner. Before they started school, their favorite thing to recite all day was Surah Al-Fatihah. After a couple of weeks of going to school, they come home singing nursery rhymes and kids songs.
No matter how hard you try, you cannot know what your children hear, see or even learn about in school. Some things are just out of your control.
Why do I say this? Because…
After preschool and kindergarten, your child will be in school for eight or more hours. When your child goes to school, you are not with him. Your child goes to school with other children—children who may have bad manners and use foul language (the things that come out of some children’s mouths are unbelievable!) The majority of children will no doubt be non-Muslim They may see or hear other children doing or saying things which are forbidden in Islam (some kids will talk about alcohol and smoking and all types of other crazy things their parents do at home).
For the listed reasons, your child may be highly influenced by things he hears or sees and learns about while in school.
2. Home
After school, the next place which can have a big influence on your child’s behavior and mannerism is what you, the parent, do at home.
We’ve all heard of the saying,
‘action speaks louder than words.’
You can advise and tell your children to be good Muslims all you want, but if you, Mom and Dad, are not actually showing what it means to be a good Muslim, your advice is nothing. Your child will do exactly as you do.
If the children don’t see you praying, guess what, they will not pray either. If they don’t see you reciting and learning the Quran, most likely, they will not bother with it either. And yes, if you use bad language, they will too.
That is why it is important to be an example for your child/children. It’s better to combine advice with action. Show them what it means to be Muslim.
Television
Another major influence on children is what they watch on TV. As many Sheikhs say, TV – especially with 100 plus channels of everything from movies to music – can be a big Shaytan in your house. Know that what you allow your child to watch will no doubt influence the way they think and act.
A child who watches television even for just an hour can see things which are bad for his eyes, and mind. Even commercials are filled with filthy things such as half-naked people and sexually explicit scenes.
Your Responsibility As A Muslim Parent
Your child/children are a blessing. When we are given these beautiful little blessings, we have to be fully aware of what we teach them at home. We must also make sure we try to protect them from the obvious harms in the environment in which we live.
That means making tough decisions.
You have to put your child/children first. If you think something will harm them in any way, especially in their
deen (religion), try your very best to protect your child from that thing.
Always open your eyes and pay close attention to your children. Do your best to shield them from harmful influences.
Sister Um Ibrahim Ali is a regular guest blogger on Islamic Learning Materials. She discusses her adventures as a Muslim mother on her blog Sweet Mama Loves You. | 5,803 | 2,613 | 2.220819 |
warc | 201704 | Number 2532 brings together the attributes of number 2 appearing twice, amplifying its influences, the vibrations of number 5, and the influences of number 3. Number 2 resonates with kindness and consideration, service and duty, adaptability and co-operation, duality, finding balance and harmony, encouragement and support. Number 2 also resonates with faith and trust and serving your
life purposeand soul mission. Number 5 encourages making positive life choicesand important changes, adaptability and versatility, resourcefulness, auspicious opportunities, motivation and idealism. Number 5 also relates to doing things your own way and learning life lessonsthrough experience. Number 3 relates to optimism and enthusiasm, communication and self-expression, inspiration and creativity, optimism and joy, talent and skills, expansion and growth. Number 3 also relates to the Ascended Masters. The Masters help you to focus on the Divine spark within yourself and others, and assist with manifesting your desires.
Angel Number 2532 brings a message to be aware of your thoughts, intentions, ideas and feelings. By paying attention to the way you feel and understanding your emotional connection to your inner-self, you come to understand what is happening in your world, and why.
Angel Number 2532 indicates that important life changes are occurring in your life (or are about to occur) and you have manifested these changes with your thoughts, ideas and actions. Every thought that you give your attention to becomes part of your vibrational energy. Your attention invites it into your experience whether it is a thought about something positive (something you want), or a thought about something negative (something you don’t want). If the subject or focus of your attention is not in alignment with your higher-self you feel the disharmony of your thoughts in the form of negative feelings. When the subject or focus of your attention is in alignment with your higher-self, you feel the harmony of your thoughts in the form of positive feelings and a sense of calm and confidence.
Maintaining a
positive attitudeand mind-set will manifestand transform your ideas, dreams and aspirations into physical reality.
Number 2532 relates to number 3 (2+5+3+2=12, 1+2=3) and
Angel Number 3. * Sacred Scribes Joanne
Sacred Scribes
NUMEROLOGY - The Vibration and Energy of Numbers
NUMEROLOGY - The Vibration and Energy of Numbers
Body And Soul~Mind And Spirit | 2,471 | 1,110 | 2.226126 |
warc | 201704 | Yesterday, I led a workshop for local nonprofits about why developing a social media strategy is the best first step when it comes to doing anything social media related. As I was putting the finishing touches on the talk, and simultaneously preparing for a similar talk in Chattanooga on Friday, I realized something:
If you are a nonprofit and decide to use social media only because it's free and everyone else is doing it, then it's not a good idea. After all, those same two qualities are true for port-o-johns as well.
In fact, I couldn't think of any two
worse reasons to set up profiles if you're a nonprofit. You want to reach a new audience? Better communicate with an existing one? Streamline your communications? Fine. Go for it. Social media can help.
You want to spin your wheels? Try something without knowing why you're doing it? Leap on a bandwagon with no clear direction? Good luck.
I eagerly await your email for help in six months. If you'd like a free copy of my latest book, that discusses what a social media strategy is and why you need one - as well as how to develop one - then click here.
Photo by
Ack Ook | 1,142 | 640 | 1.784375 |
warc | 201704 | Michael Cart issued his clarion call for the inclusion of “gay/lesbian adolescent literature” in libraries and classrooms in 1997 with his landmark article, “Honoring Their Stories, Too: Literature for Gay and Lesbian Teens,” published in The ALAN Review . His emotional plea at the conclusion resonates:
We urgently need more serious attention to books for and about gay and lesbian and—yes—bisexual young people. We need more good novels that give faces to gay and lesbian young people; we need more good novels that offer them the shock of recognition, the knowledge that they are not alone; more good novels that inform the minds and hearts of non-homosexual readers, that offer them opportunities for insight and empathy by shattering stereotypes and humanizing their gay and lesbian peers. Not to have such books is an invitation to ignorance, which leads to fear, which leads to demonizing instead of humanizing, which leads to violence against not only the body but the spirit. (p. 45)
Cart remains one of the leading voices in the quest for more compassionate and realistic young adult literature (YAL) texts, both fiction and nonfiction, that feature Lesbian, Gay, Bi-sexual, Transgender, Questioning (LGBTQ) themes, plots, and characters. Following his lead, at the 1998 National Council of Teachers of English (NCTE) Annual Convention, we (Judith and Lisa) presented our summary of the then-current YAL offerings featuring LGBTQ themes and a wish list of suggestions for future works. The titles we reviewed were overwhelmingly similar, sharing common themes and characteristics that occurred so frequently as to become stereotypical.
During that 1998 presentation, we identified common characteristics of past LGBTQ young adult novels, one of which was a tendency to present being LGBTQ as the central difficulty to be faced or reconciled. That being said, LGBTQs were also often secondary characters, rather than main ones, and victims rather than leaders. The overwhelming majority of LGBTQ characters were gay or lesbian; bisexuality was seldom represented. Characters were underdeveloped, representing types , such as males who had ominous pasts involving predatory behavior toward boys. Males were portrayed as especially feminine or flamboyant. Females were portrayed as especially masculine and were often physical education teachers who guided teens until, mocked by heterosexual girls and plagued by rumors, were pushed toward an unwanted outing. Unlike males, females’ sexuality was usually not revealed until the story’s end.
Characters’ lives remained abnormally isolated, and they were seldom seen with a partner, although older females had “roommates.” Murky, undefined past problems brought characters to current locations for new beginnings or led to current situations. Their lives were considered questionable by heterosexuals, and when characters’ sexuality was discovered, few heterosexual characters offered support. Men were frequently physically attacked and/or driven from the community by male mobs. Women were usually subject to rumors, anonymous letters, ridicule, etc. Characters became resigned to unfair fates, did not fight for themselves, and displayed shame over being LGBTQ.
Novels’ resolutions usually depended upon the LGBTQ character’s story departure. Female outings were often from quick, quiet job resignations and relocation. However, males usually died, often violently and frequently from car accidents. If characters remained, they were frequently seen as having HIV/AIDS or terminal cancer. After LGBTQ characters absented a story, the remaining characters and town “returned to normal.” The LGBTQ character was remembered as an unfortunate “lesson.”
Nearly all religious views espoused hatred of LGBTQs in the form of Christian fundamentalism. Significantly, characters were mainly white and middle class.
While this compilation of issues in its entirety is dated and demeaning, it must be remembered that these qualities, although common, were of course neither novel templates nor did they necessarily represent all novels with LGBTQ characters. Many works had merit, but regardless, the majority did not display the quality found today. However, what these novels lacked is as telling as what they contained; for literary and genre excellence, LGBTQ works needed reality and vision. With that focus, we created our 1998 wish list:
What has been published since 1998 that both answers Cart’s request and addresses our wish list? What are the reading choices for all teens that give identity to today’s LGBTQ young people? Where can they find themselves in their own stories? Where are texts that help heterosexual readers understand gay/ lesbian struggles as they all traverse the journey of what is too often painful adolescence? The young man who committed suicide in the fall of 2010 at Rutgers University after his roommate and a female acquaintance posted online video of his romantic encounters with another male illustrates that our concerns are still valid.
Fortunately, there are signs that many educators, librarians, and authors are continuing efforts to expand and popularize the field. For instance, English Journal (EJ) in March 2009 published a themed issue on Sexual Identity and Gender Variance, compiled by guest editors Paula Ressler and Becca Chase. The promise and premise stated that the contributions would “discuss the place of LGBTQ people, curriculum, and concerns in schools” (p. 5). The compilation begins with the National Council of Teachers of English’s “Resolution on Strengthening Teacher Knowledge of Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, and Transgender (LGBT) Issues,” proposed and passed at the 2007 NCTE Annual Business Meeting in New York, ironically ten years after Cart’s appeal.
EJ ’s themed issue is filled with articles about using young adult LGBT texts in the classroom and about bolstering the knowledge, confidence, and support of teachers who are inexperienced or uncomfortable with the subject. In their “Introduction,” Ressler and Chase cite chilling statistics compiled by the Gay, Lesbian, and Straight Educational Network and others:
Equally painful are these LGBT teen statements, compiled during 2002–2005 by The Lambda Organization (2010):
Can young adult literature produce better understanding of LGBTQ issues for teens, in schools and out, while providing real solutions to these horrors? The EJ editors provide a blueprint for those of us who intend to continue to champion the problems LGBTQ youth experience by offering quality YAL to all.
The ALAN Review (TAR) continues to publish book reviews, text analyses, and author interviews that keep LGBTQ at the forefront, although issues can be found where no articles about LGBT authors, texts, or classroom practice are evident. However, in 2004, Cart again examined the status of the field in TAR as he traced the “evolution” of the literature. He assured readers that the number of opportunities for gay and lesbian teens to see themselves in quality YAL has indeed risen. We concur.
LGBTQ young adult literature titles are indeed routinely reviewed in English language arts and other professional journals, with various articles also regularly appearing without the necessity of isolating the topic into “special” issues. VOYA (The Voice of Youth Advocates) continually reviews and features print and non-print LGBTQ texts and resources, along with information about authors, teens, and related concerns. Additionally, VOYA publishes issues with LGBTQ-themed sections, rotating them with features on other YAL genres, such as poetry or mystery/suspense, thus eliminating any hint of dissimilarity among genres.
Multicultural Review consistently reviews the newest LGBTQ-themed titles, also placing them with all other young adult texts. These journals and others no longer attach the once-common “content warning” labels on such titles. Stand-alone and online bookstores continue to provide access to LGBTQ works for all ages. The market expands and increases with demand.
After Cart’s 2004 update, we found additional compelling evidence that a body of literature does indeed exist that focuses on problem novels where being LGBTQ was not the plot’s nucleus; rather, in many works, all characters are treated as adolescents living the teen experience, no matter their sexuality. Not only is this thematic change the first item on our 1998 wish list, it is also the single most positive and defining movement toward LGBTQ adolescent works that not only leave binding stereotypes behind, but also free the way for new publications featuring homosexual teens as adolescents first, sharing the same difficulties and issues as other teens rather than being featured as the problem themselves.
A few years ago, we recommended titles we both consider important contributions to the field ( Hayn & Hazlett, 2008 ). Some of those books continue to resonate with us today, along with more recent publications that have the potential to influence teens, no matter who they are. Many of the same authors we cited then continue to write specifically for and about homosexual teens and their search for identity.
As stated above, the best works portray LGBTQs in various situations and genres, interacting with an array of people, their sexuality simply one part of them, while they maintain heterosexual friendships. Current YAL continually offers texts that match the first six items of our 1998 wish list. A notable example appears in David Levithan’s 2004 The Realm of Possibility , where Daniel states, “My parents are okay with me being gay but they would kill me if they saw me with a cigarette . . .” (p. 5). Later, he worries about classmates’ reactions to his homosexuality and boyfriend; after this becomes known, he says, “We . . . were a little surprised when nothing happened except our surprise . . .” (p. 9).
It is refreshing to read novels featuring LGBTQ characters that are just plain funny; earlier novels were often so focused upon the “problem” of homosexuality that humor was excluded. Today, however, it would be difficult not to laugh aloud reading Brian Sloan’s 2005 A Really Nice Prom Mess , with gay Cameron somehow taking a girl to the prom, becoming involved in an on-stage performance, suffering multiple misunderstandings, and finally experiencing a police chase during his beyond-disastrous prom. Most teens have surely had catastrophic party experiences, and this novel and others show the shared humorous universalities. Perhaps more important, readers are laughing with, rather than at, LGBTQ characters.
Humor and commiseration continue in Sarra Manning’s 2005 Pretty Things , featuring straight Bree in love with gay Charlie, who has a crush on straight Walker, who likes Daisy, who is unsure of whether she is lesbian or bisexual. This amusing and realistic jumble of friends seeking love focuses upon their messy relationship quests and sometimes dubious advice to one other, with sexuality simply a given; moreover, the characters assist Daisy, and presumably readers, in clarifying her bisexuality.
All adolescents beginning relationships are vulnerable and susceptible to some degree, with abusive partners a danger to all, as illustrated by awkward Johanna who excitedly embarks upon her first relationship with the experienced Reeve in Julie Ann Peters’s 2009 Rage: A Love Story . Although Reeve becomes increasingly abusive, naïve Johanna blames herself in striving to maintain their disastrous partnership. Only afterwards can she objectively assess her relationship, which could be both cautionary and reassuring to readers.
Older novels frequently featured religion as a weapon used against homosexuals; now both LGBTQ and heterosexual teens are shown grappling with sexuality versus religious doctrine realistically—informative for all readers and particularly the devout. A notable example of this wish list item is Leanne Lieberman’s 2008 Gravity , featuring Ellie, a devoted orthodox Jew until falling in love with another female. She believes she must either alter her sexuality or renounce her religion, until her mother and sister offer alternative concepts of God that assist her (and readers’) acceptance of herself as a devout Jewish lesbian. Alex Sanchez’s The God Box (2007) offers another example of realistic religious issues when Paul, a traditional Christian with a long-time girlfriend, meets openly gay Manuel, also a Christian. Manuel causes Paul to reexamine his beliefs of Christianity as they both come to terms with their own homosexuality.
Another wish list item was LGBTQs’ appearance in genres other than contemporary realistic fiction; this small but growing category has the added bonus of incorporating several genre elements within novels. In Malinda Lo’s 2009 Ash , a retelling of the Cinderella fairy tale, Ash intends to remain in the faery world with her beloved, handsome Sidhean—until meeting the seductive Kaisa, the king’s huntress, and the kingdom’s equally stunning prince. Twists abound, with Ash finally and dramatically choosing Kaisa as romance/fantasy readers are held spellbound.
The one wish list category poorly represented remains diversity and exceptionality, as few current quality titles feature LGBTQ protagonists who also struggle with other specific characteristics of difference, whether they be physical, spiritual, or psychological. An exception is a supporting novel, Pamela Ehrenberg’s 2009 Tillmon County Fire , where an adoptee, a gay male, a religious zealot, a pregnant female, and an autistic boy narrate their versions of a shocking fire in their town. Another option is Alex Flinn’s 2005 Fade to Black , portraying an HIV-positive high school student, hospitalized after being attacked; the bigot accused of the crime, and the sole witness, a classmate with Down syndrome, share from three perspectives how the assault changed them and their lives. We urge more titles focusing on all aspects of diversity; their limited LGBTQ presence should spur this category’s growth.
Naturally, wish lists look toward the possibilities of the future, with LGBTQ offerings doing likewise. In David Levithan’s 2005 Boy Meets Boy , the high school quarterback is also the homecoming queen, the school’s gay/straight alliance exists only to teach straight kids how to dance, and being gay is just that. Similarly, Garden’s 2007 short story collection Hear Us Out! Lesbian and Gay Stories of Struggle, Progress, and Hope: 1950 to the Present contains stories chronicling the lives of lesbians and gays in America from the 1950s to the present, with its final story portraying universal acceptance for all. Her title is particularly insightful for the view we maintain; “struggle, progress, and hope” abound in the YAL world, too.
The state of current young adult literature featuring LGBTQ characters is thriving and, with a few exceptions, fulfilling those needs espoused by our original 1998 wish list with titles that are of quality and offer entertainment. Viewed as good books, rather than “LGBTQ” books, and enjoyed by a variety of readers, we highlight just a few of the titles that facilitate teens’ perception, awareness, and inclusion of others and themselves while developing their ability to lead meaningful, productive adult lives.
William Banks, in his article in that 2009 themed English Journal , “Literacy, Sexuality, and the Value(s) of Queer Young Adult Literature,” agrees with us when he writes of his own experience seeking out LGBT as a young man: “The characters that inhabited gay literature from the 1960s to the 1990s, even if at times positive and sympathetic, taught me to disconnect and move on” (p. 33). Our hope is that the texts listed above and others lead you and your students to engage with these characters, ultimately leading all of us to knowledge, self-awareness, and action regarding those teens in our classrooms who are LGBTQ and those who are not.
Judith A. Hayn , is an associate professor of Graduate Secondary Education at the University of Arkansas at Little Rock where she teaches English Language Arts Methods and Adolescent Literature. Her current interests include establishing a research agenda for adolescent literature. Lisa A.Hazlett , is a professor of secondary education at The University of South Dakota, where she teaches courses in young adult literature and middle/secondary education. Her publications and presentations focus upon various aspects of young adult literature.
Banks, W. P. (2009). Literacy, sexuality, and the value(s) of queer young adult literature English Journal, 98 (4), 33–36.
Cart, M. (2004). What a wonderful world: Notes on the evolution of GLBTQ literature for young adults. The ALAN Review, 32 (3), 46–52.
Cart, M. (1997). Honoring their stories, too: Literature for gay and lesbian teens. The ALAN Review, 25 (1), 40–45 .
Ehrenberg, P. (2009). Tillmon county fire. Grand Rapids, MI: Eerdmans Books for Young Readers.
Flinn, A. (2005). Fade to black . New York: HarperTempest.
Garden, N. (2007). Hear us out! Lesbian and gay stories of struggle, progress, and hope: 1950 to the present . New York: Farrar, Straus Giroux.
Hayn, J. A., & Hazlett, L. (2008). Connecting LGBTQ to others through problem novels: When a LGBTQ is NOT the main character. The ALAN Review, 36 (1), 66–72 .
The Lambda Organization. (2010). Gay, lesbian, & bi teens: Students & schools, 2002–2005 . Retrieved from www.lambda.org/youth.htm#youth%20group .
Levithan, D. (2004). The realm of possibility . New York: Alfred A. Knopf.
Levithan, D. (2005). Boy meets boy . London, England: Collins.
Lieberman, L.(2008), Gravity . Custer, WA: Orca.
Lo, M. (2009). Ash . New York: Little, Brown.
Manning, S. (2005). Pretty things . New York: Dutton.
Peters, J. A. (2009). Rage: A love story . New York: Knopf.
Ressler, P., & Chase, B. (Eds.). (2009). Sexual identity and gender variance: Meeting the educational challenges. English Journal, 98 (4), 15–22.
Sloan, B. (2005). A really nice prom mess . New York: Simon & Schuster.
Sanchez, A.(2007). The god box . New York: Simon & Schuster.
Spiegel, L., & Hayn, J. (1998, November). Listen to our stories: Gay and lesbian themes in adolescent literature . Presented at the National Council of Teachers of English Annual Convention. Grand Ole Opry Hotel, Nashville, TN. | 18,765 | 8,390 | 2.236591 |
warc | 201704 | On May 13, 2008, the Detroit Symphony Orchestra welcomed a very special guest conductor as part of the Power of Dreams Music Education Fund initiative. Unlike other guest conductors, this one
didn't have an illustrious background in music. Nor was the conductor
a well-known celebrity. In fact, the conductor didn't even have a
heartbeat! It was the Advanced Step in Innovative Mobility robot, better known as ASIMO.
A creation from the robotics division of Honda, ASIMO is a
humanoid robot -- a robot that resembles a human being -- capable of accomplishing tasks that most robots find very challenging. That includes everything from climbing up and down a set of stairs to running in a circle to maneuvering through a room filled with obstacles. ASIMO has the capability to move in a smooth and fluid way with one motion flowing into the next. But while overcoming challenges and moving smoothly is impressive, it's not on the same level as conducting an orchestra.
There seems to be an inherent disconnect between robotics and music. For many people, music has an emotional component. Whether it's a musician expressing sorrow by playing a mournful requiem or a group of children bouncing along to a chipper tune, music and mood seem to go hand-in-hand. But ASIMO can't experience emotions or moods. As a robot, ASIMO can only receive input and make calculations or respond to commands given by an operator.
A good conductor can influence the mood of a piece of music by cueing musicians with gestures, facial expressions and even inhaling sharply. The relationship between the musicians and the conductor is an important aspect of any performance. But what happens when the conductor isn't even a human being?
How did ASIMO measure up? Will the robot be the next Leopold Stokowski? Find out in the next section.
Limitations of Robotic Conductors
While ASIMO is an example of advanced technology and innovation, it's not quite at the level where it can pick up a baton and lead an orchestra without preparation. In fact, the only way the robot can conduct an orchestra is to follow a complex set of instructions programmed by engineers. To lead the Detroit Symphony Orchestra, ASIMO had to take an intense crash course in movement.
First, engineers from Honda met with Charles Burke. Burke is the education director for the Detroit Symphony. The engineers watched Burke as he conducted "The Impossible Dream" to a pianist. They had to pay close attention, because Burke's motions would serve as the model ASIMO would follow six months later at the Power of Dreams event.
Then the engineers set to work. They studied Burke's movements and programmed ASIMO to follow the same patterns. ASIMO's complex system of joints and motors allowed it to mimic Burke's range of motion with mechanical precision.
While ASIMO's performance was impressive -- some musicians remarked that its movements were almost human -- it wasn't interactive. The orchestra's musicians would have had a similar experience if they had followed a pre-recorded human conductor. There was no opportunity for improvisation.
Some people might argue that ASIMO didn't really direct the Detroit Symphony Orchestra -- rather, Burke did. After all, ASIMO was really recreating Burke's style and movements. The entire routine was simply a program running on ASIMO's operating system. The robot just ran through the series of motions from start to finish, and would have continued regardless of whether or not the orchestra followed the robot's lead.
In a way, that makes ASIMO a very expensive
metronome -- a tempo-keeping device used in musical performances. The robot could keep time with incredible precision. Since most music in part relies on maintaining a particular rhythm, this was a useful skill. But it also restricted the amount of emotion that could come through the piece. While ASIMO could change tempo during a performance, engineers had to pre-program the specific shifts in tempo in advance. In other words, ASIMO would always change tempo the same way at the same point in a piece.
Will robots ever be able to conduct an orchestra the way a human conductor can? That will depend on a number of factors. First, robots will need some measure of artificial intelligence in order to be able to interpret a performance and make decisions based on that information. Robots will also have to be able to express intentions to musicians and recognize the musicians' responses in return. In other words, we have a long way to go before we see the Terminator direct the London Philharmonic in a performance of "Night on Bald Mountain."
To learn more about robots, music, and other topics, conduct yourself to the links on the next page.
Related HowStuffWorks Articles More Great Links Sources ASIMO. http://asimo.honda.com Detroit Symphony Orchestra. "Honda's ASIMO Robot to Conduct the Detroit Symphony Orchestra." April 23, 2008. http://www.detroitsymphony.com/main.taf?p=5,2,1,196 Durbin, Dee-Ann. "Honda Robot Conducts Detroit Symphony to Warm Response." ABC News. May 14, 2008. http://abcnews.go.com/Technology/GadgetGuide/wireStory?id=4852155 Stryker, Mark. "DSO led by robot maestro." Free Press. May 14, 2008. http://www.freep.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=2008805140432 | 5,278 | 2,496 | 2.114583 |
warc | 201704 | In part 2 of Best practices: Identity management, experts Kelly Manthey and Peter Gyurko discuss optimization through case studies involving a Fortune 500 bank.
Topics include: Getting there: Optimized (0:44) Seperation of Duties case study: Fortune 500 bank (3:18) Seperation of Duties case study diagram (4:10) Closing thoughts (7:08) About the experts: Kelly Manthey is the Vice President of Consulting Services at Solstice Consulting, a Chicago-based technology management consulting firm that helps companies be more successful through business process optimization and custom software development. Peter Gyurko is a Senior Consultant with Solstice Consulting. His areas of expertise include custom application development, agile adoption with scrum, and Identity and Access Management. Read the full transcript from this video below: Best practices: Identity management - Part 2
Kelly Manthey: So, as Peter was talking about, established, he mentioned that you
were going to be there for a while, and you will. Jumping from phase to phase is not something that happens every year. In phase one will be developing, and phase two, next year, will be fully evolved. Really, what these definitions are is, what it means to your organization. [What] it goes all the way back to is, "What's your organization's appetite for risk?" Maybe being in, what's considered, developing, having some ad-hoc processes in place, having some technology in place, maybe that's good enough. Maybe that is something that your organization is willing to accept. There is no right answer here. There is no silver bullet, there's no, "This is the standard you should be at, and that's it." It's what is right for your organization, depending on your organization's size, the business that you're in, the regulatory requirements that govern what you do. This is all about using your audit team as part of your evolution, of your identity management strategy. Letting them have a seat at the table as well, to help you guys come up with together, How are we going to develop our internal policies, or our internal requirements for how we are going to address these external requirements, or external guidelines that we're being held to? If you're in banking or pharmaceutical, I know I keep pulling from that, it's where I had most of my experience, but the regulations that come down, they're not clear. It doesn't say, "Do this," it's up to you to interpret it. Being an information security officer, or somebody in the IS department, it's really not something you want to do on your own, and make that decision yourself. You want the experience of your audit team, you want the experience of, some of, your line-of-business management, to help share that decision-making process. That gets back to, make sure you have the right people on board. That you have educated them up front, that they are aware of what your strategy is. Having all the right people on board, and forming your core team made up of your audit team… and I know I keep saying that, but they are. You all work for the same company from an internal audit perspective. You want them to have a seat at the table so that you can understand their perspective. You want to develop your own internal policies, and figure out the ways you may want to automate enforcement for those policies. There's some great tools out there. The identity management space has become very mature. There's some great vendor products out there that we've come across, we've seen, and helped our clients implement. That can help you pull for deviations from standard and help take over some of that manual work. You have to know what standard is. You have to have defined what standard is for your company. There is no, "If it worked here, it's going to work here and we're not going to get an audit point on it." It doesn't work like that. You need communication and all the right people on board within your organization to become optimized. I'm going to talk a little bit about a case study of another one of our clients. This is a separation of duties case study. Something that I think a lot of you guys may be dealing with as well. Implementing some of the most critical controls for SAS 70 and SOX compliance. The key issue here was trying to restrict direct developer access with their own developer ID, to critical production source code, and data. Getting more control around that, being able to prove to external auditors that, "We've got a process in place, we've got control around who has access to production and what they're touching when they get there, and how we can look at what was done when somebody was there." It was a little bit of a wild west, not totally, but a little bit. They needed to put in controls, and how they did it was people, process, and technology. The first area was restricting the developer access. The role of the existing identity management technology and process was key here. Because the identity management solution that was already in place was leveraged to help put controls in place to restrict access. How was this done? The identity management tool was used to create these shared production IDs. So getting away from allowing individual IDs, being able to access production, but moving towards shared production IDs for a specific environment, and access production in very controlled ways. Identity management process was leveraged in two ways. One was to create the ID in the first place. There was an approval workflow put together for, "What are the requirements for getting these IDs, and who needs to approve them?" Once they were created, there was a secondary process for granting access to those IDs, including an approval process. Who was allowed to have access to a shared production ID for a UNIX environment, or for an Oracle environment, for these specific applications? There were, let's say, 10 IDs set up for a specific environment, they all had the same prefix, but they were named slightly differently so, database logging, which is kind of the next piece, was tracking what all these IDs were doing. Through the enterprise password vault, you knew who had what ID checked out at which time. There was accountability in several areas. One in the, who can get access. No. 2, who's using it, at what time? The password vault was tracking who had checked out each ID, and in the environment itself, what the ID was doing, was being logged. The third prong of this was correlating what was done after the fact. So, again, you didn't have to wait to get the approval, but you did have to get approval eventually. There was an oversight committee that was put in place. To basically look at: what changes were performed, was the proper paper trail, after the fact, filled out to say, "Yes, this is what I did, this is why I needed to check the ID out, I got the appropriate management approval." It happened after the fact, but it was a way the events could be memorialized. It was a way that the events could be tracked for compliance. Was the right process followed? A detective measure, for sure. At the end their memorializing it, because once people are granted access to check things out, and to make changes in production, the damage has already been done, if something was done. The preventative measures up front of creating the ID, approvals around who has access to the ID, usage of the vault, tracing who's checking in and out things via the vault, were all the preventative measures.
I hope that we met our goal of giving you some nuggets of information that you could take back to your company. First, brainstorming to spur some discussions on, "Where are
we right now?" In terms of baselining where your maturity is and, "What makes sense for where we want to be?" Again, there is no, "This is where you should be." It depends on multiple factors within your company. Our advice is, start small, have a plan, test some things out, pilot something, see what might work, and then refine from there to continue moving up the maturity continuum. Always remember: people, process, technology. Make progress on all three of those fronts, and don't sacrifice one for the other. | 8,212 | 3,469 | 2.367253 |
warc | 201704 | DataMover 240f fills network pipes with data, removing a substantial bottleneck in the backup process.
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@exb
At a Glance: DataMover 240f
@exe The DataMover 240f, from Austin, TX-based Crossroads Systems Inc., addresses one of the remaining bottlenecks in the backup process: the inability to fill network pipes with data. Technologies like virtual tape and disk-to-disk backup reduce backup times by eliminating "shoe shining," but don't necessarily move data across the network more efficiently or faster.
DataMover 240f resides in the SAN as an edge device and is presented to and communicates with the primary backup server via two Fibre Channel (FC) control paths. The backup server still manages the backup, but offloads the processing of the data to the 240f. The changed data blocks of each backup job are still stored in the backup software's catalog, so the backup software is aware of what data has changed and needs to be backed up. And because DataMover 240f can handle up to eight backup jobs concurrently, once a job is under way, the backup server can initiate another job for another server.
The DataMover 240f typically uses only four ports to move data from the storage array to the tape drives, and the four ports will access the disk and tape ports. While this may seem to be a bottleneck, it allows DataMover 240f to dedicate 20MB/sec to each of the four disk and tape channels for backup traffic, more than double the typical rate.
The ability to configure DataMover 240f with dedicated FC paths from disk to tape outweighs some of the advantages of moving data to a virtual tape device rather than transferring it directly to real tape. Once the 240f receives the go-ahead from the backup software to start moving data blocks, it can stream the data directly from the disk subsystem to the tape drive.
W. Curtis Preston, VP of data protection services at GlassHouse Technologies, Framingham, MA, finds data mover technology a good option for those struggling with backup and restore methods. "Shops who have multiterabyte databases and shrinking backup windows need to explore options like server-free backup to meet their data protection requirements," he says. But Preston cautions that setting this process up can be complex, and DataMover 240f is only one piece of the puzzle.
The complexity is evidenced in either of the two scenarios in which DataMover 240f is deployed. In the first, a snapshot of the data must be taken before DataMover 240f transfers data from disk to tape. This requires administrative time to coordinate the setup and execution of the snapshot and movement of the data from disk to tape. In the other scenario, the backup server is given access to the application server's volume and the application data is quiesced until the backup completes. Administrators may not find this configuration desirable because they'll lose control of these volumes until the backup completes.
Administrators who successfully navigate the setup process should see substantial improvements in backup and restore times. Crossroads' own testing using LTO-2 tape technology showed a throughput of 20MB/sec or more vs. typical rates of 7MB/sec to 10MB/sec. DataMover 240f can extend the life of existing storage device investments while improving performance. | 3,459 | 1,589 | 2.176841 |
warc | 201704 | Hello and welcome to my blog website where I talk about plumbing. There are a few Things you need to consider when looking for a Saskatoon Plumbing and Heating Company. In this day and age, water and electricity have become crucial to human life, but with the many benefits that the electrical devices come with, one drawback is that they get easily damaged and the same goes for other household goods and equipment. We often face problems of clogging, pipe leakage or plumbing issues.
After sorting out the many household problems that all homeowners usually face, the two most common problems have always been leakage and some fault in the working of the air conditioner. Yes! These are the most common and most stressful forms of home damage that homeowner often come across. So, what do you do in case you find yourself in such a predicament?
Well, whenever you come across such problem it’s better to call one of many Plumbing and Heating companies in Saskatoon. Rather than trying to handling it yourself, that is if you live in Saskatoon, even if you don’t you may find some helpful information on that sited we’ve linked to above. The DIY (Do It Yourself) idea is not the best option, if you try handling it yourself, it may end up to be a waste of time and energy and most importantly money . Besides, you are not an expert in this field. You might cause more damage than good, which may, in a way, cause you to dig deeper into your pockets in order to get the issue fixed.
A little piece of advice when looking for a Plumbing and Air conditioning company in Saskatoon NEVER go for a service because of the lowest prices, although this may be crucial when dealing with competition. In most cases, Low prices often translate to low-quality work which may later translate to more expenses.
Before you hire a service provider, take some time to learn about the many firms that provide plumbing or Air conditioning services by doing some research online. There are many companies out there that can provide repair services, and the additional benefit of this research method is that you can also find a lot of user reviews about them online. If used in the right way, the internet can help you to find a service-oriented firm that is sure to meet your requirements.
Since getting an AC or a plumbing system for your home and investing money in its regular maintenance can be an expensive affair, you should always ensure that you hire the right service provider to install, maintain and repair it. Consider our friends at plumbingandheatingsaskatoon.com when living in Saskatoon. Their a great example of how a professional company runs a business in the plumbing and heating industry. There are a couple of things that you need to consider when hiring a Plumbing and Air conditioning service provider; They are:
1. The Firm’s Reputation: In most cases, the technicians who come to repair your damaged electric appliances are not accustomed to the intricacies of you AC device. And, therefore, since you can’t make compromises when it comes to air conditioners or plumbing systems, make sure that the firm that you hire is well-equipped and has skilled employees.
2. The Firm’s Legitimacy: Since it’s difficult to get proper feedback about any of your inquiries, a legitimate work license will give you an assurance of the company’s authenticity.
3. Insurance: Anyone you are hiring should have an active public liability insurance cover. That means that they will compensate you financially if they cause any damage to your AC or plumbing systems.
4. Proximity: Always look for the company that is nearer to your location so that you can call them whenever required or in case of any emergency. Considering calling our friends at
5. In addition to the points mentioned above, make sure that the company is providing you a guarantee of good work in the form of writing. Any professional that is worthy of being hired will be happy to provide you with a guarantee of their services.
In conclusion, with all this in mind, in case you get yourself in a predicament whereby your Plumbing and Air conditioning needs repairs, you should not stress about it anymore because there are trained professionals ready to fix the problem for you A.S.A.P. One big relief is that now There are Plumbing and Air conditioning installation, maintenance and repair service providers nearby that can provide you with all the help you need. | 4,476 | 2,023 | 2.212556 |
warc | 201704 | MIND C.T.I. (NASDAQ:MNDO) is a small micro-cap gem. The company provides software solutions to various types of communications providers. It has a rock solid balance sheet, a low PE and delivers a high-yield dividend. The company’s activities are described as follows:
Mind C.T.I. Ltd. develops, manufactures, and markets real-time and off-line billing and customer care software for various types of communication providers. The company offers billing and customer care solution supports multiple services, including voice, data, and content services, as well as prepaid and postpaid payment models in a single platform. It also provides a workflow engine to support the creation and execution of business processes, such as order management, trouble ticket, and debt collection. In addition, the company offers an integral point of sale solution that comprises dealer, store, and cashier management and sales processes. Further, it provides professional services, primarily to billing and customer care customers, consisting of installation, turnkey project implementation services, customer support, training and maintenance services, customization, and project management. Additionally, the company offers call management systems, including PhonEX, MEIPS, and PhonEX-ONE, which are used by organizations for call accounting, telecom expense management, traffic analysis, and fraud detection. Mind C.T.I. Ltd. offers its products through marketing alliances with network equipment vendors, systems integrators, and resellers in the Americas, the Asia Pacific, Africa, Europe, and Israel. It primarily serves traditional wireline and wireless, voice over Internet protocol, and broadband IP network operators, as well as WiMAX operators, cable operators, 3G operators, and mobile virtual network operators. The company was founded in 1995 and is headquartered in Yoqneam, Israel.
The company focuses on providing its software solutions to tier 2 and tier 3 communications service providers. In 2009, MIND derived about 44% of its business in the western hemisphere, 47% from Europe, 4% in Asia and about 5% from Israel. About 65% of its revenues come from recurring services, and the balance-- 35%-- from the sale of licenses. In both 2008 and 2009, approximately 95% of the company's revenues were generated outside of Israel. Sales outside of Israel are made in more than 40 countries. MIND currently has sales and support offices located in Silver Spring, Maryland U.S. and in Reading, U.K. In addition, it has a technical and support team in Jassy, Romania.
Sales in the fiscal year ending December 2010 totaled $19.9 million, up 13% from 2008. Net income came in at approximately $5.0 million, down 74.6% from 2009. In 2009, MIND recorded approximately $19.8 million in net income. Of this, approximately $18.5 million can be attributed to income from an auction rate securities settlement.
In FY09, the company distributed approximately $14.8 million or $0.80/share in dividends. In FY10, the distribution dropped to $0.32/share. Over the past five years, dividends have grown at the rate of 5.9% per year. The current dividend of $0.32/share exceeds the company’s reported earnings per share of $0.26/share. It also exceeds the company’s free cash of $0.33/share. At the current share price, the dividend yield is about 9.3%. This dividend is not sustainable.
Over the past five years, sales have grown at an annualized rate of 5.0%. Net income has been growing at about 3.6% per year and EPS at the rate of 6.5%. We think this slow growth rate is reflective of a certain maturing in the telecommunications sector, plenty of competition from larger, better capitalized companies and a small footprint in China. MIND has a current PE of 13.2X, which is low for this segment.
The balance sheet is strong. The company has no debt but it does report about $20.5 million in cash and short-term investments. MIND has a current ratio of 5X, which indicates no problems with meeting its immediate needs. Total Liabilities to Total Assets is a low 21.3%.
We compare MIND to several other companies operating in this particular segment of the market. This list is not exhaustive and is presented for comparison purposes only.
Several of these companies are domiciled offshore. Three of the companies, including MIND, have no earnings estimates for 2011 or 2012. BroadSoft (NASDAQ:BSFT) is currently losing money but analysts are expecting a strong turnaround.
We place a lot of importance on cash flow and free cash flow. At 25.42%, MIND reports a very strong showing for Cash Flow Return on Invested Capital. BroadSoft reports a very impressive 30.02% CFROI. Return on Equity is determined, in part, by a company’s capitalization structure. BroadSoft’s ROE of 68.4% is all the more impressive when we consider it has virtually no long term debt. MIND also shows a strong ROE at 22.8% and without long term debt. The current ratio is one measure that can be used to determine if a company can meet its immediate obligations. MIND is well covered with a CR of 5.0X. As a group, these companies are not highly leveraged. Only one, CSG Systems (NASDAQ:CSGS) reports Long Term Debt to Total Capital that is higher than we like to see. For the two companies reporting long term debt, free cash flow is more than adequate to cover.
MIND is selling at 13.2X TTM earning of $0.26. This is low when compared to other software companies and the market. Some people look to the Price Sales ratio for valuation. At 3.19X sales, MIND is selling at a premium to its sector and industry. The Price to Book ratio is a favorite for value investors. Here we find MIND selling at 2.64X book value, which is about what the sector and industry is selling for now.
EBITDA (Earnings before Interest, Taxes, Depreciation and Amortization) is often used in valuation. EBITDA is considered by some to be a form of cash flow. With an Enterprise Value to EBITDA multiple of 9.17X, MIND is not extravagantly priced. The median EV/EBITDA value for 194 companies classified as “Software and Programming” in the Reuters Research, Inc. database we use is 19.84X and the average is 57.22X. EV/Sales ratio is another useful metric used in valuation. MIND has an EV/Sales ratio of 2.3X. The sector median EV/sales ratio is 2.49X and the average is 4.45X. Finally, our favorite valuation is EV/Invested Capital. MIND has an EV/IC ratio of 1.91X. The industry median is 2.34X and the average is 3.99.
Based on these several valuation metrics, we believe MIND is undervalued. We have a target price of $4.57 based on our estimates of earnings growth, return on invested capital and debt to the market value of equity and debt.
As always, complete your own due diligence prior to making any investments.
Disclosure: I have no positions in any stocks mentioned, and no plans to initiate any positions within the next 72 hours. | 6,935 | 3,183 | 2.178762 |
warc | 201704 | From time to time, questions arise about using leveraged ETFs in one's portfolio strategy. We caution longer-term oriented investors to not use these type of ETF investments. For example, if an investor believes the market will rise in the near term, why not consider a two or three times ultra bull ETF. In this case an investor would expect the ETF to generated two or three times the return of the underlying index. Well, for an investor, it is not that- simply due to how the math calculation works. Let's look a 2x's ultra long or bullish ETF example.
Let's assume at the beginning of day 1 an index is trading at $100.At the end of the day the index closes at $90 or down 10%. The leveraged ETF would close at $80 or down 20%.
On day 2 the index rises to $99 or up 10%. The 2x's leveraged ETF would increase to $96, that is $80 * 1.20=$96.
Over the two day period though the index is down 1% while the leverage ETF is actually down 4% or four times worse than the index return versus the expected two times worse return.
Click to enlarge:
From The Blog of HORAN Capital Advisors
One problem with many of these leverage ETFs is they reset daily and individual investors generally do not rebalance their portfolios on a daily basis. So as one can see, the performance of these ETFs over a period longer than one day can differ significantly from their stated daily performance objectives. More on this topic can be found on the SEC's web site in an article they wrote titled, Leveraged and Inverse ETFs: Specialized Products with Extra Risks for Buy-and-Hold Investors. | 1,581 | 859 | 1.840512 |
warc | 201704 | “Oh my, is that Angie asking Valerie for feedback on a geometry lesson? I never thought that would happen!” Don and Terry are looking over each other’s student work from the recent lesson they worked on together. What a great conversation they are having. Staff members really seem to feel valued and respected by each other and by the principal. Nothing could be better!
“Wait! What is that I just heard over the clunking of the copy machine? No, that can’t happen! Did I just hear Harriet say that she has accepted a science specialist position in another district for next year?” I don’t care if that it is her dream job! She has been our strong, quiet experienced leader of the 4th grade, who has really advocated for lesson study.
Mike looks up from reading over last night’s school board minutes. “Hey Deb, Amy has been granted a leave of absence through December for maternity leave next year. Isn’t that great news?” You have got to be kidding me! She has been my resource for working on the district curriculum realignment of the math strands. I thought she would be back at least part time in the fall. I walk gloomily back down to my classroom.
I see Jody with a huge grin on her face running toward me. “Debra, I just got a call from the district office. I got the 3rd grade position over at the other elementary for next year! I’ll finally get a continuing contract,” she explains with elation. I am finding it difficult to look even slightly thrilled. I didn’t even know she had applied! She was the one who really helped bring the entire 2nd grade staff on board last year during our school’s reconfiguration.
Over the intercom the secretary reminds us, “The new principal will be meeting with us in a few minutes to introduce herself to everyone so we can feel more comfortable and less uncertain about next year.” Oh, let’s just throw in a brand new principal into the mix? Help! Now what will happen to lesson study Monte Cristo Elementary style? Can it survive with all these changes?
We just finished our fourth year of lesson study in our newly reconfigured K–6 elementary school. Five years ago, I secured two years of funding through a leadership grant. Our group’s initial focus was to establish collaboration between our nine 5th grade and multiage 4–5–6 teachers. We wanted to create an environment for critical reflection and focus on increasing our state test results specifically in math. I began by presenting to the 5th grade and multiage staff just what lesson study is. Lesson study brings teachers together with specialists and other educators to design lessons, make revisions, observe student learning and engage in professional discussions about improving student learning. When a lesson is fully developed by the group, one member teaches it to a class while the others observe and note the interaction between the lesson and the students. The entire group then meets to analyze and reflect on the lesson. This is further refined until it is ready to be tried out in another classroom. This cycle continues until the group is satisfied that the students fully understand the lesson.
I purposely chose this group to start with as 5th grade state math scores in rounding and estimation had been nose diving over the past few years. These classrooms were spread all over the building with no common planning time, so there was no teaming except in multiage. Most were experienced teachers with firm differences in philosophy on how to teach mathematics. The newer teachers were still “star struck,” trying to find their own way to eventually elbow in and share newer educational approaches. Many “behind the back” discussions were taking place regarding what and how we taught when the classroom door was closed. Further, teachers were suspicious of the multiage program, which many saw as the program that got all the special favors of the principal. Many staff felt that only high-achieving students (i.e., no problem kids or special needs kids) were placed in these multiage 4-5-6 grade classrooms. I wondered, could lesson study help us get past all of these misconceptions?
To my amazement every 5th grade teacher not only attended the informational meeting but they all volunteered to participate the following fall. In addition, some of our specialists, an instructional aide and the building principal asked to join us. By purposefully deciding to focus on just one math strand, it seemed to help everyone feel more comfortable and eager to join. Things were going smoother than I could have ever hoped.
After three rounds of lesson study, staff members continued their Lesson Study discussions during lunch and in the hallways. In addition, they realized through classroom observations that we all have needy students, including multiage classes. The bonus was that all of our state test scores in math went up significantly!
I knew we had found a good thing when Andrea, our music specialist, wrote to me, “Personally, the most beneficial part of lesson study was the camaraderie it built within our staff. We began with a group of teachers who were in no way a cohesive team. We now have people teaming up to plan education and extra-curriculum activities. I consistently say hi to people that I never used to. This might seem inconsequential, but it is actually hugely significant. When teachers are comfortable with each other and respect each other’s abilities, more cross-curricular planning occurs. Student learning benefits as a result.”
In the second year, I actively recruited and invited more grade levels to join, and our lesson study group doubled its size to 26. I deliberately asked Harriet and Amy to speak to the staff to help expand leadership in lesson study. I asked them to help me share with the staff their observations and reflections on the time spent on lesson study. Harriet has taught for many years and commands respect. Although Amy is less experienced, her devotion to aligning the math curriculum hooked the newer staff. They figured if she felt is was worth spending the time and energy on, then perhaps it was the right move for them as well. Nearly every teacher on staff became involved in the second year of lesson study; it was now “our project” instead of “my project.” With more staff members participating, the professional development continued to thrive!
I have to make sure I have the right mix of staff personalities and teaching experiences working together in these small groups. This isn’t always easy. Keeping a balance within each group of experienced to new staff, from outspoken to introverted, from organized to disorganized, I didn’t always anticipate the problems that occurred. Sometimes I found it best to mix across the grade-level groups, while other times it was best to keep a grade-level team together to work on their lesson development. Moving a quiet leader such as Harriet to be the small group leader of her team brought forth her organizational skills, and it also gave Sarah and Lynn a chance to see how children in their differing grade levels worked on this math strand.
As we moved into our third year of Lesson Study new challenges arose. Without the leadership grant I had to secure funding for substitute teachers and meeting time spent outside the school day. My principal, Wayne, quickly offered to use some of his building budget to fund this successful professional development. Since he had become an active participant in the group meetings, he saw the positive interactions and powerful lessons being developed. He also saw that using the staff to learn from each other, rather than paying for staff to attend expensive trainings out of the district, was cost effective.
During the third year our focus moved to reading. With little time during the day to read this kind of research material, I chose to add professional journal reading to our tasks during our half day release time. This additional task helped to nurture and inspire professional discussions across the building, as all groups were reading the same piece of research. Even staff members who were not in the lesson study groups started picking up and reading the research so that they, too, could be part of the discussions in the staff room and hallways. Our superintendent, another elementary building principal and a school board member came to the large group debriefings. We continued to give presentations to our staff, sharing the ways we found to better refine and present lessons. We were even asked to share our form of lesson study with the high school and middle school math departments, and they, too, started a joint math lesson study team. We continued to grow and change with the needs of our students and staff. Securing further funding, lesson study seemed to be becoming a permanent part of the professional development in our district.
That is, until we hit year four. Our two elementary buildings were restructured from one K–3 and one 3–6 elementary building into a K–5 building. My elementary building changed to become a K–6 school. Half the staff from each building made a move to the other building to round out the complete configuration of grade levels. My building seemed to comprise newer staff. Unfortunately, most of my devoted lesson study participants moved to the other building. Add to that a brand new reading curriculum for kindergarten and 1st grade classrooms that needed intensive training outside the classroom day, and you have a recipe for too much change too fast. How was I going to convince the new staff that we had something that really worked? How was I going to lead this inexperienced and overwhelmed staff into another year of lesson study?
Kindergarten and 1st grade teachers simply couldn’t take on another big commitment and decided to bow out. Our 3rd grade staff members wanted to do their own staff development because most of them were new teachers. This left the reluctant 2nd grade teachers, 4th and 5th grade teachers who had little teaching experience, an experienced multiage staff, and our music specialist, Andrea, who were, willing to participate. I started this year grouping by grade levels, hoping that would reduce stress. I had to do some coaxing to convince Marie, a brand new 5th grade teacher, that it was worth trying during her very demanding first year of teaching. I shared with her all the positive aspects of lesson study whenever I saw her. She dove in with every ounce of energy she could give it.
Unfortunately, early on, her group bombed, with several members choosing to leave meetings early, not participating fully, gossiping, not staying on task and purposely trying to sabotage the group’s work. Marie came to me ready to throw in the towel and swearing to me that she “would never put herself in that position again.” Terrific. Did she feel conned by me for convincing her to do this? Was it my responsibility to report back to the principal on this problem in her group so that he could deal with it? Should I intervene and talk to the other group members? How far did my leadership role stretch?
As I approach the start of another school year and potentially a fifth year of lesson study, I am again meeting new and complex challenges. After losing many of my strongest advocates to the other elementary school last year and with a handful of the lesson study leaders of the current staff, such as Harriet, Amy and Jody, leaving as well as Wayne, my supportive principal, I am left pondering many questions. The new principal is a rookie who will have her own concerns and demands of starting a new career in a new district. As the teacher leader, do I make the move myself and try to reorganize in September,….or do I present it to this new principal simply with the hope that she will continue to make it happen. And now with the expansion and implementation of the new reading curriculum to 2nd and 3rd grades, have I now lost too many supporters to make it work? Am I pushing too hard because I believe so strongly in Lesson Study? What are the boundaries of my teacher leader role? Should I let it go….or try to keep it alive? How hard do I push?
Questions for Discussion What are the boundaries for teacher leaders in a school? Where does/should a teacher leader’s role stop? What do you think of the author’s strategy to start working with the least collaborative grade level first? What are the risks and benefits of this approach? How can the dynamics of dysfunctional teams be addressed to ensure that their issues don’t undermine progress in the rest of the teams? | 12,827 | 5,412 | 2.370103 |
warc | 201704 | By Cheryl Ajluni
The quest for low power in electronic devices is one that shows no sign of abating any time soon. Pressure for it comes from many different sources, such as the continual drive to pack more functionality into ever smaller, mobile electronic devices.
To try and maintain a decent battery life for today’s power-hungry “road-warriors,” engineers have to reduce power con... » read more | 424 | 283 | 1.498233 |
warc | 201704 | The intense cold that descended on Kansas City yesterday and preemptively forced the closure of every public school district in Johnson County will bring the lowest windchills to the area seen in 20 years.
The National Weather Service is predicting temperatures today will bring windchills of between -25 and -40 to the region. Though the day’s high could reach 8 degrees in northeast Johnson County, the actual temperature as of 7 a.m. was -7, with a windchill of -24.
Though the temperatures are sure to shockingly bitter, they may not end up breaking any records. Kansas City hasn’t had a day where the high temperature has been 5 degrees or colder since Jan. 4, 1999, and it’s gone 8,781 days without a high temperature of 0 or below. The record low for Jan. 6 in the area is -13, set in 1912. (FWIW, the record high was 64, set in 1939).
The Weather Service is reminding people that the extreme temperatures pose a risk to people and pets who can develop hypothermia or frostbite if exposed to the elements for any extended length of time. The temperatures also increase the likelihood that water pipes in houses and fuel lines in cars could freeze.
In Johnson County, the public libraries will serve as warming centers, and are open to the public during normal business hours. For more information, call 913-826-4600. | 1,344 | 734 | 1.831063 |
warc | 201704 | Professional Registration Who, why and how? Lee L. Lowery, Jr., P.E. These notes are available at http://lowery.tamu.edu/feinfo PE 1 Why? 2 What is a licensed engineer? The Professional Engineering license grants you the legal ability to perform engineering services for the public, take responsibility for your designs, reports, plans, professional opinions, etc., and allows you to place your state-authorized engineering “seal” on your engineering work. 3 Who Must be Licensed? Persons performing engineering services for the public. Persons supervising the design and construction of public works. Persons using the term “Engineer” or “Professional Engineer”. Anyone who violates these parameters is subject to legal penalties. http://www.tbpe.state.tx.us/disciplinary_all.htm 4 Who Should be Licensed? You should be licensed if you wish to work as an engineering consultant or to start your own engineering company. Many Civil Engineers find that after a few years in industry they wish to start their own company. In most states it is illegal to start your own engineering business without being licensed or at least having a company officer in charge of engineering, who is licensed. Licensure gives you the right to offer engineering services to the public. 5 Case Number: D-32686; Enrique Isidoro Tabak, Toronto, Canada. Violation: It was alleged that Mr. Tabak, who is no longer licensed in Texas as a professional engineer, signed and affixed his Texas engineer seal, when he had a current Texas engineer license, to design plans for a manufactured covering system constructed over a sport practice field in Texas and certified that the structure was designed and manufactured in a careful and diligent manner. This structure later collapsed during a severe storm event injuring several people. A review of the original design documents prepared by Mr. Tabak, indicated that several design aspects of the structure had not been thoroughly analyzed prior to manufacturing and construction and did not appear to be in compliance with various manufacturing, design and building codes. Therefore, it appears that, when licensed in Texas as a professional engineer, Mr. Tabak signed and sealed design plans that were not prepared in a careful and diligent manner and that his certification was misleading. Resolution: Cease and desist from practicing engineering in Texas and from affixing his Texas engineer seal for any project in Texas until such time as he should become re-licensed in Texas as a professional engineer and a $12,040.00 administrative penalty. 6 What is a Licensed Engineer? Under the Texas Engineering Practice Act, only duly licensed persons may legally perform, or offer to perform engineering services for the public. Having an engineering license means more than just meeting a State’s minimum requirements. It means you have accepted both the technical and the ethical obligations of the engineering profession. 7 Licensing: the product of collaboration between Industry, Government & Education INDUSTRY Professional Associations ABET Program Accreditation EDUCATION NCEES State Licensing Boards GOVERNMENT ABET - Accreditation Board for Engineering and Technology NCEES - National Council of Examiners for Engineering and Surveying 8 Background and History School explosion, New London, Texas (March 18th, 1937) http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/New_London_School_explosion Engineering Registration Act (May 28th, 1937) http://www.tbpe.state.tx.us/lic.htm Texas Engineering Practice Act (August 30,1965) http://www.tbpe.state.tx.us/downloads/law_rules306.pdf Again modified in 2006 9 In the mid-1930s, the Great Depression was in full swing, but the London school district was one of the richest in America. A 1930 oil find in Rusk County had boosted the local economy, and educational spending grew with it. The school was built on sloping ground, and a large dead-air space was contained beneath the structure. The school board had overridden the original architect's plans for a boiler and steam distribution system, instead opting to install 72 gas heaters throughout the building.[2] Early in 1937, the school board canceled their natural gas contract and had plumbers install a tap into Parade Gasoline Company's residue gas line in order to save money. This practice, while not explicitly authorized by local oil companies, was widespread in the area. The natural gas extracted with the oil was seen as a waste product and was flared off. As there was no value to the natural gas, the oil companies turned a blind eye. Untreated natural gas is both odorless and colorless, so leaks are difficult to detect and may go unnoticed. Gas had been leaking from the residue line tap, and built up inside an enclosed crawlspace that ran the entire 253-foot (77 m) length of the building's facade. At some time between 3:05 and 3:20PM Central (local) time, Lemmie R. Butler (an "instructor of manual training") turned on an electric sander. It is believed that the sander's switch caused a spark that ignited the gas-air mixture. Reports from witnesses state that the walls of the school bulged, the roof lifted from the building, and then crashed back down and the main wing of the structure collapsed. The force of the explosion was so great that a two-ton concrete block was thrown clear of the building and crushed a 1936 Chevrolet parked nearby.[5] Estimates of the number dead vary from 296 to 319, but that number could be much higher, as many of the residents of New London at the time were transient oilfield workers, and there is no way to determine for certain how many of these roughnecks collected the bodies of their children in the days following the disaster, and returned them to their respective homes for burial. 10 Engineering Practice Act Engineers shall : Protect the public. Be objective and truthful. Be competent. Maintain the confidentiality of clients. Act in a responsible manner. Maintain competency through continuing education. 11 Engineering Practice Act Establishes: That the privilege of practicing engineering be entrusted only to those persons duly licensed. Ethical guidelines and rules of conduct. Texas Board of Professional Engineers. 12 State Board of Professional Engineers They are authorized to license those individuals qualified to practice engineering. They regulate the practice of engineering in Texas. They make and enforce rules dealing with licensing, compliance and enforcement, and standards of conduct and ethics. 13 Licensing Board Nine members appointed by Governor. Six licensed professional engineers. Three from the general public. Staggered six year terms. Currently meets four times per year. Only compensation is per diem and transportation expenses. 14 Requirements for Licensing 1. 2. 3. 4. Formal Education Practical Experience F.E. and P.E. Examinations Continuing Education http://www.tbpe.state.tx.us/lic_basic.htm 15 Idealized Engineering Licensure Model Yes ABET Accredited Engineering Bachelor of Science Degree [or a substantially equivalent engineering degree] Fail Pass FE Exam Engineer-in Training “Licensed Professional Engineer” Mandatory Continuing Professional Pass No Competency Inactive 4 Years of Acceptable Experience* PE Exam Fail If fail, you can retake it. When you pass, it’s good forever. * Note: The number of years of acceptable experience depends on the academic career and highest earned degree. 16 Requirements for P.E. Type of Education Accredited engineering degree (usually bachelor's) Accredited engineering degree and MS or PhD in engineering Experience Requirement 4 years 3 years for MS or PhD only; 2 years for MS and PhD Examination Requirement Reference Requirement Must pass FE, PE and ethics exams; may be eligible for waiver of FE exam with additional experience. Three (3) references are required, all must be currently licensed P.E.’s. If requesting exam waiver, then five (5) references are required from currently licensed P.E.’s. The P.E. references not licensed in Texas must provide a copy of their current pocket card to verify licensure. Same as above. Same as above. 17 Key Elements of Experience for P.E. It must demonstrate the use of engineering knowledge, education, and judgment. It must be progressive and of increasing standard of quality and responsibility. Should be obtained while working under the supervision of a licensed engineer. 18 Acceptable P.E. Experience Design experience - selection and use of recognized engineering principles and methodologies. Analysis experience - use of mathematical modeling and acceptable data collection techniques. 19 P.E. References At least 3 references. References must be current PE’s with personal knowledge of the applicant’s engineering experience. They verify your experience. They attest to your character, reputation, and general suitability to hold a license. 20 Examinations Applicants for licensure must, in general, pass three examinations Fundamentals of Engineering (FE) Principles and Practice of Engineering (PE) Texas Ethics of Engineering 21 More information on registration http://engineeringregistration.tamu.edu http://www.tbpe.state.tx.us/lic.htm http://www.ncees.org/ 22 FE Exam at TAMU Offered several times per year. NCEES has partnered with Pearson VUE to administer the FE and FS, which are computer-based exams. Review sessions - math, science, engineering science, and civil engineering found at http://engineeringregistration.tamu.edu. TAMU CVEN pass rate – 75% to 98%. Exam coverage - http://ncees.org/exams/fe-exam/ Closed book. Open reference manual on computer. Calculator must come from an approved list. Reference manual and pencils are supplied. 23 FE Exam (Fundamentals) Which exam should I take? NCEES says “you will be asked to select the module that best corresponds to your undergraduate degree.” Since there is a Civil version, that is probably what you should take, rather than “Other”. It is rumored that some states are not giving, or may not give, reciprocity for Civil Engineering unless you take the Civil version. Pass rates are better on the Civil version. 24 FE Exam Format The computer-based FE exam will be administered only at approved Pearson VUE testing centers. One is on campus. There will be four testing windows for the FE exam annually. Each will last two months, with a month between them. The open windows will be January–February, April–May, July–August, and October–November. Candidates may take the exam only one time per testing window and no more than three times in a 12-month period. The FE exam will be six hours in length, which will include a tutorial, breaks, the exam, and a brief survey at the conclusion of the exam. The FE exam will continue to be closed book. Supplied reference material for the exam will be provided on the computers at the testing centers and will also be available on the NCEES website 110 multiple-choice questions, utilizing both SI and USCS 25 Typical details (Statics) Resultants of force systems Equivalent force systems Equilibrium of rigid bodies Frames and trusses Centroid of area Area moments of inertia Static friction http://cbt.ncees.org/new-fe-exam-specifications-2014/civil-cbt/ 26 Principles and Practice Exam After 4 years experience • Morning Session (“Breadth” - same for all civil engineers) with forty multiple choice questions. • Afternoon Session (you select a “Depth” area) with forty multiple-choice questions. 27 Principles and Practice Exam After 4 years experience Discipline Specific Civil: Construction Civil: Geotechnical Civil: Structural Civil: Transportation Civil: Water Resources and Environmental Environmental Structural For specifications, see http://ncees.org/exams/pe-exam/ 28 Ethics of Engineering Exam Open book exam over the law and rules of the Texas Engineering Practice Act Assures the applicant is familiar with state law and board rules Gives the applicant experience in applying the law and board rules 29 Continuing Professional Competency Requires engineers to continue their engineering training and education. Must obtain 15 Professional Development Hours (Continuing Education) each year as a requirement for license renewal. Course/Activity - Any qualifying course or activity with the clear purpose and objective of maintaining, improving, or expanding the skills and knowledge relevant to the license holder's field of practice. One hour must deal with engineering ethics. http://engineeringregistration.tamu.edu/ContinuingEducation/index.htm 30 Why Should I Become Licensed? Job requirements -- Only a licensed engineer may prepare, sign and seal, and submit engineering plans and drawings to a public authority for approval, or seal engineering work for public and private clients. Aids in promotion -- sets you apart from others. Employers look to licensure in evaluating the advancement potential of their employees. Prestige -- Licensed engineers achieve enhanced status in the eyes of the public 31 Why Should I Become Licensed? Technical Responsibility: Your education and experience will prepare you for technical engineering work. Your license legally allows you to take personal responsibility for the engineering work that you perform for public and private clients.. 32 Why Should I Become Licensed? Public Recognition: As a licensed engineer you achieve an enhanced status in the eyes of the public, your employer, and your peers, which equates you with professionals licensed in other fields such as physicians, attorneys, etc. 33 Why Should I Become Licensed? Private Practice: If you want to pursue a career as a consulting engineer, or start your own engineering firm, or be in responsible charge of engineering work for the public, you must be licensed. 34 Why Should I Become Licensed? Public Practice: Many federal, state, and municipal agencies require that certain responsible engineering positions, particularly those considered “higher level,” be filled only by licensed engineers. 35 Why Should I Become Licensed? Changing Workplace: Today’s workplace is rapidly changing: restructuring, downsizing, privatization, and outsourcing (where firms terminate employees and then hire them back as consultants) are common. You should be prepared to face a possible transition into a consulting or contract relationship with a former employer in the event of corporate outsourcing. Such a relationship requires an engineering license. 36 Why Should I Become Licensed? Ethical Responsibility: While technical societies such as ASCE and others have codes of ethics for guidance, none have “legal” standing in the practice of engineering. Licensure aids you and the profession in the important area of ethics. 37 Why Should I Become Licensed? On the other hand, state licensing boards have standards of ethical conduct that are legally binding. The recognition and enforcement of these standards gives greater definition to the profession, and significantly enhances the image of licensed civil engineers. Your professional future will be severely influenced by getting licensed. I have seen it before when my previous students tell me they have hit a dead end and been passed over for positions for which they were far more qualified than the new person who was licensed. 38 What are my chances of passing the FE Exam? A&M vs. National Pass Rate TAMU CE Pass Rate National CE Pass Rate 100% 95% 92% 98% 97%97% 96% 95% 94% 93% 92% 96% 95% 93% 90% 90% 90% 89% 87%87% 86% 87% 85% 80% 84% 83% 83% 82% 81% 80% 80% 78% 77% 78% 70% 72% 70% 65% 65% 74% 72% 81% 80% 77% 76% 76% 75% 84% 81% 74%74% 74% 81% 79% 77% 76% 74% 73% 72% 81% 79% 71% 70% 69% 70% 66% 63% 61% 60% 64% 63% 61%61% 57% Oct-08 Apr-08 Oct-07 Apr-07 Oct-06 Apr-06 Oct-05 Apr-05 Oct-04 Apr-04 Oct-03 Apr-03 Oct-02 Apr-02 Oct-01 Apr-01 Oct-00 Apr-00 Oct-99 Apr-99 Oct-98 Apr-98 Oct-97 Apr-97 Oct-96 Apr-96 Oct-95 Apr-95 Oct-94 Apr-94 Oct-93 Apr-93 Oct-92 Apr-92 Oct-91 Apr-91 Oct-90 50% Apr-90 55% 39 When should I take the exam? If you take it one semester before you graduate, you have learned less of the material that will be on the exam. If you take it your last semester, you will have learned far more of the material that will be on the exam. You have a better chance of passing it your last semester. You can take it as many times as it takes, and it never “dies” with age once you pass it. 40 What you should start doing now? Go to http://engineeringregistration.tamu.edu Look over those materials, including what is on the exam. Click on “Reference Manual” and print one out (free). Look over the materials covered and see how they relate to the classes you are now taking. Chemistry, math, projectile motion, statics, strength of materials, steel design, etc. Fully understand the difference in notation used between your text and that used in the reference manual. Try and work your homework problems using the reference manual. Make copies of any of your homework problems which correspond to equations in the reference manual and keep copies of them in a tabbed notebook. 41 Example: Math 42 Example: Engineering Economics 43 Example: Statics 44 Example: Steel Design 45 What if I don’t take the F.E. exam before I graduate? You should take it as soon as possible. You won’t ever know any more of the material than you do just before graduation, and will forget most of it once you go to work and start to specialize, through lack of practice with basic math, chemistry, etc. You will become an expert on designing steel buildings, but will forget all the dynamics you ever learned. If you need help getting back up to speed on the basics, there are several short courses that have an excellent track record helping people pass both the F.E. and P.E. exams. See http://engineeringregistration.tamu.edu. They cost about $2000 or more to attend, another reason to take the exam while you are here. Many free review sites are also available, but paying $2000 is definitely an incentive to buckle down and get it done, plus trying to find time to sit in front of your computer and watch a review is never as likely to happen as leaving the office and going to a classroom. 46 Miscellaneous Questions What if I am an international or other non-traditional student? In Texas you can check your eligibility by contacting the Board of Registration at http://engineers.texas.gov/contact.htm What are the requirements for international students? See https://engineers.texas.gov/international_applicants.htm For other states see http://www.ncees.org/Licensure/Multistate_and_international_practice.php Can I take the F.E. exam here if I intend to practice in another state? Yes, the exam is standard across the country. I hear that the F.E. exam format will be changing. True. Rather than holding it in specific locations across the country twice a year, they now give the exam throughout the year at Pearson VUE testing center locations during two-month “windows”. Click here for additional information. The P.E. exam will remain in its current format for the foreseeable future. 47 What should I do once I go to work? Keep a daily log of your activities. State your work in terms of the engineering involved – inspection, design, analysis, … Seek out and work with a licensed professional engineer in your company. If they don’t have one, see if their parent company has one, or someone they are very close to and work for, or who works for them. List that person in your daily log along with who they are, their title, contact information, etc. When they quit, get with another one, but seriously hang on to your previous mentor’s contact. Call them every now and then, keep in email contact, how’s the job going, like some advise on a problem I am having with a design, like to take you to lunch, … You need to develop engineering references who are willing to confirm your qualifications and character, both in and out of house. 48 Where to get more information http://engineeringregistration.tamu.edu 49 | 20,177 | 8,588 | 2.349441 |
warc | 201704 | Presentation on theme: "Working with the Body, Breath, and Mind to Find Emotional Balance Sara Morrow, PhD, RYT Licensed Psychologist, Registered Yoga Teacher"— Presentation transcript:
1Working with the Body, Breath, and Mind to Find Emotional Balance Sara Morrow, PhD, RYT Licensed Psychologist, Registered Yoga Teacher
2Mind Balance Yoga ~ Sara Morrow, PhD, LLC Centering Practice Find a comfortable sitting position –Feet flat on the floor –Sit upright, spine is tall –Feel grounded through the sit bones –Lift through the crown of the head and the heart –Strong/stable skeletal body, relaxed muscular body –Soften face, jaw, gentle smile, shoulders fall away from ears –Close your eyes, or have a soft unfocused gaze Bring awareness to the present moment –Scan the body, notice tension vs. comfort, sensation –Connect w/ the breath – breathe nose-to-belly –Notice any thoughts – past/future, judgment, labeling good/bad –Sweep the mind clear, quiet the thoughts, come back to the breath –Notice the quality, tone, intensity of your emotions –Bring a kind curiosity to your experience
3Mind Balance Yoga ~ Sara Morrow, PhD, LLC Evidence Based Treatment Scientific evidence has shown yoga to be effective in helping over 50 health conditions (Timothy McCall, MD, Yoga as Medicine, 2011) Mental health studies (# studies): –Anxiety (13) –Depression (8) –Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD)(4) –Schizophrenia (4) –Alcoholism/Addiction (3) –Obsessive Compulsive Disorder (OCD) (2) –Eating Disorders (2) –Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) (1) –Autism (1) In 2012 there were 83 active studies using yoga as a treatment modality (NIH and NCCAM)
4Mind Balance Yoga ~ Sara Morrow, PhD, LLC What is Yoga? Originated 5,000 years ago in India “Yoga” = to yoke together, unite –Integrate all aspects of the individual – body, mind, spirit Physical poses did not become primary feature until 1900s –Yoga traditionally was focused on meditation, breathing, chanting Goals: –Strong and flexible body free of pain –Balanced autonomic nervous system (control center) –Optimal function of physiological systems digestive, respiratory, circulatory, endocrine, nervous, immune –Develop calm, clear, and tranquil mind –Self-transformation, enlightenment –Improve overall quality of life –Reduce suffering…. Could yoga be the 1 st Psychology???
5Mind Balance Yoga ~ Sara Morrow, PhD, LLC “Rewire” Your Life We are born with tendencies: –Neurology, body, mind, emotions, temperament Life experiences & choices shape us over time Rehearsed patterns of thought & behavior (CBT) become our “persona” ~ the way we are in life Negative habits → emotional imbalance Positive/Healthy habits → emotional balance We can create a positive experience of life: –Commitment to new patterns –Repeatedly make mindful choices Emotional Retraining
6Mind Balance Yoga ~ Sara Morrow, PhD, LLC “Reprogram” the Mind The Mind has a negativity bias –Learn/remember more easily from negative experiences than from positive (velcro vs. teflon) Generating positive thoughts creates new neural circuits in the brain - “hardwire happiness” You mind builds your brain thought by thought - “experience-dependent neuroplasticity” Experiences affect gene expression –Practicing relaxation increases expression of genes that regulate stress response (increase resilience). (Rick Hanson, PhD)
7Mind Balance Yoga ~ Sara Morrow, PhD, LLC Yoga’s Tools that Affect Well-Being 1.Postures (Asanas) – reduce pain/injury, promote healing, circulation, digestion – feel well physically = feel well emotionally 2.Breathing Techniques (Pranayama) – regulate nervous system (NS) 3.Relaxation – ease + steadiness, awareness, release of tension – calm nervous system, reduce stress 4.Meditation (1-pointed focus, stillness) – quiet the mind, senses turn inward 5.Awareness/Attention Training + Attitude – mindfulness – present moment, body/sensations/breath/mind/emotion – notice w/o judgment/reaction, kind curiosity
8Mind Balance Yoga ~ Sara Morrow, PhD, LLC Positive Effects of Yoga Yoga & Mindfulness have been shown to improve: –Stress (lowers cortisol) –Depression –Anxiety –Anger –Trauma (PTSD) –Eating Disorders –AD/HD (possible due to increasing dopamine; Mehta et al. 2012) –Attention, Concentration, Memory, Learning, School Performance –Insomnia –Immune system function –Cancer, Chemotherapy –Obesity, Blood pressure –Chronic pain, Injury
9Mind Balance Yoga ~ Sara Morrow, PhD, LLC Why Does Yoga Work? Decreases Sympathetic Nervous System arousal –“Stress Response” –“Fight/Flight/Freeze” Fight – Anger Flight – Anxiety Freeze – Depression –Most mental health problems relate to an over- stimulated SNS, which also affects physical health Increases Parasympathetic Nervous System function –“Relaxation Response” –“Rest & Digest”
10Mind Balance Yoga ~ Sara Morrow, PhD, LLC Research Evidence 2011 meta-analysis of peer reviewed, published research from found yoga to: –enhance muscular strength, body flexibility –improve respiratory and cardiovascular function –promote recovery from addiction –reduce stress, anxiety, depression –reduce chronic pain –improve sleep patterns –enhance overall well-being and quality of life Yoga facilitates characteristics of friendliness, compassion, and greater self-control, while cultivating a sense of calmness and well-being. Sustained practice leads to changes in life perspective, self-awareness and improved sense of energy to live life fully and w/ genuine enjoyment. Yoga produces a physiological state opposite to that of the fight-or- flight stress response and with that interruption in the stress response, a sense of balance and union between the mind and body can be achieved. International Journal of Yoga, 2011 Jul-Dec; 4(2): 49–54
11Mind Balance Yoga ~ Sara Morrow, PhD, LLC Immune System Effects 2013, University of Oslo (N=10) Blood draws immediately before/after exercise 1 hr. nature walk plus 1 hr. listening to jazz or classical music –Changed the expression of 38 genes in immune cells 2 hrs. yoga, breathing exercises, meditation –Changed the expression of 111 genes in immune cells 14 genes affected by both activities, suggesting similar biological effects Yoga has more widespread effects on the immune system at a molecular level
12Mind Balance Yoga ~ Sara Morrow, PhD, LLC Increases GABA 2007 study 1 hr. of yoga vs. 1 hr. of reading MRI of brain GABA (gamma-amniobutyric acid) –increased by 27% in yoga group –no change in reading group Low GABA levels linked to anxiety/depression Journal of Alternative and Complementary Medicine; Vol. 13, No. 4; Boston University School of Medicine
13Mind Balance Yoga ~ Sara Morrow, PhD, LLC Vagus Nerve Yoga (and deep breathing) mechanically stimulates the vagus nerve: –“Wanders” from brain, down either side of neck, connects at heart, and connects to ALL major organs –Largest nerve in the body –Controls motor and sensory functioning brings info back to the brain –Regulates heart rhythms –Stimulates Parasympathetic NS, calms Sympathetic NS –Vagus Nerve Stimulation (VNS): pacemaker-like device surgically implanted in chest used to treat seizures since 1997 used for treatment-resistant Major Depressive Disorder
14Mind Balance Yoga ~ Sara Morrow, PhD, LLC Trauma and the Body Common features of all traumas: –Alienation and disconnection from the body –Reduced capacity to be present in the here and now Low Heart Rate Variability (HRV) –Related to self-control, regulating emotions and impulses –Linked to those easily thrown off balance, emotionally reactive –Increased risk for depression, cancer, heart disease Yoga: –Increases HRV –Builds awareness/respect/appreciation for our bodies –Teaches us present moment awareness
15Mind Balance Yoga ~ Sara Morrow, PhD, LLC Mind-Body Connection Mind’s version of reality affects the body –Perceived threat causes fight/flight/freeze response in body –The mind can misperceive “threat” – thought, tension, internal state Body systems influence the mind (2-way relationship) : –Heart/circulatory system –Respiratory system (shallow, irregular mouth breathing) –Musculoskeletal system (tension/relaxation/posture) –Immune system/illness –Endocrine system (hormones) “Both the body and mind participate in constructing positive or painful emotional experiences.” (Forbes, 2011) The brain “learns” to be anxious/depressed through repeated patterns of thought, body movement, behavior. –All things we can learn to exert some degree of control over (CBT)
16Mind Balance Yoga ~ Sara Morrow, PhD, LLC Steps Toward Balance Regulate the Breath Relax the Body Develop mental focus Learn to stay present with direct experience ~ All of which are developed through yoga ~ Gain knowledge and then PRACTICE –With repeated practice of a skill, the brain forges new neural pathways = experience-dependent neuroplasticity –What we DO shapes our brain –The mind, brain, body, and emotional patterns are capable of change…
17Mind Balance Yoga ~ Sara Morrow, PhD, LLC Breathing ~ Pranayama Shallow, irregular breathing –Increase heart rate –Raise blood pressure –Speed up the mind –Cause nervous system to be out of balance –Increase anxiety and depression Regulated breathing –Lower heart rate –Decrease blood pressure –Calm an anxious mind, invigorate a depressed mind –Bring nervous system back into balance –Support emotional balance Allow yourself to receive the gift of oxygen
18Mind Balance Yoga ~ Sara Morrow, PhD, LLC Breathing for Emotional Balance Mouth breathing –Is our “emergency” response –Draws air to upper lobes of lungs Stress receptors stimulate Sympathetic NS –Increases heart rate, respiration –Body has to work harder to get enough oxygen - wastes energy –Unfiltered, cold, dry air irritates throat - increases chance of infection Nasal breathing is most effective –Draws air to lower lobes of lungs where: 60-80% blood cells are located - receive oxygen, exchange gas Parasympathetic NS receptors concentrated –Quiets, calms, steadies the mind –Relaxes - stress response/emotions/body/nervous system –Lowers heart rate, blood pressure –Filters, warms, moisturizes air into lungs - immune support
19Mind Balance Yoga ~ Sara Morrow, PhD, LLC Breath and Mood Breath patterns vary according to emotion –Anger = short and quick –Fear/Anxiety = retain breath, irregular –Sadness/Upset = long and deep –Happiness = slow, relaxed, regulated Having people breathe in certain patterns induces emotion
20Mind Balance Yoga ~ Sara Morrow, PhD, LLC “If you want to use yoga to heal emotional pain, you must find out where it resides in your body and learn to take your breath there.” ~ Ana T. Forrest
21Mind Balance Yoga ~ Sara Morrow, PhD, LLC Breathing Techniques Calming: –1:2 breath ratio – inhale:exhale, inhale through nose, slow exhale –Nose-to-belly – feel rise/fall of belly (also ribs and chest) –Left nostril breathing – in left, out right – circular (helps insomnia, lie on right) –Alternate nostril breathing – out/in left, out/in right –Smile Breath – inhale lift heart, exhale drop chin to chest and smile Energizing: –1:1 ratio, inhale nose, exhale strongly by pulling belly muscles in –Pulling Prana – inhale arms up, exhale fists pull down to waist –Breath of Joy – 3-part inhale, arms in front, to side, up above, exhale as you swing arms down, “Ha” –Bellows Breath – 1sec. inhale, 1 sec. exhale Focus on exhale, pulling belly back to spine 1 minute meditation – close eyes, feel effects –Right nostril breathing – in right, out left (contraindicated for mania)
22Mind Balance Yoga ~ Sara Morrow, PhD, LLC Physical Practice ~ Asana Embrace the concept - your body is a vehicle for emotional healing Practice working with the body in ways that differ from anxiety and depression Yoga tells all systems of your mind-body network that you are NOT anxious or depressed Balances nervous system Helps us attend to our direct experience Shifts mental patterns – quiet mind, 1-pointed focus Accesses the roots of our suffering
23Mind Balance Yoga ~ Sara Morrow, PhD, LLC Posture and Mood
24Mind Balance Yoga ~ Sara Morrow, PhD, LLC
25Strike a Pose! High-Power Poses Viramudra – superhero position –Broad stance, hands to hips, lift through the heart, chin raised a bit, smile Jayamudra – victory position –Throw your arms up above you as if you just won the GOLD metal, smile –Even blind athletes tend to do this when they win CEO pose –Hands interlocked behind head, chest broad, feet up
26Mind Balance Yoga ~ Sara Morrow, PhD, LLC Posture and Mood 42 participants randomly assigned to High-Power Pose or Low-Power Pose –Held for 2 minutes Saliva test before and 17 minutes after pose Low-Power Pose (arms crossed, shoulders hunched, closed) : –17% increase in cortisol (stress hormone) –10% reduction in testosterone (memory, concentration, libido, energy) High-Power Pose (arms out/up, chest broad, chin up, smile) : –15% decrease in cortisol –25% increase in testosterone “Fake it until you become it!” Dana R. Carney, Amy J.C. Cuddy, and Andy J. Yap. (Psychological Science, 2010 Harvard)
27Mind Balance Yoga ~ Sara Morrow, PhD, LLC Mindfulness Paying attention –non-judgmentally, –to what is happening to us, –in the moment. Awareness w/o the “good” vs. “bad” labels –Sensory Experience (touch, hear, see, smell, taste) –Breath –Thoughts –Emotions –Social Interactions
28Mind Balance Yoga ~ Sara Morrow, PhD, LLC It’s not what you see, It’s how you see it. It’s not what you see, It’s how you see it. “Peace is the result of retraining your mind to process life as it is, rather than as you think it should be.” ~ Dr. Wayne Dyre ~
29Mind Balance Yoga ~ Sara Morrow, PhD, LLC Mindfulness Practice When something difficult happens: –Observe the sensation with “strategic acceptance” Not hopeless resignation, but w/o resisting or judging Label the experience, “I am feeling….” – “name it to tame it” –Let go of the negative Clear the mind, release tension from body –Direct the mind towards positives Appreciation, successes, the feeling of being treated with respect, your good qualities and intentions Stay with positive sensations, soak in the feeling, really notice/embrace the good moments, breathe, relax, smile… –Let it be (acceptance), let it go (negative), let it in (positive)
30Mind Balance Yoga ~ Sara Morrow, PhD, LLC Body-Breath-Mind Exercise Inhale arms up, exhale prayer hands to the heart Neck roll – right ear to right shoulder, left ear to left shoulder Cat/Cow – flexion/extension of spine –Smile Breath on exhale! Gentle seated twist – spine tall, hand to opposite knee Hip opener – outer foot/ankle rests on top of opposite leg Moving with Mindfulness –Present moment –Sensations in body –Breath –Aware of thoughts that come and go – sweep the mind clear
31Mind Balance Yoga ~ Sara Morrow, PhD, LLC Meditation Meditation = embracing and being present to any and all mind-body states without preferring one to another A way of being – attending fully to the present moment Meditation is NOT –achieving a special result –altering our state of mind –controlling our thoughts –relaxation You may experience: Frustration, boredom, discomfort, grief, sleepiness Not signs of “failure” All sensations are worthy of kind & clear attention It is not what arises in meditation, but how we relate to what arises Investigate thoughts/feelings OR withdraw attention from negative Overall goal = reduce suffering - shift perception of “discomfort”
32Mind Balance Yoga ~ Sara Morrow, PhD, LLC Effects of Meditation Reduce stress (thereby strengthening the immune system) –University of Massachusetts Medical School, 2003 Reduce anxiety, depression, anger, confusion Increase peace, calm, balance - Psychosomatic Medicine, 2009 Boost creativity and energy - Science Daily, 2010 Cultivate healthy habits that lead to weight loss – e.g. mindful eating –Journal of Emotion, 2007 Improve digestion and lower blood pressure - Harvard Medical School Decrease your risk of heart attack (by 48% at 5-year follow-up) –The Stroke Journal, 2009 Decrease perception of pain and improve cognitive processing –Wake Forest University School of Medicine, 2010 Improve your focus and attention –University of Wisconsin-Madison, 2007 Increase the size of your brain! (esp. regions that regulate emotion) –Harvard University Gazette, 2006 – hippocampus, the thalamus and the inferior temporal gyrus –Brains of long-term meditaters look 20 yrs. younger than non-meditaters –Increased gray matter in brain regions that regulate attention – more in-tune with ourselves and others (empathy), improves memory
33Mind Balance Yoga ~ Sara Morrow, PhD, LLC Setting an Intention ~ Sankalpa To have in mind a purpose, to direct the mind, to take aim. Consciously drawing awareness to the direction you intend to go. Think about - visualize/imagine/feel - what you want to create in life. –Characteristic (loving), state of mind (peaceful), lifestyle (balance)… Be very specific. Be positive. Write it down. –Like writing a contract with yourself. –Gain clarity, activate the Law of Attraction. Place your intention in a location important to you. Or carry them in your pocket/purse to amplify their effect! ( Adapted from Jack Canfield)
34Mind Balance Yoga ~ Sara Morrow, PhD, LLC Meditation Practice Grounded –Feel contact points between body and seat/floor/earth Upright –Tall spine, head balanced over tailbone, chest open Relaxed –Soften muscular body, face, eyes, jaw, shoulders Scan body, notice sensations Attention on Breath - your anchor in the moment Check-in with the mind, notice emotions Notice w/ friendly curiosity –Fluctuations of the mind - past/future, planning/worrying, storyline –Go back to the breath/sensations/present moment experience Settle/clear the mind, allow thoughts to pass
35Mind Balance Yoga ~ Sara Morrow, PhD, LLC “On Breathing” Breathing in, I know I’m breathing in. Breathing out, I know I’m breathing out. As the in-breath grows deep, The out-breath grows slow. Breathing in makes me calm. Breathing out makes me ease. With the in-breath, I smile. With the out-breath, I release. Breathing in, there is only the present moment. Breathing out, it is a wonderful moment. ~Thich Nhat Hanh In, out, deep, slow, calm, ease, smile, release, present moment, wonderful moment.
36Mind Balance Yoga ~ Sara Morrow, PhD, LLC Yoga = Mind-Body Medicine!
37Mind Balance Yoga ~ Sara Morrow, PhD, LLC Quotes from Famous Yogis “Yoga teaches us to cure what need not be endured and endure what cannot be cured.” “Healthy plants and trees yield abundant flowers and fruits. Similarly, from a healthy person, smiles and happiness shine forth like the rays of the sun.” ~B.K.S. Iyengar~ “The success of Yoga does not lie in the ability to perform postures but in how it positively changes the way we live our lives and our relationships.” “The quality of our breath expresses our inner feelings.” “The ultimate goal of yoga is to always observe things accurately, and therefore never act in a way that will make us regret our actions later.” ~T.K.V. Desikachar~ “Have only love in your heart for others. The more you see the good in them, the more you will establish good in yourself.” ~P. Yogananda (Autobiography of a Yogi)~
38Mind Balance Yoga ~ Sara Morrow, PhD, LLC Namaste My soul recognizes your soul. I honor the love, light, beauty, truth and kindness within you because it is also within me. In sharing these things, there is no distance and no difference between us. We are the same. We are one.
39Mind Balance Yoga ~ Sara Morrow, PhD, LLC References Emerson, D., Hopper, E. (2011). Overcoming Trauma Through Yoga: Reclaiming Your Body. Forbes, Bo (2011). Yoga for Emotional Balance: Simple Practices to help relieve anxiety and depression. NurrieStearns, M. (2010). Yoga for Anxiety: Meditations and Practices for Calming the Body and Mind. Simpkins, A. (2011). Meditation and Yoga in Psychotherapy: Techniques for Clinical Practice. Weintraub, Amy (2012). Yoga Skills for Therapists: Effective Practices for Mood Management. Weintraub, Amy (2004). Yoga for Depression: A Compassionate Guide to Relieve Suffering Through Yoga. | 21,562 | 8,966 | 2.404863 |
warc | 201704 | Presentation on theme: "Health Care in China. Health care system in China The New Rural Co-operative Medical Care System (NRCMCS) is a 2005 initiative to overhaul the healthcare."— Presentation transcript:
1Health Care in China
2Health care system in China The New Rural Co-operative Medical Care System (NRCMCS) is a 2005 initiative to overhaul the healthcare system – the annual cost of medical coverage is 50 yuan (US$7) per person – As of September 2007, around 80% of the rural population of China had signed up an average of two doctors per 1,000 people
3Health indicators Fertility rate of 1.8 children per woman The infant mortality rate per 1000 live births was 25.3 medical care is not available to more than 100 million people in rural areas In 2005, out a five-year plan to invest 20 billion RMB to rebuild the rural medical service system composed of village clinics and township- and county-level hospitals
4WHO in China provide support for the government's health programs, working closely with the ministry of health and other partners within the government, as well as with UN agencies and other organizations
5Breast Cancer in China In center of Shanghai, 55 out of every 100,000 women have breast cancer, a 31 percent increase since out of every 100,000 women in Beijing have the breast cancer, a 23 percent increase over 10 years the breast cancer incidence per 100,000 people is only 18.7 ranked the 142th in the world for this disease
6The China Breast Cancer Foundation (CBCF) dedicated to raising awareness of breast cancer and providing support and funding for those suffering from the disease organize numerous hospital visits each year with volunteers to provide support for breast cancer patients and help regain confidence sponsor a breast cancer hotline for anyone affected by the disease, either directly or indirectly
7The China Breast Cancer Foundation Raise public awareness of breast cancer Fund research and development to improve breast cancer diagnosis, treatment, and care in China Stress the importance of early detection Provide support for breast cancer patients on their road to recovery
8HIV/AIDS in China The number of new HIV/AIDS cases in China jumped in the first 10 months of the year The number of new AIDS cases rose almost 13 percent in the January to October the number of people infected with HIV aged 50 and above leapt more than 20 percent
9China Aids Fund, INC dedicated to combating the spread of HIV/AIDS in China by leveraging the support of the Chinese-American community China AIDS Fund was founded by Lorance Hockert, Esq., H. E. Ambassador Eric Hotung, Mona So and Charles P. Wang in 2003.
10China Aids Fund, INC Prevent the spread of AIDS in China Provide technical assistance to organizations working on the solution of the China AIDS epidemic Award grants to organizations providing critical services to those affected by HIV/AIDS in China
11Video on China AIDS Fund China AIDS Fund
12Birth Control in China China has the highest population in the world, encompassing 1.2 billion or twenty one percent of the world's population Chinese government to restrict rising population totals include birth control programs and economic changes
13One-child policy one-child limitation in the population control policy in China official translation of family planning policy officially restricts married, urban couples to having only one child approximately 35.9% of China's population is currently subject to the one-child restriction introduced in 1978 and initially applied to first-born children from 1979 | 3,598 | 1,646 | 2.185905 |
warc | 201704 | In increasingly complex markets, an effective sales plan will help your company prosper, leading to long-term improvements in profitability. A great plan will help your sales force identify better prospects, close more deals, secure more repeat business and ultimately deliver greater value to your business. There are five key steps in an effective sales plan that together build a potentially lasting bond between your company and your customers.
Prospecting for Customers
Prospecting for business is an ongoing process of market assessment designed to identify and target key purchasing decision makers and set target sales volumes based on past performance and current market knowledge. An effective salesperson will focus on identifying targets for further sales from current customers, as well as looking for ways to extend reach into new territories. A good sales plan will set out key areas identified for potential development to help provide focus to the salesperson. Depending on the nature of the business and its products, prospecting may involve a wide range of activities from cold calling to trade shows and networking events.
Qualifying Leads
Not all leads will result in meaningful business and this stage of the plan should set out how to progress potential leads. Your sales force must be able to assess customer needs and position the offer in such a way that it makes economic and business sense. A successful outcome at this stage would be for a prospect to request further information and detail on the offer; this may be simple clarification on price or volume, or may require a more detailed specification against specific requirements. Either way your salesperson must be able to convey your company's exclusive selling proposition and be conscious of market competitors.
Business Proposals
This is the point at which your salesperson sets out the offer and financial deal in the clearest, most beneficial terms. The decision maker, must at this stage, be able to evaluate the offer and become convinced your company is able to deliver on promises if a deal is to be concluded. Incorporating an evaluation plan into your proposals can help clarify detailed outputs for a potential customer, facilitating an easier decision making process.
Decision Making
Decision making is deceptively difficult and an important part of a strategic approach to sales. For example, agreeing on the final details of a product or service specification and determining the value of the contract requires careful consideration. Agreeing to deliver too much for too little revenue will harm your company's profitability, while walking away from a deal for the sake of a minor consideration is equally damaging. Whatever the outcome at this stage, both parties must be happy with the deal.
Getting Repeat Business
It is often said that getting repeat business from your existing customer base is far easier than generating new business. This truism means that once you've concluded a deal it's important to maintain a positive working relationship with your customers. Keep in touch with them and check on a regular basis whether they have further needs you can help them with while bearing in mind that they can be powerful advocates for your company.
Photo Credits Stockbyte/Stockbyte/Getty Images | 3,316 | 1,536 | 2.158854 |
warc | 201704 | Your company can build value with databases. The ability to store, retrieve and sort information can make you more efficient, thus helping you compete in the marketplace. Even the smallest of businesses can set up databases that contribute to the company's growth, as managers use data to make decisions such as where to focus advertising dollars and how to use anticipated cash. Managers also can use data to spot trends and plan for the future.
Marketing Information
A database can store customer email addresses and other contact information that you can use for marketing campaigns. In addition, a database allows you to sort customers by demographics, such as age, region and gender. This can help you identify target markets for specific products. A customer database has a dollar value, based on its ability to produce sales, and that dollar value gets added to your overall company worth if you decide to sell your business or seek a loan.
Internal Retrieval of Information
Your ability to find data on transactions, taxes, expenses and assets can help you make vital decisions for your business. For example, if you can keep track of all of your physical assets, such as computers, vehicles, equipment and machinery, you can determine when you have excess assets you need to sell or whether you need to start using an asset that is sitting idle. You also can track how much you are spending on supplies, payroll, energy and shipping, to give a few examples.
Client Retention
Your database can help you keep clients by enabling you to provide better customer service. You can use the database to find out which clients have bought the most from you, which ones buy the most frequently, and which ones haven't purchased from you recently. This information allows you to contact clients to thank them or to ask what you can do to bring them back in. Far from being impersonal, a database gives you the information you need to maintain personal contact with important clients.
Tracking Transactions
Your accounting department looks up transactions in your database to clarify how much a customer paid you, how much of that amount went to sales tax and whether the transaction was paid by cash, check or credit card. This can be useful when a customer questions a transaction, or when you need to audit your cash handling procedures to see how efficiently money is being counted and deposited. In the event of an Internal Revenue Service audit, your ability to retrieve specific transactions can support your claims for income and expenses.
One Extra Pixel: The Basics of Good Database Design in Web Development Small Business Database Marketing: Restaurant Marketing Ideas Using a Customer Database, Email and Text Message Marketing Recruiter Box: 3 Reasons Why a Good Database Will Help You Grow Your Small Busines TechNet Magazine: Tracking Changes in Your Enterprise Database Photo Credits Michael Blann/Digital Vision/Getty Images | 2,950 | 1,394 | 2.116212 |
warc | 201704 | “I know all about using condoms,” says Joey from Jersey. He’s 18, and that’s what he thinks he needs to know about sex. I can’t fault him — it’s no worse than most of my clients. I’m a divorce and child custody lawyer. The problem is that at 18, he’s a man, and he needs to know a lot more about what having a child means, both for his future, and for the future of any child he fathers.
We were in the Jacuzzi at the Loews Hotel, surrounded by nubile girls, and Joey was on high alert for any female that he could conquer. He was looking past me as we exchanged the meaningless banter that people who don’t know each other exchange. He had just graduated high school and was taking a year off to travel before college.
Seeing him all amped up about girls got me thinking about what they teach in high school about sex and family planning, and the carnage I see on a regular basis in my practice. I asked him if anyone had ever explained to him what really happens when two people have a child. Not the fairytale ending of living happily ever after, but the more likely scenario of being a co-parent with someone that you barely know and don’t have much in common with.
“No, not really. I have an idea because my parents were divorced,” he said.
And that’s when it hit me: we need to tell young men — boys really — what co-parenting is really like. The focus has been on the girls and those robodolls that used to teach kids the rigors of parenting. But there’s another side they need to know about. The boys’ side. The side that is expected to pay for those “accidental” children.
Eighteen years of child support that will cripple your future if you fall behind; and not being allowed to have full access to your kid takes an emotional toll. It’s the side of the prevention/abstinence argument that is not spoken about. The hard realities of what it will do to the boys. I get to see the wreckage that happens, to both sides. Mom is trying to raise a child without enough resources, and dad is ill-equipped to better his life, or that of his child, because he’s laboring under a child support award that takes his driver’s license from him if he falls behind in payments.
If we want to make better men, we need to arm them with the reality of the consequences of their actions. I see men every week who have no idea what’s expected of them as fathers — financially or emotionally.
Most of my clients think they’re going to get 50 percent custody and have a major role in raising their children. Unfortunately, that’s a pipe dream. Legally, they’re going to have to pay about 25 percent of their income per child, and if they get the standard “dad package,” they’ll see their kids every other weekend, and have a Wednesday dinner. It doesn’t really matter how much they want it to be different; that’s what courts order.
If we told young men that they’ll be giving about 25 percent of their gross paycheck for child support, they might think twice about prevention. If we told them that with a minimum wage job of $10 an hour, they will spend $430 a month in child support, it might wake them up. If we explained that 18 years of child support would cost them $92,000 — about the equivalent of the young man’s college education — they might begin to understand that having a child when you’re unprepared can mean the difference between a great future and a dead-end future.
When a baby is born, if the couple doesn’t live together, dad can expect to see his child between four and eight hours a week, or four percent of the time, if the court makes orders.
How much parenting can you do with four hours a week?
Over the course of the next few years, it will increase to about 20 percent of the week.
The problem is that so many young men are growing up with absent fathers, which creates a desire in them to be a father themselves; but the reality is that the legal system will likely force them to be just another absent father.
We need to educate these young men and give them the tools they need to make the right decisions in life. If not, we are just preparing them for failure.
David Pisarra is a divorce attorney who specializes in Father’s Rights and Men’s Issues with the firm of Pisarra & Grist in Santa Monica. He is the author of the upcoming, “A Man’s Guide To Child Custody.” You can pre-order the book by e-mail to dpisarra@pisarra.com or (310) 664-9969. | 4,605 | 2,148 | 2.143855 |
warc | 201704 | News: May 06, 2014
The demand for social workers and a functioning social welfare system is on the rise in China. Within the next ten years, the country expects social workers to comprise over 1.4 million professionals. Swedish researchers from the Department of social work lead the way by sharing their knowledge on research methods and the academization of social work with Chinese universities.
- Social work is a relatively new phenomenon in China. Today, the country has the largest number of people in the world requiring social assistance. There is a definite need to learn more about social work in China, says Björn Gustafsson, professor in social work at the Department of social work, University of Gothenburg.
Together with Swedish colleagues from the Department of social work, Björn Gustafsson has taken the initiative to cooperate with Fudan University, Shanghai. Among other things, the universities exchange teachers and the University of Gothenburg hosts several Chinese post graduate students on campus. As well, the Department of social work recently arranged a workshop in social work research at the Fudan University, resulting in a special issue of China Journal of Social Work. - Sweden has a long tradition of social work and Swedish researchers within the field have access to large research databases regarding the different social statuses of households. There is a huge interest in China to learn more about our social welfare system and our scientific research methods, says Björn Gustafsson. The transition to a free market economy is part of the reason why China is going through big societal changes, he adds. Since the new millennium, housing as well as work units have become privatized and state-owned enterprises have laid off tens of millions of workers. Unemployment has surfaces as a social problem. As well, many Chinese rural residents now move to urban areas, challenging the social infrastructure, Gustafsson explains. - It is against such a background that the rapid expansion of a social welfare system, first in the urban areas and more recently in the rural areas, should be seen, says Björn Gustafsson. When Björn Gustafsson first came to China early in the 90s, he was one of the first western researchers who analyzed the statistics on income distribution and poverty in the country.
- Today, there are many Chinese researchers contributing to both academic literature and policy material, he says.
On May 8th, the Department of social work hosts a release seminar at the University of Gothenburg based on the special issue of China Journal of Social Work. Journalists are welcome to attend the seminar.
When: May 8th 13:15-16:00. Location: room K013, entrence Pilgatan 19, Gothenburg. For additional information, please contact Björn Gustafsson, professor in social work, the Department of social work, University of Gothenburg, e-mail: bjorn.gustafsson@socwork.gu.se, phone: +46-31-786 18 90. | 2,984 | 1,333 | 2.23856 |
warc | 201704 | When I was a kid, the aquarium was one of my favorite places to visit. There is nowhere else in the world like that one spot where you look up and see all the fish suddenly circling above your head. You may be able to catch a similar sight if you go scuba diving, but that’s a pretty involved activity and probably isn’t easy to do with children. The whole “breathing under water” thing is a concept you
might not want to introduce to kids who are still perfecting the process of NOT breathing under water. No point in getting them all confused, now!
If you’re looking for a fun day out with your kids, I highly recommend taking a jaunt to your local aquarium. The ocean is teeming with lessons about cause and effect and the food chain. It can also serve as a way to get your children excited about water-related crafts or activities that you want to teach them at home. There’s nothing like a hands-on experience to really reinforce an idea.
For my readers who live in the San Diego area, Plum District is offering a special deal for kids at Birch Aquarium. You can get a ticket to a children’s concert by the Banana Slug String Band at Birch Aquarium (normally $20), for just $10. The show is on September 15th and is a great way to get kids excited about learning about the environment. Go check it out!
This post is sponsored by Plum District. | 1,389 | 766 | 1.813316 |
warc | 201704 | ASTM B209-10, titled “Standard Specification for Aluminum and Aluminum-Alloy Sheet and Plate,” has just been released this month. The specification covers aluminum and aluminum-alloy flat sheet, coiled sheet, and plate in particular alloys and tempers.
Plate in all alloys and sheet in heat-treatable alloys covered by this document have a mill finish. Sheet in nonheat-treatable alloys have any one of the following finishes: mill finish, one-side bright mill finish, standard one-side bright finish, and standard two-sides bright finish.
The sheet and plate covered by ASTM B209 conform to the specified requirements for tensile properties. The heat treatment capability, reheat-treatment capability, bend properties, stress-corrosion resistance, and exfoliation-corrosion resistance of the sheet and plate are determined through specified processes.
There’s a complete metric companion to this document, ASTM B 209M, so no metric equivalents are included.
This ASTM document and all ASTM publications (including obsolete revision levels) are available from Document Center Inc. You can order on our website, www.document-center.com, or phone us (650-591-7600), fax us (650-591-7617) or email us (info@document-center.com). We’re happy to help you with all your standards questions and requirements. | 1,327 | 671 | 1.977645 |
warc | 201704 | The STAR Interview Technique April 22 2016, 0 Comments
For this post we've invited Interview and Career Coach
Margaret Buj to share her advice on preparing for competency based interviews with the STAR technique. Here's Margaret...
One thing I’ve noticed while working as a recruiter and interview coach is that a lot of my candidates and clients struggle with answering competency-based (or behavioural) interview questions.
In fact, many times, the main reason a candidate gets rejected after their interview is the fact they didn’t provide relevant and detailed examples in their responses.
Even if an employer hasn’t told you that you’ll be involved in a behavioural-style interview, you are still likely to face behavioural or competency-based interview questions. Here’s what you need to know to handle them successfully:
Traditional vs. Competency-Based Interviewing
Traditional interviews present you with traditional interview questions such as, “Tell me a little bit about yourself,” “Why do you want to work here?” or “What motivates you?”
The process of competency-based interviewing is much more complex. A prospective employer will try to make a prediction of your future success by understanding how you’ve handled certain situations in the past.
While in a traditional interview you can usually get away with somewhat generic answers; in a competency interview, you will be asked for very specific examples of past achievements.
Be prepared to be asked for details, including names, dates, budgets and outcomes. The interviewers are likely to ask you about lengthy projects you’ve been involved in — you’ll need to tell them how your role has evolved and how you handled deadlines, pressures and difficult personalities.
When you give examples from your work experience, the interviewer will probe you to try to understand how you think and how you determined what steps to take and in what order.
How to Answer Competency-Based Questions
The questions will start with, “Tell about a time…” or “Describe a situation…” Once you’ve answered, you might be encouraged to elaborate further with questions like, “So, why did you decide to do this?” or “What made you decide to do this?”
The interviewer will try to establish what benefits you will bring to the company, and where you’re stronger than other candidates interviewing for the same job.
Therefore, when giving examples, I’d recommend that you use the STAR statement format:
S – Situation T – Task A – Action R – Result
Here’s how it works,
Situation/Task:Describe a work-related situation you were in or the task you needed to accomplish. Be very specific and give details, but keep it short and concise. Action:Describe the action you took, and be sure to keep the focus on you. Even if you’re discussing a group project or effort, describe what you did, not the efforts of the team. Don’t tell what you might do or would do; tell what you did Results:Describe what you achieved. What happened? What feedback did you receive? What did you accomplish? What did you learn? How much time/money did you save?
Take the time to develop and practice your S.T.A.R. statements. You’ll want to have
at least 6-8 S.T.A.R. statements at the tip of your tongue when you go into an interview.
Create S.T.A.R. statements from the jobs on your resume that you want to bring attention to. As you use these statements as examples, your interviewer will become familiar with the various positions you have held and will get a good idea of your track record of success in those various positions.
The result segment is the most important part of your answer, because a successful outcome proves that your actions were effective. If possible, offer statistics or figures that highlight the magnitude of your success, mention positive feedback you received, and talk about what you learned and how this learning will help you in the job you’re being interviewed for.
Margaret Buj is an
interview and career acceleration coach who specializes in helping professionals get hired, promoted and paid more. | 4,263 | 1,921 | 2.219157 |
warc | 201704 | One tried-and-tested way to instantly infuse drama to a room is to put up a mural. A mural turns a bland and boring wall into a focal point, thus transforming the space even without major renovations. It adds colour and texture, as well as dictates the theme of a room.
A well thought-out mural can also create the overall mood by tying together all the elements in the room. Although it is a task that should be enjoyed, make sure to put a lot of thought in picking the wall mural design for a specific space.
Create a great first impression. Greet houseguests with an amazing wall mural by the entryway or foyer. It easily catches their attention, making it a great conversation starter. Turn boring into beguiling. People usually walk up or down by the stairs without any fuss. Make the staircase more exciting by adding a mural on the wall adjacent to it.
Size matters. A full wall mural will definitely create a great impact. But this is not applicable to all spaces. Keep in mind the dimensions of the room. Do not overwhelm a small room with a large or busy mural. Small patterns and designs will do.
Did you know that a wall mural can help create the illusion of a bigger space? Mural designs such as landscapes and panoramic views add depth to a space. Choose them for rooms that lack this luxury.
It should complement the space. The wall mural should not only get all the attention as the focal point. It should also be able to blend in with the room's interior. Select serene and soft designs for the bedroom. The wall mural should articulate the comfort and cosiness of the bedroom. Choose designs that set the stage for a good night's sleep. Think zen. Add some wall fun to the kid's room. The little ones will appreciate mural designs they love: favourite superheroes for the young boys and fairytale princesses for the young girls.
But you can also add an element of learning and discovery in their rooms. A world map on their wall allows them to learn about the different countries and dream of one day visiting these places.
Let the wall show your passion. The easiest way to decide on a mural design is to go with what your heart tells you—pick something you are most passionate about, whether it is music, photography, or sailing, let your mural do the talking. Escape to some place wonderful. A mural can remind you of the good things in life and instantly change the atmosphere. It also does an amazing job of transporting you to a tropical paradise, a lush forest, or a busy shopping district. Imagine dining al fresco in Maldives, thanks to a mural of the azure ocean in the dining room. Or revisit your memorable trip to Mykonos with a photographic mural of this Greek island. Personalise it. If you are the sentimental type, you can always make it personal by opting for photos that strike a chord in your heart. The mural above is a photo of the house owner's parents. Captured moments of your wedding, vacations, and other memorable events can also be used as a design for a mural. Make a statement. Words can also become part of your wall. Instead of images, choose a quote that will inspire every dweller as well as guest of the house. Cover photo courtesy of MG The Wall Gallery | 3,222 | 1,601 | 2.012492 |
warc | 201704 | Heinous crimes occur everyday. These have controversially stirred up the public’s interest in forensic science techniques. People are aware of the importance of evidence and how these can substantially affect the investigation process. Forensic science, throughout the years, has been a key component in resolving crimes. Forensic scientists, crime investigators, and police partake in the various duties and responsibilities in crime investigation. There are several departments in a crime laboratory having specialists who take charge of the evidence collected at the crime scene.
Through comprehensive analyses of DNA, blood, firearms, drugs, alcohol, and other tools which are done in full crime laboratories, strong evidence for the crime are established empirically. Specific techniques performed by crime investigators and forensic scientists are done with these tools (Bevel & Gardner, 1997). Benecke & Barksdale (2003) argue that forensic science claimed popularity worldwide due to advanced methods employed in criminal cases. These have helped determine the guilt or innocence of the defendant.
Investigation procedures have been trouble-free for police due to the advances in DNA sampling and testing, posing major importance in crime investigation. Blood typing and testing are the main job functions of a forensic serologist, who also analyzes other important body liquids such as semen, saliva, other body fluids and may or may not be involved with DNA typing. At present, blood seems to be the most important component both for medical or forensic purposes. At crime scenes, victims and suspects are easily associated through obtained blood samples and stains.
Bloodstain patterns are not only used to show the association of the victim and the assassin; position and movement during the crime can also be illustrated, who struck whom first, in what manner, upon establishment of the necessary information needed to reconstruct the crime scene. Such evidence prove the lack of veracity in defendants’ claims, which are eventually found to be mere alibis or self-proclaimed arguments. Indeed, this is a very effectual and reliable technology in crime investigation (Fisher, 2003).
The science of bloodstain pattern analysis applies scientific knowledge from other fields to solve practical problems. Bloodstain pattern analysis draws on biology, chemistry, math, and physics, as scientific disciplines. As long as an analyst follows a scientific process, this applied science can produce strong, solid evidence, making it an effective tool for investigators (Fisher, 2003). Blood is partly alkaline liquid, made up of water, cells, enzymes, proteins, and inorganic substances. It flows throughout the vascular system, transporting nourishment, oxygen, and waste.
Plasma is the fluid portion of the blood containing water and serum (which is yellowish and contains white cells and platelets). Red cells are the non-fluid portion of the blood, outnumbering the white cells (Stuart, 2005). Red cells and serum are very crucial elements for the carrying out the work of the forensic scientist. The freshness of the obtained blood sample can be assessed through serum; moreover, antibodies are also carried in it and such are also important in forensic analysis. More tests may be done with wet blood than dried blood; hence, wet blood has more value than a dried sample.
Traces of alcohol and drug content can only be tested from a wet blood sample. Within 3-5 minutes of exposure to air, blood starts drying up, changing its color. There are different blood forms, including pools, drops, smears or crust. The height and angle at which the blood sample fell off can be identified by its drop and form. The distances at which the blood fell can be reported through the forensic science of blood spatter analysis. If blood fell from a higher distance, it has more pronounced tendrils fraying off the edges, while a blood smear on the floor indicates the direction of the force of the blow.
Splatter tells the direction of the force, as it always moves toward the tail (Geberth, 1996). In 1875, different blood types had been discovered, but it was not until 1901 when Karl Landsteined formalized blood groupings, labeling them as type A (antigen A present, anti-B antibody present, but antigen B absent) and B (antigen B present, antigen A absent), labeled C (both antigens A and B absent), but was relabeled later as O. Then another type of serum was discovered, and this fourth type was labeled AB (both antigens present). The blood type of an individual is greatly affected by his parents’ blood type.
Further, Dr. Leon Lattes of Italy, created blood testing for dried blood sample in fabrics (MacDonell, 1993). As early as 1904, Hans Gross of Germany documented and evaluated bloodstain collection. In 1939, geometric principles had been applied to deduce the angles of impact and convergence of the obtained bloodstain. In London, as early as 1514, blood spatter evidence was used in a court trial (Saferstein, 1995). As early as 1925, blood has been discovered and used for criminal investigation. Almost 80 percent of the human population were “secretors”.
An individual carries specific types of antigens, proteins, antibodies, and enzymes characteristic of their blood that are also present in their body tissue and fluids. In the case of a secretor, investigators can tell the blood type by examining other body liquids such as saliva, teardrops, skin tissue, urine, or semen correlating the blood type obtained from the victim to the criminal. From 1951 hence, Dr. Paul Leland Kirk confirmed the effectiveness of bloodstain pattern interpretation in resolving crimes (Bevel & Gardner, 1997). In 1985, DNA technology made blood analysis easier.
DNA obtained from blood samples at the crime is analyzed within a shorter period of time, comparing it with the blood profile of an individual. The gender and type of criminal can be assessed by analyzing the blood sample obtained from the crime scene. Aside from presence of blood, the way it landed on surfaces gave rise to a new forensic field, blood pattern analysis, telling experts pertinent details about the murder (Bevel & Gardner, 1997). Blood at the Scene of the Crime Benecke & Barksdale (2003) suggest that blood shedding is a dramatic accessory for the execution of a violent murder.
Nearly 9 percent of the weight of a healthy person is blood and if spilled by murderers, it can leave a long trail. As blood is shed off in any volume, clotting makes it difficult to assess. Thus murderers’ attempt to wash off their violent murder often fails because blood traces stick to their clothing and weapons. Blood present at the scene of the crime has lead to the punishment of many killers who initially thought they can get away by removing all their incriminating traces (Benecke & Barksdale, 2003).
Blood is very vital in relation to forensic science, from which much information may be obtained. The first task in analyzing stains is to determine whether there is blood and to whom it belongs. Afterwards, stains are examined for age, sex and blood group. The shape and pattern of liquid blood splashes reconstructs the murder scene. Bloody fingerprints and palm prints tell their own story. A single blood trace can provide much information, and analytical techniques are continuously improving through time.
Blood dynamics is not only used for narrowing suspicion on the guilty party, but also to prove a suspect’s innocence. Bloodstains are reconstructed, eventually allowing investigators to simulate what transpired in the crime scene (Fisher, 2003). Blood investigation at crime laboratories is studied using two different approaches: the biological approach (serology) and the physical approach (blood splatter or bloodstain pattern analysis). The facts obtained from complex blood investigation form the core of blood evidence.
Examination and interpretation of bloodstains on and around the body, and of blood spots, splashes and smears at the scene of the crime, are an essential part of a murder investigation. In addition, the location and the manifestation of blood marks on the body and its immediate surroundings help the investigator reconstruct the crime (Geberth, 1996). Blood is a liquid and hence, the laws of physics can be validly used for interpreting blood spatter. The factors that can help in reconstructing the crime scene include spot size, quantity, shape, distribution, location, angle of impact, and target surface.
Correlating these factors can reduce the long and tedious process of investigation. The shape of blood spots and the position of the victim are correlated; blood vertically dropping on a even surface has a circular mark with crenated edges, indicating that the source was in a still position during that particular time. Drops of blood falling from an object in motion collide with a flat surface diagonally leaves an exclamation-mark-like spot. A thorough analysis of the shape of obliquely falling blood splashes indicates the details about speed and impact.
This information are suggestive of the position of the victim and murderer, and even the weapons used during the crime. Blood spots lined on the ceiling of a room in violent murder cases, such as when the killer wielded an axe, results to lined blood spots on its ceiling (Klug, 2000). Blood smears and trails on the floor can be from a crawling wounded person or a murderer dragging the lifeless body of the victim. Blood smears become ragged at one of its edges telling the direction of the movement that occurred during the crime.
In instances where the blood stain is not evident, tail fingerprints may be obtained. Moreover, invisible blood stains can be detected by doing a luminol test, which shows slight phosphorescent light in the dark where bloodstains (and certain other stains) are present (Geberth, 1996). Colored string is often used at a crime scene to show the path of blood droplets cast off from a knife or object used in a beating. These devices can give investigators a preliminary idea of the location of victim and the perpetrator at the time of the crime.
They become even more important in situations where there is more than one perpetrator, where a victim manages to crawl from one location to another, or has been dragged. However, the definitive interpretation of blood patterns comes when the information is analyzed back at the laboratory using computer programs (Crow, et. al, 1996). Young (1989) indicates that blood pattern analysis includes the examination, identification and interpretation of patterns of bloodstains and relating these to the actions which may have transpired during the crime.
This analysis plays an important role in reconstructing crime events. The bloodstains obtained are indicative of the type of injuries, the order in which the wounds were received, whose blood is present, type of weapon that caused the injuries, whether the victim was in motion or lying still when the injury was inflicted, whether the victim was moved after the injury was inflicted, and how far the blood drops fell before hitting the surface where they were found.
In the 1930s, John Glaister, a Scottish pathologist categorized blood splashes into drops on a horizontal surface; splashes from blood flying through the air and hitting a surface at an angle; and pools around the body, which can show if the body has been dragged (Young, 1989). Bloodstain patterns are a helpful tool for crime scene investigators to understand the integral components of the crime, finding evidence for answering questions about the crime.
Through bloodstain pattern analyses, collecting unecessarily excessive blood may be avoided. The shape of the blood drop itself holds significant information. The proportions of the blood drops can tell the needed energy in those dimensions. The shape of the stain can describe the traveling direction and angle at which it struck the surface (Klug, 2000). Before a scientific investigation of a violent crime is concluded, bloodstain pattern analysis is carried out and makes a noteworthy contribution to the investgation process.
Bloodstain pattern analysis reconstructs the assassination that occurred, specifically the blood shedding. Because blood is uniform, it behaves accordingly. Moreover, the manner through which blood goes in and out of the victim, how it was splattered around the area of the crime, are also important sources of information for reconstructing what truly happened. Blood spatter analysis is based from the disciplines of physics and mathematics, from which the main concepts of blood pattern analysis are derived (Saferstein, 1995).
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warc | 201704 | Acid rain is mixed with certain chemicals, including Hydrocarbons. Nitrogen Oxides are created naturally from bacteria, volcanoes and lightening. From the burning of fossil fuels we get chemicals like Sulphur Dioxide, Sulphur Trioxide and Carbon Dioxide. When Carbon Dioxide is mixed with water we get Carbonic Acid. When Nitrogen Oxides are mixed correctly with water it can create Nitric Acid. When Sulphur Dioxide is mixed with water it creates Sulphurous Acid.
And when Sulphur Trioxide is mixed with Sulphur Dioxide and water it can create the lethal Sulphuric Acid. Ozone Depletion also impacts on this as its releasing CFC’s which then add to the impact from acid rain. Acid rain can corrode metal structures such as railway tracks and overhead power cables. It can also erode cement, marble and especially limestone buildings. It can take a longer time in some cases due to what the material is, but the evidence is shown a lot of most buildings.
Acidic water affects the growth and health of fish and other aquatic life, by reducing the pH of the water and impacting the health and breeding success of the fish and aquatic invertebrates. Death of aquatic organisms due to damaged exoskeleton development as the calcium compounds become more soluble. So there is less calcium in the food chain (for fish bones and birds egg shells). PH5 mucus on fish gills, pH4 species decline. It also dissolves metals out of sediments and rocks to increase the metals (lead) in the water.
These can be taken up by the plants and contaminate the associated seeds or fruit. Phytotoxicity is a toxic effect by a compound on plant growth. Such damage may be caused by a wide variety of compounds, including trace metals, pesticides, salinity, phytotoxins or allelopathy as acids damage enzyme function cells in stomata, root hairs. Seed germination is inhibited by acidic conditions. Lichens are especially sensitive to acids. Osmosis, in the water, will affect the aquatic life as well as respiration in the fish themselves, it can harm them.
Acid rain impacts crop growth and soil structure. It can affect the growth of plants as many plants have a specific soil pH for optimum growth. In addition it can leach nutrients out of the topsoil, into the groundwater and into the water table. The leaching of nutrients from the soil makes them unavailable to plant life. Acid precipitation can change the ionic balance in clayey soils, affecting their structure.
The pollutants that cause acid rain, sulphur dioxide and nitrogen oxides, are inhaled and cause an increase in heart and lung conditions (and premature death). Respiratory illness such as asthma and bronchitis are more common and can lead to pulmonary (heart) disease.
Acid rain can also harm organisms by causing other changes that are harmful to living organisms. Soil can be deflocculated by acids where the particles that form peds separate causing the peds to collapse, filling the soil spaces and making the soil less permeable. Lime soils are less affected. Acids increase solubility of ions of metals such as Ca2+ and Al3+ ions which poison organisms. Heavy metals such as lead and mercury are more soluble under acidic conditions, this bio accumulates and bio magnify. (Affect animal’s nervous systems, liver and kidneys)
Organisms have an increased susceptibility to pests and disease, waxy cuticles of leaves are removed. Nutrient recycling is reduced as soil bacteria are killed by acid and heavy metal bioaccumulation. Plant diversity is affected, less tolerant species removed first. The Convention on Long-Range Transboundary Air Pollution, often abbreviated as Air Pollution or CLRTAP, is intended to protect the human environment against air pollution and to gradually reduce and prevent air pollution, including long-range transboundary air pollution. The whole point of this organisation is to gradually reduce and prevent air pollution. Parties develop policies and strategies to combat the discharge of air pollutants through exchanges of information, consultation, research and monitoring.
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warc | 201704 | Saudi Telecom Company (STC) is the largest telecommunication services provider in the Middle East. Its services include “fixed line, data & internet and mobile services” in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia (Saudi Telecom Company 2007). STC has adopted its FORWARD Strategy as part of its commitment to its customers. This strategy aims to deliver tailor-fitted services that would add value to the customers’ businesses and to broaden their customer base by exploring potential service areas.
As a result of this strategy, STC has ventured into international markets by establishing business and investments in a number of Gulf Cooperative Council (GCC) countries, Asia & Africa. With a huge potential to penetrate more of the telecom market in Saudi Arabia and other neighbouring countries, STC is poised to increase its revenue base which stands at almost USD9 billion in 2006. Recently, the company has undergone a major restructuring programme to align its organisational structure with new strategies it has adapted recently. These are in light of their thrust to cross their local borders.
Given this backdrop, this research proposes to establish a relationship between employee satisfaction and customers’ satisfaction. Particularly, the study will determine whether contented employees translate to satisfied customers, and at the same time whether positive responses from customers is an antecedent to a more satisfied workforce (Yoon and Yoon 2000). Moreover, this area of study was selected in the light of the currently highly active job market which gives rise to employee retention issues (Shaw, Duffy, Johnson, & Lockhart 2005).
At the same time, now, more than ever competitiveness in the current market has forced customer retention as critical performance indicator for most companies’ Marketing Departments. The study will make use of the responses of the employees and customers of Saudi Telecom Company to determine if there are significant relationships that exist between these two constructs as well as to ascertain the factors which positively influence them. Academic Context Employee Satisfaction In pursuit of greater productivity, organisations invest substantially in recruiting high-quality employees (Schmitt & Chan, 1998).
However, with a very active job market these days, hiring and retaining employees is an issue. Creating innovative ways to manage employee turnover are ongoing challenges that employers and human resource professionals deal with everyday (Griffeth & Hom 2001). In order to retain the right employees and to get value out of the significant amount of recruitment resources that they have expended, employee satisfaction is a main consideration in the agenda of a lot of organisations (Wright & Bonnet 2007).
Employees’ job satisfaction has been defined as a “pleasurable or positive emotional state, resulting from the appraisal of one’s job experiences” (Locke 1976, p. 1300) and it plays a vital role in building a motivated workforce with enhanced performance levels (Danielsson & Bodin 2008). Service Quality Satisfaction Business organisations have turned to attention in recent years to customer satisfaction in the wake of the paradigm shift from transactional marketing to relationship marketing (Sheth & Parvatiyar 1994).
Customer satisfaction with a company’s quality of services is often viewed as a determinant of a company’s competitiveness and overall success (Hennig-Thurau & Klee 1997). Delivering quality in services has been shown to be an important strategy for marketers who are trying to differentiate their service offerings by establishing customer value and satisfying customer needs (Ozment and Morash 1994). Obtaining new customers tend to entail very high costs, and the profitability of a consumer grows as the duration of the relationship with the organisation increases.
Understanding customer retention is thus crucial to long-term profitability (Bolton and Verhoef 2004). Service quality satisfaction has been considered as an antecedent for the retention of customers, and therefore has become a main concern of relational marketing approaches (Rust & Zahorik 1993). Empirical Studies on the Relationship between Employee Satisfaction and Service Quality Satisfaction Several empirical studies suggest that positive changes in employee attitudes towards their work lead to positive changes in customer satisfaction, thus showing a positive relationship between employee satisfaction and quality service satisfaction.
One study reviewed the link between an organisation’s financial success and customer and employee variables, and found that a high percentage of customer satisfaction and retention was accounted for by positive employee satisfaction (Brooks 2000). The relationship between employee satisfaction and quality service or customer satisfaction has received further empirical confirmation from the studies of Harter, Schmidt & Hayes (2002).
This study was based on almost 8,000 business units and found that employee satisfaction has a direct effect on certain business unit outcomes including customer satisfaction. Another study which confirmed this relationship was by Berhardt, Donthu, and Kennett (2000). The research appraised employee satisfaction, customer satisfaction and resulting profits of an organisation. It concluded that over time, employee satisfaction and customer satisfaction translate to prominent effects in the company’s bottomline.
Available literature suggests rationalisation as to why quality satisfaction is affected by employee satisfaction. Employees who are able to interact with customers are in a position to become more conscious of what the customers want and need. Satisfied employees are motivated and empowered employees. Thus, they are able to address customers’ wants and needs. Further, satisfied employees are enthusiastic and willing to provide good service and they can deliver a more positive perception of the service they provide.
In cases of undesirable outcomes, satisfied employees are able to provide adequate explanations and solutions that would still leave a customer satisfied with the service, rather than being aggravated by negative behaviour of dissatisfied employees. Satisfied employees have enough emotional resources to show empathy, understanding, respect, and concern. Other empirical studies in the relationship between employee and customer satisfaction consider the forerunners of employee satisfaction and service quality satisfaction. A study by Hyun Seo and Seog Yoon (2004) considers three precursors to customer satisfaction and employee satisfaction.
The first is the extent to which employees sense that the organisation values their inputs and cares about their well-being. If an employee fees that the organisation values his contributions and feels that the company is able to reciprocate this contribution, the employee feels contented and is willing and able to perform well – giving quality services which customers appreciate. Another antecedent is the extent to which the employee’s superiors create a work environment that fosters trust, helpfulness and friendliness.
Employees who feel that socio-emotional resources are offered in their work environment perform with an optimistic outlook which reflects on the quality of service they provide. Lastly, customer participation also plays a vital role in the quality of service he gets. The kind of service that employees extend depends on the degree to which the customer is involved in the delivery of the service he requires. A customer who is able to convey exactly what he needs influences the service provider and is more likely to be given a service that matches his requirements.
Another empirical study by Hee Yoon and Beatty (2001) agrees with two of the three precursors previously presented, which are organisational support in terms of valuing the employees’ contributions and the kind of work environment the employees are exposed to. Two of the most important elements in a service organisation are its employees and customers. For an organisation to be able to sustain its operations, it must be able to retain its valuable employees who are able to render the kind of service that the organisation wants its customers to get, and at the same time, the quality of service that is acceptable to the customers.
To retain customer loyalty to their products and services, organisations should be able to keep their customers happy. Satisfied customers are the best marketing tools to promote a certain product or service. The empirical literature cited in this report highlights the crucial link between employee satisfaction and customer satisfaction on service quality. Employees can robustly contribute to an organisation’s success by having a customer-centred attitude in the way they render services to customers. However, this is only more likely if the employees are satisfied with their jobs.
Research Objectives The following are the objectives of the present study: 1) To determine the level of satisfaction of employees of STC; 2) To ascertain the degree of service quality satisfaction of customers of STC; 3) To determine the variables that are significantly correlated with overall employee satisfaction; 4) To ascertain variables that are significantly correlated with overall service quality satisfaction; and 5) To determine if there is a significant relationship between employee satisfaction of STC employees and service quality satisfaction of STC customers.
Methods The current study adopts a positivistic research paradigm, which upholds the use of observation and empirical data for garnering true knowledge (Giddens 1974). This is in stark contrast with anti-positivist paradigms which attaches premium to the individual’s experience to attain knowledge. Moreover, the research approach is mainly quantitative. The research shall primarily use survey methodology to address the foregoing objectives. Survey questionnaires have several advantages. First, it allows for cost efficiency compared to interviews which entail more cost.
This is particularly applicable for researches that involve many respondents or studies that inquire through numerous survey items. Yet another advantage of survey questionnaire is the relatively easier data analysis that it necessitates. Unlike qualitative methodologies, there are readily available software which can analyse survey data statistically. Surveys also make bias less likely since the items are standardized and there is nothing that intervenes between the respondent and the survey sheet. There are no cues that may impact the answers of the respondent. Finally, distractions and intrusion are less probable (Allan & Skinner 1991).
The research is a descriptive-correlational research. It aims to describe the levels of employee satisfaction and service quality satisfaction on one hand; and to ascertain the predictors of these variables, making it correlational as well (Saunders, Lewis & Thornhill 2007). The study will thus involve deploying a survey questionnaire to two samples. The first sample will be composed of employees of STC; on the other hand, the second sample will consist of customers of the company. Since there is an attempt to determine the relationship between employee satisfaction and customer satisfaction, it is imperative to match these two variables.
That is, the employees who shall be surveyed for employee satisfaction shall be requested to hand out a sealed envelope containing one customer satisfaction questionnaire, to an STC customer. The latter will be asked to rate the service which they have just experienced with the employee. The researcher shall ensure that the employee respondents are keenly aware of the objectives of the research. They shall also be assured of confidentiality and anonymity, and of their right to cease participation from the study at any time (Shamoo & Resnik 2009).
Following the accomplishment of the questionnaire, they shall not be given incentives, but instead will be thanked by the researcher for their participation. The instruments will be based on the framework of Zeithaml, Berry & Parasuraman (1993), which measures empathy, assurance, responsiveness, and reliability. The tangibles subscale shall not be included because this is not influenced by employee satisfaction. On the other hand, employee satisfaction shall be measured through a self-constructed questionnaire with subscales based on Herzberg’s (1969) motivators and hygiene factors.
Since both subscales will be dovetailed to the employee and service contexts of STC, there is a need to compute for its reliability indices. This shall be made possible through the conduct of a pilot study among at least 30 employees for the employee questionnaire; and 30 customers for the customer survey. The pilot data shall be encoded into the Statistical Package for the Social Sciences (SPSS) version 16. 0, and analysed for Cronbach’s alpha of the subscales and the overall tool.
Depending on the number of questions that the survey questionnaire will be composed of, the present study shall adopt the sample size protocol of Tabachnik & Fidell (1989), who recommends a 1: 5 ratio of survey items to number of respondents. They shall be chosen using purposive sampling, selecting only employees who have direct interface with customers. This is necessary so that they can pair up with at least one customer for gathering data on service quality satisfaction. Once the employee and customer surveys have been gathered, these will be encoded onto SPSS version 16.
0 to compute for descriptive statistics and Pearson correlation coefficient. This statistic is used to determine if the magnitude and the direction of the relationship between two variables. Substantive conclusions will be derived from the statistical results, and analysed side by side with outcomes of previous empirical studies. References Allan, G & Skinner, C (eds. ) 1991, Handbook for research students in the social sciences. The Falmer Press, London. Bernhardt, KL, Donthu, N, & Kennett, PA 2000, ‘A longitudinal analysis of satisfaction and profitability’, Journal of Business Research, vol. 47, pp.
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warc | 201704 | Conjugated Linoleic Acid (CLA) Product Review: Getting Over Your Plateau
The end of the first month of the year is coming to a close, and I hope all of you have been doing well with your resolutions! Gyms are still packed, which is great to see. Keep at it guys!
Good news: Like I've mentioned before, it's no secret--proper diet and exercise are the keys to a healthier lifestyle and slimmer physique. You WILL see a change when you start exercising correctly and eating well. Bad news: If you don't switch up your exercise routines, your body will get used to what you're doing and you'll hit a 'plateau,' meaning the scale stays constant no matter how many carrot sticks you're eating or how many lunges you're doing around the football field. You're giving it your all, and nothing seems to be happening. Good news (Part II): When I hit a plateau, I came across something called CONJUGATED LINOLEIC ACID or CLA. CLA is a substance that is converted from the linoleic acid of pure safflower oil. It reduces body fat by decreasing the number of fat cells and decreasing fat that is stored after a meal. In addition, it also builds lean muscle tissue and increases the rate of fat metabolism.
"Extensive research is now showing CLA to play an important role as a multi-beneficial health promoter. More than 200 studies worldwide are indicating that CLA may help reduce the incidence of breast cancer, improve asthma, allergy control, and blood sugar control (diabetes), and limit the extent of atherosclerosis which can lead to heart disease." (Wellnesspartners.com) Bad news (Part II): There are a lot of impure versions of CLA being sold on the market today that will burn a hole in your wallet, but do nothing for your waistline. Here's what you want to look for: Make sure the capsules have 100% pure SAFFLOWER oil. Do NOT buy the ones that say it uses sunflower oil or even a safflower/sunflower oil blend. The ones that include sunflower oil have less of the active fat loss ingredients. The entire capsule should be at least 1000mg. 750-1000mg of the capsule should be composed of CLA. Where to buy CLA capsules online: To make it easier on you, here are some trustworthy CLA vendors. This is something I recommend, because I've tried it and I've seen the favorable results. Best of all, I got through that plateau period and am at my ideal weight. Hopefully, this will do the same for you. *Disclaimer: Please consult your doctor before trying CLA. | 2,464 | 1,363 | 1.807777 |
warc | 201704 | These days, with the abundance of artificial light, TV, tablets and smartphones, adults and children alike are burning the midnight oil. What they are not burning is calories: with later bedtimes comes the tendency to eat.
A new study by researchers at the Salk Institute cautions against an extended period of snacking, suggesting instead that confining caloric consumption to an 8- to 12-hour period-as people did just a century ago-might stave off high cholesterol, diabetes and obesity.
The results, published in the journal
Cell Metabolism, add to mounting evidence suggesting that it's not just what we eat but when we eat it that matters to our health. Although the intervention has not yet been tested in humans, it has already gained visibility as a potential weight loss method-and, in mice, it may reveal what causes obesity and related conditions in the first place.
In 2012, Satchidananda Panda, a Salk associate professor, showed that mice which were fed a high-fat diet, but allowed access to that diet for only eight hours per day, were healthier and slimmer than mice given access to the same food for the whole day, even though the two groups consumed the same number of calories. The new study shows the benefits of time restriction is surprisingly more profound than initially thought and can reverse obesity and diabetes in animal models.
The authors demonstrated that time restriction better synchronizes the function of hundreds of genes and gene products in our body with the predictable time of eating.
"These days, most of the advice is, 'You have to change nutrition, you have to eat a healthy diet,'" Panda says. "But many people don't have access to healthy diets. So the question is, without access to a healthy diet, can they still practice time-restricted feeding and reap some benefit?"
Panda and his researchers, who study the body's 24-hour rhythms, wanted to know how forgiving time-restricted feeding was.
In the new study, Panda's group subjected nearly 400 mice, ranging from normal to obese, to various types of diets and lengths of time restrictions. They found that the benefits of time-restricted feeding showed up regardless of the weight of the mouse, type of diet and length of the time restriction (to some degree).
Regardless of whether their diets were high in fat, fat and sucrose or just fructose, mice that were given time restrictions of 9 to 12 hours-and consumed the same amount of daily calories as their unrestricted counterparts-gained less weight than the controls, researchers found.
In particular, variations in the time window in which the mice were allowed to eat a high-fat diet-including 9-, 10- and 12-hour periods-all resulted in similarly lean mice. For a 15-hour group, the benefits conferred by time restriction became more modest.
Researchers gave some of the time-restricted mice a respite on weekends, allowing them free access to high-fat meals for these two days. These mice had less fat mass and gained less weight than the mice given a freely available, high-fat diet the whole time. In fact, the mice that were freely fed just on weekends looked much the same as mice given access to food 9 or 12 hours a day for seven days a week, suggesting that the diet can withstand some temporary interruptions.
"The fact that it worked no matter what the diet, and the fact that it worked over the weekend and weekdays, was a very nice surprise," says the study's first author Amandine Chaix, a postdoctoral researcher in Panda's lab.
More importantly, for the mice that had already become obese by eating a freely available high-fat diet, researchers restricted their food access to a nine-hour window. Although the mice continued to consume the same number of calories, they dropped body weight by five percent within a few days. Importantly, eating this way prevented the mice from further weight gain (by about 25 percent by the end of the 38-week study) compared to the group kept on the freely available high-fat diet.
The therapeutic effect of time restriction was surprising, especially given evidence that nutritional deficiencies in early life can leave a lasting mark on animals' metabolism, Chaix says.
The group also compared mice given a more balanced diet, showing that the time-restricted mice had more lean muscle mass than their unfettered littermates.
"It's an interesting observation that although the mice on a normal diet did not lose weight, they changed their body composition," Panda says. "That brings up the question--what happens? Are these mice maintaining their muscle mass which might have been lost with free feeding, or are they gaining muscle mass?"
Using this new experimental set-up-with genetically identical mice consuming equal amounts of a given diet, just within different time windows-gives the researchers a tool to delve further into the causes of diabetes, Panda says.
A comprehensive analysis of the blood metabolites in time-restricted mice revealed that multiple molecular pathways that go awry in metabolic disease are turned back to normal and protective pathways are dialed up, Chaix adds. Next steps include looking more in-depth at these pathways, as well as investigating the effects of time-restricted eating in humans. | 5,272 | 2,368 | 2.226351 |
warc | 201704 | e-Learning market is a vast market today (
the international e-learning market is expected to reach to the amount of $107 billion by the year 2015). In this market, you need the right ideas, the appropriate methodologies and the correct tools to do your job! Ideally you need the right e-Learning Systems & Tools for the work you are going to do! e-Learning Incorporates Many Disciplines
e-Learning is a discipline, includes many other approaches. Loosely it can be defined as:
the effective use of technological tools in learning. As a concept, it concerns an array of tools, such as media, machines and networking hardware, as well as considering underlying theoretical perspectives for their effective application. (Wikipedia: Educational technology)
In order to develop and deliver a successful (
and effective) e-Learning experience to final users, you need a lot of components to take their place in an e-Learning experience you construct.
e-Learning is not just systems, off course! It includes many things. In order to employ it, in a successful manner (
i.e. to deliver training to your final users), you are going to need among other things: a strategy or a strategic approach to learning Suitable ideas for developing the learning experience Subject Matter Experts to help you developing the needed material Globally used methodologies and approaches for developing your material Instructional Design and storyboarding Organization and analysis of your target group of learners as well as of the material you are going to cover Standard operations to help you deliver quality products Rapid development techniques to help you develop suitable content in a rapid mode Content and media development Excellent writing skills Suitable pedagogies and learning theories Evaluation of results
and many other things.
One major component of the equation it reads as an “
“, though, is the e-Learning Systems and Tools you need to accomplish your mission. At the next section, you will find some of the most known ones, covering various areas of e-Learning! effective e-learning experience e-Learning Systems and Tools
e-Learning experts and designer need the rights tools and systems to do their work. There is a vast list of various tools, covering many areas of e-Learning: Learning Management Systems, authoring, content development, classroom support, etc.
Bellow you will find a list of some e-Learning Systems and Tools (
both premium and free ones), can help you in developing and delivering e-learning content. Question: What do you think of the list? There are more tools, you are going to include in the list? What are the tools you use more often? Please, write your comments, here! | 2,720 | 1,243 | 2.188254 |
warc | 201704 | Many people are beginning to wrap their minds around the House Republicans’ proposed destination-based cash-flow tax and what it means for tax reform. Most people are still looking into the tax’s impacts on trade and how...
Breadcrumb The Tax Policy Blog A Clear Contrast Emerges in the Democratic Primary A Clear Contrast Emerges in the Democratic Primary
Voters in Iowa who plan on attending Monday’s Democratic caucuses will be making a choice between two very different tax policy visions from the leading candidates. This contrast is so stark that it can be expressed pretty simply with a visualization. I’ll first show you a graph that illustrates the differences between former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton and Vermont Senator Bernie Sanders. Then I’ll get to the background: how two candidates with many broad areas of agreement ended up so far apart on the issue of tax policy.
What this graph shows is the approximate tax increases, as a percentage of income, that each kind of person would face under the Sanders tax proposals and under the Clinton tax proposals. Along the horizontal axis, people are divided into ten equal groups, called income deciles. The ten percent of people with the lowest incomes are all the way on the left, and the ten percent of people with the highest incomes are second from the right. At the very right-most end, we put in a column for the top one percent of income earners, too.
What you can see here is that Clinton has taken an approach that only increases taxes, moderately, for the very highest-income taxpayers. In contrast, Sanders has taken an approach that increases taxes on everyone, but increases taxes even more for the highest income taxpayers.
The final results show a dramatic difference in total revenue raised. Our analysis of Senator Sanders’s plan shows it raising tax revenues by $13.6 trillion over ten years, while our analysis of Secretary Clinton’s plan shows it raising revenues by only $498 billion.
Sanders has campaigned on a variety of spending programs for things like health care and family leave, and the Clinton campaign has asked the very fair question of how these programs would be financed. To his credit, Sanders has responded with detailed tax proposals that would, indeed, raise substantial revenue. However, in order to make the numbers add up, he has had to propose raising taxes on many Americans whose taxes would
not be raised under Clinton’s proposals. This was, of course, why the Clinton campaign put so much focus on the issue of tax policy in the first place.
An interesting question here is why a progressive lawmaker like Sanders would raise taxes on lower-income Americans—the group of Americans he is most focused on helping—and expose himself to this line of attack.
The answer is that he has no choice.
I have loosely described a sort of progressive trilemma in tax policy. Ideally, progressives would like to serve three priorities: (1) not increasing the deficit (2) increasing taxes only on capital income or high income earners (3) creating many new spending projects.
But progressives can’t actually have all three of these. Despite progressive rhetoric about the distribution of income in America, the vast, vast majority of income comes from wages and salaries, not capital income. Here’s a sense of what that looks like:
Furthermore, while it’s undeniable that millionaires and billionaires have lots of money, the truth about income in America is that an even vaster majority of income goes to people who consider themselves “middle class.” When President Obama pledged to avoid tax increases on people making less than $250,000 a year, he removed about 98 percent of Americans from his potential tax base. This strategy simply doesn’t yield the kinds of revenue that some progressives hope it will. You can’t exempt junior investment bankers, associates at big law firms, and computer programmers in Silicon Valley from new tax increases, and still expect to raise substantial revenue.
As a result of the self-imposed constraints on tax policy, President Obama has not been able to raise much in the way of new revenues. Without new revenues, Obama has presumably had to sacrifice some of the new spending programs he would like to have implemented. In other words, in the progressive trilemma, he has chosen to sacrifice priority (3), and by all indications, it looks like Hillary Clinton will be doing the same.
In contrast, Bernie Sanders has boldly abandoned priority (2) of the progressive trilemma instead. While he does increase taxes significantly on the wealthiest Americans, he also raises taxes to a lesser degree for everyone else. In truth, the kind of social democratic model that Sanders espouses has always been implemented with a much higher tax burden on the middle class, including large taxes on broad bases like consumption and payrolls.
The Obama and Clinton view of tax policy is almost purely a redistributive one; while they are willing to use tax policy to increase federal revenues from the highest-income Americans, their overall zeal for tax increases is limited. Rather than collecting money for federal spending, they instead have a revealed preference for leaving money in the hands of the middle class. They even take a fairly generous view of “middle class,” extending it to include people with 96
th or 97 th percentile incomes. This view has its benefits, but it places strong constraints on the scope of the federal government.
Frustrated by those constraints and eager to propose new spending, Bernie Sanders is sharply departing from that doctrine.
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warc | 201704 | From the July 2009 E-Block, we have a guest item by Nick Peters.
*** Full book title: "Gay Marriage: Why It Is Good For Gays, Good For Straights, Good For America."
Homosexual marriage (I have a point that unless I am quoting someone, I do not say "gay" but always say "homosexual") is a hot topic in our country today. Christians are often put in an uncomfortable place on this. We are seen as forcing our religion down someone's throat or as being intolerant bigots and who are we to keep two people from loving each other. What harm is it doing to our marriages? (At the time of writing this, I do not have a marriage so I cannot argue from the perspective of one married, but I can argue from the perspective of one who values marriage.)
Jonathan Rauch who is openly homosexual argues in this book why he thinks homosexual marriage is good for homosexuals, for straights, and for America. Rauch is a correspondent, a columnist, and a writer at the Brookings Institute. He is also the vice-president of the Independent Gay Forum.
Which brings me to one of my first criticisms. You'd think with his writing history, he'd have more references in this book. As it is, there is no bibliography. The only arguments on the traditional side that I remember seeing come from blogs or from news stories. When talking about marriage, he refers to only the work of E.J. Graff. This isn't to say anything against bloggers (I'm one after all) or news stories, but it makes me wonder if Rauch has read anything outside of the Internet on the topic.
Rauch begins this book with an appeal to emotion asking what it would be like if we could never marry. What if you woke up in the morning and the person you'd pledged your life to was not married to you? You still lived together, but you could not speak of your relationship as a marriage. What would that mean?
It's an effective tactic, but yet this seems to be the only tactic I see coming from the homosexual left: Whether it's Keith Olbermann's self-pitying objections on YouTube on Prop 8 or the homosexual community sitting outside the California Supreme Court shouting "Shame on you!" or the accusation that all people who support marriage as it is hate homosexuals and are intolerant bigots.
This isn't to say Rauch downplays marriage. He says on page 2 that marriage is the foundation of civilization and he is certainly correct on that. On page 7, he accepts that the onus of proof for his case is on his shoulders. He also says he intends to challenge the arguments of his opponents rather than their motives and this is something that is commendable. Let's suppose for instance that I opposed homosexuals getting "married" because I was an intolerant bigoted homophobe. Does that mean then that they automatically ought to get married?
No. It just means that I could rightly be seen as a jerk.
The first chapter has Rauch asking what marriage is for. On page 13, he dismisses the idea of a religious law because the patriarchs were biblical and because we allow divorce and remarriage which Jesus didn't. Also, since there is such disagreement amongst religions, we will need a sensible secular doctrine.
At this I wonder "Why?" Not everyone agrees on religious truth, therefore secular truth is what we have to go with? Considering the debates we have going in courtrooms today, not everyone agrees on secular truth. Yet it seems that while saying consensus is required, Rauch has ignored the consensus already in place. All societies practice marriage as it is! (Henceforth, I will simply be saying marriage due to my problem with the idea of saying traditional marriage as I do not believe we need to clarify what we mean by marriage.)
I also contend that my stance is not based on religion. My belief is that religion does not tell us anything new in the area of morality as a new moral rule cannot be invented. Morality can be applied to new situations (the ancients did not deal with stem-cell research for instance), but the moral principles are still the same. Thus, I believe that X is immoral not because the Bible says so, but I believe the Bible says so because it is immoral. Revelation is an aid to natural reason as God reveals truths to us many times that we would have had a hard time finding out on our own. (I do agree he does reveal truths also we could not have found out on our own.)
An analogy would be being a student in a math class and God being the teacher and you going to the teacher asking for understanding on a problem. Morality is first as it comes from the nature of God and the Bible does not contradict this. For those interested in this, it's Natural Law thinking and I highly recommend the writings of J. Budziszewski on this topic.
When asking what marriage is, Rauch goes to the dictionary and gets the definition of "the state of being married; a legal contract, entered into by a man and a woman, to live together as husband and wife." (p. 13-14.) Rauch dismisses this as not much help. Why? What's difficult about it? Rauch doesn't give a reason. As he continues the book, he will treat marriage's idea as if it was defined not to say what it is, but to simply exclude homosexuals.
Upfront then, I'd like to say that I agree with the definition and why. I believe marriage is fundamental because it is the society that followed through by its natural tendency is capable of producing children, which means the next generation can come about. Children are also ideally to be raised where there is a mother and a father. Homosexual couples by nature are incapable of doing this.
Also, marriage is not about love. Now I'm not anti-love as I think it's great that married couples love each other, but any married couple could say that love as we know it today ebbs and flows. Marriage is not saying that you will have an emotion towards a certain person or feel a certain way or always have a certain mindset. It is saying that regardless of what happens, for better for worse, and the rest of the vow, that you and I are in this together.
On page 15, Rauch does give some statements about secular law in relation to marriage. He states that the two people must consent. They must also not be closely related. They must not be children. They must also be a man and a woman. Why does the law not want people closely related to marry? The first is that it would tarnish relationships in that a father could be looking at his daughter deciding if he wants to marry her someday or her brother could be doing the same. The relationship is to be father-daughter or brother-sister. It is not to be involving potential mates. Also, children of such unions have a higher potential of having severe disabilities. In other words, it's about the family unit and the good of children.
Rauch says that the law says nothing about what marriage is for, but does it have to? When I see the law of "Do not murder" do I need to know what that law is for? As soon as one understands the way murder harms someone and how it does so and the injustice of it, it is understood why it is illegal. As soon as one understands the nature of marriage and the restrictions of it, one understands what it is for.
There is no doubt that we have at times had to look at something and further understand it for ourselves. In fact, this is a process that helped us shape much of Christian doctrine. When we encounter the heresies, we learn why the orthodox view that has always been there is so important.
On page 24, Rauch has his own definition where he says "I would say that marriage is two people's lifelong commitment, recognized by law and by society, to care for each other. To get married is to put yourself in another person's hands, and to promise to take that person into your hands, and to do so within a community which expects both of you to keep your word." The key part of this is "recognized by law and by society."
I have good friends who are identical twins. Let's suppose neither of them ever planned to get married, but decided to live together in a relationship perhaps because they wanted to share the same business. They could do anything that Rauch has described, however, they would not call themselves married. You can do all of this without having marriage and the government doesn't care. If my friends chose to live together that way, the government would not interfere. It has no interest in what friends do provided they're not doing anything illegal. It has no business regulating friendship as friendship.
It does so with marriage since that is the foundation of civilization as Rauch himself has said. Rauch is playing on dangerous grounds if he knowingly wants to change the foundation. Let's look at that key part again. Why is it so important that this be recognized? It is at this that the true homosexual agenda comes out. This isn't about equal rights. This is about recognition. It's not just wanting to be tolerated. It's wanting approval. Rauch wants society to say, "Yes. We approve of and celebrate this kind of relationship."
In the next chapter, Rauch argues against why substitutes for marriage will not be acceptable. On page 30, he states that for some people, opposite-sex love is not an option, which brings up another problem with this book. Rauch throughout assumes homosexuality is normal, good, and unchangeable.
Back this? No. What about ex-homosexuals? Dismissed with a wave of the hand. Rauch asserts this and does not defend it. It never occurs to Rauch apparently that for some people, before asking if homosexual marriage is good for X, they want to know if homosexual marriage is good and before that, if homosexuality is good.
However, Rauch writes that for such people for whom it is supposedly not an option, they need love and attachment as much as anyone else. On some levels, I can easily see love as a need. However, marriage is not. Also, no one is denying homosexuals love and attachment. They can form their relationships all they want to. We are simply saying that we will not celebrate those relationships and give them the title of marriage.
Rauch also says that this will make more people happy. What does he mean by "happy" however? He never tells us. I think of how Mortimer Adler has written on one of the great philosophical mistakes is to see happiness as "having a good time." Now pleasure is a part of happiness, but not all pleasure is truly something good. I would think Rauch means a certain joy and contentment one might have if they get what they want, but we all know that sometimes what we want is not what we ought to have.
On page 31, Rauch argues that domestic-partnership laws do not give society what it needs. First off, what it needs I do not see clarified anywhere. Second, society seems to have got along just fine for millennia without having homosexuals getting married. I seriously doubt that all of a sudden, society needs this or it won't survive.
Throughout this chapter, Rauch also speaks about the lack of benefits. If they want benefits, fine. Work that out with the law. There's something different however between wanting benefits and wanting the relationship that you are practicing to be called "marriage." In California, homosexual couples already have the same benefits as married couples do. This just shows that this is not about benefits. This is about approval.
The next chapter is about how homosexuals will benefit. One of the first ways he describes is on page 56: "Being there when your partner is sick or in trouble, or when your mother-in-law is dying, is what marriage is for." Aside from not having a mother-in-law if they're single, there's no reason friendship can't do these things. Friends can be there for one another when they're sick. Friends can help each other out when they're in trouble. Friends can provide comfort when a loved one dies. Friends can do this and live together. Does Rauch think he needs marriage to do this?
On page 60, Rauch argues that marriage gives more than a potential of union of bodies but also union of lives. With that, I agree, but his statement is very revealing. He asks how often someone is heard to say, " 'We broke up because he (or she) wanted more than I was ready to give.' Translation: the sex stopped when one partner realized it wasn't leading anywhere. (Gay people have that same conversation all the time, by the way.)" I'd like the reader to just keep this in mind. It will be touched on later.
He then goes on to discuss the "Long Dark Age" where homosexuals were hunted down and you just hoped they didn't come to get you. Historical references that are given for this? None. One must simply take Rauch's word at it. However, thank goodness for what he describes happened on page 63.
Intellectual opinion showed up and rejected that with a vengeance! Yes. Finally, when intelligence arrived on the scene, people finally saw the light. What was it? Well there's no evidence given. They just knew that homosexuality was normal and good somehow.
On page 69, Rauch also makes the assumption that 3 to 5 percent of the population is homosexual. This is not an accurate number. He is downplaying the number usually given of 10% which comes from Kinsey. For those curious about the fraud of Kinsey, I recommend visiting http://www.drjudithreisman.com/. I bring this up so that the readers will understand that we are most likely talking about 1% of the population wanting to change an institution for everyone in America.
The next chapter is how straights will benefit and one point he states on page 75 is that forbidding homosexuals to raise children is neither humane nor practical. Why? No reason given. Rauch's problem in this statement is that he's forgetting that a woman cannot be a father. Neither can a man be a mother.
This is also a reason I am against single parents adopting. Now I realize that sometimes due to abandonment, divorce, or death, some parents will be forced to be single parents. No one's saying they're going to be bad parents, but it will be harder for the child and is less than ideal. We should commend all those who are working to raise their children without a parent of the opposite sex and as the church, be there to aid however we can.
On page 78, Rauch writes "If it is true that marriage creates kin, then surely society's interest in kin creation is strongest of all for people who are less likely to have children of their own to rely on in old age and who may be rejected or even evicted-it is still not all that uncommon-by their own parents in youth."
I read that, and I reread it, and I reread it numerous times. I could not make any sense out of the "if, then" argument. I took it to some Christian co-workers who are both trained in logic and we read it multiple times and could not make any sense out of this either. As I write this reply, I still have no idea what argument Rauch is making. Why do I say that? Because this is the kind of argumentation we see. We see conclusions throughout that do not follow and arguments that just don't make sense.
The next chapter discusses how homosexual marriage is good for America. On page 89, Rauch states that "Homosexuals are indeed tired of being seen as 'perverts' or 'deviants' or 'queers'-who wouldn't be?-and legalizing same-sex marriage would signal that the law, for its part, recognizes that some people just happen to be gay."
We can agree that it is best to not call homosexuals snide terminology. That's why I use the term "homosexual" as it is a neutral term. I am against the technique of Fred Phelps as I do not believe it furthers our cause any. However, note again that Rauch is saying that it's not the benefits he truly wants, as those are already given. This is about recognition of something that has yet to be established and he makes no attempts to establish.
One of Rauch's contentions throughout this chapter, and even the whole book, is that marriage has already been damaged by heterosexuals and to that I must agree. Organizations like the National Organization For Marriage were founded not to deal with homosexual marriage, but to deal with no-fault divorce. We are paying the price for the way we treated sexuality with no-fault divorce, co-habitation, pre-marital-sex, abortion, etc. The way to solve that is not to go further downhill with homosexual marriage. The way to solve it is by getting rid of that which is wrong.
Rauch also argues on page 96 that in America, homosexuals cannot marry
anyonethey love. (Emphasis his.) That's true. Neither can heterosexuals. I cannot marry my sister. I cannot marry a male friend. I cannot marry a parent. I cannot marry a girl of age ten. Homosexuals already have equal rights with regards to marriage. They can marry anyone of the opposite sex who is of age and is not a close relative. So can I. The homosexual community wants different rights.
On page 100, Rauch does give a revealing testimony saying "If I could have designed myself in the womb, I would have chosen to be heterosexual, because I feel I am missing out on something special and irreplaceable by not being able to conceive and raise a child with the partner I love."
I find it hard to read those words without being moved in some way. Now it doesn't change my stance at all but it reminds me that this should be a clue to someone that this is not the way they were intended to be. Unfortunately for Rauch, he dismisses all hope of change in any way. If there is one person who has truly changed, and I believe there are several, then Rauch's theory is wrong and he can get that something special and irreplaceable that he feels he's missing out on.
On pages 101-103, he speaks of giving homosexuals the same benefit as everyone else and points to the Lincoln-Douglas debates using Lincoln's words concerning the black community at the time. This is quite interesting since he says on page 65 earlier that "My intention, of course, is not to compare the situation of homosexuals in America today with that of slaves two centuries ago. The two are not remotely comparable."
So which is it?
However, he is right. They are not remotely comparable. We often here of this today as a Civil Rights battle. Let's compare the homosexual community today with the black community.
The black community had separate water fountains. They had separate bathrooms. They had separate places at restaurants if they could even go there. They were banned from the schools. They were not welcome at professional sports. (Consider how Jackie Robinson was treated.) They had to move to the back of the bus for a white person. When they protested, they were turned away with fire hoses. Many of them were not even welcome in the church.
Today, the homosexual community consists of people that can use the same water fountains, bathrooms, restaurants, and sit where they want on the bus. They can attend school and they are not hosed down on the streets. In fact, June was declared by Obama to be GLBT pride month and parks like Disneyland often have time periods set aside for homosexual celebration.
In what way are these two similar then? I'll leave that for you to think about. We can certainly see how they are different!
On pages 102-103 he states "Whether to condemn, tolerate, accept, approve, or celebrate same-sex unions is your own business and entirely your prerogative. But the law's job, at least its essential job, is to do none of those things." It's quite the opposite! That is the law's job! The law is to lay down what is wrong, which is what we will condemn, and what is good, which is what we will approve. There are some actions that are wrong that the law will tolerate. Consider adultery and gluttony. The law will not celebrate these, but at this point, it also knows it can't monitor your bedrooms or your grocery list. It is willing to tolerate some individual evil to bring about the good of the community.
The next chapter is the question of children. Rauch quotes Rick Santorum speaking in 2003 saying that principally, children are the reason for marriage. Unfortunately, Rauch gives no source. I'm sure Santorum said it, but there is no place where we are told he said it. Fortunately, I have found the whole of what was said taken from an interview done with Brit Hume:
SANTORUM: Well, that's a separate issue. I mean, the issue here is marriage. And to me, the building block -- and I think, to most people in America, number one, it's common sense that a marriage is between a man and a woman. I mean, every civilization in the history of man has recognized a unique bond. Why? Because -- principally because of children. I mean, it's -- it is the reason for marriage. It's not to affirm the love of two people. I mean, that's not what marriage is about. I mean, if that were the case, then lots of different people and lots of different combinations could be, quote, "married." Marriage is not about affirming somebody's love for somebody else. It's about uniting together to be open to children, to further civilization in our society. And that's unique. And that's why civilizations forever have recognized that unique role that needs to be licensed, needs held up as different than anything else because of its unique nurturing effect on children. And there isn't a statistic out there that doesn't show that married couples, in a healthy marriage, is the best environment in which to raise stable children and is the best thing, long term, for our society.[1]
Rauch draws some conclusions from this. The first is that marriage is uniquely good for raising children. No disagreements there. However, the second is that without children, marriage isn't worth having. No explanation how he got that.
The third is that without natural children, it isn't worth having. I'm still confused how he got that one. The fourth is that without the possibility of natural children it isn't worth having, to which I see a trend forming here. The final is that without sex of any type that produces children, it's not worth having.
Rauch then will go on to deal with these arguments he draws, while I'm still wondering how he got 2-5. I'll go on instead and answer the objection. The institution of marriage has been normalized as one man and one woman simply because that couple can reproduce, even if they choose not to. The institution is not changed for the particular. If a couple is sterile, it is also because of a flaw within the system in someway. With homosexuals, it is because the system itself is the flaw. Unfortunately, Rauch has spent the entire chapter arguing against a straw man.
The next chapter is Rauch's response to the slippery slope argument. This is quite likely the worst argumentation that will be shown throughout the book. For instance, in arguing against polygamy on 126, he says that the law says you can only marry one person you love. Splitting the affections may be foolish or hurtful, but it is common and legal. They must simply narrow down the people they want to marry to one.
To which I can hear the polygamist arguing "But wait! You changed the law when it said you could only marry someone of the opposite sex. You said that making someone change their love could be foolish or hurtful, but it was common and legal. Why is it that you can change the law for what you want but I can't change it for what I want?" I see no way Rauch could answer this and it shows his inconsistency. He wants the law changed for him, but not for anyone else. By his own rules, he wants to exclude marriage.
Rauch also decides to deal with incest saying first, "I don't know any group arguing for this." That's irrelevant. Ethics frequently takes difficult situations and works through them. However, once again the law says that you cannot marry a close relative. Again, why should someone wanting an incestuous relationship accept this?
On page 127, Rauch says that the homosexuals are the only ones barred by law from marrying anyone that they love. Interesting, since on page 125 he says "Gay people are not asking for the legal right to marry anybody they love or everybody they love." Which is it?
On page 131, Rauch argues "Before we leave Planet Earth altogether, a reality check. From society's point of view, the main purpose of marriage is not, and never has been, to affirm love, as Rick Santorum so aptly said." So which is it? Again, Rauch argues that he wants his love affirmed and then says that this is not the main purpose of marriage? As one reviewer on Amazon has said, Rauch makes all the arguments and all the arguments contradict one another.
The next chapter is about monogamy in homosexual relationships. Keep in mind what was said on page 60 that I asked you to remember. This is why. Rauch speaks about a debate he had on the radio with a minister in Charlotte where someone called in and asked about promiscuity and disease in the homosexual community.
In response to this, the minister asked Rauch if he had ever committed adultery. Rauch said he didn't have to answer that to which the minister replied saying "You've just told me all I need to know." Rauch never does answer this question, which makes one wonder how you can have a loving and committed relationship when you are committing adultery.
Rauch argues throughout this chapter that the stories are not as bad as we hear. Now he doesn't deny that there is promiscuity going on. The statements in this passage are worth reading the book for. His only source against the idea being argued is the work of Volokh. That is not our area of expertise to comment on, but it is recommended that someone interested check the book out at a library and see the statements Rauch himself makes about promiscuity.
The next chapter is about the debt to tradition where he points out that if we stayed with tradition, slavery would still be going on. Slavery was abolished, but this was on moral principle. Rauch has yet to give the moral principle whereby homosexual marriage should be welcomed. What he needs to show again is that homosexuality is good and he does not do so. In this chapter, he does not address that point at all and in that sense, there is not an argument that really needs to be countered.
The next two chapters speak of how this can be implemented, but there is really no argumentation to counter. The further one gets, the less the argumentation is. This has been said to be one of the best books in defense of homosexual marriage. We can be thankful Rauch does not use tactics of referring to his opponents as hate-filled homophobes. Unfortunately, Rauch does not address the issue of if homosexuality is good and if it isn't, we ought not celebrate it. Homosexuality is about a moral action. We are not condemning someone for having an orientation, though I doubt such exists. We are condemning an action.
The Christian response to this should be to re-discover the joy of marriage and pure sexuality. If the homosexuals are trying to get through the door, it's only because we left it open with co-habitation and the other methods of cheapening marriage that I mentioned earlier. I fully agree that we should have a great love for homosexuals and seek to help them escape that lifestyle. To that, I would argue that we also need to recover what masculinity and femininity are for today as most men and women don't know what it means to be men and women.
This is also a battle I do not believe we can lose and still have our civilization going strong. How we answer will change everything. This could be the finest hour for evangelicals when we reclaim marriage and show the world what it is really about and show the love of Christ, or when we give in to that which we ought not and change the foundation of society, and once the foundation crumbles, all that is built on that foundation crumbles. Let Rauch's book be a wake-up call. We can do better.
-Nick Peters
Note:
[1] Transcript: Sen. Rick Santorum on Fox News Sunday. http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,93646,00.html (Accessed June 27, 2009). | 28,121 | 11,595 | 2.42527 |
warc | 201704 | Obama Ignores Own Panel In Imposing Drilling Ban
An article posted tonight at the
Times-Picayune’s website contains a potential bombshell revelation regarding President Obama’s imposition of a deepwater offshore drilling ban, a move which has the potential to put as many as 100,000 Louisiana jobs at risk.
It seems that the ban is coming in contradiction to recommendations made by Obama’s own panel of experts. The panel endorsed a six-month moratorium on new drilling permits for wells in more than 1,000 feet of water, and nothing more.
Salazar’s May 27 report to President Barack Obama said a panel of seven experts “peer reviewed” his recommendations, which included a six-month moratorium on all ongoing drilling in waters deeper than 500 feet. That prohibition took effect a few days later, but the angry panel members and some others who contributed to the Salazar report said they had reviewed only an earlier version of the secretary’s report that suggested a six-month moratorium only on new drilling, and then only in waters deeper than 1,000 feet.
“We broadly agree with the detailed recommendations in the report and compliment the Department of Interior for its efforts,” a joint letter from the panelists to various politicians says. “However, we do not agree with the six month blanket moratorium on floating drilling. A moratorium was added after the final review and was never agreed to by the contributors.”
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An Interior Department spokeswoman agreed that the experts had not given their blessing for a moratorium, and said the department did not mean to leave the impression they had. In fact, she said, the experts were merely asked to review 22 safety recommendations in the report.
“We didn’t mean to imply that they also agreed with the moratorium on deepwater drilling,” the spokeswoman, Kendra Barkoff, said. “We acknowledge that they were not asked to review or comment on the proposed moratorium and that they peer-reviewed the report on a technical basis. The moratorium on deepwater drilling is based on the need for a comprehensive review of safety in deepwater operations in light of the BP oil spill.”
The experts’ criticism of the moratorium and effort to distance themselves from it come as oil production companies prepare to move mobile deepwater rigs out of the Gulf of Mexico, threatening thousands of jobs in Louisiana that support those drilling operations with supply boats and shoreside services.
“A blanket moratorium is not the answer. It will not measurably reduce risk further and it will have a lasting impact on the nation’s economy which may be greater than that of the oil spill,” the letter says. “We do not believe punishing the innocent is the right thing to do.”
One of the panelists who signed the letter, University of California at Berkeley engineering professor Bob Bea, said in an e-mail message that a moratorium should be reserved for “unconventional, very hazardous operations” and shouldn’t apply to the “majority of conventional offshore operations, (which) meet fundamental requirements for acceptable risks.”
“Moratorium was not a part of the … report we consulted-advised-reviewed,” Bea wrote. “Word from DOI (Interior Department) was it was a W(hite) H(ouse) request.”
Ken Arnold, a member of the National Academy of Engineering and an oil and gas industry consultant who was affiliated with the panel, put out a rather nasty statement: “The Secretary should be free to recommend whatever he thinks is correct, but he should not be free to use our names to justify his political decisions.”
Five of the seven reviewers signed the complaint letter: Bea; Benton Baugh, president of Radoil Inc.; Ford Brett, managing director of Petroskills; Martin Chenevert, director of drilling research for the department of petroleum and geophysical engineering at the University of Texas; and Hans Juvkam-Wold, petroleum engineering professor emeritus at Texas A&M University.
Eight other industry experts were interviewed for the creation of Salazar’s report. Two of them also signed the letter: E.G. “Skip” Ward, associate director of the Offshore Technology Research Center at Texas A&M University, and Tom Williams, a former undersecretary of the interior.
“We were very upset,” Ward said. “We would have understood if (Salazar’s report) said, ‘These are good recommendations from the panel, but we have decided to declare a six-month moratorium instead.’ But instead, they’re kind of using our input for cover to do something that didn’t have much to do with our recommendations.”
Perverting the best advice of the nation’s top engineers to justify an ideological and political play appears to be only part of the circus the Obama administration is conducting. Wednesday, Interior Secretary Ken Salazar told a Senate hearing that the administration would attempt to stick BP with the bill for lost wages for oilfield employees put out of work by the drilling ban – a tab estimated by the Louisiana Mid-Continent Oil & Gas Association to come to some $330 million per month in Louisiana alone. Unsurprisingly, the company is balking at such an idea…
Oil major BP believes it may be heading for a showdown with the White House over ever- increasing demands that it cover costs related to the oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico, a BP source said on Wednesday.
“At some point a line has to be drawn,” the source said.
Earlier on Wednesday, Interior Secretary Ken Salazar told a Senate hearing he would ask BP to repay the salaries of any workers laid off because of the six-month moratorium on deepwater exploratory drilling imposed by the U.S. government after the spill.
BP has said it will pay for the clean-up and direct damages to those affected by the spill, such as fisherman. But the source said the moratorium was a government decision, and so the costs related to it were a different matter.
The company declined comment.
Salazar’s comments helped push BP’s New York-listed American Depositary Receipts down 15 percent on Wednesday.
The idea that the federal government expected to impose a six-month (most observers expect that the moratorium will last at least twice as long) ban on deepwater offshore drilling by regulatory fiat and simply saddle BP with all costs associated with such a drastic action is breathtaking in its departure from reality. BP has repeatedly said it would pay “all legitimate claims,” but virtually no company in its position would voluntary open itself to this level of exposure.
The Obama administration is teetering on the brink of collapse. Never in American history has the federal government so drastically violated a state’s economy. It comes out that the administration has done so against the advice of its own experts. The administration apparently has strategized that it would smooth over the consequences of its decision by imposing the costs for it on BP, at a time when Obama’s Justice Department is pursuing criminal charges against the company and engaging in a full-on rhetorical assault complete with references to a “boot on the neck” and an “ass to kick” and bragging about the refusal to engage in dialogue with BP’s CEO because of an assumption Tony Hayward would merely shine the president on – all the while expecting BP to both stop the spill and head efforts to mitigate it on land. At some point, it was inevitable that BP – in the face of collapsing stock prices and what could plausibly become an existential crisis which threatens its ability to pay the legitimate claims of fishermen and others affected in the Gulf states harmed by the spill – would begin to push back.
With such a picture emerging, the only conclusion to be made is that this is a staggeringly incompetent administration, lacking in moral character and refusing to engage in honest assessment of reality for fear of antagonizing the ungovernable Left. And while Obama and his minions scheme to advance partisan political agendas in the face of the spill, real human beings are seeing their lives destroyed – not by BP’s considerable negligence, but by idiotic government policies warned against by the president’s own experts.
Has America ever been saddled with such leadership? And what consequences may emerge from such a scenario? | 8,610 | 3,762 | 2.288676 |
warc | 201704 | Here are her plans as reported by HuffPo:
At the top of the list is a pledge to take administrative action if Congress fails to tighten the so-called gun show and Internet sales loopholes. Under current law, licensed dealers are required to conduct background checks and certify that potential buyers are not prohibited from owning guns. But unlicensed vendors, including some individual sellers at gun shows, don’t have to go through these steps. Clinton plans to call for lawmakers to address the issue. But if they don't, she will require that anyone “attempting to sell a significant number of guns be deemed ‘in the business of selling firearms,’” which would “ensure that high-volume gun sellers are covered by the same common sense rules that apply to gun stores -- including requiring background checks on gun sales.” Clinton's second proposal would close a gap in the current background check process that “allows a gun sale to proceed without a completed background check if that check is not complete within three days.” Clinton will also call for legislation that prohibits domestic abusers from buying and possessing firearms. Such a bill has already been introduced in the Senate, where it has had a hearing before the Judiciary Committee. Similar legislation has been pushed in state legislatures as well, where the National Rifle Association has notably backed down from the fight. According to a report from the Center for American Progress, nearly 12,000 convicted stalkers can legally purchase firearms in the U.S. Finally, Clinton will call for a repeal of the legal immunity that gun manufacturers and dealers currently enjoy under a 2005 law called the Protection of Lawful Commerce in Arms Act. This could be the most politically provocative of the four proposals. Not only is the immunity a prized possession of the NRA, but it is something that Sanders voted for while a member of the House of Representatives. Clinton, who was a senator representing New York at the time, voted against it.
You know people may call this politically opportunistic, but we have to admit that it takes guts to come out so aggressively for more gun control knowing that the pro-gun lobbies and conservatives will now come after Hillary even more aggressively than they have in the past.
I think Hillary taking point on this issue might change the race going forward and may even help to determine which GOP candidate is chosen to go up against her in 2016.
Damn, if only Rick Perry had known. | 2,548 | 1,309 | 1.946524 |
warc | 201704 | India boasts of running the largest democracy successfully for over 60 years. Now the time has come to revisit the facts and analyze one of the key areas where we have failed to achieve what was intended. Indian political arena has undergone radical changes from the moment we have attained freedom from the shackles of the British. Politics in India which were supposed to be free from discrimination and exploitation, have taken a turn around the moment power has been handed over to these fraudulent politicians. Caste based political parties have emerged with a vicious intention of cashing on vote bank of the most commanding class in terms of number.
Time has come to question these deceptive political parties and leaders, whether the triumph of their parties is realistic or not? Lot of caste based political parties sprung to life across the length and breadth of independent India. No state has been vulnerable to this practice. Caste based political parties have initiated a brutal process of concentrating on the large vote bank of a particular caste. It’s disgraceful for every contender to the Parliament to claim their victory as a rational and satisfying to every voter in their constituency. Why are political parties trying to bank on support base of a particular caste? What made the political parties to opt candidates based on the caste?
Though Indian National Congress succeeded in keeping all the sections of the community under its umbrella for a couple of decades, by early 70’s caste based politics have sprung to life. From then on we have seen a vital change in the way the political parties approached the Indian voter. A particular section of the society when deprived of the progress and government aid, are left with not much choice other than to choose a candidate from their lot who can raise their issues at the national level. I should say most of the political parties during 80’s and 90’s succeeded in representing their section and decipher their tribulations. Almost all the sections considered to be backward have succeeded in drawing the attention of the ruling party to unravel their concerns. This is truly a positive sign to the political arena. But with time political parties got side tracked from their actual motto and started to indulge themselves in cheap political tricks.
Now the political situation in the country is very grim. If we analyze the manifestos of political parties in 2009 general elections, the agenda revolved around wooing the various sections of the society. Looks like this general election have witnessed more number of caste based political parties than the previous ones. We have also witnessed political leaders making inflammatory statements in open meetings. The election commission has succeeded in arresting the political parties from crossing limits to some extent but it could not wipe them out completely. Caste based politics are surely a negative phenomenon to the Indian political arena. Political parties and leaders should understand that caste based politics might act as a hindrance to the nations development.
Vinay Bhargava Sesham
[Image source:http://www.flickr.com/photos/piven/2111388478/] | 3,211 | 1,494 | 2.149264 |
warc | 201704 | Doctors use it, and many schools even rely on it as a way to assess the health of their students. But it’s missing one key factor that could easily make you think you’re healthier than you really are
Your BMI, which measures weight as function of height, is supposed to capture whether you’re heavier than you should be, but increasingly, doctors are realizing that number isn’t a looking glass into how healthy someone is. A recent paper in the
Annals of Internal Medicine found that many people at both the high and low ends of the healthy-BMI spectrum were more likely to die of any cause earlier than people in the middle.
While weight can theoretically pick up how much fat a person has, weight also encompasses muscle, which means that body builders may have high BMI although they have more muscle than fat, while a more sedentary couch potato might have the same BMI but carry more fat and less muscle. They’re not the same, metabolically speaking, but their BMI numbers are identical. Meanwhile, some studies show that people with higher BMI tend to be healthier and have lower premature death rates than those with lower BMI. Taken together, it’s led to confusing advice about what to do about BMI.
“BMI is useful, but increasingly we’re seeing it has limitations,” says Dr. William Leslie, professor of medicine and radiology at the University of Manitoba. “Our study highlights some of the nuances around the assessment of body composition that tells us that BMI can lead us astray in some situations.”
Leslie and his colleagues analyzed the BMI of 50,000 men and women in a study on bone density. Because bone-density tests look at the difference between soft tissues like fat and muscle and bone, these scans included information on how much fat the people carried. When they looked at how body fat correlated with early death, Leslie and his team found that people with the lowest BMI had a 44% to 45% higher risk of dying early — likely because they were malnourished or otherwise ill — than those with more average BMI. Meanwhile, people with the highest body fat composition, regardless of their BMI, also had the highest risk of dying early — women with more body fat showed a 19% increased risk of early death while men had a 60% higher risk of mortality.
“I think it’s strong evidence that we should be looking at measures other than BMI alone to determine someone’s health status,” says Leslie. BMI doesn’t capture how much body fat a person may have. Other measures, including waist circumference, can provide additional information that together with BMI might be a better indicator of someone’s health status. Leslie also notes that the bone-density scan, which many older people get as part of their regular checkups to monitor for osteoporosis, can also provide the information on body-fat composition — doctors just have to look for and use the information provided in the report. “There’s no extra effort and it’s truly information there for the taking,” he says.
He’s not against collecting BMI information on people, since it’s easy to do and a good starting place for evaluating how healthy someone might be. His study also showed that extremely low BMI is associated with a higher risk of death, since having too little muscle mass or fat can also cause problems. But his findings show that just considering BMI isn’t enough to determine whether someone is relatively fit or whether he’s gaining too much fat and needs to be more wary about what he eats and how much he exercises. | 3,667 | 1,690 | 2.169822 |
warc | 201704 | When times were good, it was easy for America to overlook the effects of China’s currency manipulation. U.S. unemployment hovered around 5 percent, and growth averaged about the same. Even though U.S. jobs got shipped overseas, cheap Chinese imports flooded the markets and softened the impact of declining consumer purchasing power. China helped to further bolster our consumption by purchasing more than a trillion dollars in U.S. debt.
Times have changed. With official unemployment hovering at around 10 percent, and inflation near zero, China’s currency manipulation poses a severe problem to the U.S. recovery. Cheap Chinese imports — cheapened by the subsidies China gives to its producers — prevent U.S. manufacturers from producing and selling goods in the United States. This makes a recovery in domestic employment all the more difficult.
It appears the two nations’ interests have diverged to the point where a trade war is almost inevitable. We see the opening salvos already. China’s recent announcement that it will restrict rare earth mineral exports is basically a move against Japan, a U.S. ally in the G-20 coalition of industrial economies. The Chinese premier is going around embracing the Greek government, offering to buy worthless Greek bonds — again to try to weaken the U.S. coalition within the G-20. In a further saber-rattling maneuver, China banned imports of chicken feet from the U.S. — a food considered a delicacy in China, but a useless byproduct of poultry production in the U.S.
For its part, the U.S. has signaled that it is willing to do whatever it takes to cheapen the value of the U.S. dollar. The Federal Reserve has significantly increased its production of money in the past two years. As a result, the purchasing power of the U.S. dollar has plummeted versus other world currencies. The value of all the Treasury bonds the Chinese purchased has similarly plummeted. The Chinese government grumbled early this year — encouraging the U.S. to be a more responsible debtor. The west countered by awarding the Nobel Peace Prize to a jailed Chinese dissident.
Neither side wants to resort to the nuclear option — outright trade restrictions. Banning Chinese imports would have immediate and drastic effects on the Chinese economy. Factories would close. Millions of people would become instantly unemployed. And a rapidly developing Chinese consumer base would essentially disappear overnight.
On the U.S. side, further reductions in the value of the U.S. dollar would hurt savers, especially seniors who have saved for retirement by investing in U.S. bonds. Furthermore, U.S. retailers would see a drastic increase in costs. Inflation would rise rapidly, and consumer purchasing power would plummet.
Both sides would suffer bitter losses, and the question arises as to who could outlast the other. Arguably the Chinese have less to lose. They already experience a relatively low standard of living. But that standard has been improving of late, and many Chinese could be loath to return to the days of mass starvation they experienced under previous governments. Americans by comparison are spoiled. Could we really do without our creature comforts and endure a bare level of subsistence? The recent declines in employment and housing may have conditioned us for such a reality.
It also comes down to which economy is more nimble. Both are like huge aircraft carriers, and turning on a dime is impossible. China is riding the tiger of growth, and holding on for dear life. It’s not a beast that’s easily tamed in a country of more than 1 billion people. The best the government can do is to attempt to guide it in the right direction. America, on the other hand, has tried to use government policy to waken a slumbering bear. If it succeeds, the bear may wake up angry and strike at whoever’s around. Thus, artificially stimulating growth may have destructive inflationary effects.
This does not have to be a zero sum game however. China faces difficulties in growing its domestic economy if it does not open up to other ideas. Its Draconian government policies — the one child policy, restricting free speech and political organizing — won’t work in the information-based economy of the future. Perhaps they could do well to import some of our social and political freedoms. They also have to begin stimulating internal demand — and that requires the higher wages that would result from a realistic currency policy.
On the other hand, the law of consumption has all but derailed the U.S. economy. Consumers up to their necks in debt will soon drown if they do not spend less and produce more. Perhaps we can learn from China’s example of prolific productivity gains. That requires paying down our debts, retooling the work force with better education and reinvigorating the spirit of creativity and innovation that got us to the moon and back in record time. How will these competing aims translate into a viable trade policy that averts a destructive conflict? The answer is not easy, but it starts with communicating and fostering mutual long term interests. A strong U.S. economy is arguably in the long term interests of China.
Could it make some sacrifices in the short term that would aid in the U.S. recovery? The answer seems fairly obvious. | 5,393 | 2,499 | 2.158063 |
warc | 201704 | By Brenda Goh and Tom Bill
LONDON (Reuters) - Owners of run-down warehouses on the edge of European cities could be sitting on goldmines because online shopping will force firms to seek distribution sites closer to customers who think speedy delivery is the norm.
In an increasingly fierce market where the likes of Amazon and Tesco pledge next-day or same-day delivery in specific time slots, warehouse rents could rise 40 percent over the next decade, property consultant CBRE said.
"Your industrial estate (near heavily populated areas) is the high street of the future," said Jonathan Holland, senior manager of Legal & General Property's industrial fund, which has 770 million pounds ($1.25 billion) under management.
"We are very much looking at owning warehouses around major conurbations."
Some 43 percent of European Union citizens shop online, the European Commission said in February, up from 26 percent six years ago. They were expected to fuel a 12-15 percent growth in online sales across the region over the next five years, Forrester Research predicted.
Meanwhile, falling sales in austerity-hit Britain have forced retail property values down 28 percent since end-2007, data from Investment Property Databank showed. Values in euro zone countries fell 5 percent over the same period, CBRE said.
The yield, or annual rent as a percentage of the property value, on an industrial warehouse in a good location in Europe was 7.8 percent at the end of September compared with 5.8 percent for offices and 5.2 percent for shops, CBRE said.
Industrial yields depend more on lease length and the financial strength of the tenant than location, compared with offices or shops, and would "edge downwards" where demand from retailers was strong, CBRE said.
Retailers currently favor large sites in locations away from big population centers but with good transport links.
Amazon's huge warehouses include sites in Dunfermline, Scotland and Rheinberg, Germany while Marks & Spencer will open a warehouse the size of 11 soccer fields in Castle Donington, Leicestershire, next year.
That is changing, said Amaury Gariel, managing director of CBRE's European industrial logistics team.
Places such as Croydon, 16 kilometers south of central London, strewn with empty office blocks and suffering high unemployment, and Créteil, a scruffy suburb 19 km southeast of Paris, are examples of areas that could be targeted as they are close to major highways and large local workforces, Gariel said.
Warehouse rents at such sites could rise 20-40 percent over the next decade, he said, citing the greatest demand in areas near the biggest European cities such as Amsterdam, London and Paris for sites that have typically been used by mail delivery firms and food distributors.
A tendency by governments to prioritize such areas for homes would squeeze supply and push prices higher, he said.
Retailers and property investors are at "a tipping point" in waking up to the changing real estate map for distribution points in Europe, Holland said.
Amazon is on the hunt for about 20 sheds close to British cities while Asda and Tesco are opening so-called 'dark stores' - distribution centers which look like supermarkets on the inside but are closed to customers - across Britain.
Industrial developer Prologis has bought a significant number of such sites near large towns and cities, such as Milton Keynes in Britain and Hannover in Germany, to meet future demand, European president Philip Dunne told Reuters.
Retailers face obsolescence unless they recognize how the type of property they rent needs to change, Gariel said.
"We are on the first page of the story regarding new ways to distribute goods. What happens if retailers do not recognize it? Just look at what happened to the fax and the telegram."
($1 = 0.6173 pound)
(Editing by Dan Lalor)
(This story was refiled to make it clearer that Prologis owns the sites, and is not in the process of buying any in the seventeenth paragraph) | 4,024 | 2,014 | 1.998014 |
warc | 201704 | In the future transport will no longer be on the list of major contributors to carbon emissions. High speed charging stations will outnumber petrol pumps and walking and cycling will become the preferred way to travel for short distances.
In the future, transport will get us to where we need to be, when we need to get there, and it will do so with a fraction of the emissions we see today.
We see a future where transport has ceased to be one of the major players of the carbon century. Transport will no longer be on the list of major contributors to carbon emissions. We will power our vehicles with different sources of energy, use different vehicles, and travel shorter distances.
That’s one possible vision of the future, and you may not agree with it. In fact, we want you to challenge these statements and ideas.
The visions and information on these futures pages are not presented as the views of industry or government policy. Rather, it is the Ministry of Transport’s intention for this work to stimulate wider debate and generate ideas on the possible future of New Zealand’s transport system.
Explore the content on this page to learn about some of the possibilities for the future of low-carbon transport, and have your say by using the polls and feedback forms to explore the transport future you would like to see. This information and your views will inform our future work.
Challenge our ideas and let us know your vision for the future of low-carbon transport.
Explore your preferred transport future by sharing your view on our futures polls. Help us make our work better by giving us your feedback on our futures visions. What do you imagine is possible? | 1,700 | 785 | 2.165605 |
warc | 201704 | For those looking for a good holiday destination that is not far from the continental USA, the Virgin Islands would be a good choice. It is important to note that these islands are rich in history and have well maintained natural environments. Tropical vegetation and warm climate attracts many visitors from all over the world.
Depending on how much one is able to spend, you can choose a package from the different travel guide books. Another factor that determines the options that one can consider is the time they have for the vacation. Also, some activities are best enjoyed in groups thus greatly influence the activities that you can opt for especially if you are alone.
Travel guides often use pictorial descriptions of the various tourist sites available. A compilation of these pictures often prepare the visitor on what they expect to see thus raises their expectation. Also, other activities like scuba diving, snorkeling and boat sailing are listed in the guide so as to direct the visitors on where they can enjoy such activities within the island.
Choosing a good guide enables one to be aware of the different treats and destinations that they can enjoy. Having a variety is very important as it goes a long way in ensuring that you get value for your money. Also, this helps you know where else you can go when you have free time. A well detailed travel guide is very important when planning out a holiday or vacation.
In such island settings, water sports and other outdoor activities are very common. Most people who have boat rental companies often advertise in the various travel guides. Many people enjoy sailing and even deep sea fishing. Other activities that are well highlighted in the traveling guides include scuba diving, snorkeling and kayaking.
It is important to choose a travel guide that has a wide variety of choices. A good travel guide always gives details on the directions and accurate estimations of costs. This is very helpful especially when you are planning out your vacation. Also, this helps the visitors to easily locate the various locations that they are planning to visit.
Another great benefit of the travel guides is that you can be able to know the various festivals that could be taking place in the island at a particular time of year. With this knowledge you can be able to schedule your holiday well so that you attend a particular festival. It is important to always gather as much information so as to ensure maximum enjoyment.
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What You Need To Know About A St John Usvi Travel Guide. You can bookmark withURL http://travel-leisure-updates.blogspot.com/2015/07/what-you-need-to-know-about-st-john.html. Terima kasih! Please give me your good rating... | 2,780 | 1,320 | 2.106061 |
warc | 201704 | In today's guest article, you'll discover how to get sexy arms with female specific workouts. These 3 tips come from fellow Canadian trainer, Rylan Duggan, who is an expert at helping women "go sleeveless". Check out his site at
GoSleeveless.com How to Get Sexy Arms
By Rylan Duggan RK, BHK, CSCS, NSCA-CPT
WARNING: For women's eyes only (and sample workout below) Although every woman wants to have washboard abs and a tight butt, how often are you really going to show these body parts off to the rest of the world? With trips to the beach aside, probably not all that often right? So what's the body part that grabs people's attention and let's them know that you have an incredible body? What body part stands out and says "I'm HOT!" without having to walk around in skimpy clothing, baring a bunch of skin? Your sexy arms of course! Think of it this way: whether you are dressed for the office, the gym, or a night out on the town, your arms are out there for everyone to see. I'm not going to sugar coat this and tell you that people aren't judging you, because the sad fact is, they ARE. And it's your sexy arms that tell people in 3 seconds or less whether you have a great body or not. So how can you get sexy arms like Angelina Jolie, Madonna, or Kelly Ripa? Better yet, how can you get sexy arms like these stars, but WITHOUT a personal chef, dietitian, trainer, and herd of assistants at your beck and call? Follow these three simple steps to sexy and you will be on your way: Step 1 - Build The Muscle
Most women spend waaaay too much time on long cardio sessions, killing themselves trying to lose an extra pound or two, but never spending enough time with a serious strength training plan.
Here's the problem with this course of action: If you only ever focus on losing body fat, your arms will look worse!
Even some of the leanest women in showbiz have bat wing arms and droopy skin because they have neglected to build and sculpt the muscles in their arms.
Don't let this happen to you!
Start a strength-training program that emphasizes building, toning, and defining the muscles in your arms before you do anything else.
Step 2 - Burn The Fat
If you don't burn the fat away from your arms, then regardless of how much you sculpt and tone your arms, nobody will ever know. You have to get rid of the layer of fat on your arms if you ever want them to really stand out in a crowd. You cannot do this by spending hours on cardio and exercise classes that take months to show any visible difference.
Likewise, you can't get lean, sexy arms by just doing arm exercises - this is spot reducing, and no, it doesn't work.
What you can do is start a cardio and strength training program designed to torch body fat rapidly, and you will not only lose body fat from your arms, but the rest of you as well.
Step 3 - Burn Lots of Calories You can tone and define your arms by losing body fat and building muscle, but if you don't burn loads of calories, it will be a never-ending task to try and maintain them. You MUST burn more calories if you ever want to keep sexy arms without starving yourself, and without spending hours in the gym each day. The unfortunate fact is, that even the slightest increase in body fat will show up immediately on your arms. You need to turn your body into a 24/7 fat burning and muscle building furnace that is working even when you aren¹t. How To Put it All Together If you want to get sexy arms, then you need a program that will burn fat, build muscle, and burn loads of calories all the same time; while putting specific attention on the arms to bring out maximum definition and sculpting. The great new is this: Any program, like the Go Sleeveless program, that accomplishes all three of these goals will not only sculpt your arms, but will also melt fat from your entire body, shrink your waist and stomach, and tighten and define your whole body. Here's a sample workout...
Superset #1 (repeat twice)
1A) Narrow-Width Incline Pushups (8-10 Reps) 1B) Mountain Climbers (20 reps) Rest 30-60 seconds
Superset #2 (repeat twice)
2A) Dumbbell French Press (8-10 Reps) 2B) Weighted Bench Step-Ups (20 Reps) Rest 30-60 secondsInterval
Cardio Workout (repeat three times)
Skipping: 2 minute round – as many as you can (try to get at least 100 in 2 minutes)
Rest 30 seconds Shadowboxing: 1 minute round - throw at least 100 punches (left jab + right straight) Rest 30 seconds
There is no reason that you have to put the rest of your body on hold while you work on creating a set of sexy arms that will stop traffic.
*************
Thanks Rylan! | 4,618 | 2,246 | 2.0561 |
warc | 201704 | Today marks the anniversary of one of the worst humanitarian tragedies in recent history. In January 2010, a 7.0 magnitude earthquake struck just 25 kilometers from Port-au-Prince, Haiti’s capital and largest city. Anyone who reads the news will remember the searing images of widespread devastation. The global community reacted with an immediate outpouring of aid. Still, even 2 years later, the country has not recovered entirely from either the 2010 earthquake nor from the decades of corrupted rule and endemic malnutrition that have historically wracked the island nation.
2 Degrees and its customers are doing their part to support the people of Haiti. In observance of Haiti’s ongoing need, we are launching regional Whole Food promotions in Florida, the South, and the mid-Atlantic region. Bars will be on sale for 2 dollars from January 19th to February 2nd. Purchases of these promotional 2 Degrees bars will specifically trigger the distribution of an industry-standard Ready to Use Therapeutic Food (RUTF) to a malnourished child in Haiti via Partners in Health (PIH), which has over 30 years of experience working on the ground in Haiti.
We at 2 Degrees have a lot of respect for the resiliency of the Haitian people. Let’s work together to support them in this new year. | 1,304 | 758 | 1.720317 |
warc | 201704 | The
Priority Access to Student Supports (PASS) is an online service that enables instructors to identify and assist those students who are at risk of falling behind. Rather than simply "hoping" that students in difficulty will seek help, instructors are able to refer students for timely and targeted support from Student Services or other departments within the institution.
The system provides early intervention so small problems don’t turn into large problems. PASS connects students to the resources they need, when they need them.
Some typical examples of concerns or problems are:
Once an instructor checks-off his or her concerns, PASS will generate an email to the Student Services team. This team consists of members from Counselling, Educational Advising, Disability Resource Centre, and Financial Aid and Awards.
Together with the student, a PASS member identifies resources that could be most helpful. Whether that means a learning strategies workshop, visiting Financial Aid and Awards or other available supports. Connections are made with the student by email, phone and in-person. Students are also encouraged to speak with their instructor to discuss their concerns.
Instructors will need access to Faculty Information/Services and their class list at myUFV. If such access is NOT available, see the Alternate Access below.
In order to respect student confidentiality rights and to comply with UFV Freedom of Information and Protection of Privacy (FOIPOP) practice, students must be informed before they are referred to PASS.
In addition, informing students of PASS before making a referral ensures that the supports are perceived as positive in nature, rather than punitive. It is best when students know that PASS' supports and resources are there to help them progress in their studies at UFV.
The paragraph below is an example of what you can insert in your course syllabus or outline; or on the bulletin board for an online course; or used as a statement to your class and/or individual student.
The UFV Priority Access to Student Supports (PASS) program connects students to the supports and resources that may help them to increase their chance of success. Such assistance may include putting students in touch with an academic advisor, financial aid, a counsellor or another resource. If your instructor is concerned about your progress, he/she may refer you to PASS. The referral is treated confidentially and is sent because your instructor cares about your progress and success in this course. Your response to PASS is entirely voluntary. If you do not wish your instructor to make a referral to PASS on your behalf, please let them know by email. Visit ufv.ca/studentservices/PASS for more information.
If you have any questions about PASS, contact the team at: passteam@ufv.ca | 2,827 | 1,352 | 2.090976 |
warc | 201704 | But how did this concept come about?
Attaching All Doctrine to the Doctrine of God
First, consider what J. Ligon Ducan had to say about Reformed Theology when discussing the implications of gender at the Different By Design Conference in 2008 (04Feb08, Session1). He mentions that RC Sproul was once asked what made Reformed Theology unique. Sproul reportedly answered, “In Reformed Protestant Theology, all other theology is seen in relation to the Doctrine of God. That every other area on which the Bible teaches is seen in relation to the Doctrine of God.” Duncan asserts that many of our doctrinal issues and problems in Christianity arise because we do not properly connect all other doctrines back to the Doctrine of God. Thus, the “Biblical foundation for women’s ministry in the local church is going to root it’s teaching about Christian womanhood in the Doctrine of God.”
Covenant of Redemption
Noting that Ligon notes a standard of linking all doctrine back to the God’s identity and character in some way to be legitimate, consider Covenant Theology’s “Covenant of Redemption,” a concept that is not held by all Reformed Believers and rejected by Dispensationalists. Monergism.com defines the “Covenant of Redemption” in this way:
In Reformed theology, the pactum salutis has been defined as a pretemporal, intratrinitarian agreement between the Father and Son in which the Father promises to redeem an elect people. In turn the Son volunteers to earn the salvation of his people by becoming incarnate...by acting as surety of the covenant of grace for and as mediator of the covenant of grace to the elect. In his active and passive obedience, Christ fulfills the conditions of the pactum salutis...ratifying the Father's promise, because of which the Father rewards the Son's obedience with the salvation of the elect. And because of this the Holy Spirit applies the Son's work to his people through the means of grace.
David Van Drunen & Scott Clark: Covenant, Justification and Pastoral Ministry, p. 168
There are some problems with this idea. The details of this covenant are not spelled out or told to us in any Scripture. It depicts no scene where the Divine Persons interacted and came to an agreement, nor does it describe an account where God had a conversation with aspects of Himself before time and creation began. It is an assumption based upon the speculation of men.
What we do know is that while on earth and while incarnate, Jesus had to empty Himself of some divine aspects in order to be fully human, temporarily setting aside His rights to “grasp” those abilities in order to become the Son of Man (Phillipians 2). It does not necessarily or need imply that Jesus was eternally void of this power, and the concept of the knosis or the emptying can account for this . Jesus states in Gethsemane that He could have called twelve thousand angels to rescue Him, demonstrating that He had the option to decline the Cross and was not compelled by the order of the Father (Matthew 12:53). His purpose in the Garden involved making the decision to go through with the process, fully committing to it because the option to decline was open and available to Him. It all depends on your presuppositions, doesn’t it?
Keep in mind that those who govern CBMW follow Reformed Theology, noting Ligon Duncan’s words about and goal to connect all doctrines back to the Doctrine of God. Please note again that not all who follow Reformed Theology embrace the Covenant of Redemption as legitimate (myself included).
Addition of Gender Hierarchy and the Juvenile Jesus to the Covenant of Redemption
The Doctrine of the Eternal Subordination of the Son (ESS) takes the Covenant of Redemption a bit further by adding a concept of hierarchy to it, a concept that Kevin Giles claims was introduced by George Knight in his 1977 book. It suggests that Jesus was and always will be an “eternal son,” and many who believe ESS suggest that Jesus was a youthful God that required growth and development before His incarnation. If an agreement was made, they add to this covenant a hierarchy and a power structure.
Some suggest that Jesus had to choose between incarnation and equality with the Father, as though he was a developing youth before the earth was created (Denny Burk at the Evangelical Theological Society). Some homeschooling advocates claim that Jesus was homeschooled by the Father in heaven, long before creation and human history, during His development period (Doug Phillips in at homeschooling conferences in the late ‘90s). And some maintain that Jesus does not have the authority to hear an answer prayer but only delivers prayer to the Father (Bruce Ware in private communications to verify his beliefs).
Along with the immature Jesus concept comes the idea that God the Father rules and reigns over God the Son -- that the Father always has and always will. Why is this significant? It allows men like Ligon Duncan to claim that their view of marriage and gender derives directly from the Doctrine of God, and it gives them the illusion that their doctrine is therefore sound and just. It also suggests an elite status for those who agree with them or are numbered among them.
What Should We Believe and Why?
We must ask ourselves just who it is that we believe. Do we believe what is actually written in Scripture first about who God is, or do we just trust in what people tell us we should believe?
Ralph Smith claims that there were four Reformed theologians who first accepted the Covenant of Redemption. Three of those men were Dutch Reformed theologians (Johannes Coccieus, Herman Witsius, Gisbertus Voetius), and one was a German theologian who helped pen the Heidelberg Confession (Caspar Olevianus). Where can you find a clear support in the Bible for the “Covenant of Redemption”? If you do accept their concept, do you believe that this indicates that their is an obligatory hierarchy among the persons of the Godhead? (Many believe that this distorts the Covenant of Redemption and falls into a semi-Arian heresy that makes Jesus a lesser God.) And if you go this far in your ideas, do you believe that gender is a reflection of this presumed hierarchy in the Godhead and that gender is directly connected to God’s identity? What Scripture tells us this clearly? Do you have to review two or three CBMW publications or published works to answer that question? If you believe this much, do you believe that rejection of CBMW’s concept of gender renders those people open theists who reject God’s identity and those who worship a false God? How far are you willing to follow? Ask yourself just who and what you are following.
I believe that Ephesians 5 directs all believers to submit to one another and that wives should submit to their own husbands as husbands love their wives by treating them in the same way that they treat their own bodies. We are called to service as Christians and to be patient as well. We need not create doctrines or teachings that are not clearly found in Scripture in order to affirm these principles. I do not believe that the Book of Ephesians or any other Scripture affirms any kind of intrinsic, ordained gender hierarchy based on creation order, ontology (essence), or teleology (purpose). And I definitely deny that this hierarchy connects back to a hierarchy among the Persons of the Godhead because I deny that there is one. Jesus was no developing youth god who had to choose between equality
Is this what you believe?Think about what you have been taught and upon what principles these ideas have been constructed. The choice is yours.
Read more about the concept of the Trinity on the archive site HERE.
Link to other posts on UnderMuchGrace HERE.
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warc | 201704 | The inaugural International Day of the Girl Child will take place on 11 October 2012. For its first observance, this year’s Day focuses on child marriage, which is a fundamental human rights violation and has an impact on all aspects of a girl’s life.
Child marriage denies a girl of her childhood, disrupts her education, limits her opportunities, increases her risk of violence and abuse, jeopardizes her health and therefore constitutes an obstacle to the achievement of nearly every Millennium Development Goal and the development of healthy communities.
In India, one of the countries in the world with the largest number of girls being married before their 18th birthday, child marriage has declined nationally and in nearly all states from 54 per cent in 1992-1993 to 43 per cent in 2007-2008, but the pace of change is slow.
UNICEF supported the passage of the Child Marriage Prohibition Act of 2006, and has since supported the development and implementation of a national strategy on child marriage that aims to coordinate programmes and policies to address both the causes and the consequences of child marriage.
Champions of Change
Press Release UNICEF focuses on ending child marriage on the International Day of the Girl Child ‘My Life, My Right, End Child Marriage’ On the first International Day of the Girl Child, UNICEF and partners are highlighting joint efforts to end child marriage – a fundamental human rights violation that impacts all aspects of a girl’s life.
Read Complete Press Release
Feature Stories Village committees take on child marriage, convincing families to reject the age-old practice Thanks to generous funding from the Ikea Foundation, UNICEF is supporting the government of Uttar Pradesh to set up Child Protection Committees across the state. Now, a Child Protection Committee has been formed in Bhawrak. The committee provides a safe environment in which people can talk about issues without the fear of backlash or being stigmatized. Read the complete story
Initiating a mass movement and bringing about change
It is more than a year since Bina took a firm approach against child marriage. Now 13, she studies in a hostel at the Bagmundi Higher Secondary School for Girls and looks wise beyond her years. Read the complete story Standing up to the community and reintegrating into the education system after abduction Mukti is a brave young girl and a lot of her thoughts and ideas were shaped by the teachings at the NCLP school. “She had already left the NCLP School when this case occurred, but the ideas of empowerment and independence and preventing child marriage were so ingrained in her that she was bold enough to take a firm stand.” | 2,738 | 1,336 | 2.049401 |
warc | 201704 | EUGENE, Ore. — (Feb. 17, 2014) — Archaeological data from 171 sites in southeast Alaska, British Columbia and Washington indicate that management efforts along the Pacific Coast need to take a longer view into the past to better protect fisheries for the future.
That is a key conclusion of a multi-institutional study appearing online this week ahead of regular publication in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences. Among the study's nine co-authors are Iain McKechnie, who co-led the project as a doctoral student at the University of British Columbia and is now a postdoctoral researcher at the University of Oregon, and Madonna L. Moss, a professor of anthropology at the UO.
The data studied primarily covered the last 2,500 years at the sites but span the past 10,700 years. Pacific herring (
Clupea pallisii) has been a foundation for the region's coastal ecosystem and is an important food source for indigenous populations. The researchers concluded that herring have been consistently abundant in all regions, but especially in the northern Salish Sea and southwestern Vancouver Island areas.
"This study extends our perspective on coastal fisheries in the Pacific Northwest. Among the dozens of species harvested by countless generations of Native Americans and First Nations in Canada, one stands out archaeologically: herring," said McKechnie, a Social Science and Humanities Research Council of Canada Fellow at the UO. "Herring was a consistent focus of the fishery for at least the last 2,500 years. This helps contextualize the circumstance of present-day fisheries and allows us to reconsider how herring was a food fish, not just as roe or bait as it is with much of the commercial fishery today."
Moss, who for years has studied the anthropological significance of salmon and cod, said that Northwest herring populations have been impacted by 120 years of industrial fishing and, especially, since the 1970s by the increased demand for their eggs, or roe, especially in Japan. In contrast, Native Northwest indigenous populations harvest eggs after spawning, collecting them from branches placed in the intertidal zone, and eat the fish they catch.
The authors combed through reams of archaeological reports that analyzed almost half a million fish bones at the sites. That data from the past was combined with new research in progress along the British Columbia coast. Indigenous peoples harvested at least 100 different fish species in the region, researchers said.
"By compiling the largest dataset of archaeological fish bones in the Pacific Northwest, we demonstrate the value of using archaeological data to establish an ecological baseline for modern fisheries," said McKechnie, who will be continuing his research alongside Moss.
"This kind of ecological baseline extends into the past well beyond the era of industrial fisheries and is necessary for designing sustainable management today," said co-author Ken Lertzman, a professor at Simon Fraser University and director of SFU's Hakai Network for Coastal People, Ecosystems and Management.
The study was an initiative of the SFU-based Herring School, a group of researchers that investigates the cultural and ecological importance of herring. Co-author and SFU archaeology professor Dana Lepofsky said the findings "fit well with what First Nations have been telling us."
Since the range of Pacific herring crosses national borders, it's critical for U.S. and Canadian researchers to tackle these issues together, working with the region's First Nations and Native American communities and fisheries scientists and policymakers, Moss said. "This is one of the reasons I'm so excited about having Dr. McKechnie as a postdoctoral fellow at the University of Oregon," she added. "Forage fisheries around the world are in trouble. It's important to understand their long-term dynamics and intervene, if we can."
The new study, Moss said, builds on a "herring synthesis" project completed in 2010 with Virginia Butler of Portland State University, a co-author on the new study, and Tom Thornton of Oxford University in a collaboration that included Tlingit experts. That project brought together archaeology, oral history and traditions, as well as ethnographic and historical data to understand the long-term use and cultural importance of herring to Tlingit and Haida communities in Alaska.
"Local communities provided a wealth of information about how herring have been important in people's lives," Moss said. "By combining archaeology and place-based cultural knowledge, we can better understand coastal ecology prior to industrial development."
♦ 2011 article on McKechnie and Lepofsky's research (Behold! The Mighty Herring!)
National Geographic Research, Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council of Canada, the Tula Foundation, the Hakai Network for Coastal People, Ecosystems and Management, the North Pacific Research Board, and a Borden Fellowship at the University of British Columbia supported the research.
Additional co-authors are Trevor J. Orchard of Lakehead University in Orillia, Canada; Gary Coupland of the University of Ontario, Toronto; Fredrick Foster of Rutgers University, New Brunswick, N.J.; and Megan Caldwell of the University of Alberta, Edmonton, Canada.
About the University of Oregon The University of Oregon is among the 108 institutions chosen from 4,633 U.S. universities for top-tier designation of "Very High Research Activity" in the 2010 Carnegie Classification of Institutions of Higher Education. The UO also is one of two Pacific Northwest members of the Association of American Universities. Media Contacts: Jim Barlow, director of science and research communications, University of Oregon, 541-346-3481, jebarlow@uoregon.edu, and Carol Thorbes, public affairs/media relations, Simon Fraser University, 778-782-3035, cthorbes@sfu.ca Sources: Iain McKechnie, Vancouver resident, affiliations with the University of British Columbia, Simon Fraser University and the University of Oregon, 778-229-3424, iain@alumni.ubc.ca, Madonna Moss (Eugene resident), 541-346-6076, mmoss@uoregon.edu, Dana Lepofsky (Vancouver resident), 778-782-5403, dlepofsk@sfu.ca, and Ken Lertzman (Deep Cove resident), 778-782-9236, lertzman@sfu.ca Additional Links:
Follow UO Science on Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/UniversityOfOregonScience
UO Science on Twitter: https://twitter.com/UO_RIGE
More UO Science/Research News: http://uoresearch.uoregon.edu
Note: The University of Oregon is equipped with an on-campus television studio with a point-of-origin Vyvx connection, which provides broadcast-quality video to networks worldwide via fiber optic network. In addition, there is video access to satellite uplink, and audio access to an ISDN codec for broadcast-quality radio interviews. | 6,868 | 3,117 | 2.203401 |
warc | 201704 | By Nanci Hellmich, USA TODAY
Efforts to improve school lunches have begun across the country, but many people say the food still doesn't make the grade, a new poll says.
More than half of Americans (55%) say the nutritional quality of the food served at their local schools is "only fair" or "poor." About 63% of parents with school-age children feel that way.
USA TODAY INVESTIGATES: School lunch safety KID-FRIENDLY DIET: Fight childhood obesity at home
"People do want kids to have healthier foods at lunch, but knowing it and doing something about it are two different things," says Gail Christopher, vice president of the W.K. Kellogg Foundation, which sponsored the poll of 801 adults. "It's a lot of work to shift cultures, practices and procurement systems."
The poll has a margin of error of plus or minus 3.5%.
The findings, which are being presented today at the foundation's Food and Community Conference in Chandler, Ariz.:
• 54% say childhood obesity is a problem; 32% call it a crisis.
• Most people believe fresh fruits and vegetables and a salad bar or premade salads should be offered every day in school cafeterias.
• Most don't think cafeterias should be serving soda but should offer skim milk.
• About half say pizza should be served no more than once a week. The same is true for chicken nuggets and hamburgers.
• Most believe 60 minutes of physical activity a day for kids should be a priority for schools.
Guidelines: You share in the USA TODAY community, so please keep your comments smart and civil. Don't attack other readers personally, and keep your language decent. Use the "Report Abuse" button to make a difference. Read more. | 1,708 | 979 | 1.744637 |
warc | 201704 | In the National News Sounds Identify Drought
At the spring 2013 American Physical Society conference, physicists at Grenoble University in France reported their findings on ultrasonic sounds made by trees under drought stress. Pressure inside trees that lack water builds within xylem cells, sometimes leading to the formation of air bubbles that block the flow of water, called cavitations. Trees can withstand some cavitations, but too many can be deadly. These cavitations can be heard with a microphone, but no one has ever been able to distinguish a cavitation from general creaking until now. The scientists conducted a lab study mimicking a drought-stressed tree, and were able to assign a distinct sound wave to cavitations. The findings could lead to the design of a device that would attach to a tree and constantly listen for sounds of “thirst.” If needed, the device could then trigger an emergency-watering system.
Beetles Subvert Defenses
Plants may defend themselves from insect feeding by producing chemicals within plant tissues that interfere with the insects’ digestion and growth. Entomologists at Penn State University have been studying the Colorado potato beetle, and found that sometimes, feeding by the beetle “turns off” the plant defense response, allowing the beetles to be healthy and productive. They reported in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences that 3 species of bacteria living in the beetle’s gut are able to suppress the plant’s anti-herbivore response. The researchers will next determine if these bacteria are present in Colorado potato beetles all over the U.S. and in Europe.
New Biocontrol May Help Monarchs
Swallow-wort is an aggressive invasive weed that forms dense patches in a wide variety of habitats in eastern North America, and may have negative impacts on monarch butterfly populations. Monarchs readily lay eggs on the milkweed-relative, but the hatched larvae do not survive. In 2006, a University of Rhode Island graduate student discovered a moth pest of swallow-wort in southern Ukraine, and for the past 7 years, he and colleagues have conducted a rigorous study of its biology and host range, and petitioned the USDA and the Canadian government for its use as a biological agent. The moth only feeds on swallow-wort, and the first release of 500 larvae occurred in Canada in early fall 2013.
A Venomous Insecticide
The venom from tarantulas is now being considered as a biopesticide. In a paper published in PLOS ONE, researchers from the University of Queensland, Australia, found that venom extracted from Australian tarantulas was found to be as deadly to termites and cotton bollworms as the common pesticide, imidacloprid. Scientists say that venom from insect-eaters like centipedes and scorpions may also be used as biopesticides in the future, or perhaps may even help breeding plants to resist insects.
Climate Change Aids in Pest Distribution
Researchers at the Universities of Exeter and Oxford have seen a strong correlation between the geographical spread of crop pests and recent climate changes. A new study appearing in the journal Nature Climate Change compared published distributions of 612 crop pests collected over the past 50 years. The results suggest that the warming climate has allowed a variety of pests to spread toward the North and South Poles at almost two miles a year. Currently, 10-16% of global crop production is lost due to pests, and losses are predicted to increase with continued warming.
Stink Bugs Spreading in California
California Department of Food and Agriculture reported that brown marmorated stink bug has become established in Sacramento, making it the first new location in California outside of Los Angeles. This insect is classified by the state as a Class B pest – a detriment to the economy and environment, yet limited in distribution. Because of this distinction, the state has not funded an eradication program.
Grapefruit May Triumph Over Pests
Nootkatone, a component of grapefruit oil, has been used for years in fruit-flavored juices and perfumes. In the past, scientists at the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention showed that it safely and effectively controls ticks, mosquitoes, and other insects, but until now, it was too expensive to manufacture as a biopesticide. The renewable chemical company, Allylix, recently developed a proprietary protocol to develop nootkatone, making it possible to develop nootkatone biopesticides.
Useful Publications and Apps
• Stopbmsb.org has posted a list of 170 host plants for brown marmorated stink bug. The site includes distribution maps, educational info, and monitoring and identification videos.
• Check out the videos available from UC Davis on mosquitoes, bedbugs, ants, pesticides, and more.
• Uncommonfruit is a new website out of Wisconsin highlighting research trials of new and unusual fruit.
Calendar of Events
November 4 - 5, Ninth Continental Dialogue on Non-Native Forest Insects and Diseases, Pittsburgh, PA, www.continentalforestdialogue.org
November 10 - 13, Entomological Society of America's 61st Annual Meeting - "Science Impacting a Connected World", Austin, TX, www.entsoc.org/entomology2013
November 13, Southern Utah Green Conference, Washington, UT, www.utahgreen.org/events
December 3 - 5, 4th International Phytophthora capsici Meeting, Duck Key, FL, reg.conferences.dce.ufl.edu/PCAP
December 5 - 6, Global Bed Bug Summit, Denver, CO, www.bedbugcentral.com/events/npma-global-bed-bug-summit-2013
January 8 - 9, Orchard Pest and Disease Management Conference, www.tfrec.wsu.edu/pages/wopdmc
January 21 - 23, Utah State Horticultural Association Annual Convention, Spanish Fork, UT, www.utahhort.org
January 27 - 29, Lawn Care Summit 2014, Nashville, TN, www.landcarenetwork.org/events
January 27 - 29, Utah Nursery and Landscape Association Green Conference, Sandy, UT, www.utahgreen.org/events | 5,998 | 2,935 | 2.043612 |
warc | 201704 | Author Tomer Sharon share a short excerpt from Chapter 4 of his book, Validating Product Ideas. Visit Rosenfeld Media to receive the full copy . Chapter 4 What Is the User’s Workflow?
A user workflow is a process where a person takes sequential steps toward achieving a goal. A workflow has an entry point and a final goal. Your ultimate goal as a product developer is to uncover your users’ workflow to complete tasks you want to support with your product. Uncovering this workflow will guide you into designing a product that matches real-life workflows and improves them. This chapter will walk you through a lean user research technique called a
diary study, which will help you understand user workflows, needs, and motivations. Why Is This Question Important?
When people have a certain, specific way of completing a task, yet the digital product that is supposed to help them complete it forces them to change their ways, friction occurs.
Your users’ workflow is key to understanding how they function, especially for complex tasks such as planning a vacation, learning how to play a new musical instrument, learning about a health-related situation, buying a new car, etc. There are certain steps in a person’s workflow that are necessarily sequential and would never happen before other steps. For example, if a businesswoman is planning a trip to another city for a few days, her workflow might look like [TS1] something like this:
Schedule meetings. Book flights. If needed, reschedule meetings based on flight schedule. Book a hotel. Reserve a rental car for the destination city. Reserve a car service for pickup at the home airport.
Let’s assume that this businesswoman wants to use a new app she heard about that is supposed to help with all of her trip’s reservations while offering good prices. If the app is going to force the businesswoman to first reserve a car and then book flights and a hotel, this workflow creates friction. It does not make sense for the businesswoman to reserve a rental car first before she knows her final flight schedule. What is happening here is a workflow mismatch. If many of this app’s users are like our businesswoman, that workflow mismatch is going to be a huge barrier for its success.
Asking and answering the question "What is the user’s workflow?" is critical for understanding and learning about complex, relatively long processes, people’s habits, and tasks where a specific sequence of actions is involved.
When Should You Ask the Question?
"What is the user’s workflow?" is a question far too few product developers answer at the right time. However, there are two great times to ask the question: somewhere in the middle of strategizing your product and after launching it during the assessment phase (see Figure 4.1).
When you strategize, you figure out a lot of things about the need for your product, your target audience, and what it wants. After you attain this knowledge, it is a good time to start learning about your potential users’ workflow. This workflow wisdom will serve you well during the execution phase, when you design the product iteratively.
During the assessment phase, your users use the product, and you can learn whether or not your product matches their real-life workflow. Beware, though. If this is the first time you study your audience’s workflow, you might find and learn things that will be very hard to fix. Implementing workflow changes in a product might get very costly. The best time to answer the question is prior to execution.
Figure 4.1
When is a good time to ask the “What is the user’s workflow?” question. The thick line represents the best time, while the thinner ones indicate other times recommended for answering the question.
Answering the Question with a Diary Study
One of the best ways to learn about your users’ workflow is through a diary study. In a diary study, participants document their activities, thoughts, and opinions and share them with you over a period of time. A diary might be a record of their experience using a product or a means to gain understanding of ordinary life situations in which products might be usefully applied. You then analyze the diary data and conclude information about their workflow, habits, and needs.
Data collection takes relatively longer than your typical usability test or interview, and might last days, weeks, and sometimes (depending on the topic, product, and industry) months and years. Diary studies are best for learning about more complex processes such as implementing a new nutrition plan, solving more challenging problems such as planning a sprinkler system for your house, or learning about how physical mail (mail that arrives with an actual postal worker) travels around the house.
In a diary study, participants are given instructions, expectations, and a kit or a tool to use for posting diary entries. They then document their activities, interactions, and attitudes. Depending on the tool used, participants either share their diary entries with you immediately or send a paper diary after data collection is completed. Typically, a diary study ends up with an interview during which participants are debriefed about their experience after you have read all of their diary entries. The outcome of a diary study can be communicated in many ways such as a workflow visualization, a journey map, personas, etc.
Why a Diary Study Works
A diary study is excellent for getting a glimpse into people's lives in a very detailed way. It is great for learning about any type of workflow for the following reasons:
Uncover what participants actually do.
Reveal behavior that would be hard to remember in interviews or surveys.
Generate high-level detail and specificity about different workflow activities.
Explore participant activities for workflows that last long periods of time or occur at times that are not reasonable for observation (e.g., late night or early morning).
Neutralize the bias of having someone observe what participants do.
Understand how products factor into regular habits.
Assess a novelty effect (quickly getting better at using something new) or learnability (how much a product supports users in learning how to use it).
Other Questions a Diary Study Helps Answer
Other than the “What is the user’s workflow?” question, a diary study is a great research method for answering the following questions as well.
How often would people use the product?
How do people from other cultures use the product?
How do people currently solve a certain problem?
Does the product solve a problem people care enough about?
Which user needs does the product satisfy?
What are the different lifestyles of potential product users?
What motivates people?
What jargon do people use to talk about a domain?
Do people enjoy using the product?
How does the product fit into people's lives?
What are people’s specific habits?
Do people want the product?
Where do people use the product?
When do people use a product?
How easy or hard is it to learn how to use the product?
How to Answer the Question
The following is a how-to guide that takes you step-by-step through the process of using a diary study to answer the question “What is the user’s workflow?”
Step 1: Choose diary type and structure.
One of the first decisions you need to make is about the structure of the diary study. There are two alternatives: structured or unstructured.
A structured diary is one where you are very specific about what participants share, when they share it, and how they share it. Structuring a diary study can be done in several ways that can be combined:
Structure by event: When it is important for you to learn about specific occurrences in a workflow, ask participants to add posts to their diary when certain things happen. For example, if you run a diary study to learn about participants’ workflow in the first week of trying out a new product, you can ask them to add the following diary posts:
Unboxing the product (if relevant)
First impressions
First interaction
First problem or challenge with the product
Questions about the product
Requests or complaints
Structure by time interval: When it’s critical to capture participants’ behaviors or attitudes in specific times or days, ask them to contribute diary posts by time intervals. For example, if you are interested in people’s morning sequence, ask for diary entries every morning. Structure by post format: Sometimes, it is important that participants communicate their diary contribution in formats different than text. For example, a video diary might be useful when you want to overcome the bias that comes with a diary as a self-reported research technique. You might ask participants to record a video during their morning commute. Or you might ask participants to take still photos of how they cook a certain dish, or of the process of installing a new sprinkler system in their backyard. You might also ask participants to communicate certain actions in a sketch, which they update as the study progresses. A combination: There are no limitations on choosing a specific structure, and you can always mix and match structure types to tailor the best way to learn from people during a diary study. For example, you might combine a time interval with an event-triggering structure, such as asking participants to document their behavior before, during, and after watching the Super Bowl game.
An unstructured diary is one where you leave it to your participants to decide what to share, when, and how. You may give them options and direct them in terms of focus topics (e.g., only post about things related to using your newly bought drone), but generally speaking, your participants are in control of their diary contributions. A good reason for choosing this alternative is when you are not sure about what specifically you are after or what to expect from participants. When you want to learn about a process you have almost no knowledge about, you might ask participants to just post to their diary anything related to that process. A more open-ended approach to a diary study structure has a big advantage of not limiting your participants to any type of contribution, which might lead you to more meaningful, unexpected insights.
Step 2: Set up a data collection tool.
A traditional approach to collecting diary study data involves sending participants a physical kit. Depending on your study goals and the type of information you want to collect, a kit might include a diary booklet, a camera, high-quality office equipment, graph paper, and anything that might help participants record their diary entries. Study participants then use the contents of the kit throughout the study and mail it back when they are done. Kit materials are then reviewed and analyzed.
Nowadays, diary study data collection is more digital in nature. Diary study tools might be as simple as sending an email, leaving a voice message, using SMS or MMS, or filling in a form. Diary study data can also be collected through private blog posts, shared documents (such as a Google doc or spreadsheet), or dedicated diary study web apps. A third group of digital diary study tools include the usage of instant messaging apps such as WhatsApp, Facebook Messenger, Google Hangouts, Viber, and more. Lastly, several apps offer dedicated diary study capabilities that allow participants to post rich diary entries that include text, photos, video, audio, current location, current weather, a time stamp, and even motion activity (see Figure 4.2). Some of these apps make the data easily shareable or exported. The resource section in the book’s accompanying website (www.leanresearch.co) includes a list of currently available diary study apps[2] .
Figure 4.2
Diary app: Day One offers motion activity capturing.
This chapter references Facebook Messenger as its diary study data collection tool, yet any previously mentioned alternative is recommended (at least for experimenting). Choose a tool that will be the easiest for your participants to use and won’t force them to learn how to use yet another poorly designed digital product. Be open to using multiple tools in one study. For example, if you intended to use WhatsApp, yet some of your participants don’t use Instant Messaging at all, feel free to have some participants use different tools than others. You’ll be merging all the input after they are all done into one place, so it's not extremely important to have all the participants use the same tool. The exception is if you want to collect a certain piece of data that only one tool allows you to gather (for example, current location on a map).
Step 3: Carefully recruit eight research participants.
Finding people who both qualify and are willing and available to participate in a diary study is harder to do, compared to other research techniques described in this book. The reason is the amount of effort and self-discipline required for keeping a diary.
To find participants for a diary study, follow the steps described in Chapter 9. These steps guide you through identifying the characteristics of whom to invite, preparing a screening questionnaire, and using social media to call for relevant people to fill in the questionnaire to see if they qualify to participate.
As you compile your screening questionnaire, put extra attention on the following:
The success of a diary study (i.e., whether or not it provides valid and reliable results) is highly dependent on the expressive ability of participants since most of what they'd be required to do during the study is to answer open-ended questions (even in a structured format) in a way that would help you understand what they mean. Therefore, make sure that your screening questions ask people to express themselves a little bit to give you a sense of their writing ability. If you feel it is needed, speak with them over the phone to get a sense of whether they are suitable for the study.
A diary study might take some time. Make sure that your participants don't have prior commitments such as a long vacation during the planned study duration that would prevent them from completing their ongoing diary assignments (that is, of course, assuming that you are not interested in a diary study related to vacations).
It is hard to find people who will meet all of your diary study requests. Therefore, make sure that participants understand and accept the level of effort required. Provide clear numbers to demonstrate the effort and include a mandatory screening question that verifies they understand this commitment. For example, ask "Are you aware and willing to spend up to 10 minutes
every day of the 14 study days, from Monday, March 10, to Sunday, March 23, on writing diary posts?"
The best way to capture complete data in a diary study is to end it with an interview once the diary part of the study is over. Inform your participants (and make sure they are available) that you'll be conducting an in-person or remote interview shortly after they complete their diary.
Here is a sample screening questionnaire I have prepared for a video game diary study I conducted for this book. Read it and feel free to borrow questions for your upcoming diary study: Bit.ly/validating-chapter-4-screener.
Diary studies generate huge amounts of rich data, somewhat similar to the amounts you might collect in observation (see Chapter 3) or interviewing (see Chapter 2). These large amounts of collected data directly affect your choice for the number of participants you include in the study. As in other qualitative methods, keep this number low and digestible. Eight participants is a good number, yet any number between 6 and 12 participants makes sense. More than that means this is a large study. If that is the case, you will need more time or hands when it comes to analyzing data and coming up with results.
Step 4: Prepare instructions and brief participants.
After you have lined up participants for your diary study, send them written instructions in which you set expectations, provide guidance, and specify diary assignments (in case it is a structured diary format). Your written instructions should include the following (see the sidebar for sample diary study instructions):
Diary study goals
Study dates
Incentive
Diary tool to be used
General instructions
Daily plan (mostly needed for a structured diary format)
Point of contact person and details for questions
***Insert Sidebar
Video Game Diary Study Instructions
Thank you for participating in this study! It is great to have the opportunity to learn from you.
Goal
The goal of this diary study is to learn about your thoughts, habits, and behaviors in the first few days of trying out a new video game.
Dates
The study duration is 7 days, and I ask that you invest up to 10 minutes in the study every day.
Day 1: Monday, June 8
Day 2: Tuesday, June 9
Day 3: Wednesday, June 10
Day 4: Thursday, June 11
Day 5: Friday, June 12
Day 6: Saturday, June 13
Day 7: Sunday, June 14
On Wednesday, June 17, at 2 p.m., you will be interviewed over Skype for an hour about your diary experience.
Thank You
As a token of our appreciation for your time and willingness to participate in this study, we have sent you a video game with a cost value of $60, which you can keep for yourself after the study is completed.
Diary Study Tool
During the diary study, you will use Facebook Messenger to share diary entries with me through short text messages, photos, and short videos. Unlike other times you use Facebook Messenger, during the study I will not be responding to most of the material that you post. However, I might remind you of your diary assignments or ask for clarifications and some questions from time to time.
Instructions
As you know, I have purchased and shipped a video game to you. Starting the moment when the package arrives at your door, document your thoughts, activities, and experience of trying the game out.
The study duration is 7 days, and I ask that you invest up to 10 minutes in the study every day. You can, of course, play the video game for more than 10 minutes a day.
Each day, post as many times as you desire. Make sure that you at least meet your daily task with one or more diary entries.
During the study, I may ask you to answer different questions about the video game.
Daily Plan—Please Read All of It Now!
Day 0: Grab a piece of paper and draw a pencil sketch of your house. It doesn’t have to be perfect, or beautiful, or extremely accurate. I need to understand what the different rooms are, where the TV is, and where you play the game. We will use it during the study to indicate where the video game is located physically. Take a photo of your sketch and send it to me through Facebook Messenger. Day 1 (the day the game arrives):
Describe in detail everything that happened today related to the game from the moment it arrived at your home. Should be something like that: “1. It’s here!” “2. Unboxed it just now.” and so on.
Tasks for the entire duration of the study:
From this moment on, send me a Facebook message each time you start and finish playing the game. It should look something like this: “Start” or “Finish.” Facebook Messenger will take care of logging the time.
Use your sketch from Day 0 to indicate daily where the game is physically using a red number in a circle. So a red circle with the number 1 in it will be the game’s first physical location in your house, the number 2 would indicate the second location, and so on. Draw red lines between the numbers to indicate the route through which the game got to all of its locations. After each time you add a number to the sketch, take a photo of the sketch and send it to me through Facebook Messenger. Let me know if there are no changes in the location.
Day 2: Describe your first impression of the game. What it’s about? How did you know? What’s the goal? Day 3: Describe the first interesting interaction you’ve had with someone related to the game. Day 4: Describe with photos the first problem or challenge you’ve had with the game. Day 5: List three complaints you have about the game. Day 6: List three things you like about the game. Day 7: Evaluate your progress playing the game. How are you doing? What have you learned? Any time: Feel free to share any text, video, or photos to indicate your actions and thoughts about the game throughout the study duration. Photos are highly appreciated!
Contact Details
If you have any questions for me, please do not hesitate to contact me by sending me a message through Facebook Messenger with your question at any time before, during, or after the study.
Figure 4.3 demonstrates how one diary study participant followed the instructions in the sidebar.
Figure 4.3
First posts to a diary study following instructions.
Step 5: Launch the pilot and then the full study.
A day, few days, or a week prior to the launch of the diary study is a great time for a pilot. A pilot tests the diary study by asking participants to share one diary entry with you. This one entry from each participant is valuable in oh-so-many levels since it makes sure that participants did the following:
Installed the diary study tool.
Understood how to use it.
Troubleshooted any problem they might have had with the tool.
Understood and internalized what is expected of them.
Provided enough details in their entries.
Responded in a timely manner.
Were reassured the study is really happening. (Some people agree to participate, although they have never heard of such a weird request.)
Once you have launched a pilot, you'll probably find that you need to adjust a lot of things. Instructions will become clearer, structured diary assignments will be changed and improved, participants will be debriefed, and diary tools will be installed and explained. Everything will become smoother for you and your participants. It's time well spent that will make sure that you hit the ground running during day one of the study. In fact, you'll never regret running a pilot test. Once you have finished learning and implementing the lessons learned during the pilot, launch your diary study and immediately start tracking and monitoring your participants' behavior to make sure that you get the data that you need.
Step 6: Prompt participants for the right data.
As soon as the diary study starts and participants begin posting the entries, make an intentional effort to read each entry and evaluate its usefulness to you. If you don't understand certain words, sentences, or actions, or if you don't think the participant is providing enough details, ask immediately for clarifications. The same goes for any other entry that participants post to their diary throughout the study. There's no need to ask follow-up questions and conduct full interviews through instant messaging, but make sure that you are getting what you need compared to what you asked for from the participants (see Figure 4.4).
If participants don't understand what you mean and ask for examples, try not to give them. If you give a specific example for a “good” diary entry, you'll find that most of the diary entries from that participant will be very similar to the example you provided. Refrain from biasing participants this way by responding to the example request by saying that entries should be detailed enough so that you can understand what they mean. Ask for photos if they help, support, or even explain better what the entry is about. Provide feedback for the photos that participants submit. (What a great photo! Or too close, too far, too dark, or out of focus.)
Figure 4.4
During Day 1 of the study, one of the participants shared fewer photos than I expected and chose to post at the end of the day while providing time stamps for everything that happened during the day related to the video game. I gently asked him to share more photos and post when things happened, not at the end of the day.
Step 7: End with interviews.
The goal of holding an interview with each diary study participant at the end of the diary part of the study is to fill in gaps in the participant's diary, ask follow-up questions, ask for clarifications, understand reasons, causes, and the context for various behaviors, actions, and reactions.
See Chapter 2 for a step-by-step guide into conducting effective interviews (steps 5 to 10 are extremely helpful for planning and conducting interviews).
Step 8: Reframe diary data.
As you might expect, a diary study produces enormous quantities of raw data. Turning it into a meaningful, insightful body of knowledge requires a systematic and rigorous approach. One of the most effective ways for diary study data synthesis and analysis is to find and understand hidden relationships between diary study entries across participants. These relationships can help create new meaning, ideas, and solutions related to users’ workflows. To achieve all of that, reframe your collected diary data by tagging each entry using a tool that allows you to tag text entries and then explore them based on the tags you created. There are many such available tools and services. For demonstration purposes, Reframer by Optimal Workshop is used here for such an analysis.
Reframer allows you to tag data (see Figure 4.5) and generate a comprehensive view of the most meaningful findings of the study by exploring it based on those tags to uncover themes and critical findings (see Figure 4.6-7).
Figure 4.5
Tagging a diary study entry in Reframer.
Figure 4.6
Uncovering diary data themes with Reframer.
Figure 4.7
Exploring diary study entries with Reframer.
Step 9: Construct workflow.
After you have reframed your diary study and interview data and identified commonalities, themes, and interesting relationships related to the participants' workflow, it’s time to answer the question you started with, which is "What is the user's workflow?"
The answer is a numbered list of steps in the user’s workflow that includes a name for each step, a short verbal description, a quote or two from the diary itself, and a photo if it helps communicate the essence of what the step is about (see a sample steps workflow in the following sidebar). If you asked participants to sketch where a product or thing was physically located throughout the study, such sketches could also support the workflow (see Figure 4.8).
A Sample Workflow Constructed from Diary Entries
User Workflow: New Video Game Game arrives at home via mail. Unbox game. Check receipt. Enjoy cover art. Check out giveaways (photos, stickers). Insert game in console. Update game with patches. Pick a faction. Figure out story. Play through the story. Talk with friends about the game. Understand game pros and cons. Read online about game tips. Finish story.
Figure 4.8
Asking participants to indicate where a certain item of interest is placed around their home to better understand their workflow.
Other Methods to Answer the Question
While a diary study is a rich, reliable way for answering the “What is the user’s workflow?” question, the following are two additional methods for answering it. Ideally, if time is on your side, a combination of two to three methods is the best way for uncovering insights to help you answer this question.
Observation is a research technique for learning from people in their natural context of using products or services. It can take you a long way into learning everything you can about a problem and uncovering people’s needs. Observation involves gathering data at the user’s environment; therefore, it is the science of contextualization. Chapter 3 takes you step-by-step into conducting effective observations. Interviewing is a research activity in which you gather information through direct dialogue. It is a great way to uncover and understand people's feelings, desires, struggles, delights, attitudes, and opinions. Interviewing people whom you believe to be your target audience (and those you think are not) is a great way to get to know your users, segment them, design for them, solve their problems, and provide value. Chapter 2 guides you through conducting interviews for uncovering needs.
Diary Study Resources
Access the online resource page for a diary study on the book's companion website at http://leanresearch.co. You'll find templates, checklists, videos, slide decks, articles, and book recommendations.
Diary Study Checklist
Choose a diary type and structure.
Set up a data collection tool.
Carefully recruit eight research participants.
Prepare instructions and brief the participants.
Launch the pilot and then the full study.
Prompt the participants for the right data.
End with interviews.
Reframe diary data.
Construct workflow.
Please find the full | 29,215 | 11,238 | 2.599662 |
warc | 201704 | Update 5/28: See below for another recent IPO that did even worse, although at a much smaller market cap.
Facebook’s first five days as a public company saw its value drop 13.1 percent, the worst first-week performance of any initial public offering in a decade.
That’s the sorry picture compiled by Bloomberg at the close of trading yesterday. In contrast, Visa’s 2008 IPO resulted in a first-week bump of 45.4 percent, putting big smiles on the faces of anyone lucky enough to buy stock on that company’s first day of trading.
Of course, small investors’ loss is Facebook’s gain. As we explained yesterday, Facebook and its underwriters, led by Morgan Stanley, pegged its opening price at the top of its range, $38, even though it was privately telling select investors that its revenue forecasts for the coming year were on the “low end” of its previous guidance. That message didn’t get out to the wider market — including smaller investors — until after the IPO. In other words, Facebook maximized its IPO raise, even though its actions would torpedo the stock as soon as the full revenue predictions became public.
While a first-day or first-week “pop” may look nice, and get big headlines, it actually leaves money on the table: It’s a sign that the company didn’t set its IPO price at the correct market price. By contrast, Facebook may have set its IPO price a little too high, but that’s the smart thing to do, from the accountant’s point of view.
Facebook now faces an embarrassing series of investigations and the difficulty of keeping employees’ and investors’ spirits up in the face of a sinking share price. On the other hand, it has $18.4 billion in IPO proceeds to console it for suddenly being the most unpopular tech stock on the block. (That’s because the company got $16 billion for the initial IPO allotment, plus another $2.4 billion for the “greenshoe” option that its underwriters exercised last week.)
It will be interesting, and more relevant, to see how Facebook’s stock looks after 30 days of trading. As the chart below shows, Digital Domain had the worst 30-day performance of any IPO in the last year, sinking 39.2 percent in its first month. Skullcandy dropped 23.5 percent in its first 30 days. By contrast, Yelp and Guidewire Software were up about 80 percent after their first 30 days, and Brightcove was up 92 percent.
UPDATE: A reader pointed us to the sorry IPO performance of Digital Domain (DDMG), which debuted on the market at $8.50 on November 18, 2011 and had slid to $6.50 by the end of its fifth full day of trading, a drop of 23 percent — much worse than Facebook’s first-week debut. DDMG is currently trading at $7.36, giving it a market capitalization of $307 million. We regret the oversight. | 2,877 | 1,441 | 1.99653 |
warc | 201704 | Jamie Paul has seen trouble.
“When you’re young, you don’t think about the better way, you think about the quick way. And the quick way landed me places I didn’t want to be,” he said.
Paul tried earning a living the “quick way.” That was after his mother passed away, and he was faced with the burden of supporting his family in Baltimore. But it didn’t work. By 2011, Paul had already done three stints in prison — a total of 10 years behind bars.
When he was finally released for the third time, Paul tried hard to go legit. He knew he was a hard worker — a competent worker. Prior to his sentence, he said, he was working and selling drugs at the same time. But like many people with a felony record, he felt trapped — few people would hire him because of his record, which Paul felt was deeply unfair.
“It’s not the record that makes the person,” Paul said. “It’s the
person that makes the person.”
But who would give somebody like him another shot? What kind of employer would be willing to trust an ex-con?
In a new series called “Humanity for the Win,” Upworthy visited Second Chance’s headquarters with a video camera in November 2015 to find out who was willing to give Paul and dozens of others like him a shot.
Second Chance Inc. is nonprofit deconstruction business in Baltimore. They tear down old houses, save what can be reused, and are employing over 100 people looking for a fresh start after prison in the process.
The work at Second Chance — salvaging old houses — might be the perfect metaphor for the ways the business changes its workers’ lives.
Inside the bright, efficiently run warehouse staffed by dozens of employees getting back on their feet, you’ll find an eclectic collection of every imaginable category of home furnishing, from chandeliers to pianos to a giant, free-standing home bar the size of a gazebo. Working smoothly among the mantelpieces and fixtures, roughly 70% of the workers in Second Chance’s deconstruction unit are ex-convicts — and this work is providing a rare path to a new life in this tough part of Baltimore.
“It’s easy to say, ‘They’re lazy, go get a job,’ but go get a job where? Doing what?”
— Ericka Alton
Ericka Alton is a community organization in the Sandtown-Winchester neighborhood of Baltimore. She’s seen everything in this community — including the direct link between economic pressures, lack of opportunity, and crime here.
“People are selling drugs and participating in illegal activity not by choice, but as a means to survive,” Alton said.
Poverty and inequality are major challenges in Baltimore — crime and chronic imprisonment are often the result. But what’s the way out?
While Maryland currently sits atop the list of America’s richest states, Baltimore remains one of the country’s poorest cities. A 2015 CNN report found that almost a quarter of the city’s population lives below the poverty line — and black residents suffer a disproportionate share of economic hardship.
The median household income of whites in Baltimore is nearly double that of black residents. As of 2013, 37% of young black Baltimorean men were unemployed, compared to just 10% of young white men.
That cycle produces increasingly tragic results. Baltimore saw a pronounced spike in homicides in 2015, while violent crime remained virtually flat in most major American cities. It was the deadliest year per capita in Baltimore’s history. According to Alton, many of her current and prospective clients are faced with a stark choice: sell drugs and expose themselves to violence and imprisonment, or remain unemployed.
“It’s easy to say, ‘They’re lazy, go get a job,’ but go get a job where? Doing what?” Alton said.
Second Chance was the brainchild of Mark Foster, who came up with the idea when he realized how difficult it was to find materials for an old house he was rebuilding. Perhaps, he thought, there was a way to reclaim perfectly good, historically interesting architectural elements — the floors, fireplaces, light fixtures, and furniture that typically get junked when old homes are destroyed — and offer marginalized people a path back to society by hiring them to help scout and collect those materials.
“The biggest stereotype is that because we have been convicted that we can’t be trustworthy or dependable workers, which is not true.”
— Jamie Paul
The organization accepts donations of individual pieces (and sets) of furniture, as well as old doors, bathroom fixtures, and even vehicles from the general public. Entire houses are also on Second Chance’s wish list (and donating one allows the giver to receive a tax deduction instead of a large bill for a teardown service).
When Upworthy met up with the Second Chance crew, a deconstruction team was busy tearing down a house in Arlington, Virginia.
“The good thing about salvage is: It’s unique. It’s old-school. It’s fun. It’s things that people tend to just brush off.”
That’s what Antonio Johnson, a sales manager at Second Chance, said during our visit.
Among the haul were two toilets, a lamp fixture, an air conditioner, a refrigerator, and a dishwasher. The team ripped up dozens of floorboards and struck an old fireplace mantel, loaded it onto the truck, then shipped it back to the warehouse, where it was put on sale for $175.
Johnson, like much of Second Chance’s workforce, spent time in prison. He started as a warehouse worker and has been promoted several times during his tenure at Second Chance. Johnson’s doing well —
but his ability to succeed has been something that people with a record rarely get a chance to prove.
Jamie Paul, who’s newer to Second Chance, believes his convictions made it harder for him to get hired. According to the data, he’s not wrong.
A National Institute of Justice study found that 60-75% of former prisoners were unable to find work within a year of release.
“The biggest stereotype is that because we have been convicted that we can’t be trustworthy or dependable workers, which is not true,” he said.
But also, former convicts who try to work again after years in prison often find their skills outdated or obsolete.
“Keeping up, especially for people who have been away from technology for perhaps several decades, is really a challenge,” said Scott Decker, a foundation professor of criminology and criminal justice at Arizona State University.
Decker has interviewed 600 current and former gang members around the country and found a shocking gap in their skills upon release and the current job market.
“I interviewed a woman in her mid-30s in L.A. who had been in prison for 14 or 15 years,” Decker said. “She didn’t know how to use word processing, she’d never sent an email, and she said: ‘Mister, how am I supposed to apply for a job? I don’t even know how to use a computer. I have no idea how to do a resume other than to get a typewriter.'”
The catch-22: When former prisoners find themselves jobless, they often go on to commit more crimes.
A 2012 study of former Indiana inmates found that unemployment was one of the three factors that correlated most closely with whether a released felon would re-offend.
A job at Second Chance allows an ex-offender a way out of that cycle.
“It has helped me tremendously — financially, not being stressed, or thinking things that I know I shouldn’t do, but I might need to do because I have a wife, a son, a baby on the way,” Paul said.
After a 16- to 20-week training that aims to provide those who enter the program with concrete, transferrable skills, prospective employees are guaranteed a job. Some are able to leverage the training into jobs elsewhere, and the rest — along with those who prefer to stay — are hired by the organization.
“We have a guy who talks about just being proud of being able to go home and having his kid see him in his work clothes,” said Pete Theodore, one of the permanent Second Chance management staff.
Most deconstruction workers stay with the company for about a year, he said. After that, the hope is that Second Chance employees can use their new skills and certifications to launch new careers.
“In some senses, I feel like a drop in the bucket compared to the need,” Theodore said. “But when you look at a real life, and a real person, and a real story of change and hope, it makes it all worth it.”
But the path forward is not always simple or straightforward.
A month after Upworthy visited Second Chance, Paul was arrested and charged with misdemeanor assault.
“We are accustomed to some setbacks on the road to wholeness — especially given the population we serve,” Theodore said.
But Paul remains on the job. Theodore said he was “saddened” by the news, and that Second Chance remains committed to assisting Paul in his career and skill development.
“In the long run, this is just a stepping stone to get you out into this world,” Johnson said.
Of all the skills gained at Second Chance, confidence is perhaps the most important.
Although his recent arrest may make the road forward bumpier, Paul still hopes to own and operate his own contracting company one day.
“If you can tear something down,” he said, “you should know how to put it back up,” Watch the video of Upworthy’s visit to Second Chance below: | 9,765 | 4,306 | 2.267766 |
warc | 201704 | In simple terms, nasal congestion is known as a ‘stuffy nose’ or ‘blocked nose’. This occurs when swelling form in the nasal cavity area, leading to the formation of mucus. Hence, it becomes hard to breathe as normal. Stuffy nose or nasal congestion is one of symptoms associated with flues, colds and allergic reactions.
Stuffy nose can be worse than merely annoying. So, it is necessary to treat this condition fast, if not it can lead to other serious problems, like ear infections, or restless sleep.
There are different ways to clear nasal congestion. This common health problem can be treated easily by using simply ingredients already in the kitchen. Pick up one of the following remedies in VKool site for relieving symptoms of nasal congestion and discomfort caused by this condition.
Home Remedies For Nasal Congestion And Runny Nose 1. Garlic
Garlic is on of the top home remedies for nasal congestion. Its antifungal and antiviral properties can help fight off respiratory infections causing congestion.
To make use of this home treatment, boil 2 to 3 cloves of garlic in a cup of water. Also, you can mix it with 1 ½ teaspoon of turmeric powder. Drink this solution daily until your nasal congestion clears.
Alternatively, you can eat fresh garlic that also works the same for relieving discomfort and stuffiness.
style=”display:block” data-ad-client=”ca-pub-4039892169575807″ data-ad-slot=”3080523579″ data-ad-format=”auto”> 2. Apple Cider Vinegar
Beside garlic, you can try apple cider vinegar that can clear a stuffy nose quickly as this remedy can thin the mucus. Additionally, apple cider vinegar is rich in essential nutrients so that it is good for the overall health and immune system.
Simply, mix 2 tablespoons of the vinegar with 1 tablespoon of honey with 1 cup of warm water. Then, drink mixture 2 or 3 times per day for a few days or until your nasal congestion clears.
3. Steam Inhalation
Steam inhalation therapy is one of common home remedies for nasal congestion. It acts as a natural expectorant for clearing congestion and lubricating irritated respiratory tract. Repeat this 2 to 4 times a day.
Start by adding 1 tablespoon of carom seeds to hot water, then inhale the steam. Remember to keep the head about the arm’s length away from the hot water you are inhaling.
In addition, you can add several drops of peppermint oil to hot water and inhale.
Note that steam inhalation is not recommended for infants and young children for its risk of scalding. Moreover, it is not recommended for pregnant women and people suffering from heart disease, nervous system disorders and high blood pressure.
4. Staying Hydrated
Many people think that drinking hot liquids can help clear or relieve nasal congestion. Although it is certainly essential to stay hydrated, especially when you are not feeling well. Effects of hot water on the congestion can be chalked up to placebo effect. In a research published in
Rhinology, researchers divided a group of participants with flue and cold sore and gave ½ of them a room temperature drinks while giving that group hot drinks. As a result, no measurable improvement in their nasal stuffiness were found, but the group drinking hot drinks shown greater relief from nasal congestion. Also, these researchers speculated that beside to placebo effect, the taste of hot drinks also contributed to favorable response. In concrete, hot drinks often have more intense taste that stimulates the flow of mucus and saliva, in turn that can soothe the nose and help clear viruses and bacteria.
If you are ready to heat up a congestion remedy, try a hot tea such as chamomile or green tea, or a hot soup like chicken noodle, or a warm cup of honey and lemon juice.
5. Taking A Hot Shower
Like the humidifier method, a hot shower with steam from the shower can help to thin out mucus in the nose while reducing sinuses and inflammation. You, as a result, can breathe easily for a short period.
Similarly, hot water in the sink can work the same and help you relieve your stuff nose fast.
Turn on the heat. When the temperature is hot enough, place a bath towel over the head and sink. Let the steam build and take deep breaths. Keep in mind that not to burn your eyes and face on the steam and hot water.
6. Nasal Irrigation
Next to home remedies for nasal congestion running nose, nasal irrigation with saline can effectively treat your stuffy nose. Nasal irrigation works by washing away the irritants and mucus from nasal passages.
Simply, mix 1 teaspoon of salt with 2 cups of warm water. Use this for your nasal irrigation by using irrigation device. Repeat this once or twice a day for a several days.
Make sure that you use boiled water or distilled for your nasal irrigation and wash irrigation device after using.
7. Eucalyptus Oil
Eucalyptus oil is useful for people who suffer from stuffy nose, due to its anti-inflammatory and decongestant properties.
Simply, put 1 or 2 drops of eucalyptus oil in a handkerchief and inhale this aroma. Repeat this several times a day.
Alternatively, you can pour a few drops of eucalyptus oil on your pillow to get benefits of this essential oil when you’re in deep sleep.
8. Using A Warm Compress
When you suffer from stuffy nose, it is necessary to aid steady flows of mucus through nasal passages. Warm water compress can be of good assistance in this regard. It can keep nasal passages moist as well as prevent them against drying out.
Simply, use a humidifier to open up the clogged nasal passages. Also, you can start running a hot shower for several minutes to build up steam in your bathroom. Inhale in soothing vapors. Do it twice a day until recover completely.
In another way, you can wet a wash cloth in hot water, then place it over the face. Let it sit there for 15 minutes. Do it a few times a day.
9. Herbal Tea
Herbal teas help thin mucus clogging nasal passages. Herbs also aid in flushing out toxins from the body.
Simply, drink hot herbal tea a few times a day until your nasal congestion clears. Peppermint tea is one of the greatest home remedies for nasal congestion. Peppermint leaves contains menthol that can help open up the nasal passages and thin the mucus. Hot herbal peppermint tea combines effects of steam, menthol and warm liquid can help clear your nasal congestion fast.
10. Chicken Soup
Beside peppermint tea, you can improve your condition with chicken soup. Scientific studies suggest that the soup can actually decrease the mucous production when affecting the inflammation and immune function. Also, the heat and steam of chicken soup also help. Whenever you are sick, this home remedy is also a good way for you to stay hydrated.
11. Black Pepper
Next to effective home remedies for nasal congestion, try black pepper. This spice is very beneficial for relieving blocked sinuses as well as nasal congestion. It works to induce sneezing, hence getting rid of the allergens and mucus in your sinuses.
Simply, take some black pepper in the palm, next add 3 drops of sesame oil. Dip the finger in this mixture, then apply under the nose.
Inhale this strong aroma. It however, may make you sneeze, thus don’t suppress it. You can repeat this remedy as needed.
12. Spicy Tomato Tea
This is a great remedy for relieving nasal congestion because it helps improve flows of mucus in the nasal passages.
To make use of this remedy, boil 1 cup of fresh tomato juice with 1 tablespoon of garlic, 1 tablespoon of fresh lemon juice, hot sauce and a little bit of celtic sea salt. Then, slowly drink this solution while it’s hot twice a day for several days.
Besides, you can consume spicy foods including garlic, ginger, red chili, and onion more often. They work the same to clear your nasal congestion.
13. Fenugreek
Last but not least, try using fenugreek among excellent home remedies for nasal congestion. This natural ingredient can help relieve nasal congestion due to its anti-inflammatory agents. Additionally, fenugreek can help cleanse mucus membranes. Furthermore, the moisture and heat from fenugreek tea also aid in thinning the mucus.
Simply, mix 1 or 2 teaspoons of fenugreek seeds in hot water and boil it. Then, strain and drink the tea when it is still warm. Repeat the solution twice or thrice a day until you get rid of nasal congestion completely.
Bottom line:
There are all 13 top home remedies for nasal congestion and running nose. Pick up some to clear your stuffy nose as soon as possible. Share and comment upon the writing! Thanks for reading! | 8,641 | 3,652 | 2.366101 |
warc | 201704 | There has been much discussion on the pros and cons of gambling, usually ending in the opinion that it is a bad habit. We all know that in extreme cases gambling can lead to debt, addiction, ruined lives and broken homes, but a lot of people don’t realise it could actually work the other way around too. Are we blaming the bad fortune of a few individuals on the gambling world as a whole? After all, who hasn’t gambled at some point in their lives, whether they’ve entered a casino or bookies with the purpose of placing a bet, played the occasional quick game of online poker or simply bought a scratch card or lottery ticket?
Because gambling in all its forms is everywhere, and regardless of whether it’s what we want, it’s becoming a way of life. Not just the ready availability of the lottery and Party Poker but even the smallest, most normal things like crossing the road or trying a new flavour of crisps are a gamble, not to mention the risks we all take in business or on the property market. Actually the qualities of a successful gambler are not so far from those that we use to make the most important decisions in life, such as choosing a new house or a school for our children. We couldn’t possibly know everything, but by assessing the situation and using the information we do have we make the most educated choice we can.
There are many different kinds of gambling, and it doesn’t always have to be purely about luck. You might not need any particular skills to play the lottery, but if you want to win at a game of PKR Poker or place a winning bet on the horses then the more knowledge and experience you have the more money you will make. And with the right attitude and the right skills anyone can become a successful gambler without getting sucked in. Not everyone who gambles ends up bankrupt, those are just the ones we hear most about – the important thing is never to bet more than you can afford to lose. Stick to that simple rule and you could make a nice bit of extra cash gambling, learn loads and have a great time while you’re at it. | 2,116 | 1,094 | 1.934186 |
warc | 201704 | Like most Americans, I watched the news of the Egyptian revolution with interest. I greeted it with almost a sense of disbelief. The last time I remember feeling so moved was when the Berlin Wall fell in 1989. I was a student at Westminster at the time, and remember talking about the meaning and gravity of the act with my professors and classmates.
As an adult, I viewed the Egyptian revolution with the same awe and interest, but I didn't have the outlet of my classes and professors available for discussion. Instead, I turned to passively watching the news, reading blogs and trying to absorb as much information as I could. However, I continue to feel as though I'm missing something. There is simply no substitute for intellectually stimulating conversation in an academic setting. I learned through reading blogs that the revolution was led by young people, organized and promoted on social media, and had a lot to do with unemployment levels among the highly educated. As a person who regularly works with recent graduates, many of whom are entering the work force during a recession, these events make me worry even more about their future. How can we, as Westminster alumni, create a stronger alumni network - one that doesn't leave our recent graduates worrying about the future and feeling ostracized and neglected by those who have come before them? If there were ever a time to be involved in alumni organizations, I believe that it is now. Opening up your own networks, providing job counseling and expertise, mentoring a student or even taking them to lunch one time is an immensely important way to ensure the vitality of our future. It is more important than ever to connect with one another. In the alumni program, we are looking for your ideas, your willingness to commit to building relationships with each other, your desire to create that alumni network. It is through the interconnectedness that we will maintain our strength! Are you willing to help? | 1,979 | 1,017 | 1.945919 |
warc | 201704 | Most people live much of their productive lives in formal groups. Inner leaders need to know as much as they can about how to make successful work groups, for this is the place where they spend most of their productive time. The continuing task is to create a unified work group and then nurture its values and customs among all stakeholders. The objective is to make a unified community reflective of the leader’s goals and to relate followers to the community’s goals. In doing this, inner leaders build a unique work community culture, different in real ways from the overarching corporate culture, to help differentiate and set apart their core of coworkers from all other subgroups. Without this community-building, values-based relationships that recognize and honor the whole person of both leader and led do not happen.
The word,
community comes from the Latin root meaning “with unity.” Work communities are a kind of social entity that operates out of shared values and beliefs, a common vision, and known patterns of behavior. The inner leader’s task is to build workplace community. No work community—no society—can function well unless most members behave most of the time because they voluntarily heed the moral commitments and social responsibilities (Etzioni, 1993) laid out by the communities in which they hold membership. If member actions are not consistent with these cultural constraints, the work community may run into trouble. Giving people power—empowering them— is a good idea, but the power to do something without a unifying focus leads to chaos. Inner leaders must couple empowering followers with community building to make progress toward their personal goals.
Many of the most important choices people make—choices that make life happy or sad—are not individual choices, but group ones. Most of the important, meaningful outcomes in life cannot be attained alone. People need other people to help them become their best selves. Leadership focused on the whole person of all stakeholders—their values, aspirations, goals, and customs—is not an option in today’s world (Pinchot and Pinchot, 1994), it is a requirement. Hence the need for community structures.
Most people relate more to their work or work-community relationships than they do to any other social grouping, with the possible exception of the family. They value their corporate citizenship sometimes more than they do their associations in any other community of interest. The work community influences how they act, what they value, how they measure themselves and their actions. It gives definition to their feelings about whom they care about and how they care about their coworkers, the level of personal growth they aspire to, their level of competency, and their happiness. Given the power of the work community, inner leaders shape, strengthen, and use the work-community culture; and they define new culturally appropriate ceremonies and rituals that bring people together to form unities around their vision. Controlling—leading— the corporate culture becomes the central inner leader’s task. This is, at heart, a value-displacement activity.
The work community’s culture is a powerful force guiding member behavior. It consists of the pattern of basic assumptions about which group members agree. It determines work practices and validates those practices. The community culture determines the basis for measuring individual member success. It includes both historical precedent and present experience and defines future behavioral expectations (Bjerke, 1999). Cultural features determine not only the ways workers solve problems, but also what is considered a problem in the first place. It defines the essential—spiritual—nature and character of the work community and, by extension, of its individual members. Absent broad agreement on legitimate behavior and the values used to measure interaction within the group, members are free to follow divergent paths. Taken to the extreme, the absence of a controlling culture spells chaos, and the community itself disappears.
Each work community has a culture of its own shaped by the inner leader or by chance. The values array inner leaders foster in the group is the single most critical factor in determining their success (Fiedler, 1974). Their set of values determines who leaders are, what they do, and how they do it. The inner leader’s values set also conditions work-community member actions, beliefs, and behavior and is the nucleus of any work culture developed (Schein, 1985). It constitutes the core values held by the group, that is, it defines the group’s and individual member’s work essence, their collective spirit. These leader-set cultures provide meaning, direction, and necessary social energy to move the work community to productive action (or destruction). So important are the leader’s values and the work culture that they delimit that unless the cultural context of the group is compatible (or is made compatible by the leader), inner leadership is impossible.
No coherent, cooperative action is possible where common agreement—at least implicitly—in a knowable culture is lacking. Creating and maintaining a culture conducive to attainment of the leader’s core goals for him or her self and the group is the hallmark of inner leadership. Seen in this light, inner leaders lead from their core spiritual nature. They develop group cultures that incorporate their personal values and practices (Peters and Waterman, 1982).
The task for inner leadership in the twenty-first century is transforming (McMillen, 1993) the workplace into a viable, attractive work community capable of attracting workers with needed skills and talents. Building inviting workplace communities is critical. As inner leaders create work communities they effectively counter current tendencies toward worker disaffection. A sense of community invigorates member’s lives with a sense of purpose (Carson, 2001) and a feeling of belonging to an integrated group doing something worthwhile.
Work communities operate out of a shared belief and values system that the inner leader creates. The present resurgence of interest in flexibility, cultural inclusiveness, and full acceptance of difference in individual group members is antithetical to community—and to leadership itself (Fairholm, 1994). While emotionally attractive, endorsement of all diverse values, customs, and behavior of followers is operationally toxic. Rather, successful inner leaders build group relationships, not just membership. They create corporate spirit, a force that honors high performance, compassion, empathy for others, and individual contributions while also building wholeness in both individuals and the community per se. Building community drives out factions and factionalism.
Community is a powerful force. It directs the life of members both as individuals and in their relationships with coworkers. The work community acts as an emotional filter that can block acceptance of alternative cultures—even the parent corporate culture. A work community’s values can isolate the individual members from other cultural associations. It is critical that these values can also unite individuals into strong coalitions of mutually interdependent teams. The key to attaining this latter result is the nature and the strength of the community the inner leader builds. Some of the main factors in community building are discussed in the following sections.
Inner leaders create teams and committees within their work community to consider process-improvement changes or other enhancements to help the community be more productive and a more unified, cohesive group. Teams are subordinate work groups characterized by members who are interdependent, similarly motivated, and have an attitude fostering continuous improvement. Teams have initiative, accept feelings and attitudes as legitimate, are able to diagnose relationships, are willing to risk trying new ways to work together, and can see tangible results of their effort. A team is a group of people in which individual members share a common purpose and the work done by each interdependent person contributes something needed to the whole. A team is a unified, cohesive group.
Team members function together in a culture of understanding of self and others and high communication and performance. Team relationships are another value-orientation often associated with work community cultures within which inner leadership can flourish. Team building conforms fully to the values inherent in the inner-leader model. Historically, team building can trace its origins to the special techniques of Organizational Development (OD), a training regimen popular in the 1950s, 1960s, and 1970s that uses concepts from sociology and psychology to sensitize people to the values and feelings dimensions of interpersonal relationships.
Belonging to a work community brings a sense of belonging, and more. It connotes a sense of coownership. Inner leaders strive to make all work-community members feel that they share fully in the overall responsibility for the group— for its success, its purposes, its processes, its leadership. When followers feel ownership, they feel they are, in part at least, in control of their work situation. Ownership is another way to describe commitment, but it goes beyond commitment and adds a personal feeling of proprietorship. “Owners” typically perform at a higher level of quality than do workers, who see themselves as merely employees or, worse yet, subordinates.
Ownership implies involvement in the work community and its survival and growth. Owners make decisions that affect their lives and their work communities. Ownership implies autonomy. Owners become more than workers— they pledge themselves to the work community, its work, and its success. The effect of the inner leader’s work of inducing followers to feel ownership is that followers come to think they are working for themselves. They will do better work, more work, and higher quality work because they see the task in personal ownership terms. They have to deliver because they are free to do the work their own way. | 10,396 | 4,279 | 2.42954 |
warc | 201704 | When the purpose gets too broad, it gets confused with the
subject. Keep these two separate and you're well on your way to focusing your talk. You may have to speak on "Corporate Leadership in the 21st Century"; if you think of that as the purpose of your talk, any panic is justified. A topic like that is just a broad subject; your purpose is to make a specific point about leadership—maybe even in a specific company—through examples, anecdotes, and various facts. So tackle some key trees, not the whole forest. Your purpose in such a speech could be to inform the audience of the skills necessary to achieve leadership in a corporation. Or it could be to convince people to start preparing now for changing leadership roles in the 21st century. The possibilities in the subject are vast, so you must be very clear and specific about your purpose.
The more focused and specific your talk, the better your chances that some words will resonate. Speak vividly about the leadership of one person, and your audience can glean much about leadership in general. Let people make the leap from the specific to the general, while you continue to be vivid. Broad subjects can be wonderful assignments if you give them a narrow—and therefore memorable—purpose and focus.
Always ask yourself how the purpose of your talk relates to your audience's interests. Knowing your audience is the only way to understand its attitudes and anticipate its objections. A dentist addressing a group of parents would talk about preventing tooth decay in their children, not about the latest equipment installed in his office. Study those in your audience; think of their needs. You must link the beliefs you are trying to impart with their existing concerns. Chapter 9 ("Not Meeting the Real Needs of Your Audience") goes into this crucial analysis in detail. | 1,865 | 954 | 1.954927 |
warc | 201704 | The single most important freedom in any free society is freedom of speech. There is a reason it ranks, along with freedom from a state religion, as the first among the freedoms set forth in the Bill of Rights. As George Washington said, "If the freedom of speech is taken away then dumb and silent we may be led, like sheep to the slaughter." But the goal of socialism is not a free society. Its goal is to take power, destroy the foundiations of traditional society, and remake it under government's watchful eye to redistribute wealth and enforce a radical view of social equality. That view of equality comes straight from the pages of Marx's Communist Manifesto where he set forth his incredibly superficial and destructive supposition that all society can be classed as either victim or victimizer. The threats to socialism's goals are freedom of speech and Christianity, since it is judeo-christian values that define Western Civilization. Thus, attacks on freedom of speech and Christianity using the police powers of the state to control opinion and punish dissenting views are the norm - and indeed, have been hallmarks of socialism - since it was birthed in the French Revolution. We see this at work in America, though it is still relatively limited, largely because of our Constitutional protections. Hate crimes legislation now makes some thought more culpable than others. Some are using anti-discrimination laws to attack speech and religion, such as New Mexico's Human Rights Commission that some months ago fined a Christian photographer who refused to accept the business of a gay couple that asked him to film their wedding. It is now threatening to move mainstream with the radical left in charge for the first time. For instance, we are faced with the obscenity of the socialist left arguing for the criminalization of their policy differences with the Bush administration. In Britain, which has embraced socialism since electing Clement Atlee at the end of WWII, socialism is thoroughly ingrained in British political culture. The majority of once rightfully proud Brits sit quiet, sipping their tea but having no tea parties. The socialist left are much further along, across the pond, in wars against freedom of speech and Christianity. For a truly depressing glimpse at this in Hal Colbatch's article in the Austrailan last week:
BRITAIN appears to be evolving into the first modern soft totalitarian state. As a sometime teacher of political science and international law, I do not use the term totalitarian loosely.
There are no concentration camps or gulags but there are thought police with unprecedented powers to dictate ways of thinking and sniff out heresy, and there can be harsh punishments for dissent. Nikolai Bukharin claimed one of the Bolshevik Revolution's principal tasks was "to alter people's actual psychology". Britain is not Bolshevik, but a campaign to alter people's psychology and create a new Homo britannicus is under way without even a fig leaf of disguise. The Government is pushing ahead with legislation that will criminalise politically incorrect jokes, with a maximum punishment of up to seven years' prison. The House of Lords tried to insert a free-speech amendment, but Justice Secretary Jack Straw knocked it out. It was Straw who previously called for a redefinition of Englishness and suggested the "global baggage of empire" was linked to soccer violence by "racist and xenophobic white males". He claimed the English "propensity for violence" was used to subjugate Ireland, Scotland and Wales, and that the English as a race were "potentially very aggressive". In the past 10 years I have collected reports of many instances of draconian punishments, including the arrest and criminal prosecution of children, for thought-crimes and offences against political correctness. Countryside Restoration Trust chairman and columnist Robin Page said at a rally against the Government's anti-hunting laws in Gloucestershire in 2002: "If you are a black vegetarian Muslim asylum-seeking one-legged lesbian lorry driver, I want the same rights as you." Page was arrested, and after four months he received a letter saying no charges would be pressed, but that: "If further evidence comes to our attention whereby your involvement is implicated, we will seek to initiate proceedings." It took him five years to clear his name. . . . A 10-year-old child was arrested and brought before a judge, for having allegedly called an 11-year-old boya "Paki" and "bin Laden" during a playground argument at a primary school (the other boy had called him a skunk and a Teletubby). When it reached the court the case had cost taxpayers pound stg. 25,000. The accused was so distressed that he had stopped attending school. The judge, Jonathan Finestein, said: "Have we really got to the stage where we are prosecuting 10-year-old boys because of political correctness? There are major crimes out there and the police don't bother to prosecute. This is nonsense." . . . A bishop was warned by the police for not having done enough to "celebrate diversity", the enforcing of which is now apparently a police function. A Christian home for retired clergy and religious workers lost a grant because it would not reveal to official snoopers how many of the residents were homosexual. That they had never been asked was taken as evidence of homophobia. . . . There have been innumerable cases in recent months of people in schools, hospitals and other institutions losing their jobs because of various religious scruples, often, as in the East Germany of yore, not shouted fanatically from the rooftops but betrayed in private conversations and reported to authorities. The crime of one nurse was to offer to pray for a patient, who did not complain but merely mentioned the matter to another nurse. A primary school receptionist, Jennie Cain, whose five-year-old daughter was told off for talking about Jesus in class, faces the sack for seeking support from her church. A private email from her to other members of the church asking for prayers fell into the hands of school authorities. Permissiveness as well as draconianism can be deployed to destroy socially accepted norms and values. The Royal Navy, for instance, has installed a satanist chapel in a warship to accommodate the proclivities of a satanist crew member. "What would Nelson have said?" is a British newspaper cliche about navy scandals, but in this case seems a legitimate question. Satanist paraphernalia is also supplied to prison inmates who need it. This campaign seems to come from unelected or quasi-governmental bodies controlling various institutions, which are more or less unanswerable to electors, more than it does directly from the Government, although the Government helps drive it and condones it in a fudged and deniable manner. Any one of these incidents might be dismissed as an aberration, but taken together - and I have only mentioned a tiny sample; more are reported almost every day - they add up to a pretty clear picture.
Read the entire article. Sheep to the slaughter indeed. | 7,141 | 3,458 | 2.065067 |
warc | 201704 | First-time tax professionals are expected to do anything from preparing tax documents to advising on tax liability and laws to submitting tax forms for their clients. Most tax professionals must be a certified public accountant, but other certifications are available to help specialize skill sets.
Tax Accountant
As of 2011, the Bureau of Labor Statistics reports accountants and auditors earn a mean wage of $70,000 per year. This salary, however, includes all accountants and auditors. In 2012, first-time corporate tax accountants are likely to earn $42,000 to $51,000 at midsize companies and $43,000 to $54,000 at larger ones, reports Robert Half Finance & Accounting, the nation’s largest financial recruitment firm. This is an increase of almost 4 percent over last year.
Tax Service Professional
In 2012, first-time public tax service professionals, who prepare tax documents for individuals, small businesses, estates and trusts, earn $43,000 to $52,000 at small firms. Those at midsize firms earn $45,000 to $57,000 and those at large ones earn $52,000 to $64,000. This is an increase of just over 3 percent compared to last year. If, however, you have a graduate degree or a professional certification, such as Accredited Tax Advisor (ATA) or Accredited Tax Preparer (ATP), you can earn an additional 5 to 10 percent in wages.
Auditors
First-time auditors, who determine tax liability, examine tax returns and advise on tax laws and regulations, often earn salaries based on the size of the firm. Auditors at small firms make an average salary of $43,000 to $52,000, those at midsize firms make $45,000 to $57,000 and those at larger firms make $52,000 to $63,000, reports Robert Half Finance & Accounting. In line with tax service professionals, this is an increase of just over 3 percent compared to 2011. Graduate degrees and other professional certifications, such as Certified Bank Auditor (CBA) or Certified Financial Service Auditor, can earn you an additional 5 to 10 percent per year — even in an entry-level role.
Job Outlook
In light of the recent financial crises and corporate scandals, the Bureau of Labor Statistics predicts a 16 percent growth in employment for accountants and auditors, including those specializing in tax preparation, tax liability and tax laws, from 2010 to 2020. This is faster than the average increase for all national occupations. Any tax professional with a professional certification or master’s degree in business or accounting are expected to have the most opportunities for employment.
Photo Credits Creatas/Creatas/Getty Images | 2,611 | 1,132 | 2.306537 |
warc | 201704 | The strong emphasis on patient involvement, national standards and partnership as the key drivers in delivering better health care and services for patients in Scotland, was welcomed by ABPI Scotland today in its response to the publication of Partnership for Care, Scotland’s Health White Paper.
“The pharmaceutical industry already works closely with the NHS to deliver the modern medicines patients need and to help relieve the burden of ill health in Scotland, said Jim Eadie, Director of ABPI Scotland.
“It is hoped that the new Unified NHS boards will promote health improvement and prevention and allow wider access to modern treatments, based on clear clinical evidence. We also support the concept of patients having more information about their condition and their treatment and welcome the Patient Information Initiative.”
The White Paper’s emphasis on improving clinical quality is also welcomed and the pharmaceutical industry looks forward to working with the Scottish Executive in the development of the new research strategy recognising the evidence base for new medicines is of the highest standard.
For further information, please contact: ABPI Press Office 020 7747 1410 | 1,220 | 655 | 1.862595 |
warc | 201704 | A guide to medicines and health, produced by a partnership of health professionals, patient organisations, the NHS, Government and the pharmaceutical industry, is now available for patients. The Health & Medicines information guide & directory 2004 provides advice on where to find health information, including tips on asking questions and topics that patients might want to cover in a discussion.
The booklet is just one of the activities associated with Ask About Medicines Week 2004 (November 1-6) and recognises that the pharmaceutical industry regularly provides high-quality, non-promotional information on medical conditions, treatment options and medicines.
The booklet will be distributed to GP surgeries, retail chemists and hospital outpatients departments throughout the UK.
"There is an enormous amount of information about health and medicines available, but it is not always easy to know how and where to start looking for reliable information," said ABPI Director General, Dr Richard Barker
"We are delighted to improve on last year's directory by providing this booklet alongside a fully searchable online version. This venture seeks to help patients find out more about their health and the various treatments that can help them, including medicines,"
"Patients deserve to have the best possible quality information about medicines and this directory shows that the pharmaceutical industry has an important role to play in providing this".
The Health & Medicines Information Guide & Directory 2004 is available online from www.askaboutmedicines.org
For further information, please contact: ABPI Press Office 020 7747 1410 | 1,655 | 837 | 1.9773 |
warc | 201704 | Merck Sharp & Dohme (MSD) Ltd has been suspended from membership of the Association of the British Pharmaceutical Industry (ABPI) for a minimum of three months in connection with serious breaches of the ABPI Code of Practice, it was announced today.
The action has been taken with regard to a complaint about a number of activities held to be in breach of the code including Clause 2 which deals with actions likely to bring discredit on, or reduce confidence in, the pharmaceutical industry.
The activities were all dealt with under the new version of the code's constitution and procedure which came into force in January this year. Details of the suspension and the reasons for it will be advertised in medical and pharmaceutical press, as provided for under the new procedure. Full details of the case can be viewed at www.pmcpa.org.uk, case reference AUTH 1814/3/06.
The suspension was decided upon by the ABPI Board of Management, although it recognised that MSD had fully accepted responsibility for the matters giving rise to the complaint and that management was taking action to ensure there was no repeat.
"The highest possible ethical standards are required by the pharmaceutical industry in all its relationships with healthcare professionals and other stakeholders. Breaches of the code are viewed in the most serious possible light, and this is reflected in the suspension," said Nigel Brooksby, President of the ABPI.
"However, it is reassuring to note that MSD also recognises the seriousness of the breaches, and is taking action to prevent their recurrence."
The complaint was made by a former MSD sales representative who complained about the process by which a nurse audit disease management programme was offered by the company to GPs. The Panel of the Prescription Medicines Code of Practice Authority (PMCPA) - an arm's-length body that administers the ABPI Code of Practice - found that internal company documentation clearly linked the service to the promotion of an individual medicine and that the arrangements were "totally unacceptable".
Because of the serious nature of the case, the panel reported MSD to the PMCPA Appeal Board which required an audit of MSD's procedures, a corrective statement and a public reprimand. The appeal board also referred the case to the ABPI Board of Management which decided to suspend MSD from membership for a minimum of three months, starting on October 2, after which time the situation would be reassessed.
For further information, please contact: ABPI Press Office 020 7747 1410 | 2,563 | 1,289 | 1.988363 |
warc | 201704 | We have today published guidance on the use of Real World data to help industry demonstrate value and provide important medicine response information on under-represented groups of patients.
In the above video Allison Jeynes-Ellis, Medical and Innovation Director at the ABPI and Kate Peperell, Director pH Associates Ltd, talk about the new Real World data guidance document.
Amongst other things, the guide shows how to generate robust Real World data; discusses what the internal considerations for undertaking such projects are; and provides a practical checklist.
Allison Jeynes-Ellis, Medical and Innovation Director, ABPI
Kate Peperell, Director, pH Associates Ltd
Hi I’m Allison Jeynes-Ellis, Medical and Innovation Director, ABPI. Over the last couple of years the ABPI Innovation Board has been focusing on key campaigns, looking at the research and development lifecycle and seeing areas where we strongly believe the UK could have a competitive edge or indeed be a world leader. The campaign I’m talking about today is Real World Data, as we launch our Real World Data Guidance document.
So what is real world data? What we’re talking about is the use of a medicine in its normal clinical setting outside of a randomised clinical trial. Why is this important and who is it important to? It’s important clearly to the patient themselves, to the doctor, to the payer, the regulator and the NHS. As the NHS embarks on the white paper looking at outcomes and quality then again real world evidence is going to be crucial for success in this area. As we embark on value-based pricing, again, evidence from real world data will be used to make decisions about how innovative new medicines are used and given to patients. Therefore at this point I’d like to hand over to Kate Peperell, who was the lead on the campaign and can tell you much more about what’s actually in the guidance document.
Hi, I’m Kate Peperell and I’ve responsible for leading the Real World Data campaign on behalf of the ABPI. As Allison says, real world data is data on what’s happening every day in normal clinical practice, this is data that’s been collected without any change in treatment, randomisation or any additional procedures or diagnostics. This therefore reflects what’s happening in normal clinical practice outside of a clinical trial. It can include data on treatment pathways, NHS resource use, models of service delivery or real patient or clinical outcomes. It can be captured for a variety of reasons: to improve the evidence base for technology assessment, to capture early clinical experience or more formally evaluate NHS joint working projects.
However, the challenge for all of us working in this area is that whilst there are clear definitions and regulations around randomised control clinical trials, real world data, non-interventional data, falls outside of these. Real world data is used as a term loosely, and there is no single clear directive, such as the EU directive that covers the regulations around it. With its increasing importance it’s absolutely critical that the industry generate quality, robust data, and to this end the guide is there to try and support this need.
This guide has been written for those who may simply need a reference guide, such as colleagues in regulatory, legal and governance roles, but also as a real practical how-to guide for those charged with design and implementation. Its main purpose is to provide clarity about what is meant by real-world data, how it can be used and some of the practical issues that arise when undertaking real world projects. It discusses key issues such as patient consent, the need for ethics and R&D approvals, all complicated practical issues that face us all. We’ve tried to keep it really practical with simple tips on how to generate this type of data, ending with a checklist as an aide-memoir to those engaged with data collection at the coal-face.
We hope you will use the guidance document, will find it useful and relevant and within your organisation you’ll ensure that real world data studies are placed within the UK so that we will indeed become a world leader in this area.
For more information visit www.abpi.org.uk | 4,293 | 1,894 | 2.266631 |
warc | 201704 | The Times (Monday 17th October) reported an item from Accountants UHY Hacker Young. (Sorry, I couldn't find an online link!)
The article mentioned that HMRC recovered an additional £600million in APD (Air Passenger Duty) last year, compared to £16million the year before. Hacker Young described the legislation as 'labyrinthine.'
Back in the early 70s, the promise was that VAT would be a simple tax. Nearly 40 years on, labyrinthine is a much better description! Other taxes are similarly complex. Frequently I come across small businesses with complex VAT issues. Often, it proves expensive to find comprehensive solutions. Some taxpayers prefer to take the risk, rather than engage a professional adviser.
Personally, I cannot see VAT becoming more simple. One the one hand, I don't mind, as it is my job to advise on VAT! On the other hand more smaller businesses are being affected by these labyrinthine rules, and that is expensive. | 953 | 586 | 1.62628 |
warc | 201704 | Cholesterol headache
23 Aug 2013 Cholesterol is a type of fat, or lipid, which is important for a variety of functions in your speech, trouble seeing or walking, or severe headache 26 Jul 2010 Although some people on some websites can create a scenario in which high cholesterol can cause headaches (reduced blood blows to brain)
10 Oct 2008 I am 36 years old and I felt dizziness and severe headache while My blood pressure is 13090 mmHg and cholesterol level is high i.e. 253
3 Jan 2013 Cholesterol is a waxy white substance that can be found in every cell of Migraine is a recurrent headache attacks are usually felt on one side 30 Mar 2009 Because if you substitute cholesterol for headache and low-fat diet for hammer , I could be an influential health writer for the New York Times 14 Nov 2014 Your body makes its own cholesterol but you also get it from the foods you Gas Dizziness Constipation Headache Diarrhea Upset stomach
High Cholesterol - HealthGrades
Hypercholesterolemia, or high cholesterol, occurs when there is too much . upset (which usually subsides in a few weeks), headache, dizziness, blurred vision, Although our bodies manufacture some of the cholesterol that we need, other Symptoms of a headache can begin in different locations of the head and neck
cause severe headaches High cholesterol has no symptoms such as severe headaches. Learn more from our experts about cholesterol and headaches 6 Sep 2013 Although high cholesterol might not cause these symptoms itself, it is Aside from dizziness and a headache for no apparent reason, you also | 1,578 | 829 | 1.903498 |
warc | 201704 | Reproducing moving virtual sound sources has been addressed in number of spatial audio studies. The trajectories of moving sources are relatively oversampled if they are sampled in temporal domain, as this leads to inefficiency in computing the time delay and amplitude attenuation due to sound propagation. In this paper, methods for trajectory sampling are proposed that use the spatial property of the movement and the spectral property of the received signal. These methods reduce the number of sampled positions and reduce the computational complexity. Listening tests were performed to determine the appropriate downsampling rate which depends not only on the trajectory but on the frequency content of the source signal.
http://www.aes.org/e-lib/browse.cfm?elib=15377
Click to purchase paper as a non-member or login as an AES member. If your company or school subscribes to the E-Library then switch to the institutional version. If you are not an AES member and would like to subscribe to the E-Library then Join the AES!
This paper costs $33 for non-members and is free for AES members and E-Library subscribers. | 1,127 | 606 | 1.859736 |
warc | 201704 | The general insurance industry believes Treasurer
In a letter to the government on March 28 on behalf of the Council of Financial Regulators, Reserve Bank of Australia governor
A levy of 0.05 per cent on deposits of up to $250,000 was announced by the government last week.
“At some point in the near future, the Council [of Financial Regulators] believes that consideration should also be given to extending ex-ante funding arrangements to the policyholder compensation facility that applies to general insurers," Mr Stevens said.
However, insurance industry sources on Tuesday said Mr Bowen’s office had privately briefed insurers that it had no plans to impose the charge on insurers. A government source confirmed there were no plans to extend the levy to insurers.
Australia’s fourth biggest general insurer, Allianz Australia, rejected the proposal by regulators to impose a levy on insurers for the government’s protection of policyholders, arguing insurers were different to banks.
Allianz said a “run" on a bank could not happen to an insurer.
“Unlike a bank deposit, the mere existence of an insurance policy does not create a liability against an insurer," Allianz spokesman Nicholas Scofield said. “A policyholder still needs to have suffered a loss resulting in a claim, and the occurrence of such claims will generally be unrelated to the timing of an insurer’s collapse."
Policyholders already overtaxed, say insurers
Under the financial claims scheme (FCS), the government will compensate general insurance policyholders with valid claims against a failed general insurer.
The government initially provides the funds to make payments under the FCS.
Monies paid under the FCS are then recovered from the insurer in the winding-up process.
There is provision to make up any shortfall by applying a levy on the general insurance sector.
Life insurance is not eligible for a bailout. The Howard government funded a limited bailout of failed insurer HIH in 2001.
Richard Enthoven, managing director of small insurer Hollard Australia, agreed with the Insurance Council of Australia (ICA).
“We support the ICA’s view that the differences between the business models for insurance and banking means that there isn’t the same rationale for considering pre-funding reserves from which claims upon a failed insurer could be paid," he said.
Allianz said should insurance policyholders ever need to be compensated, an ex-post levy should be used.
“Policyholders already face a raft of taxes and levies, on top of higher prices driven by recent record numbers of natural disasters. The last thing they need is another unnecessary levy to build up a fund of money that may never be needed."
The Australian Financial Review | 2,810 | 1,341 | 2.095451 |
warc | 201704 | The Scottish Welfare Fund is a discretionary scheme which aims to help people who are experiencing a crisis or who need support to live independently in the community.
Local councils administer the fund according to Scottish Government legislation and guidance; the Scottish Welfare Fund can make crisis grants, or community care grants, and these do not have to be repaid.
There are some differences in how the fund works locally: some councils may offer a grant for a specific item, whereas other may offer assistance in kind (such as vouchers for food or a store card).
What does the fund provide?
The Scottish Welfare Fund is made up of two separate grants – a crisis grant and community care grant.
A community care grant aims to help with the costs that are involved to remain as independent as possible at home and prevent the need to for institutional care.
A crisis grant is intended to act as a safety net in a disaster or emergency, when there is an immediate threat to health and safety.
How does the council decide who gets help?
If you are on a low income and have no other way to pay for what you need, the fund may be able to help you. The council will need to look at:
Eligibility for the grant - This involves a number of checks including your identity, how much savings you have and whether you have applied to the fund before.
Qualifying conditions - They will look at whether your personal circumstances meet the qualifying conditions for the grant.
Priority - Your application will be given high, medium or low priority. This will depend on the nature of the problem that you have and the severity of your need.
Budget - Depending on the demand for the fund, the decision maker has to decide whether the budget can be used for high, medium or low priority applications.
The fund cannot help with some problems, such as paying off debts.
How do you apply?
Your council may let you apply by post, face to face, over the phone, online or by downloading and posting a form. To find out how you can apply to your council, see the Scottish Government guidance on this.
If you need help to fill out the form and make a claim you can ask an independent advice service, such as your local Citizens Advice Bureau. Someone else can apply on your behalf if they have your permission to do so.
Call the Age Scotland helpline (0800 12 44 222) for advice about your individual situation. Our advisers can give you more information about the fund and check if you may be entitled to other benefits too.
Further information
For more in depth information, see Age Scotland’s guide to the The Scottish Welfare Fund. | 2,649 | 1,272 | 2.082547 |
warc | 201704 | When you access your online credit report, you should have an idea of what you are looking at. Many individuals spend their hard earned dollars to see their online credit score, but it doesn’t help them because they are either confused by some of the terms or they aren’t looking at the correct report. In short, there are a few things you should be on the lookout for when accessing your credit rating report.
What do I need to know when I get my credit report online?
You must be on the lookout for faulty reports online that will try to trick or mislead you. When you pay top dollar for a credit report, you need to make sure you are seeing the official FICO score down at the bottom of that report. When you get a copy of your credit report, you want it to be the official FICO credit report. Depending upon which one of the major credit reporting agencies you are using, the name of this report will be different.
When you get a free instant credit report from Experian, you should be receiving the Experian/Fair Isaac Risk Model credit report. When you get a report from Equifax, it is called the Beacon score Equifax credit report. Trans Union is somewhat different in that they have three different names for their credit reports. It will either be called the Empiria Report, FICO Risk Score report, or the Classic. If you choose to go with merged credit reports from all three of these companies, then you can sometimes miss out on having all of these scores at your disposal.
Beware of Special Online Credit Report Offers
Many of the companies who offer deals on their online credit reports are simply looking to pull you into some other kind of offer. Often times, these companies will offer free access to your online business credit report or your personal credit report if you agree to sign up for their monitoring »” rel=”nofollow”>credit monitoring service. Though this might sound like a good deal on the surface, the credit monitoring can cost you in the long run. It is an effective way to monitor your credit, but simply checking your online credit report on occasion is a much more cost effective way to circumvent any problems before they happen.
Online Credit Report Scams are everywhere
Each and every month, more scams pop up in which people try to use your sensitive personal information for fraudulent purposes. Be aware of companies out there that are posing as credit repair companies or a credit counseling agency.
If they make promises that seem a little bit out of the ordinary to you, then there is a good chance they are pulling a scam. Watch out for emails that look suspicious or websites that you do not recognize. As a general rule, be very careful who you give your personal information out to. These people will lure you in with promises of cheap online credit reports if you are not careful.
Myfico.com
If you are looking for a reputable place to get your hands on your credit report, check out Myfico.com. They provide online credit reports that include all of the pertinent information that you should be looking for. You will have a chance to view your official FICO score from each of the credit reporting agencies, as well as all of the current information that each of the three bureaus has on you. You have access to all of that for just $45. | 3,356 | 1,470 | 2.282993 |
warc | 201704 | The New York Times reports that a growing number of college young women are aiming for full-time motherhood as a major career aspiration. This is big news in itself, but the fact that the report appears in The New York Times makes this development all the more interesting.
Consider this:
At Yale and other top colleges, women are being groomed to take their place in an ever more diverse professional elite. It is almost taken for granted that, just as they make up half the students at these institutions, they will move into leadership roles on an equal basis with their male classmates. There is just one problem with this scenario: many of these women say that is not what they want. Many women at the nation’s most elite colleges say they have already decided that they will put aside their careers in favor of raising children. Though some of these students are not planning to have children and some hope to have a family and work full time, many others, like Ms. [Cynthia] Liu, say they will happily play a traditional female role, with motherhood their main commitment. Much attention has been focused on career women who leave the work force to rear children. What seems to be changing is that while many women in college two or three decades ago expected to have full-time careers, their daughters, while still in college, say they have already decided to suspend or end their careers when they have children.
In effect, these young women are launching a counter-revolution to the trends of the last four decades. This article represents a witness to the enduring power of motherhood, not just as a matter of emotion and sentiment, but as a calling and a passion.
Now, if only this generation of young men would get equally serious about marriage and family.
R. Albert Mohler Jr. I am always glad to hear from readers. Write me at mail@albertmohler.com Follow regular updates on Twitter at twitter.com/albertmohler Get email updates and alerts. Unsubscribe at any time. | 1,993 | 1,017 | 1.959685 |
warc | 201704 | CB
The Alfa Laval CB range of brazed plate heat exchangers feature efficient heat transfer with an extremely small footprint, making them ideal for demanding installations where space is at a premium. The CB range is used in HVAC heating/cooling, refrigeration, process heating/cooling, oil cooling, solar heating and many other applications.
Product leaflets Product brochures Instructions and Manuals
The thin, corrugated stainless steel plates used in the CB design are brazed together with copper. This forms a self-contained unit that can handle both high pressures and high temperatures. And unlike traditional designs, the brazed plate heat exchanger consists solely of surfaces that actively contribute to heat transfer, resulting in significant increases in overall efficiency.
The CB range of brazed plate heat exchangers has numerous advantages over traditional heat exchangers in both industrial, HVAC and refrigeration installations. The exceptional heat transfer efficiency makes all CB units very compact. As a result, they can tackle large-capacity duties even though there is only limited installation space available.
The brazed construction also does away with gaskets, making CB units ideal in applications where temperatures and/or pressures are high. Examples include district heating and a wide range of heating, cooling and tap water solutions.
Alfa Laval is the world's leading manufacturer of brazed plate heat exchangers. This means solid experience in designing units that withstand high-pressure and high-temperature conditions, and in coping effectively with the structural stresses that results from these. Units in the CB range are available in many different sizes and capacities, with varying plate patterns and connections for particular duties and performance specifications. CB units can be configured as single-pass, dual-pass or multi-pass installations, according to project requirements.
All CB brazed heat exchanger units comply with the European Pressure Vessel Safety Directive, and can also be delivered according to other relevant standards and national codes, as required.
How it works
In Copper Brazed (CB) heat exchangers, the surfaces used to provide heat transfer from one medium to the other are thin, corrugated stainless steel plates stacked on top of each other. The two media are sealed within the plate pack by a brazed copper seal around the edge of the plates. This results in a heat exchanger that – unlike traditional designs – consists solely of surfaces which actively contribute to heat transfer, resulting in significant increases in overall efficiency.
The channels formed between the plates and corner ports are arranged so that the media flow through alternate channels – always in a counter-current flow pattern in order to achieve the most efficient heat transfer.
The contact points between the plates are also brazed, helping to withstand the effects of high pressures and high temperatures. Pressure peaks and rapid temperature cause substantial physical stresses within the materials, and Alfa Laval research has focused on the details of these phenomena in order to ensure designs that are extremely resilient and provide a long service life. | 3,245 | 1,412 | 2.298159 |
warc | 201704 | The US Energy Department has said the amount of carbon dixoide emissions has jumped to a new record level.
It has calculated that the world pumped about 512 million metric tonnes more carbon dioxide into the air in 2010 than it did in 2009. That is an increase of around six per cent.
Figures for last year show greenhouse gases are higher than the worst case scenario outlined by climate change experts just four years ago.
The new figures show pollution in the US and China amount for more tnan half of the increases.
Do world leaders need to review their priorities to fight global warming? What can be done? With a pressing economic and financial crisis, will politicians risk losing their posts in order to save the future of their children and grandchildren? And is it a real threat or scaremongering?
Inside Story discusses with guests: Charlie Kronic, a member of the Greenpeace Energy and Climate Team; David Henderson, the former head of the Economics and Statistics Department at OECD and chairman of the Academic Advisory Council of the Global Warming Policy Foundation; and Fred Pearce, an environment consultant and leading contributor to New Scientist magazine.
Source: Al Jazeera | 1,203 | 707 | 1.701556 |
warc | 201704 | A few weeks ago, I had to go pick up a new pair of glasses up in Berkeley. I overfed the parking meter, so decided I’d spend some time poking around the nearby shops on 4th Street for some interesting ‘serviceware’ for this project. I came across this pretty-interesting piece:
I think it’s meant for martinis primarily; the bottom chamber is meant to hold ice water, to keep the martini chilled without diluting it. I’ve seen some Sake decanters that work in a similar way, and think they’re a little bit neat. So I bought it (it was on sale), and it immediately started eating at me what I should do with it.
The first, most-obvious idea was to make a cocktail with it. I liked the idea of filling the bottom chamber with something surprising and interesting. I decided to try making the godfather of Bourbon cocktails: The Old-Fashioned.
When Sarah and I were in Wellington, we had dinner one night at this restaurant around the corner from The Embassy called Cafe Bastille. This place was, once upon a time, my favorite restaurant ever. It changed management and lost its charm quickly, and later was converted to something completely different. Sarah and I had one very memorable date there one night though: Sarah wanted a cocktail, and mentioned aloud “We’re both from Kentucky. We should be good at this bourbon thing. But I have no idea what kind of bourbon cocktail to order.” I was in the same boat. We said as much to our waiter, who immediately brightened at this. “I’ll be right back,” he says. He returned a few minutes later with a large silver platter; atop it were all manner of condiments, bottles, stirring accoutrement, and a big bottle of bourbon. “You want an Old Fashioned. This is, like, the drink that makes or breaks bourbon. If you only every have one bourbon cocktail, this is the one.”
He goes on to explain to us, in elaborate detail, exactly how an Old Fashioned should be made. A napkin placed on top of each rocks glass has a sugar cube placed on top of it. Bitters are poured onto the cube until it’s saturated bright red, but the napkin absorbs the excess. Sugar cube goes into the glass, along with some orange peel and a few ice cubes. Pour some bourbon in, but just a little…”you want to dissolve the sugar in the bourbon, but the ice should chill everything. Too much ice, and you dilute it. You have to be gentle with the ice…too much stirring and it melts too quickly and your drink is watered. So keep adding ice, adding bourbon, stir stir stir, make sure that sugar is all the way dissolved…” He’s a real artisan with it, and Sarah and I absolutely loved the end result.
The fun part of this was ordering Old Fashioneds in bars around town in Wellington. Wellington has some GOOD fucking bars. Motel, Matterhorn, Alice, Hawthorne Lounge…each time we ordered an Old Fashioned at one of these places, the bartenders brightened, cleared off the bar, and set about crafting this drink. It was like a point of pride with them; they’d ignore other orders, meticulously preparing this drink, and they were inevitably delicious. Oftentimes they would grin and say something like “Do you mind if I make it a little differently?”. The Hawthorne bartender liked making his with Sazerac and blood orange bitters; Motel likes Woodford and Peychaud’s instead of Angostura. I totally loved it every time. Now, if I go into a bar and order an Old Fashioned, if the bartender asks what’s in it or has to refer to a book, I backpedal and go with a beer.
So I wanted to make a super-deluxe Old Fashioned, one that would make that waiter at Bastille proud of his legacy. I went to BevMo and pored through their bourbon section. There are some damn fine bourbons to be found in the world: Black Maple Hill, Noah’s River, Pappy Van Winkle 20-year. The thing is, I don’t want to make a cocktail with one of those; they’re too dear and have too much character on their own. Those bourbons I drink neat, or with an ice cube at the most.
A pretty safe bet for Old Fashioneds is Maker’s Mark, but I felt that was too predictable. Woodford Reserve, Knob Creek, Four Roses Small Batch, and Basil Hayden’s (even though that one’s not made in KY) are all great choices, but they weren’t terribly surprising. When Sarah and I were back in KY over Christmas this year, we spontaneously stopped into the Maker’s Mark distillery for a tour and a tasting one afternoon as I was driving her to Lexington from Leitchfield. The tasting is usually, well, pretty predictable, but this time around they told us they’d recently introduced, for the first time ever, a new bourbon to their lineup.
Maker’s 46 has its roots in original Maker’s, so its flavor profile is the same; a small subset of Maker’s Mark that’s been oak-barrel-aged and is ready for bottling is set aside and re-barralled with some charred 1-inch oak staves. Specifically, the staves are French Oak, #46, hence the name. The new Maker’s has much of the sweetness of original Maker’s, but is notably spicier, with heavy notes of cinnamon throughout, higher proof, and in general is a bit ‘musclier’ than the sweeter, caramelier original Maker’s. I liked it when we tasted it at the distillery; it was reminiscent of a rye whiskey, with with bourbon sweetness. I really liked the idea of trying to build up my Old Fashioned around this one.
My friend Arney and I love smoking cigars. For my money, nothing pairs nicer with some bourbon than a nice Davidoff, or my pipe. I love smoking my pipe. I’ve tried only a handful of tobaccos for it, but so far I tend to like sweet, vanilla-heavy moist tobaccos. There’s a great tobacconist around the corner from our current apartment that sold me a “Champagne” blend that’s deliciously sweet. I decided I wanted to try incorporating the tobacco into my drink somehow; the servicepiece lended itself perfectly to this.
At first I tried the obvious route of lighting the tobacco and putting it in the lower chamber, but this was problematic for two reasons. 1) it smelled like smoke; more acrid and bitter than the unlit tobacco. This is fine normally, but Maker’s 46 is smoky on its own, so the lit tobacco didn’t really compliment it as much as it just punched up the overall smoky factor. 2) pipe tobacco is a finicky bitch, and doesn’t stay lit unless you babysit it fiercely (by puffing on the pipe). So I got a whiff of smoke that dissipated quickly; not really what I was after.
The second idea I had was to pour boiling water over it. The steam, I thought, would help release the aromatic oils without the carbony smoke, which would make the whole thing smell really sweet. This worked like gangbusters; pouring boiling water over the tobacco, then plugging the chamber with the top glass caused steam to fill the chamber. When I lifted the glass off a few seconds later, a big waft of steamy, sweet, tobaccoey vapor floated up. It was delicate, and as I held the glass longer, the steam sort of vaporized the area and the smell got more ambient. It was like I was sitting next to an old man with a cane telling me stories on his front porch. I wished it would be a bit punchier, but I feel like this idea is cool nonetheless.
Playing with the tuille for the Pork Belly dish piqued my curiosity about sugar work. It’s another area I don’t know much about, but the Alinea book leverages frequently. I had this idea to make a disc of sugar floating above the bourbon in the glass, so that it had to be cracked like a creme brulee and stirred into the bourbon. I thought this would look cool and add to the interactivity factor.
The Alinea book works with a mishmash of various types of sugars, none of which I knew a ton about. There’s table sugar, glucose, dextrose, isomalt, fondant, sorbitol…all sweet stuff that I didn’t really understand much about. So I hit up Wikipedia and started reading. Here’s what I figured out:
Let’s start with the familiar: table sugar. The swanky term for this is
Sucrose. Sucrose is a disaccharide, which basically just means “made of two other sugars”. It can be broken apart into two monosaccharides, Glucose and Fructose. These two building blocks are simple sugars. Glucose can be found in dry, powdered form, in which case it is generally called Dextrose. The act of breaking Sucrose into Glucose and Fructose is called “inverting” Sucrose, and the resulting broken-apart mixture of Glucose and Fructose is called an “invert sugar syrup” (Glucose and Fructose are also sometimes referred to independently as “inverted sugars” or simply “invert sugar”). Breaking Sucrose apart is pretty simple to do; if you just boil some water and table sugar, you can break apart a modest amount of the Sucrose, giving you a weak invert sugar syrup. If you really want to go balls-out, you can add an acid (citric acid, lemon juice, or cream of tartar all work) in an amount of 1 gram to 500g sugar in water and simmer gently for about 20 minutes to convert nearly all of the sugar. If you don’t feel like doing this yourself, a very prevalent brand name for invert sugar syrup is Trimoline. “ But why,” you may ask, “ should I care about this?” Invert sugars are less prone to crystallization than Sucrose, and are more hygroscopic (they attract and hold moisture more easily). Fructose tastes sweeter than Sucrose, while Glucose tastes less sweet. For these reasons, bakers dig using invert sugars in baked goods to help keep them moist for longer and to better-control sweetness levels. A nice example of a naturally-occurring invert sugar is Honey.
[NOTE: I’ve seen on a few forums and boards discussions of
Karo Light Corn Syrup being ‘the same thing’ as Glucose. This is true only insofar as Glucose is most-generally derived from corn in North America, as is Karo Light Corn Syrup, and on the surface, the only difference seems to be water content. Karo also differs, however, in that it also contains fructose, salt, and vanilla flavoring. To that end, saying that they are equivalent is not correct. In baking applications, the two can often be used interchangeably; for the Alinea Project, however, I am considering them two separate things.]
The term “sugar”, in addition to describing the above naturally-occurring compounds, can also describe something called a
Sugar Alcohol. Sugar Alcohol is what you get when you hydrogenate (add hydrogen atoms) to Sucrose or other natural sugars. Adding hydrogen atoms makes our bodies unable to completely absorb the sugars entirely, while still leaving them sweet. This leads Sugar Alcohols to be popularly-used as sugar substitutes. Xylitol is one such Sugar Alcohol you might have noticed in your grocery store near the Stevia and Sweet-N-Low that’s a Sugar Alcohol Sucrose substitute; it’s also found in sugarless chewing gums. Xylitol is interesting in that tooth decay-promoting bacteria consume it, but because of its antimicrobial properties, they then starve to death. Sugar Alcohols cannot be broken down orally, and so do not promote tooth decay. Because they cannot be entirely absorbed through our gastrointestinal system, our bodies have to expel them, which leads them to cause fun stuff like flatulence or diarrhea when consumed in larger doses. Exciting! Sugar Alcohols also do not brown when heated (they do not caramelize). Some Sugar Alcohols produce a cooling effect on the tongue, and so are often used in ‘sugarless’ mint chewing gums.
The Alinea cookbook frequently makes use of
Isomalt, which is a Sugar Alchol. Isomalt has a lower melting point and tastes less sweet than Sucrose. It does not caramelize easily and does not dissolve in water easily. Isomalt is frequently used in sugar sculpture. Fondant is a sugary substance that warrants mentioning here. Poured Fondant, the kind used in making tuilles in the Alinea cookbook, is a simple mixture of sugar and water. Water is able to dissolve more sugar when it is heated than when it is cool, so supersaturating boiling water with sugar, then shearing the mixture as it cools to prevent seed crystals from forming, yields a thick, creamy mixture often used for cakes.
This factual stuff was all well and good, but I wasn’t getting a lot of strategical information from this. I emailed Martin Lersch again from Khymos.org and asked him if he might have any clues or ideas. He pointed out something that should have been obvious to me: while sugar work is a bit foreign to me, it’s terribly familiar to bakers and confectioners, so maybe I should troll through Google Books and see what I found. I did this, and found a ton of technical papers and books about the manufacture and digestion of various sugars, but application works were sparse. I finally came across this very cool book that has an entire chapter dedicated to explaining the differences between sweeteners from a baking perspective. Still not EXACTLY what I was after, but certainly a really good starting point. Some stuff I learned:
Creamy confectionery, such as fudge, is made great by tightly controlling the granularity (crystallization) of the sugar within it, as well as the moisture content. If one makes fudge using only Sucrose, one might want to add an acid (Cream of Tartar) to force-invert some of the sugar to leverage the resistance to crystallization and the moisture control that invert sugars offer. The disadvantage to this, however, is that the cooking temperature, time, and amount of acid to use are difficult to control and measure properly. It’s far easier, then, to use invert sugars like Glucose directly. Glucose is useful for increasing the pliability and strength of pulled sugar confectionery.
This information was still fragmented to me. I figured the best way for me to really put all this together was to do some SCIENCE. So here’s what I did:
Most Alinea sugarwork recipes I’ve seen so far involve making a homogeneous mixture by heating combinations of sugar to the hard crack stage (295–310 °F), grinding in a spice grinder, sifting over silpat, then melting in the oven. So I made several mixtures of sugars and took them through this process, noting differences in various properties of each mixture at each stage of the process. The mixtures were:
100% Sucrose (table sugar) 100% Sucrose mixed with equal weight water (simple syrup) 50%/50% Sucrose and Glucose 50%/50% Sucrose and Isomalt 33%/33%/33% Sucrose, Glucose, Isomalt
I put each of these in a pan and cooked them to hard crack stage, then poured the molten mixture on silpat and let cool completely.
[Note: This should have been obvious, but it doesn’t really make sense to try to bring dry, crystallized sucrose to the hard crack stage (sugar stages describe the relative sugar concentration in a syrup; hard crack usually consists of a solution that is 99% sugar. Trying to heat crystal sucrose to the hard crack stage, then, is nonsensical). Putting dry sugar in a pan and heating it in attempt to melt it means bringing it well above the actual hard crack stage. Sucrose melts at 367°F, and begins to caramelize at 320°F, so for all practical purposes, caramelizing and melting table sugar are pretty much the same thing. This all probably seems so obvious that it’s stupid, but what I learned was that it’s impossible to make glass out of dry sucrose without caramelizing it. Putting all this together made me wonder what would happen if I cooked simple syrup instead. In this case, I was still dealing with plain Sucrose, but rather than melting it, it was dissolved in water and then reduced. You can see from the photos that much less caramelization occurs, because the sugar isn’t ‘melting’. But, very dramatically, the resulting molten liquid crystallized heavily when it cooled. So, though cooking simple syrup can give a less-caramelized glass, it can’t give a CLEAR glass. This makes sense; I’m basically adding water then boiling it all back off until the sugar is more or less near its original form without undergoing the molecular breakdowns associated with caramelization; so of course it has a tendency to want to crystallize back up.]
The 50-50 Glucose-Sucrose mixture exhibited similar caramelization as the Simple Syrup mixture, though no crystallization has occurred. This coincides with what the Baking book mentions, but it’s cool to see this effect very clearly in action.
The 33-33-33 Glucose/Sucrose/Isomalt mixture also exhibits no crystallization, and, because of the inclusion of Isomalt, we can see a much clearer glass with nearly no caramelization happening. It’s cool to clearly see the differences here.
The outlier for me was the 50/50 Isomalt/Sucrose mixture, which I made into simple syrup with an equal weight of water before cooking. Again I get a very clear glass with no crystallization. I’m not sure what to make of this just yet; some more experimentation is needed to tell how this compares to the 33/33/33 mixture, as they both visually look similar.
The next stress test I put the sugars through was, well, a test of…stress. I cracked each sugar disc in two and tried to gauge how much effort it took (i.e. how strong the sugar discs were). I’m not running a Mythbusters lab here, so I didn’t have any swanky gauges to try to exactly estimate this…I just tried to get a sense of it with my hands. The Sucrose simple syrup mixture was by far the easiest to break; it yielded with almost no effort at all. Second was the carmelized Sucrose disc; both of these were brittle and reasonably weak. The other three were notably stronger, but the differences between them was subtle. So subtle, in fact, that I stopped after the first one and started taking photos, to see if looking at the break patterns might give me any clues. Plus, I figured, the only thing that’s gonna save this long-winded ridiculous exploration of sugar is some CSI-style photos.
R…right?
We can see that the compounds involving glucose exhibited ‘smoother’ breakage; the glucose adds strength to the mixture. Samples without glucose show more jagged-edged boundaries, indicating the crystalline structure of the mixture.
My next test was a taste test. I powdered (in a coffee grinder) a sample of each disc, put each in a shot glass, and asked Sarah to help me decide the order of sweetness. I asked for help because 1) I already had a hypothesis, and didn’t want that to skew things, and 2) I feel like Sarah has more tastebuds than I do…she seems better able to pick apart subtle flavors than I am. We both tasted each and ranked them as best we could.
The Sucrose as Simple Syrup (which was uncaramelized) was by far the sweetest…that one was easy for us. We were both surprised at how difficult the caramelized sucrose was to compare; the caramel flavor made it taste notably different, and we both felt it was less sweet than the uncaramelized sucrose. I can’t tell if this was because the flavor was so outstandingly different, or if the breakdown of sugar into caramel literally means the sweetness becomes lost in the process (which makes sense in my head?). Again, the isomalt/glucose/sucrose mixtures were much more difficult to pick apart, and neither was confident in our rankings.
The photo above represents our sweetness rankings: mine are the colored bowls, sarah’s are the shot glasses. Higher vertically means more perceived sweetness.
My next test was to try melting the sample powders. I made a stencil (similar to how I made my Pork Belly Tuile stencil), and made 5 identical stenciled piles of the 5 sugar combinations. I put the samples in an oven set to a steady 350°F, and waited. The compounds with Isomalt melted first, which at this point was predictable for me. Surprisingly again, the caramelized sucrose melted quickly as well (or remelted, I guess would be more accurately-phrased) A few minutes later, the Glucose-Sucrose mixture melted. And I waited for another 10 minutes before I realized that the Sucrose Simple Syrup mixture, which at this point was back to the original sucrose crystal form, would never melt at 350°F.
My final test was to try melting the resulting tuiles over some pie weights. I felt this would demonstrate something about the strength and pliability of the compounds. As I was setting this up, the Isomalt/Glucose mixture, which was extremely hydroscopic, was stuck outright to my countertop and shattered when I tried to pry it off. Working with this particular compound was a total pain in the ass, which makes me suspect this is why I’ve yet to see this particular combination used in any of the Alinea recipes. I forged ahead with the three remaining melted tuiles: Caramel, Glucose-Sucrose, and Glucose-Sucrose-Isomalt.
I don’t really have strong conclusions to draw about which is ‘better’, but the difference is obvious.
So. All of this is totally great, right?
Well, not really. I mean, I’ve learned a ton. But back to my cocktail; I realized one fatal flaw in my plan of making a sugar disc atop the cocktail: breaking and stirring in the sugar disc to the bourbon required a lot of effort. None of these sugar compounds would melt quickly, and in fact the Isomalt-based ones would melt more slowly. So a person would have to stir and stir and stir to get any of these to dissolve completely in cold bourbon. That doesn’t sound fun.
So, I stepped back and thought about making an ice disc instead of a sugar one. Maybe I just presweeten the bourbon, and rather than cracking sugar, a person cracks ice into the bourbon.
Aside from being pretty boring and blatantly gimmicky, this proved difficult to actually accomplish. I tried making a few ice discs using some small pop-out cake pan trays in our freezer, but our shelves aren’t exactly level. This meant that the ice discs were more massive on one side than the other, which led to them sitting crookedly in the glass. The ice was pretty much frictionless against the room-temperature glass, and I realized that if I wanted to make more than one of these, production would be a total pain. So I scrapped the idea.
I spent several days rolling this whole thing around in my head. The sugar disc idea didn’t make sense, the ice disc was worthless…I was at a bit of a dead end.
Then an idea hit me: Maker’s 46 is very cinnamon-heavy. What if I try to pick a completely new ingredient to pair with cinnamon? If the ingredient was aromatic and heat-resistant, I could maybe melt it into the sugar disc. The disc then goes from being a key sweetening agent to a slow-release medium for holding a new aromatic ingredient. This idea got me way excited; I could basically play to the strengths of everything I’d learned.
I got home and flipped through The Flavor Bible looking for some ideas. There are obvious pairings with cinnamon: clove, nutmeg, pumpkin pie…basically heavy, warm Autumnal flavors. I didn’t want any of these though; the bourbon itself was a sledge hammer, so adding spice on top of spice would make it just to heavy. I wanted to lighten it up a bit. Citrus sounded nice. “Tea” was listed as a flavor affinity. No specifics, just “tea”. “Hmm”, I thought. “Wonder about an orange spice tea. Or maybe an Earl Grey”. For some reason this idea sounded cool to me: the slow-release Isomalt-based sugar would basically mean the bourbon would slowly diffuse with the tea, and the whole cocktail would turn into something that would evolve. That seemed promising.
Another flavor pairing I really liked was “rice”. A few nights ago, Sarah and I had a date at Ipukku in Berkeley, a Japanese Yakitori place that was delicious. I had a Sochu tasting platter, having never had sochu before, and one of them was made form toasted rice. It was really delicious. The idea of sweet toasted rice and bourbon inherently sounded delicious to me. So I got back to work.
The first thing I tried was toasting some sushi rice. This was easy, and throwing it through my coffee grinder gave a lovely, full-flavored toasted rice powder that seemed useful. I also liked the idea of getting some vanilla involved; taking a sip of the bourbon with a whiff of fresh vanilla beans was great. But vanilla might be too powerful, I worried, so I looked around and found some tonka beans. These are much more delicate, so I thought they might work better. I laid out my stencil on some silpat, and sprinkled some rice powder, orage and grapefruit zest, tonka bean, and maple sugar onto the silpat before topping it with some powdered isomalt-glucose-sucrose compound. I tried melting it in the oven and 350°F, hoping for a clear glass with some beautifully-inlaid aromatics atop it. This didn’t quite work: the sugar melts opaquely, and surface tension caused it to draw up rather than spread out. Because it had no direct contact with the slipat, but rather with dry, unmeltable ingredients under it, it ‘slid’ into itself a bit. I tried this a few times, and it ended largely unsuccessfully. The final try I thought “Well, I should at least see how this tastes. So I chucked an ugly disc into a tumbler and topped it with a splash of bourbon and an ice cube, and let it sit for a few minutes. Sure enough, the sugar didn’t immediately dissolved. I was happy to see this; I was on to something.
The flavor, when I tasted it, was really great. The toastedness came through really well and I felt it complimented the bourbon awesomely. The tonka bean got lost other than its odd cooling/numbing effect it had on my tongue; it’s too delicate a flavor. I need to go back to vanilla. The orange didn’t really diffuse into the alcohol, but when bits of it broke off form the sugar and I tasted them when sipping the bourbon, it was great.
I’m going to stop writing now and poke the “publish” button here, because this is ridiculously dense and long. I don’t yet have conclusions about how to complete this, so I’m just going to let it simmer in my head for a little while. | 26,540 | 11,304 | 2.347841 |
warc | 201704 | Flooding, Tornados Affect Housing Market
Freddie Mac just released the results of its Primary Mortgage Market Survey® (PMMS®), which showed fixed-rate mortgages declining for the seventh consecutive week to new lows amid continuing weak economic and housing data. The 30-year fixed averaged 4.55 percent and the 15-year averaged 3.74 percent.
Last year at this time, the 30-year FRM averaged 4.79 percent, while the 15-year FRM averaged 4.20 percent.
5-year Treasury-indexed hybrid adjustable-rate mortgage (ARM) averaged 3.41 percent this week, with an average 0.6 point, the same from last week when it averaged 3.41 percent. A year ago, the 5-year ARM averaged 3.94 percent.
1-year Treasury-indexed ARM averaged 3.13 percent this week with an average 0.6 point, up from last week when it averaged 3.11 percent. At this time last year, the 1-year ARM averaged 3.95 percent.
Fixed mortgage rates followed U.S. Treasury yields lower this week amid financial market concerns that the current lull in the economy is continuing, according to Frank Nothaft, vice president and chief economist for Freddie Mac. “The housing market is showing strain as well,” he notes.
The Case-Shiller® National Home Price Index fell 5.1 percent between the first quarters of 2010 and 2011, representing the largest annual decline since the third quarter of 2009. In addition, the index of pending existing home sales dropped 11.6 percent from March to April, led by the Midwest and South regions where the tornados and flooding occurred.
With AAOA, landlords have resources at their fingertips. Check out our Landlord Forms page. American Apartment Owners Association offers discounts on products and services for landlords related to your rental housing investment, including rental forms, tenant debt collection, tenant background checks, insurance and financing. Find out more at www.joinaaoa.org. | 1,914 | 980 | 1.953061 |
warc | 201704 | Big Sister in the Workplace
Today there are twice as many women in the American workforce as there were four decades ago, three times as many women getting college degrees. More working women than men now hold degrees. The growth rate of female-owned businesses stands at four times the growth rate of male-owned businesses.
Labor Secretary Hilda Solis acknowledges all of these statistics.
But it seems that an admission of reality by the head of the U.S. Labor Department is no guarantee that reality will influence Labor policy. After touting dramatic progress by women in corporations, universities, and small businesses, Solis still thinks that government must do more for women.
Let's break down the reasoning.
Data: Women have doubled their presence in the workforce, tripled their presence in college, are now more educated than men, and are starting businesses at a much higher rate than men.
Conclusion: Women need help to catch up to men.
Ah, but the logic slides only farther downhill when the secretary describes the help that government should provide women. After citing women's progress, Solis adds:
That's why the Labor Department is investing in workforce training for women to help America achieve a full economic recovery. And it's why we have placed a special emphasis on helping women advance in growing sectors like the clean energy economy, health care and information technology.
The passage consists of disconnected ideas jammed into a nonsensical jumble that impersonates a plan for action. The reasoning is hard to follow because there are currently almost 14 million able-bodied but unemployed people in America -- a rate of 9.1 percent -- and it is not clear how preparing women for jobs that don't exist will help the situation. How will grooming people for jobs killed by a bad economy "help America achieve a full economic recovery," especially in a "clean energy economy" that is a figment of green zealots' imaginations?
Lately Solis has been focusing on women's pay inequality. Her justification? The secretary cites a Labor Department study concluding that women today earn only 81 percent of what men earn. But as the Manhattan Institute's Kay Hymowitz points out, the 81 percent statistic severely exaggerates the gender pay gap. In fact, as Hymowitz also observes, a comparison considering similar jobs, similar education, and equivalent hours worked results in a gap which is only 5 percent favorable to men. So in truth, the gender gap is actually one-fourth the size claimed by Solis. Not only is Ms. Solis proposing illogical actions with respect to the stated purpose of achieving pay equality, but she is also amplifying the magnitude of gender pay inequality by 400 percent.
And yet the full depth of Solis's artfulness and illogicality was not reached until she went a step further, using the inflated gender gap to justify "vigorously enforcing the Family and Medical Leave Act and promoting flexible workplace initiatives so women can balance the demands of work and home."
Let's analyze.
There are two general paths which a part-time employee might take to get paid as well -- and be promoted as rapidly -- as full-time employees. Either the part-timer demonstrates initiative far exceeding that of full-timers or some sort of forced "adjustment" is applied to compensation. If we assume that female and male employees exhibit, on average, equivalent initiative and contribute to employer profits at roughly equal rates, then we can rule out the "superwoman" path to closing the gender gap.
This leaves the forced adjustment option to establishing pay parity between part-time female employees and full-time male employees. So when Solis whips out the 400 percent-inflated gender gap to "vigorously" push "flexible workplace initiatives" which allow women to "balance the demands of work and home," one must wonder what the secretary has in mind. Will the Obama-Solis Labor Department call for the United States government to coerce companies into promoting part-time female employees to, and paying them for, the same positions as men and other women who work
full-time?
We have not yet seen the details of the embellishments that Hilda Solis has in mind for existing "flexible workplace initiatives." We must not rule out the possibility that those embellishments will include forcing employers to allow some women to "balance the demands of work and home" but still credit those women for contributions which
would have been made had the women worked full-time. It is not at all hard to envision the Obama regime progressives arguing the "fairness" of such a method for measuring part-time female employees' job performance compared to that of full-time men.
Though hard to imagine, it is certainly possible that Washington progressives will get sidetracked from this latest effort to legislate or regulate fairness using impractical schemes. Maybe progressives are already working on an even better fix for the ailing economy than twisting employers' arms on women's compensation. Perhaps someone at Fannie Mae, Freddie Mac, the Federal Reserve Bank, or Treasury will suggest that mortgage companies be forced to credit borrowers for payments that
would have been made had the borrowers not chosen to not make the payments. This should improve the economy for sure.
But now I'm probably just being nasty.
A writer, physicist, former high tech executive, and Cajun, Chuck Rogér invites you to sign up to receive his "Clear Thinking" blog posts by email at http://www.chuckroger.com. Contact Chuck at swampcactus@chuckroger.com. | 5,633 | 2,607 | 2.160721 |
warc | 201704 | Design blogs (Apartment Therapy included) often feature photos of beautiful spaces inhabited by beautiful, creative people. But the design of a space is only part of the story. If you're like me, you may often find yourself wondering, as you flip through photos of apartments in New York or San Francisco or Paris — how in the world can these people afford to live here?
Money is still one of our biggest taboos, which is why Matter (via Medium) has started a series of articles featuring creative types speaking honestly about the reality of their monetary situation. How do they make their money? How do they pay the rent? It's all here (including numbers) in a refreshingly practical look at the reality of living — and paying for it — as a creative.
I'm looking forward to a series of interesting people answering all the questions I wish I could ask at parties but can't — how much money do you make? What is your rent? Do you get money from your parents?
This project is very unusual in its focus on the practical aspects of the creative life, and in its honesty about money, something that many of us don't talk about, even with close friends. But maybe this will lead to more conversations about what it takes to devote yourself to creative pursuits full-time — and ways we can make the creative life easier and more accessible for everyone.
You can read the first post in the series, about writer and broadcaster Ben Hammersley, here. | 1,474 | 802 | 1.837905 |
warc | 201704 | Storefront for Art and Architecture, in collaboration with the New York Comedy Festival (NYCF), has commissioned Jonah Freeman and Justin Lowe to create Paranoia Man in a Rat Fink Room at Storefront's gallery space. The exhibit opened on November 8, 2016, with special preview performances from November 2 - 6, 2016 during the NYCF. Paranoia Man in a Rat Fink Room continues after the festival with events and discussions curated by Storefront through February 18, 2017.
Currently on display at the Storefront for Art & Architecture gallery in New York,
Sharing Models: Manhattanisms is the latest exhibition put on the nonprofit organization, which asked 30 international and up-and-coming firms to answer the question: “How will the sharing movement of today affect the way we inhabit and build the cities of tomorrow?”
Each firm was tasked with creating a drawing and model of their vision for the future of a given slice of the island. When pushed together, the 30 pieces create a single composite figure, a collage of a shared Manhattan that is “simultaneously fictional and real, and one that opens a window to new perceptions of the city’s shared assets.”
Continue after the break to see the 30 visions.
The TWA Flight Center, designed by Eero Saarinen, opened to the public in 1962 and has been out of use since 2001. On the evening of Sunday, May 8th, Storefront for Art and Architecture’s 2016 Spring Benefit, BEYOND BORDERS, will be the last public event to be held at the iconic terminal before its redevelopment.
BEYOND BORDERS reflects upon a growing collective consciousness about spaces of difference and the desire to transcend them.
The act of creating new objects from scratch is often no longer possible for the professional architect given the social and economic contexts of our contemporary world. In some societies, building booms during periods of high economic growth have resulted in a collection of contemporary ruins that are now neglected due to a lack of resources or lack of need for their use. In other contexts, architecture emerges as a result of decision-making processes that allocate minimal resources to the basic human need of habitation. A contradiction thus exists between the architecture commonly presented by the media as finished forms frozen in time, and architecture that has the capacity to evolve, adapt, and transform.
This event is organized in collaboration with the project “Unfinished,” curated by Iñaqui Carnicero and Carlos Quintans for the Spanish Pavilion of the 2016 Venice Architecture Biennale.
Watch Bucky Fuller Debate Hans Hollein at Storefront For Art and Architecture's "Closed Worlds" Conference
On Saturday, February 27th, Storefront for Art and Architecture and The Irwin S. Chanin School of Architecture of The Cooper Union will jointly present a public conference, Closed World: Encounters That Never Happened. Presenters and discussants will engage in debate and discussion and the history and future of closed systems in architecture and design.
The format of this conference invites participants to impersonate a historical figures who have been major contributors to the discourse of closed systems. Figures include Reyner Banham, Buckminster Fuller, Hans Hollein, Neil Armstrong, Jacques Cousteau, and Walt Disney, among others.
On Tuesday, February 16th, Storefront for Art and Architecture will open Closed Worlds, an exhibition curated by Lydia Kallipoliti that presents an archive of 41 living prototypes of closed resource regeneration systems built over the last century. The archive represents an unexplored genealogy of closed systems in architectural practice. The exhibition will also feature Some World Games, a virtual reality installation by Farzin Farzin that presents a contemporary 42nd
What does it mean to build? Traditionally, building has been defined as the assembly of parts or materials toward the creation of a whole. While to build is often perceived as an Apollonian pursuit, to destroy appears to be its Dionysian counterpart. Understanding that our built environment is the product of many forces, it can dialectically be reduced to the tensions between creation and destruction, addition and subtraction, and erection and demolition.
What do outer space capsules, submarines, and office buildings have in common? Each was conceived as a closed system: a self-sustaining physical environment demarcated from its surroundings by a boundary that does not allow for the transfer of matter or energy.
Critical Halloween is a party, an intellectual debate, a costume competition, and a space for the expression of radical thought. Over the past few years, it has become a referential event that brings people together through music, dance, and costume design to engage in critical discussion in New York City.
"JB1.0: Jamming Bodies" is an immersive installation that transforms Storefront’s gallery space into a laboratory. The installation, a collaboration between science fiction artist Lucy McRae and architect and computational designer Skylar Tibbits with MIT’s Self-Assembly Lab, explores the relationship between human bodies and the matter that surrounds them.
Measure is an exhibition of 30 drawings by 30 international architects presenting 30 edifices of thought. Drawings are of Storefront for Art and Architecture’s gallery space on 97 Kenmare Street in New York. Architectural representation, which draws upon the diagram as a conceptual and abstract component, has historically been criticized as obscure and self referential. The proliferation of data visualization in popular media today, however, allows us to engage a much larger audience in conversations about measurement and representation. The 30 drawings presented at Storefront unveil the challenges of representation and extrapolate them onto the architect’s table and the gallery walls.
Storefront for Art and Architecture hosts Facing East: Chinese Urbanism in Africa, an exhibition by journalist Michiel Hulshof (Tertium, Amsterdam) and architect Daan Roggeveen (MORE Architecture, Shanghai). Facing East investigates the impact of Chinese development on fast-growing African cities, and is built around personal stories of individuals involved in the urbanization process.
SecondMedia has been selected as the winner of Storefront for Art and Architecture's 2015 Street Architecture Prize Competition. Now in its third year, the biennial international competition seeks to implement temporary outdoor installations that facilitate "new forms of collective public gathering." Participants in the 2015 competition were asked to respond to the theme of New York's IDEAS City Festival, "The Invisible City." SecondMedia's winning proposal 'Foamspace' -- which envisions creating an "urban lounge" with Geofoam blocks -- beat out over 70 submissions from teams of artists, engineers, and architects across the globe.
Learn more about the project and view selected images after the break.
BLUEPRINT is the latest exhibition on display at the Storefront for Art and Architecture in New York. Curated by Sebastiaan Bremer, Florian Idenburg and Jing Liu, the exhibition features 50 blueprints from participating artists and architects, ranging from as far back as 1961 to 2013.
On the occasion of Ideas City 2015, the biennial Festival created to explore the future city and to effect change, Storefront for Art and Architecture, along with the New Museum and the New York City Department of Transportation, is launching a competition for the design and construction of an outdoor structure—a work of "Street Architecture" that facilitates new forms of collective gathering and engagement with the city.
Starting September 19th, the ten winners of WorldWide Storefront (WWSf) - an initiative by Storefront for Art and Architecture to create alternative spaces for the expression/exchange of art/architecture - will open across the globe for the next two months. While one winning proposal invites artists to travel the world on commercial freight ships, another will host exhibits and events out of a traveling semi-truck in the United States. For the full list of winners and more information, click here.
Storefront TV is an online channel focused on the communication of contemporary art and architecture ideas with an emphasis on experimentation with a live TV format. | 8,452 | 3,840 | 2.201042 |
warc | 201704 | New Wound Dressing Enables Faster Healing Alice Merry| January 17th 2012 | Views: loading
Ordinarily, common wounds are no cause for concern and only require basic first aid, which includes proper cleaning and use of wound dressing. Wound dressings are an integral part of wound management and with the new advanced dressings like duoderm and tegaderm, wound care has significantly improved. There are many types of dressings including, gauze, tulle, foam, hydrogel, hydrocolloids, hydrofiber etc. Wound dressings serve several purposes including sealing the wound to promote the clotting process, absorb the fluids discharging from the wound, clearing the wound bed of foreign particles including slough, prevent infection, promote granulation and relieving discomfort.
Recently, Israeli scientists have developed a new wound dressing which is made of human collagen and will promote quick healing.
Collagen is a type of protein that naturally occurs in the body and it helps to support the tissues in skin, tendons, bones, muscles and cartilage. A significant part of proteins in the body comprise of collagen. Although, it is a protein but functions differently as it can be found outside as well as inside the cells. Among the 29 types of collagen identified so far, type 1, 2, 3 and 4 are most abundantly found in the body.
Due to the importance of collagen in wound healing, many wound care products have been developed by incorporating collagen. Until recently, all of the collagen based wound care products used animal tissues, which required special treatment to prevent rejection from the body’s immune system. When collagen dressing is applied on the wound, it creates a moist healing environment, which promotes growth of new tissues in the wound. It plays an important part in the wound healing process especially in the initial stages by stopping the bleeding. Collagen based dressings are used in various conditions including chronic wounds, diabetic ulcers, burns, venous ulcers and pressure ulcers. There are several benefits of using collagen dressings such as stopping the bleeding, absorbing exudates, works in all stages of the wound healing process, creating a moist healing environment, does not stick to new tissues, does not need to be frequently changed and is easy to use.
A new wound dressing has been developed recently that uses genetically engineered human collagen. Great thing about this material is that it becomes biodegradable molecule in the tissues of the wounded area. An outer layer in the dressing provides protection to the wound, while the inner layer helps with the healing process. This dressing stimulates the production of fibroblast, which are instrumental in the creation of collagen in the body.
Article Source:
http://www.articleside.com/health-articles/new-wound-dressing-enables-faster-healing.htm
Published by Louise Carala on August 25th 2012 | Health
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warc | 201704 | Natural Gas Car Conversion is the need of hour James Blee| April 30th 2012 | Views: loading
Fuel prices are rising day by day and there seem to be no respite in sight. The Gulf nations, those with rich reserves of oil are facing rebellion from their own people who are fed with their rulers. With rebellion burning all across the Gulf, other nations too are going to suffer due to it. The prices of fuel are heavily dependent on how the Gulf nations are able to settle the rebels struggle.
Even if the Gulf crisis is curtailed, the prices of gasoline and diesel will continue to burn the fingers of the common man. In nations like India, petrol prices have been hiked more or less every month.
It is in such a scenario, the idea of natural gas car conversion gains volume. After all, cars are the top-most consumer of oil. Already, many car owners have converted into the compressed natural gas family.
For those with money to splash, need not bother converting in to CNG run ones, but for those who value their hard-earned money taking a plunge will be worth it.
Compressed natural gas is cheap and clean as compared to the price of oil, and the cost of natural gas conversion is also less. The mileage given by the car will however will be different. A CNG-run car without air condition will give the same mileage as a car with air condition running on petrol. Even as petrol triumphs in speed and mileage department, CNG at half the cost of gasoline is tempting enough reason to go for natural gas conversion.
The only thing you need to be careful about while doing it is to make the switch by an authorized dealer, who is qualified for the job. You certainly do not want to compromise on this aspect.
Article Source:
http://www.articleside.com/technology-articles/natural-gas-car-conversion-is-the-need-of-hour.htm
Published by Sam Anderson on July 25th 2012 | Technology
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warc | 201704 | A prospective outcome study was performed on 270 patients, 65 years of age and older, who sustained a femoral neck fracture and underwent hemiarthroplasty.
The treatment compared was the use of a noncemented unipolar versus either a cemented or a press fit bipolar prosthesis.
The outcome variables assessed included the occurrence of a postoperative complication, length and cost of hospitalization, and function in various quality of life measurements.
Patients who underwent bipolar hemiarthroplasty with either a cemented or a press fit prosthesis had better pain relief and function than patients who had a noncemented unipolar prosthesis at a minimum of 24 months after surgery.
However, the mean hospitalization cost for patients who had a bipolar prosthesis was $12,290 compared with $8876 for a unipolar prosthesis.
Mots-clés Pascal : Fracture, Col fémoral, Vieillard, Homme, Prothèse, Hanche, Tête fémorale, Etude comparative, Technique, Traitement, Epidémiologie, Etude longitudinale, Pronostic, Analyse coût efficacité, Os, Membre inférieur, Système ostéoarticulaire pathologie, Traumatisme, Chirurgie orthopédique Mots-clés Pascal anglais : Fracture, Femoral neck, Elderly, Human, Prosthesis, Hip, Femoral head, Comparative study, Technique, Treatment, Epidemiology, Follow up study, Prognosis, Cost efficiency analysis, Bone, Lower limb, Diseases of the osteoarticular system, Trauma, Orthopedic surgery Notice produite par : Inist-CNRS - Institut de l'Information Scientifique et Technique Cote : 98-0218685
Code Inist : 002B25I. Création : 11/09/1998. | 1,645 | 870 | 1.890805 |
warc | 201704 | 3 Mistakes Hospitals Make With Their Real Estate Management
Peter Bulgarelli, COO of Jones Lang LaSalle's Healthcare Solutions, says hospital systems are excellent in caring for patients and managing their medical staff but are not high performers in real estate. Patients and healthcare are the number one focus, but that doesn't mean real estate should be ignored.
"Real estate and facilities management is an overlooked, ripe area to drive savings while improving quality for system," he says. "We're amazed at how the plant operations and capital planning for real estate are being run today at many hospitals. There's significant room for improvement."
Here, Mr. Bulgarelli details three mistakes hospitals commonly make with their real estate and facilities management.
As mentioned, labor and supplies are the two most common areas hospital executives analyze for cost reduction. However, Mr. Bulgarelli says real estate represents as much as 40 percent of an average hospital system's assets on its balance sheet. 1. Hospitals overlook the impact real estate has.
1. Hospitals overlook the impact real estate has.
While cutting expense costs by millions of dollars is becoming increasingly more difficult in today's economic climate, it is feasible through a strategic view of real estate and facilities management. "The recent Supreme Court decision has clarified at least one key point," Mr. Bulgarelli says. "Revenue per procedure is going down. That is the fact. Thus, hospitals, already at an average operating margin of only 2 percent, need to have a lower cost and higher performing operating platform. Looking at the network of care for underperforming assets and driving out waste from plant operations can't be overlooked."
2. Hospitals don't optimize their real estate portfolio.There are several key components around capital asset planning and real estate strategies, but Mr. Bulgarelli says hospital executives should start from the most obvious point: examine their real estate portfolio. Does the ambulatory portfolio and network of hospitals match their strategic plan? What assets are underperforming or have become obsolete?
"The best way to improve the efficiency of their real estate is to use less of it," Mr. Bulgarelli adds. "Return on assets in healthcare lags virtually every other industry."
Portfolio optimization requires hospital leaders to analyze which facilities are performing well, what the payor mix is like at different facilities and how demographics are changing. "Eliminate the facilities that are below-average in performance, retain or enhance the ones that are performing above standard and add strategic locations to the portfolio," Mr. Bulgarelli says. "Three strategies: improve throughput, eliminate poor performers and add strategically. This is the big move, and savings of 20 to 25 percent or more are possible. We are actively working with Kaiser [Permanente] across the country to redefine their network of care."
3. Hospitals are not efficient with the good real estate they have.Just because there are not any emergencies does not mean there are not any problems. That holds true for some hospital system's real estate. "Real estate that is good for you — how can you run it more efficiently?" Mr. Bulgarelli asks. "Energy strategies, staff, vendors that you're using, technology that you bring to automate the buildings, using capital more efficiently — these are significant."
For example, an improved operating margin can be a result of properly managed facilities that deliver sustainable cost savings. Two of the biggest components of occupancy cost management are energy cost control and carbon footprint management.
Mr. Bulgarelli cites the firm's partnership with Beaumont Health System in Royal Oak, Mich., which included some of those strategies. Beaumont was able to save 8 percent of their real estate costs in the first year, and as a result, Moody's Investors Service shifted the health system's outlook from negative to stable "because of the aggressive actions Beaumont was taking to mitigate costs, many of which involved real estate," Mr. Bulgarelli says.
More Articles on Hospitals and Real Estate: © Copyright ASC COMMUNICATIONS 2017. Interested in LINKING to or REPRINTING this content? View our policies by clicking here. To receive the latest hospital and health system business and legal news and analysis from Becker's Hospital Review, sign-up for the free Becker's Hospital Review E-weeklyby clicking here. | 4,546 | 2,074 | 2.1919 |
warc | 201704 | When you find yourself stuck in a rut and things are not flowing smoothly, it may be time to do some mental reprogramming. Ask yourself if you are holding onto limiting beliefs that are keeping you from attaining your goals and living the life you desire. If you have some limiting beliefs that need to be released, it could be helpful to follow this simple protocol to reprogram your mind.
Understanding the Subconscious Mind
95%of what goes on in the mind is subconscious. Only 5% of our thoughts are actually conscious thoughts. Beliefs can originate as conscious or subconscious thoughts created in the mind. A belief begins as a thought created as a result of analyzing an experience and drawing a conclusion from that analysis. Beliefs can also originate as seed thoughts taught to us by society, a parent, a friend, or a teacher. We take in these seed thoughts and believe them to be true often with very little analysis because we trust the source that the seed thought came from. These thoughts may or may not be true in reality, or they may be true on one level, from one perspective, but not from another.
The subconscious mind does not know the difference between what is real and what is imagined. Since the subconscious mind works through images and does not know if so something is actually happening or is just a memory, the body reacts to the mental or visual image ‘as if’ is actually happening in that moment. This is why when we are watching a movie or reminded of a traumatic event, we experience same physical feelings and sensations in our bodies, through muscle memory, as if we were actually having the experience in that moment. For example, think of a time you jumped, screamed or gasped when watching a scary movie. You knew the movie was not real but your subconscious mind did not because your subconscious mind cannot distinguish reality from fantasy. This activated your body’s muscle memory creating a physical reaction to the stimuli.
Once we decide that a thought is true, it becomes a belief. Our subconscious mind merges this thought with other beliefs in our belief system and helps us gather evidence to support this thought as a truth. Long-standing beliefs become deeply rooted with in our subconscious mind along with volumes of supporting evidence that the subconscious mind has collected to ‘prove’ that the belief is accurate, true and real. The subconscious mind works tirelessly to take even a seemingly small thought and overtime turn into a deep-seated, life guiding belief.
Some beliefs are so deeply seated in the subconscious mind that, even against all logical evidence that the belief is false, it is hard to release the belief from our programming. Deeply held fears are an example of a belief that is so deeply held that we may be able to consciously recognize the belief as untrue and illogical but we are still unable to release the belief from our subconscious mind and eliminate the fear. When we experience contrast between a current thought and a belief, this creates what is called cognitive dissonance. When we think of something contrary to our belief the cognitive dissonance can produce both uncomfortable feelings emotionally and physically. If we believe something contrary to what we desire, our subconscious mind will actively work against our desire because our subconscious mind is focused on keeping our belief system intact.
Over time conscious habitual thoughts and beliefs become part of the subconscious auto program constantly playing in the background of our minds like hypnotic mind control. If we remain on auto pilot and do not stop periodically to reexamine if our beliefs are still valid, nothing will change in our lives. We will be stuck, unable to more forward. In order to move forward we must consciously take steps to release limiting thoughts and beliefs so we can create the life changes we desire.
What can we do when we identify a belief that is limiting to us? Reprogram your subconscious with a new belief that is a more accurate reflection of your current understanding and release the old belief. Certainly in some cases the complexities of a belief rooted in a trauma that created the belief require time and intense work with a professional for treatment of the overall challenge, as there can be many facets. However there are many beliefs we have picked up through life that we can work to release independently by following this simple process.
How to Reprogram your Subconscious Mind: Step One: identify the limiting belief you want to release. Some examples of a limiting core belief include: I am worthless. I am not lovable. I am not safe. etc. Identifying the core belief you want to release is not always as easy as it may sound. For example, if your goal is to release the fear of spiders. First, you must drill down in your subconscious mind to identify what the belief is that drives your fear of spiders. This can be challenging because while doing this your subconscious mind will be fighting against you as it immediately recognizes the cognitive dissonance. At best this can create an uneasy feeling. For example, your first limiting thought may be that spiders bite. Your subconscious mind will immediately respond, of course that is true spiders do bite and you should be afraid of being bit. As you drill deeper, your next limiting thought may be spider bites will kill me. Your subconscious mind continues as your internal defense attorney arguing that yes, some spiders are poisonous. The subconscious mind will then proceed to produce reams of evidence to support the belief that you should be afraid of spiders. As you present the subconscious mind with information that is inconsistent with your current beliefs you will continue to experience cognitive dissonance because you are presenting thoughts that contrast with your beliefs. While you are trying to drill down to the core belief and reprogram your mind, the subconscious mind is constantly, relentlessly trying to disprove your new belief. It may simply come down to a basic core belief of I am not safe. Despite all the evidence the subconscious mind is sending you to support that belief, choose to acknowledge it and move forward from here once you identify the core belief you wish to reprogram. | 6,318 | 2,540 | 2.487402 |
warc | 201704 | Extra By Riya Bhattacharjee Monday June 22, 2009 - 05:05:00 PM
The Berkeley Board of Education approved more budget reductions at a board meeting Wednesday in response to Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger’s May revision to the state budget.
The cuts were in addition to the $8 million made earlier this year responding to the 2009-10 state budget approved by the Legislature in February.
Schwarzenegger’s latest budget proposal will slash nearly $2 million from the Berkeley Unified School District in the current school year and $3.7 million in 2009-10, only $2.2 million of which district officials predict will be replaced by federal stimulus dollars.
Berkeley Unified Superintendent Bill Huyett said that while the “overall California budget is very much up in the air,” the district had been able to make “the necessary budget reductions without additional layoffs in the pre-K-12 program.”
Huyett said Berkeley public schools were in a far better position than other Bay Area school districts, many of which were forced to increase class sizes to 30 students for kindergarten through third grade.
Berkeley Unified, Huyett said, was fortunate to be maintaining average class sizes at 20 in fourth and fifth grades and 28 in grades seven through 12.
The district has also been able to reduced the number of tenured teacher layoffs to one.
Huyett also thanked the Berkeley community for supporting public education through Measure A and other ballot measures for over the last two decades.
He acknowledged that the district had prepared a preliminary budget for 2009-10 with “significant unknowns,” including the final 2009-10 state budget and federal stimulus funds, initially promised for May, but now tentatively scheduled to be distributed later this year.
A report prepared by district Deputy Superintendent Javetta Cleveland show that the total cuts in the district from the February budget and the May revise amount to $13.6 million, of which $7.4 million has been addressed with the help of federal stimulus funds, state flexibility funds and the first round of budget reductions approved by the board.
Cleveland’s report recommended using a number of budget revisions and adjustments to deal with the $5.3 million shortfall.
An analysis of Berkeley Unified’s Post-Retirement Benefit Fund and the Worker’s Compensation Fund by district staff showed that contributions to each fund could be reduced for 2009-10 and still meet existing obligations.
Reducing the rates, according to Cleveland’s report, would not affect employee compensation, and would instead lower expenses throughout the district, including nearly $700,000 in the general fund. These funds would also return significant amounts to the general fund in 2008-09.
The $3.7 million shortfall in 2009-10 will be alleviated by $2.2 million in stimulus funds; reductions in post-retirement benefit rate and worker’s compensation rates; a proposed reduction in health benefit costs created by raising deductibles; $400,000 from the Berkeley Adult School (through reduced services and higher fees), and a few smaller changes.
The adult education budget itself was cut by $1.3 million in the February state budget.
The state budget gave districts the option to eliminate adult education entirely in 2009-10 and four successive fiscal years to thwart the effect of state reductions to general fund revenues.
But instead of putting the entire program on the chopping block, Berkeley Unified reduced its adult education program, eliminating adult summer school programs, decreasing some English language learning, high school diploma and older adult classes and charging students and agencies more for senior programs.
The district will be able to transfer $400,000 from the adult education revenue to its general fund by making additional reductions, such as trimming classes offered for disabled students and seniors, charging fees for English language, vocational and high school diploma classes and raising fees for agencies which offer classes for its disabled adults.
“We did talk a lot about this with students and some of them recommended a higher fee,” said Margaret Kirkpatrick, Berkeley Adult School’s outgoing principal. “We are looking at an amount achievable to students with lower incomes. Something that would save the school, and is in line with other adult schools. And of course, any student can apply for a fee waiver or scholarship.”
Kirkpatrick said that although eliminating some programs had been “painful,” the school would continue to benefit students in many ways.
In an attempt to close the budget gap, the district will also hold back from paying the City of Berkeley $180,000 next year for sanitary sewage service, clean storm water, pool use and maintenance and the Berkeley High School Health Clinic
Huyett said that although Berkeley Unified was in a better position than other districts, the list of layoffs still included bus drivers, clerks, vice principals, counselors and other employees | 5,106 | 2,243 | 2.276416 |
warc | 201704 | To create a truly great cup of coffee or shot of espresso you need two things: high quality equipment and high quality coffee beans. The type of bean you use combined with your chosen equipment is the determining factor to the taste, flavor, and satisfaction you get out of your cup of coffee or shot of espresso. BeverageFactory.com may specialize in all things Espresso Maker, Coffee Maker, and Coffee Grinder related, but we also know a thing or two about the bean. We know that the key to getting the most out of your coffee brewing equipment is buying the coffee beans that fit your palate. Maybe you are a little unclear when it comes to dark roasts, light roasts, Kenyan or Sumatran. No worries, my friend, we will explain it all and have you picking out the flavor nuances in your daily brew in no time!
There are 3 keys to unlocking the flavor of your chosen bean: first is knowing what type of bean species you are purchasing, second is understanding your beans origins and its effect on flavor, and third is learning about the different roasts and their effects on the overall taste of your brew.
Key #1: A Tale of Two Beans
First thing to know about coffee beans is that there are two of them. What I mean by this is that there are two distinct species of coffee beans: Arabica and Robusta. These two bean varieties are harvested differently, used differently, and taste differently. Where Robusta beans are more function over style, Arabica beans are all about style and substance. Knowing the differences between the two beans, will help you purchase coffee beans whose characteristics meet your taste expectations.
Arabica vs Robusta In general, Arabica coffee beans are grown at high altitudes, cultivated with the care that a vintner may show his grapes. They carry twice the number of chromosomes that a Robusta bean carries and tend to even look different before roasting. Where Robusta beans are pale green with a brown tint, Arabica beans are deep green and slightly larger in size to boot.
While Robusta beans are definitely the hardier crop, Arabica beans produce a much superior brew whose flavors will be milder, more aromatic, and overall less bitter than those produced by Robusta beans. This is what makes Arabica blends richer in every sense of the word.
As I said earlier, Robusta beans are really all about function. Since they are a hearty and economical crop, the beans they produce are oftentimes used for blends. Sometimes the combination of Arabica and Robusta is just right for lighter roasts.
Key #2: Origin of the Bean
Like those who grow up in The Bronx may find themselves with a distinct accent the rest of their lives, where a coffee bean "grows up" will determine their flavor characteristics upon brewing no matter how darkly they are roasted or how they are brewed. Generally there are 3 world regions were the finest coffee beans originate and each region produces coffee with unique and distinct flavors.
Region 1: Latin America You can expect beans originating from Central and South America, the Caribbean, Columbia, Costa Rica, Panama, and Mexico to posses the following flavor characteristics: Light body, sweet, balanced and with high acidity To preserve the brightness and downplay bitterness, these beans should have a mild to medium roast Beans from Latin America are easily enjoyed with all breakfast foods, toasts, and muffins Region 2: Africa/Arabia Coffee Beans grown on the continent of Africa, in the middle-east, and Arabia regions tend towards the below flavors: Medium body and acidity with an almost syrupy feel Recommended roast for coffee from this region is dark, to balance the complex flavors that can range from spicy to chocolaty, from wine-like to citrus-like Enjoy beans from Region 2 with milk chocolate or cheese tarts Region 3: Indonesia and the Pacific Island Region Beans from Asia, Indonesia, and surrounding Pacific Islands will have the following flavor characteristics: Heavy body with low acidity. Hearty and earthy flavors This robust blend should be roasted dark to very dark for a hearty brew that preserves the beans smooth and flowery undertones Brews of Region 3 beans are truly enjoyable with dark chocolate, caramel, and other rich deserts. Or enjoy a cup on its own; after all, it is an independent brew! Key #3: What's In a Roast?
Familiarizing yourself with the different types of roasts and their characteristics is the fastest and easiest way to predict the flavor of the coffee beans you are about to brew. Along with the bean species and bean origin, the roast is heavily responsible for determining the aroma, acidity, body, and flavor of your chosen bean. Familiarize yourself with the following Roasting Rules, and you will be on your way to becoming a true coffee connoisseur!
Rule 1: Light Roasts = light brown cinnamon color with low body and low acidity (usually low in flavor too) Rule 2: Medium Roasts = medium brown color with medium acidity and increases body Rule 3: Dark Roasts = Deep brownish/black color with oil. Flavor may decrease while body increases Rule 4: Dark roasts do not produce a stronger cup, but rather produce a more consistent cup. Rule 5: Any type of bean from any region can be roasted light, medium, or dark.
The roast you choose, will depend on both the flavors or the feel of the coffee you prefer and what kind of coffee you are brewing. For example, dark roasts work very well with espresso. Within the general light, medium, and dark categories there are sub-categories of roasting and the roast type is usually associated with the region.
More to the Bean than Meets the Eye
So who ever thought each little coffee bean could be so complicated? Hopefully this brief introduction clarified a few things about coffee for you and helped you understand what the terminology of the bean means or more importantly how it effects your cup of coffee. After all, the goal has been and always will be delicious home brewed coffee and espresso. Understanding all you can about your coffee beans is one of the most important keys to succeeding in your coffee quest. | 6,110 | 2,714 | 2.25129 |
warc | 201704 | Why Wellness Is the Next
BigThing.
While everyone reading this book might personally wish that
traditional medicine would return to its Hippocratic roots and
embrace wellness,the stubbornness and shortsightedness of many
traditional medical pro-viders has created an enormous business
opportunity for wellness entre-preneurs and professionals.
The 1990s were the beginning of a period that will be
known one day as The Democratization of Wealth, not just in the United States, but in every nation from China to Europe.
In 2002, I wrote mostly about the larger $100 million wellness
companies, since that is how I originally became acquainted with the wellness industry. Yet the majority of wellness sales, then and today, are made collectively by individual entrepreneurs, direct selling pro- fessionals, chiropractors, osteopaths, other health professionals, and small businesses. This is because becoming a wellness customer re- quires a paradigm shift on the part of the consumer, and direct person-to-person contact is the best way, and sometimes the only way, to make this paradigm shift in a person’s thinking take place. The New Wellness Revolution explains why the majority of opportuni- ties in wellness still await the individual entrepreneur or health professional,and how new management techniques and forms of busi- ness organization (like direct selling and franchising) can allow such in- dividuals even better technology than if they were part of a large corporation. This will continue for at least another decade, until well- ness is a mature industry and the majority of wellness consumers are not new to wellness.
Get a free copy of the first Chapter of The new Wellness Revolution by Paul Zane Pilzer.
The first Chapter of this book will be e-mailed to you for free. | 1,806 | 951 | 1.899054 |
warc | 201704 | TAMPA, Florida, October 1, 2013 /PRNewswire/ --
OK Medicaid selects Predictive Acquisition Cost (PAC) to improve efficiencies in managing pharmacy reimbursement and reduce drug spend
Elsevier, the leading provider of scientific, technical and medical information products and services, announced today that Oklahoma State Medicaid, managed by Oklahoma Health Care Authority - SoonerCare, has selected Predictive Acquisition Cost (PAC) to better manage its State Maximum Allowable Cost (SMAC) drug price list to improve administration efficiencies and reduce overall drug spend.
PAC, developed by Glass Box Analytics and exclusively published by Elsevier's Gold Standard, is a new drug price type that more closely tracks true acquisition cost by leveraging proven concepts from other industries and applying the power of predictive analytics to drug pricing. Independent tests show that PAC comes closer to true acquisition cost than alternatives.
SoonerCare (Oklahoma Medicaid) is a health coverage program jointly funded by the federal and state government. The Oklahoma Health Care Authority (OHCA) is the state agency that administers and determines financial eligibility for the program. SoonerCare currently serves more than 790,000 members under the fee for service pharmacy benefit.
In search of a more efficient method for managing pharmacy reimbursement, the agency found that PAC is cost effective and allows for better analysis of drug cost and reimbursement amounts.
"PAC provides an accurate reflection of the true acquisition cost for all drugs and helps our agency know where to set SMAC prices that reflect the true drug cost. The goal of the SMAC program is to set reimbursement that is fair to both the state and to the parties we reimburse," said SoonerCare Pharmacy Director Nancy Nesser. "It gives us accurate information that is easily accessible and requires fewer resources. Reimbursement should reflect the best estimate of acquisition cost, and we feel with PAC that we can achieve this."
State Medicaid programs can save significantly by using PAC to evaluate their state MAC lists. PAC displays a price range for each specific drug. The state MAC should lie within that range. PAC identifies cases where reimbursement is too high or too low, which allows Medicaid programs to ensure that their pharmacies are being reimbursed at market-based rates. SoonerCare will also be utilizing PAC to track the true costs of specialty drugs.
"All state Medicaid programs are seeking ways to improve pharmacy reimbursement management and Oklahoma was already doing a great job," said Kay Morgan, Vice President, Drug Products & Industry Standards, Elsevier. "In PAC, they recognized an innovation that would help them reduce prescription drug costs further, while also improving operational efficiencies."
For more information about Elsevier's Gold Standard, visit http://www.goldstandard.com.
About Elsevier
Elsevier is a world-leading provider of scientific, technical and medical information products and services. The company works in partnership with the global science and health communities to publish more than 2,000 journals, including
The Lancet and Cell, and close to 20,000 book titles, including major reference works from Mosby and Saunders. Elsevier's online solutions include ScienceDirect, Scopus, SciVal, Reaxys, ClinicalKey and Mosby's Suite, which enhance the productivity of science and health professionals, helping research and health care institutions deliver better outcomes more cost-effectively.
A global business headquartered in Amsterdam, Elsevier employs 7,000 people worldwide. The company is part of Reed Elsevier Group plc, a world leading provider of professional information solutions. The group employs more than 30,000 people, including more than 15,000 in North America. Reed Elsevier Group plc is owned equally by two parent companies, Reed Elsevier PLC and Reed Elsevier NV.
Their shares are traded on the London, Amsterdam and New York Stock Exchanges using the following ticker symbols: London: REL; Amsterdam: REN; New York: RUK and ENL.
Media contact
Christopher Capot Director, Corporate Relations, Elsevier +1-212-633-3164 c.capot@elsevier.com
SOURCE Elsevier
Copyright©2012 PR Newswire.
All rights reserved
0
GOOD | 4,314 | 2,027 | 2.128268 |
warc | 201704 | Undergraduate The Biology department does not offer departmental placement exams. For more information on changes to the requirements and options in the Biology major, please see Announcements.
The University of Pennsylvania offers a broad range of opportunities for students to learn about the diversity of biological systems. Our curriculum introduces students to the many ways of understanding the function and diversity of living organisms and to the increasingly important role of biology in the modern world. Major topics include genetics, molecular biology, cell biology, development, plant biology, vertebrate physiology, neurobiology, behavior, ecology, and evolution. Undergraduates interested in the biology major typically follow one of two introductory biology tracks. These introductory course(s) provide an overview of these areas through classroom and laboratory learning. Beyond the introductory courses, undergraduates have the opportunity to choose from a broad range of advanced biology courses.
The Biology department also offers a biology minor and a variety of courses for non-major undergraduates designed to help students understand modern biological techniques and how they influence human life on local and global scales. These courses are taught by faculty from the biology department and from the medical school.
Dr. Pohlschröder, the undergraduate chair, invites you take some time and explore the Department of Biology's webpage.
An undergraduate degree in biology from the University of Pennsylvania prepares students for a diverse range of careers, including: Researchers in universities, research institutes, biotechnology, or pharmaceutical companies Doctors, dentists, physical therapists, public health workers, or other health professionals Primary or secondary education Positions with zoos, natural history museums, nature centers, and fish and wildlife departments Sales positions for a pharmaceutical companies Science writers or medical illustrators, and a variety of other professional positionsYou can visit Career Services for more information on career opportunities and information on applying to medical and graduate school programs. Contact
For more information about the Biology Department's undergraduate program, please email the Academic Office, call 215-746-7766 or stop by 112 Leidy Labs.
You can meet with Dr. Pohlschröder during office hours on Thursdays, 3:00 - 4:00, or by contacting her for an appointment. | 2,485 | 1,177 | 2.1113 |
warc | 201704 | Repair of symptomatic diaphragmatic hernia during pregnancy.
MedLine Citation:
PMID: 3285266 Owner: NLM Status: MEDLINE
Abstract/OtherAbstract:
Congenital diaphragmatic hernia complicating pregnancy is a rarity, accounting for only six out of 17 cases of diaphragmatic hernia reported in the English literature. This case report describes the first successful repair of an acutely symptomatic foramen of Bochdalek hernia during pregnancy, with maternal and fetal survival. In the asymptomatic patient, surgery should be performed promptly on an elective basis in the first and second trimesters. During the third trimester, an asymptomatic defect should be repaired at the time of elective cesarean section. Active labor should be avoided. If symptoms of obstruction arise, this lesion represents a true surgical emergency, and immediate operative intervention should be undertaken regardless of the stage of pregnancy. Delay can result in both fetal and maternal mortality in up to half of cases. Tube gastrostomy may be performed at the time of repair to avert a potential prolonged gastric ileus and gastric volvulus.
Authors:
R B Kurzel; K S Naunheim; R A Schwartz
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Publication Detail:
Type: Case Reports; Journal Article; Review
Journal Detail:
Title: Obstetrics and gynecology Volume: 71 ISSN: 0029-7844 ISO Abbreviation: Obstet Gynecol Publication Date: 1988 Jun
Date Detail:
Created Date: 1988-06-21 Completed Date: 1988-06-21 Revised Date: 2009-10-26
Medline Journal Info:
Nlm Unique ID: 0401101 Medline TA: Obstet Gynecol Country: UNITED STATES
Other Details:
Languages: eng Pagination: 869-71 Citation Subset: AIM; IM
Affiliation:
Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, St. Mary's Health Center, St. Louis, Missouri.
Export Citation:
APA/MLA Format Download EndNote Download BibTex MeSH Terms
Descriptor/Qualifier:
Adult
Cesarean Section
Diagnostic Errors
Emergencies
Female
Gastroesophageal Reflux / etiology
Hernia, Diaphragmatic / congenital, diagnosis, epidemiology, surgery*
Humans
Postoperative Complications / etiology, surgery
Pregnancy
Pregnancy Complications / diagnosis, epidemiology, surgery*
Stomach Volvulus / etiology, surgery
Time Factors
From MEDLINE®/PubMed®, a database of the U.S. National Library of Medicine
Previous Document:Transabdominal cerclage for fetal wastage due to cervical incompetence. Next Document:The nitrite and leukocyte esterase tests for the evaluation of asymptomatic bacteriuria in obstetric... | 3,078 | 1,636 | 1.881418 |
warc | 201704 | Interactions of Gauge Theory with Contact and Symplectic Topology in Dimensions 3 and 4 (16w5096) Organizers
Hans Boden (McMaster University)
Denis Auroux (University of California, Berkeley)
Olivier Collin (Université de Québec à Montréal)
John Etnyre (Georgia Institute of Technology)
Objectives Unification of invariants:There has been much recent progress in showing that various invariants defined in starkly different ways actually compute the same thing. This has allowed for many striking results. For example, Taubes and Hutchings have a program for identifying the monopole Floer theory with embedded contact homology, and as an application, they have succeeded in proving the Arnold chord conjecture for legendrian knots in arbitrary contact 3-manifolds. More recent research points to a convergence of Floer theories, and two separate teams, namely Kutluhan--Lee--Taubes and Colin--Ghiggini--Honda, working independently, have established the equivalence between Heegaard-Floer homology, embedded contact homology and monopole Floer homology. These are fundamentally important and very deep results, the ramifications of which are still being explored. An important open problem in this area is to understand how instanton Floer homology compares with monopole Floer and Heegaard--Floer.
There are a number of other striking results coming out of Floer theory, including a beautiful and elegant characterization of fibered knots in terms of Heegaard--Floer groups given by Y. Ni and P. Ghiggini, the establishment of a spectral sequence relating Khovanov homology to the instanton Floer knot homology with application to showing Khovanov homology detects the unknot given by P. Kronheimer and T. Mrowka, and the solution to the Weinstein conjecture in dimension 3 given by Taubes using embedded contact homology and monopole Floer homology. Taubes proved that, for any compact oriented 3-manifold $M$ with contact 1-form $alpha$, the vector field that generates the kernel of the 2-form $dalpha$ has at least one closed integral curve. Another very exciting and fundamental development is the solution to the triangulation conjecture given by C. Manolescu using Pin(2) Floer homology. The triangulation conjecture is the statement that every compact topological manifold can be triangulated by a locally finite simplicial complex, and this was known to be false in dimension four but remained an open problem for manifolds of dimension five and higher. In the early 1980s, Galewski and Stern had shown the triangulation conjecture to be equivalent to the statement that there exists a homology 3-sphere of Rochlin invariant one with order two in the homology cobordism group $Theta^3.$ In a recently posted article, Manolescu develops Pin(2) Floer homology theory for homology 3-spheres and uses it to disprove the triangulation conjecture in dimension five and higher by showing such homology 3-spheres cannot exist.
Another important goal is to understand the relationship between the various Floer-type invariants for knots and 3-manifolds and Khovanov homology. Khovanov homology was constructed as a categorification of the Jones polynomial of knots and its nature is very algebraic (rather than geometric). Ozsv'ath and Szab'o showed that Khovanov's homology of a link is related to the Heegaard Floer homology of its double branched cover by a spectral sequence. The progress accomplished on combinatorial Heegaard-Floer homology has already enabled Manolescu and Ozsv'ath to explore further the relationship between the two theories, through the notion of homological thinness. This should remain an active area of research for the coming years, as it also relates to the link invariants constructed by Seidel and Smith using the symplectic geometry of nilpotent slices, and recent progress in understanding the structure of Fukaya categories suggests new lines of approach. In another direction, building on their foundational results on singular instantons, Kronheimer and Mrowka have established the existence of a spectral sequence from Khovanov homology to the $SU(2)$ instanton knot homology, and consequently they show that the Khovanov homology detects the unknot. Their work suggests an intriguing relationship between Khovanov-Rozansky homology and $SU(n)$ instanton knot homology, and Witten's work recasting Khovanov homology in terms of 4-dimensional gauge theory, while not yet well understood by mathematicians, most likely will serve as a catalyst for other exciting new developments.
TQFTs and the algebraic structure of invariants:It appears that many invariants of 3-manifolds or links can be extended to invariants of 3-manifolds with boundary or tangles, forming ``extended topological field theories''. While this was a built-in feature of Khovanov homology, the discovery of similar structures in Floer-type invariants is more recent. While Juh'asz's ``sutured'' Heegaard-Floer homology already led to exciting applications (such as detecting fiberedness), the recent introduction by Lipshitz, Ozsv'ath and Thurston of ``bordered Floer homology'' has led to a much richer algebraic picture of Heegaard-Floer theory. This not only opens new perspectives for computations (see below), but also provides insight into the structure of Heegaard-Floer theory and its relation to Khovanov homology. Recent work of Douglas and Manolescu suggests that the story extends even further, to surfaces with boundary and 3-manifolds with corners. Bordered and sutured versions of other Floer-type invariants have not yet been as thoroughly developed, but appear full of promise and should be a hotbed of future activity; for instance, sutured instanton Floer homology plays a key role in Kronheimer and Mrowka's work mentioned above. In a different direction, recent progress on algebraic structures in Fukaya categories and Legendrian contact homology (by Bourgeois, Ekholm, Eliashberg; Abouzaid, Seidel; Ganatra) is likely to have significant applications in low-dimensional topology. Developing computational techniques:Most of the invariants arising from gauge theory and contact / symplectic topology involve spaces of solutions to geometric PDEs, which makes explicit computations particularly difficult. In the past few years there has been dramatic progress in several directions. The problem of combinatorially constructing Heegaard-Floer groups without counting pseudo-holomorphic curves has taken a very promising turn as knot Floer homology was given a purely combinatorial interpretation by Manolescu, Ozsv'ath and Sarkar. This has already led to progress in the classification of transverse knots in contact manifolds as well as work by Ng on bounds for the Thurston-Bennequin invariant of Legendrian knots. While combinatorial Heegaard-Floer homology continues to develop at a spectacular pace, Lipshitz, Ozsv'ath and Thurston's bordered Floer homology offers a different approach to computing Heegaard-Floer homology by decomposing a 3-manifold into a sequence of elementary cobordisms between oriented surfaces. In a different direction, a result of Bourgeois, Ekholm and Eliashberg gives a way to compute the contact homology of a contact manifold obtained from another one by Legendrian surgery. This construction is particularly simple in dimension 3 where there is essentially an algorithm for writing down the contact homology of a contact 3-manifold in terms of its Legendrian surgery description. With recent progress on the classification of Legendrian knots this could yield a flood of information about contact 3-manifolds. Exploiting interactions between constructions and invariants:The emergence of invariants of embeddings from contact homology is another very promising avenue of research. Given a manifold embedded in Euclidean space, one can look at its unit conormal bundle in the unit cotangent bundle of Euclidean space to get a Legendrian submanifold. The contact homology of this Legendrian gives an invariant of the original embedding. Ekholm, Etnyre, Ng and Sullivan have recently given a rigorous computation of this invariant for knots in 3-space and shown it is equal to a very powerful combinatorial invariant defined by Ng. This new invariant has surprising connections with many classical knot invariants and seems quite strong; it also appears to give new information about transverse knots in contact manifolds. Exploring its properties and extending it to other situations should be a fruitful line of research for years to come. Moreover, contact homology is only the tip of the iceberg of Symplectic Field Theory (SFT). This theory, introduced by Eliashberg, Givental and Hofer, has been an inspirational and driving force in symplectic geometry for over a decade now, and recent advances in its rigorous definition suggest that a precise formulation of the relative version will emerge in the coming years. In spite of recent progress by Bourgeois, Ekholm and Eliashberg, there is still much work to do to extract computable information that can be used in applications. In the end though, it is expected that the theory will be invaluable and provide more invariants, not only for Legendrian knots in contact manifolds and Lagrangian cobordisms between them, but also for topological knots by considering the conormal construction mentioned above. Evidence for this comes from Abouzaid's recent demonstration that the symplectic geometry of cotangent bundles can be used to distinguish exotic smooth structures on spheres of high dimension, and further results of his about exact Lagrangians in cotangent bundles. Can such ideas be exploited in dimension 4 to attack the smooth Poincar'e conjecture?
Indeed, one of the driving open problems in 4-dimensional topology is the smooth Poincar'e conjecture. Recent work of Freedman, Gompf, Morrison and Walker reveals that Khovanov homology can be used to give an obstruction to specific handle decompositions of homotopy 4-spheres being the actual 4-sphere. This development sparked considerable interest as a method for identifying counterexamples to the smooth 4-d Poincar'e conjecture, assuming they exist! Akbulut and Gompf subsequently proved that many potential counterexamples to the Poincar'e conjecture are actually the standard sphere. Another approach to such problems is to try to build exotic smooth structures on 4-manifolds that are as ``small'' as possible. After Freedman and Donaldson's work in the early 1980's gave the first examples of exotic smooth structures, and Kotschick's result for $\mathbb{CP}^2 \overline{\mathbb{CP}}{}^2$, there was little progress until J. Park's breakthrough in 2005. There has since been a flurry of activity on existence of exotic smooth structures on small symplectic 4-manifolds by different teams of researchers (Akhmedov-Park, Baldridge-Kirk, and Fintushel-Stern-Park). The advances are made by exploiting a certain tension between constructions and invariants. Using clever new cut-and-paste constructions such as knot or rim surgery or Luttinger surgery along particularly well-chosen embedded surfaces, together with an intimate understanding of their effect on Seiberg-Witten invariants, one can often deduce the presence of several (generally infinitely many) exotic smooth structures (only some of which carry symplectic forms). It is reasonable to expect further progress on this important problem for other small symplectic 4-manifolds (e.g. $\mathbb{CP}^2 \overline{\mathbb{CP}}{}^2$ or $S^2times S^2$) via this approach.
Contact structures on 3-manifolds and Heegaard-Floer theory:The existence of tight contact structures on 3-manifolds has been an important subject of investigation for a long time, and one on which significant progress has been made in the last decade. This fundamental question has potential applications not only to contact geometry but also to low-dimensional topology and dynamics. It also illustrates very well the natural interactions between the invariants described above and constructive methods. After incremental steps by a number of mathematicians, Lisca and Stipsicz have completely classified which Seifert fibered 3-manifolds admit a tight contact structure. Their approach relies heavily on Heegaard-Floer homology through a non-vanishing criterion for the contact invariant of Ozsv'ath and Szab'o. On the other hand, geometric methods reminiscent of the theory of normal surfaces of Haken and Kneser have enabled Colin, Giroux and Honda to establish general results such as: (1) Every 3-manifold has only finitely many homotopy classes of 2-plane fields which carry tight contact structures. (2) Every closed atoroidal 3-manifold carries finitely many isotopy classes of tight contact structures. One of the outstanding and fundamental questions here is the understanding of tight contact structures on hyperbolic 3-manifolds. Work of Kazez, Honda and Mati'c has led to a characterization of tight 3-manifolds in terms of right-veering diffeomorphisms. They have also defined fractional Dehn twist coefficients (FDTC) for diffeomorphisms of surfaces with boundary. Large FDTC frequently implies an associated contact manifold is tight. Moreover, recently Hedden and Mark have used Heegaard-Floer theory to show that FDTCs are bounded on a given manifold. In another direction Etnyre, Vela-Vick and Zarev have shown how to use contact geometry to recover most flavors of knot Heegaard-Floer theory from sutured Floer theory. These works show intricate connections between Heegaard-Floer theory and contact geometry. It is hoped that as we develop a better understanding of the relations between fundamental groups and Heegaard-Floer theory we will be able to use some of these connections to illuminate the questions of tight contact structures on hyperbolic manifolds. Objectives
The proposed workshop is a follow-up event to the well-received BIRS workshops we organized in March 2007 (Interactions of geometry and topology in low dimensions: BIRS 07w5033), March 2009 (Interactions of geometry and topology in dimensions 3 and 4: BIRS 09w5095), March 2011 (Interactions between contact/symplectic topology and gauge theory in dimensions 3 and 4: BIRS 11w5085), and March 2013 (Interactions of gauge theory with contact and symplectic topology in dimensions 3 and 4: BIRS 13w5037). These events were hugely successful in every respect, as discussions among participants were not only informative but also led to new results and fruitful collaborations. All four previous workshops had waiting lists of people wishing to attend, and we expect interest in the currently proposed workshop to be just as high. Indeed, the wealth of recent results in the field shows that this area of mathematics is developing at a very fast pace, and we are very confident that the progress over the next two years will lead to another important and productive meeting.
The workshop will bring together a diverse group of mathematicians. Among the invited participants are experts working in 3- and 4-manifold topology and their invariants arising from gauge theory, contact and symplectic topology. While some of the leading experts in each area are expected to attend the workshop, a special emphasis will be placed on including post-doctoral researchers and current Ph.D. students. The schedule will include five 50-minute talks each day -- except for Wednesday where only half a day will be scheduled -- with time in the late afternoons and evenings left open for informal discussions, collaborations, and problem sessions. | 15,579 | 6,097 | 2.555191 |
warc | 201704 | All in a day’s work: Laura the freelance graphic designer
Laura is 54 years old and works as a freelance graphic designer. She’s sitting at a computer for two or three days a week, but the rest of the time she’s renovating her home and walking for at least an hour a day (as she doesn’t drive). In addition, she runs for an hour about three times a week and does two light weight-training sessions. She buys lunch when working, or otherwise eats leftovers. She says “I’ve noticed a creeping weight gain around my middle as I get older, no doubt exacerbated by my wine consumption at night. I know I shouldn’t drink wine every day but I do enjoy it with dinner and it helps me get to sleep!” She eats red meat/chicken twice a week and fish once a week. Otherwise, she eats mostly a plant-based diet, and has “no health issues.....yet!”.
7.30am 10.30am
Large trim latte
1.30pm 4pm
2 feijoas
5pm
Glass of wine while cooking dinner
7pm
3 small lamb cutlets, helping of eggplant parmigiana and a green salad. 2 glasses syrah.
9.30pm
Cup of tea with 1 sugar
Nadia Lim’s nutrition quick fix
It’s a myth that alcohol helps you sleep — in fact it’s the opposite. Alcohol is a stimulant; though a few glasses of red may help you nod off faster, it’s well known to reduce REM sleep (the deepest stage of sleep), so sleep quality is reduced. Reduce your alcohol intake to no more than 1-2 standard drinks per night (a standard drink is 100ml of wine). Estrogen levels decrease in your 50s, resulting in a shift of fat deposition to your middle, so it’s important to have a heart-healthy diet of lots of fresh fruit and vegetables and healthy fats. While energy needs decrease a little (because your metabolic rate decreases), your protein needs increase, so aim to eat as much nutrient-rich/dense foods as possible. You could increase nutrient density at breakfast — how about adding some avocado and tomato or other vegetables instead of the marmalade? Women in their 50’s often put on weight because they become more sedentary, but you are the opposite, keeping very physically active — keep it up! | 2,198 | 1,175 | 1.870638 |
warc | 201704 | I could not sleep the night before I caught my flight for Palm Springs. Part of it was anticipation, while the other reason was procrastination. The car bringing me the airport was late, getting through security was a hassle, and my connecting flight out of LAX was delayed. But in this one particular instance, the journey wasn’t as important as the destination. Because, once I arrived to the 2008 Black Enterprise Women of Power Summit in La Quinta, CA, my grievances subsided. Though in its third year, this is my second time attending. Last year, the event was held in Phoenix, AZ and long story short: it exceeded my expectations and before it even ended, I’d already promised myself I’d be back for 2008. And here I am. Today, I am just as full of excitement and awe as I was then. It’s a bit surreal to have over 700 women of all different ages, backgrounds, and experience together in one place, sharing the strategies and lessons of (successfully) surviving the world we both work and live.
And it’s only fitting that we start this conference each year by honoring women who’ve helped pave the way for us. All four of the honorees: Ruby Dee Davis, Ann Fudge, Nikki Giovanni, and Dr. Dorothy Height, embody perseverance, commitment, confidences and ingenuity. In accepting her award, Dr. Height said it best as to why an event of this caliber is imperative. “The better you feel about yourself, the more you can help others,” said the pioneer. “And the more you can help others, the better you will feel about yourself.” In addition to the world, the lives we lead are full-circle; it takes not only passion but purpose to attain happiness. And the underlying tone of the conference thus far has been that regardless of age or ambition, you have got to take the time to cultivate your power, find your voice and challenge yourself to not only listen but act.
So, I pose the question: How will you
power forward? This is the mantra of the conference and should be the motivation for all as we make our way into 2008 and beyond. How do you plan to take your goals to fruition be them of a personal or professional nature? We have got to in everything we do regardless how difficult or unattainable it may seem at first. In addition, we have to remember that there is a select group of women in front of us willing to help as well as too many women to count behind us looking for the same guidance that we seek. And I think that’s the motivation that has brought us all here and out of their daily routine and environment…to prove that we not only want to know better, but want to do better. –Tennille
We have more power than we think we have. The better you feel about yourself the more you can help others, and the more you help others, the better you feel | 2,835 | 1,447 | 1.959226 |
warc | 201704 | Welcome to Blush.
We live in a fast paced world, one that is convenience based, at Blush we like to take you back to the basics, good healthy products and a healthy knowledge of what your skin, body and mind require in order to cope with life. We are extremely passionate about lowering the chemical load on the skin and we want to therefore help everyone understand the importance of chemical free or at least reducing your chemical environment and in return the stress on one's body.
When we think of the skin I think it’s taken for granted a lot, it’s there it allows you to feel, but I don’t know whether people really consider it in the same class as our heart, kidneys or liver, and it should be, the skin is our largest organ and capable of so many wonderful functions.
Research has shown that what we put on our skin, our hair and our bodies, the food we choose to eat, our toothpaste and many other products have a direct impact on our health and quality of life.
So let's make an effort to reduce our chemical intake by being aware, being educated and caring about ourselves and our children.
At Blush we can provide you with guidence, certified natural products for your skin and body, inside and out, and quality treatments from passionate knowledgeable therapists. | 1,299 | 701 | 1.853067 |
warc | 201704 | Norway - Q1 2013
As a result of the implementation of BMI's new Risk/Reward Ratings methodology, Norway moved up five positions in the Q113 update. Norway's overall score improved from 63.1 to 65.1 on the back of an upgrade to its industry rewards score. An additional factor was a relative improvement in its country risks score due to the positive real private consumption growth outlook and its more limited exposure to the eurozone compared to many of its peers. Norway now scores above the regional average in all four categories surveyed. Norway sits behind Switzerland and above Sweden and Germany.
Norway's industry rewards score improved significantly under the new methodology. Norway has always scored highly in the category as a result of the high ARPUs in the market, derived from the high income levels in the country. However, it has been limited somewhat by the small size of the market relative to large European countries. The improvement in Norway's score is derived from BMI's greater emphasis on both wireline and wireless data subscription growth - an area of the market in which Norway is a regional leader with strong competition in high-end wireline broadband provision, as well as competition in commercial 4G LTE services. It should be remembered that improved capacity services also open up new opportunities in value-added service provision such as OTT, mobile TV and VOD.
Norway had previously held the highest score in Western Europe in the country rewards category until BMI's Q411 Risk/Reward Ratings. This had been positively influenced by several factors including the country's GDP per capita and the proportion of the country's GDP that is spent on education. Along with Denmark and Sweden, Norway spends one of the highest proportions of GDP on education, a phenomenon that ensures a highly literate population that is generally receptive to new technologies. However, the Q411 change to our methodology placed greater emphasis on demographics and other population data, reducing Norway's score. From a telecoms perspective, a fast population growth rate is seen as positive because it ensures a growing market for new communications services. Without it, and in the face of existing saturation, we had to mark down Norway's country rewards scores quite considerably in Q411. There were no new data for analysis at the time of writing; therefore, no further changes have been implemented this quarter. | 2,444 | 1,195 | 2.045188 |
warc | 201704 | Due to the struggling economy it is easy to up you prices to make up for a lower number of clients. According to Business iHub this strategy is actually directly opposite to what it needs to be. Boosting sales during a slumping economy is about more than just coming up with the perfect slogan and getting your name out there.
Brides are going to be price shopping so the first thing you need to do is figure out who your competition is and how they price. The next step is to change your prices to be just a tiny bit less than the competition. According to the article by Business iHub this pricing strategy will actually boost your sales by 10% or more. Pricing strategies often are the final deciding factor for a bride if she is torn between two companies. What do you think? How has your pricing affected your wedding business? | 835 | 464 | 1.799569 |
warc | 201704 | Landing on American soil with little more than what they could carry, thousands of Irish immigrants announced their arrival in newspapers, hoping to find lost relatives and friends. The Boston Pilot, the newspaper of the Boston Archdiocese, ran more than 40,000 such ads in the 1800s and early 1900s, and to academics such as Ruth-Ann Mellish Harris, the information was scholarly gold.
Boston may have been a haven for Irish immigrants, but “the Irish had such a different way of life back home, they were bound to have an awful time of it in America,” Dr. Harris told the Globe in 1986. “And many of them did.”
In a column called “Missing Friends,” many hoped to find what seemed so elusive: the familiarity of a spouse or a sibling, or connections to their Irish past. Decades later, Dr. Harris turned that trove of information into what became an online database linking Irish America to Ireland.
Dr. Harris was preparing a syllabus for a history course she planned to teach this fall at Boston College as an adjunct professor when she suffered a cerebral hemorrhage and died Sept. 5 in Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center. She was 76 and lived in Jamaica Plain.
Joseph Lee, a former colleague now a professor of Irish studies at New York University, called Dr. Harris “a true pioneer in identifying areas in what we would now regard as neglected research. She put a human face on everything.”
Combing through ads, she gleaned information about migration patterns and how people managed in a new country.
“I don’t see them as sad and miserable,” Dr. Harris told the Globe in 1992. “It’s rough to be an immigrant and cope with a new society, but mostly young people were coming, not families. I think this country might have been rather fun for them. There’s a kind of dignity in work. Immigrants work awfully hard, but tend to be optimistic about what they’re doing.”
She found that the “ambitious” and “the restless ones” left Ireland for a new world.
“In many ways, she had a sympathy for the weaker, for the underdog, but without being sentimental about it,” Lee said.
Her interest in immigration and migration may have stemmed from her own past. Born in Liberia to British parents, she was sent to England in the early 1940s, and then to Canada during World War II to live with her grandparents. Five years later, she and her parents reunited.
“I suppose that’s a major reason why I’ve always been interested in people and why they move,” Dr. Harris said in a 2005 interview quoted on Boston College’s website. “When you collect immigration stories, having one of your own gives you a certain insight.”
Her husband, John, said Dr. Harris felt like “an outsider, but an outsider with great perspective. She had the rare ability to objectively look at situations, and not just look at what she was expecting.”
During research that included reviewing many published papers and books, she often looked at how women fared in particular moments in history.
“When you looked at what the women were doing, it gave you a better sense of the reality of what was going on,” said her daughter Catherine of Woodbury, Vt. “It was looking beyond the traditional and understanding that the everyday lives of women said more about the conditions than did the political situation.”
She had a sympathy ‘for the weaker, for the underdog, but without being sentimental about it.’
Ruth-Ann Mellish attended Wheaton College in Illinois. She later finished her bachelor’s degree at Tufts University.
She and John Harris, who also attended Wheaton, married in 1954. She began working as an editor with a Methodist church publication in 1962. Four years later, they moved to Winchester.
Already involved in the civil rights movement while in the Midwest, the Harrises helped push to expand to Winchester the Metropolitan Council for Educational Opportunity, or Metco, a voluntary school desegregation program that brought Boston children to suburban school districts.
They moved to Nigeria in the mid-1960s under a Ford Foundation grant for his research. They returned to Africa, this time in Nairobi, in 1968. Dr. Harris taught at a boys’ high school, where her energy and passion helped to keep students on track, her husband said.
In the 1970s, she obtained a master’s degree and a doctorate from Tufts. Her dissertation, “The Nearest Place That Wasn’t Ireland: Early Nineteenth-Century Irish Labor Migration,” was about seasonal migration patterns that brought many Irish immigrants to Britain.
The field of Irish studies was in its nascent days when Dr. Harris helped start an Irish studies program at Northeastern University. Financial troubles contributed to the program ending, and she moved to Boston College, where she became a scholar in a discipline that was still evolving.
“It was not an established field, so it must have been a difficult road,” said Gustav Papanek, a professor emeritus at Boston University and president of the Boston Institute for Developing Economies. “It took a lot of courage.”
Thomas Hachey, a professor and executive director of the Boston College Center for Irish Programs, said that “the people I spoke with in the field were very impressed by her work and her commitment. She was renowned for being very close with her students.”
Her personable nature helped draw people out, family and friends said. “She was one of the few people who always conveyed that she really cared when she asked how you are,” Papanek said. “It was clear that she meant it . . . she was truly interested in your answer.”
In 2005, Boston College launched a website that compiled her work: “Information Wanted: A Database of Advertisements for Irish Immigrants Published in The Boston Pilot,” as infowanted.bc.edu.
“I look forward to seeing it used in a way that will generate better understanding of the Irish immigrant experience in North America,” Dr. Harris told the Boston Pilot that year.
In addition to her husband, John, and daughter Catherine, Dr. Harris leaves another daughter, Dorothy of Rochester, N.H.; a son, Rees of Shelburne, Vt.; and eight grandchildren.
A celebration of Dr. Harris’s life will be held at Boston College on a date to be announced.
Emma Stickgold can be reached at estickgoldobits@gmail.com. | 6,545 | 3,031 | 2.159353 |
warc | 201704 | COLD, SPORADIC showers fell as I drove at dawn through Hout Bay, the fishing village where I lived, to the Hangberg Community Hall. The weather mirrored the mood: Uncertainty hovered over the country. It was Wednesday, April 27, 1994, and South Africa was voting in its first fully democratic elections.
I wore a laminated badge identifying me as “Domestic Election Observer #DO134OOOOO447.” After two long prep sessions, I was still nervous about the possibility of polling-station violence. Car bombs had exploded around the country in the last days before the election; two dozen people had been killed, hundreds more wounded. You wondered: Would South Africa see a peaceful transfer of power? Or would more bombs go off?
Twenty years have passed since that election; its anniversary gives us an opportunity to consider where South Africa has come from and where it is now.
I have a few imperishable memories of that day.
One is watching the first voter cast his ballot, witnessing that magical moment when real democracy became tangible. He was in his late teens or early 20s. Tired from the long wait, he rubbed his eyes. And an odd note: He wore brightly colored trousers.
Outside, the line of people waiting in the spitting rain snaked along the street, around the corner, and down the hill. Almost everyone was silent. The few who talked did so in quiet voices. There was no singing, no jubilation, no drumming or toyi-toying. I asked people at the front how long they had been waiting. Two hours, they said.
The rest of that day and the next were the same. I watched thousands of people, young, old, black, white, come in and vote. The mood was solemn. After the riots and the rallies, the clenched fists in the sky, the bombs, the election itself was peaceful.
I think often of that young man who voted first. He is liberated in a way he never was before the vote — April 27 is now Freedom Day, a public holiday in South Africa — and that is a huge and important thing, a mighty psychological boost. State racism is gone; the laws are no longer deliberately written to oppress him. A new generation has come of age. South Africa’s fifth general election is coming in less than two weeks; 12 parties will appear the ballot. The country has a wonderfully enlightened constitution and a lot of bright people working toward change. In fundamental ways, the last 20 years have been a success story.
And yet, the hope and promise of April 27, 1994, has also dimmed considerably. South Africa suffers from corruption, inequality, poverty, and an alarming rate of HIV infection. Unemployment is double what it was 20 years ago. While I lived in Hout Bay, a backyard near my home became a squatter camp; today, more than 20,000 people live in shanties there.
Four years ago riots broke out near the Hangberg Community Hall after officials tore down some informal housing; the police fired rubber bullets and beat protesters.
The Oscar Pistorius trial will no doubt overshadow the elections next month. This era’s O.J. Simpson trial, it has laid bare South Africa’s culture of violence in a way that, say, Nobel Prize winner Nadine Gordimer getting assaulted in a 2006 home invasion didn’t. It isn’t worse than in many other countries, but it is extremely discouraging against the backdrop of the recent past.
A few years ago, I spent a day with Zimbabwean migrants cowering in a Cape Town township church after a rash of xenophobic attacks, brutally ironic considering how Zimbabwe helped the African National Congress during its years in exile.
As South Africa moves into the post-Mandela era, it’s clear the struggle is far from over. It is a complicated, beautiful, stumbling, violent, amazing country. The glass, half full or half empty, still brims with hope and despair.
James Zug is the author of six books, including “The Guardian: The History of South Africa’s Anti-Apartheid Newspaper.” He can be reached at jzug@earthlink.net. | 4,018 | 2,098 | 1.915157 |
warc | 201704 | Coffee is the second largest commodity market next to oil and Brazil has remained the largest producer of coffee in the world for two centuries. Imports of Arabica coffee in the United States have increased ninety-four percent in the past five years and consumption of coffee within Brazil has seen similar increases. In addition, demand for green coffee is above the market clearing level, and market price and crop yield estimates are at an all time high.
The increase in the number of independent specialty roasters in the United States and Brazil has contributed to and is an indicator of the increased demand for coffee. Within the larger coffee market is our target market is the specialty roaster. These discerning customers want the highest quality coffee beans. They serve the growing "gourmet" coffee market and are represented by large American companies like Starbucks and thousands of smaller specialty roasters. The Arabica bean is considered to be the best in the world and as such, the demand for Arabica beans is high on the specialty roaster market. Specialty roasters are willing to pay more for Arabica beans and attempt to distinguish themselves via the characteristics of the bean they use i.e. the location in which it was grown, farming methods, bean size, etc. The final consumer is relatively price insensitive if the coffee is good, has won awards, or is compatible with a popular trend. We estimate that specialty roasting in the U.S. alone is a ($USD) one-billion market.
The potential customer groups for Silvera & Sons are:
Coffee has been a growing industry for the past five years. The most notable growth has been in the American market where imports have increased almost one-hundred percent and the market price has nearly doubled. The number of specialty roasters has increased from a handful of well known companies to thousands of independent entities. There is a constant struggle within this market to produce the best coffee and serve one or more niches within the larger market. Brazilian coffee producers and exporters have made great efforts to improve agricultural techniques, processing methods, and distribution in order to better serve this growing market. Demand for Brazilian coffee is currently greater than supply.
The purchase decision for our customer is based on trust in our process and bean selection. We have established relationships with our customers which extend beyond that of the buyer/seller. The Silvera & Sons label means that the product has been chosen and prepared with the highest quality standards in mind. Our beans are priced up to nine percent higher than similar products. Our customers are willing to pay more for our product because they are familiar with us and trust in the quality of our beans. This is the result of their success in the marketplace with our product.
There are approximately 150 exporters of green Arabica beans in Brazil. According to the Brazilian Coffee Exporters Association, ABECAFE, fifty percent (50%) of all green coffee exports come from their 45 members. Approximately eighty percent (80%) of these exports come from 20 ABECAFE members. Market contributions of individual exporters are held in strict confidence and are not available to the public. However, based on this information and given the large number of remaining exporters not affiliated with ABECAFE who account for the remaining sixty percent (60%) of all exports, we assume that many of the largest competitors are amongst the ABECAFE members. They are:
Agro Food Cooxupe Mitsui Alimentos Allcoffee Cotia Trading Nicchio Cafe Bramazonia Custudio Forzza Nova America Cafe do Ponto Esteve N.S. da Guia Cafeeira Carolina Eurobrasil Ottoni & Filhos Cargill Agricola Fazenda da Serra Porto de Santos Casas Sendas Guaxupe Ref. Oleos Brasil Cocam Inter-Continental R & G Comexim JR Exportadora Rio Doce Comercial Ben. MC Coffee Tres Coracoes Compel Melitta Volcafe
Silvera & Sons deals exclusively in the exportation and sale of green Arabica beans. There are approximately 150 Brazilian businesses in this market. However, approximately 30 companies account for approximately eighty percent of the total amount of green Arabica exports. In addition many of these companies prepare, export and sell, to the Brazilian market, other coffee products. Additional products include:
All of the coffee produced for exportation by Silvera & Sons and approximately eighty-five percent of all coffee produced for exportation in Brazil is shipped from Porto de Santos. Prepared coffee is shipped via rail and/or truck from the Silvera & Sons plant in Ouro Fino to Porto de Santos. From the port it is then shipped, in 40 foot containers to the port of Miami via cargo ship. Distribution charges are assumed by Silvera & Sons up to the arrival of the shipments in Miami whereupon importers assume responsibility, as detailed in contract, of the shipment and additional distribution charges. | 4,956 | 2,146 | 2.309413 |
warc | 201704 | The centrist/Internet third party meme appears to be catching on. Sadly, the latest victim is Ron Brownstein, one of the best political journalists working today. He begins the column by quoting Joe Trippi, the Johnny Appleseed of this stupid idea:
MoveOn, and groups like it on the left and right, chisel at the power of the major political parties by providing an alternative source of campaign funds and volunteers. But otherwise, the two parties that have defined American political life since the 1850s have been largely immune from the centrifugal current of the Internet era.
Joe Trippi, a principal architect of Howard Dean's breakthrough Internet strategy in the 2004 Democratic presidential campaign, is one of many analysts who believe that may soon change. The Internet, he says, could ignite a serious third-party presidential bid in 2008.
...Trippi believes an independent presidential candidate who struck a chord could organize support through the Internet just as inexpensively. "Somebody could come along and raise $200 million and have 600,000 people on the streets working for them without any party structure in the blink of an eye," he says.
Brownstein does concede that this is harder than Trippi makes it sound, but he's still wildly unrealistic:
The hurdles for an independent presidential candidate remain formidable. Even one that attracted a competitive share of the popular vote might have trouble winning many electoral college votes; the strongest candidate could still face the syndrome of finishing second almost everywhere, trailing Republicans in the red states and Democrats in the blue. To have any chance, an independent would need to nearly run the table in battleground states — like Wisconsin and Pennsylvania — that don't tilt decisively to either side.
Yet if the two parties continue on their current trajectories, the backdrop for the 2008 election could be massive federal budget deficits, gridlock on problems like controlling healthcare costs, furious fights over ethics and poisonous clashes over social issues and Supreme Court appointments. A lackluster economy that's squeezing the middle-class seems a reasonable possibility too.
In such an environment, imagine the options available to Sen. John McCain (R-Ariz.) if he doesn't win the 2008 Republican nomination, and former Democratic Sen. Bob Kerrey of Nebraska, now that he's dropped his flirtation with running for mayor of New York. If the two Vietnam veterans joined for an all-maverick independent ticket, they might inspire a gold rush of online support — and make the two national parties the latest example of the Internet's ability to threaten seemingly impregnable institutions.
Allow me to quote myself to explain why this is such nonsense:
Almost everyone who's had significant online fundraising success in politics has done it by appealing to partisans, who by definition are loyal to a party. And even if the "Internet candidate" could raise $100 million, we have this little thing in political science called Duverger's Law. As the introductory political science text I teach to freshman puts it, "In any election where a single winner is chosen by plurality vote (whoever gets the most votes wins), there is a strong tendency for serious competitors to be reduced to two because people tend to vote strategically." Why would we expect a third-party challenge to overcome this dynamic? The two parties have vast advantages in financial resources, mobilization, and voter loyalty. To convince people you could win, you'd have to create an inordinate amount of momentum. And to do so, you'd have to have a constituency that supported you -- the Internet is not an ideology or a voting bloc...
In fact, the lesson from this election is that the parties and major party candidates are adopting the Internet into their playbook, just as big business did a few years ago. Technology hasn't repealed the laws of politics, just as it didn't repeal the laws of business.
The dynamics of Duverger's Law are what Brownstein doesn't understand. It's a giant coordination game. Even the voters who would prefer a centrist third-party candidate have no incentive to support him if he is in third place because doing so will hurt their second choice. Absent extraordinary circumstances, it's almost impossible to dislodge the parties and create a dynamic where a third party candidate can become one of the top two contenders. This is why so few liberals supported Nader in 2004, and why Perot lost by large margins in 1992 and 1996.
My advice for Brownstein - next time, call Gary Cox at UCSD, the author of Making Votes Count, which is the key political science book in this area. Don't send a hack consultant to do a political scientist's job! | 4,787 | 2,376 | 2.014731 |
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warc | 201704 | Mon 19 May 2014 Filed under:Business / Trade,Human Rights,Inside Burma,News
A civil suit by villagers in Tenasserim Division has been accepted by a local court, with plaintiffs claiming to have suffered years of negative environmental impacts from the activities of a Thai company and a Burmese government firm operating in the area.
The tort is seeking compensation for damages to houses and farmlands allegedly caused by wastewater from the Heinda tin mine, and the legal action was accepted this month by the Dawei District Court, according to Tin Tin Thet, a lawyer representing the complainants.
“We filed the case on the 9th [of May] and they accepted on the 14th. The defendants, Myanmar Pongpipat Company and Mining Enterprise 2, are asked to appear [in court] on the coming 29th [of May],” Tin Tin Thet told The Irrawaddy on Monday.
The hearing will convene next week, involving the Thai firm Pongpipat and Burma’s state-owned Mining Enterprise 2, which falls under the Ministry of Mining.
Mi Gan, one of 10 plaintiffs and a resident from the affected village of Myaung Pyo, said they filed the lawsuit because the companies had failed to address their complaints concerning damages cause by wastewater over the past several years.
“Our houses are not livable anymore. We are losing farmlands and gardens,” Mi Gan told The Irrawaddy. “Plants in gardens and farmlands have died. Betel [nut], mango, long-term plants have died. Water comes in during rainy seasons and floods underneath the houses. All the plants we have are dead because water is always there, since 2011.”
Mi Gan said she was asking for 39.9 million kyats (US$41,000) in compensation for damages to her home and crops, located on two acres of land in the village. Her request lies on the upper end of villagers’ demands, with others asking for compensation ranging from 10 million to 30 million kyats.
She said she had lost a monthly income of about 80,000 to 100,000 kyats since more than 200 poles of betel nut plants died out due to mining wastewater that flooded her crops in 2011. Mi Gan also claimed that although the whole village had suffered varying degrees of damage, some residents were scared to file the lawsuit. “[Drinking and cooking] water is not usable during the rainy season. We have to get water from others’ houses. It has become oily water, yellowish and reddish in color—sometimes black.”
The Thai firm Pongpipat signed a production-sharing contract with Mining Enterprise 2 in 1999 and reportedly holds rights to 65 percent of the tin and tungsten produced at Heinda, which is transported to neighboring Thailand for processing.
Thant Zin, a coordinator with the Dawei Development Association (DDA), a local NGO that supports community rights initiatives in Dawei, said that although mining in the area had been carried out since British colonial times, the most severe environmental degradation has been inflicted relatively recently. The Myanmar Pongpipat Company took over the project in 1999, but locals say the most severe environmental degradation began some years later, starting in 2006.
“Gardens, farmlands, wells, houses were destroyed because of the mining. A creek [Myung Pyo creek] next to the village completely dried up. The rainy season in 2012 was the worst; the waste sediment in the creek came into the village along with rainwater, burying about three to four feet,” Thant Zin said.
“Heinda is the largest mining project in the region. Generally speaking, mining projects are quite weak in respecting human rights and environmental rights in the region. This [lawsuit] could be a force and warning for coming companies who are going to do projects here, and for current companies, to follow better norms and standards.
“We can’t say the case will win or lose with certainty, based on our current judicial system,” he added, noting the judiciary’s notoriously corrupt reputation. “The villagers, however, are doing what they can, problem-solving by legal means rather than other ways, which is expected to produce a better result.”
Myaung Pyo is said to be the worst affected among some 10 villages that have suffered directly from the environmental impacts of the huge tin-ore mining operation, which sits about 25 kms east of the city of Dawei in Myitta Township.
The village of about 100 families, numbering some 500 people, is located in the Tenasserim Hills and mining operations at Heinda, about two kilometers away, have produced a continuous run-off of mud-filled water that flows into a stream passing by Myaung Pyo village.
The Myanmar Pongpipat Company extended its five-year license to continue mining on May 8, local media reported on Monday. | 4,796 | 2,227 | 2.15357 |
warc | 201704 | Salesforce receives 1,300 job applications every day.
How can you make yours stand out?
According to Ana Recio, senior vice president of global recruiting, technical chops are hardly enough for the multibillion dollar cloud computing company. In reviewing résumés and in job interviews, Salesforce looks for people who genuinely want to make a difference in the world.
"We just constantly look for people who have that
extra sparkle," she said.
If that concept sounds fuzzy, Recio said there are a number of factors the company uses to determine whether a candidate is the change agent they're looking for — no matter whether they're applying for an entry-level or a senior role.
In particular, they look at the impression you made on your previous organization: "What did you do to differentiate your job from others? What was your absolute impact, your legacy? We always look for people who truly were kind of thought leaders and change agents."
For example, Recio said, maybe you launched an incredibly successful product or you marketed that product a little differently than usual.
Just as important, Recio said the company is interested in the way you spend your time outside of work. Many current employees have volunteered abroad; others are renowned musicians; one is a former Olympiad.
"It's almost like work is their hobby because their personal lives are full of these incredible accomplishments," she said.
These experiences are assets in job candidates because Salesforce prides itself on enabling employees to give back to their communities. The company uses the 1-1-1 model, meaning they dedicate 1% of their equity, 1% of their employee time, and 1% of their product to form the Salesforce Foundation.
In fact, Recio said Salesforce gives employees six fully paid days a year "to go out and make a difference." Some people have traveled to Costa Rica to build houses; others have stayed local and volunteered at their kids' schools.
To be sure, Salesforce isn't the only organization that encourages humanitarianism — companies from Deloitte to Autodesk also pay their employees to volunteer. Presumably, these companies also value a job candidate's demonstrated interest in social change.
Yet Salesforce sees itself as the go-to place for talented applicants with the potential and drive to change the world.
"Of course we're going to lead the industry in all these different categories," Recio said, referring to Salesforce's technological innovations. "But in addition we're also going to lead the industry in enabling people to really shine outside of here, too." | 2,632 | 1,320 | 1.993939 |
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