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warc | 201704 | Welcome to December’s series on 31 Days of Giving on a Budget. In this series, I’ll be sharing inspiring stories from my readers and posts with practical ways to give — even on a limited income. If you have a Giving on a Budget story to share of a way you or your family has given to others this year or this holiday season, please email me your story and a picture to go along with it, if possible. I’d love to hear it and possibly share it during this series! Guest post from Desiré of When You Rise
Christmas can encourage generosity and goodwill in even the stingiest and grumpiest of people. But is can also breed selfishness and greed as well… especially in children.
Who can blame them? The holiday is so commercialized, that even adults can be left drooling while window shopping and feel guilted into “breaking the bank” in order to give the biggest and the best. It’s easy to lose sight of what Christmas is really about.
A while back, my husband and I decided to implement some Christmas traditions that would keep the birth of Jesus at the center of our celebration. One of them is to give our kids a gift the day after Thanksgiving that will help them celebrate the true meaning of Christmas all season long.
Jesus was not thinking of his own comfort and ease when he gave up the throne and came to earth as a human baby that first Christmas. His selfless love is both humbling and inspiring.
So this year, I thought it would be good to reinforce this spirit of generosity by trying to teach my kids its importance. We came up with a fun and frugal way to do this!
The day after Thanksgiving we are giving them a fun piggy bank that I got on clearance at Target last year after Christmas. A piggy bank certainly isn’t necessary. You could easily turn this into a fun, free craft project with your child! Just use an empty container and decorate it in Christmas colors. It doesn’t need to be fancy!
Here’s how we’re going to use it:
My 2 sons (2 years old and 4 years old) are going to do “jobs” for the next 3 weeks to earn money to put in their banks. They’ll help me sort laundry, dust, clean out the van, wash windows, and so on. Granted they are young, so these “jobs” might end up being more work for me, but I believe it’s a worthwhile lesson.
At the end of the 3 weeks, we’ll count up our money, make a list of recipients to buy gifts for, and head to the local dollar store. They will get to choose one item for each person on the list. My hope is that spending money that they’ve worked for will make the gift-giving all the sweeter and the lesson much more meaningful.
Don’t get me wrong, I
love to lavish my children with fun presents, but I also want to instill in them now, that this season is not all about them. My prayer is that teaching them generosity now will help them grasp the incredible and generous gift they have been given in the Savior. Desiré posts ideas for teaching kids of all ages the Bible and share some of the lessons God is teaching her along the way on this parenting journey at When You Rise. | 3,171 | 1,576 | 0.000661 |
warc | 201704 | Editor’s note: This is part three of a series of articles examining power deregulation issues in Mississippi.
Merchant power plants and peaking stations that provide electricity primarily during peak demand times, such as the hottest part of the summer and the coldest part of the winter, to the wholesale — not retail — market, are popping up all over Mississippi, particularly in the northern part of the state.
Good for Mississippi? Maybe. Maybe not.
“Merchant power plants are not regulated,” said Larry Daspit, manager of Entergy supply communications. “Its output is sold in the competitive market. A peaking plant is a merchant plant that is operated only during times of peak demand.”
Merchant power plants have no obligation to serve anyone in Mississippi, said Hobson Waites, executive vice president of EPAs of Mississippi.
“The plants were built to sell power wherever the companies could get the highest price and deliver the power,” he said. “Half the reason so many of them are being built in Mississippi is because they can deliver power cheaper from here than other places.”
Many merchant power plants are located in North Mississippi, primarily because of their location close to gas lines and easy access to TVA and Entergy lines. TVA was set up by Congress in 1933 to provide electric power and other services in the Tennessee Valley region. TVA provides wholesale power to 158 municipal and cooperative power distributors and directly serves 62 large industries and government installations.
“Merchant power plants are built on gas transmission lines,” Waites said. “If you look at gas line maps and power line maps, you can see that they cross all over Mississippi. The companies don’t have to go far to deliver the power to electrical grids. That’s why a lot of them are built and are being built around West Point, because the TVA has a large switching area there. That way, the merchant power plants can generate the power and put it on TVA for one fee and send power all the way to Virginia. If they were built in other places, they would have to build a lot of transmission lines and pay two or three fees to move the power around.”
Even though he would not elaborate, Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) chairman Curt Hebert Jr., a Pascagoula native, said the new merchant power plants “would provide long-term benefits.”
“Merchant plants, or peaking plants, give us another opportunity to purchase power in high-demand times,” said Checky Herrington, Entergy spokesman. Entergy owns Warren Power Project, a 300-megawatt simple cycle merchant peaking plant in Vicksburg.
This year, two companies have announced plans to build facilities in West Point near TVA’s West Point Station. In January, Dallas-based Panda Energy International announced that it would build a 1,300-megawatt station there. Last month, Arlington, Va.-based AES Enterprise, a subsidiary of a global power company with 160 plants in 23 countries, announced plans to build a $150-million, 500-megawatt facility in 2002.
Other energy companies that announced merchant power plants last year will began construction soon, including Kansas City-based Aquila Energy, a subsidiary of UtiliCorp United Inc. (NYSE: UCU), the second largest wholesaler of electric power and third-largest wholesaler of natural gas in North America. The company will begin construction in the spring on a $115-million power plant and transmission line in Clarksdale — the single largest investment in Coahoma County.
Even though the construction phase of merchant power plants creates an influx of construction jobs, the plants are highly efficient when operational, requiring very few people to operate. For example, when the Clarksdale project is complete by next summer, only half a dozen or so permanent engineer technicians will be employed.
The Mississippi PSC also reported that Duke Power is in pre-certification for a merchant generation plan at Enterprise.
Kurt Brautigam, spokesman for Mississippi Power, said The Southern Co., its parent company, is “positioning itself in the Southeast to be more involved with the wholesale market.”
“We have two new units coming on line this summer to our Jackson County facility — 25% has been carved out for wholesale load and 75% will go to our retail customers,” he said. “The Southern Co. is spinning off its wholesale generation side, which approaches the definition of merchant power producer. We still have to keep the regulated retail components of our business separate.”
Southern District Public Service Commissioner Michael Callahan cautioned against overbuilding merchant power plants.
“You have to realize that the lines were built for the megawatts within each company’s system, and when you load up those lines to move more and more megawatts over them, you strain the system,” he said. “That brings up the question of who’s going to pay to upgrade those systems? The merchant plants? The customers? Where does it come from? Right now, in Mississippi, it takes about a million dollars per mile for new transmission lines.”
Edd Jussley of Energy Consumers for Choice in Mississippi said the problem with merchant power plants in the state is that Mississippians can’t buy it retail.
“The electricity that merchant power plants generate will be bought at low rates by people outside the state,” he said. “If you and I could get access to that electricity, we’d get lower rates.”
Contact MBJ contributing writer Lynne Wilbanks Jeter at lwjeter@yahoo.com or (601) 853-3967. | 5,744 | 2,618 | 0.000398 |
warc | 201704 | What’s happening with Michigan oil and gas exploration? Gas and oil production may be down in Michigan, but there are still opportunities for landowners to earn income from mineral leases.
There was much excitement during 2011 about new oil and natural gas exploration in the United States, and with it the prospect of lower long-term reliance on foreign sources of energy. Pennsylvania, the center of dramatic natural gas drilling increases, saw a double-digit percentage rise.
Here in Michigan, 2011 was much more sedate. According to the Michigan Oil and Gas News, the state actually experienced a 16 percent decline in drilling activity compared to the previous year. Production, too, was down during the first half of the year (the most recent statistics available), with oil and natural gas declining five to six percent. There were bright spots in the state, especially in Jackson and Lenawee counties due to new oil discoveries in those areas.
Also in 2011, seven wells were dug into the Utica-Collingwood, the geologic formation that caused all the excitement (and concerns) during 2010. Those wells were or are planned to be developed using horizontal drilling and the controversial method of hydraulic fracturing (fracking). One well in Kalkaska County extended vertically approximately 8,500 feet and horizontally 8,200 feet. That horizontal leg was fracked in, reportedly, up to 30 stages. Initial test results are not public, but the Oil and Gas News reported that the Kalkaska County wells tested at “potentially commercial rates.”
So what does this mean for Michigan landowners? On the one hand, drilling and production is down in Michigan. On the other, national momentum toward increased domestic oil and gas production is strong. There are still very active landmen in the state purchasing oil and gas leases on private property and the potential exists for increasing drilling activity, even if not on the scale seen in Pennsylvania and other states. In many areas of the Lower Peninsula, landowners who own unleased mineral rights could be approached by oil and gas company representatives.
It is still very important for landowners to learn as much as they can before entering into oil and gas lease negotiation and to seek professional advice from an oil and gas attorney before signing a lease.
Additional oil and gas information is available at www.msue.msu.edu/oilandgas. | 2,420 | 1,199 | 0.000842 |
warc | 201704 | IITC Files Urgent Action to the UN CERD in Conjunction with Chief Theresa Spence and the Mushkegowuk People of Attawapiskat First Nation
For Immediate release
February 18, 2013: The 82nd Session of the United Nations Committee on the Elimination of Racial Discrimination (CERD) began today in Geneva Switzerland. Indigenous Peoples, the Canadian government and the world will be paying close attention to the CERD’s consideration of a submission from the International Indian Treaty Council (IITC) and the Mushkegowuk People of Attawapiskat First Nation in Canada filed last week under the CERD’s Early Warning and Urgent Action Procedures.
The Urgent Action filing focuses on the urgent violations of Treaties and Aboriginal rights by the Canadian Government through the adoption of two omnibus budget bills, Bill C-38 and C-45. These bills were passed in June and December 2012 without the Free Prior and Informed Consent or any consultation with Indigenous Nations in Canada. The filing also addresses two other unresolved urgent issues raised during the periodic review of Canada at the 80th Session of the CERD in February of 2012 — the ongoing lack of safe drinking water for First Nations and the critical housing crisis faced by Attawapiskat First Nation. The CERD, in its Concluding Observations addressing Canada issued on March 9th, 2012 [CERD/C/CAN/CO/19-20] requested that the Canadian government provide them with a report within one year as to their “progress and results” in addressing these urgent situations. To date they have failed to do so.
In response to these urgent and continuing legislative, Treaty and human rights violations against the Indigenous Nations in Canada, Chief Theresa Spence of Attawapiskat First Nation began a 45-day hunger strike (lasting from December 11, 2012 until January 23, 2012) and the “Idle No More” movement, still sweeping the country and the world, was sparked.
In explaining why she asked IITC to assist the Mushkegowuk People of Attawapiskat First Nation to make an urgent submission to an international human rights body, Chief Spence asked: “How could the Crown and the Governor General close their eyes to the blatant violations of Treaty? We are giving them the opportunity to correct those actions and move forward in the true spirit and intent of Treaty, and they [the Canadian Government] cannot even meet us halfway. In fact, they respond to us as though we are committing a criminal act for demanding the fulfillment and implementation of our rights — this is discrimination.”
The 18-member CERD is the Treaty Monitoring Body for the International Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Racial Discrimination (ICERD), one of 9 legally-binding International Human Rights Treaties within the United Nations system. The CERD is responsible for periodically reviewing the compliance of the 175 countries (“State parties”) which have ratified it, which includes Canada.
The Urgent Action and Early Warning Procedures allow the CERD to analyze and assess critical situations that may require urgent action outside the regular country reviews. The guidelines for the application of these Procedures include: (a) Presence of a significant and persistent pattern of racial discrimination, as evidenced in social and economic indicators; (c) Adoption of new discriminatory legislation; (h) Encroachment on the traditional lands of indigenous peoples or forced removal of these peoples from their lands, in particular for the purpose of exploitation of natural resources; and (i) Polluting or hazardous activities that reflect a pattern of racial discrimination with substantial harm to specific groups.
The submission filed jointly by IITC and the Mushkegowuk People of Attawapiskat First Nation addresses all of these areas of concerns.
Ron Lameman of Beaver Lake Cree Nation, represents Treaty No. 6 on IITC’s Board of Directors. He expressed the importance of this submission and the issues it addresses for the all Indigenous Peoples in Canada:
The submission to the Urgent Action procedure of the CERD initiated by Chief Spence and the Mushkegowuk People of Attawapiskat First Nation through the IITC is indeed crucial and timely due to genocidal legislative agenda of the Stephan Harper conservative government. The non stop right wing and racist policies of this government have awakened a “Sleeping Giant” as demonstrated by the “idle no More” movement, which was inspired in part by the courageous actions of Chief Spence and the other spiritual fasters. The world needs to know of the total disregard shown by this government towards the Indigenous Peoples of this part of great Turtle Island. When you disregard the sacred Treaties and continue to disrespect our Mother Earth and all of creation including the sacred water which sustains all life on the planet, there is no way that the indigenous Peoples can stand back and do nothing. What has happened until now is only the beginning. As stated by the elders and leaders of today “unless the governments and industry slow down, step back and listen to the young people and the Peoples of the land, things could get a lot worse before they get better.”
The entire submission by IITC and the Mushkegowuk People of Attawapiskat First Nation is posted on the website of iiTC: http://treatycouncil.org/PDF/IITC-Mushkegowuk-UA2013-FINAL.pdf.
The CERD’s recommendations to Canada and/or requests for additional information are expected to be posted on the CERD web page: http://svww2.ohchr.oreenglish/bodies/cerd/early-warninR.htm
For more information contact:
Danika Uttlechild, Legal Counsel, International Indian Treaty Council: +1-780-312-0246, danika@treatycouncil.org
Danny Metatewabin, Mushkegowuk People of Attawapiskat First Nation: +1-705-360-0231 | 5,895 | 2,659 | 0.000384 |
warc | 201704 | In Ithaca, New York, a virtual machine in a laboratory at the Cornell Lab of Ornithology sits in the night, humming. The machine’s name is Bubo, after the genus for horned owls. About every five minutes, Bubo grabs an image from Northeast weather radar stations, and feeds it through a pipeline of artificial-intelligence algorithms. What does this radar image show me? Bubo asks. Is it rain? Are these insects? Could it be pollen? Bubo doesn’t care about those things; all it wants to see are birds in flight. To find them, Bubo analyzes the velocity and direction of targets seen by the radar station. Bubo knows birds have a velocity different from wind and insects, and filters those out. Now Bubo sees only birds. But how dense are they? How fast are they going? How high in the sky are they flying? The machine makes these calculations and creates an image of countless birds in flight, traveling under cover of darkness.
“If we could see at night, we would see millions of birds flying overhead,” says Thomas Dietterich, a professor of computer science at Oregon State University, who works with the Cornell Lab of Ornithology. Black-chinned hummingbirds fly along the Mexican coast on their way to Alaska. Yellow-throated vireos soar over the Gulf Coast, headed to Ontario. Olive-and-yellow flycatchers sail across Central America, bound for the Northwest Territories. “It’s just so awe-inspiring that there’s this huge, secret thing happening that we’re unaware of.”
Scientists have long sought to penetrate the secrets of bird migrations. They have illuminated the remarkable means by which birds find their way across the globe. These include birds’ cognitive maps of terrain and continents, and mechanisms in their eyes that detect the earth’s magnetic poles and orient flight direction.
Andrew Farnsworth, a research associate at the Cornell Lab of Ornithology’s Information Science department, wants to understand bird migrations beyond biology. He’s after the big picture. “How does migration function within a larger ecosystem?” he asks. “What does it mean when ecosystems change?”
For the past four years, Farnsworth and his colleagues, a group of ecologists, statisticians, computer scientists, and a meteorologist, have been working on a project called BirdCast, leading to the machine learning of Bubo, to uncover the secrets of migration. Some of these secrets are contained within the estimated 100 million weather radar scans taken over the last 20 years and archived by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. Others are within tens of millions of bird sightings reported every year on eBird, an online platform where bird watchers around the world log species-specific observations. And still more are in the thousands of hours of nighttime birdcalls recorded by acoustic monitoring devices scattered around the country.
Ornithologists working for Britain’s war effort guessed the objects were birds but few people believed it—they didn’t think birds would fly at night.
With BirdCast, the Big Data revolution meets wildlife conservation. Imagine municipalities that turn lights off in advance of approaching birds so as not to disorient them, or areas where birds stop to rest and feed during the day that are protected from pesticides and wind turbines. “Most traditional conservation is setting aside particular areas; it’s static,” says Farnsworth. “This is becoming the age of more dynamic conservation. How can we change our behavior before something happens?” This predictive ability could help conservationists mitigate threats to birds from sprawl, development, and environmental changes wrought by climate change. But first, says Dietterich, “we need to have much better models of where birds are going and what paths they are following.”
Before radar, few people knew much about nocturnal migrations. In the 1930s, militaries on both sides of the Atlantic raced to develop technology that would give them advance warning of enemy aircraft. Weather radars send out bursts of radio waves, called pulses, that bounce off objects in the atmosphere. The radar calculates the shape and distance of an object based on the speed and power of the returning echo. Radar turned out to be capable of detecting Heinkels and Messerschmitts and weather fronts. But other objects moving in the atmosphere eluded categorization. The British military’s radar operators called the mysterious objects angels and the Germans called them Scheinziele, “spurious echoes.” Whatever they were, they had been creating havoc for everyone, sending men to battle stations and chasing after ghost planes. Ornithologists working for Britain’s war effort guessed the objects were birds but few people believed it—they didn’t think birds would fly at night.
In the years following World War II, one of the pioneers of the field called radar ornithology was a kid in New Orleans. Sidney Gauthreaux’s hometown was in the pathway of one of the busiest migration corridors in North America. The most direct route for species returning from winter grounds in the Caribbean, South America, and Central America is over the Gulf of Mexico, which they cross in a single trip—400 to 600 miles—to make landfall. As a child, Gauthreaux lay awake at night listening to the flight calls in the dark outside his bedroom. “My career has been devoted to understanding what’s happening in the atmosphere at night because we can’t see it,” Gauthreaux says today.
When Gauthreaux was in high school in the 1950s, the first modern weather radar system was installed along the Gulf, part of a national network of 50 stations called WSR-57. If the stations were sensitive enough to detect raindrops, Gauthreaux thought, shouldn’t they pick up moisture on the bodies of the birds he heard in the night? He got his hands on radar images and could see clouds of snowy masses that he knew had to be birds. The discovery fueled Gauthreaux’s passion for bird migration, and in the late 1970s he built the first mobile radar lab for bird studies.
In 1990, Gauthreaux founded the Radar Ornithology Laboratory at Clemson University, around the same period the national weather system was upgraded. The weather system consisted of 159 stations that emitted microwave energy to capture the density of targets, and used Doppler to record radial velocity (the speed at which a target is approaching or departing from the radar beam) and direction. Radar data from the network, called WSR-88D, allowed ornithologists to not only estimate how many birds were in flight, but at what speed and direction they were heading.
The problem of predicting migration is it involves potentially billions of birds making individual decisions about whether to fly that night and where to go.
In 1999, one of Gauthreaux’s graduate students was Farnsworth, who focused his master’s thesis on the correlation between nocturnal flight calls and the density of birds recorded by radar. The work required a formidable amount of time and effort. Farnsworth had to listen to hours of recorded flight calls, and manually categorize each radar image after distinguishing between weather, insects, bats, and birds—an expert skill that required a lot of practice. For his thesis, Farnsworth analyzed changes in hour-to-hour bird density and bird vocalizations from 556 hours over 58 nights. It took him eight months.
In 2000, with funding from the Environmental Protection Agency, the precursor to BirdCast was born in a collaboration that included the Radar Ornithology Lab at Clemson, Cornell’s Lab of Ornithology, and the National Audubon Society. The goal was to forecast bird migrations for the mid-Atlantic corridor, based on radar scans and weather forecasts, as well as on sightings amassed by citizen scientists. The project, which demanded incredible amounts of human and financial resources, ended after two years. “The connectivity of the world was not at a place where this idea was practical,” Farnsworth says. “It was pre-Big Data, the whole idea of citizen science had not exploded.”
By 2011, the context had changed. If the original BirdCast couldn’t grow because of human constraints, the scientists decided to take humans out of the loop. The challenge was whether an artificial intelligence model could acquire the expertise required to analyze radar images, not only by discriminating between weather, insects, and birds, but inferring the velocities and direction of migrating birds at different elevations. If it could, petabytes of historical data would become available for study, as well as the possibility of tracking migrating birds quickly and efficiently in near real-time at both regional and national scales. With funding from the National Science Foundation, the nascent BirdCast team, joined by Daniel Sheldon, an assistant professor in computer science at the University of Massachusetts, Amherst, got down to work and Bubo was hatched.
Now, every night, Bubo downloads data from 17 radar stations as well as weather data that will help it distinguish birds from wind and precipitation. Bubo’s method is derived from one used by meteorologists to profile wind direction and speed through radar, but it has a novel feature to deal with the problem of “aliasing.” Aliasing occurs because WSR-88D’s radars can’t calculate radial velocities above a certain amount, and these errors can distort the scans, showing objects above a certain speed as moving outbound from the radar station rather than inbound and vice versa. Aliasing isn’t new but Sheldon and his BirdCast colleagues came up with a new approach by developing a probabilistic model that accounts for aliasing in the radial velocity values, and writing an inference algorithm to reconstruct a complete velocity field. In 2013, the innovations earned the team a best paper award from the Association for the Advancement of Artificial Intelligence. Bubo’s machine learning pipeline can analyze a radar image in 17 seconds, and a night’s worth of images in less than an hour.
“We know birds fly south in the fall and north in the spring,” says Jeffrey Buler, an assistant professor of wildlife ecology at the University of Delaware, who uses radar data to study bird migration, though is not a member of BirdCast. “Now we have a way to directly observe these things and ask nuanced questions. What’s also nice about the work they’re doing is they are starting to tap into the potential of the radar archive.”
Bubo has been in operation since May and won’t generate data for an entire migration period until this fall. But the BirdCast team has begun to analyze historical data, including nearly 40,000 radar scans from the northeastern United States from two fall migrations in 2010 and 2011. The study shows that birds migrating inter-continentally over the Atlantic leave earlier and use a different route than intra-continental migrants coming later. Findings like these could help biologists understand how climate change is affecting migrant species, something Gauthreaux has been researching at Clemson University. His preliminary findings have led him to believe that whereas shorter-distance migrants are responding to seasonality changes in recent decades, long-distance species aren’t changing their timetables. “The consequences are that these species may be out of sync with the production of food and breeding grounds,” Gauthreaux says. “Initially that could result in fairly dramatic population decline. And for species that aren’t very healthy that could mean extinction: The population could get so low that they couldn’t adapt and the species would blink out.”
As Bubo collects data, BirdCast is preparing to expand two other artificial intelligence experiments. The first uses machine learning algorithms to identify nocturnal flight calls of migrating birds that are recorded by acoustic devices. So far, there are 10 devices in New York state, each equipped with a detector that screens for flight calls. The calls are uploaded to a central server, where they are processed by an algorithm that can identify six different bird species with 95 percent accuracy. “It’s one of the first times we’ve been able to train machines to automatically detect and identify a bird by the sound it makes,” says Steve Kelling, director of information science at the Cornell Lab of Ornithology.
Second, BirdCast will begin testing a statistical model to use eBird data to predict bird migrations one to two days before they happen. Since it launched in 2002, eBird has become an impressive source of citizen-generated data. Amateur bird watchers, many using the eBird app, report millions of sightings each month. In February of 2015, during a four-day global bird count, over 140,000 people from 100 countries submitted sightings to eBird. All that data, though, presents a challenge. The problem of predicting migration, Dietterich explains, is migration involves potentially billions of birds making individual decisions about whether to fly that night and where to go. If a computer had to consider all of these variables, it would be computationally intractable. Sheldon’s breakthrough was a “Collective Graphical Model.” Instead of including a variable for every member of the bird population, the Collective Graphical Model avoids reasoning about individuals and focuses on groups, using an algorithm to infer how many birds migrate from one spot to another. “It sounds obvious but the breakthrough was to realize that the probability model can lift from individual to aggregate,” Sheldon says.
For BirdCast, the grail is creating a model that integrates data from all three streams—radar, acoustic, and eBird. The model could test hypotheses about the forces shaping migration, revealing relationships between migration and the atmosphere that currently elude our perception. These are insights, Farnsworth says, that can’t come soon enough. “There are some fundamental natural history questions to which we don’t know answers,” he says. “What does it mean when things start to change? Patterns in the jet stream? Polar vortex? Changes in the atmosphere over broad scales of space? These are the sorts of things that we’re right on the tip of understanding.”
M.R. O’Connor is a journalist based in Brooklyn whose first book Resurrection Science: Conservation, De-Extinction and the Precarious Future of Wild Things will be published in September. Photocollage compiled from images from Richard Bartz, Paul Souders, and Michael J. Bennett. | 14,969 | 6,543 | 0.000158 |
warc | 201704 | 3.5. Multi-Fractals
The power-law nature of the two-point and higher order correlation functions on small scales is suggestive of some kind of scaling behaviour, at least in the range of scales where the power law is observed. The simplest structure that has such scaling properties is the simple fractal, first studied in this context by Efstathiou, Fall and Hogan (1979). Martínez and Jones (1990) have since shown that even in this apparent scaling regime, the distribution of galaxies is significantly more complex.
If the structure is not that of a simple fractal, what might it be?Jones et al (1988)have suggested that it may be
Multifractal - thatis, a distribution which over a certain range of scales can becharacterized by a set of dimensions rather than just onedimension. There is scaling, albeit of a rather complex kind.
The multifractal description of the clustering process goes beyondthe two-point correlation function, encapsulating all high ordercorrelation functions in one function,
D q. The powerof the technique has been demonstrated byMartínez etal. (1990) who examine thescaling structure of a number of well known clustering models andprovide a variety of algorithms for calculating the dimensionalityfunction D q. The simplest of these is from theformulae for what is in fact the Renyi dimensions of the point set:
(59)
Here,
n i( r) is the count of particles in theith cell of size r, and N is the total number of particles in all cells. There is atechnical problem involved in taking the limit in a discrete sample asthe cell size goes to 0.
In practise, box counting methods of determining dimensions are rather inefficient and tend to be dominated by shot noise. Van de Weygaert, Jones and Martínez (1991) have shown how to use the minimal spanning tree construct to calculate these dimensions with considerably fewer points than would be required by standard box counting methods.
The function
D q is related to the moment generatingfunction, m q( r) of the clustering distribution. The relationship is
(60)
Hence each
D q encapsulates the information containedin the statistical moments of the distribution of the point set. The factthat in general one can in principle translate between the moments andthe dimensions means that they contain the same information, thoughthe information is presented in a different way. It is arguable that D - q has a more immediate physical appeal.
The simplest application of the method is to compare the Hausdorfdimension,
D 0, with the Correlation Dimension, D 2. Applying this to the ZCAT redshift catalogue givesvalues
(61)
This leads to the strong conclusion that the universe is not a simplefractal characterized by one dimension. The value of
D 0 indicates that the characteristic structures are sheet-like rather thanfilament-like. The value of D 2 is just 3 - where = 1.8 isthe slope of the two-point correlation function. | 2,935 | 1,392 | 0.000727 |
warc | 201704 | Some happy news is always a good way to kick off the weekend.
Fairfield County officials gathered at the county treasurer’s office Jan. 15 to meet with representatives of the V.C. Summer Nuclear Plant – and receive a check for $23.4 million.If my local nuclear facility wanted to hand mea few million dollars, that would be a-ok, but this actually speaks to one of the major benefits of having a power plant in the neighborhood. “We are very pleased that V.C. Summer Nuclear Station continues to be a major contributor to the local economy through property taxes that support schools, roads, and critical public services for the residents of Fairfield County,” said Dan Gatlin, vice president of Nuclear Operations at V.C. Summer.The article doesn’t say, but I wager Summer is one of the larger employers in Fairfield County, so it has value beyond paying property taxes. And beyond property taxes and employment opportunities, Summer also provides a economic root system for all kinds of offshoot businesses in Fairfield and neighboring South Carolina counties – and I don’t just mean nuclear parts manufacturing. Think eateries and office supplies and businesses that cater to a larger, more diverse population. Fairfield County Superintendent of Schools J.R. Green was on hand for the ceremony since a large portion of the tax dollars — $12,878,000 — funds education in the county. Just over $20,000 is allocated to the towns of Ridgeway and Winnsboro, combined. Just over $7.7 million goes into the county general fund. Other funding supports the county EMS, fire department and county library.That $20,000 for two towns could use a little more explanation – seems stingy – but it may be that the county handles most of the general needs for those towns. And if the country improves its infrastructure with increased property taxes, it improves its appeal to other companies that might want to come out their way and set up shop. That nuclear power facility is a good in itself, but it also helps the human ecosystem of an area.
The story skirts around it a bit, but the financial and employment opportunities are only going to get better, as SCANA builds two more reactors at Summer (Nuclear Street has some nice pictures of the construction). That’s a lot of building employment up front and then staffing afterward. So Fairfield County did well in 2012 – but that’s nothing compared to the rest of this decade and beyond.
We’ve made this argument before about nuclear energy plants – that they can represent economic bonanzas for their communities – but it’s really nice to see this demonstrated in a local newspaper – in this case, the Herald Independent, which covers the whole county.
When people want to change direction in energy policy – say, from coal to wind or away from nuclear energy – they do it without thinking of the actual human consequence. But there
isconsequence – and in a place like Fairfield County, but really anywhere, it would be severe. | 3,086 | 1,519 | 0.000684 |
warc | 201704 | Traducción al español
REDWOOD CITY, Calif. —Cecilia, an undocumented Mexican immigrant, never anticipated that her life in the United States would turn into a real-world telenovela, the popular Spanish language dramas.
A few years ago she married a U.S. citizen who soon started to mistreat her. He later filed for divorce without telling her, but then the couple reconciled and got remarried. Then he was diagnosed with terminal cancer. Before he died, he told his wife that he wanted to help her regularize her immigration status.
That’s when Cecilia, who declined to give her real name, decided to seek out legal advice from an acquaintance. The individual charged her $2,500 but never filed her immigration case. Today she is still undocumented.
Scams on the rise Notaries are not immigration attorneys Vanessa Sandoval, program director with Services, Immigrant Rights and Education Network (SIREN) in San Jose, says undocumented immigrants have to take heed when using notaries to complete immigration work. Why aren’t notaries a good alternative to immigration attorneys? They do not have a degree to practice law and they do not have the legal right to offer those services. What they are doing is taking money from people offering services they are not qualified to perform. The result, in many cases, is deportation. How do you determine whether someone is qualified to help with immigration work? In the United States, practicing attorneys - those licensed by the American Bar Association or the State Bar Association - and non-profit organizations certified by the Board of Immigration Appeals have the right to offer legal services. No one else. What recourse is there for victims of immigration fraud? The first thing to do is report the person to the proper authorities. There are dedicated attorneys at the DA’s office focused on investigating fraud cases. You can also report that notary directly to Immigration or file a civil suit. Where should immigrants look first for help? Start with non-profit organizations. In San Jose, there are more than seven organizations certified by the Board of Immigration Appeals that offer this type of service. If an organization does not have the capacity to help, it can offer recommendations for private attorneys. For more information about SIREN, please visit siren-bayarea.org.
San Francisco District Attorney George Gascón says his office has seen an uptick in the number of complaints from immigrants victimized by such fraud.
"The conversation in the street is that there is more activity [around fraud],” Gascón said. He added the activity correlates to an increase in talk about the possibility of immigration reform. Scam artists, he says, advertise their services whenever talk of immigration reform hits the news.
As it did in 2013. In October of that year, Gascón’s office, in partnership with community organizations in San Francisco, launched a campaign to raise awareness about immigration fraud. The multilingual campaign in English, Spanish and Chinese aims to educate immigrants about how to make sure their immigration consultant is licensed.
“This is not a new problem,” Gascón told a crowd at the launch of the campaign. “The best way to protect you and your family from being victimized is through prevention and education. Be a savvy consumer and beware of scammers who take all your money by overstating their ability to perform immigration work.”
Fraud unreported
When Cecilia consulted with an immigration attorney, she found out that U.S. Citizen and Immigration Services (USCIS) had no record of her case.
Cecilia believes the woman, who allegedly offers tax services and hosts a local Spanish-language radio program, never sent in her application. When she asked her to give back her original documents (her birth and marriage certificates and her husband's passport) the woman said that she had lost them.
Cecilia admits, however, that she hasn’t reported the woman to the authorities, because she "didn't want any more problems."
According to Gascón, very few of these cases ever make it into his office, making it a difficult crime to prosecute. Victims, he said, are often afraid of going to the authorities, or they are still hopeful that their application will go through. Some simply don’t see any point in reporting fraud.
Getting help from community organizations
In most Latin American countries the term “notario” means lawyer. But in the United States, a notary just means someone who is licensed by the state to witness and sign documents.
"Notaries can't represent a person in court, they can't assist them in a formal legal process; they can only fill out forms. But anyone can fill out a form," said Diana Otero, coordinator of the immigration program at Catholic Charities of San Mateo. She says immigrants need to get help from attorneys or qualified people that know how to deal with the immigration process.
"To know if a person qualifies for an immigration benefit requires many years of experience, a lot of knowledge,” said Otero. “These [individuals] have no idea of the great harm they are doing to our community."
Gascón added that Latino immigrants aren’t the only target for this type of scam. Similar incidents occur within Asian communities.
Still, many immigrants may not be aware of the risks, said Vanessa Sandoval, program director with SIREN (Services, Immigrant Rights and Education Network) in San Jose.
"People have to be attentive, because immigration cases are very serious and they have severe consequences,” said Sandoval. “If a person applies for a benefit they do not qualify for, [that] can result in a deportation."
Sandoval offered some advice to help people avoid being a victim of fraud.
"If you go to a place where they tell you: 'We can help you with your taxes, we can help you with a trip to Europe and also if you want, we could help you with your immigration case,’” she said, “that should be a red flag … Get as far away as you can from there.”
For more information and resources to avoid immigration fraud, go to www.uscis.gov, which also offers information in Spanish. If you have questions about possible fraud, please call the San Francisco District Attorney’s Office: 415-551-9595.
If you have questions about possible fraud, please call the San Francisco District Attorney’s Office: 415-551-9595. | 6,550 | 2,929 | 0.000352 |
warc | 201704 | MANILA - Malacanang assured agrarian reform advocates that land reform will continue despite the lapse of the Comprehensive Agrarian Reform Law on Monday.
Presidential Spokesman Edwin Lacierda, however, said that when it comes to President Aquino’s family-owned Hacienda Luisita in Tarlac, there are snags in the distribution as pointed out by some farmers groups.
“It has been covered. We have started… We have started distribution… Let me check but it has been covered. There has been no… We have started to… Nagawa na ‘yung mga mohon. Ang nangyari kasi, some groups wanted the groups themselves to have the titles in their names. DAR (Department of Agrarian Reform) said ‘no, you can’t do that’. We have to give the CLOA (Certificate of Land Ownership Award) to each and every individual farmer. So that is what we are doing right now, the process of titling the CLOA (Certificate of Land Ownership Award) to specific farmers.
Lacierda could not immediately give details as to how many Luisita parts have been given to farmers. “We will give you the details. I’ll give the details. ‘Yon ang commitment, 2016. That is under the law as well.”
Lacierda, later on, explained that so far, over 6,000 farmer-beneficiaries have received farmlands from Luisita. These comprise the part of the hacienda covered by a Supreme Court ruling. Another part of the hacienda has been issued a notice of coverage and is undergoing processing.
Lacierda dismissed calls for Agrarian Reform Secretary Virgilio delos Reyes to be removed from his office.
“‘Yung sa CARPER [CARP extension with reforms[ po, nasabi na po ni Secretary Gil de los Reyes, patuloy po ang land distribution. So the end of CARPER does not mean the end of land distribution. We are in the process of distributing lands based on those properties, based on those land holdings that have been issued Notices of Coverage. So hindi po...Patuloy po ‘yan. We want to assure our farmers that land distribution continues.”
Lacierda added, “Mahirap po talaga ang trabaho ng isang kalihim ng agraryong pang-reporma kasi dalawa ang stakeholders mo na who are seemingly in contradiction with each other. One are the farmers who would certainly love to acquire the farms; and one are the land holders who would like to make sure that if they do part with it, there is just compensation. So these are two forces that the Department of Agrarian Reform has to balance in the light of the CARPER LAW; that there is a mandate to distribute lands but how we go about doing that may not necessarily be satisfactory to either the farmers, the farmer groups, and either to the land holders.
"We have gone down… The early part of CARP, ang kina-CARP kasi natin ‘yung mga huge government holdings na walang problema sa taumbayan because these are government lands. Pwedeng kunin kaagad. We are now going through land holdings which are owned by private individuals na talagang there will expectedly be resistance. And so, there was dissatisfaction na bakit sa panig ng mga magsasaka, bakit ang tagal-tagal, bakit hindi inaayos. Sa panig naman ng mga land owners, teka, tama ba ‘yung ginagagawa ninyo? Tama ba ‘yung just compensation. So may ganoong klaseng conflict kaya mahirap talaga ang trabaho niya. But na-mandate na po ni… Si Secretary Gil de los Reyes has been committed to pursuing and to issue Notices of Coverage. In fact, naka-issue siya until today, last day na ngayon ng issuance of Notice of Coverage. But, yes, there has been significant improvements on the amount of land holdings being covered by CARP.”
Farmers led by the peasant group Kilusang Magbubukid ng Pilipinas (KMP), Pambansang Lakas ng Kilusang Mamamalakaya ng Pilipinas (PAMALAKAYA) and Anakpawis party list marched from the Department of Agrarian Reform in Quezon City to the historic Mendiola Bridge in Manila demanding for a new and genuine land reform program.
“The bogus CARP is dead and it’s a total failure. Vast haciendas remain intact, under the control of big landlords and agri-businesses, and the Filipino peasantry are still landless,” said KMP chair Rafael Mariano.
Kabataan party-list Rep. Terry Ridon claimed that President Benigno Aquino III and his allies in Congress prove to be the “greatest hindrance to genuine land reform.”
“Today, the 26-year-old agrarian reform program will draw to a close, yet millions of tillers in the country have yet to glimpse their happy ending,” Kabataan Partylist Rep. Terry Ridon said.
Even pro-administration Akbayan party-list, for its part, reiterated the importance of ensuring the continuity of the land reform program under Republic Act 9700.
Under RA 9700 or CARP extension with reforms (CARPER), the government is given until June 30, 2014 to implement CARP. | 4,904 | 2,304 | 0.00045 |
warc | 201704 | By Mark Doyle
BBC World Affairs Correspondent
Rubber is a key resource, but Liberia remains poor
A few miles outside Monrovia, capital of the west African state of Liberia, the humid scrubland gives way to seemingly endless vistas of tall, geometrically spaced rubber trees.
This is one of the largest rubber plantations in the world.
Drive on, and after a few hours you will find yourself in deep virgin forest full of tropical hardwoods.
It is the largest remaining portion of the once-great Upper Guinea Forest, which used to spread across west Africa.
Look carefully through the forest cover and you will find miners panning for gold and diamonds.
Soon enough, you will then come across a railway that was built solely for the evacuation of iron ore.
It leads to a vast iron-ore mountain range in the north of the country that is currently being rehabilitated with a $1bn investment.
Welcome to a resource-rich, but still dirt-poor Liberia.
A new report has highlighted the economic dangers facing countries that rely heavily on the export of raw materials.
The report concentrates on Liberia, but other economists say it highlights a problem prevalent in countries as diverse as Venezuela, Burma and Russia.
The study of Liberia - by the Canadian lobby group Partnership Africa Canada and a group of Liberian lawyers called Green Advocates - looks at the country's history of plantation-style and mining-camp exploitation of tropical timber, rubber and minerals.
It concludes that the raw materials sector requires a major re-organisation so that more of the population has a stake in it.
And it warns that Liberia has an urgent, once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to address this issue, with its first democratically-elected government protected by a temporary United Nations peacekeeping force.
Elites
At first glance Liberia's overwhelming problem has been its war.
But the authors of the new report - called Land Grabbing and Land Reform - say there is a wider problem.
They argue that the raw materials sector has been organised almost exclusively to benefit a wealthy elite.
Ordinary people have not seen resources turn into schools
Ordinary people saw the resources vanish - the trees being chopped down, for example - but did not see schools and hospitals coming back in return.
Liberia's modern-day economy was developed and exploited by expatriates and the small elite of "Americo-Liberian" freed slaves who colonised the country in the 19th Century and ended up dominating the indigenous Africans.
"The elites and the government structures they erected," the report says, "came to be seen as illegitimate, engendering first resentment, and in time hatred.
"The support given by rural youth to several of the militia groups early in the civil war," the authors write, "is testimony to this fact."
In this sense, the war was not the cause of the poverty of Liberia but a consequence of it, and the reliance on the export of raw materials was a factor in creating that poverty.
Some economists go further, saying the endowment of natural resources in both poor and middle-income countries is one of the "traps" that prevents them from growing as rich as developed nations.
North Sea oil became a "disease" for the Dutch economy
In his recently-published book The Bottom Billion, British economist Paul Collier argues that resource riches are rarely a path to sustained growth - except perhaps in places with a low population and massive windfall wealth such as the Gulf oil states.
More typical examples of the so-called "resource curse" are in countries like Nigeria, Venezuela or Russia.
Here, oil and gas resources - relatively easy pickings for the governments and elites - have "crowded out" the potential for economic growth brought about by manufacturing or service industries that have created so many jobs in countries like China and India.
Economists have a term for this crowding-out. They call it "the Dutch disease" after the effects of North Sea oil on the Dutch economy.
"It goes like this," explains Mr Collier. "The resource exports cause the country's currency to rise in value against other currencies. This makes the country's other export activities uncompetitive."
Yet these other activities - manufacturing for export, for example - might have been the best vehicles for sustained economic growth.
The volatility of prices of other raw material exports from poorer countries - especially but not exclusively in Africa - is also not conducive to long term investment and growth.
Clear link
Paul Collier argues that resource wealth can also be a curse because it induces autocracy by allowing elites to buy their way into power.
But, he says, countries end up in a "resource trap" which does not generate the sustained income growth and security that can promote democratic accountability.
Liberian communities benefit little from diamonds, the report says
"Many of the middle-income, resource-rich societies," the economist writes, "notably Russia, Venezuela and countries in the Middle East, could well be caught in [this trap]."
The report on Liberia says there remains a clear link between the country's natural resources and possible future conflict.
"The fighting... ceased only in 2003 with the departure of Charles Taylor and the arrival of UN forces," the report says, adding: "The peace however remains fragile, threatened... most importantly, by the unresolved issue of who will exploit and who will benefit from Liberia's natural resources."
On diamonds - the proceeds from which fuelled the wars in Liberia and neighbouring Sierra Leone - the report says there has been little effort by the government to make the gems benefit local communities or the artisanal miners themselves.
It says the ministry of lands, mines and energy "has resisted engaging with civil society".
This attitude, say the authors, is in sharp contrast to the forestry sector where there has been wider consultation on how to reverse the illegal logging operations conducted by foreign companies working under the umbrella of Charles Taylor's government.
But the report warns that despite this there is a danger that the huge pressure to give viable employment to ex-combatants from the war has led to commercial logging, once again, being given priority over long term sustainable community forestry.
This highlights the dilemma of the government of Liberia. In the short term it has an urgent need to find jobs for hundreds of thousands of unemployed young people. Many of the men among them participated in the war.
The government feels pressure to get industries up and running immediately. But there is a danger, the report says, that many of the elite "see the return of peace as simply a chance to return to business as usual, an opportunity to recreate the Liberia they and their forebears knew, and exploited, for more than a century".
On rubber, the report says the big plantations in Liberia have been extracting raw rubber for more than 70 years but have "so far not manufactured so much as a single rubber band in the country".
It says a far-sighted review of the industry could begin a long-delayed shift to secondary processing and manufacturing.
The report recommends that the government of Liberia should hold a wide-ranging nationwide debate on the future of the country's natural resources that begins with local consultations and culminates with a national conference chaired by the president. | 7,520 | 3,472 | 0.000292 |
warc | 201704 | The libel laws affect publications on sale in England
Urgent action is needed to reform out-of-date libel laws which restrict free speech in publications on sale in England, campaigners say.
English PEN and Index on Censorship say the strict laws are used by wealthy foreign individuals to "bully people who try to hold them to account".
Their report includes a call to ensure internet service providers are not held responsible for blogs they host.
The Ministry of Justice says it would "carefully consider" the suggestions.
Index on Censorship promotes understanding of freedom of expression, while English PEN supports writers and readers around the world.
Their report lists recommendations they say should form the basis of a new Libel Bill to update the existing regime.
It follows a year-long inquiry called Free Speech Is Not For Sale, which identified 10 areas of concern.
It says libel law "imposes unnecessary and disproportionate restrictions on free speech, sending a chilling effect through the publishing and journalism sectors in the UK.
"This effect now reaches around the world, because of so-called 'libel tourism', where foreign cases are heard in London, widely known as a 'town named sue'.
"The law was designed to serve the rich and powerful, and does not reflect the interests of a modern democratic society."
'Chilling approach'
The report argues that liberal regulation would better serve the public interest than a strict regime that restricts media freedom, although it does note that journalists should not be able to defame people "with impunity".
REPORT RECOMMENDATIONS
Capping libel damages at £10,000 and making an apology the chief remedy
Shifting the burden of proof so claimants have to demonstrate damage
Preventing cases from being heard in London unless 10% of copies of the offending publication are circulated in England
Stopping large and medium-sized companies from being able to launch libel actions unless they can prove malicious falsehood
Making some internet comments exempt as part of efforts to reflect the arrival of the world wide web
Establishing a libel tribunal, along the lines of employment tribunals, as an alternative to expensive full court trials
Reducing the prohibitive cost of defending libel actions by capping base costs and making success fees non-recoverable
Strengthening the public interest defence and expanding the definition of fair comment
John Kampfner, chief executive of Index on Censorship, said the report was "an important milestone in modernising our antiquated and chilling approach to free expression".
He added: "There are US States who view English libel law as so damaging to free speech they have passed laws to effectively block the decisions of English judges."
Mr Kampfner welcomed suggestions that a forthcoming report from MPs would conclude that it was "possible to devise laws that protect innocent people from harassment while encouraging dogged investigation".
A Ministry of Justice spokesman said: "The government has already taken a number of steps to control costs in publication proceedings...
"As part of our future work in this area, we will carefully consider the recommendations in the English PEN and Index on Censorship report, alongside those of the Department for Culture, Media and Sport select committee report into press standards, privacy and libel, which is expected shortly."
Under the current law, internet service providers (ISP) are held responsible for content published using their servers that are viewed by people in England.
Padraig Reidy, news editor of the Index on Censorship, said the ISPs often "don't have the legal resources to fight legal action so they just take stuff down".
"A change in the law would give them the strength to say 'it's up to the person that runs the blog, not the ISP."
Mr Reidy also cited cases of comments posted on other people's blogs.
"If you don't pre-moderate your blog's comments you can be held responsible, and that's extremely dangerous." | 4,063 | 2,027 | 0.000501 |
warc | 201704 | News & Media
Content
Home News Latest news South West South East North East West North West Media Releases Categories Community Safety Environment Events / Fundraising / Offers Incidents - Bushfire Incidents - Other Incidents - Structure Incidents - Vehicle / Rescue / Hazmat Vehicles / Equipment / Buildings Operational Information Other Partnerships People Planning & Research Training & Recruitment Youth & Juniors Health & Safety CEO Updates Chief Officer Updates Help Contribute Fire Investigator training
Nine CFA personnel have recently completed the Structural & Vehicle Fire Investigation Course at the CFA’s State Training College at Fiskville.
Over the last two years, the CFA Fire Investigation Course Reference Group has reviewed the course content and delivery methods for the Structural & Vehicle Fire Investigation Course.
Feedback from previous course participants, guest instructors and assessors who attended the Structural & Vehicle Fire Investigation Courses over the years was also included as part of the review.
As a result of this review, the course is now delivered in three parts. This enables the course participants to attend a number of fire scenes under a mentor program in between the course requirements to reinforce the key learnings.
This year’s Structural & Vehicle Fire Investigation Course was held on the following dates:
Part 1: Introduction to Fire Investigation: 15 & 16 March 2014 (2 days)
Part 2: Structural & Vehicle Fire Investigation: 13–17 April 2014 (5 days)
Part 3: Assessment (Theory & Practical): 10 & 11 June 2014 (2 days)
The main objectives were to provide the participants with:
Greater practical training with additional structural room burns and vehicle fires included as part of the syllabus More flexible training delivery options Improved training materials Obtaining key learnings from “real life” fire investigation case studies and Greater practical skills and knowledge in the field of fire investigation to assist the personnel in their new role as Fire Investigators
The CFA’s Structural & Vehicle Fire Investigation Courses are highly regarded due to the practical component. By undertaking the practical component of the course in conjunction with the theory-based subjects, it ensures the participants have the required knowledge and skills to undertake fire investigation and determine the origin and causes of fires.
The following provides an overview of the subjects that were covered as part of the Structural & Vehicle Fire Investigation Course: Part 1 – Introduction to Fire Investigation Introduction to the CFA Fire Investigation Program Science of Fire Investigation Fire Dynamics – Room Burns Fire Scene Safety for Fire Investigators Investigation Preparation Initial Actions at the Fire Scene and Practical Application Introduction to Legal Requirements Part 2 – Structural & Vehicle Fire Investigation Structural Fire Investigation Arson & Incendiary Fires Structural Fire Investigation – Room Burns and Practical Scene Indicators Building Collapse Vehicle Fires Role of the Victoria Police Arson & Explosives Squad Canvassing witnesses Explosives and Explosions Incendiary Devices Electrical Related Fires Gas Related Fires Fire Scene Photography Accidental Fires Role of Forensic Science in Fire Investigation Evidence Collection Fatal Fires Recording the Scene Fire Investigation Management System (FIMS) Post Fire Investigation Scene Requirements Part 3 - Assessment Case Study Presentation Practical Fire Scene Investigation
Throughout the course, guest instructors such as experienced CFA Fire Investigators, representatives from the Victoria Police Forensic Services Centre – Fire & Explosion Investigation Section and detectives from the Victoria Police Arson & Explosives Squad attended the course.
As part of the practical assessment for the course, a number of scenarios based on “real life” fire scene investigations were set up in the purpose built Fire Investigation Rooms at Fiskville. Each tilt slab room was fitted out with plastered walls, carpet, windows, fittings and fixtures. The rooms were also fully furnished with a variety of pieces of furniture, appliances and items that would be consistent with rooms such as an office, lounge room and bedroom.
Each room was filmed before the ignition of the fires to record what the rooms looked like and the placement of furnishings and items prior to the fires occurring. The rooms were then filmed from the ignition of the fire through to the different stages of fire development and finally to the extinguishment of the fire.
The course participants were divided into three Fire Investigation Teams. They were required to investigate the fire scene to establish the origin and cause of the fire, using the techniques and principles they had been taught during the course.
To ensure the scenes are as realistic as possible, the teams were provided a number of witnesses during the course of their investigation. Witnesses included the Incident Controller and/or first Fire-fighter on scene, Police Officers, the owner / occupier of the property, business owner, neighbours, etc.
Following the completion of the investigation, the Fire Investigation Teams were required to prepare a report outlining their findings into the origin and cause of the fire and present this to the class.
Once each of the Fire Investigation Teams had completed their presentations, the footage of each room scenario was shown, including how the fires were ignited and the fire development. State Fire Investigation Coordinator Nicole Harvey | 5,655 | 2,307 | 0.00044 |
warc | 201704 | With a shiny new network and state-of-the-art equipment in place, Sprint shifts its focus to local market optimization
By Dr. John Saw, Chief Network Officer, Sprint
As we finish the rip and replace of our 3G network, as well as reach 471 4G LTE markets, we now have a completely new platform in place. This is where the fun begins as we shift much of our focus and resources on local market optimization. By optimization, we simply mean the implementation of various technologies and techniques to make our network more efficient and deliver improved performance and faster data speeds. Each cell site within our network is like a single puzzle piece that when first deployed is roughly cut. Our job with optimization is to take a surgical approach to every site and make sure each one fits perfectly into the overall network puzzle.
We’re focused on three areas for network optimization – coverage, interference, and capacity – to achieve the best call quality and data speeds we can deliver. We address all of these areas by making sure each cell site has the correct set of network parameters. Every base station has hundreds of configuration parameters that affect a customer’s voice and data experience, and each of these can be altered to change the behavior of the network. The key thing here is to manage the network locally by having engineers on the ground looking at performance and tending to every site.
On the coverage front, we’re leveraging our tri-band spectrum position to use 1.9GHz FDD-LTE for broad market coverage, 800MHz FDD-LTE for in-building coverage, and 2.5GHz TDD- LTE for coverage in dense urban markets. With market-level optimization, the goal is to make sure we’re applying exactly the right mix of our three spectrum bands to best serve the unique coverage demands of each locale.
In addition to prescribing the right spectrum mix within a market for coverage, our local engineering teams work to minimize interference, one of the primary inhibitors of wireless performance. Many things can cause interference such as the physical landscape (buildings, trees etc.) or too much distance between a cell site and the transmitting device (aka customer). One of the best ways to address interference is to adjust antenna orientations and tilts to ensure strong coverage between cell sites.
Lastly, when optimizing our network we evaluate capacity – the amount of spectrum available to a market – and if needed, we apply capacity to increase data performance. Capacity is added in a number of ways – through a software update, addition of more carriers, aggregation of carriers, and the addition of radios and small cells. This summer we’re excited to begin the installation of 8T8R radios within our 2.5GHz footprint allowing our cell sites to send multiple data streams and achieve better signal strength. Our deployment of 4x2 MIMO at 2.5GHz is also expected to increase data throughput and coverage without requiring additional bandwidth. Even more exciting though is the potential for higher levels of MIMO such as 8x8 which is only possible with the use of 8T8R equipment. While we don’t have plans today for 8x8 MIMO, this is a significant competitive advantage that we could potentially utilize at some point in the future. Lastly, by the end of the year we expect to begin 2X20 (40MHz) carrier aggregation in the 2.5GHz spectrum band, giving us added capacity and faster data speeds.
One example of a market where we’re applying these techniques is Chicago. Last month Macquarie Capital analyst Kevin Smithen spent the day performing speed tests on our new 2.5GHz service in the Chicago area. His conclusion? Sprint consistently had the highest average LTE downstream and upstream speeds among the four major wireless carriers tested, and that Sprint will be in a position to offer a vastly-superior 3 channel 2.5GHz experience in most major downtown areas by mid-2015. Similarly, analyst Jeff Kagan also recently had positive things to say
about the improvements we’re making to our network.
Building an entirely new network from the ground up has been a difficult endeavor, but a time in the not-so-distant future is coming when customer demands for bandwidth, and technology changes with 4G and beyond, will require the kind of platform we now have in place. A network is never done and we’re excited about the improved performance our customers are experiencing as we shift our attention to market-level optimization.
The 50-60Mbps peak speeds customers are seeing in Sprint Spark markets are indicative of where our network is headed, and we're working hard to quickly bring that kind of outstanding performance to customers all across the country. | 4,773 | 2,201 | 0.000462 |
warc | 201704 | EDITORIAL: Obama's re-election: what it means for Australia by Peter Westmore News Weekly
, November 24, 2012
Despite the closeness of public opinion polls in the week before the US presidential election, on election day almost every closely-contested state swung to President Obama, with the result that the vote in the US Electoral College was a convincing 332 votes to 206. Democrats who expected a close race were exuberant. Republicans were devastated.
However, in the cold light of day, it is clear that the US elections almost exactly restored the status quo. President Obama has been comfortably re-elected, but he faces a Republican-controlled House of Representatives with almost the same majority as before, and a Democrat majority in the Senate.
In other words, the American people voted to continue the impasse which had characterised relations between the President and Congress for the past two years.
The president’s first priority is to deal with the stalemate over the US Budget. For years, both sides have claimed that the Congress would have to cut the US deficit, and under laws passed previously, at the end of 2012, tax cuts will be abolished and cuts will automatically be made to US government programs.
While both sides have said that they want to compromise, Obama has insisted that high-income earners will have to pay more tax, whereas Republicans have rejected higher taxes and insist that other government programs must be cut, including President Obama’s expensive new Medicare program.
While some compromise could be reached, both sides are digging in for battle, and the uncertainty is paralysing the confidence of both US consumers and America’s trading partners, particularly exporting countries in Asia, notably China.
With China’s economy slowing, the probability is that commodity prices will stall, with damaging effects on investment in the mining industry — one of the engines of the Australian economy.
One of the more extreme proposals being aired in the United States to address the looming budget crisis is the introduction of a carbon tax. Despite claims by Administration officials that no such tax is pending, a previous attempt to implement a national US emissions trading scheme failed narrowly in 2010 when it stalled in the US Senate after narrowly passing the House of Representatives.
With low-tax Republicans now controlling the House of Representatives, it is inconceivable that the House would now support a carbon tax.
Additionally, the European Union’s emissions trading scheme is a shambles. Despite repeated claims that the EU would “go it alone” on emissions trading, the eurozone financial crisis has cut the price of carbon permits from around $40 a tonne in 2008 to about $10 today, and there is a glut in available carbon permits.
The Gillard government’s carbon tax of $23 a tonne of coal has already pushed up electricity prices for consumers, and can be expected to have a negative impact on small business and job creation in the months ahead.
During the election campaign, President Obama announced his support for “same-sex marriage”, and in four states — Maine, Washington, Maryland and Minnesota — voters endorsed this stand.
While these states are the first in America in which voters have supported “same-sex marriage”, the margins in each state were close, 52-48 or closer, and each of these states is strongly Democrat and, generally, among the most left-liberal in the United States.
Nonetheless, Australian Marriage Equality and other supporters of same-sex unions in Australia have already flagged a new push in Australia.
The French government of François Hollande has announced that it will introduce “same-sex marriage” legislation, as has David Cameron in the United Kingdom.
These moves will ensure that the campaign in Australia will continue. The push for state-based legislation supporting “same-sex marriage” could have success in NSW where Premier Barry O’Farrell has offered Liberal MPs a conscience vote on the issue.
Despite this, at the national level, a vote in the Australian parliament is unlikely to succeed — at least while Tony Abbott leads the opposition. The campaign to replace Abbott, the most successful Liberal leader since John Howard, is therefore continuing apace.
In the long run, perhaps the most serious consequence of Obama’s re-election is that it will result in massive cuts in US defence spending, as Washington grapples with the deficit, and the war in Afghanistan winds down.
Despite claims to the contrary, this will reduce America’s commitment to its international peace-keeping initiatives, not only in north Asia where tensions between China and its neighbours could flare at any time, but also in the Middle East, where American naval vessels have kept the peace in the Persian Gulf for years.
Little wonder that a senior US defence official expressed concern about Australia’s defence cuts before the recent defence talks in Perth (
Sydney Morning Herald, November 10, 2012). The world is becoming more unstable, and Australia’s own cuts to defence expenditure could make this even worse. Peter Westmore is national president of the National Civic Council. | 5,336 | 2,491 | 0.000413 |
warc | 201704 | NEW YORK (CBSNewYork/AP) — The pressure was on New York lawmakers this weekend to get federal funds to help cover the billions in damage from Superstorm Sandy, and homeowners have been waiting for help too.
As CBS 2’s Steve Langford reported, the support for Sandy victims within just the Tri-State area has been well-documented. On Sunday, a rented truck full of donated goods arrived in Staten Island, driven by two women from Albany.
Andrea Loguidice and Chris Schultz put out the word upstate, and people responded, they said, with a motherlode of offerings.
“School supplies for whoever wants those,” the women said as they handed out the goods.
But in the halls of Congress in Washington, some fear the push to pay for recovery may not be met by the same kind of united support.
“There could be certain people — powerful people — who could block things,” U.S. Sen. Charles Schumer (D-N.Y.) said Sunday. “I’m not going to name anybody, because so far, that hasn’t happened.”
Schumer and other elected officials, including fellow Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand (D-N.Y.), were pushing Sunday for an initial request for federal storm aid for New York and New Jersey totaling close to $80 billion.
“We want to strike while the iron is hot,” Schumer said.
And more than a month after the storm, the staggering needs have not been met. Kola Berisa and his family, standing in line Saturday for aid at the Tunnel to Towers Foundation Relief Center, will not be going home at all.
The same was true for many others in storm-ravaged New Dorp Beach, Staten Island.
“Oh, it’s gone, it’s gone,” Berisa said. “We are in an apartment. We have to move.”
Added Eddie Saman, “FEMA did a bad job, really.”
Saman, who emigrated here from Egypt 30 years ago, was not happy with how the federal government has treated his request for aid for his ravaged home. But Saman’s American flag stood as a declaration of his enduring gratitude for complete strangers who came to help him.
“I am proud to be American,” he said. “I am proud of the people of America who help me they are good-hearted.”
As for Schumer and the other lawmakers, they want the federal government to make an equally good-hearted move.
“The number (of dollars) must be commensurate with the huge amount of damage New York has suffered,” he added at a Manhattan news conference. “We’re fighting to get as much as we can now.”
The senator acknowledged that the approaching fiscal cliff “makes the job harder,” but added, “I am hopeful.”
Under discussion are supplemental federal funds for New York approaching $42 billion. About 25 percent of that would go toward better protecting vulnerable seaside areas, by building structures such as jetties against storm surges in harbors or along shorelines.
The federal money would cover destroyed homes, transit systems, hospitals and small businesses, the senator said. More than 300,000 homes had “serious damage,” he said.
President Barack Obama must submit the additional funding request to Congress.
Schumer said he and other officials from New York and equally hard-hit New Jersey have participated in discussions with the White House, the Office of Management and Budget and Shaun Donovan, the U.S. Secretary of Housing and Urban Development.
Schumer said changes in legislation may be needed to match the emergency needs.
For instance, the Federal Emergency Management Agency may provide up to $31,900 for home repair. Then the homeowner may apply for a Small Business Administration disaster loan for additional repairs. But that could prove to be too little money to rebuild, the senator said.
In addition, many people living in neighborhoods near the water who didn’t have flood insurance are not covered.
And four New York City hospitals whose beds are now empty and may not be fully functional for months could be in economic danger “if they don’t get some kind of help,” Schumer said.
In addition, some small businesses may “go under” unless they are offered loans with interest rates lower than government ones that come with interest rates as high as 6 percent.
“The changes have to come from the White House,” the senator said.
Schumer said he expects more progress in the coming week, with Gov. Andrew Cuomo visiting Washington on Monday.
Do you think New York needs the federal aid? Leave your comments below…
(TM and Copyright 2012 CBS Radio Inc. and its relevant subsidiaries. CBS RADIO and EYE Logo TM and Copyright 2012 CBS Broadcasting Inc. Used under license. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. The Associated Press contributed to this report.) | 4,881 | 2,410 | 0.000439 |
warc | 201704 | Regional coalition opposes the commercialization of the common good. Public Values
January 4, 2011
The members of the Coalition also want to add their voices to an important movement that started in Quebec about a year ago: opposition to the commercialization of the common good. This movement has demonstrated that it is possible to make the government change its mind, as evidenced last September by the government's withdrawal of its proposal to charge user fees for health care services.
The declaration signed by the Coalition's 43 members states that "since the 1990s, Quebec's provincial government and the federal government in Ottawa have applied the same neo-liberal formulas: cuts to public services and social programs, public-private partnerships (PPP), deregulation, and minimization of State responsibilities." The declaration affirms that "public management is therefore subjected to the requirements of special interests, which in turn privatize profits and socialize deficits." According to Marie-Ève Duchesne, spokesperson for the Coalition, "the State is disengaging itself more and more, forcing community groups to suffer negative consequences and poverty, and it is directly attacking women who will have to compensate for the quiet destruction of our public services. That's unacceptable!"
There are alternatives!
According the Coalition's members, the current situation is not inevitable; it is society's choice. "A strong State with economic leverage is an asset for the whole of the population. Our public services and social programs are tremendous tools for the redistribution of wealth that favour a better quality of life. When we are compared with elsewhere, no one talks about that," declares Ann Gingras, another Coalition spokesperson.
The new regional coalition is therefore demanding of the Charest government adequate financing of public services and social programs. It is proposing other options that would distribute the costs fairly and not only among the poorest citizens and the middle class, groups that have been paying more than their fair share for years. Establishing a more progressive taxation system, finding a balance between contributions from individuals and from businesses, and increasing fees for the exploration of natural resources are some examples of the Coalition's suggestions.
The Coalition de Québec et Chaudières-Appalaches, opposed to privatization and to the taxation of public services, adds its voice to those who fight against poverty and the destruction of Quebec's social net. Moreover, the Coalition will be present during the next few months to broadcast alternative information and to participate in major events coming up in 2011.
Links and sources La région s'organise contre le budget Bachand | 2,810 | 1,396 | 0.000726 |
warc | 201704 | The 2011 European Society for Environmental History conference, “Encounters of Sea and Land” is missing a word in its title: “Sun.” 24 hours of daylight and it’s a heatwave. Today is Saturday, the day after Canada Day, and the conference in Turku, Finland’s oldest city, has been ‘illuminating’ in every sense. Environmental history in Europe seems to spring from a different tradition than its North American counterparts. As a few American and Canadian delegates agreed, here the subject is more broadly envisaged and though the organizers form a “Scientific Committee,” the rich blend of disciplines interacting here —often in the same session— include, amongst many other subjects, history, geography, literature, anthropology, biology, economics and history of science. For example, the two sessions organized by Kirsten Greer and Jan-Henrik Meyer on the politics of transnational bird protection, not only included researchers from Germany, Denmark, the United States, Finland and Canada but also represented various cultures of geography, history, biology and environmental governance. The remarkable and often surprising intersections of interest fuel the conversations that have continued throughout the conference.
It is exciting to feel part of a “real international cast,” as Craig Colten puts it. English is the language of presentation but it is accented in diverse lyrical ways and we are surrounded constantly by conversations in Portuguese, Dutch, Finnish, Spanish, French, Russian, Hindi, German….The quality of papers tends to be high, perhaps because the meeting is on a two year cycle: “discussion is lively and adequate time is provided for it.” NiCHE was present at the scheduled meeting of the International Consortium of Environmental History Organizations, ICEHO (pronounced “Ice – ho”) and helped to elect Jane Carruthers (South Africa) as the new President and Libby Robin (Australia) as Vice President. Jane stated that in terms of disciplinary breadth, she envisioned ICEHO as open and welcoming, inclusive of anyone working in areas of environment and history. The next WCEH, it was decided, will be in Guimarâes, Portugal.
Though hot and humid this week, Turku—the European Capital of Culture 2011—is lush and green. It is also the home of former Montreal Canadiens captain, Saku Koivu, the composer Sibelius, a medieval cathedral (currently exhibiting works of Andy Warhol) and a castle. The conference has coincided with the Turku Medieval Market, and by the River Aura where you can see Arctic Terns, we mingle with knights, paupers and jesters. Finnish for “thank you” is “kiitos.” It rhymes with “mosquitoes,” and a few of those join the crowd too.
In hopes that gathering together some other voices can help convey better the flavour of all this international activity, here are a few comments from the field. Laura Hollsten, one of the key Finnish organizers, reflects that: “Tämä konferenssi alkoi Sverker Sörlinin todella hienolla yleisesitelmällä ja loppui yhtä upeasti Susan Fladerin ajatuksia herättävällä esitelmällä. Siinä välissä oli niin paljon hienoja esityksiä ja mukavia ihmisiä että joka päivälle löytyy monia kohokohtia.” [Translation: This conference began with a really excellent keynote lecture by Sverker Sörlin and ended with Susan Flader’s fine and thought provoking speech at the final banquet. In between were so many great presentations and nice people that each day had many highlights.]
Robin Doughty from Texas has his eyes on the non-humans too: “It is amazing to see chaffinches literally at one’s feet, pied flycatchers at arm’s length and spotted flycatchers dallying on nearby fenceposts. Fieldfares are the “robins” of Turku. They bound about on the grass grabbing beakfuls of worms, while hooded crows stare at them balefully.”
Adriann de Kraker from the Netherlands notes that “This has been a well-organized, very Finnish and friendly conference in such a warm atmosphere that this completely underlines present global warming. So hot and humid in Turku and such long days. No wonder our colleagues at Turku have been working so hard. Er was hÿna geen tÿd voor hen om te slapen, want de nachten waren gewoon te kort [Translation: There was hardly any night time to sleep.]
Jan-Henrik Meyer, a member of NiCHE’s Transnational Ecologies group based in Denmark, sends greetings to Canada: “Auf der Konferenz konnte man unglaublich viel lernen – durch transnationalen Austausch und vor allem weil man so viele Verbindungen ziehen konnte zwischen unserer ARbeit und der Arbeit der Kolleginnen und Kollegen.” [Translation: The conference has been an excellent place for transnational exchanges and it has been a great learning experience, allowing us to make all sorts of connections between our own work and the work of others.]
Latest posts by Laura Cameron (see all) Recollecting 1975: The British-Canadian Symposium on Historical Geography in Kingston, Ontario - February 18, 2013 Techno-natures 2012: Geography & History Exchange - November 12, 2012 A Weekend of Percussive Sounds Of & In The Environment - May 6, 2012 | 5,435 | 2,771 | 0.000385 |
warc | 201704 | Download : Mechanical properties of aluminium-copper B206 alloys with iron and silicon additions (Opens in a new window)Get@NRC DOI Resolve DOI: http://doi.org/10.1179/1743133610Y.0000000012 Author Search for: Kamga, H. K.; Search for: Larouche, D.; Search for: Bournane, M.; Search for: Rahem, A. Type Article Journal title International Journal of Cast Metals Research ISSN 1364-0461 Volume 25 Issue 1 Pages 15–25; # of pages: 11 Subject B206 ; Intermetallics ; Ductility ; Macrosegregation ; Quality index Abstract Mechanical properties of B206 aluminium alloys with additions of iron and silicon were studied to investigate the combined effect of these additions on tensile strengths and ductility. Properties are highly influenced by the iron to silicon ratio and the nominal concentration of the single elements. The best properties were obtained with both a ratio close to one and low concentrations of iron and silicon. Present experimental results show that it is possible to multiply by two or three the present limit of 0·1 wt-%Fe in these alloys at natural aging (T4) and still obtain the minimum of 7% elongation required by the automotive industry. At artificial aging (T7), it will be very difficult however to reach the 7% elongation with ~0·2 wt-%Fe and 0·2 wt-%Si, while this seems impossible with ~0·3 wt-%Fe and 0·3 wt-%Si. It was found that macrosegregation of Cu in the gage section of the ASTM B108 test bars is responsible for an enrichment of 0·8-0·9 wt-%of this element in the test zone. This has produced microstructures saturated in Cu with little Al 2Cu phase remaining after the solution heat treatment. Owing to the low amount of this phase and the round shape of the particles, the remaining Al 2Cu phase did not have a significant impact on the ductility. One benefit of working with a Cu saturated microstructure is that one can estimate the true temperature of the solution heat treatment by conducting a post-analysis of Cu content in the dendrites. This should be helpful to reduce the variability in properties and to improve the temperature distribution in heat treating furnaces. Publication date 2012 Language English Affiliation National Research Council Canada Note A. Rahem was affiliated with the NRC Aluminium Technology Centre at time of publication. Peer reviewed Yes NPARC number 21270094 Export citation Export as RIS Report a correction Report a correction Record identifier 8e5c2c10-2afd-4202-a828-30081f6be732 Record created 2013-12-23 Record modified 2016-05-09 Bookmark and share | 2,576 | 1,346 | 0.000755 |
warc | 201704 | Filing a Complaint The Types of Complaints We Handle
As with all agencies, our office must set priorities. In carrying out our statutory responsibilities, there are four criteria the Georgia Department of Law's Consumer Protection Unit must consider to determine the extent to which we can address the issues raised in your complaint. This checklist may also help you, as a consumer, decide in advance how best to pursue your claim:
With few exceptions, we are restricted to handling complaints arising out of transactions that involve a purchase, lease or rental entered into for personal, family or household purposes. Excluded from this definition are most transactions between two businesses, or for investment or profit. Does the situation meet the definition of a “consumer transaction”? This office represents the State of Georgia rather than any individual. By law, we are unable to address an individual situation that does not affect parties beyond the two directly involved. Often we must refer citizens to magistrate court or recommend seeking counsel from a private attorney in matters this office will not entertain. Does it affect the public good? If our records do not contain sufficient evidence that the company has engaged repeatedly in unfair or deceptive acts affecting the public at large, we will take no action other than monitoring their future activities. Is there is an ongoing pattern of the alleged improper behavior? If so, by law we must refer your complaint to that department for action as appropriate. Examples of concerns that are Does another state or federal agency have primary or specific jurisdiction to handle this type of complaint? notunder Georgia Department of Law's Consumer Protection Unit purview are insurance, banking, professional licensing, landlord/tenant, the justice system, various environmental issues, health program administration and social services (to name just a few). Georgia Department of Law's Consumer Protection Unit cannot: Give legal advice or act as your private attorney. Provide information about the reputation of a particular business or individual, although this may be available from the Better Business Bureau. Handle a complaint filed by one business against another, except in very limited circumstances. Handle a complaint where another state, federal or local government agency has primary authority. Try to Resolve Your Problem with the Company First
Often a dispute can be resolved by talking to a person in a position of authority at the business, such as a manager or even the company president. They want your business and know it is usually easier to resolve a dispute and keep a good customer than it is to find a new one.
In the case of disputed charges on your credit card bill, you must act quickly to preserve your right to challenge a charge. This means not only working with the merchant to rectify the situation, but also
notifying the credit card company directly, in writing, within 60 days of the initial billing date. More information on how and where to file your dispute should appear on the back of your credit card statement.
To help you get your complaint to the right place the first time and save
Help with Your Problem youvaluable time, we offer suggestions on how to go about resolving many common consumer issues in the section of our web site titled A-Z Consumer Topics. Before you take the time to submit a complaint to this office, please check first to see whether your particular concern is listed there. If it is, you can learn the appropriate place to report your problem and whether Georgia Department of Law's Consumer Protection Unit is the designated office to handle it. In that event, or if you do not find the issue listed but it meets the above qualifying criteria, please return to this pagefor further instructions.
If the problem involves an allegation of an unfair or deceptive business practice or otherwise falls within our responsibility—
and you are still dissatisfied after making every effort to discuss your disagreement with the merchant—you may send us your complaint, and we will take appropriate action. Information You Should Gather for Your Complaint
The facts you supply with your complaint should answer these basic questions:
What? Identify the business you are having problems with by name and current address. Identify also all the individuals with whom you have dealt in your attempt to resolve this problem. Who? Identify the method of approach to or from the business. For example, did you respond to a print ad, or did you receive a telephone solicitation? Did you visit a store or order on the Internet? How? Identify the location where the problem occurred and the date (or the first point in time, if it took place over several days, weeks or months). These two pieces of information are crucial in determining whether we have jurisdiction to address the dispute. Where?/When? Explain how you believe the dispute should be resolved, such as by issuance of a refund, cancellation of the contract, or repair of the item. Since we mediate some of the complaints we receive, we need to know what resolution you desire should we accept the complaint for mediation. What resolution are you seeking? It is of vital importance that you give us your mailing address, an e-mail address and a daytime phone number so that we may contact you as appropriate. How can we contact you?
Filing Your Complaint
There are three ways to contact Georgia Department of Law's Consumer Protection Unit and provide information to us:
You can call us at 404-651-8600 or 1-800-869-1123 (toll-free in Georgia, outside of the metro Atlanta calling area) to speak with a trained customer service representative. Representatives are available between 8:30 and 5:30 weekdays. First you will be asked for the name of the business about which you are complaining and a short description of your problem (such as billing dispute, debt collection, auto repair problem, or failure to refund). You will then be transferred to a customer service agent who is trained in the area of your problem. Please note that you will be asked to submit your complaint in writingif the issue appears to be one in which we would consider taking action. If your problem is in the jurisdiction of another state or federal agency, you will be directed to that agency. You can contact us in writing and submit your complaint by mail or fax. We do not accept e-mails.
Posted on this web site is a Consumer Complaint Form that can be downloaded, printed and completed. Although you are not required to use our form, your complaint must set forth the problem chronologically and must be accompanied by copies of relevant documents such as invoices, contracts, or previous correspondence with the business.
We will accept faxed complaints if they are not more than five pages in length, including the attachments, which must be legible. We request that longer complaints and those involving documents with light or small print be mailed instead of faxed, to avoid unnecessary delays due to illegibility. Our fax number is 404-651-9018.
Complaints submitted to us by mail or fax will receive a response. You can submit information through an online form. Use this form to alert Georgia Department of Law's Consumer Protection Unit about a practice that you feel is illegal, deceptive or unfair. Consumers who submit complaints through the online form will not receive a response from our office unless we elect to pursue this issue on behalf of the larger consuming public or need to contact you for more details or copies of pertinent documents. What Happens When We Receive Your Complaint?
We will review your complaint and take action on behalf of the consuming public as appropriate. We may refer any complaint to another agency or, depending on the nature of your claim, we may communicate with the business involved before responding to you. Georgia Department of Law's Consumer Protection Unit does not act as a judge in the dispute and cannot force the business to reimburse you or comply in any other way. The matter may escalate to an investigation if the company has shown a pattern of similar violations that fall under our jurisdiction.
We do respond to written complaints received by fax or mail. Most of our communication to you is by letter or e-mail. However, since we receive a large volume every day and a thorough review of your complaint could take some time, please understand that you may not receive an immediate reply from our office. We ask for and appreciate your patience during this time. To help us help you, please refrain from calling for status reports unless several months have passed.
As mentioned above, please bear in mind that complaints submitted through the online form will not receive an individualized response unless we need more information or an investigation is opened.
You can be assured that your concerns are always very important to us. Whether or not we are able to take action against the company, your complaint is valuable in informing us about problems facing Georgia consumers and about companies who may be operating fraudulently in our state. Even if you have resolved the matter, informing us of this fact and forwarding a statement of your experience, with relevant documentation, might help us establish a pattern of unlawful business practices against this company in the future. | 9,477 | 4,095 | 0.000245 |
warc | 201704 | The Best Any Town Veterinarian
ACME Veterinarian has the best Any Town veterinarian who specializes in all kinds of animal services. These animal services include care, diagnostics, treatment, surgery and nutritional services to pet owners. The clinic has the state of the art equipment to handle all manner of pet issues. At the clinic, the vets understand the roles pets play in people’s lives. They just don’t treat, but offer comprehensive advice on the best way to ensure your pet gets the best of life. They understand a healthy pet makes a happy pet owner. The clinic is ready to support the pet owner have memorable experiences. At the clinic, qualified vets provide the pet owner with hands on expertise on how to handle pet emergencies before getting to the vet. After every visit, the clinic advises the pet owner on the importance of follow ups the vets makes.
Veterinarian Services at Any Town
Most of the pets humans own have a short life span. At the clinic, they understand that pet owners need quality life with their pets. That’s the reason they advise pet owners to take their pets at least once a year for a thorough examination. This would highlight the state of health of the pet and even avert serious risks. This would also help give an indicator whether alternative care and treatment is to be used. The following are a list of vet services that the clinic offers
Puppy and Kitten The clinic offers care advice to prospective pet owners to prepare them psychologically, physically and socially. The qualified vets take the prospective pet owners through the basics of caring of the pets. For those who have acquired new pets, the clinic offers first checkup of the pets, advice on nutritional needs and how to integrate the pet or pets in the new environment. Vaccinations Vaccines are important to protect the pets and for safety purposes to avoid life threatening diseases that can easily be prevented or transmitted to the pet owner. The clinic offers vaccination services for pets that range from vaccines against Canine viruses (Usually affects dogs) to feline viruses (usually affects cats) with other vaccines available for any other pets owned. Pet Dental Care Oral hygiene in a pet plays a principal role in the total wellbeing of the pet. The clinic offers oral hygiene services that focus on the dental hygiene in extraction and maintenance, and also the gums to ensure the pet doesn’t suffer from gum diseases or bad breath caused by harmful bacteria in the mouth Surgery The state of the art surgical unit provides surgical procedures for pets that need operations. The unit has vets that are capable of handling significant surgical procedures. Of special interest is spaying and neutering of pets using surgical procedures. These surgical procedures are performed on pets as a form of castration in male and ovariohysterectomy. The clinic handles pet emergencies, but severe pet emergencies are referred to other specialists. Nutritional Counseling The unit offers nutritional counseling to pet owners on every developmental stage of pets. This is to ensure the pet get its growth requirements to maintain normal weight and great performance. Grooming The vet clinic offers grooming services for pet hygiene to alleviate any parasites. Grooming is also done to prevent any parasites from attacking the pet. X-ray / Imaging The clinic has an x-ray unit that assists in pet diagnosis. They are used to evaluate internal organs of the pet in a non-invasive, painless and safe way for diagnosis. Diagnostic Examination The unit is well equipped to handle various physical examinations like clinical chemistry, hematology urinalysis, serology and parasite testing. Ultrasound The clinic has an imaging ultrasound machine that also acts as part of a diagnostic tool that is both non-invasive and painless is used in internal organ images, muscles and even tendons. It produces images by use of ultra-sonic waves Boarding Boarding facilities are offered to pets. The clinic takes care of the pets while the owner is away, or pet owner has been denied entry in places that have ‘no pet allowed’ rule. Whatever reason, the clinic has a place for pets either for day care services or boarding services. Why Choose a Veterinarian from Any Town
ACME Veterinarian understands what you as a pet owner goes through. The clinic wants to share with you as the pet owner memorable experiences by ensuring the good experiences last. We want to be part of your family through your pet. The best of us will be seen in your pet. We believe the pet is part of family hence we offer the best personalized pet services to your satisfaction. Try out our services, as we believe if a pet is unwell our family member is unwell. | 4,776 | 2,103 | 0.000479 |
warc | 201704 | Keep a toddler busy on a rainy day can be tough! Little hands and bodies like to be busy and staying indoors all day can limit activity. Pre-schoolers need activity to keep them entertained (and work towards a good nap…which everyone loves!). Here are 5 pre-schooler activities to keep toddlers busy on a rainy day.
Toy Box.Clear a space in the centre of your play room and bring out the most favourite toddler toys. Action toys. Standing toys. Sitting toys. Toys that make noise and toys that are quiet. You will find your toddler discovering and exploring toys you already have in the house. Theme Day.Make it a transportationmorning by playing trucks, cars and planes (either using toys, make-believe, colouring or just looking out the window). Then switch it up in the afternoon by making it a waterday and supervising a swim in the bathtub. Timed Activities.switching activities every 30 minutes helps move the day forward when you are inside all day. 30 minutes of toys, 30 minutes of dancing in the living room, 30 minutes of snack and stories. Anyone can survive a day inside if you take it 30 minutes at a time. Play areas.Play in different areas of the house throughout the day. Basement. Living room. Playroom. Bedroom. Even the kitchen – put out some pots and pans and give your pre-schooler a wooden spoon to make “music”. Counting.Oh the things you can count in the house. Blocks. Spoons. Cups. Stairs. Count forwards and backwards. It helps with communication as well and numeric skills. | 1,525 | 801 | 0.001268 |
warc | 201704 | The sky isn’t falling, yet. But, it seems everything else is about to including your bottom line. We are about to fall into more debt, more taxes and higher prices if our leaders don’t act quickly. All of these things, if they take place, bode badly for the economy and, of course, for you and me.
Most of us who have been around a while realize that all the political gambits that are played in Washington right now are pure drama. The tension will rise, tempers will flare, and eventually something will happen, or not happen, and we will have a better idea of what life is going to be like in 2013.
Now, however, it’s just a game and the winners are those who don’t get the blame when all the dust settles. In the meantime, we are held hostage. What happens in the next two or three days may just set the stage for what will happen in the election of 2014.
The possibility of falling off of the three cliffs that now loom before us is real. It is like a fiscal perfect storm aimed right at our wallets. We are not talking peanuts here either. We are talking the farm.
Now should our leaders fail to act, and act now, everyone’s standard of living will suffer significantly. This is a real crisis. So, what is the response of our elected officials? Well, the President flies off to vacation in Hawaii and the Congress goes home for Christmas. Now, the President, to his credit, is cutting his vacation short as he should. The Congress is scheduled to return this weekend, just two days before the January 1st deadline, but aren’t they all cutting it a little close? Can they get anything done other than kick the football again down the road?
We’ve all heard ad nauseum about the fiscal cliff. But, what does it really mean and what’s going to happen should we suffer the worst outcome? Basically, there is a good chance that we will enter another and immediate recession. So far the stock market is taking it pretty much in stride although Friday it showed some signs of panic closing down –158.20.
On another note, consumer confidence is falling fast and hard. It dropped from 71.5 on the index in November to a 65.1 level in December during the Christmas buying season. With the future so murky and undefined this should be no surprise. It’s bad, but no surprise.
One major ramification of falling off the cliff, if things stay as they are, will be 600 billion in higher taxes and spending cuts. This means higher taxes for up to 190 million Americans and drastic cuts to our military and other programs. Some of the tax hits would be really big. For example, someone earning $1,000,000 or more would pay not a total, but an additional $250,000 at least. That’s huge. Even people making less than $50,000 can be expected to pay thousands more.
The fiscal cliff crisis is what’s on most people’s minds, but the milk cliff, really the dairy cliff, is nothing to sneeze at. A new Farm Bill has not yet been addressed by Congress. If a new bill isn’t passed or the old one extended the law would revert to the terms of the Agricultural Act of 1949.
Under the old Act, that would become the new law, the government would be forced to buy milk at double the going price. Who do you think the farmers will give first priority if this happens? Would they sell to you and me at today’s $3.65 per gallon or to Uncle Sam at $7.30 or more? As for me, with $8.00 milk I’ll eat my Wheaties dry and put some of that plastic spread on my toast.
For more extensive detail and history related to the milk cliff you can read more here: http://www.dailyfinance.com/2012/12/21/politics-gone-sour-why-the-price-of-milk-might-soon-double/
Now don’t forget that the price of milk isn’t the only downside. Everything made from milk, dairy products, would also be impacted. Here is a list of some of the major items that would likely suffer price increases or scarcity:
Cheese, butter, ice cream, pudding, custards, sour cream, yogurt, and whipped cream.
The list doesn’t stop here either. There are also many cosmetics that have milk as one of its ingredients. Milk is a major ingredient in many of our favorite desserts like cupcakes, pies, brownies, and cookies. Many salad dressings, soups, and chocolates use milk too.
If you have an infant in the house your baby formula will cost you more. It’s made from milk. If you have some time and some extra savings, you might want to pick up a cow or two this weekend.
It’s interesting that our government has dropped food prices from the inflation index so you may see no movement in the inflation index, but you will see movement, a downward movement in your checkbook if this particular cliff isn’t avoided.
Due to the emphasis on the fiscal cliff, many believe the milk cliff will take a back seat in the short run, but this could be long enough to start the surge in milk prices. It is doubtful Congress would ignore it long though. They would be getting earfuls from their constituents very quickly. For milk to double in price is something that people won’t ignore very long.
Finally, we have the debt cliff. It is really more of a mountain that keeps growing. Though our leaders may play political football with this issue they will raise the ceiling again. There is no doubt about this. They really have no choice unless they immediately lower spending to current income levels. Our nation probably wouldn’t survive that quick a solution.
The next few days will be filled with intense political drama. Let’s hope our President and Congress come to their senses and realize that this is not just another game. The consequences of falling off the three cliffs would be drastic and immediate.
We have to ask the question why, when everyone knew what was coming, that these important issues are being addressed one minute before midnight. And, we wonder why Congress has an approval rating of 18%. That’s lower than telemarketers, lobbyists and car salespeople. | 6,044 | 2,941 | 0.000349 |
warc | 201704 | Editor's note: This is the first part of a three-part series exploring autism in the community.
Tonja Updike knows firsthand the special joys and challenges of raising an autistic child. Her son, Garrett, was diagnosed with autism about four years ago when he was 3 years old. When Garrett was first diagnosed, Updike said she felt isolated, and barely left her house because she did not know how to deal with his disability.
Now as a board member for the Autism Society of Alaska Golden Heart Chapter, Updike is committed to reaching out to other families with autistic children and raising awareness on the Kenai Peninsula.
"I want to make sure people understand autism is not a scary disability," she said.
At the second annual Autism Awareness Walk on Saturday at Skyview High School, more than 60 residents, including parents, caregivers, educators and professionals, walked to raise funds for autism services on the Kenai Peninsula. This was one of three similar events across the state that day bringing autism to the forefront.
Connie Best, who works for the Kenai Peninsula Borough School District in special education, said she walked for autism awareness on Saturday to support the cause.
"Autistic kids are my favorite kids to work with," she said. "I think you learn stuff with them every day."
April is national Autism Awareness Month and Updike, along with other society members, organized some special informational events and activities to spread the word about autism in the community.
Updike said the numbers for autism have been on the rise. Current statistics from theCenters for Disease Control and Prevention say that one in 110 children are diagnosed with autism, compared to the past numbers that recorded one in every 150 children.
"Every decade the numbers have increased drastically," she said, adding that on average, rates are higher for boys and military families.
While there are no hard numbers for autistic people on the central peninsula, Updike said she knows there are at least 100 students with autism in the local school system. Statewide, more than 1,000 people experience autism.
There are varying degrees of autism and other diagnoses like Asperger's syndrome and nonspecified developmental disorders, Updike explained.
"Most people think of 'Rain Man' when they think of autism," she said, but, "different kids have different needs."
Those needs can be addressed in several ways through community disability service agencies, therapy, school, diet and even with toys designed for sensory learning. These types of resources were available at informational tables during the Autism Awareness Walk.
Garrett is now 7 years old, and by addressing his needs with community resources and therapy, Updike has been able to work with her son's disability, something she said she hopes all families affected by autism are able to do, too.
For more information about Autism Awareness Month visit www.asagoldenheart.org.
Brielle Schaeffer can be reached at brielle.schaeffer@peninsulaclarion.com.
© 2017. All Rights Reserved. | Contact Us | 3,104 | 1,504 | 0.000673 |
warc | 201704 | “The type of science that I do is sometimes known as ‘curiosity-driven research,’” writes Hope Jahren, who teaches paleobiology at the University of Hawai‘i. “This means that my work will never result in a marketable product, a useful machine, a prescribable pill, a formidable weapon, or any direct gain.” If by some crazy chance she discovers something useful, that will be “figured out at some much later date by someone who is not me,” she writes.
So she’s the real deal—a scientist chasing questions, designing experiments, and showing 19, 20, and 21 year olds how to do it. Her lab has produced important papers, mostly about why plants have been so successful on our planet. Giant corporations don’t throw money at her. Venture capitalists don’t take her to lunches, but she is rewarded. The National Science Foundation, a government agency, gives her three-year grants. They are hard to get.
Yet once she has the cash—you scientists reading this will yawn, but I was a bit startled—it turns out that taxpayer money has an odd habit of vanishing, even when it’s right there in your hands.
Every year Congress gives the National Science Foundation roughly 7.3 billion dollars. That sum hasn’t changed much (in real terms) for decades. The Defense Department gets $573 billion. But $7.3 billion isn’t bad. “It sounds like a lot of money,” says Jahren, even if it’s spread across biology, geology, chemistry, mathematics, physics, psychology, sociology, and some computer science.
In her own little corner of things, paleobiology (dinosaurs! woolly mammoths! evolution! fossils! history of life! history of global warming!), the government funds six million dollars of research.
Divided 50 times—assuming one paleobiologist in every state—that works out to $120,000 per grant. In fact, Jahren counted between 30 and 40 grants per year, for an average of $165,000. Assuming some of those scientists hire assistants, she figures there are “about 100 [government] funded paleobiologists in America.”
Yet “we keep graduating more [students] each year,” she writes.“Researchers love what [we] do … So as with all creatures driven by love, we can’t help but breed.” But graduates have a hard time finding work. Some go to oil companies (or used to), some to museums, some work on dinosaur movies—but it isn’t a booming profession. Paleobiology professors on campus, says a study by Roy Plotnick of the University of Illinois, are lopsidedly oldish …
“[T]here are about 4.5 times as many full professors than assistant professors and more than twice as many emeritus professors.”
But jobs aren’t our subject. Let’s go back to money: Hope Jahren gets $165,000 to pay for a typical three-year project. The University of Hawai‘i pays her salary except for summers. (“[I]t is very uncommon for a professor to be paid when classes are not in session …”) For help, she needs a teammate. She can’t do what she does alone.
So she budgets for one suitable helper. These days, she might ask for a $25,000 base salary plus $10,000 to cover benefits, which seems ridiculously low. But when she makes her hire, she has to pay a “tax” (called overhead or indirect cost) of another $15,000 to the university. “I never see a dime of it … This tax is ostensibly used to pay the university’s air-conditioning bill, fix the drinking fountains, and keep the toilets flushing, though I feel moved to mention that each of these things works only intermittently within the building that houses my laboratory.”
So that’s $50,000 to support the employee—over three years, $150,000.
Which leaves how much for equipment? Supplies? Travel to science meetings? Christmas parties? Chemicals? She’s got $15,000 left—that’s $5,000 a year. But she gets taxed by the university here too, leaving her with, maybe, $3,500 a year. That’s it.
Jeesh. And when the three years is up, she needs another round to keep going, which means she’s got to come up with results that justify the grant she got to get the grant she needs next. It helps to get multiple grants so you can double up to stay afloat.
When we talk in this presidential campaign about “falling behind” in the race to produce scientists, all Jahrens can do is laugh. “America may say that it values science, but it sure as hell doesn’t want to pay for it.”
Science has never been a flush business, but it’s getting parched. The next time you meet a science professor, she says, ask her if she ever worries about her lab data, worries about making a deadline, worries about an experiment that won’t work, worries that she’s trying to crack an uncrackable question. “Ask a science professor what she worries about,” Hope Jahren says, “It won’t take long. She’ll look you in the eye and say one word: ‘Money.’”
Hope Jahren’s new book is Lab Girl. It’s the story of her life in the lab and the field studying soil, fossils, friends, and worrying, worrying, worrying about … you know what. | 5,298 | 2,589 | 0.000417 |
warc | 201704 | There’s a bit of a story behind this interview, so if you just want to listen in, scroll down and click the green play button.
Basically, it’s a technological miracle that I’m even able to bring this to you today. Upon recording this amazing interview with Adam, I logged into my teleconference service to retrieve the audio file for editing, and I was shocked to discover that the file was “corrupted.” I couldn’t download the interview! Panicking, I sent an e-mail to the customer service department for help – I just HAD to get this interview, which was pure gold! Not even the CS department could assist me, it was just a “technological fluke” that the file was not working. I continued to check the file almost daily, and then almost weekly until about 2-3 weeks ago. I decided that I would check on the file, ONE LAST TIME, and then give up for good. It was still “corrupted” and in my mind, hopeless. I gave up.
Until yesterday afternoon, when I received an email from Adam asking about the call. I decided to check the file one last time, so that I could tell him with certainty that we would never obtain the audio interview again. Well, here is where the miracle happened. When I logged into my teleconference service, the file was there and COMPLETE, with excellent audio quality. Now, I’ve been using computers ever since I was a very young child, and I know that things don’t just start working without some intervention, especially when they’ve been broken for months. Computers don’t just fix themselves.
So, needles to say, I’m ecstatic and honored to bring you this interview, which was truly fantastic.
Adam Steer has a revolutionary way of sharing his health-first fitness viewpoints, and I guarantee that you’ll learn something new by listening in on this call. Some of the key points we covered include:
– How to build a foundation of mobility that will increase your health and movement potential, making you able to pick up new skills quickly
– The number one reason why clubbells stand out among other strength training tools and how you can use them to improve your natural, athletic strength in all skills.
– The best strength training tools for achieving your health-first fitness goals at home or at the gym.
– The wisdom in following a program completely, and then transitioning into intuitive training to OWN your movement and LIVE your fitness every moment.
– How to take an active role in balancing your training with recovery and putting that into a comprehensive training program that works in harmony to maximize performance and minimize injury.
Listen to the interview here
:
I want to thank Adam again for doing this interview. It is an honor to learn from someone that walks the talk and sets the bar high for everyone else. Be sure to check out his sites:
Here are some ways you can get started with CST today:
As always, if you have any questions about what was discussed on the call, how to get started, or about the products themselves, please leave a comment below or use the Contact page above.
To your health and success,
Fitness Professional and CST Student | 3,231 | 1,599 | 0.000651 |
warc | 201704 | A Crash Course about the Forex Market Structure and Forex Hierarchy
The craze for Forex trading in many parts of the world is beyond imagination. As people look for alternative ways to make money in the face of dwindling incomes and disappearing jobs, more people are discovering online Forex trading as a potential way of making “easy” money. In some countries, you can hardly walk into three streets without seeing some form of Forex-related advert. This situation is not helped by the glittering adverts you see on some websites and financial TV stations, where Forex is depicted as next to picking dollars from the street.
Back in the day, I remember the Biology classes about the food chain. The food chain actually showcases the realities in almost every human endeavour. There will always be a few on top, living off the multitude below. Pareto called it the 80-20 principle.
The same holds true in Forex. While 95% of individual traders consistently lose money, some players in the Forex market who constitute the top 5% are smiling all the way to the bank. Many would-be traders do not know that the entire structure of the market tilts the scales in favour of the BIG DOGS (brokers and institutional traders). If you want to outsmart these guys and bank in pips into your account regularly, you need to be on top of your game and you need to understand the Forex market structure and Forex hierarchy.
Forex Market Structure
The Forex market is made up of three classes of players:
Brokers (dealers and market makers are included here) Institutional traders e.g. investment banks and high net-worth investors like Warren Buffett and George Soros Individual (retail) traders 1. Brokers
If you go to any Bureau de Change to change your local currency to a foreign one and vice versa, you will notice that there is a difference between the price at which you buy a foreign currency with your local one, and the price at which you exchange a foreign currency for your local one. This difference is the profit made by the Bureau de Change operators on the transaction. The same applies to online Forex trading.
Currencies and other online-traded financial instruments have two quoted prices: the BID and ASK price. For example, a quote of Euros to US dollar is expressed in this way:
EUR/USD= 1.3480/1.3483 (Bid/Ask)
The difference between the BID and ASK price is the SPREAD, which in this case, is 1.3483 – 1.3480 = 3 pips. For some currencies, the spread is as much as 50 pips. The value of the spread is determined by transaction volume. Anytime a trader opens a trade position, the SPREAD is instantly and automatically deducted from the trader’s account.
It does not matter if a trader makes or loses money in that trade; the broker ALWAYS walks away with his money.
Just do the Maths and find out how much Forex brokers make IN A SINGLE DAY from spreads of millions of traders. One more, not all Forex brokers are honest with traders. So I recommend to read article:
Only you can choose the broker, so make the right decision.
2. Institutional Traders
Financial institutions by virtue of their operations have a large pool of funds running into billions of dollars, from where they can easily hire a team of experienced trading experts (some with more than 25 years experience). In addition, they can access premium news services from Bloomberg and Reuters, which deliver the news about five before it gets to individual traders. This service costs thousands of dollars a month, effectively priced out of the reach of most retail traders.
The profits of this group of traders are effectively derived from the 95% of retail traders who lose money in Forex, and this number is swelling by the day.
In Forex, a winning trade somewhere is usually at the expense of another trader who held a contrary (and hence a losing) position in the market.
You can only receive when someone else gives. So a trader can only receive profits when someone else gives away the profits (that is, suffers losses).
3. Individual Traders
Lack of proper training and inexperience causes 95% of traders in this category lose money. Their losses pay for the buildings, the cars, the fat salaries and the end-of-year profits of financial institutions and other successful traders! Of course, whether they make profits or losses, their spreads go to the brokers…naturally.
So at the end of the day, the individual traders who lose money trading Forex only end up servicing the top 5% individual traders, the brokers and the big dogs (the financial institutions). A perfect food chain setup!
So while the Forex market structure looks like this:
The Forex market hierarchy is more or less like the food chain:
So as a trader, you have to decide to what point in the hierarchy you want to belong.
Once you have made that decision, you have to commit yourself to acquiring the right knowledge and tools to climb up the Forex hierarchy, which is where this blog will help you out.
For instance, read fresh article about how to choose a Forex broker using a rating system and individual reviews. | 5,124 | 2,396 | 0.000422 |
warc | 201704 | Holtz instructed his players to ask themselves this question 35 times a day. He wanted them to think about it when they awakened, while they were in class, study hall, the weight room, the practice field, standing on the sidelines during a game and while on the playing field at a game. Holtz wanted his players to be able to learn to focus on what mattered most at any given time.
As law enforcement professionals, we should ask ourselves this same question 35 times a day. In doing so, we are forced to focus on what is important at a particular moment in time, enabling us to prioritize our mission, the threats and our actions. If we have the correct mindset, we will focus on what we need to do to win that particular confrontation.
As law enforcement trainers, we should ask ourselves this question because helps us focus on what is important in our instruction, which areas of training need to be addressed and which have the highest priority. This focus is required for us to truly prepare our officers to be winners and warriors. Let us explore areas where we need to take a serious look at ‘What’s Important Now?’
Gaps in Training It’s critical to examine our training programs to determine if there are gaps where we fail to allow the officer to take the situation (or action) to its conclusion. For example: during scenario-based training, do we stop the scenario as soon as the subject gets shot? In reality, the situation is far from over at that point.
What’s Important Now?
• is the threat actually stopped;
• is the officer in the most desirable tactical position;
• does anyone else know where the officer is and what has happened;
• is the officer injured;
• are there other threats the officer needs to address?
If the training does not address these and other critical issues, by having the officer complete those tasks within the scenario, it is incomplete. The result may be less than desirable, or it may be tragic.
The same gap also occurs when officers are trained using video interactive judgmental use- of-force simulators. When the scenario ends and the screen goes blank, too often the training stops and the debriefing begins, again resulting in incomplete training. A more desirable way to use this training tool is to place other people where all the subjects were when the screen went blank and ask the officer to continue. Force him to assess the threat and his tactical position. Make him call for assistance and determine the next course of action. In doing this, we complete the officer’s mental loop and better prepare him for the real world of the streets. We prepare him to win.
Close Quarters Violent Encounters
Another area of concern is a close quarters, violent encounter where the officer faces an attacker who is committed to killing him. These kinds of encounters may take many forms such as edged weapons confrontations, officer hostage situations and good ole fashioned gunfights. They can happen in the confines of narrow hallways and small rooms. What is important at that moment in time is for the officer to use overwhelming violence to destroy the attacker The officer must be the winner.
This may mean:
• violently attacking the subject’s eyes, making it impossible for him to see and reducing his determination to fight;
• crushing the subject’s throat with a forearm, elbow or fist, imparing his ability to breathe;
• using a utility or rescue knife to stab the attacker, hopefully eliminating the threat;
• firing the officer’s handgun at the subject’s head until the threat is stopped.
If we accept that ferocity of action and overwhelming violence is ‘What’s Important Now’ for the officer to win and go home to family, then we must ask ourselves, “Are we mentally and physically prepared to accomplish this?”
Sadly, the answer is often ‘no’ because that element is overlooked in our agency use-of-force training. In many agencies, the closest an officer ever gets to a target that will be engaged with a handgun is about seven feet, and head shots are only used on command or in a pre-determined course of fire. The officer never practices striking a violent attacker in the throat or eyes. He is never taught to use weapons of opportunity (pens, knives, etc) in these situations. Worse, many officers have never imagined being in a close, violent fight for his life. Therefore, there are no programs or files in the subconscious mind that he can fall back on in these situations.
I often show a video clip from the Calibre Press movie ‘The Ultimate Survivors’ during mental preparation classes. The clip is a re-creation of an event that took place in 1976 in Baton Rouge, Louisiana where two officers are confronted by a subject in the bedroom of a home. At the end of the 10 minute violent confrontation, one officer and the subject are dead. In discussions that follow, the majority of officers are critical of what they perceive as a lack of action on the part of one of the officers (the one who was killed).
After much discussion, it becomes clear that what they believe that officer, (acting as the cover officer) should have done was to close the distance and make a contact shot to the subject’s head while he was fighting with the contact officer over his gun. While this is a sound tactic, almost no agencies are training their officers to do this. In my informal surveys, I’ve had only two officers that indicated their agency conducted this type of training as part of recruit training in the 1970’s. Only a few said that their agencies trained this in the 1980’s and 1990’s and almost no agencies include this as part of their recruit training in 2007.
If we are not training officers to use this tactic, how can we expect that in the heat of battle, in a close and violent fight for their lives. . . how can we expect them to come up with the plan?
Excuses
Time and safety are common excuses for not conducting this training. This is unacceptable. A drill can easily be built into existing training time in control tactics, weapon retention, defeating edged weapons attacks, weapon disarming (officer hostage), and/or building clearing . Safety in training must be of paramount. Start slow and build on the principles and concepts during the training program. When training officers to make close-in head or body shot,s the officers can safely train with peers acting as the subject by utilizing plastic training guns (make sure they go through the motions of pulling the trigger).
The officers can then progress to using training dummies or photo realistic targets using Airsoft weapons or weapons configured for non lethal training ammunition (NLTA). From there the officers can proceed to carefully controlled and scripted live fire exercises. Striking dummies can also be used to teach attacks to the throat and eyes, and create the opportunity for officers to strike these areas with power. By cutting out the eyes on the training dummies and replacing them with fake eyes the officers can get the feel of actually driving fingers into the eye sockets.
If training with other officers, make light contact to the eyes and imagine driving fingers into the eye sockets. Invest in swim goggles to help protect people’s eyes during this training. Instructors must stop making excuses and start doing the training. Excuses get people killed, realistic training saves lives.
After You Get Shot
The first indication you might have that you are in a gunfight, could be when you get shot. Getting shot doesn’t mean you did anything wrong, nor does it mean that you are dead. If you are dead you don’t know it. If you have been shot and are alive to realize you are wounded, ‘what’s important now’ is to get focused, get aggressive and win the fight. Once that is accomplished, move to a better tactical position, get help on the way and assess and treat your wounds.
In order to engrain this response into the subconscious, officers must be trained in these tactics by walking through them. They must imagine being in the situation, being shot and doing whatever is necessary to win the confrontation. Remember, officers can be put in realistic, winnable situations in training where they are also shot with NLTA and continue to function and win the fight. When these steps are completed, the officer is programmed to win. And they will do just that.
The same mindset training needs to be provided for edged weapons attacks. They must be conditioned to continue to fight and violently defeat the threat, even if they’ve been cut.
The challenge to every single officer is to continue to ask ‘What’s Important Now?’ What is important is that we set aside our egos, take a step back, examine how we train ourselves and our brother and sister law enforcement professionals.
• Does our training reflect reality?
• Are we training officers to win, or inadvertently setting them up to fail?
• Do we train with imagination and emotion?
• Are there gaps in our training?
W.I.N. – three simple letters with a powerful message for all of us.
About the author Brian Willis is a 25 year law enforcement veteran and the President of innovative training company Winning Mind Training Inc. www.winningmindtraining.com . Brian is a Board Member for ILEETA and a member of NTOA, ITOA, IALEFI and the Canadian Professional Speakers Association. He can be contacted at: winningmind@shaw.ca | 9,622 | 4,175 | 0.000247 |
warc | 201704 | Installed quickly with less labor, maintenance-free precast concrete box culvert bridges deliver a long service life. These eight box culvert designs demonstrate why precast is the best choice for a variety of site conditions.
By Gary K. Munkelt, P.E.
Maintenance and replacement of bridges over small streams are ongoing concerns for transportation agencies responsible for their upkeep. In recent years, however, infrastructure funding has not kept up with maintenance needs, and when bridge maintenance is not performed, the structures fall into disrepair.
A decision must be made as to when a bridge needs to be replaced. Should the bridge be replaced in kind, or are there better alternatives? The decision will be based on considerations such as cost, complexity of design, available materials and amount of time the highway is closed to traffic. Future maintenance should always be a part of the decision-making process.
Maintenance-free service and ASTM design assurance
Several systems are available for consideration before replacing a bridge. One of the alternative bridge systems to consider is precast concrete box culverts. They offer a range of sizes and configurations to fit specific site conditions. When properly installed, a precast concrete bridge replacement can provide maintenance-free service for many years. There are concrete structures in operation today that are 100 years old, and many of these structures don’t require an annual maintenance budget. The concrete sits in place year after year and does its job.
Design of box culverts is not difficult and is normally performed by the precast manufacturer. Standards such as ASTM C1577–11a1 provide guidelines to ensure that the product design is adequate. By producing the same product repeatedly, the precast concrete industry can offer reliable, high-quality products. Precast manufacturers are located in most areas of the country, making the product readily available. Competition between producers helps to promote economy of cost.
Advantages of precast bridges over CIP installations
Replacing a bridge over a stream using a conventional cast-in-place (CIP) installation can close a road for 10 to 12 months due to the time required for curing concrete on site. For a typical CIP job, footings must be installed first. After they cure, the pedestals formwork can be made, followed by another concrete pour. After that, more curing time is required to form and place the concrete riding surface. Waiting three to four weeks between pours significantly extends the time required to finish a project.
Less time and labor: A precast concrete box culvert can be installed much faster than CIP construction, because the three- to four-week curing time is spent at the fabricator’s plant. Precast box culverts are often manufactured before a project is started. In many cases, preparation at the site takes less than one week. Installation of the finished precast box culverts is complete in a matter of days. There are box culvert installations on county roads where the road is closed for only two to three weeks. Fast installations provide an added advantage in cost savings, because labor hours are kept at a minimum.
Design agencies should consult with precasters in the project area to determine their capabilities. Using product sizes that are standard for a producer will normally enable them to provide more efficient pricing for quotes.
Design flexibility: The box culvert concept has been modified over the years to solve many job-site problems. Standard rectangular boxes are produced in many combinations of height and width. ASTM C1577 provides a table for sizes ranging from 3 ft wide by 2 ft high to 12 ft wide by 12 ft high. Other sizes are available and are limited only by the ability of local precasters to adapt their forms. Eight designs meet a variety of site conditions
Many precast concrete box culvert configurations may be used to span crossings that vary from narrow rivulets to fairly wide streams. Advantages of each these structures are usually unique to the job site, installation contractor or precast manufacturer. Here are eight precast box culvert designs:
1. Single box culvert: One structure, 3 ft to 12 ft wide with wing walls, is installed (end-to-end as needed for road width) above narrow streams. The height of the box culvert is dependent on amount of flow and site conditions. 3. Triple box culvert: Three 12-ft-wide box culverts are set side by side for larger streams. The length of the culverts depends on the width of the highway. 4. Bottom slab trough: Some designers require a modified bottom slab to provide a small trough for low flows during periods of drought. This modification consists of a second pour of concrete that can be formed to any desired shape. 5. Clamshell design: An innovative method of reducing the weight of each component is to utilize a “clamshell” design, where the box is made in two pieces. The advantage to the contractor is that product weight is cut in half, requiring lighter, less-expensive equipment during installation. 7. Three-sided arch design: This is an adaptation of the box culvert concept that has no bottom slab. It is popular where there are environmental issues or a desire to avoid disturbance to a stream bed. This structure can sit on a CIP footing situated on opposite sides of a stream. The three-sided arch spans the stream without adversely affecting the stream’s natural state. 8. Wildlife crossings: Single, clamshell, U-shaped or three-sided arch box culvert designs may be used to provide a safe crossing for wildlife under roadways. Gary Munkelt, P.E., is a consulting engineer with Gary K. Munkelt & Associates in North Wales, Pa. Contact him at [email protected] | 5,796 | 2,599 | 0.000388 |
warc | 201704 | Retrain in maritime security: brand new counter-piracy course with funding
Added: (Tue Feb 21 2012)
Pressbox (Press Release) -A brand new Vessel Protection Officer (VPO) Course is being launched at the end of February by international maritime and offshore industry risk consultants, Eos Risk Management 1.
The unique course is tailored to include the ISPS Code Ship Security Office and Counter Piracy training and meets all maritime industry requirements. Two weeks ago, the course was approved by the MOD as a Level 3 qualification. The Company, who specialise in security training, consultancy and operations, will run the course over 11 days at their UK headquarters in Staffordshire, based at their HQ and also at their purpose built training facility at another location nearby. The course will be delivered every 2 weeks, due to demand and interested candidates are to contact Eos direct. The course has been designed to meet the requirements laid down by the International Maritime Organisation (IMO) with regards to the selection of Private Security Personnel looking to provide armed maritime anti-piracy security services. Highly comprehensive content includes International Ship and Port Facility Security Code compliance, STCW95 Basic Safety Training, Maritime Security Risk Management, Radio Operator, Weapons System Management and counter piracy measures. "Security and protection for seafaring vessels is of utmost importance to ship owners and for the safety of crew and cargo," explains Eos Managing Director David Johnson. "With maritime piracy attacks reaching almost 500 in 2011, candidates attending the course will learn the necessary skills tackle every eventuality. Our aim is to produce seafaring security personnel, not security personnel who happen to be on a ship” Around 90% of the world’s trade is carried by the maritime industry at some point in its supply chain. The ocean covers around 70% of our planet and with vast amounts of capital tied up in assets and cargo; it’s obvious that the security and protection of this industry is paramount. The course costs £2400 and upon completion, successful candidates will achieve several internationally recognised and accredited awards under the umbrella of the Vessel Protection Officers course. Eos was founded in 2006 and is the preferred provider for many shipping organisations, charterers, underwriters and vessel operators including household names and top 100 maritime corporations. The new course comes at a pertinent time when continued cuts are being announced across the military and around 19,000 armed forces personnel will be looking to retrain in 2012. The recent approval from MOD means that the candidates are now eligible for funding under the Enhanced Learning Credits (ELC) programme2. Candidates must allow five weeks between applying for funding and commencing on the course. In additional to professional training Eos provide consultancy and armed teams for protective vessel security and anti-piracy, specialist maritime security systems, threat intelligence, vulnerability surveys & risk assessments, asset hardening consultancy and full project management, physical protection, recruitment and manpower services, and ISPS compliance. David comments: “Since 2009 we have helped to deal directly with many incidents across the international waters and our security teams consist solely of former UK armed forces personnel including both naval and army forces.” The course will provide individuals with the key preparation skills to mitigate the risk of vessel hijacking as well as ticking all of the increasing number of regulatory boxes required of the individual operatives by their employers and their employer’s clients. We face challenging environments across our international landscape and the risks encountered at sea can cost the shipping industry billions. Eos’s courses train some of world's most highly trained professionals in maritime security, allowing ship owners to counter some of the dangers of the open ocean. | 4,080 | 1,967 | 0.000514 |
warc | 201704 | Glendale, California (PressExposure) July 14, 2015 -- Restless leg syndrome (RLS) is a form of insomnia that causes an overwhelming urge to move the legs when they are at rest, especially during sleep. Those who have restless leg syndrome experience unpleasant sensations in the legs described as creeping, crawling, tingling, pulling or painful. Recent research studies have found that people with restless leg syndrome are deficient in the mineral magnesium.
In one study from the Romanian Journal of Neurology, researchers conducted tests in people with restless leg syndrome. They found agitated sleep and frequent periods of night time awakenings, with significantly less of the deeper "rapid eye movement" (REM) sleep - also found in other forms of insomnia caused by magnesium deficiency.
Mineral-based sleep aids are becoming more popular with RLS sufferers. One example is Sleep Minerals II, a drug-free, calcium and magnesium based sleep aid that is one of the more effective restless leg syndrome remedies. The minerals are formulated in a softgel with natural oils, making them more highly absorbable than tablets or capsules. This formula helps everyone from older adults, to teenagers, to women with menopause symptoms, as well as those with restless leg syndrome - to get a good night's sleep.
Kimberly B. of Troy Michigan gives her review and says: "I have been taking Sleep Minerals II for about a month now. I have tried everything out there and this supplement is amazing. I have suffered with insomnia for two and a half years and have had restless leg syndrome my entire life. This is the first relief I've ever had...it's gone for a month now."
J.M. of Florida says: "My restless legs were so bad that after 5:00 p.m. I could hardly sit down for two minutes without my legs moving. After taking the Sleep Minerals II for a while, my restless leg syndrome is greatly diminished and I've noticed I'm getting more and more sleep."
Valerie. H. in Santa Clarita, CA. says: "I had such bad menopause insomnia that I couldn't fall asleep. It took me hours to get to sleep even though I was very tired. I also had creepy crawly feelings in my legs at night. I got the Sleep Minerals II and started taking it. I fall asleep now within 20 minutes and no more restless legs."
Jill C. of Ellensburg, Washington says: "My husband has been struggling with restless leg syndrome his whole life. He couldn't sleep more than three to five hours unless he took an addictive prescribed narcotic, which he became tolerant to and the insomnia came back with no answers. Now he's been taking Sleep Minerals II for a week and every night he's had a great night's sleep."
For more information on Sleep Minerals II visit http://www.NutritionBreakthroughs.com. | 2,775 | 1,372 | 0.000734 |
warc | 201704 | With such poor consumer regulation, underfunded/uninterested police services and weak sentences by our courts, it should be no surprise that the UK is rife with dodgy salesmen willing to go that extra mile to coerce honest homeowners into parting with their cash.
Here are 20 Ways to Deal With Pushy Sales People
An ounce of prevention is worth than a pound of cure, so here is our list.
1) If you are receiving a lot of sales calls, it’s highly likely that you are on a “sucker” list. You can opt out of UK sales calls by signing up the government backed Telephone Preference Service, while it won’t stop all unwanted sales calls it will help to reduce them. 2) If after a month or so you are still being cold called by sales people, report them here – https://complaints.tpsonline.org.uk/consumer 3) Some homeowners suffer from such a relentless barrage of sales calls that changing their telephone number is the only option. It may be an inconvenience, but if you have had the same landline number for a number of years, chances are you could be on hundreds of sales/sucker lists. 4) Never give companies permission to contact you with marketing calls. they may pass on your details to third parties who will only do the same. Always be careful when filling out online forms, pay attention to check boxes and statements about how they use your contact information. 5) Never respond to unwanted text messages from sales people or companies you have never heard of before. Even if you reply with “stop” they will probably just add your number to a sales list. 6) Join your local Neighbourhood Watch scheme or create a new one. These are a great way for neighbours to get chatting about local issues, including gangs of persistent sales people. 7) Put “No Salesmen” stickers on or near your front door. Buy them from Amazon. 8) Never even contemplate agreeing to work from cold callers/doorstop sales people. Just say no and close the door or put the phone down. 9) Never let a salesman into your home without doing THOROUGH research on the company he represents, pay attention to complaints that may have been posted on the web by other customers. You can start here – www.google.com 10) If they are a ltd company, take a look at their financial situation and do some background checks on the directors. Start here. 11) Find out how much you should expect to pay for this type of work. Check out our example quotes here on QuotationCheck, try Building Sheriff, see the price guides on Which? Also post questions in related web forums (My favourite forum is DIYnot) so others can give you a “ball park” figure. 12) Print off your example quotes from QuotationCheck, Building Sheriff and Which? You can show them to your salesman if you feel his quote is too high. Safety in Numbers 13) If you are uncomfortable dealing with sales people and are concerned that you may be coerced into a contract then always make sure you have at least one other person with you, preferably more. It doesn’t matter of it’s a friend, a daughter, son or a neighbour. These people can share their thoughts with regards to the product being pitched, they can also raise any concerns about pushy sales tactics. A dodgy sales person might be able to pull the wool over your eyes but it’s less likely to work with 3 or 4 people in the room with you! 14) Be polite but firm. If you want to the person to leave your home then ask them to leave. If they continue with their sales pitch then walk to the front door and open it, ask them to leave immediately. If they try to delay you with paperwork then just tell them to post it to you. Be firm and direct and don’t let them push you around! Understand Your Rights 15) Do your research and understand your rights to cancellation. Read this article. Don’t drag your feet and waste time, before you know it your chosen company will have finished the work sent you a bill. Act quickly if you want to cancel your contract within your cooling off period. 16) If you want to cancel a contract you have already signed then back this up in writing and send it by recorded delivery. Expect the salesman to fight tooth and nail to get you to change your mind. Be firm and be prepared but don’t back down. 18) Record telephone calls with the company or salesperson. While this may sound drastic, it is actually very easy to do on modern smartphones, just by pressing a few buttons you can record the whole conversation. Don’t forget to warn the salesperson/company that you are recording the call, you can’t submit this as evidence in a court if you don’t inform them you are recording the call, that is entrapment and it’s frowned upon by the courts. 19) Watch programs like BBC’s Watchdog and Rogue Traders, also try Cowboy Builders. Theses shows give an insight into not only dodgy builders but also shady sales people. Bookmark relevant sites like Which and What Price. 20) Keep your friends and family in the loop. Have you ever heard the saying “four eyes are better than two”? Keeping your family and friends informed may reveal surprising results. Loved ones can raise concerns about something you may have missed or they can offer advice. | 5,288 | 2,568 | 0.000399 |
warc | 201704 | The Chaves County Republican Women’s Luncheon will host a talk by New Mexico Secretary of Education Hanna Skandera at noon on Wednesday. Skandera will discuss her plans for the future of education in the state.
The speech was arranged by State Representative Nora Espinoza (R-District 59), former president of the Republican Women and one-time educator herself.
Espinoza is also a member of the State House Education Committee and is appalled at the state of education in New Mexico. “We are graduating children who then have to get remedial education when they go to college. We pay. The taxpayers are paying for that,” she [auth] said.
Espinoza views Skandera as a reformer with the leadership that New Mexico needs. “I could not endure what she has put up with. It’s been an uphill battle for her.” Yet she noted that graduation rates have soared 7 percent since Skandera came to office. Native Americans, Hispanics and the disabled have seen the greatest gains in terms of graduation.
Skandera’s goals include ensuring all students can read proficiently by the end of third grade through reading intervention. “Reading is the key,” said Espinoza. “Our children must master the minors — reading, writing and math. If they can’t read, then they can’t move on to the rest of the basics.”
Skandera opposes the unions. She would like to see teachers held accountable for every students’ performance. She implemented an understandable uniform grading system for all New Mexico schools. Espinoza was pleased that Roswell and Goddard high schools received Bs. “Skandera has raised the bar,” she said.
Current CCRW President Joan Boue is another educator. Speaking of the program ‘No Child Left Behind,’ she said: “We lowered our standards for the other students. … Our children are our future.”
Boue repeated that this is not a political luncheon. “It is open to everyone. If there’s an issue, this is the time to ask questions. Our mission is to inform and educate the people of Roswell.”
The school board, administrators and teachers have also been invited to attend. One topic that will not be discussed is truancy, although Espinoza said: “We need to put the responsibility back on the parents to get their children to school. Parents must quit blaming the school system.”
The lunch costs $11, but people do not have to eat in order to listen to Skandera speak. However, Boue asks those coming to notify Judie Yeager in advance, at 626-9902. | 2,587 | 1,300 | 0.000815 |
warc | 201704 | Cokes, Edward Gordon (1973)
The spatial patterns of log cutting in Bay d'Espoir, 1895-1922. Masters thesis, Memorial University of Newfoundland.
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Abstract
There are few studies by geographers or others on the spatial patterns of log cutting and, as far as is known, the topic has not been examined at a micro-level. This thesis attempts to analyze the spatial behaviour of a small group of loggers operating in the forests around Head Bay d'Espoir, southern Newfoundland, between 1895 and 1922, This inner portion of the bay was settled after 1850 mainly from coastal settlements immediately to the south. Nine small settlements, containing about 550 persons by 1890, were established around the inner bay. A multiple resource economy based on logging, farming, hunting, trapping, and fishing evolved. Commercial logging became significant after 1895, with the introduction of the first local sawmill. Prior to this, the technology of logging comprised essentially the manually operated axe and sled and this technology persisted until 1903, by which time hauling distances extended one half mile inland from most waterways. It was no longer economically feasible to haul logs manually, so animal draft was introduced. -- The hypothesis tested in this dissertation was that this technological change resulted in a change from a basically linear pattern of cutting along waterways to an inland, lateral pattern of expansion. This change in technology also resulted by 1922 in quadrupling the area exploited in 1905, despite increased physiographic, economic, cultural and political impediments. -- The thesis is arranged chronologically, with chapters on the influx of settlers and pre-sawmill cutting, the sawmill era, technological innovation and the changing spatial patterns of cutting. There is an introductory chapter on methodology and one on the ecology of the forest. The basic hypothesis was validated, and the reasons for the changing spatial patterns are discussed in detail in the conclusions.
Item Type: Thesis (Masters) URI: http://research.library.mun.ca/id/eprint/7937 Item ID: 7937 Additional Information: Bibliography: leaves [166]-173 Department(s): Humanities and Social Sciences, Faculty of > Geography Date: 1973 Date Type: Submission Geographic Location: Canada--Newfoundland and Labrador--Espoir, Bay d'; Library of Congress Subject Heading: Lumbering--Newfoundland and Labrador--Espoir, Bay d'; Logging--Newfoundland and Labrador--Espoir, Bay d' Actions (login required)
View Item | 2,853 | 1,478 | 0.000679 |
warc | 201704 | Re-TalesFresh takes, in-depth analysis and opinions from our esteemed panel of industry leaders Harvinder SinghPartner, HSA Advocates Harvinder's focus area of practice is Corporate Commercial (including Merger & Acquisition, Joint Venture, Private Equity and Venture Capital) and Capital Markets. He has worked on numerous transactional and advisory matters related to corporate and commercial transactions, real estate transactions and capital market transactions. He has counselled varied mandates ranging from business transfers, asset purchases, to hiving-off of business units. Harvinder has advised various domestic offerings viz. IPOs, FPOs, Rights Issues, Pre IPO placements as well as international offerings viz. GDRs and FCCBs issues.
There has been a remarkable, and rather unfortunate, trend in India of startups shutting shop within a few months of their initiation. These comprise of services ranging from food and grocery delivery to fashion and logistics services and included the likes of PepperTap, Ola Store, Fashionara, Klozee, Dazo, Spoonjoy, Langhar, DoneByNone, TalentPad, to name a few. The trend is more prevalent in e-commerce and more specifically e-commerce platforms which are bleeding money due to heavy cash Read more..
The ongoing battle between online and offline retailers, led the government to finally usher a new FDI policy (through its press note no. 3 of 2016) for e-commerce business model for the B2C marketplace, which is expected to transform the sector. Under the revised policy the inventory-based e-commerce business model, where inventory of goods/services is owned by the e-commerce player, has been expressly excluded from the FDI policy. Two predominant issues arising from the new regulation which Read more..
The current scenario in India relating to online sale of drugs continues to remain unclear because of a circular released last year, on December 30, 2015 , by the office of the Drugs Controller General of India (DCGI), which directs all State and Union Territory drug controllers of India to maintain strict vigilance on online sale of drugs and take action,in public health interest, against persons engaging in such sales in violation of the Drugs and Cosmetics Act, 1940 (DCA) and Drugs and Read more..
The e-commerce industry has been currently expectantly waiting for the roll-out of various reforms which were proposed last year by the Securities and Exchange Board of India (SEBI), the regulator for the Indian securities market. These roll-outs were aimed towards enhancing capital investment and fuel growth in the e-commerce sector. Currently the e-commerce sector is experiencing great enthusiasm to avail public listing options (as is evident from the approval granted last year by SEBI to Read more..
There has been an ongoing debate regarding the regulatory framework, or rather the lack of it, in the Indian e-commerce sector. The issue is currently unsettled due to the ongoingproceedings in Delhi High Court filed by two of the retail associations, namely the Retailers Association of India (RAI) who are representing the brick-and-mortar retailers and the All India Footwear Manufacturers and Retailers Association (AIFMRA). On September 23, 2015, the Court held a preliminary view that the Read more.. | 3,290 | 1,629 | 0.000615 |
warc | 201704 | The Consciousness of the Atom, by Alice A. Bailey, [1922], at sacred-texts.com
p. 1
There has probably never been a period in the history of thought entirely resembling the present. Thinkers everywhere are conscious of two things, first, that the region of mystery has never before been so clearly defined, and secondly, that that region can be entered more easily than has hitherto been the case; it may, therefore, perhaps be induced to render up some of its secrets if investigators of all schools pursue their search with determination. The problems with which we are faced, as we study the known facts of life and existence, are susceptible of clearer definition than heretofore, and though we do not know the answer to our questions, though we have not as yet discovered the solution to our problems, though no panacea lies ready to our hand whereby we can remedy the world's ills, yet the very fact that we can define them, that we can point in the direction in which mystery lies, and that the light of science, of religion, and of philosophy, has been shed upon vast tracts which were earlier considered lands of darkness, is a guarantee of success in the future. We know so much more than was the case five hundred years ago, except in a few circles of wise men and mystics; we have discovered so many laws of nature, even though as yet we cannot apply them, and the knowledge of "things as they are" (and I choose these words very deliberately) has made immense strides.
p. 2
Nevertheless, the mystery land still remains to be opened up, and our problems are still numerous. There is the problem of our own particular life, whatever that may be; there is the problem of that which is largely termed the "Not-Self", and which concerns our physical body, our environment, our circumstances, and our life conditions; if we are of an introspective turn of mind, there is the problem of our particular set of emotions, and of the thoughts, desires, and instincts by which we control action. Group problems are many; why should there be suffering, starvation, and pain? Why should the world as a whole be in the thrall of the direst poverty, of sickness, of discomfort? What is the purpose underlying all that we see around us, and what will be the outcome of world affairs, viewing them as a whole? What is the destiny of the human race, what is its origin, and what is the key to its present condition? Is there more than this one life, and is the sole interest to be found in that which is apparent and material? Such queries pass through all our minds at various times, and have passed through the minds of thinkers right down through the centuries.
There have been many attempts to reply to these questions, and as we study them, we find that the answers given fall into three main groups, and that three principal solutions are held out for the consideration of men. These three solutions are:
First,
Realism. Another name for this school is that of Materialism. It teaches that "the presentation which we have in consciousness of an external world is true"; that things are what they seem; that matter and force, as we know them, are the only reality, and that it is not possible for man to get beyond the tangible. He should be satisfied with facts as he knows them, or as science tells him they are. This is a perfectly legitimate method of
p. 3
solution, but for some of us it fails in that it does not go far enough. In refusing to concern itself with anything except that which can be proven and demonstrated it stops short at the very point where the enquirer says, "that is so, but why?" It leaves out of its calculation much that is known and realised as truth by the average man, even though he may be unable to explain why he knows it to be true. Men everywhere are recognising the accuracy of the facts of the realistic school, and of material science, yet at the same time they feel innately that there is, underlying the proven objective manifestation, some vitalising force, and some coherent purpose which cannot be accounted for in terms of matter alone.
Secondly, there is the point of view which we can best, perhaps, call
supernaturalism. Man becomes conscious that perhaps, after all, things are not exactly what they seen to be, and that there remains much which is inexplicable; he awakens to the realisation that he himself is not simply an accumulation of physical atoms, a material something, and a tangible body, but that latent within him is a consciousness, a power, and a psychic nature which link him to all other members of the human family, and to a power outside himself which he must perforce explain. This it is which has led, for instance, to the evolution of the Christian and Jewish point of view, which posits a God outside the solar system, Who created it, but was Himself extraneous to it. These systems of thought teach that the world has been evolved by a Power or Being Who has built the solar system, and Who guides the worlds aright, keeping our little human life in the hollow of His hand, and "sweetly ordering" all things according to some hidden purpose which it is not possible for us, with our finite minds, to glimpse, still less to understand. This is the religious and supernatural point of view, and is based
p. 4
on the growing selfconsciousness of the individual, and in a recognition of his own divinity. Like the point of view of the realistic school, it embodies only a partial truth, and needs to be complemented.
The third line of thought we might call the
Idealistic. It posits an evolutionary process within all manifestation, and identifies life with the cosmic process. It is the exact opposite of materialism, and brings the supernatural deity, predicated by the religionist, into the position of a great Entity or Life, Who is evolving through, and by means of, the universe, just as man is evolving consciousness through the medium of an objective physical body.
In these three standpointsthe frankly materialistic, the purely supernatural, and the idealisticyou have the three main lines of thought which have been put forward as explanatory of the cosmic process; all of them are partial truths, yet none of them is complete without the others, all of them, when followed alone, lead into byways and into darkness, and leave the central mystery still unsolved. When synthesised, when brought together and blended, and when unified, they embody, perhaps, (I offer this simply as a suggestion) just as much of the evolutionary truth as it is possible for the human mind to grasp at the present stage of evolution.
We are dealing with large problems, and tampering, perhaps, with high and lofty things; we are trespassing into regions which are the recognised domain of metaphysics; and we are endeavouring to sum up in a few brief talks what all the libraries of the world are embodying; we are therefore attempting the impossible. All that we can do is to take up briefly and cursorily first one aspect of the truth and then another. All we can possibly accomplish is an outline of the basic lines of evolution, a study of their relationship to each other and to ourselves
p. 5
as conscious entities, and then an endeavour to blend and synthesise the little we can know until some general idea of the process as a whole becomes clearer.
We have to remember in connection with every statement of truth that each is made from a particular point of view. Until we have further developed our mental processes, and until we are able to think in abstract terms as well as in concrete, it will not be possible for us to fully answer the question, What is truth? nor to express any aspect of that truth in a perfectly unbiassed way. Some people have a wider horizon than others, and some can see the unity underlying the differing aspects. Others are prone to think that their outlook and interpretation is the only one. I hope in these talks to broaden somewhat our point of view. I hope we shall come to the realisation that the man who is only interested in the scientific aspect, and who confines himself to the study of those manifestations which are purely material, is just as much occupied with the study of the divine as is his frankly religious brother who only concerns himself with the spiritual side; and that the philosopher is, after all, occupied in emphasising for us the very necessary aspect of the intelligence which links the matter aspect and the spiritual, and blends them into one coherent whole. Perhaps by the union of these three lines of science, religion, and philosophy, we may get a working knowledge of the truth as it is, remembering at the same time that "truth lies within ourselves." No one man's expression of the truth is the whole expression, and the sole purpose of thought is to enable us to build constructively for ourselves, and to work in mental matter.
I should like to outline my plan this evening, to lay the groundwork for our future talks, and to touch upon the main lines of evolution. The line that is most apparent
p. 6
is necessarily that which deals with the evolution of
substance, with the study of the atom, and the nature of atomic matter. Next week we will touch upon that. Science has much to tell us about the evolution of the atom, and has wandered a long way during the past fifty years from the standpoint of the last century. Then the atom was regarded as an indivisible unit of substance; now it is looked upon as a centre of energy, or electric force. From the evolution of substance we are led very naturally to the evolution of forms, or of congeries of atoms, and there will then open up to us the interesting consideration of forms other than the purely material,forms existing in subtler substance, such as forms of thought, and the racial forms, and the forms of organisations. In this dual study, one of the aspects of deity will be emphasised, should you choose to use the term "deity", or one of the manifestations of nature, should you prefer that less sectarian expression.
We shall then be led to the consideration of the evolution of intelligence, or of the factor of mind which is working out as ordered purpose in all that we see around us. This will reveal to us a world which is not blindly going on its way, but which has back of it some plan, some coordinated scheme, some organised concept which is working itself out by means of the material form. One reason why things appear to us so difficult of comprehension is involved in the fact that we are in the midst of a transition period, and the plan is as yet imperfect; we are too close to the machinery, being ourselves an integral part of the whole. We see a little bit of it here, and another little bit there, but the whole grandeur of the idea is not apparent to us. We may have a vision, we may have a high moment of revelation, but when we contact the reality on every side, we question the possibility of the ideal materialising, for the intelligent relationship between the form
p. 7
and that which utilises it seems so far from adjustment. The recognition of the factor of the intelligence will inevitably lead us to the contemplation of the evolution of consciousness in its many forms, ranging all the way from those types of consciousness which we consider sub- human, through the human, up to what may be logically posited (even if it may not be demonstrated) to be superhuman consciousness. The next question which will face us will be, what lies back of all these factors? Is there, behind the objective form and its animating intelligence, an evolution which corresponds to the "I" faculty, to the Ego in man? Is there in nature, and in all that we see around us, the working out of the purpose of an individualised selfconscious Being? If there is such a Being, and such a fundamental existence, we should be able to see somewhat His intelligent activities, and to watch His plans working towards fruition. Even if we cannot prove that God is, and that the Deity exists, it may be possible to say, at least, that the hypothesis that He exists is a reasonable one, a rational suggestion, and a possible solution of all the mysteries we see around us. But to do that it has to be demonstrated that there is an intelligent purpose working through forms of every kind, through races and nations, and through all that we see manifesting in modern civilisation; the steps that that purpose has taken, and the gradual growth of the plan, will have to be demonstrated, and from that demonstration we shall perhaps be able to see what lies ahead for us in the coming stages.
Let us for a minute consider what we mean by the words "evolutionary process". They are constantly being used, and the average man well knows that the word "evolution" suggests an unfolding from within outwards, and the unrolling from an inner centre, but we need to define the idea more clearly, and thus get a better
p. 8
concept. One of the best definitions which I have come across is that which defines evolution as "the unfolding of a continually increasing power to respond." Here we have a definition that is very illuminating as we consider the matter aspect of manifestation. It involves the conception of vibration, and of response to vibration, and though we may in time have to discard the term "matter", and employ some such expression as "force centre", the concept still holds good, and the response of the centre to stimulation is even more accurately to be seen. In considering human consciousness this same definition is of real value. It involves the idea of a gradually increasing realisation, of the developing response of the subjective life to its environment, and it leads us eventually on and up to the ideal of a unified Existence which will be the synthesis of all the lines of evolution, and to a conception of a central Life, or force, which blends and holds together all the evolving units, whether they are units of matter, such as the atom of the chemist and the physicist, or units of consciousness, such as human beings. This is evolution, the process which unfolds the life within all units, the developing urge which eventually merges all units and all groups, until you have that sum total of manifestation which can be called Nature, or God, and which is the aggregate of all the states of consciousness. This is the God to Whom the Christian refers when he says "in Him we live, and move, and have our being"; this is the force, or energy, which the scientist recognises; and this is the universal mind, or the Oversoul of the philosopher. This, again, is the intelligent Will which controls, formulates, binds, constructs, develops, and brings all to an ultimate perfection. This is that Perfection which is inherent in matter itself, and the tendency which is latent in the atom, in man, and in all that is. This interpretation of the evolutionary
p. 9
process does not look upon it as the result of an outside Deity pouring His energy and wisdom upon a waiting world, but rather as something which is latent within that world itself, that lies hidden at the heart of the atom of chemistry, within the heart of man himself, within the planet, and within the solar system. It is that something which drives all on toward the goal, and is the force which is gradually bringing order out of chaos; ultimate perfection out of temporary imperfection; good out of seeming evil; and out of darkness and disaster that which we shall some day recognise as beautiful, right, and true. It is all that we have visioned and conceived of in our highest and best moments.
Evolution has also been defined as "cyclic development", and this definition brings me to a thought which I am very anxious that we should thoroughly grasp. Nature repeats continuously until certain definite ends have been reached, certain concrete results have been brought about, and certain responses made to vibration. It is by the recognition of this accomplishment that the intelligent purpose of indwelling Existence can be demonstrated. The method whereby this is achieved is that of discrimination, or of intelligent choice. There are, in the text-books of different schools, many words which are used to convey the same general idea, such as "natural selection", or "attraction and repulsion". I would like, if possible, to avoid technical terms, because they are used by one school of thought to mean one thing, and by another, something different. If we can find a word similar in intent, yet not tied to any particular line of thought, we may find fresh light thrown upon our problem. Attraction and repulsion in the solar system is but the discriminating faculty of the atom or of man demonstrating in the planets and the sun. It will be found in atoms of all kinds; we
p. 10
can call it adaptation, if we so choose, or the power to grow and to adapt the unit to its environment through the rejection of certain factors and the acceptance of others. It shows itself in man as free will, or the power to choose, and in the spiritual man it can be seen as the tendency to sacrifice, for a man then chooses a particular line of action in order to benefit the group to which he belongs, and rejects that which is purely selfish.
We might finally define evolution as ordered change and constant mutation. It demonstrates in the ceaseless activity of the unit or the atom, the interaction between groups, and the endless play of one force or type of energy upon another.
We have seen that evolution, whether it is of matter, of intelligence, of consciousness, or of spirit, consists in an ever increasing power to respond to vibration, that it progresses through constant change, by the practice of a selective policy or the use of the discriminative faculty, and by the method of psychic development or repetition. The stages which distinguish the evolutionary process might be broadly divided into three, corresponding to the stages in the life of a human being: childhood, adolescence, and maturity. Where man is concerned these stages can be traced in the human unit or in the race, and as the civilisations pass on and increase, it should surely become possible to trace the same threefold idea in the human family as a whole, and thus ascertain the divine objective through the study of His image, or reflection, MAN. We might express these three stages in more scientific terms, and link them with the three schools of thought earlier referred to, studying them as,
b. The stage of group coherency.
c. The stage of unified or synthetic existence.
p. 11
Let me see if I can make my meaning clear. The stage of atomic energy is largely that which concerns the material side of life, and corresponds to the childhood period in the life of a man or a race. It is the time of realism, of intense activity, of development by action above all else, or pure self-centredness and self-interest. It produces the materialistic point of view, and leads inevitably to selfishness. It involves the recognition of the atom as being entirely self-contained, and similarly of the human unit as having a separate life apart from all other units, and with no relationship to others. Such a stage can be seen in the little evolved races of the world, in small children, and in those who are little developed. They are normally self-centred; their energies are concerned with their own life; they are occupied with the objective and with that which is tangible; they are characterised by a necessary and protective selfishness. It is a most necessary stage in the development and perpetuation of the race.
Out of this selfish atomic period grows another stage, that of group coherency. This involves the building up of forms or species until you have something coherent and individualised in itself as a whole, yet which is composed of many lesser individualities and forms. In connection with the human being it corresponds to his awakening realisation of responsibility, and to his recognition of his place within the group. It necessitates an ability on his part to recognise a life greater than himself, whether that life is called God, or whether it is simply regarded as the life of the group to which a man, as a unit, belongs, that great Identity of which we are each a part. This corresponds to the school of thought which we called the supernatural, and it must be succeeded in time by a truer and a wider concept. As we have already seen, the first or atomic stage developed by means of selfishness, or the self-centred
p. 12
life of the atom (whether the atom of substance or the human atom); the second stage grows to perfection by the sacrifice of the unit to the good of the many, and of the atom to the group in which it has place. This stage is something which we, as yet, know practically little about, and is what we often vision and hope for.
The third stage lies a long way ahead, and may be considered by many a vain chimera. But some of us have a vision, which, even if unattainable at present, is logically possible if our premises are correct, and our foundation is rightly laid. It is that of unified existence. Not only will there be the separate units of consciousness; not only the differentiated atoms within the form, not only will there be the group made up of a multiplicity of identities, but we shall have the aggregate of all forms, of all groups, and of all states of consciousness blended, unified, and synthesised into a perfected whole. This whole you may call the solar system, you may call it nature, or you may call it God. Names matter not. It corresponds to the adult stage in the human being; it is analogous to the period of maturity, and to that stage wherein a man is supposed to have a definite purpose and life work, and a clear-cut plan in view, which he is working out by the aid of his intelligence. In these talks I should like, if I can, to show that something like this is going on in the solar system, in the planet, in the human family, and in the atom. I trust that we can prove that there is an intelligence underlying all; and that from separation will come union, produced through blending and merging into group formation, and that eventually from the many groups will be seen emerging the one perfect, fully conscious whole, composed of myriads of separated identities animated by one purpose and one will. If this is so, what is the next practical step ahead for those who come to this realisation?
p. 13
[paragraph continues] How can we make practical application of this ideal to our own lives, and ascertain our immediate duty so that we may participate in, and consciously further the plan? In the cosmic process we have our tiny share, and each day of activity should see us playing our part with intelligent understanding.
Our first aim should surely be self realisation through the practice of discrimination; we must learn to think clearly for ourselves, to formulate our own thoughts and to manipulate our own mental processes; we must learn to know what we think and why we think it, to find out the nature of our life, and to experiment. We find ourselves, and know ourselves, through the method of discrimination and of selection and rejection.
When this is the practice of our lives, and the habit of our thought, we can then endeavour to find out the meaning of group consciousness through the study of the law of sacrifice. Not only must we find ourselves through the primary childhood stage of selfishness (and surely that should lie behind us), not only should we learn to distinguish between the real and the unreal, through the practice of discrimination, but we should endeavour to pass on from that to something very much better. For us the immediate goal should be to find the group to which we may belong. We do not belong to all groups, nor can we consciously realise our place in the one great Body, but we can find some group in which we have our place, some body of people with whom we can co-operate and work, some brother or brothers whom we can succour and assist. It really involves the conscious contacting of the ideal of brotherhood, anduntil we have evolved to the stage where our concept is universalit means finding the particular set of brothers whom we can love and help by means of the law of sacrifice, and by the transmutation of selfishness
p. 14
into loving service. Thus we can co-operate in the general purpose, and participate in the mission of the group.
Next week we will follow out some of these ideas in connection with the evolution of substance, and the part it plays in the general scheme. | 24,688 | 9,657 | 0.000104 |
warc | 201704 | Dave Hannon
@Daveatwisubs
There wasn’t a lot of good news in the extended economic downturn, but procurement organizations have seen at least one positive result: They’ve gotten a lot more attention than they used to due to the emphasis on costs. And the best procurement organizations have risen to that challenge by effectively reducing costs within their enterprises.
“The downturn was a chance for procurement to gain the spotlight and now they have to maintain it,” said Emily Rakowski, Senior Director of Procurement Solutions Marketing at SAP and a keynote speaker at Procurement 2011. One of the ways procurement can do that is to increase its efficiency, a top priority for procurement organizations, according to Rakowski. “Every procurement organization we talk with is trying to do more with what they have.”
Rakowski and co-presenter Chris Salis, Global Vice President, SAP Procurement and Operational Performance Management Solutions, outlined how SAP’s procurement solutions can help organizations live up to those expectations. In fact, they did more than outline the solutions available (we’ll get to that). Rakowski said “procurement is the living embodiment of the SAP strategy.”
How so? Well for starters, you know that SAP’s primary solution strategy today is threefold: on-premise, on-device and on-demand. And SAP procurement solutions are available in those three models currently. “SAP procurement is the perfect example of the strategy in action,” she said.
And Rakowski ensured Procurement 2011 attendees the company has committed to the procurement space going forward. And along those lines, Rakowski and Salis unveiled a few more highlights on the SAP Procurement solution roadmap.
SAP BusinessObjects Spend Performance Management (SPM) 3.0 is slated for availability the second quarter and will include enhancements to the Data Enrichment Classification tool. SAP Sourcing OnDemand Wave 8 will be available next week. Look for more advanced analytics capabilities in the procurement solutions, as SAP BusinessObjects functionality is embedded in them.
SAP will also continue to emphasize its on-demand and on-premise offerings for Contract Lifecycle Management, a “critical discipline not enough companies are focused on” according to Rakowski. SAP CLM 7.0 is planned for Q2 as well.
The keynote was also heavy on customer examples. Highlights included Siemens running SAP SRM over several ERP systems to push purchase orders to their various businesses, for example. Aetna cut its Sarbanes-Oxley reporting time from days to seconds using SAP CLM while Sarah Lee used SAP Sourcing to help drive cost savings of 22% or $240 million.
With all of that functionality at its fingertips, it’s a good bet that procurement organizations will be able to hold onto that well-deserved spotlight. | 2,907 | 1,417 | 0.000729 |
warc | 201704 | Some of you may be familiar with the fact that we have some new plesiosaur material that we are currently preparing and looking at. The material was found in association in the Oxford Clay representing what appears to be a juvenile animal from an as yet unspecified taxon.
The animal is represented by multiple elements including one virtually complete forelimb, both femora and ribs. There are cervical, dorsal and caudal vertebrae represented but not many with processes and other large unidentified elements which are probably attributable to the pelvic or shoulder girdle. Some disassociated digits and other elements complete the recovered bones.
Unfortunately no skull material was recovered and we could not find a single tooth, which was disappointing.
Cryptoclidus eurymerusis the most common plesiosaur recovered from this formation but there are subtle morphological differences in some bones which suggest this animal is something else. It is similar, however, to C. richardsoniand this is a very rare taxa indeed which may make this specimen quite important.
It s almost certainly not
Muraenosaurussince that appears to be a much more robust animal. So the animal remains indeterminate at the moment and although I am erring on the side that it is possibly C. richardsoni, there is an outside chance that it may be a new taxon and that would be really exciting. We hope to get back to the site at some point and see if we can possibly locate any skull material and anything else that may help to identify the animal. The fact that the humerus is considerably larger than the femora is diagnostic of cryptoclidid plesiosaurs.
The material appears well preserved and heavily mineralised but it all has a proportion of matrix adhering to the surface in varying degrees of thickness. Some of it is merely compacted clay that is easily removed but other matrix is encrusted by calcite with remnants of both shell and belemnite embedded within and this has compacted and solidified to form a crust that is almost flint-like and is much tougher to remove.
Removal of this material is exacerbated by the fact that it almost blends into the bone and it is extremely difficult to take it away cleanly without damaging the fossil. The bulk of this material is removed mechanically but the remainder has to be removed very delicately, almost grain by grain to prevent damage and this is very much a time consuming process. The last specks are gradually eased out with needles but even at this stage they are extremely hard to remove and patience is paramount.
However, having said all that, some of the bone preservation is outstanding and this humerus is as good an example as any I’ve ever seen. This form of preservation is thought to be attributable to the fact that the Oxford clay sea was shallow and the organic material that the animals were buried in was exceptionally rich and fissile and virtually sealed in the fossils, thus enhancing preservation.
Unfortunately, many vertebrate remains are contained within calcite concretions and these are often well preserved but they are almost impossible to remove from the concretion without damaging the specimens. The plesiosaur discussed here also had a concretion in situ which had split and revealed a series of vertebrae running through it. Despite our best efforts, the concretion was so heavy that we were unable to extract it without mechanical help.
However, before extraction could be arranged, the site was covered over with spoil and the nodule seems to have disappeared but we are hopeful that it will eventually be relocated and we are optimistic the site will “reappear” after more spoil movement and, of course, more natural weathering and erosion.
After the humerus is finished being prepared, the radius and ulna are next up for preparation and these will clean up much quicker since they are much smaller elements to work on and do not appear to be too heavily encrusted with matrix. I’ll publish updates as we go along eventually unveiling the forelimb in its entirety once all the associated paddle elements are finished and, of course, any other news on the identity of the animal as we get it.
Footnote
We have recently been informed that the quarry has undergone extensive remodelling recently and that the layout has changed considerably which unfortunately lessens the chance of finding any more remains of this animal. This is regrettable but, until we are able to visit the site again, it is impossible to predict if we will be able to find any more of our plesiosaur. | 4,586 | 2,080 | 0.000484 |
warc | 201704 | water Tag archives for water
In the past few weeks, I have had been asked the same question by reporters, friends, strangers, and even a colleague who posts regularly on this very ScienceBlogs site (the prolific and thoughtful Greg Laden): why, if the California drought is so bad, has the response been so tepid? There is no single answer to…
Snapshots from the New National Climate Assessment After three years of intensive effort, research, writing, and review by hundreds of climate scientists, the latest update of the U.S. National Climate Assessment was released today. It includes many long, carefully prepared sectoral and regional studies, and covers the massive range of effects of climate change on…
California, and much of the southwestern US, is in a severe drought. Again. And as appropriate, there is growing debate about what we, as citizens, communities, corporations, and governments should do to tackle water shortages and the bigger question of sustainable water policy. Suggestions range from the large-scale and comprehensive (build more dams, transfer more…
In the last few months, as the severe California drought has garnered attention among scientists, policymakers, and media, there has been a growing debate about the links between the drought and climate change. The debate has been marked by considerable controversy, confusion, and opaqueness. The confusion stems from the failure of some scientists, bloggers, reporters,…
We’ve entered a new era: politicians can now talk loud and clear about the reality of human-induced climate change and the growing threats to humanity. With strong, unambiguous statements by President Barack Obama, Secretary of State John Kerry, Senator Sheldon Whitehouse, and a growing chorus of other top-level voices, the wholesale denial of climate science…
It is time to recognize the serious California drought for what it is: a bellwether of things to come; a harbinger of even more serious challenges to California water resources allocation, management, and use. The drought could end next month. It could go on for more years. But it will not be the last drought…
California has a “Mediterranean” climate, which means that each year it has a concentrated rainy season, followed by a long temperate and dry period. California’s rainy season typically runs from early October to late March, with very little precipitation outside of these months. (Figure 1 shows the average monthly rainfall for California.) It is now…
Water policy and water problems always seem to be someone else’s responsibility. Those farmers who use all the water; the guy down the street who lets his sprinklers run all over the sidewalk; the Central Valley cities that don’t even have water meters; the environmentalists who are demanding water for some inconsequential fish we can’t…
In the 20th century, water policy seemed easy: figure out another source of water to satisfy some projected demand, and find the money to build it. The money was almost always federal “pork barrel” funding for big water projects, or occasionally state bond financing. The vast number of dams built in the United States (see the…
Snow. Glaciers. Icecaps, River flows. All of these are vulnerable to climate change, especially rising temperature. This isn’t just theory. It’s now observable fact. Scientists worry about the growing threat of climate change because the global climate is tied to everything that society cares about: human and environmental health, food and industrial production, water availability, extreme… | 3,663 | 1,829 | 0.000565 |
warc | 201704 | Grants and regulations
Grants are available for planting trees and managing woodlands. There are regulations that protect the environment and prevent illegal felling.
This section has information on grant schemes, legacy grants and regulations.
Forestry Grant Scheme
The Forestry Grant Scheme (FGS) supports new woodland creation and sustainable management of existing woodlands. There are eight categories – two for new woodland creation and six for managing existing ones. Within the categories, there are other options relating to specific types of project.
More information about the scheme is on our Forestry Grant Scheme page.
Farm woodlands
If you're interested in creating and managing woodlands, see our farm woodlands pages. You could get help from the Forestry Grant Scheme to help with costs.
Land leasing
Forestry Commission Scotland gives farmers and landholders the chance to lease land to Forest Enterprise Scotland (the Forestry Commission Scotland agency forest management agency). They can establish new productive woodland, and hand it back.
Felling licences
If you want to fell trees you may need a felling licence from us before you start. Information about exemptions, and an application form are available on the felling licences pages.
Environmental Impact Assessment
If you want to plant trees, fell without replanting or construct forest roads or quarries, we need to check your project's environmental impact.
If we think it'll have a large impact, you must apply for permission. We'll give your our formal opinion.
Full details are on the Environmental Impact Assessment page.
Woodland Grant Scheme and Scottish Forestry Grants Scheme
Now closed to new applicants but information is available about submitting claims and making amendments to existing contracts. For details see legacy grants scheme information.
Public registers
There are three online public registers:
Register of Grant Schemes – areas and location of applications we receive for creating new woodlands, details of Forest Plan applications and amendments to contracts under the Forestry Grant Scheme
Register of New Planting and Felling – areas and location of applications we receive for creating new woodlands (includes RDC-RP applications) and for felling trees
Register of Environmental Impact Assessments – details of the decision we have made when assessing certain forestry projects for their effect on the environment
Updating consultation procedures
Map tools and datasets Land Information Search A map-based tool that allows you to search for details about a chosen area of land. FCS Map Viewer Explore a variety of Forestry Commission Scotland datasets on this map-based tool. Data Download Access and download a wide range of Forestry Commission GIS datasets | 2,813 | 1,208 | 0.000842 |
warc | 201704 | The average information security professional may not realize it, but botnets have become arguably the No. 1 security...
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problem facing organizations today. Why? Most of the day-to-day security problems enterprise infosec pros spend their time dealing with -- infected endpoints, spam onslaughts and data leaks or losses -- are caused, at least in part, by botnets.
Listen to this tip as an mp3
Listen to Botnet removal: Detect botnet infection and prevent re-infiltration as an mp3 here!
In this tip, we'll briefly discuss how botnets work, and focus on what enterprises can do to identify and thwart botnet activity.
For years, botnets have victimized consumers and businesses alike, and botnet attacks show no sign of slowing. In part, this is because botnets have been improving their functionality and are becoming easier to use by less-skilled attackers.
In brief, for those who may not be familiar with how a botnet works, attackers begin by finding a way to install malware on a sizable number of target computers, often via malicious links in email, on websites or via social networking platforms. This malware allows the attackers to send instructions to the compromised computers, unbeknownst to their owners, to do whatever the attackers want. Typically, the resources of thousands of infected computers are pooled into a botnet or zombie computer army, and the combined computing power allows attackers to execute a variety of malicious activities.
More on botnets The Zeus botnet isn't showing signs of fading. In fact, it now threatens a wider scope of organizations beyond the banking industry. ipTrust launches botnet detection and IP reputation services. Video: Botnet researcher Joe Stewart discusses the current threat levels presented by botnets and how to protect your enterprise from DDoS and other botnet attacks.
Despite industry efforts to "take down" botnets by eliminating their command-and-control infrastructures, as well as ongoing efforts by consumers and businesses to improve their security, botnets and malware have advanced to attack new areas to achieve their illicit goals. Whereas botnets previously targeted Windows with direct network-based attacks, they've now moved on to attacking applications. Worse yet, successful application attacks usually require minimal user involvement, such as visiting a webpage or opening a malicious attachment.
Enterprise-wide identification and removal of botnets
Signs that an organization may have several machines infected by a botnet include anomalous network activity or erratic performance of client systems . Anomalous network activity could include a computer contacting a large number of external systems, but attackers have generally realized this draws attention quickly, so they are trying to reduce the number of hosts or the amount of data sent outbound and are using HTTP, HTTPS or other common protocols to minimize detection. Erratic performance of client systems could include issues such as slow performance, yet this is also becoming less common, since end users may report slow performance resulting in someone investigating the local system. Enterprises can detect botnet infection on their networks via a combination of network analysis and correlation with local system logs or investigations. One detection method would be to examine a local system and compare outbound network connections observed on the network to what the tools that run locally are reporting. Anything that is observed on the network, but not reported on the local system, could be the command-and-control channel or data sent out of your environment.
The most effective detection method for a large, distributed network is to use a dedicated network appliance that has access to all Internet traffic in order to identify suspicious packets. The traffic may look like standard Web data, but when a large amount of data is sent outbound, especially by multiple systems, it's important to have a method to identify such traffic and the system(s) generating it. It's also possible to identify suspicious traffic by scanning for connections from IP addresses associated with known botnet controllers.
Once an enterprise has identified infected systems, attention should turn to botnet removal, since, as mentioned above, botnets can be used for a variety of malicious purposes, including to attack internal systems or commit fraud. The standard advice is to format and reinstall an infected system, always the most effective method to remove the malware. While the local system is being rebuilt, it should be removed from the network to prevent further infections, and the remote systems the infected local system contacted while infected should also be blocked to prevent other potentially infected local systems from contacting the remote system. Enterprises could minimize downtime by not storing data on local systems, and using standardized system builds and automated software distribution.
Another option is to restore a system from a backup to get the system back into production. You could try manually removing the malware or bot software using antimalware, or custom tools -- such as those provided by antimalware vendors or internally developed -- may be appropriate for systems without access to sensitive data, but this could still result in malware or a rootkit re-infecting a system. In general, it's a better idea to reformat and reinstall any infected systems.
What else could an enterprise do?
Implementing a handful of basic security controls will prevent most botnet attacks and are necessary as building blocks for advanced controls, should the basic controls alone fail to contain the threat. These basic security controls should include:
Client-side antimalware software -- Every client computer should have modern antimalware software installed and updated regularly, ideally on an automated basis, or other similar controls. Operating system hardening – Every client computer should have basic hardening done, such as removing unnecessary software or services. Firewalls – Every client computer should be protected by a host-based firewall or network firewall, or potentially both for true defense in depth. Appropriate privilege levels for employees – Every user should only login as a normal low-privilege user for standard activities. Proper patch management – Every client should run updated and patched software to block attacks that exploit unpatched software.
You may also need to use advanced controls if you have enterprise applications that require disabling basic security controls, such as custom applications that require administrator-level privileges to use. These advanced controls include:
Dedicated antimalware or antibotnet network appliances -- like Palo Alto Networks' firewall, Actiance Inc.'s Unified Security Gateways, the free BotHunter tool or others -- can be used to identify and block botnets for the entire network, regardless of the controls in place on local systems, to provide an additional layer of protection. Sandboxes – These could be used to protect the most frequently used and highest-risk applications, like Web browsers, PDF readers or multimedia players from being compromised by cordoning them off from other parts of the system. Whitelisting – This technique can prevent certain types of malware from infecting a system by placing strict limits on what a system is allowed to do. Browser security tools -- These tools, like the NoScript add-on for Firefox, Trusteer Inc.'s Rapport and others, could also be used to protect browsers against exploitation. Antiphishing tools -- These can work in conjunction with other tools to protect against targeted email attacks against users. Additionally, many of these can send their logs to a security information and event management (SIEM) system to help identify advanced attacks. All of these controls should be evaluated, however, as to their other potential impacts on a network in terms of management and complexity.
However, should you identify an instance where the basic security controls didn't adequately protect an infected system (i.e., ground zero following a botnet infection), it's a good idea to do an in-depth investigation to determine which control failed and why, to identify if more advanced controls need to be implemented. This investigation could compare network traffic to locally reported network connections, or use forensic investigation techniques to determine what files were created, deleted or modified during the infection.
Conclusions
While security researchers have taken down some botnets in the last year, botnets have advanced and continued to victimize more consumers and enterprises. Enterprises should already have basic security controls to minimize the impact of botnets and other attacks, and should use or invest in advanced controls when the basics have failed. Following a botnet infection, organizations should perform an investigation to identify what controls failed and what changes need to be made to protect against future attacks. Enterprises should identify and remove botnets as quickly as possible to minimize the attacks on other systems and online financial transactions.
About the author: Nick Lewis (CISSP, GCWN) is an information security analyst for a large Public Midwest University responsible for the risk management program and also supports its technical PCI compliance program. Nick received his Master of Science in Information Assurance from Norwich University in 2005 and Telecommunications from Michigan State University in 2002. Prior to joining his current organization in 2009, Nick worked at Children's Hospital Boston, the primary pediatric teaching hospital of Harvard Medical School, as well as for Internet2 and Michigan State University. He also answers your information security threat questions. | 10,074 | 4,277 | 0.000235 |
warc | 201704 | OK. I have an idea.
Here’s the problem. 25% of homeowners are underwater on their mortgages right now. That’s unbelievable. It’s horrible. I’m surprised things aren’t much, much worse in the general economy.
From 1996-2006, home values skyrocketed. In California they approximately tripled. In Washington they more than doubled. A lot of people received the magical gift of massive new equity in their homes. Let’s look at an imaginary couple, Bob and Sue, who bought a house in 1997 for $500,000, putting down $50,000 and borrowing $450,000. By 2002, that home could easily have been worth $800,000. Bob and Sue were worth $50,000 when they bought the house, plus their cash on hand, investments if any and, let’s say, an IRA. Suddenly, they had $350,000 in their house (plus their cash on hand, investments if any and their IRA). We’re rich! We’re rich!
Bob and Sue could borrow against their new equity, refinancing their $450,000 mortgage into a new $750,000 mortgage, giving them $300,000 in cash after they pay off the old mortgage. Times a million couples in the US, that bought a lot of vacations, remodels, cars, evenings out, feel good contributions to the Sierra Club, espresso machines and snazzy new outfits. Good times.
Now the market has changed. Bob and Sue’s home is worth let’s say $550,000. Oops. They’re way underwater. Not only is there no more money available in the refinancing well, but their “net worth” is negative (and plus -- their jobs are less secure in the new economy). Yikes. It’s a financial nightmare. People living financial nightmares usually aren’t in the mood to spend.
Bob and Sue’s situation is common. It’s easy to see why consumer spending, which is 70% of the economy, declined.
It’s also easy to see why banks aren’t lending very much, despite the TARP money. Firstly, Bob and Sue are not going to be inclined to borrow any time soon and their credit rating is horrible anyway (even if they haven’t missed payments, they’re overleveraged). Beyond that, the value of real estate is now perceived, rightly, as insecure. Lending now against real estate is like catching a falling knife. Banks can hope we’re at the bottom, but what if we’re not? What happens to the bank’s money then? Will there be TARP money to save them again if the market goes down another 30%? Maybe yes, maybe no, right? So banks are reluctant to lend and if they do, they want 33% down, not 5-10% down. The only entity doing any mortgage lending these days is the federal government. Banks won’t lend until the economy is looking good.
OK so we’re basically hosed, right? Bob and Sue feel poor. They are either going to walk away from their house and destroy their credit rating, in which case they won’t spend, or they will continue under the burden of their inflated mortgage, in which case they also won’t spend. If real estate appreciates at 3.5% per year going forward, Bob and Sue will have $50,000 of equity in their house again in 9 years. They will feel poor that whole time.
That is bad because despite their foibles, Bob and Sue drive the economy. Bob and Sue are us. If they don’t spend, we get the Great Depression II. Whether you like Bob and Sue or not, it’s in your interest to have them be happy and to have them feeling kind of affluent. This is the key to our economy.
Today we’re basically like a teenager who had a large drunken party while his parents were away and woke up with his house trashed, his Dad’s car crashed and “IDIOT” written on his forehead in Magic Marker.
It’s like Barney Frank slipped us a roofie.
Is there any way to uncrash Dad’s new car? My idea has its risks, but I think would be better than 9 years of a zombie economy.
What we need is for Bob and Sue’s mortgage to be $500,000, 33% below its current level of $750,000. This would restore their $50,000 in equity. We need Mr. Wolf from
Pulp Fiction. We need to make it like last night’s party never happened.
Like the solution to so many problems, it can be done but it’s not cheap. What I propose is that we buy down all residential mortgages in the US by 33%. Yup, you heard me. The total value of US residential mortgages is $11.3 trillion. So this would require $3.8 trillion. It would not be easy but it would be possible.
At the same time we would have to change the rules around mortgage lending to make sure we never did that again. We would have to establish minimum credit standards that make it much more likely that if someone borrows against a house, they’re good for it. This is what most countries do. Is it harder to buy a house in Italy than in the US? Yes. Did they have a crazy mortgage real estate bubble? No. (I can’t believe we’re taking economic lessons from freakin’ Italy. Ugggh.)
Some of this money would be a windfall to Bob and Sue. Real estate prices might decline as the market became more liquid (more people would sell because they wouldn’t fear a short sale on their house like they do now) but Bob and Sue would definitely benefit. Is that fair? Do they deserve it? Not really, I guess, but at least we get our economy back. | 5,314 | 2,488 | 0.000421 |
warc | 201704 | Lowe's is a home improvement retailer that was founded in 1946 and has been publicly held since 1961. It is headquartered in Mooresville, NC and operates 1,857 home improvement and hardware stores in the United States, Mexico and Canada.
The company has been an excellent performer since its inception, having grown its dividend payout in each of its 54 years as a public company. Even more impressive than the streak, is the rate at which the dividend has grown. The most recent increase was for 25%, which is right in line with the 28% CAGR it has produced over the last decade.
These last ten years of high dividend growth rates have brought the dividend payout ratio to the company's targeted rate of 35% of earnings. In fact, the currently declared dividend rate $1.40 is right at 35% of the expected $4.02 per share in 2017 earnings.
With the target being met, my expectation is that dividend growth will roughly match EPS growth going forward. Analysts are currently bullish that Lowe's recent strong growth can continue, as they are forecasting 16.4% annual EPS growth over the next 5 years.
Short of a recession, it appears that Lowe's is quite capable of meeting or exceeding those estimates, as it has produced 20%+ growth over the last several years.
Lowe's has shown a long history of outstanding growth, and you won't see many companies with better long term charts than it. Looking at the F.A.S.T. Graph with a 20YR time frame, we can see that Lowe's has grown earnings at a 16% annualized rate over the last two decades.
What jumps out to me is the fact that Lowe's has seen just three years of negative earnings growth in the last twenty, and those came during the height of the Great Recession. Even more impressive, the company has seen 15%+ EPS growth in 16 of the 20 years, with 2013 being the only other year that didn't meet the mark.
This impressive growth has been bolstered by an extremely effective share repurchase program, which has reduced the number of shares outstanding by 42% over the last decade and by 30% just in the last five years.
The company repurchased another $1.2B worth of shares in Q2 and has another $1.2B remaining under the current authorization. It has been buying back roughly $1B in stock per quarter over the last several years, and I expect this trend to continue going forward. With a market cap of around $67B, Lowe's is effectively retiring about 1.5% of outstanding shares every 90 days, which is quite a remarkable feat.
As a dividend growth investor I generally enjoy having a higher yield with my investments, however an effective share repurchase program can also be an effective way to add to shareholder returns. The reduced share count boosts earnings per share growth, which in turn, allows for a higher dividend growth rate. With another 20+ years to retirement, I have no problem giving up a little in dividends now if it helps me grow my share of the pie over time.
Why Lowe's over Home Depot?
The inevitable question: Why buy Lowe's over The Home Depot, Inc.(NYSE:HD)?
My answer is pretty simple, I think it is trading at a more attractive valuation right now, and growth expectations are slightly higher going forward.
For the long term, I think either of these companies would be excellent investments, and there's a very good chance that Home Depot will find its way into my portfolio at some point down the road. However, at this time my funds are limited, and I had to choose just one.
As any of my regular readers have seen, my sector based top ten lists have spreadsheets comparing a group of companies from each sector. Looking at the comparison between Home Depot and Lowe's shows a close race, but tilts a bit in Lowe's favor.
The prospects for both companies are pretty bright, as my projections are for mid to high-teens annualized total returns with dividends reinvested. However, Lowe's trading at a discount to fair value tilts the results in its favor, so I went in that direction.
Why Lowe's Over Deere?
I decided to go with Lowe's over John Deere (NYSE:DE) for one basic reason: It's a much more predictable business.
I will reiterate that I think Deere is an excellent company that is doing its best to navigate a difficult operating environment. However, the cyclicality of the agriculture market has higher amplitudes than the home improvement and housing markets do.
As mentioned above, Lowe's has produced 15%+ EPS growth in 16 of the last 20 years, with the only three years of negative growth coming during the popping of the massive housing bubble.
Meanwhile, Deere has seen negative growth in 7 of the last 20, and it's volatility has been much higher.
I have no problem owning a company with volatile earnings, but I'd rather buy after earnings have bottomed, not while they are still falling. Deere has seen negative growth the last three years and earnings are projected to fall another 17% in 2017. With record corn and soybean crops expected this fall, I don't expect grain prices to improve any time soon, which could lead to further downside to those earnings estimates.
Additionally, Lowe's is in a position of strength, buying back 1.5% of its shares every quarter and growing its earnings and dividends at a mid-teens rate. Meanwhile, Deere has suspended share repurchases and just announced its tenth consecutive dividend payment of $0.60, ending its twelve year streak of annual dividend growth.
Conclusion
Lowe's Companies has been an excellent performer through the years, and I see no reason for that to stop now. There continues to be a tight housing market and with prices rising, people have been investing in their own homes, driving earnings for the home improvement stores. Additionally, an aggressive share repurchase program continues to shrink the share count, providing a tailwind for EPS growth.
I have been wanting to add this company to my portfolio for some time, and the recent 10% pullback gave me an opportunity to buy it below my fair value target. The timing was fortunate, as I was also able to take advantage of a price spike in Deere to raise funds for the purchase.
In Part II, I will highlight the other company I bought with my Deere proceeds.
If you would like to receive notifications when that and any other of my articles are published, please click the "Follow" button next to my name at the top of the page.
Disclosure: I am/we are long LOW.
I wrote this article myself, and it expresses my own opinions. I am not receiving compensation for it (other than from Seeking Alpha). I have no business relationship with any company whose stock is mentioned in this article.
Additional disclosure: I am a Civil Engineer by trade and am not a professional investment adviser or financial analyst. This article is not an endorsement for the stocks mentioned. Please perform your own due diligence before you decide to trade any securities or other products. | 6,925 | 3,135 | 0.000321 |
warc | 201704 | 29Dec 2011
Another 2011 trend is the rise of the middle class. While in the United States article after article – as well as the country-wide “Occupy Wall Street” protests — denounced the decline of the middle class, in Latin America the middle continued its gains. Despite the tougher international climate, economic growth averaged over 4 percent, and unemployment rates fell to 6.8 percent (from 7.3 percent in 2010). Perhaps more important, GINI coefficients – which measure inequality — lowered slightly to just over 50 (from roughly 53 in 2000). This means that the growth that happened actually spread to the bottom and middle of the pyramid.
There is an ongoing debate about how to measure the global middle class. Some of these issues I addressed in this past post. But whatever the starting point, the 2011 regional trend was positive. In Brazil, the middle topped 100 million, in Mexico it reached 67 million, and in Argentina more than 21 million.
This doesn’t mean Latin American nations don’t continue to struggle with poverty. According to the latest World Bank data, just under 30 percent of the population — 160 million people — lives on less than $4 a day (in PPP terms), and 14 percent — some 80 million — live in abject poverty (on less than $2.50 a day). The growing middle though does show the path forward, and reinforces the goal for those concerned with the less fortunate, helping them too rise the economic ranks into a more comfortable middle.
Published in conjunction with Latin America’s Moment at the Council on Foreign Relations. | 1,632 | 887 | 0.001179 |
warc | 201704 | he mission of the department is to provide educational leadership for a more just society in schools and community agencies. This mission is grounded in the Jesuit mission of the University and Jesuit history. The meaning and scope of the mission reflect all professional preparation programs housed within this academic unit.
The department is committed to the following goals:
To provide professional education in a liberal arts context. To uphold traditional values, yet be responsive and sensitive to society’s changing needs. To focus on personal as well as professional development of the individual. To emphasize teaching that is anchored in a strong research base. To instill the Jesuit Ideal of an Educator in our candidates.
The conceptual framework of the department (Professional Education Unit, as defined by NCATE) is grounded in the
Jesuit Ideal of an Educator. The Jesuit Ideal embraces a religious, personal, social, and action-oriented mission. The Ideal is represented by five dimensions of personhood: Formation of the total person. Personal influence of the educator. Education settings as communities of personal influence. Integration of the disciplines to extend and synthesize knowledge. Education as vocation.
Together these dimensions foster intellectual growth, self-discovery, continuous adaptation, commitment to continuous improvement, and a willingness to accept the challenges of leadership.
The goal of the Jesuit Ideal is a leader-in-service. The department’s professional education programs for school personnel offer the content knowledge and skills, and nuture the dispositions that contribute to the formation and growth of the professional as a person who embodies this Ideal. | 1,734 | 845 | 0.001196 |
warc | 201704 | New Urban Stormwater Course Combines Ecology, Landscape Architecture
By Angela Fichera
West Eisenhower Parkway, Stone School Road and West Ellsworth Road – three heavily traveled thoroughfares in the city of Ann Arbor – each got a makeover thanks to graduate students in an SNRE experimental course titled “Urban Stormwater: Science, Design and Management course.”
The course, offered university-wide in the fall, was team-taught by two SNRE professors: aquatic ecotoxicologist Allen Burton and landscape architect Joan Iverson Nassauer. The three-credit course is the latest example in a growing trend of SNRE faculty working across disciplines to create courses to teach environmental problem-solving with an interdisciplinary focus.
“For the [master of landscape architecture] students, who are the majority of the class, having a substantive, factual course about urban stormwater quality and management is a big difference from what they would get in other MLA curricula, and an important advantage when they are ready to look for their first professional position,” said Nassauer. “Working with Allen, we were able to put these students on the cutting edge. I’ve already had requests for our syllabus from several professional firms and from Landscape Architecture faculty at other universities.”
“The course was really project based and it was helpful to have both Joan and Allen’s expertise when we had questions. We were able to get a lot of the science components from Allen too,” said first-year Landscape Architecture student Oren Brandvain.
In December students in the course met for their last class to present their final projects to a review panel comprised of five SNRE Landscape Architecture alumni. Fai Foen, Patrick Judd, Jennifer Lawson, Catherine Riseng, and Harry Sheehan were on-hand to provide constructive criticism and feedback to members of the three student teams
“The review panel members were from different eras, and each of them is currently influencing regional stormwater management,” said Nassauer.
The course’s final project was to use knowledge presented in the course to assess watershed conditions and ecosystems, and develop a conceptual design and management plan for a specific urban area within the Malletts Creek watershed.
Malletts Creek watershed covers 11 square miles in the city of Ann Arbor and neighboring Pittsfield Township, according to the city of Ann Arbor. The creek flows into South Pond, and eventually into the Huron River, near the Huron Hills Golf Course. Over the last four decades, the watershed has undergone extensive development of shopping malls, residential housing and parking lots. Impervious surfaces now cover over 30 percent of the Malletts Creek basin.
The conceptual plan needed to include both landscape changes (depicted at the scale at which interventions would occur) and management changes (with attention to how management changes would be implemented). Work was largely based on Mallett’s Creek Restoration Project: Final Report, a comprehensive plan commissioned by the city, township and the Washtenaw County Drain Commission, as well as field examinations of their study area. The three study areas were Stone School Road and E. Eisenhower Parkway, including Mary Beth Doyle Park; W. Eisenhower Parkway and Briarwood Mall; and W. Ellsworth Road and S. State Street
“A course that focuses on stormwater management, especially in an urban environment, is very timely and appropriate for the issues that many cities across the U.S. are facing today,” said Lawson, who graduated in 2011 and currently is a Water Quality Manager for the City of Ann Arbor. “Stormwater management, including stormwater permitting and regulation, are very large issues that urban communities are grappling with from both an ecological perspective, as well as a public health and safety perspective.”
To view more photos visit SNRE's Flickr album. | 4,023 | 1,915 | 0.000537 |
warc | 201704 | Progressive men's movements have committed to transforming gender norms and patriarchal behaviours, and individual men within social movements play an important role as allies in pressing for change in behaviours and practices. These resources illustrate good practice in this area.
5 resources - Page 1 of 1
Mobilising men in practice: challenging sexual and gender based violence in institutional settings Institute of Development Studies, Sussex [ES], 2012This document brings together stories, tools and lessons from the work of the Mobilising Men programme, a partnership looking at ways of engaging men as gender activists. Set up in 2009, the programme involves country partners in Kenya, India and Uganda who identify, recruit, train and support teams of male activists who then work with women to challenge and change institutional settings that enable and enact violence against women. The programme is supported by the Institute of Development Studies and the United Nations Population Fund. The document is split into several sections. These are: • Becoming activists for change o Reflect on our journeys o Be a strong ally o Look at our privilege o Get and give support • Understanding institutional violence o Begin with an analysis of power o Look at conditions as well as behaviours o Document the violence • Taking action for change o Design the campaign o Select strategies for action o Improve rights literacy of constituency o Change and monitor institutional policy o Change institutional culture The first section begins with the personal stories of activists for change from Kenya, Uganda and India. There is an activist life mapping tool that can help activists to think about the experiences and people that led them to take action against injustice and violence. There is also a ‘why should men change?’ tool and handout which help to identify men’s interests in joining the struggle for gender equality, and a section containing information and tools on understanding male privilege, helping to highlight the costs to men as well as women. The second section includes an analysis unpacking different types of power: power over, power within, power to and power with. It explores how these types relate to violence, and introduces patriarchy into the analysis. There is an actor-factor analysis tool which has been created to improve understanding of the institutional conditions that enable gender based violence to take place, and what opportunities exist to change these. There is guidance on documenting violence, and examples of how activists in the programme have done this under challenging circumstances. The final section on taking action includes practical tools on planning and developing and implementing campaigns, including handouts on organising protests and in facilitating group discussions. There are also examples of strategies used by Mobilising Men partners to educate people about their rights around gender based and sexual violence, making rights information accessible and relevant for everyday lives, and gaining the support of powerful allies. Finally there are stories of the success that activists involved in the programme have had in challenging institutional policies that fail to address gender based violence, and how the campaigns they have developed are beginning to challenge and change harmful institutional cultures too.http://www.ids.ac.uk/idspublication/mobilising-men-in-practice-challenging-sexual-and-gender-based-violence-in-institutional-settings Review of research on collective action and engaging men to tackle gender based violence BRIDGE, 2012The aim of this review is to pull together examples of research that shows how collective forms of agency (whether in the form of social movements, coalitions or groups) have made a difference in eliciting positive social change in relation to gender-based violence; and highlights ways in which engaging men and masculinities on gender based violence issues has made a difference. This document is divided into two sections. The first gives an overview of the key points emerging from the research identified on the above topics. The second is an annotated bibliography which lists and summarises the research. The documents considered include both peer reviewed research and grey literature.http://www.eldis.org/vfile/upload/4/document/1304/Accountable%20grant%20GBV%20literature%20review%20final%20draft.pdf Policy approaches to engaging men and boys in achieving gender equality and health equity World Health Organization , 2010To reduce gender inequalities, efforts to transform men’s behaviours need to increase. Policy processes and mechanisms are key elements in engaging men and boys to bring about this change. This policy brief outlines the rationale for such an approach, offers a framework to integrate men into policies that reduce gender inequality and health inequities, and highlights some successful initiatives. Among the suggested ways to build capacity and sustain momentum is for men to be encouraged to take responsibility for advocating gender equality agendas; and that governments generate more expertise on men, masculinities and gender equality by creating and funding corresponding institutional support mechanisms. It is also recommended that civil society be strengthened so that it may have the capacity to monitor policy compliance and implementation. This document was produced with financial support from the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA). Defying the odds: lessons learned from Men for Gender Equality Now African Women's Development & Communication Network , 2009Men for Gender Equality Now (MEGEN) was initially set up as a project within FEMNET. It is now registered as an independent organisation, with more than 200 active members, working in 7 districts and 15 constituencies around Kenya. MEGEN has found that that there are many men even in the most traditional and patriarchal societies that believe in and support gender equality. These men need to be reached, encouraged, empowered and mobilised to become part of the movement of men who are committed to the fight against gender-based violence. This report documents some of MEGEN's work during its first five years of operations, and activists share their personal experiences and stories. It is hoped that the report will encourage other organisations to learn from the work showcased here. Politicising Masculinities: Beyond the Personal BRIDGE, 2008This is a report of a symposium convened by IDS researchers in Senegal in October 2007 on the topic of men, gender and power. An interactive, participatory approach was taken over three days, to allow the group of 40 academics, policy makers, practitioners and activists maximum opportunities for sharing and learning. Over the course of the symposium participants arrived at four key areas of discussion: new ways of theorising; male bodies and sexualities; shaping policies and transforming institutions; and mobilisation, activism and movement building. The fourth area on mobilisation, activism and movement building brought up the question “What would work with men look like if we took seriously issues of social mobilisation?” Participants felt that organisations working with men tend to focus on behaviour change strategies employed in community education programmes, rather than engaging men within broader struggles for social and gender justice. They came up with several strategies for action to promote men’s mobilisation around structural inequalities and injustices, including: • Consciousness raising on structural issues • Mobilising men to campaign for changes in government policy, the legal system and corporate practice • Capacity building for men as activists • Training on partnership building and the functioning of social movements The importance of identifying common agendas for collaborative work was emphasised, and participating in political spaces was seen as a key way to build alliances and promote dialogue between movements. | 8,119 | 3,516 | 0.000287 |
warc | 201704 | Matthew D. Ames, President and CEO of MN Pro Paintball, Inc. based in Burnsville, Minn., has been named the Minnesota Young Entrepreneur of the Year by the U.S. Small Business Administration.
The Young Entrepreneur of the Year is selected annually based on success as measured by sales and profits, increased employment opportunities created by the business, development and/or utilization of innovative or creative business methods, and demonstrated entrepreneurial potential necessary for long-term business success and economic growth. If this wasn’t enough, all of these accomplishments are done before the Young Entrepreneur reaches the age of thirty (30). Michael Ryan, Director of the Twin Cities Small Business Development Center at the University of St. Thomas, nominated Matt for this award.
Matt started MN Pro Paintball in 2002 and he currently operates a 200 acre outdoor paintball park in Lakeville, retail stores in Burnsville and Minnetonka, and an online store. Based in Burnsville, the business has grown from a one-man operation to eight full-time and as many as 50 part-time employees during the peak season, and has profitable grown to nearly $1 million in annual sales.
Matt began MN Pro Paintball as a senior at Lakeville High School, then commuting between Minnesota State University Mankato and the Paintball Park in Lakeville. In the fall of 2005, Matt was accepted into the Entrepreneurship Program at the University of St. Thomas. Within two years, Matt graduated and opened the first retail store in Burnsville.
Rich Rexelsen, a professor of marketing at St. Thomas as well as Matt’s mentor and academic advisor commented, “Matt has shown remarkable tenacity for his willingness to meet people and do the market development that is necessary for this business.” The numbers reflect this, averaging 15% sales growth during the past three years.
Matt was born missing a chamber of his heart. Although Matt would suffer from heart problems for the rest of his life, it didn’t stop him from living life to the fullest. As a child, he played hockey until his doctor would no longer sign his physical. Matt was looking for a new sport when he saw an advertisement for paintball.
Paintball is a sport in which players compete, in teams or individually, to eliminate opponents by tagging them with capsules containing water soluble dye and gelatin shell outside (paintballs) propelled from a paintball gun. The game is regularly played at a sporting level with organized competition involving worldwide leagues, tournaments, professional teams, and players.
Games are played on outdoor or indoor fields of varying sizes. A game field is scattered with natural or artificial terrain, which players use for tactical cover. Rules for playing paintball vary, but can include capture the flag, elimination, ammunition limits, defending or attacking a particular point or area, or capturing objects of interest hidden in the playing area. Depending on the variant played, games can last from seconds to hours, or even days in scenario play.
Matt played paintball every possible chance from the time he was thirteen years old. From playing in his backyard to participating in competitive tournaments, paintball was Matt’s life. Eventually this passion led him to open MN Pro Paintball.
His commitment to the community goes beyond his business, as MN Pro Paintball regularly contributes to charitable causes. Most significantly, they have contributed more than $50,000 to the cardiac unit at Children’s Hospitals through the Challenge for Children’s charity paintball event which is gearing up for its fourth annual event on May 20th. | 3,698 | 1,804 | 0.000562 |
warc | 201704 | In the coming days, the House Judiciary Committee is expected to debate a bill introduced by its chairman, Lamar Smith, a Republican from Texas, that would require all businesses to use a federal electronic system to verify their employees’ citizenship status. The new measure is the most promising attempt in the current Congress to deal with the vexing matter of immigration, which lately has been tackled most aggressively by the states.
The federal system, known as E-Verify, enjoys the support of some Democrats, including the Obama Administration, and certain corporate business interests. Here’s the gist of how it works: A business puts a current or prospective employee’s social security number, or alien identification number, into an online federal database, which quickly checks the individual’s citizenship status. Businesses with more than 500 employees would have to begin using E-Verify within a year of the law’s enactment, and all businesses, regardless of size, would have to sign up within two years. Already, more than a quarter-million U.S. businesses use E-Verify – in part, to get ahead of the Obama Administration’s heightened prosecution of businesses suspected of hiring undocumented workers. New federal employees and certain government contractors are already required to enter the E-Verify system. And new immigration laws in five states, including South Carolina, Georgia and Alabama, now require businesses to use the system.
Smith has suggested making E-Verify mandatory since the system was launched in the mid-1990s, during one of the last major immigration reform efforts. Now, barely a year after joining the government-cutting Tea Party Caucus, he is positioning the bill as a “jobs creator,” arguing it will remove some of the estimated 8 million illegal immigrants in the U.S. workforce – thus making room for American citizens. That line of thinking could resonate at time a when the national unemployment rate hovers around 9%.
But skeptics warn that E-Verify identifies only 46% of illegal resident workers who go through the screening, and some small businesses complain the system is so onerous it will require the hiring of accounts and human resources professionals at a time when profit margins are pinched. The agriculture industry, meanwhile, warns its operations could be crippled. At some farms, 75% of workers are illegal immigrants. While the system’s proponents boast of its 99% accuracy rate, naturalized citizens are thirty times more likely than native-born workers to be subject to an E-Verify error – potentially knocking them out of jobs. Even President Obama expressed concern during a White House press conference last week: “E-Verify can be an important enforcement tool if it’s not riddled with errors…. What I don’t want is a situation in which employers are forced to set up a system that they can’t be certain works.”
Another notable immigration measure before Congress is a new version of the DREAM Act, which would put many undocumented immigrants on the path to legal citizenship. The bill, introduced by Democratic Senators, comes months after the Senate failed to pass a similar measure, and the new iteration is unlikely to pass. But several states, including Maryland, have passed laws that, among other things, allow illegal residents to receive in-state tuition.
In many ways, the pace of the state actions – restrictive immigration laws in Arizona and Georgia, and inclusive measures in Illinois and Maryland – are at odds with what’s happening in Washington. The White House believes that comprehensive immigration reform must be led by Congress. But in the absence of such federal legislative action, the White House is focusing on stepping up administrative enforcement: increasing deportations of illegal immigrants who’ve been convicted of crimes in the U.S. or their home countries. “What they’re struggling with is, ‘how do we enforce the law enough to make clear to everyone that we’re serious about law enforcement, so we can make our larger argument, which is comprehensive immigration reform?” says Steve Camarota, director of research at the nonpartisan Center for Immigration Studies, in Washington. “They’re in a box.”
The House is expected to vote on the E-Verify bill this summer, but it’s unclear how the Senate will proceed.
Steven Gray is a Washington Correspondent at TIME. Find him on Twitter at @stevengray or on Facebook at Facebook/gray.steven. You can also continue the discussion on TIME’s Facebook page and on Twitter at @TIME. | 4,701 | 2,245 | 0.000462 |
warc | 201704 | Spline finite strip analysis of perforated structural members Summary
A joint research program between the University of Trento and the University of Sydney aims to develop a suite of analysis programs based on an isoparametric spline finite strip formulation to determine the linear in-plane and out-of-plane stress distribution, the buckling stress, and the nonlinear buckling response of assemblies of plates with perforations. The analyses will be compared with conventional finite element results and experimental tests.
Supervisor(s) Research Location Program Type
N/A
Synopsis
Many structures feature members with perforations. Typically, service requirements demand access through holes in webs or holes are punched to allow easy connection of other members, such as uprights of steel storage racks which feature a regular pattern of closely spaced holes to provide flexibility in selecting the height and spacing of pallet beams. Perforations introduce discontinuities in the cross-section and, consequently, a redistribution of the membrane stresses within the element. The stress distribution around holes is complex and depends on the shape, size and location of the hole.Because of the complex stress distributions charactering members with perforations, design of such members often resorts to experimental testing. It is anticipated that the nonlinear analysis tools will be sufficiently accurate and adaptable to offer a reliable alternative to experimental tests.
Want to find out more? Keywords Opportunity ID
The opportunity ID for this research opportunity is:
414 Other opportunities with Professor Kim Rasmussen
Local and distortional buckling of stainless steel sections Interaction buckling of stainless steel structural members Behaviour and design of steel storage racks Behaviour and design of scaffolding and formwork systems Structural behaviour and design of locally unstable angle sections Interaction buckling phenomena in thin-walled structures Structural Engineering Structural Engineering | 2,034 | 976 | 0.00103 |
warc | 201704 | Hoping to see their men return home safely from battle, women in wartime Japan would often send soldiers off with a protective amulet called a "thousand-stitch belt" -- or "senninbari" -- a cloth wrap that, as its name suggests, featured 1,000 stitches sewn by 1,000 different women.
To prevent the tradition from fading into history, a Tokyo-based women's artist collective known as "Stand Up Sister" is holding a " " ("Ohariko Project") exhibition at the Hako Gallery in Tokyo's Yoyogi-Uehara district. In addition to educating younger generations about the existence of tradition, the exhibit also offers visitors a chance to participate in hands-on stitching -- thereby encouraging people .
Miho Tsujii, a member of the collective and one of the event organizers, explained that putting together the exhibition was a challenge -- if for no other reason than the fact that almost no information on the practice was available.
"We almost never hear the word y, but when we do, it is usually surrounded with an air of secrecy," she explained. "This is likely due to the fact that war memories are a very painful topic for people to discuss -- and that the subject also tends to be tinged with accusations of complicity in the war." senninbari toda
Tsujii added that most women likely presented the soldiers with the belts because they wanted them to come home safely -- although some may have done so hoping that the men would die honorably in battle.
"This is just speculation, however, since there has been so little material handed down about 'senninbari' history that we really just don't know for sure," she said.
Stand Up Sisterhas held various exhibitions focused on the common theme of encouraging women's empowerment and self-expression through art.
Following last December's return to power of Prime Minister Shinzo Abe -- known to support creating an official Japanese military, and also the target of feminist criticism during his first term on 2006-07 for his conservative views toward women -- the members of the collective decided to organize an exhibition that would feature the keywords "women" and "war." It was then that they hit on senninbari.
"In doing our research on the history of the practice, we also came across the technique of "tamadome," or "knot-stitching," which was common among our grandmothers' generation," commented collective member Ayumi Taguchi. "This fit in with our theme of passing down techniques that may be lost to future generations if young people do not learn them."
Visitors to the exhibition are encouraged to sit down at the gallery's communal table and stitch for as long as they like -- and in whatever style they want to -- using the available cloth, needles and thread, while also enjoying snacks and relaxed conversation with the artists and other attendees.
"Participating in was a fascinating experience," commented local resident Chika Hirata after stopping by the exhibition. "I found the stitchwork to be extremely relaxing -- and I also found myself imagining that women in wartime probably felt a similar sense of calm from concentrating on this kind of handiwork. It must have given them some relief from the complex thoughts that were likely racing through their minds at the time."
"Each of the women who engaged in 'senninbari' had her own unique story to tell," commented Stand Up Sister member Nao Ushikubo, who also cited members' concern with political matters as a motivating factor in organizing the exhibition.
"With all of the talk in the news regarding constitutional revision and the Trans-Pacific Partnership (free trade talks), we began to fear that Japan was possibly headed down a similar path as it was prior to the First World War, which we found extremely disturbing," she said. "Even this week, around the anniversary of (World War II's) end, the Japanese media is full of reports about how our country is building up its defense capabilities. Clearly, the majority of people here don't realize that this may lead to war, which is really disheartening and frightening."
The gallery is also hosting several related exhibitions in addition to the "workshop, including postcards from the Puerto Rico-based "Honoring our Black Grandmothers" project encouraging island residents to take pride in their racial identity; a display of T-shirts designed by street children in " hrough the Tara Trust project that will eventually be given to children in Fukushima affected by the nuclear disaster; and sales of handcrafted cloth figures designed by local homeless women through the "Nora" project. t
The exhibition is ongoing at the Hako Gallery in Yoyogi Uehara from 11 a.m. to 8 p.m. through Aug. 18, 2013. For further details, see the gallery website at http://hakogallery.jp/event/.
From the event announcement:
From the event announcement:
* * * One Thousand Needles Project * * * During the wars in the last century, a vast majority of women in Japan took part in making amulets to protect soldiers from bullets with thousand stitches on a piece of cloth. This practice of “Senninbari (one thousand needles)” is hardly known today, or if it is said, it seems to burn the lips. It often faces dismissal for the accusation that it constituted women’s participation in war. It carries too much pain otherwise. Handwork has always been part of human life. It has been handed down from one generation to another throughout the world, as a tool for living and community connections. Some handworks were born out of sorrow and war. Handworks shape the soul of their creators. Perhaps we can find ourselves in those works and see how we are living today. Diversity. Dialogue. Justice. Transparency. Human Rights. Education. Love. Environment. Taking care of oneself. Making a living. Safe and healthy food. A piece of cloth can be strengthened the more stitches you add onto it. Similarly, your hopes can can gain strength by connecting with others. Your actions will not end here. This is an endless relay of hope that continues to shift its shape. Handworks will resonate across generations, nationalities, ethnicities, religions and differences. An additional event will be held at the Ogatsu O-link House community center in Ogatsu, Ishinomaki City, from May 1-9, 2015.
-- Kimberly Hughes | 6,346 | 3,103 | 0.000326 |
warc | 201704 | I ran into this quote going through an old EconTalk the other day, and thought it interesting:
As economists, we’re specialists in prudence only.
… That, as you say, is not what Adam Smith recommended. Not at all. I and a number of other people would like to get back to a Smithian economics, which although it didn’t throw away the very numerous insights that we get from thinking of people as maximizers — maximizers in this narrow sense — acknowledges that temperence and justice and love and courage and hope and faith can change the way the economy works.
I’m trying to decide if I agree with it or not. I would certainly agree that economics basically only looks at certain prudential concerns, it doesn’t consider humanistic or theological questions. However, I’m not sure if economics
should acknowledge those concerns, or if it is more the case that economists (and others dealing with the field) should clearly acknowledge that there is much more to any question than the question of what is most economically efficient. | 1,076 | 590 | 0.001771 |
warc | 201704 | Marketing often seems to be an arcane mix of magic and luck. Almost all small business owners that I’ve worked with, coached, or chatted with blame marketing for many of their challenges. While I’d argue that many issues are formed before marketing begins, there can be no doubt that marketing befuddles many!
I like this clever infographic by Pardot, which highlights the two sides of the marketing coin. Like many divisive topics, the truth lies somewhere in the middle.
Check out more from Pardot at Pardot.com. | 528 | 334 | 0.003076 |
warc | 201704 | How many times have you wanted something, but you’ve used the excuse of “I don’t know how” or “I can’t do that” stop you from going after it? We limit ourselves by allowing our current capabilities to overrule our creativity! Our capabilities continue to expand each day as we experience and learn more. So if you are allowing what you are capable of today to determine what you could create in the future, can you see how short-sighted that is?
The most amazing creators see possibility. Genius and innovation comes from a place of expansion, not constriction. It’s been said that Thomas Edison tried over 10,000 times before he was able to make a light bulb work because he continued to focus on what could be possible rather than what he was currently capable of.
Today I invite you to give up seeing through the limited lens of your current capabilities. Allow your mind to swim in a beautiful and vast sea of possibility. Stop drowning your dreams by only paying attention to what you have done or can do right now. Trust the energetic power of focusing on possibility and soon you will see that the right teachers, tools and circumstances you need to be capable of creating it will show up.
Relax and celebrate this amazing possibility: you are more powerful and capable than you think. Whatever your “it” is, know that you CAN do it, you CAN have it, and you CAN be it. It’s all possible – you just have to open your mind and heart to it.
Love,
Christine “Limitations live only in our minds. But if we use our imaginations, our possibilities become limitless.” – Jamie Paolinetti
# # #
Christine Hassler is an author, speaker, life coach and spiritual counselor dedicated to helping people answer the questions who am I, what do I want and how do I get it? You can check out her website here: http://www.christinehassler.com/ | 1,916 | 1,022 | 0.001023 |
warc | 201704 | Yesterday, Palm Beacher Nick Coniglio suddenly realized how much time and pleasure in his life revolves, in one way or another, around food.
He wanted to taste guacamole at one of the three island restaurants he co-owns and -operates; cook and eat a leisurely dinner with his family; and accept an impromptu invitation for a glass of wine and tapas with friends.
He couldn’t, and quickly recognized that the five-day all-juice diet he and his wife, Carissa, began on New Year’s Day eve was going to be a challenge.
“Yesterday was a real push-up and I felt sluggish,” says Coniglio, who, along with Carissa, is healthy and physically fit thanks to daily exercise and sports activities. “Today, though, I already feel more energized.”
Coniglio and his wife are on a short-term juice regime “to reboot the system,” Congilio says. The two of them are drinking five 20-ounce juice-blend servings per day.
“You want to focus on juicing vegetables with lots of micronutrients, like kale and swiss chard,” Coniglio, shown at right, explains. “A whole bag of kale gives you only about five ounces of juice!”
Thus far, the Coniglios have imbibed such vegetable-and-fruit concoctions as a blend of beets, spinach, carrots, celery and orange, and a blend of kale, ginger, parsley and grapefruit.
Their inspiration for trying an all-juice diet for at least a brief period of time stems from a 2010 documentary (“Fat, Sick and Nearly Dead”) the couple saw about an overweight entrepreneur and investor with various health issues who hits the road with a juicer and, consuming only fresh fruit and vegetable juices for 60 days, reclaims his health.
“That’s not my story at all,” says Coniglio, who has run marathons and is an avid surfer, among other extracurricular pursuits. “This is just a good way to reboot the system and start the year out fresh.”
Coniglio, who co-owns Cha Cha’s, Nick & Johnnie’s and Cucina dell’Arte, has lost four pounds and counting, and “if that keeps up, I may have to supplement with raw vegetables.”
“A lot of people have called me and said that what I’m doing is unrealistic,” mostly because Coniglio, much of the time, is surrounded by tempting foods at his family-owned restaurants. “Others have been so supportive, and some have said they’re trying it (a juice-only diet), too.” | 2,460 | 1,296 | 0.000826 |
warc | 201704 | “Researchers” have found that quitting junk food “produces symptoms similar to drug withdrawal.”
So next time you meet a heroin addict make sure to swap horror stories. Him with his account of vomiting all over himself and slumping onto the floor in a sweaty mess after being forced to go cold turkey when he was locked up for robbing a Taco Bell to feed his habit. And you with your harrowing tale of having to drive right past a Cold Stone even though you were REALLY craving a fudge double fudge chocolate fudge cone with fudge.
You know, I think I’m actually almost entirely sick of these mad scientists and government funded researchers and their epic quest to prove that nobody is responsible for anything they do, every overindulgence is an “addiction”, all unappealing personality traits are a “disorder” and, in general, humans are nothing but skin, bones, chemicals and genetic predispositions. The problem is that there’s so many stupid crackpot “studies” being conducted by any and every disreputable pseudo-scientific quack with a research grant and a couple of lab rats that now we’re at the point where telling me your position is supported by a study is about as convincing as telling me you’re a published author because 9 people have given a “thumbs up” to a Youtube comment you posted last week.
I, for one, will be totally honest with you: I haven’t conducted a study, I’m not a neurologist, I haven’t had my theories peer reviewed and I’m not a licensed Addiction Specialist. That said, I still stay this with complete confidence: YOU’RE NOT ADDICTED TO JUNK FOOD. GLUTTONY IS A VICE NOT A DISEASE. TAKE CHARGE OF YOUR LIFE, YOU’RE EMBARRASSING YOURSELF. I guess I didn’t have to scream that. And yes, I literally screamed it as I was typing. Sometimes I fly into a blind rage when I encounter too much New Age Bull Crap in one day. Maybe I have a New Age Bull Crap aversion. Hmm I should talk to my therapist about getting some medication for that…
There used to be a time way, way, way back in the day when people believed in this thing called “discipline”. Basically, “discipline” (pronounced diss-uh-plinn, I believe) was this archaic superstition that said people actually have CONTROL over their own actions and if they, say, ate too much bacon and grew to the size of a two-door sports car, it was their own deliberate decisions that brought them to that point. Can you BELIEVE that nonsense? Psssh… Control over our own actions?! Ridiculous.
Good thing we live in an enlightened modern society where I’m constantly empowered by the realization that every foolish and destructive thing I do is the result of a genetic disorder or chemical addiction and I am powerless to change myself.
Empowered by powerlessness. I’d say that about sums up 21st Century philosophical theory. | 2,966 | 1,613 | 0.000656 |
warc | 201704 | 1 69shares
Spring is here and while that brings flowers, sunshine and warm weather, it also brings rain. And with rain, we get puddles, just watching and waiting for their prey to drop shiny electronic gadgets into them.
If you’ve ever dropped your phone or MP3 player in water, or put your electronics through the washing machine, you know that it can be quite unnerving for those few minutes while you turn it off and hope that it will turn back on again. Luckily, there are a few things out there that can help increase the odds you’ll be able to recover the device.
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The first thing you should do in this situation is to turn off your device as quickly as you can, and if the battery isn’t fixed in place (as in the iPhone), remove it. The problem with water in electronic devices is that it can cause a short circuit and fry your device. If there’s no power on, this is much less likely to happen. After you’ve turned it off there are a couple things you can do.
It is important that you do not whip out a blowdryer or heat gun: this can cause even more damage than water. The heat can cause the device to overheat, or melt any glue that may be inside holding things together.
The cheapest option — and the most likely to be available — is rice. Fill a container with a lid (Ziploc and Tupperware work great) with rice and bury your device inside. Leave it in there for about 24 hours, but check it once or twice — if the rice gets waterlogged it’ll need to be replaced.
The rice will absorb the water and essentially suck it right out of your device. After a day or so, depending on how wet your device got, pull it out and with any luck it should be working right away.
Another option, though a little pricier, is silica gel. It has been more effective for me (yes, I’ve washed an iPod more than once). If you don’t know what silica gel is, it’s the stuff in the small packages in shoeboxes and new electronic device boxes that says “Do Not Eat” on the packet.
You can find silica gel in a more convenient form at your local pet store in the form of cat litter. While I have heard it doesn’t make the greatest litter, it does wonders for sucking out the water from your devices. Just make sure you buy the “crystal” type cat litter, not the clay based, or you may never want to use your gadget again.
Once all is said and done, you should have your phone and gadget as good as new! If these solutions don’t work, you might be out of luck. On the bright side, you now have the perfect prank tool to “accidentally” run over your friend’s iPhone. | 2,794 | 1,416 | 0.000737 |
warc | 201704 | Many arts organizations across the Commonwealth and the nation have been in a bad way since about 2008. Roanoke, however, seems to be living a fairly healthy life and is using some of its cumulative creativity to make its position even more solid.
Dan Smith
It has become all but a custom and a requirement for arts organizations to bemoan their fiscal health, while using a lot of their creative energy to figure out how to stay in business. That creativity has been especially beneficial during the past few years, as government funding has all but disappeared for most of them – especially those in the western half of the state, the “rural” half.
Still, a conversation with those in charge of the local organizations leaves a distinct impression; one of vibrancy, health, growth and innovation.
Margaret Vanderhye, executive director of the Virginia Commission for the Arts, is digesting yet another General Assembly budget cut (this one five percent), and strongly suggests that “it is essential to be creative and innovative in this economy.”
The Virginia Commission for the Arts and the National Endowment for the arts funnel public money to arts organizations of a wide variety in Virginia.
“Proportionately, we’ve had to reduce the amount of the grants from the days when funding was at $1 per citizen [per year]. We’d like to achieve that level again,” says Vanderhye.
Most executive directors in the Roanoke Valley speak infrequently of government funding, since there has been so little of it in recent years, preferring instead to emphasize efficiencies and partnerships. There are a lot of those, some not looking all that logical on the surface, but working to a mutual benefit.
Here is a brief look at the individual fiscal health of arts organizations and what they have planned in 2015:
Roanoke Symphony Orchestra
When Botetourt County native David Crane was appointed executive director of the Roanoke Symphony Orchestra in May of 2014, he took over a healthy, progressive organization that has been one of the true innovators in the Roanoke Valley. Under the leadership of Beth Pline (who retired for health reasons), the orchestra created a reputation for fiscal innovation and with David Wiley continuing at the head of the orchestra, it was a group of admired musical professionals.
Crane hopes to continue what has been a successful combination of big orchestral and small, intimate events, concentrating in its three specialty areas: pops, destination and masterworks. In addition, the Green Room Series of small, free concerts and lectures will continue. The three big and distinct offerings “are our signature,” says Crane, head of one of three professional Virginia symphonies (others are in Richmond and Hampton Roads).
Innovations at RSO began recently with its season ticket options, which allowed patrons to spread payments over a season and with ticket prices at a relatively low $32-$52 (and a lot of discounts available). The orchestra’s talent level has remained high, says Crane.
“We not only have some of the best musicians from all over Virginia, but we’re also pulling in people from Ohio and West Virginia. The talent is at a fantastic level.”
The RSO’s budget has remained at around $1.5 million and is “comparable to orchestras our size across the country,” says Crane. He says the symphony, “like everyone else, has adapted [to the realities of the economy]. We have had the opportunity to be creative [professionally and fiscally].”
Jefferson Center
“Support [for arts organizations] changes and you have to keep the wheel turning and be open to any resource for support,” says Jefferson Center Executive Director Cyrus Pace. “Funding the arts is a challenge. That has not changed.”
The Jefferson Center has found a winning formula for its three-pronged sources of money, each representing roughly a third of the nearly $2 million annual budget: development, ticket income and tenant rentals in the former high school in downtown Roanoke. Direct government money is not forthcoming, but grants from organizations like the Doris Duke Foundation and the National Endowment for the Arts have been helpful.
The Jeff Center’s bread and butter has been its Star City Series, Jazz Series and Family Series, all of which are programmed on a fiscal year, rather than a calendar year. “Public and private support have stabilized,” says Pace. “We’ll have the second half of 2015 booked early in the year.”
Berglund Center (formerly Roanoke Civic Center)
After a record-setting 2013 (number of events, attendance, revenue), two major events were postponed in 2014 and the civic center didn’t make its budget. Those events move into 2015, however, and the year is looking up for several reasons, in addition to revenue.
Berglund Center Manager Robyn Schon is overseeing a major re-branding from its old identity. That sponsorship is bringing in $1.75 million over the next 10 years, more than $300,000 of that up front.
“Not many major players have ‘civic’ in their names any more,” she says. “This will give artists and agents a whole new perception of who we are and it will raise our profile.”
Scheduling the concert season is always tricky “because it is cyclical,” says Schon. “We’re coming out of a slow period, but we are on the radar of the heavy hitters.”
Physical changes are coming with the re-branding of the 40-year-old center. New seats, doors and a major paint job are scheduled. The center’s budget of $590,000 is “less than half what it was before Global Spectrum took over the operations,” says Schon, “and with the new LED lights we’re putting in, that bill should drop another 35 to 50 percent.” Schon says that the national average for occupancy among civic auditoriums is 65 percent, which is right where the Berglund Center sits. | 6,050 | 2,835 | 0.000369 |
warc | 201704 | One day this year, my third graders dove into a pig pile on the classroom carpet. I often picture them in a heap, skin of all colors, hair curly and straight, feet wiggling, with smiles from ear to ear. They knew this was a precious moment. In schools now, with the pressures of achievement, there is little room for pig piles.
I marveled at their energy. How could they revel so in the weight of each other, when they already shouldered so many of our grown-up troubles? Every morning I sensed the mood of each child. I tried to listen to them while multitasking. Your parents were yelling this morning? Yes, you can have an extra muffin. I’m sorry you did not have dinner last night. No, the world is not going to freeze over like in the movie. Then, the bell would ring and with my posture I would say, Put your troubles down. Stash them away. It is time to learn long division. Many of my students would do it, and all would try.
I am twenty-six, and I believe in children. I’ve realized that the thousands of hours I have spent with them, caring and cajoling and crossing my eyes, have been the best hours of my life. I may have provided the piggy-back rides but the kids carried me.
It still amazes me how, for a sticker or a hug, they will do what we ask of them. They will pick up pencil and paper, their baby sister, or a rifle. With wide eyes they follow our movements and our emotions. I used to think that it was for love that children were so eager to please. But it was not for love that Amelie squinted quietly at the board while her mother saved money for the eye doctor. It was not for love that Anthony sold one book in order to buy another to complete a report for his teacher. It was not for love that Alexis wrapped his sweaty arms around my waist every day after recess. It was, rather, for the love of us—their grown-ups.
We grant them very little power, and we do not realize how much they know. They accept what we give them. They cannot refuse; they cannot ask for more. I believe in children because they live for love, and they live for us.
If you enjoyed this essay, please consider making a tax-deductible contribution to This I Believe, Inc. | 2,194 | 1,140 | 0.000886 |
warc | 201704 | This I Believe
Just the other day I saw a television show called True Life on MTV. This particular episode was about three people with Tourrettes syndrome. The first person was a twenty two year old man. He had his whole life ahead of him until he was diagnosed with this terrible syndrome. He lived at home with his parents because he didn’t feel safe living on his own with his illness. He seemed like a normal guy except he had occasional twitches but he couldn’t lead a normal life because he couldn’t drive because he didn’t want a twitch two cause a car crash, he also couldn’t go on dates because people didn’t want to have a relationship with a person who is always twitching.
The next person was a pretty normal professional motor cross rider named “twitch” but he couldn’t always pull off his tricks because of his twitches. He had a wife and a daughter and lead a very fortunate life, but his motor cross riding was affected by his illness. It cost him a win at a contest, and a lot of broken bones. That put him out of work for a while.
But the most severe case was this high school girl. She couldn’t do anything a normal teen wanted to do like riding a bike or go to the movie theater because of her illness. She not only had twitches but she screamed and yelled against her will, she also had little control of her body when it wanted to twitch which caused a lot of pain for her. She had very few friends because she tended to lash out at people because of her Tourrettes. Her true love was participating in plays and acting but it was very hard and painful to try to control her twitches.
My point is, would you like to live your life like that? Your answer should probably be “no”, but many people that don’t have a disease or illness don’t take care of themselves and don’t respect their body. They don’t realize how much their health is taken for granted. So my lesson is that you should be thankful for your life and be thankful for your family because life can change very quickly and things can go down hill faster than you can imagine. Stay thankful and respectful and healthy and enjoy your life. This I believe.
If you enjoyed this essay, please consider making a tax-deductible contribution to This I Believe, Inc. | 2,328 | 1,115 | 0.000932 |
warc | 201704 | The White House, facing increasing skepticism over President Obama’s call for a public insurance plan to compete with the private sector, signaled Sunday that it was willing to compromise and would consider a proposal for a nonprofit health cooperative being developed in the Senate. The “public option,” a new government insurance program akin to Medicare, has been a central component of Mr. Obama’s agenda for overhauling the health care system, but it has also emerged as a flashpoint for anger and opposition. Kathleen Sebelius, the health and human services secretary, said the public option was “not the essential element” for reform and raised the idea of the co-op during an interview on CNN. [...] Mr. Obama himself sought to play down the significance of the public option at a town-hall-style meeting on Saturday in Grand Junction, Colo., when a university student challenged him on how private insurers could compete with the government. After strongly defending the public plan, the president suggested that he, too, viewed it as only a small piece of a broader initiative intended to control costs, expand coverage, protect consumers and make the delivery of health care more efficient. “The public option, whether we have it or we don’t have it, is not the entirety of health care reform,” Mr. Obama said. “This is just one sliver of it, one aspect of it.”
Of course the administration would like to have its cake and eat it too:
An administration official said tonight that Health and Human Services Secretary Kathleen Sebelius "misspoke" when she told CNN this morning that a government run health insurance option "is not an essential part" of reform. This official asked not to be identified in exchange for providing clarity about the intentions of the President. The official said that the White House did not intend to change its messaging and that Sebelius simply meant to echo the president, who has acknowledged that the public option is a tough sell in the Senate and is, at the same time, a must-pass for House Democrats, and is not, in the president's view, the most important element of the reform package. A second official, Linda Douglass, director of health reform communications for the administration, said that President Obama believed that a public option was the best way to reduce costs and promote competition among insurance companies, that he had not backed away from that belief, and that he still wanted to see a public option in the final bill. "Nothing has changed," she said. "The President has always said that what is essential that health insurance reform lower costs, ensure that there are affordable options for all Americans and increase choice and competition in the health insurance market. He believes that the public option is the best way to achieve these goals." A third White House official, via e-mail, said that Sebelius didn't misspeak. "The media misplayed it," the third official said.
Always the media with these folks. I'm trying to understand how Sibelius' "is not an essential part" is any different from "the public option is the best way", but not the
onlyway, to achieve the goals of reducing health care costs and expanding coverage of the uninsured. Doesn't seem all that different from me.
Howard Dean at least isn't having any of it:
Former Democratic Party Chairman Howard Dean, a leading figure in the liberal wing of his party, said Monday he doubts there can be meaningful health care reform without a direct government role. Dean urged the Obama administration to stand by statements made early on in the debate in which it steadfastly insisted that such a public option was indispensable to genuine change, saying that Medicare and the Veterans Administration are "two very good programs that have been around for a long time." Dean, a physician, argued that a public option is fair and said there must be such a choice in any genuine shake up of the existing system. "You can't really do health reform without it," he said. Dean maintained that the health insurance industry has "put enormous pressure on patients and doctors" in recent years. He called a direct government role "the entirety of health care reform. It isn't the entirety of insurance reform ... We shouldn't spend $60 billion a year subsidizing the insurance industry."
Agreed. Health care reform without a public option is insufficient. | 4,473 | 2,050 | 0.000497 |
warc | 201704 | The first statement Phillip posed to us was
“What is best for a consumer in a website’s design and functionality is not the same as what is best for generating the best search engine results”My answer is that this is true. When a product/marketing team for an online travel company sit a room talking about future plans (as a purist) you would want the number one thought to be “what will be best for our customer”. Unfortunately the pressure of search drives us instead to ask “what does Google need for the best organic results".
A consumer focused proposition is around choice, service, trust, price, interaction and answers. A search based proposition is around links, content , indexing, technical format and my favourite word “uniqueness”. These are no in absolute conflict but there are not the same and require a different mindset. I worry that the second mindset (search focus) is overwhelming the first (consumer focus). This pushes us to grey and (near) black hat activities harming and distracting us from the consumer experience.
I am being naïve to think that marketing and product teams will read this post and refocus away from search to the consumer. Search is just too important for that to happen. Throughout time companies have had to adjust their products away from consumer need to the marketing and distribution environment. Witness continued DVD distribution of movies over fears of download encryption and piracy. Going further back look to the victory of VHS over Beta-max despite the acknowledged technical superiority of Beta-max. It is only natural therefore that search would dominate our thinking. But it worries me. I am a consumer purist and am concerned about the unstoppable trend to design products around search compliance and maximisation rather than consumer maximisation.
What do you think? Are targeting for search and targeting for consumers incompatible? | 1,949 | 999 | 0.001028 |
warc | 201704 | Periodontitis is an inflammation of the bone, gums and supporting structure of the teeth. It is a bacterial infection that afflicts the tooth’s root and crevices in the gum tissue. Periodontitis is gum disease. Most professionals agree that gum disease can be prevented. They often refer to ‘good oral hygiene’ habits as the key to […] | 357 | 243 | 0.004385 |
warc | 201704 | To be a better leader — more able to mobilize others — you must get through to them. The best way to get through to someone is to truly listen.
In order to listen deeply, according to Mark, we must “Listen with a purpose, but without memory or desire” as famed psychoanalyst Wilfred Dion put it. Memory is the agenda of the past, and desire is the agenda of the future. Set both aside, and you can be truly in the moment with the other person.
(And as I reassure executives, your memories and desires will return shortly — you’re not abandoning them.)
This is crucial because any time we listen with an agenda, we listen poorly (so we miss key facts), and the other person doesn’t feel listened to (so we blow our shot at building rapport).
Mark recommends we be a PAL – a Purposeful, Agendaless, Listener.
When you can listen and they feel heard, understood, valued.
Ask:
What is my intended outcome? What am I considering doing? Will my contemplated action get me my desired outcome?
Assertive Humility – I need your help with something. There’s something I need to discuss with you, and I don’t have a lot of confidence that I won’t get triggered. | 1,220 | 670 | 0.001583 |
warc | 201704 | Food machine tackles child obesity
British researchers informed that now, a machine will guide teenagers to lose that bulge. The machine is designed to train them to form mental connections between how full they feel and portion of their serving.
The Swedish-developed device called mandometer connects a scale which is placed under a dinner plate. It weighs the food left on the plate. A graphic screen that shows the speed of eating is there. A voice instruction tells the speed of eating.
A graph is formed on the screen as the meal progresses at regular intervals. This is then compared to a pattern which is ideal for normal weighing people.
According to the British Medical Journal about 106 people were put under trial and mandometer showed promising results by reducing potion size thereby cutting the weight down and after six months the individuals were put off mandometer.
"The therapy seems to be a useful addition to the rather sparse options for treating adolescent obesity effectively without drugs," wrote study leader Anna Ford in the medical journal BMJ. | 1,081 | 602 | 0.001675 |
warc | 201704 | سال انتشار: ۱۳۸۲ محل انتشار: چهارمین کنفرانس بین المللی زلزله شناسی و مهندسی زلزله تعداد صفحات: ۸ نویسنده(ها):
Madhukar Gupta, IAS – Divisional Commissioner, Bikaner, Rajasthan, India
چکیده:
As part of 3-member United Nations Disaster Management Team constituted immediately after the mega-earthquake in Gujarat, the author reached Bhuj next day in the initial and most difficult phase.This paper reflects the impressions gathered during the author’s stay at Bhuj and highlights some of the lessons learnt for future.Gujarat was jolted by a severe earthquake on 26th January 2001 at 8.46 a.m. The magnitude was severe which measured 6.9 on Richter scale. The epicenter was 20 km north east of Bhuj. The state of Gujarat was severely affected with heavy loss to life and property particularly in Kutch, Ahmedabad, Jamnagar, Rajkot and Surendranagar. The initial perception of people and impressions of face to face with disaster have been captured. Observations have been made on search and rescue operation. Search and Rescue (SAR) teams made up of 399 rescuers and 26 rescue dogs equipped with technical and rescue equipment assisted in the search and rescue operation. The response from International community was overwhelming. At the national level several CSOs/NGOs/Philanthropists and rescue teams rushed to Gujarat from all over the country.The paper focuses on health initiatives, which were taken to prevent an outbreak of epidemic. The impact of the earthquake and rescue and relief effort in a case study village has been cited. The sociological impact of earthquake on affect communities has also been highlighted.The paper further highlights the correlation of disaster to development and a future plan of action to disaster response. Emphasis is laid on community action for mitigation and disaster risk reduction.Gujarat quake is an illustration of the contributory role of development in the enhancement of disaster risk. | 2,412 | 1,154 | 0.001079 |
warc | 201704 | On Monday July 20 – less than a month away – for the first time all services on Auckland’s rail network¹ will be fully electric as the roll-out of EMUs reaches its next milestone. Having all trains being electric should at least remove the issue of increasingly unreliable diesel trains from the network however it will also present it’s own problems. One of the biggest of these is travel times.
One of the most absurd situations we find ourselves in is that despite the new trains capable of much faster acceleration, deceleration and top speeds, they’ve actually been slower than the lumbering diesel trains they’re replacing. There appear are a couple of key causes for this.
Long dwell times at stations An overly restrictive signalling system – particularly around level crossings
Both of these issues have a greater impact on the Western Line than the rest of the network as the frequent level crossings and closely spaced stations combine to prevent the EMUs from using their speed advantages to make up much time. Things are bad enough that at the end of March AT added three minutes to western line timetables
so the stats didn’t look as bad to more accurately represent what customers can expect. I wanted to see just how bad the dwell times are and so over the last few weeks I’ve managed to have a few EMU journeys on the Western Line so I’ve taken the opportunity to conduct some tests.
Firstly here are some points worth noting about my testing.
The times are only for stations between Henderson and Grafton and a couple of trips on an EMU were only to Kingsland. I took the time from as soon as I saw and felt the train stop to the time it started moving again. Some trips were on a weekend when trains aren’t as busy. This is useful as it gives a more baseline comparison that isn’t affected by high passenger loads
So how do they compare?
The performance of electric trains seems to vary quite a bit. On a weekday morning the train averaged just over 1 minute per stop with the longest being at New Lynn. Things were a little better on weekends with an average of around 50 seconds per stop. No matter what way you look at it those are crazy numbers and there’s no way it should take that long compared to how international systems perform – or even compared to the diesel trains. Even on busy morning the trains the diesels averaged around 40 seconds per stop, considerably quicker than their electric counterparts – providing they weren’t overloaded.
So what’s changed to increase dwell times so much. As part of recording the times I hadn’t intended to do so but I started noticing some trends around how long things took. A rough example of what I saw is below using some of the faster times I witnessed.
Straight away you can probably see a few notable things going on.
With the diesels a good train manager will have the doors opening almost immediately as soon as the train stops and within 1-2 seconds passengers will be boarding the train. With the EMU’s there’s a 2-3 second delay before the button even lights up to allow the door to be opened. . Once a door button is pushed it also takes longer for the doors to open and close, this is especially the case for the middle trailer carriage which has to wait for the little platform to extend. . Another quirk is that some TM’s will signal to the driver as their door is halfway closed. It seems with the EMU’s this may not be possible and that they may have to wait for the doors to be closed before alerting the driver. . With the diesels the driver is free to leave as soon as the signal is given to depart – although there is usually a slight lag as the engine powers up. With the electrics there is a long till the EMU can move. I’ve been told by staff the onboard systems have a minimum 5 second delay before the traction system will engage.
As you can see it appears a lot of the issues are primarily technical ones with the design of the trains themselves, the five second delay before the train can leave is particularly absurd.
With the roll-out of EMUs across the entire network almost complete AT, CAF and Transdev need to turn their attention to addressing these issues with urgency. This is because dwell times can have a huge impact on on-time performance. At say 16 seconds per station that equates to an extra four minutes per journey.
While a lot of the issues are technical I think some potential quick solutions could be implemented by changing how staff manage trains. One is to start encouraging faster boarding/alighting by leaving the doors open for a shorter period of time. Currently people can be quite pedestrian in getting on/off trains and TM’s don’t like to hurry people up.
Another potential solution is to shift the TMs out of the trains themselves and have them stationed in the rear cab of the train. This is quite common on many overseas systems. They could then close all the doors at once while checking out the cab door. This would save the time of them closing their door separately while still allowing them to check the doors are clear. This would mean they aren’t roaming the carriages but considering they don’t ever do anything to provide customer service anyway then it’s no great loss i.e. most won’t even ask someone to take feet off seats or turn loud music down.
These two measures along could easily shave up to 10 seconds off dwell times.
In addition to dwell times I also particularly noticed the issue around signals. This is especially the case when there is a level crossing next to a station – like there are in at so many stations on the Western Line.
Without getting too technical, signals are red if the barriers are up to stop trains from going through the crossing. To not inconvenience cars too much in case drivers get impatient and go around barriers, they aren’t set to close till the train is on the platform. The issue is that because the signal is red the new train control system means trains can’t approach a red signal at speed. As a result when there’s a level crossing next to a station trains have to basically crawl up to it – again making trains slower than they need to be. This isn’t an issue with the diesel trains.
The ultimate solution is that we need to get these level crossings removed either by closing roads or grade separating them. In the short term perhaps other solutions need to be investigated such as closing the barriers sooner and having booms that cover the entire crossing rather than just half the crossing like they do now.
Regardless of the solutions, all those involved in the rail system need to work on solutions to speeding up these new trains with urgency.
¹ with the exception of Papakura to Pukekohe | 6,898 | 3,063 | 0.000337 |
warc | 201704 | FREEHOLD – The Monmouth County Department of Consumer Affairs is alerting residents to an active scam that is claiming President Obama, through a federal program, will pay utility bills.
“This is a multistate scam built on bogus claims that the president is providing credits or applying payments to utility bills,” said Freeholder Lillian G. Burry, liaison to the county’s Department of Consumer Affairs. “Consumers should not respond to this scam; there is no such program.”
Consumers in New Jersey, Florida, Minnesota and North Dakota have been contacted through telephone calls, fliers, social media and text messages with requests for personal information.
“To receive the money, a scammer will claim he needs your Social Security and bank routing numbers,” said Annmarie Howley, Monmouth County Consumer Affairs director. “In return, the scammer will provide you with a fraudulent bank routing number to pay your utility bill through an automated telephone payment service.
“One reason this scam is spreading is because it seems to work,” Howley said. “Before the local utility company realizes that bogus account numbers are being used, the payments are processed and initially credited to victims, who receive payment confirmation notices.”
The victims often share their success stories with family and friends, who also fall for the scam. Only later are the payments rescinded.
More than 10,000 people are estimated to have fallen for this scam in New Jersey in the past few weeks. Last week, 2,000 people were tricked in Tampa and the Better Business Bureau of Minnesota and North Dakota issued an urgent warning Monday with details of the scam.
The county’s Consumer Affairs Department works to educate residents and help them resolve all types of consumer-related issues. Information about Consumer Affairs programs can be found on the county website at www.visitmonmouth.com or by calling 732-431-7900. The office is open weekdays from 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.
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warc | 201704 | Googleplex From Uncyclopedia, the content-free encyclopedia
A
Googleplex is a mental disorder in which a person believes themselves to be almost all-knowing, but not quite. Incredibly similar on a biochemical level to the highly publicized God Complex, differing only in the severity of the affliction and the medical vernacular used to describe symptoms. edit Layman Interpretation
An individual stricken with a God Complex will believe themselves to know absolutely everything about everything and will refuse to ever be proven wrong, irrespective of how inaccurate they might be and the strength of any evidence gathered to the contrary of their opinions. Rare cases have also noted instances of dementia, delusions of omnipotence and a predilection toward naming their children Jesus.
A person suffering from a Googleplex is generally recognized as having the less severe, more patient friendly variation of a God Complex. The individual does not believe themself to be a superior entity – they will occasionally admit to errors in their information. Such instances, however, will then be followed by an offer of numerous other answers to the question at hand, which the Googleplex sufferer usually refers to as
hits. edit Mild to Moderate Cases
The majority of those afflicted with a Googleplex are fully capable of leading healthy, productive lives in today's society. In it's mildest form, symptoms will only present themselves under the influence of alcohol, marijuana or stress. Sufferers (or Googles, as they mainly prefer to be called) are non violent, and should not be considered a personal threat. Prolonged conversation with a Google has been known to provoke violent altercations in some cases, but the Google is much more often the recipient of aggression than the contributor – the non-sufferer turning to blows as a result of frustration.
It is recommended that conversing with a mild to moderate Google should be handled carefully, and with consideration to the disease. It must be recognized that the Google will take pleasure in delivering as many
hits to a question as possible, making dialogue with them somewhat one-sided.
Googles with a moderate affliction have also been recorded as offering advertisements for companies such as
eBay and Amazon, amongst others, in response to a question or remark. These shameless ads usually bear no relevance to the conversation being conducted, and most Googles will admit shame at repeating them. This is associated with a sensation of selling out, and is rarely discussed outside of professional therapy sessions.
Both mild and moderate Googles are able to function in society, maintain steady employment and start families. Symptoms of the disorder can present themselves when phrases or questions are directed to the Googles, although he or she will sometimes have the ability to discard the search (depending on the severity of the affliction), citing a lost connection or a need to refresh. With training, rudimentary treatment and practice, lost connections and so forth can be immediately forthcoming, saving the Google from running a search for every statement directed toward them. In moderate cases, the Google can be noted as reciting the words
Connection lost under their breath. With time, such practice can become second nature. edit Treatment for Mild to Moderate Googleplex
Research suggests that suitable effective treatments for general complaints of Googleplex are more focused on abstinence from common stimulants. These include caffeine, nicotine, most cold remedies and illegal drugs. The introduction of these chemicals into the bloodstream of a Google increases the likelihood of a search taking place, therefore avoiding them is the best precaution.
Currently under intensive medical study is the Yahoo Method, a controversial treatment in which the Google is required to spend an allotted amount of time each day using the Yahoo search engine on the internets to research randomly generated topics. The effectiveness of this treatment is under scrutiny as it can be regarded as
indulging the symptoms of a Googleplex by encouraging the Google to run searches. Supporters of the treatment negate this, stating that, by using the engine of a recognized competitor, it is opening the Google to a wider plain of thinking. The eventual goal of the Yahoo Method is to progress to other, lesser known search engines until the Googleplex sufferer no longer sees themselves as a definitive source of information, but simply one of many possible avenues, thus bringing them away from their affliction and into a more rational plain of thought. edit Severe Googleplex
Although incredibly rare (of more than a million recorded instances of the Googleplex condition, less than one percent have to date been classified as severe), there is little available treatment for severe cases of Googleplex outside of institutionalization, and no currently recognized cure. The Google must be cared for constantly in a perpetually isolated and silent environment, similar to the solitary confinement enjoyed by many a prison inmate. Although heated arguments have raged among the medical community as to the basic human rights of the patient in these circumstances, without an alternative forthcoming, confinement is currently recognized as the most effective method.
Symptoms for severe cases typically render the Google in a catatonic state, unwilling or unable to care for themselves. Although awake and seemingly alert to external stimuli, interaction with the patient is strongly and uniformly discouraged, even forbidden. A severe Google, upon hearing a word from any source (another person, the television, written text, anything), will begin reciting a torrent of
hits for that search. They will find themselves unable to stop this rhetoric until reaching the last possible hit, at which point, provided exhaustion or dehydration has not rendered the Google unconscious, they will ask if another search should be conducted with the omitted results included. edit Contributing to Society Through Entertainment
A severely afflicted Google, as stated, cannot be cured by today's medical practices. They are, however, enjoying something of a popularity boom after last years launch of the hugely popular daytime game show, '
Googlewhack!.
By it's definition, a Googlewhack is a word game played using the original Google website. The aim is to return one single hit from entering two random words into the search field – the more disassociated the words, the higher the likelihood of attaining a Googlewhack. The two words cannot be confined with speech marks, and the hit must not be a wordlist, thesaurus or similar site – the words must be used on one page, in context. Those are the generally recognized parameters for a Googlewhack.
The game show uses this as a basis for members of the public to win money and prizes. Contestants are given a set small amount of time to think of two appropriately random words, which they write upon a touch sensitive pad at the podium behind which they stand. The words are displayed on a larger screen behind them, which the audience both at home and in the studio can see but the other contestants cannot.
At this point, an isolation booth at the opposite side of the stage is revealed to contain a severely afflicted Google. Upon reading the words offered by the contestant, the Google will offer as many
hits as he or she is capable of. The fewer the hits, the more points scored. Each search requires a new (or fresh) Google, as a search with a large number of hits is likely to leave the Google offering information for a considerable period of time. The aim of the show is to score a single, solitary hit from the Google, namely a Googlewhack! edit The Road to a Cure
According to published medical reports, there is little progress in the fields of research concerning a cure for Googleplex. Some believe it is caused by chemical imbalances in the brain, while others attribute the condition to purely psychological imperfections. Whatever the actual cause of the disorder may be, there is an undeniable hope within the scientific community that a cure will be found.
Until that time, Googles should not be regarded as different from you or I. Indeed, they can be relied upon not only for delivering television shows as undeniably entertaining as
Googlewhack!, but also for settling those small disputes and arguments by providing almost limitless information at a moment's notice. | 8,550 | 3,823 | 0.000263 |
warc | 201704 | Dr. Alan J. Nixon
The objective of this program is the continued exploration of gene therapy procedures to introduce functional portions of the insulin-like growth factor-I (IGF-I) gene into joints damaged by OCD, acute injury, or those in the early stages of arthritis. Growth factors, particularly IGF-I, are predominantly involved in the maintenance of healthy cartilage by stimulating cartilage cell metabolism. After injury, this cartilage homeostatic balance is perturbed by a proliferation of degradatory enzymes and other bioactive peptides which insidiously damage the cartilage structure. The restoration of this balance normally depends on reduced exercise, surgical intervention, oral anti-inflammatory and pain relieving agents, and extended periods of rest. Untreated or severely damaged joints frequently develop osteoarthritis which remains a leading cause of retirement of horses from active racing and often precludes even modest exercise programs. Enhanced levels of stimulatory growth factors such as IGF-I can be experimentally provided by articular injection or the use of slow-release polymers. However, both result only in short periods of growth factor exposure, with little possibility of long-term impact on the joint. Methods to permanently enhance growth factor articular concentrations are being explored in this grant and utilize previous work on genetically engineered equine IGF-I constructs which will be introduced to joints by viral vectors, resulting in incorporation of the IGF-I gene into the cell nuclei of joint lining and cartilage cells. Despite recent untoward experiences in several human systemic gene therapy trials, the use of local gene therapy protocols, such as local joint delivery, remains a safe and effective mechanism to improve joint health in the long-term.
Our previous Zweig funded studies have cloned and sequenced both equine IGF-I and transforming growth factor-beta (TGF-beta). These gene products produce IGF-I and TGF-beta proteins that have been extensively evaluated in equine tissue culture systems. Further, our evaluation of the expression of these growth factors after cartilage injury shows that an early deficiency is followed by a transitory peak at 8 weeks, only to decline again at 16 weeks and beyond. This information indicates an early and a late window of opportunity when supplemental endogenous IGF-I or TGF-beta may be particularly useful in improving cartilage repair. Our studies suggest TGF-beta enhances cellular division among chondrocytes and stem cells, but has a limited potential to drive up cartilage matrix synthesis. Fortunately, IGF-I has largely complementary activity, with minimal effects on cell division, but a significant impact on matrix proliferation. As a result, selection of IGF-I may be useful when chondrocytes are already present in adequate numbers, while TGF-beta may have an earlier application in deep cartilage injuries when numbers of differentiated cartilage cells are inadequate. Application of composites of IGF-I and chondrocytes to cartilage repair has resulted in significant joint regeneration, and now represents common clinical practice in the equine hospital of the Cornell University Hospital for Animals. However, longevity of the IGF-I impact on transplant chondrocyte activity is limited by protein residence. This grant seeks to examine the effect of inserting the gene for IGF-I into chondrocytes at the time of implantation, which is proposed to extend the impact of IGF-I on the anabolic activity of the new chondrocytes beyond the 2 weeks previously reported in trials of IGF-I protein laden chondrocyte transfers.
This experiment continues a series of trials evaluating biologic delivery mechanisms to transport the active portion of equine growth factor genes to joint structures. Studies in 1999 showed that the IGF-I gene can be inserted into chondrocytes and synovial cells forming the lining of joints, and that once inside cells the gene produces active IGF-I protein for as long as 30 days. In vivo studies performed in 2000 confirmed that the equine IGF-I gene could be directly injected to the fetlock and take up residence by seeding the joint synovial lining. Expression of IGF-I was found in joint fluid over 90 days, which would provide significant prolonged effects on healing cartilage. These gene transfer experiments use a viral piggyback system, where the gene coding IGF-I "infects" cells forming the interior lining of the knee joint. The combination of the equine IGF-I gene and a modified adenovirus used simple gene splicing techniques to yield a virion particle capable of penetrating living cells and delivering IGF-I DNA to the host cell genome.
These trials suggested that the adenovirus achieved high incorporation rates, and provided a solid foundation for additional in vivo testing of adeno-IGF-I in equine joints. Clinically, the adenoviral construct does have a major practical advantage in that it can be administered to a joint by injection, thereby providing a relatively non-invasive method for growth factor gene delivery. Gene enhanced chondrocytes for use in transplant systems is the logical next step, since this would allow local autostimulation of cartilage matrix synthesis in newly grafted cartilage defects. Subsequent followup joint injections of further vector would then bolster chondrocyte function via synovial seeding and IGF-I production which would enter the joint fluid and influence cartilage healing by diffusion. Our year 2000 in vivo studies show the adenoviral-IGF-I vector provides a quick "hit" to joints that is simple to administer by injection. The proposed study for 2001 tests the hypothesis that adeno-IGF-I transfer to chondrocytes at the time of implantation will enhance chondrocyte anabolic functions sufficiently to drive significant new cartilage repair, Such a system is a natural progression for the current chondrocyte transplant program, and actually simplifies that protocol by eliminating the need for IGF-I addition to the milieu at implant. Rather, the cells will make their own IGF-I; a simple, safe and perhaps more efficacious means to bolster cartilage healing.
To test this hypothesis, the present proposal plans a study in the horse stifle, where cartilage defects are either filled with IGF-I gene enhanced chondrocytes or chondrocytes exposed to a null gene in the same vector. The healing response will be evaluated by arthroscopic examination and biopsy at 1 and 2 months after implant, and final tissue analysis 8 months after repair. Persistence of the IGF-I gene at each time point will be determined by sensitive PCR techniques, which will determine whether additional direct injection of IGF-I gene vectors to the joint fluid will be required in clinical cases. Such a dual approach combines previous year 2000 study results with current proposals in a practical way, and builds on our ability to treat not only generalized joint disease by direct gene therapy approaches, but also focal cartilage injury by gene-enhanced chondrocyte implantation. Both approaches diminish the likelihood of arthritis, and may possibly reverse the early stages of arthritis in horses and other animals. | 7,231 | 3,148 | 0.000318 |
warc | 201704 | Lose Weight Eating Fast Food For Breakfast vs For Lunch or Dinner vs As A Snack ... and 1 more
Edited by Donna, Eng, vc, Anonymous
It is possible to lose weight eating fast food as long as you choose single foods or meal combinations that are in the 300 to 400 calorie range. This restricts you to eating 900 to 1200 calories a day, which is enough of a limitation to have most people to lose one to two pounds a week. However, keep in mind that most junk foods are not that nutrient-dense and can be high in fat, sugar and sodium.
The suggestions below list options from popular fast food restaurants for each meal that are less than 400 calories and that have the least sodium and fat.
Method 1: For Breakfast
Eat just one of these selections with a black coffee or tea for breakfast every day. These options are listed in order from most preferable to least preferable in terms of how low-calorie and healthy the fast food breakfast item is for you. However, be aware that when it comes to nutrition, there is a kind of fast-food irony that exists, which is that foods that tend to be low in calories tend to be super-high in sodium and sometimes added sugar. Both sodium and sugar can trigger metabolic disorders, bloating and weight gain.
1 2However, keep in mind that a hash brown is very high in fat and starch and has a high glycemic level. So although it can be a temporary fix for hunger at breakfast, you might feel a bit tired shortly after eating it because the starches in the potato break down into pure sugars that some bodies have trouble processing properly. A single McDonald's hash brown is only 150 calories per serving.Advertisement 3 4 5 6This cake is very low in sodium at 330 mg but it is also a little low in protein at only 4 grams. It also contains a bit of saturated fat at 3 grams, which is a bit harder for your body to turn into fuel, so it is stored in your tissues instead. Eat a Reduced Fat Cinnamon Swirl Coffee Cake from Starbucks at 290 calories per piece. 7 8 9 10 11 12 13This dish, which contains salsa, beans, chicken and lettuce is a superb source of protein at 42 grams and very high in fiber at 14.5 grams. It is also very low in fat. However, this dish is way too high in sodium at 1,160 mg and should be a last resort as a low-calorie choice for breakfast. Order a Chicken, Pinto Bean and Veggie Salad at Chipotle at 365 calories per dish. Method 2: For Lunch or Dinner
Lunch and dinner are generally interchangeable fare at most fast food restaurants, so the best options, listed from least calories first are collected here. For best results, skip a meal altogether and have a fresh salad that you have made yourself at home instead. However, if you must eat fast food, these are the options that are least likely to harm your health.
1This choice is high in protein and low in fat. However, it is also very high in protein. If you want to lower the calories even more, ask for it without sour cream and do not add any hot sauce or other condiments. Have a Grilled Steak Soft Taco at Taco Bell, which is only 150 calories per taco.Advertisement 2 3This is a good choice of a low-fat, fast food salad and it is low in sugar as well. However, it is also a bit low in protein and very high sodium, which can cause bloating and weight gain. Have a Wendy's Asian Cashew Chicken Salad with the Light Spicy Asian Chili Vinaigrette at 210 calories per bowl. 4 5 6Holding the cheese on this sandwich saves you at least 350 calories in fat. This fast food diet choice does contain 13 grams of sugar and it is also high in sodium at 850 grams. However, this is forgiven because it also comes with many fresh ingredients that contain vitamins such as tomatoes, cucumbers and lettuce. Order Subway's six-inch Turkey Breast and Ham on Nine Grain Toast and Hold The Cheese is a healthier option at 220 calories. 7 8 9 10It contains chicken, hummus spread, a whole wheat pita and grapes, which makes it a more nutrient-dense choice than most anything else offered in a fast-food environment. It is also very low-fat and contains a satisfying 20 grams of protein. A bit higher in calories than some choices for lunch or dinner, the Starbucks Chicken and Hummus Bistro Box is 280 calories per box. 11 12It is relatively low in fat at 6 grams, but a bit low in protein at 17 grams. This sandwich is also a bit higher in sugar than most at 14 grams. However, it also contain chicken and fresh lettuce tomatoes and onions. This sandwich wrap comes with two sauces that help elevate the sodium level of your fast-food lunch to 880 mg, but you can lower that by dispensing with the sauces all together. Order a Quizno's Small Honey Bourbon Chicken Grilled Flatbread sandwich, which is only 290 calories per wrap. 13 14 15 16This is a surprising low-fat meal that contains 44 grams of protein and 4 grams of fiber. However it is also quite high in sodium at 800 mg. To lower the sodium content and the calorie count, consider having just the chicken breast with nothing else. Order a KFC Grilled Chicken Breast With a Side of Corn and A Side of Green Beans at 340 calories per plate. 17 18 19It is high in protein, at 23 grams, but it is also incredibly high in sodium at 970 mg, which or most people constitutes the entire allowed daily allowance. You may have a bit of mustard and also lettuce, tomato and onion on the bun to make it more nutritious, while at the same time adding minimal calories. Have a Arby's Roast Beef Classic or lunch or dinner at 360 calories. 20This is about as high in calories as you can get eating junk food without gaining weight. The grilled chicken is a lean choice and the peppers help boost your metabolism so you can lose weight. However bloating could be a problem when you eat this food because it contains 1100 grams of sodium. One solution might be to eat just one slice of this pizza (1/2 of a take-out servings) and cut your calories down to 195 calories per slice. Have two medium slices of Domino's Grilled chicken and Jalapeno Pepper Pizza at 390 calories. Method 3: As A Snack
Fast food places are all about temptation and if you cannot resist being at a fast-food counter because you absolutely must give into a craving, these are some of the healthier, low-calorie snacks you should choose in order to make sure that you will lose weight.
1 2 3 4 5 6These is a smaller chicken sandwich that is surprisingly low in sodium at 730 grams and high in protein at 15 grams. Order a KFC Snack at 290 calories per mini-sandwich. Method 4: As A Dessert or Treat
Desserts and treats tend to be impulse buys or the result of a craving. Here are your best choices for a fast-food treat that is below 300 calories.
1Be aware that is treat is quite high in sugar and sodium and that it is also high in cholesterol, which can clog arteries and cause the liver to malfunction over the long term. Have a vanilla ice cream cone at Burger King at 160 calories per cone. 2This dessert treat is a bit high in sugar and sodium, but it does contain some calcium, which is good for bones and the nervous system. Have a vanilla ice cream cone from McDonalds and consume 170 calories per cone. 3The fact that it is flourless makes this a low carb treat but it is still, like most fast food desserts quite high in sodium and sugar. Have a Flourless Chewy Chocolate Cookie at Starbucks at 170 calories per cookie. 4Chocolate Frosty, which is only 200 calories per serving. This is half the size of the regular frosty and it owes its low calorie and sugar count to the fact that it contains a great deal of crushed ice. Order a Wendy's Jr. 5Be aware that this is a high glycemic food that could have an impact on your blood sugar and that it also contains quite a few additives and colorants that are not the best for your general health. Eat a McDonald's Apple Pie at only 250 calories per pie. 6It is made with real fruit and blended with a great deal of ice, making it a good low-fat choice, even at 16 ounces. However, this drink is, like most fast food drinks, quite high in sodium Order a McDonald's Orange Mango Smoothie, which is 250 calories per serving. 7Be ware that this treat is very high in sodium and sugar and can sabotage your weight loss goals. Have either a chocolate Fudge or Caramel sundae from Burger King at 280 calories per serving. 8This is high in sugar and sodium but it is considerably lower in ingredients that are harmful to your health than many other types of sweet treats. Have a Strawberry Sundae at McDonalds at only 280 calories per serving. 9Although oatmeal is high in fiber and quite good for you in terms of being a good source of protein, this cookie is also quite high in fat and saturated fat. Buy a Starbuck's Oatmeal cookie at 290 calories per baked good.Advertisement Tips and Tricks
Drink at least ten glasses of water a day when you are trying to diet by eating fast foods because you are going to need to flush quite a bit of sodium out of your system Take a good quality multivitamin and mineral complex while you are on this diet to offset any malnutrition that could occur as the result of consuming only junk food Drink a glass of water into which you have stirred a fiber supplement or flax seeds to keep your intestines in good shape Be sure to exercise every day for at least an hour a day to keep your bowels moving and your cells at peak respiration so that any chemicals or additives in the junk food are expelled quickly from your body through breath, sweat and elimination Do not consume diet drinks with any fast food orders as they contain sweeteners, chemicals and colorants that are poisonous to the liver and the kidneys and that cause bloating and weight gain The fewer condiments you put on any type of fast food, the more you will be cutting carbs, sodium and empty calories from your fast food meal. Ordering off of the kid's menu can help you lose weight. If you have problems with any of these steps, ask a question for more help, or post in the comments section below. Comments Article Info
Categories : Weight Loss
Recent edits by: vc, Eng, Donna | 10,080 | 4,339 | 0.000231 |
warc | 201704 | Research Repository Australia’s Public Sector Environment for Shaping Event Tourism Strategy
Stokes, Robyn and Jago, Leo Kenneth (2007)
Australia’s Public Sector Environment for Shaping Event Tourism Strategy. International Journal of Event Management Research, 3 (1). pp. 42-53. ISSN 1833-0681 Abstract
Sustained tourism outcomes from major event suggest a fruitful marriage between a government’s stated purposes of event investment, its institutional structures to foster event and tourism; and the roles played by public sector event development agencies (inside and alongside government). This qualitative study across six Australian states/territories highlights how government interest in tourism alongside other event impacts, differing organisational arrangements for event tourism and varying roles of public sector event agencies impact on event tourism strategy. It confirms the importance of seven public sector influences on event tourism, of which the budgetary controls and performance measures of event agencies were primary concerns. Among three different institutional structures for event tourism identified in this study, merged organisational arrangements (combining tourism and event bodies) and mixed arrangements (several bodies of an independent and merged nature) appear to provide the optimal environment for event tourism strategy development. The paper advocates periodic reviews of a state/territory’s institutional structures for stimulating event tourism including the degree of emphasis given by agencies to the four strategy arenas of event acquisition, creation, development and tourism marketing. It also suggests periodic reflection on the continued relevance and impact of the seven public sector influences on event tourism identified in this research
Item Type: Article Uncontrolled Keywords: ResPubID: 12772. event tourism, public sector influences, event tourism strategy, tourism marketing Subjects: Faculty/School/Research Centre/Department > Centre for Tourism and Services Research (CTSR)
FOR Classification > 1506 Tourism
SEO Classification > 9003 Tourism
Date Deposited: 24 Sep 2010 02:50 Last Modified: 18 Nov 2010 22:34 URI: http://vuir.vu.edu.au/id/eprint/2236 ePrint Statistics: View download statistics for this item Repository staff only
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warc | 201704 | February 2015 Tap into our research:Regulatory Impact Analysis: PURC is helping policymakers and infrastructure executives throughout the world stay on the cutting-edge of knowledge while the regulatory landscape continues to change.
The listing below illustrates the range of topics in PURC’s working papers that assist regulatory professionals assess the impacts of their regulatory and policy decisions.
This paper estimates the energy savings effect of a Demand-Side Management program, specifically Gainesville Regional Utility’s (GRU) high-efficiency central Air Conditioner (AC) rebate program. In this program GRU offers financial incentives to its customers to replace their old, low-efficiency AC units with high-efficiency models. The research finds substantial annual energy savings, with impacts on the summer-peak being the most significant. There was no statistically significant rebound effect.
The role of renewable energy sources and energy efficiency is changing in the global energy marketplace. Regulators and operators around the world are facing questions regarding the costs and benefits of implementing policies related to these resources in heterogeneous electricity systems. PURC is expanding the Body of Knowledge in Infrastructure Regulation with responses frequently asked questions on renewable energy and energy efficiency policy. In this paper, we explain the value of this knowledge in implementing public policy, and the evaluation of these resources from the perspective of cost, reliability of service, and energy security. We find that a clear consistent regulatory framework where the roles and responsibilities of market participants are defined offers the best chance of the success of these policies.
This research attempts to answer that question for Florida, which has one of the oldest energy efficiency statutes in the United States. The research finds that the policies appear to serve the public interest, but found that available data were insufficient to reach a strong conclusion. Nevertheless, the available information indicates that Florida has cost-effectively reduced energy demand, that energy efficiency programs compensate inefficient price signals to consumers, and that stakeholders were generally pleased with the Florida’s programs, although some stakeholders believed that more could be done. The results of Florida’s policies compare favorably with those of other states.
Following several hurricanes in 2004 and 2005, the Florida Public Service Commission initiated a multiyear process that emphasized both collaboration and research and resulted in expanded requirements for utility accountability. This collaborative effort is essential to gain perspective on the broader issues surrounding changes in utility infrastructure and to mitigate the effects of information asymmetries regarding the costs and effectiveness of storm hardening.
This research analyzes the factors that influence the diffusion of fixed and mobile broadband. For fixed broadband diffusion, it finds that local loop unbundling, income, population density, education, and price are significant factors of fixed broadband diffusion. For mobile broadband, multiple standardization policy and population density are the main factors of the initial diffusion of mobile broadband services. The results of the mobile broadband model also suggest that in many OECD countries, mobile broadband service is a complement to fixed broadband service in the initial deployment of broadband.
Evidence-Driven Utility Policy with Regard to Storm Hardening Activities: A Model for the Cost-Benefit Analysis of Underground Electric Distribution Lines
In the aftermath of any storm event, there are inevitable questions. Customers ask why damage occurred and what, if anything, could have been done to prevent it. Customers and utilities seek ways to mitigate the effects of storm events in the future. Often, the relative costs and benefits of these mitigation strategies aren’t clear, and that can prevent utilities or regulators from enacting public policies that could benefit customers and utilities. The application of evidence-based utility policy and the quantification of these benefits can be essential to improving utility service and reducing costs for the service provider and the customer alike.
Renewable portfolio standards (RPS) and mandates to invest in cost-effective energy efficiency (EE) are increasingly popular policy tools to combat climate change and dependence on fossil fuels. These supply-side and demand-side policies, however, are often uncoordinated. Using California as a case in point, this paper demonstrates that states could improve resource allocation if these two policies were coordinated by incorporating renewable energy procurement cost into the cost-effectiveness determination for EE investment. In particular, if renewable energy is relatively expensive when compared to conventional energy, increasing the RPS target raises the cost-effective level of energy efficiency investment.
This paper uses new survey data to study low-income households‟ telecommunications choices in the United States and to consider the degree to which such households‟ preferences are addressed by existing universal service programs. The research shows that households that choose only one form of telecommunications increasingly are choosing a mobile phone, while those that choose to have both modes of communications are shifting their usage towards their mobile phones. These trends are less pronounced among higher-income households. One implication for universal service policy is that traditional subsidies for landline phones are increasingly ineffective in reaching low-income households such subsidies are designed to help; subsidies for acquiring and using mobile phone services might be more beneficial to low-income households than traditional subsidies for landline phones.
Probably not, according to this study. Examining the results of empirical studies on the differences in costs between privately owned and publically owned utilities, this research estimates what it might cost the State of Florida to build its own fiber optic network instead of purchasing service from private carriers. The problems of political interference, principal-agent problems and opportunism for a government-owned network tend to drive up costs.
Wind generation can reduce wholesale electricity market prices by displacing conventional generation, but how large is the effect in an electricity market dominated by hydroelectric generation?
This research examines wholesale electricity prices in the Pacific Northwest region of the United States and finds that increased wind generation reduces wholesale market prices by a small, but statistically-significant, amount. While a hydro-rich system can integrate wind generation at a lower cost than a thermal-dominated region, the direct economic benefits to end-users from greater investment in wind power may be negligible.
Congestion charges, the opportunity cost of transmission in a regional electric market, present a unique modeling challenge. Their properties render many popular methods used to model energy prices ineffective. In this paper, we present a model utilizing the composed error framework to capture many of the unique properties of congestion charges. We then demonstrate how this model can be used to assess the risk associated with a financial instrument derived from congestion charges and compare our approach with an assessment that utilizes the bootstrap method.
Sensitivity Analysis of Efficiency Rankings to Distributional Assumptions: Applications to Japanese Water Utilities
This technical paper examines the robustness of efficiency score rankings across four distributional assumptions for trans-log stochastic production-frontier models, using data from 1,221 Japanese water utilities (for 2004 and 2005). It explains how to address some statistical modeling issues: Standard assumptions about the distribution of error terms yield relatively consistent performance rankings across utilities. However, when a more general model is estimated, efficiency rankings are quite sensitive to heteroscedasticity correction schemes.
For more information on our regulatory impact analysis related research or trainings, please contact us via email (purcinfo at warrington.ufl.edu). | 8,451 | 3,634 | 0.000277 |
warc | 201704 | Some Thoughts about Desert Soil and FertilizingBy Glenn Flyer, 6 March, 2011
Desert soil is a lot different than the soils back east, or the mid west farming soils. Desert soil tends to be very high in calcium, which also makes the soil alkaline. It can also make the soil very hard.
Plants can take up minerals and elements much more readily in an acidic soil than an alkaline one. The calcium hampers the uptake by bonding with the various minerals, and sitting in the soil.
Sometimes desert soil is also high in sodium. Sodium is toxic to plants. Fortunately, sodium can be washed away with a good rain or watering.
There are 16 elements/minerals in the soil that plants need. If 15 are present, and one is lacking, that one lacking becomes a limiting factor to plant growth.
For example, a citrus tree may be exhibiting chlorosis, an iron deficiency. One can give the tree nitrogen to help green it up, but that isn't going to help the iron deficiency. An iron chelate would be what is needed.
As for the nitrogen, it does tend to be lacking at times. It is used up most quickly from the soil and needs to be replenished. Nitrogen works best in the proper form.
When one adds ammonia to the soil, it is not readily useful. The ammonia must first be turned into nitrates by the soil organisms, and then can be used for greening up the plant.
If one adds nitrate, it will green up the plant immediately. For example, fertilizing with ammonium nitrate. The nitrate portion is used immediately, but the ammonia part will get used sometime down the road, after it is turned into nitrate.
When fertilizing, it's best to use smaller amounts more frequently, than a large amount once. Plants can be burned with too much.
Since we do not always know what may be lacking in the soil, use of a good general fertilizer is helpful. It doesn't have to be a fancy, expensive brand name.
During spring, when plants are beginning to grow, is a great time to apply fertilizer.
Time to Fertilize?By Glenn Flyer, 13 Feb, 2011
Time to Fertilize Soon...
Hopefully the freezes are over as we head into spring now. As trees, bushes, shrubs, groundcovers begin to grow again, it will be time to start fertilizing again. For the evergreens out there, we don't fertilize over the winter because the ground and roots are too cold to absorb. If the plant is dormant, it won't absorb for that reason.
The exception is winter rye grass that needs to be fed during the winter. A medium nitrogen fertilizer works great.
Citrus can be fed now, in Feb, before the white blossoms start blooming. If you feed citrus during the bloom, the flowers may fall. If the flowers fall, there goes the season's fruit with it. After the citrus bloom is over, they can be fed again.
Queen Palms should be fed also. Being native to the Amazon, and its nutrient rich soil, it will very easily develop a nutritional deficiency in our nutrient anemic soil. Regular feedings, with the right fertilizers, are important to keep them looking good. And, of course, Queen Palms need lots of water. The Amazon gets a lot more rain than we do in the deserts.
Anything else that is growing should be fertilized, too.
© 2011 Master's Touch Landscaping, LLC
(602) 531-6254
Phoenix, AZ | 3,252 | 1,582 | 0.000638 |
warc | 201704 | Yes, this is what you think it is: a taco made from a big Doritos corn chip. Each one is 200 calories, 100 of which come from fat, 60 from carbohydrate and 36 from protein. Taco Bell: bringing us the best of traditional Mexican cuisine since 1946.
Doritos are a highly engineered, hyperpalatable processed food. Everything from the fat content, the crunch, the size of the salt particles, the color, to the balance of natural and artificial flavorings, is carefully engineered and tested on focus groups to maximize "craveability". If you doubt that, have a look at the ingredient list for the Nacho Cheese flavor:
Whole corn, vegetable oil (corn, soybean, and/or sunflower oil), salt, cheddar cheese (milk, cheese cultures, salt, enzymes), maltodextrin, whey, monosodium glutamate, buttermilk solids, romano cheese (part skim cow's milk, cheese cultures, salt, enzymes), whey protein concentrate, onion powder, partially hydrogenated soybean and cottonseed oil, corn flour, disodium phosphate, lactose, natural and artificial flavor, dextrose, tomato powder, spices, lactic acid, artificial color (including Yellow 6, Yellow 5, Red 40), citric acid, sugar, garlic powder, red and green bell pepper powder, sodium caseinate, disodium inosinate, disodium guanylate, nonfat milk solids, whey protein isolate, corn syrup solidsHey, it's made from whole corn and contains "heart-healthy" vegetable oil and even vegetables! It's also gluten free. It's hard to imagine a healthier snack. | 1,489 | 808 | 0.001244 |
warc | 201704 | Via Positiva: Cosmic Kindergarten Sharing By: Candace Chellew-Hodge Preached on Sunday, July 22, 2012 at Jubilee! Circle, Columbia, SC Readings: 2 Samuel 6:1-5, 12b-19:"he ... distributed food among all the people" Mark 6:30-44:"You give them something to eat."
Our first song is from singer/songwriter Jack Johnson. It's called "The Sharing Song" and it comes from his 2006 album "Sing-A-Longs and Lullabies for the Film Curious George."
It's always more fun, To share with everyone It's always more fun, To share with everyone If you have two, Give one to your friend If you have three, Give one to your friend and me
I have decided that the whole concept of sharing is dead. I arrived at this conclusion after conducting extensive Google research on the word "sharing." I used several configuration in looking for stories or ideas about sharing. I typed in "the importance of sharing" and "the psychology of sharing." The results of these searches turned up some very interesting article. None of them, however, were about sharing in the sense that I want to talk about today.
Sharing, according to the dictionary, is "the act dividing up shares," or allowing others to "use , enjoy, or experience jointly or in turns." This is the kind of sharing one learns in kindergarten - and more so in Cosmic Kindergarten. Sharing, in the sense I want to explore, is all about how we allow others to be a part of our joy, a part of our abundance, and a part of our lives.
Sharing, according to Google, is really only something we do in social media. Like on Facebook - we share links, we share stories, we share status updates. "Sharing," according to the Google, is all about sharing information. Sure, it could be information about our lives, but, in truth - today's idea of sharing is all about me - about sharing my thoughts, about sharing my reading habits, about sharing pictures of my food, or my dog, or anything else mildly interesting that my cross my path.
Real sharing - that kind of sharing we must learn in Cosmic Kindergarten - requires more than just pressing the "share" button, or a "like" button on a Web page.
Real, holy sharing, requires us to give part of ourselves away to others - or to allow others to use or take part in something we already have and enjoy. Sharing requires relationship, vulnerability, sacrifice, and the ability to take joy in seeing another person enjoy the things we are already enjoying.
To think we're really sharing when we just share information on Facebook or Twitter is to miss the point of sharing all together. That kind of sharing is like spiritual junk food - it may taste good, but it doesn't really satisfy us. Real sharing calls on us to give more than information. It invites us to step out of our own selfishness and self-centeredness give of ourselves. When we do we will see that it's always more fun to share with everyone.
It's always more fun, To share with everyone It's always more fun, To share with everyone If you've got one, Here is something you can learn You can still share, Just by taking turns
In our Hebrew scriptures this morning, we find David transporting the ark of the covenant to Jerusalem. It may not be obvious, but this is an act of sharing. By bringing the ark to the people, he's sharing the presence of God. Now, despite what you may have learned about the ark of the covenant from Indiana Jones movies, the ark isn't a weapon. Instead, it held the two tablets of the Ten Commandments, and to the Hebrew people it symbolized the presence of God.
This was in a time before a temple for God had been built in Jerusalem. God didn't have any sort of set "home" at this point. Instead, God was still seen as nomadic. Wherever the ark went, God was there. I often think we've done God a disservice by building church-shaped God cages for Her. Because now, we feel like we have to go somewhere special to experience the Holy - to share in that joy of the Holy.
I think David and his merry band had it right - God isn't meant to be caged or put on display. Instead, we should have a free-range God, who goes wherever we go, who resides in our hearts and spirits, where God's law of love is really written.
This is at the heart of sharing. When we share, we're doing more than just sharing stuff. Real sharing means that we are sharing the presence of the Holy with everyone we meet. We can share that because we have that ark of the covenant within us. We carry the Holy with us wherever we go. This kind of sharing induced such a deep joy in David that danced and sang. He was so overjoyed at sharing in the presence of God, that he literally stripped down to a thong and danced nearly naked in the streets - much to the disapproval of his wife Rachel.
But, this is what real sharing is all about - when we so fully give of ourselves and what we have that we are overcome by the joy of it all. We may even want to strip half naked and dance in the street because it just feels so good to share - to feel the presence of the Holy all around.
It is rare, though, for us to be like David - moved to dance at just the thought of sharing our joy, or literally sharing our food, with everyone. Instead, we are more like Rachel, who sees such a joyous display of sharing as offensive. That's because, as human beings, we can be very selfish - and we often need to be taught how to unearth our original blessing of knowing how to share. This is where kindergarten is valuable - because it is here that we learn to share, to take turns, to give away things that we consider to be valuable.
To learn the art of sharing, we have to have role models. As children we're impressionable, and if those we love, like our parents, show us that it's always more fun to share with everyone, we're more likely to give it a try. If we never see it modeled, however - if we grow up in a selfish home or environment - we tend to remain selfish. When it comes to sharing, it really is a case of "monkey-see, monkey-do." We want to model our behavior after those we admire, whether they share or not.
David is a model of sharing as he opens himself to the presence of the Holy and dances with the delight of sharing God - and food - with his people. In the end, it's not really the food that satisfies the people, but the simple act of sharing - and being open to receive. Breathe deeply.
If you've got a ball, Bounce it to the gang If there is a new kid, Invite him out to hang If you've got one sandwich, Cut that thing in half If you know a secret joke, Tell it and share a laugh If you've got two drumsticks, Give one to your friend Make one beautiful rhythm, Share a beat that never ends And if you're feeling lonely, Share time with your mom Share some milk and cookies, And sing the sharing song It's always more fun, To share with everyone It's always more fun, To share with everyone
There's a story of a man was spoke with God about heaven and hell. The Lord said to the man, "Come, I will show you hell."
They entered a room where a group of people sat around a huge pot of stew. Everyone was famished, desperate and starving. Each held a spoon that reached the pot, but each spoon had a handle so much longer than their own arm that it could not be used to get the stew into their own mouths. The suffering was terrible.
After watching for awhile, God said, "Come, now I will show you heaven." They entered another room, identical to the first - the pot of stew, the group of people, the same long-handled spoons. But there everyone was happy and well-nourished. "I don't understand," said the man. "Why are they happy here when they were miserable in the other room and everything was the same?"
The Holy smiled and said, "It's simple. Here they have learned to feed each other."
This is the key, Jubilants. The heart of sharing is about feeding one another. It is about seeing the hunger for love, for acceptance, for basic sustenance in the lives of the others around us and feeding them. At birth, we are all given long-handled spoons. It's only those who learn how to share with their spoons that escape the misery. We only thrive when we learn to feed each other.
Breathe deeply.
Our second song comes from singer/songwriter Susan Werner. Her dream to become an opera singer was cut short when she heard the croonings of country star Nanci Griffith. Since 1993, she's produced 10 albums. This song comes from her 2007 album The Gospel Truth. It's called "Help Somebody." Let's try it.
I got plenty and then some, what do I do? Plenty and then some what do I do? I got plenty and then some what do I do now? I go out and help somebody get plenty and then some, too Hmmmm I got a roof over my head, what do I do? A roof over my head, what do I do? I got a roof over my head, what do I do now? I go out and help somebody get a roof over their head, too
In our Jesus story, we find our guy right on the verge of creating one of his most memorable miracles - the feeding of the 5,000. Jesus and his guys were trying to get away from it all for a little while. They had all been busy teaching and healing, and they hadn't even had a chance to eat. As soon as they got out of the boat, though, they were besieged by a crowd expecting more teaching and healing.
Jesus, though he was hungry and tired, was said to have "compassion" on the people who had gathered. We dare not skip over this word too lightly in this passage, because it is important to the whole story - and especially to the whole lesson of sharing in today's Cosmic Kindergarten.
Without compassion - which literally means "to suffer with" - sharing would be impossible. Without compassion, it would never occur to us to share.
Without compassion, we are a selfish people, because we cannot put ourselves in the place of another human being - we are unable to feel their suffering. And if we cannot feel the suffering of another, we will never be moved to share with them. Compassion is key to sharing - and it's something both we, and the disciples, have to learn from this story.
So, after having compassion on the crowd and putting aside his own hunger, Jesus shares with these people. He shares himself, he shares his message of love and compassion and he shares his ability to heal people in mind and body.
Then, things get interesting. You can only go so long without eating that, even though you're enjoying what you're doing, you're going to get a little grouchy. Like those Snickers commercials tell us, we can become a demanding diva when we get the munchies.
This crowd was no different and the disciples themselves were no different. As the day dragged on, their hunger overcame them and the urged Jesus to send the crowd away to find some food so they, too, could take a break and enjoy the dinner they had packed for themselves.
This is where the real sharing lesson begins. Instead of dispersing the crowd, Jesus turned to the disciples and said, "You give them something to eat."
This is not what the disciples were expecting. Again, they're probably wondering of Jesus has lost his mind. "We don't have enough money to do that," they protest.
Jesus asks, "Well, what have you got?"
"Five loaves of bread and two fish," they said, looking worried that they were going to miss their own dinner now.
"Hand it out," Jesus tells them. "Share what you have."
Right about now, I know what you're thinking. I have spent just about every meditation debunking miracles or reading scripture differently than the traditional reading. But, y'know what? I believe that this event truly was a miracle - a miracle of sharing.
I got supper on the table, what do I do? Supper on the table, what do I do? I got supper on the table, what do I do now? I go out and help somebody get supper on the table, too [Bridge] 'cause I got it to give, I got it to give and when you got enough to give away well it's the only way to live
Remember what I said earlier - to learn sharing, we have to see it modeled. Perhaps, just perhaps, as the disciples made their way through the crowd distributing their meager dinner, others who had brought some food along with them remembered their own original blessing of sharing - and began to unlearn the selfishness society had taught them - and they began to share with those around them. They had just been treated with compassion by Jesus, and now they were seeing his followers give generously from their small stash, and they were inspired to do the same. Just like Jesus they were moved by compassion for those around them and they remembered that they really are hardwired to share, and they began to share - and everyone was fed, and 12 baskets of leftovers were gathered up afterward.
This interpretation is not new, and it tends to piss off people who really want a mystical, supernatural miracle to take place in this setting. I understand. I get it. We want to believe that God will step in and fulfill our needs. We want to believe that it's not up to us to feed the world, it's not up to us to meet the needs of our neighbor. Instead, we often see this miracle story's lesson as this: Stand back and rely on God to work the miracles. If we can do it ourselves, we reason, why would we even need God?
But, my question is this: Why is it any less a miracle for people to share with one another? I believe it's a fairly impressive miracle that a group of 5,000 tired, sweaty, cranky and hungry people would be so overwhelmed with compassion for one another - so able to "suffer with" one another - that they shared their stashes of food with their neighbor. Given that we've convinced ourselves that human nature is callous and selfish, I think the sight of 5,000 people sharing food is far more miraculous than God just supernaturally multiplying loaves and fishes.
If you've watched the current presidential campaign for more than five minutes you've seen the spectacular selfishness of human beings on display. At one Republican candidate debate the crowd even shouted out to let people without healthcare die. They didn't want to have to pay to help another person who may be sick. It would be a true, bona fide miracle to get people who hold these kinds of beliefs about their fellow human beings to share their food with a crowd of strangers instead of saying, "I brought enough for me. Too bad for you that you didn't think ahead or earn enough to buy your own."
One other reason why I believe this was a miracle of sharing is Jesus' own words to his disciples. He told them: "You give them something to eat."
This weren't just empty words. Jesus was telling his disciples, and us, that we have the power to feed each other. We have the power to share, to come together, to work cooperatively in this world to bring about the New Jerusalem we're seeking. This goes hand in hand with Jesus' assertion that realm of God is already here. It's here when we set aside our own selfish feelings and learn how to share. The realm of God appears when we learn the true meaning of sharing - when we open ourselves to one another, when we become vulnerable to each other, and when we share even though we may run the risk of lacking what we need if we give what we have away to other people.
But, here's where the real, mind-boggling, out of this world miracle occurs - the more we give, the more we get. The people gave what they had and they collected a bumper crop of left-overs. The giving kept on going. No one lacked for food. No one lacked for anything - the food, the compassion, the sharing, the miracles kept multiplying - because this crowd deeply learned the lesson of sharing. Love is only something if we give it away - when we hoard it, when we lock it away, when we keep it selfishly for ourselves, it dies. We lack for everything when we selfishly hoard our food, or our money, or our time, or our space.
Jubilants, how would it change the way you lived if you saw someone in need, and instead of ignoring their need, you helped them get what they need? How would it changed the way you lived if you realized that the only way any of us get fed in this world is by sharing - and not just by sharing food, but by sharing resources like clean air, clean water, or technology, or anything else we may want to keep just for ourselves?
Jubilants, how would it change the way you lived, if you truly understood Jesus when he said, "You give them something to eat." We shy away from fulfilling that commandment because we think we have so little to give. The disciples felt this way. "We've only got five loaves and two fishes," they complained.
What makes sharing a miracle, Jubilants, is not how much you have to share, but that you share whatever you have. When we share whatever we have, it is blessed, multiplied and yields baskets and baskets full of leftovers. No one goes hungry. Everyone gets their fill - and that, Jubilants, is the kind of miracle we can perform every single day.
No matter what you think you have, whether it's a little or a lot, Jesus' message is this: You've got it to give. Give wastefully. Give joyfully - dance half-naked while you do it, if you want - because when we learn how to share with abandon we will soon realize it's not just a miracle - it's the only way to really live.
[Bridge] 'cause I got it to give, I got it to give and when you got enough to give away well it's the only way to live I'm going to heaven, what do I do? Going to heaven, what do I do? I'm going to heaven, what do I do now? I go out and help somebody get to heaven, too
Oh, Yeah!
Candace Chellew-Hodge is a recovering Southern Baptist and founder/editor of Whosoever: An Online Magazine for GLBT Christians. Her first book, Bulletproof Faith: A Spiritual Survival Guide for Gay and Lesbian Christians, published by Jossey-Bass is now available at http://www.bulletproofbook.com. She currently serves as the pastor of Jubilee! Circle, a progressive, inclusive community in Columbia, South Carolina. She is also a spiritual director and is currently taking on new directees. She blogs regularly at Religion Dispatches. She can be reached by email at editor-at-whosoever.org or by using the suggestion box. Copyright © by the author All Rights Reserved | 18,265 | 7,415 | 0.000136 |
warc | 201704 | I am talking about transport programs such as the Petsmart Charities Rescue Waggin' which is used to import dogs from other states. If you would like to comment, please do. I will leave the comment thread open. You have to log in to Google Blogger to leave a comment on my blog. Comments do not publish automatically because they are filtered for spam. (Otherwise, my comment thread would be loaded with unrelated spammy comments.) So please be patient.
Here is what the supporters of transport programs say:
1. The diversity of breeds that arrive on the Rescue Waggin' increases traffic at the shelters and helps all of the shelter dogs.
2. Shelter dogs from the south have as much reason to live as Wisconsin dogs. This is helping those dogs and the shelters they come from.
Here is what the critics of transport programs say:
1. We should take care of our Wisconsin dogs first.
2. Transports from the South expose Wisconsin dogs to new diseases.
3. It is unethical to take the puppies and small dogs from the shelters that need the revenue they could have generated by adopting them out in their own community.
Through October 2013, 1554 dogs have lost their lives at MADACC. That is more than five per day. Yet the Rescue Waggin' rolls in to Wisconsin, week after week, month after month. At least four Wisconsin shelters use the Rescue Waggin': Wisconsin Humane Society, Ozaukee Humane Society, Elmbrook Humane Society and Bay Area Humane Society. There are some other shelters, like Fox Valley Humane Assocation, that also have private transport agreements with southern shelters.
Here are the MADACC statistics year to date (click to enlarge):
My thoughts (and again, you are welcome to post your thoughts below):
I could agree with the "diversity" argument a few years ago when the transports were bringing up a diverse mix of dogs. But this is no longer the case. Small fluffy dogs are in high demand and short supply in most parts of the country so they are seldom coming by transport. Puppies also fly off the shelves in many shelters. So the "diversity" argument is fading fast. The remaining dogs that are coming on the Rescue Waggin' are typically all the same, although they may be a slightly younger version of what are currently being killed in Milwaukee. They are large, mixed breed dogs, of which we have plenty right here at MADACC; less than 10 miles from two of the Rescue Waggin' receiving shelters. Here is an example of a dog that arrived on the Rescue Waggin' to Elmbrook Humane Society in October. He looks lovely and I'm sure he is a wonderful dog - but there are many here in Milwaukee that look just like him that need a home also.
This is from the Rescue Waggin's frequently asked question on their website. An interesting note, they recently changed their website and have now omitted this page of FAQ's.
Here are the MADACC transfer statistics for October 2013. You can see that transfers are down yet the number of dogs killed has increased over the same period last year. Click to enlarge.
Your thoughts? Please feel free to comment. Healthy discussion leads to new ideas and new ideas can save lives. Thank you.
More reading on the subject of out of state transports:
From Maddie's Fund: http://www.maddiesfund.org/About_Us/Maddies_Editorials/Dog_Transport_Editorial.html
Also from Maddie's Fund: http://www.maddiesfund.org/Maddies_Institute/Articles/The_Pros_and_Cons_of_Dog_Transport.html
From Animal Ark: http://www.animalarkshelter.org/animal/ArkArticles.nsf/ViewArticle?OpenForm&Photo=AF9BC5483AB26DC186257BE10043D9F2
From Out the Front Door:http://outthefrontdoor.com/2013/12/06/what-colorados-statistics-say-about-transports/ | 3,693 | 1,791 | 0.000562 |
warc | 201704 | If you are lxxx nonnegative age of age and your agenda for the day includes stopping by the outdoor game programme to tradition your breakage and putting, perchance hit a few on the dynamical range, and then go out dancing tonight, I tip my hat to you. You are portion of a impulsive clique of citizens who have patterned out how to before a live audience in the Fountain of Youth. This is a group, a bit of a generation if you will, who have scholarly by experience that the sincere Fountain of Youth is the enthusiasm in us. Our bodies' age, e'er have and ever will, but the strength within, our Chi, can stay put as little as a child's or stagnate at any time, if we allow it. The way for longness is relatively ascetic and the unexceeded element is you don't have to go anywhere to get it and you don't have to pay everyone to impart it to you.
Our bodies are simply a collected works of pipes, pumps, filters, and a clock that mathematical relation in unison, 24 and 7, allowing respectively idiosyncratic to experience being in their own incomparable way. We don't get to pick and choose our parts, slightly abject but at long last fair, but we all do get an coordinate amount of Chi to use to form our being. What we do with it is our natural life.
It all starts with what we put into our bodies. The matter we eat is the oil to bread and butter the motor running. The chemical element we payoff in is the happening of our biological process and our water bodily process cools us and keeps everything liquid through the convention. The just item asked of us is to resource appropriate ingredients future in, in harmonize near the wishes of the piece of equipment. It is only just approaching gastronomic. If you use neat ingredients, in the straight-laced amounts, and grill it merely right, you will be paid thing delicious. If you select to do otherwise, you get the identical grades. Learn your organic process charge per unit. If you call for X number of calories per day, get them. No more, no smaller number. It truly is that frugal.Post ads:
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As one who at the moment resides on the prime outskirts of the babe-in-arms roar generation, I cognise that my perspectives are shaded, so I poverty to brand name confident that everybody linguistic process this, man or female takes a full existence perspective of what I'm saw. This is not a disorder record or formula for occurrence. This is going on for choosing a road to stay alive on that can grant suitable wellbeing and joy throughout your outing. My position is haggard as such from benevolent for my preceding classmates as it does from nurturing those who will replace me.
So our motor is moving well, what next? Our bodies are planned for career and fun and we are definitely experienced of a lot of both. From our Chi's perspective, a position that wishes to ever have a swill from the Fountain of Youth reachable for you, it is howling out for your notice. Our tough grind and theatre can throw our lives and we can forget more or less or even invective our true key driving force. Maintaining a mindset that will support you cultivating, moving, and storing your Chi is the key to acquiring you to the highly developed levels of anything you pick out. Fortunately, at hand is an hands-down way to do this. If you poorness your life's course of action to consider a wholesome old age, you essential get going to view speculation as chunk of your daily life span. There are lots way and forms of meditation, both progressive and passive, so I would recommend exploring them until you insight a popular and after pull off to on a daily basis pattern. As longitudinal as it involves parcel the consciousness and wakeless body part breathing, it will be decisive. Meditation acts as a hassle assuagement that is indispensable in a engaged being. I use an assortment of forms of Chi Gong (Qigong) because it works so all right next to my golf alternate career.
The next end is to shelter and keep the body and your Chi completed the curriculum of a lifespan. This is where on earth motive and lastingness get superior. It is unfortunate, in my generation, that we have been steered into intelligent that we don't have need of to donkey work at it or worry; a lozenge will be unspoken for to fix whatsoever ails us. Well, I dislike to disregard the news, but the Fountain of Youth will not come with in the word form of a dosage. The Fountain of Youth is a deep well of tasteful enthusiasm residing inside all of you. Since you have right-down take over finished it, the first-rate way to conserve it is to write off as it your most valued take pleasure in. In that deduction alone, you have the potential to switch your enthusiasm indefinitely. Taking obligation for your life's spirit will wake up you to the reality that you essential design on doing thing all day, protrusive permission now, to defend the individual you will be decades from now. It is time to have your home the song, "Come on baby, fluffy your fire"... and keep hold of it lit.Post ads:
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The motivation must locomote from a abstraction or passionateness that requires live sentient. Martial Golf does that for me. In its purest form, Martial Golf is a dance, next to the golf game move to and fro and Tai Chi as partners. Both are long physical pursuits with flawlessness solitary a dream, yet any promotion in one leads to positive, measurable grades in the another. My wool-gathering is to be a well again golfer, year after year, even in my top geezerhood. I cognise that the prophecy comes next to the price tag of maintaining and on an upward curve my body, so my Tai Chi acts as my inducement time I get to delight in the finest of both worlds. When you are people the grades of your work, it genuinely is a lot of fun. Martial Bowling, Martial Gardening, Martial Dancing, mayhap even Kungfu ScrapBooking could tough grind for you. The constituent is, no thing what your age or interests, a member of unremarkable essential consist of whichever donkey work on the natural object to living it modernized and always innards your well of Chi.
So is Martial Golf the Fountain of Youth? Well, it is for me. And I believe, in that is one for you. If you don't have one, I call you to try hole in the ground. | 6,684 | 3,265 | 0.000307 |
warc | 201704 | This is a guest post by Gabrielle Green of TipsOnHowToSaveMoney.
I have been writing about preparing to move for months now. It was an overwhelming, yet exciting experience all at once. Now that we are settled (relatively speaking) we can finally focus on decorating and making the house our home.
We came up with a practical plan both financially and for tackling the decorating — room-by-room, area-by-area. For us, that meant the first order of business was the entryway. With a busy household we wanted to construct an entryway that was well-designed, simple and uncluttered, and good to go for everyday use.
Before designing your entryway answer these questions:
You first need to start the design process by defining the space. How often do you entertain in your home? If often, you need a place to keep your guests’ things when they visit.
Does your family set out for the day by exiting this part of the home? Is this also the entrance that visitors use? Storage for umbrellas, briefcases, and winter clothing is essential.
Entryway Decorating Tips
Take off the closet door to make extra space.
In our home everything converges by the front door and leaves a big mess that is often untidy and tripped on. As such, one of the main focal points of the entryway was to pick a bench that we could use to store shoes, sports gear, backpacks, and more. But more than that, we wanted to create a space that would give first-time visitors to our home a warm and welcoming impression.
Entryway benches are practical and come in a variety of different styles and types from hardwood to vintage, so matching your decor shouldn’t be too strenuous of a task. I think what I liked most is that entryway benches are affordable. Even a simple wrought iron bench can add a design element and warm feeling that welcomes your guests to your home. If a bench is simply too overpowering for the area, consider storage bins.
Bursts of color dramatically change the visual appeal of an entryway. Red, for instance, is not only bright, but also warm and inviting for visitors.
It has been said that painting your interior door black can instantly make the area look more expensive than it really is.
Photos place in an ascending style along a staircase not only provides a personal touch, but it also creates an inviting atmosphere that grabs your guests’ attention.
If your entryway lacks wall and/or floor space, pick one area to focus on. Adding something as simple as a slim table with a vase or candle can quickly and affordably elevate the space.
Many designers say the most important foyer accessory is a mirror, but that will really depend on the amount of space you have and the architecture. When guests come in or head out, a quick glance in the mirror is always good; but further, a mirror bounces light in small places making it bright and cheery.
Other items that can accentuate the area are artwork or a live plant, but it is important to keep clutter to a minimum. A small area can easily be overrun by too many people, so limiting unnecessary furniture and extra knickknacks will keep the area from feeling claustrophobic.
The above tips can help you get started with your own entryway design. Make it fun and make it practical so it works for you and also works so that the kids and family can easily stow their items until they need them again tomorrow. | 3,394 | 1,715 | 0.00059 |
warc | 201704 | Career Collective post: Once a month, a group of career professionals blog on a subject topical and timely for a job seeker. We’ll post our thoughts on our own blog and link to the post of our colleagues on the same topic.
This month’s topic:
Job-hunting “Rules” to Break/ Outdated Job-Search Beliefs
Responses from others contributors linked at the end. Follow the hashtag #CareerCollective on Twitter.
Back “in the day” I used to don my clamp-on roller skates and do laps in the basement. One of my favorite skating songs was by the Monkees “Shades of Gray.” Funny. Now, YEARS later, the message from that song is the core of the most frequent response I give job seekers when asked a question about conducting a job search:
IT DEPENDS.
How do I contact this company?
How do I find out the interviewers name? Should I drop off a resume? Should I call? Should I email? Is faxing OK? My friend said this __________ (fill-in-the-blank) worked for them. Will it work for me? What do I say in an interview? What do I wear? What does HR think about ____ ? IT DEPENDS.
Too often I find job seekers thinking there’s only one right way to conduct a search. They scour the Internet looking for the “THE” answer – a black or white, yes or no, definitive method to use when managing their careers. They’re convinced there’s a magic bullet. They’re sure, once found, that one technique will end the search and land their dream job with little effort. They glom on to what worked for their friend or acquaintance. They read an article about how sandwich boards worked for one job seeker. They find another article about how mailing an empty coffee cup or one shoe with a promise to fill the cup or deliver the other shoe at interview worked for another. They talk to Great-Aunt Tilly, their neighbor, the stranger in line at the grocery store. They try anything and everything. They ask questions about what HR thinks as if HR is some huge entity in the sky with a single mind.
They do all this without any thought to the specific position or industry, their own personal comfort level or even the individual preferences of the hiring authority behind the desk. Too often, I find job seekers willing to do whatever they’re told, until they’re told to sit down, think about the specific situation and formulate a strategy that not only fits the industry, the position and the players, but also fits them.
The best thing you can do for your job search is stop looking for ONE answer. Cookie cutter approaches don’t work in job search. What excites one hiring authority could offend another. What works in one industry may have you ostracized in another. What worked for your friend may not be the right fit for you.
As Davy Jones and Peter Tork sing in “Shades of Gray”:
“Today there is no day or night. Today there is no dark or light Today there is no black or white … only shades of gray.”
Dump the myth of a one-size-fits-all job search. (It’s not true in clothing and it’s not true in job search either.) Customize your search to fit the specific needs of your audience. Differentiate yourself. Make the reader feel special. Speak to their pain; their needs. Apply an “It depends/Shades of Gray” approach to your search and start gaining traction. Who wants cookie cutter, when you can have hand-dropped?
(And yes. I still have my “Headquarters” album.)
Here’s what my colleagues have to say:
Juice Up Your Job Search, @debrawheatman
It’s not your age, it’s old thinking, @GayleHoward
Want a Job? Ignore these outdated job search beliefs @erinkennedycprw
Job Search Then and Now, @MartinBuckland @EliteResumes
Break the Rules or Change the Game? @WalterAkana
The New: From The Employer’s-Eye View, @ResumeService
Job Search: Breakable Rules and Outdated Beliefs, @KatCareerGal
Job Hunting Rules to Break (Or Why and How to Crowd Your Shadow), @chandlee @StartWire,
Shades of Gray, @DawnBugni
3 Rules That Are Worth Your Push-Back, @WorkWithIllness
How to find a job: stop competing and start excelling, @Keppie_Careers
Be You-Nique: Resume Writing Rules to Break, @ValueIntoWords
Modernizing Your Job Search, @LaurieBerenson
Don’t Get Caught With an Old School Resume, @barbarasafani
How Breaking the Rules Will Help You in Your Job Search, @expatcoachmegan
Beat the Job-Search-Is-a-Numbers-Game Myth, @JobHuntOrg
25 Habits to break if you want a job, @CareerSherpa | 4,560 | 2,280 | 0.000459 |
warc | 201704 | All factors influence the flavor of the Maple Syrup, sometimes it is complex to know the aroma and syrup flavor. Unlike the other foods chocolate, cakes, wines, olive oil, vanilla and some other foods, maple syrup has a rich in flavor and wide define bouquet. Someone use to say the Maple Syrup is like roasted coffee flavor and someone says dark chocolate flavor. It has a delicious touch of cinnamon and fruity hazelnut. Let’s find the reason behind it, why the maple syrup is in such flavors and is rich in taste. The aroma pleasures your month and tastes like heaven.
Types of Maple Syrup
There are various grades in Maple Syrup. Light colored Maple Syrup, Medium colored Maple syrup and dark colored Maple Syrup. Based on the color only Maple Syrup graded as A,B and C. There is no specific standards and specifications to deliver the grade based Maple syrup and international standards are not defined for Maple Syrup.
The strongest tasting and flavor is defined based on the color of the maple syrup.
Canada’s largest company produces various category maple syrup every year. Most of them segregates as per the standards locally defined and ensures the quality aspects also. They are now providing online based maple syrup delivery.
Maple Syrup Direct is the channel where users can access various types of Maple syrup and check out for delivery.
All the variants along with the specifications defined there itself. So, you can get your flavor at your door step with in no time period. Product guaranteed and possible to deliver anywhere in the world. So with a single click, you can get the product at your door step.
Enjoy the aroma and taste of pure maple syrup flavor at your home along with the family members. It has a unique advantages also. | 1,774 | 834 | 0.001212 |
warc | 201704 | DENVER BUSINESS JOURNAL - Denver is one of the best big cities in the country for preventing infectious disease and keeping adults thin, but its residents binge-drink and smoke at some of the highest rates in America as well, according to a set of data released Tuesday.
The Big Cities Health Coalition compared 28 of the country’s largest cities on 17,000 data points to produce the Big Cities Health Inventory Data Platform. The project is one of the most comprehensive comparisons of health and life assembled on major cities, combining information on cities whose populations comprise one-sixth of the population of the United States.
“Cities can easily look at their peers to determine who’s ahead of the field and ask why,” said Chrissie Juliano, director of the coalition that used funding largely from the federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention to assemble the numbers. “Without this information, policies can neither be targeted to those in need, nor can the implications of those policies be measured.”
In most categories — based now on 2013 numbers but expected to be updated with 2014 numbers within the next six months — Denver placed close to the middle of the pack. Not all 28 cities are represented in every category.
Read more at the Denver Business Journal: http://bizj.us/1oypyu
(© 2016 American City Business Journals. All rights reserved.) | 1,424 | 804 | 0.001291 |
warc | 201704 | Correction Am Fam Physician. 2012 Aug 15;86(4):318.
In the article “Prevention of Perinatal Group B Streptococcal Disease: Updated CDC Guideline” (July 1, 2012, page 59), the third to last sentence of the abstract (page 59) incorrectly stated that clindamycin is recommended in persons at serious risk of anaphylaxis if susceptibility is unknown. However, vancomycin, not clindamycin, is recommended in these persons. The sentence should have read: “For those at serious risk of anaphylaxis, clindamycin is recommended if the organism is susceptible, and vancomycin is recommended if there is clindamycin resistance or if susceptibility is unknown.” The online version of this article has been corrected.
Copyright © 2012 by the American Academy of Family Physicians.
This content is owned by the AAFP. A person viewing it online may make one printout of the material and may use that printout only for his or her personal, non-commercial reference. This material may not otherwise be downloaded, copied, printed, stored, transmitted or reproduced in any medium, whether now known or later invented, except as authorized in writing by the AAFP. Contact afpserv@aafp.org for copyright questions and/or permission requests.
Want to use this article elsewhere? Get Permissions | 1,304 | 705 | 0.001453 |
warc | 201704 | Scrutiny of higher education by the policy community has called into question the quality of education provided and the reliability of data used to evaluate the quality of student outcomes at career colleges and schools. Restoring and fortifying the credibility and reliability of measures of institutional effectiveness is a high priority for ACICS. (See
Memo to the Field, April, 2013: Section III (G), pg. 46).
ACICS has initiated an enhanced placement verification and quality assurance process. The enhancements are fundamental to assuring the standing of the career education sector with the public, policy makers and students. Member institutions will be required to record and maintain placement information and meta-data beyond that which is required in the ACICS Campus Accountability Report (CAR).
The new ACICS quality assurance process is but one aspect of the Council’s comprehensive initiative to restore credibility and confidence in colleges and schools awarded accreditation through ACICS. The Council has adopted new, detailed definitions of job placement which are described in the 2013 Campus Accountability Report Guidelines and Instructions (
see page 10, link). Likewise, the Council has fortified the documentation of placement outcomes that will be required and reviewed by evaluators during site visits.
The combination of these elements – stronger definition, quality assurance monitoring, and fortified documentation of placement events – will assure greater defensibility and credibility.
The enhanced placement verification and quality assurance process includes all of the following requirements for all campuses:
Maintain certain supporting data for placement verification. (
See List of Required Data) This information must be submitted to ACICS upon request. On a recurring basis, maintain documentation for each placement sufficient for the institution to support the placement to an ACICS visit team, state or federal agency. Supporting documentation should minimally include the following:
a. Placement by Title – the student’s job title, the published list of titles for which the program prepares students, and a list of the skills required by the graduate’s job
b. Placement by Skills – a description of the skills taught in the program and a list of the skills required by the graduate’s job
c. Placement by Benefits – Student attestations are required only for students whose placements are based on “the benefit received as a catalyst in obtaining or maintaining the position.” (
Attestation Policy, Instructions)
The additional quality assurance supporting information will be reviewed through ACICS’s independent verification program for a sample of campuses chosen at random. In addition, ACICS has modified the visit team process to more robustly verify files of graduates and completers who are classified as placed or unavailable for placement. | 2,969 | 1,304 | 0.000787 |
warc | 201704 | R
Indeed, Australian Rules football becomes the thread for much of the lunchtime discussion, which ranges across Garnaut’s career as academic, government adviser, diplomat, businessman, farmer – and football teammate.
Playing alongside Garnaut at the Australian National University in the 1960s you could be certain of several things.
Unlike others, he would not be suffering from a Friday night hangover, and he would be striving as hard at the end of the game as at the beginning while the rest of us might have slowed.
That was Garnaut circa 1967-68.
Some 40 years later, the high-profile public intellectual sitting in Becco may have gained a few pounds and lost a bit of hair, but there is not much sign of slowing or unwillingness to go and get the hard ball.
In his 65th year, the Gillard government’s climate change adviser – and arguably its best hope of winning the argument over climate in this political cycle – may have expected to be playing out the clock. But this is not how things have turned out.
As our oysters arrive (Garnaut orders South Australian, possibly in deference to his French Huguenot forebears who arrived there in the mid-19th century), he is talking about the pressures involved in his role (he has produced eight reports on various aspects of the climate change debate and will update his landmark 2008 review by May 31, 2011) and the debate’s contentiousness.
Garnaut doesn’t wish to go into the details of abusive phone calls and threats fielded by his staff, or security precautions required because of concerns about an overheated public response that has been driven by climate change-denying radio shock jocks – beyond noting quietly that reasoned debate is a prerequisite for a civilised society.
Not that he is a stranger to controversy. As principal economic adviser to prime minister
Perhaps surprisingly, he felt “rather lonelier’’ in the 1980s debate over trade liberalisation than he does now in what is a more exposed role in the climate change debate, in which the government is clearly floundering, having made a hash of marketing a complex undertaking from the moment that
“There was much less support in the business community, and in the wider community, for trade liberalisation than for climate change,’’ Garnaut observes as he orders a Mornington Peninsula pinot to go with his lamb and I a house white to accompany my fish and chips.
At this point I ask Garnaut whether he feels “burdened’’ by a responsibility to help sell a policy in a frontline role that extends far beyond that which he might have anticipated.
“Well, it’s not what I expected,’’ he says. “But I’m not burdened by it. I’ve spent my life interested in economic policy. I’ve always held the view that if I were to get involved in an area of policy I had a responsibility, to the best of my ability, to work it out, to work out what is best.
“And one never knows what will happen. Sometimes you’re immediately acclaimed but that’s rarely the case. Usually, on anything important, if you’re right, there will be very strong resistance.’’
Here he likens himself to a centre half- forward in Australian Rules football, whose role is to “change the direction of play’’.
“It means you’ve got to stand your ground, grab the ball, move it in a new direction and suffer the pack piling into you,’’ he says, half seriously.
There’s been no shortage of piling into Ross Gregory Garnaut recently, including a slap this week from Energy Minister
Observing Garnaut across the table at Becco, and having read his 27-page curriculum vitae, including the 18 pages of references to books, monographs, theses, and articles and chapters in books, you conclude that he has earned a ranking with two of the foremost Australian public intellectuals of the modern era.
These include one of Garnaut’s mentors, the late John Crawford, regarded as the architect of Australia’s post-war reconstruction and engagement with Asia, and fellow West Australian H C “
The Coombs connection is interesting – and revealing – and tells you a bit about Garnaut’s trajectory from Perth Modern where he was school captain in 1963 (Coombs also went to Perth Modern, as did Bob Hawke) to his present position as the face of
Coombs’s father was a West Australian railways stationmaster at Maylands in suburban Perth. Garnaut’s grandfather was a fitter on the WA railways and lived in the Maylands area. Garnaut’s father also worked for WA railways as an administrator.
So the Coombs and Garnaut families moved in similar circles. This drew the student, later academic, Garnaut into the Coombs orbit in Canberra.
He recalls visiting Coombs to talk about “common interests’’ in monetary policy, global development, Aboriginal politics – and football.
“Both of us attributed our sensibility on questions of race to playing schoolboy football with Aboriginals, which was common in Western Australia,’’ he says.
If there is a consistent theme to Garnaut’s academic, business and public policy life, it resides in an ongoing interest in developing countries. He went to Papua New Guinea in the early 1970s as part of an ANU research program and stayed on to help that country in its transition to independence, including pioneering work on a resources rent tax that was later adopted in a dozen or so countries, including in Australia as the petroleum rent tax.
Garnaut wrote a book on the subject:
The Taxation of Mineral Rents, published in 1983. He was a reluctant critic of the Rudd government’s mining tax, preferring the petroleum rent tax model introduced in the Hawke-Keating era.
Another defining career moment came with Garnaut’s appointment as ambassador to China, a position he held between 1985 and 1988 (Rudd, who was a junior diplomat under Garnaut, still refers to him as “ambassador’’).
This opened his eyes to the enormous implications of China’s economic resurgence and led in 1989 to his influential Hawke-government commissioned work,
Australia and the Northeast Asia Ascendancy that helped to entrench a North Asia focus in Australian foreign policy.
Along the way, the grandson of a WA railway fitter has made a bit of money as chairman of
Between 2006 and 2010, Garnaut was chairman of the board of trustees of the International Food Policy Research Institute in Washington, which neatly tied together his interest in development economics and farming, and partly explains his focus on the impact that climate change has on food security.
Garnaut recently sold his 3000-acre sheep property near Binalong in the southern tablelands of NSW, after he moved to Melbourne from Canberra to be closer to his sons’ families. He remains a professor emeritus of economics at ANU.
While he was far from an early convert to the effects of global warming, his bush experience helped convince him of the risks.
“As an Australian farmer, one becomes intensely aware of climate variability,’’ he says. “The long-term warming and the long-term change in rainfall associated with climate are insidious.
“They gradually do their work, whereas the cycles of drought are immediately present and will always be with us.’’
Asked whether business leaders have a responsibility to engage in the debate, Garnaut has a tart response: “It depends on what they have to say. There are some truly ignorant views in the business community, and the less those views are spoken the better,’’ he says.
As we order coffee, I ask a question that I assume is on people’s minds.
“Do you worry that in prosecuting the case for a carbon tax and emissions trading scheme you are in danger of coming across as a bit of a zealot?’’
“No, people used to say I was a zealot for free trade. I argued the proposition for free trade because I had worked out that was in Australia’s national interest,’’ Garnaut replies. “All you can do is hold your ground, knowing the pack will descend on you. And you pick yourself up after that and do the same again.’’
Becco, Crossley St, Melbourne Oysters Lamb Fish and chips Shoreham pinot Giant Steps chardonnay Coffee Total $186.50 The Australian Financial Review | 8,517 | 3,958 | 0.000267 |
warc | 201704 | AFRICANGLOBE – The central tragedy of our first two decades as a democracy is that, unless something changes fast, the life prospects of South African children born today will still to a large extent cleave to their race. No sober reading of the statistics can offer you a different conclusion.
Look at the prevalence of childhood poverty, access to early childhood development, performance in primary and secondary school, access to and dropout from tertiary education, and ultimate household earnings, and you will see how little we have done to change the outlines of the picture that our colonial forebears and the architects of apartheid drew up ages ago.
Bringing a different country into being, where race has no impact on your life prospects, should be a project that everybody can get behind. But we will not be able to achieve this as long as powerful voices — such as that of Gareth van Onselen in his column (The great race debate, November 20) — are promoting denialism instead of a steady gaze on the problem at hand.
If white people want to belong in this new country, there are a number of places at which we have to part ways with Van Onselen.
First we must stop denying the simple asymmetry involved in anti-Black racism: if you do not inhabit a Black body, your opinion on whether something you did or said was anti-Black racist is just not that relevant. A similar asymmetry applies to sexist acts.
Van Onselen writes that some people make accusations of racism but that “they are often wrong”. How would he know? Because, as he then goes on to imply, he thinks the people so accused are, in general, good people?
This is the ancient and rather ridiculous notion that virtuous acts are simply acts performed by virtuous people. These days, ethics tends to focus more on consequences. When the consequence is feeling hurt, belittled or unfairly treated, then the person so affected has far greater authority when reporting on it. Of course they are not the only authority, and everyone deserves to be heard. But you are not an expert on somebody else’s experience. Even when you really feel you were misunderstood, sometimes the adult thing to do is to listen and learn, apologise, and endeavour not to make the same mistake again.
And this, by the way, in case you were temporarily misled by the abuse of George Orwell, does not constitute the policing of a “thought crime”. This is not even in the realm of the criminal. It is people holding each other accountable for how we all wield power over others through discourse. You can disagree with them, but nobody is setting the police on you.
Secondly, we have to face up to the fact that people who wear their racism on their sleeves are a sideshow. Real racism inheres in a system that keeps whites at the top of the socioeconomic pile. The everyday way to keep Blacks down can seem quite banal: agreeing on the job panel that the Black candidate doesn’t have the “communication skills” for the leadership position, or that your shoppers would rather see a white face on the poster, because Marketing 101. Racism is also secretly thinking your security Whatsapp group is right to share photos of the dark-skinned undesirables on your street, but never wondering why you don’t see the white friends who visit you similarly photographed and shamed.
Sometimes you can keep Blacks down by treating everybody as if they were the same. When most Black people still have to work harder and sacrifice more than most white people to compete in an open market, real fairness does not consist in creating the illusion of an “open opportunity society”. Failing to intervene is basic complicity in a racist system.
This is why Van Onselen’s analysis of “occasional blatant racism” misses the point so badly. The Economic Freedom Fighters (EFF) are not hung up on Steve Hofmeyr: they want land, they want control of the economy. I doubt Gwede Mantashe loses much sleep over David Bullard. The political issues are structural: they are about our economy and the fabric of our society. When commentators like Van Onselen wade in, and fail to see this obvious fact, they just show how tone-deaf they are to the actual debate.
The third place we can part ways with Van Onselen is refusing to feel so sorry for ourselves. Being called a racist “destroys the possibility of introspection”, he moans, “any objection is admission” and it is all just a little unfair. Well, get over it.
White people inherit privilege unwillingly from our history and our culture. We live in a system that is skewed to our advantage in ways we don’t always think about. We should stop pretending we are also owed redemption, forgiveness or moral purity. If there is one thing that has unravelled Madiba magic it is white people who have remained complicit in an unjust system walking around as if it was their right to be forgiven, telling Black people who remind them of injustice that they are somehow stuck in the past.
Being called a racist hurts. But if you are a white person in South Africa, even a foreign white recently arrived, you are participating in a racist system. You are benefiting from a privilege you didn’t really ask for. You should be working every day to dismantle that system because it is your current advantage that indicts you, even more than the sins of your ancestors. And you will still not escape your privilege.
And yet this weight is nothing compared with the weight that people who are on the receiving end of racism have to deal with every day. So when you not only fail to engage with your privilege or ask people how they actually feel, but then also go on to call the current upsurge in intelligent discussions about race a “nondebate”, all you are really doing is trumpeting your apathy. You’ve already forfeited your illusory moral purity.
Of course, what Van Onselen was really talking about was the extent to which the African National Congress ANC and the EFF use race as a red herring to divert the electorate’s attention away from more pressing issues. But any even semi-news-literate person observing the unfolding drama around racism at the moment would have noticed the extent to which this issue cuts across party, social class and region.
Students across the country, including activists who have rebuffed every attempt to entrain them to a political party message, are furious about persistent, gnawing, ubiquitous racism. This is not a diversion tactic by a political party: this is what people really feel.
You would do better to listen, to engage and to apply your mind to what it all could mean. Wanting a better future for South Africa means countering the senescent liberators and the young fascists without pretending that we don’t also have to slay the demon of white racism.
By: Scott Burnett
Whites In South Africa | 6,968 | 3,331 | 0.000307 |
warc | 201704 | High heat and little rain during the past week led to an unusual, quick expansion of drought conditions in Iowa and Illinois, damaging crops in the biggest U.S. corn- and soybean-growing states.
About 25 percent of Iowa had a moderate drought on Aug. 27, up from 7.9 percent a week earlier, while Illinois jumped to 20 percent from none, the U.S. Drought Monitor said yesterday in a report. Parts of Iowa received less than 25 percent of normal rain during the past 60 days, and much of Illinois got less than half of normal since June 30, data from the High Plains Regional Climate Center show.
After a wet May and June delayed planting, the U.S. Department of Agriculture cut its soybean-crop forecast by 4.8 percent on Aug. 12 and reduced its corn estimate for a third straight month. July was the 20th coldest in 119 years in Minnesota, Wisconsin, Michigan and Iowa, National Weather Service data show. Soybean futures are up 17 percent from an 18- month low on Aug. 7 on forecasts for dry weather, and corn rose 7.5 percent from a 35-month low on Aug. 13.
"The heat and drought are speeding crop development and reducing yield potential daily," Roger Elmore, an agronomist at Iowa State University in Ames, said in a telephone interview. "We are skipping over critical stages of development that probably can’t recover even if temperatures cool and a little rain falls."
While the crops need hot weather to develop, temperatures that approached 100 degrees Fahrenheit from Nebraska to Indiana in the past five days can cut corn yields at least 3 percent a day while reducing the number of seeds and seed weight in soybeans, Elmore said.
Yield Loss
Cool weather during the first 19 days of August masked the stress that the dry spell was causing to crops over most of the Midwest, Planalytics Inc. said in a report yesterday. The epicenter of the crop damage is in Iowa, based on the vegetative growth index that the forecaster constructs biweekly from satellite images.
Corn yields in Iowa probably are down to about 150 bushels an acre, compared with an estimate of 165 bushels a week ago, said Kent Jessen, the director of merchandising for West Des Moines, Iowa-based Heartland Cooperative, which has 52 grain terminals across 17 counties. Soybean yields will be 35 bushels an acre at best in his area, compared with 48 a year ago. The average yield in the region where drought is most severe in Iowa was 52 bushels from 2007 to 2011, he said.
"The flash drought has caused severe and irreversible damage very quickly," Jessen said. "The beans are going downhill much quicker than the more mature corn. There are some soybean fields that have received only 2 inches of rain since they were planted in June."
Less Rain
The Midwest will get less rain because there will be a large ridge of high pressure over the region in the next 10 days, increasing stress on about 45 percent of U.S. crops, Commodity Weather Group LLC said in a report yesterday. Soybean-crop conditions declined in 14 of the top 18 producing states as of Aug. 25, and corn ratings declined in 11 states, the USDA said in a report this week.
Crop conditions will fall again in next week’s USDA update, according Randy Mittelstaedt, the director of research for R.J. O’Brien & Associates in Chicago. Based on this week’s weather and crop conditions, Mittelstaedt forecasts a U.S. corn harvest of 13.53 billion bushels, 1.7 percent less than the USDA’s Aug. 12 forecast of 13.763 billion. Soybean will be 3.218 billion bushels, he said, or 1.1 percent less than the government’s estimate of 3.255 billion.
"The crops are still going backward," Mittelstaedt said. "The crops won’t get any bigger and probably will have to be reduced more if rains miss the Midwest again next week." | 3,815 | 1,858 | 0.000547 |
warc | 201704 | At 282 feet in height, two football fields in area, and 50,000 cubic tons in volume, the Sea-Based X-Band Radar inspires description in the mold of “Your mama” jokes: SBX is so fat it couldn’t fit through the Panama Canal. SBX is so tall it could straddle the Goodyear Blimp. SBX is such a superstar, it has its own self-propelled, semi-submersible oil-drilling platform as a ride.
The near-$900 million structure, operated by the U.S. Missile Defense Agency (MDA), is by far the largest phased-array radar system on Earth. It is 16 times more powerful than the previous champ—its own prototype—and capable of determining if a baseball-size object thrown into space from another continent is a slider, a curve, or a knuckleball.
This summer it will leave Pearl Harbor, where it is being painted, and voyage to its home port of Adak, Alaska, for the first time. After being integrated into the battle management systems of long-range interceptor missiles located in Alaska and California, the SBX will be able to move throughout the Pacific Ocean, or anywhere else it’s welcome, for training or actual defensive operations.
Once active, it will identify enemy missiles outside the atmosphere, at the highest point of their ballistic trajectories, so that the interceptors can take them out.
With the same frequency of radiation that your microwave oven uses to warm Lean Cuisines, SBX probes the nooks and crannies of “threat complexes”—the cloud of warheads, decoys, and debris such as loose nuts and bolts, spent booster stages, and unburned fuel that surround an enemy missile.
“We can differentiate between very tightly spaced objects, small and large objects, and the like,” says Army Colonel John Fellows, MDA’s project manager for X-band radars. “We can tell [which] is the threatening object.”
At the frequencies used by X-band radars, ranging from 8 to 12 gigahertz, relatively short wavelengths enable sharp, high-resolution radar images.
“You might be able to see rivets and seams and joints and fins, and [that] allows you to form a very accurate representation of what is there,” says Larry
Briggs, who as Raytheon’s program director for ground-based radars oversaw the design and construction of the SBX’s radar array.
Before catching a ride to Hawaii on the back of the Blue Marlin, the world’s largest cargo vessel (which had to be widened for the job), the SBX spent the summer of 2005 on a 52-day shakedown cruise in the Gulf of Mexico. After the platform outran hurricanes, it tested its 10-story array by turning it skyward to track satellites.
Like all radars, the SBX works by broadcasting a pulse of radio waves, then watching for the reflections. The radio waves are produced by tiny antennas called radiating elements. SBX has roughly 45,000.
Radio rays build upon or cancel each other when they cross paths. But just how waves interfere with each other depends on the phase of each contributing wave—whether the wave is at its crest, its trough, or somewhere in between.
A map of the interference between radio waves is called a radiation pattern. It is the radiation pattern that allows one to see where waves constructively overlap and where waves destructively overlap to cancel each other. The main beam is formed at the line where the greatest number of waves projected by the radar emitters constructively overlap to form a composite wave front.
A conventional radar tracks targets by physically turning its main beam 360 degrees and then measuring how reflective items—“blips”—have moved since previous sweeps.
But phased-array radars work differently; they steer the main beam by manipulating the pattern emanating from an array of hundreds or thousands of radiating elements, nearly instantaneously moving the location of the overlapping waves instead of an actual dish.
“You don’t change [the antenna’s] properties when you scan,” explains Larry Corey, chief engineer of Georgia Tech Research Institute’s Sensors and Electromagnetic Laboratory. “You just change how the energy from every one of those elements adds up either constructively or destructively.”
To point the SBX’s powerful main beam, computers command each of its radiating elements to slightly shift the initial phase of the radio waves they shoot.
Thus, each element emits a radio wave with crests and troughs that are slightly out of sync with the crests and troughs of the radio waves emitted by its neighbors. For example, a wave being radiated from element A may start at a crest, while the wave emanating from element B begins life as a trough.
The effect is that the beam swings from the center to the right or left (see diagram, opposite). With the new elements added, the beam can be pointed up or down as well. The direction of the beam can be changed in 20 microseconds or less.
The main advantage to this approach is that the radar can keep a constant eye on a target—it can shoot and watch for radio reflections thousands of times per second instead of going blind until the next rotation sweeps the main beam past the target again.
Since the main beam can be pointed almost instanteously, it can jump from object to object as they come into range.
Phased-array radars are not without disadvantages. Most are functional through a cone of just 120 degrees, because the width of the main beam diminishes the farther it gets from broadside. As an example, think of how narrow your wide-screen television looks when you’re in an adjacent room.
For this reason, at least four radars are needed to cover a hemisphere. To compensate for the narrow field of view, the SBX’s main array rotates and tilts; it’s one of the few phased arrays to do that.
Although the initial cost is 100,000 times more expensive than a conventional radar with the same beam width, a phased-array device may be cheaper long-term because the system will still function as needed even if many of its smallest components fail. | 6,111 | 2,938 | 0.000352 |
warc | 201704 | Do you know how to separate water?
To be honest, I didn’t even know it was possible.
Sure, I knew that water was H2O. I even knew that was two parts hydrogen to one part oxygen.
I just
had no idea you could return them to their gas forms.
Check it out:
And, it’s not even rocket science!
Fortunately, though, we have one. A rocket scientist, that is.
Yes, hubby really is a rocket scientist.
So, when it comes to chemistry (or any of the physical or life sciences) I step aside and let the expert take over.
We even invited another homeschool family to join us.
I did, what I do best. I sat up in the kitchen with the other mom and enjoyed a perfect latte, while hubby and the teens headed down to his lab (a table set out on the deck) for a few chemistry experiments.
We went and had a peek while they were learning how to separate water.
Here is my interpretation of the scientific explanation provided by hubby. I am no rocket scientist, so for the most part I used simple words.
Step by Step: How To Separate Water Fill a beaker with water. Add an electrolyte (small amount of sulfuric acid or sodium carbonate). Bend two lengths of stainless steel wire. When the experiment runs, each wire will have one end in an inverted test tube inside the beaker and the other over the side of the beaker holding the tube in place. (Visualize a sideways S with one end in the tube, then bending up along the side, turning and going out along and down the side of the beaker). Once in the proper shape, put them aside. If possible, have a sleeve over the wire in all parts which will be outside of the test tube. Fill each tube with water and using a finger to cover the top of the tubes, invert them and immerse it in the water. Add the wires with one end in the tube, the other end outside of the beaker. Wire up a DC power source between 4 and 20 volts (battery) to the wires: positive to one, negative to the other. Turn on the power and watch the bubbles – the hydrogen will collect on the negative side, oxygen on the positive side. Remember, there should be about 2 times the amount of hydrogen. Don’t Miss Some of Our Other Homeschool Science Projects: Make Poop – A Gross Science Project (This is probably the best and most fun project we have ever done. It simulates the complete digestion process from eating to producing a “poop” all done with common kitchen items. Does Toilet Water Spin the Opposite Direction Across the Equator? – Is it real or an illusion. Here is the answer, with clear easy to follow images. | 2,574 | 1,307 | 0.000782 |
warc | 201704 | While a very public national debate rages over whether the Obama administration should approve the Keystone XL pipeline project for importing tar sands from Canada to U.S. Gulf of Mexico refineries, an oil company is quietly planning to bring the heavy crude to California via rail.
Valero Energy is ramping up its rail delivery system to refineries in Wilmington (L.A. area) and Benicia (Bay Area) for receiving crude oil from Canada, but denies it will be bringing in the dreaded tar sands product that produces more pollution. Valero spokesman Bill Day told Railway Age in August, “I can confirm that neither the Valero Benicia Refinery nor the proposed crude by rail offloading facility there are set up to handle heavy Canadian crude.”
That sounds like a non-denial denial and is not taken seriously by observers who think Canadian tar sands are inevitably heading toward California. “California is the prize,” Greg Karras, senior scientist with Oakland-based Communities for a Better Environment, told New America Media in 2011. “They have this gigantic reserve of fundamentally dirtier oil that they want to exploit, sitting above the best refining country in the world.”
Valero is reportedly adding track extensions and a 50-car rail unloading system to accommodate 60,000 additional barrels of oil a day at Wilmington. A similar expansion in Benicia would facilitate importing another 70,000 barrels. Until now, Valero has brought its crude in via pipeline and tankers.
Tar sands, or oil sands, is considered one of the “dirtiest” sources of petroleum on Earth, loaded with so much carbon that the extraction and use would exacerbate the impact of global warming, according to some scientists. The mixture of sand, other minerals, water and bitumen, a dense form of petroleum resembles tar in appearance. Intense energy is required to process it, giving tar sands a carbon footprint 10-20% greater than other oil.
Alberta, Canada, has a lot of it—an estimated 171.3 billion barrels of oil which, if fully developed, would put Canada in the same camp as OPEC’s leader, Saudi Arabia (which has reserves of 264.2 billion barrels).
Opposition to its shipment via pipeline across the continent from Alberta, through sensitive environs on its way to problematic refining in the Gulf has overshadowed efforts by energy companies to import tar sands via tankers and/or rail to other locations, like California.
Although California is one of the world’s largest producers of crude oil, it still imports around half its crude from the Mideast and Latin America. And some sources think unidentified tar sands are already quietly being shipped to California refineries.
California’s recent introduction of a capped energy trading market would seem to discourage companies bringing in dirtier crude, but it remains to be seen how that plays out in the future.
For now, the shift to rail import of crude and possible refining of tar sands in the state is flying under the radar. But maybe not for long. Valero is not alone in embracing the move. Phillips 66 Co. and Tesoro Corp also have announced plans to use rail cars to bring in more Canadian crude. | 3,219 | 1,650 | 0.00062 |
warc | 201704 | Pistachios, when eaten with high-carbohydrate foods, may result in lower than expected blood sugar levels, an important factor in reducing risk of diabetes.
85g California Pistachios
62g Confectioner’s sugar 20g Corn syrup 1g Salt
1. Blanch and peel pistachios. Combine peeled pistachios, sugar, and corn syrup in a food processor and grind to a soft paste. Add salt, set aside | 387 | 264 | 0.003888 |
warc | 201704 | Here are some examples.
A lot of Halloween decorators report problems finding fluorescent blue spray paint.
Krylon makes a fluorescent blue spray paint, #3109.
If your store does not carry it, ask them to order some.
Warning: The glow color of fluorescent paint is not necessarily the same as the daylight color. Most red day-glow paints actually glow orange under black light. Do some research before you buy.
Invisible black-light paint is merely invisible under
normal lighting.
When the black light hits it, it springs into vibrant color!
Note - Invisible black light paint dries clear, or with a slight milky haze to it, depending on the brand, thickness of applied layer, and color of the black light glow. Some brands look like white paint until the black light hits them. Since these aren't really transparent, I wouldn't consider them to be really "invisible", but they might be sold as such. Ask before you buy.
The potential for this material is to bring about a sudden appearance, disappearance, or transformation. Consider the simple case of a blank white wall in a dimly-lit hallway. When your guests reach the middle of the hall, they see that the walls are suddenly spattered with red blood, perhaps spelling out a spooky warning. A moment later, the red spatters are gone.
Another trick is to take a painting and doctor it up with invisible black light paint, so that it transforms into something sinister when properly illuminated. In order to get the full effect, you should use the transparent paint, so that in normal light, all you see is the painting.
Another thing to look for is RIT-brand fabric whitener and brightener. It should be in your supermarket with the fabric dye. Essentially, this is pure concentrated optical brightner, and fluoresces a strong blue-white, even in tiny quantities. Under white light, RIT is completely invisible. It is available in powder or liquid form. The powder can be used as-is, for dusting, or mixed with water for a spray.
You can make your own UV-sensitive paint by mixing RIT-brand fabric whitener and brightener with just about any commercial paint, lacquer, or varnish. If the paint is water-based, you can use the liquid RIT. If the paint is solvent-based, use the powder RIT. The ratio is not critical - anywhere between 1:5 and 1:20 (RIT:paint).
Avoid mixing RIT with acrylic materials that are intended for use outdoors, or claim to be "UV stabilized". The chemicals in such materials prevent the UV light from getting to the RIT, so it kills the glow. When in doubt, mix a small batch and test with your black light before using it in quantity.
If you want color, you will probably want cheap poster or tempra paint, in fluorescent colors. You can get tiny pots of them in craft stores, but the prices are a lot better by the pint at art supply stores.
Warning: Do not attempt to improvise fluorescent makeup. Some people have reported allergic reactions when they tried to smear Woolite or Rit on their faces!
This hair spray says that it glows under black light,
but doesn't claim to be phosphorescent.
This is a package of the powder form of Rit brand Whitener and Brightener.
I think I picked this up at
Michaels
in 2002.
This alien-themed GITD paint was marketed shortly after the release of the movie
Toy Story 2.
Wal-Mark
This GITD spray often turns up around Halloween.
I think I got this sample at
Wal-Mart,
circa 2002.
I think I found this GITD makeup during Halloween 2002.
Only use makeup that is designed for to be used as makeup. Such products are usually safe. But even then, be on the lookout for signs of possible allergic reactions.
For some reason it is difficult to get a good red color under black light. Most fluorescent red paints actually glow some shade of orange under black light.
Do some research before you buy. Make sure you have the color you want before slathering it on a prop! When in doubt, take a battery-operated black light to the store when shopping.
This has never worked well for me. I suspect that the electronic transitions that make fluorescence possible result in monochromatic light that is hard to change.
Liquids can be brushed, rolled, or sprayed, depending on how thick they are. (We used a compressed-air paint-sprayer to cover our giant spider.) Powders can be dusted on, a famous trick to add a glow to spun spider webs.
Some of these colors, especially the RIT, are very hard to get off your hands. You might get the visible stuff off, but under black light, you'll light up like a Christmas tree.
If you are painting on-location, watch out for overspray, dripping, and other clever ways to put paint where it doesn't belong. If you are painting under white light, you might not notice until too late that you have gotten a fierce glow where it should not be!
If you leave black-light-sensitive props out in the sunlight, plan on repainting them regularly. Black light pigments are delicate and fade rapidly.
Terror By Design
Thank you for visiting. Your comments are welcome.
. . . . . . | 5,059 | 2,385 | 0.000423 |
warc | 201704 | Published: 13 July 2006 at 14:43
"This month will see a new kind of graduate emerge from the realms of cyberspace: the first UK graduates to have been tutored purely online."
Business adviser Sue Melvin found it on the internet, while graphic artist Kate Luck was told about it by her former careers adviser at Notschool.net. They are among 340 undergraduates studying for an online degree in learning technology and research from Ultraversity, the distance learning subsidiary of Anglia Ruskin University. All are taught 100% online and have never met their teachers.
This month the first cohort of 150 students will graduate with a BA (Hons) and, in November, they'll finally clap eyes on their academic tutors at a degree ceremony at Chelmsford cathedral. In fact, Ultraversity is the only UK academic body to offer degrees only taught online. There is no face-to-face element. So what's the attraction about being virtual undergraduates, beavering away on their own?
Luck, 18, is a junior Mac art worker for a graphic design studio in Wellingborough.
As a student from the online learning community, Notschool, Luck was familiar with Ultraversity's underpinning technology.
Melvin, 50, a business adviser with Basildon enterprise agency, believes beefing up her ICT skills will give her a head start in designing services that better meet the needs of start-up businesses.
The idea, inspired by Professor Stephen Heppell, then head of the ICT in education research institution, Ultralab, was taken beyond the development stage by a team of academics committed to e-learning. The principles behind the degree are that all students are in jobs, content is negotiated between student and facilitator, and assignments can be submitted in various online formats such as PowerPoint, digital video and audio to create an e-portfolio.
says Ultraversity's project leader, Stephen Powell. The adult continuing education/distance learning market served by Ultraversity sees it competing with foundation degrees (part-time vocational degrees, part college-based and part work experience). The key difference is that foundation degrees cover a much wider range of subjects and are employer led through the involvement of sector skills councils. Ultraversity makes no pretence to be anything other than student-focused.
Its main rival is the Open University - the UK's biggest distance learning provider. While OU delivers a few courses or modules in a fully online format, all its degree programmes are taught by supported distance learning - a mix of online and face-to-face teaching and summer schools. This makes OU more expensive compared to Ultraversity's £850-a-year course fees. OU degrees also take longer to complete - on average six years - while Ultraversity is designed to take three years while the student is in full-time work.
But there are down sides. Ultraversity's drop-out rate is 40% - higher than the OU's but comparable with other fully online courses. Unable to comment on Ultraversity, OU pro vice-chancellor David Vincent believes OU's approach is the more influential. More choice
Other universities are aware of the market for online study and are starting to offer more choice. University of East London has just announced a unique partnership with commercial e-learning provider Thomson ICS and degree courses, says a spokesman, have been "selling like hot cakes".
Gilly Salmon, professor of e-learning at Leicester University, believes other universities can learn from Ultraversity's approach.
Salmon, at one time in charge of the online certificate in management at the OU Business School, feels online methods are now part of the learning mix at most universities and, as such, strongly interwoven with traditional pedagogy.
While conventional degrees test learned theory through academic essays and dissertations, an Ultraversity degree involves working with peers, sharing knowledge and honing ideas through asynchronous conversations with fellow students. The aim is to boost students' confidence in handling new media, manipulating databases, using the internet as a research tool and networking effectively online.
Assignments are set by tutors to reflect real-life situations or issues students face in the workplace - so they have an immediate application.
Ultraversity has two virtual learning environments. Day-to-day communication between students and tutors is through First Class, a platform once used by the OU before it switched to Moodle. Each student has a facilitator, a tutor who they can telephone or email and whose role is to direct their studies. Then there is Plone, a US open access system, on which sits Ultraversity's "hot seat" virtual master classes - online lectures given by world-class academics followed by asynchronous discussion.
Ultraversity's main appeal is to those in junior or middle management in public services - people who need a degree to further their careers and want to use ICT more proficiently. When it was launched three years ago, Ultraversity academics believed the main market would be teaching assistants wanting to become teachers or NHS staff looking for professional development. But the market has proved much wider.
And the experience of a fully online degree is not as robotic as it sounds. Sue Melvin describes a chat room set up for her cohort - where the lecturers are barred. It's a "laid-back" virtual student union bar called Ultra Thirsty. "People drop in and we put music downloads on it. We chat socially or about work and you get to know people socially. One topic isn't allowed. We never talk about our assignments!" | 5,646 | 2,737 | 0.000368 |
warc | 201704 | Home GCC Industries Markets Opinion Interviews Photos Videos Lists Lifestyle StartUp CEO Company News Property US$3 trillion estimate will make it the 18th largest economy in the world - analysts
Saudi Arabia’s economy will more than treble to US$3 trillion by 2050, making it the 18th largest economy in the world, according to analyst PricewaterhouseCoopers.
The oil-rich gulf state will grow by 230 percent to US$1582bn by 2030 before doubling in the following 20 years, PwC’s biannual The World in 2050 report says.
Saudi Arabia had the 20th largest economy in 2011 but PwC expects the country to record an average annual growth of 4 percent over the next 37 years, making it the seventh fastest growing market worldwide.
Other Middle East economies, including Egypt and Iran, were not included in the top 20 forecast despite oil and gas creating flows of cash in numerous areas.
The report says emerging economies will outperform developed countries, growing by 4-6 percent compared to an average 2 percent.
“However, even in 2050 average income per capita will still be significantly higher in the advanced economies than in the emerging economies – the current income gap is just too large to bridge fully over this period,” the report says.
Saudi’s growth prospects are limited by its investment, which as a percentage of gross domestic product is expected to be an average of 11 percent per year until 2025, significantly lower than other economies such as Indonesia (28 percent), France (24 percent), Germany (22 percent), Russia (20 percent), Brazil (19 percent) and the UK (17 percent).
However, the PwC report contradicts other forecasts.
In 2011, prior to the Arab Spring, HSBC said Egypt would surpass Saudi Arabia and emerge as the world's 19th largest economy by 2050. It estimated Egypt's economy would reach US$117bn, outstripping Saudi Arabia's $113bn.
A Citibank report also published in 2011 predicted Saudi's economy to expand more rapidly and become the sixth largest in the world by 2050.
By all accounts, in 2050, China, the US and India are likely to be by far the three largest economies in the world.
PwC says China will expand to US$ 53,856bn, while the US economy will increase to US$37,998bn and India will leap from US$4531bn in 2011 to US$34,704bn in 2050. | 2,334 | 1,190 | 0.000856 |
warc | 201704 | THE SALVATION Army Hall in Arbroath will be the venue on Monday of a display of artworks created by people living with Parkinson’s disease.
The Painting for Parkinson’s art programme is funded by Awards for All and run by Tayside Healthcare Arts Trust (THAT) in association with NHS Tayside, with support from the Arbroath Parkinson’s Group.
This is one of a range of art programmes for people with Long Term Conditions currently being delivered by THAT.
THAT promotes the therapeutic value of arts based programmes to enhance quality of life, to promote social inclusion, to empower the individual helping to make a significant contribution to their health and wellbeing.
Over the eight-week arts programme, the group worked with local artist Ashley McGregor and volunteer THAT artist Mairi Dryden focusing on the theme of travel. Using a variety of collage, painting and printing techniques the group created a selection of artworks which will be displayed at the Salvation Army Hall from 1.30 until 3.30 p.m.
The group has used the theme of travel, and created postcards and stamps using collage. The work has explored abstract landscape paintings and participants have been encouraged to think of places they have been which they enjoyed - somewhere that holds special memories.
Parkinson’s is a neurological condition that can affect movement such as walking, swallowing and writing. They can also experience tiredness and a loss of confidence making some people living with Parkinson’s adapt their lifestyles which can result in them withdrawing socially.
Ashley explained: “This group has been tremendous to work with and they have really enjoyed developing their creativity and gaining confidence in their ability while having fun at the same time.
Karine Neill, THAT Development Officer, added: “The Parkinson’s group members have challenged themselves as creative individuals and with encouragement and support they have, over the eight-week period, grown in confidence and ability.” | 2,048 | 1,031 | 0.000997 |
warc | 201704 | Just like natural laws, there are spiritual laws with cause and effect. God set the universe in motion with the power of His words and established the law of confession, but many believers have suffered needlessly by misunderstanding the power of their words. Dr. Bill Winston; pastor, Bible teacher, and host of national television program Believer's Walk of Faith - broadcast to over 100 million homes - reveals scriptural examples and vital teaching on the importance of the spoken word.
"stepping out"
Written in 1917, The Law and the Word is a hard-to-find work by Judge Thomas Troward, a pioneer in mental science. Troward's writings and lectures greatly influenced Ernest Holmes, the founder of Religious Science and writer of The Science of Mind.
This book was one of the first to combine thought energy, scientific reasoning and testing, and creative power, and to see the interconnection of the three.
"Fingernails on a blackboard...."
This audiobook focuses on the law of attraction to manifest your desired life by changing your thoughts, which will help you change your actions for the better. Included are 40 minutes of affirmations designed to train your brain for positive thinking. It is a part of the Beach Hypnosis and Meditation Series.
When you focus on negative stuff, then more negative stuff will happen to you. On the other hand, when you focus on positive stuff, then more positive stuff will happen to you. Fortunately, there is a way to manipulate the law of attraction and make it work for you: by changing your beliefs, using the power of positive affirmation. Positive affirmations give you a fresh pair of eyes to see the world and therefore give you courage to achieve a lot of things you never knew were possible.
The law of attraction is based on the idea that everything in the universe has a "polarity", meaning that everything - from the food you eat, to the people you talk to, to the things you say, to the things you think - contains an either positive or negative kind of energy. Notice that being with people who complain or rant a lot tends to make you feel bad, even though you're not exactly experiencing what they're going through - that's the law of attraction working its magic.
The Law of Attraction is more than trying to attract positive events into your life. It is about changing the very core of how you think. It is about reshaping and rewiring your thought patterns, so that you can become the person you know you are destined to be.
"Moving words that change thought patterns"
Fawzia Mirza's entire life was an attempt to be a "good Pakistani woman". But when her brown fairy tale wasn't coming true, Fawzia discovered a few things about herself. She shares her funny tale for Don't Tell My Mother! at The Laugh Factory in Chicago, IL. | 2,815 | 1,413 | 0.000713 |
warc | 201704 | I was a nervous wreck the first time I decided to bring my camera with me on a kayaking trip. I was worried about getting it wet or even worse, dropping it in the water.
Yes, taking pictures from a kayak can be a worrisome task but there are a few steps a person can take to relieve some of that tension for an enjoyable trip with lasting memories.
There are a few things you can take care of before you even set foot in your kayak. First decide how you want to keep your camera safe when it’s not in use. A good dry bag, hard waterproof cases with built in o-rings (like Pelican or S3 cases) or a simple zippered plastic bag (like a Ziploc) will do the trick. They all have their pros and cons, which I will be addressing in an upcoming blog, but I myself generally use a dry bag, because it fits my needs.
Next, be sure to know your camera and equipment before you head out. It can be tricky enough figuring out all the settings while hanging out on dry land, it’s more difficult when you are bobbing around or having to watch where you are heading.
Once you are ready to head out, give yourself plenty of extra time by starting early in the morning. Keep things simple by utilizing automatic modes. As you get more familiar with kayaking with your camera, you can get a little more creative with your settings.
Once you are underway and find that perfect moment for a photograph, be aware of fogging or water droplets on the lens of the camera or the front glass or plastic of your underwater housing. Droplets and fogging lenses can confuse a camera’s autofocus functionality and there’s a pretty good chance you’ll go home with blurred and distorted pictures. It’s always a good idea to keep a lens wipe handy.
Go for a slightly larger memory card than you normally would. While paddling in a kayak you may find it is a slightly trickier place to switch from a full memory card to your spare. Last thing you want to do is drop your full memory card into the decking of your kayak only to see it slip through a scupper hole and into the water.
When setting your equipment down, if even for a moment, take great care in where and how you do so. Avoid the areas where water will collect (around scuppers, cup holders, etc.). Bring along a resting pad or use a small cooler with the lid turned upside down (so your camera doesn’t slide off the top). If you have a camera strap, use it! The idea is to simply keep the camera off the boat and on top of something that will keep it from getting wet.
If you are still worried about using a camera while paddling, start with a less expensive one instead of that $1,200 SLR with the $1,500 lens. Once you are confident in your abilities and believe you can keep your camera safe, then bring out the big guns.
Taking pictures from a kayak exposes you to different photographic opportunities, some of which you’d never experience from land. I’ve included some images I’ve taken from my own kayak. Stay tuned for more but in the meantime if you have any questions, feel free to ask me by commenting below.
Happy paddling
Galen
ACK Guest Blogger | 3,150 | 1,566 | 0.000652 |
warc | 201704 | The consultation-liaison (C-L) psychiatrist often sees chronic mentally ill patients when they are admitted to the medical-surgical services of the general hospital.
Little research has been directed to the special needs and concerns of these patients in the general hospital.
This area has become more relevant now that many of these patients are no longer cared for in the safety of the state hospital setting, often making baseline medical histories inaccessible.
They have an overall higher mortality rate than the general population, cannot give adequate histories, and their psychotic illness can mask an underlying medical illness.
In this preliminary investigation of the problems of this special population, the authors examined the issues concerning nursing needs, length of hospital stay, medical diagnosis, and possible complicating problems encountered during these patients'hospital stays in the setting of an urban university hospital.
The authors discuss the implications of the role of the C-L psychiatrist in addressing their patients'acute problems.
Mots-clés Pascal : Trouble psychiatrique, Besoin, Santé, Hôpital général, Hospitalisation, Durée, Diagnostic, Maladie, Traitement, Psychiatre, Psychiatrie liaison, Rôle professionnel, Personnel sanitaire, Homme Mots-clés Pascal anglais : Mental disorder, Need, Health, General hospital, Hospitalization, Duration, Diagnosis, Disease, Treatment, Psychiatrist, Liaison psychiatry, Occupational role, Health staff, Human Notice produite par : Inist-CNRS - Institut de l'Information Scientifique et Technique Cote : 97-0519778
Code Inist : 002B18H05B. Création : 13/02/1998. | 1,693 | 878 | 0.001176 |
warc | 201704 | HSBC whistleblower names UK accounts in Jersey Published 09/11/2012
The Daily Telegraph reported on 9 November 2012 that that same week a bank whistleblower had grassed up 4,388 UK people with accounts at HSBC in Jersey.
HMRC has, unusually, confirmed that they have received this information and will be using it to check the tax rules ‘are being respected’. What a lovely phrase!
What have HMRC been given?
Details of over 4,000 people in the UK who had money in HSBC in Jersey, sometimes known as HSBC Expat. This means their name, UK address and the amount in the HSBC account.
The average balance in the accounts disclosed is £337,000.
Whose accounts are these?
The accounts are held by a wide range of people from people who are now retired to senior figures in the City, to criminals of various sizes. They will doubtless be from all parts of the UK.
My own experience as a Tax Inspector, and more recently as a tax consultant, tells me that people in Northern Ireland have a particular attraction to putting their money in Jersey, Guernsey or the Isle of Man.
Should everyone named be scared?
Absolutely not. There is nothing illegal in having money in Jersey or anywhere else offshore. What is illegal is not paying the right UK tax. The tradition of banking secrecy surrounding the Channel Islands, Switzerland, Liechtenstein and the Isle of Man has encouraged certain behaviour. This behaviour may, in itself, be illegal.
So who has something to fear?
You should worry if the existence of your money offshore points to some form of illegal activity, including tax evasion. This could mean:
The source of the money invested was not properly declared and taxed, or The means of obtaining the money invested was itself criminal (drugs, guns, bribery etc), or The interest earned on the accounts was not declared.
This last point is interesting. We help a lot of people to declare offshore savings and income, sometimes going back many years. In some cases the original source of the money is completely legit. For example the life insurance when your spouse died, or a transfer from a UK savings account. Where people have come unstuck is that once the legal money was offshore they failed to declare the interest it earned. That then becomes illegal tax evasion.
If you have an undeclared offshore account...
Now is the time to confess to HMRC – that is before they come to you. In general you will be given an easier time if you come forward to HMRC to tell them something was wrong with your tax affairs. You will also generally pay a lower penalty – that is what is added to the bill as a percentage of the tax you owe.
Who will help me with this?
I would say a person who declares offshore income without professional help has a fool for a client. This is a case where expert help may save you thousands, and will get the matter closed more quickly. (These are stressful experiences.) You may feel that your regular accountant does not have the practice and expertise in handling such tax investigations. It is for this reason that we are often brought in. When the case is closed we then hand the client back to the regular accountant to continue with routine tax returns and preparing of business accounts.
And if I am on HMRC’s list and do nothing?
Then you simply check the post every morning wondering when HMRC will write to you. Of course they might call in person or phone your accountant.
What HMRC will NOT do is email you about your offshore account. If you get an email from HMRC with an allegation (or good news about a refund) then the email is false and should be reported by forwarding it to phishing@hmrc.gsi.gov.uk
This is just the latest of a range of banking disclosures HMRC has received from whistleblowers – some of whom were paid substantial rewards. It seems this is likely to continue and whoever still has offshore money hidden should be afraid.
Adrian Huston, a former tax inspector, is a director of Belfast tax and accountancy firm Huston & Co – www.huston.co.uk or 028 9080 6080.
Belfast Telegraph | 4,107 | 2,012 | 0.000505 |
warc | 201704 | Top 10 Most Energetic Cities
We conducted a recent study in partnership with Tahitian Noni International Hiro
TM, a new healthy beverage line, on "Most Energetic Cities" to measure health, wellness and an overall energetic lifestyle of U.S. cities.
Research has shown that an energetic lifestyle is the key to longevity and overall good health. We discovered the West Coast runs miles around the East Coast. The study found that the most energetic city in America is San Francisco and the corresponding Bay Area, leading other West Coast cities San Diego (2), Sacramento (4), Seattle (7) and Portland (8) in the top 10.
1. San Francisco Bay Area, CA
2. San Diego, CA
3. Boston, MA
4. Sacramento, CA
5. Denver, CO
6. Honolulu, HI
7. Seattle, WA
8. Portland, OR
9. Los Angeles, CA
10. Washington, DC
See Data On All 50 Cities
More About The Top Ten
San Francisco Bay Area, CA (#1)
People in San Francisco are doing it all - they are busy working out, and taking care of themselves. They ranked in the 90th percentiles for both walking and cycling to work, moderate and vigorous exercising, and they were near the top when it came to feeling generally healthy. Not only that, they looked great, with one of our study's lowest BMI scores. The Bay Area ranked as our top spot when it came to recreation opportunities too, having the highest scores in natural resources and fitness facilities. It's surprising then, that they reported feeling down emotionally, in the study's 10th percentile of emotional health. Maybe they're happiest when driving themselves to do more and better.
San Diego, CA (#2)
Residents of San Diego make the most of their near-perfect climate by working out and keeping fit. They recorded the highest level of vigorous exercise, and their moderate exercise was nearly as high. Their BMI was in the 90th percentile, and their commute to work by bicycle and walking was in the 80th percentile. Their reported level of general good health was also in the 80th percentile. The number of fitness facilities was only average for the study, perhaps because they preferred to be outside. Their natural resource score was near the top, as was the number of outdoor stores and bike shops.
Boston, MA (#3)
Bostonians have one of the highest rates of walking to work in our study, as well as one of the largest number of fitness facilities per capita. It must be easier than facing the famous Boston traffic, because bicycling to work is also popular (in the 70th percentile). Their general health and emotional health are both around the 80th percentile, and their low BMI score is top 25% of our study. However, they don't work out as much as some other top-ranking spots, with their moderate exercise score in the 30th percentile, and vigorous exercise in the 60th percentile.
Sacramento, CA (#4)
The third California city in our top-ten study of Most Energetic Cities, Sacramento ranks near the top in the categories of bicycling to work and vigorous exercise. It also showed the highest number of minutes of weekly moderate exercise. Residents of Sacramento reported a high incidence of feeling generally healthy and good physical health, but like San Francisco, their emotional health score was near the bottom. They also scored well in the categories of fitness facilities and outdoor stores. Finally, their BMI score was very good, in the 75th percentile for our study. I guess they won't be hearing too many jokes about living in "Snack-cramento"
Denver-Aurora, CO (#5)
The Denver metro area earned uniformly high scores in the areas of physical and emotional wellness, with a BMI score that was one of the best in our study. They are plenty of activities year-around in the Rocky Mountains, and Denver residents rate in the 70th percentile for both moderate and vigorous exercise. Fitness facilities and natural resources are also about average. The climate and sprawling nature of the city mean that workers are less likely than other spots to commute by walking or cycling. Interestingly, Denver has the highest number of readers of adventure and outdoor-focused magazines of any city in our study.
Honolulu, HI (#6)
Honolulu is a special place. Despite its "hang-loose" lifestyle, people there have plenty of energy for the important things in life. Residents there score in the 90th percentile for working and biking to work, and in the categories for moderate and vigorous exercise. Not only that, they report feeling great both physically and emotionally. All this activity results in Honolulu residents having the best BMI scores for our study. So, why isn't Honolulu ranked #1 in our study of Most Energetic Cities? It turns out that they have some of the lowest scores for fitness facilities and outdoor stores. Maybe everyone would rather be outside having fun than working out in a gym.
Seattle, WA (#7)
The great Northwest has a national reputation as place where people love the outdoors. Seattle scores in the 80th percentile for walking and biking to work, and in the 70th percentile for moderate and vigorous exercise. Residents in Seattle report their general health as good, but below average for physical and emotional health. Also, their BMI scores are only in the 59th percentile (where 100 is the lowest and best BMI score). But Seattle is the home to REI, the iconic outdoor store, and Seattleites also enjoy escaping from the drizzle to work out at numerous fitness facilities. Seattle also has numerous recreational resources such as hiking, sea kayaking, running, cycling, rock climbing, and skiing.
Portland, OR (#8)
Like its Northwest neighbor, Seattle, Portland scores well in the categories of commuting to work by walking or cycling, and the amount of exercise each week. Some experts say that oppressive overcast can affect one's emotions, so this may be the reason that residents are in the 20th percentile for emotional and physical health. Portlanders report an average BMI in the 60th percentile, slightly better than average. Portland also have recreation resources and outdoor stores scoring in the 90th percentile.
Los Angeles, CA (#9)
L.A. residents work hard at working out, scoring in the 90th percentile for both moderate and vigorous exercise. And despite its reliance on the automobile, they still score very well in walking and biking to work when compared to other large cities. With its legendary emphasis on looking great, you might think that folks in L.A. would be the thinnest in the nation, but their BMI score is only good, not great, at the 70th percentile. On a per-capita basis, their number is fitness facilities is very low, in the 10th percentile. Scores for general health, physical health and emotional health are all about average or better. L.A. does have a surprising array of recreational resources, from the ocean to nearby mountains, and the climate is hard to beat.
Washington, DC (#10)
You might not consider Washington, D.C. as a place full of energetic people, but its residents are high-achievers that believe in being active. They report solid scores in walking and biking, and moderate exercise in the 40th percentile, and vigorous exercise in the 60th percentile. Though these respectable numbers aren't the best in our study, the bottom line is that Washingtonians feel great! They reported the study's highest scores for general good health and physical health, and the second-best score for emotional health. Their BMI isn't bad either, in the 80th percentile. They don't have really compelling natural recreation resources, but they do have a large number of fitness facilities and outdoor shops. | 7,637 | 3,062 | 0.000328 |
warc | 201704 | If space restrictions have prevented you from buying a recumbent bike, check out the Exerpeutic 400XL Folding Recumbent Bike. It is manufactured by American company Paradigm Health & Wellness who is known for their high-quality products and competitive pricing. Adjustable resistance makes it suitable for anyone from new to quite advanced exercisers. Being semi-recumbent as opposed to fully recumbent, its […]
Having used the ball from my Gaiam Total Body Balance Ball Kit as a seat for several months, I was well aware of the benefits of a yoga ball chair. I spend many hours a day working on my computer, and I’d gotten into the bad habit of slouching. Not only was my posture suffering, but I’d started experiencing […]
These 10 fitness tips for beginners worked for me and there’s no reason they won’t for you too. For some people, myself included, the hardest part about exercising was starting. I was waiting for the perfect time when I wasn’t busy and I had all of the right workout gear and fitness equipment. It must have taken me […]
The Sunny Health and Fitness Rowing Machine SF-RW1205 is ideal for new to intermediate level exercisers with a small workout space and a very tight budget. My cousin recently bought one and has been raving about it. I finally gave it a test run last weekend and was blown away by how good it is for the money. It would […]
Most fitness myths are harmless, but some can keep you from getting the best out of exercise, or at least slow your progress. I once worked with a girl called Amanda whose well-meaning friend told her she could reduce the size of her thighs by wrapping them in cling wrap. Another friend told her she’d heard that applying rubbing alcohol and […] | 1,776 | 991 | 0.001045 |
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