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warc | 201704 | Mar 04,2009 00:00
by
Joe_Weider
Tip of the Week: It's better to feel good than to look good. Yes, I said it.
Now, don't get me wrong, I have made a career of encouraging people to look their best. In fact, achieving a physical ideal has been a cornerstone of my life since I was a boy.
That being said, however, there is no point to having a primed physique, or much of anything else for that matter, if you don't have the health to enjoy it. You know the expression, "Well at least I have my health." Wise words.
Unfortunately, I've seen a fair number of athletes risk their health in order to achieve a goal, be it a better physique, a faster sprint or a farther hit. In the end, all we're left with is our bodies — and when you get to my age, the condition of what's underneath your skin becomes all the more important.
Take care of the interior of your body as you sculpt it, and you'll achieve what I consider an ideal balance in your physical life.
Q: What are your thoughts when it comes to listening to music while working out? An old timer I know says it destroys concentration. At the gym where I train, they often play "light" music, which really kills my energy. I often ask them to change it, and when they do I feel my energy rise. Could this really be happening, or is it my imagination?
Joe: To answer your question, I'd have to say that whether or not one listens to music is a very personal thing. Back when I was a young gym rat, there was no such thing as music at a gym. Of course, that's if you don't include the "music" of the clanging of plates against one another as we lifted.
Of course, nowadays every gym that I know of plays music. Indeed, recent studies have shown that music can boost a workout. Researchers have found that music with a beat-per-minute range of 120 to 140 can help drive cardio workouts. Maybe not coincidentally, that is also the range at which the average adult's heart beats during a cardio session.
Athletes in a variety of sports — from basketball to swimming to powerlifting — can often be seen rocking in their seats with a pair of headphones over their ears in the moments before a contest. Certainly they already know the power of music to affect performance.
If the gym where you train plays music that lulls you to sleep, I suggest getting yourself a personal audio player with good sound isolation so you can block out the gym's ambient noise and listen to the music that inspires you most. They say "music soothes the savage breast," which is great almost anytime, except when you're working out.
Q: Should I be taking an amino acid supplement? I see so many of them on the shelves of the health-food stores, from BCAAs to individual aminos like arginine, glutamine and carnitine. I exercise five days a week and eat a healthy diet, so do I really need to buy amino acids?
Joe: Generally speaking, I would say that you don't need to buy amino acids if, as you write, your diet is good. Of course, that also means that you are an omnivore. Meat contains all nine of the essential aminos, as opposed to vegetation, which does not. It's believed that ancient cultures such as the Aztecs combined legumes with grains instinctively, as a way of achieving a complete amino acid profile in their diets.
Of course you could always see a registered dietician who could assess whether or not you may be deficient in a particular amino acid. Certain conditions, such as angina, pulmonary disease and even cold sores seem to have shown a positive response to treatment with certain aminos.
Nevertheless, if your diet contains even a minimal amount of animal protein, you probably don't need to worry about supplementing with extra amino acids.
Joe Weider is acclaimed as "the father of modern bodybuilding" and the founder of the world's leading fitness magazines, including Shape, Muscle and Fitness, Men's Fitness, Fit Pregnancy, Hers, Golf for Seniors and others published worldwide in over 20 languages.
Copyright 2009 Creators Syndicate, Inc. | 4,041 | 2,068 | 7,808.431335 |
warc | 201704 | When The Noise Gets Loud, Turn It Down
Everyone has an opinion on the markets right now, especially around where they should (or will) go. I wish I had a dime for every reason or excuse the markets will go up or down, because I would have millions in the bank already. The pundits, experts, analysts and talking heads want to dazzle you with wild guesses, potential trends, relationships, and patterns that do not exist in order to get your attention.
The media - not the markets - is a huge distraction. Ignore them, because the market and options trading noise is getting deafening.
Case in point: In late March, CNBC (among others) were reporting incessantly about a particular options trade on the SPX 500. The May 1995 put strike of this one stock was targeted, and it was bought with massive premium (at roughly $136 per contract!). The trade size and dollar value raised eyebrows. "Somebody must know something!" Those options expired at a loss (well over 10%), and it seems that nobody knows the reasoning behind the trade. However, the incessant reporting caused panic selling, and the SPX 500 dropped sharply that day - for no other reason than this.
With some markets at new highs (namely the SPX 500 and Dow Industrials), one would think all is happy-happy-joy-joy with the markets, but that couldn't be further from the truth. There are stocks that have undergone sharp corrections, yet they remain under the radar. No one is paying them attention, even though they are newsworthy!
So, just where is the media's attention? On the new all-time highs instead of on the the broader market, which includes the Russell 2K and Nasdaq. The markets are telling us a lot about internals, sentiment and overall price/volume action, but these indicators are getting zero attention.
You know who is paying attention? Investor's Business Daily (IBD), which has been flashing "Market in correction" for several weeks, even as new highs were reached. Clearly IBD is listening to the message of the markets, and not the noise.
I have written often of the dangers of listening to the noise and how distracting it can be. In uncertain times - when we don't know what to do and feel like we are in no man's land - we reach for news, or at least the opinion of someone we think is much more informed than we are. Resist the urge! Listen to the message of the markets. I promise you that the markets will not lead you astray.
The following article is from one of our external contributors. It does not represent the opinion of Benzinga and has not been edited. | 2,566 | 1,357 | 4,825.668386 |
warc | 201704 | Pipe Thawing Frozen Pipes Thawing Frozen Pipes
If you wake up some frigid winter morning to find a water pipe frozen solid, call us and we’ll send a trained professional to the rescue!
We have professional electric pipe thawing machines that will quickly and safely thaw out that frozen pipe so that you can have water flowing again quickly!
You may think your entire plumbing system is in perfect working order and there is little or no chance of a pipe bursting and flooding your house. There is one situation, however, you may not have considered. Water that freezes during the winter in an unprotected pipe expands, and that expansion can rupture an otherwise sound pipe.
A frozen pipe is always an inconvenience, but it can actually result in a much more serious situation than just a temporary loss of water. By taking the proper preventive steps, you may never need to worry about thawing frozen pipes, or worse, repairing a pipe that bursts when the water in it freezes solid.
If you wish to attempt to thaw a frozen pipe yourself please follow the following instructions: Thawing a frozen pipe yourself Step 1:
Open faucet so steam produced by your thawing activities will be able to escape.
Step 2:
Start thawing pipe at faucet, and work back toward other end of frozen section. As you melt ice, water and steam will come out open faucet. If you started in the middle, steam produced by melting ice could get trapped and build up enough pressure to burst the pipe.
Pipe-thawing options:
Probably the most popular and safest pipe-thawing option is to use hot water. Wrap and secure heavy towel or burlap bag around pipe to concentrate and hold heat against it. Place bucket under pipe to catch runoff water, and then pour hot water over towel. Be very careful not to scald yourself.
A heat lamp, hair dryer, or heat lamp may also help to unthaw a pipe. Please do not try a propane torch. The risk of fire and unsoldering a joint are not worth the effort. Caution: Never use torch or other direct high heat on plastic pipe.
For more information or to receive a free estimate, give us a call today. | 2,124 | 1,086 | 4,116.961326 |
warc | 201704 | The entire island is registered as a national landmark and has undergone extensive historic preservation. Beyond being a beautiful place to visit, it’s also known for not allowing motorized vehicles since 1898, the only exceptions being snowmobiles in the winter and emergency vehicles. Because of the restrictions, the only way to get around the island is by horse-drawn carriage, bicycle or by foot. It sounds like a wonderful and relaxing atmosphere.
We were scheduled to leave for our trip last Friday. By Wednesday, however, my wife and son had both fallen ill with some sort of a virus. My son was especially hard hit with horrible vomiting. It looks like we were going to have to reschedule our trip. Little did we know how much of a hassle it was going to be.
Rescheduling Our Trip Meant Cancellation Fees And Hassle
When booking our flight we bought a low priced ticket through Delta.com. At the time we didn’t even think about cancellation or change fees associated with the ticket because it didn’t even dawn on us that we might not be able to go. When we found ourselves needing to cancel, however, we realized that our tickets were restricted tickets and had change fees in excess of $150 each to change our flight.
While we weren’t happy about having to pay change fees, we didn’t feel like we had a choice. We rescheduled our flight, and paid the extra $300 for the privilege. So now our $1200 tickets (already expensive) had been increased to $1500!
The operator my wife talked to found a new flight for us, and told us that the new flights were actually $498 each, about $100 less than our previous flight. We were surpised but pleased with that since it would cover part of our fee. What he didn’t tell us, and never even hinted at, was that the tickets were
$498 more on top of the money we’d already paid! So now we were paying almost $2192 for two tickets to Michigan.
When we realized what had happened less than a day later we called back, and got an operator that was a bit more helpful. This time they were able to cancel the second flight that was booked for $2192, and re-book us on a $1200 flight. They also were able to get our cancellation fees dropped to a total of $260 instead of $300. All in all a less than satisfactory experience. Let’s just hope the flight is a bit more enjoyable!
Cancellation Fees Are Big Business For Airlines
After going through our ordeal and paying our huge fees I decided to look into the cancellation and change fees a bit more. What I found was that these fees are big money makers for the airline industry. From WSJ.com:
llness, family emergencies, rescheduled meetings—these are a big business for airlines. The resulting change fees and cancellation penalties passengers end up paying add up to a whopping $2 billion a year, according to new Department of Transportation filings… Change and cancellation fees amount to an added 3.2% of U.S. airline passenger revenue, totaling $527.6 million for the first quarter.
While the article above was a couple of years old, change fees still end up costing consumers over $2 billion dollars every year! In 2011 the total change fees charged was 2.38 billion dollars, with Delta at the top of the list the last 2 years (767 million last year). It’s a huge money maker for the airline industry.
Some surmise the reason why change fees are so effective for airlines is because they tend to slip under the radar a bit more than things like baggage fees and the costs of flights. Since not everyone pays change fees, there doesn’t tend to be as much uproar over them when people have to pay them.
Airline Change Fees
So what do the major airlines charge for change fees? Here’s a quick table showing what the major carriers charge for change fees. Have one you’ve flown that’s not on the list? Leave us a comment with what their fees are!
Airline Domestic Change Fee International Change Fee Alaska Airlines $100 ($75 online) American Airlines $150 $150-300 Delta Airlines $150 $200+ Frontier Airlines $50 for economy fares, $0 for Classic and Classic Plus fares JetBlue Airlines $50-100 Spirit Airlines $115 online ($125 phone) Southwest Airlines $0 (flight credit good for 1 year) United Airlines $150 $250 US Airways $150 $150-$250 Virgin America $75 online ($100 otherwise) How To Avoid Cancellation And Change Fees
Cancellation and change fees tend to vary quite a bit. You can have different change fees from airline to airline (see above), from ticket to ticket (restricted vs unrestricted tickets), and depending on where you book (directly versus with a third party site). So here are a few tips to help you avoid paying large change fees like we just did.
Be aware of what kind of ticket you’re buying: Airlines will offer two types of tickets. Restricted tickets are more common, and are often cheaper, but will usually incur change fees. Non-restricted tickets are usually close to full fare, but are more flexible about getting a change on. Know which kind you’re buying. Tickets from third party sites are often more restricted: Cancellation and change fees on tickets purchased via third party sites are often much more restrictive and can have more fees associated with them, both from the airline and the aggregator. Some will actually have a no refund policy. You can often search only for flights that have cancellation policies, or give an option to add a insurance policy on. Know in advance what fees you might have to pay. Pick the right airline:Some airlines have better cancellation policies than others. Currently Southwest has the best fees with no cancellation or change fees. Cancel as soon as you can: The sooner you cancel your ticket, the better of you are in many cases. For example, many airlines offer a full refund if you cancel within 24 hours of booking (and the trip is at least 7 days away). Others will be more flexible and charge less or no fees to rebook if the flight is cancelled well enough in advance – 2 weeks or more usually. That gives them more time to re-sell your seat. Purchase travel insurance if there’s a good chance of cancellation: If you think your trip has a good chance of being cancelled or needing to be rescheduled, you may want to consider travel insurance via a third party. Policies will cost anywhere from 4-10% of the ticket price, and you may need a rider in order to “cancel for any reason”. Also be aware they often don’t cover the full cost of the trip. Read the fine print. Hope for a travel waiver: Sometimes weather or other events will mean that travelers can reschedule a flight without a fee. For example, this page shows a current travel waiver for flyers to Colorado because of forest fires. There are instances where you may get a full refund: Some airlines will offer partial of rull refunds of a booked fare in cases where a family member dies (usually a death certificate is needed), a natural disaster or political unrest occurs, or where a family member is called up to active duty.
The important takeaway from all of this is that it’s important to buy a refundable or changeable ticket if you value flexibility. Once you purchase a non-refundable ticket your options are going to be pretty limited. Of course if there is a death in the family or another worst case scenario it doesn’t hurt to call and plead your case for a refund, but don’t get your hopes up.
Have you had to pay a change or cancellation fee recently? Tell us about it in the comments. | 7,591 | 3,411 | 16,568.453533 |
warc | 201704 | What are the goals in treating Crohn's disease?
The main goals in treating Crohn's disease are to:
Induce remission Maintain remission Improve the patient's quality of life Minimize toxicity
There is no cure for Crohn's disease; it is a chronic illness that patients will be dealing with throughout their life. The goals of therapy are to control the inflammation and symptoms; get the patient feeling back to normal (induce remission), keep the patient feeling normal, and reduce the number of recurrent flares (maintain remission), with the least toxic medications (fewest side effects). By accomplishing this, the patient's quality of life is enhanced. The hope is that patients are able to live normal lives without any limitations related to their disease.
With the discovery of new, more powerful medications, the goals of treating Crohn's disease have evolved and expanded to include: Healing the intestinal mucosa Preventing the complications of Crohn's disease (fistulae, abscesses, cancer) Preventing hospitalization Preventing surgery
Recent data suggests that the immunomodulators and newer biologic therapies can heal the mucosa successfully in a significant number of patients. At least in the short term, the biologics have been associated with fewer hospitalizations and surgeries. However, these more powerful medications are also associated with potentially more significant toxicity. Balancing the risks and benefits of the medications becomes an extremely important issue for patients and physicians dealing with the treatment of Crohn's disease.
Since Crohn's disease tends to relapse, most patients will require long-term medication to sustain remission. The treatment of Crohn's disease requires a team of healthcare professionals including the primary care physician, gastroenterologist, and often a surgeon. A nutritionist, social worker, or psychologist may also be a part of the healthcare team if the situation dictates. The patients need to take an active role in their treatment. They should understand what their options are, how the medications work, what the side effects and toxicities of the medications are, and what the surgical options are. Most importantly, they should not be afraid to ask questions. | 2,248 | 1,017 | 4,951.347099 |
warc | 201704 | CHAPEL HILL, NC Calling his work "one of the most important findings in breast cancer and health disparities in the last decade," the American Association for Cancer Research (AACR) has named Charles M. Perou, Ph.D. the 2009 Outstanding Investigator Award for Breast Cancer Research, funded by Susan G. Komen for the Cure.
Perou, who is an associate professor of genetics, pathology & laboratory medicine, and a member of UNC Lineberger Comprehensive Cancer Center, will present an invited lecture this week at the 32nd Annual San Antonio Breast Cancer Symposium and receive an honorarium.
Perou's work sets the stage to redefine breast cancer into multiple subtypes of disease. His findings are causing the entire field to reevaluate all preconceived notions regarding what causes breast cancer and how to treat it. Recognition of his accomplishments by AACR and Komen demonstrate the power of his ideas and their rapid acceptance by the scientific and clinical communities.
Perou's research crosses the disciplines of biology, genetics, bioinformatics, epidemiology and the clinical treatment of breast cancer. His major contribution to the field has been leading a team that has characterized the diversity of breast tumors and classified them in a way that helps physicians better understand why some cancers do not respond to standard therapies and to tailor treatment to the patient's disease type.
He and his colleagues have demonstrated that breast tumors can be classified into five molecular subtypes, with his lab focusing particular attention on the basal-like tumor subtype, which has a poor prognosis when given standard therapy. He is also currently studying the mechanisms that give rise to each tumor subtype, why some subtypes respond to chemotherapy and others do not, and he is using animal models and human clinical trials samples to develop new therapies targeted to each of the different subtypes.
With UNC Lineberger members Dr. Bob Millikan, who is the Barbara Sorenson Hulka Distinguished Professor of Epidemiology in the Gillings School of Global Public Health, and Dr. Lisa Carey, associate professor of hematology/oncology and director of the UNC Breast Center, Perou has translated these molecular subtypes to the wider patient population. Using a North Carolina-based study of a population-representative breast cancer patient set, this team found that pre-menopausal African American women are diagnosed with one particular subtype, the basal-like tumor, twice as often as their Caucasian counterparts providing significant insight into racial disparities that have long been known to exist in breast cancer mortality. Ongoing work is demonstrating that each breast cancer subtype has distinct risk factors.
In presenting the award, AACR notes that Perou's laboratory discoveries are being incorporated into clinical practice the treatment of patients worldwide. The organization also cites his international leadership in bioinformatics analysis of gene expression data and notes that these techniques will help researchers better compare animal models of cancer with those in humans, potentially speeding up preclinical trials of new therapeutic agents.
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Contact: Ellen de Graffenreid
edegraff@med.unc.edu
919-962-3405
University of North Carolina School of Medicine
Source:Eurekalert
0
GOOD | 3,350 | 1,674 | 6,665.979689 |
warc | 201704 | FRIDAY, Aug. 12 (HealthDay News) -- Standing water is a breeding ground for mosquitoes that can spread serious diseases such as the West Nile virus. Yet many urban families don't take simple steps such as dumping out standing water to reduce their risks, researchers say.
Last summer, researchers polled 242 urban residents to find out how much they knew about mosquitoes, mosquito-borne diseases and the risks posed by standing water, a mosquito breeding ground. Researchers also investigated the properties to determine the number and species of mosquitoes present.
About 54 percent of households had mosquitoes, according to the study presented Aug. 11 at the Ecological Society of America's annual meeting in Austin. The two dominant species were the Asian tiger mosquito (Aedes albopictus) and the common house mosquito (Culex pipiens) -- both known transmitters of the West Nile virus.
Although higher income residents knew more about mosquito-borne disease and mosquito breeding sites, the middle- and lower-income households polled were more concerned about them.
"High general knowledge of mosquitoes and concern about mosquito biting were not sufficient to encourage residents to dump standing water, and even in yards where residents did empty containers, there were still many mosquito breeding sites," Zara Dowling, of the University of Maryland, said in a news release.
The researchers concluded that urban residents need more education and motivation to control larval mosquitoes.
"Residents could benefit from community-based education campaigns that include detailed information regarding the types of containers that can hold standing water and the frequency with which they should be emptied to help prevent mosquito-borne illness," Dowling said.
More information
The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention provides more information on mosquito-borne diseases.
-- Mary Elizabeth Dallas
SOURCE: Ecological Society of America, news release, August 12, 2011
Copyright©2010 ScoutNews,LLC.
All rights reserved
0
GOOD | 2,064 | 1,049 | 4,011.912297 |
warc | 201704 | ROCHESTER HILLS, Mich., Dec. 10 /PRNewswire/ -- CSG/SportsCoatings and the National Wrestling Coaches Association (NWCA) today announced a partnership that brings the most proactive and proven method of controlling bacteria, mold, and fungi to the wrestling community.
Nationally renowned for its Sports Antimicrobial System (R) that inhibits and controls the growth of microbial contaminants on all types of athletic surfaces and fabrics for extended periods of time; CSG/SportsCoatings is committed to eliminating, inhibiting and controlling potentially harmful microorganisms known to plague wrestling environments.
"We've been working to provide wrestling teams and clubs with a long-term solution to odor and infection causing bacteria for years," said CSG/SportsCoatings CEO Craig Andrews. "Working with a group like the NWCA that values educating wrestlers about proactive measures in health and safety was the next logical step for our company."
"Taking proactive measures to protect wrestling equipment and protective gear from bacteria mold and fungi common in wrestling is something that CSG/SportsCoatings has dedicated themselves to," said NWCA Executive Director Mike Moyer. "We feel a partnership with an innovative group that's using a proven technology to control bacteria is a great fit for our organization, considering we're a source for information and education for wrestlers nationwide.
As part of the partnership, CSG/SportsCoatings products and treatments will be used exclusively at the National Duals at the University of Northern Iowa on Jan. 12-13. All 18 mats at the meet will be treated with the SportsAide(R) system to help eliminate potentially harmful bacteria such as staph, MRSA (methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureas), ringworm and impetigo.
"The National Duals is one of wrestling's signature events," said NWCA Executive Director Mike Moyer. "Having a cutting-edge group like CSG/SportsCoatings on board just adds that much more piece-of-mind when competing. Wrestlers need to take the proper precautions to start with, and with CSG/SportsCoatings providing mats and other equipment with long-lasting protection against potentially harmful bacteria contaminants, the wrestlers can focus on their matches."
CSG/SportsCoatings, the sports industry's leading provider of antimicrobial products and treatments, has gained prominence in the athletic community through its unique Sports Antimicrobial System(R). Comprised of several different products and treatments, the Sports Antimicrobial System protects surfaces and fabrics from infection and odor causing bacteria common in athletic environments. For more information on CSG/SportsCoatings treatments and products, visit http://www.csgsportscoatings.com.
SOURCE CSG/SportsCoatings
Copyright©2007 PR Newswire.
All rights reserved
0
GOOD | 2,860 | 1,355 | 5,975.394834 |
warc | 201704 | What a great time DIA Boston was!
As Director of Clinical Solutions, one of my responsibilities is giving product demonstrations in BioClinica’s exhibit booth. Much of my time during conference hours was spent with my eyes and ears focused on growing my understanding of your needs to run clinical trials more efficiently and cost-effectively.
Below is a recap of hot topics from my vantage in the exhibit hall point where thousands of industry professionals converged to learn new ways to overcome current and future challenges: TransCelerate BioPharma Having recently grown to 16 member companies, TransCelerate is rapidly gaining momentum as the consortium drives toward clinical research change. Two best practice recommendations widely discussed were the use of CDISC SHARE and Risk Based Monitoring. Check out an earlier blog I wrote about semantic standards including SHARE. To see how TranCelerate plans to assess risk in clinical trials, read the position paper here . Risk, Managing Risk, Risk-Based Monitoring Risk was a major theme in multiple areas throughout the conference. Two recent FDA draft guidance documents give pharmaceutical companies the go-ahead for managing risk while making the process of collecting and reviewing study data easier and less costly. Several DIA sessions explored compliance with these documents: Electronic Source Data in Clinical Investigations, Nov. 2012 and Oversight of Clinical Investigations — A Risk-Based Approach to Monitoring, Aug. 2011
My colleagues and I demonstrated how BioClinica’s innovative risk management software can provide significant cost-savings. Missed it? Contact us for a private demo.
Here’s a photo of me drilling down into the data using the big touch screen in the Microsoft exhibit.
The Sunshine Act Many people stopped by and expressed concern about Sunshine Act compliance. Fast-approaching, the Act requires pharmaceutical, medical device, biological, and medical supply manufacturers to report "payment or other transfer of value" to physicians and teaching hospitals. BioClinica’s OnPoint CTMS has a payment module that supports Sunshine Act reporting requirements. Operational Metrics Linda Sullivan of the Metrics Champion Consortium (MCC) popped in to thank BioClinica for its support in developing standardized metrics. She also requested assistance with completing MCC’s own Risk-Based Monitoring Industry Survey. This all-volunteer group has assembled recommended standard metrics for multiple areas including Clinical Trials, Central Labs, Imaging, and Cardiopulmonary. Learn about recent milestones.
Many DIA event-goers used myDIAfun.com to find parties, restaurants, and prize opportunities. Based on considerable positive feedback, BioClinica is pleased to offer MyDiaFun for next year’s convention in San Diego. | 2,850 | 1,502 | 5,322.403462 |
warc | 201704 | The responses of Ht22 cells to oxidative stress induced by buthionine sulfoximine (BSO). Jump to Full Text
MedLine Citation:
PMID: 15707499 Owner: NLM Status: MEDLINE
Abstract/OtherAbstract:
BACKGROUND: glutathione (GSH) is the most abundant thiol antioxidant in mammalian cells. It directly reacts with reactive oxygen species (ROS), functions as a cofactor of antioxidant enzymes, and maintains thiol redox potential in cells. GSH depletion has been implicated in the pathogenesis of neurological diseases, particularly to Parkinson's disease (PD). The purpose of this study was to investigate the change of cellular antioxidant status and basic cell functions in the relatively early stages of GSH depletion.
RESULTS: in this study, GSH was depleted by inhibition of glutamylcysteine synthetase using buthionine sulfoximine (BSO) treatment in Ht22, a neuronal cell line derived from mouse hippocampus. Treatment with BSO produced dose-dependent decreases in total GSH level, Fe3+-reducing ability (FRAP assay), Cu2+-reducing ability (Antioxidant Potential, AOP assay), and ABTS free radical scavenging ability (ABTS assay) of the cells, but the sensitivity of these indicators to dosage varied considerably. Most of the changes were completed during the first 8 hours of treatment. Cell viability was tested by MTT (3-[4,5-dimethylthiazol-2-yl]-2,5-diphenyl tetrazolium bromid) assay, and cells at lower density in culture were found to be more sensitive to GSH depletion. The activity of antioxidant enzymes, such as glutathione peroxidase (GPx), glutathione reductase (GR), and copper/zinc superoxide dismutase (Cu/Zn-SOD) were affected by GSH depletion. A cDNA expression array assay of the effects of BSO treatment showed significantly decreased mRNA level for 3 genes, and significantly increased mRNA level for 10 genes, including the antioxidant enzymes Cu/Zn-SOD and thioredoxin peroxidase 2 (TPxII).
CONCLUSIONS: the study suggests that there are BSO-sensitive and BSO-resistant pools of GSH in Ht22 cells, and that different categories of antioxidant react differently to GSH depletion. Further, the effect of GSH status on cell viability is cell density dependent. Finally, the alterations in expression or activity of several antioxidant enzymes provide insight into the various cellular responses to GSH depletion.
Authors:
Jun Chen; Andrea Small-Howard; Amy Yin; Marla J Berry
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Publication Detail:
Type: Comparative Study; Journal Article Date: 2005-02-12
Journal Detail:
Title: BMC neuroscience Volume: 6 ISSN: 1471-2202 ISO Abbreviation: BMC Neurosci Publication Date: 2005
Date Detail:
Created Date: 2005-02-24 Completed Date: 2006-04-06 Revised Date: 2013-04-18
Medline Journal Info:
Nlm Unique ID: 100966986 Medline TA: BMC Neurosci Country: England
Other Details:
Languages: eng Pagination: 10 Citation Subset: IM
Affiliation:
Department of Cell & Molecular Biology, John A Burns School of Medicine, University of Hawaii, 1960 East West Rd, Honolulu, HI 96822, USA. junchen@hawaii.edu
Export Citation:
APA/MLA Format Download EndNote Download BibTex MeSH Terms
Descriptor/Qualifier:
Animals
Antioxidants / metabolism
Buthionine Sulfoximine / pharmacology*
Cell Line
Cell Survival / drug effects, physiology
Dose-Response Relationship, Drug
Glutathione / metabolism
Lipid Peroxidation / drug effects, physiology
Mice
Oxidative Stress / drug effects*, physiology
Chemical
Reg. No./Substance:
0/Antioxidants; 5072-26-4/Buthionine Sulfoximine; 70-18-8/Glutathione Comments/Corrections
Full Text Journal Information
Journal ID (nlm-ta): BMC Neurosci
ISSN: 1471-2202
Publisher: BioMed Central, London
Article Information
Download PDF
Copyright ? 2005 Chen et al; licensee BioMed Central Ltd.
open-access: This is an Open Access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (), which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited.
Received Day: 16 Month: 11 Year: 2004
Accepted Day: 12 Month: 2 Year: 2005
collection publication date: Year: 2005
Electronic publication date: Day: 12 Month: 2 Year: 2005
Volume: 6First Page: 10 Last Page: 10
ID: 549549
Publisher Id: 1471-2202-6-10
PubMed Id: 15707499
DOI: 10.1186/1471-2202-6-10
The responses of Ht22 cells to oxidative stress induced by buthionine sulfoximine (BSO) Jun Chen1 Email: junchen@hawaii.edu Andrea Small-Howard1 Email: asmall@queens.org Amy Yin1 Email: Amy_Yin@brown.edu Marla J Berry1 Email: mberry@hawaii.edu 1Department of Cell & Molecular Biology, John A Burns School of Medicine, University of Hawaii, 1960 East West Rd, Honolulu, HI 96822 USA
Glutathione (GSH, tripeptide ?-L-glutamyl-L-cysteinyl-glycine) is the most abundant thiol antioxidant in mammalian cells. It reacts directly with reactive oxygen species (ROS), or functions as a cofactor of antioxidant enzymes such as the glutathione peroxidases (GPxs). In addition, GSH keeps sulfhydryl groups of cytosolic proteins in reduced form by maintaining thiol redox potential in cells [
1], and regulates cell signaling pathway in apoptosis [ 2, 3]. The requirement for GSH and total antioxidant capacity is particularly high in brain.
Brain consumes 20% of total oxygen in the body, and thus undergoes high levels of oxidative challenge. Cumulative oxidative damage has been strongly implicated in neurodegeneration and neurological diseases, such as Parkinson's disease (PD), Alzheimer's disease (AD), and amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS). The importance of GSH in particular has been indicated in the case of PD. Among the progressive oxidative stresses that occur in the pathogenesis of PD, an characteristic is the decrease in total GSH concentrations in the substantia nigra in preclinical stages, when other biochemical changes are still undetectable [
4].
Investigation of the consequences of intracellular GSH depletion in neuronal cell lines has relied predominantly on one of three methods. These are: (a) treatment with homocysteic acid (HCA) or glutamate to block the uptake of cystine, a substrate for GSH synthesis [
5 - 7]; (b) treatment with BSO [ 5] to inactivate ?-glutamylcysteine synthetase, the rate limiting enzyme in GSH synthesis, and (c) treatment with ethacrynic acid [ 8] or diethyl maleate [ 9] to react with the thiol group of GSH. The oxidative stress caused by GSH depletion further affects the status of other antioxidants. The concept of total antioxidant capacity (TAC) has been developed to assess the general antioxidant activity in biological samples without distinguishing the contribution from each individual component. Measurements of TAC have been intensively developed in the past 20 years. The principle of these methods is to evaluate the total effect of all contributing compounds in the system by one criterion, such as free radical scavenging, electron donation or protection against the oxidative damage to lipids, proteins or DNA. But considering the fact that different categories of antioxidant work through different mechanisms and need specified conditions for maximal function, it is impossible to cover the activities of all antioxidants in one assay. Thus multi-dimensional measurements on TAC have been suggested [ 10].
In this study, GSH was depleted by BSO in Ht22, a neuronal cell line derived from mouse hippocampus. GSH level, TAC, antioxidant enzyme activity, cell viability and gene expression were assessed.
vs. cell density in culture
Before depleting GSH from cells, total GSH levels in Ht22 were monitored from pre-log phase to the end of log phase of cell growth (Figures 1 &2). Intracellular GSH levels decreased as cell density increased, with this effect being more dramatic as the cells entered log phase growth.
Whether the decrease of GSH with cell growth is due to limited nutrient supply or to programmed regulation is not known. It has been reported that the GSH content of brain cells depends strongly on the availability of precursors for GSH [
11]. It was also noticed that as Ht22 cells grow denser in culture, the intracellular ROS level decreased (Chen et al., unpublished data), as apparently balances with the decreased GSH concentration.
The dose responses of Ht22 to BSO were analyzed by varying BSO concentration from 0.03 to 10 mM in a 15-hr treatment, and the changes of intracellular GSH level and TAC were measured (Figure 3). Treatment with 0.03 mM BSO resulted in a dramatic decrease of total GSH level to 35% of the control level. Increasing the BSO concentration to 10 mM further decreased the GSH level to 22% of control, representing an additional drop of only 13%. In comparison to 0.03 mM of BSO, increasing the concentration to 1 mM or higher caused significant decreases in GSH levels (P values ? 0.0399). This result suggests there are two pools of GSH in the cell, one easily depleted by BSO, and the other more resistant to depletion. A previous study by Seyfried et al. [
12] showed that BSO treatment of PC12 cells was more efficient at depleting cytosolic GSH than mitochondrial GSH, indicating that the BSO-sensitive and BSO-resistant GSH pools in Ht22 might localize to cytosol and mitochondria, respectively.
After 10 mM BSO treatment for 15 hrs, the predominant form of glutathione was the reduced form (GSH); only about 5% of the total glutathione was found in the oxidized form (GSSG). After 15 hrs BSO treatment, malondialdehyde (MDA) assay showed the increases of Abs at 586 nm caused by MDA formation were: control = 0.011 ? 0.006; 1 mM BSO = 0.012 ? 0.006; 3 mM BSO = 0.009 ? 0.004; and 10 mM BSO = 0.011 ? 0.004 (average ? SD, 3?5 independent experiments), no increase in lipid peroxidation after the treatments was observed, indicating GSH depletion at these levels was not yet destructive to the cells.
Three methods were employed in this study to investigate antioxidant status following BSO treatment of Ht22 cells. The Cu2+-reducing ability assay (Antioxidant Potential, AOP) and Fe3+-reducing ability assay (FRAP) both measure the activity of metal ion-reducing antioxidants, but the FRAP assay is characterized by its low pH (3.7), thus excluding the antioxidant function of thiols. Figure 3 shows that from 0.03 to 10 mM BSO treatment, the FRAP value had a sharp decrease from 76 to 32% of the control, indicating that some non-thiol antioxidants were expended to preserve the BSO-resistant GSH or to cope with oxidative stress caused by the depletion of BSO-sensitive GSH. In comparison to FRAP, the AOP value showed a gradual decrease from 76 to 50 % of control through the range of BSO concentrations, and this lesser decrease may be partially maintained by the BSO-resistant GSH pool in the cells.
In contrast to FRAP and AOP, the ABTS free radical scavenging ability (ABTS assay) of the cells maintained at about 80% of the control level at all BSO concentrations. Cao et al. [
13] previously showed that GSH is highly reactive to ABTS radical. Unlike the FRAP and AOP assays, the ABTS assay appears to be less sensitive to the metal ion-reducing antioxidants that were consumed by GSH depletion.
Effects of GSH depletion on cell viability were assayed using the MTT (3-[4,5-dimethylthiazol-2-yl]-2,5-diphenyl tetrazolium bromid)-based cell viability assay, an indicator of mitochondrial activity (Figure 4). Ht22 cells at higher density (1e5 cells per well, equal to 1.3e5 cells per square cm) were more resistant to GSH depletion, and in spite of the change in BSO concentration, the decrease in cell viability remained at about 10% of control. Lower cell density (5e4 cells per well, equal to 6.5e4 cells per square cm) rendered higher sensitivity; as BSO concentration increased from 0.03 to 10 mM, the viability dropped from 100 to 50% of control. At 3 and 10 mM BSO concentrations, the differences caused by cell density are significant (P values ? 0.0027). These results show that the mitochondrial activity of cells is influenced by GSH depletion, and that this effect is sensitive to the density of cells in culture. The reason(s) behind the cell density factor is not clear. Either proliferation status or communication between cells may contribute. In neurodegenerative diseases, the effect of cell death, thus the decrease of cell density, on the susceptibility of neurons to GSH depletion will be worth investigating. Wither sever cell death can accelerate GSH loss is not known.
No changes in cell viability in response to BSO treatment were detected by trypan blue staining, which distinguishes dead cells from live ones. Cell viabilities were 98.9% (N = 25) for untreated cells, and 99.6% (N = 5), 99.1% (N = 5), and 98.1% (N = 12), after 15 hrs treatment with 1, 5, and 10 mM BSO, respectively. The oxidative stress produced in these treatments is not sufficient to be lethal to the cells, in accordance with the MDA assay, which shows no increase in lipid peroxidation.
Figure 5 shows a slight tendency of increase in the bioreduction activity in cells after BSO treatment, as is more evident when cells were at lower density. The effective resazurin-reducing compound(s) in Ht22 is not clear, but the possible background from BSO was excluded. The mechanism behind the change is yet to be understood.
The responses of Ht22 cells to 0.1 mM BSO treatment were tested at 4, 8, 12 and 15 hrs, and results are expressed as percentage of 0 hr (Figure 6). For total GSH, FRAP and ABTS, 4-hr treatment induced significant decreases (P values ? 0.0001), while AOP value did not change significantly. From 4 hrs to 8 hrs, all of the assays showed significant decreases (P values ? 0.0326). Whereas from 8 through 15 hrs, no significant change was seen. The data suggests that for 0.1 mM BSO treatment, the majority of the GSH depletion occurred in the first 8 hrs, and that the depletion of other antioxidants were dynamically parallel to GSH depletion. Cell death was visible under microscopy after 20 hrs of 0.1 or 10 mM BSO treatments.
Seyfried et al. [
12] found that PC12 cells treated with 0.5 mM BSO maintained 100 % of mitochondrial GSH in the first 4 hrs, while cytosolic GSH was completely depleted. Extending the treatment from 4 hrs to 6 hrs resulted in 50 % depletion of mitochondrial GSH. These data are in agreement with the significant decreases of total GSH level from 0 to 4 hrs, and from 4 hrs to 8 hrs in this study, although the differences in cell line and dosage of BSO in the two studies should be kept in mind while comparing the results.
Glutathione peroxidases (GPxs) are selenium-containing antioxidant enzymes that reduce hydrogen peroxide to water, or lipid peroxides to ethanols, with GSH as reducing cofactor. Five isoforms of the GPx family are commonly known. In this study, the major activity detected by the assay is cellular GPx (GPx1). Figure 7 shows the change of GPx activity in response to 1, 3 and 10 mM BSO treatments for 15 hrs. Treatment with 1 mM BSO significantly increased the GPx activity to 127% of control (P = 0.0401). Treatment with 3 or 10 mM BSO decreased the activity by about 20% of control. This treatment was not significant compared to control, but is significant when compared to 1 mM BSO treatment (P values ? 0.0421). The results show that the regulation of GPx activity is dependent on the level of GSH depletion, and that the reserve pool of GSH may have critical function, since slight depletion caused significant changes.
Glutathione reductase (GR) reduces GSSG to GSH using NADPH as cofactor. When Ht22 cells were subjected to 1, 3 and 10 mM BSO treatment for 15 hrs, the GR activity in the cells dropped to 97%, 95% and 94% of control, respectively (Figure 8). At 10 mM BSO concentration, the decrease is significant (P = 0.045) in comparison to the control level. However, the toxicology cDNA expression array study in Section 5 did not show significant changes in the mRNA level of GR. The activity decrease of this enzyme may be due to enzyme inactivation caused by oxidative stress.
Superoxide dismutase (SOD) converts superoxide anion to hydrogen peroxide, which can be further detoxified by GPx1 or catalase. Two isoforms of SOD are found in mammalian cells, known as Cu/Zn-SOD and Mn-SOD, and localized in cytosol and mitochondria, respectively. Incubating Ht22 cells with 1, 3, and 10 mM BSO for 15 hrs increased the Cu/Zn-SOD activity to 104%, 112%, and 152% (P= 0.0619) of the control level (Figure 9). The toxicology cDNA expression array study found a 2-fold increase of Cu/Zn-SOD mRNA level in response to treatment with 10 mM BSO treatment. In contrast to GPx, SOD responds more to severe GSH depletion or higher level of oxidative stress.
cDNA expression arrays are powerful tools for studying gene expression under various circumstances. In this study, we employed the Atlas rat toxicology array II (BD) to monitor the changes in gene expression after 15 hrs treatment with 10 mM BSO. Out of a total of 465 genes in the array, mRNA level of 3 genes were significantly decreased, and 10 significantly increased (Table 1). The increased mRNA level of heat shock protein (HSP, the induction of which correlates with the abundance of unfolded polypeptide chains) and eukaryotic peptide chain release factor 1 (ERF1, which functions in termination of translation) indicate the stress caused by BSO treatment affected proteins at translational and structural levels. The increased mRNA level of antioxidant enzymes Cu/Zn-SOD and thioredoxin peroxidase 2 (TPx II, a peroxidase that requires thioredoxin or thiol-containing intermediates to carry out its peroxidase function) suggests these enzymes have important functions in coping with the oxidative stress caused by GSH depletion. Furthermore, both of these enzymes have been shown to protect cells from different inducers of apoptosis [
14, 15], indicating that they may have contributed to maintaining high cell viability after BSO treatment in this study.
Inhibition of glutamylcysteine synthetase in Ht22 cells by BSO revealed two pools of GSH in the cells, one susceptible to depletion by low concentration of BSO, and the other more resistant to depletion. TAC values measured by FRAP, AOP and ABTS methods showed parallel time courses to GSH depletion, but different dose-responses. The GSH depletion studied did not result in increases in GSH/GSSG ratio, lipid peroxidation, or cell death, but affected MTT-based cell viability. The antioxidant enzyme activities of GPx, GR and Cu/Zn-SOD were affected by the GSH depletion. The mRNA levels of HSP90-beta, ERF1, Cu/Zn-SOD and TPx II were significantly increased after 10 mM BSO-15 hr treatment.
Ht22 cells were fed with Dulbecco's Modified Eagle Medium (DMEM) with 10% fetal bovine serum (FBS) supplement, and cultured at 50?55% relative humidity (RH), in 5% CO
2 at 37?C. For MTT-based cell viability assay and Resazurin-based bioreduction activity assay, cells were seeded at a density of 1 or 0.5 million cells per well (corresponding to 1.3e5 and 6.5e4 cells per square cm, respectively) in 48-well cell culture plates (Costar) 12 hrs before BSO treatment. For other assays, the cells were allowed to reach 80?90% of optical confluency (about 2e5 cells per square cm) in 100 mm cell culture dishes (Costar) before the BSO treatment.
In this study, three methods were employed for total antioxidant capacity assay. The AOP assay (Antioxidant Potential assay kit, Oxis) tests the ability of samples to reduce Cu2+ to Cu+ at physiological pH, (assayed according to manufacturer's instructions with minor adjustments). The FRAP assay [
16] tests the ability of samples to reduce Fe3+ to Fe2+ at pH 3.6, a low pH that inactivates thiol antioxidants. The ABTS assay [ 17] tests the ability of samples to scavenge ABTS radical at physiological pH. Modified versions [ 18] of FRAP and ABTS assays were used in this study. GSH was assayed for total level as well as GSH/GSSG ratio using GSH/GSSG ratio assay kit (Oxis). Manufacturer's instructions were followed with minor adjustments. Lipid peroxidation in cells was assayed using malondialdehyde (MDA), a product of lipid peroxide decomposition, as an indicator. The assay was carried out using a Malondialdehyde assay kit (Oxis).
A common method of testing cell viability is trypan blue staining. As a vital dye, trypan blue enters dead cells, distinguishing them from live ones. In this study, 0.4% (w/v) trypan blue-PBS solution was mixed with properly diluted cells at 5:1 ratio, and cell numbers were counted using a hemocytometer. Cell viability can also be reflected by dehydrogenase activity, which indicates the activity of mitochondria (Cell growth determination kit/MTT based, Sigma). Dehydrogenase converts MTT into purple MTT formazan, causing a colorimetric change that can be monitored photometrically. The bioreduction activity of cells was monitored by an in vitro toxicology assay kit (Sigma), based on a blue to red color change when the oxidoreduction dye, resazurin, is reduced by the bioreduction activity of the cells. Both MTT and Resazurin assays were carried out following the kit instructions.
GPx activity assay was based on the classical principle [
19] with optimization to the Ht22 cell lysis. The peroxide used in this study was t-butyl hydroperoxide (0.323 mM), the concentration of GSH was reduced to 1.875 mM, and the pH of the assay was increased to 7.6. The GR and SOD activities were assayed by corresponding kits from Oxis.
Atlas rat toxicology array II was purchased from BD, and the assay was carried out following the instruction manual.
F-test in SAS procedure "Proc GLM" was used for statistical work.
JC designed experiments, treated and harvested samples, optimized and participated in the antioxidant assays, participated in the toxicology cDNA array assay. ASH participated in the toxicology cDNA array assay. AY participated in harvesting samples, and the antioxidant assays. MJB contributed to conception and design, critical revision and final approval of the article.
We thank Dr. Helen Turner in the Laboratory of Cell Biology and Immunology in Queen's Center for Biomedical Research (Honolulu, Hawaii) for providing technical support on the toxicology cDNA array study. We Thank Feng Chen in the Department of Statistics and Operations Research in the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill for assistance on statistical work. We thank Denise Merz in our lab for participating in GSH assay.
References
Dringen R,Gutterer JM,Hirrlinger J. Glutathione metabolism in brain metabolic interaction between astrocytes and neurons in the defense against reactive oxygen speciesEur J Biochem 2000;267:4912–4916. [pmid: 10931173] [doi: 10.1046/j.1432-1327.2000.01597.x] Chandra J,Samali A,Orrenius S. Triggering and modulation of apoptosis by oxidative stressFree Radic Biol Med 2000;29:323–333. [pmid: 11035261] [doi: 10.1016/S0891-5849(00)00302-6] Hall AG. The role of glutathione in hte regulation of apoptosisEuro J Clin Invest 1999;29:238–245. [doi: 10.1046/j.1365-2362.1999.00447.x] Schulz JB,Lindenau J,Seyfried J,Dichgans J. Glutathione, oxidative stress and neurodegenerationEur J Biochem 2000;267:4904–4911. [pmid: 10931172] [doi: 10.1046/j.1432-1327.2000.01595.x] Lockhart B,Jones C,Cuisinier C,Villain N,Peyroulan D,Lestage P. Inhibition of L-homocysteic acid and buthionine sulphoximine-mediated neurotoxicity in rat embryonic neuronal cultures with alpha-lipoic acid enantiomers.Brain Res 2000;855:292–297. [pmid: 10677603] [doi: 10.1016/S0006-8993(99)02372-0] Rossler OG,Bauer I,Chung HY,Thiel G. Glutamate-induced cell death of immortalized murine hippocampal neurons: neuroprotective activity of heme oxygenase-1, heat shock protein 70, and sodium selenite.Neurosci Lett 2004;362:253–257. [pmid: 15158026] [doi: 10.1016/j.neulet.2004.03.033] Sagara Y,Dargusch R,Chambers D,Davis J,Schubert D,Maher P. Cellular mechanisms of resistance to chronic oxidative stress.Free Radic Biol Med 1998;24:1375–1389. [pmid: 9641255] [doi: 10.1016/S0891-5849(97)00457-7] Rizzardini M,Lupi M,Bernasconi S,Mangolini A,Cantoni L. Mitochondrial dysfunction and death in motor neurons exposed to the glutathione-depleting agent ethacrynic acidJ Neurol Sci 2003;207:51–58. [pmid: 12614931] [doi: 10.1016/S0022-510X(02)00357-X] Wong M,Helston LM,Wells PG. Enhancement of murine phenytoin teratogenicity by the gamma-glutamylcysteine synthetase inhibitor L-buthionine-(S,R)-sulfoximine and by the glutathione depletor diethyl maleate.Teratology 1989;40:127–141. [pmid: 2772848] Frankel EN,Meyer AS. The problems of using one-dimensional methods to evaluate multifunctional food and biological antioxidantsJ Sci Food Agric 2000;80:1925–1941. [doi: 10.1002/1097-0010(200010)80:13<1925::AID-JSFA714>3.0.CO;2-4] Dringen R. Metabolism and functions of glutathione in brainProg Neurobiol 2000;62:649–671. [pmid: 10880854] [doi: 10.1016/S0301-0082(99)00060-X] Seyfried J,Soldner F,Schulz JB,Klockgether T,Kovar KA,Wullner U. Differential effects of L-buthionine sulfoximine and ethacrynic acid on glutathione levels and mitochondrial function in PC12 cellsNeurosci Lett 1999;264:1–4. [pmid: 10319999] [doi: 10.1016/S0304-3940(99)00107-X] Cao G,Prior RL. Comparison of different analytical methods for assessing total antioxidant capacity of human serumClin Chem 1998;44:1309–1315. [pmid: 9625058] Rabizadeh S,Gralla EB,Borchelt DR,Gwinn R,Valentine JS,Sisodia S,Wong P,Lee M,Hahn H,Bredesen DE. Mutations associated with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis convert superoxide dismutase from an antiapoptotic gene to a proapoptotic gene: studies in yeast and neural cellsProc Natl Acad Sci U S A 1995;92:3024–3028. [pmid: 7708768] Zhang P,Liu B,Kang SW,Seo MS,Rhee SG,Obeid LM. Thioredoxin peroxidase is a novel inhibitor of apoptosis with a mechanism distinct from that of Bcl-2J Biol Chem 1997;272:30615–30618. [pmid: 9388194] [doi: 10.1074/jbc.272.49.30615] Benzie IFF,Strain JJ. The ferric reducing ability of plasma (FRAP) as a measure of ?antioxidant power?: the FRAP assayAnaly Biochem 1996;239:70–76. [doi: 10.1006/abio.1996.0292] Pellegrini N,Re R,Yang M,Rice-Evans C. Screening of dietary carotenoids and carotenoid-rich fruit extracts for antioxidant activities applying 2,2?-azinobis (3-ethylenebenzothiazoline-6-sulfonic acid) radical cation decoloration assayMeth Enzymol 1999;299:379–389. Chen J,Lindmark-Mansson H,Gorton L,Akesson B. Total antioxidant capacity of bovine milk as assayed by spectrophotometric and amperometric methodsInternl Dairy J 2003;13:927–935. [doi: 10.1016/S0958-6946(03)00139-0] Paglia DE,Valentine WN. Studies on the quantitative and qualitative characteristics of the erythrocyte glutathione peroxidaseJ Lab Clin Med 1967;70:158–169. [pmid: 6066618]
Figures
Tables
Genes with significantly changed mRNA levels after BSO treatment. The results were detected by Atlas rat toxicology array II in Ht22 cells treated with 10 mM BSO for 15 hours.
Protein/gene Normalized Intensity of control Normalized Intensity of BSO sample Ratio mRNA increased heat shock cognate 71-kDa protein (HSC73; HSC70) Y00054 1773 4780 2.70 eukaryotic peptide chain release factor subunit 1 (ERF1); TB3-1; C11 protein [rat homolog of human] M75715 (human) 208 519 2.50 thioredoxin peroxidase 2 (TDPX2); thioredoxin-dependent peroxide reductase 2; heme-binding 23-kDa protein (HBP23) D30035 1710 3989 2.33 78-kDa glucose-regulated protein precursor (GRP78); immunoglobulin heavy chain binding protein (BIP); steroidogenesis-activator polypeptide; HSPA5 M14050 66 154 2.33 60S ribosomal protein L6 (RPL6) X87107 1932 4353 2.25 copper-zinc-containing superoxide dismutase 1 (Cu-Zn SOD1) Y00404 1285 2813 2.19 proliferating cell nuclear antigen (PCNA); cyclin Y00047 1463 3210 2.19 thymosin beta-10 (TMSB10; THYB10); PTMB10 M17698 3545 7637 2.15 high mobility group protein 2 (HMG2) D84418 957 1976 2.06 heat shock 90-kDa protein beta (HSP90-beta); HSP84; HSPCB S45392 7737 15881 2.05 mRNA decreased DNA topoisomerase IIB (TOP2B) D14046 4146 1502 0.36 osteopontin M14656 3630 1535 0.42 contrapsin-like protease inhibitor related protein; SPI-3 serine protease inhibitor D00753 13996 5961 0.43
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warc | 201704 | The following two push-ups increase the demand on your core and upper body by decreasing the number of places where your body is in contact with the ground. By bringing your knee up to either the elbow or chest,
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Before you jump into variations of the classic push-up,
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Begin at the top of the push-up position. Keep your back straight and lower the torso under control. Press back up with your arms, and at the top of the push-up, bring one knee up under the chest. Make sure your foot doesnĄ¯t touch the ground. Return your leg to its original position, then lower yourself back down and repeat, lifting the opposite leg. Continue alternating throughout the set.
There are a few classic form failures that can indicate glaring areas of weakness. If the low back sags, it shows that your core is weak. If the shoulder blades flare out from the body in the top position of the push-up,
brazil butt lift diet the Serratus Anterior (muscles along the side of your rib cage just underneath your arms) need work. Try doing Push-up Holds (which are just like a plank, only with your arms extended rather than resting on your elbows) for your core, and Mountain Climbers (same position as a push-up hold, only you make it more challenging by bringing your knees to your chest on alternating legs) for the Serratus Anterior. | 1,916 | 932 | 3,881.339056 |
warc | 201704 | News Release CARR HEC
According to the results of a new analysis by several scientists released today, the Indiana Department of Transportation (INDOT) and their consultants, Bernardin-Lochmueller and Associates (BLA), have excluded data on karst features within and near their preferred 3C alignment in Monroe and Greene counties.
Although this information was known to INDOT and BLA, based on their own study, it was withheld from the draft Environmental Impact Statement (DEIS) and the Final Environmental Impact Statement (FEIS) for the proposed I-69 extension.
Karst features (described in more detail below) include caves and sinkholes, and pose extra risks and costs to highway construction. Highway opponents pointed to the exclusion of these geologic features in INDOT's analysis as evidence that the full cost of the proposed new-terrain I-69 route have not been taken into account.
In the spring of 1994 BLA conducted an intensive, on-the-ground study of karst features in the study areas for I-69 that in two cases either straddle or fall entirely within the present corridor of the proposed Alternative 3C. (See: Karst Features In The Bloomington To Evansville Highway. Report Number FHWA-IND-EIS-92-1-D, Project No. HDP 9222 (0001)). This study recorded large numbers of karst features that were evaluated as significant or potentially significant. There is neither reference to this study nor any indications that the data and recommendations that resulted from it were included in either the current FEIS or the preliminary DEIS. Instead, an inappropriate map that shows far fewer karst impacts was used in INDOT's current studies.
In comments submitted to INDOT, BLA and EPA by professional scientists and archaeologists Patrick Munson, Staffan Peterson, Sam Frushour, and Cheryl Munson, INDOT's earlier karst analysis figures have been over-laid with the Alternative 3C Corridor and Working Alignment and FEIS Sinkhole Areas. Both the Corridor and Alignment intersect many of the karst features that were known by INDOT and BLA to exist in 1994 but were excluded from the FEIS. This new analysis is attached and can be found at: ... (go to "FEIS comments").
Karstic features form in carbonate rocks (usually limestone), and surface expressions include sinkholes, swallow holes, karren, caves, solution shafts (pit caves), and springs. Such features are indicators that the subsurface integrity of the bedrock has been compromised by solution along fractures and that, in the case of sinkholes, soil is sapping into the resulting voids. The presence of subsurface conduits, solutions shafts, caves or other voids presents unique construction problems. Even in limestone areas where no obvious surface karstic features currently exist, collapse of soil bridges into voids, due to construction, will compromise fills or structures unless costly remediation is undertaken. Pre-existing sinkholes require costly excavation to bedrock and concrete bridging to prevent future subsistence. (See Pat Munson, et. al., analysis)
Highway construction in karst areas is problematic for several other reasons. Most significantly, contamination from construction and from highway run-off can pollute ground water. Alteration of drainage patterns can cause localized flooding. Also, highway construction through karst areas is significantly more expensive than through non-karst areas. Since karst features are not completely characterized, construction can be delayed and contribute to significant cost overruns.
"The exclusion of this data is a deliberate attempt to mislead and misinform agencies and the public about the costs and impacts of building an interstate highway through the highly sensitive karst areas in Monroe and Greene Counties," said Pat Munson, professional archaeologist and co-author of the study reviewing INDOT's karst analysis.
"We call upon the Federal Highway Administration to withhold the Record Of Decision until this karst information is properly evaluated and the true and complete costs and impacts of the 3C route for I-69 are known," said Thomas Tokarski, CARR president.
INDOT gave citizens and agencies a minimal amount of time to review their massive FEIS document. This may have been done in order to hide critical information. It raises the valid question of what other information was excluded in order to avoid public knowledge of problems with INDOT's preferred 3C route.
Significantly, the US41 and I-70 alternative would have no karst impacts. INDOT could upgrade U.S. 41 more quickly and for far less money than an all-new I-69, and improve the roads between Evansville and Indianapolis. INDOT and Governor Kernan have insisted on an environmentally and economically destructive choice for southwest Indiana. In 2002, 94% of Hoosiers who submitted comments to the Indiana Department of Transportation opposed INDOT's "new-terrain" routes for I-69.
Contacts:
Patrick Munson
Professional archaeologist, co-author, karst study 812-824-7717
Thomas Tokarski
Citizens for Appropriate Rural Roads 812- 825-9555
Andy Knott
Hoosier Environmental Council 317-685-8800 | 5,135 | 2,437 | 10,760.954042 |
warc | 201704 | By Hindustan Times
A tree dies twice to yield charcoal. After the axe kills it, the kiln sucks it dry. But in double death it tells us we are not quite done even after we are felled and fired. You need to live life in Manipur, where availability of cooking fuel is often dictated by highway blockades, to know how precious charcoal is. It ensures a decent meal, helps boil impurities out of water fetched from streams and provides warmth in winter. In Kangathei village (45km from state capital Imphal) where I grew up, it translated into money to sustain the family with.
As the eldest of four siblings, I was expected as a pre-teen to ease the burden on our hardworking parents. I helped my mother (M Saneikham Kom) with household chores, assisted her on our small farmland, wove punshi (shawl) and punvei (wraparound) on the loom for our requirements, went to catch fish, helped father fetch logs he chopped in the woods. And yes, made charcoal, most of it to sell in the village market.
Mary Kom’s sweet smile of success. Satish Bate/HT photo
But then, I didn’t do anything an average tribal girl in a Northeast Indian village didn’t. What you do, why you do is God’s wish, I was told. What you become is how you do what you decide to do, I was reminded.
I had this habit of running. Complete one errand. Run to the next. Do. Run. Do. Run… Maybe because I had restless legs, maybe I thought running helped finish work faster so I could play longer. I ran to school too, not to be late whenever I took a little more time to tidy up things at home.
People told me I was cut out to be a sprinter. Some said I would give PT Usha a run for her money. But father (M Pontinkhup Kom) always said my future was in my hands. Hands toughened by cooking, cleaning, sowing, sewing, weaving, washing and blackened by charcoal, I wondered. Boxing never came to mind, though I had punched boys in the face for teasing and mistreating me.
Running gave me many prizes in school sports. Running also took me to Imphal, by bus of course. As did the need to study in a school that offered classes higher than standard eight.
In Imphal, I learnt Manipuri athletes were doing well everywhere. I wanted to make a mark, like them. I learnt if I were good enough, I would get a job if not medals. And job meant financial security in a state where the battle to exist is fought on many fronts.
The kin I stayed with, in Imphal, barely managed to eke out a living. We had meat on pay day, rice and boiled vegetables the rest of the month. The same stuff at lunch and dinner. There was no breakfast, no eggs, no supplement.
No good shoes, no good sporting outfits too. But I had the will to be the best and think ahead, always. And aggression, to make the will leave its mark.
That possibly made athletics coach Kosana Meitei advice me to switch to pugilism when women’s boxing was introduced in the 1999 Imphal National Games. I let my aggression show on the punching bag. Soon enough, I learnt the key was in controlling it.
Aggression is like fire. The faster it bursts into a flame on limited fuel the faster it dies. The hands that handled charcoal needed to smolder like them – controlled and sustained – to make opponents feel the heat.
It didn’t take long to win my first medal, gold in state boxing championship. Father seemed worried when I went home to show it. Boxing wasn’t for girls, he said. Besides, it would be difficult to find a man to marry someone with bruises on her face. He relented when I told him we play with protective gear. “You train hard for greater glory, I’ll work harder to earn more to support you,” he said.
Working harder in a backward village didn’t necessarily mean extra money. I promised father not to spend more than I really needed to. He kept his promise too, but had to sell off the family cow for Rs. 14,000 and borrowed money to fund my training, equipment and travel. The incentives following my first international women’s boxing championship gold at Pecs, Hungary in 2002, helped us repay the loan.
I keep reading about the Indian Premier League and how an average cricketer earns Rs. 15-20 million for a six-week fixture. I haven’t earned a fraction of that amount in 10 years, and that includes my pay from the Manipur police department. I am grateful to God for that. He wanted me to make history – as the only Indian to qualify for the first Olympic women’s boxing event and win the bronze.
The medal is worth more than anything else. Perhaps more than all the money all the cricketers have made through all the editions of IPL. But I wish I hadn’t let 1.21 billion Indians down by failing to get the gold.
I possibly no longer invite a quizzical ‘Mary Kaun?’ I feel proud when community elders say I have put my minority tribe – the Koms number a tad more than 15,000 – on the world map. And I feel humbled when people say I am an inspiration for those who have nothing going for them.
I keep quiet because I am used to letting my fists do the talking. Often to prove a point – first when they said boxing was not for girls, then when they said I could not win after my marriage (with Onler), and later when they said my career was finished after giving birth to twins. I replied by winning my fourth world title.
I’ll be 33 when Rio de Janeiro (2016 Olympics) happens. I want to prove another point.
A village elder once said I needed the properties of coal to be a diamond. London probably made me a zircon, but I want to be a diamond like my idol Muhammad Ali. With the burning ambition of charcoal. | 5,679 | 2,853 | 11,011.646688 |
warc | 201704 | Sometimes pain and loss give way to something of inestimable worth.
When Milly, a young mother of three, moved to Colorado last year, she never imagined how her life would change in just one month. When her husband, Aaron, an Army sergeant, was transferred from Texas, the couple found a ripe mission field awaiting them. As a physician's assistant on base, Aaron saw how the young military men were suffering, physically and emotionally.
On a crisp September evening, Milly and Aaron gathered with their family to pray. That night Aaron poured out his heart for reaching the hurting young men he saw each day. The Holy Spirit's presence was palpable as the family prayed, committing themselves to God's calling.
The next day, while running on the treadmill, Aaron suffered a massive stroke. He died a week later without ever regaining consciousness. Despite fervent prayers for healing, Aaron was gone.
In the aftermath of loss, Milly watched God do something entirely unanticipated.
"This is never something we would have wished for," Milly says. "But God has opened so many doors that wouldn't be there if Aaron were still alive."
Milly and her sister-in-law, Deb, discovered a ministry to grieving military widows and their children.
The Catalyst of Pain
We don't like to think about it, but pain can be a channel to extraordinary ministry. James puts it this way: "Consider it pure joy, my brothers, whenever you face trials of many kinds, because you know that the testing of your faith develops perseverance" (James 1:2-3).
I've read that verse many times and wondered about the source of that joy. Joy is not a natural reaction to pain, after all. But the joy James speaks of comes from the realization that God is using the trial to shape you into a person He can use. A person who can help others.
When I was a senior in college, I developed a painful autoimmune disorder. In less than a week, I went from being an average, healthy college student to needing help to stand up, get dressed and even dry my hair.
All my life I had been a planner, so not surprisingly, I had my final year mapped out: finish college, complete an internship, get an editing job with a magazine. Now debilitated by arthritis, I was forced to trust the Lord for strength to get through each day.
Doctors didn't know what was wrong and couldn't predict whether I would ever recover. As my condition worsened, I struggled to retain control. The one thing I could not imagine giving up was college. I desperately wanted to graduate on schedule, with my friends.
One night as I lay in bed, I realized I could not continue with classes in my physical state. With tears streaming down my face, I told the Lord I would drop out of college if that was His plan for me. An incredible peace rushed in; I knew whatever happened, God would provide.
The Lord graciously chose to heal me. But He did a work in my life that might not have been accomplished through less painful circumstances.
Perhaps the deepest fruit of the experience is the opportunity I have to encourage others in similar circumstances. I have spoken with many young women with incurable illnesses. I know how it feels to have a disease threaten your future. I also know, that in those times, Jesus can be most near and dear.
The Bad Day Kid
Joseph is one of the greatest biblical examples of an unexpected calling. Sold into slavery by his brothers, Joseph managed to work his way back to success in Potiphar's house. Then Joseph's dreams were crushed again when Potiphar threw him into prison.
Ever noble, Joseph managed to succeed even in jail, gaining a position of authority. At the right time, God lifted Joseph out of his misery and positioned him to save not only his family but all of Egypt.
In Sunday school, I always pictured Joseph as this cheery kid you couldn't get down. Every picture showed him smiling like a reality TV show host. I think I imagined things must have not been so bad for him.
Now I imagine that Joseph must have had dark moments of asking God why. "Why did my brothers discard me as if I mattered less than one of my father's animals?" "Why did my master to whom I have been unfailingly good, believe his lying wife over me?" "Why am I constantly overlooked when all I do is good?"
Why, God?
Eventually Joseph received His answer. "You intended to harm me," he told his groveling brothers, "but God intended it for good to accomplish what is now being done, the saving of many lives."
Joseph had discovered the secret: Today's heartache is tomorrow's exceptional calling.
Hope in Heartache
Last year I traveled to Russia with Children's HopeChest and met a doctor named Robin. Robin was on the trip to explore the medical needs in orphanages and baby houses.
As I talked to Robin, I learned that two years earlier, her 3-year-old daughter, Grace, had developed a severe heart infection. During the first three weeks, Grace nearly died. As Robin sat by her daughter's bedside — knowing that Grace had been truly loved and would be with Jesus if she died — Robin had a vision. She pictured orphans who had no one to comfort them when they were sick. Even in the pain of losing her own daughter, Robin's heart wrenched for these children. She decided that whether Grace lived or died, she would do something to help.
Grace recovered, and Robin kept her promise. She raised $10,000 for Children's HopeChest. But she not only invested her money, she invested her life. In the past two years, she has taken multiple trips to Russia to develop better medical care for orphans. A dark time in Robin's life birthed a ministry she had never considered.
Looking Up
While God would choose to redeem tragic situations, the enemy seeks to cripple us in self-pity or convince us that God has abandoned us in our pain. What makes Milly, Joseph and Robin extraordinary is the steps they took to turn trials into triumphs.
Lift your Eyes. The Psalmist said, "I lift up my eyes to the hills — where does my help come from?" (Psalm 121:1). Joseph lifted his eyes to see beyond the pit to God's bigger plan. He remembered the dreams God had given him as a young man, and he chose to continue trusting. By fixing his eyes on the Lord, Joseph was able to endure abuse and injustice with the confidence that there was a greater plan at work.
Keep Walking. Trials are not an excuse to halt in our spiritual lives. Even before Robin knew if her daughter would live or die, she made a decision to follow God's call.
"When something is laid on your heart," she says, "there are consequences if you don't step forward. There is a certain peace that comes from acting on that calling, even if we don't understand."
For better or worse, Robin desired to be part of God's plan. Similarly, Joseph served God faithfully in every circumstance, whether desirable or undesirable.
Embrace your Calling. Before I got sick, I lived a relatively trouble-free life and found it difficult to relate to unbelievers. They would look at me and think, You have a perfect life. How could you possibly relate to my problems? Now that I have known pain and uncertainty, I am infinitely more sensitive to the hurts of others.
Milly feels the same about the widows she touches. "I can relate to their deepest hurts," she says. "I know how they feel and what they need." Milly sees that connection as a gift.
For some reason, we like to believe we are immune to tragedy — that God would never do anything to hurt us. But you only have to look as far as Joseph ... or Jesus, to see that God accomplishes some of His most powerful plans through suffering.
Our personal comfort is not the greatest goal. The greatest goal is that God be revealed through the sacrifice of His Son. And sometimes, it is against the dark backdrop of pain that God's purposes shine most brilliantly.
Copyright 2006 Suzanne Hadley. All rights reserved. | 7,937 | 3,878 | 16,068.433987 |
warc | 201704 | After Wausau closes
Brainerd’s Wausau Paper plant, scheduled to shut down next month, was the focus of meetings Friday that drew lawmakers, community leaders, plant employees and managers.
Discussions at Brainerd City Hall dealt with finding a buyer for the plant as well as publicizing assistance programs that are available to displaced workers.
Rep. Rick Nolan, D-Minn., who organized the meeting, pointed to factors that could contribute to finding a new owner for the plant. They included a state-of-the-art facility; a talented work force; cooperation between management and the union; and community support.
The recently elected congressman said communities that thrive usually owe it to one individual or a group of individuals that work to make their city successful.
“We’ve got some people that have always stepped up,” Nolan said of the Brainerd area.
Nolan said the U.S. has to get smarter in terms of its tax and trade policies so U.S. plants can compete with foreign plants that receive huge government subsidies.
Mark Swenson, vice president of operations with Wausau Paper, said he would take the messages of community support to the company’s chief executive officer as they tried to find a good buyer.
Brainerd City Council President Bonnie Cumberland noted the ramifications of the plant’s closing on the city, which she said has seen a 20 percent reduction in city staff in the last three years.
An example of the employment situation, she said, was demonstrated by the 130 applications the city received when it recently listed an opening in the street and sewer department.
Sue Hilgart of the Minnesota Workforce Center described the Wausau jobs — some of which paid about $20 an hour — as life-changing jobs that could be difficult to replace for folks who formerly had been earning considerably less.
In a second meeting, after Wausau officials and employees left, state Sen. Carrie Ruud, R-Breezy Point, urged stakeholders to not be tied to the concept of a plant that would make paper.
“Maybe it needs to be something different,” she said. “Maybe we should broaden our vision. Let’s not have this narrow vision.”
Turning their attention to assistance for laid-off workers, Anthony Alongi, director of the Minnesota Department of Employment and Economic Development’s (DEED’S) Dislocated Worker and Trade Adjustment Assistance program, urged Wausau workers to enroll in state programs by Memorial Day.
“Get them to the WorkForce Center,” he said.
There are various deadlines that apply to receiving assistance but if all the affected workers were enrolled by Memorial Day it would benefit everyone.
Jim Herman, who works with DEED’s Unemployment Insurance program, also urged workers to “take action immediately.”
Rep. John Ward, DFL-Baxter, noted that he was told by Brainerd area Coca-Cola managers that firm has had open positions for months. He also called attention to his Greater Minnesota Job Training Credit bill (House File 292).
Nolan said after the meetings he was cautiously optimistic that a new buyer could be found for the northeast Brainerd paper plant.
In February, Wausau Paper officials announced they would cease production in April at the plant that employed about 130 workers. Wausau Paper had decided to divest itself of the technical specialty paper business to focus on its tissue business.
In February, Perry Grueber, director of investor relations for Wausau, said the company wasn’t saying it wouldn’t try to sell the mill but Wausau Paper thought the mills in Wisconsin would be more attractive to the market.
About two years ago Wausau Paper invested $27 million to convert the Brainerd mill to technical specialty grades.
Among those attending either one or two meetings that was conducted Friday were Lisa Paxton, CEO of the Brainerd Lakes Chamber; Sheila Haverkamp, Brainerd Lakes Area Economic Development Corp. executive director; Rep. Joe Radinovich, DFL-Crosby, Brainerd Mayor James Wallin; Craig Nathan, Rural Minnesota CEP operations manager; Greg Bergman, Central Lakes College Small Business Development Center regional director; Jerry Fallos from the office of Sen. Amy Klobuchar, D-Minn.; and Lisa Fobbe from the office of Sen. Al Franken, D-Minn. | 4,349 | 2,134 | 8,589.988285 |
warc | 201704 | Abstract
One of the factors that make depression so difficult to diagnose in adolescents is the common behavior changes that are normally associated with hormonal changes. It has only been in recent years that the medical community has acknowledged childhood depression and viewed it as a condition which requires intervention. Extensive studies and research into the causes, effects and treatments of depression are now able to provide more insight on the mental and social factors that cause our youth to suffer from depression and what triggers the adolescent to contemplate suicide. The goal of this paper is to educate and inform readers on the effects that depression has on adolescents. By promoting awareness of depression people can become familiar with the warning signs and symptoms in order to provide our youth with proper treatment.
Adolescent Depression and Suicide
Major depression effects one in fifty school children. Countless others are effected by milder cases of depression which may also effect school performance. The peak age of depression correlates with the peak years of low self esteem. The suicide rate in teenagers has quadrupled in the last quarter century making it the 3rd leading cause of adolescent death in the nation. A high school with a population of 2,000 students can expect 50 attempted suicides per year. And yet depression and other affective disorders continue to be an area primarily ignored by the public schools.
Preface
I. Depression
A. History of Adolescent Depression
B. Symptoms of Depression
C. Causes of Depression
II. Depression and Low Self- Esteem
A. Factors of Depression
B. Coping with Depression
III. Interventions
A. Various Therapies
B. Treatment for the Adolescent
Conclusion
Adolescent Depression and Suicide
On May 14, 1996, a 15 year-old middle school student... | 1,848 | 913 | 3,702.072289 |
warc | 201704 | Historiography of Native American History
The story of the Native American has long been a point of interest in the history of the United States of America. As with other historical areas, the study of the Indian experience has adapted with the changing trends of the day. Yet, the schools of thought surrounding the topic are still closely related to those of the colonial era. Regardless of this fact, Native American study has been a notable area of interest since the mid-1970s. With the growing multidisciplinary approach to historical study, the rise of ethnohistory, and the publication of key texts on the history of Indians, the topic found a renewed interest that is strong to this day. Still, one must understand that even modern historians have differing views of the impetuses behind the conflict between the “white” man and the “red” man.
This modest historiographical comparison does not claim to cover the entire spectrum of methodologies regarding Native American study, but the works covered here were selected with care to ensure that the major philosophies were represented. Barbara Graymont’s The Iroquois in the American Revolution is characterized by the neo-Whig methodology which points toward ideological causes as the roots for change during the time period. This is contrasted by the progressive methodology which is based largely on the ideas of class conflict. Woody Holton’s Forced Founder: Indians, Debtors, Slaves, and the Making of the American Revolution in Virginia gives the reader an upfront clue as to which classes he sees conflict occurring between during the colonial period. These two monographs represent the current two major methodologies of Native American study. Richard Drinnon’s Facing West: The Metaphysics of Indian-Hating and Empire-Building brings a racism infused answer to the question of why the Native American was displaced. The final two pieces are essays which cover more specific topics, but their focuses represent... | 2,019 | 1,011 | 3,954.124629 |
warc | 201704 | Wed 30 Jul 2014 Filed under:ASEAN,On The Border,Opinion,Refugees
When Gen Prayuth Chan-ocha announced on July 11 that the Thai refugee camps on the Thai-Myanmar border would be emptied, many wondered if there really is new resolve by the National Council for Peace and Order (NCPO) to repatriate the 130,000 Myanmar refugees who have been living in Thailand for many years.
Gen Prayuth cited national security as the reason for closing the camps, the same reason Thai officials have given over the years. It looked like his statement might be more than just rhetoric, since he cited a repatriation agreement in principle with the Myanmar army commander-in-chief, Gen Min Aung Hlaing.
On July 17, after the two of them met, the Thai Ministry of Foreign Affairs issued some reassurances, saying that both countries had agreed on “a safe return in the future in accordance with humanitarian and human rights principles”.
Notwithstanding these assurances, refugees in the border camps scrutinise every statement by Thai authorities for signs about a future that is out of their hands. Anxiety is the norm, rumours flourish, a sense of precariousness is ever present, and fear is never far away. No text has been made public for this purported agreement. The fact that it is between the Thai and Myanmar militaries and not with Myanmar civilian authorities is an obvious cause for alarm for refugees who fled killing, forced labour, land confiscation, and many other abuses by the Myanmar army.
The refugees still have security and livelihood concerns. Eastern Myanmar is one of the most heavily landmined areas of the world after six decades of conflict. Myanmar still has multiple armed groups, and though many have signed ceasefire agreements, the army is still an abusive force that routinely violates international humanitarian law. And in many potential areas of return, there has been no preparation for agriculture, basic health, education and sanitation services, or employment opportunities.
Refugees also scrutinise every official action for hidden meaning. Thai authorities have been carrying out new “headcounts” in the camps. One media report, still unconfirmed by authorities, is that about 3,000 camp residents have been screened out in camps in Ratchaburi and Kanchanaburi (where recent headcounts have not occurred) as non-refugees — leading to even more rumours and fears.
The recent stricter enforcement of restrictions on entry and exit from the camps also exacerbates fears. While the Interior Ministry says the camps are officially closed and that refugees are not allowed to work, the reality is that the camps have become pretty porous after 30 years.
It’s not uncommon for refugees to leave the camps temporarily to work so they can supplement the relatively meager assistance their families receive from humanitarian agencies. The new restrictions on movement are already causing hardship in the camps, especially since food rations to the camps were also recently reduced.
Until now, the quiet to and fro movements from the camps have also allowed some refugees to make brief surreptitious visits to the areas they fled in Myanmar to check out abandoned villages and properties and assess for themselves the possibility for safe return in the future. If the military is really interested in encouraging voluntary repatriation, it should, in fact, informally recognise this scouting process as important.
A national security mentality that emphasises control and that operates on the assumption that a refugee problem can be solved by moving people from point A to point B is likely to engender lawlessness, not security.
Repatriation before conditions are right not only risks endangering the returnees, but may also overwhelm local communities in areas of return, exacerbate political and ethnic tensions, and cause additional displacement that destabilises unsteady post-conflict situations.
In the longer term, forcible returns also cause resentment and bitterness toward the former host country instead of the gratitude and sympathy that one would expect refugees would feel after being protected for many years. But Thailand’s history with bringing protracted refugee situations to a close, dating back to the Cambodian refugee repatriation of the early 1990s, has been characterised by coercion that has poisoned relations between Thailand and its former refugees.
As a matter of national security, it would be far more effective for the NCPO to take a gradual approach that ensures that repatriation is safe and sustainable. Thailand should engage the refugees themselves and the communities to which they will be returning. It should and allow the refugees to build confidence over time by encouraging voluntary cross-border movement, first through look-and-see visits, and then by longer stays for home reconstruction, field planting, and infrastructure development.
Instead of a big one-time repatriation, Thailand should consider allowing back-and-forth movement that enables families and communities to return in stages as their capacity for sustainable reintegration improves and their confidence in their acceptance back home is restored.
Had such a gradualist, consultative, and gentler approach been taken during the repatriation of Lao Hmong refugees in 2009 and the Cambodian refugees in the early 1990s, their returns might have been far less traumatic and less damaging to human rights principles. The refugees who were returned might have had less bitterness and resentment toward Thailand, and Thailand might be more secure today in relation to its Lao and Cambodian neighbours. That, of course, is a matter of speculation, but it is something worth mulling over as the NCPO considers the Myanmar refugee repatriation.
*Bill Frelick is the director of Human Rights Watch’s Refugee Programme. | 5,894 | 2,724 | 12,627.527166 |
warc | 201704 | Telecom information can benefit your business in a number of ways. You can use information about telecommunication companies to make a purchasing or service provider decision for the telecom needs of your company. You can use a telecommunication industry report to see where your business stands in the field of competitors. You can also use telecommunication reference materials to stay informed as to the latest news in the industry.
Telecommunications research has come a long way, and it continues to surpass technological expectations rapidly. From the advent of the cell phone, to the BlackBerry and Bluetooth, telecom research continues to give us smaller, more efficient, and often times cheaper alternatives for our telecommunications needs. To make the most of available telecommunications information resources: 1. Start looking for telecom information through regularly updated news sources. 2. Speak to a professional as another telecommunication resource avenue. 3. Follow up with trade publications to find additional telecommunications research information. Find the most current telecom information newsStay informed as to the latest telecom research through regularly, if not daily, updated sites. Many can offer you a wide variety of topical information about the industry as well as your competitors. Seek telecommunications information from the expertsIf you are seeking telecom information for an installation for your business, let the professionals in the field tell you all about the telecom reference information that you need to make an informed decision. Read the latest telecommunications researchKeep up with the most up-to-date telecom information through trade publications such as magazines, newsletters and journals. When speaking to qualified professionals for your telecom information, seek out the expertise of at least three businesses before making a service contract or purchasing commitment. If price is a factor, consider year old technology for your next telecommunications tool. Prices drop rapidly after the initial introduction of a product, and being patient can save you tens if not hundreds of dollars. | 2,154 | 952 | 4,866.863445 |
warc | 201704 | "The Relationship between Location-Bound Advantages and International Strategy: An Empirical Investigation"
Fang-Yi Lo, Joseph T. Mahoney, and Danchi Tan
First Author :
Fang-Yi Lo
International Trade
Feng Chia University
100, Wenhwa Rd., Seatwen
Taichung
Taiwan
886-4-24517250 ext. 4184
fylo@fcu.edu.tw
Second Author :
Third Author :
Danchi Tan
International Business
National Chengchi University
64, Zhi-nan Rd. Sec. 2
Wenshan Taipei 116
Taiwan
886-2-9393091 ext. 81139
dctan@nccu.edu.tw
Abstract :
This paper examines the impact of location-bound advantage on the internationalization strategy of multinational enterprises (MNEs). The extant research literature suggests that an advantage’s location boundedness may be driven by: the nature of the firm advantage; organiza- tional embeddedness, and environmental embeddedness. We posit that these different drivers of location boundedness exert different impacts on internationalization strategies. Our empirical results reveal that organizational embeddedness lowers the breadth of internationalization of MNEs, and increases the tendency of these firms to employ a global strategy. We also find that MNEs whose advantages are tacit and complex have a lower depth of internationalization and are more likely to expand into culturally similar countries. Finally, our results show that MNEs whose advantages are highly embedded in the home environment tend to adopt a multi-domestic strategy and decentralized organizational structures.
Keywords :
international strategy, location-bound advantages, multinational enterprise
Manuscript Received :
2010
Manuscript Published :
2010
This abstract has been viewed 1187 times.
Click here to view the full text of this paper. | 1,758 | 903 | 3,346.624585 |
warc | 201704 | Khosravi, Ali Paper Title:Impact of process orientation on the export performance in Australian firms Department Affiliation:Marketing and Management Supervisor's Names:
Doctor Meena Chavan Doctor Meena Chavan Purpose:
Process Orientation, which is managing the organization based on horizontal end-to-end processes, is believed to increase quality of products/services, decrease the costs, and make the functions faster and more reliable. However, the journey from vertical structure to horizontal is very painful, costly, and time-consuming. Above all, most of the trials have failed. This research aims to identify whether this painful journey leads to a better performance in export and overall performance in the Australian exporting firms.
Originality:
A few recent surveys suggest a positive relation between Process Orientation and organizational performance. However, they all admit that surveys have many limitations and biases. In this research we are going to do case-studies and make a thorough look at the actual facts and figures of the firms.
Design/methodology/approach:
Using several case-studies we will assess the firms’ actual results in facts and figures, and will examine if there is any causal relationship between the Process Orientation and the facts and figures.
Findings:
We expect to see that in contrast to the current surveys suggesting the positive impact, Process Orientation does not have a considerable impact on performance in export and overall performance.
Research limitations/implications:
The time limits may not let us conduct enough number of case-studies needed for a statistical analyses.
Keywords:
Business, process, orientation, export, performance | 1,714 | 857 | 3,390 |
warc | 201704 | It’s one of the biggest debates in corporate governance: Does it pay for companies to consider sustainability issues, such as climate change and health risks?
A recent survey of international executives (half from the C-suite) reveals that do-gooder companies—those that promote social, environmental and ethical practices—far outperform those that do not. Do-gooder companies surveyed saw profits rise 16% in 2007. As for companies that rated their own sustainability practices poorly? Only 7% of those companies saw profit growth. Meanwhile, 53% of executives surveyed say their companies already have sustainability strategies, and another quarter say they plan to develop one. While the survey doesn’t prove that it always pays to be good, it does negate the idea that adopting corporate social responsibility practices makes you uncompetitive. —Adapted from Economist Intelligence Unit, “Doing Good: Business and the Sustainability Challenge,” www.eiu.com. | 999 | 565 | 1,699.184071 |
warc | 201704 | June – Tips for a healthy summer bucket list
With warmer weather and longer days, don’t forget there are lots of great things you can do to reduce stress and have fun this summer.
There are lots of things just outside your door that can renew your energy and make you feel better at the same time.
So, here are some tips to help you manage your physical, mental and social health this summer.
Get active. If you plan to get active this summer, WOW! fitness (myCity/wow) has a full slate of fitness classes and registration opens
June 23. Or, if you want to enjoy the great weather grab your bike, go for a hike, or take a walk on one of the great walking trails in the
city. Don’t forget the sun screen and drink lots of fluids to keep yourself hydrated.
Be a kid again. Get outside and have some fun – fly a kite, toss a Frisbee, jump through the sprinkler, or hit the outdoor pool.
Grab a bite. Summer is a time of plenty when it comes to increasing your intake of fruits and veggies. You can get out and plant
your own garden, or stock up on fresh veggies that are available this time o f your.
De-stress in your own yard. Grab a book, lawn chair and absorb the smells, sights and sounds and allow yourself to relax.
Take your vacation. Summer is a great time to recharge and reconnect with family and friends. Don’t forget to use your vacation
time to unwind, distress, and enjoy some time away from work.
Unplug. Switch off and reconnect with family and friends. Technology has made capturing life and staying connected easier, but it also
detracts from the things that are right in front of you. Reconnecting has been proven to increase happiness and fulfillment.
Let your brain play. Learning new skills helps to keep your mind sharp and adds to self fulfillment. Maybe it’s learning how to paint,
or brushing up on your photography skills, or learning a few new tunes to strum on the guitar by the campfire.
Catch some z’s. With longer days and warmer evenings don’t forget about a
good night’s sleep.
So get out there, enjoy yourself and take the steps towards improving your life and the lives of those around you.
Wellness. Together we make it happen. | 2,229 | 1,132 | 4,257.15371 |
warc | 201704 | SINTON — Years of night school paid off for Stacey Rivere.
Earning her masters degree meant she could earn and save the money she needed to buy the home in Gregory she wanted, with only the yipping of birds and coastal animals occasionally breaking the silence.
She didn't consider Exxon Mobil might build the world's largest steam cracking plant less than a mile away.
Rivere was among residents who pleaded Monday, Dec. 19, 2016, with the San Patricio County Commissioners Court to vote down incentives for the yet-to-be-approved project.
"We wanted quiet. We wanted (to hear) nothing out there," said Rivere, who moved with her husband to the area from Portland three years ago. "Exxon's not going to be able to guarantee that I'll be able to continue to listen to nothing."
In July, the petroleum giant announced San Patricio County was one of three communities being scouted for the facility somewhere on the U.S. Gulf Coast. It intends to build the plant as part of a joint effort with Saudi Arabia Basic Industries Corp., a Riyadh-based petrochemical company.
The property Exxon-Mobil is eyeing is in an unincorporated parcel north of Portland.
Discussion on the prospect was not on the commissioners' agenda Monday. Residents, many from Portland and Gregory, made their statements during a public comment period of the meeting, when commissioners were prohibited from responding or taking action.
They voiced concerns the area already is saturated with industry. Exxon's facility, they said, could pose health and environmental risks to neighborhoods.
"We're going to trade money and jobs over quality of life," said Tim Flynn, whose family has farmed near Gregory for more than 100 years.
The company has an option on the property, but has not yet filed the paperwork to do so, said County Judge Terry A. Simpson, who supports the project. More than 1,300 people have signed an online by the grassroots Portland Citizens United petition opposing the project, said Troy Snody, who heads the group. Portland Citizens United is planning an advertising campaign aimed at informing county residents about Exxon's plans.
The operating area of the plant, if approved, would be in the center of the property; there would be a half-mile buffer between the operating area and the south edge of the property, and a .88-mile buffer between the operating area and the east edge of the property.
The plant, which would produce different kinds of plastic, would create roughly 400 permanent jobs and about 11,000 construction jobs. Construction would last about five years.
Victoria and St. James Parish, Louisiana, also are in the running.
Rivere said she isn't against Exxon doing business, but that opening such a facility so close to homes and schools would upend quality life in Gregory and Portland. She also was concerned about added pollution, man camps dotting the landscape and heavier industrial traffic on Farm-to-Market Road 2986, an already busy two-lane road.
"It's going to have 11,000 contractors. We know something is going to happen," she said. "We just don't know when."
The facility would be expected to be capable of producing 1.8 million tons per year of ethylene and would feed a monoethylene glycol plant and two polyethylene plants.
Monoethylene glycol can be used to make polyester for clothing and polyethylene terephthalate for beverage bottles and containers. Polyethylene has a range of applications, including packaging, consumer and industrial products, agricultural film, and building and construction materials. | 3,574 | 1,795 | 7,048.445682 |
warc | 201704 | That annual showcase of independent moviemaking, the Sundance Film Festival, wrapped up in Colorado this past weekend, and the critical consensus seems to be that it was a good year. No one film dominated, asFruitvale Station did last year andBeasts of the Southern Wild did the year before, which is a good thing—it pretty much guarantees that a wider array of movies get coverage. The biggest standouts, arguably, were three fiction features:Whiplash—This was the opening-night film, and the buzz remained loud right through to the end of the fest, when it won both the grand jury prize for best U.S. dramatic feature and the audience award. The 28-year-old writer-director, Damien Chazelle (whose only other film was the excellent but little-seenGuy and Madeline on a Park Bench), reportedly brings plenty of style and brio to this tale of a young drummer and his brutal, hard-driving music teacher. The star, 26-year-old Miles Teller (The Spectacular Now), is drawing raves for his performance, as is J.K. Simmons (Spider-Man,Juno) as the teacher. Both are being mentioned as likely Oscar nominees next year.Boyhood—A surprise last-minute addition to the fest, this highly unusual, risky effort by indie veteran Richard Linklater (Dazed and Confused,Bernie,Before Midnight) appears to have paid off handsomely. It sounds initially like your standard coming-of-age movie—Ellar Coltrane plays the boy of the title, who watches his parents (Ethan Hawke and Patricia Arquette) divorce—until you hear how it was made. Linklater began filming 12 years ago, then filmed a bit more every year, allowing us to watch Coltrane grow from a 7-year-old to a budding young man. (We also get to see Hawke and Arquette age, which could be a little scary.) The film was voted best narrative feature by critics attending the fest.Love is Strange—This film may not have won any prizes, but it won unanimous acclaim. Made by the criminally neglected writer-director Ira Sachs (Forty Shades of Blue,Keep the Lights On), it features Alfred Molina and John Lithgow as an aging couple who, in their 40th year together, are finally able to get married. It sounds like a bit of a tear-jerker, though, in that the movie charts the subsequent dissolution of that marriage. Pretty much everyone agreed that Molina and Lithgow give career-high performances. Beyond those three, keep an eye out for these other well-reviewed Sundance titles:Life Itself, a documentary adaptation of the recently departed Roger Ebert’s autobiography; the college-set comedyDear White People, which satirizes white attitudes toward black life;Listen Up Philip, about a self-involved novelist (Jason Schwartzman) who gets a much-needed wake-up call; andFrank, which stars Michael Fassbender as a musician who wears a giant fake head at all times.(Image: Whiplash)
Warm up in style this winter with this super soft—and luxurious—alpaca yarn wrap.
Cuddle up with the Banff Wrap – an extra soft wrap knit in a luxurious alpaca yarn. The wrap is knit with two strands of Eco Alpaca DK yarn held together, and the ombre effect is created simply by alternating the colours of the strands – a lot simpler than it sounds! The large finished wrap is the perfect size to keep you warm from indoors to outdoors, fall to winter.
Knitting Tips:
The Banff Wrap is knit in three sections – each one with a different colour combination. When you run out of yarn for one colour combination, you switch to the next. The instructions clearly explain how to switch between colour sections, so you can smoothly transition and avoid mistakes. If you desire a smaller or larger wrap, simply subtract or add stitches when you cast on, but it is important to remember that your cast on must remain an odd number.
Materials: - 7 Skeins of Americo Eco Alpaca DK (100% Superfine Alpaca) 100g / 262 yards (240 m) - 7 mm (US10.75) 24-inch (60 cm) circular needles - Yarn needle
Yarn Requirements:
Contrast Colour AA Eco Alpaca DK in a dark colour 3 Skeins
Contrast Colour AB Eco Alpaca DK, one strand of colour A and one of B
Contrast Colour BB Eco Alpaca DK in a light colour 4 Skeins
Note about the yarn:Eco Alpaca DK is available through Americo Original online and at select yarn stores. You can substitute for other DK weight yarns in your stash. Remember that you will need 3 skeins of one colour, and 4 skeins of a second colour.
Measurements: One Size – 67 inches (170 cm) in length and 23.5 inches (60 cm) in width
Gauge: 13 stitches and 17 rows = 4 inches (10 cm) in garter stitch using 7 mm (US10.75) size needles or size needed to achieve gauge
Abbreviations:
K, k: knit
P, p: purl
CC: contrast colour
Pattern:
This pattern is knit using 2 strands of yarn at the same time.
Section 1: Colour AA
Using 2 strands of colour A held together, cast on 79 stitches
Purl 2 rows
Begin Seed Stitch Pattern:
R1: K2 *(p1, k1), repeat from * to last 3 stitches, p1, k2
Repeat row 1 until you have used up 2 full skeins of colour A.
*Note: As new colours are added, make sure that they are joined on the same side of the work in order for the stitches to look consistent on both sides.
Section 2: Colour AB
Add colour B to the 3rd skein of colour A and with 2 strands held together continue knitting until you have used up colour AB.
Section 3: Colour BB
Using two strands of colour B held together continue knitting in seed stitch pattern until you have enough yarn to complete the following:
Repeat row 1 once more
Knit 2 rows.
Finishing
Cast off and weave in ends…and enjoy your beautiful new wrap!
Americo Original is a Canadian yarn company and online knitting shop that features a high-end selection of yarns, textiles, custom knitwear patterns and accessories. Only natural fibers, produced especially for us in the Andean highlands of South America are offered, including luxurious wools, llama, alpaca, organic and premium cottons, linen, silk and cashmere. Americo's one-of-a kind runway pieces and classic styles for the hand knitter are created in our design lab. Americo is based in Toronto, Canada and ships internationally from their online store: americo.ca/shop.
Empty shopping bags, broken chairs, stacks and stacks of magazines—when writer Christina Gonzales realized her mom might be a hoarder, she went to the experts to find out how she could help, and repaired their relationship in the process.
At my mother's apartment, there are a lot of unspoken rules. "Don't open the kitchen cabinets" is one of them. I've only ever used one cupboard, which is right above the sink and houses the sieve, a few large ceramic bowls and the few packs of ramen noodles that haven't yet gone bad. I try not to ask my mom what's in the rest of those cupboards, or why our pots and pans are piled beside the stove and our dishes never leave the drying rack. I brought up the subject once in aggravation when I moved back home two years ago to save money. "You're too much, Christina," she responded angrily. It instantly brought me back to my childhood.
When it all beganAs a kid, I was close with my mother, despite her inability to let anything go. From the outside, our family looked normal, but when you opened the front door of our two-bedroom apartment, it was obvious something was different. There were rooms filled to the ceiling with souvenirs of our past: my first mattress from a twin-size bed I had outgrown years before, reusable shopping bags, pillows, suitcases, books, a lime-green swivel chair. My mom's dresser overflowed with so many accessories, half-used bottles of body lotion, old blush compacts and loose coins that you couldn't even see the wooden surface. A layer of dust covered everything, which meant she didn't use—or even touch—the stuff. I was humiliated that our home was so disorderly.
The clutter really began to accumulate when I was about 11 years old. My mom stopped inviting people to our home, and I stopped, too. My best friends in high school asked me why we'd never hang out at my place, and I did my best to dodge their questions. My frustration stemmed from jealousy (why couldn't my mom entertain the way other moms did?) and a fundamental difference in what we thought "home" should mean (I longed to live in a house filled with family and friends; she thought home should be a private retreat). I would cry, yell and plead with her to throw things away, until my teen years, when I started to distance myself emotionally from her. I knew that no matter what I said or did, I couldn't control my mother's hoarding, and it was easier to avoid her—and the subject of home—altogether.
When I moved back home at 28—I'd quit my day job to pursue a full-time freelance writing career, and my mom offered up my childhood bedroom as a way to save money—it didn't take long before we had our confrontation about the kitchen cupboards. But this time, I realized I didn't want the cycle to continue; the bitterness I'd carried with me for years had to cease in order for us to have a healthy relationship.
Understanding the problemWhat I'd always found most challenging was that she couldn't see where I was coming from—she truly doesn't realize her belongings are piling up around her. Yet, she's unlike the people I've seen on the TLC show Hoarding: Buried Alive; she's physically healthy, she's about to retire from a successful career and she has an active social life. She's also been a giving, supportive and loving mother. So what's the deal? I approached several specialists to help give me insight into my mother's hoarding issue.
Dr. Peggy Richter, a psychiatrist and the director of the Frederick W. Thompson Anxiety Disorders Centre's Clinic for OCD and Related Disorders at Sunnybrook Health Sciences Centre in Toronto, says that, while their houses might not look like the ones on TV, an estimated two to five percent of Canadians suffer from compulsive hoarding disorder. Dr. Richter explains that hoarding is more than the inability to throw things out. "Rather, to be considered a clinical condition, it results in a significant accumulation that impacts the ability to use the space the way you would like or the way most people would," she says. "And people may try to minimize the impact. For example, maybe their kitchen is quite cluttered; they can still make breakfast, but they have piles in front of the oven, so they never use it anymore, though they claim they never did. Similarly, someone whose bed is too cluttered may claim that she prefers, and is more comfortable, sleeping on the couch."
Elaine Birchall, a social worker and hoarding behaviour and intervention specialist with clients in Ottawa and Toronto, says hoarders tend to save things for one of three main reasons: sentimental (this item represents my life and is part of me), intrinsic (this item is amazing and offers so many possibilities) or instrumental (I might need this someday). I think my mom is a sentimental hoarder. She once mentioned that her own mother discarded her childhood trophies and awards and that she wished she still had those things to help her reminisce. There's a certain glee she gets from pulling out an item that someone else would've thrown away long ago, like the cheerleading catalogue my now-40-year-old cousin was featured in when she was in high school in the '90s. "It's so nice. Maria was so pretty," she'd say.
Dr. Sheila Woody, a professor of psychology and psychology researcher at the University of British Columbia's Centre for Collaborative Research on Hoarding in Vancouver, shed some light on how to approach my mom's hoarding disorder respectfully and without judgment. "Making your mom's apartment a place you want to live is not an appropriate goal," says Dr. Woody, noting that people with hoarding disorders don't realize the impact of their mountains of possessions. I first needed to accept that this apartment would never become what I'd always perceived as the ideal home. There was one thing that I could change, though, and that was the usability of the space. "If you're trying to make it so that [your mom isn't] at risk of falling over when she's trying to reach something, or not at risk of setting the house on fire when she turns the stove on, that's a very reasonable goal," says Dr. Woody, who adds that it's also important for there to be adequate room to get out of the apartment in case of an emergency.
Finding common groundTo ensure that my mom's apartment was no longer a hazardous zone, I began to help her discard what Birchall calls the "easy wins": For some, these are nostalgia-free items (such as old toothbrushes and grimy shoes) and those that are unsanitary (like expired food); for others, they're items the person feels no extreme need to save. Birchall recommended I calmly ask my mom if we could relocate old things to make room for new items we'd actually use. I did it for the first time a few months ago, when I called her from the grocery store to ask if we had soy sauce. When my mom went and retrieved it, she told me that it was expired. "OK, I'll buy a new bottle, and you can ditch the old one," I responded. When I arrived home, it was sitting on the kitchen counter ready for disposal.
In my childhood, I would've taken the bottle down to the garbage chute that instant, a nonverbal signal that there was absolutely no reason to keep expired condiments. Now, I understand that getting rid of things causes her real distress. Instead of feeling exasperated and ashamed, all I felt this time was guilt. I realized that I'd been acting like a punishing drill sergeant, pushing my agenda onto my mother by barking at her to see things my way. And, according to Birchall, that's exactly the wrong approach. "Even when my patients want to hold on to genuine garbage, unless it's contaminated, I have to do my level best to make them see the reality of this," she says. "And even then, I don't just try to get someone to agree to let go of something; I try to understand what the importance of that item is to them."
So I didn't ask my mom when she planned on discarding the soy sauce; I knew it wasn't a sentimental item and that she was practical enough to understand it wasn't safe to consume. There was no fight, no power struggle, no "I'm right, and you're wrong." Rather, I gave her the space to decide when it was the right time—if there was a right time—to throw out the bottle. I tried my best to be patient, to have a stress-free conversation and to respect the value of my mom's belongings while holding firm to my boundaries within our shared space. It's a slow process, but it's effective. Showing compassion for my mom's feelings about her stuff makes it easier for her to let things go. When I push too much, we backtrack on any progress we've made. The day after our conversation, I walked into the kitchen and that old bottle of soy sauce was gone. It was a small step, but for me—and my mom—it was a breakthrough.
Steps forwardSocial worker and hoarding specialist Elaine Birchall gives her best advice for helping a hoarder.
1. Complete a safety audit. Find the heat sources, such as electrical panels, fireplaces, hot water tanks, furnaces and stoves, and make sure there is a clearance of at least four feet around them, if space allows. The paths to those heat sources must also be free and clear in case of fire and should be at least 33 inches wide.
2. Create boundaries and limits, especially if you live in the same home as the hoarder. Build a positive co-tenant dynamic by defining who "owns" each room and what is allowed in each space. Common areas must be clear so that all tenants can use the space and have a social life.
3. Decide on permanent spaces. A permanent place is a storage area that makes sense for an item. For example, you'd never store canned goods under the bed—you'd put them in a kitchen cupboard or pantry. When choosing a permanent place, hold the item and close your eyes. Ask yourself, "Where is the first place I'd look for this?" That is where it should be.
4. Do your research. Rather than insisting that you know why the hoarder should part with an item, find an appropriate expert source. For example, if a hoarder wants to keep expired foods, go to the Canadian Food Inspection Agency; the organization's website will explain why it's unsafe to keep around.
5. Show respect. Don't apply pressure. Work at the hoarder's pace and don't diminish his or her feelings. Try to put yourself in that person's shoes by doing a mental tally of 20 possessions you love and imagining how you might feel if a family member made you throw them away.
XLTL high-efficiency top-loading washer and dryer, GE Image courtesy of GE AppliancesImage by: XLTL high-efficiency top-loading washer and dryer, GE<br>Image courtesy of GE AppliancesAuthor: Canadian Living
There's more to laundry these days than just sorting colours. Here's the latest buzz in fabric care.
1. Fabric softener can save you moneyUnder a microscope, cotton fibres aren't all that dissimilar from strands of human hair. What's more, they're both at their most vulnerable when wet, which is why we use conditioner on our hair after shampooing. In the laundry cycle, that conditioning role is fulfilled by fabric softener. More than just perfuming your clothes and making them softer to the touch, fabric softener lubricates fabrics at the fibre level, reducing the damaging effects of friction in both the washer and the dryer, ultimately extending the life of your go-to garments.
2. "High-efficiency" washers aren't a fadIf you've still got a traditional agitator-method washer, you're officially in the minority. According to Jennifer Schoenegge, a clothes-care product manager at GE, high-efficiency (HE) washing machines now outnumber conventional washers in North American households. This is great news from an environmental standpoint, as not only can HE washers do up to four basket loads in a single wash but they also use half the water of standard models.
3. Not all high-efficiency detergents are equalHigh-efficiency washing machines use cooler water than traditional washing machines; as a result, they require different detergents than agitator-method washers. Unfortunately, Schoenegge says some detergents that market themselves as being suitable for use in HE machines are simply repackaged versions of original formulas and can result in degradation of garment fibres over time. Look for detergents branded "HE Turbo," which offer protection against damage caused by cold-water washes, and collapsible suds that break down over the course of the wash and rinse clean in a single cycle. It's also important to avoid under- or overdosing detergent by measuring it according to the manufacturer's guidelines.
4. Dirty laundry doesn't always look dirtyIn fact, "70 percent of the soil on your clothes is invisible—but it's there," says Margarita Bahrikeeton, global research and development leader for P&G Fabric Care. The tricky thing with these invisible stains (which are largely caused by oils from your body) is they attract even more dirt from the filthy water sloshing around inside your washing machine. Over time, Bahrikeeton says this dirt can degrade the contrast in your clothes, casting a "grey veil" over the entire garment that affects our perception of the colours. Although there are new detergents on the market containing polymers that claim to stop dirt from redepositing during the wash cycle (Tide Pods, for instance), you can take matters into your own hands by regularly washing your washing machine itself.
Your body needs some sugar to function, but Canadians, who consume the equivalent of 26 teaspoons of the sweet stuff every day, are probably overdoing it. We break down what too much sugar does to your body, and how you can cut back.
Good news for those with sweet tooths: Glucose is our main source of fuel, so, yes, we actually do need sugar in our diets. But don't get too excited— they're not all alike.
"All carbohydrate-containing foods, whether candy, pop, fruit, vegetables or grain products, break down into glucose in our bloodstream," says Patricia Chuey, a Vancouver-based registered dietitian. "But our bodies respond differently when we get sugar from nutrient-dense, fibre-rich foods, eaten as part of a balanced meal that contains protein, compared to 'empty' calories from zero-nutrient, fibre-less foods."
Those carb-heavy, low-nutrient foods cause our blood-sugar, or glucose, levels to spike, triggering the release of insulin in response. One of insulin's jobs is to move glucose from the blood to our liver, muscle and fat cells for storage, and when there's more in our bloodstream than what our bodies need for energy, it can end up as stored fat—"even though fat, per se, wasn't consumed," says Chuey. That's partially why excess sugar consumption is linked to fatty liver disease, as well as Type 2 diabetes and heart disease. Fibre-rich, nutrient-dense foods, on the other hand, break down more slowly, so they don't cause as much of a blood-sugar spike, or the resulting weight gain.
That doesn't mean you have to skip your favourite sweet indulgences entirely. What we know today is that moderation is key—a little sugar won't hurt you.
But, for the most part, Canadians are not consuming a little sugar. According to Statistics Canada, on average, 22 to 26 percent of our total daily caloric intake consists of sugar. Put another way, that's an average of 110 grams, or 26 teaspoons, per day. And it's not just how much; experts are also concerned about where it comes from.
"Whole foods that are sweet, like fruit, can be good sources of vitamins, minerals and fibre, which can contribute to overall health," says Gita Singh, a research assistant professor at the Friedman School of Nutrition Science and Policy at Boston's Tufts University.
It's added sugar, regardless of the source, that's the problem. You'll find it in processed foods, such as many breads, soups, salad dressings and pasta sauces. And then there's pop, sports drinks and fruit drinks, which experts collectively refer to as sugar-sweetened beverages (SSBs). These drinks are among the top causes of obesity and its attendant ailments, which include heart disease, Type 2 diabetes, certain types of cancer and other chronic diseases. In fact, Singh coauthored a report published in the medical journal Circulation that estimates SSB consumption is partially responsible for the diabetes-, cancer- and cardiovascular disease–related deaths of 1,600 Canadians each year.
The fact that SSBs are a leading source of excess sugar in our diets is galling but encouraging. That's because the solution is straightforward: Stop, or at least cut back on, drinking them.
Chuey says you can further reduce the added sugar in your diet by avoiding convenience foods that list sugar (or maltose, corn syrup, cane sugar or honey) among the first three ingredients; swap your caramel macchiato for a latte; and top plain yogurt with fresh fruit. The less sugar you consume, the less you'll end up craving.
But when you do indulge, go all in. "Apply the pleasure maximization principle," says Chuey. "Make it really worth it! Not in terms of quantity, but the kind of quality that will really satisfy." So skip the soda fountain. But those homemade cookies? Enjoy!
YOUR BODY ON SUGAR
Click on image for larger view. Illustrations, thenounproject.com.
SWEET ESCAPEThere are lots of table sugar subs on the market, but how do they stack up, health-wise?
Stevia: Zero calories per teaspoonStevia is a zero-calorie, fructosefree option.
Date sugar: 11 calories per teaspoonDate sugar contains all the fibre and nutrients found in the dried fruit.
Coconut sugar: 15 calories per teaspoonMade from the sap of coconut-tree flowers, coconut sugar has the same calorie count as table sugar, but it's lower on the glycemic index.
Agave nectar: 15 calories per teaspoonAgave nectar is about 1 1/2 times sweeter than refined sugar, so you can use less. But it's high in fructose (hello, blood-sugar spikes!). | 24,269 | 11,114 | 52,365.92487 |
warc | 201704 | Canberra’s tallest residential building could be built in Belconnen town centre, months after a slightly shorter tower in Woden was put on the backburner.
Taller than a football field and reaching 112 metres at its peak, the proposal by developer Geocon to build a 35-storey tower at Belconnen is still in the planning and design stage and will soon reach the community consultation phase.
The development consists of two towers, the second a shorter height at 80 metres.
The towers on the corner of Eastern Valley Way and Aikman Drive will include 235 residential units and 168 hotel apartments, as well as retail, restaurant, commercial and bar facilities.
Geocon managing director Nick Georgalis, who has met with the Belconnen Community Council’s executive committee about the proposal, said he would also talk to the wider community about the design at a council meeting later this month, with plans to submit a development application following shortly after.
Although previous developments such as the 28-storey Woden 9 proposal were met with public backlash, Mr Georgalis said he was prepared to receive all types of feedback: “We weren’t out there trying to just get a positive response,” he said.
“We want to make sure we are getting everyone’s feedback and actually addressing it.”
Locals are invited to attend the meeting on February 19 to discuss the proposal, which Belconnen Community Council representative Robyn Coghlan described as “rather large”.
“I don’t think there’s anything like it anywhere [in Canberra],” she said.
“People need to be aware that it’s happening. Some people might say it’s fantastic, but it’s important that they know.”
Ms Coghlan, who emphasised that the council had no formed opinion on the proposal, said there were a number of issues that people usually associated with tall developments.
These issues include overshadowing, wind effects, increased traffic and the “likely population profile of residents which are associated with a range of accommodation types”.
The Woden 9 proposal was withdrawn “to be revised” late last year, with ACT Attorney-General Simon Corbell stating that the plans were “not of a scale that was suitable or sympathetic for the town centre”.
The Land Development Agency is still working on the plans, but the ACT chapter of the Australian Institute of Architects holds serious concerns about the success of such urban intensification efforts.
The chair of the institute’s planning committee, Alan Morschel, said ‘‘nimby’’ attitudes were rife in the capital, but understanding about suburban sprawl was not.
“Neighbours, proponents and government have been involved in recurring confrontations over numerous lower-scale and medium-density residential redevelopment proposals for many years,” Mr Morschel said.
“This trench warfare has no degree of certainty of outcome and definitely has a cost that is ultimately borne by the dwelling purchaser.
‘‘Housing affordability and long-term sustainable development are the victims of this process.” | 3,213 | 1,595 | 6,071.462069 |
warc | 201704 | Low Energy Light Bulbs
Low energy light bulbs use less than 20% of the energy of a conventional light bulb, and can last up to 15 times longer.
Fitting Low Energy Light Bulbs is simple, helps the environment and should reduce your lighting bills.
So what type of low energy bulb should you buy?
Both CFL light bulbs (low energy light bulbs) and LED light bulbs offer substantial energy savings. LED bulbs offer the greater saving overall using less energy and lasting longer at 60,000 hours, however a greater initial investment is required. In addition alternative fittings may be required and at present they only provide directional lighting.
With improvements in LED’s making them more and more viable, they will be the choice of the future, but for now we would recommend choosing CFL bulbs. The energy savings are still very good and although they have a lesser life span at 6,000-15,000 hours, they are much cheaper and can directly replace your current bulbs which only last 1,000 hours, helping the environment and your pocket straight away.
Will just swapping light bulbs make a difference?
By swapping a normal bulb to an energy saving bulb you could cut energy wastage by three quarters and save £9 on your electricity bill. It might seem like a small change, but if every home in the UK changed just 3 light bulbs, enough energy would be saved to light the UK’s street lamps.
But don’t energy saving light bulbs use more energy when first turned on, therefore wasting more energy if switching lights on and off?
Carbon Footprint carried out an in-house investigation and found that if anything low energy bulbs used slightly less energy when first switched on, gradually building up to a continual wattage (which only took a couple of seconds).
CFL Low energy light bulbs contain mercury, is that safe?
Low energy bulbs do contain a small amount of mercury which is not at all dangerous when contained within the bulb. The bulbs should be disposed of responsibly and can be recycled at your local council’s Household Waste and Recycling Centre or at collection points provided by some light bulb retailers.
Should you break a bulb in the house, it is advised that the broken material is swept up using a damp cloth and both the debris and cloth put into a double layered plastic bag and taken to a collection point for disposal. The room should then be well ventilated for at least 15 minutes. | 2,445 | 1,216 | 4,837.722039 |
warc | 201704 | The Crisis Has Worsened the "Allergy" to Solidarity by
Pope Francis
Dear Friends,
I welcome all of you, members of the Centesimus Annus – Pro Pontifice Foundation and those taking part in the International Conference. I thank the President for his introduction to this encounter, which is a milestone on your path, as you seek to meet some of the current world challenges in light of the social doctrine of the Church.
I thank you for having accepted the suggestion to develop the value of solidarity. We thus carry forward a theme of reflection and commitment which is intrinsic to the social doctrine, which is always in harmony with subsidiarity. In particular this was a salient theme of St John Paul II’s Magisterium, that Pope Benedict XVI later clarified and updated in
Caritas in Veritate.
In the current economic situation – and in the mentality that it generates – the word “solidarity” has become uncomfortable, even bothersome. Last year, I told you it seemed even like a swear word in this context. The cause of the crisis of these current years is of a deep ethical nature that has enhanced this “allergy” to words like solidarity, the equitable distribution of goods, employment as a priority.... And the reason is that one has not succeeded – or does not want to succeed – in really studying how these ethical values could promote concrete economic values, like creating virtuous dynamics in the areas of production, labour, the market, and finance itself.
This is precisely what you are trying to do, combining the theoretical and practical aspects, thought and experience in the field.
The conscience of the businessman is the vital area where this research takes place. In particular, the Christian businessman is urged to always compare the Gospel with the reality in which he works; and the Gospel asks him to place the human person and the common good first, to do his part in providing employment and dignified work. Naturally, this “initiative” cannot succeed on its own, but by working with others who share the same ethical foundations and by seeking to cast the net as far out as possible.
The Christian community – the parish, the diocese, the associations – is the place where the businessman, as well as the politician, the professional and the trade unionist, draw life to feed their commitment and relate to their brothers. This is indispensable, because the work environment at times becomes unfeeling, hostile and inhumane. The crisis puts the hopes of businessmen to the test; but we must not leave those in most difficulty alone.
Dear friends of
Centesimus Annus, this is your field of testimony! The Second Vatican Council insisted on the fact that the lay faithful are called to fulfil their mission in the areas of social, economic and political life. With the help of God and the Church, you can bear effective witness in your field, because you bring not only words and speeches, but also personal and business experience in an attempt to implement the Christian ethical principals in the current situation in the world of labour.
This testimony is of the utmost importance and I encourage you to carry it forward with faith, also by dedicating sufficient time to prayer, for the layperson as well as the businessman needs to pray, and to pray all the more, the more difficult are the challenges! Last Wednesday I gave a catechesis on the gift of counsel, one of the seven gifts of the Holy Spirit. You also have great need to ask God for this gift, the gift of counsel, to act and make decisions for the greater good. May the Virgin Mary,
Mater boni consilii, help you, and may my blessing also go with you.
©
Libreria Editrice Vaticana 2014
This item 10552 digitally provided courtesy of CatholicCulture.org | 3,845 | 1,893 | 7,616.877971 |
warc | 201704 | Canada’s youngest job seekers, who have taken the biggest unemployment hit since the recession began, face challenging job prospects "for several more years," an analysis by TD Economics suggests.
The report comes a day ahead of Canada's unemployment figures for February, with most analysts expecting the jobless rate to stay unchanged at 7.6 per cent.
Economist Francis Fong suggests the economic recovery has been "almost non-existent" for Canadians aged from 15 to 24.
While they accounted for more than half of all net job losses during the 2008-09 recession, employment in that age bracket still stands some 250,000 below its peak before the downturn.
In contrast, the number of jobs for those over the age of 25 has grown by more than 400,000 above the level before the downturn.
Older workers faring better
The study comes two weeks after TD released an analysis of employment among older workers, which suggested job creation for those over 60 surged during the recession and the recovery.
In the new study, Fong says that young workers who represent just 16.5 per cent of the labour force accounted for more than half the net jobs lost — more than 430,000 — during the recession.
And for them, the recovery has meant the creation of just 1,300 net jobs in the last 2½ years.
Many young people have simply stopped trying and have left the labour market, Fong concludes.
Among 20- to 24-year-olds, the participation rate — the share of the population either working or looking for work — is still about two percentage points lower than its pre-recession peak.
The participation rate of 15- to 19-year-olds hit a 14-year low this past January.
"In total, roughly 175,000 young Canadians have left the labour force since the recession began," Fong says.
"Not surprisingly, many have returned to school to either upgrade their skills or earn another degree."
Historically, younger workers have always been the first to lose their jobs during downturns, Fong says, because they have less tenure and fewer skills than their older counterparts.
Previous recessions hit young even harder
But younger Canadian workers have actually fared better in the latest recession than in the past.
In the downturns in the 1980s and 1990s, younger workers bore upward of 77.5 per cent of the total job losses, and their unemployment rate took longer to decline than that of other age groups.
And on a day when Greece announced unemployment among those aged 15 to 24 there has now reached 51.1 per cent, Canadian young people — with a jobless rate of 14.5 per cent — are faring better than those in some of the worst-hit countries in Europe.
All the same, Fong says, younger Canadian workers face significant challenges, including competition from older workers looking to re-enter the labour market and those more experienced who lost their jobs during the recession.
"Many older Canadians are delaying retirement and preventing job vacancies from building," says Fong, giving as an example the retail sector, where workers aged 60 years and over have begun to increase their presence. | 3,145 | 1,479 | 6,534.54023 |
warc | 201704 | Recent Cape Breton University Bachelor of Education graduates Anju Virick and Megan MacLeod were recognized with the “Best Poster Presentation” award at the 2014 Canadian International Conference on Education (CICE). The annual conference was held at CBU from June 16-19, 2014. Anju and Megan worked on their presentation under the supervision of Associate Professor of Chemistry Dr. Matthias Bierenstiel and Assistant Professor of Education Dr. Maureen Finlayson.
Their presentation
PromoScience – Inspiring Young Minds in Cape Breton: Bridging the Gap Between the Desk and the Dirt is based on a recent pilot project for Grade 5 students. The pilot project is focused on connecting the science curriculum to outdoor activities. The provided lesson plan honours the Grade 5 science curriculum and provides teachers with the tools they need to bring students out into the world to practice hands-on learning.
“I enjoyed taking curriculum outcomes and creating fun, exciting, interesting activities for young scientists to explore,” says Megan. “Taking students outside, as well as allowing them to learn new concepts in a hands-on manner, we are making a point to promote outdoor, experiential learning.”
Anju adds, “This was our first conference as presenters and to win the poster award is a huge surprise and a great honour. It also validates our hunch that we have a pretty good team. I’m excited to see where this project goes next.”
The project is part of a multiyear PromoScience project funded by the Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada
. This initiative promotes science to elementary students and their teachers through the development of science units. The PromoScience project is led by an interdisciplinary team of science and education faculty, Matthias Bierenstiel (Chemistry), Katherine M. Jones (Biology), Coleen Moore-Hayes (Education) and Maureen Finlayson (Education).
“The enthusiasm and competency of CBU students, mentored by excellent faculty, as exemplified by this project, bodes well for science education in the future,” says Dr. David McCorquodale, Dean of Science and Technology.
In the future the team hopes to develop a Grade 4 life, earth and space sciences kit. They are also hoping to work collaboratively with elementary school teachers who are interested in developing science kits. Furthermore, the team will investigate the possibility of creating a science kit focused on Aboriginal herb lore and medicinal knowledge. | 2,551 | 1,263 | 5,011.109264 |
warc | 201704 | Cedars-Sinai Researchers on Multicenter Team Linking Gene Mutation to Crohn's Disease Los Angeles - Oct. 26, 2006 - The North American IBD Genetics Consortium has linked a gene mutation to the development of Crohn’s disease, a chronic, relapsing inflammatory disorder of the gastrointestinal tract that affects 100 to 150 of every 100,000 people of European ancestry.
The consortium is composed of IBD genetics research groups from seven centers in North America, including Cedars-Sinai Medical Center, and this effort was led by teams at Yale University and the University of Pittsburgh.
“Crohn’s disease and other inflammatory bowel diseases often elude diagnosis for many years while patients suffer and physicians search for clues. The identification of defective genes helps physicians provide early identification of people who are at risk for Crohn’s disease and enables pharmaceutical companies to develop targeted drug therapies,” said Jerome I. Rotter, M.D., one of several researchers at Cedars-Sinai Medical Center participating in the study. He is director of Research and co-director of the Medical Genetics Institute, and director of the Division of Medical Genetics at Cedars-Sinai.
“The discovery of genetic mutations also may lead to improved research methods and the development of gene therapies targeting Crohn’s disease, ulcerative colitis and other inflammatory disorders,” Rotter said.
The multicenter research team confirmed the involvement of one gene, called Nod2 or CARD15, and discovered that a defect of the interleukin-23 receptor gene (IL-23R) also led to the development of Crohn’s disease.
“Inflammatory bowel disease is an umbrella term that includes a variety of disorders. The more specific we can be in diagnosing a particular disease, the more specific we can be in prescribing an appropriate therapy,” said Stephan R. Targan, M.D., director of both the Inflammatory Bowel Disease Center and the Division of Gastroenterology at Cedars-Sinai.
Interleukin-23 is a molecule that enables cells to signal to each other and is also a very precise regulator of parts of the immune system, according to Kent D. Taylor, Ph.D., second author on the study and a research scientist in Cedars-Sinai’s Medical Genetics Institute, along with Huiying Yang, Ph.D. The IL-23R gene provides the genetic code for the cell receptor, which is located on the outside surface of a cell. IL-23 binds to the IL-23 receptor to provide instructions for the cell. It is this point in the signaling pathway that has now been implicated in the development of Crohn’s disease.
The study’s authors represent the IBD Genetics Consortium, which is funded by the National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases (NIDDK) of the National Institutes of Health. The Consortium’s member institutions include Cedars-Sinai Medical Center, the University of Chicago, Johns Hopkins University, Université de Montréal, the University of Pittsburgh, Mount Sinai Hospital in Toronto and the University of Toronto, and Yale University.
Senior author of the paper is Judy H. Cho, M.D., associate professor in the departments of medicine and genetics at Yale School of Medicine. Richard H. Duerr, M.D., associate professor of medicine and human genetics at the University of Pittsburgh, is the first author.
In addition to the Cedars-Sinai researchers, authors contributing to the paper include: Steven R. Brant, M.D., Themistocles Dassopoulos, M.D., and Lisa Wu Datta, M.S., Harvey M. and Lyn P. Meyerhoff Inflammatory Bowel Disease Center and the Johns Hopkins University Bloomberg School of Public Health, Baltimore; John D. Rioux, Ph.D., Université de Montréal and the Montreal Heart Institute, Montreal; Mark S. Silverberg, M.D., Ph.D., and A. Hillary Steinhart, M.D., Mount Sinai Hospital IBD Centre, University of Toronto; Mark J. Daly, Ph.D., Center for Human Genetic Research, Massachusetts General Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Boston; Clara Abraham, M.D., Emily O. Kistner, Ph.D., L. Philip Schumm, M.A., and Dan L. Nicolae, Ph.D., University of Chicago; Miguel Regueiro, M.D., University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine; Anne Griffiths, M.D., Department of Pediatrics, The Hospital for Sick Children, Toronto; Alain Bitton, M.D., Royal Victoria Hospital, McGill University Health Centre, Montreal; Annette Lee, Ph.D., and Peter K. Gregersen, M.D., Feinstein Institute for Medical Research, Manhasset, N.Y.; and M. Michael Barmada, Ph.D., University of Pittsburgh Graduate School of Public Health
Citation: Science, published online on Oct. 26, 2006 at Science Express, “Association of the interleukin-23 receptor with Crohn’s disease and ulcerative colitis”
# # # | 4,807 | 2,101 | 10,716.795812 |
warc | 201704 | The Society of Chemical Manufacturers and Affiliates (SOCMA), a trade association representing specialty chemical manufacturers, announced on Feb. 1 its top legislative priorities for 2013 and the 113th Congress.
SOCMA will focus on Toxic Substances Control Act (TSCA) reform, regulatory reform, chemical site security and the Miscellaneous Tariff Bill. The organization plans to share its vision of carefully tailored reform of the TSCA, possibly achieved in forms of “down payments,” lessening the chances of partisan gridlock, SOCMA said. SOCMA also plans to educate new members of Congress and heads of federal agencies about burdens regulations place on specialty chemical manufacturers.
On chemical site security, SOCMA continues to support permanent risk-based regulations that comprehensively address security at chemical facilities without mandating product substitution. SOCMA will support extensions of the Department of Homeland Security’s Chemical Facility Anti-Terrorism Standards to prevent their expiration but will also continue to advocate for passage of a stand-alone, long-term reauthorization of DHS’s current chemical security regulations.
Congress failed to pass the Miscellaneous Tariff Bill before it expired last year, and chemical manufacturers are now dealing with what is essentially a tax hike from increased duties on products imported for their manufacturing process, according to SOCMA. SOCMA will advocate for the reintroduction and passage of the MTB this Congress.
In addition, SOCMA will advocate for a U.S.-EU Free Trade Agreement to be initiated this year.
For more information, visit www.socma.com. | 1,665 | 865 | 3,152.913295 |
warc | 201704 | Financial Times
Published: December 31 2004
The last 25 years have traced the changes wrought in China by its growing openness to the world. But 2004 signalled the start of something new; it served notice that the future may be involved less with how the world is changing China than how China is changing the world.
Three years after its entry into the World Trade Organisation, China’s influence in global commerce is no longer merely significant. It is crucial. In some international markets, such as those for most base metals, shipping, coking coal, soybeans and other agricultural commodities, Chinese demand has become either the dominant price-setter or a big swing factor.
With gross domestic product expanding at an official 9.5 per cent in the first three quarters of 2004, China was also the main driver of Asian growth - as crucial to Japan’s recovery as to Malaysian growth. “Now everything is made in China,” says Noriko Hama, professor at Doshisha University in Kyoto, Japan. “Include (in that) Japan’s economic cycle.”
But the pull of the Middle Kingdom’s economic gravity has not been uniformly benign. While Brazil, Argentina and Australia celebrated China’s huge appetite for resources, US fears over American manufacturing jobs migrating to the Pearl and Yangtze river deltas was a source of rancour during the presidential election campaign.
In Europe, which surpassed the US as China’s biggest trade partner this year, cheap Chinese shoes were incinerated by Spanish competitors and anti-dumping cases lodged against mainland companies remained at a high level. Industrialists and politicians questioned whether restrictive European labour laws left their companies at the mercy of Chinese counterparts operating at one-tenth of their costs.
But while the world reverberated with a vast and newly-felt presence, a debate intensified within China on the extent to which the construction boom feeding its insatiable appetite was sustainable. Long-term, the need for infrastructure, factories and housing is clear. Three hundred million residents of rural China are expected to move to towns and cities by 2020, according to a government estimate.
The migration of foreign manufacturing capacity to China continues apace; foreign direct investment was nearly $54bn in the first 10 months - on course for a full year record. Roads, ports and railways are being built all over the country, creating markets where none previously existed - much in the same way that canals and railroads opened up the American mid-west in the 19th century.
But just as 19th century America was characterised by serial boom-to-bust cycles, so sceptics argue that China’s current boom has been built on an irrational exuberance. Others disagree, pointing to vast pent up demand in a country of 1.3bn people, relatively low levels of personal debt, and the dynamism of an underground economy invisible to the state’s statisticians.
The debate became polarised between those who felt that China’s economy was overheated and was therefore headed toward a “hard landing”, those who felt it was partially overheated but would manage a “soft landing” and those who insisted that near 10 per cent growth rates were healthy and there would be “no landing”.
The People’s Bank of China, the central bank, eschewed such terminology but seemed to occupy the middle ground.
Concerned that negative real deposit rates were helping to inflate investment in property and other fixed assets to unsustainable levels, the bank raised interest rates in October for the first time in nine years.
But by mid-November, officials said the level of fixed asset investment (FAI), which in 2003 contributed 47 per cent of gross domestic product, needed to be further reined in.
Li Ruogu, deputy PBoC governor, says the third quarter FAI growth of 29 per cent was still too fast, even though it had come down from above 40 per cent in the first quarter. “Thirty per cent (FAI growth) may be too high,” Mr Li told the Financial Times.
“You have to compare the investment. This year’s 30 per cent is on top of the base of last year which was already very high. So I think we would rather see a more sustainable rate of maybe around 20 per cent.”
He says the central bank is watching to see whether interest rates will have to be raised again but adds that the PBoC is “happy” to see a recent return to moderate M2 money supply growth. M2, the broad measure of money supply, grew 13.5 per cent in October compared to a year earlier - the slowest growth in three years and significantly off China’s full-year target of about 17 per cent. In addition, Mr Li says the central bank has been encouraged by a moderation in inflationary pressures in October, compared to the previous month, and predicts that the consumer price index for all of 2004 will show a manageable 4.1 per cent rise.
Such statistics suggest that China may be on course for a landing of featherdown softness in 2005. But several pressures could conspire to upset the economy’s poise.
Shortages of power, coal and transport capacity are raising the prices of industrial inputs, thereby squeezing the margins of manufacturers reluctant to raise product prices because of widespread oversupply. If profits - which are also being hit by the high international price of oil - decline significantly across the board, then the appetite for capacity expansions could wane - reducing China’s investment on fixed assets and diminishing demand for imports, a large portion of which are capital goods bound for factories.
China’s weight in world trade is such now that, even a modest drop in investment growth could have a palpable impact on global demand. This year, China is expected to eclipse Japan in terms of trade volume and become the world’s third largest trading nation behind only the US and Germany. In the first 10 months of the year, trade volumes rose 35.8 per cent to a total $926.47bn and, although import growth slightly outpaced exports, the country recorded a small trade surplus of $10.97bn in the first 10 months.
Trade experts say it is unlikely that such high growth rates will continue in 2005. Yu Yongding, senior fellow at the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences, has expressed misgivings over China’s increasing reliance on trade and foreign investment, noting that total trade volume now accounts for about 60 per cent of gross domestic product. He says that preferential policies extended to foreign enterprises over their local counterparts should be scrapped.
Nevertheless, China’s burgeoning trade relations have become a key preoccupation in foreign policy. Hu Jintao, president and Communist party boss, has expended considerable effort deploying diplomacy to shore up the supply of resources to feed the engines of China’s transformation.
Historically, great powers have tried to ensure security of supply with military prowess. But China lacks a blue sea navy and is unable as yet to project sustainably the power of the People’s Liberation Army beyond Taiwan, an island state off the south-east coast that Beijing regards as a breakaway part of its territory.
With its military limitations and careful of its international image, Beijing launched this year a strategy of “peaceful rise” as a new cornerstone in foreign policy. The essence of the strategy is to convince the world that China’s ascent does not threaten peace and then to cement trade ties, treaties and investments. Such a strategy is already showing progress.
Brazil, with which China exchanged presidential visits in 2004, is enthusiastically pursuing a bilateral “strategic partnership” that Beijing hopes will facilitate multi-billion dollar investments by Chinese corporations in the country’s iron ore, transport and alumina sectors.
In Africa, also visited by Mr Hu this year, China has a number of growing interests and pledged at a recent summit in Addis Ababa to boost two-way trade to $30bn by 2005 from $12.4bn in 2002. Beijing is also negotiating or hoping to negotiate trade agreements with Australia and south-east Asian countries. But while trade interests are extending China’s global reach, they also cause problems. Relations with the US have been officially better during 2004 than for many years as Washington looked to Beijing to attempt to resolve the nuclear crisis in North Korea and perennial tension over the issue of Taiwan were damped somewhat by conciliatory words from the administration of President George W. Bush.
However, Washington’s repeated entreaties to Beijing to allow the renminbi, China’s currency, to float have not had their intended response. Mr Li at PBoC says the US should recognise that its problems do not stem from an undervalued Chinese currency but from an unsustainably large trade deficit and a domestic savings rate of only about 2 per cent.
“China’s custom is that we never blame others for our own problem,” says Mr Li.
“For the past 26 years, we never put pressure or problems on to the world. The US has the reverse attitude; whenever they have a problem, they blame others.” | 9,340 | 4,352 | 19,444.025735 |
warc | 201704 | Today the whole world looks at India with great reverence, the country which got independence a few decades back has now achieved sustainable economic independence and is known as one of the fastest developing country with higher GDP. Most noticeable are the expansion and diversification of production in the agricultural and industrial area. Latest technologies are introduced in various sectors bringing better result.
The growth and progress of Indian industries is due to its healthy policy and motivation to local industry. To provide the financial infrastructure necessary for industry, the Government set up a number of development banks.
Investment Infrastructure: Energy-Transport -Communications facilities are extremely essential for smooth and accelerated industrial growth. The government made huge investments in providing infrastructure facilities and facilitated the growth of the industries.
With this objective the government of India established several banks and financial organization like the Industrial Finance Corporation of India (IFCI, 1948), Industrial Credit and Investment Corporation of India (ICICI, 1955), Industrial Development Bank of India (IDBI, 1964), Industrial Reconstruction Corporation of India (1971). Unit Trust of India (UTI, 1963) and Life Insurance Corporation of India (LIC 1956). After a few years some of the institutions mentioned above started doing retail business meaning dealing with common individuals also.
India has always been agricultural country and most of the industries in India are agricultural based. Though the process of industrialization was started at the time of the British government, but the right direction was given to the industrialization process after independence. To achieve economic stability and prosperity the government planned and designed various strategies. Plans like “five year plans” and various other commissions and committees were formulated to guide the economic path of India.
Today India is self-sufficient in producing different basic and capital products. The country is not only manufacturing products for the home market, but it is also involved in export business.
The Indian economy is playing a crucial role in the world economy as well. It is believed that India’s contribution will increase from 6% to 11% by the year 2025, on the contrary the contribution of US in world GDP is supposed to decline from 21% to 18%.
Small scale industries:
Small scale industries are the vein of Indian economy, rooted in Indian rural areas small scale industry skills are passed from one generation to another. Skills like textile handicraft, woodcarving, stone carving, metal ware etc. Small scale industrial factories are also present in urban areas and usually they account for the maximum volume of production for that particular good in the country.
Post-liberalization:
Industrial growth especially small scale industries gets a boost after post-liberalization. The government policies like the investment ceiling for the SSI sector and priority lending has infused new life in small industry. By implementing latest technology and IT services these SSI could make their prospect secure and better.
Major industries in India:
Textile Industry: The backbone of the Indian economy from centuries, India still owes a large part of its economic growth to the textile industry. Famous for finest cotton, jute, wool and silk along with readymade garments it has 4% share in GDP and share 35% export income along with 14%of value addition in merchandizing sector.
Food processing industry: Though India is one of the key producers of food items yet India accounts less than 1.5% in global food business. The sector has enormous potential for growth.
Sectors like chemical industry, cement industry, steel industry, software industry and petroleum industry are playing a prominent role in improving the Indian economy. India again starting from Maruti Udyog has poised to become the Automobile hub of the world if not South East Asia. India tends to become leaders in Pharma industry and is easily able to compete in the world including U.S and U.K. In chemicals they have become self-sufficient. Reliance, L & T, and Aditya Birla Group are a few examples with World capacities.
Though the industrial and economic growth of India is remarkable after independence, but when we compare the resources that we have and the potential then this growth seems underrated. India is rising as the next super power with a little bit of sound and transparent polices India could lead the world in the right direction. | 4,625 | 2,158 | 9,843.663114 |
warc | 201704 | May 17, 2013
After years of cutting back due to decreased state funding, California community colleges said they would expand their course offerings this summer.
According to a press release from the California Community Colleges Chancellor's Office, an informal survey of the state's 112 colleges showed that 67 percent of the 70 colleges that responded said they plan to offer more classes this summer than last year. Twenty-three percent of respondents said they will be offering the same number of courses and 10 percent would decrease classes this summer. While many of the respondents reported they would expand course offerings across disciplines, some colleges said they did not have the financial ability to increase summer classes. For these schools, the plan is to change the mix of classes and give high-demand courses priority. This is a welcome development for California students, who have been struggling to complete their degrees because of decreased course offerings and increased tuition fees.
The boost for summer classes is largely due to the passage of California Governor Jerry Brown's Proposition 30, which was approved by voters in November.
"The voters of California made a wise investment in public higher education at the polls last year, and we are working diligently to satisfy pent up demand from students who are eager to learn," said California Community Colleges Chancellor Brice W. Harris in the press release. "This is good news for students and good news for our economy because California needs more college-educated workers."
According to The Chronicle of Higher Education, a report from the Public Policy Institute of California that was released in March showed that decreases in state funding between 2007 and 2012 caused the state's community college enrollments to drop to a 20-year low. As The Los Angeles Times pointed out, that resulted in some 600,000 community college students being turned away. With the passage of prop 30, community colleges received approximately $210 million in additional funding for the 2012-2013 academic year and according to the press release, this will allow the system to serve some 20,000 additional students this year. Many community college campuses are already filling seats for the summer session. Los Angeles Pierce College is planning to increase its summer course offerings from about 50 classes last year to 200 classes, across various disciplines, starting June 17.
"My hope is it's going to allow those students who need just one or two classes to finish without staying for another full semester," said Anna Davies, vice president of academic affairs at Los Angeles Pierce College, in the Los Angeles Times. "And the summer session may be the first opportunity for first-time high school graduates to enroll for classes, so it's going to help on both ends of the pipeline."
Chancellor Harris, however, warned in the press release that it will still be years before the system will make up for the damage done by severe cuts.
"We are not out of the woods by a long shot," he said.
Compiled by Heidi M. Agustin
Sources:
"Calif. Community Colleges Note a Positive Trend: More Summer Courses," chronicle.com, May 16, 2013, Charles Huckabee
"California Community Colleges Begin to Expand Summer Course Offerings after Years of Cuts Thanks to Proposition 30," californiacommunitycolleges.cccco.edu, May 16, 2013
"California community colleges plan to boost summer programs," latimes.com, May 16, 2013, Carla Rivera | 3,529 | 1,618 | 7,629.444994 |
warc | 201704 | Religious freedom is one of those rare principles that both the Left and Right believe to be among the most important issues of our time. But what is religious freedom? The definition shifts depending on who is talking and what they want to use it for.
During the 2015 legislative session, Utah lawmakers refused to pass basic housing and employment protections for LGBT people without also simultaneously passing an enhanced version of religious freedom, allowing certain businesses and institutions to be exempt from obeying the law if religious beliefs so dictated.
The resulting bill was co-written by Robin Fretwell Wilson, a leading Religious Right operative who advocates that religious individuals who own businesses should be exempted from civil-rights laws based on their religious beliefs. Wilson also wrote a 2010 paper arguing that government employees should be exempt from providing government services to those with whom they disagree on religious grounds.
Just prior to the Supreme Court issuing its June 26 decision legalizing same-sex marriage, Utah Sen. Mike Lee, R-Utah, introduced legislation in Congress to prevent any federal agency from denying a tax exemption, grant, contract, license or certification to an individual, association or business that may discriminate against LGBT individuals or couples based upon religious beliefs.
So what is the real definition of religious freedom? The first religious liberty law ever passed was written by none other than Thomas Jefferson. The Virginia Statute for Religious Freedom was the Founding Father's way of countering the early colonies, which in the 1700s existed as miniature theocracies. The bill not only removed the Anglican Church as the official state church, but provided that no one can be compelled to attend any religious institution or to underwrite it with taxes; that individuals are free to believe as they will; and that their beliefs or non-beliefs "shall in nowise diminish, enlarge, or affect their civil capacities."
How important was this groundbreaking concept to Jefferson? On his tombstone, he listed his top three accomplishments in life: writing the Declaration of Independence, founding the University of Virginia and writing the Virginia Statute for Religious Freedom. Even his presidency wasn't as important.
The bill was then ushered into law by James Madison, just one year before he traveled to Philadelphia to become one of the principle authors of the U.S. Constitution.
Religious freedom couldn't be more clear: It is a shield to protect the beliefs of U.S. citizens from government and powerful institutions, but it also means that their religious beliefs can in no way be used to either elevate or diminish their capacity as citizens, or used to affect the civil capacities of others.
That definition was put to the test during the civil-rights era, when business owners sought exemptions from civil-rights laws—such as desegregation—based on their religious beliefs. Many claimed that the government had no right to force them to serve people of color because it was against their sincerely held religious beliefs. Those arguments were quickly shot down in the courts, because the government was not writing a law dictating anyone's beliefs—only that they must treat people equally in the public square.
Congress agreed in 1993, when it passed the Religious Freedom Restoration Act (RFRA). Spurred by
Employment Division v. Smith, a case that involved American Indians in Oregon being denied state benefits because they were fired for using peyote in religious ceremonies, it passed with wide bipartisan support and, unlike some of the recent state versions of the RFRA, specifically limited itself to actions taken by the government against individuals.
So what's the difference between the Founders' definition of religious freedom and what we're seeing today? I contacted Sen. Lee to ask him how he defines religious liberty. In an email, he says he believes it to be "[T]he right of individuals and associations to form their own religious beliefs and to act on those beliefs in private and public life. Government's role is to protect that universal freedom, and the space it provides people of all faiths, and no faith at all, to live out the dictates of conscience."
That sounds pretty close to the original definition. But it also seems at odds with the provisions inside of the Senator's new legislation, and with what the Utah Legislature passed earlier this year. The ability to pick and choose one's beliefs or non-beliefs—and to change one's mind—are paramount. But according to Jefferson and Madison, real religious freedom means no individual, organization, business, institution or government has the right to wield beliefs like a sword—forcing others to choose between their individual conscience, or accessing their civil capacities.
It is already, and properly, unconstitutional to force religions, churches or clergy to perform religious ceremonies that violate their beliefs. But shielding businesses, organizations or institutions that are actively discriminating based on religious beliefs isn't a protection of religious freedom. It could more closely be defined as a violation of religious freedom.
Eric Ethington is a journalist, activist and researcher. He also works for Political Research Associates. Follow him on Twitter @EricEthington. | 5,429 | 2,495 | 11,704.445291 |
warc | 201704 | Home World U.S. Weather Business Sports Analysis Politics Law Tech Science Health Entertainment Offbeat Travel Education Specials Autos I-Reports
By Zein Basravi
For CNN
Adjust font size:
MUZAFFARABAD, Pakistani-controlled Kashmir (CNN) -- From the sky, the mountains in this part of Kashmir seem fragile. Loose soil and fractured rock precariously poised on steep slopes wait for rains and tremors to set them free.
On the ground survivors forced to leave camps are apprehensively returning to destroyed villages. Injured men, old women and small children can be found climbing over landslides, carrying everything they own, trudging up blocked roads for hours where cars can't go under skies helicopters no longer fly.
Eight months after the earthquake that struck Kashmir and southeast Asia, relief operations are being impaired by the threat of landslides.
Aid workers also say the forces of nature are compounding an aid squeeze created by cutbacks in relief operations.
While seasonal landslides are a common threat in northern Pakistan, last October's earthquake has made the terrain more susceptible to rains and tremors. As a result, this year's landslides are more widespread and more frequent, making dangerous terrain -- narrow roads with steep drops -- even worse.
"There is no doubt the earthquake has destabilized many of these mountainous areas and thereby increased the frequency ... of these landslides," said Brian Isbell, head of the United Nations Joint Logistics Center (UNJLC) based in Islamabad.
In coordination with other U.N. agencies, the UNJLC has been conducting landslide surveillance to help relief work in the region.
Rock falls and mounds of earth bigger than buses have been blocking roads and stalling recovery efforts. The migration of returnees from camps around the region has become a logistical nightmare, compounded by depleting resources.
Relief agencies are nervous about the implications for quake survivors as the monsoon season -- June to September -- gets under way. Such organizations are predicting tough times for unprepared survivors, many still living in tents, over the course of the next winter.
Relief operations cut back
Before landslides began forming their own roadblock, relief operations in the Kashmir quake zone were already facing budget cutbacks.
According to a UNJLC information bulletin dated April 19, 2006, relief agencies have been cutting back efforts across the region due to funding shortfalls and pressure from the Pakistani government to wrap up relief operations, as programs move toward recovery and rehabilitation.
As a result, fewer helicopters are in the air and fewer trucks and buses on the roads to offer free transport for earthquake survivors headed home.
The Earthquake Reconstruction and Rehabilitation Authority (ERRA) -- an umbrella agency set up by the Pakistani government to oversee aid operations -- has been cutting funding to various programs to phase out relief operations.
Budget cuts have also forced the cancellation of a special reconnaissance program that used high-altitude mountaineers to support returnees and collect geographical information used to evaluate terrain in faraway places. The loss has effectively paralyzed much of the U.N.'s ability to monitor and assess landslide activity.
Additionally, helicopter capacity has also been reduced due to a lack of funding and while land travel is less expensive ongoing landslides are leaving relief agencies and area residents stranded.
"The whole recovery operation relies a lot on this effort, to clear roads...so its' crucial, crucial," said Olivier Dubois, a field coordinator with the International Committee of the Red Cross based in Muzaffarabad. "That's a condition to make sure the recovery phase can go on and also I would say the normal life of the population can take place."
Engineers with the Pakistani army are working to clear roads. Army and ERRA officials are quick to point out that the problem is nothing new to the area.
"It is a continuous process," said Maj. Farooq Nasir, an army spokesman based in Muzaffarabad. "The slide will keep coming down. It was this way before the earthquake as well, so we'll keep clearing it."
Nasir said that army engineers are stationed near areas known for landslides and that clearing operations begin as soon as an incident is reported. But bulldozing fallen earth is often a slow and tedious process, stranding people indefinitely. Roads can be blocked for several days and the unpredictable nature of the terrain means routes are unreliable from one day to the next.
Back on the ground, families are still waiting in camps in and around Muzaffarabad and throughout earthquake-affected areas. In many cases, reluctant returnees from Islamabad and Rawalpindi find themselves living in impromptu setups by the side of the road with no support, no transport home, no food or water and nowhere else to go.
"People appear like they want to go back, but reasons vary," said Mary Giudice, a spokeswoman for the International Organization for Migration in Mansehra. "In general they have been told that if they don't come back they will not get their compensation. Many express a fear of the mountains, lack of resources and infrastructure, a fear of shifting from the earthquake, a fear of another earthquake," she added.
"Here in Mansehra, we still receive aftershocks and bolt out of the building. In the mountains they are much stronger and still quite frightening."
A family sits in a truck awaiting a ride back to a village in Panjkot, Kashmir. The road was blocked by a landslide.
SPECIAL REPORT Quick Job Search | 5,669 | 2,744 | 11,616.904883 |
warc | 201704 | Story highlights Some shoppers are paring down their gift lists to focus on kids Cards and handmade gifts replace pricier items What to give teachers is a hot topic among some parents
Michele McGraw used to give holiday gifts to nearly everyone who played a supporting role in her family's life: teachers, bus drivers, the mailman, the paperboy.
Not anymore. As her four children grow and their wants become more expensive, she's checking her list for ways to pare it down.
"It mostly comes down to the amount of money we were spending at Christmas; it had to come from somewhere," said McGraw, a tech blogger in northern Virginia. "We just looked at overall spending and it was a lot, so we decided to pare down to family first."
Whether it's recession-related or born of a desire to cut back on "stuff," consumers are looking for ways to scale back their shopping lists. Immediate family and relatives tend to make the cut, but even then, some families are revamping the formula.
In McGraw's extended family, the adults no longer exchange gifts to keep the focus on the kids. That doesn't mean becoming a scrooge to everyone else. Her children (ages 15, 12, 8 and 7) will choose teachers they have a special connection with to receive a handmade gift or card. McGraw also tries to to do more things throughout the year, like buying a small gift for a teacher on her birthday or during National Education Week instead, she said.
The bus driver and mail carrier will get a handwritten card expressing thanks, said McGraw, who writes about technology from a working mother's perspective on ScrapsofMyGeekLife.com.
"It helps to spread the gift-giving out throughout the year instead of doing it all in December. It is also more unexpected at other times of the year," she said.
No one should ever feel an absolute obligation to give gifts, said etiquette expert Anna Post with the Emily Post Institute. But, if you plan on ending a longstanding tradition of exchanging gifts with someone, best to let them know as soon as possible. Like, today, if you haven't already, she said.
Otherwise, cards and handmade gifts can replace store-bought items in a pinch, especially for crafty folks, she said. Food and baked goods can also go a long way, just be sure to include an ingredient list for dietary considerations, she said.
"Especially when money is tight, thinking of ways to give of ourselves doesn't have to involve money or be wrapped in a bow," she said. "It can be making something, or by starting a new tradition. It could be going to hear carolers at the local community center, taking a walk through the neighborhood to look at lights or getting together with a friend."
Who makes the cut aside from family and friends tends to vary with location and priorities. Post recommends going about it in one of two ways: Make a list of people and divide up the money you want to spend evenly among everyone or go down the list giving a designated amount until you run out.
In the suburbs, mail carriers, landscapers and bus drivers make the list; in big cities, doormen, superintendents and porters are common recipients of cash gifts.
Housekeepers and hairdressers are common recipients regardless of location, but gifts to those folks do not cause debate as contentious as over gifts for teachers, said Rebecca Levey, co-founder of KidzVuz.com, a video review site by and for children.
Many parents want to show their appreciation or believe that teachers are not adequately compensated for their work, she said. But that's not the common sentiment across the board.
Some see a conflict of interest in giving money the teachers who hand out their child's grades. They question the legality of the practice. Others feel a handmade gift from the child should suffice, Levey said.
Gift cards are a good compromise, especially cards for places where teachers can buy classroom supplies, like Barnes & Noble or Staples, Post said.
"Many schools have policies against cash gifts, so it helps to check," Post said. "One thing we know for certain is no more mugs. We've heard this from a million teachers."
For some parents, it's hard to cut out teachers, especially those who care for children with special needs, said Ellen Seidman, whose blog, Love That Max, focuses on caring for children with special needs.
Her 8-year-old son, Max, has cerebral palsy. Between therapists, teachers and
her daughter's teachers, Seidman estimates she has about 20 people to shop for.
"I think they're saints," she said. "I never dreamed I'd have a list like this, but never dreamed I'd have a kid with special needs. But I'm glad they're in my life and I want to reward them."
Parents of kids with disabilities often have additional financial burdens, including out-of-pocket expenses for therapies and medical costs.
"Add to that the internal pressure many parents of kids with special needs feel to get their kids toys that could help with their development, and you have a whole lot of holiday shopping stress," she said.
Because she buys toys for her son throughout the year to help his development, the holiday is a time to focus on a few gifts that are just plain fun, she said.
"As I've grown into becoming a parent, I've become more selective and not gone nuts over the holidays."
Quality over quantity is a common focus, even among parents who are scaling back on gifts for others to free resources for their family.
"For a lot of parents, because they're so much more budget conscious, they're way more into what's going to last and having one nice gift -- the Nintendo DS, iPod Touch, LeapFrog -- and toning down the rest of it," said Levey of KidzVuz.com.
"We want our kids to appreciate what they have and that's hard for them to do that if they're constantly getting stuff."
The same mantra tends to extend to nieces and nephews. When Levey's extended family gets together to exchange Hanukkah gifts, the adults won't get anything, she said. Using Draw Names, the children each selected a cousin to give a gift to. And that's that.
Mom blogger Melissa Chapman is taking the idea a step further with her immediate family: only handmade gifts for everyone, including her children.
Chapman, who runs Married My Sugar Daddy, a blog about her family life with an older man, admits the kids aren't thrilled with the idea. The plan is to encourage her son and daughter to make something the other would enjoy, like a toy or jewelry, and that way they'll think of one another when they use it, she said.
"I feel like they have so much and I have to be honest, the way my son works is he gets a toy and he's done with it in a week and rarely goes back to it," said Chapman, who runs her blog from her home in Staten Island, New York.
"By buying them another gift they don't need, the lesson really isn't about expressing love and kindness for each other. What better way to do that than with a handmade gift?"
On the other hand, Chapman said she plans on giving gift cards to all the people who make her life easier: teachers, landscapers, even the UPS guy.
"That's my new thing to give out to everybody and that's what I'd love to get because it's really like giving the gift they need. If they need groceries, they can get groceries with it," she said.
"Anyone who makes my life easier on a daily basis deserves some acknowledgment," she said. "It shows that you appreciate what they're doing." | 7,457 | 3,496 | 15,743.740561 |
warc | 201704 | SHANGHAI (AP) — China has achieved a "soft landing" in its economic slowdown, the IMF says while cautioning that more sweeping reforms are needed to ensure healthy growth in the longer term.
In a report Wednesday on its website, the IMF praised China's leaders for adjusting policies to help counter the malaise plaguing the global economy that has also slowed robust growth in China and other emerging nations.
"China's economy seems to be undergoing a soft landing, though global headwinds are increasing," said the report, issued after IMF consultations with Beijing.
It notes that China has reduced some imbalances in the world's second-biggest economy, such as its once huge trade surplus, and brought inflation under control. But it pointed to risks from excessive bank lending and urged more effective regulation to ensure financial stability.
"Overall we are very confident that China is experiencing what we would call a soft landing," Markus Rodlauer, deputy director of the IMF's Asia & Pacific Department, said in a video interview.
"This means growth of about 8 percent. This is less than it was in the past but still it compares very favorably to what is happening around us," he said.
China's second-quarter growth fell to a three-year low of 7.6 percent as exports, consumer spending and factory output weakened. Analysts say a rebound might begin in the second half but could take longer to take root and be weaker than previously expected.
That has dampened hopes it might make up for weak Western demand and drive global growth. Just a week earlier, the IMF had cut its 2012 growth forecast for China's economy by 0.2 percentage point to 8 percent and said a "hard landing" was still possible.
It forecasts growth in 2013 of 8.5 percent.
Preliminary results of a monthly survey of Chinese manufacturers released Tuesday showed the contraction in manufacturing eased in July. HSBC's Purchasing Managers' Index, which combines various measures of manufacturing activity, rose to 49.5 from 48.2. Readings above 50 denote growth. The individual gauge of factory output showed an expansion in production.
On Wednesday, a senior official from the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology told reporters in Beijing that data over the past three months showed industry production was stabilizing.
However, Zhu Hongren, the ministry's chief engineer cautioned that growth remained relatively weak.
"We need to do more to ensure stable and rapid development of the industrial economy," Zhu said.
China has cut interest rates twice since the start of June and is seeking to counter its slowdown through higher spending on public housing and other public works and investment by state-owned industry. It is moving cautiously, hoping to avoid the inflationary overheating unleashed by recession-fighting stimulus in 2008 and 2009.
Authorities say curbs imposed on home sales to cool surging housing prices will remain in place, even though allowing more construction could quickly boost growth. Rodlauer, the IMF economist, said there were some signs of recovery in the housing sector.
"We now have seen three property cycles over the past 10 years," Rodlauer said. "There is a need to reduce this boom and bust in the property sector."
Healthy longer term growth will hinge on Beijing's success in stimulating domestic demand and reducing its reliance on investment, especially in construction, to drive growth, he said.
"China has tremendous potential and will continue to grow rapidly, but to tap this potential it will have to change," he said. "A host of reforms are necessary." | 3,640 | 1,848 | 7,083.030303 |
warc | 201704 | Our Slow-Motion Global Accident
Industry simply doesn't have an incentive to kick its fossil fuel habit.
Have you ever found yourself in the midst of a disaster--like taking a bend in the road too fast on a rainy night--where every second seems impossibly stretched?
The situation unfolds in slow motion. You know exactly how it turns out, even before your car plows into the guardrail. Somehow, there's time to ponder what you could have done differently--slowed at the yellow sign--and wish you could turn back the clock.
That's what it felt like in December at the 2010 UN climate summit held in Cancun, Mexico. The meeting's final hours, when world leaders gaveled through a flawed agreement, felt just as long as the preceding two weeks of negotiations.
Instead of calling the tow truck to haul away the wreck, however, leaders and representatives from the vast majority of the 194 countries present applauded their accord as a victory for multilateralism--saying a weak deal was better than no deal.
Sure, supporters admitted, the so-called Cancun agreement doesn't limit global warming to what scientists--and more than 100 countries--say is safe. Plus, pledges by individual countries to cut greenhouse gas emissions, if you add them up, fall short of this inadequate target. And, yes, the Cancun deal doesn't hold anyone accountable for cutting climate pollution because these new pledges are voluntary.
But besides that--and that a fund promised by rich countries to help poorer nations deal with the impact of climate change has no dedicated source of funding--it's a great step forward. Huh?
We have to do better.
The Cancun deal won't change much in the United States. Obama's goal to reduce our greenhouse gas pollution remains an embarrassingly low four percent from 1990 levels by the end of the next decade. European countries have pledged 20 percent and Brazil 39 percent.
We still don't have a comprehensive climate law--and it's unlikely we'll have one soon.
Industry simply doesn't have an incentive to kick its fossil fuel habit. In fact, the Cancun agreement could open a loophole that lets companies in the United States continue to pollute--as long as they pay someone else in another country to reduce their emissions. It's called carbon offsetting, and it means U.S. families living in the toxic shadow of big polluters will have to suffer the health impacts of dirty energy, while companies get to claim credit for cleaning up their act.
Instead of getting motivated to stop climate change now, the world's countries will wait another year before trying again to secure a climate agreement with teeth. The next UN Framework Convention on Climate Change--to be held in Durban, South Africa--won't take place until December 2011.
That doesn't mean we have to sit back and watch as more environmental disasters unfold. We can take action this year.
We can start investing now in the transition to a green energy workforce. We can create jobs that bring workers the dignity of contributing to a better world and give families the security of a steady paycheck in a growing sector.
We can demand now that every dollar sent overseas to help people get out of energy poverty goes to renewable energy and low-carbon development.
And we can raise billions of dollars to make this happen by taxing the financial speculation of the Wall Street fat cats who brought us the economic crisis. European countries are already considering a regional financial transaction tax. If they can do it, we can, too.
Regardless of what happens at these annual global climate talks, we must all think and act fast now to avoid having to clean up a big mess later. Real success means changing course toward a strong green economy at home and a global climate deal that protects people and the planet.
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons License | 3,875 | 1,954 | 7,644.895087 |
warc | 201704 | Negative headlines in the past few weeks seem to suggest deep trouble for the Affordable Care Act’s (ACA) marketplaces. Several insurance plans have requested double-digit premium increases for 2017—and Aetna is the third major insurer to announce it is pulling out of several state marketplaces next year. But how concerned should we be about these developments and are there policy options to consider?
This year, premium requests by carriers have been higher on average than last year. Part of the reason for the increase is the phase-out of the law’s reinsurance program, which reimbursed carriers for high claims costs. The program has lowered premiums by as much as 14 percent, and without it carriers are raising their premiums to compensate. But even if final premiums in many plans are higher, most people who will enroll in marketplace plans this year will not pay much more than they did in 2015. This is because more than 80 percent of marketplace enrollees receive tax credits to help pay their premiums, which means most of the increase will be absorbed by the credits. Marketplace customers are also highly price-sensitive and will likely shop for the best deal. Last year, people who received tax credits through the federal marketplace experienced an average premium increase of only 4 percent.
This price competition is brand new to the individual insurance market, and is likely contributing to the large insurers’ exits. The ACA’s market reforms, and the design of premium tax credits fundamentally changed the competitive dynamic. While insurers used to compete by avoiding risk, they now must lure consumers with competitive pricing and high-value products. As in all competitive markets, there will be winners and losers. An analysis by the Urban Institute suggests that some of the large insurers staging high-profile departures were not the most price-competitive in some markets: Blue Cross Blue Shield Plans, Medicaid managed care plans, health provider–sponsored plans like Kaiser Permanente, and smaller regional plans have been more so.
Aetna complains that it has too many unhealthy people in its risk pools, and is suffering big losses. This is puzzling. In 2016, Aetna increased the number of plans it offered in several states it is now abandoning.
1 In addition, the law’s permanent risk-adjustment program enables insurance companies with sicker enrollees to share their costs with insurers who have healthier members. While not perfect, the risk-adjustment program has largely functioned as intended, according to several analyses. The risk pools also appear to be improving: A U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) report released this month found that people in the individual market nationally were likely healthier as a group in 2015 than they were in 2014.
Still, solutions will be needed to maintain competition and choice for consumers, and make sure those who are eligible for coverage can get it. As the HHS analysis shows, robust enrollment is critical for keeping costs down. A new Commonwealth Fund survey finds that 24 million working-age adults are still uninsured, with about half potentially eligible for subsidized marketplace coverage. HHS has announced new efforts to reach those who are eligible. Over the next few years, as many as 5 million people with plans that that don’t fully comply with the ACA reforms—because they existed before the law passed or because they were transitional plans—may move into the individual market, which also will boost enrollment.
2
To keep premiums down, federal policymakers could extend the ACA’s successful reinsurance program, which is financed by insurer fees and is therefore budget neutral. There is precedent for this: Medicare’s prescription drug program includes a permanent reinsurance program. In the absence of federal action, states could follow the lead of Alaska, which is setting up its own reinsurance program. Finally, both state and federal policymakers could consider a public insurance option to add competition to markets with few competitors.
The marketplaces are key to the nation’s progress toward universal coverage and their stability demands commitment from private industry and political will on the part of policymakers.
1 NORC and Commonwealth Fund analysis of 2014–2016 marketplace plans. 2 Authors’ analysis of http://www.commonwealthfund.org/publications/issue-briefs/2016/june/insurance-exchanges-promote-value and https://aspe.hhs.gov/basic-report/how-many-individuals-might-have-marketplace-coverage-at-the-end-of-2016. | 4,648 | 2,184 | 9,708.871795 |
warc | 201704 | A child’s curiosity and natural desire to learn are like a tiny flame, easily extinguished unless it’s protected and given fuel. This book will help you as a parent both protect that flame of curiosity and supply it with the fuel necessary to make it burn bright throughout your child’s life. Let’s ignite our children’s natural love of learning!
Last week, I (finally) completed the manuscript for
Latter-day Liberty—about eight months after I began. I took several weeks off here and there, but when I did write it was usually in 15-60 minute chunks after 9 or 10pm after everybody else was asleep. I really don’t recommend working on anything of significance that late at night, especially something that needs to be coherent and flow well one day to the next. But it was my only option. It feels so, so good to be done.
Among other neglected things, my blogging slowed down during the process. Whenever I had any time and mental energy to write, I usually opted to work on my book—especially once I had a signed contract with Cedar Fort, and a deadline. Now that the manuscript is done, I’m hopeful that things will pick up a bit more here.
Becoming an author has been an interesting and insightful experience. It has been gratifying to receive some great endorsements so far from Representative Ron Paul, Doug French (President of the Mises Institute), Mark Skousen (prominent LDS libertarian and economist), and several LDS authors. Their positive feedback and public affirmation of my book is appreciated and exciting! More endorsements will follow in the months ahead.
The book will be published in early December, just in time for Christmas shopping. If you know anybody who is remotely interested in politics of government, this book will make a great stocking stuffer. It will be available for pre-order beginning in October, and I’ll have a process for anybody who wants to buy the book in bulk (for a steep discount) or get a signed copy. I’ll be launching a website late this summer for the book that will have all that information available.
For those looking for a description of the book, here is a synopsis:
A fundamental aspect of the good news of the gospel is the message of liberty. As President Joseph F. Smith said, “The Kingdom of God is a Kingdom of freedom; the gospel of the Son of God is the gospel of liberty.” Men of God, both ancient and modern, have spoken on this issue repeatedly.
Latter-day Liberty: A Gospel Approach to Government and Politicsprovides an analysis of what liberty is and how it applies to government and politics, using logic, reason, and secular sources of information, in addition to the abundant scriptures and statements from prophets and apostles which relate to these issues. Part One of this book is an examination of liberty using the sources mentioned to demonstrate support for the principles being discussed. Part Two is an analysis of several important political issues, applying the principles discussed in Part One.
I feel that this information is vital for every Latter-day Saint to understand. It incorporates many of the themes I’ve discussed here on this blog, but the book format allows me to go into depth, and provide a methodical exposition of the eternal principles which find application to secular government.
I hope you’re excited to read it! As the publication date gets closer, I’ll go into more detail about the book, share opportunities to win free copies, and drum up the marketing engine I have waiting in the wings to help spread the word and get this information to the masses!
In the mean time, and if you haven’t already, please consider signing up on the email list to be notified of the book’s progress as the months progress. Thanks! | 3,828 | 1,890 | 7,544.603175 |
warc | 201704 | A Reagan picture produced by the Heritage Foundation.
Over the last few years, HumanEvents has repeatedly published garbage anti-defense screeds by professional blowhards, but usually it’s been just Pat Buchanan and, occassionally, Byron York – two well-known blowhards.
Now, however, HumanEvents is officially a leftist, anti-defense magazine, having just published its newest anti-defense screed, written by Steven Greenhut.
In it, the author tries to paint the US military – the defender of this country and its most respected institution – in the same light as the IRS, the oppressive federal tax collecting agency. What exactly distastes him about the military?
That it wants to be… the world’s strongest and a team of “warriors.”
Oh my goodness, what a terrible threat to US civil liberties! The US military wants to be the strongest in the world and wants to make recruits into “warriors”! Panic!
Greenhut objects to the Army (and its “Soldiers’ Creed”) calling soldiers “warriors”; he claims this is a militarist term and proof of America’s Spartan-like “militarization”. He even agrees with extremely leftist Associated Press reporter Robert Fisk calling it “militarization”:
“A few years ago, the Associated Press’ Robert Fisk reported on the rewriting of the U.S. Army’s rewriting of the “Soldier’s Creed.” It had long been a simple ethical statement in which soldiers vowed to protect our nation, live up to the highest ideals, and not disgrace the uniform. The Army rewrote it into a creed of the “warrior,” in which America’s soldiers vowed to “never accept defeat” as they destroy the nation’s enemies.
I don’t always agree with Fisk’s politics, but he was dead-on in complaining about a subtle shift in America from honoring our military and its necessary role to a more Sparta-like embrace of militarism.”
But the truth is, the Army has always, since the beginning of the Republic, considered its soldiers “warriors” and trained it to be such. Ditto the Marines, who have always led a Spartan lifestyle since their founding in 1775, as anyone who has served in the Corps knows.
The US military – like every other serious military in the world, unlike those of Europe – trains its troops to be warriors, not girly-men, smoothtalkers, or kid glove users. War ain’t beanbag.
(BTW, folks, you know what the British Army’s standard Infantry Fighting Vehicle is called? The “Warrior”.)
Greenhut objects to the US Navy calling itself “a global force for good”. He also condemns its statement that the power of every nation is measured in part based upon its Navy, so the USN wants to be the strongest in the world:
“I recently spotted billboard ads from the U.S. Navy, which proclaimed: “A Global Force for Good.” I perused the Navy’s Web page dedicated to the ad campaign, and there wasn’t a word on it about protecting freedom. I found the lingo a little creepy: “The strength and status of any nation can be measured in part by the will and might of its navy. … As the largest, most versatile, most capable naval force on the planet today, America’s Navy epitomizes this idea.””
Oh my gosh! Heaven forbid that America have the largest, most versatile, most capable navy in the world!
But doesn’t every self-respecting nation in the world want to have a strong, world-class, globally-capable navy – perhaps even the strongest in the world? Don’t China, Russia, India, France, and Britain want to have such?
Moreover, having a strong army composed of real warriors (as opposed to girly men) and a large, globally-capable navy is a prerequisite to being secure and and enjoying peace, as Ronald Reagan (quoted above) said eloquently many times, and as history has proven hundreds of times.
Yet Greenhut’s biggest lie is his utterly false claim that Republicans are protecting the defense budget, not willing to cut any program, not even entitlements, and objecting even to “modest” cuts in the defense budget. (He claims sequestration would be a “modest” cut). He even claims Republicans actually want to grow defense spending.
But, in fact, sequestration, combined with the $487 bn First Tier BCA-mandated defense cuts, means cutting the defense budget deeply, by over 30% from FY2011 levels. Sequestration has now cut the defense budget down to $469 bn, from which bottom it will never recover for the remainder of the next decade. By FY2022, it will still be at a paltry $493 bn in today’s money, as opposed to $525 bn in FY2013 pre-sequestration.
Sequestration itself requires cutting the defense budget by a full $550 bn from FY2013 pre-sequestration levels. Such a deep cut – $55 bn every year – requires deep reductions in every part of the military, from personnel, to training, to operations and the maintenance of existing equipment and bases, to the development and acquisition of military equipment.
No, Mr Greenhut, this is not a modest cut. Sequestration, if it is continued, will, with previous Obama defense cuts, actually represent the deepest (and fastest) cuts to America’s defense since the 1950s.
Greenhut’s claim that the military is “unlikely to shrink anytime soon”, like the IRS, is also utterly false. In fact, already because of previous Obama defense cuts, the ground force has to shrink by 100,000 men, while the Navy is on track to shrink below 280 ships and the Air Force has retired hundreds of aircraft since 2009, and plans to retire further scores of planes. And that is before sequestration is taken into account at all.
If sequestration stays, the Navy will shrink to just 230 ships, the Army to its smallest since since 1940, the Marines to just 150,000 men, and the Air Force will have to cut its bomber and fighter fleets by one third, according to former Defense Secretary Leon Panetta and HASC Republicans.
With such a small size, the US military won’t be able to defend even America itself – let alone its overseas interests, critical supply routes, allies, or the world’s commons (seas, airspace, outer space, cyberspace).
Greenhut implies that the US military hasn’t shrunk since the end of the Cold War. This is also utterly false. The US military, at just 1.4 mn active duty personnel, and with 75% fewer nuclear weapons and delivery systems and far fewer aircraft, ships, missiles, and ground vehicles, is far smaller than it was at the end of the Cold War.
Greenhut’s screed is a litany of blatant anti-defense lies straight from liberal playbooks. By publishing it, HumanEvents has finally shown its true face and proven that it is no longer a conservative publication by any measure. By doing so, it has proven it is a stridently liberal trash paper not worth anyone’s attention or money. All conservatives should boycott it.
Shame on Greenhut for writing such a ridiculous screed, and shame on HumanEvents for publishing it. | 7,194 | 3,284 | 14,865.55542 |
warc | 201704 | You are in the business of leasing heavy equipment to contractors. You are beginning to provide more and more machinery to jobsites. You just hit your first snag with payment. What do you do?Chances are you are stuck in rough spot and have to defer to your contract for remedy. There is likely no answer for you under the lien law -
unless you filed a notice of lease agreement with the owner within the appropriate time frame. Lessors often do not learn about the dreaded notice provision until after they have been bitten by a bad customer. Both the Private Works Act and the Public Works Act each require that the Lessor of equipment to a construction project provide advance notice to the owner of the equipment's use and existence at the jobsite. Luckily, satisfaction of this requirement is quite simple. Under both Acts, a Lessor of movables (equipment, vehicles, etc.) must "deliver a copy of the lease to the owner not more than ten days after the movables are first placed at the site of the immovable for use in the work." La. R.S. 38:2242(c). If the job is private and not public, you must also provide a copy of the lease to the contractor. La. R.S. 9:4802(G)(1). The official comment for subsection G of La. R.S. 9:4802 states that the purpose of this law is to give notice to the owner and the contractor that equipment being used by a contractor is leased and thus potentially creating liability under the Private Works Act. Though the type of delivery is not specified, it is commonplace to use hand delivery or certified mail. If hand delivery is utilized, it is important that the courier fill out a simple affidavit specifying what was delivered, when it was delivered, who it was delivered to, and where it was delivered. Finally, the Notice of Lease Agreement does not have to be in any specific form - simply a copy of the contract should suffice. We do prefer that you use a cover sheet to inform the owner and contractor of the purpose of the delivery, reserving your rights under either La. R.S. 9:4802 (Private Works) or La. R.S. 38:2242 (Public Works). Think Different To Send Notices of Lease EasilySo, now you know about this notice of lease requirement...but really, does your company have the time or attention to detail required to send these notices to each and every customer every time you sign a rental agreement? It's likely that you either don't have the time, or if you can make the time, that it's a waste of time for your company. Think different about these notices...how about outsourcing them? A company like z lien(which was started by Wolfe Law Group founder Scott Wolfe Jr) is in the business of sending notices like the Louisiana Notice of Lease. They have many equipment rental companies who simply send them a copy of each new rental agreement, and Zlien prepares and sends the preliminary notice for them, keeping evidence of its delivery and a copy of the notice for you to access within your account at anytime. It's a great alternative to trying to send all of these complex notices yourself, and can be done so it will actually save you money. | 3,104 | 1,443 | 6,666.178794 |
warc | 201704 | During the second week of the legislative session, the House began moving a bit faster as the first few bills came out of the committee system. We voted on three measures on the House floor, the most important of which by far was SB 24, the “Hospital Medicaid Financing Program Act,” also known derisively as the “bed tax.” This tax, which was first passed three years ago, will reach the end of its authorization in July. It is a levy hospitals must pay as a percentage of revenue. The proceeds are then used, in combination with federal matching funds, to cover hospital health care obligations that the state has incurred through Medicaid. Many hospitals end up with roughly the same amount back from the state as they paid into the tax, some come out way ahead, and some come out behind. By the time all is said and done, this amounts to a roughly $450 million net flow of revenue into the industry. It is so critical for some hospitals that its termination would force between 10 to 15 institutions out of business. And with the state still struggling to compose recession budgets, there is no way such a sum could be made up for out of other revenues. In short, we are between the proverbial rock and a hard place: either re-authorize the tax or face terrible fiscal disarray and damage to Georgia’s health care system. SB 24 proposes to re-authorize the tax, but with a twist.
It would give the state Board of Community Health the power to assess the tax as “provider payments” for a period of four years. This way the board would set and adjust the amount to be collected, subject to certain restrictions. While not a very complex measure, consideration of the bill did see a fair number of speakers. Because it involved delegating the responsibility of levying a tax, a power the state constitution assigns to the legislature, I voted no. The bill nonetheless passed, by a bipartisan 147 to 18.
The week also saw the Appropriations Committees really getting down to work. They had spent the previous week absorbing information about the state of the economy and consequent revenue trends, along with requests from various arms of the state government for funding. The “big picture” data about the economy held some interesting points: Georgia’s economy continues to grow at a very slow pace, with income and corporate taxes providing most of the revenue growth during the last year; our unemployment rate is still a bit higher than that nationally, the housing market is showing signs that it may finally turn the corner; there is still a wide cost gap for bond interest; and finally, uncertainty due to slowing global growth, combined with that drawn from ongoing federal spending and debt problems, will keep growth from increasing much this year. With all this in mind, it appears that the state government won’t return to pre-recession levels of revenue for perhaps another two years. Even then, six years of population growth and inflation will keep the real, per capita revenue well below previous levels.
On Monday, Lace Keaton, director of the Newton County Public Library, was at the Capitol for a library event, and I had the chance to say hello. On Wednesday, I was able to visit with Danny Stone, Roger Harrison and Ray Cheek at the Georgia Economic Developers reception. That evening, Troy Drummond, Larry McSwain, Janis Tidwell and Cynthia Abbott were all at the Capitol for a state retirees reception, and I enjoyed catching up with them.
State Representative Doug Holt represents Georgia’s 112th House district, which contains much of Newton County. He can be reached at (404) 656-0152 or Doug@DougHolt.org. | 3,698 | 1,868 | 7,190.115632 |
warc | 201704 | Glossary 292 negative yield curve An unusual relationship in which long-term bonds pay less in interest than short-term bonds. The word negative refers to the downward slope of the curve that is drawn to depict this rela- tionship. net asset value (NAV) per share A fund's assets (securities and cash) minus its liabilities, divided by the number of shares out- standing. Also called the bid price. For a no-load fund, shares are bought and sold at the net asset value. no-load mutual fund A fund that can be bought without a sales charge or fee. opportunity cost The cost of passing up one investment in favor of another. For instance, if you pull money out of an investment that is earning 7 percent to invest it in a stock that has promise but currently yields just 4 percent, your opportunity cost while you're waiting for a better return is 3 percent. option A contract that, depending on the type of option held, permits the owner to purchase or sell an asset at a fixed price until a specific date. An option to purchase an asset is a call , and an option to sell an asset is a put. Depending on how an investor uses options, the risks can be quite high. Investors in options must be correct on timing as well as valuation of the underlying asset to be successful. Pension Benefit Guaranty Corporation (PBGC) A government agency that insures benefits owed to employees of corporate pension plans, up to a specified dollar limit. The corporation, established under the Employee Retirement Income Security Act of 1974 (ERISA), is funded by charging companies a premium based on the number of covered employees. | 1,617 | 860 | 3,036.575581 |
warc | 201704 | While growers faced their share of challenges this past season, tender manufacturers had their own issues to contend with, tops being simply keeping up with the demand for their units. To a company, representatives we talked with said it was a huge year and orders are strong for 2013. Manufacturers credited a solid growing season (in spite of the drought) for many regions, higher than expected commodity prices and continued corn acreage expansion for the boom.
“Towards the end of the fertilizer season we were as far as three months out on new order deliveries,” says Shawn Hudspeth of Adams Fertilizer Equipment. In normal years Adams is able to build up an average of 30% of expected production during the late summer to begin a new season. But early in the 2012 season, inventory was completely depleted and the company needed to run its entire plant on overtime, with the powder coat paint department going 24 hours a day at peak.
Tim Tenhet, sales director with KBH Corp., sees his firm’s “meteoric” gain in market share continuing into 2013 – its growth due in great part to a major revision of features on its 26-ton fertilizer auger trailer tender.
Michael Sosebee, sales manager with Chandler Equipment, reports sales of the company’s largest units, rigs with side and rear discharge augers (RDT 24 and SDT MH 24), actually doubled over last year.
Moving High Volumes
Overall, it seems the market is heading for equipment with more capacity, says Carla Peterson of Peterson Motors. And specifically, legal hauling capacity — something of a hot button issue — is becoming more important. Peterson’s Quickveyor has a 27-ton legal capacity, thanks to its empty weight of only 10,300 pounds. (Designers did a bit tweaking on the Quickveyor for 2013, adding a Lexan enclosure for the unit’s belting. It offers more safety and great visibility at same time, says Peterson.)
“There is a need for longer trailers to handle the weight capacities,” says KBH’s Tenhet. In fact, in 2012 the company began offering custom-length trailers to enable customers to maximize legal payloads.
Larger product volumes are needed to meet application demands in the field. One option Chandler Equipment added in 2012 was longer auger lengths to accommodate the bigger, taller machines retailers are using, some for a growing of number post-plant fertilizer applications.
Brad Moen, president of FEI Inc, a dealer for AGCO/Willmar equipment, says his company sold plenty of 24-ton tenders, but has found 16-ton units are moving just as well. “The bigger co-ops have built big fertilizer plants, but can use a 16-ton to service their smaller satellite plants,” he explains. “Retailers have different niches in all their businesses.”
Moen puts together a number of packages for buyers, such as one that includes a 24-ton Willmar Side Shooter tender, plus a B-B semi trailer (triple axle works best) to mount it on, plus a power pack.
FEI even offers an option that can get 32 tons of product to fields. A 16-ton tender is mounted on a truck while another is pulled behind on a trailer. A dealer can drop one unit in a field, say, to service an AGCO floater while the other tender fills another piece of equipment in another location. The first one can simply be picked up later. And the driver doesn’t need a Commercial Driver’s License.
Beyond Capacities
Another feature customers continue to ask for is multiple compartments. Adams has seen an increase in sales of three-hopper, truck-mounted tenders, along with multiple bin trailer tenders, such as the Adams 1,200-cubic foot Super Tender. This gain can be traced to the rise in variable rate application and the need to haul multiple products to different locations, says Hudspeth.
Doyle Equipment’s 24 FT Trailer Tender has three compartments that can be partitioned to make as many as six if needed.
Simonsen is offering dry chemical/micro bins for use with its BFT model tenders. They’re available for either truck or trailer mount and run completely isolated from the fertilizer tender. “They utilize their own closed system to maintain purity of product,” says Owner Jon Simonsen.
KBH is introducing a new multi-compartment unit this spring geared to meet the growing demands of variable rate and micronutrient applications.
In addition to compartments, Bob Eakins, president of Ray-Man Inc., says customers are adding convenience items such as electric roll tarps; plus, he’s seen more buyers using LED lights. New for 2013, Ray-Man is offering a hydraulic manifold, which simplifies the hydraulic system for a wet-kit on semi-tractors.
Construction materials, too, are a selling point. Rob Heiden at Doyle Equipment says his company is doing a lot of tender construction utilizing 304 stainless steel rather than 409. The higher grade cuts down on rust — a valuable benefit to customers who don’t like unsightly rust streaks running down the paint on their units.
Ronald Hays at Hays Liquid Transport Inc. agrees, noting the appearance of the machines going down the road enhances the dealer’s image: 304 stainless steel looks “nice and shiny.”
Customers want units that need less maintenance, and stainless steel construction definitely helps, says AGCO’s Dave Lovell, field sales and marketing support manager. All of Willmar’s key tender components utilize it.
Tanks, Too
In addition to demand for its 24-ton flagship tender, Hays L.T.I. is seeing more calls for its transport liquid tankers.
Indeed, Ron Lager, sales manager at Precision Tank & Equipment (PT&E), says last season was all his company had hoped for, seeing its “best tank sales ever for stainless steel, mild steel, and fiberglass.” PT&E is adding new equipment at its fiberglass and steel tank facilities to keep up with demand.
“We’re seeing dealers and growers considering stainless steel nurse tanks (and fiberglass storage tanks) for their obvious advantages: longevity, safety and less maintenance,” he says. And, he notes, they’re still buying the larger capacity tanks.
In general, many manufacturers reported a lot of fertilizer going down in the fall, and Adams’ Hudspeth says the only limiting factor on another outstanding spring season would be the weather. Even with high prices, you have to have moisture to plant, he notes. “An early drought could stop planting in areas, which decreases the demand for tendering or any other fertilizer application equipment,” he says. | 6,634 | 3,152 | 13,476.364848 |
warc | 201704 | It's time for Coloradans to take a hard look at hydraulic fracturing — fracking — and a critical view of those state lawmakers who are more interested in sucking up to the gas and oil lobby than protecting their constituents.
A three-year air pollution study conducted by the
University of Colorado at Denver School of Public Health revealed that air within a half-mile of fracking operations contained five times the level of certain pollutants deemed safe by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency. This leaves workers and residents within that half-mile area exposed to air pollutants that could potentially harm their health.
The chemicals included trimethylbenzenes, chronic exposure to which can cause nervousness, tension and anxiety, asthmatic bronchitis, anemia and alterations in blood clotting; aliaphatic hydrocarbons, which can affect the lungs, the nervous system, heart and liver; and xylenes, which can cause conjunctivitis, dermatitis, kidney and liver damage, and dryness of the nose, throat and skin.
Current state regulations do little to protect those who live near fracking sites from air pollution. Under current statutes, fracking operations must be set back 350 feet from developed residential areas — i.e., neighborhoods — and 150 feet from rural residential areas.
Just to help you with the math, a half-mile is 2,640 feet.
After hearing the concerns of Aurora residents upset by the encroachment of fracking rigs on their homes and schools, state Rep. Su Ryden, D-Aurora, introduced House Bill 1176 this year, asking lawmakers to increase the required setback to 1,000 feet. But Ryden's bill never even made it out of committee. Even if the bill had passed, 1,000 feet is inadequate, if the results of this study are accurate.
In an ideal world, the gas and oil industry would look at this study, apologize, and move its operations to a safe distance from places where people live and breathe. Instead, what we see from the oil and gas industry is an unending barrage of advertisements telling us how the natural gas beneath the Front Range will provide energy and jobs for Colorado and the nation for years to come.
Ka-ching! It's all about profit, of course. When HB 1176 was killed, Rep. David Balmer, R-Centennial, justified his action on the bill by claiming it would result in lost jobs in Colorado.
"This bill will send another shock wave across the country that Colorado doesn't want to do oil and gas development. It will cause us to lose jobs! Why do you want to run a bill that will cause Colorado to lose jobs?"
Of course, Balmer was employing hyperbole. Requiring fracking operations to stay at least 1,000 feet — or even 2,700 feet — away from homes, businesses and schools doesn't mean Colorado doesn't want to "do oil and gas." It simply means Colorado, unlike Balmer, places some value on the health and well-being of its residents.
And shouldn't people's health come first? Or does money desensitize us to the idea of children breathing xylenes and trimethylbenzenes while they sit in their classrooms, play on the playground and sleep in their beds at night?
The state Legislature will have an opportunity to address this issue again next year, and let's hope it takes the responsibility seriously, putting the gas and oil lobby in its place and focusing on the needs of their constituents instead.
Not only should the setback be increased to beyond a half-mile, but a substantive effort should be made to eliminate the air pollution associated with fracking. Period. After all, whatever impacts human life will also affect wildlife.
Thanks to the abundance of oil and gas trapped in Colorado's Niobrara Formation, the gas and oil industry is poised to eat this state alive. The regulations under which the industry is permitted to operate will have a direct impact on the people of Colorado, especially along much of the Front Range.
Sure, we'll do gas and oil, but we'll do it safely. And if the oil and gas industry doesn't like it? Well, the Niobrara Formation isn't going anywhere, so I guess they'll have to adapt.
Pamela White, former longtime editor of the Boulder Weekly , still writes a column for that newspaper.
Mike Endres: You don't get it; the Indy didn't go by actual gender, they went…
Mr. Endres-
Frigging priceless, dude.
deplorables were only 50% of Trump supporters but Ryan fits in that 50% , morons,… | 4,438 | 2,183 | 8,888.197893 |
warc | 201704 | BOSTON — ANNE GOTHRO is the kind of student college campuses will be seeing more of in the future. Enrolled full time at Wellesley College in Wellesley, Mass., this 32-year-old former Wyoming coal miner is one of a growing number of adults who are going back to college or are starting for the first time. Ms. Gothro, who is pursuing degrees in liberal arts and civil engineering, decided to return to school to improve her skills and further her education.
According to the College Board, a nonprofit organization that provides tests and other educational services for schools and students, 45 percent of college students in credit-degree programs are 25 or older. That figure is expected to climb to 50 percent by 1993 and is prompting many universities to recruit adults.
Frank Burtnett, executive director of the National Association of College Admissions Counselors, calls these nontraditional-aged students ``zoomers'' - a nickname derived from the word ``resume,'' because many are resuming their college education. A shift in motivation and maturity, an increase in company employee-assistance programs, and the changing nature of the work force have encouraged adults to sharpen and learn new skills and has added to the ``zoomer'' surge, he says.
``Entering, advancing, or changing careers [draw] adults back to school. ... They need that further education to get something - that next job, that next promotion - just entering the market or changing a career,'' says Carol Aslanian, director of the College Board's Office of Adult Learning Services.
At the same time, the baby bust of the late 1960s and '70s has meant fewer college-age students.
``The interesting thing is while the number of 18- to 22-year-olds has declined, this number [adults] has jumped up in the early '80s and continues to be on the plus side. And that's come as a boon to the colleges that would have been devastated by an absolute decline in 18-year-olds or high school graduates,'' Mr. Burtnett says.
To meet ``zoomer'' needs, many colleges offer more flexible programs to accommodate them.
At St. Mary's-of-the-Woods College near Terre Haute, Ind., more than half of the 910 women students earn degrees through independent study, conferring with professors by phone or mail. This program serves many women in rural areas who are unable to complete degrees on campus because of other responsibilities.
Georgia State University, a large commuter campus in the heart of Atlanta, has always catered to the adult student, but has seen a recent surge in adult admissions, according to Ernest Beals, dean of admissions. Besides offering adults flexible course scheduling, the university also provides inexpensive day care on campus.
Wellesley College last year saw a 25 percent rise in the number of adults applying for its Continuing Education program. Started by the faculty in 1970 to upgrade women's skills, the program has been so successful that adults now make up 10 percent of the student body. Continuing Education students have their own house for study groups, informal meetings, and special events. A peer tutoring program helps with study skills and academic consultation.
As schools become more age integrated, Ms. Aslanian expects more recruiting will be done at the workplace, orientations will differ between traditional and nontraditional students, and some institutions may rethink dividing financial aid. ``I predict they make the classroom better - the faculty is more inspired, more challenged,'' she says.
``Traditional students love to have them in class, after the initial shock [wears off]. Not only are they more enthusiastic, but they demand performance in the classroom by faculty and the course programs. I think that's a great advantage, and the professors respond to that,'' Dr. Beals says.
Aslanian says that as the number of jobs in new fields continues to grow, so will the number of adult students. | 3,935 | 1,962 | 7,853.955148 |
warc | 201704 | In an address 110 years ago, Monitor founder Mary Baker Eddy offered a gently reassuring statement – one that still resonates with hope for people across the globe: "Remember, thou canst be brought into no condition, be it ever so severe, where Love has not been before thee and where its tender lesson is not awaiting thee" ("The First Church of Christ, Scientist, and Miscellany," pp. 149-150).
That's a comforting message when considering a relatively new threat to world peace. It surfaced in the Gulf of Aden when in one two-week period in November, Somali pirates seized eight tankers, including a 1,100-foot-long Saudi supertanker. Those assaults increased the threat against shipping to levels not seen since World War II, and followed a rise in piracy off the coasts of West Africa.
Piracy has become a criminal enterprise hauling in millions of dollars in ransom payments, which have led to higher insurance premiums for the shipping industry, frustrating delays for customers, and yet another variable to work into already volatile oil-market prices.
What then are the "tender lessons" mentioned above, which await us wherever we might sail, fly, or go about our daily activities? How can we defend ourselves against lawless predators, including ivory poachers and those who denude the flora of tropical countries to make drugs? And how should we pray for the perpetrators of such acts? That address by Mrs. Eddy offers a good starting point. She asked that congregation to always bear in mind that "Christianity is not alone a gift ... it is a growth Christward; it is not a creed or dogma ... [it] is the summons of divine Love for man to be Christlike – to emulate the words and the works of our great Master" (Miscellany, p. 148).
Jesus made many appeals to his followers to learn from him, grow spiritually, and trust God. He refused to be held hostage by hatred, abuses of power, even threats to his life. He called on all to love their enemies. No wonder Mrs. Eddy, who devoted her life to understanding the healing Science behind Jesus' life and teachings, chose to pray each day: "God bless my enemies; make them Thy friends; give them to know the joy and the peace of love" (Miscellany, p. 220).
Jesus spoke of the abundance and availability of God's blessings, which, when appreciated, have the power to eliminate piracy. For Christian Scientists, this means approaching the human condition knowing that there is a God who is divine Mind, infinite and loving, who intends His children to live in unity and harmony.
As one reasons further, it becomes clear that God, Principle, supplies only what is good. He is the Lawgiver. His is the only law to be obeyed. And obedience leads to victory over unprincipled invaders. These invaders include fear, poverty, disease, and limitations.
Further, one discerns that everyone has an unbreakable connection with the healing Christ, or divine message, and the capability to hear and respond to its direction. Earnest, frequent prayer cultivates a listening attitude that guides and protects us, bringing to light each individual's immunity from danger or ill health.
Unless we are spiritually equipped and alert, we may be taken hostage for a while by feelings of desperation and helplessness – not just on the high seas but in the most ordinary aspects of daily living. We might find ourselves paying the ransom of our peace and well-being to what St. Paul called "the carnal mind" – the fallacy of many limited minds opposed to the Mind that is God.
It is possible to realize that the divine Mind never negotiates or compromises with the carnal mind, which is inherently powerless, but rises strongly to overthrow it with the might of divine Love. We can refuse to let the wrongful acts of others capture and govern us; refuse to be victimized by terrorism or other forms of violence; refuse to turn anywhere but to thoughts from the one and only God of good, for release from bondage to material limitations of all kinds, and the spiritual guidance that transforms lives.
Adapted from the Christian Science Sentinel. | 4,125 | 2,136 | 7,881.144663 |
warc | 201704 | Product Spotlight Featured Research Quick Stats You are here
NEW YORK -- Sales of gum may have fallen to levels far beneath their most popular days, declining 2.7 percent in 2011 to $3.5 billion, but manufacturers are fighting to reverse the slide, according to a
Wall Street Journal report. Smaller package sizes, alternative sales locations and a variety of new flavors are all part of that effort.
"We've made shopping for gum very complicated," said Casey Keller, president of the North America division of Mars subsidiary Wm. Wrigley Jr. Co. "On average, we have 50 different varieties of gum in a convenience store, and that's just Wrigley."
Aside from offering new flavors, Wrigley has also introduced smaller gum packs to avoid competing for pocket space, and recently tested gum sales inside a few Chicago Subway stores. "It exceeded our expectations," Keller said.
Young people remain an important target for gum manufacturers. While a 2007 major marketing campaign for the 5 gum brand failed to attract new usage, Wrigley and other companies like Mondelez International are still working to target teenagers, as
CSNews Online reported.
One of Wrigley's other goals is to make gum fun for children again, according to the report. "Every kid remembers blowing bubbles. How do we bring back that fun and make it permissible?" Keller asked. A sugar-free bubble gum could do the trick for parents who avoid giving their children sugary products.
Wrigley is also doing more than sprucing up its product line; it's researching when and why gum is chewed. Wrigley teamed up with The Princeton Review to survey U.S. and Canadian college students and found that chewing gum provides a "stimulating effect" that can aid concentration. Forty-one percent of the students who chewed gum while studying for exams did so to combat stress, while 23 percent reported doing so to increase concentration.
Still, for all these efforts, gum is facing trouble. "To be frank, gum has been disappointing for quite some time and it is taking us longer to change the trajectory than we anticipated," stated Mondelez CEO Irene Rosenfeld. | 2,143 | 1,186 | 3,830.657673 |
warc | 201704 | On 6 April 2016, Dutch citizens voted “for or against the Association Agreement between the European Union and Ukraine?” This is an important decision for the future direction of both countries and their relationships with Europe, and we find it very unfortunate that the majority of voters said no.
For more than a decade, ECF has been working with many partners in Ukraine and we have built strong partnerships. In 2015, the ECF Princess Margriet Award for Culture was awarded to Visual Culture Research Center (VCRC) in Kiev and we continue to support exchange between cultural managers from Europe and Ukraine through our Tandem programme.
In a recent interview, VCRC’s director Vasyl Cherepanyn said that: “We need a common European vocabulary; it is the basis to make the understanding of our different experiences possible and to reflect on the solutions of our common European problems without hiding social reality.” This is what we are trying to build throughout our programmes.
ECF believes in Europe and believes that culture is the space within which we can confront, negotiate and navigate our differences - the space within which we learn to live together - in Europe, but also in the world. And this space begins very close to home. For me Europe is an intricate web of inter-local connections, a much different picture than a patchwork of nations, layered over the people themselves.
We will continue building this Europe neighbourhood by neighbourhood and relationship by relationship - open to and connecting with both those who think like us and those who do not.
Katherine Watson,
Director of the European Cultural Foundation Tandem Cultural Managers Exchange Programme
Our Tandem Ukraine exchange programme gathers cultural managers based in Ukraine, all 28 EU member states, Belarus, Moldova and the Russian Federation. For more info visit the Tandem website.
About the referedum
The Dutch Ukraine–European Union Association Agreement referendum is a referendum on the approval of the Association Agreement between the European Union and Ukraine, which was held in the Netherlands on 6 April 2016. The referendum question was: "Are you for or against the Approval Act of the Association Agreement between the European Union and Ukraine?"
External resources: How democratic are referendums? in EuroTopics.
Interview with Vasyl Cherepanyn on Amnesty International (in Dutch) "Zijn jullie MH17 dan helemaal vergeten?"
The Dutch referendum: A view from Ukraine, by Zaven Babloyan, Eurozine
Ukraine in European Dialogue by Tatiana Zhurzhenko, Eurozine Half of Dutch don’t know about Ukraine referendum, by Vince Chadwick and Cynthia Kroet, Politico Ukraine abandoned? Is the West going to trade Ukraine off for Russia's support in the Middle East? (audio) by Krytyka Polityczna Insider's Guide: Ten Good Reasons to Visit Ukraine Today by Tasya Kudryk, Calvert Journal.
Starting school: in conversation with the curators of Kiev’s new art biennial, interview by Dina Akhmadeeva, Calvert Journal
Winter on Fire: Ukraine's Fight for Freedom (2015), film by Evgeny Afineevsky
Understanding Ukraine, Open Society Foundations
A new dawn for Ukraine: Long-term opportunities for a transformed state by Jim Blackburn, New Eastern Europe
A conversation with Hanna Hopko, EuroMaidan activist and member of Ukrainian parliament, interview by Adam Reichardt, New Eastern Europe
We need to put pressure on the government, by Anna Korbut, New Eastern Europe
The Art of Revolution: Creativity and Euromaidan, by Natalia Moussienko, The Wilson Quarterly
ECF Labs
How can culture offer solidarity and common ground to overcome economic and political conflicts of our time? Two courageous examples are the Athens Biennale (Greece) and the Visual Culture Research Center (Ukraine), both laureates of the 2015 ECF Princess Margriet Award for Culture.
The following lab aims to understand the cultural and political contexts in which they work, and to open up a broader conversation on culture in times of conflict and crisis. Anyone can join: | 4,109 | 2,002 | 8,291.888112 |
warc | 201704 | The true superfood: Snacking on BLUEBERRIES could stop dementia developing decades later A compound found in fruit may strengthen brain against Alzheimer's The disease and other forms of dementia affect 850,000 Britons A nutritional approach represents way to mitigate risk for late-life dementia
Snacking on blueberries from middle age could prevent dementia developing decades later, scientists told a US conference
Snacking on blueberries from middle age could prevent dementia developing decades later, scientists say.
Experts told a major US conference that a compound in the berries may strengthen the brain’s defences against Alzheimer’s.
In the absence of effective drugs, a nutritional option ‘represents a potentially potent approach to mitigate risk for late-life dementia’, they said.
Alzheimer’s and other forms of dementia affect some 850,000 Britons and cost the economy £26billion a year.
With the search for new medicines largely fruitless, despite hundreds of drug trials and billions of pounds of funding, some experts believe more emphasis should be placed on the benefits of a healthy diet.
Candidates include the humble blueberry, a ‘superfood’ already credited with lowering the risk of heart disease and cancer.
University of Cincinnati researcher Robert Krikorian (CORR) studied 47 men and women aged 68-plus who had been diagnosed with mild cognitive impairment.
The term covers the slight memory lapses that often, although not always, develop into full-blown dementia.
All were given a placebo powder or one made of freeze-dried blueberries to take once a day for four months.
The blueberry powder been specially made for the study, and one sachet contained the equivalent of a small teacupful of berries.
The volunteers were also put through a battery of mental tests at the study’s start and end, with a focus on memory and thinking skills that are eroded by dementia.
The results showed that the berries seemed to give the ageing brain a boost.
Dr Krikorian said: ‘There was a significant improvement in cognitive function in those who had the blueberry powder, compared with those who took the placebo.’
In addition scans showed the brain was more active in those who had taken the blueberry powder.
The researcher believes the benefits are due to anthocyanins, the plant chemicals that give the berries their deep blue/purple colour.
They are thought to act on the brain in various ways, including boosting blood flow, cutting inflammation, and enhancing the passage of information between cells.
The chemicals may also boost cells’ defences, an American Chemical Society conference heard.
In a second study of people who hadn’t been diagnosed with any memory problems, but simply felt they were becoming more forgetful, the berries also helped boost cognition, although to a lesser extent.
A compound in the berries may strengthen the brain’s defences against Alzheimer’s, which combined with other forms of dementia affects some 850,000 Britons
When previous research is factored in, Dr Krikorian, who received funding from the US government, as well as from berry growers, says all the evidence points to blueberries having the potential to prevent the onset of dementia.
He said: ‘Our findings corroborate those of previous animal studies and preliminary human studies, adding further support to the notion that blueberries can have a real benefit in improving memory and cognitive function in older adults.’
He now wants to study people in their 50s and early 60s whose weight, blood pressure or other medical condition puts them at higher than usual risk of Alzheimer’s.
But, in the meantime, he advises healthy adults to stock up on blueberries.
And with research suggesting Alzheimer’s may eat away at the brain for decades before symptoms start to show, he says it is important to protect the brain from middle-age.
Dr Krikorian said: ‘I believe that berry supplementation and, in particular, blueberry supplementation, may reduce the risk for late-life cognitive decline.
‘The minimum dose is not clear but data suggest that taking blueberries several times a week should be beneficial.’
Most watched News videos Mum is so embarrassing! Barron Trump snatches hand away from Melania What was Bill Clinton staring at at Trump's inauguration? Coalition warplanes take out Islamic State fleet in Mosul Madonna drops f-bombs at Women's March in D.C. Mom discovers toddler daughter singing Dolly Parton's Jolene Scarlett Johansson gives emotional speech at Women's March White House angrily claim inauguration crowd largest ever Barron Trump plays peek-a-boo with nephew Theo Rioter boasts he will force Trump from the White House Rod Stewart's energetic performance during Scottish Cup draw Woman bangs on car and racially abuses woman for wearing niqab She's got some front!: Busty TV contestant exposes her breast | 4,993 | 2,325 | 10,421.947957 |
warc | 201704 | Salsa dancing can be a great alternative for working out. An initial reason why most people stop subsequent exercise and workout applications is their lack of setting goals and of course, motivation. This is why an increasing number of the population shift to ballroom dancing in order to compensate for their own regular dose of physical exercise, as it not only trumps a normal workout by being fun, however it can also be an easy way to lose weight.
By visiting gym or by just working out, it feels like you are exerting too much effort just to shed a couple pounds. This is how many people gets tired and stop working out completely, as they do not view the point of having to work overtime anymore without seeing any kind of decent results.
Learning how to be a salsa dancer distinct from this, the reason why people are right now opting to dance instead of going to gym. For one, it really is highly enjoyable by trembling, moving, and just grooving towards the vibrant salsa beats can simply take your mind off, your concerns too. This, in turn, can help you rest and unwind, making it a great pastime as well.
In addition to this, a few wide range of different salsa dance styles allows you to choose from. In contrast to working out at the gym where you are just limited to a couple of different exercise machines and methods, salsa dancing can offer you range that can easily spice up any kind of dull routine. If you understand the basic steps and concepts of salsa, you can easily change to any of the different styles such as New York style, Miami design, Casino Rueda and the most widely used LA style.
Apart from becoming fun, attending salsa dancing lessons can also help you broaden your social circle. By having public ballroom lessons, you can meet brand new people who can possibly be your brand new friends. The very fact that they as well are beginning to learn how to dancing the salsa is a very great foundation of a new friendship, providing you with a common interest and an easy discussion starter.
Learning how to dance is simple. As long as you are willing to move as well as shake your hips, there is no problem for you to learn the fundamental steps and principles of the sexy Latin American dancing. And with a little sprinkle associated with confidence, surely, you’ll become pulling it off just like a professional in no time.
No matter what it really is that you are looking for, an activity, an effective method to lose weight and obtain toned, a new hobby or even skill, a way to meet as well as interact with new people, or simply to relax and eliminate tension, choosing to learn salsa dancing is always the best move. Along with salsa dancing, there’s totally nothing to lose, except for your own shyness and few excess weight, yet there’s a whole lot to achieve. | 2,826 | 1,400 | 5,658.055714 |
warc | 201704 | Broward Correctional Institution established a partnership with Hospice Care of Broward County in 1989. The basic mission is to provide educational services and a support group for women with chronic and/or terminal illnesses. There were no participants during Fiscal Year 1998-99. However, the program is being realigned through the Vista Volunteer Organization.
A program to train offenders to assist physically and mentally impaired offenders in the activities of daily living was started at Broward Correctional Institution in 1992. The offender assistant provides help to those in need in the areas of body mechanics; ambulating; motion exercises; positioning; bathing; feeding; daily living transfer techniques; bed making; turning; nail care; safety issues; basic hygiene; wheelchair usage; walking with crutches, and human interactions. The offender assistant training program is ongoing and one (1) offender participated during Fiscal Year 1998-99.
The project was implemented at Broward Correctional Institution in 1994. The mission of the program is to utilize dance and movement techniques to enhance the self-esteem, development, and communication skills of the offenders. Dance and movement provide a non-intrusive way for offenders to establish a safe environment and expand personally. Dancing encourages and enhances self-concept through the abstract of personal experiences. An enhanced sense of community and communication has resulted. Two-hour workshops are conducted weekly. Workshop activities include mediation; psychodramas; theme and art projects; improvisation movement; position-guided visualizations; drawing, story telling; and the personal sharing of experiences. Sixty-two (62) women participated in Fiscal Year 1998-99. Each workshop cycle has a twelve-week curriculum. The results of this program are shared with the offender population in a program performance at the end of the curriculum.
This program is also being offered at Dade Correctional Institution with an average participation of (20) offenders.
A "benchmark" girl scouts program was implemented in 1995 at Broward Correctional Institution. This mission of this program is to:
Daughters, who range in age from 5 to 17, are eligible to gather for the troop meetings with their incarcerated mothers. One aspect of this program is the parent trainer class. Offenders are provided training opportunities from troop volunteers in the community to assist their daughters with basic skill instruction. Troop meetings are conducted every second and fourth Saturday. The program is ongoing and seventeen (17) incarcerated mothers participated in this program during FY 1998-99.
The vocational sewing classes at Broward and Lowell Correctional Institutions partner with the community in some unique projects that include the construction of children's clothes and rag dolls. Three community partners benefit from the program; at Broward CI the most recent is "Project Lollipop." This is a Miami Children's Hospital initiative, and the women are making rag dolls for sick children. These projects have been ongoing since 1991. Averages of fifteen (15) offenders are involved at each facility. Lowell Correctional Institution donates their projects to local abuse shelters.
ENGLISH FOR SPEAKERS OF OTHER LANGUAGUES (ESOL) Offenders learn to read and speak basic English at Dade Correctional Institution.
This program started in 1992 around a kitchen table, as a support group for five formerly battered women. From this informal beginning came an outline for a six-week educational curriculum. Although initially directed to those women seeking clemency for killing their abusers, the program was expanded to help all women become aware of the cycle of violence. In 1993, participants were featured on the nationally syndicated "Jerry Springer Show." The pilot program began at Jefferson Correctional Institution and has expanded to the other female institutions. The program has developed into two, twelve-week phases: the first involving education about abuse and the second consisting of a peer-facilitated support group. Over 3,000 females have participated in the program. Currently, interns from Florida State University provide this program three times a year to the female institutions.
Pregnant offenders are assigned to Broward and Lowell Correctional Institutions and receive the quality care commensurate to that in the community.
Broward Correctional Institution: If a new pregnant offender is received at Broward Correctional Institution who is less than 35 weeks in term and has no contradicting physical condition to prohibit it, she is transferred to Lowell Correctional Institution within fourteen days of her arrival. If she remains at Broward, the medical department coordinates weekly "in house" appointments with an Obstetrician. At time of delivery, the pregnant offender is transferred to one of two local hospitals, South Miami Hospital or Memorial Hospital West. A total of nine babies were born during calendar year 1999. In January 2000, three (3) pregnant offenders were housed at Broward C.I.
Lowell Correctional Institution-Female Unit: An OB/GYN specialist provides services from Ocala. Sixty (60) pregnant offenders were received at Lowell Correctional Institution in 1999. There were twenty-two (22) incarcerated pregnant women from 1998 who had not delivered for a total of eighty-two (82) pregnant offenders housed at Lowell Correctional Institution in 1999. During the 1999 calendar year, 66 babies were born. The Pregnant Offender Program is a partnership arrangement between the Department of Corrections and the Department of Children & Families. A family Services Specialist position is located at the institution and assists in the placement of the baby after birth. There have been approximately 300 women assisted since the program started on December 1, 1995.
At Lowell Correctional Institution, a sixteen-week class sponsored and paid for by the Department of Children & Families, Family Safety & Prevention Program is conducted by the University of Florida's Department of Pediatrics. The class size is for sixteen (16) offenders, offered three times per year for sixteen weeks and meets for 1-1/2 hours each week. Pre and post tests are administered. In 1999 seven (7) offenders completed the program.
A six-week class, meeting 2 ½ hours each week, is offered at Dade Correctional Institution with fourteen (14) offenders participating.
EVEN START was initiated at Broward and Lowell Correctional Institutions in 1996 and is also in existence at two community centers. The program is funded by federal grant and is designed for children between the ages of birth and seven (7) years. Educators are utilized to break the cycle of crime by enhancing the development experiences of the children. The program provides a family literacy model, early childhood education, adult literacy and basic education and parenting. Incarcerated mothers receive parenting instructions that include child development, effective communication skills, age appropriate discipline methods, life skills, and career guides and information. Parent and child "together time" is provided and allows both the mother and caregiver to participate in independent enrichment activities with the child. The program meets weekly for three hours for a required duration of thirty-six (36) hours. Participants at Broward Correctional Institution in FY 1998-99 totaled 40.
The Wellness Certification Program is available at all the facilities and is an in-depth study consisting of physical applications combined with textbook knowledge of various components and elements of wellness. The class is conducted three times a week for one hour per session. It is a 12-week program with an average of thirty-two (32) offenders in attendance. The participants receive the knowledge to enable them to live healthier, fuller lives by making better and wiser choices.
This program caters to women who are overweight and is offered at Broward Correctional Institution. The program offers an alternative opportunity for women that are challenged or limited in participating in regular wellness classes. It provides less strenuous physical activities in order for the women to reach their health-related goals and build higher self-esteem. Participants are involved in activities of: goal setting; skin fold testing; writing objectives, counseling, fitness planning and utilizing vitals and national score cards.
This relaxation class is offered at Broward and Correctional Institution. Offenders use videos, meditation, visualization, and exercises. The purpose of the program is to improve concentration and focus, manage stress, and improve self-concept. During the FY 1998-99, three hundred and thirty-one (331) women participated in the program.
At Dade Correctional Institution an average of twelve (12) inmates participate in this program three times per week.
These two classes are offered at Dade Correctional Institution. Offenders use videos and facilitate the cardiovascular exercises to improve muscle tone, flexibility, balance and relief of everyday stress.
Broward Correctional Institution offers this class to teach breathing techniques that will assist as another means for coping and having a healthier perspective. The class meets weekly and includes UGI breathing; rhythmic breathing; relaxation; and guided visualization. During the Fiscal Year 1998-99, three hundred and twenty-eight (328) women participated.
Starting in 1998 at Broward Correctional Institution, this activity provides an outlet to fulfill the desire to perform self-expression and participation in the "Arts". The women rehearse original or state theater adaptations and conduct "on stage" programs within the institutional community. One hundred and seven (107) women participated during the Fiscal Year 1998-99.
All the female facilities have pre-release programs aimed at assisting the women with their transition into the community. This eight-hour (8) program is offered to the women who are within 180 days of their release. Videotape presentations are viewed and discussions occur relating to re-entry into the community. Some employment and housing coordination occurs.
The WALK:
Writing A Link to Kids program is designed to teach offenders to express themselves in a journal. It is believed that people become better overall communicators when they have a private, uncensored outlet for their thoughts and feelings. In a prison environment, offenders do not have munch privacy in their everyday lives, and this may cause an abundance of stress, anger, and depression which leads to a deterioration of self-esteem, health, and family relations.
The women are taught how to transform their journal entries into letter to their children and families. These writings assist them in explaining things that have been hurtful and difficult to discuss before, which ultimately leads to forgiveness and understanding. The women in WALK are also taught: meditation and creative visualization techniques; how to transform journal writing into letters and poetry; how to be a good critic of the writing of others; anger management; literacy skills; and how to give their own prompts for writing once the course has ended. There is no education or literacy level requirement for the program. Thirty-five (35) offenders completed this program at Broward Correctional Institution in 1999. This program is targeted for participation expansion in calendar 2000 with a projected approximate total of two hundred offenders.
Aquaculture is the cage culturing of fish. In simpler terms, the raising of fish in cages. This program began at Broward Correctional Institutional in the late Fall of 1998 with just over 2,000 catfish fingerlings. The female offenders initially constructed a total of four cages. Using PVC piping, the cages float and are tied to a dock that was also constructed by the offenders. Aerators keep the dissolved oxygen levels in the lake at the appropriate range to ensure the fish are not being stressed.
Daily, the offenders feed the fish, check the water quality by performing chemical tests, check aerators, and conduct dissolved oxygen readings. Other duties the women perform include cleaning the lake area and keeping algae from accumulating on the cages. This program has taught them a trade that can provide an employment opportunity upon their release. The Aquaculture Program also provides fish as a food source for individual correctional facilities. As of January 1, 2000, the program has expanded to ten cages and 5,000 fingerlings.
The Florida Department of Corrections has comprehensive substance abuse services at major institutions, community correctional centers, work camps, and community facilities. These programs annually serve approximately 13,000 to 18,000 offenders with substance involvement, abuse, dependence, and related issues. All incoming offenders are screened during the Reception and Classification process with regard to their needs, if any, for substance abuse services. Offenders assessed as being in need of services are either sent directly to the appropriate Tier program or placed on a waiting list, pending availability of such programming. Department staff and contractual agreement services deliver the substance abuse programs offered. Approximately 80 percent of the programs are delivered through contractual agreement with private providers throughout the state. All Tier programs must be licensed by the Department of Children and Family Services, in accordance with Chapter 65D-16 FAC.
Dual Diagnosis - Twelve (12) month full service residential Therapeutic Community (TC) program. Through an integrative approach, offenders work on their psychiatric and substance disorders at the same time. Each counselor provides treatment services to no more than (fifteen) 15 offenders. Offenders engage in comprehensive relapse prevention planning. Counselors will develop recommendations and referrals and offenders will make contact with treatment networks or support systems in the community, as appropriate The program is an eight to twelve month therapeutic community residential treatment initiative.
Tier 1 - Forty (40) hour psycho-educational program to address needs of offenders who:
Each counselor provides services to no more than forty-five (45) offenders. The program serves as an introduction to 12-step fellowships and other support groups. Counselors makes recommendations and referrals for offenders to continue treatment and/or their recovery process. Any interested women can participate if space is available. Specific gender issues are addressed include cocaine mothers, women and aids, child abuse, incest, rape and battering, parenting, sexuality, self-esteem and women's health issues.
Tier 1 - (Youthful Offender) Four- (4) month modified Tier 1 program. Designed to provide psycho-education to the women assigned to the Boot Camp.
Tier II - Six (6) month intensive outpatient modified therapeutic community program. Participants involved in treatment activities a minimum of sixteen (16) hours per week. Activities include individual, group or therapeutic community activities. Each counselor provides treatment services to no more than twenty (20) offenders. Therapy is short-term and focuses on behaviors and their consequences and defense mechanisms including denial. Participants continue education, engage in self-exploration and relapse prevention planning. Counselor makes recommendations and referrals for offenders to continue treatment and/or their recovery process.
Alternative Tier II (and Tier IV) - is designed for the offender who perceives and objects to participating in substance abuse programming which may contain religious content.
Tier III - Nine (9) month intensive residential Modified Therapeutic Community (MTC) Program. Each counselor provides treatment services to no more than fifteen (15) offenders. Offenders continue their education and accept responsibilities to work on their personal recovery issues including breaking through denial. They will engage in comprehensive relapse prevention planning, and will be encouraged to participate in 12-step fellowships and other support groups. Counselors will develop recommendations and referrals and offenders will make contact with treatment networks or support systems in the community, as appropriate.
Tier IV - Twelve (12) month full service residential Therapeutic Community (TC) program. Each counselor provides treatment services to no more than fifteen (15) offenders. Offenders continue their education and accept responsibility to work on their personal recovery issues including breaking through denial. They will engage in comprehensive relapse prevention planning. Counselors will develop recommendations and referrals and offenders will make contact with treatment networks or support systems in the community, as appropriate.
Tier V - Four- (4) month community-based intervention counseling services provided to offenders assigned in Community Correctional Centers. Each counselor provides services to no more than thirty (30) offenders who have successfully completed Tier II, III, or IV. These services focus on relapse prevention planning. Program involves offenders in short-term individual and group counseling, and educational seminars. Offenders are introduced to and encouraged to participate in 12-step fellowships and other support groups. The final month in the program is devoted to preparing offenders for community re-entry. Emphasis is placed on developing linkages for social and supportive services in the community.
Tier V - Four (4) month program for delivery at work camps, road prisons, and institutions to offenders who are nearing their release date(s) or eligibility for Community Work Release programming, and who have successfully completed Tier II, Tier III or Tier IV. Each counselor provides services to no more than (thirty) 30 offenders. Institutional Tier 5 programs assist the offender in developing community contacts to assist in continuing recovery after release.
Alcoholics and Narcotics Anonymous - General AA and NA meetings are open to all interested population offenders. The purpose of this program is to carry out the message of recovery and provide opportunity for offenders to become more involved in Step Study. The general meetings are conducted weekly. | 18,511 | 6,906 | 49,456.481465 |
warc | 201704 | Bachelor of Biological Science Course summary for current students
Year 2017 course information Award granted Bachelor of Biological Science Campus Offered at Burwood (Melbourne) Cloud Campus No Duration 3 years full-time or part-time equivalent CRICOS course code 001841F Deakin course code S321 Approval status This course is approved by the University under the Higher Education Standards Framework. Australian Quality Framework (AQF) recognition The award conferred upon completion is recognised in the Australian Qualifications Framework at Level 7. Course sub-headings Course overview Indicative student workload Career opportunities Fees and charges Course Learning Outcomes Course rules Course structure Work experience Course overview
Study life in all its forms, from microbes to plants and animals while learning about animal and plant biology, microbiology, genetics, molecular cell biology, biogeography and evolution. This course provides you with the knowledge and skills to tackle the biological challenges of the 21st century with a focus on experimental design and the Australian biota, and is perfect for people who are passionate about flora and fauna both big and small.
This course qualifies you to become a well-rounded, modern biologist with a knowledge of microbes, plants and animals, and the interactions these have with one another and their environments.
This course provides you with opportunities to gain real-life experience in your chosen profession and to study overseas. The Industry-Based Learning placement will allow you to apply knowledge gained in your course, experience workplace culture and practices, explore career options, and develop a professional network before you graduate.
Units in the course may include assessment hurdle requirements.
Indicative student workload
You can expect to participate in a range of teaching activities each week. This could include classes, seminars, practicals and online interaction. You can refer to the individual unit details in the course structure for more information. You will also need to study and complete assessment tasks in your own time.
Career opportunities
You will have the opportunity to be employed in a wide range of areas including primary industries, wildlife biology, the general health and medical industry (hospital scientists, analytical and diagnostic laboratory scientists and research scientists), animal health, quarantine services, environmental consulting, museums, herbaria and the emerging biotechnology industries.
Fees and charges
Fees and charges vary depending on your course, your fee category and the year you started. To find out about the fees and charges that apply to you, visit the Current students fees website.
Course Learning Outcomes
Approved by Faculty Board 14 July 2016
Course rules
To complete the Bachelor of Biological Science,
students must attain 24 credit points. Most units (think of units as ‘subjects’) are equal to 1 credit point. So that means in order to gain 24 credit points, you’ll need to study 24 units (AKA ‘subjects’) over your entire degree. Most students choose to study 4 units per trimester, and usually undertake two trimesters each year.
The course comprises a total of 24 credit points, which must include the following:
19 core units 5 elective units Completion of SLE010 Laboratory and Fieldwork Safety Induction Program (0 credit-point compulsory unit) Completion of STP010 Introduction to Work Placements (0 credit-point compulsory unit) level 1 - up to 10 credit points levels 2 and 3 - at least 14 credit points over both levels level 3 - at least 6 credit points Course structure Core Level 1 - Trimester 1
SLE111 Cells and Genes
SLE133 Chemistry in Our World ^
SLE103 Ecology and the Environment
SLE115 Essential Skills in Bioscience
SLE010 Laboratory and Fieldwork Safety Induction Program (0 credit points) Level 1 - Trimester 2
SLE132 Biology: Form and Function
SLE136 Life On An Evolving Planet
SLE155 Chemistry for the Professional Sciences
plus one elective units
^Note: Students who have completed Year 12 Chemistry or equivalent may choose to replace SLE133 Chemistry in Our World in Trimester 1 with an elective unit.
Level 2 - Trimester 1
SLE203 Plant Biology
SLE204 Animal Diversity
SLE234 Microbiology
SLE251 Research Methods and Data Analysis Level 2 - Trimester 2
SLE254 Genetics
SLE206 Cell Biology
STP010 Introduction to Work Placements (0 credit points)
plus one elective unit
Level 2 - Trimester 3
SLE237 Biogeography
Level 3 - Trimester 1
SLE370 Evolution
SLE324 Australian Vertebrates
SLE321 Molecular Biology Techniques
plus one elective unit
Level 3 - Trimester 2
SLE390 Professional Practice in Bioscience #
SLE360 Australian Invertebrates
plus two elective units
# Must have successfully completed STP010 Introduction to Work Placements (0 credit point unit)
Electives
Select from a range of elective units offered across many courses. In some cases you may even be able to choose elective units from a completely different discipline area (subject to meeting unit requirements).
Work experience
You’ll gain practical experience by completing a two week placement at a course-related host organisation to provide you with opportunities for workplace visits, field trips, industry learning and to establish valuable networks – giving you better insight into your possible career outcomes.
You’ll also have the opportunity to undertake a discipline-specific industry placement as part of your course. deakin.edu.au/sebe/wil. | 5,608 | 2,452 | 12,606.564437 |
warc | 201704 | Report gives law makers marching orders
The Kansas Legislature opened its 2006 session with yet another report stating it isn't spending enough on education.
There isn't anything shocking in the new report from the Legislature's own post-audit division except a finding that even by the standards advocated by conservative lawmakers K-though-12 education is shortchanged by at least $316 million in direct state support to school districts. That is $26 million more than the $290 million in increases the Legislature approved last year under pressure of a Kansas Supreme Court ruling.
The $316 million shortfall represented what the post-audit division found would be necessary to provide "basic" education in reading, math and science. The report found $399 million was needed to get students to a "proficient" level required by federal No Child Left Behind legislation. Both figures grew substantially when pension and local tax increases were included.
Both figures are less than the more than $500 million a previous legislative study said education was underfunded -- a figure the court said was needed unless a lesser number could be justified through a post-audit study.
It might be assumed the two studies by the Legislature's own auditors would serve as the basis for the coming debate on education. And they might. It was said lawmakers were in agreement more spending was needed. But other issues that arose from last year's fight have to play themselves out first.
As the session started, it was assumed some of those offended by last year's court ruling would introduce a constitutional amendment making it more difficult for the court to order spending decrees. During a special session last summer to address the Supreme Court ruling, conservatives tried -- and failed -- to make that amendment part of any spending package and promised to try again this session.
Even if the amendment is successful this time around, the latest report puts the ball squarely in the Legislature's court. Once again, a report from the Legislature's own department using ground rules conservatives established found education to be under funded by a minimum $319 million. That same report found that to meet the unfunded mandates of legislation ushered through Congress by a conservative president requires nearly $400 million more in state education funding.
The last points suggest No Child Left Behind is forcing the state to cut its losses as far as federal education dollars are concerned. To do otherwise would have the state spending an additional $81 million in direct funds to school districts more than needed to provide a basic education so districts can meet the standards required by the No Child Left Behind act so Kansas remains eligible for $175 million in federal funding. Moreover, the state spending will need to go up and the standards become stricter in coming years. At some point this makes no sense, especially when educators insist all public schools will eventually fail because of the impossibility of all students testing at proficient levels no matter their limitations.
Clearly, Congress needs to fund No Child Left Behind as promised, and their position should be a question asked of all congressional candidates this year. | 3,265 | 1,533 | 6,921.885192 |
warc | 201704 | While each social media platform has different features, layouts, and functionality, one thing can always remain the same – your branding and presence.
With so many online profiles, questions are bound to arise. Is your bio page the same across all platforms? Should it be? There are few hard and fast rules when navigating social media; but a lot comes down to preference.
For those starting out or just looking to make sense of their profiles, the following are seven tips on how to make your presence consistent across multiple social media networks.
1. Secure Your Brand Name
People should be able to type in your username from one network to the next to find you easily and not accidentally stumble upon a personal account created by someone outside of your brand. Oreck has done this with their short brand name on networks like Twitter, Twitter, and Pinterest.
Be sure to grab your branded username even if you don’t want to set up and use a particular social media account right now.
2. Use the Same Profile Photo
The one common element of most social media networks is the profile photo. This image will generally be displayed on your main profile page as well as (on most networks) next to your updates.
To create a consistent brand image across all of your social networks, consider using the same profile photo across all of them, whether it is your brand logo or your professional headshot.
Doing this will make it easy for your fans to recognize your status updates where ever they see them and make them feel confident in the fact that they are connecting with your brand.
3. Promote Your Own Tagline
Have a tagline that people would easily recognize and associate with your brand? Be sure to use it on your social media profiles in the about information or headlines.
If your tagline is memorable, it will stick into your fans’ minds as they travel from one of your social profiles to the next. And when they see it in their local stores next on your product, they will feel a familiarity that might lead to a purchase!
4. Share the Same Message
Have a major update that you don’t want your fans to miss? Be sure to share it across multiple networks simultaneously. That way, if you have groups of fans who follow you on one network over another one, they won’t miss your big news.
You will also get a good feel for where you have the highest concentration of engaged fans. In today’s, social media environment, it appears Facebook is still the winner with most engagement. If you notice a consistent lack of engagement in one network over the others, that will be a great way to determine where you should dedicate the majority of your time when it comes to advertising and updates.
5. Stick with the Same Theme
A theme could be anything from a common background image to a common message. It’s simply something that lets people know they are still with the same brand from one social platform to the next.
By doing this, you’ll portray the same feeling across different parts of your brand’s social presence without having to actually spell it out for them.
6. Run the Same Campaign
Another great way to portray a consistent brand image across multiple networks is to promote the same campaign simultaneously. Remember that it’s not overkill – some people prefer one platform to another. If you only run a campaign on Twitter, you might miss out on captivating your Facebook audience.
This will also help build excitement among your social media visitors about your new promotion. Imagine they start at Twitter, then move on to your Facebook, then end up watching your videos. It would be like taking them through a complete online sales process, hopefully leading them right to your website.
7. Link up Your Social media Profiles
Help your fans connect with you all over the social media landscape by including links or references to other social networks on your social profiles themselves. Google+ and YouTube encourage it by offering areas where you can add links. Facebook doesn’t have specific fields for it, but you can get away with it by including the URL’s in your page’s About information. On Youtube’s case, note that only certain users (brands, advertisers, etc.) get access to customize their channel’s header. If you don’t have that option, you can include links to your other social profiles in your channel’s sidebar instead.
By interlinking, this ensures that visitors will be able to connect with you everywhere they want to be connected. And the more places they connect with you, the more you will be able to get your brand’s message in front of them.
Final Words of Advice
While there may not be one ruling maxim, here are some choice words of wisdom for keeping a consistent social media presence.
Commitment is really the key. While everyone keeps talking about passion, commitment takes it much consideration. If you’re committed, you’ll succeed. Or, at least you’ll get something out of it. Acknowledge that compartmentalization is impossible. It’s the same way in real life. We act one way around our parents, and one way around our boss, and one way around our friends, even if we’re still the same person. Just think about the image you want to present and don’t be afraid to be human. Out of all these tips, perhaps the most important lesson is to just be yourself. It may sound simple, but ultimately people are connecting with you because of who you are. Put some forethought into what your want your digital reputation to be and build towards that. | 5,653 | 2,550 | 12,190.528235 |
warc | 201704 | Posted on Mar 31, 2009 | Comments 0
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The drama of a sunset is sometimes not enough.
Adventurous photographers look for a more spectacular storm or want to evoke the danger of the strike of lightening.
The potential dangers must be recognised before even attempting to photograph severe weather conditions. Besides any personal danger, expensive equipment can be destroyed in a moment, so you need to protect yourself and your camera.
Professionals might make this type of photography look easy but it is far from it, amateurs must think of every eventuality. Working anywhere near nature’s powerful forces, for example the sea must not be taken lightly.
It is tough to work through the elements. Wearing protective clothing, on top of securing your camera in a safe environment can often make it almost impossible to take actual pictures.
Ultimately you must decide if the amount of effort required is really worth it. Equipment aimed at the amateur, can only create a certain level of quality. To be out in the intense cold and driving rain, only to produce bad images due to insufficient light can be pretty demoralising. [Lighting Techniques]
Potential hazards are everywhere a heavy storm can create dangerous debris.
The distant thunder may seem harmless but the accompanying lightening might strike closer than you realise. A flooded road can sweep you or your vehicle away before you have a chance to react.
Hurricanes don’t come with warning signs and all forces of nature can kill. Use common sense and don’t be reckless, no photograph is worth dying for not even an award winning one.
Posted in: Nature Photography | 1,674 | 929 | 2,956.979548 |
warc | 201704 | Charles and David Koch have used their considerable wealth to fund numerous conservative causes, and their next spending spree could help boost the oil industry and target electric cars, according to a new report.
The Koch Brothers are planning a new lobbying group that could spend up to $10 million a year to kill the electric car, according to The Huffington Post. James Mahoney, a confidante of the brothers who also sits on the board of their company, Koch Industries, has reportedly teamed up with lobbyist Charlie Drevna about starting up a new pro-petroleum lobbying group.
The unnamed group is expected to use paid and earned media to promote the oil industry, but will also target electric cars specifically. The launch of this group is partly attributable to “electric cars and the subsidies for them,” an unnamed oil-industry source familiar with the matter said. The involvement of Mahoney indicates the new group is “being driven by the business side of Koch,” rather than the political side that funds the brothers’ other conservative-advocacy campaigns, the source said.
The Koch Brothers will reportedly target electric car subsidies, perhaps because they view expanded sales of electric cars as a threat to their business. Right now, buyers of new electric cars are eligible for a $7,500 federal tax credit, and there are various state and local incentives available as well. These incentives have been an important tool for promoting electric cars, sales of which still represent a small fraction of total new-car sales.
A move to target electric cars seems in line with the Koch Brothers’ playbook, analysts say. The brothers have backed campaigns against renewable-energy technologies like wind and solar, and have publicly questioned the validity of climate-change science. But an attack on electric car subsidies could backfire, some say.
Attacks on clean-energy subsidies could invite a new debate on subsidies already enjoyed by the oil industry, said Don Duncan, a former top lobbyist for ConocoPhillips. The International Monetary Fund estimated last year that global fossil-fuel subsidies cost the equivalent of $10 million a minute, every day.
And while electric cars remain vulnerable, they may not be so easily vanquished. Sales dipped slightly last year thanks to low gas prices, but they’d been increasing steadily for the previous four years. That, along with the need to meet stricter fuel-economy standards, has convinced carmakers to invest more heavily in electric cars.
The arrival of new models with greater range and more sophisticated technology, along with the continued expansion of public charging infrastructure, will only strengthen electric cars’ foothold in the marketplace. | 2,772 | 1,348 | 5,599.522255 |
warc | 201704 | Students will
discuss challenges and dangers associated with gold mining; learn about gold's history and industrial applications; and present a list of "Top Ten" amazing facts about their topic. Computer with Internet access Print and online resources about gold Poster board and markers Africa: Economics and Change video and VCR (or DVD and DVD player)
After watching
Africa: Economics and Change , ask students to share what they learned about the gold-mining industry. Where are the world's deepest mines, such as Mponeng (the featured mine featured)? (South Africa) Ask students to name challenges and dangers of working in a gold mine. Their answers might include the following: cooling the air in the extreme underground heat penetrating tough rocks with drills and powerful explosives transporting and building supports to protect workers from weight of the rock transporting men and materials down extremely deep mine shafts monitoring earthquakes explosions from methane gas trapped in small pockets of rock digging deeper and deeper mines to reach ore communicating with workers who speak many languages extracting gold from the ore working with toxic chemicals such as cyanide completing the many steps of making gold bars out of gold ore transporting and protecting millions of dollars of worth of gold
Ask students why they think gold is so expensive.
(It is difficult and costly to mine and produce; it's rare and supplies of gold ore are becoming more rare.) Now brainstorm ways that gold has been used throughout history. (For example: jewelry, religious statues, building ornamentation)
Tell students that for thousands of years, gold has been one of society's most precious resources. For this lesson, they will work in groups to explore several facets of the mineral, from its history to its industrial uses. They'll research a topic and create a "Top Ten" list of amazing facts to present to the class.
Divide the class into six groups and assign one topic to each group.
Gold production Price of gold History of gold Industrial uses for gold Gold jewelry Properties of gold
Have students use print and online resources to research 15 to 20 facts about their topics. (Encourage students to focus on the most important, interesting, or surprising facts.) The following Web sites from the World Gold Council are a great place to start. Here are a few sites selected for each group:
Gold Production http://www.gold.org/value/markets/supply_demand/mine_production.html http://www.gold.org/value/markets/supply_demand/recycled.html
Price of Gold http://www.gold.org/value/stats/statistics/avprices1900.html http://www.gold.org/value/stats/statistics/monthlysince1971.html
History of Gold http://www.gold.org/discover/knowledge/aboutgold/gold_prod/index.html http://www.gold.org/discover/knowledge/aboutgold/ancient_world/index.html
Industrial Applications of Gold http://www.gold.org/discover/sci_indu/indust_app/index.html http://www.gold.org/discover/knowledge/aboutgold/industrial_uses/index.html
Gold Jewelry http://www.gold.org/discover/knowledge/aboutgold/gold_jewellery/index.html Properties of Gold
http://www.gold.org/discover/sci_indu/properties/index.html
Once students have collected facts, have them select the ten most interesting, important, or surprising facts. Have them create a "Top Ten" poster, including at least one image, chart, or graph.
Have teams present their charts to the class. You can also challenge the class to create a general "Top Ten" list about gold or develop a game to recall some of the most amazing facts they learned.
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Use the following three-point rubric to evaluate students' work during this lesson.
Three points: Students were active in class discussion; named several challenges and dangers of the mining industry; showed thorough research on their topic; and created a clear, comprehensive "Top Ten" list that included ten appropriate facts and more than one image, chart, or graph. Two points: Students participated in class discussions; named some challenges and dangers of the mining industry; showed satisfactory research on their topic; and created an adequate "Top Ten" list that included ten appropriate facts and one image, chart, or graph. One point: Students participated minimally in class discussions; did not name any challenges and dangers of the mining industry; showed unsatisfactory research on their topic; and created an incomplete "Top Ten" list that included fewer than ten appropriate facts and no images, charts, or graphs.
Back to Top Extensions
For the "Africa's Grain Basket," "Fruits of the Desert," and "A Beneficial Bean" segments:
As a class, review the geography of the three countries featured in these segments—Mali, Kenya, and Algeria. What are the primary crops in each country? How are they influenced by geography and climate? Divide the class into four groups and give each group an outline map of the African continent on a transparency. Have each group create a different map of Africa that shows these features:
Africa's biomes, including deserts, grasslands, mountains, and rain forests Africa's countries, including political boundaries, country names, capital cities Africa's lakes, rivers, and other bodies of water that border the continent Africa's major crops, indicated with symbols
Ask each group to present their map using the overhead projector. Then challenge the class to overlay different maps to answer questions, such as these:
In which countries will you find grasslands? In what type of biome do you find most rice crops? Through what countries does the Niger River run?
For "A Living on Lake Victoria" segment: Hold a class debate about the benefits and problems of introducing the Nile Perch into Lake Victoria. Divide the class into two groups: the local fisherman and merchants and a group of Tanzanian biologists and environmentalists. Have students consider the short-term and long term effects in their debate.
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Fangalo Definition:
A unique language spoken only in South Africa's gold mines
Context:
Miners in South Africa speak many different languages, but Fangalo allows them to communicate in the mines.
ore Definition: A mineral from which a particular metal, such as gold, can be extracted Context: Deeper mines are dug to reach new sources of gold ore.
reef Definition: A vein or narrow band of gold ore; a strip or ridge of rocks, sand, or coral that rises to or near the surface of a body of water Context: Over millions of years the seabed's rocks formed a reef.
shaft Definition: A vertical passage in which an elevator travels Context: The central shaft at Mponeng plunges more than two miles deep.
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The National Council for Geographic Education(NCGE) provides 18 national geography standards that the geographically informed person knows and understands. To view the standards online, go tohttp://www.ncge.org.
This lesson plan addresses the following NCGE standards:
Environment and Society: The changes that occur in the meaning, use, distribution, and importance of resources.
The National Council for the Social Studies(NCSS) has developed national standards to provide guidelines for teaching social studies. To become a member of the NCSS, or to view the standards online, go tohttp://www.socialstudies.org.
This lesson plan addresses the following thematic standards:
People, Places, and Environments Production, Distribution, and Consumption
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Joy Brewster, curriculum writer, editor, and consultant
Back to Top | 7,579 | 3,161 | 17,994.43056 |
warc | 201704 | Hi Everyone, I own a neutered 8 month old Dogo Argentino puppy that was neutered at 6 months. I read that neutering your dog (especially large breeds) at a young age can lead to abnormal bone growth and development among other things and I am kinda worried... Below is text from the website( http://www.pet-informed-veterinary-a...neutering.html ) What do you think? Quote: Loss of testosterone as a result of desexing may result in immature development of masculine characteristics and a reduced body musculature: The testicles are responsible for producing testosterone: the hormone that makes male animals look and act like male animals. It is the testicles that make male animals develop the kinds of masculine, testosterone-dependent body characteristics normally attributed to an entire animal. These include: increased muscle size and development; reduced body fat; mature penis development; mature prepuce development (mature penis sheath development); the ability to extrude the penis from the sheath (prepuce) and the suppression of development of feminine characteristics (mammary gland development, milk production etc.). Desexing, particularly early age desexing, may limit the development of mature masculine features such that they remain immature and juvenile looking and cause the neutered animal to have a reduced muscle mass and strength compared to an entire animal of the same size and breeding. 4. Loss of testosterone as a result of desexing may result in delayed growth plate closure: Animals that have been desexed early in life (before the age of 12 months) tend to exhibit delayed closure of their growth plates. Growth plates are the cartilage bands located in the ends of the animal's long bones, which are responsible for making the bones grow and elongate during juvenile bone development and formation. As a result of delayed growth plate closure, desexed animals will often be taller and longer in limb than entire male animals. Whether this increase in bone length should be considered a problem or benefit really depends on the individual owner, but some people choose not to desex animals early because of it (i.e. there is a concern that these animals may be more prone to orthopedic injuries). Unquote | 2,241 | 1,049 | 4,783.221163 |
warc | 201704 | Hi,
I have an 11-year-old Shepherd mix that has
developed numerous cyst type bumps on her body. I have had them checked a few times by my vet and he says that as long as they move, they are okay. I had one excised and he only said he couldn’t draw fluid from it and instead had to cut it out. Not sure if he sent it for analysis.
I’m concerned because they are rapidly spreading
over her body especially along her ribcage and sides. Is this a certain type of disease process or should I be more concerned about cancer? Are there certain type of foods that could either inhibit or encourage growth of these cysts?
Thanks,
Debbie
Kitchener, ON, Canada
Cysts are benign (non-cancerous) growths that are common in or under the skin. They consist of a sac or lining of cells that produce secretions. The secretions accumulate within the lining and fill the cyst. Some cysts produce secretions that are very fluid. Others fill with very firm, viscous secretions.
Cysts in or under the skin usually are harmless. They can be unsightly, and they may burst or become infected. However, they rarely lead to life-threatening situations.
Some cysts can be drained with a needle and syringe. If the fluid inside a cyst is very viscous, it may not be possible to perform this procedure. These cysts can be removed (excised) with surgery.
However, in most cases it is not necessary to drain or remove cysts. Since most external cysts are not dangerous, I generally recommend leaving them alone unless they are causing irritation or other problems.
Most cysts appear to be hereditary in nature. They are common in older pets. I doubt that your dog’s diet is playing a role in the syndrome. She most likely has an individual predisposition that causes her to develop cysts.
You mention that the growths on your dog look like cysts, but that you aren’t sure whether your vet has ever had a laboratory analyze the growths to confirm their identity. I recommend that you contact your vet to determine if this has been done.
If a laboratory has confirmed that the growths are cysts, then you don’t have much to worry about. Your dog may produce more of them over time, but they are unlikely to cause harm.
If none of the growths has been tested, then I’d recommend that you have your vet submit a sample to the lab. Laboratory analysis will confirm the diagnosis, and hopefully provide peace of mind.
(A note about the photo: Buster doesn’t have any cysts yet, but if he’s like most dogs some will show up over time.) | 2,554 | 1,258 | 5,067.395866 |
warc | 201704 | Protection and Prevention - Take Care Of Your Skin In The Sun.
Having fun in the sun is something that we can all enjoy, as long as we look
after our skin. Sun protection is a vital part of any summertime skin routine;
however, this can also apply in the wintertime, especially when skiing. Over the
past decade, sun protection and awareness has been heightened due to the
increase in the number of skin cancer cases. Developed knowledge of UVA and UVB
rays, plus the damaging effects of free radicals on the skin, has also boosted
the need for the incorporation of sun protection within our skin care routines. How does the sun affect our skin?UVA and UVB rays from the sun have a withering effect on facial skin. The
creation of free radicals erodes and destroys skin cells. Normally hydrated skin
will be drained of moisture due to sun damage and once skin is burnt by the sun,
and it may never be the same again. Burnt skin ages quicker than facial skin
that employs effective sun protection. Fine lines and wrinkles can appear
prematurely and skin can become visually sallow. This is due the loss of
collagen, which is a protein within the skin that maintains its elasticity and
vitality. Ways to protect your skin from the sun.There are many ways to prevent sun damage and make the most of sun protection.
It's always advisable to avoid periods within the day when the sun is the
highest in the sky. If it is necessary to go out at these times, always keep
skin covered up and also use a protection cream with a high SPF level. Using sun
screens with high protection factors is advisable to block the damaging effects
of UVA and UVB rays. Making a few slight changes to your skin care routine during times of sun
exposure will have long-term benefits for your skin. Changing your regular
moisturizer to a moisturizer with an SPF level will boost your sun protection
throughout the day. Taking care of your lips in the sun is vital. With lighter skin tones, lips hold
barely any melanin, which is a skin pigment that protects your skin from sun
exposure. Lips are also prone to moisture-loss and chapping. Using a lip balm or
protector with a sun block will prevent burning and wrinkles around the mouth. UV filters and SPF levels.Anthelios SX from La Roche Posayis an SPF 15 moisturizer with sunscreen that
protects skin from UVA and UVB rays. Within this everyday moisturizer is an
ingredient called Mexoryl SX that acts as a UV filter, protecting skin cells and
maintaining a youthful appearance. Applying this sun protection daily cares for
facial skin in multiple ways – most importantly filtering UV rays and keeping
skin hydrated. Peter Thomas Roth's oil-free sunblockis another product that protects skin
effectively to ward off aging, as well as offers the powerful SPF 30. This
fragrance free product is a non-irritant that can be used on all skin types.
Using a sun block at the beach or while skiing is advisable as sea water, sand,
and snow are very reflective and increase sun exposure by up to 80%! Using sun protection within your skin care routine is common sense – protect
your skin from the elements and your keep your skin's vitality. Sun protection
will keep skin looking youthful, vibrant and hydrated. | 3,277 | 1,560 | 6,782.969872 |
warc | 201704 | An implied term in a lease whereupon the landlord is held to provide the tenant with quiet enjoyment of the rented premises.
Because it is a legal obligation that runs with the real property, it is sometimes referred to as a covenant
of quiet enjoyment.
In
Fairchild, Justice Borden used these words (at footnote 12):
"Under landlord-tenant law, it is the right of a tenant to enforce a covenant of quiet enjoyment. The covenant assures that the lessee shall have legal quiet and peaceable possession and enjoyment of the leased premises. It is the obligation of the landlord to protect his tenant relative to the tenant's right to quiet and peaceful possession."
In
Owen, the Court wrote:
"It has become well established by the authorities that no act of a lessor will constitute an actionable breach of covenant for quiet enjoyment unless it involves some physical or direct interference with the enjoyment of the (rented) premises."
In 581834 Alberta, Justice Langston adopted this wording to show the comprehensive scope of the landlord's implied obligation:
"... a covenant for quiet enjoyment (is) an assurance against the consequences of a defective title including any disturbance found thereon, and against any substantial interference, by the covenantor or those claiming under him, with the enjoyment of the premises for all usual purposes.
"... while covenants for quiet enjoyment are implied from the mere contract of leasing, an express covenant will displace any implied covenant."
Quiet enjoyment is not a guarantee of noise-free premises. In
Jenkins v Jackson, Justice Kekewich wrote that quiet enjoyment in the context of a residential lease:
"... does not mean undisturbed by noise.... though the word
quiet is frequently used with reference to noise. (Quiet enjoyment) means without interference - without interruption of possession."
Residential tenancy statutes often provide quiet enjoyment as a tenant's entitlement, such as this example at §28 of the British Columbia statute (which is virtually identical to the Saskatchewan statute at §44):
"A tenant is entitled to
quiet enjoyment including, but not limited to, rights to ... reasonable privacy, freedom from unreasonable disturbance, exclusive possession of the rental unit subject only to the landlord's right to enter the rental unit ... (and) use of common areas for reasonable and lawful purposes, free from significant interference."
French:
jouissance paisible. REFERENCES: | 2,501 | 1,171 | 5,249.75064 |
warc | 201704 | On my first day of my first job as a lowly assistant in Hollywood, someone gave me some advice that would shape the course of my entire career. They said: “Just make your boss look good.”
Now in Hollywood, a world of big egos obsessed with getting credit, there is really no other way for someone just starting out to survive. But it turns out that across industries and across history, aspiring young men and women have used this same approach to get ahead.
They realized that the best way to advance their own interests was to do something simple but counterintuitive: provide opportunities for other people. Not only because it makes their boss look good, but because it creates its own opportunities for the pupil to learn and explore.
For instance, many people know that as a young man Benjamin Franklin published numerous letters written under fake names like Silence Dogwood. What they don’t know is that Franklin wrote those letters, submitted them by sliding them under the printshop door, and received absolutely no credit for them until much later in his life. In fact, it was his brother, the owner, who profited from their immense popularity, regularly running them on the front page of his newspaper. Franklin was playing the long game, though — learning how public opinion worked, generating awareness of what he believed in, crafting his style and tone and wit. It was a strategy he used time and again over his career — once even publishing in his competitor’s paper in order to undermine a third competitor — for Franklin saw the constant benefit in making other people look good and letting them take credit for his ideas.
One must master their ego to be able to completely ignore getting credit, getting ahead, even throwing out what your job is supposed to be on paper. It takes a special type of humility to focus your energy on finding, presenting, and facilitating opportunities that help other people succeed.
But this is essential.
Bill Belichick, the now four-time Super Bowl-winning coach of the New England Patriots, made his way up the ranks of the NFL by loving and mastering how to do the one thing that coaches hated at the time: analyzing film.
His first job in professional football for the Baltimore Colts was one he volunteered to take without pay — and his insights, which provided ammunition and critical strategies for the game, were attributed exclusively to the other public-facing coaches. “He was like a sponge, taking it all in, listening to everything,” one coach said. “You gave him an assignment and he disappeared into a room and you didn’t see him again until it was done, and then he wanted to do more,” said another.
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This gave him two things: first, a role in the organization that allowed him to thrive and carve out space for himself, two, an understanding of the game that today cannot be matched. And today, Belichick has no problem getting paid.
A few years ago there was some controversy because Sheryl Sandberg, the COO of Facebook, was looking for an unpaid intern. How dare she?! bloggers shouted and yelled. She can afford to pay! Of course, she could. But can you afford to pass on that opportunity?
The attitude of the angry, unappreciated genius—that gets us nowhere. Nowhere but living back at home with our parents because “we’re overqualified” for an entry-level position. Nowhere but a reputation for being a person who doesn’t work well with others, who is entitled and obnoxious.
Meanwhile, the apprenticeship model is responsible for some of the greatest art in the history of the world—everyone from Michelangelo to Leonardo da Vinci to Benjamin Franklin has been forced to navigate such a system. The greatest networkers in the world practice their art by delivering extraordinary amounts of value to everyone they meet.
It’s because they realize what most people’s ego’s prevent them from seeing: that by serving and helping others now, you’re really helping yourself.
I’ve seen this in my own life. For many years, I was a research assistant and apprentice for the author Robert Greene, creator of the 48 Laws of Power. My job was to contribute little bits and pieces to his books that 99% of the public would have no idea I was responsible for. But I loved it. I did it for years.
Working in that system, also taught me the fatal consequences of ego. One slip up, one false belief that you were indispensable to the project, and the door would be shut on you. Important people don’t have time for that. But the quieter and more helpful I could be? The more opportunities I had to contribute. The more I learned. The more trust I was given.
Slowly I developed my own abilities and was able to pursue my own career. I’m writing this article (and now my own books) because of it.
There is an old saying, “Say little, do much.” What we really ought to do is update and apply a version of that to our early approach. Be lesser, do more. Imagine if for every person you met, you thought of some way to help them, something you could do for them? And you looked at it in a way that entirely benefited them and not you. The cumulative effect this would have over time would be profound: You’d learn a great deal by solving diverse problems. You’d develop a reputation for being indispensable. You’d have countless new relationships. You’d have an enormous bank of favors to call upon down the road.
That’s what this strategy is about — helping yourself by helping others. Making a concerted effort to trade your short term gratification for a longerterm payoff. Whereas everyone else wants to get credit and be “respected,” you can forget credit. You can forget it so hard that you’re glad when others get it instead of you — that was your aim, after all. Consider it all an investment.
This approach is here for you at anytime. There is no expiration date on it either. It’s one of the few that age does not limit — on either side, young or old. You can start at any time — before you have a job, before you’re hired and while you’re doing something else, or if you’re starting something new or find yourself inside an organization without strong allies or support. You may even find that there’s no reason to ever stop doing it, even once you’ve graduated to heading your own projects. Let it become natural and permanent — always, always find opportunities for other people.
Editor’s Note: This piece is adapted from the book Ego is the Enemy, published by Penguin/Portfolio. | 7,054 | 3,375 | 14,164.432 |
warc | 201704 | Seasonal sea ice in Antarctica’s Ross Sea has refused to take summer’s hint, and is blocking the route used by re-supply ships bound for McMurdo Station, the National Science Foundation’s research hub on Antarctica. When winter begins in the Northern Hemisphere, summer begins in Antarctica. Normally, seasonal sea ice dramatically retreats from Antarctic coastal waters, making it the perfect time to bring in supplies and fuel. This year, however, unusually high levels of ice persisted in the Ross Sea despite the advancing summer season, impeding the passage to Ross Island, where the research station is located. On January 9, the U.S. Coast Guard had to send a second icebreaking ship to assist the initial one that went out with the re-supply ships.
These images from the Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) on the Terra satellite show ice in the Ross Sea on December 17, 2002 (left), and December 20, 2001 (right). Ross Island, seen at the lower lefthand corner of the images, is engulfed by the outer reaches of the Ross Ice Shelf (bottom). Considerably more sea ice crowds the region in 2002 than 2001. The build-up of pack ice may be due to the presence of two large icebergs: B-15 (bottom left) and C-19 (top center). These bergs broke off the Ross Ice Shelf in 2000 and 2002, respectively, and drifted to their present locations, where both now appear to have run aground. Their presence may be interfering with typical ocean circulation patterns that melt or carry off the seasonal ice.
The Ross Ice Shelf is a massive field of snow and ice that begins on land, but hangs out over the sea. Ross Island reaches a maximum elevation of 3,794 meters (12,448 feet) on Mount Erebus, an active volcano. The fact that parts of the island appear to just barely rise above the ice shelf provides dramatic evidence of just how thick the ice sheet is—3,000 feet in some places. The shelf undergoes perpetual demolition and reconstruction, as the outer portions of the shelf break off, occasionally giving rise to enormous icebergs, while the interior regions are fed by glaciers flowing down onto the shelf from the mainland.
Please note that the high-resolution image provided here is 500 meters per pixel. You can view the images at the sensor’s maximum (250-meter) resolution by visiting the MODIS Land Rapid Response System Image Gallery:
December 17, 2002 or December 20, 2001.
Image courtesy Jacques Descloitres, MODIS Rapid Response Team at NASA GSFC. | 2,510 | 1,298 | 4,791.818182 |
warc | 201704 | Visual art serves many functions in the modern world. For some contemporary artists, shining a light on our socio-political landscape and forcing us to confront our values of self, community and nation are key concerns. Annie Bissett is one such artist, using a centuries-old printmaking technique to explore distinctly modern social quandaries. The Northampton, MA-based artist recently debuted
PAST.PRESENT.NOW!, her first solo exhibition in the DC area at Charles Krause/Reporting Fine Art just off Logan Circle in northwest DC. Charles Krause/Reporting Fine Art focuses specifically upon “the art of social and political change” and derives from Krause’s experiences as a foreign correspondent for media outlets such as the Washington Post and CBS News. Exhibitions are hung salon-style throughout his personal space, subtly interacting with the viewer in a more personal way than normally experienced in a museum or commercial environment. Bissett’s prints benefit from this setting, allowing the viewer to engage with the multiple layers of history slowly coalescing across the surface of each work.
Bissett’s interest in history lies not just in historical facts, but the ways in which the subjective understanding of those truisms are shaped, coded and influenced by the passage of time, politics and societal mores. Though the works on display here bounce between a plethora of cultural touchpoints–money, power, sex, religion– they are visually united in composition and tone. Krause notes that Bissett utilizes a Japanese technique called
mokuhanga, or woodblock printing, in which separate blocks are chiseled for each color and then applied by hand to moistened paper. The technique is laborious, and somewhat anachronistic in our modern age, but allows the artist to focus on her personal relationship to her chosen topics as she simultaneously mines their shifting historical context(s).
This direct intertwining of personal experience and societal attitudes is most apparent in prints from the
We Are Pilgrims series. Tapping into the history of her family lineage (Bissett’s ancestral line flows directly to the Mayflower), We Are Pilgrims seeks to provide Bissett a more nuanced appreciation of her own origin story as it simultaneously upends some of the wider, cultural assumptions of our Nation’s forebearers. For instance Dorothy Bradford Comes to America (2009) captures the historically-accurate suicide of a Mayflower passenger on the eve of arriving at the new continent. The composition is destabilizing, skewing the horizon line between ship and ocean and rendering the woman almost upon the surface of the water rather than embraced by its murky deaths. The work calls into question the assumed stoicism we impose upon our earliest settlers, noting that they were much more mentally complicated than currently understood. God Blesses John Alexander and Thomas Roberts (2010) adds to that mosaic in its pictorial rendering of a gay “couple” who were prosecuted for sodomy in 1637 when their relationship was discovered. The men are superimposed over text from protest letters penned when Gene Robinson was elected as an Episcopal Bishop in New Hampshire in 2004. The invective is difficult to read, but it also demonstrates that the politicization of culturally-complex, same-sex relationships is a cyclical phenomenon dating back centuries rather than mere decades.
Other works speak to more contemporary observations in Bissett’s life that contain personal as well as societal implications. The artist’s
Loaded series seeks to elucidate her (and by extension our) relationship to money and the financial systems we’ve created. While conceived in 2007, this body of work took on new meaning in the wake of the 2008 recession and can be viewed both as intimately personal or a macroscopic critique. Some works—such as her Mixed Feelings prints—confront the viewer head-on with their metaphors while others take time to consider. Great Wave (2011) features a serene, ubiquitous landscape with a solitary individual paddling a canoe through a body of water. The image is purposefully vague, underscoring the “everyman” nature of the individual. A circling, billowing cloud, reminiscent of Hokusai’s seminal work The Great Wave off Kanagawa, emanates from the lower left corner of the image and quickly encroaches upon the solitary figure. Will the wave propel the figure forward or engulf him in a swirling tempest? The answer is left unclear, signifying that either outcome is possible. That there is an economic message is obliquely understood, but the imagery is eerily familiar: we’ve seen this pattern before. Then it strikes you: the flourishes are the same as those that adorn the back of the one dollar bill. Suddenly not only are you standing on the canoe but you realize entire societies delicately balance alongside you. The metaphor is used with similar effect in Smoke (2011) which features a rising cloud of the same decorative motif emanating from the hulk of a car. Bissett notes that the image of the broken-down vehicle comes directly from a news media photo depicting a bombed-out car in Iraq. Not only, she seems to say, are our tax dollars going “up in smoke”, but the artist also confronts us with the fact that our economic system undergirds our seeming lust for nation-building.
That concept of nationalism and its concomitant reshaping of national borders is a topic of the
Border Series, represented by three works on display. While these works do not exhibit the same personal reflections of the self we see in other pieces, they certainly touch upon our shared understanding of the cultural forces that bind us together or push us apart. United States – Mexico (2008) has a sense of prescience given today’s political climate that the artist could have only surmised. A distinct horizontal line is (super)imposed upon a backdrop of indigenous communities and through clever spatial manipulation functions as a two-dimensional map border and three-dimensional wall rising from the earth. But to focus solely on those contemporaneous impulses overlooks the historical lens that underscores clashes between cultures. That dynamism is on greater display in Israel-Palestine (2011), which not only grounds the territory’s disputes within the context of its ancient religious turbulence, but also (correctly) emphasizes the historical machinations of political entities outside the immediate geographic area. A sly political reference using Dr. Seuss characters and blue stars as a stand-in for the European Union seems to cast doubt as to whether today’s political elites are any better equipped to diffuse cultural turmoil than the aristocracy before them.
Bissett’s various bodies of work present numerous points of departure from which to reflect upon our culture. While a testament to the artist’s discerning thought process, so many bodies of work displayed together threatens to overwhelm the viewer within the confines of the salon (works from two other series titled
The Almanack and I Was a 20 th Century Lesbian are also on display). As an introduction to DC audiences, the multitude of ideas in Past. Present. Now!admirably displays the range of Bissett’s cultural critique. Future exhibitions would do well to pick those ideas apart one by one, giving them each the attention they deserve. Past. Present. Now! is on view through August 1st, 2016 at Charles Krause/Reporting Fine Art in Logan Circle. For hours and directions, please visit the gallery’s website here. | 7,690 | 3,744 | 15,460.104167 |
warc | 201704 | Contrary to common belief, artichokes are not vegetables but rather the flowers of a cultivated thistle. The petals — that we call “leaves” incorrectly — are tough and surround the choke. The much appreciated heart is at the base of the bud and is attached to a thick stem, which you can also eat.
Round and bulbous artichokes are the most commonly found. Baby artichokes — a so-called variety — have more tender leaves and no chokes, you can eat them whole. Note that not all small artichokes are necessary baby artichokes, there are several species.
The best specimens are fully mature artichokes that grow at the base of the plant. It’s sometimes hard to trace what you’re buying unless you shop close to the source or they’re marked accurately on the label. The casual “baby” labeled artichokes are in fact the specimens that grow on side branches. They are not as tender as “real “baby artichokes and don’t taste the same.
It is possible to boil artichokes, but it’s not recommended because they become mushy and clogged with water. Steaming is better because it keeps them in good shape. It’s always fun to eat the leaves. You might have these souvenirs when as kids you used to scrape off the flavorful meat using your front teeth. The closer you get to the center, the more tender the leaves. When approaching the core, you would avoid furry choke.
Hearts and baby artichokes can be cooked in many ways: sautéed, braised, fried, roasted, or grilled whole, halved, or sliced. You should always buy fresh artichokes because canned, jarred, and frozen artichokes really don’t taste the same.
Buying and storing
Artichokes are available throughout the year but their peak season is spring, they’re also cheaper at this time of the year. Their varieties come in a wide array of sizes, but look for specimens that are compact and heavy, that don’t look withered or dried out. Keep them in your refrigerator, loosely wrapped in a plastic bag.
Preparing Whole artichokes: Cut off the pointed tips of the leaves with scissors or — if you want to go straight — cut off the whole top third of the artichoke’s head with a serrated knife or a large chef knife. Hold the artichoke firmly to avoid any accident. Peel around the base with an office knie and cut the bottom 1/4 inch off; get rid off the toughest exterior leaves. In order to remove the choke before cooking, cut in half or into quarters and scrape it out or alternatively you can cut off the tops of the leaves, open the central petals, and pull and then scrape out the choke with a coffee spoon. Rinse after scrapping the choke. For artichoke hearts: Cut off as much of the top of the artichoke as possible or split it lengthwise. Trim and peel the base with a small knife; scrape out the choke with a spoon. Small or baby artichokes: If they are tender enough, you can eat them whole. Sometimes it’s good to trim the top and exterior leaves. in any case, halve, quarter or slice it lengthwise and remove the choke if necessary. On last note about canned, jarred and frozen artichokes
It’s a fact that most canned and jarred artichokes are already cooked, so you can add them whole or chopped or sliced in the last few minutes of cooking. Artichokes that are heavily marinated or brined ones can be rinsed to wash away some of the liquids flavor you don’t want (vinegar…). Thaw frozen artichokes and use them like fresh ones, but cut the cooking time in half; because frozen artichokes are already partially cooked. | 3,619 | 1,657 | 7,587.450815 |
warc | 201704 | Details
Microbial oil (single cell oil) is obtained from microbes with high dry cell-based oil up to 70% such as bacteria, mold, yeasts and algae, which is a Triglyceride (TG) consists of multiple polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFA). Microbial fermentation oil is a great method to develop new oil source and acquires various types of fatty acids.
General introduction of microbial oil refining technology:
● Bacterium selection. The current microbial oil materials mainly include alga, yeasts and molds.
● Bacteria cultivating expansion. The cultivation medium composition and conditions directly affect microbial oil quality and oil yield.
● Dry bacterium pretreatment. The bacterium pretreatment by organic solvent extraction is key technology of microbial oil refining.
● Microbial oil extraction. Organic solvent such as ether, isopropyl ether, chloroform, ether-ethanol, petroleum ether, chloroform-methanol makes effective oil extraction from granulated dry bacterium with high extraction equipment utilization, less powder in mix oil, good quality crude oil, no blocking of extraction pipe system. Keep temperature of no more than 50 degrees during granulation to avoid oil and fat oxidation, and recycle solvent through distillation under reduced pressure.
● Microbial Oil refinery. High quality microbial oil is available by processing of hydration, degumming, alkali refining, decolorization by active white clay and evaporation.
Advantages:
● No limitation of time and space.
● Buck production of fatty acid to meet people requirement.
● Fatty acid produced by microbes, especially polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFA) is widely applied in medicine, nutrition, biology etc.
Made Of (Ingredients)
Type: low temperature oil extraction and refining from microbe
Processing materials: microbe, yeast, mycete, bacteria, alga, mold
Capacity: 1-500T/D
Applications: Uniquely designed oil refining process from various microbes through advanced fermentation technology to obtain high quality microbial oil. | 2,065 | 995 | 4,165.281407 |
warc | 201704 | Trading off performance for power has never been an easy task. This week we'll take a look at how some developers are managing to juggle the gigahertz-performance requirements of today's huge system-on-chip designs and the demands those systems make on power consumption.
A report from the trenches at the International Solid State Circuits Conference, held this week in San Francisco, is followed by several contributions from experts that shed light on various aspects of SoC design and the tools needed to make the appropriate design tradeoffs in getting SoCs out the door. At GHz speeds, burning rubber will only wear out the SoC wheels of that racing car under your design hood.
In his article, Lyle Adams, vice president of engineering at Palmchip Corp.,explains how, as chips get larger and faster, some features of networks are advantageous to incorporate into chip designs. These include a network topology, latency tolerance and error detection. Due to the fact that tomorrow's gigahertz chips will be more complex and because of the additition of on-chip networking features, error detection and handling will have to become an integral part of the chip design. And, power consumption will become the barometer for the pace of integation.
Raminderpal Singh, technical manager at IBM's Analog Mixed-Signal Foundry and co-chair of the Analog-Mixed-Signal working group at VSIA (http://vsi.org) claims that today's design methodologies allow us to build anything fast from GHz microprocessors to multi-GHz RF cores. At the same time, we are able to build huge 100M transistor IC's, with a multitude of IP blocks. But Singh suggests that the problem comes in building 100M transistor designs with multi-GHz processor cores and GHz+ chip-wide buses, specifically when IP blocks are being imported from many different sources/companies.
This problem is comparable to the difficulties faced in analog IP integration in SoC designs, but has the added complexity of chip-level high-speed performance. In his article, he steps through the issues faced while focusing on the key challenges.
In order to minimize the impact on SoC power consumption, a new integration strategy is necessary in the era of GHz performance, according to contributor Bill Krenik, wireless advanced architecture manager at Texas Instruments. His strategy integrates, in CMOS silicon, all of the activities needed by a particular function.
For example, a complete quad-band GPRS transceiver, including all baseband analog and RF functions, may be integrated into a single chip. A GSM module contains all of the radio, logic, A/D and D/A converters and so on needed for GSM operation. Similarly, Bluetooth, WLAN, and GPS are also supported with their own single chip solutions. Because they are tiny and wireless, a careful watch over the design process is paramount especially in order to avoid any possible anomalies that would raise power consumption above acceptable levels.
In his contribution, Dave Reed, vice president of marketing at Monterey Design Systems, discusses two complementary approaches to limiting leakage current. The static approach is design independent and may be implemented with multiple threshold (Vt) libraries and design tools that support these libraries. The dynamic approach requires that the chip designer employ techniques during the design process, to dynamically deactivate parts of the chip during periods of inactivity, and is thus design dependent.
Reed focuses on the static approach of SoC designs in his article and shows how a combination of multiple Vt libraries and advanced physical synthesis technology can effectively reduce leakage by as much as 30 percent on a 130nm design.
In order to help SoC designers fight the ever-increasing GHz creep, and thereby the ever-increasing power challenge, Pradeep Fernandes, vice president of product engineering at Get2Chip Inc., offers a global optimization strategy that takes a global view not only of the design - all of its constituent elements - but the design process itself.
Design, verification, implementation, optimization and test must be viewed alongside the master plan for the entire device. He says that this may sound trite, but this global view is painfully absent in many projects. Far from a master plan, the mode of operation is often to react to problems as they arise.
And, simply from a speculative view on reaching 1 GHz designs using IP blocks, Ed Smith, vice president of sales and marketing at fabless ASIC startup Telairity Semiconductor, explains the need to create a wide selection of hardened building blocks with a sufficiently small granularity to ensure that most digital functions are constructed, but are still architecturally large enough to enable the elimination of performance issues. He offers specifics on a speed-optimized, hardened IP as an example. | 4,869 | 2,358 | 10,027.083969 |
warc | 201704 | One of the most comprehensive surveys of airline customers worldwide reveals that passengers now not only expect broadband services to be offered as standard during flights, but more than half would prefer in-flight connectivity to in-flight meals.
The In-Flight Connectivity Survey was conducted by Inmarsat (LSE: ISAT.L), the leading provider of global mobile satellite communications services, and market research company GfK between August 2015 and March 2016. Responses were gathered from more than 9,000 passengers in Europe, Asia, Australasia, and Central and South America who had taken a short, medium or long haul flight in the past year and carried at least one personal device onboard the aircraft.
Passenger reliance on remaining online using their smartphones, tablets and other devices now means that most travellers (83%) will select an airline based on whether they can remain logged into social networks, video streaming sites, apps and emails throughout their journeys. In addition, passengers are willing to pay to receive the best possible service.
The survey also found that most passengers would prefer to connect their smartphones, tablets or laptops to the internet during their journey as opposed to eating a meal, accessing in-flight entertainment or experiencing duty free shopping.
In terms of deciding whether to connect to broadband onboard an aircraft, of upmost concern to passengers is reliability, as identified by 75% of respondents, over speed which was a priority for just 19%. Among those who have had the opportunity to use in-flight broadband, one in ten were unable to connect their devices to the aircraft’s network.
Quality is therefore the essential factor for passengers in determining whether to use in-flight broadband. 60% of passengers are less inclined to connect if the service is poor, but a reliable service that does not disconnect at regular intervals can expect to be well used.
Survey Highlights 83% of passengers prefer to choose an airline that offers in-flight broadband; 78% of passengers expect to see onboard connectivity replace in-flight entertainment systems within the next five to ten years; 34% of passengers bring three mobile devices onboard a flight and are willing to pay to connect their phone, tablet or laptop computer to in-flight broadband; In terms of willingness to pay for broadband services on a flight of any length: In Europe – 69% of passengers are prepared to pay; In Asia Pacific – 67% of passengers are prepared to pay; and In Latin America – 64% of passengers are prepared to pay. Surging demand
The proliferation of electronic portable devices means that passengers expect in-flight broadband to replicate the same levels of connectivity they experience when browsing on the ground. Furthermore, demand for onboard connectivity is not just restricted to long-haul travel, passengers are equally willing to pay to log-in whether they are flying short distances (64%), medium haul (68%) or long haul (69%).
Regional breakdowns
Passengers across the world have different needs when it comes to in-flight broadband, with those in Latin America primarily looking to connect in order to stream video as a priority. They are also most likely to think in-flight connectivity will usurp in-flight entertainment.
Asia Pacific passengers mainly seek access to travel websites and apps. European travellers, who are used to onboard connectivity everywhere they go, want to be able to keep up-to-date and in constant contact with friends and family whenever they travel on flights.
Turning point
The Inmarsat In-Flight Connectivity Survey highlights airline passengers’ increasing reliance on connectivity wherever and whenever they fly and there is clear indication that this level of demand is set to continue in the future.
Additional information on the survey, including white papers, infographics and regional break-downs for Europe, Asia Pacific and Latin America, are available on Inmarsat’s website.
Leo Mondale, President of Inmarsat Aviation,
“Our survey clearly demonstrates that passengers demand a highly reliable service. Quality is the essential ingredient that determines whether or not passengers choose to go online during flights. Airlines are therefore under pressure to select the right partner to support them in delivering a reliable and cost effective service. Inmarsat has the infrastructure, commitment and investment power to deliver the best capacity, now and in the future.”
Inmarsat recently unveiled an aviation broadband roadmap to ensure that rising demand for fast, reliable and global in-flight connectivity is met for the next five years and beyond. The launch of its Global Xpress (GX) Aviation service this year creates the world’s first high-speed passenger broadband solution with seamless, end-to-end global coverage, delivered through a single operator. Engineered to meet the needs of complex and evolving airline route systems, initial customers include Lufthansa, Singapore Airlines and Jazeera Airways.
The GX network, which entered commercial service with three powerful Ka-band satellites in December 2015, will provide the international bandwidth capacity needed to meet existing and near-term demand from airlines. It also serves as a global coverage underlay that will be built upon as part of the aviation broadband roadmap to meet future demand.
Inmarsat is scheduled to launch its fourth GX satellite, produced by Boeing, later this year and has awarded Airbus Defence and Space a contract to build two additional satellites (Inmarsat-6 F1 and F2) with a Ka-band payload to add depth to its global GX coverage. The first Inmarsat-6 satellite is scheduled for delivery by the close of the decade.
Another vital component in the roadmap is Inmarsat’s European Aviation Network, which will be the first aviation passenger connectivity solution across European airspace to integrate an advanced satellite network and LTE-based ground network; the latter will be operated by Deutsche Telekom. The first commercial EAN trials are expected in mid-2017. | 6,148 | 2,716 | 13,756.036819 |
warc | 201704 | The lavender plant thrives in a Mediterranean-like climate. It's accustomed to native soils that are dry and sandy, as well as hot and sunny weather. Several characteristics aid in the plant's ability to persevere in extreme heat without water, thus making it resilient in drought conditions.
Other People Are Reading Grey Foliage
Lavender's grey or light-coloured foliage reflects sunlight. In hot and dry conditions, this reflective quality prevents the plant from absorbing excess heat. By reducing the heat absorbed by the plant and inhibiting water loss, the foliage acts as an air conditioner.
Small Leaves
Small leaves assist the lavender plant in surviving drought as the reduced surface area of the foliage reduces the plant's intake of water. Lavender can survive days without water. In fact, drought conditions aid in producing the ornamental and culinary qualities desired in lavender. These include the aromatic nature of the flowers and the spectacular silver colour of the leaves.
Silver Hairs
The leaves of the lavender plant are covered with fine, silver hairs. These hairs improve lavender's drought resistance by locking in moisture and reducing the amount of transpiration that occurs. Additionally, the fine hairs lower the temperature inside the leaf and provide a shield from drying winds.
Don't Miss 20 of the funniest online reviews ever 14 Biggest lies people tell in online dating sites Hilarious things Google thinks you're trying to search for | 1,481 | 766 | 2,845.994778 |
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Eliminating TX RF Feedback Problems Fri, 19 Nov 1999 Malfunction of transceivers due to stray RF pickup is a common problem, especially when using end-fed antennas, high-impedance feedlines, or a poor ground counterpoise. Problems are especially likely during field operation, since ad-hoc short or random-length antennas are often erected whose characteristics are unknown, and since ground systems are likely to be minimal or non-existent. SSB mode is far worse in this regard, because the microphone audio line and mic circuitry may be very sensitive to RF. You can even get an RF burn from the mic in worst-case situations, not to mention from the chassis or other equipment used in the system. Unless you get an actual RF burn or a HI CUR warning message, you MAY NOT KNOW that you have a problem with RF feedback. You should monitor your signal with another receiver or get an on-the-air report. Check your SSB signal on every band the first time you set up a new antenna system, especially if using an antenna tuner. If you do have problem with RF feedback--typically on one or two bands--reducing power may cure it. But this is not the best solution. A better way to eliminating RF pickup is to electrically isolate the rig from the antenna by using a common-mode RF isolation choke (or "current balun") at either the rig or the antenna, as explained below. NOTE: A traditional voltage balun (various turns ratios, usually wound on a large iron-powder core) will *not* necessarily perform the same function as an RF isolation choke. It may be completely ineffective in eliminating RF on the chassis. A Real-Life Example from N6KR I use an end-fed random wire on ALL bands at my home station--a single piece of #26 enamel wire about 40 feet long, tossed into a nearby pine tree and routed directly to the back of my K2 internal antenna tuner. (Never mind why my XYL talked me into this nearly invisible antenna.) This worked fine in CW mode, and I never knew I had an RF problem until I started using SSB. I then discovered that on ONE band--15 meters--significant RF signals were getting into my microphone circuits. Listening on another receiver I found that my signal was distorted at any power level above 2 watts. (This could happen with any rig, not just the K2.) It turned out that my mic was particularly sensitive to RF because it incorporated a DTMF IC. I first tried a balun, with no luck at all. I then tried various arrangements of antenna and ground feed. I found that the only way I could completely eliminate the problem was by using an RF isolation choke right at the output of the rig. The details of this choke are given later. Preventive Techniques for RF Pickup The following steps are strongly recommended, especially if you use an end-fed random wire: 1. Build and use a common-mode RF choke at the rig's antenna output (see below). 2. Use the best possible ground counterpoise, preferably with two or more radials that are resonant (1/4 wavelength) on each band to be used. 3. Locate any antenna high off the ground and away from the rig when possible, using low-loss balanced feedline. If unbalanced (coaxial) feedline is to be used, place a coaxial RF choke at the antenna to remove common-mode RF voltages from the feedline. If NO feedline is used (direct feed at the rig), an isolation choke at the rig can be used (see below). 4. Do not provide a 5V supply to your mike (at P1, front panel) unless it REALLY needs it. For example, the ICOM HM-23 mic has a DTMF tone generator IC that runs on 5V via pin 2. Since there's no need for DTMF in using the K2, pin 2 can be left unconnected. The 5V supply to the mic element goes only to pin 1 in this mic, via a resistor, and is thus independent of the DTMF IC. Each mic is different--check the mic schematic. 5. In really difficult cases you may need to put miniature 100 uH RF chokes in series with each signal and ground lead coming from the mic (at P1, front panel). But an RF isolation choke at the antenna output is likely to be much more effective. Building a Low-Loss, RF Isolation Choke There are many ways to build your own RF isolation choke. (They are also available commercially.) The one described here does a good job of eliminating RF on the chassis. Input on this topic from K2 builders is definitely welcome, and we'll provide an update later that includes more construction details. Start with a large ferrite binocular core. (A large ferrite toroid will also work.) Wind several turns of small-diameter coax (such as RG-174) through the core. Connect the coax to BNC connectors (or connectors of your choice) at either end. THE TWO JACKS MUST NOT BE GROUNDED TO THE SAME POINT. This means that you must use either a plastic enclosure OR isolated jacks. You can make a high-power isolation choke using a short length of RG58 coax with 25 or more ferrite toroid cores strung onto it. W2DU and W7EL have experimented extensively with such chokes (this is how the term "current balun" was popularized). Commercial isolation chokes found in QST typically use this construction, and are priced around $25-30. Using the RF Isolation Choke Connect one jack of the isolation choke to your K2 and the other to your antenna and RF ground system. DO NOT CONNECT THE SAME GROUND TO THE K2 CHASSIS -- this will defeat the purpose of the RF choke! The choke will work with random length wires and coax-fed antennas, and with or without a tuner. If you use hi-Z balanced transmission line, you may *also* need a balun with 1:4 impedance ratio (or higher). If the antenna is far away from the rig and fed with balanced line, you probably won't need the isolation choke at all. Same goes for coax-fed antennas that are well matched. One important consideration in using the isolation choke is that it will exhibit some loss if you use a very poor ground system. If a poor ground is unavoidable, you may choose to leave the choke out, but do on-air tests to make sure RF feedback isn't a problem (especially if you're using SSB). Power Supply Considerations when using an RF Isolation Choke The use of a common-mode RF choke has important implications for your power supply. As long as the (-) lead of your battery or power supply is NOT connected to the *RF* ground system directly or via other equipment, there's no problem--the isolation choke will do its thing. With most commercial power supplies, the (-) and (+) outputs of the supply are floating (high resistance) with respect to the power supply's chassis, and hence are isolated from house AC ground, water pipes, etc. (This is good news, since some stations use the house AC ground, perhaps unwittingly, as a ground counterpoise.) But if your power supply--homebrew or commercial--has the (-) lead connected to the chassis and this in turn is connected to the RF ground, you may need to revise some of your system wiring in order to achieve the desired isolation. One possibility is to use an low-resistance RF choke between the rig's chassis ground and the rest of your equipment. This will allow the ground to work at DC and 120Hz AC without causing problems for the RF isolation choke. A typical choke of this type might have 10 turns of #22 insulated wire on a large ferrite core. The situation is the same in a hotel room. If you use the hotel's AC ground as an RF ground, make sure your power supply (-) lead is NOT connected to the same ground. The RF isolation choke will then be effective with any random-length antenna or a short vertical antenna connected directly to the back of the rig. | 7,731 | 3,603 | 16,571.333056 |
warc | 201704 | Wind power promises failing January 6, 2017 on Editorials, Opinion In 2008, Governor John Baldacci worked with a very cooperative Legislature to craft a special zoning and permitting process that significantly aided developers seeking to capitalize on Maine’s rural resources for large-scale wind power projects. Developers promised massive “green” benefits for Maine’s energy generation, a huge economic impact with hundreds of high-paying jobs, all while showering small rural towns and unorganized territories and county governments with millions of dollars through the Wind Power Law’s Community Benefits provision. These enticements lured government officials to secure TIF — Tax Increment Financing — arrangements that deferred tax assessments because in the end, these communities would still reap large sums of new revenue. The TIF was needed to “make the project more enticing to investors.” With momentum mounting, and a quiver full of rebuttal arrows to beat back any challenges, proposed wind power projects rapidly increased across the state as well as in rural Hancock County. We have since learned in the last nine years that the majority of the wind power generated here is sent out of state and has had little impact on reducing our own oil and gas-fueled electricity generation consumption; that huge transmission lines must be constructed to move the power out of state; and that the promised jobs are primarily the same skilled contractors and crews that move from project to project with few, if any, local jobs created. In Hancock County’s Bull Hill wind project, fewer than 10 employees now man all of the functions. Not quite the hundreds of jobs promised by developers. We also have learned that wind power companies change hands — and names — a lot, yet the principal players may not change at all. Hancock County’s First Wind was consumed by SunEdison, “the world’s largest renewable energy company.” A division of SunEdison, TerraForm Power, then consumed First Wind as SunEdison now works through bankruptcy. And not surprisingly, former Governor Baldacci is now vice chairman of Avangrid, the parent company of Central Maine Power, and the second largest wind power company in the United States. Most relevant locally is the latest revelation that Hancock County will not reap the promised property tax revenues worked out in the original TIF agreement with First Wind for the Bull Hill project near Eastbrook in Township 16. The original agreement outlined tax revenues to Hancock County of $4.7-million over a 20-year period. Valuation issues, changing tax rates and ownership changes combined to all but guarantee that the county will see a vastly reduced amount of tax revenue during the outlined time frame. Given the consequences thus far realized from the faulty positions proposed, what is to say that the Community Benefits payments are assured? Currently, Hancock County receives $400,000 a year, which has been shared with nonprofit groups and was this year used to lower property taxes. Since all citizens pay for power and all property owners pay taxes to the county, this money should only be used for lowering the various communities’ overall tax burden. Wind power continues to play a role in meeting our renewable energy objectives, yet Maine’s wind power law, as Governor LePage has consistently proclaimed, needs to be drastically changed. Several massive-scale projects are under consideration across the state — which would send more power to Connecticut, Rhode Island and Massachusetts and require that huge transmission corridors be constructed. Dozens of Maine’s rural communities and townships have opted out of the fast-track wind power zone (which streamlines permitting approvals for wind developers). The new Legislature is scheduled to review the reviled Renewable Portfolio Standards program — work that even environmentalists agree needs to be modified. Particularly egregious is that current legislation totally disenfranchises residents and taxpayers of unorganized territories from any say concerning wind projects in their area. Warren Buffett stated that wind power projects “don’t make any sense without the tax credits.” Perhaps the whole TIF and Community Benefits inducement package should be abandoned for straight-face, up-and-down viability for future wind power projects. | 4,468 | 2,163 | 8,977.312991 |
warc | 201704 | The School of Law offers a program
of traditional length (three years), with several
enhancements made possible by the institution’s 4-1-4
calendar, by the proximity of the law school to
Greensboro’s legal and judicial offices and through the
program’s close relationships with the American
Judicature Society’s Institute of Forensic Science and
Public Policy, the North Carolina Business Court, the Center
for Creative Leadership and similar organizations.
Instruction takes place in a technology-enriched environment
and is complemented with frequent interactions with local
professionals.
Elon’s legal program focuses its curriculum and other
experiences on pedagogies that promote active and engaged
learning. The three-year degree program prepares students to
successfully complete the bar examination and to continue
into leadership positions in their profession and their
communities.
Program Format Consistent with Elon’s undergraduate program,
the law school operates on a 4-1-4 semester model, with both
the fall and spring semesters lasting approximately four
months and the Winter Term spanning the month of January.
Elon’s curriculum includes a substantial number of
required courses in the second and third years, whereas a
typical law school’s second and third years consist
almost entirely of electives. In addition to providing
students with the knowledge and skills necessary to pass the
bar examination and to practice successfully, these required
courses in the second and third years serve to keep students
engaged throughout their law school careers.
Winter Term OpportunitiesDuring the January winter
term, first-year students receive substantial feedback on
their fall exams. They participate in professionalism
simulations and take an intensive professional responsibility
course. In the second and third years, students use the
winter term to take special legal perspectives courses and
explore international study opportunities. Orientation Law students begin their first year with a unique
orientation lasting for approximately 10 days in mid-August,
incorporating several assessments for development components.
Similar programs have been pioneered by the Center for
Creative Leadership, a Greensboro-based international
training and research organization devoted to leading and
leadership, by the Center for Application of Psychological
Type and by professors at other law schools. The purpose of
this orientation is to make Elon law students better students
and lawyers by equipping them to receive and use feedback
effectively.
Concentrations Elon’s law school intends not only to have
required courses in the upper level curriculum, but also to
have each student select at least one of four concentrations:
Trial and appellate advocacy
Business
Public interest
General practice
By allowing students to focus in the area that interests
them most, these concentrations should assist students
maintain focus and direction in their second and third years
and prepare them for their most likely career path.
Capstone Experience During the third year, students complete a
leadership project that they design and implement. Student
creativity in choosing the project is encouraged. The project
might take the form of a field-placement experience that
allows the student to demonstrate leadership capabilities.
Other projects might include founding a student organization
or publication. At the end of the project, students evaluate
their work on their own and with a faculty member, with a
final grade being assigned by the faculty member.
Engaging in Skill Enhancement Law students are asked to become more engaged in
classroom and examination experiences than students at most
other law schools. For instance, students in the Civil
Procedure course will have an early or mid-term examination,
but not a final examination. Rather, they demonstrate mastery
by completing drafting and other simulated law practice
assignments that require them to apply what they have learned
through classroom discussion and reading.
Feedback to Students Feedback to students in the program is frequent and
extensive. In addition to their interactions with the faculty
teaching their substantive courses, students also receive
feedback from a team of “executive coaches.”
These coaches work individually with students to improve
their interpersonal and communication skills, as well as
their study and other cognitive skills. In addition to
working with these “executive coaches,” students
review their classroom performances with observers, many of
whom are practicing lawyers.
Preceptor Program The school trains and utilizes local attorneys as
volunteer Preceptors who observe and provide feedback to law
students. During the Winter Term, these Preceptors accompany
students to observe a trial and discuss the trial with them.
Preceptors are also encouraged to invite students to observe
them in initial client interviews, depositions and
mediations.
Global Perspective Recognizing that legal services in the 21st century
are being provided in a marketplace that is increasingly
global in scope, the law school offers coursework that help
prepare graduates for this environment. In addition to
elective course offerings in international law, the law
school includes an International/Global Law course in its
required curriculum which will expose students to fundamental
concepts of globalization and international law. The law
school is currently exploring international study
opportunities.
Law School Catalog
>>Click here to download a copy of the Elon University
School of Law catalog in pdf format | 5,784 | 2,543 | 12,766.650413 |
warc | 201704 | 2nd Feature
February 2000 Issue
Taste And Smell: Tactics To Triumph Over Declining Senses As You Age
"Nothing tastes good anymore."That's a fairly common complaint among older people. But there's reason for the sentiment beyond yearning for things the way they used to be. Sensory experts note that the older people get, the more likely they are to experience declines in taste and smell. These age-related sensory losses not only hinder eating enjoyment, but can compromise good nutrition and overall health as well. Some Taste-Altering Drugs A
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warc | 201704 | Activated Charcoal December 2001. copyright of respective sources and contributors.
Activated Charcoal is one of the finest absorptive and adsorptive agents known (it is even mentioned in Webster’s Dictionary under the definition of the words absorb and adsorb). Orally administered, these odorless and tasteless fine black granules have an amazing ability to extract and neutralize thousands of times their own weight in gases, heavy metals, toxins, poisons and other chemicals. Activated Charcoal is known as an agent for cleansing and assisting the healing process of the body, and orally administered activated charcoal has proven to be very effective in preventing many intestinal infections.
https://lifeforce-intl.com/pdfs/usa/ProductDataSheets/ActivatedCharcoal.pdf
Used as an emergency antidote for treatment of poisonings by most drugs and chemicals; also used to relieve diarrhea or excess gas. Activated charcoal is not absorbed by the body.
Activated charcoal prevents the absorption of certain kinds of drugs and chemicals by the body.
Dosage Guidelines
For poisoning - oral suspension and powder: Adults and teenagers: 25 to 100 grams (g). Children: 1 g per 2.2 lbs (1 kg) of body weight, or 25 to 50 g. Mix powder with water. Take 1 time only. Take with 8 oz of water.
For diarrhea - capsules:
Adults and children age 3 and older: 520 mg every 30 to 60 minutes, as needed. Do not take more than 4.16 g per day.
For excess gas - tablets and capsules:
Adults and teenagers: 975 mg to 3.9 g, 3 times a day.
Warnings and Precautions
Activated charcoal may decrease the absorption of any medicine taken within 2 hours of administration. Acetylcysteine and ipecac syrup can decrease the effectiveness of activated charcoal.
Do not eat chocolate syrup, ice cream, or sherbet with activated charcoal. They will decrease the amount of poison the charcoal can absorb.
Parents should keep activated charcoal on hand in case of emergencies. Do not give charcoal together with syrup of ipecac. The charcoal will adsorb the ipecac. Charcoal should be taken 30 minutes after ipecac or after the vomiting from ipecac stops.
Some activated charcoal products contain sorbitol. Sorbitol is a sweetener as well as a laxative, therefore, it may cause severe diarrhea and vomiting. These products should not be used in infants.
Charcoal may interfere with the absorption of medications and nutrients such as vitamins or minerals. For uses other than for treatment of poisoning, charcoal should be taken two hours after other medications.
Charcoal should not be used to treat poisoning caused by corrosive products such as lye or other strong acids or petroleum products such as gasoline, kerosene, or cleaning fluids. Charcoal may make the condition worse and delay diagnosis and treatment. In addition, charcoal is also not effective if the poison is lithium, cyanide, iron, ethanol, or methanol.
Parents should not mix charcoal with chocolate syrup, sherbet, or ice cream, even though it may make charcoal taste better. These foods may prevent charcoal from working properly.
Activated charcoal may cause swelling or pain in the stomach. A doctor should be notified immediately. It has been known to cause problems in people with intestinal bleeding, blockage or those people who have had recent surgery. These patients should talk to their doctor before using this product.
Charcoal may be less effective in people with slow digestion.
Charcoal should not be given for more than three or four days for treatment of diarrhea. Continuing for longer periods may interfere with normal nutrition.
Charcoal should not be used in children under three years of age to treat diarrhea or gas.
Activated charcoal should be kept out of reach of children.
Side effects Charcoal may cause constipation when taken for overdose or accidental poisoning. A laxative should be taken after the crisis is over. Activated charcoal may cause the stool to turn black. This is to be expected. Pain or swelling of the stomach may occur. Doctor should be consulted.
Interactions
Activated charcoal should not be mixed together with chocolate syrup, ice cream or sherbet. These foods prevent charcoal from working properly. | 4,225 | 1,859 | 9,527.272727 |
warc | 201704 | EL PASO COUNTY ATTORNEY TO TESTIFY BEFORE THE STATE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES AGAINST THE BORDER WALL
On Thursday November 13, 2008, El Paso County Attorney José R. Rodríguez will testify in Austin, Texas, before the Mexican-American Legislative Caucus (MALC) of the Texas House of Representatives on the negative consequences of building a border wall between the US and Mexico.
MALC Chair, Representative Eddie Lucio III, will preside over the hearing to be held in the House Appropriations room, E1.032, at 8:00 a.m. The participants will analyze, among other topics, the possible effects a wall between Mexico and Texas would have on the border’s predominantly Hispanic community, as well as the rest of the state. Testimony received will be used to formulate legislation in response to the border wall.
El Paso County Attorney José R. Rodríguez has been invited to testify in relation to the federal lawsuit the County and the City of El Paso filed this summer challenging Congress’ unconstitutional delegation of authority that allowed Secretary of Homeland Security Michael Chertoff to waive more than 30 federal, state, and local laws, in order to accelerate the construction of the border wall.
County Attorney Rodríguez will explain to house members that a border wall will not keep immigrants out, but on the other hand, will bring serious environmental, economic and cultural consequences to the El Paso and Juarez region.
Recent data from the Department of Homeland Security shows that this year, in the El Paso Sector, the number of undocumented immigrants apprehended by the Border Patrol dropped 60 % in relation to the previous year. This huge drop in detentions was achieved before the construction of the border fence even began by conducting operations that place Border Patrol agents in close proximity to one another along a certain area of the border to prevent illegal crossings. Rodríguez says this data refutes the Department of Homeland Security’s contention that the border wall is necessary to maintain operational control of the border.
El Paso County José R. Rodríguez believes that the billions of dollars that the federal government will spend building the border wall would be better invested in providing more resources to the federal agents that patrol the border.
Rodríguez believes that the border wall in El Paso will be negatively impact the water supply to many farmers in the Lower Valley and potentially affect the ability of the El Paso County Improvement District #1 to supply water to 50% of El Paso residents. The border fence will also hinder bi-national efforts to re-introduce endangered species such as the Mexican gray wolf because the protection of wolf habitats require open corridors in the border region.
The Border Wall will also harm conservation efforts that are underway to protect the Rio Bosque Wetlands Park, in El Paso’s lower valley, and will affect the cultural history of the region, as the border wall cuts through sacred ceremonial land used for centuries by the Ysleta Pueblo del Sur Tribe (Tigua).
County Attorney Rodríguez will explain to members of the Texas House of Representatives that the best way to tackle the problem of illegal immigration is to seek approval of comprehensive immigration reform.
“A multi-billion dollar effort to construct the Border Wall simply does not make sense. At a time when America faces a severe financial crises it is simply irresponsible to pour additional money into a wall that will scar our environmental landscape and damage our relationship with communities across the border,” Rodríguez said.
“Instead of deterring illegal immigration, the wall will symbolize not only a failed immigration policy, but also a country barricading itself from the rest of the world,” Rodríguez concluded.
WHO: Mexican-American Legislative Caucus (MALC) of the Texas House of Representatives
WHAT: Hearing on the effects of the border wall
WHEN: Thursday November 13, 2008, at 8:00 a.m.
WHERE: Texas House Appropriations room, E1.032
Austin, Texas. | 4,160 | 1,909 | 8,808.129911 |
warc | 201704 | The Working Families Flexibility Act is a fraud
The Republican majority on the House Education and Workforce Committee could raise the minimum wage, cover more employees with overtime protection, pass paid sick days legislation, pass a paid family leave bill, or do a host of other things to make life easier for America’s working families. Instead, as Judith Lichtman of the National Partnership for Women and Families testified last week, they have chosen to weaken overtime protections and shift more power from employees to their bosses.
The Republicans have trotted out a bill introduced back in 1995 and unsuccessfully pushed again by business lobbyists in 2003. They call H.R. 1406 the Working Families Flexibility Act, apparently because it will bend and twist working families even more than they already are as they try to balance the needs of home and work. Rather than give employees the flexibility to take a paid day off when they or their kids are sick, the bill gives their employers the flexibility not to pay them overtime when it is earned.
Lichtman does a great job of pointing out what a sham the bill is, and the National Partnership has also published a good fact sheet that points out that the bill greatly increases the risk that employees will work overtime but never get paid for it. The chance that thousands of businesses will fail each year while holding millions of dollars of unpaid overtime credits in leave banks is very real. Half a million businesses fail in an average year.
Judy Lichtman politely calls H.R. 1406 “smoke and mirrors.” I think it’s fair to call it a fraud, for the truth is that the law already permits the only benefit the bill claims to provide, time off for employees who work overtime. Nothing in current law prevents an employer that makes an employee work overtime from paying for that overtime and then providing unpaid compensatory time off to the employee at a later date. | 1,960 | 979 | 3,871.95097 |
warc | 201704 | In This Issue
The Senate joined the House May 22 in voting to overturn the President’s veto of the five-year farm bill, despite questions over a missing section of the bill.
The 82-13 vote in the Senate enacted more than 90 percent of the five-year farm bill into law. Left out of the mix was assistance for the U.S. softwood lumber industry — part of the trade title Democrats said they inadvertently omitted due to a clerical error when the bill was originally sent to the President.
“I want to make sure there’s no doubt in anyone’s mind,” Senate Agriculture Chairman Tom Harkin (D-IA) said on the floor at the conclusion of the vote. “Fourteen of the fifteen titles in this farm bill are now law.”
Congress approved the 34-page trade title as part of the mammoth farm bill conference report the week of May 12, but it was missing from the version that Bush vetoed. The omission will require lawmakers to send another bill to Bush next month to enact the international food aid program and the certification program for softwood lumber that were included in the trade title.
Despite complaints from some Republicans that the action could violate the Constitution and invite legal challenges, the farm bill veto override saw strong votes of support in both the House and Senate. The House voted 316-108 on May 21 to override the veto. Both chambers were well above the two-thirds margin needed to overturn a veto.
The farm bill vote was the second time lawmakers have been able to outweigh Bush in the past eight years. The only other override came for the Water Resources Development Act last year.
More than half of farm bill funding goes to food stamps and other nutrition programs. It also includes more than $4 billion in new investment for conservation programs, new support programs for fruit and vegetable growers and organic farmers, incentives intended to spur cellulosic ethanol and the extension of most crop support programs.
Lawmakers will now seek to take up the trade title on its own or vote again on the entire farm bill when they return from the Memorial Day recess. The House voted again May 22 and passed all 15 titles of the farm bill — sending that bill to the Senate as an option to fix the error.
Re-passage of the farm bill may force them to go through the motions of the veto and override process again, but this time with all of the papers.
New Senate global warming legislation released May 21 includes several incentives aimed at encouraging more than a dozen states to disband their own climate efforts and join the federal program.
The substitute climate bill from Sens. Barbara Boxer (D-CA), Joe Lieberman (I-CT) and John Warner (R-VA) offers a soft landing to the states that have taken a leadership role on the issue, including California, New York and Florida.
Among other things, the states would have access to more than $560 billion in free allowances over the next four decades if they discontinue their own cap-and-trade programs in deference to a similar federal system that would be up and running in 2012.
Also, companies that are holding allowances or have purchased offset project credits for compliance with a state program could redeem those credits in the federal program.
No state would be allowed to set greenhouse gas limits weaker than the federal policy. Boxer has been an outspoken advocate of states’ rights but also is under pressure to unravel the growing patchwork of policies that have many industries concerned about doing business across state lines.
The Interior Department declared the polar bear a threatened species May 14, blaming the loss of sea ice for the species’ decline.
The ruling will allow the United States to “reduce avoidable losses of polar bears” but will not allow the regulation of greenhouse gas emissions linked to warming temperatures, Interior Secretary Dirk Kempthorne said.
“That would be a totally inappropriate use of the Endangered Species Act,” Kempthorne said. “ESA is not the right tool to set U.S. climate policy.”
To prevent misuse of the law, Kempthorne said he would impose a rule that he said would protect the bear but allow continued development of natural resources in the Arctic.
But Kassie Siegel, Climate Program Director with the Center for Biological Diversity, said the Endangered Species Act requires federal agencies to protect the listed species and their habitats, making sure nothing they authorize, fund or carry out harms the species — such as allowing for continued greenhouse gas emissions at high levels.
Encouraging the Fish and Wildlife Service to use the “best scientific data available today,” Kempthorne said the agency would not make connections between the decline of the species and its habitat and greenhouse gas emissions from specific facilities, development projects or government actions.
The Fish and Wildlife Service was under a court-imposed deadline to decide on the polar bear listing after the agency missed the original deadline for a decision in January. Kempthorne said the January postponement was necessary because the agency needed time to complete its analysis of the scientific data.
Kempthorne said the decision was not postponed to allow time for the February oil-and-gas lease sale to take place in polar bear habitat, the Chukchi Sea basin.
The new ruling accompanies a Canadian draft proposal to list polar bears as a species of special concern, a category of protection that the United States does not have. The Canadian ruling will allow for continued polar bear hunting by subsistence and commercial hunters in Canada. Polar bear hunting in Alaska is illegal.
Problems with political influence on endangered species decisions may be bigger than the Interior Department has recognized, despite efforts made to clean up corruption at the agency, according to a new federal investigation.
The Government Accountability Office (GAO) found Interior has come up short in its effort to try to crack down on political meddling in scientific decisions.
The Fish and Wildlife Service (FWS) has been reviewing several Endangered Species Act decisions that may have been inappropriately influenced by former Interior political appointee Julie MacDonald.
FWS decided to revisit seven endangered species-related decisions in the wake of the scandal caused by MacDonald, the former Deputy Assistant Secretary for Fish and Wildlife and Parks.
MacDonald resigned one year ago, after Interior Inspector General Earl Devaney issued a report that found she had violated ethics rules, edited scientific decisions on endangered species issues and passed internal agency information to outside parties suing the department.
But the scope of that review was likely too small, according to Robin Nazzaro, the head of GAO’s Natural Resources and Environment division. MacDonald’s imprint may be on many other species decisions not studied. Also, other political appointees still employed at the Department could be exerting undue political influence.
“Questions remain about the extent to which Interior officials other than Ms. MacDonald may have inappropriately influenced ESA decisions and whether broader ESA policies should be revisited,” Nazzaro told the House Natural Resources Committee on May 21.
Republicans argued that the greater flaw is with the Endangered Species Act itself and blamed Democrats for blocking previous efforts in the GOP Congress to revise the act.
To relieve a climate research tangle involving 13 federal agencies, the head of the nation’s weather agency is weighing the idea of consolidating some of it in a new “National Climate Service.”
The new office would support climate modeling and research now handled by several federal agencies, serving as the “government spokesman” on climate change. Conrad Lautenbacher, Administrator of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), told reporters that it would not have the ability to create or enforce federal regulations. Lautenbacher said his model for the climate service is the National Weather Service, which is part of NOAA.
The NOAA Chief said his enthusiasm for a National Climate Service stems in part from his frustration with the $1.7 billion Climate Change Science Program, which spans 13 federal agencies.
A key difference between it and the National Weather Service is that NOAA officials do not believe the National Climate Service should be exempt from the Data Quality Act, a controversial statute that requires agencies to ensure the integrity of information they use and distribute. The law allows outside parties to petition to force the correction of information they believe is wrong.
The National Weather Service is exempt from the law because it provides critical “real-time” information.
Federal employees of the existing Climate Change Science Program cited difficulty complying with the law as one reason for a massive delay in issuing 21 planned reports on climate change, according to a National Academy of Sciences report issued last year.
On May 21, Rep. Mike Honda (D-CA), along with Sen. Barack Obama (D-IL), introduced the “Enhancing Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics Education (eSTEM) Act of 2008.
The eSTEM Act of 2008 is a response to findings of the Academic Competitiveness Council’s (ACC) May 2007 report, which stated that in 2006 the U.S. sponsored 105 STEM education programs at a dozen different federal agencies. These programs devote approximately $3.12 billion to STEM education activities spanning pre-kindergarten through postgraduate education and outreach. The report showed that many of these agencies do not share information or work collaboratively on similar programs.
The House (H.R. 6104) and Senate (S. 3047) versions of the bill are very similar according to both Honda and Obama’s offices. Both would aim to, as stated in the full title of Honda’s version, “provide for the coordination of the Nation’s science, technology, engineering, and mathematics education initiatives.” The legislation would attempt to do this through the development of the following four initiatives:
“Committee on STEM Education” at the Office of Science and Technology Policy (OSTP) to oversee coordination of Federal STEM education programs; “Office of STEM Education” and new Assistant Secretary for STEM Education position at Department of Education; “State Consortium on STEM Education” to bring together stakeholders to better coordinate STEM education between participating states; and “National STEM Education Research Repository” to improve dissemination of research and promising practices for STEM education. Sources: Environment and Energy Daily, Greenwire, Land Letter, and the Triangle Coalition for Science and Technology Education Legislative News. | 11,016 | 4,782 | 24,747.989962 |
warc | 201704 | Shares of investment research firm and index provider MSCI (NYSE: MSCI) plummeted 28% Tuesday on heavy volume after Vanguard said it was dropping the company’s benchmarks at many of its index funds and ETFs. Vanguard’s decision will result in MSCI losing revenue from index-licensing fees.
Vanguard announced Tuesday morning that it plans to change the tracking indices at 22 funds, including ETFs.
The asset manager will transition from the current MSCI benchmarks to indices managed by FTSE and the University of Chicago’s Center for Research in Security Prices (CRSP). [Vanguard Changing Indices for Several ETFs]
MSCI said the Vanguard funds being transitioned include $131 billion of assets under management, in 14 ETFs benchmarked to MSCI’s U.S. equity indices and 8 ETFs linked to MSCI’s global equity indices.
The transitions will be staggered and are expected to occur collectively over a number of months, Vanguard said.
“MSCI’s annualized revenue and operating income associated with the Vanguard funds being transitioned are approximately $24 million. The impact to reported financial results is expected to start in January 2013 as the funds are transitioned,” MSCI said in a statement.
“We are disappointed that Vanguard will no longer use our indices as the basis for these exchange traded funds,” said Baer Pettit, head of MSCI’s Index Business.
“The ETF market in North America is competitive and as it evolves, we will work with those ETF providers who seek to utilize independent, well-respected, and high-quality equity indices in their products. MSCI indices have been developed over 40 years to meet the specific needs of the world’s most demanding and sophisticated investors,” Pettit added.
MSCI is a leading provider of benchmark indexes and portfolio risk analytics tools to institutional investors around the world, according to Morningstar profile of the firm. “The company’s products play a significant role in many aspects of investment decision-making process, including portfolio construction, benchmarking, and risk analysis,” it said.
MSCI indices form the basis of many ETFs managed by BlackRock’s iShares, the largest ETF provider. “MSCI is the gold standard of global and international equity indexes – the near-universal choice of professional investors,” said Mark Wiedman, global head of iShares, in a statement Tuesday morning. “We plan to deepen our partnership with MSCI to help deliver the highest quality products and portfolio construction to our clients.”
MSCI | 2,634 | 1,281 | 5,154.908665 |
warc | 201704 | Temozolomide interferes with the development of cancer cells, slowing their growth and spread in the body.
Temozolomide is used together with radiation therapy to treat certain types of brain tumor in adults.
Temozolomide is usually given after other cancer medicines have been tried without success.
Temozolomide may also be used for purposes not listed in this medication guide.
Follow all directions on your medicine label and package. Tell each of your healthcare providers about all your medical conditions, allergies, and all medicines you use.
You should not take this medicine if you are allergic to temozolomide or to another cancer medication called dacarbazine (DTIC).
To make sure temozolomide is safe for you, tell your doctor if you have:
Using temozolomide may increase your risk of developing certain types of bone marrow cancer. Ask your doctor about your specific risk.
Do not use temozolomide if you are pregnant. It could harm the unborn baby. Use effective birth control, and tell your doctor if you become pregnant during treatment.
Use birth control to prevent pregnancy while you are receiving temozolomide, whether you are a man or a woman. Temozolomide use by either parent may cause birth defects.
It is not known whether temozolomide passes into breast milk or if it could harm a nursing baby. You should not breast-feed while using this medicine.
Get emergency medical help if you have signs of an allergic reaction: hives; difficult breathing; swelling of your face, lips, tongue, or throat.
Call your doctor at once if you have:
Common side effects may include:
This is not a complete list of side effects and others may occur. Call your doctor for medical advice about side effects. You may report side effects to FDA at 1-800-FDA-1088.
Avoid being near people who are sick or have infections. Tell your doctor at once if you develop signs of infection.
Avoid activities that may increase your risk of bleeding or injury. Use extra care to prevent bleeding while shaving or brushing your teeth.
This medicine can pass into body fluids (urine, feces, vomit). Caregivers should wear rubber gloves while cleaning up a patient's body fluids, handling contaminated trash or laundry or changing diapers. Wash hands before and after removing gloves. Wash soiled clothing and linens separately from other laundry.
Tell your doctor about all medicines you use, and those you start or stop using during your treatment with temozolomide, especially:
This list is not complete. Other drugs may interact with temozolomide, including prescription and over-the-counter medicines, vitamins, and herbal products. Not all possible interactions are listed in this medication guide.
Follow all directions on your prescription label. Do not take this medicine in larger or smaller amounts or for longer than recommended.
Temozolomide is given in a 28-day treatment cycle, and you may only need to take the medicine during the first few days of each cycle.
If you are also receiving radiation treatment, you may need to take temozolomide for 6 to 7 weeks in a row during your first treatment cycle. Then you may be switched to a 28-day maintenance treatment cycle.
Your doctor will determine how long to treat you with temozolomide. Follow your doctor's dosing instructions very carefully.
Your doctor may occasionally change your dose to make sure you get the best results. The size, color, and number of temozolomide capsules you take may sometimes be different from earlier treatment cycles. Be sure you know the correct number of capsules to take and on which days to take them. Ask your doctor or pharmacist if you have any questions.
Take all of your capsules for the day (one entire daily dose) at the same time on each dosing day of a treatment cycle. Swallow the capsules whole with a full glass of water.
Take this medicine at the same time each day.
You may need to take temozolomide at bedtime or on an empty stomach if the medicine upsets your stomach.
If you vomit shortly after taking the medicine, do not take another capsule until your next regularly scheduled dose.
Do not open the temozolomide capsule. Do not use a broken pill. The medicine from an open or broken capsule can be dangerous if it gets in your mouth or nose, or on your skin. If this occurs, rinse thoroughly with water. Ask your doctor or pharmacist how to safely handle and dispose of a broken tablet or capsule.
You may be given medication to prevent nausea or other side effects while you are receiving temozolomide.
Temozolomide can lower blood cells that help your body fight infections and help your blood to clot. This can make it easier for you to bleed from an injury or get sick from being around others who are ill. Your blood may need to be tested often.
Tell your doctor if you have any changes in height or weight. Temozolomide doses are based on body surface area (height and weight), and any changes may affect your dose.
Your doctor will need to check your progress while you are using temozolomide.
Store at room temperature away from moisture and heat.
Seek emergency medical attention or call the Poison Help line at 1-800-222-1222. Taking temozolomide for more than 5 days in a row can cause a life-threatening overdose.
Overdose can cause severe forms of some of the side effects listed in this medication guide.
Call your doctor for instructions if you miss a dose of temozolomide.
Copyright 1996-2017 Cerner Multum, Inc.
Latest Update: 5/16/2016, Version: 11.03 | 5,521 | 2,384 | 12,690.889262 |
warc | 201704 | Community policing is a philosophy and an organizational strategy that will promote partnerships and problem-solving strategies between Police Officers and the community. The police interact with the general public rather than traditional policing where hey mostly come in contact with criminals, victoms, and their families.
The environment is changing rapidly and it is thought community policing provides the flexibility in problem solving that is critical to the success of the police departments. Community policing is effective, proactive, it has good quality, and it is a great problem-solving method where as traditional policing is efficient, reactive, it has good quantity in arrests, and it’s incident-driven. Traditional policing is a great way to get criminals off the street and it keeps the citizens happy. Community policing is a way to stop crime before it starts and it also keep good relations with the people in the community. . In community policing, Police Officers are encouraged to listen to citizens’ concerns and assist them with their problem-solving techniques. Problem-solving strategies develop customized responses to problems. It shifts the Police Officer from an incident-driven officer to a problem-solving officer. The new standards of community policing includes quality of service, citizen satisfaction, cultural sensitivity, and responsiviness to community defined issues. With community policing, officers are able to spend more time working with citizens to solve crime and maintain order. With a better communication between police Officers and citizens officers and share and use crime information with the public more effectively. Officers can place people with other public and private agencies that can help solve most of the concerns of the community. The police efforts help restore the safety of the neighbors and business districts. | 1,918 | 865 | 4,179.687861 |
warc | 201704 | Last weekend, my family and I went to visit the new 9/11 Memorial located at Ground Zero.
Three things were striking:
First, is the scale of the disaster. Two huge pools - each filling the acre-sized area that once held the foundation of the Twin Towers - form the centerpiece of the Memorial. They are lined by large flowing waterfalls - and surrounded by the stone-inscribed names of the thousands who died.
It's easy to forget the vastness of the footprint of the Twin Towers until you see it stretching out in front of you - and realize how small you feel in comparison.
And the scale of the calamity is brought home by the massive size of the structures that rise around it. The new One World Trade Center building - which will one day rise to 104 stories topped by a 408-foot spire that will make it a symbolic 1,776 feet tall - is now only 80 stories complete. But it already gives you a sense of the scale of the towers that collapse ten years ago. They were simply gigantic; their collapse - cataclysmic.
Second, as you read the names of the hundreds of fire-fighters and other first-responders who died as they raced up those towers to rescue others, you can't help but be struck by the nobility and heroism of those men and women - and of the tens of thousands of fire-fighters and police and EMT's who risk danger every day to help their fellow citizens.
It brings into stark relief the Right Wing's outrageous attempts to make public employees into greedy villains as they have tried to strip them of collective bargaining rights. Standing at Ground Zero, it is almost beyond belief that the Right has tried to hold public employees responsible for the fiscal crisis that actually resulted from the irresponsible speculative orgy that led to the collapse of the financial market in 2008.
Not a stone's throw from Ground Zero lie the Wall Street headquarters of many who actually did cause the Great Recession. Many of those who are responsible spend their days there focused like a laser on only one thing - how to make themselves unspeakably rich. Many are speculators who do not contribute one iota to the well-being of others, but are rewarded by our society beyond the wildest dreams of the men and women who raced up the Twin Towers without a thought of their own lives in order to save others.
The values of those first responders - the commitment of someone's life to the welfare of others, the welfare of the entire community - those are the values that have always made America great at its finest moments. Just a short walk from Ground Zero, the Occupy Wall Street Movement is demanding that those true American values define our future.
The spirit of the soldiers who stormed the beach at Normandy, of the civil rights workers who risked arrest at the segregated lunch counters in South Carolina, of labor organizers who work their hearts out to help farm workers fight for dignity and a living wage, and the EMT's who speed to the site of an accident victim to save a life - that is the spirit that we all know in our hearts gives each of us - and our country -- significance and meaning.
Wealthy Wall Street speculators may build their own personal monuments -- buildings emblazoned with their names - or private homes the size of hotels. But when it comes time for societies of people to build monuments to those who we all consider heroes, it is those whose lives have shown their dedication to others that inspire us.
Finally, there is something about the 9/11 Memorial that not only inspires us - but demonstrates the true nature of American Exceptionalism.
American Exceptionalism is not about moral superiority. It's not about being more committed to justice or freedom or equality or economic progress than our fellow human beings.
Around the pools that once defined the footprints of the twin towers are the names of the victims who died on the planes, in the towers and at the Pentagon that day:
Kelly, Vokosa, Kumar, Sou-Wen, Perez, Trinidad, Maio, Rothenberg, Pakat, Jian, Habib, Ching, Lee, Parandkar, Iskandor, White, Ivan, Tsou, Ricardelli, Jean-Pierre, Kloepfer, D'Alladra, Shay, Saducha - and thousands of others.
The people who died that day had ancestors from every corner of the globe. They were committed to every major religious tradition. They were full-fledged American citizens whose ancestors had been here for generations, and newly-arrived undocumented workers who put in hours each day at some of the least desirable jobs at the World Trade Center. They were visitors from other countries - here to do business - or more likely to visit some relative or friend who was born in their native land. They were Muslims, Christians, Hindus, Buddhists, Atheists - you name it.
No other country on earth has managed to incorporate such a wide array of ethnic and religious traditions into a functioning, secular, democratic society.
America has is faults and shortcomings. Our society is still shot through with injustice and economic inequality. It is still filled with prejudice, and in many ways our decision-making continues to be dominated by a tiny economic elite. Even now, we must make the decisions necessary to assure that economic opportunity is truly available to our next generation.
But what continues to give America such exceptional promise - what still makes it a shining city on the hill - is the enormous strength of a society forged out of every conceivable component of the human race.
If you walk just a few blocks south of Ground Zero, you can see Ellis Island where so many different immigrants first entered America. From Battery Park, Ellis Island appears to be right next to the Statue of Liberty that symbolized the hope that prompted those immigrants to tear out their roots and completely replant themselves in a new and foreign land.
America can still be a beacon that shows what the world of the future can be - a multi-cultural society where everyone's ethnicity and traditions are celebrated. A society where everyone - and every group -- is respected, and conflict is settled without resorting to arms. A society where opportunity is only bounded by imagination and energy, but never by wealth or ethnic background.
Some on the Right have tried to memorialize 9/11 by sowing hatred and division, by whipping up fear and intolerance, by charging that all Muslims were at fault - notwithstanding that many of those who died in the Towers, and who ran up the steps as first responders themselves -- practiced the Muslim faith. Fear and intolerance have nothing to do with true American values.
Next time you're in New York, go to the 9/11 Memorial. Feel for yourself the magnitude of the tragedy, and the heroism and commitment of the first responders. And then run your fingers over the engraved names of some of the thousands of Americans - and others - who died that day. As you do, you will feel, and see, the many separate strands of the human story that have all found their way to our shores - and when woven together define the true meaning of American Exceptionalism.
Robert Creamer is a long-time political organizer and strategist, and author of the book: Stand Up Straight: How Progressives Can Win, available on He is a partner in Democracy Partners and a Senior Strategist for Americans United for Change. Follow him on Twitter @rbcreamer. | 7,356 | 3,470 | 15,540.874928 |
warc | 201704 | NHS Cambridgeshire is promoting the new supermeals campaign, part of Change4life. Change4Life is a national campaign which encourages us all to eat well, move more and live longer, by making small changes to improve health and wellbeing.
The supermeals campaign will offer money-off healthy foods like fruit and veg and low fat yoghurts. By signing up with Change4Life you can get money off foods at local supermarkets - as well as free recipe ideas.
As well as money off supermarket foods a new cookbook by celebrity chef Ainsley Harriott is being produced, with free copies being given away to local supporters. You can get your hands on one by cutting out a coupon from the Daily Mirror from January 20 which can be swapped at your local Asda*.
There are dozens of new recipes to try, there will even be YouTube cooking tutorials with Ainsley Harriott, all on the Change4Life website.
Starting on Monday (January 16) NHS Cambridgeshire will also be offering a programme of free activities to help people with their own healthy meals.
At the local events health staff will be available to give advice and information about simple ways to eat healthily, there will also be goodie bags with free information and recipes - and there is also the chance to win a Nintendo Wii Fit!
Val Thomas, Assistant Director of Health Improvement at NHS Cambridgeshire said:
“Eating healthily doesn’t have to be expensive and the Supermeals campaign will help to make it even more affordable. Supermeals campaign will offer money off healthy ingredients, such as fruit and vegetables and low fat yoghurts at supermarkets across Cambridgeshire.
“Making changes can be hard however and NHS Cambridgeshire has organized free activities across the county where people can get more information and advice.
“This is such an exciting campaign – there are so many ways for people to find out more and get involved.”
* While stocks last. | 1,954 | 959 | 3,895.774765 |
warc | 201704 | GSK CEO Andrew Witty
Indian officials must have been glad to hear from GlaxoSmithKline ($GSK) CEO Andrew Witty. During a trip to the country, Witty told Indian media that the country's policies on pricing and patents are understandable, even reasonable, though they may pain the pharma industry.
"I think it is wholly reasonable for a country that is having tremendous growth with challenges has to think about pricing," Witty told
The Economic Times. But he offered a hint of rebuke to authorities who've taken an adversarial stance against foreign drugmakers, saying that "there are alternative ways to achieve" cost savings, "and having a good dialogue may create positive ways to do it."
Of course, "good dialogue" is something that the Indian government has had with few drugmakers ever since the health ministry forced Bayer to license its on-patent cancer drug Nexavar to a generics maker intent on selling low-cost copies. Patent officials have yanked intellectual property protections on a series of Big Pharma drugs, including Roche's ($RHHBY) hepatitis C drug Pegasys and Glaxo's own cancer drug Tyverb. And since the country's top court rejected Novartis' ($NVS) bid for a patent on its blood cancer treament Gleevec (sold as Glivec in India), the Swiss drugmaker's CEO Joe Jimenez and top officials in India have exchanged some barb-filled letters about the country's policies.
Witty has said in the past that attacking IP protections isn't the best way for India to increase access to cutting-edge medicines. But Big Pharma can't expect to avoid pricing warfare in the country--or in other developing markets--if companies insist on business as usual, he told the
The Economic Times. "India is a very unusual country," Witty said. "It starts from a different place than a Britain or a France or a U.S.A., therefore we have to think about what is the right way for India to balance its needs."
In addition to the patent wrangling, India has worked to make medicines more affordable by slashing prices on an increasing number of drugs--652 at last count. And for that, Glaxo has more reason to complain than many other companies. Its products suffered disproportionately from those recent cuts, and now the company is scrambling to mend relations with wholesalers and pharmacies, which are balking at their own squeezed margins.
Still, India remains a key market for the company, and will continue to be. The company last week announced that it would sock £85 million into a new production plant and warehouse there, most likely in Bangalore; the facility will be able to turn out up to 8 billion tablets and 1 billion capsules a year. Making production more efficient is one way for GSK to be able to charge lower prices while still posting positive financial results, Witty said.
"If we have to find a way of bringing innovation to India, you should have prices which are affordable," Witty told the
The Economic Times. "And the key to that isn't to get rid of patents. The key to that is to fix the R&D process, the manufacturing process to make it more efficient. ... [C]ompanies cannot turn up and have any price they want. Companies have to come up with a competitive and efficient business model."
- read the
ET story Special Report: Top 10 Drugmakers in Emerging Markets - GSK | Top Pharma Companies by 2012 Revenues - GSK Read more on | 3,390 | 1,731 | 6,570.450607 |
warc | 201704 | Laura liked to think of ways I could keep busy. I tried to tell her that I was busy enough, but she didn’t believe it. Being the mother of a young child had made her pitiless; she heeded no excuse.
“I know your job can be stressful,” she told me. “That’s exactly why you need to find something you can do when you get home that will take your mind off it. You need to have something to look forward to.”
“I look forward to getting home and not doing anything,” I said.
Laura ignored this. “You need a hobby,” she said. “A creative outlet!”
Well, I’m about as creative as a stick of butter. I left crayons behind years ago and never (willingly) moved on to anything else. My old art projects from school looked like they’d been cruelly bludgeoned with blunt weapons. My mother had mistaken my painting of a cat and mouse for a sunrise over Hong Kong.
When I explained to Laura that I was incapable of artistic achievement, she cried, “Cooking! Try cooking!”
“I don’t know…”
“There are lots of great recipes online,” Laura said. “You could come home from work and eat delicious food you’d made yourself.”
Sounded good. In theory.
Laura kept telling me that cooking was straightforward. I could find a recipe that fit my comfort zone. All I’d need to do was follow the directions, wait while it cooked, and then enjoy my culinary masterpiece.
Eventually she convinced me that it was worth a shot.
I worked as a Volunteer Coordinator at a large nonprofit in town. Believe me, volunteers need a lot of coordinating. I tried to look on the bright side: they really helped us out. But sometimes their hapless confusion made me want to hide in the storage closet and cry.
Figures that I’d had a crummy day at work when I decided to launch into my creative hobby of cookery. By the time I dragged myself home, I wanted to curl up on the sofa and watch a movie—any movie!—or, even better, sleep. But Laura had brought me some zucchini so I could attempt a rudimentary vegetable stir-fry.
By some superhuman effort of will, I lined up my ingredients on the counter. Laura had visited the day before and helped me chop some of the different vegetables I’d need. Others, like the bamboo sprouts, came in a tin.
I carefully reread my recipe and started heating up my frying pan. (No wok for me. I’d never done this before.)
Soon, the olive oil was spitting and hissing in the pan. I started tossing vegetables in, enjoying the sizzling sound they made. I opened the tin of bamboo sprouts and tried to drain the liquid, but some of the sprouts fell into the sink. Great. Fantastic.
Everything rapidly grew worse.
I was scooping the sprouts out of the sink when I smelled an ominous smell. I turned around and saw that the oil was burning in the pan, actually smoking. The vegetables looked raw on one side but were blackening on the other. I’d let the pan get way too hot before I started cooking.
I dropped the bamboo sprouts and tried to do damage control, but the worst had already happened. Most of the vegetables were inedible, and I couldn’t stir-fry anything in the ruined oil.
I telephoned Laura in tears. “It all burned. It started burning the second I turned my back!”
“Oh, I’m so sorry, Reese!” Laura said. “Are you all right?”
I made a pitiful strangled noise. I had destroyed all the vegetables and possibly the frying pan. I was a complete cooking failure, and I’d let Laura down.
“Reese, if you don’t have anything for dinner, you should come over and eat with me and George,” Laura said. “Do you feel up to that?”
“I don’t know,” I said. I was pretty sure I had a microwave dinner in the fridge somewhere, and I didn’t want my friend or her husband seeing me in all my ridiculous failure. I was crying over food, for goodness’ sake. I probably looked a fright.
“Come on, Reese,” Laura said. “Let me make it up to you. I was the one who convinced you to try, after all. We should have started with something more reasonable.”
“Yeah. I guess so.”
“I’m making spaghetti,” Laura said.
My favorite.
“Do you mind if I come over?” I asked. “Is it really all right?”
“Of course it is, Reese. We love to have you over.”
I went to find my car key.
–
Reese is a fictional character who agreed to share her story on this blog. This was the 4th installment. Click to go back to the first – Cat Attack. | 4,663 | 2,225 | 8,988.587416 |
warc | 201704 | A lot of people here weigh only once a week. I am sort of a nerd, and weigh every day and put it on a chart and take an average once a week and log that on FitDay - that way I see progress apart from daily fluctuations.
I think the trick to calorie restriction is to find a balance between too low for life satisfaction and so high that you don't see any visible progress. For me, about 500 calories under my maintenance amount gives about a pound a week of weight loss, which seems to work for me at this point. (I am a woman of 56 - before menopause I could lose quicker.) Some of us find that the key to being satisfied with fewer calories is to restrict carbohydrates, especially simple carbs like sugar and white flour. For some of us, they are addictive, and trigger cravings for more. Many of us also find it important to eat adequate protein (which varies depending on your lean body weight and exercise levels), and lots of varied vegetables. Many of us also find it very helpful to increase exercise. It allows you to lose with more calories, but more important it maintains or increases your lean body mass and helps with self esteem. And if you find something you enjoy, it gives something positive in your life that is "just for you" and not for family. I agree with Cassie - browse the forum threads, and you will find a lot more tips and support. And welcome! Jaime age 56, starting weight 190, now 166, goal 148 | 1,432 | 774 | 2,640.134367 |
warc | 201704 | Where does happiness come from?
“Happiness consists more in small conveniences or pleasures that occur every day, than in great pieces of good fortune that happen but seldom.”, Benjamin Franklin, the Founding Father of USA.
Most certainly, it is easy to agree with Benjamin Franklin’s view on happiness. We all have our small joys in life, such as watching a TV series or going to an ice-hockey game in the weekend. The problem is that we don’t perceive these small joys as real and long-lasting happiness. Instead, our minds are wired to chase the happiness, which comes from the “good fortune”. And this is how we go through life feeling empty, depressed, miserable, self-disillusioned and bitter.
The hope helps us survive the bottom line. We will be happy when we find love, when we get our dream job, when I get promoted, when we become a mother, when our sexual life gets better, when we are rich, after I divorce, etc. Yet, all these future expectations are beguiling and the very source of unhappiness. For example, if you do become rich, there will always be room for making more money. Therefore, the chase after happiness continues and the present is a struggle. Or, if you do get promoted, you may be disillusioned to realise that it is not bringing as much happiness as you expected.
Are there any chance for us human beings to be happy at certain points in our lifetime?
Research on happiness has flourished in the last ten years, offering to individuals self-help tips on how to find their own happiness. Here are few books, which I consider worthy of mentioning: Sonja Lyubormiski, The Myths of Happiness, and Robert Biswas-Diener and Ed Diener, Unlocking The Mysteries of Psychological Wealth. Scientific studies show that we can at least reach happy moods and irrespective of what causes these happy moods, they “lead people to be more productive, more likeable, more active, more healthy, more friendly, more helpful, more resilient, and more creative.” (Sonja Lyubomirsky, The How of Happiness, pp. 265)
Have you ever made this test to observe people from the distance? If you did, I am sure you agree that you can spot the unhappy ones by the way they carry themselves. Especially in the case of us women, the gloomy atmosphere in our minds reflects in our body movements.
Has it ever happened to you to adopt new ways of thinking for few days and think you are finally happy just before you slide back into the old way of viewing the world? Is sustainable happiness but an abstract concept that exists in the work of psychologists such as Sonja Lyubomirsky?
Can we reach a steady level of happiness?
How we relate to happiness differs from one individual to another, depending on our genetical heritage, our childhood and adulthood experiences. However, I strongly believe that we all can find our glimpses of long-lasting happiness by digging out the dusty characteristics which make us human.
Compassion, empathy, love, gratitude, altruism, soul-to-soul connection: they all live in us, the problem is that they have been forgotten. The age of science has brought wonderful advancements into the world at the cost of taking us away from who we really are: human beings.
If we want to be happy, we need to take a good look inside and cultivate the seeds of all these characteristics that make us human. Yes, it hurts when we feel that there is not love in our life. While we are waiting for love, we’d benefit from turning our face and soul towards the people around us and offer them the crumbles of love that there are in us. When we hear about a sick person who needs money for surgery, why not donating few euros from our income? Why not joining a group of people with similar interests?
Life happens now and we fool ourselves if we think we have control over it and we’ll be happy tomorrow. If we can control something, well that something is the humanity in us. The happiness will follow it. | 3,984 | 1,985 | 7,867.647355 |
warc | 201704 | Full profile →'">
The author is a Forbes contributor. The opinions expressed are those of the writer.
When Foursquare correctly predicted in April that Chipotle’s same-store sales for the quarter would drop precipitously, Lawrence Coburn grew excited. Like Foursquare, his startup DoubleDutch collects tons of anonymous data—but instead of foot traffic, DoubleDutch tracks attendees across thousands of events.
The typical industry event attendee carries out an average of 182 actions per conference, attending 38 sessions, Coburn says. Added them together, they provide an ample data set to figure out which parts of an event are working—even start predicting which attendees should be meeting up. “We should have a Foursquare-like grasp on the data of the event marketing world,” says Coburn. “And then we will be able to predict some interesting things.”
DoubleDutch has already powered more than 5,000 events and about 2,000 host companies. But because it builds apps in its clients’ names, you’ve probably never heard of the five-year-old startup. That’s just fine by Coburn, who is building what he hopes will be a new system of record for event data. “Our customers think about us,” he says in response to his company’s relative anonymity. But they’d be thinking about DoubleDutch a lot more if the company could tell them after the first day of a conference that certain areas of the floor weren’t getting any attention, or help predict for attendees which of their peers it would be most useful to meet. So DoubleDutch has unveiled on Tuesday a new kind of marketing platform it’s calling “live engagement marketing,” with the purpose of turning on all that event data for both hosts and guests to make the most of any event.
If DoubleDutch’s new platform delivers what it promises, event sponsors will no longer have to bribe attendees with free San Pellegrino (a Dreamforce staple) or t-shirts in exchange for an ID badge scan that would allow for a follow-up. Attendees living on the app built by DoubleDutch would be providing information at every step—checking in, rating a speaker, answering a question or a poll or connecting with other guests and messaging them—to better guide them during the rest of their time and then in the sales follow-ups afterward.
For customers such as tech company Gainsight, which is using the new platform at its Pulse annual event that started Tuesday, events have become the most important channel for marketing, says Anthony Kennada, vice president of marketing. In Gainsight’s three previous years using DoubleDutch, the company was able to find out in surveys that attendees liked its event app. The data can make the justification for paying for DoubleDutch much easier, he says. Gainsight links its own event app to registration information from Eventbrite, with its microsite automatically creating a Salesforce account for each new attendee. “Before it was anecdotal sentiment, but now I can point to hard return on investment,” Kennada adds.
Where DoubleDutch goes after this will take the platform more into the predictive and automated recommendations part of an event app, says vice president Lucian Beebe. “Can we get better every time someone opens the app?” Beebe says he asks his team.
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The author is a Forbes contributor. The opinions expressed are those of the writer.
The news that Jim Yong Kim has been officially selected to lead the World Bank is surely bittersweet for those he leaves behind at Dartmouth.
It will be particularly difficult for those affiliated with its recently created Center for Health Care Delivery Science, an innovative graduate program created by President Kim and launched just this fall. The program, which I profiled in Forbes a few months ago, brings together experts in management and systems engineering with leading thinkers in economics, medicine and health policy. Its ambitious goal is to reimagine the delivery of health care by teaming researchers with practitioners -- finding solutions and immediately testing them on the front lines. Those that run the program extolled Kim as a "genius" who "galvanized Dartmouth" and "brought people to their feet both literally and metaphorically".
Jim Kim will now bring his evidenced-based multidisciplinary approach to his leadership efforts at the World Bank. As Kim made clear when I interviewed him in October, he's not afraid of taking on enormous challenges and expecting quick results. Calling upon his background as a physician and as an anthropologist, Kim brings a unique approach to problemsolving -- one that, as he put it, often involves, "challenging homespun truisms about what we do." As he tells it, he came of age as a physician at a time when medicine had just started focusing on evidence. Much of the conventional wisdom -- like giving lidocaine to heart attack victims -- was overturned when the evidence didn't comport with expected results. Those lessons resonated with Kim and have remained a constant in his approach to tackling seeemingly intractable problems - whether its eradicating tuberculosis in the world's poorest communities or reversing the country's continuously escalating health care costs. From his training as an anthropologist, he brings a deep understanding of local cultures and an appreciation for what is at stake for different groups. Kim understands that having evidence is often not enough -- "you have to have a really fine grained sense of local culture" to bring about lasting change.
Kim accomplished quite a bit during his short tenure at Dartmouth and his departure is undoubtedly a huge loss. The timing is particularly unfortunate given the recent spate of unflattering press reports on fraternity (and sorority) hazing at the school. Last October, I interviewed Ed Haldeman, former chair of Dartmouth's board of trustees, who spoke glowingly of Kim's charisma and bond with the students. Haldeman said students were inspired by Kim's accomplishments and that he'd spoken with applicants to Dartmouth who said they wanted to come to the school in large part because of Kim -- certainly not your typical reason for choosing where to go to college.
While in Hanover, Kim had a mantra he liked to repeat over and over to the students. It's a quote he borrowed from John Sloan Dickey, who took over Dartmouth's presidency shortly after the bomb was dropped on Hiroshima. "The worlds troubles are your troubles...and there's nothing wrong with the world that better human beings cannot fix." When we spoke, Kim said he told students he didn't care which problems they took on as long as they understood that "graduating from Dartmouth means that you have a responsibility to think hard about your place in the world." Said Kim: "I want them to never forget that when they graduated their president told them that he had expectations."
It's too bad only a few graduating classes had the benefit of Kim's inspired leadership. But one can hardly blame him for doing what he told others to do -- this time on an even grander scale.
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The author is a Forbes contributor. The opinions expressed are those of the writer.
The World Health Organization said last Thursday that the scope of the Ebola outbreak may be vastly underestimated, and will grow worse before they are able to get the epidemic under control.
Amid these dire warnings, and facing a virus with no proven remedies, treatments, or vaccines, a panel of WHO ethicists approved the use of experimental therapies in stricken patients.
It was the right decision for a host of reasons. In fact, it shouldn’t have been ethicists who reached such a conclusion. Drug regulators should have taken this decision.
Patients facing a deadly virus with no proven treatments deserve access to experimental drugs, so long as they provide informed consent to receive them. Such forward deployed drugs should already have established basic proof of safety, and there should be a plausible reason to believe that these agents could also prove effective.
But there’s another reason to forward deploy these experimental treatments. It’s the only way we are ever going to find out if they work, and put them to wider use.
In fact, regulatory policies in the U.S. allow for drugs to be approved on the basis of studies in animals alone when there is no ethical way to test a medicine in sick patients. In the case of Ebola, you can’t purposely infect someone with the virus so that you have a subject to test a treatment on. You need to wait for an outbreak.
The only way we’re going to find out for sure if these experimental Ebola drugs are effective is to use them in sick patients. Given the state of science, this initial use is going to based on little more than information about their effectiveness in animals.
FDA issued a so-called “animal rule” almost a decade ago (amid fears of bioterrorism after the deadly anthrax attacks) outlining how a drug could be approved on the basis of only efficacy studies in animals. It was rightly acknowledged that animal testing alone would have to form the basis of approval when we were dealing with therapeutics that targeted rare and deadly diseases that could be used as weapons.
The same challenges surround drugs targeted to Ebola.
Given the scope of the current outbreak, after experimental Ebola treatments have already proven some benefit in animal testing (and where some measure of their safety has also been established) it’s imperative that we get these drugs into the field.
Regulators, for their part, should be making sure these drugs are delivered in a way that allows us to learn about whether the treatments are working, and use this information to form the basis of potential regulatory approvals. There simply is no other way to test medicines against deadly and rare pathogens like Ebola.
So what are the treatments that are furthest along, and could be deployed in an expanding epidemic? Some of the drugs, like the antibody treatment from Mapp Pharmaceuticals, have already garnered a lot of attention. Mapp’s experimental Ebola treatment Z-Mapp was already administered a Spanish priest who later died and two U.S. aid workers who are reported to have shown signs of recovery.
Here are some of the other experimental treatments that are in development. Some of these compounds could be forward deployed if the outbreak continues:
There are at least three vaccines in development for Ebola that are garnering attention. One of the vaccines, developed by a government laboratory in Canada, has already been shipped to the World Health Organization, presumably for use in Africa. About 1,000 doses of the vaccine, licensed to NewLink Genetics, a company in Ames, Iowa, may be tested in first responders, including healthcare providers, according to reports. Charles Link, the chief executive, said NewLink could manufacture tens of thousands of doses over the next couple of months.
The NIH and GlaxoSmithKline (a company I advise on unrelated matters as a member of GSK's Product Investment Board) are developing another vaccine. There are 400 doses available now, according to reports -- enough for a clinical trial in healthy adults, federal official are saying.
The United Kingdom’s Telegraph reports that GSK is planning to test the vaccine on a small group of people at the NIH Vaccine Research Centre in Maryland later this year. As part of this process, the NIH will recruit health volunteers to inject them with the experimental vaccine. The aim of this early stage testing is see if the product is safe and helps people mount an immune response that would confer protection against a future exposure to Ebola. This process normally takes up to six months. GSK is hoping to report the results by the end of the year.
Bavarian-Nordic, a biotechnology company located in Denmark, also has a vaccine in development that can protect against multiple hemorrhagic fevers, including Ebola. The vaccine is based on the same platform that the company used to develop its smallpox vaccine Imvamune.
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The author is a Forbes contributor. The opinions expressed are those of the writer.
As AMR and its pilots once again engage in contract negotiations, the airline has made a good will gesture and operational performance has improved after a dramatic decline in September.
Still, the chance for a contract agreement is limited by the bankruptcy time frame, by the gap between the parties and, if there were to be an agreement, by a perception among some pilots that rejecting a tentative agreement could augment the possibility of a merger with US Airways.
“I don’t want to be too optimistic,” said Allied Pilots Association spokesman Tom Hoban. “We’ve been banging our heads against the wall with this group. They know where the bar is set as far as reaching parity with the new Delta and United contracts. If they’re willing to move in that direction, there’s a chance.
“It's our belief that if the corporation wants to successfully exit bankruptcy they need a pilot contract in place,” Hoban added. “In that regard, the window is closing.”
Aviation consultant Robert Mann said chances for a tentative contract agreement do not appear to be high.
“The question is how motivated are they when they go back to the table,” he said. “This is a continuation of more than a decade of a (troubled) relationship between the parties. They are going back because they have no other option, but the two goalposts are very far apart and have been for a long time.”
Consulting firm The Leading Edge also minimizes the chance of an agreement. “Our view is that management is not prepared to offer tangible improvements over and above their (last offer), but rather hopes to leverage pilots to accept the (offer) through the gradual imposition of the more severe conditions of the 1113 term sheet, including an end to retirement contributions beginning the first of November,” the firm said, in a note issued Tuesday. “We believe that APA leadership and membership shows no enthusiasm to entertain such an offer, and we expect to see negotiations remain stalled even if they resume.”
In August pilots rejected a tentative contract agreement. In early September, American imposed contract terms in bankruptcy court. Subsequently, some American pilots began to more closely follow maintenance protocols, resulting in a rash of delays. For the month, only 59% of American flights arrived on time. However, on-time performance has improved in recent days.
On Tuesday, as negotiations were set to resume, American said that “to help foster a constructive environment for us all, the company has decided to defer the implementation of certain changes that impact pilot pay that were scheduled to become effective Oct. 1.” The carrier deferred elimination of night pay, international premium changes and other payments.
Now, two deadlines loom over the bankruptcy process. On Dec. 28, American’s period of exclusivity in bankruptcy court concludes, and other parties would be free to submit reorganization plans if the exclusivity is not extended. Also on Oct. 31, a non-disclosure agreement with US Airways ends.
American spokesman Bruce Hicks said the carrier could exit bankruptcy without a pilot contract, but would prefer not to.
”American has worked diligently for consensual agreements with all the labor groups,” Hicks said. “It achieved ratified deals with its flight attendants, mechanics and ground workers. We had a tentative agreement with the board of directors of APA that unfortunately did not ratify. We remain committed to try to reach a consensual agreement. But as the unsecured creditors committee noted a few weeks ago, American Airlines can certainly exit restructuring without an agreement, although that is certainly not our preference.”
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warc | 201704 | 1 Engineering Design and Product Development, Department of Management Engineering, Technical University of Denmark2 Department of Management Engineering, Technical University of Denmark3 KTH - Royal Institute of Technology4 Stanford University5 Department of Mechanical Engineering, Technical University of Denmark6 Stanford University
Subtitle:
Design for X, Design to X
Abstract:
The 17th International Conference on Engineering Design, ICED'09, was held August 24-27 2009 at Stanford University, California, USA. The Conference is the flagship event of the Design Society, a society dedicated to contributing to a broad and established understanding of development and design. The ICED series of conferences has a long tradition, which started in 1981 with the first ICED in Rome. A total of 379 papers were presented at ICED’09, each double-blind reviewed by multiple reviewers. The papers included research papers and case studies on a variety of topics concerned with design thinking, theory, and practice, with a premium placed on evidence-based research. The papers are published in a total of ten volumes of Proceedings, in addition to electronic publication. This volume contains 32 papers concerned with Design for X, Design to X, where X can represent a variety of attributes of the designed product or system – manufacturability, reliability, sustainability , efficiency, robustness and so on. | 1,423 | 713 | 2,808.079944 |
warc | 201704 | Mommy Makeover Plastic Surgery
When you hear the term “Mommy Makeover” likely you think of a woman who after a couple of kids and time, gravity and childbearing have taken their toll, wants to look better. Primarily this is true but it can also relate to any age woman who wants to look better and for whatever reason needs help with her breasts and belly.
A Mommy Makeover is a combination of plastic surgery procedures aimed at treating problems associated with post pregnancy women. The most common procedures associated with a Mommy Makeover are
Breast Augmentation, Breast Lift, Abdominoplasty, Vaginoplasty and Labiaplasty. The Mommy Makeover is a customizable plan aimed at having you looking and feeling like you did before pregnancy. View our Mommy Makeover Breast Augmentation Photo Gallery. View our Mommy Makeover Tummy Tuck Photo Gallery.
Aging, childbearing and fluctuations in weight can reek havoc on a woman’s body. Breasts begin to sag and loose volume and tummy’s get poochy and droopy. Non of that sound good. But there is help. A mommy makeover can help enlarge breasts and put them back up where they should be and can flatten and reduce the size of stomachs.
Once again choosing your Plastic Surgeon is the most important decision you will make. You want a Board Certified Plastic Surgeon who has a lot of experience in doing Mommy makeovers and has done thousands. Dr. Harrell has 25 years experience and does the breast and tummy surgery at the same time.
Breast augmentation can increase fullness and projection of your breasts, improve the balance of your figure and enhance your self image and self confidence.
Dr. Harrell used both saline and silicone implants and based on what outcome you desire can suggest the implant that will work best for you. Breast augmentation alone will not correct severely drooping breasts. If you want your breasts to look fuller and to be lifted due to sagging a breast lift may be required in conjunction with breast augmentation. Dr. Harrell can do a breast lift at the same time he does your augmentation if he feels you would benefit from a breast lift.
Another part of the mommy makeover is the tummy tuck or abdominoplasty. A flat and well toned abdomen is something many of us strive for and exercise and diet for. Sometimes no matter how much we diet and exercise our stomachs will never be totally flat. Aging, childbearing and weight fluctuations, heredity and prior surgery cause most of the trouble. Even though individuals are normal body weight and proportion they can develop an abdomen that protrudes or is loose and saggy.
A tummy tuck removes excess fat and skin and tightens weakened or separated muscles creating abdomen that is smoother and firmer.
A tummy tuck is not a substitute for weight loss or exercise. Although the tummy tuck is permanent if you allow your weight to fluctuate greatly your outcome may be diminished. A tummy tuck cannot correct stretch marks although some may be removed or improved during surgery when the excess skin is removed.
Before doing the abdominoplasty you can have imaging that will show you just how flat Dr. Harrell can get your stomach. This can be exciting to see because it will allow you to get an idea how your overall figure will improve. Once your stomach is flatter and your breasts are full and lifted your clothes will fit better and you may have a boost in self confidence.
Call us today and start your journey to a more beautiful you with a sexy flat stomach and voluptuous young looking breasts. You’ll be glad you did.
Am I a Mommy Makeover Candidate?
Typically, patients over 18 years of age are candidates for a Mommy Makeover. The specific procedures you are interested in should be discussed with Dr. Harrell our board certified Tampa plastic surgeon. It is important to discuss your complete health history with Dr. Harrell during the consultation. If you are over the age of 40, a recent mammogram will be performed prior to scheduling any breast surgery.
In order to determine if you are a candidate for a Mommy Makeover, you should schedule a consultation with Dr. Harrell for a complete and thorough evaluation.
Your Tampa Consultation
When you arrive at the Fountain of Youth Institute®, you will be greeted by our warm and caring staff. During the consultation, you will meet Dr. Harrell to discuss your specific areas of concern and together will develop a treatment plan customized to fir your needs that will provide you with your desired results. The consultation is a great time to ask any questions about the procedure, recovery period and to address any concerns you might have. We are here to guide you through this process and will do everything in our power to make your experience a positive one.
Recovering From a Makeover
You will be given specific instructions as it relates to the post operative period for your procedures. Pain medication is prescribed to you prior to surgery to minimize your discomfort. Any concerns you have about recovery should be discussed with Dr. Harrell. | 5,093 | 2,239 | 11,468.917374 |
warc | 201704 | Price and Volume Trend
The Price and Volume Trend is a momentum indicator that was developed as an enhancement to the very popular On Balance Volume Indicator. The PVT has no acclaimed designer.
The PVT can be considered as a leading indicator of future price movements. The PVT Indicator is similar to the On Balance Volume indicator as it is also used to measure the strength of a trend.
The difference between the OBV and the PVT is that where the OBV adds all volumes when price achieves higher daily closes and subtracts them when price registers a lower daily close, the PVT adds or subtracts only a portion of the volume from the cumulative total in relation to a percentage change in price.
The general market consensus is that this difference enables the PVT to more accurately represent money flow volumes in and out of a stock or commodity.
The Price and Volume Trend Indicator uses a volume line to monitor the percentage change in the price trend of a share in order to determine its relative market supply or demand.
The PVT has been designed so that it is capable of forecasting directional changes in price. For instance, if the price of a stock is rising and the PVT begins to fall, then this is indicative that a price reversal could occur very soon.
The general consensus is that the PVT is more accurate at detecting new trading opportunities than the OBV because of the differences in their construction.
The OBV is designed so that it adds the same amount of volume whether the price closes upwards by just a small fraction or by multiples of its day opening value. On the other hand, the PVT adds volume proportional to the amount the price closed higher.
This distinction means that the PVT is more sensitive to changes than the OBT and, as such, has proven to be more accurate at determining significant price changes over the long haul.
The PVT has a tendency to follow the trend and indicates changes in the directional movement of price when it breaks to the upside in bear channels and to the downside in bull channels.
The PVT is calculated by subtracting today’s price close from yesterdays and then multiplying the resultant by volume. This value is then divided by yesterday’s price close and the result added to yesterday’s PVT value.
Traders can best use the PVT to locate new trading opportunities in the following ways:
Detect diverges between PVT and the current price movement.
Look for breakouts of the PVT if trending in the same direction as the price. A bullish breakout may be an early indication of a potential buying opportunity as the market is beginning to form a bottom. Likewise, a bearish divergence could be indicative of a possible selling opportunity as the market may be in the process of creating a top.
Experience and research has demonstrated the PVT is best used with other indicators that are capable of validating its trading recommendations. | 2,935 | 1,294 | 6,584.470634 |
warc | 201704 | By 2014, Social Networking Services Will Replace E-Mail as the Primary Vehicle for Interpersonal Communications for 20 Percent of Business Users Standardization, interoperability and growing competition from e-mail servers and services are accelerating the commoditization of wireless e-mail, according to Gartner Inc. Vendors are responding by pursuing differentiation in the areas of collaboration, applications and the cloud.
Gartner predicts that worldwide wireless e-mail users will reach 1 billion by year-end 2014. Worldwide business wireless e-mail accounts were estimated at more than 80 million in early 2010, including large, midsize and small organizations, as well as individual professionals — corresponding to about 60 million active users.
"Productivity gains with wireless e-mail are driving adoption beyond executives," said Monica Basso, research vice president at Gartner. "In 2010, enterprise wireless e-mail is still a priority for organizations, whose mobile workforces are up to 40 percent of the total employee base. Most midsize and large organizations in North America and Europe have deployed enterprise wireless e-mail already, but on average, for less than 5 percent of the workforce."
Wireless e-mail makes an individual's e-mail account accessible and usable via mobile networks on mobile devices, within a local client application or through a Web browser, through a software gateway connected to (or part of) the e-mail server.
An enterprise wireless e-mail deployment has a software gateway that is behind the corporate firewall, possibly connected through a network operations center (NOC) to a mobile client. Most products support Microsoft Exchange Server. IT administration, security and remote device management are supported to a different extent. A consumer wireless e-mail deployment has a software gateway that is deployed by carriers and service providers. The offline e-mail client on the device can be native or downloaded separately. Alternatively, a mobile browser connects to Internet e-mail accounts.
As wireless e-mail begins to integrate with social networking and collaboration, social networking is increasingly complementing e-mail for interpersonal business communications. Gartner predicts that by 2014, social networking services will replace e-mail as the primary vehicle for interpersonal communications for 20 percent of business users.
"People increasingly want to use mobile devices for collaboration to share content, information, and experiences with their communities," Ms. Basso said. "Social paradigms are converging with e-mail, instant messaging, voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP) and presence, creating new collaboration styles."
Cloud e-mail and collaboration services by Microsoft, IBM, Google and other players already include mobile support, but are very early in adoption. However, Gartner predicts that adoption will grow significantly in the next three to five years. In 2009, only 3 percent of e-mail accounts were in the cloud but by the end of 2012, that number will increase to 10 percent.
"Thanks to ease of access, the cloud will generate indirect competition in the wireless e-mail software market and will transform it in the long term," Ms. Basso said. "Cloud e-mail offerings from software and service players, such as Google's Gmail, will begin to be adopted, pulling wireless e-mail implementations into the cloud as well. Research In Motion and other wireless e-mail vendors will build partnerships with cloud providers to address their customers' cloud strategies. Through 2012, wireless e-mail products and services will be interchangeable, shipping in large volumes at reduced prices. Wireless e-mail will be highly commoditized and on any device. This commoditization will, in turn, drive standardization and price reductions on service bundles from mobile carriers."
Additional information regarding the wireless e-mail market is available in the Gartner reports "Collaboration and the Cloud Will Transform the Wireless E-Mail Market" on Gartner's website at
http://www.gartner.com/resId=1366945 , "Magic Quadrant for Enterprise Wireless E-Mail Software Market" at http://www.gartner.com/resId=1384349 , and "Critical Capabilities for Enterprise Wireless E-Mail Software at http://www.gartner.com/resId=1384335 .
Gartner, Inc. (NYSE: IT) is the world's leading information technology research and advisory company. Gartner delivers the technology-related insight necessary for its clients to make the right decisions, every day. From CIOs and senior information technology (IT) leaders in corporations and government agencies, to business leaders in high-tech and telecom enterprises and professional services firms, to supply chain professionals, digital marketing professionals and technology investors, Gartner is the valuable partner to clients in more than 10,000 distinct enterprises. Gartner works with clients to research, analyze and interpret the business of IT within the context of their individual roles. Gartner is headquartered in Stamford, Connecticut, U.S.A., and has almost 9,000 associates, including 1,900 research analysts and consultants, operating in more than 90 countries. For more information, visit www.gartner.com.
Comments or opinions expressed on this blog are those of the individual contributors only, and do not necessarily represent the views of Gartner, Inc. or its management. Readers may copy and redistribute blog postings on other blogs, or otherwise for private, non-commercial or journalistic purposes. This content may not be used for any other purposes in any other formats or media. The content on this blog is provided on an "as-is" basis. Gartner shall not be liable for any damages whatsoever arising out of the content or use of this blog. | 5,824 | 2,547 | 13,230.335296 |
warc | 201704 | Home Store Donate Media Resources Events Ministries Serving Arts About Account An Exercise Plan That Works
Could you count how many times have you heard the word "exercise" since the beginning of the year? Everybody wants to get busy exercising in January, but their drive starts to fizzle right around February 14th!
I am going to be honest here. I don’t like to exercise! I read a quote that said:
“If God wanted me to touch my toes, wouldn’t He have put them higher up on my body?” To that I say a big, “Amen!”
I see the fitness-minded folks zap by my house. They look real cute in their little jogging suits. They have a sports bottle in one hand, and an Ipod in the other. Sometimes they are even pushing a baby stroller with one knee! Now, that’s just showing off!!
Don’t get me wrong; I tried it once. I joined one of those health clubs. Didn’t lose a pound! Turns out, you have to show up!
Imagine how happy I was when The Lord told me at the beginning of this year that He wants to “stretch” me. That sounds a lot like exercise. You know how I feel about that!
The dictionary defines
stretch as to extend with excess. In Strongs' Concordance, stretched is: To prostrate, to bow down. Now that definition got my attention! That sounds like worship to me!
See, "excercise" isn't just that frenzy that happens when guilty people try to get rid of all those Christmas cookies they ate. "Exercise" really means to live a certain way: to strive for one's best. This is an exercise I must learn to practice daily!
There are lots of scriptures to teach us that God wants us to stretch, run, push, train, and grow in strength.
Psalms 19:5 (KJV) says:
Which is as a bridegroom coming out of his chamber, and rejoiceth as a strong man to run a race.
Hebrews 12:1 (KJV) says:
Wherefore seeing we also are compassed about with so great a cloud of witnesses, let us lay aside every weight, and the sin which so easily beset us, And let us run with patience the race that is set before us.
Physical exercise doesn’t excite me. Growing in my walk with the Lord does. I think people who do both are to be commended.
My husband and I moved to Ga. from N.C. a few months ago. One of the biggest decisions we had to make was where to attend church. The first time we went to a service at Gateway, we both knew we were home. I was asked why we chose Gateway as our church . We are sure there are a lot of great churches in this area. My answer is simple. I want to be challenged and stretched beyond where I am. I desire to grow.
It’s easy to get spiritually lazy. Seeing the heart and drive of the people at Gateway to serve in so many different needed areas of ministry has revived my desire to serve as unto The Lord!
Now this is an exercise plan that always gets the desired results. It’s time for me to get started.
Stretch one, two, three……….
~Connie Robinson | 2,966 | 1,594 | 5,308.656211 |
warc | 201704 | Ballot language sets tax rates for $950 million state education package
The group backing a proposed ballot question to raise taxes to fund public schools has settled on which measure it wants to place before voters in November.
Of the more than two dozen approved ballot titles on the same subject, each of which called for raising about $950 million for education in various ways, the group decided to push Initiative 22, which is a two-tiered approach.
Under it, Coloradans who earn $75,000 a year or less would pay a flat state income tax of 5 percent. Those who make more than that would pay a flat rate of 5.9 percent.
The state’s current flat income tax that everyone pays is 4.63 percent.
If passed, taxpayers who earn $75,000 a year would pay $277.50 a year more than they do now in income taxes.
“This measure is critical to driving economic well-being of both students and the state of Colorado in the future,” said Chad McWhinney, chief executive officer and founder of the McWhinney Development Company, a supporter of the ballot measure. “It’s a balanced plan that will make important improvements to our education-funding system while improving outcomes and accountability.”
The proposal would replace Amendment 23 passed by voters in 2000. That measure required increased funding to K-12 education by inflation plus population growth.
Instead, the new measure would require that 43 percent of all tax collections from the state go toward public schools, and that the proposed increase would supplement that funding, and not replace how the state funds schools.
Backers of the group, which now is calling itself Colorado Commits to Kids, said the recent recession has forced the state to cut more than $1 billion in school funding over the past four years, leaving Colorado at or near the bottom nationally when it comes to per-pupil funding, class sizes and teacher pay.
“It’s no secret that we need to invest more in education in Colorado if we want our students and state to have a bright economic future,” said Barbara Baumann, president of Cross Creek Energy Corp. and another supporter of the ballot measure. “The initiative will put high-quality teachers and principals in our schools and set students on a path to success.”
The group has until Aug. 5 to gather the 86,105 signatures needed to qualify the measure for the Nov. 5 ballot.
If the measure gets enough signatures to make the ballot, it would be known as Amendment 66.
If approved by voters, the measure would kick in a new school funding formula approved by the Colorado Legislature earlier this year that proponents say would guarantee that all school districts in the state receive more funding than they do now.
The new group created a campaign account with the Secretary of State’s Office, but has not yet revealed how much money it has collected to get the measure passed. Its first report is due July 1.
No opposition group has yet emerged, but the Colorado Republican Party released a statement Tuesday blaming Gov. John Hickenlooper and Democrats in the Legislature for trying to raise taxes.
“Most Coloradans would be shocked that Governor Hickenlooper and radical Democrats in the statehouse would fight to raise taxes on every Coloradan just as we are trying to emerge from one of the worst recessions in history,” Colorado Republican Committee Chairman Ryan Call said.
Last week, however, Hickenlooper said he was still undecided about whether he would back the measure. | 3,555 | 1,683 | 7,321.229947 |
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