property rights issues are once again on the minds of many americans as we mark the first anniversary of the supreme court ' s now infamous 5 - 4 kelo v. city of new london eminent domain decision. the decision affirmed the ability of governments to forcibly take private property for " public purposes, " even if those purposes serve fairly narrow private interests. the decision sparked outrage among many americans, who viewed the process of taking land from one private party and giving it to another, even with " just compensation, " to be fundamentally unfair and an abuse of government power. opinion polls have shown opposition to the use of eminent domain for economic development ranging from 70 percent to over 90 percent. this spawned a healthy revolt against abusive land seizures by governments across the nation. over the past year, at least 325 measures in 47 states have been proposed to protect against eminent domain abuses at the state level. in california alone, there have been 87 bills and several ballot initiatives proposed. one of those initiatives, the " protect our homes " initiative, may make the november 2006 ballot, pending signature verification. over one million signatures were submitted in support of the measure last month, far more than the nearly 600, 000 required to qualify for the ballot. but what has been the result of all the fist - waving and teeth - gnashing following the kelo decision? sadly, momentum for the issue seems to have waned in most of the country and the initial indignation over the supreme court ' s decision has been met not with a bang, but a whimper. several states — including alabama, delaware, ohio, and texas — have succeeded in passing eminent domain reforms, but most of these do not have any real teeth. according to timothy sandefur of the pacific legal foundation, laws like those in alabama and texas leave open the door to eminent domain abuse by still allowing governments to take land they deem " blighted. " while " blighted " property traditionally refers to property so dangerous to the public health that it must be removed, the term is so vaguely defined in the new legislation that it could mean anything the government wishes, including a perceived " need " for economic development. thus, the vocabulary may have changed from " economic development " to " blight, " but the recipe for takings abuse remains the same. at the federal level, the house of representatives last november overwhelmingly passed h. r. 4128, the private property rights protection act of 2005, which would deny federal economic development funds to state and local governments that utilize eminent domain for this


the same. at the federal level, the house of representatives last november overwhelmingly passed h. r. 4128, the private property rights protection act of 2005, which would deny federal economic development funds to state and local governments that utilize eminent domain for this purpose. unfortunately, no action has been taken on the bill in the senate, where it has languished in the judiciary committee for over seven months. why property matters the founding fathers knew well the importance of private property in " securing the blessings of liberty. " the declaration of independence asserts our unalienable rights to " life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness, " which was derived from john locke ' s two treatises of government ( 1689 ), in which locke describes our reasons for forming government in the first place : man " is willing to join in society with others... for the mutual preservation of their lives, liberties and estates, which i call by the general name, property. " earlier in the same essay, locke explains the importance of property even more starkly : - man being born... with a title to perfect freedom, and an uncontrouled enjoyment of all the rights and privileges of the law of nature, equally with any other man... hath by nature a power, not only to preserve his property, that is, his life, liberty and estate, against the injuries and attempts of other men ; but to judge of, and punish the breaches of that law in others. james madison, the fourth president of the united states and " father of the constitution, " similarly maintained in 1792 : - a man has a property in his opinions and the free communication of them. he has a property of peculiar value in his religious opinions, and in the profession and practice dictated by them. he has a property very dear to him in the safety and liberty of his person. he has an equal property in the free use of his faculties and free choice of the objects on which to employ them. in a word, as a man is said to have right to his property, he may be equally said to have a property in his rights. where an excess of power prevails, property of no sort is duly respected. no man is safe in his opinions, his person, his faculties, or his possessions. notice that locke and madison include among " property " people ' s very lives, their property in their own existence and the right to preserve that existence. other forms of property are no less important, for they are necessary to sustain our


or his possessions. notice that locke and madison include among " property " people ' s very lives, their property in their own existence and the right to preserve that existence. other forms of property are no less important, for they are necessary to sustain our lives. if we are to live, we must also provide for food, clothing, shelter, and other needs and luxuries. we can obtain these things only through the fruits of our labor or through charity ( leaving aside the possibility of violating others ' rights through theft, either directly or by using the government as our agent to take from another and give to us ). in other words, you can talk all you want about the freedom of speech, but what good is it if you are unable to own a printing press or the paper ( or computer ) on which to write your ideas? you can pay lip service to the freedom of association, the freedom to peaceably assemble, and the freedom to practice any religion you want ( or none at all ), but what good is it if you are not permitted the opportunity to own the land on which to exercise these rights? you can have the right to keep and bear arms, but what good is it if you are not allowed to own any place to keep them? property rights are not just an academic concept or an economic expediency, they are inexorably intertwined with the human rights and freedoms we hold so dear. this is why the power of eminent domain is one of government ' s most evil, insidious powers. but, you may argue, when government invokes eminent domain to take someone ' s property, the " takings clause " of the fifth amendment says it must pay " just compensation " so that the property owner is no worse off than before the taking. the key question that must be asked is : who determines whether the compensation is " just "? it certainly isn ' t just to the property owners who simply desire to be left alone and remain in their homes ; otherwise, they would have simply accepted a buyout offer. so, the government has an appraisal done, oftentimes producing a lowball figure, and demands that the property owner take the offer and leave. never mind that the government - acquired appraisal may be only a fraction of what the owner could get for the property from another private party ( the government ' s claims of its offer ' s " fair market value " notwithstanding ). the government can offer below market value ( or reduce the value of the property


only a fraction of what the owner could get for the property from another private party ( the government ' s claims of its offer ' s " fair market value " notwithstanding ). the government can offer below market value ( or reduce the value of the property unilaterally by limiting its use through wetlands regulations or other tactics, but that must be a subject for another piece ) because it knows the property owner will probably be forced to take it. sure, he could try to fight a lengthy and costly court battle, but the government has access to skilled lawyers and unlimited funds ; the property owner ' s funds are quite limited, and, thus, so may be his ability to obtain capable legal talent. so, he is typically stuck with insufficient compensation for his property, and must additionally bear the time, energy, stress, and other costs associated with picking up his roots and relocating. the takings clause revisited perhaps the founding fathers erred in allowing government the power to take someone ' s property for any reason, regardless of " just compensation. " if someone has obtained his property legally and poses no threat to others through his use of the property, why should government be able to forcibly evict him at all? in fact, there were some among the american revolutionaries that did feel government should be prohibited from taking private property for any reason. the declaration of rights of the pennsylvania constitution of 1776 affirms : " no part of a man ' s property can be justly taken from him or applied to public uses without his own consent or that of his legal representatives. " this language is repeated in the delaware declaration of rights ( 1776 ) and the vermont constitution of 1777. put another way, what difference does it make if the government takes one ' s property for " public use " or " private use "? after all, the public might get more " use " out of a new wal - mart than a fancy new government building, and the jobs and low - priced goods wal - mart offers would be available to anyone, as opposed to, say, a school, which serves only a certain segment of the population ( those with school - aged children ). moreover, governments routinely take property in the form of taxes and redistribute it to other private parties. even in cases where money is purportedly spent in the interest of the taxpayer, many would question whether such acts constitute " just compensation. " why should one ' s " money property " not enjoy the same protection as his " land property " against government takings and redistribution to private


purportedly spent in the interest of the taxpayer, many would question whether such acts constitute " just compensation. " why should one ' s " money property " not enjoy the same protection as his " land property " against government takings and redistribution to private parties? the kelo decision was not earth - shattering in that it merely confirmed what has been going on across the country for years and years. the supreme court ' s faith in the " public purpose " doctrine of eminent domain was nonetheless incredibly disappointing to those who recognize the importance of property rights in a free society. the silver lining to the decision is that it made the plight of innocent homeowners abused by the government real to many who have thus far ignored such government transgressions because they did not affect them directly. the firestorm of support for eminent domain reform seems to have diminished somewhat over the past year, however. we must be ever vigilant and wary of watered - down " reform " measures if we are to regain the protections our private property so richly deserves. private property is not merely the things we purchase with our money. it is the things that sustain and enrich our lives, the places and things that allow us to express our other rights and enjoy our other freedoms. property rights are human rights. the founding fathers understood this well. this is why they spoke of property in the same vein as life and liberty. if we are unwilling to demand that our property be protected, rather than seized by a capricious and avaricious government, we will find, only when it is too late, that we have sacrificed our lives and our liberties as well. during the course of researching this article, i came across a number of great quotes on property rights from several of the founding fathers and some of the great thinkers and adherents to the philosophy of freedom. there were far too many to include in this piece, but i thought readers of this article might enjoy them as much as i did, so i am including them here : all men have equal rights to liberty, to their property, and to the protection of the laws. — voltaire, essay on manners, 1756 the system of private property is the most important guaranty of freedom, not only for those who own property, but scarcely less for those who do not. — friedrich august von hayek, the road to serfdom, 1944 if we wish to preserve a free society, it is essential that we recognize that the desirability of a particular object is not sufficient justification for the use of coerc


. — friedrich august von hayek, the road to serfdom, 1944 if we wish to preserve a free society, it is essential that we recognize that the desirability of a particular object is not sufficient justification for the use of coercion. — friedrich august von hayek, the constitution of liberty, 1960 property is surely a right of mankind as real as liberty. — john adams, dissertation on the canon and the feudal law, 1765 property must be secured, or liberty cannot exist. — john adams, a balanced government ( 1790 ) in discourses on davila ( 1805 ), reprinted in 6 works of john adams ( 1851 ed. ) now what liberty can there be where property is taken away without consent? — samuel adams, the rights of the colonists, the report of the committee of correspondence to the boston town meeting, november 20, 1772 private property and freedom are inseparable. — george washington you cannot have a free society without private property. — milton friedman man is born into the universe with a personality that is his own. he has a right that is founded upon the constitution of the universe to have property that is his own. ultimately, property rights and personal rights are the same thing. the one cannot be preserved if the other be violated. — calvin coolidge, " have faith in massachusetts, " massachusetts senate president acceptance speech, january 7, 1914 the right of liberty means man ' s right to individual action, individual initiative and individual property. without the right to private property no independent action is possible. — ayn rand, " the only path to tomorrow, " 1944 the right to life is the source of all rights — and the right to property is their only implementation. without property rights, no other rights are possible. since man has to sustain his life by his own effort, the man who has no right to the product of his effort has no means to sustain his life. the man who produces while others dispose of his product, is a slave. — ayn rand, " man ' s rights " in the virtue of selfishness, 1964 the sacred rights of property are to be guarded at every point. i call them sacred, because, if they are unprotected, all other rights become worthless or visionary. what is personal liberty, if it does not draw after it the right to enjoy the fruits of our own industry? what is political liberty, if it imparts only perpetual poverty to us and all our posterity? what is the privilege of a vote, if the majority


, if it does not draw after it the right to enjoy the fruits of our own industry? what is political liberty, if it imparts only perpetual poverty to us and all our posterity? what is the privilege of a vote, if the majority of the hour may sweep away the earnings of our whole lives, to gratify the rapacity of the indolent, the cunning, or the profligate, who are borne into power upon the tide of a temporary popularity? — joseph story, associate justice of the united states supreme court, william w. story, ed., " the value and importance of legal studies " in miscellaneous writings of joseph story ( boston : c. c. little and j. brown, 1852 ), 503, 519 the dichotomy between personal liberties and property rights is a false one. property does not have rights. people have rights. the right to enjoy property without unlawful deprivation, no less than the right to speak or the right to travel, is in truth, a " personal " right, whether the " property " in question be a welfare check, a home, or a savings account. in fact, a fundamental interdependence exists between the personal right to liberty and the personal right in property. — potter stewart, associate justice of the united states supreme court, lynch v. household finance corp., 405 u. s. 538, 552 ( 1972 ) each of us has a natural right — from god — to defend his person, his liberty, and his property. these are the three basic requirements of life, and the preservation of any one of them is completely dependent upon the preservation of the other two. for what are our faculties but the extension of our individuality? and what is property but an extension of our faculties? — frederic bastiat, the law, 1850 the three great rights are so bound together as to be essentially one right. to give a man his life but deny him his liberty, is to take from him all that makes his life worth living. to give him his liberty but take from him the property which is the fruit and badge of his liberty, is to still leave him a slave. — george sutherland, associate justice of the united states supreme court, 1921, quoted in cleon skousen, the five thousand year leap ( washington, dc : national center for constitutional. studies, 1981 ), p. 173. the great and chief end, therefore, of men uniting into commonwealths, and putting themselves under government


cleon skousen, the five thousand year leap ( washington, dc : national center for constitutional. studies, 1981 ), p. 173. the great and chief end, therefore, of men uniting into commonwealths, and putting themselves under government, is the preservation of their property. — john locke, two treatises of government, 1690, book ii, chapter ix, sec. 124 the supreme power cannot take from any man any part of his property without his own consent.... men therefore in society having property, they have such a right to the goods, which by the law of the community are theirs, that no body hath a right to take their substance or any part of it from them, without their own consent : without this they have no property at all ; for i have truly no property in that, which another can by right take from me, when he pleases, against my consent. hence it is a mistake to think, that the supreme or legislative power of any commonwealth, can do what it will, and dispose of the estates of the subject arbitrarily, or take any part of them at pleasure. — john locke, two treatises of government, book ii, chapter xi, sec. 138 there is, therefore, secondly, another way whereby governments are dissolved, and that is, when the legislative, or the prince, either of them, act contrary to their trust. first, the legislative acts against the trust reposed in them, when they endeavor to invade the property of the subject, and to make themselves, or any part of the community, masters, or arbitrary disposers of the lives, liberties, or fortunes of the people. — john locke, two treatises of government, 1690, book ii, chapter xix, sec. 221 whenever the legislators endeavor to take away and destroy the property of the people, or to reduce them to slavery under arbitrary power, they put themselves into a state of war with the people, who are thereupon absolved from any further obedience. — john locke, two treatises of government, 1690, book ii, chapter xix, sec. 222 all men are created equally free and independent, and have certain inherent rights, of which they cannot, by any compact, deprive or divest their posterity ; among which are the enjoyment of life and liberty, with the means of acquiring and possessing property, and pursuing the obtaining of happiness and safety. — george mason, first draft, virginia declaration of rights, may 1776 that all


divest their posterity ; among which are the enjoyment of life and liberty, with the means of acquiring and possessing property, and pursuing the obtaining of happiness and safety. — george mason, first draft, virginia declaration of rights, may 1776 that all men are by nature equally free and independent, and have certain inherent rights, of which, when they enter into a state of society, they cannot, by any compact, deprive or divest their posterity ; namely, the enjoyment of life and liberty, with the means of acquiring and possessing property, and pursuing and obtaining happiness and safety. — george mason, virginia declaration of rights, article 1, 1776 all men, having sufficient evidence of permanent common interest with, and attachment to, the community have the right of suffrage and cannot be taxed or deprived of their property for public uses without their own consent or that of their representatives so elected. — george mason, virginia declaration of rights, article 6, 1776 no part of a man ' s property can be justly taken from him or applied to public uses without his own consent or that of his legal representatives. — this language is included in several early state constitutions, including the pennsylvania constitution of 1776, declaration of rights, article xiii ; delaware declaration of rights, section 10, 1776 ; and vermont constitution of 1777, chapter 1, article ix. no power on earth has a right to take our property from us without our consent. — john jay, first chief justice of the united states supreme court and co - author of the federalist papers, " address to the people of great britain, " october 1774 so great, moreover, is the regard of the law for private property, that it will not authorize the least violation of it ; no, not even for the general good of the whole community. if a new road, for instance, were to be made through the grounds of a private person, it might perhaps be extensively beneficial to the public ; but the law permits no man, or set of men, to do this without consent of the owner of the land. in vain may it be urged, that the good of the individual ought to yield to that of the community ; for it would be dangerous to allow any private man, or even any public tribunal, to be the judge of this common good, and to decide whether it be expedient or no. besides, the public good is in nothing more essentially interested, than in the protection of every individuals private rights, as modeled by the municipal law. — sir william blacks


of this common good, and to decide whether it be expedient or no. besides, the public good is in nothing more essentially interested, than in the protection of every individuals private rights, as modeled by the municipal law. — sir william blackstone, commentaries on the laws of england, 1765 it is evident that the right of acquiring and possessing property, and having it protected, is one of the natural, inherent, and inalienable rights of man. men have a sense of property : property is necessary to their subsistence, and correspondent to their natural wants and desires ; its security was one of the objects that induced them to unite in society. no man would become a member of a community, in which he could not enjoy the fruits of his honest labor and industry. the preservation of property then is a primary object of the social compact.... where is the security, where is the inviolability of property, if the legislature, by a private act, affecting particular persons only, can take land from one citizen, who acquired it legally, and vest it in another? — william paterson, associate justice of the united states supreme court and signer of the constitution, van horne ' s lessee v. dorrance, 2 u. s. ( 2 dall. ) 304, 309, 311 - 12 ( 1795 ) government is instituted to protect property of every sort ; as well that which lies in the various rights of individuals, as that which the term particularly expresses. this being the end of government, that alone is a just government which impartially secures to every man whatever is his own. — james madison, " property, " national gazette, march 27, 1792 government is instituted no less for protection of the property, than of the persons, of individuals. — james madison, federalist no. 54 it is sufficiently obvious, that persons and property are the two great subjects on which governments are to act ; and that the rights of persons, and the rights of property, are the objects, for the protection of which government was instituted. these rights cannot well be separated. — james madison, speech at the virginia constitutional convention, december 2, 1829 by liberty i understand the power which every man has over his own actions, and his right to enjoy the fruits of his labour, art, and industry, as far as by it he hurts not the society, or any members of it, by taking from any member, or by hindering him from enjoying what he himself enjoys. the fruits of a


the fruits of his labour, art, and industry, as far as by it he hurts not the society, or any members of it, by taking from any member, or by hindering him from enjoying what he himself enjoys. the fruits of a mans honest industry are the just rewards of it, ascertained to him by natural and eternal equity, as is his title to use them in the manner which he thinks fit : and thus, with the above limitations, every man is sole lord and arbitrer of his own private actions and property. — thomas gordon, cato ' s letters, no. 62, january 20, 1721 as property, honestly obtained, is best secured by an equality of rights, so ill - gotten property depends for protection on a monopoly of rights. he who has robbed another of his property, will next endeavor to disarm him of his rights, to secure that property ; for when the robber becomes the legislator he believes himself secure. — thomas paine, dissertations on first principles of government, 1795 i consider the war of america against britain as the country ' s war, the public ' s war, or the war of the people in their own behalf, for the security of their natural rights, and the protection of their own property. — thomas paine, on financing the war, 1782 the true foundation of republican government is the equal right of every citizen in his person and property, and in their management. try by this, as a tally, every provision of our constitution, and see if it hangs directly on the will of the people. — thomas jefferson, letter to samuel kercheval, july 12, 1816, in albert ellery bergh, ed., " the writings of thomas jefferson, " ( washington, d. c. : thomas jefferson memorial association, 1907 ), vol. 15, p. 36. next to the right of liberty, the right of property is the most important individual right guaranteed by the constitution and the one which, united with that of personal liberty, has contributed more to the growth of civilization than any other institution established by the human race. — william howard taft, popular government, 1913


- geneva - u. s. and european intelligence agencies are reporting mounting evidence that russia and china have massively violated the 1972 biological and toxic weapons convention and subsequent international and bilateral agreements to control biowarfare weapons. - the convention, signed by 169 nations, prohibits the development, production, acquisition, stockpiling, transfer or use of chemical and biological weapons. - all signatories with biowarfare arsenals are pledged to eliminate such weapons over 10 years. while russia and china appear to have ceased adding to their huge stockpiles of chemical weapons, both are developing new strains of highly lethal biological toxins. - according to ken alibek, a former deputy director of the top secret soviet - era biowarfare program, who defected to the west, moscow never ended its offensive biological warfare research. alibek claims russia has stockpiled many hundreds of tonnes of anthrax and plague, as well as smaller quantities of smallpox, ebola and marburg viruses, and toxins designed to attack plants and animals. russia is also developing a new strain of " invisible " biowarfare agents, known as bioregulators, that destroy the body ' s immune or neurological systems. - the highest - ranking defector from russia ' s biowarfare program ever to come west also claims that in 1985 former soviet leader mikhail gorbachev secretly authorized a five - year program to develop weaponized germs and viruses, some of which were mounted on multiple warheads of the large ss - 18 icbms targeted at north america. alibek also says china, which claims to have abandoned biowarfare production and eliminated stockpiles, is producing hemorrhagic viruses at lop nor in central asia and suffered two major accidents in the late 1980s that killed hundreds of people. - many toxins being developed in russia have been biologically engineered to resist antibiotics, notably a super - strain of anthrax that is apparently impervious to the anti - anthrax inoculations now being given to nato troops. - alibek and other russian defectors also confirmed the soviet union used chemical and biological weapons in afghanistan from 1980 - 89. while covering the war there, i saw numerous cases of grave injuries or death inflicted on the afghan mujahedeen by mysterious soviet weapons. after being sprayed by a fine chemical mist, or exposed to gas, people would turn black and die, bleed profusely from all body orifices, choke and vomit or become disoriented and dazed. bodies of


mysterious soviet weapons. after being sprayed by a fine chemical mist, or exposed to gas, people would turn black and die, bleed profusely from all body orifices, choke and vomit or become disoriented and dazed. bodies of some victims would putrefy almost immediately. - the soviets also employed glanders, a highly contagious horse disease, to kill the animal transport used by the afghan resistance and ergot fungus to destroy wheat. none of the biowarfare agents used by the u. s. s. r. in afghanistan, save glanders, have ever been identified by western scientists. the west, while scourging iraq for using chemical weapons against iran and its rebellious kurds, chose to ignore employment by the u. s. s. r. of more sophisticated toxic agents in afghanistan. - western protests over russia ' s latest germ warfare projects and demands for inspection of its four major biowarfare labs have been rebuffed by russia. the bill clinton administration, influenced by the strongly pro - russian strobe talbot, has repeatedly rejected demands by congress to cut off billions in u. s. aid in order to pressure moscow into ceasing its illegal biowarfare programs. europe, which also bankrolls boris yeltsin ' s regime, has been similarly negligent in pressing moscow on this vital issue. - some of the 60, 000 scientists and technicians formerly employed in the soviet biological warfare establishment have reportedly been employed by iraq, israel, iran, syria and serbia - all of which have extensive biowarfare arsenals. india may also have received substantial russian aid to develop its growing biowarfare capabilities. - alibek testified before the u. s. congress that he defected after learning that while the west had virtually eliminated its toxic arsenals, russia was not only continuing soviet biowarfare programs but accelerating them, with 2, 000 scientists alone working on new, genetically engineered strains of anthrax at a top secret island base in the aral sea. he claims such toxic agents have little tactical military value and are of use only as mass terror weapons designed to compensate for russia ' s and china ' s relative backwardness in conventional military systems. - these terror agents are being produced in a large complex at kirov, east of moscow, compound 19 at ekaterinburg in the urals, sergeiv possad outside moscow and at a new complex at strizhy, close to kirov. the laboratory at ekaterinburg ( formerly sv


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gay - rights activists are celebrating in puerto rico after the senate passed a sweeping bill that bans discrimination on sexual orientation and gender identity. the puerto rico senate voted on may 16, 15 - 11, to pass bill 238 just days after san juan mayor carmen yulin cruz issued two executive orders banning discrimination against the city ’ s lgbt municipal employees. now, the bill moves on to the house and faces hurdles from a group of lawmakers in the lower chamber who have come out against it. the bill, though, has one famous supporter. puerto rican ricky martin released a statement in support of the law. “ the rights of homosexual people are human rights and human rights are for everyone, ” martin said in the letter released by his representative in san juan. for the original report go to http : / / www. passportmagazine. com / blog / archives / 28490 - puerto - rico - senate - approves - anti - discrimination - bill - moves - on - to - house. html the indian caribbean museum, described as “ a national treasure, a window to the past, and an opportunity to see history come alive ”, has been cited by a national geographic publication that showcases 500 of the world ’ s most powerful and spiritual places and guides travellers who wish to visit them, as paras ramoutar reports in this article for twocircles. com. “ this is a fitting recognition in just seven years of our existence, especially as we celebrate the 168th indian arrival day may 30, ” sansbhan jokhoo, the curator of the museum that serves as a link between indentured indian labourers and the present, told ians. “ the indian caribbean museum has international prominence and recognition as the only one of its kind in the world. not even india has one. and before the inauguration of the kolkata memorial last year planners from india came to visit our facility, ” jokhoo said. the kolkata memorial, in the city ’ s garden reach area, remembers the indentured indian labourers who left india during the 19th & early 20th centuries to work on plantations in the west indies. between 1845 and 1917, approximately 148, 000 indians were brought to this country, principally from bihar and uttar pradesh, and worked to rescue the decaying plantations following the abolition of slavery by the british government. it is to keep alive their memory that satnarayan maharaj, secretary general of the sanatan dharma maha sabha ( sdms ) launched the museum, which features in “ sacred places of a lifetime – 500 of


slavery by the british government. it is to keep alive their memory that satnarayan maharaj, secretary general of the sanatan dharma maha sabha ( sdms ) launched the museum, which features in “ sacred places of a lifetime – 500 of the world ’ s most peaceful and powerful destinations ”. the collection includes items such as rare musical instruments, agricultural objects, cooking utensils, pieces of clothing, ancient photographs and historical books. objects of historical and aesthetic value include a sapat ( wooden slipper ) jata ( grinding stone ) boli ( gourd bowl ) and hassawa ( grass knife ). there is also a huge copper basin that was used for boiling cane syrup in the sugar factories up to the 1930s, and a dekha ( a wooden contraption used for grinding cocoa, coffee beans, corn and rice ). the museum, which has become a research centre with the country ’ s national archives, also houses an art gallery, a reference library and a computerised genealogical database. a botanical garden is also in the making. the institution is a member of the caribbean museum association, which comprises 20 institutions spread across the region. “ the indian caribbean museum is a national treasure, a window to the past, and an opportunity to see history come alive. to many visitors, it evokes memories of the past, a link to the present, and a vision for the future. the museum serves as a foundation for collective memory, cultural continuity and national development, ” jokhoo said. “ it provides a common experience that families can share across generations and serve as a link between revered ancestors and living people. the museum provides information on the cultural heritage of indians in the caribbean to themselves and to people of all ethnic backgrounds, ” he added. “ the caribbean indian museum holds fundamental importance and relevance to the continued kinship and affinity with india, and within the entire indian diaspora, as it has myriad symbolic, cultural, religious and transcendental interpretations and meanings for all. it remains a monument for posterity. it will remain ageless, ” jokhoo said. since its inception, in excess of 45, 000 persons from all walks of life from the four corners of the globe have visited the museum, according to ann marie ramhit, an assistant. she said that dennison moore, who wrote the canadian government ’ s policy on multiculturalism, recently donated 107 books reflecting different aspects of india and the diaspora to the library. “ this donation has augmented our educational stock for research, as well as for leisure


said that dennison moore, who wrote the canadian government ’ s policy on multiculturalism, recently donated 107 books reflecting different aspects of india and the diaspora to the library. “ this donation has augmented our educational stock for research, as well as for leisure reading, ” ramhit added. winston dookeran, now the trinidad and tobago foreign minister, had in 2006 opened the museum, located in the west - central part of trinidad. for the original report go to http : / / twocircles. net / 2013may23 / indian _ caribbean _ museum _ nat _ geo _ list _ 500 _ sacred _ places. html scientists say three to six major hurricanes will hit us, some in areas far beyond those typically associated with extreme storms, as suzanne goldenberg reports in this article for london ’ s guardian. americans were warned on thursday to brace for an extremely active hurricane season – less than a year after the devastation of sandy, which hit the east coast in october 2012 – with 13 to 20 named storms, including seven to 11 hurricanes. the national oceanic and atmospheric administration, releasing its annual forecast, said 2013 would be prolific in raising storms out of the atlantic and caribbean. of the predicted hurricanes, noaa predicted that three to six could be major hurricanes, rated category three and packing winds of 111mph or higher. thursday ’ s forecast was well above the average of 12 named storms, eight hurricanes and three major hurricanes. administration officials also warned that the impacts of those storms – as with sandy and irene in 2011 – could be felt in areas far beyond those typically associated with hurricanes and tropical storms. sandy killed scores as it made its way across the caribbean to the north - east us. while it was only a category two storm when it made landfall near atlantic city in new jersey, sandy caused more than $ 75bn in damage. lower manhattan was knocked off the electrical grid for days because of storm surges and coastal communities have yet to recover. “ as we saw first - hand with sandy, it ’ s important to remember that tropical storm and hurricane impacts are not limited to the coastline. strong winds, torrential rain, flooding, and tornadoes often threaten inland areas far from where the storm first makes landfall, ” said kathryn sullivan, the acting noaa administrator. noaa scientists said there were three main causes behind the forecast of an extremely active season. they included a continuation of an atmospheric climate pattern, which includes a strong west african monsoon, that has been contributing to high activity during atlantic hurricane season since the 1990s. warmer ocean temperatures in


were three main causes behind the forecast of an extremely active season. they included a continuation of an atmospheric climate pattern, which includes a strong west african monsoon, that has been contributing to high activity during atlantic hurricane season since the 1990s. warmer ocean temperatures in the atlantic and caribbean oceans, where many storms originate, are also making for stronger storms. officials said temperatures were on average about 0. 8 of one degree fahrenheit above average. el nino, which can inhibit storm systems, was not expected to develop during this year ’ s hurricane season. the season runs from 1 june to 1 november. “ there are no mitigating factors that we can see that will suppress the activity, ” said gerry bell, noaa ’ s lead atlantic hurricane forecaster. “ the computer models all point to an active, or very active, hurricane season. ” thursday ’ s forecast was released at a time when republicans in congress are sharply scrutinising noaa ’ s role in forecasting. earlier in the day, a house committee held a hearing to discuss privatising some of the forecasting functions that are overseen by the premier scientific agency. there has also been criticism of noaa ’ s messaging in advance of hurricane sandy, and whether its decision to officially downgrade the storm when it made landfall in new jersey induced a false sense of security among some coastal communities. noaa officials, in unveiling their 2013 forecast, noted improvements to computer models that would allow better far - range prediction of storms. new doppler radar data, to be introduced in july, will allow forecasters to better analyse rapidly changing storm conditions, officials said. however, the officials said it was impossible at this juncture to predict which coastal communities along the atlantic coast are most likely to be hit this year. it is also not yet clear when the storms will hit. as sullivan noted, sandy struck in the waning days of the hurricane season. “ hurricane sandy was at the very end of the hurricane season and yet was one of the most devastating storms that we have ever seen, ” she said. but officials said repeatedly that residents the length of the coast – and beyond – needed to prepare in advance, in order to be able to ride out storms in their homes or, if needed, have an exit plan in place. such preparations should include putting aside a 72 - hour supply of food and water at home, or having an evacuation plan in case of storm damage or flooding. “ this is a very dangerous hurricane season, ” said joe nimmich


plan in place. such preparations should include putting aside a 72 - hour supply of food and water at home, or having an evacuation plan in case of storm damage or flooding. “ this is a very dangerous hurricane season, ” said joe nimmich, who directs disaster response and recovery for the federal emergency management agency. “ if you are not prepared you may become one of the statistics we don ’ t care to have. ” for the original report go to http : / / www. guardian. co. uk / world / 2013 / may / 23 / noaa - forecast - active - hurricane - season the special issue, edited by lorna burns and wendy knepper, seeks to “ sound new directions in harris studies and attempt both to reinvigorate the current file and establish a new agenda for future scholarship. ” journal of postcolonial writing, vol. 49, no. 2, 01 may 2013 is now available on taylor & francis online. special issue : “ - scapes ” of globality in the work of wilson harris this new issue contains the following articles : articles revisionary “ - scapes ” of globality in the work of wilson harris : introduction lorna burns & wendy knepper pages : 127 - 132 doi : 10. 1080 / 17449855. 2013. 776361 the reality of trespass : wilson harris and an impossible poetics of the americas gemma robinson pages : 133 - 147 doi : 10. 1080 / 17449855. 2013. 776372 the “ impossible quest for wholeness ” : sugar, cassava, and the ecological aesthetic in the guyana quartet michael niblett pages : 148 - 160 doi : 10. 1080 / 17449855. 2013. 776374 cataclysmic life in wilson harris ’ s jonestown wendy knepper pages : 161 - 173 doi : 10. 1080 / 17449855. 2013. 776376 philosophy of the imagination : time, immanence and the events that wound us in wilson harris ’ s jonestown lorna burns pages : 174 - 186 doi : 10. 1080 / 17449855. 2013. 776378 legends of the fall : on rereading companions of the day and night michael mitchell pages : 187 - 197 doi : 10. 1080 / 17449855. 2013. 776383 kaieteur : place of the pharmakos and deconstruction tim cribb pages : 198


and night michael mitchell pages : 187 - 197 doi : 10. 1080 / 17449855. 2013. 776383 kaieteur : place of the pharmakos and deconstruction tim cribb pages : 198 - 208 doi : 10. 1080 / 17449855. 2013. 776386 intrasubjectivity in the philosophy of wilson harris paget henry pages : 209 - 221. doi : 10. 1080 / 17449855. 2013. 779093 as part of the international colloquium “ la diversidad cultural en el caribe ” [ cultural diversity in the caribbean ] being held from may 20 to may 24, 2013, casa de las americas presents “ rostros del carnaval ” [ faces of the carnival ] a photographic exhibition by mario picayo and mariano hernandez. the exhibition opens tonight, thursday, may 23, at 7 : 00pm, at galeria mariano. the gallery is located at # 607 15th street, between avenues b and c in vedado ( havana, cuba ). for more information, see http : / / www. lapapeleta. cult. cu / actividad / detalles / 1429 - rostros - del - carnaval / the 13th international conference on caribbean literature ( iccl ) — panama in the caribbean : the caribbean in panama — will be hosted by the university of panama, the country ’ s largest and most renowned institution of higher learning, on november 13 - 16, 2013. the deadline for submissions is july 15, 2013. description : for this historic event, iccl will assemble 150 - 200 scholars from a host of colleges and universities in central america, south america, the caribbean, north america, europe, asia and africa. the hosts have arranged a unique program to interact with the panamanian people as you explore important historical and cultural sites in panama city, while you engage in lectures, discussions, readings, and performances by prominent panamanian scholars, writers, and artists. of course, you will be afforded the unforgettable experience of touring one of the world ’ s technological, commercial, and geographical wonders : the panama canal. although the organizers are particularly interested in caribbean literature, presentatios may focus on any aspect of caribbean culture. papers and panels may be presented in spanish, french, and english. please send one - page abstracts as indicated below : ( french or spanish presentations ) dr. jorge roman - lagunas department of modern languages purdue


focus on any aspect of caribbean culture. papers and panels may be presented in spanish, french, and english. please send one - page abstracts as indicated below : ( french or spanish presentations ) dr. jorge roman - lagunas department of modern languages purdue university calumet 2200 169th street hammond, in 46323 - 2094 phone : 219 - 989 - 2379 fax : 219 - 746 - 9372 email : email @ example. com ( english presentations ) dr. melvin b. rahming department of english morehouse college 830 westview dr., s. w. atlanta, ga 30314phone : 404 - 572 - 3607 fax : 404 - 614 - 8545 email : firstname. lastname @ example. org for further conference details, visitwww. icclconference. org today ( may 23, 2013 ), campus principal and pro vice chancellor, professor clement sankat, will host a public lecture and launch of britain ’ s black debt : reparation for caribbean slavery & native genocide, a book by professor sir hilary beckles, at the daaga auditorium, university of the west indies - st. augustine at 5 : 30pm. description : since the mid - nineteenth - century abolition of slavery, the call for reparations for the crime of african enslavement and native genocide has been growing. in the caribbean, grassroots and official voices now constitute a regional reparations movement. it is a fractured, contentious and divisive call, but it generates considerable public interest. britain ’ s black debt is the first scholarly work that looks comprehensively at the reparations discussion in the caribbean. author hilary mcd. beckles is a leading economic historian of the region and a seasoned activist in the wider movement for social justice and advocacy of historical truth, and as such, he is uniquely positioned to explore the origins and development of reparations as a regional and international process. beckles weaves detailed historical data on caribbean slavery and the transatlantic slave trade together with legal principles and the politics of postcolonialism, and sets out a solid academic analysis of the evidence. he concludes that britain has a case of reparations to answer, which the caribbean should litigate. international law provides that chattel slavery as practised by britain was a crime against humanity. slavery was invested in by the royal family, the government, the established church, most elite families, and large public institutions in the private and public sector. citing the legal


law provides that chattel slavery as practised by britain was a crime against humanity. slavery was invested in by the royal family, the government, the established church, most elite families, and large public institutions in the private and public sector. citing the legal principles of unjust and criminal enrichment, beckles presents a compelling argument for britain ’ s payment of its black debt, a debt that it continues to deny in the face of overwhelming evidence to the contrary. britain ’ s black debt is at once an exciting narration of britain ’ s dominance of the slave markets that enriched the economy and a seminal conceptual journey into the hidden politics and public posturing of leaders on both sides of the atlantic. no work of this kind has ever been attempted. no author has had the diversity of historical research skills, national and international political involvement, and personal engagement as an activist to present such a complex yet accessible work of scholarship. professor sir hilary mcd. beckles holds a chair in social and economic history, university of the west indies - cave hill, barbados, where he is also principal and pro - vice chancellor. he is vice - president of the international scientific committee for the unesco slave route project, and member of the international advisory board of the cultures and globalization series. a leading voice on reparations issues, he led the barbados national delegation and coordinated caribbean actions at the un conference on race in durban, 2001. his many publications including natural rebels : a social history of enslaved black women in barbados ; centering woman : gender discourses in caribbean slave society ; and a history of barbados : from amerindian settlement to nation - state. for more information, see http : / / sta. uwi. edu / news / ecalendar / event. asp? id = 1925 for purchasing information, see http : / / www. amazon. com / britains - black - debt - reparations - caribbean / dp / 976640349x in his column “ dowd on drinks, ” bill dowd ( times union ) writes about how the bacardi company is releasing a television commercial that capitalizes on the supposed historical origins of the “ cuba libre ” cocktail — rum and coke. [ remember to watch the video of the ad in the link below! ] through all sorts of societal changes and over several generations, the cuba libre has endured as a very popular cocktail. the recipe is a simple one : light rum, coca - cola and a squeeze of lime. where it came from is, as is the case


all sorts of societal changes and over several generations, the cuba libre has endured as a very popular cocktail. the recipe is a simple one : light rum, coca - cola and a squeeze of lime. where it came from is, as is the case with so many cocktail origins, a matter of opinion. the most popular version matches that told in a soon - to - be - released bacardi usa tv commercial — that it was created in cuba in 1900 as colonel teddy roosevelt and his rough riders helped fight for the island ’ s independence from spain — and takeover by the u. s. they toasted the victory with the cheer “ free cuba! ” or “ cuba libre! ” in spanish. the spot, reports advertising age, is the first in a series of ads showing historical events that shaped the 151 year - old brand, which has links to the creation of other rum cocktails such as the daiquiri and mojito. however, coca - cola won ’ t be getting a free ride on the bacardi advertising dollar. the ad will refer to the drink as “ run [ sic ] and cola. ” the historic theme may well be in response to competitors ’ rum ads featuring historic personalities. diageo has recast its once silly captain morgan as real - life privateer captain henry morgan of the 1600s. william grant & sons is pushing its sailor jerry rum by using norman “ sailor jerry ” collins, a renowned american tattoo artist and navy man of the mid - 1900s. last year, both brands gained market share on bacardi, although it remains the top - selling u. s. rum with 35. 4 % share in 2012, according to euromonitor international which measures volume of liters sold. captain morgan is no. 2 with 23. 2 %, and sailor jerry no. 7 at 2. 6 %. bacardi ’ s campaign is timed to coincide with cuban independence day on monday. interesting, considering both bacardi and coca - cola left the island nation after fidel castro came to power. bacardi now is made in puerto rico ; coca - cola in plants all over the world — except cuba and north korea where the product is not sold. for original post, see http : / / blog. timesunion. com / dowdondrinks / new - ad - revives - the - history - of - the - cuba - libre / 14685 / xylem ’ s ysi integrated systems and services ( iss ) has been awarded a contract for five


/ dowdondrinks / new - ad - revives - the - history - of - the - cuba - libre / 14685 / xylem ’ s ysi integrated systems and services ( iss ) has been awarded a contract for five marine monitoring buoys by the caribbean community climate change centre ( ccccc ). the buoys will collect high - quality data for researchers studying climate change in the caribbean sea, including the waters of barbados, belize, dominican republic, st. lucia, and trinidad and tobago. the customized ysi emm 2000 buoys will measure, record and transmit real - time water quality and meteorological data as key components of a coral reef early warning system ( crews ). the entire system will be powered by solar panels. “ the caribbean is a unique part of the world. our waters are the ‘ bread basket ’ for the region, and we must be diligent in protecting and sustaining them, ” says dr. kenrick leslie, ccccc executive director. “ we are very excited to build our education and research infrastructure with the addition of this important technology project for addressing the impacts of climate change on the caribbean ecosystem. ” [... ] coral reefs play an extremely important role in the caribbean economy for tourism as well as food production and food security. the regions ’ unique reefs have been impacted by rising sea temperatures and pollution. long - term monitoring of environmental conditions in the caribbean will help researchers track the health of the reefs, among the oldest and most diverse ecosystems on the planet, and mirrors similar systems already installed at key reef sites in the atlantic and pacific oceans. data will allow development of climate models and ecological forecasting in coral reef ecosystems. [... ] caribbean researchers and scientists from national and regional universities, government coastal marine research departments and non - governmental organizations are expected to use and benefit from the data to be generated by the crews stations. the crews system will be expandable with additional sensors and parameters — such as co2 and underwater photo - synthetically active radiation ( par ) — to accommodate visiting researchers who later join the collaborative project. the ccccc will work with the national oceanographic and atmospheric administration ( noaa ) and ysi to install and operate this network, beginning in spring 2013. the crews project is funded by the european union and the global climate change alliance in the amount of us $ 617, 000 ( € 465, 000 ) and is part of a wider climate change project – “ the global climate change alliance caribbean support project ” being implemented by


the scary hidden stressor in her introduction to a compelling new study, “ the arab spring and climate change, ” released thursday, the princeton scholar anne - marie slaughter notes that crime shows often rely on the concept of a “ stressor. ” a stressor, she explains, is a “ sudden change in circumstances or environment that interacts with a complicated psychological profile in a way that leads a previously quiescent person to become violent. ” the stressor is never the only explanation for the crime, but it is inevitably an important factor in a complex set of variables that lead to a disaster. “ the arab spring and climate change ” doesn ’ t claim that climate change caused the recent wave of arab revolutions, but, taken together, the essays make a strong case that the interplay between climate change, food prices ( particularly wheat ) and politics is a hidden stressor that helped to fuel the revolutions and will continue to make consolidating them into stable democracies much more difficult. jointly produced by the center for american progress, the stimson center and the center for climate and security, this collection of essays opens with the oxford university geographer troy sternberg, who demonstrates how in 2010 - 11, in tandem with the arab awakenings, “ a once - in - a - century winter drought in china ” — combined, at the same time, with record - breaking heat waves or floods in other key wheat - growing countries ( ukraine, russia, canada and australia ) — “ contributed to global wheat shortages and skyrocketing bread prices ” in wheat - importing states, most of which are in the arab world. only a small fraction — 6 percent to 18 percent — of annual global wheat production is traded across borders, explained sternberg, “ so any decrease in world supply contributes to a sharp rise in wheat prices and has a serious economic impact in countries such as egypt, the largest wheat importer in the world. ” the numbers tell the story : “ bread provides one - third of the caloric intake in egypt, a country where 38 percent of income is spent on food, ” notes sternberg. “ the doubling of global wheat prices — from $ 157 / metric ton in june 2010 to $ 326 / metric ton in february 2011 — thus significantly impacted the country ’ s food supply and availability. ” global food prices peaked at an all - time high in march 2011, shortly after president hosni mubarak was toppled in egypt. consider this : the world ’ s top nine wheat - importers are in


s food supply and availability. ” global food prices peaked at an all - time high in march 2011, shortly after president hosni mubarak was toppled in egypt. consider this : the world ’ s top nine wheat - importers are in the middle east : “ seven had political protests resulting in civilian deaths in 2011, ” said sternberg. “ households in the countries that experience political unrest spend, on average, more than 35 percent of their income on food supplies, ” compared with less than 10 percent in developed countries. everything is linked : chinese drought and russian bushfires produced wheat shortages leading to higher bread prices fueling protests in tahrir square. sternberg calls it the globalization of “ hazard. ” ditto in syria and libya. in their essay, the study ’ s co - editors, francesco femia and caitlin werrell, note that from 2006 to 2011, up to 60 percent of syria ’ s land experienced the worst drought ever recorded there — at a time when syria ’ s population was exploding and its corrupt and inefficient regime was proving incapable of managing the stress. in 2009, they noted, the u. n. and other international agencies reported that more than 800, 000 syrians lost their entire livelihoods as a result of the great drought, which led to “ a massive exodus of farmers, herders, and agriculturally dependent rural families from the syrian countryside to the cities, ” fueling unrest. the future does not look much brighter. “ on a scale of wetness conditions, ” femia and werrell note, “ ‘ where a reading of - 4 or below is considered extreme drought, ’ a 2010 report by the national center for atmospheric research shows that syria and its neighbors face projected readings of - 8 to - 15 as a result of climatic changes in the next 25 years. ” similar trends, they note, are true for libya, whose “ primary source of water is a finite cache of fossilized groundwater, which already has been severely stressed while coastal aquifers have been progressively invaded by seawater. ” scientists like to say that, when it comes to climate change, we need to manage what is unavoidable and avoid what is unmanageable. that requires collective action globally to mitigate as much climate change as we can and the building of resilient states locally to adapt to what we can ’ t mitigate. the arab world is doing the opposite. arab states as a group are the biggest lobbyists against efforts to reduce oil and fuel subsidies.


the upanishads, part 1 ( sbe01 ), by max muller,, at sacred - texts. com 1. next let a man meditate on the sevenfold saman which is uniform in itself 1 and leads beyond death. the word hinkara has three syllables, the word prastava has three syllables : that is equal ( sama ). 2. the word adi ( first, om ) has two syllables, the word pratihara has four syllables. taking one syllable from that over, that is equal ( sama ). 3. the word udgitha has three syllables, the word upadrava has four syllables. with three and three syllables it should be equal. one syllable being left over, it becomes trisyllabic. hence it is equal. 4. the word nidhana has three syllables, therefore it is equal. these make twenty - two syllables. 5. with twenty - one syllables a man reaches the sun ( and death ), for the sun is the twenty - first 2 from here ; with the twenty - second he conquers what is beyond the sun : that is blessedness, that is freedom from grief 6. he obtains here the victory over the sun ( death ), and there is a higher victory than the victory over the sun for him, who knowing this meditates on the sevenfold saman as uniform in itself, which leads beyond death, yea, which leads beyond death. 28 : 1 atmasammita is explained by the commentator either as having the same number of syllables in the names of the different samans, or as equal to the highest self. 28 : 2 there are twelve months, five seasons, three worlds, then follows the sun as the twenty - first. comm.


history of the salida library in 1894, only 14 years after salida was incorporated, a group of eleven townswomen formed the tuesday evening club. one of the cultural objectives of this organization was to found a city library. during the first year, the few books purchased from club dues were kept on donated shelves at central school. in 1896, the growing collection was moved to a small room on west second street, near the old opera house. in 1898, the library was relocated first to a small one - story brick building at the corner of " f " and third streets, and later to a large second story room in city hall. to supplement the early book purchasing budget, the tuesday evening club sponsored numerous public benefits. the members also took turns serving as librarian and custodian, except when the collection was at central school. the campaign for procuring a site and raising funds to build a public library started in 1905. that year, mrs. ruth spray wrote, " for years, some of us had looked longingly on the vacant place by alpine park, corner of " e " and fourth streets, as the only site that was perfect for our library. whenever we would speak of that location, we were met on all sides with ' but you cannot get hold of those lots. people have tried in vain to reach the owner of them. ' " the tuesday evening club determined to find the owners of the vacant land and purchase the lots for the public library. the location was ideal : across from beautiful alpine park, between the two principal schools, and near the downtown business area. only a few months later, they located owners s. g. stein in muscatine, iowa and a. m. barnhart in chicago, illinois. in late 1905 correspondence began and, by november 10, 1906, they had obtained the lots. mrs. mary ridgeway was the first president of the tuesday evening club, and she and her husband, carl ( a. c. ), donated the generous sum of $ 1, 200 to pay for the lots. while the land campaign progressed, the club began to correspond with millionaire andrew carnegie of new york city. he had decided as a young boy that if he ever became wealthy, he would use his wealth to help establish free public libraries. the club was able to convince mr. carnegie that the community of salida would faithfully support a public library. on december 23, 1905, he said he would provide $ 9, 000 toward the construction of the library building if the club had


. the club was able to convince mr. carnegie that the community of salida would faithfully support a public library. on december 23, 1905, he said he would provide $ 9, 000 toward the construction of the library building if the club had a site for the building. the entire carnegie donation was received by november, 1908. the community was to provide $ 6, 000. many salida citizens were interested in the efforts of the tuesday evening club to build a public library. one of the most staunch supporters was colonel william penn harbottle, a civil war veteran and highly respected citizen. upon his death in early 1906, it was learned that he had willed his personal library and his home at 546 " g " street to the salida library association, an organization within the tuesday evening club. his will stipulated that it be known as the juliana reference library, for his mother, and that it be a non - circulating library wherever it might be housed. the juliana reference room remains an important part of the library today and the harbottle estate continues to provide part of the funding for this part of the collection. the eagerly awaited ground breaking ceremony took place in october, 1907. the handsome salida - granite cornerstone was laid in may, 1908, and the deed to the library transferred to the city. in february, 1909, the library was dedicated and opened for service. total construction costs were $ 15, 000. the tuesday evening club planned meeting rooms into the lower level of the library. the club leased this area until the 1970 ' s, using it as a place to host various money - making events for the benefit of the library or subleasing it for the same purpose. in the1970 ' s, the library board determined that the library needed the space and the insurance company no longer allowed subleasing, so the tuesday evening club lease was discontinued. the library gradually become more crowded over the following 20 years and storage consumed an ever greater portion of the meeting rooms. this trend continued until the library addition was completed in 1998 and the meeting rooms returned to their original purpose. the rooms are still used for tuesday evening club meetings, as well as for public meetings and library programs. in november, 1974, the voters approved the formation of the southern chaffee county regional library district. this resulted in a broader tax base beginning in 1976 and thus provided more operational funds. the salida public library name was changed to " salida regional library " to represent the larger area now served. voters approved additional funding for the


regional library district. this resulted in a broader tax base beginning in 1976 and thus provided more operational funds. the salida public library name was changed to " salida regional library " to represent the larger area now served. voters approved additional funding for the library in two subsequent elections, 198x and 1995. in 198x, the mill levy was increased to 2. 5 mills. in 1995, the levy was increased again to 3. 5 mills, plus a bond was approved for construction of the addition to the carnegie building. rapid growth in chaffee county in the ' 90s, along with rapidly rising real estate prices, have increased the library ' s income, although statutory constraints currently prohibit the library from collecting its full approved mill levy. a temporary property tax credit is issued each year after property tax calculations are made. the library increased hours from 40 to 70 hours per week and is open seven days a week, except for holidays. the book budget grew from $ 10, 000 in 1995 to $ 60, 000 in 2001. budgets for other materials grew as well. the library offers a fast and reliable internet access for the public, and supplements the internet with subscription databases such as periodical indexes, contemporary authors, encyclopedia of associations, and the like. library usage has grown because of all these things, plus the use of the popular community room available to the public for meetings.


solar images to be made by unique x - ray telescope | tweet | solar images to be made by unique x - ray april 2, 1998 : a unique cluster of telescopes that make x - rays take a u - turn has been selected for a fourth flight to capture " multicolored " images that will help us understand why the sun ' s outer atmosphere is so hot. right : the sun as seen in the glow of highly ionized iron. such images are really taken in black and white. scientists assign them false colors to help in studying different images. " one of the major objectives is to follow up on something we saw on the first flight 10 years ago, " said dr. arthur b. c. walker ii of stanford university, the principal investigator for the chromospheric / corona spectroheliograph telescope. it will actually be a bundle of up to 19 telescopes, each taking pictures of the sun in a slightly different x - ray energy. the array is an upgrade of the multi - spectral solar telescope array ( mssta ) which flew on october 23, 1987, may 13, 1991, and november 3, 1994. the 1987 flight - which also made the september 30, 1988 cover of science magazine - returned pictures that showed where the sun ' s atmosphere was as hot as 1 million deg. k ( about 1. 8 million deg. f ) also showed spectral lines that indicated temperatures of about 700, 000 deg. k ( 1. 26 million deg f ). " we were mystified by this, " walker said. " we are now convinced that there is material at about 700, 000 degrees k in the transition region and which contributes to coronal heating. " nasa recently selected the chromospheric / corona spectroheliograph under the solar physics research program. richard hoover of nasa ' s marshall space flight center and troy w. barbee of lawrence livermore national laboratory are co - investigators with walker. their project is entitled investigation of the corona / chromosphere interface. this is the same region that will be studied by the transition region and coronal explorer ( trace ) scheduled for launch thursday evening from california. the chromospheric / corona spectroheliograph will complement trace by providing images of solar gases at temperatures as high as 5 million degrees k ( 9 million deg. f ). while the sun is more than 99. 9 percent hydrogen and helium, it carries significant quantities of carbon, iron, calcium, silicon, and other


of solar gases at temperatures as high as 5 million degrees k ( 9 million deg. f ). while the sun is more than 99. 9 percent hydrogen and helium, it carries significant quantities of carbon, iron, calcium, silicon, and other elements. heavier elements have more protons ( carbon is 6, iron is 26 ) in their nuclei than do lighter elements ( hydrogen is 1, helium is 2 ). that means that as electrons are stripped from heavier atoms, the charge of the larger number of protons is devoted to the few remaining electrons. it takes ever more energy to strip off another electron. as a result, light from energetic atoms acts like a tracer that reveals where the sun is hot and at what temperatures. this is important to dissecting activities from the sun ' s corona - its outer atmosphere - through the transition region and to the chromosphere and photosphere - the visible " surface. " the challenge is that the x - ray emissions are so energetic that they pass through materials rather than being reflected as visible light would be. the usual trick to making x - ray images is called grazing incidence reflection. just as light will reflect off clear glass ( or a rock will skip on a pond ) if it strikes at a shallow angle, x - rays will reflect - and be focused - if they, too, strike at an even shallower angle. several x - ray telescopes, such as, the advanced x - ray astrophysics facility use this. the mssta works by a different effect. its multi - layer mirrors comprise an ultrasmooth mirror coated by up to 100 layers of heavy elements like tungsten spaced by layers of lightweight elements like carbon. in effect, the layers work like a bragg crystal, which will reflect x - rays. everything is extremely smooth, on the order of 0. 1 nm ( a 10 billionth of a meter, or 1 / 250 millionth of an inch ). these reflect a little bit of the x - rays at the surface of each layer pair. the choice of materials and the thickness of the layers determine precisely which wavelength is making the x - rays interfere with each other reflection. in this way, the scientists can fine tune a telescope to observe in a narrow band of wavelengths ( a spectral band ) or even one wavelength. that makes it possible to measure the temperature of the solar atmosphere. to observe the sun in several wavelengths at once, several telescopes must be flown together. this unique approach makes it possible to use conventional optical layouts - like the hubble space


wavelength. that makes it possible to measure the temperature of the solar atmosphere. to observe the sun in several wavelengths at once, several telescopes must be flown together. this unique approach makes it possible to use conventional optical layouts - like the hubble space telescope ' s ritchey chretien design - and get a much larger collecting area and brighter images than are possible grazing incidence optics of the same size. the design was invented by barbee ( and separately by scientists at ibm ) and pioneered by barbee, walker, and hoover for use in telescopes. the mssta ( right ) carries up to 19 telescopes of various sizes, each with a filter designed to admit only radiation of a specific wavelength or wavelength band, each corresponding to a specific temperature in the sun ' s atmosphere. even though each image is taken in black - and - white, each represents a different wavelength and a different temperature in the solar atmosphere. to help in studying them, scientists often give them false colors to distinguish one from the other. this is similar to a color print that is really made from four black - and - white negatives, each to print a different color. on its fourth flight, the array will include a telescope that can see fe xvii ; iron stripped of 9 of its 26 electrons. that takes temperatures up to 5 million deg. k. " it would be a better indicator of the distribution of high - temperature gases in the solar atmosphere, " walker said. this may also reveal small flares that may be one source of energy being pumped into the corona. for the c / cs flight, expected by early 2000 near the around the time of solar maximum. mssta will be upgraded and some new telescopes and detectors installed. as with its first two flights, the telescope will be boosted by a terrier black brant ix launched from the white sands missile range, n. m. the c / cs payload will be boosted to an altitude of 230 km ( 144 mi ) and fall then parachute back to earth for recovery. during the coast above earth ' s atmosphere, the telescope array will be pointed precisely at the sun for about 6 minutes. each telescope will take 10 to 15 full - disk images. ground - based observatories will take pictures at the same time in white light and h - alpha, and with telescopes equipped to map magnetic fields. join our growing list of subscribers - sign up for our express news delivery and you will receive a mail message every time we post a new story!!!


doctors have always made notes about patients. by the 1800s doctors published their diagnoses and treatment records. however, there were no agreed standards for records or requirements to keep any. medical records became an important medical practice during the late 1800s. treating large numbers of patients in hospitals and private practice relied on written records. in the early 20th century professional medical organisations pressured practitioners and hospitals to keep patient records. medical records were written on paper and kept in folders, but managing thousands of paper - based records became complex and expensive for hospitals during the 20th century. tabulating machines sorted and managed patient records until the 1960s. patient information was recorded onto key - punched cards which were sorted into groupings by the tabulating machine. during the 1970s hospitals stored patient records electronically using computers. computers stored and retrieved vast amounts of information at high speed and low cost. they became invaluable. however, there are concerns about the privacy and safety of electronic patient records. j howell, technology in the hospital : transforming patient care in the early twentieth century ( john hopkins university press, 1995 ) s teng liaw, ' the computer - based patient record - an historical perspective, ' informatics in healthcare australia november, 2 / 5 ( 1993 ), pp 17 - 21 s j reiser, medicine and the reign of technology ( cambridge : cambridge university press, 1978 ) s j reiser, ‘ creating form out of mass : the development of the medical record ’ in e mendelsohn ( ed. ), transformation and tradition in the sciences : essays in honor of i. bernard cohen ( cambridge : cambridge university press, 1984 ), pp 303 - 16


short - listed for the 2012 great plains distinguished book prize south dakota ' s role in the nineteenth - century political movement lee ' s book is a " worthy and important addition to the canon of south dakota political history. " — prairie progressive blog a " thorough analysis " — western historical quarterly the populist movement of the 1890s was one of the most successful third - party initiatives in united states history. although it never elected a president, this movement seated governors, congressmen, and united states senators, and played a major political role in a number of states, including all the great plains states then in the nation. populism has been thoroughly studied in many areas of the country, but south dakota has, so far, been neglected. r. alton lee ' s principle over party begins to correct this oversight, shining light on the prominent south dakotans who strode down the path to the progressive agrarian politics that dominated the state in the late 1880s and early 1900s. lee examines the causes that led south dakota farmers to rise up against the establishment and take their fate into their own hands. he discusses prominent figures henry loucks and alonzo wardall as well as political and social movements such as the farmers ' alliance. together these men and their organizations sowed the seeds of the populist party in south dakota. principle over party showcases the successes and failures of one of the most lasting political movements in this nation ' s history. " principle over party is an excellent, well - researched and accessible contribution to south dakota and american political history shelves. highly recommended. " — the midwest book review read a review of this book from nebraska history. " this book starts out a bit dry but soon becomes much more interesting. sometimes i have thought south dakota ' s political history, compared to the fascinating political history of north dakota, is not very exciting. but these years, 1880 to 1900, were vivedly tumultuous political years and this book tells the story carefully and well. the career of richard pettigrew lent much excitement to the politics of the time and this book rescues henry loucks from the obscurity into which he has fallen - - no doubt because he never was elected to anything. anyone interested in south dakota ' s politics will want to read this excellently reseaarched book. " — schermguls, librarything. com paul guggenheimer interviewed al lee on sdpb radio ' s dakota midday. click here to listen to the interview. read the whole review of this book on the prairie progressive blog.


curriculum : early childhood our early childhood curriculum is designed to nurture the spiritual, academic, physical, and social needs of the young child. children learn by exploring and developing social, emotional, and cognitive skills. centers and theme units are presented to challenge and stimulate the children through their hands - on participation. the children receive individual, small group, and whole group instruction, which develops their skills with letters, numbers, and writing. creativity in art, music, role - playing, and storytelling is encouraged and stimulated through lively play and fun activities. parental communication is a vital component of the program. each class has a certified teacher and a full - time aide. the religious education program consists of a multi - dimensional approach to developing the young child ’ s spirituality. children learn about god and our faith through teacher - designed activities and by attending school liturgies. they learn to respect and appreciate others, and they develop an awareness of their place in the world around them. pre - k4 uses the pflaum gospel weeklies faith formation program. kindergarten uses the i am special religion series. our readiness curriculum is designed to provide the emerging reader with age appropriate reading and writing skills. phonics is an integral component of the early reading curriculum. children are read to each day. they may also choose books to read from the classroom library. kindergarten uses the rowland reading program : meet the superkids for reading development. number concepts and relationships are taught through the use of a wide variety of manipulatives and teacher directed activities. the program also develops problem solving and analytical thinking. kindergarten uses the harcourt math curriculum. children are given the opportunity for active, hands - on learning. center activities are varied and rotated according to the weekly theme. centers provide a multi - sensory approach to age appropriate learning. the daily curriculum includes the additional core subjects of science, social studies, art, and music. each day the students receive an enrichment class of physical education, computer, music, library, or guidance. in addition, kindergarten ’ s curriculum includes one day of french.


global warming can be reduced, but at what cost? chicago — in a united nations report this month, scientists said the cost of aggressively tackling climate change was comparatively reasonable. by spending a little more than 0. 1 percent of the world ' s income each year for 23 years, they say, greenhouse gases could be held nearly in check, avoiding the worst predicted environmental disasters. the same day, bush administration officials argued that the same aggressive effort would throw the world ' s economy into recession. the reality, top climate economists say, is that cutting u. s. emissions sufficiently to hold greenhouse - gas concentrations at near - current levels soon could cost the united states twice as much per year as it is now spending on the war in iraq. but, as the u. n. report essentially urges, spending $ 1 trillion a year worldwide over two decades to aggressively curb global warming could be a bargain in the long run. " it isn ' t going to be cheap, but there ' s an awful lot we can do, and it doesn ' t break the bank, especially if we do it cleverly, " argued robert socolow, a physicist, co - director of the carbon mitigation initiative at princeton university and a leading theorist on ways to reduce greenhouse - gas emissions. " i don ' t see how we get a recession out of it. " for the united states, the most aggressive scenario in the new u. n. intergovernmental panel on climate change mitigation report — holding greenhouse gases in the atmosphere to less than 500 parts per million, up from the current 380 parts per million — could cost $ 240 billion a year, or 2 percent of the nation ' s income, said robert mendelsohn, a climate - change economist at yale university. the iraq war, comparatively speaking, has cost a little less than $ 100 billion a year on average since it began in 2003. that 2 percent of national income figure is much higher than the cost of 0. 12 percent of world income quoted in the u. n. report because the united states is the world ' s leading producer of greenhouse gases and therefore has more work to do cutting them, mendelsohn said. many economists also say u. n. figures suggesting a moderate cost for limiting climate change assume that nations around the world would act quickly and in concert to target the problem, something political leaders say is highly unlikely. reducing greenhouse gases vigorously and quickly probably would push americans ' heating and electric bills up by 50 percent to 100 percent, said


change assume that nations around the world would act quickly and in concert to target the problem, something political leaders say is highly unlikely. reducing greenhouse gases vigorously and quickly probably would push americans ' heating and electric bills up by 50 percent to 100 percent, said jae edmonds, a scientist and economist with the joint global change research institute, based in maryland. gasoline prices would rise between 50 cents and $ 1 a gallon, he said. whether that is a cheap or expensive price to pay for cutting emissions is a matter of perspective, he said. " some might look at those numbers and say that ' s a pretty good buy to avoid the potential negative implications of climate change, " he said. " others might think those costs look high and say they ' d rather go slower. " choosing a sufficiently aggressive plan to stave off the worst effects of climate change without dire economic consequences is a complicated balancing act, economists say, particularly because so many variables remain unknown. too vigorous a worldwide campaign could backfire, hurting economic growth and alienating key greenhouse - gas producers. but doing too little too slowly might waste a crucial opportunity to avoid potentially catastrophic impacts of global warming and to dodge greater costs in the future. the right answer, many economists suggest, is to act quickly to launch tests of potentially useful technology and programs worldwide, then rapidly scale up those that work. in mendelsohn ' s view, the most aggressive level of greenhouse - gas cuts promoted in the u. n. report is " too radical a recommendation to be supported by mainstream economics. " because efforts to control greenhouse gases will be effective only if all of the world ' s major producers take part, " by starting with a crash program you ensure a lot of countries are not going to join in, " he said. however, " you don ' t want to get sucked into thinking the only choice is to do the crash program or nothing at all, " he said. he suggests that a much more modest target — limiting atmospheric concentrations of greenhouse gases to perhaps 640 to 750 parts per million — would cost the united states a tenth as much as the most aggressive scenario outlined in the u. n. report. worldwide, the cost would fall by about half, according to the report. other scientists and economists say holding greenhouse - gas concentrations to about 550 parts per million, at somewhat higher cost, is a better option. under mendelsohn ' s scenario, average global temperatures would be expected to rise by 7 to 11 degrees fahrenheit by the end of the century, according


about 550 parts per million, at somewhat higher cost, is a better option. under mendelsohn ' s scenario, average global temperatures would be expected to rise by 7 to 11 degrees fahrenheit by the end of the century, according to the u. n. panel, compared with about 3 to 6 degrees under the most aggressive program. because no one knows what temperature increase might trigger disastrous environmental problems — large sea - level rises, worsening flooding and droughts, a disruption of ocean circulation patterns — the lower range of temperature increases is generally thought to be safer. development of new technology and creative use of existing technology potentially could cut the costs of reducing emissions dramatically. because plants draw carbon dioxide from the atmosphere when they grow, using plant fuels rather than fossil fuels effectively cuts emissions of greenhouse gases, edmonds said. if engineers are able to find efficient ways to use plants to create fuel and then capture carbon dioxide released from the smokestacks of plant - fueled power stations and pump it into storage underground, the world could potentially lower levels of greenhouse gases in the atmosphere while generating power. but racing too quickly toward renewable energy and other efforts to cut greenhouse - gas emissions could have problematic consequences as well, mendelsohn warned. using more nuclear power, he said, will lead to renewed concerns about what to do with nuclear waste. planting billions of acres of new crops for biofuels could lead to accelerating deforestation in places such as brazil and indonesia. and efforts to boost hydroelectric generation could result in many of the world ' s last wild rivers being dammed. david o ' reilly, the chief executive of chevron, points to a senate bill calling on the energy department to develop a plan to cut gasoline consumption by 20 percent by 2017, 35 percent by 2025 and 45 percent by 2030, largely by substituting ethanol and other renewable fuels. under the senate proposal, the amount of alternative fuels used in u. s. motor vehicles would rise to 8. 5 billion gallons by 2008 and 36 billion gallons by 2022. the problem, o ' reilly said, is that u. s. farmers cannot currently produce enough corn to make more than 15 billion gallons of fuel. producing 36 billion gallons would require huge corn imports or a massive overhaul of the u. s. agricultural economy. and chevron is not just protecting its fossil - fuels turf ; the company already produces 70 percent of the ethanol made in the united states. " we ' re dealing with a massive economy and a massive energy infrastructure that was developed to supply this


many faculty teaching at the introductory level use environmental themes and hazards to get their students excited about the geosciences. whether in the form of a stand - alone environmental geology or natural hazards course or as environmental content integrated into other introductory courses, these concepts are an important part of the geoscience education for many students who will never take another course in the sciences. this workshop will bring together educators from a wide variety of institutional settings and backgrounds with the common goal of sharing ideas about improving the pedagogy and environmental geology content of our introductory geoscience courses. as a part of this workshop, participants will : - share what works in their classrooms with each other. we will identify innovative teaching methods, approaches, and activities for teaching environmental geology and share ideas on how to teach in various contexts : large classes, courses with no lab component, courses in urban areas, etc. - examine where and how environmental geology topics are taught in the geoscience curriculum from introductory courses for non - majors to " core " geoscience courses for majors. we will discuss and develop ideas for maximizing the impact of environmental geology topics to ultimately improve undergraduate students ' experience with and knowledge of geoscience. - consider the ways that environmental geology courses and topical materials can contribute to public science literacy, particularly how to make personal and societal decisions about the range of issues facing humanity and to live responsibly and sustainably on this planet. - develop a list of best practices for integrating emerging environmental issues, recent natural disasters, and issues related to natural resources into course work and identifying how scientific data and research outcomes can inform public discourse on topical issues. - develop strategies to reach under - represented groups and expand the diversity of students who enroll in our courses. we will consider strategies for improving the overall design of an environmental geology course to maximize its appeal and effectiveness. - identify topics of high interest and need for future development as teaching modules and courses through the related integrate project, through funding from the nsf / due tues program, or through other local or national curricular initiatives. participants must arrive in bozeman in time for the first workshop event at 5 pm on saturday, june 2. ( arrive earlier if you plan to attend the optional field trips. ) the workshop will be over on wednesday evening, june 6, and participants should plan return travel on thursday, june 7 ( those who stay an extra day can attend optional local hikes ). by applying to the workshop, participants agree to do the following if accepted : - serve on a review


, june 6, and participants should plan return travel on thursday, june 7 ( those who stay an extra day can attend optional local hikes ). by applying to the workshop, participants agree to do the following if accepted : - serve on a review committee from april to june 2012, applying standardized review criteria to teaching activities in the on the cutting edge activity collection related to environmental geology. we anticipate that everyone will be asked to review ~ 5 activities using an on - line review form. - submit additional teaching activities as needed that complement the existing collection, prior to the workshop. our goal is to have a comprehensive, reviewed collection of teaching activities ready to showcase at the summer workshop. - prepare in advance for workshop discussions via readings, writings, discussion or other activities developed by workshop leaders. - participate fully in the entire workshop and attend all workshop sessions. many participants will be invited to make presentations or serve as discussion or working group leaders at the workshop. - post - workshop : continue to network with workshop participants, share workshop resources with colleagues across the geosciences, and participate in follow - on activities such as making presentations at theme sessions at professional society meetings. application and selection criteria applicants for this workshop must hold a faculty position at a two - or four - year college or university and have responsibility for teaching environmental geology topics either in an environmental geology course or distributed through other courses. the workshop is limited to 70 participants, and the final list of participants will be established with the goal of assembling a group representing a wide range of experiences, educational environments, and specialties. for more information see our page on general information for cutting edge workshop participants. costs and logistics the workshop will be held at montana state university located in bozeman, montana. our national science foundation grant provides funding for most of the operational costs of this workshop. to be supported by these funds, a participant must be either a us citizen, a permanent resident, or in the employ of a us institution. if you don ' t meet these requirements and are interested in participating in this workshop at your own expense, please contact the workshop conveners. costs of the workshop not covered by the grant are outlined below. workshop registration fee : $ 150 travel, lodging. participants or their home institutions must cover costs of lodging plus travel to and from the workshop. we will offer a low - cost option to stay in the dorms at msu. alternatively, participants may make their own lodging arrangements at a local motel, where we will hold a block of rooms. room