##od to eliminate any blur from hand shake ( unless you have a very steady hand! ). and you can create some stunning images as you can see from the examples above. this image of the london eye had an exposure of 45 seconds. and the firework image at the top of this post had an exposure of 11 seconds. 2. short exposures. sport photography is the other end of the shutter range, where you need to use a short exposure or fast shutter speed to freeze the action. wildlife photography is another example of this where you need to freeze the animal ( well not literally! ) to get the shot. in the image above the surfers and the water are ‘ frozen ’ but still give a very real sense of movement and speed. in the same way say you were shooting a race car, you may want to use the ‘ panning ’ technique. where you pan with the car as you take the shot keeping the car in focus but the background will blur, giving a different sense of movement and speed. so you can use shutter priority to either freeze the action or capture motion or give the feeling of motion. these are only a few examples of what you can do with shutter priority mode. and i think when you start to learn how to use shutter speed, then you get a whole new dimension of creativity for your photography. using shutter and aperture together you can control the amount of light the image sensor sees and how long it sees it for. do you start to see how shutter and aperture work together to form an image on the sensor? and can you see how learning to adjust them can really take you and your photography to the next level? next time we ’ re going to pull this all together and look at manual mode …. p. s. image credit : london eye – zhensem.


the electricity market is in the doldrums, but the market for new generating stations that use natural gas is going strong, industry experts say. why? because gas is beginning to replace coal, according to randy h. zwirn, president of the siemens power generation group. on monday, siemens is announcing that it has won contracts to supply five new high - efficiency gas plants to progress energy at two sites in north carolina that have old coal - fired generators. it is also replacing old gas - fired plants in florida. the h. f. lee energy complex, near goldsboro, has three coal - fired generators that began operating in 1951, 1952 and 1962. the three coal - fired generators at the sutton plant, near wilmington, went into service in 1954, 1955 and 1972. the six plants are among 11 that progress owns in north carolina that do not have sulfur scrubbers. the company has said it will eventually close all 11. on the southern horizon is a new breed of solar plant, one that could be a game changer for the industry. just across the california border, nipton has unveiled a sun - powered generator that is expected to provide about 85 percent of the town ’ s electricity over the course of a year. the solar plant uses a new technology, concentrating solar photovoltaic, known as cpv, which could be a boon in places like nevada where the sun is strong, but water for power plants is scarce. concentrating solar power plants are expected to use far less water than their solar thermal cousins because they lack the cooling requirements and don ’ t need water to heat for steam. and because they have fewer photovoltaic panels to be cleaned than a traditional photovoltaic plant, they could use less water than traditional photovoltaic arrays. making ground - source heat a cost - effective alternative to fossil fuels has long been a dream for countries that depend on energy imports and need to cut their carbon dioxide emissions. a team of businesses and researchers in slovenia and serbia set out to develop the heat pump technology that would make this dream a reality. the chaos caused by a volcanic eruption in iceland april 2010 and the dispersal of its ash cloud across european airspace was a reminder of the tremendous forces of nature that exist below the ground. not all subterranean heat sources have such sinister power, however. across europe, there are plentiful sources of geothermal energy : heat stored in the ground which can be tapped to provide a renewable and inexhaustible energy supply. using the right technology to access this


have such sinister power, however. across europe, there are plentiful sources of geothermal energy : heat stored in the ground which can be tapped to provide a renewable and inexhaustible energy supply. using the right technology to access this power at varying depths and temperatures, we can use this heat to reduce our dependence on imported and climate - damaging fossil fuels. until recently, the technology to exploit geothermal energy in a cost - effective way has remained under - developed. however, in response to the growing economic and policy pressures to cut co2 emissions and improve energy security, one company set out to change this state of affairs, with remarkable results. europe ’ s economic woes have led tom werner, chief executive of solar - panel manufacturer sunpower corp., to change the way he does business. companies in many industries have been affected by europe ’ s problems, but alternative energy companies are especially exposed. government subsidies have made europe a dominant market for alternative energy, and it ’ s the world ’ s biggest solar - power market. indeed, sunpower gets about half its sales there. to respond to the problems, ceos of companies that make solar panels and wind turbines are hedging against currency fluctuations more aggressively, boosting sales in other parts of the world and raising prices. they ’ re also trying to take advantage of lower prices in europe by purchasing more components and doing more manufacturing there. a weak euro means that when sales are translated back into dollars or other stronger currencies, companies get less revenue. the euro has fallen 16 % against the dollar this year. california ’ s aggressive campaign to curb global warming will probably not come to a screeching halt even if voters eventually apply the brakes. an initiative that appears all but certain to qualify for the november ballot would suspend the state ’ s landmark law to gradually reduce greenhouse gas emissions linked to global warming until there ’ s a sustained economic recovery. the initiative narrowly targets the law passed as assembly bill 32 in 2006 and its subsequent regulations and likely would leave other ambitious global warming policies untouched, people on both sides of the ballot measure agree. automakers will still have to fill showrooms with models that emit fewer greenhouse gases, utilities must find renewable sources of electricity, and cleaner diesel truck engine regulations will remain in effect. it was described by prime minister stephen harper as a “ sideshow, ” but international leaders are mounting pressure on the canadian government to include climate change as a major issue on the agenda at upcoming g8 and g20 economic summits in huntsville,


by mindy lubber, via ceres the fallout from hurricane sandy will be with us for years, and it will extend far beyond the devastation in new york city, new jersey and other parts of the east coast. the immediate cleanup costs and economic losses are alarming. current estimates are $ 33 billion in new york alone. but a far bigger challenge lies ahead : preparing for a future in which storms like sandy and irene are likely to occur more frequently. it is gargantuan task with no parallels, and there are millions of people and trillions of dollars worth of property sitting in harm ’ s way. as a result of rising sea levels from warming global temperatures, coastal communities will require vastly expensive upgrades to key infrastructure such as subways, power grids and hospitals to boost their resiliency to stronger storms. it will require tough decisions on whether building and rebuilding should be encouraged in flood - prone areas. above all, there ’ s the daunting task of curbing the pollution that creates these risks in the first place. to adapt, we need bold action from governments, policymakers and the business community alike. their efforts to date have proven to be grossly insufficient. let ’ s start with the business community – specifically, the insurance industry, the sector most vulnerable to skyrocketing storm losses. extreme weather losses are hitting insurers with a vengeance, yet u. s. insurers barely acknowledge it. they need to recognize that climate change is fueling larger drought, wildfire and flooding losses and build this into their business models and underwriting policies. this will certainly result in some higher premiums. they need to offer stronger financial incentives for storm - proofing buildings and be a louder voice in influencing land - use planning and building codes so that coastal properties are better protected or not built at all. and, lastly, insurers should be pushing for policies that reduce carbon pollution. some re - insurers already are. “ the insurance industry should have an interest in mitigating global warming because if we don ’ t do that, then we may run into hardly manageable conditions in the second half of the century, ” the head of munich re ‘ s geo risks research unit, peter hoppe, told the huffington post last week. but there are limits to what insurance companies can do – and that ’ s where governments, regulators and politicians must be more accountable. government - subsidized insurance programs have been far too lenient in allowing homes to be built and rebuilt in risky areas


there are limits to what insurance companies can do – and that ’ s where governments, regulators and politicians must be more accountable. government - subsidized insurance programs have been far too lenient in allowing homes to be built and rebuilt in risky areas, resulting in enormous exposure for taxpayers. we ’ ve seen this in florida, where private insurers bolted from the state after regulators capped their premiums following a string of hurricanes. a state - run insurance program is now providing homeowners insurance, and it is on financially shaky ground. with a wide gap between premiums it collects and over $ 500 billion in overall exposure, it is one bad hurricane away from going bankrupt. we ’ ve seen this in the national flood insurance program, where artificially low premiums are grossly out of whack with the odds of losses. the new york times cited one example in biloxi, miss., where a property valued at $ 183, 000 flooded 15 times in a decade, costing the program $ 1. 47 million. overall, the program is $ 18 billion in debt and that ’ s before factoring in hurricane sandy flood losses. one encouraging sign is nfip recently won approval to raise premiums 25 percent a year over the next five years, but rising costs for consumers are certainly cold comfort, and critics say far more still needs to be done. governments have also moved too slowly to make key infrastructure more resilient to stronger coastal storms. while europeans coastal cities have invested billions to build storm locks and barriers, eastern u. s. cities have done relatively little, making them more vulnerable to higher sea levels and storm surges. storm - proofing subways, hospitals, electrical grids and other key infrastructure will cost tens of billions of dollars. congress will be under enormous pressure to help with such costs, but given the deficit reduction talks also in play, the conversations won ’ t be easy. more than ever, we need strong leadership from the business community and policymakers to boost our preparedness in a post - sandy world. with increasing threats from ever - more - extreme weather, both groups must play a key role in keeping the u. s. economy out of harm ’ s way. mindy s. lubber is the president of ceres and a founding board member of the organization. she also directs ceres ’ investor network on climate risk ( incr ), a group of 100 institutional investors managing nearly $ 10 trillion in assets focused on the business risks and opportunities of climate change.


in the previous part we considered why the uk is seemingly able to exert continued influence on the global stage. continuing on this theme, this article will now look at some other less quantifiable factors which means that the uk continues to be seen as a nation able to exert influence on the global stage. a global legacy, and a global presence although the vast majority of the british imperial population has now passed on, there is still a legacy footprint of both those who settled in nations when they were still imperial possessions, and also those who were born imperial subjects, but who became independent leaders. although very difficult to quantify, the uk is still in a position where in many nations around the world, diplomatic relations are held with people who remember the uk as a former colonial power, and who may have benefited from access to education or training in the uk. in practical terms this means little, but in terms of opening doors, or enabling a newly arrived high commissioner to talk to senior statesmen and officials who perhaps benefited from the uks former presence, this can be most helpful. we as a nation perhaps overplay the ‘ imperial guilt ’ card, while forgetting that the imperial legacy is perhaps seen in a more positive way in these nations. these individuals occupy places of power, send their children to british schools and are able to exert influence in their own nations. the ability of the uk to build relationships with people who have a positive memory of our shared past is tremendously helpful at times – it enables doors to be opened, and quiet words to be had. it does not shape policy, but it does help secure an audience with some who may be able to help us. there are still many uk nationals working overseas, both from imperial days and more recently as advisers. this also helps us deliver influence in some nations. one only has to look at the middle east to see that many of the nations there discretely rely on well placed uk individuals to provide advice on a range of matters, from military to security to political issues. similarly, there are many well place businessmen, helping bring about success in national industries and developing an indigenous ability. this matters because although these advisers do not work for the uk government, there is doubtless back channels and conversations which go on, that can help shape policy. one of our national advantages when it comes to trying to get support for a particular action, or lobby in favour of a contract or other matter is that we have people already well placed within these national systems to offer advice. again, this is not


. one of our national advantages when it comes to trying to get support for a particular action, or lobby in favour of a contract or other matter is that we have people already well placed within these national systems to offer advice. again, this is not something which by itself enables the uk to stride the world stage, but it does mean that we as a nation can sometimes have the ability to open doors where other nations fail – allowing us the opportunity to lobby, cajole or quietly whisper in the ear of someone who may otherwise be unavailable. a global location this may sound daft, but more good often comes from a discrete meeting over coffee or a meal than days of international negotiations. it allows uk principals to build up genuine relationships of trust with people as they are able to see them often enough to really get to know them. one only has to look at the way that many senior arabs decant to london each summer to realise that the uk has a uniquely placed ability to influence people. it is a location people want ( or need ) to visit, an international crossroads that allows us to deal with people in a manner many nations cannot. there are many countries – say france or italy, which have relatively few connecting flights, meaning there is less need for foreign figures to transit – this in turn makes visits more business related, less likely to occur regularly and reduces the ability to build up an international relationship. never underestimate the importance of personal relationships when it comes to conducting international diplomacy. similarly, the uk is very well placed to act as a hub nation for diplomatic networks. london is home to one of the largest diplomatic communities in the world, with many nations basing their diplomatic staff here, and using a so - called ‘ hub and spoke ’ network to send them elsewhere in europe. this means that the fco is able to easily call on almost every nation on earths representative within hours. by contrast, many nations have very small diplomatic communities, and the ability to actually get hold of someone, or talk to them and do business is far more difficult. this works both ways – a strong diplomatic presence here means we can lobby for business, make nations aware of our views on matters of concern, and send messages directly to foreign capitals. the uk is able to bring together nations in london – in an international crisis, where london is seeking to build consensus, it is easy to bring in the diplomatic community to work together in a manner simply not possible in other nations. we find it easy to make our views known on the world stage. finally


in an international crisis, where london is seeking to build consensus, it is easy to bring in the diplomatic community to work together in a manner simply not possible in other nations. we find it easy to make our views known on the world stage. finally we are the beneficiary of a very helpful time zone – do not underestimate how valuable it is for london to be at the centre of the worlds timezones. the uk is geographically placed in a perfect position to do business all day long across the globe. when our officials and businessmen go to work in the morning, they are able to talk to australia and the pacific on the same day. they can then work in near parity with europe, enabling decisions to be made during the working day, and after lunch, they can then attend conference calls with their partners across the atlantic who are coming into work. the fact is that the gmt time zone means that the uk is able to do business during the same working day with all the nations of the world that matter to us, in a way that others can ’ t. unlike australia, where having a conference call with the us means one coming in very early, the other going home very late, we are able to usually work at a mutually agreeable time. this may sound a silly thing, but as the author knows from all to personal experience, if you are deployed in an operational theatre and need to sort out matters of state, knowing london is working, and can get an answer to you, makes a big difference compared to us colleagues, who know they are 5 - 6 hours away from guidance. a global brand finally, it is worth remembering that the royal family themselves allows the uk to exert a level of influence and access that most nations can only dream of. the news that the duchess of cambridge is pregnant was front page or very prominent news across much of the globe. it is exceptionally unlikely that similar news from any other nations ‘ first family ’ would achieve the same effect. the royal family are a truly international brand, and a globally known. the hosting of a state visit by hm the queen is a highlight in many nations, and has often seen enormous publicity. the royal family get access and opportunity to meet and discuss matters with some of the most influential people in the world, and as such are uniquely well placed to make discrete points on behalf of the government. never underestimate how much value the uk gets from its royal family – they provide a level of interest and genuine affection which no politician could hope to


the world, and as such are uniquely well placed to make discrete points on behalf of the government. never underestimate how much value the uk gets from its royal family – they provide a level of interest and genuine affection which no politician could hope to achieve. as a symbol of british values and views, the hosting ( or cancelling ) of a royal visit can have major diplomatic implications. it is fair to say that when hm the queen has conducted state visits, then there is often a significant improvement in national relationships. just look at ireland, where her visit helped tangibly demonstrate how much progress has been made in the relationship between the two countries. this is a point worth remembering – any nation can send a diplomatic visitor, but few of these visits attract much interest or value. the royal family can conduct visits which occupy a much higher profile, and allow the uk significant influence on a range of matters. as a symbol they embody much of what people think the uk is about. finally they are a link to the past, and much as noted above about advisers in former colonial possessions, they are able to be a bridge between the past and the future, and remind people of where they have gone, while stimulating relationships for the future. this article has focused on many things which one cannot quantify, but which do add incalculable value to the ability of the uk to exert influence on the world stage. the key point that should be remembered is that this needs to be seen as being part of a wider piece, linking to the diplomatic efforts cited in part one. the next part of the article will try and focus in more depth about what we think we mean by ‘ influence ’ and try to consider what soft power, and influence in general does for the uk as a whole.


so now, let ’ s take this lesson offline to help you teach your little ones the importance of making good food choices. here ’ s a fun ( and tasty activity ) for you to explore : - various items of food, both healthy and unhealthy - include cake, sweets, fruit, vegetables, soda, milk, fish, beans and chocolate - various magazines containing examples of different foods - have all the foods on display for the child ( ren ) to look at - let them touch and smell the various foods - go through each one and ask them to describe it and tell you if they think it is a healthy or unhealthy food - make two sets with the food — one healthy and one unhealthy - encourage the child ( ren ) to place the foods into the sets they think the foods belong - give the child ( ren ) a piece of paper divided into two. - ask them to draw a happy face on one side for healthy food and a sad face on the other side for unhealthy food - give the child ( ren ) the magazines and ask them to cut out different foods and glue them onto which side they think the food belongs health and safety - ensure that you have no child with a food allergy when handling the food items.


every saturday at noon, historicist looks back at the events, places, and characters — good and bad — that have shaped toronto into the city we know today. how we imagine a tourist magazine might have looked in 1867. assembled by jamie bradburn. in june 1867, toronto was weeks away from becoming the capital city of the province of ontario in the newly formed dominion of canada. then, as now, the summer tourist season was underway, though the preferred methods of arrival were train or steamship. we recently thumbed through a travel guide published that year, the canadian handbook and tourist ’ s guide, which provides both brief highlights for visitors to our fair city and criticizes the lack of natural wonders. which got us thinking … what would tourist literature akin to modern publications like where toronto have looked like 144 years ago? here ’ s our attempt. normal school building, gould street, north - side east of yonge, 1856. city of toronto archives, fonds 1498, item 8. summer is upon us and there are few better times to take a day ’ s visit or a week ’ s excursion to toronto. pay no heed to the authors of a recent travel guide who contend that our city has too many brick buildings ( due to the absence of local stone quarries ) and utterly lacks beautiful scenery and scenic drives. a city like ours has many aspects to appeal to any traveller, with which we hope to enlighten you. st. james cathedral, between 1885 and 1895. city of toronto archives, fonds 1478, item 23. toronto treats piety with the utmost seriousness. if your visit coincides with the lord ’ s day, there are many handsome churches that will satisfy your spiritual needs. if you are of the anglican persuasion, attend a service at st. james cathedral at the corner of king and church streets. if you are a devotee of the papacy ( which we generally do not advise visitors to openly display on toronto ’ s streets, especially those of irish extraction, unless brawling is on your itinerary ), then slip into a mass at the roman catholic cathedral of st. michael. though both of these buildings of high worship have yet to be completed, we are assured that once their spires are finished they will provide much to the city ’ s appearance from a distance. university of toronto, 1859. painted by sir edmund walker. wikimedia commons. the city ’ s institutes of higher learning provide more than space to train the nation ’ s future leaders — these are sites for tourists who


appearance from a distance. university of toronto, 1859. painted by sir edmund walker. wikimedia commons. the city ’ s institutes of higher learning provide more than space to train the nation ’ s future leaders — these are sites for tourists who wish a sense of toronto ’ s philosophy, the city ’ s aesthetics. deep thought has gone into their architecture and aesthetic surroundings which make them ideal locations to spend an afternoon. the university of toronto offers a beautiful botanical garden on its grounds, along with a main norman - styled building made of the finest white stone from ohio. on queen street, trinity college offers 20 acres of lush parkland that we are certain future generations will enjoy on days resplendent with sun. the normal school at st. james square is said to the largest building in america designed to train future educators. right wing of the provincial lunatic asylum, 1868. photo by william notman. mccord museum, item i - 34480. 1. a recently published guidebook, the canadian handbook and tourist ’ s guide, highlights one of the most enlightening experiences in which any visitor to toronto can partake, one that reinforces the frailty of human existence : the provincial lunatic asylum, at the western extremity of the city, is well worthy of a visit by the curious in such matters. it is kept in admirable order ; and though it is a painful sight at all times to be brought in contact with “ humanity so fallen, ” it is pleasing to see the degree of comfort many of the patients seem to enjoy. there is no difficulty in obtaining permission to view it. advertisement, the globe, june 12, 1867. were a carnival of “ fallen humanity ” not diversion enough, visitors in july will have the opportunity to enjoy one of america ’ s finest travelling circuses, operated by veteran showman l. b. lent. travellers arriving from the north have a new train station to disembark from in the vicinity of city hall and st. lawrence market. operated by the northern railway, this wonderful new facility on the esplanade west of jarvis street was recently described in one of the city ’ s finest newspapers, the globe, as being “ a much more ornamental and commodious structure than is generally imagined … it is in the italian style, with heavy bracketed cornice, circular - headed windows and doors, glazed with ornamental ground glass. ” no less a figure than john a. macdonald ( who we suspect will become leader of the new dominion next month ) was


is in the italian style, with heavy bracketed cornice, circular - headed windows and doors, glazed with ornamental ground glass. ” no less a figure than john a. macdonald ( who we suspect will become leader of the new dominion next month ) was on hand for the opening ceremony to praise the future possibilities of extending the line beyond barrie into grey county and other points north. king street east, south side looking west, 1856. city of toronto archives, fonds 1498, item 1. for the finest in dry goods and seasonal fashions, king street east of yonge offers high class shopping to rival that found in older cities. it is a district for the chattering class, as one writer has noted : the buildings on king street are greater and grander than their neighbours on yonge ; the shops are larger and dearer ; and last but not least king street is honoured by the daily presence of the aristocracy while yonge street is given over to the business man, the middle - class and the beggar. amid the upper classes there is a performance that goes on daily that is known among the habitues as ‘ doing king. ’ it consists principally of marching up and down a certain part of the street at a certain hour, performing, as it were, ko - tou [ sic ] to the goddess of fashion, and sacrificing to her sister divinity of society. at three o ’ clock in the afternoon the first stragglers appear on the scene, which extends perhaps a quarter of a mile. these consist primarily of young ladies, whose proper place should be at school, and young men attired in the height of fashion. by the time these ardent devotees have paraded a few times, the regular habitues make their appearance, and till six o ’ clock in the evening one side — for one side only is patronized — is crowded to excess. advertisement spotlighting the golden lion, 1872. city of toronto archives, fonds 1662, item 14. among the finest of king street ’ s merchants is the establishment of robert walker and sons, colloquially known as the “ golden lion ” due to the jungle lord that gazes down upon patrons entering the store. founded around 1836, the business has been in its present location for the past two decades. current renovations to the handsome cast - iron building will make it the largest retailer in canada west / ontario. when finished, the store will consist of a four - storey frontage along king street and a two - storey section stretching back to colborne street that will include


photograph by beverly bishop, submitted to my shot established december 2, 1980 " think of all the splendors that bespeak alaska, " conservationist john kauffmann has written. " glaciers, volcanoes, alpine spires, wild rivers, lakes with grayling on the rise. picture coasts feathered with countless seabirds. imagine dense forests and far - sweeping tundra, herds of caribou, great roving bears. now concentrate all these and more into less than one percent of the state — and behold the lake clark region, alaska ' s epitome. " diversity is lake clark ' s hallmark. the turquoise - telaquana plateau has tundra similar to alaska ' s north slope, while the coast has forests similar to the southeast panhandle. black bears and dall ' s sheep reach their southern limits here, and sitka spruce, alaska ' s state tree, reaches its northern limit. three rivers — the mulchatna, chilikadrotna, and tlikakila — have been officially designated part of the wild and scenic system. the chigmit mountains, spine of the park, are as rugged as mountains get. they lie on the edge of the north american plate where the oceanic plate slides under it, and their jumbled contours reflect centuries of geological violence. two volcanoes here, iliamna and redoubt, are still active and vent gases regularly. redoubt erupted in 1966, spewing clouds of ash 40, 000 feet into the air — and it erupted dramatically again in late 1989 and march 2009. the area averages one to two earthquakes per year that register at least a 5 on the richter scale. archaeological finds show that humans, most recently dena ' ina indians, have lived in the area for centuries. the abundant salmon and game made their settled existence possible. how to get there take a plane into the heart of the park, or travel by boat or plane to the coast. bush pilots in anchorage say, " lake clark is just out the back door " — a one - hour flight. from anchorage you can charter a plane to port alsworth, a small community on the southeast shore of lake clark. the flight through lake clark pass takes you over immense blue glaciers, winding rivers, and snowcapped mountains. planes also land on the coast for salmon fishing. another alternative is to take a scheduled flight from anchorage to iliamna, 30 miles outside the park, and an air taxi from there into the park. air


rivers, and snowcapped mountains. planes also land on the coast for salmon fishing. another alternative is to take a scheduled flight from anchorage to iliamna, 30 miles outside the park, and an air taxi from there into the park. air taxis fly in from homer and kenai, too. to reach the park by boat, you must travel down cook inlet from anchorage or across the inlet from the kenai peninsula. when to go summer. wildflowers are best in late june. autumn colors peak in early september at upper elevations, in mid - september lower down. june through august, daytime temperatures usually hover in the 50s and low 60s in the eastern part of the park and are somewhat higher in the western part and the interior. how to visit most visitors fly into the interior lake region of the park. air taxis can make drop - offs and pickups at prearranged places — depending on weather conditions. the smaller lakes offer excellent kayaking, and several rivers give kayakers and rafters great white - water experiences. hiking is good around the lakes and from lake to lake. fishing is usually first class. contact park headquarters in anchorage for information on approved guide services and lodges. remember to make your reservations early. if you don ' t plan to be completely selfsufficient, be sure to make thorough arrangements before going and plan for the possibility of delays due to weather changes. national parks photos denali ’ s paths all lead visitors through its majestic valleys toward the towering mount mckinley, the crown jewel of the park. on clear days, mckinley can be seen 70 miles to the southwest. shop national geographic


the platform was written for the new york socialist party in consultation with two other activist women. one, gretchen van dyck, is 23 years old and another is in her 70s. it began as a feminist platform and changed into a platform on the shared, dire needs of all americans. the conditions for the pursuit of happiness promised in our declaration of independence are fast disappearing for all of us. one condition for saving our dream is a movement to create the pursuit of happiness for all. changing personal life is the one place where americans seem hopeful. an achievable program for the pursuit of happiness follows. 1. universal, single - payer health care : we agree with the majority of humanity and most governments, that health care is a human right, not a privilege of the affluent. the us spends more than any other nation on inadequate, profit - driven health care. it ' s urgent that we convert to a practical, public model providing high - quality care for all. the advent of universal quality health care would remove a huge burden of anxiety and economic insecurity from american shoulders. 2. maternity and paternity leave : in the developed world, paid maternity and paternity leave is leave granted by both public sector and private workplaces for the birth of a child. in norway, for example, paternity leave is mandatory, to prevent employers from offering fathers a salary bonus as an incentive for them to forego their leave, the point being to encourage both mother - and father - child bonding. it is time for the united states to create the conditions for joy and ease in caring for children. 3. paid leave for family care : we favor the provision of paid leave for workers to care for a sick child or other relative. european paid family leave ranges from 18 months to three years. paid family leave relieves the terrible anxiety of having to choose between attending to emergency family needs or losing your job. 4. paid vacation time and paid personal time : by law in france, both public and private employers must grant their workers five weeks of paid vacation leave. paid personal time permits people to pursue the happiness of time together. 5. single - mother subsidies : forty percent of us children are born outside of marriage, and single mothers and their children are the poorest of all americans. basic human needs - food, housing, health and education - should be available for single - parent families. poverty impedes the pursuit of happiness. 6. recognition of emotional labor with appropriate compensation : the time is overdue for our society to acknowledge


. basic human needs - food, housing, health and education - should be available for single - parent families. poverty impedes the pursuit of happiness. 6. recognition of emotional labor with appropriate compensation : the time is overdue for our society to acknowledge the value and indispensability of emotional labor, which is the active expression of caring for another person ' s needs. traditionally, emotional labor has been " women ' s work. " as a result, it is hardly noticed, even less valued. in the 21st century, emotional labor professionals deserve recognition, respect and higher pay for the essential services they provide. 7. gender equality in workplaces and households : in the united states, mothers are disproportionately the targets of discrimination against women. our mothers currently earn 73 percent of what american males earn, whether or not the males are fathers. having a child in the united states is a predictor of poverty. in order to give parents and children energy and hope, public programs supportive of mothers are crucial. 8. democracy in the workplace : democratic principles should not disappear at the door to our jobs. adult workers are qualified and competent to participate in decisions on salary scales ; on the volume of production ; and on the percentage of profits to be paid out in wages, allocated to consultants, reinvested in the business etc. such workplace arrangements exist not only in foreign locations such as mondragon, spain, but also in the united states. dynamic work environments empower all workers. they engender self - respect, pride and agency as well as mutual respect among workers of different education levels and skill sets. 9. subsidized cleaning and laundry services for one parent or two - working - parent families : many new york condo buildings offer their affluent residents the option of housecleaning and laundry services. providing those subsidized services would lighten american women ' s load, free time for bonding with family members and provide employment for thousands. 10. free high - quality public education from day care through college : highly trained day care personnel for children from birth to four years should be subsidized for all families above the poverty line. for poor families, programs should be free, as they are in other nations. subsidized / free after - school and summer programs can be provided for families with children aged four and up. this would spare parents worry for their children ' s safety. all children could enjoy the care that only rich american children now enjoy. 11. reproductive education : in the


- school and summer programs can be provided for families with children aged four and up. this would spare parents worry for their children ' s safety. all children could enjoy the care that only rich american children now enjoy. 11. reproductive education : in the early grades, children could study plant reproduction ( as in sweden ) as the first components of a comprehensive reproduction curriculum that continues in an age - appropriate way up through the grades. pre - teens would learn about human anatomy, human reproduction and gender and sexual orientation differences. teens could learn about personal relationships, sexual responsibility and family planning / birth control. a comprehensive reproduction curriculum empowers young people to exercise control over their lives and also enjoy the future, unencumbered by unwanted pregnancy. 12. relationship education : free courses should be available, beginning in the teen years and throughout life, for people wishing to develop skills for relating constructively, responsibly and empathically to partners, children, friends, coworkers, and others. such courses help facilitate people ' s healthy connectivity to one another. in addition, relationship education should be extended into the community through quality counseling centers available free of charge to the poor and at low cost to others. family members could visit these centers to address problems, seek solutions, develop self - awareness and improve social skills. certainly, this would facilitate the pursuit of happiness. 13. addiction counseling : some addiction counseling programs already exist in our society ( although long waiting lists indicate many more are needed ). twelve - step programs are free and widely available. we suggest that all twelve - step programs join aca / dysfunctional families and allow attention to the covert role authoritarian - type families and profit - driven industries - like the highly advertised liquor and drug industries - play in encouraging addiction. these programs are available in nations poorer than ours. they are all achievable if we end outrageous military spending and tax the rich. this abbreviated version of a platform on the pursuit of happiness may reach americans where they still feel they can make a difference, and claim the unalienable american right to the pursuit of happiness. this platform is part of a much elaborated piece edited expertly by alana price. the full version is available at tikkun magazine.


every major american city has at least one holocaust museum or memorial. worldwide there are more than 250 holocaust museums and memorials, most of them in the us and europe. the largest is the us holocaust memorial museum in washington, dc, which is run by a taxpayer - funded federal government agency, and draws some two million visitors yearly. what ’ s behind the holocaust remembrance campaign? whose interests does it serve? the holocaust remembrance campaign encourages sympathy and support for jews and israel. it helps to justify america ' s massive and on - going support for israel, and to excuse otherwise inexcusable policies of the zionist state. norman finkelstein, a jewish scholar who teaches at depaul university in chicago, writes in his bestselling book, the holocaust industry, that “ invoking the holocaust ” is “ a ploy to delegitimize all criticism of jews. ” he adds : “ by conferring total blamelessness on jews, the holocaust dogma immunizes israel and american jewry from legitimate censure... organized american jewry has exploited the nazi holocaust to deflect criticism of israel ' s and its own morally indefensible policies. ” paula hyman, a professor of modern jewish history at yale university, has observed : “ with regard to israel, the holocaust may be used to forestall political criticism and suppress debate ; it reinforces the sense of jews as an eternally beleaguered people who can rely for their defense only upon themselves. the invocation of the suffering endured by the jews under the nazis often takes the place of rational argument, and is expected to convince doubters of the legitimacy of current israeli government policy. ”


| university of california, berkeley | | directory news site map home | | jepson eflora : taxon page key to families | table of families and genera indexes to all accepted names and synonyms : | a | b | c | d | e | f | g | h | i | j | k | l | m | n | o | p | q | r | s | t | u | v | w | x | y | z | annual, perennial herb, shrub ; often glandular ; root - parasites, roots modified into absorptive structures. stem : generally round in × - section. leaf : generally simple, generally alternate, reduced to ± fleshy scales in non - green plants lacking chlorophyll ; stipules generally 0. inflorescence : spike to panicle, generally bracted, or flowers 1 – 2 in axils. flower : bisexual ; calyx lobes 0 – 5 ; corolla generally strongly bilateral, generally 2 - lipped ( upper lip generally 2 - lobed, lower lip generally 3 - lobed ), abaxial lobes outside other lobes in bud ; stamens epipetalous, 4 in 2 pairs ( sometimes 1 pair sterile ), additional staminode 0 ( 1 ), anther sacs unequal ; ovary superior, chambers 1 – 2, placentas 2 – 4, parietal, style 1, stigma lobes 0 or 2. fruit : capsule, generally ± ovoid, loculicidal, valves 2 – 4. seed : many, small, angled ; surface smooth or netted. 99 genera, 2060 species : worldwide, especially n temperate and africa. [ bennett & matthews 2006 amer j bot 93 : 1039 – 1051 ] high yield losses in many crops caused by orobanche species in africa, medit, middle east, and e europe. — scientific editors : robert patterson, bruce g. baldwin. key to orobanchaceae annual, gray - or yellow - green, often becoming red - purple, generally much - branched ; roots ± yellow. key to cordylanthus leaf : sessile, entire, thread - like to lanceolate or palmately 3 – 7 - lobed, segments narrow. inflorescence : short dense spike ( subtended by bracts ), < 2 ( 5 ) cm or flowers 1 ( each subtended by outer bract ) ; outer bracts ± leaf - like ; inner bract


segments narrow. inflorescence : short dense spike ( subtended by bracts ), < 2 ( 5 ) cm or flowers 1 ( each subtended by outer bract ) ; outer bracts ± leaf - like ; inner bract calyx - like ( formerly confused with calyx ), 0 – 7 - lobed. flower : calyx sheath - like, generally divided to base abaxially, partially surrounding corolla tube laterally, tip entire or shallowly notched ; corolla club - shaped, tubular proximally, expanded laterally ; upper corolla lip folded lengthwise, tip rounded, closed, opening directed downwards forming a hood enclosing anthers, style ; lower corolla lip < = upper lip, obscurely 3 - lobed, middle lobe tightly rolled under, tip distinctly folded inside - out ; fertile stamens ( 2 ) 4, anther sacs generally 2 per stamen, densely hairy at both ends and ciliate along line of dehiscence, unequal in size and placement ; style bent near tip, stigma barely exserted. seed : attached at side ; seed coat tight - fitting, netted or irregularly striate. 13 species : w north america. ( greek : club - shaped flower ) [ tank et al. 2009 syst bot 34 : 182 – 197 ] close to orthocarpus, distinguished by inflorescence, calyx, stamens ; generally flowers jul – sep. other taxa in tjm ( 1993 ) moved to chloropyron, dicranostegia. unabridged references : [ chuang & heckard 1986 syst bot monogr 10 : 1 – 105 ; tank & olmstead 2008 amer j bot 95 : 608 – 625 ] plant 20 – 120 cm, ( gray - ) green, generally tinged purple, densely puberulent ( partly glandular ) and long - soft - hairy. leaf : 10 – 40 mm, linear to lanceolate. inflorescence : flowers 1 – 3 in loose clusters ; outer bracts 1 – 4, 15 – 20 mm, linear, entire or 3 - lobed in distal 2 / 3, tips > 1. 5 mm wide, angled to slightly 3 - lobed, often ivory - thickened ; inner bract 15 – 22 mm, tip abruptly pointed to notched. flower : calyx 15 – 20 mm ; corolla 15 – 20 mm, ± white, yellow - green


slightly 3 - lobed, often ivory - thickened ; inner bract 15 – 22 mm, tip abruptly pointed to notched. flower : calyx 15 – 20 mm ; corolla 15 – 20 mm, ± white, yellow - green - tipped, pouch 5 – 8 mm wide, ± lightly marked maroon. seed : 1. 5 – 2. 5 mm, ± ovoid, finely wavy - striate, dark brown. 2n = 28. variable ; close to cordylanthus tenuis. [ online interchange ] inflorescence : outer bracts ± linear, 3 - lobed in distal 1 / 3, lobes < 3 mm, tips ± truncate. flower : corolla > = calyx and inner bract. open foothill woodland ; < 1000 m. s klamath ranges, s cascade range, n & c sierra nevada foothills. previous taxon : cordylanthus pilosus next taxon : cordylanthus pilosus subsp. pilosus citation for the whole project : jepson flora project ( eds. ) [ year ] jepson eflora, http : / / ucjeps. berkeley. edu / ijm. html [ accessed on month, day, year ] citation for an individual treatment : [ author of taxon treatment ] [ year ]. [ taxon name ] in jepson flora project ( eds. ) jepson eflora, [ url for treatment ]. accessed on [ month, day, year ]. copyright © 2012 regents of the university of california we encourage links to these pages, but the content may not be downloaded for reposting, repackaging, redistributing, or sale in any form, without written permission from the jepson herbarium. | bioregions in which taxon occurs | | markers link to cch specimen records. if the markers are obscured, reload the page [ or change window size and reload ]. yellow markers indicate records that may provide evidence for eflora range revision or may have georeferencing or identification issues. | chart based on elevation range in manual and elevations and coordinates of cch records. data provided by the participants of the consortium of california herbaria. note : about half of the cch records include both elevation and coordinates. | data provided by the participants of the consortium of california herbaria. view all cch records cch collections by month


the human heart : vulnerable when hit or physically shocked by dorothy b. reitman, uechi - ryu karate the lay public and newcomers to the martial arts tend to consider the most serious injuries that a person may inflict upon another to be percussive injuries such as the breaking of bones or head injuries. however, strikes that may not even cause bruising could possibly lead to serious injury or even death. [ stephen drehobl ] the karate style, “ uechi ryu karate - do ” contains such a movement that contemporary practitioners still struggle to understand. the strike is called boshuken morote zuki in japanese, which simply means, “ thumb - knuckle strike with both hands ”. the description of the boshuken morote zuki strike modern arnis philippine martial art “ stick fighting ” remy amador presas the black circles in the above drawing are the strike zones. we will refer to the person performing the strike as “ a ” and the person struck as “ b ”. “ a ” drives both hands straightforward in nearly simultaneous bilateral palm heel / thumb knuckle strikes. in kata, the movements are as follows : “ a ” ‘ s right hand, starting at the ilium, strikes “ b ” on the left ilium ; “ a ” ‘ s left hand, starting at the pectoralis muscle strikes the right pectoralis muscle of “ b ”. in other words, “ a ” strikes targets on “ b ” correspond to his / her own kata starting points. it is important to note that the strike when delivered in a real fight would probably not begin from the origin points in kata. the hands would simply srike from where ever they happened to be at the moment. the kata provides the key to unlocking the mystery of one possible application of this movement by cryptically informing the practitioner where the strike is to be placed on the opponent. the power for this strike is not confined to movement of the arms. it comes initially from the ground / feet, progressing to the knees, hips, waist, and subsequently up the spine and out to the arms to the thumbs.. can the shock of the boshuken morote zuki directly affect the heart ’ s rhythm? in order to understand the implications of the boshuken morote zuki, we will examine the anatomy and physiology of the heart beat cycle. the sa node ( sinoatrial node ) lies in the right atrium beneath the opening of the superior vena cava. see figure 18 - 2a.


sports nutrition is a “ hot ” topic these days and one that deserves a lot of attention from athletes, coaches and parents. food provides the body with the fuel it needs to perform at its best, so what and when an athlete eats is an important consideration. unfortunately, athletes of all ages have their own individual preferences and it can be difficult to find food items that will appeal to a mass audience. however, there are several suggestions that can help with pre - game and halftime meals. the number one rule is eat! i know it sounds simple, but the body needs fuel in order to perform. your players should eat a good meal the night before a contest. depending on game time the following day, they may also need to eat several small meals spaced out over 3 - 4 hour intervals to ensure their bodies have adequate energy. what to eat largely depends on a person ’ s likes and dislikes. in general, carbohydrate - rich foods like pasta, breads, rice, potatoes, fruits and vegetables should constitute the bulk of the pre - game meal. protein - rich foods like meat, poultry, fish, beans, eggs and dairy should also be featured, but to a lesser extent that the carbohydrate - rich items. choosing foods low in fat is always a good idea. staying hydrated is also essential before practices or competitions. maintaining optimal hydration is an around - the - clock job and should be a priority for every athlete. encourage your players to drink often throughout the day, even if they don ’ t feel thirsty or aren ’ t playing football. water and sports drinks are good choices. please encourage your players to avoid sodas and juices due to the high sugar content. maintaining hydration is also important during the game and your players should be encouraged to drink whenever they get the chance. ask parents to provide a sports drink during halftime. these beverages taste good which may lead your players to drink more and they contain electrolytes which can help prevent cramping. snacks like bagels, fruit, granola or cereal bars are all good halftime choices. you may also find that some players are very picky about their snack or drink choices. encourage parents to bring a couple of options if possible. the evaluation of any athlete, whether as a part of health evaluations prior to activity or as a diagnosis of an injury as the consequence of sports activities, is specific to that individual and the history and current state of the individual presented. advice, diagnosis and treatment is individualized according to numerous factors


feline heartworm disease is more common than previously believed, often fatal and completely preventable. it is now estimated that 26 % of cats may be infected with heartworm disease. this is very significant especially when compared to 5 % who are felv positive and 6 % who have fiv. cats get heartworm ( hw ) disease at a rate of about 15 % of that of dogs wherever hw is prevalent. currently 59 % of american households regularly administer hw preventative to dogs but only 5 % to cats. mechanism of feline hw disease the feline hw life cycle begins when a microfilaria infected mosquito bites the host injecting stage 3 ( l3 ) larvae into the skin. within a few days the larvae develop into l4 which set up housekeeping over the next 2 - 3 months in the sq connective tissue of the abdomen or thorax. the 5th stage, l5 larvae migrate to the pulmonary circulation where damage begins. initially the larvae are attacked by pulmonary intravascular macrophages ( pims ) in a phagocytic process that results in significant bronchopulmonary inflammation. some larvae will be killed in this process inducing further inflammatory response. acute lung pathology and even death can occur at this stage. cats with acute heartworm associated pulmonary signs are often misdiagnosed as asthmatic or allergic. parasiticides like selemectin ( revolution®, pfizer animal health ) prevent the development of larvae to stage 5. after this initial phase some cats will appear to " self cure ". that is, their symptoms abate and immune response is suppressed allowing cats to tolerate their hw infection. however in the second phase which can occur up to 2 years later when the heartworms begin to die devastating pulmonary injury can occur. at the second phase pulmonary thromboembolism and sudden death are not uncommon. cats that die suddenly may appear clinically normal up to 1 hour before death. postmortem examination has revealed as few as two worms in cats that have died suddenly. why we have missed it there are a number of reasons cat heartworm disease has eluded the veterinary community and the public. we know that hw disease in dogs is caused by adult heartworms. cats are resistant but susceptible hosts for adult heartworms. feline immune systems are frequently able to kill and remove heartworm larvae before they reach adulthood therefore it seemed unlikely that cats would develop symptoms of disease. only recently has it been unquestionably


are resistant but susceptible hosts for adult heartworms. feline immune systems are frequently able to kill and remove heartworm larvae before they reach adulthood therefore it seemed unlikely that cats would develop symptoms of disease. only recently has it been unquestionably proven that the major cause of hw disease in cats occurs from the larval stage. furthermore feline hw disease significantly affects the pulmonary rather than the cardiac heartworm disease has been considered regional ; thought to occur only in limited areas in the united states. recently and especially after the redistribution of hw positive dogs following hurricane katrina, hw disease has been seen in 49 states with alaska as the only exception. five myths persist that continue to inhibit our ability to convince veterinarians, technicians and pet owners that feline heartworm exists at all or that it is as prevalent as we now realize. myth # 1 heartworm is a disease of dogs only heartworm disease is transmitted by a mosquito that has bitten a hw positive dog. while cats are not direct hosts for hw disease, they need only to be bitten to contract hw disease. many types of mosquitoes feed happily on both dogs and cats. in any area where hw preventative is thought appropriate for dogs it is equally if not more appropriate for cats as hw disease in cats is potentially more serious than in dogs. myth # 2 heartworm can not affect indoor only cats heartworm is carried by mosquitoes. culex pipiens, or northern house mosquito is the most common species of mosquito found in urban areas. culex mosquitoes are painful and persistent biters which prefer to attack at dusk and after dark, and readily enter dwellings for blood meals. they prefer to feed on domestic animals over man. the culex is considered a weak flyer but still easily covers 2 miles ( some mosquitoes can fly 20 miles ). since mosquitoes do get indoors quite frequently indoor cats are at risk as well as outdoor cats. a recent study in north carolina showed that 28 % of cats diagnosed with hw were described by owners as indoor only.


vintage commercial – oldsmobile. see their hot new cars & airplanes back then. very nostalgic. this clip is in the public domain … click play to watch. mid 1960 ′ s commercial, from palona pizza. very cool video. you can truly see the difference between, the pizzas now, and the way they where made then. please click play to watch this film documents the youth for service project in san francisco during the 50s ; a project that recruited youth gangs to do various community service projects, usually involving construction, maintenance, or environmental work. the project itself looks quite successful in channeling the gangs into constructive activity ; one wonders if it is still going on today and if not, why not. but beyond that, this film is a wonderful document of 50s gang life and teen culture. gang members narrate certain parts of the film themselves, using almost unintelligible gang lingo. history of the black panthers. in 1966, two young black men, huey newton and bobby seale, met at the campus of merritt college in oakland, california. finding that they shared each other ’ s frustration with the police brutality, poverty, and repression that blacks suffered in the oakland community, they founded an organization in an effort to fight back. they called their new organization the black panther party for self defense. it differed from other black rights groups of the time, which were almost all non - violent, in that it advocated armed defense and self - reliance for the liberation of american blacks. newton and seale believed that the non - violent traditions of leaders such as martin luther king jr. concentrated wrongly on the integration of whites and blacks. this integration, they believed, hinged on proving to whites that blacks were good enough, intelligent enough, even human enough to “ deserve ” equality. rejecting this notion, seale and newton countered that blacks should instead focus on correcting the discrepancy in power, political and financial, that existed between whites and blacks. to that end, bobby seale, along with a small group of fully - armed followers, marched on the california state legislature in may of 1967 in order to protest a gun control bill that would have limited blacks ’ ability to arm themselves against police and government brutality. this audacious act, along with the arrest in october of huey newton for the alleged murder of a policeman, propelled the party to the national stage. the party renamed itself the black panther party and new branches began forming all across the country. soon, the panthers had their own newspaper,


the arrest in october of huey newton for the alleged murder of a policeman, propelled the party to the national stage. the party renamed itself the black panther party and new branches began forming all across the country. soon, the panthers had their own newspaper, edited by eldridge cleaver, the party ’ s minister of information. in it, and in other forms of the establishment media apparatus including television, the panthers perfected what would become a very powerful propaganda machine. this machine spread the party ’ s socialist and nationalist messages to very great effect, so much so, that despite the party ’ s demise nearly three decades ago, the clenched fist continues on as a powerful symbol today. the socialist tendencies of the party were very important to the creation of its ten - point program, a list of what were basically demands from the government. the program calls for, among other things, an end to the vietnam war, free health care, housing, full employment, and the payment of reparations promised after the civil war. this extremely ambitious list of demands represented all the things that the party believed black people deserved from the government, but seemed almost to call more for the dissolution of the government, since the demands are probably more than what any government, short of a socialist one, could achieve. since the u. s. government wasn ’ t interested in providing for any of the panther ’ s demands, they, in the spirit of self - reliance, decided to provide the black community with some of the programs themselves. the so - called “ survival programs ” of the black panthers were grassroots efforts to effect the real life problems of poor blacks and included ground breaking programs such as free breakfast for inner - city children, free clothing drives, healthcare clinics, tenants ’ rent strikes, and campaigns for community control of schools, police, and gun and drug violence. they also formed the liberation school for grade - schoolers and the first ever hospital program to address sickle cell anemia, a disease that affects black children disproportionately. / p > the socialism of the party, along with its agenda of armed self - defense, caused j. edgar hoover to dub it “ the greatest threat to the internal security of america. ” he launched a counter intelligence program, called cointel pro, in order to destroy the panthers using many different means. these included sowing internal dissent within the party through covert operatives, forging documents, murdering members in raids on party offices and residences, and imprisoning the leadership of the party, including huey and seal


to destroy the panthers using many different means. these included sowing internal dissent within the party through covert operatives, forging documents, murdering members in raids on party offices and residences, and imprisoning the leadership of the party, including huey and seale. the fbi even pitted the black panthers, through spies and forged letters, against other black nationalist groups, such as us ( united slaves ) and a black gang called the blackstone rangers. these groups, though they had similar problems and goals, would end up killing each other in violent confrontations, in effect killing two birds with one stone for cointel pro. this internal and external fighting during the late 1960s and early 1970s, along with the later focus on installing members of the party in oakland political office, led to the gradual decline and death of the party by 1980. the legacy of the party lives on mostly in the effect it has had on social programs. shamed by the success of the free breakfast programs, the u. s. government took over control of these programs and expanded programs that work for the benefit of poor urban children. the government even began funding research on sickle cell anemia. though the ten - point program ’ s demands were never met, the black panthers helped spur the government on to a more comprehensive treatment of the ill effects of poverty and showed just how powerful small revolutionary groups could be in the u. s. those interested in watching footage about the history of the black panthers can visit online educational videos publishers. beth schelle is an educational video consultant for the historical film company quality information publishers, who maintain a library of historic film and video collections at http : / / www. qualityinformationpublishers. com. she ’ s cuurently sifting through their civil rights movement collection of film footage. oscar winners denzel washington and russell crowe co - star in a crime drama directed by ridley scott and based on the true story of the man who ran the illegal drug trade in new york ’ s harlem 40 years ago. alan silverman has a look at american gangster. frank lucas was ‘ somebody ’ in the shady underworld of new york in the 1960 ′ s. a protege of ‘ bumpy ’ johnson, the local crime boss who ran the streets of harlem for decades, lucas took over when his mentor died. lucas smuggled heroin in the coffins of dead american soldiers returning to the united states from vietnam. uneducated – except for what he learned on the streets – lucas used his innate business sense to build a criminal empire that


when his mentor died. lucas smuggled heroin in the coffins of dead american soldiers returning to the united states from vietnam. uneducated – except for what he learned on the streets – lucas used his innate business sense to build a criminal empire that was rivaled only by the italian mafia. he was brought down by dogged investigator richie roberts, a new jersey police detective - turned - prosecutor who headed a special narcotics task force. when he was finally arrested and convicted, the crime boss formed a remarkable alliance with the prosecutor ; and in return for a shortened sentence, lucas helped bring down the network of bribed officials and high level drug dealers. american gangster stars denzel washington in the title role and he spent time with the real frank lucas to understand the character and his world. washington describes lucas as ‘ charming ; ’ but says he tried to give an accurate portrayal of the man who, by his own admission, is a murderer. “ if you hang around long enough you ’ ll get the real story, ” washington says. “ i worked with ( journalist ) bob woodward doing research for the pelican brief and he used to say ‘ let the silence bring out the truth. ’ so you hang around and listen to frank, let him brag … ’ i was this, i was that ’ … but you just keep hanging around and some days, after 11 hours, somebody is tired and another side comes out. you see how a person treats his nephew or somebody who works for him and you go ‘ oh, okay. ’ you see a look in his eyes and you go ‘ oh, all right. quite a few people who aren ’ t here any longer saw that look. ’ so you get below the surface. ” russell crowe plays richie roberts and, like the real investigator and prosecutor, crowe admits to a grudging respect for the convicted drug baron. “ you educate frank lucas in a different way and you probably end up in a situation where you ’ d name universities after this guy. he was smart. he was a good businessman. he took the attitude of a regular product into the dark, murky depths of the heroin business ; but he operated it like it was a macdonald ’ s, ” explains crowe. “ he sold a higher quality product cheaper. he put it out on the streets at the right time, timed for when welfare payments were made and all that sort of stuff … he was a clever businessman. ” but does making his story into a major motion picture celebrate that death - dealing lifestyle? screenwriter steven za


out on the streets at the right time, timed for when welfare payments were made and all that sort of stuff … he was a clever businessman. ” but does making his story into a major motion picture celebrate that death - dealing lifestyle? screenwriter steven zaillian insists that his script was not meant to lionize lucas or makes his world look attractive. “ i didn ’ t worry about that, ” he says. “ i think that when i write a script i approach it from dealing with the events and the behaviors of the characters and what they did, tell the story in as straight a fashion as i can and let people come to their own conclusions. i certainly didn ’ t go out of my way to make him sympathetic. you see him kill three or four guys in cold blood. you see people dead from his product, so that was never a problem for me. ” director ridley scott says the real frank lucas spent considerable time on the film set as a ‘ technical advisor ; ’ and the filmmaker says he recognized something familiar in the now - retired gangster. “ these guys are all performers and my life is with performers, so in a funny kind of way, with frank it is like talking with an actor, ” says scott. “ it ’ s as if he didn ’ t do it. that makes him a true sociopath. there is lots of memory, but there is no association with anything emotional. ” american gangster features british actor chewitel ejiofor as lucas ’ s younger brother and right - hand henchman. screen and stage legend ruby dee plays their aged, but strong - willed mother. josh brolin plays a corrupt police detective ; and the cast also includes contemporary music stars rza and common. by alan silverman one of the founding fathers of rock and roll, ike turner, died wednesday december 12 at his home near san diego, california. he was 76. the cause of death was unknown. while an architect of the modern rock sound, he was also notorious for his abusive relationship with his wife, tina. mention ike ’ s name, and most music fans will likely peg him as the drug - addicted, abusive husband of superstar singer tina turner. laurence fishburne earned a best actor academy award nomination for his portrayal of ike in the hit 1994 film, what ’ s love got to do with it. while ike disputed those claims, they have overshadowed his real contributions to the birth and development of rock and roll. born in clarksdale, mississippi, ike turner was eight years old when he began doing odd


what ’ s love got to do with it. while ike disputed those claims, they have overshadowed his real contributions to the birth and development of rock and roll. born in clarksdale, mississippi, ike turner was eight years old when he began doing odd jobs at a local radio station. he carried amplifiers for blues guitarist robert nighthawk while learning boogie - woogie piano from his idol, pinetop perkins. in the late 1940s, ike formed his own group, the kings of rhythm. in 1951, he recorded “ rocket 88, ” which some critics call the first true rock and roll record. while working with the kings of rhythm in the st. louis area, ike turner also became a session musician and talent scout for sun records. he helped such later stars as howlin ’ wolf, sonny boy williamson and otis rush sign contracts. in the late - 1950s, ike hired a young singer from tennessee named anna mae bullock. changing her name to tina, after the popular action heroine “ sheena, queen of the jungle, ” ike featured her in his popular soul review. after enjoying a hit single in 1960 with “ a fool in love, ” the pair wed in mexico, and embarked upon a stormy 16 - year union. throughout the 1960s and early - 70s, ike and tina were one of the most exciting and influential acts in rock. they toured with the rolling stones, and in 1971 performed in africa. shadowing their success, however, was ike ’ s treatment of tina. acting as the group ’ s manager and musical director, he allegedly treated his wife in a ruthless manner. in her 1986 autobiography i, tina, she wrote that he regularly isolated and abused her, often in the form of vicious beatings. by the mid - 1970s, ike turner was in the grip of a cocaine habit. in july, 1976, tina fled ike, reportedly carrying only 36 cents. she declined to comment on his death. in 1989, ike went to prison on drug charges, and was still behind bars when he and tina were inducted into the rock and roll hall of fame in 1991. he reportedly maintained sobriety after leaving prison in 1993, and in 2001 published an autobiography, takin ’ back my name. in it, he admitted to physically abusing tina, but denied beating her. he also continued to perform with the kings of rhythm, and in 2007 won a grammy award for best traditional blues album. you can buy some of, both ike & tuna ’ s songs ; by clicking here for my 99c music store. select ike & tina


continued to perform with the kings of rhythm, and in 2007 won a grammy award for best traditional blues album. you can buy some of, both ike & tuna ’ s songs ; by clicking here for my 99c music store. select ike & tina. by : ray mcdonald vintagenewscast has obtained permission, to republish this article. in my day, barry white was called a maestro of love. with just a mere sound of his voice, he drove almost every woman around the world nuts. according to bbc news, from his first international hit, love ’ s theme, in 1973, white expounded on only one topic. songs, such as his theme tune, you ’ re the first, my last, my everything, typically dealt with what he termed “ the only subject on planet earth – lurve between fellow human beings ”. white had not always conducted himself in such a loving way, and the theme of his songs was a long way from his own background los angeles ’ south park neighbuorhood, although he was born in galveston, texas, on 12 september 1944. his brother darryl was murdered in a clash with a rival gang, and white himself was jailed – at the age of 17 – for stealing $ 30, 000 worth of cadillac tyres. read more on this story, from bbc news. if you would like to purchase some of barry ’ s 0. 99c oldies, click here, to be taken to my 99c music store. albinia jones, was a wonderful and, talented female blues singer, of the 1940 ′ s era. i had a very difficult time trying to find research material on this artist. very little is written about her ; she is almost forgotten about. this woman had a voice like no other. when she sings, she means what she sings. it ’ s almost as the she is talking to you directly, when you hear her music. she has performed a few songs with the great dizzy gillespie. she was a featured performer on an album called “ evil gal blues ”. which i can ’ t seem to find either. i guess it is out of print most likely. you can download her song called, “ give it up daddy ”, free click here – albinia jones – mp3 may tammy ’ s soul finally rest in peace. i remember all of the horrible comments, that people used to say about tammy. whether or not you loved tammy faye, hated her, or just thought she was 12 cans short of a 3 pack. one thing ms


s soul finally rest in peace. i remember all of the horrible comments, that people used to say about tammy. whether or not you loved tammy faye, hated her, or just thought she was 12 cans short of a 3 pack. one thing ms. tammy faye baker has shown consistently, was unconditional love for all. be it black, green, blue, gay, straight, or confused ; tammy demonstrated tirelessly, what true respect & compassion is all about. despite all of the scandals, embarrassments and heartbreak with her x - marriages ; her huge heart and spirit would not break. i think there was so much about ms baker that we did not understand, but i really think that, when it comes to love and respect, many so called “ christians ” could have really learned from her. yes, i do think she is a role model in many ways. if you truly listen to a lot of the things she ’ s said in the past, you ’ ll find there was a huge amount of wisdom she shared. we were just too busy commenting about her make - up, hair, and everything else. but although a woman, she had enough balls, to do the only thing she could do, and that was to be herself. brando, was born april 3, 1924, and died july 1 2004. movies include, “ a streetcar named desire ”, and “ on the water front ”. however, i think the world today, best known him, in his outstanding role as vito corleone, in the movie “ the godfather ( widescreen edition ) “. even today, i don ’ t think that anybody can come close, to the brilliant acting he ’ s displayed in that role. in his personal life, mr. brando was a huge activist for civil rights. he was also named, “ the greatest male star of all time ” by the american film institute. dorothy dandridge, is practically forgotten about today. she was one of the most talented, black actresses / singer of her time. halley berry, has done an outstanding job, in portraying her life story. she looked so much like her, it was really scary. dandridge began singing in her church ’ s choir. with the prodding of her mother, a stage and screen actress, she and her sister began to perform as “ the wonder children ” when dandridge was only age four. the “ wonder children ” toured in the south for five years. after the depression, ruby jean butler dandridge, vivian dandridge, dorothy


archive for pinaglabanan author ’ s note : this article uses virtual reality technology to provide an immersive experience. click the images to view the 360 - degree vrs. adobe flash 10 or higher is required. average vr size is 2. 2mb each. june 19, 2011 marks the 150th birth anniversary of our national hero dr. jose rizal. as the nation joined hands in the celebration of rizal ’ s works, achievements, and sacrifice ; and in tribute to other heroes who laid down their lives for the country, we take you in a virtual journey to re - discover the places and sites that are of importance to them – the national shrines. these were shot and produced with the assistance of national historical commission of the philippines ( nhcp ), formerly national historical institute ( nhi ) in a span of about 6 months – from the ancestral home of juan luna in badoc, ilocos in the north, to rizal ’ s place of exile in dapitan city, zamboanga in the south. it is the hope of the commission as well as the producers, that these sites be made accessible virtually to everyone, especially so to the youth and students of far flung provinces and those that just cannot physically visit the shrines and learn about its historical significance. furthermore, by capturing the shrines in 360 - degrees virtual reality, it also served as a means of documentation and conservation for future generations. enjoy the virtual tour! vrs taken on january – june 2009. the author can be reached at : email @ example. com


december 1st is military abolition day i ' ve been fond of december 1st ever since i was born on it. i later found out that it had been on a december 1st that rosa parks had sat down and refused to stand up or move to the back of that racist bus in montgomery. later still i found out about a december 1st that had happened still earlier. it was on december 1, 1948, that president jose figueres ferrer of costa rica abolished the military of costa rica. he didn ' t " cut " its projected dream budget by a teeny fraction that sounded bigger if multiplied by 10 and announced as a reduction " over 10 years. " he didn ' t cut it in the ordinary sense of actually cutting it. he abolished it. costa rica put its military in a museum and a museum in its military headquarters. it turned its military bases into schools. it turned its military budget into a fund for useful projects. in 1986, president oscar arias sanchez declared december 1st the dia de la abolicion del ejercito ( military abolition day ). without a military, costa rica has not been a perfect paradise on earth, but it has avoided invading or being invaded by other countries. it has avoided military coups and civil wars and cia interventions ( although a coup in honduras in 2009 involved flying the president to costa rica ). costa rica is not rich, but its people have a higher life expectancy than we do in the united states. costa rica provides a social safety net and of course provides everyone healthcare, spending less per capita than we do but providing superior healthcare than is provided by the wealthy united states. costa rica is ranked by the happy planet index as the # 1 best place to live for happiness. the united states comes in at # 150 out of 178. u. s. elections have 50 % turnout and somewhere around 98 % disgust. costa rican elections have 90 % turnout and enthusiastic participation. and costa rica ' s way of life is far more sustainable than ours, one of the most sustainable in the world. it ' s not a coincidence that our super wealthy country spends as much as all other nations combined on war preparations and ranks pitifully low in measures of health, education, environmentalism, happiness, and well - being. we imagine that without a big military other nations would attack ours. but why would they? simply because ours frequently attacks others? that ' s a projection, not an observation. we imagine that without the largest military ever seen, we couldn ' t attack other nations for their own good and


other nations would attack ours. but why would they? simply because ours frequently attacks others? that ' s a projection, not an observation. we imagine that without the largest military ever seen, we couldn ' t attack other nations for their own good and the good of the world. but the tradeoff we ' ve chosen is not one of sacrificing for the world ' s safety. if the united states didn ' t spend $ 1 trillion every year on war preparation and war, it could spend that money on its own people and the world ' s. we could have turned afghanistan into costa rica over the past decade. we could have built schools and hospitals and green infrastructure. does anyone seriously imagine that the people of afghanistan or pakistan or yemen would hate the u. s. government more if it bought them a better life rather than raining its hated missiles from the sky? libertarians in the united states may not want to help the world, or even our own country, but they at least want to stop investing in killing. liberals, on the other hand, want to keep the war preparations money flowing while taxing millionaires to help pay for it. every " progressive " group in the united states right now is demanding that we protect what ' s left of our safety net, tax millionaires and billionaires, and ( through careful silence ) leave military spending right where it is or where it ' s headed. costa rica has made progress beyond the imagining of our progressives, and it hasn ' t done so through progressive taxation. costa rica has chosen not to make large - scale murder its primary public purpose, or any purpose at all. in the united states, peace groups sometimes mark the international day of peace. but virtually everyone ignores military abolition day. it ' s time we changed that. david swanson ' s books include " war is a lie. " he blogs at http : / / davidswanson. org and http : / / warisacrime. org and works as campaign coordinator for the online activist organization http : / / rootsaction. org. he hosts talk nation radio. follow him on twitter : @ davidcnswanson and facebook.


opportunities to improve the usgs nawqa program - a summary in 1999, the u. s. geological survey ( usgs ) / national water quality assessment ( nawqa ) program asked the national academy of science - national research council ' s ( nrc ) water science and technology board to convene a committee of experts to provide guidance on the continued development of nawqa. this was the fifth time the nrc has provided such assistance since the conception of nawqa in 1985. the committee ' s task was " to provide guidance to the u. s. geological survey on opportunities to improve the nawqa program. " the statement of task also requested an assessment of general accomplishments and identified four specific technical areas for review. this review came as nawqa was completing cycle i, its first decade of nationwide monitoring, and refining plans for its second decade - cycle ii. the nrc committee assessed the past accomplishments as background for a focused review of the evolving cycle ii plans, to provide recommendations on " opportunities to improve nawqa. " the findings are presented in the 2001 nrc report, opportunities to improve the u. s. geological survey national water quality assessment program. most of the report focuses on technical analysis and recommendations, but also discusses various programmatic issues as needed. some recommendations go beyond nawqa ' s responsibilities and / or capabilities, and these should be addressed to the broader programs of the usgs. the following information summarizes a few major conclusions and recommendations from the report. from its earliest concept, to the current plans for the future, three goals drive nawqa ' s design and development - status, trends, and understanding. cycle i focused on determining the status of water quality in the united states. cycle ii must now move beyond status to the assessment of water - quality trends and further our understanding of the " why " and " how " behind water quality. all three goals are central to the charge that congress and policy makers have placed on nawqa since its pilot - scale origins in the 1980s. however, trends and understanding are the crux of the questions originally posed by congress - " is the quality of water across the nation getting better or worse? and why? " in the last decade, nawqa has evolved from a sound concept to a mature program of exemplary quality and importance. nawqa has led the way, to begin the critical, sound scientific assessment of the quality of the nation ' s waters. with its initial success, nawqa now carries with it


sound concept to a mature program of exemplary quality and importance. nawqa has led the way, to begin the critical, sound scientific assessment of the quality of the nation ' s waters. with its initial success, nawqa now carries with it high expectations from many other federal, state, and local agencies, as well as policy makers and legislators. in the committee ' s view the design and management of nawqa and its past, present, and future success, is intertwined with resolving an ongoing struggle for program balance. some examples. nawqa must continue to work to find the appropriate balance of resources among its three primary goals of status, trends, and understanding as it enters cycle ii. the committee fully expects that nawqa will continue to exhibit foresight, taking a lead in studying emerging water - quality issues, yet avoid expending unwarranted resources on a " contaminant of the day " approach. as discussed below, while nawqa must strive to be responsive to water - quality policy and regulatory needs, it cannot be driven by, nor controlled by these needs - epitomizing the struggle of doing " good science " in the public policy arena. nawqa is providing important information to the non - scientific community, for resource management, as well as policy development and assessment, yet it must first and foremost stay true to its scientific design if it is to meet its goals. the committee hopes it has reflected this need for balance in its findings national scope - representativeness of nawqa national coverage and representativeness are issues fundamental to the success of nawqa. the committee was very concerned with how representative of the nation ' s waters nawqa would be with the ongoing reduction in study units ( sus ). will this reduction prohibit nawqa ' s ability to make inferences about " national " water quality? cycle i was planned for 59 sus, but 8 were not initiated because of budget constraints. continuing budget constraints have dictated that the number of sus in cycle ii be reduced to 42 ( plus the high plains ground water study ). despite the significant reduction in cycle ii, the committee concluded that nawqa will still maintain good coverage of the nation ' s stream and ground water resources, largely because of the commendable, rigorous planning effort it employed. however, representativeness issues should continue to be explored and documented in cycle ii. while the committee concluded that nawqa has done an exemplary job of downsizing to 42 planned sus for cycle ii,


, state, and local agencies that seek to participate in the program or utilize its data and information. thus, nawqa must maintain its careful balancing act to uphold its design principles that draw other agencies to nawqa, while finding ways to collaborate that improve nawqa. perhaps more such collaboration should strive to improve and strengthen other water - related programs to enhance the total knowledge of the nation ' s water resources. other agencies that want to utilize nawqa or coordinate programs with nawqa also have a responsibility to fully collaborate with the program ( i. e., to " give, " not just " take " ). as large as nawqa is, its program resources are too constrained to fully meet its national goals or to provide the information that congress and other agencies desire the total maximum daily loads ( tmdls ) assessment is an area where some users, such as state cooperators, have suggested that nawqa should alter designs and do more. this would, in many areas, compromise nawqa ' s design. usgs scientists ( i. e., other than nawqa ) should support opportunities to use nawqa analyses, sampling protocols, the sparrow model, and other tools with their state cooperators for the development of tmdls. tmdls, however, are the states ' responsibility. nawqa cannot and should not prepare tmdls for states. nawqa resources and scientists should not be diverted to working on tmdls beyond the data and technical assistance that they can provide to the states. national synthesis priority issues the committee strongly supports the established national synthesis topics - pesticides, nutrients, volatile organic compounds, and trace elements - and commends nawqa for its groundbreaking work in these areas. the committee also strongly supports the added priority of ecological synthesis that began late in cycle i. this represents another important area where nawqa can make significant contributions. usgs / nawqa is in an excellent position to make a meaningful contribution to the debate on which biological indices provide the most meaningful assessments of water - quality conditions. this should be a top priority of the ecological synthesis team. in addition, it is critical to explore quantitative relationships, and potential threshold responses among biotic indices and other measures of water quality. the committee also strongly recommends that nawqa should make sediment in surface waters a future national synthesis topic. while nawqa may not currently have the sediment data it might desire, nor the resources to fully address this issue, it should do the most it


committee also strongly recommends that nawqa should make sediment in surface waters a future national synthesis topic. while nawqa may not currently have the sediment data it might desire, nor the resources to fully address this issue, it should do the most it can with the data it has already collected, and plans to collect in cycle ii. further, usgs should provide a leadership role with other agencies to find collaborative ways to address this important national water - quality issue. new contaminants and approaches for cycle ii the committee reviewed proposed additions and changes for cycle ii and deliberated many recommendations. a few are summarized below. all three groups of pesticides proposed for cycle ii monitoring ( important organophosphate insecticides and degradates, several sulfonyl urea herbicides, glyphosate ) are appropriate and warranted and should be added. nawqa should not add pharmaceuticals or additional high - production volume industrial chemicals to the contaminants list until more reliable protocols and methods are validated. these would be better handled by the usgs toxics program during the validation pathogens, risk assessment - toxicology the committee strongly supports the addition of waterborne pathogens and indicator microorganisms to the monitoring list for cycle ii. however, nawqa should reconsider their previous, more detailed design, because waterborne pathogens are of such importance to human health. more detailed efforts might be targeted to a subset of sites to contain costs. the committee strongly recommends, however, that usgs not get into the problematic area of human health risk assessment or expend resources on ecotoxicology programs. despite the continuing importance that this committee ( and past nrc committees ) places on the appropriate use of models in nawqa, a major recommendation is that nawqa ( and usgs water programs in general ) redirect its modeling efforts. many current modeling efforts are rapidly becoming too ambitious, complex, and over - parameterized. nawqa / usgs should focus on simple, parsimonious process models ; i. e., models that are not over - parameterized, and where parameters and mechanistic expressions can relate to available data. at this important juncture, beginning cycle ii, the committee concludes that the usgs has several major opportunities to advance scientific understanding of factors that affect water - quality conditions - the understanding goal of nawqa. however, the committee is concerned whether or not sufficient staff, resources, and expertise are available to ensure that modeling efforts and


##gs has several major opportunities to advance scientific understanding of factors that affect water - quality conditions - the understanding goal of nawqa. however, the committee is concerned whether or not sufficient staff, resources, and expertise are available to ensure that modeling efforts and targeted studies can be adequately developed and implemented. fewer well - designed cause - and - effect studies within study units may be better than more studies. the cycle ii " understanding " studies represent a prime area that nawqa may benefit from cooperative work with other federal agencies, and particularly with state, local, and academic collaborators. nawqa has evolved into an exceptional program. it has significantly contributed to the understanding of the quality of the nation ' s waters, providing new knowledge to better manage our vital water resources. this committee, and nearly all nawqa users it has interacted with, want to recommend that nawqa do more, not less - yet nawqa has already exceeded its resources, exemplified in its redesign for cycle ii. as discussed here and throughout the report, the future success of nawqa in the water policy environment is entwined with the struggle for balance between its resources and scientific endeavors. current and future demands for water - quality information already exceed nawqa ' s capacity, but hopefully policy makers, congress, and program managers can strike the necessary balance that will allow nawqa to continue to provide important water - quality data and information for the nation.


pesticide regulations and farm worker safety : the need to improve pesticide regulations in viet nam dung tri phung a, des connell b, greg miller a, shannon rutherford a & cordia chu a a. centre for environment and population health, griffith school of environment, griffith university, 170 kessel road, nathan, qld, 4111, australia. b. griffith school of environment, griffith university, nathan, australia. correspondence to dung tri phung ( e - mail : firstname. lastname @ example. org ). ( submitted : 22 september 2011 – revised version received : 27 december 2011 – accepted : 09 january 2012 – published online : 11 april 2012. ) bulletin of the world health organization 2012 ; 90 : 468 - 473. doi : 10. 2471 / blt. 11. 096578 pesticide poisoning is a global public health problem. an estimated three million acute poisonings occur worldwide each year. 1 pesticide - related poisonings are more frequent and serious in developing countries despite the fact that pesticides are sold in greater quantities in developed countries. 2 one reason for this is the lack of rigorous pesticide control laws and of training programmes for pesticide inspectors and users in the developing world. 2, 3 farah has indicated that about 25 % of developing countries lack laws regulating pesticide distribution and use, and about 80 % have insufficient resources to enforce existing pesticide - related legislation. 4 in viet nam, a developing country, pesticide consumption increased from 14 000 tons under 837 trade names in 1990 to 50 000 tons under more than 3000 trade names in 2008. 5, 6 however, pesticide control laws have not been developed and implemented in concert with these increases for several reasons, including a lack of administrative and enforcement resources ; insufficient knowledge of the law on the part of regulators ; a lack of incentives for making regulators enforce the law ; limited environmental standards ; and poor cooperation, coordination and consistency in implementing regulations on the part of the relevant authorities. 7 nevertheless, the need to address these gaps and limitations has not been properly evaluated. a market survey conducted by the plant protection department in 2000 reported problems with improper storage and use of pesticides and a lack of knowledge about pesticide safety and regulations in viet nam. 8 the survey found 2800 pesticide retailers operating without a business licence ; over 5000 retailers selling pesticides without having a store or stores failing to meet safety regulations ; and the sale of 2500 kg of banned pesticides and of 10 000 kg of illegally imported or counterfeit pesticides