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U.S. Secretary of Energy Makes Special Visit to IUPUI
Secretary Chu fields questions at IUPUI Town Hall. View print-quality image
March 6, 2012
- Jamie Olson
317. 650. 6734
View Related Releases:
United States Secretary of Energy Steven Chu made a special visit to IUPUI’s campus Monday to meet with university leaders and conduct a Town Hall forum with students to discuss the future of clean energy.
Secretary Chu’s visit came following an announcement in September that the Purdue School of Engineering and Technology at IUPUI would receive a $1.3 million grant from the Department of Energy (DOE) to train undergraduate- and graduate-level students in manufacturing efficiency as part of the DOE’s Industrial Assessment Center program. The Purdue School of Engineering and Technology is one of only 24 schools across the nation – and the only institution in Indiana – selected to participate in the program.
“As President Obama made clear, an American economy built to last will depend on American manufacturing, American energy and skills for American workers,” said U.S. Energy Secretary Steven Chu. “This is why the Energy Department is investing in innovative initiatives like the Industrial Assessment Center at IUPUI that is helping to train the clean energy workforce of tomorrow, while saving money for American companies and manufacturers."
Secretary Chu spent the first part of his visit debriefing with university officials and touring the IUPUI Industrial Assessment Center and various energy labs. The Energy Department announced in February that to date, the assessment centers across the country have helped save over 530 trillion BTUs of energy – enough to meet the energy needs of 5.5 million American homes – and helped participating manufacturers save more than $5.6 billion in energy costs.
The Energy Secretary then held a Town Hall forum with students, faculty and business leaders to discuss the future of clean energy.
“It was a great honor to host Secretary Chu on our campus,” said David Russomanno, Dean of the Purdue School of Engineering and Technology at IUPUI. “We are very pleased to be part of the DOE’s Industrial Assessment Center program, and thank the DOE for their help in creating an opportunity for our students and faculty to partner with businesses to make significant energy efficiency and cost saving gains.”
The DOE assessment program is a natural fit for the School of Engineering and Technology, which has long advocated programs that train students to improve the efficiencies of manufacturing and energy-related processes. The School currently offers a B.S. in Energy Engineering – the only program of its kind in the nation – and works with its Richard G. Lugar Center for Renewable Energy to conduct energy-related research and disseminate its findings.
To learn more about the Purdue School of Engineering & Technology at IUPUI, visit engr.iupui.edu.
For more information about the DOE’s Industrial Assessment Center program, visit http://www1.eere.energy.gov/manufacturing/tech_deployment/iacs.html. | <urn:uuid:404d0420-f9f4-42fd-a590-13c74dc84cab> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://newscenter.iupui.edu/5519/US-Secretary-of-Energy-Makes-Special-Visit-to-IUPUI | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368696381249/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516092621-00012-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.943275 | 636 | 1.648438 | 2 |
Posts Tagged by asthma
|March 8, 2011||Filled under Get Clean, Uncategorized|
While it’s great to think green when building your home, it’s also important to be “green” aware about the everyday products you bring into it. BGTV’s Kevin Contreras visits with Sloan Barnett of Shaklee.
- A lot of the products we use to clean our homes could be linked to respiratory problems and asthma
- Use Shaklee Basic H2 for a window cleaner and an all purpose cleaner
- Mixing your own cleaners and adding your own water keeps 5800 bottles out of the landfill and keeps transportation costs down shipping all those bottles around the country.
|March 6, 2011||Filled under Sunday Surf|
My favorite posts this week come from my friends at theSITSgirls.com who are participating in a 31 day blogging challenge with me. We are 1/2 way there!
I was inspired to make Green Smoothies after reading, Nicole Rivera’s post called “My First “Green Drink” at her blog about eating more healthy. Read about her first experience and how her husband reacted. After reading the post, I went to the store and bought the ingredients and made my own version of a Green Smoothie.
For a delightful poem about what it means to become a parent, visit “I Thought I Knew Mama” blog. She wrote this poem for her son’s dedication ceremony and it eloquently describes the change of priorities in a new parent’s life.
On another note, I watched a few videos for research about Greener Cleaning and want to share this CBC documentary called: Toxic Brew. It’s about the chemicals in household cleaners and their relationship to allergies and asthma. A must watch if you have family members who can’t seem to stay well.
Please leave me a comment and let me know what you enjoyed reading this week.
|February 26, 2011||Filled under Get Clean|
The ads say we must spray our baby beds, toys, and floors with their cleaners to keep our babies healthy, but what are we spraying into the air?
Can we trust the products advertised are safe? How can you know?
Why is it that workers are entitled to know when they are working with hazardous chemicals, but moms are not!
Is there a connection between the increase in asthma in children, the number of children diagnosed with cancer, and the reproductive problems in our young adults with the number of new cleaners introduced each year?
Watch this informative video: CBS Marketplace Report — Toxic Brew.
Find out what is really in those Chlorox Wipes, Pledge polish, and your window cleaner and what the health consequences might be.
|February 21, 2011||Filled under Get Clean|
Imagine your 5 year old little boy begins coughing and coughing and you can’t make it stop. You go to the emergency room and you are told he has the precursor to asthma. You ask yourself, does anyone in my family have asthma? Anyone in my husband’s family? And the answer is not only NO, but there is no history of asthma in either family going back 4 generations. Then you think what could cause this? What in my environment could cause this?
Then you research and discover some alarming facts:
- 1 in 13 school age children has asthma
- Asthma rates in children under 5 increased 160%
- More than 9 out of every 10 suspected poison exposures occur at home with household products.
And…there is a direct correlation between the increase in childhood asthma and the increase in toxic chemicals in the home!
This is Sloan’s story. Watch this video and listen to her tell it in her own words.
Who do you know that has children with chronic allergies and/or asthma? Share this message with them. Let’s not let the little children suffer anymore when we can make a difference by becoming “Greener Cleaning Moms.”
Order safe, non-toxic cleaning products online at WellnessPlans.net
|February 15, 2011||Filled under Get Clean|
The new “green” is about using products that are safer for your family and the community in which you live. Becoming a greener mom is not a political movement. It is a personal health issue for you and your family.
So here are 10 Reasons you should consider becoming a Greener Cleaning Mom. Notice, I said green-er. This is about making small changes to how we clean our homes so we can keep our family safer and healthier.
Did you know?
1. 90% of all poison exposures occur at home
2. 90% of our time is spent indoors. EPA
reports that air pollution is up to five
times higher inside than outside
3. Indoor pollutants come from all sorts of
chemicals we use to make our lives
easier every day—paints, carpets,
furniture, household cleaners, personal
care, among others
4. EPA studies indicate that elevated
concentration of household chemicals
persist in the air. Long-term exposure to
chemicals inside our homes may be
harmful to us and our families
5. Some 20 million Americans have
6. An average of one out of every 13
school-aged children has asthma
7. Asthma rates in children under age five
have increased more than 160% from
8. Common household cleaners and
appliances give off fumes, which can
potentially increase the risk of children
9. The average U.S. household generates
more than 20 pounds of hazardous
waste each year
10. The following household cleaning
products are designated as
household hazardous waste by the
EPA, and “improper disposal of
these wastes can pollute the
environment and pose a threat
to human health”
Wood and metal cleaners and polishes
Tub, tile, and shower cleaners
We are supposed to separate them from household trash. How many of us just put these in the trash cans? I’m guilty too! And where does this waste go? More on that later!
So, what is a mom to do?
• Step One: Go to the National
Institutes of Health Household
Products Database and find out what
you have in your home
• Step Two: Enter names of chemicals
and see which brands contain them
• Step Three: Look up Toxicity
Information or Health Information for
• Step Four: Properly dispose of harmful products
• Step Five: Find safer choices
Leave a comment and let me know what surprised you about this list. | <urn:uuid:19a895e5-c936-4efd-9f60-853d4db2e776> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://greenercleaningmoms.com/tag/asthma/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368708766848/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516125246-00008-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.946086 | 1,402 | 1.679688 | 2 |
I love having a journal and putting down on paper my thoughts, ideas, questions. I recently wrote about what it means to be happy - even during difficult times.
Excerpt from my journal dated March 26, 2009:
I'm finally reading Tuesdays with Morrie. My daughter brought it to me while I was in the hospital a few weeks ago. Having just experienced a scary health issue, and having survived a life-threatening illness nearly three years ago, I have a different perspective from some as I read the book. I understand how it feels to lose control of your life, of certain physical abilities. I understand to a better degree how short life is and what we need to do to be happy.
Happiness seems to elude so many people and they continue to search for it in all the wrong places. Sure, having enough money to meet our needs contributes to an easier life. But true happiness comes from within each of us. Yes, it is possible to be happy in spite of any difficult circumstances. Much has been written on the subject of happiness. And I'm sure that anything I write has already been written. Yet I feel a need, am compelled, to write down my thoughts and feelings on the matter. Maybe the way I word it will change just one person's thinking. I don't need to change the world. But if I can influence even one person - that's enough.
Have you ever noticed that unhappy people are usually very negative? Often the more we try to reason with a person to try to help them focus on what's positive in their lives, the more they find to be negative about. It's as though they don't really want to be happy. On the other hand, there are those who seem happy, positive, and find the good side in every situation. Sometimes their attitude is so upbeat, it's hard to believe it's real.
Then there's me, and others, who do get down once in a while. We do get upset, angry, frustrated, sad, depressed. Sometimes it feels as though we just want to crawl in a deep, dark hole and never come out.
YET - we are usually happy, positive people. We don't allow our negative emotions to become our primary focus in life. We may have a bad day, week, or even months. But our overall attitude is happy, positive, upbeat. People around us know we have a positive, happy outlook on life. They understand that there are times we get down. But we don't stay down! | <urn:uuid:50fd089b-48c1-4fe9-95d4-af996f9300ee> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://chiefvirtualofficer.com/blog/tag/economy/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368710006682/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516131326-00014-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.98287 | 518 | 1.773438 | 2 |
Iran's Allies Urge It To Compromise On Nuclear Program
Dow Jones Newswires:
Iran's allies urged it to compromise Friday in an effort to blunt a U.S.-backed European push to refer the country to the U.N. Security Council but diplomats said Tehran seemed unlikely to meet Western demands and stop uranium conversion. A 35-nation board meeting of the International Atomic Energy Agency was suspended to allow for backroom consultations on a solution that would deflect Western plans to bring referral to a vote.
The West was unlikely to back down unless the Iranians offered to re-impose a freeze on conversion, a precursor to enrichment, which can be used to generate nuclear fuel or the fissile material for warheads. But diplomats from countries allied with Iran at the meeting said Tehran showed no willingness to make such an offer. READ MORE
Lack of compromise would set the stage for voting on one of two European Union resolutions - one implicitly establishing the right of the board to report Iran to the council at a later session and the other asking for immediate referral.
Iran insists its nuclear activities haven't violated the treaty.
The Europeans were keeping both options alive in hopes that even those opposing referral would reluctantly accept the toned-down E.U. draft over the harsher one demanding immediate action, diplomats familiar with the West's strategy said.
That would suit both the E.U. and U.S., by giving them time to work on winning over Russia while keeping the pressure on Iran to comply with demands to cease suspect nuclear activities and cooperate fully with IAEA inspectors.
Neither text calls for Security Council sanctions. Still, China is considered immovable in its opposition to referral, and Russia's atomic energy chief, Alexander Rumyantsev, on Thursday reiterated Moscow's opposition to Security Council involvement.
But a European official said: "The key is to gain Russia, and we think we can gain Russia at a later date."
Like the diplomats, the official demanded anonymity in exchange for discussing confidential details of the behind-the-scenes negotiations at the meeting.
The Europeans for years avoided U.S. demands for support in its push to haul Iran before the Security Council. But they reluctantly swung behind Washington in August, after Tehran effectively walked away from talks with the U.K., France and Germany meant to reduce suspicions about its nuclear aims and began uranium conversion.
Beyond establishing the grounds for Security Council action on "noncompliance" with provisions of the Nuclear Nonproliferation Treaty the milder E.U. draft holds out additional threats of future referral. It says the next board meeting will decide on "the timing and content" of when and what to report about Iran to the Security Council.
Still, it is less direct that the other text, which requests that IAEA head Mohamed ElBaradei immediately report to the council "Iran's many failures and breaches of its obligations to comply" with the treaty. It also asks the council to expand the IAEA's inspection powers in Iran and to request that Tehran resume a recently broken freeze on activities linked to uranium enrichment.
More than a third of IAEA board member nations meeting in Vienna oppose Security Council referral.
Both drafts are formally E.U. initiatives but are being orchestrated in close consultation with Washington and backed by Australia, Japan, Canada and others.
A diplomat familiar with U.S. thinking said acceptance of the new draft - which delays referral - would suit Washington, which didn't want to back down but was not interested in an immediate Security Council battle it cannot win against veto-wielding permanent members Russia and China. | <urn:uuid:04d78dd6-75a4-4700-b31c-ad3c56760890> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://regimechangeiran.blogspot.com/2005/09/irans-allies-urge-it-to-compromise-on.html | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368705195219/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516115315-00014-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.94968 | 739 | 1.570313 | 2 |
This book, owned by Simon Haendel, is at once both a stammbuch (friend's book) and a wappenbuch (armorial). The entries appear to have been compiled in the 1590s and the handwritten greetings that I read from a quick review (I've had these images for ages) are all in latin. The thing I remember that caught my eye was the vignette showing people being stuffed into what looks like a grinder. (4th from top) That is really weird. Unless it's meant to be a doll factory or??
The book is hosted by the Research Library in Olomouc, in the Moravian region of the Czech Republic. Hint: there are quite a few blank pages. Page across using the thumbnails rather than the links at the bottom of the page in order to see all the images (maybe I've posted half??).
Previously: Bavarian Wappenbuch; Stammbuch 1/2-way through post; from Holland: Liber Amicorum; Alba Amicorum. Also: Olomouc at wikipedia.
Tuesday, June 12, 2007
Posted by peacay at 3:52 am | <urn:uuid:8f54a614-428f-4dc2-a0db-17d074662d44> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://bibliodyssey.blogspot.com/2007/06/simon-haendels-stammbuch.html?showComment=1181624040000 | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368705953421/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516120553-00004-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.957844 | 252 | 1.65625 | 2 |
ODAC Newsletter - July 18
Welcome to the ODAC Newsletter, a weekly roundup from the Oil Depletion Analysis Centre, the UK registered charity dedicated to raising awareness of peak oil.
Increasingly gloomy economic news in Europe and the US this week brought oil prices back down below $135 from a new record of $147, but also increased pressure on politicians.
In the UK, the government gave into long running pressure to drop the scheduled increase in fuel tax. In the US George Bush lifted the presidential ban on off-shore drilling. Bush’s statement was clearly aimed at putting pressure on the Democratic Congress to lift their ban and prompted Leader of the House Nancy Pelosi to fire back with a statement of her own urging the President to release some oil from the Strategic Reserves. Both leaders are promoting the idea that supply can be increased and prices brought back down as a result. Matt Simmons clearly shocked his host and fellow panelists when appearing on CNBCs Fast Money this week by stating that oil is still too cheap.
The view that global peak oil is imminent was strengthened this week with ‘insider’ news that Saudi Arabia’s production will peak at 12mbd before scaling back. For excellent commentary on the importance of this story read ‘Peak Oil is a Done Deal’ by David Cohen of ASPO USA.
In a speech to the Union for the Mediterranean summit, Gordon Brown referred this week to the ‘post oil economy’ as recognition of the impending energy crisis appears to be growing in Whitehall. The speech painted a picture of a future of renewable and nuclear energy, hybrid and electric cars and efficient appliances. Given the response to his remarks about cutting food waste it would perhaps be churlish to expect the Prime Minister to suggest that more drastic energy consumption reduction might be necessary in order to make this transition.
Join us! Become a member of the ODAC Newsgathering Network. Can you regularly commit to checking a news source for stories related to peak oil, energy depletion, their implications and responses to the issues? If you are checking either a daily or weekly news source and would have time to add articles to our database, please contact us for more details.
Oil Falls Below $134 After Plunging on Unexpected Supply Gain
Oil Slick: Why Are Crude Prices Falling?
Bush will end executive ban on offshore drilling
Pelosi Statement on Today's Record Drop in Oil Prices
12mn barrels per day 'is Saudi Arabia's oil limit'
China Boosts Fuel Imports to Highest in Five Years
Russian oil at 'critical juncture'
Europe told to expect doubled gas price
India May Pay Twice as Much for Gas by 2010 on Demand
Spiralling fuel costs force British Airways to raise fares
UK tour operators must axe thousands of jobs
Eurostar sales up as travellers dump planes in favour of trains
Gasoline Demand Falls a 12th Consecutive Week, MasterCard Says
Brown calls for eight new nuclear plants
Government relents and scraps fuel duty rise
Many Tory MPs still sceptical on climate change
City watchdog rejects oil markets loophole
UK consumer inflation hits 16-year peak
President upbeat, but nothing else is
China's economy slows but still expands at double-digit pace
Clouds darken Europe’s growth prospects | <urn:uuid:7037ccf8-b245-4991-bbf1-c9f530e2a999> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.resilience.org/stories/2008-07-18/odac-newsletter-july-18 | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368702448584/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516110728-00001-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.941629 | 680 | 1.570313 | 2 |
Priscilla Book Club
The Priscilla Book Club met Feb. 8 at the home of Lynda Flowe on Miner’s Creek Drive in Lincolnton. Sarah Lantz, president, welcomed 15 members, who were served chocolate tarts accompanied by nuts, fruit and coffee.
For her literary moment, President Lantz highlighted the article from Our State magazine “The Civil War — The War of Songs” by Phillip Gerard, a professor at UNC-Wilmington. Music was the rallying cry of soldiers. Ironically, Daniel Emmett, a Union soldier, wrote “I Wish I Was in Dixie’s Land” as a satire against the South. However, the Confederate soldiers began singing it, and Emmett said he wouldn’t have written the song, which was eventually called “Dixie,” if he had known it would be used by the Confederate soldiers. As the war dragged on, the songs became sadder and mournful.
Following the business meeting, the program was presented by Hazel Andrews, who reviewed one of her favorite books, titled “Saints at the River,” by Ron Rash. The novel is based on an incident that occurred in Oconee County, S.C., where Mrs. Andrews’ family dates back to the 1700s.
The fictional story and the real story of the drowning of a child in the Tamassee River, an intense, whitewater rapid, have similarities and differences. Both accounts involve the struggle to retrieve the body of Rachel in the real story and of Ruth Kowalsky in the fictional story.
Ruth’s body is wedged between rocks, and her wealthy, political family, distraught and determined, are fighting to have a temporary dam built to retrieve her body no matter the cost.
The Tamassee River is an environmentally protected river under the Wild and Scenic River Act. Herein lies the problem causing the controversy about the recovery efforts. In both stories, a prominent senator appealed and used his authority to allow the Portadam to be built to recover the body of the drowned girl. Although Strom Thurmond’s name is not used in the novel, he is alluded to because of his involvement in the factual version. In the fictional account, he is called Senator Jenkins.
Mrs. Andrews passed around newspaper clippings illustrating the national and international attention drawn to the controversy surrounding the recovery.
Rash diverged from the factual story in the ending. He wanted to give a satisfactory outcome for the girl’s parents, who could not rest until their daughter’s body received a proper burial. In reality, Rachel’s body was not recovered.
Mrs. Andrews shared that her 18-year-old brother, Dewey Patterson, drowned in the Keowee River on Aug. 26, 1946.
In closing, as February is Presidents Month, Mrs. Lantz read “Lincoln” by James Larkin.
Delta Kappa Gamma
The Delta Sigma Chapter of the Delta Kappa Gamma Society International met on Thursday, Feb. 9 in the Faith Building of Emmanuel Lutheran Church.
President Gayle Reid brought the meeting to order. Annette Geymont welcomed everyone and thanked all members for coming. Frances Goins delivered the invocation.
During the business portion of the meeting, Gayle Reid recognized those teachers who have received awards. Phyllis Tallent read the minutes from the previous meeting, and they were approved.
Wendy Mosteller gave the treasurer’s report. After, Phyllis Tallent read the minutes from the Executive Board meeting. A new slate of officers was presented to the group for the next biennium and approved. Then, the committee reports were addressed. The annual fundraiser, which is a fashion show, will be held on March 31 at 10:30 a.m. Linda Little, the state president, will attend. It will be held in the Family Life Center of the First Baptist Church. Fashions will be highlighted from Page Collectibles and Color Me Pretty. A brunch will be served of quiche, ham, fruit, dessert, juice and coffee. Tickets are $12 a person, and proceeds will go to the scholarship fund. Two scholarships are given each year to two graduates planning to go into the teaching profession. Tickets can be purchased from Wendy Mosteller at (704) 276-3168 or from any DKG member.
Elaine Jenkins introduced the speaker for the program. “Education in Lincoln County” was presented by N.C. Rep. Jason Saine. He was appointed to replace Johnathan Rhyne after Rhyne’s retirement. He spent some time talking about his experiences in his personal life and in his position as a representative. He then opened the floor for questions, and there was a variety of inquiries and remarks.
Backpack items for The Backpack Program for Hungry Children of Lincoln County Schools were collected and distributed.
The next meeting will be Thursday, April 19 at 6 p.m. at the First Baptist Church of Lincolnton. It will be a dinner meeting, with the installation of new officers and scholarship awards. | <urn:uuid:86dff732-3556-4516-98d3-033e6069afb1> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.lincolntimesnews.com/?p=49797 | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368698924319/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516100844-00006-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.966252 | 1,083 | 1.609375 | 2 |
US 6559655 B1
A system for analyzing agricultural products on harvesting equipment includes a test chamber and a near infrared spectrometer disposed within a housing capable of being mounted on the harvesting equipment. A source of near infrared radiation is disposed in the housing adjacent the test chamber so as to emit near infrared radiation into the test chamber, and a near infrared detector is disposed in the housing adjacent the test chamber so as to receive near infrared radiation exiting the test chamber. The spectrometer is mounted on vibration damping elements. A computer controls operation of first and second doors for controlling ingress and egress of product samples from the test chamber and can also be used to process signals from the spectrometer.
1. A system for analyzing agricultural products on harvesting equipment that creates a flow of harvested agricultural product, said system comprising:
a housing capable of being mounted on the harvesting equipment;
a test chamber disposed within said housing and having a first open end adapted to receive a sample from the flow of harvested agricultural product and a second open end adapted to allow the sample to exit from the test chamber;
a first door disposed between the flow of harvested agricultural product and said first open end;
a second door disposed adjacent said second open end;
a source of near infrared radiation disposed in said housing adjacent said test chamber so as to emit near infrared radiation into said test chamber, wherein said source comprises infrared emitting diodes and a narrow bandpass filter disposed between each of said diodes and said test chamber;
a near infrared detector disposed in said housing adjacent said test chamber so as to receive near infrared radiation exiting said test chamber; and
a computer in signal communication with said first and second doors, said source, and said detector,
wherein said computer is programmed to:
(a) cause movement of said first door between open and closed positions to control the flow of harvested agricultural product into said test chamber;
(b) to cause movement of said second door between open and closed positions to control the flow of harvested agricultural product from said test chamber;
(c) to open said first door when said second door is closed in order to collect a sample for analysis in said test chamber;
(d) to close said first door when there is a prescribed amount of agricultural product in said test chamber; and
(e) to receive data from said detector for analysis while said second door is closed and after the prescribed amount of agricultural product is collected in said test chamber and to open said second door to expel the sample when the analysis is complete.
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16. A method of analyzing agricultural products on harvesting equipment that creates a main flow of harvested agricultural product, said method comprising the steps of:
selectively diverting a portion of the harvested agricultural product from the main flow of harvested agricultural product without stopping the main flow of agricultural product;
collecting and holding the diverted portion of the agricultural product in a test section disposed on the harvesting equipment; and
analyzing the diverted portion of the agricultural product in the test section using near infrared spectrometry while the diverted portion is held stationary in the test section.
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1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a system and method for determining physical properties of harvested agricultural products on harvesting equipment such as a combine.
2. Description of the Background Art
The conventional method of analyzing agricultural products harvested by a combine involves allowing the agricultural product to fall from the end of the combine elevator into a chute and collecting the agricultural product in a test chamber where load cells determine the weight of the sample, a moisture sensor senses the moisture in the sample, and a sonar device positioned above the chamber determines the volume of the sample. Some of the disadvantages of this approach are that the flow of agricultural product must be interrupted in order to perform an analysis and that it is not possible to determine the other constituents, e.g., protein or oil, of the sample.
Another method of analyzing agricultural products on a combine, exemplified by U.S. Pat. Nos. 5,751,421 and 5,991,025, involves positioning a lamp in the chute or test chamber to irradiate the agricultural product with near-infrared light as it falls from the elevator. Light reflected from the falling product is collected by a sensor and transmitted through a fiber optic bundle to a defraction grating that spreads the reflected light over a photodiode array. By analyzing the strength of the radiation at each photodiode, the amount of constituents in the product sample can be determined. While this approach enhances conventional methods by permitting constituents of a product sample to be measured in a relatively short time period, it is still necessary for the flow of product to be interrupted when the test chamber is full so that other conventional measurements can be made.
There remains a need in the art for an improved method of analyzing agricultural products on harvesting equipment such as a combine.
Accordingly, it is an object of the present invention to provide a method and apparatus for analyzing agricultural products on harvesting equipment such as a combine that overcomes the disadvantages of the prior art.
A first aspect of the present invention is generally characterized in a system for analyzing agricultural products on harvesting equipment, such as a combine, that creates a flow of harvested agricultural product. The system includes a test chamber and a near infrared spectrometer disposed within a housing capable of being mounted on the harvesting equipment. The test chamber has a first open end adapted to receive a small sample from the flow of harvested agricultural product and a second open end adapted to expel the sample from the test chamber. First and second doors are disposed on opposite sides of the test chamber to control the flow of product into and out of the test chamber. The spectrometer preferably includes a source of near infrared radiation disposed in the housing adjacent the test chamber so as to emit near infrared radiation into the test chamber, and a near infrared detector disposed in the housing adjacent the test chamber so as to receive near infrared radiation exiting the test chamber. The system preferably also includes vibration damping elements that attenuate vehicle vibrations to a level allowing the spectrometer to operate while agricultural product is harvested. The system optionally includes one or more of a computer that operates the first and second doors to control the flow of harvested agricultural product into and out of the test chamber, a fill sensor that indicates when the test chamber is full, at least one temperature probe disposed within the test chamber, a device for maintaining the temperature in the test section within a predetermined range, means for automatically inserting a standard sample into the test chamber at predetermined intervals, and means for adjusting a gap width of the test chamber to accommodate different types of agricultural products.
Another aspect of the present invention is generally characterized in a method of analyzing agricultural products on harvesting equipment, such as a combine, that creates a flow of harvested agricultural product. The method includes the steps of selectively diverting a portion of the harvested agricultural product from the flow created by the harvesting equipment without stopping the flow of product, collecting the diverted portion of the agricultural product in a test section disposed on the harvesting equipment, and analyzing the diverted portion of the agricultural product in the test section using near infrared spectrometry. The analysis is preferably conducted using near infrared transmittance with the sample held stationary within a test chamber disposed in the test section. The method optionally includes one or more of the steps of controlling the flow of product into and out of the test chamber by operating doors disposed on opposite sides of the test chamber, automatically calibrating the spectrometer with a standard sample or no sample in the test chamber at predetermined intervals, mounting the near infrared spectrometer on vibration damping elements to isolate the spectrometer from vibration of the harvesting equipment so that operation of the equipment can continue uninterrupted during the analysis, determining the location where the diverted portion of the agricultural product was harvested using a global positioning system, maintaining the temperature of the near infrared spectrometer within a predetermined range, and controlling a gap width of the test chamber to accommodate different types of agricultural products.
The above and other features and advantages of the present invention will be further understood from the following description of the preferred embodiments thereof, taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings.
FIG. 1 is a side view of a combine adapted to analyze harvested agricultural products in accordance with the present invention.
FIG. 2 is a side view, partly in section, of a combine elevator with a test section mounted thereon to analyze harvested agricultural products in accordance with the present invention.
FIG. 3 is a plan view, partly in section, of the test section shown in FIG. 2.
FIG. 4 is a block diagram of a system for analyzing agricultural products utilizing a test section mounted on harvesting equipment in accordance with the present invention.
FIG. 5 is a flow chart illustrating a method of analyzing agricultural products utilizing a test section mounted on harvesting equipment in accordance with the present invention.
FIG. 6 is a perspective view of another embodiment of a test section according to the present invention.
FIG. 7 is a side view, partly in section, of a modification of a test chamber for use in analyzing agricultural products in accordance with the present invention.
FIG. 8 is top view, partly in section, of another modification of a test chamber for use in analyzing agricultural products in accordance with the present invention.
FIG. 9 is a schematic diagram of a conventional grain elevator with a test section mounted thereon to analyze harvested agricultural products in accordance with the present invention.
FIG. 10 is a partial side view of a preferred source of near infrared radiation.
FIG. 1 shows a combine 10 adapted to analyze harvested agricultural products in accordance with the present invention. Combine 10 includes a cab 12 mounted on front and rear wheel assemblies 14 and 16, a head 18 mounted forwardly of the cab, a bin 20 mounted rearwardly of the cab, and a sample elevator 22 extending between the head and the bin. Agricultural products harvested by head 18 are passed through a shaker 24 to elevator 22 which moves the agricultural product to bin 20 for collection. Elevator 22 is a tubular structure with at least one side panel 26 that extends upwardly at an angle from a lower end adjacent shaker 24 to an upper end disposed above bin 20. A conveyor (not shown) within the tubular structure receives harvested agricultural products from the shaker via an inlet and moves the products upwardly to an outlet where the products are discharged to fall into the bin. Examples of the types of conveyors that are commonly used include continuous belts and augers. The flow of harvested agricultural product from the head to the bin in the manner described above is referred to herein as the primary or main flow of agricultural product. What has been generally described above is well-known in the art and does not require further explanation for an understanding of the present invention.
In accordance with the present invention, a portion of the agricultural product harvested by the combine is diverted from the main flow of agricultural product into a test section 28 where the diverted portion or sample is collected for near infrared spectrographic analysis. The main flow of agricultural product from the head to the bin can continue uninterrupted as the test sample is diverted and need not be stopped at all during the analysis, thereby obviating one of the major disadvantages of prior art on-combine analysis.
Diversion of the product sample from the flow of agricultural product harvested by the combine can be accomplished anywhere along the main flow of harvested agricultural product at any point past which the agricultural product flows. In the embodiment shown in FIG. 2, for example, a first opening 30 is formed in side panel 26 of elevator 22 adjacent the top (i.e., the upwardly moving) side 31 of a conveyer belt 33 therein to divert a portion of the agricultural product harvested by the combine as it is conveyed upwardly by the elevator. More specifically, as the harvested agricultural product is conveyed upwardly by elevator 22, some of the agricultural product will normally be forced against or slide along the interior surface of elevator side panel 26 such that a portion of the harvested agricultural product will tend to flow out of the elevator through opening 30 in the side panel. The diverted portion of the agricultural product is collected in test section 28 which is disposed outside elevator 22, for example on an outward facing exterior surface of side panel 26 as shown. An optional second opening 32 is shown formed in side panel 26 adjacent the bottom (i.e., the downwardly moving) side 35 of the conveyor belt for return of the sample to the main flow of agricultural product when the sample analysis is complete.
Referring now to FIG. 3, test section 28 is shown including a housing 34 having an inlet portion 36 adapted to communicate with the first opening in the elevator and an outlet portion 38 adapted to communicate with the second opening in the elevator. The test section further includes a test chamber 40 disposed within the housing between the inlet and outlet portions for holding a product sample, and a spectrometer for analyzing the product sample using near infrared radiation, the spectrometer including a source 42 of near infrared radiation positioned in the test section adjacent the test chamber to emit near infrared radiation into the test chamber, and a near infrared detector 44 positioned in the test section on an opposite side of the test chamber to receive near infrared radiation transmitted through the test chamber. Top and bottom ends 46 and 48 of test chamber 40 are open. A first door 50 is disposed between the first opening in the elevator and top end 46 of the test chamber and is movable between an open position allowing agricultural product to flow from the first opening into the test chamber and a closed position preventing the flow of agricultural product into the test chamber. A second door 52 is disposed between bottom end 48 of the test chamber and the second opening in the elevator and is movable between an open position allowing the sample in the test chamber to flow back into the elevator via the second opening and a closed position preventing the sample from flowing out of the test chamber. In the embodiment shown, first and second doors 50 and 52 are mounted on opposite sides of the test chamber 40 adjacent inlet and outlet portions 36 and 38 of the housing, respectively. The doors can be mounted to pivot, slide or otherwise move relative to the chamber and can be controlled by conventional actuators such as pneumatic door cylinders, hydraulic door cylinders, stepper motors, or electromagnetic actuators.
At least a portion of test chamber 40 is formed of a material, such as glass, that is transparent to near infrared radiation. Within the test chamber are one or more probes 54 for measuring the temperature of the sample, for example as disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 4,404,642, the disclosure of which is incorporated herein by reference. Also disposed in or adjacent the test chamber is a sensor 56 for indicating when the test chamber is full. Sensor 56 can be an optical sensor employing a beam of light that is broken as the product sample reaches the top of the chamber, a limit switch that opens or closes in response to the weight of the sample, a pressure gage, an ultrasonic sensor, or any other type of suitable mechanical, electrical, acoustic or optical sensor. Also shown within test section 28 is an optional temperature control device 57 for maintaining the test section and, thus, the spectrometer, within a predetermined temperature range (e.g., within a few degrees of room temperature) using input from probes 54. Some examples of the types of devices that can be used to control the temperature in the test section include heaters such as resistance wire heaters and coolers such as fans and cooling coils.
The near infrared source and detector within the test section are preferably similar to those used in the near infrared whole grain analyzer commercially available from Zeltex Inc. of Hagerstown, Maryland sold under the-trademark ZX-50 and disclosed in prior patents including U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,286,327 and 4,404,642, the disclosures of which are incorporated herein by reference. The test section can also include or interface with a microprocessor similar to that in the ZX-50. The microprocessor is preferably programmed like that in the ZX-50 to receive data from the detector and calculate results in the form of a percentage of a constituent such as moisture, protein, or oil that can be sent to a display on the test section and/or elsewhere on the combine. The microprocessor can also be programmed to perform other functions such as controlling operation of the doors, controlling operation of any temperature control device, calibrating the system, and communicating with existing electronics on the harvesting equipment. In the ZX-50, and as shown in FIG. 10, the source 42 includes an array of near infrared emitting diodes 170 arranged along one side of the test chamber and narrow bandpass filters 172 disposed between the diodes and the test chamber 40 to produce discrete wavelengths in the near infrared spectrum. Preferably, the wavelengths range from about 800 nm to about 1300 nm. The detector in the ZX-50 is a solid state device positioned on the opposite side of the test chamber to measure the spectra exiting from the sample. It will be appreciated, however, that any source and any detector suitable for near infrared transmittance can be used in the test section and that any suitable microprocessor and programming may be used.
Test section 28 is preferably mounted on vibration damping elements to ensure accurate and reliable readings by isolating the optical components and the test sample from vehicle vibrations that could adversely affect alignment of the optical components relative to each other and the sample during operation. Effective isolation of the test section thus permits an operator to analyze a test sample while continuing to harvest agricultural products. In the embodiment shown in FIG. 3, source 42 and detector 44 are individually mounted on vertical and horizontal vibration damping elements 58B and 58A to provide isolation in two directions. The source and the detector are preferably also individually mounted on a third vibration damping element (not shown) to provide isolation in a third direction perpendicular to the first and second directions. Some examples of the types of vibration damping elements that can be used include pads formed of elastomeric shock absorbing materials, elastic straps, helical springs, leaf springs, pneumatic and hydraulic cylinders, and combinations of the above. Isolation in more than one direction can also be achieved with a single vibration damping element in the form of a boot or sleeve that extends around at least two, and preferably three, sides of the test section and is formed of an elastomeric shock absorbing material. The damping characteristics of the vibration damping elements should be such that any reasonably foreseeable vehicle vibrations and impact loading that may occur when harvesting are attenuated to a level that will not cause the sample to move significantly relative to the optical components of the spectrometer. Since accurate operation of the spectrometer requires precise alignment of the optical components relative to each other and the sample, the amount of attenuation will be chosen to reduce vibration to a level that maintains the critical optical alignment of the components relative to each other and the sample. This level will typically be lower than that needed to protect the components from vibration or shock damage. In other words, greater attenuation of vehicle vibration will typically be needed to stabilize the sample and maintain alignment of the optical components than would customarily be needed to protect the components from vibration damage.
FIG. 4 is a schematic diagram illustrating how the test section can be integrated with existing electronics on a typical combine to form a system for analyzing harvested agricultural products in accordance with the present invention. The existing electronics include a power bus 60, power conditioning circuitry 62, and an on-board computer 64. The existing electronics may also 20 include an optional global positioning system (GPS) 66. Test section 28 is shown drawing power from the existing combine power bus 60 via power conditioning circuitry 62 and communicating with a computer 68 that is added to the combine electronics as part of the system for analyzing agricultural products in accordance with the present invention. The system computer 68 includes an output port 67 for sending control signals to the test section, an input port 69 for receiving data from the test section, and a central processing unit or microprocessor (not shown) for processing the data from the test section and producing control signals that operate the test section. The system computer can also include at least one of an optional display 70, an optional data input terminal 72 such as a keyboard, and an optional diagnostic/calibration port 74 for interfacing with a portable computing device 76 such as a laptop or any other type of computer or data collection device. Components of system computer 68 can be disposed at different locations on the combine or provided as an integral unit in the test section, the cab, or anywhere else on the combine. Preferably, the system computer components are disposed in the test section. If desired, microprocessors can be located at more than one location so that, for example, some processing functions (e.g., temperature and bias offset compensation) can take place locally in the test section while others (e.g., operation of doors, calculation of constituent percentages, and displaying results) can take place in the cab. The system computer can also communicate with the existing combine computer 64 to receive data relating to position of the combine, control signals indicating a start or stop, etc.
FIG. 5 is a flow chart illustrating operation of the above described system in accordance with the present invention. The following steps can be performed while the agricultural product is harvested without stopping the combine. In step 102, the analyzer is standardized with doors closed and no sample in the test chamber. By “standardized” is meant adjusted to compensate for drift due to changes in the environment or differences in transmittance of products. One method of standardizing a near infrared analyzer using an empty test chamber is disclosed in U.S. patent application Ser. No. 09/061,893, filed on Apr. 17, 1998, the disclosure of which is incorporated herein by reference. The '893 application describes a method of standardizing the analyzer with an empty test chamber by amplifying the signal generated during standardization using a first gain factor that is lower than the gain factor normally used when analyzing an actual sample. Alternatively, the analyzer can be standardized in the conventional manner using a sealed standardized sample or standard containing a sample of the agricultural product to be analyzed, the sample having been previously analyzed to determine certain parameters of interest that can be used for standardization. Optional use of a standard for standardization obviates the need for multiple gain factors since the transmittance of the standard is selected to be about the same as the actual sample; however, the standard must either be manually placed for standardization or mounted on a device (e.g., a motorized arm, belt or wheel) that automatically inserts the standard into the test chamber for standardization at predetermined intervals or in response to a command entered into the system computer by the operator, and removes the standard from the test chamber once the standardization is complete. This may require the above operation to be modified so that the upper door remains open during standardization to permit the standard to be inserted and removed from the test chamber.
After the analyzer has been standardized, the computer issues a control signal that causes the first or upper door to open (if it is not already open) so that a portion of the main flow of harvested agricultural product is diverted into the test chamber as shown in step 104. The second or lower door remains closed during this time so that the agricultural product diverted from the main flow will collect in the test chamber. A sensor in the test section monitors the fill level of the test chamber and, when the test chamber is full, the sensor sends a signal to the computer indicating that the test chamber is full.
In step 106, the system computer recognizes that the chamber is full and issues a control signal to close the upper door in response thereto. Alternatively, the upper door can be left open (particularly when the product disposed between the test chamber and the door functions to provide an adequate light barrier). The sample contained within the test chamber is then analyzed by causing the light source to emit near infrared light into the sample in the test chamber and using the detector to measure the spectra exiting from the sample. The light energy that enters the sample is scattered and absorbed such that examination of the spectra measured by the detector allows the agricultural product's constituent concentrations, and other parameters, to be determined. Temperature of the sample can also be determined at this time using the probes in the test chamber. Signals from the detector and the probes are sent to the system computer where they are analyzed to determine the parameters of interest (such as percentage moisture, protein, and/or oil) which can be stored for later retrieval, transmitted to a remote location, printed, and/or displayed in the cab for viewing by the combine operator. The results of the analysis can be combined with data from the existing on-board computer such as the time and location where the sample was harvested. The signal from the probes can be used by the computer to compensate for changes in temperature and/or determine whether the temperature in the test section is outside a predetermined range such that heating or cooling of the test section may be needed.
Once the measurements have been taken, the system computer sends a control signal to open the lower door at step 108. This causes the sample to be dumped from the test chamber back into the main flow of agricultural product, onto the ground, or directly into a bin or the like. Alternatively, the sample can be directed into one of a plurality of bins on the basis of protein content, etc. In another alternative, the sample can be bagged for subsequent examination. When the computer receives a signal from the fill sensor confirming that the test chamber is empty, the computer sends a control signal to close the lower door at step 110.
In step 112, the system computer checks if it is time for a new standard and, if so, the above operation is repeated in its entirety. If it is not time for a new standard, the first step 102 is skipped and a control signal is sent to open the upper door to fill the test chamber with a new sample, after which the operation proceeds as described above. The operation described above can be modified so that the first step 102 is preformed with an empty chamber at predetermined intervals (e.g., once every few minutes) while harvesting a particular agricultural product and performed with a standard at predetermined intervals (e.g., once a day) longer than the intervals between standardization with an empty chamber or when preparing to harvest a different type of agricultural product. The steps of filling the test chamber with a sample, taking a reading (i.e., analyzing the sample using near infrared spectrometry), and emptying the sample from the test chamber, can be accomplished in under ten seconds. Since the combine can continue harvesting while a reading is taken, it is possible to take a reading every twenty to thirty feet without stopping. Moreover, since the sampling process does not affect the main flow of product, the combine can continue to operate in a normal manner even if the test system malfunctions.
The test section can be positioned anywhere along the main flow of agricultural product to receive a test sample directly from the main flow, or the test section can be positioned remote from the main flow and receive a test sample indirectly via a conduit, such as a chute, that extends from the main flow to the test section inlet. FIG. 6 illustrates an embodiment wherein test section 28 is disposed remotely of the main flow of agricultural product and receives the test sample via a first conduit 120 leading from an opening in the combine elevator. Test section 28 is identical to that shown and described above; however, vibration isolation is provided by a vibration damping element in the form of an elastomeric coupling or boot 58C disposed between the bottom of the chute and inlet portion 36 of the test section. A second conduit 122 leads from outlet portion 38 of the test section to convey the test sample away from the test chamber and is coupled with the test section via an elastomeric boot 58D similar to the one described above. The test section is thus suspended between vibration damping elements that prevent vehicle vibration in all directions from being imparted to the test section thereby maintaining the precise alignment of the sample relative to the optical components so that the harvesting equipment can continue to operate while a reading is taken.
The test section can be placed along the shaker, the elevator, above the bin or anywhere else along the main flow of harvested agricultural product. Examples of alternative locations for the test section described above are shown by broken lines in FIG. 1 at 28A, B and C, respectively. The test section at 28A or 28B is either mounted directly on the elevator over openings formed therein, for example as shown in FIG. 2, or mounted at the end of a conduit leading from openings formed in the elevator at the illustrated locations, for example as shown in FIG. 6. When the test section is placed directly above the bin as shown at 28C, it is preferred that a funnel or hopper (not shown) be positioned above the test section to collect a portion of the agricultural product falling from the elevator.
The system and method of the present invention permits a wide variety of agricultural products to be analyzed including, but not limited to, grain, forage, oil seed, cereal, and vegetables. Since the transmittance of these agricultural products varies, it has been found that the gap width of the test chamber should be adjusted to match the type of agricultural product being analyzed when near infrared transmittance methods are used. One solution is to manually replace the test chamber with another test chamber of the same design but having a different gap width. Another solution is to manually insert and remove near infrared transparent shims in the test chamber as needed. FIG. 7 illustrates a modification of the test chamber allowing the gap width to be automatically adjusted in response to remote commands from the system computer. The modified test chamber 128 is similar to that described above but is formed of nested chamber halves 130 and 132 allowing telescoping movement of one half of the chamber in relation to the other half of the chamber. Each chamber half includes a pair of parallel side panels connected by a face panel extending perpendicularly between opposed edges of the side panels. Side panels of the inner half 130 fit telescopically within side panels of the outer half 132. The face panels of the respective halves (shown in section) are preferably transparent to near infrared radiation. Outer half 132 is shown mounted on a carrier 134 attached to a belt 136 driven by a motor 138 so that the outer chamber half can be moved relative to the inner chamber half to adjust the gap width w. In a preferred embodiment, the motor can be controlled by entering commands in the system computer and having the computer issue a control signal to the motor causing a change in the gap width. The movable portion of the test chamber can be moved using any type of motive source including, but not limited to, motors, hydraulic cylinders, and pneumatic cylinders. The motive source may act directly on the test chamber or indirectly via belts, arms, screws or other forms of mechanical linkages. Other approaches to make the gap width of the test chamber adjustable include placing a movable wall within the chamber or forming an elastic region (e.g. a bellows) between opposed walls of the chamber so that the walls can move relative to one another.
FIG. 8 illustrates a modification of the test section permitting a standard sample to be automatically inserted into and removed from the test chamber. The modified test section 140 is similar to test section 28 described above, however, a side of test chamber 142 not facing source 42 or detector 44 is open and a standard sample 144 is mounted for movement between an inserted position (not shown) within the test chamber for calibration and a removed position (shown) adjacent the open side of the test chamber allowing an actual product sample to fill the chamber. Test chamber 142 is in all other respects similar to test chamber 40. Alternatively, the standard sample can be positioned for insertion into one of the open ends of the test chamber. Standard sample 144 is preferably a sealed container formed of a near infrared transparent material and filled with an agricultural product of interest or a simulated sample made out of a material that preferably does not vary with time or temperature. The standard sample can be moved into and out of the test chamber by any type of motive source 146 including, but not limited to, motors, hydraulic cylinders, and pneumatic cylinders. The motive source can act directly on the standard sample or indirectly via belts, arms screws or other forms of mechanical linkages.
The test section can be mounted on a combine, a chopper, a hay bailer or any other type of harvesting equipment that creates a flow of harvested agricultural products. For example, in FIG. 9, a test section 28 is shown mounted on harvesting equipment in the form of a grain elevator 150. While a particular type of grain elevator is shown, it will be appreciated that the test section can be mounted along the flow of grain in any type of grain elevator. The grain elevator 150 shown in FIG. 9 includes a large pit 152 covered by a grate 154 for receiving a load of grain. The large pit 156, commonly referred to as the “dump” pit, defines a downwardly sloping path to a lower pit, commonly referred to as the “boot.” The grain elevator further includes a vertical carousel 158, commonly referred to as the “leg,” that includes a continuous belt carrying a plurality of cups or buckets extending upwardly from the boot, one or more silos or bins 160, and a conveyor belt 162 that extends from the leg to the bin(s).
The test section 28 is shown disposed on a conduit 164 between the top of the leg 158 and the conveyor belt 162 to receive a portion of the grain falling from the leg; however, the test section can be disposed anywhere along the flow of grain in the elevator. For example, the test section could be placed along the dump pit, the leg, the conduit, the conveyer belt, or the bins.
In operation, a truck 166 loaded with grain G drives into the elevator 150 adjacent the grate 154 and dumps the grain into the dump pit 152 through the grate. Grain slides from the dump pit 152 to the boot 156 where it is picked-up by cups on the rotating belt of the leg 158 and carried to the top of the leg. As the belt goes over the top of the leg 158 and turns to go back down, the cups turn upside down and dump the grain into the conduit 164 which conveys the grain onto the conveyer belt 162. A portion of the grain flowing through the conduit 164 is diverted through an opening therein into the test section 28 where it is analyzed and expelled as described above in connection with a combine. If the elevator includes a plurality of bins, the results of the analysis by the test section can be used to determine into which bin the conveyor will deposit the grain. The bins can thus be categorized by moisture content, type of grain, protein, or any other characteristic. The test section can also be positioned to analyze grain as it is dispensed from a bin. Such features help maximize profit when selling the grain.
While the invention has been described in detail above, the invention is not intended to be limited to the specific embodiments as described. It is evident that those skilled in the art may now make numerous uses and modifications of and departures from the specific embodiments described herein without departing from the inventive concepts. For example, while use of near infrared transmittance has been disclosed, it will be appreciated that certain constituents of the sample can be analyzed using near infrared reflectance by rearranging the detector to receive light reflected from the sample. The analysis described above can be conducted while the harvesting equipment continues to move the agricultural product or when the equipment has stopped moving the agricultural product. Heating and/or cooling devices can be provided in the test section to maintain the temperature within a predetermined range (e.g., within a few degrees of room temperature) to increase accuracy by ensuring that the optics remain calibrated. First and second doors are preferably disposed within the housing at opposite ends of the test chamber as shown and described above; however, if the test section is disposed remotely of the main flow of agricultural product, the first door can be positioned adjacent the flow of agricultural product. Alternatively, the first door can be disposed adjacent the test section and a third door provided adjacent the flow of agricultural product to prevent a build-up of product above the first door while a sample is being analyzed.
Citas de patentes | <urn:uuid:b0f3722c-7827-4f49-b5c2-7e17c1aea483> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.google.es/patents/US6559655?hl=es | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368704713110/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516114513-00017-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.931712 | 7,658 | 1.71875 | 2 |
SGI hermit crabs over to Sunnyvale
Thanks for the memories, Mountain View
After once dominating the Silicon Valley suburb of Mountain View, SGI has packed up and moved to Sunnyvale - the latest shift in the company's resurrection agenda.
Not too long ago, SGI owned numerous, massive complexes on either side of the central Mountain View artery Shoreline Boulevard. Those buildings have since been turned over to various organizations such as the Computer History Museum, Google and a host of start-ups. The purple coloring favored by SGI still coats a number of the structures.
Last month, SGI closed the last of its Mountain View offices - a space it shared with start-ups - and moved to 1140 E. Arques Avenue in Sunnyvale. We're told the new single story building is a nice space with a gym and plenty of room to move.
SGI shifted to Sunnyvale as yet another cost saving measure taken since it emerged from bankruptcy. The hardware maker is in the midst of shifting its business to focus on the broader corporate data center market rather than just high-end graphics customers.
Mountain View has claimed many stars over the years, starting with the original Shockley Labs - considered by many to be the birthplace of Silicon Valley. The likes of Netscape, Verisign, Fairchild Semiconductor, Veritas and PayPal have called or still do call Mountain View home.
SGI was by far the most aggressive Mountain View resident, crawling into so many flashy buildings. Many of the old SGI structures are marked by space age facades and that damn purple.
Now, however, Google is the unquestioned king of The View. So, City Hall won't be suffering to much from SGI's departure. ® | <urn:uuid:5d9f63c0-d7b5-417d-b5e8-e2e2023f0df3> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.theregister.co.uk/2007/01/12/sgi_sunnyvale/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368704392896/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516113952-00015-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.953317 | 359 | 1.570313 | 2 |
arling was telling the story?" asked Hatty, much interested.
"He looked very red. I don't believe teacher knows what a drunkard his father is."
"Well," said Hatty; "you and I ought to be very thankful that our father is a temperance man. How should you feel to have him lying with the hogs?"
"I never thought how many things we have to be grateful for," said Fred, gravely. "If I had a father like Dan Jones, I never could look anybody in the face."
Mrs. Carleton, finding that her son's mind was still dwelling on gratitude, promised to relate a story on the subject, as soon as tea was cleared away.
While Hatty was doing this, Fred took his book to learn the lesson for the next Sabbath. He was nearly through when he noticed that his sister was trying to lift the table alone, and set it in its place next the wall.
"Let me help you, Hatty," he cried, jumping to her assistance.
"Thank you, Fred," and she kissed him.
"I like to do things for people who thank me," | <urn:uuid:5e9ec629-b521-4c42-983e-b2149a8166b2> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://manybooks.net/titles/bakerhnw2520125201-8.html | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368708142388/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516124222-00008-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.996724 | 240 | 1.539063 | 2 |
Theotokos "Pantanassa" (Vatopedi, 17th c.) - T79
Product #: T 79
Vatopedi Monastery, Mt. Athos
[Add to Wishlist]
The most humble Handmaiden of the Lord, the Virgin Mary, is shown the greatest honor in this icon by placing her on a throne with her Son and God. The Orthodox Church honors her by crying out in her church service, “Thou art a gold-entwined tower, and twelve-wall encircled city, a throne besprinkled with sunbeams, a royal chair of the King. O, unexplained wonder! That thou dost feed the Master with thy milk.” Those of the household of God repeat what she said to the great Archangel Gabriel at the Annunciation, “behold, from henceforth all generations shall call me blessed.” (Luke 1:48)
In this 17th century Greek icon, known to work miracles and to cure those with cancer, the Divine Child sits in glory on her All-Pure lap and blesses us. He was aware of His Divine Nature and Rulership at every moment of His Life, as is seen in His icons which show the intelligent and aware face of an adult even when He was a child. In the halo around Christ’s head is a cross with the Greek letters for “I AM” as the infant silently proclaims himself to be the King of Glory and ground of Existence Itself. | <urn:uuid:6aaa48ab-4e82-4bb9-906e-8ae9998d4f02> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.skete.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=product.display&Product_ID=38&Category_ID=27 | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368707435344/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516123035-00007-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.947852 | 321 | 1.671875 | 2 |
WESTERN CAROLINA OPENS NEW
ADVANCED TECHNOLOGY AREA
CULLOWHEE -- Western Carolina University cut the ribbon recently on a new $203,000 Collaborative Advanced Technology Area, a roomful of high-end computer workstations that will allow students and faculty to work with the most advanced digital creation hardware and software.
"This is exciting," Western Chancellor John W. Bardo said at the Dec. 10 ribbon-cutting ceremony. "The capacity of this type of equipment defines where a lot of work is being done nationally in the high-tech field. That means our students are going to leave Western and utilize skills that graduates of most other universities do not have." The equipment in the facility is usually found only on campuses that offer an engineering degree, Bardo said. The CATA is located in the Coulter Faculty Center within WCU's Hunter Library. Bob Orr, associate director of the center, said the CATA hardware consists of nine high-end workstations that provide video and audio capturing and editing capabilities, and include video decks, video monitors, digital capture equipment and large-capacity storage devices. All the workstations have high-speed access to a large-capacity server, the campus computer network and the Internet.
The computer workstations can be linked for data-intensive operations to make possible three-dimensional graphics, molecular modeling, animation and three-dimensional geographical mapping, Orr said. All workstations have large-screen computer monitors, high-resolution video interfaces, and can be projected onto a large screen at a high-definition television standard, with sound provided by a professional studio sound system, he said. The overall use of the CATA will be in promoting collaborations among students and faculty in developing projects to enrich and supplement the students' regular courses.
"The CATA is a response to what the faculty said they wanted and needed to better prepare our students," Orr said. Bardo said the CATA is a "first step" in a larger effort to advance technology on Western's campus. Another big step will take place over the next 18 months as WCU builds a Regional Workforce Development Center, a training center that will include even more high-end computer equipment, with facilities for digital video and audio recording and media production, technology-based manufacturing, three-dimensional epoxy laser modeling and information network design, and a center for professional selling in which Western's students will focus on business-to-business sales. A ground-breaking ceremony for the Regional Workforce Development Center was held Tuesday, Dec. 14. That facility has been funded with $8 million in federal appropriations.
Maintained by the WCU Office of Public Relations
Last modified: Wednesday, December 22, 1999
Copyright 1999 by Western Carolina University | <urn:uuid:90f67ed2-147e-4bdb-b211-852c3e83213d> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.wcu.edu/pubinfo/news/cata.html | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368700264179/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516103104-00000-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.953025 | 572 | 1.84375 | 2 |
If you decide to change or hyphenate your last name, you will need to notify several companies and organizations. These include any credit card companies, banks, the Social Security Administration, your employer, the Department of Transportation, insurance companies, car and voter registration departments, property title holders, clubs, and the post office for a new name address. Most companies or organizations, such as the Social Security Administration and the Department of Transportation, will require to see your marriage license or your new Social Security card. Be sure to contact each organization to find out exactly what they require as proof of identification before going to apply for a new card. Most credit card companies will accept a new change in name or address by simply marking it on the monthly balance statement you send in with payments. However, you may have to send something in writing and provide a copy of your Social Security card for them to change your name on your charge accounts. You employer will also require you to fill out new tax forms and will need a copy of your Social Security card for tax purposes. Being prepared and calling ahead of time will help prevent wasted time and unnecessary problems. For more information on changing your name, contact your local government agencies. | <urn:uuid:32c30bee-3824-4b8d-be64-31f232f963de> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.kget.com/guides/wedding/legal/story/Changing-your-name/bhR1TJICGEaPc3roZf_nBA.cspx | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368701852492/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516105732-00005-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.943715 | 241 | 1.84375 | 2 |
Catholic Charities has ended Portland's longest-running large-scale program to support Hurricane Katrina and Rita evacuees, leaving at least 100 transplants still in need of assistance nearly two years after the hurricanes struck.
The move brings to a close the area-wide effort to aid hurricane evacuees who came to Portland for jobs, school and housing. At one point, the city and Multnomah county operated a welcome center at the old Washington-Monroe High School in Southeast Portland with the support of the Red Cross and other agencies.
Catholic Charities began providing money and other help immediately after the hurricanes, which struck in August and September 2005, destroying parts of Louisiana, Mississippi and Texas. The Portland nonprofit ended the relief program June 30, after spending about $350,000 to help evacuees pay rent and utilities, find jobs and get into college.
"Basically we exhausted all the funds we had raised for the evacuee relief effort," Dennis Keenan, the agency's executive director, said today. "We just felt that as an organization we couldn't sustain it any longer than we had."
Catholic Charities had begun spending money from other programs -- about $15,000 -- to keep the hurricane effort afloat. Donations dried up, Keenan said, as they often do during disaster relief efforts after the initial crisis fades from public view. The city, Multnomah County and the local chapter of the Red Cross ended assistance more than a year ago.
About 2,500 to 3,000 hurricane evacuees came to Portland after the storms, Keenan said. Many stayed, found jobs and started a new life here. But some have found it difficult to make a new home in Portland because they don't have the necessary education or job skills or they're still suffering from trauma, he said. Complicating matters: As newcomers, evacuees often moved to the back of the line for housing assistance after the emergency relief ended.
Willie Brown, who helped run Portland's welcome center for evacuees, will try to fill the void left by the closure of Catholic Charities' program through his new group, the Black Citizens Coalition in Northeast Portland. The focus will be on helping evacuees find jobs and handle crises, such as evictions and utility shutoffs.
Brown said he'll appeal to the Federal Emergency Management Agency, the city and county, local employers and groups such as Mercy Corps to help. Catholic Charities has pledged to support efforts to get public money for evacuee relief.
-- Scott Learn and Stephen Beaven | <urn:uuid:51542a73-b63d-4f7d-a01d-1d12e8b1edcb> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://blog.oregonlive.com/breakingnews/2007/07/last_of_the_big_katrina_relief.html | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368709037764/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516125717-00019-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.961988 | 524 | 1.59375 | 2 |
I could have subbed the entire first week of the New Year had I had stamina for Kinders or middle school P.E. classes. Instead, I started the New Year with two days of 4th graders.
The most common question I get when kids enter the room for the first time is: “Where is Ms/Mr teacher?” This class was no exception
First girl through the door: “Where is Ms H?”
Me: I’ll answer that question when everyone gets settled, ok?
Earlier in my short career as a substitute teacher, I’d just tell them that I don’t know why their teacher had to be away for the day. Sometimes I DID know, but I didn’t feel that it was my job to give out any details that the teacher might or might not care to share with the students.
Lately, I’ve gotten a bit more creative, especially around this age group of kids (8-10).
Me: Your teacher is not here today because she is on an assignment.
Door girl: Assignment? What’s that?
Me: It is supposed to be a secret, but your teacher is a CIA agent and “teacher” is just her undercover job. She was sent out on an important mission for today and tomorrow!
Random Kid: What?
Me: It’s true! She’s a secret agent for the CIA. That stands for “Candy Interception Agency”. Her secret mission is to track down and stop the smuggling of illegal “blue lollipops” into the country. She had a tip that a giant box of them was coming this morning at the airport and had to go investigate.
At this point, they know (at least I hope so) that I was having a bit of fun but they seemed interested in the “yarn”.
Random Kid: But lollipops aren’t illegal! We have them lots of times.
Me: Ahhh. But were any of them BLUE?
The room went quiet and I could almost hear them thinking about colors. Ummm, green, yellow, red, orange …blue?
Confident Kid: But, I’ve had blue ones before!
Me: Really? What flavor was it?
NowNotSoConfident Kid: Ummmmm…
Me: See! Think about it. What flavor IS blue? Very few people have had a blue lollipop because they are illegal in the United States.
“While you think that over, let’s get to work. The first item on the lesson plan is a practice spelling test. Get a piece of binder paper and number it from 1-20 with your name at the top…”.
Now, the standard procedure for spelling tests in elementary school is for the teacher to:
1. Clearly pronounce the word
2. Use the word in a sentence
3. Repeat the word.
Of course all the sentences used for this spelling test were going to have to incorporate the phrase “blue lollipop” somehow. When I occasionally failed to come up with a sentence with “blue lollipop”, one or more of the kids suggested one for me.
…now that I think about it, what flavor IS blue? | <urn:uuid:cadcd6b1-b259-4195-880e-d8cfe768d4ab> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://kauaimark.blogspot.com/2012/01/blue-lollipops.html?showComment=1325917567085 | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368704713110/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516114513-00012-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.97605 | 710 | 1.648438 | 2 |
inTown: Studs Terkel at the Keegan
WETA Around Town recommends Working, A Musical–playing at the Keegan Theater through May 13th–based on the book Working: People Talk About What They Do All Day and How They Feel About What They Do by Studs Terkel.
Originally published in 1974, Terkel’s book is still remarkably relevant, as highlighted in these excerpts from its New York Times review in March of that year:
From “Everybody Who’s Nobody and the Nobody Who’s Everybody” by Marshall Berman, March 24, 1974:
…Terkel has chosen a subject that is particularly timely. The disturbances at Lordstown, the H.E.W. “Work in America” report, the increasing intensity of bitterness expressed by workers in every occupation- blue and white collar, unskilled and executive alike- should be enough to convince readers that Americans have come to perceive work as a central problem, maybe the central problem, in the 1970′s. Terkel provides an enormous amount of exciting material indispensable for any full understanding of this problem. He uses the discussion of work to get at so much of what is deepest and most intimate in so many people’s lives, to understand work as Freud understood it, as the individual’s firmest connection with reality. He has learned, as it were, to listen with the third ear. His book should be a best seller, and it deserves to be.
It is not clear how Terkel gets so close to these people. Indeed, he makes it obscurer than it need be by editing his own presence out of most of the interviews he has transcribed, so that his people’s stories generally read as monologues instead of the human encounters they quite clearly are. Still, it is clear that he is giving off something that encourages people to associate freely, to mention “second thoughts” that they would normally keep under wraps, to expose their often precarious and frightening inner lives, to take emotional risks. He may have learned something of this from the late psychoanalytically-minded anthropologist Oscar Lewis, author of “The Children of Sanchez” (1961). Then, too, Americans may well have grown more expressive, more willing to let things out, since Terkel began to listen to people talk: this may be part of the legacy of the sixties. Still, it is clear that he has a rare and precious human gift- a gift that , if his earlier books are any evidence, has come to him relatively lately. This gives “Working” a very special electricity and emotional power. Sometimes, it seems, almost too much power: we want to drop the book, it is too hot…
…One of the most persistent themes among Terkel’s people, young and old, high and low on the social scale, is the ways in which people’s attitudes toward their work have changed. Older workers complain that younger ones lack what Veblen called the “instinct of workmanship,” a desire to do their job well. On the other hand- this usually comes out in second thoughts or free associations- they feel a grudging but intense admiration for young people’s willingness to stand up both to arbitrary power and to work that may, after all, be meaningless… | <urn:uuid:929a2c9f-f490-4187-a1c3-d9b1191f7fd8> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.inreads.com/2012/05/09/intown-studs-terkel-at-the-keegan/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368703682988/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516112802-00012-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.970126 | 693 | 1.804688 | 2 |
Today in Music History:
In 1971, New York radio station WNBC banned the song 'One Toke Over the Line' by Brewer & Shipley because of its alleged drug references. Other stations around the country followed.
The Watchmen were a Canadian rock band that was one of the most commercially successful Canadian alternative rock groups of the early 1990s. The group was formed in 1988 in Winnipeg, Manitoba by vocalist Daniel Greaves, guitarist Joey Serlin, bassist Pete Loewen and drummer Sammy Kohn. Serlin was a comic fan and named the group after the DC comic. The band's 1994 album In The Trees confirmed their place in Canadian rock with the hit singles "Boneyard Tree", "All Uncovered" and "Lusitana".
In 1998 the band released Silent Radar which was their fourth studio album and it spawned numerous hits for the band. The album provided the band with their third and final Juno nomination as they were nominated for Best Rock Album at the 1999 Juno Awards. As was the case with their previous two Juno nominations, the band lost the award to The Tragically Hip. In November 2003 the band decided to go their separate ways. Before they did, they performed one last short tour across Canada as a "Thank You" to their fans. The tour was called "The Watchman's Last Road Trip" and included 9 concerts in 6 Canadian cities and 1 American city. Another Canadian band that while well known in it's native land, did not garner much exposure south of the border.
Absolutely Anytime by the Watchmen | <urn:uuid:cc47202d-9648-448a-90b4-fd39d04dcc87> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://homercat.blogspot.com/2008_03_01_archive.html | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368710006682/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516131326-00008-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.983264 | 319 | 1.8125 | 2 |
Pearl Jam Music Used for Updated Version of ‘Hamlet’
The classic William Shakespeare story of ‘Hamlet’ received a grunge-style update over the weekend. The production crew at New York City’s HERE have added the music of Pearl Jam to their ‘Hamlet’ remake entitled ‘A King Of Infinite Space.’
According to Paste, ‘A King Of Infinite Space’ reimagines the ‘Hamlet’ epic as a tale in the Lower East Side in the ’90s. The 80-minute production utilizes Pearl Jam’s back catalog to flesh out the story.
“Hamlet returns from college to find his uncle Claude married to his mother and plotting to turn the Elsinore, a historic Lower East Side building, into high priced modern condos in what will soon be known as the East Village,” explains the official play synopsis. “During a wild drug trip with his friend Horacio, he sees the ghost of his father, and vows revenge for his murder at the hands of Claude.”
In other Pearl Jam news, frontman Eddie Vedder took time to visit the Ramones Museum in Berlin a couple of weeks ago while the band was in town for a show. Vedder shared stories and his thoughts about the pioneering punk band, and even left a handwritten note addressed to the late Johnny Ramone. | <urn:uuid:48bacf96-c234-4fd0-b0ae-effb83c74442> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://wgrd.com/pearl-jam-hamlet/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368704132298/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516113532-00017-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.950233 | 291 | 1.671875 | 2 |
Using a Max-Min Approach to Evaluate the Performance of a Supply Cluser Network
With the increase in the number of studies on supply chain management practices and their application, many studies have proposed methodologies that can be used by manufacturers to evaluate vendors. These methodologies allow a buyer to choose several specific indicators or multiple criteria to evaluate vendors and distinguish them from one another based on their performance. Manufacturers can then make decisions on further cooperation with vendors who have high performance scores. Nevertheless, few studies have proposed methodologies that can be used to evaluate a supply cluster network, which consists of interlaced supply chains, as a whole. | <urn:uuid:98f4c7ba-d0b4-40cb-9d84-639dcb015731> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.techrepublic.com/whitepapers/using-a-max-min-approach-to-evaluate-the-performance-of-a-supply-cluser-network/2932069?cname=customer-management | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368705559639/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516115919-00017-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.940791 | 128 | 1.742188 | 2 |
6. To take a break or break your habit, there are many things you can do
nutritionally. Give your body plenty of support. In regards to diet, first
begin with drinking 6-8 glasses of water a day to help flush toxins. Avoid
sugary and fried foods. Don?t substitute other addictive substances, such as
caffeine or nicotine, for alcohol. Eat plenty of wholesome foods--fresh
fruits and vegetables, grains and legumes, nuts and seeds, and fish--for the
nutrients and fiber they provide. This helps with body support and
elimination. A detoxifying diet very high in fruits, vegetables, and fresh
juices can be very helpful in changing habits and cleansing the body.
7. Supplements are helpful during alcohol use and during detoxification.
(See my book, The Detox Diet, for more specifics.) Definitely use the
antioxidant nutrients such as Vitamins C and E, beta-carotene, plus zinc and
selenium. The B-vitamins are also very important to alcohol metabolism as
well as nervous system support. The amino acid L-glutamine (500-1,000 mg
three times daily) may help reduce cravings for alcohol (and sugar). Calcium
and magnesium help to calm the nervous system and reduce withdrawal.
Flaxseed oil or olive oil also helps the body tissues. Taking in a
tablespoon of oil before you drink may also slow the absorption of alcohol.
Packets of Emergen-C with a full glass or two of water are very helpful to
prevent hangovers and reduce dehydration. These supplements are also helpful
during alcohol detoxification.
8. Herbs may also be useful at supporting the body and preventing some of
the ill effects of alcohol use. Ones that cleanse the liver include milk
thistle and dandelion root. Chamomile and licorice root can help with
gastric distress. Skullcap, valerian root, and other tranquilizing herbs are
useful during alcohol withdrawal. There are many herbs that help with
alcohol detoxification. See about this also in The Detox Diet book.
9. Acupuncture and massage therapy may be quite helpful when one is going
through the stress of changing habits. Acupuncture detoxification has become
quite popular; talk to your local acupuncturist to discuss this. Exercise,
walks in Nature, saunas and steams are helpful to clear alcohol from your
system and during detoxification as well.
10. Other Alcohol Issues: The process of fermentation uses yeast with fruits
or grains, and the consumption of sugars and fermented products makes us
more susceptible to Candida yeast problems. Many current and past alcoholics
have yeast conditions, and this affects their digestion, energy, and moods.
Another issue of alcohol drinks relates to the use of chemicals in
manufacture, plus sulfites in wines, to which many folks have sensitivities.
Organic drinks are best, especially compared to chemical treated substances.
Chemicals harm Nature?s creatures, our water supply, and the air for
generations to come. (See www.organicwineguild.com) Alcohol control is
overseen by the Bureau of Firearms. Does this come from the long-term
association of whiskey with gunslingers? With so many choices, we can really
do harm to our world and ourselves by supporting the wrong products.
Even though there have been some studies suggesting benefits to daily
alcohol use, it isn?t contrasted to those who drink only occasionally or not
at all and who have many good health habits. Who sponsors these studies
anyway? Also, alcohol may have some calming affect on a more toxic and
stressful lifestyle. Common Sense is the rule: Do not drink and drive! We
have clearly established that, after so much loss of life and financial
destruction and high insurance rates. Now folks can?t simply smoke anywhere
they please and contaminate the rest of our lungs. We have laws now that
protect others from us, but how can we protect ourselves? The answer is
"only with wise choices." | <urn:uuid:21c8ec27-9ce0-4c6f-8027-20c9b613ceca> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.healthy.net/Health/Essay/10_Tips_On_Wise_Alcohol_Consumption/434/2 | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368706499548/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516121459-00011-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.932703 | 878 | 1.703125 | 2 |
Travel report Moscow
The most important place of interest and the most impressive building of historical importance in the “Heroic City” is without a doubt the Kremlin, which, according to many travel reports, is amongst other things the residence of the Russian President. Another of the most popular places of interest in our city tip is Red Square, which also contains the Lenin Mausoleum. Other sights mentioned in the travel reports are the red St. Basil’s Cathedral with its bulbous towers and the Cathedral of Christ the Saviour. According to recent travel reports, the Gorky Park pf Culture and Leisure is the most popular out of about one hundred parks in Moscow. It is located in the centre of the city, by the banks of the Moskva River. Here, as well as countless famous places of interest, there are also a boat station, bars, restaurants, cafés and, in the winter, skating rinks for ice skating.
To the tourist site for Moscow
Here you can convert your currency accurately, using today’s exchange rate.
Country, people, climate, history, food: information on every aspect of your travel destination will put you in the mood for your holiday.
Airport information on Moscow Domodevo
To help you on your way to the best city tips in Moscow after landing at Moscow Airport, you will find everything you need to know about Moscow Domodevo and Moscow Sheremetyevo here. As well as a detailed site plan that you can print out, you can find out about addresses, renting a car, public transport, car parks, accessibility and where to shop.
Information on Moscow Domodevo | <urn:uuid:a4c15e2c-fb01-47a2-bc95-e9cb7ffe9c33> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.lufthansa.com/es/en/Travel-report-Moscow | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368704392896/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516113952-00005-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.949806 | 343 | 1.710938 | 2 |
Tomorrow sees the release of Ang Lee's visually stunning movie adaptation of Life of Pi. We had a sneak peak and it's fair to say the 3D visuals are pretty mind-blowing - think golden skies, glittering oceans and wild animals galore.
We promise you'll be impressed.
Although you won't be able to visit the mystical Life of Pi back-drop (because it's almost all CGI), you can take a trip to other movie locations across the world.
Take a peek at out pick of the top five film locations below...
The Beach (2000)
Where: Hat Maya, Thailand
The gorgeous beach of Phi Phi Leh Island as travelled by Leo Di Caprio in The Beac is one of the most beautiful in the world. This paradise island can only be reached via ferry and there is only one crossing per day. Unsurprisingly, after the film was released there was a massive spike in backpacking visitors to the Island, which hasn't died down since.
Where: Montmartre, Paris
Director Jean-Pierre Jeunet turned Paris, and particularly Montmartre where he grew up, into a stunning backdrop for his whimsical smash hit movie Amelie. The vibrant Rue de Saint Vincent, the picturesque Pont des Arts and other key tourist spots provided the perfect backdrop. The Cafe des Deux Moulins found fame thanks to the film and it was saved from being shut down as a result.
The Lord of the Rings trilogy (2001-2003)
Where: Matamata, New Zealand
Alexander Farm near Matamata was used to portray the homely Shire of The Hobbits. The spot looks so good that the tourist industry boomed and looks set to benefit again now that The Hobbit has arrived. Peter Jackson used a variety of attractive locations in both the north and south islands of New Zealand to shoot the trilogy and he's ventured to new spots for the upcoming new trilogy too. Be warned that some of the locations are very hard to reach or inaccessible to the public!
Lost in Translation (2003)
Where: Tokyo, Japan
The achingly romantic Lost in Translation is perhaps more a love letter to the Japanese capital city than anything else. The viewer sees the other-worldly setting from a visitors perspective with a cinematic tour of the city. The key movie backdrops are provided by the bustling neon glare of the financial centre Shinjuku, and the super cool youth styling of the Shibuya neighbourhood.
Pan's Labyrinth (2006)
Where: Guadarrama Mountain Range, Spain
Guillermo Del Toro's masterful dark fantasy was a deserving hit on release despite being a somewhat scary Spanish language movie. The central Spanish Guadarrama Mountain Range allowed Del Toro to take us into some spooky, dense and captivating woodland locations.
What do you think? Leave a comment below to be in with a chance of winning a £100 goodie bag
ESCAPE TO JAMAICA FOR SOME WINTER SUN
TAKE A P&O CRUISE AROUND THE MEDITERRANEAN
DISCOVER SOUTH AUSTRALIA IN STYLE | <urn:uuid:f13ba7c8-748d-46d5-a418-493431ebb0ba> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.handbag.com/life/news/a446252/top-5-most-beautiful-movie-locations-across-the-world.html | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368701459211/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516105059-00012-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.93786 | 646 | 1.515625 | 2 |
The Birthright Citizenship Act of 2013 Aims To End Unlawful Chain Migration - Steve King Introduces Bill To Stop Illegal Alien 'Anchor Babies'
"The framers did not consider the babies of illegals when they framed the 14th amendment because we didnít have immigration law at the time so they could not have wanted to confer automatic citizenship on the babies of people who were unlawfully in the United States."
Rep. Steve King (R-Iowa) has long advocated for an end to birthright citizenship for children born in the United States to undocumented parents.(Photo by Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images)
WASHINGTON -- It's the first week of the 113th Congress, and one House member is already trying to stop children born in the United States to undocumented parents -- whom he calls "anchor babies" -- from gaining citizenship.
Rep. Steve King (R-Iowa), an outspoken hardliner on immigration, introduced a bill on Thursday that would "clarify those classes of individuals born in the United States who are nationals and citizens of the United States at birth." The Supreme Court has consistently held that anyone born in the United States, regardless of their parents' immigration status, should receive citizenship under the 14th Amendment.
King disagrees, as do 13 co-sponsors on the bill, including Reps. Louie Gohmert (R-Texas), Virginia Foxx (R-N.C.) and Mo Brooks (R-Ala.).
"We need a common sense solution to fix the flawed interpretation of the Constitution's citizenship clause, and 'The Birthright Citizenship Act of 2013' does just that," he said in a statement on Friday. "The current practice of extending U.S. citizenship to hundreds of thousands of 'anchor babies' must end because it creates a magnet for illegal immigration into our country. Now is the time to ensure that the laws in this country do not encourage law breaking."
King has long been a supporter of stopping automatic citizenship and introduced a similar bill on the first day of the last legislative session in 2011.
According to the 14th Amendment, "All persons born or naturalized in the United States, and subject to the jurisdiction thereof, are citizens of the United States and of the state wherein they reside." But King argues that was not meant to include children of undocumented immigrants.
"The framers did not consider the babies of illegals when they framed the 14th amendment because we didnít have immigration law at the time so they could not have wanted to confer automatic citizenship on the babies of people who were unlawfully in the United States," he told CityView in November 2010.
The issue of "anchor babies" was briefly in the mainstream in mid-2010, when a number of Republican politicians, including Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-S.C.), said they would be willing to consider whether automatic citizenship should be blocked for children of undocumented immigrants. Sens. Paul Vitter (R-La.) and Rand Paul (R-Ky.) introduced a congressional resolution in January 2011 to amend the constitution to end birthright citizenship.
Now, though, it's unlikely to gather much steam, as members of Congress turn their attention to immigration reform that could confer legal status to some undocumented immigrants. A spokesman for House Majority Leader Eric Cantor (R-Va.), who controls the House legislative calendar, did not immediately respond to a request for comment on whether the bill is likely to get to the floor.This article was originally published in forum thread: Steve King Introduces Bill To Stop 'Anchor Babies' started by Jean View original post | <urn:uuid:8f437eaa-e511-4f20-bd66-28a08749199b> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.alipac.us/content/steve-king-introduces-bill-stop-anchor-babies-1255/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368698924319/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516100844-00010-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.96522 | 737 | 1.59375 | 2 |
The City of London released an interesting document yesterday on the future of regulation of banking. They talk about liquidity, leverage, capital and risk liberally, and state that the future regulatory regime must not clamp down on capital reserves in banking so hard that the banks are unable to lubricate the global economy.What I found interesting is that there are quite a few contradictions in the 77 page report although, to be honest, I only read the Executive Summary. From this summary, it’s interesting that they plead that the macroprudential structures don’t squeeze capital ratios, but hardly talk at all about the leverage issues Lehman Brothers created. If my memory serves me, Lehmans was operating at leverage ratios of up to 1:40, e.g. for every $1 of capital, $40 was being used to ‘gamble’ on the global markets. I also remember that their debts at bankruptcy were around $400 billion and BarCap estimated that for every $1 of debt, around $20 of Credit Default Swaps were being leveraged against Lehmans AAA rating. In other words, $8 trillion of leverage was in the system off the back of Lehman Brothers.That was the issue, particularly when this leverage – and therefore liquidity – disappeared overnight.Following on from this, they refer to the fact that the crisis was not caused by a lack of capital, but by a lack of liquidity. True, but I did not gather a clear view on liquidity risk or leverage ratios from the document. It may be in there, but it’s hard to find.For example, in Section Five that addresses Leverage Ratios, the report states that “judgement and discretion are vital, including judgement and discretion concerning circumstances under which firms will be permitted temporarily to have capital that is inadequate. The notion of employing a leverage ratio as a last-resort backstop to limit the damage caused by regulatory get-arounds arises precisely because of the limited ability and appetite of regulatory authorities for exercising discretion. That core problem is the one to address.”A bit of fudge if you ask me there.The same is true on liquidity risk, with the report proposing a global liquidity standard and yet they then say that they are “unconvinced that there is a case yet made for pursuing significant further deepening of international coordination of banking regulation. Indeed, we believe it quite likely that greater exercise of national discretion is the appropriate path forwards.”Now I understand the conundrum that you cannot have one nation regulate for example to stop bank bonuses as it will just mean bankers jump across to other nations. So you need a global agreement of some form. Equally, no global agreement will work, as there is always gold-plating and protectionism of national instruments, so you need a global framework with local interpretation. That is kinda what they’ve proposed, but it’s rather unclear. For example, their closing comment on liquidity is:“In our view, improving liquidity standards are amongst the most important and material changes to be introduced — though they are likely to have high costs that must be recognised. However, the scope for international standards to deliver adequate liquidity is limited without increased roles for national lenders of last resort and in particular an increased role for central banks in prudential supervision.”In fact, the regular mantra in the document appears to be the frictions and tensions between global and local. For example, they state that there is a “risk that regulation will not apply evenly or that regulation will apply in the UK before the rest of the world”, and that this “is seen as a significant threat to London’s competitiveness. It is therefore widely urged that the Basel measures enact a common international timetable. International firms that operate in multiple markets are particularly keen to see common, consistent frameworks and standards applied.”Yet, as mentioned, they don’t think regulation will or can be applied consistently across multiple markets.All in all, more questions raised than answers in this document, but worth a read for those who are technically minded and interested. | <urn:uuid:305e4637-ce4e-473f-8420-c7a1a06eb4dc> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://thefinanser.co.uk/fsclub/2010/05/the-future-of-banking-regulation.html | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368706890813/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516122130-00009-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.961091 | 840 | 1.726563 | 2 |
Tina Radin, MSW
Interventions Coordinator, TEACH
MSW, Temple University BS, Health Communication Studies, James Madison University
I used to live in Washington DC and spent a few years doing HIV prevention, syringe exchange and sex worker outreach work. When I moved to Philadelphia, a colleague from that job pointed me towards Philadelphia FIGHT and told me they did the kind of work I was interested in. After doing some of my own research and coming in to meet with a staff member, I learned that Philadelphia FIGHT was exactly the kind of agency I wanted to work for. I’ve always felt strongly that access to healthcare is a basic human right, and I knew that my beliefs aligned well with the FIGHT mission.
I coordinate and teach the Project TEACH class. This is Philadelphia FIGHT’s signature education program, an eight-week HIV treatment education program for people who are living with HIV. In this class students learn that they can live a long, healthy, and fulfilling life with the virus, and that they can be their own best advocates.
There are so many moments that make me feel fortunate to be able to do the job I do, but the one that stands out most was at the end of the first semester that I taught the TEACH Class. I had the students fill out final evaluations where they were asked to share the most valuable lesson they learned from taking this class. One student wrote, “I learned that I am important and deserving of love.” That was the moment that I really understood the true value of this program and this organization!
I am motivated by the knowledge that my co-workers really believe in the work they are doing and are truly passionate about it. I am also motivated by the strength, resilience and drive that our participants have to overcome the challenges and barriers they face and make their own lives better. More than anything, though, I am motivated by the enormous legacy of Project TEACH, in Philadelphia and beyond. I have lost track of how many times I have heard or read a participant's account of how the Project TEACH program changed their life and has given them a renewed sense of hope. Knowing that I get to be a part of that is really something special. | <urn:uuid:f32734c7-7503-4aaf-98d6-51087ecf6395> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://fight.org/fighters/tina-radin/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368698924319/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516100844-00011-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.974654 | 456 | 1.625 | 2 |
In her New Year speech yesterday, Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) presidential candidate Tsai Ing-wen (蔡英文) said her wish was to win the Jan. 14 presidential election and promised to turn Taiwan into a country where solidarity and justice prevail.
“My fellow countrymen, I wish you a happy new year on the first day of 2012. I would also like to take this opportunity to offer my sincere pledge to make Taiwan a country of solidarity and justice,” she said at a flag-raising ceremony in Greater Tainan.
A collective upward dynamic and cohesiveness are desperately needed in Taiwan as people have lost their hope for the future and their trust in any political promise in the past three-and-a-half years, during which the government has malfunctioned, she said.
That is why she is determined to win the presidential election so her administration would be able to strive to regain “a sense of direction, the strength to march forward and people’s trust in politics,” Tsai said.
“That is the responsibility of our generation. And every one of you will be able to play a crucial part in the change for the better,” Tsai said.
With the presidential race moving into the final two weeks before the election, Tsai has been trying to consolidate support for her candidacy with extensive visits to various parts of the nation.
Meanwhile, at a press conference yesterday, former premier Su Tseng-chang (蘇貞昌), who serves as Tsai’s campaign chairman and ran as vice presidential candidate in the DPP’s failed bid in the 2008 presidential election, submitted the “three urges of respect.”
These are a call on Beijing to respect Taiwan, on the government to respect the people and on voters to respect their own free will.
The presidential election is the highest form of demonstrating the people’s collective will, Su said in Taipei, and China should refrain from any interference in the democratic process or threaten use of force against Taiwan.
In the lead-up to the election, Beijing officials have issued a number of official comments that made no secret of their support for President Ma Ying-jeou’s (馬英九) re-election bid and have threatened that the stability of cross-strait relations could be undermined if the DPP were to re-enter the Presidential Office.
The government should respect its people by maintaining administrative neutrality and preventing the use of vote-buying, Su said.
Su also urged voters to respect their right to vote and say “no” to vote-buying to enable Taiwan’s democracy to deepen. | <urn:uuid:6ee16a95-70a7-4640-b7fc-8fb0885b016a> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.taipeitimes.com/News/front/archives/2012/01/02/2003522189 | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368700958435/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516104238-00015-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.970028 | 568 | 1.554688 | 2 |
Posts Tagged ‘Consumer’
Of course, you can go to Annual Credit Report.com to get your authorized free credit report. Still, there are differences between what you may find provided by the three different bureaus.
A Common Problem
On all three bureau reports the errors are difficult to find and reading them may seem very complicated if you are not used to doing so. Another common problem is this: Sometimes all of the consumer’s information in these said reports might be split because two names were used by the consumer.
Other splits may occur be because of common names. For example, a father and son with the same name may have split credit reports.
Other problems pertain to instant credit reports. Some accounts show up on one instant credit report while other accounts show up on another instant credit report. Sometimes as in the case of TransUnion, additional social security numbers are not shown on someone’s file.
Furthermore, additional names, addresses, and possible accounts that don’t belong appear on the report may also appear. The appropriate bureau should be contacted immediately especially in this case.
There might be a variety of reasons that splits occur in credit reports. Some of the contributing factors may be one of these:
- A result of consumers who frequently use and pull their personal instant credit report on a daily basis from monitoring services
- Compilation of soft hits to the credit report
- When a credit report file becomes too large
In the case of split credit reports, Equifax gives the following advice to consumers: Add both scores and divide by two. The end result is the score to be used. However, it is necessary that you inform Equifax that the file needs to be re-merged.
In the case of mix-ups, the consumer must contact the appropriate with the proper I.D. to correct the situation. For instance, TransUnion may require a copy of his driver’s license to update the instant credit report.
One thing that can affect your credit the most is how much debt you are carrying on your cards. Thereofre, it may be time for you to finally get rid of some of your credit card debt.
Another factor is how close to the credit limit you are on each card. Any good credit repair company will tell you that it is best to keep your total balance below one fourth of your credit limit. This is for the total of all your cards.
If you want to continue to get rid of credit card debt here are some additional tips and facts:
Reduce the amount of interest paid while buying things with a credit card. You can do this if you pay back the balance within a 25 to 30 day grace period.
Remember that late payments appear on your credit file. Therefore, try to avoid allowing your balances to become past due.
If you are unfortunately already overwhelmed by the debt you have nationwide debt settlement options are available. This is a great place to go for educational advice on what financial options are best for you.
Seek all re-financing options such as consolidations before considering bankruptcy. You may also want to consider budgeting and debt repayment programs.
The devastating economic conditions right now have caused 60% of Americans in financial distress not knowing what to do. They also quite often do not know where to go for help.
Debt settlement is one option. This helps you eliminate unpaid balances by reducing the amount you owe, by as high as 50 to 70% (and in rare cases up to 100%).
However, this solution is not without its consequences. Using debt settlement could have a temporary negative impact on your credit file. Therefore, whenever possible it is in your best interest to do what you can to pay that account.
The idea is to do whatever you can possible to avoid charge offs, because this can also hurt your credit file. Apparently according to some sources debt settlements are like a charge off.
However, sometimes you have to do what you have to do. The key to all this is to help reduce chance of bankruptcy proceedings, as this is often thought of as a last resort.
When credit card accounts are settled, the creditor will notify the 3 credit bureaus within 30-45 days. Even though this may not always be the option that works for everyone, it can improve your debt to income ratio.
Free credit reports are almost as common as bread and peanut butter. The explosion of offers in this regard does not replace the possible need for paid monitoring services.
However, obtaining your free credit report is your right. This is your right as of an amendment of the Free Credit Reporting Act of 2003.
The main reason this new amendment of the FCRA was added by the government to ensure that all Americans have the right to stay informed. This gives people an opportunity to learn what the three credit reporting bureaus are saying about you.
All this is done without you having to pay for it. This has been done to help combat identity theft, since fraud and errors on credit reports are so common today.
The goal of this new government act is to ensure that Americans have the right to stay informed about what these three credit reporting bureaus say about then. Yet, at the same time it gives them the right to do so without having to pay for the information.
Obtaining your Records
You can request a free copy of your credit report within a 12 month period from one of the major financial bureaus: Experian, Equifax and TransUnion.
If you don’t really plan to subscribe to the service, it is important that you cancel the trial subscription, or else it would automatically be billed to your account. In that case, you should remember the termination date of your trial period.
You can also get your files at Annual Credit Report.com. This is one of the safest and most reliable locations to obtain your free documents. This site is actually regulated by the federal government and it also is monitored by the three credit bureaus.
You also can find these documents via other websites. You should make sure that it has the official saying that indicates you are not at the Annual Credit Report.com site.
You should be able to obtain your free credit report without any hassle. You can report a private monitoring service if they try to make you pay for these documents.
Now, you should beware that you do not get a free credit score, but only a free credit report. Therefore, you still have the chance of experiencing hassles in that way.
At the same time, you should make sure you take advantage of what you are entitled to and do not have to pay for up front. The only time you really have to pay is if you seek out additional credit alert and monitoring services other than the free ones provided by law.
Too often you hear the complaint that a credit monitoring service is billing whether the customer wants the service or not. This is a shame, and it is ironic that one of the reasons you want the service is to find and remove erroneous debt items on your report.
One common solution to this is to use a debit card rather than a credit card when you purchase a service. If a service continues to bill after you’ve finished with the service, you can always cancel the debit card.
Canceling a credit card can have a negative impact on your credit file though. Using a debit card saves you this headache.
Advantages and Disadvantages
Oftentimes credit monitoring services are considered an expensive waste of time. Oftentimes you can accomplish just as much towards fixing your credit on your own not spending any money.
On average, a credit monitoring service will cost about $10 per month, per report. It is true sometimes that can monitor your own credit report for less than the average cost of these services.
However, sometimes people like the peace of mind of hiring a professional service and/or online software to do this action for them. Besides, you may want to receive reports from all three agencies at once.
With many monitoring services all three reports are included, but you may be required to request all of them at once. At the very most it could cost you about $36 a month or $432 a year to do this, unless of course you receive discounted prices as mentioned above (approximately $10 per month).
Regardless of what you pay, what you would receive for that $432 per year varies. It depends upon the services that you choose. However, in general you can expect that you’ll be alerted if someone applies for new credit.
You also have the luxury of being told if something suspicious turns up on your credit report. Most monitoring services also come with identity theft insurance that will help you recuperate the costs necessary to repair any errors that occur.
You also have the option to use one of a variety of identity theft services. On the other hand, you can monitor your own credit report even for as low as $8 per report.
You may have to do a little bit more work when you monitor your own report. However, you can save some money.
On the other hand, many people find that the expense of a monitoring service is much easier. They would rather pay this extra fee than monitor their own credit reports.
Nowadays, credit card companies are seeking ways to reduce risk. This is so they do not have to pay out as much money as they did in the past. This information was true as of September 2009, but new laws have changed since then.
A revelation of this information can clue you in onto some of the changes made before February 20, 2010. For instance, credit card companies who want to reduce risk have used one of the following three tactics:
- Some consumers have been hit with lowered credit lines. The general rule of thumb was that they wanted to lower the lines of credit to below the outstanding balances of the consumer.
- Other credit card companies are seeking ways to raise interest rates. This was done as a way to try to push consumers into making payments.
- Other consumers who have locked-in interest rates saw rises in minimum payments. This has causes the minimum payments of people to double and triple in some cases.
Options for Consumers
Upon credit card companies starting to take one of the above actions against consumers, these companies did make some offers to consumers. For instance, they were able to opt out of an interest rate increase.
This was done by way of closing the account and continuing to pay off the debt a little at a time-at their own pace. This of course is another action that causes damage to a person’s credit scores.
Upon talking to a credit counselor, some consumers were advised to call and re-negotiate interest rates. Some people were successful and some were not. In any case, many of these consumers (as well as the ones whose minimum balances were hiked) were force to seek funding elsewhere.
Laws have changed in 2010. There are certain actions that credit card companies cannot take that they could not before, and some of these apply to the three actions described above.
In any case, the best action is to pay debt off as quickly as possible. Then, a consumer should try to re-configure the home budget so that temporary credit is no longer needed.
There is one main advantage of seeking a free credit report. This would be to spot cases of identity theft early. An additional benefit would be to spot errors right away and to have them fixed.
Countless stories have probably been told by now telling the advantages of a free credit report. However, this one seems to stand out the most:
It is the one about Sylvia Gallow-Vazquez that has circulated the web the past few years. It tells how she applied for a Discover card and then was turned down. She wondered through all of this how such a thing could be possible, because her credit rating was considered to be “impeccable.”
Now, learning of all kinds of unauthorized transactions and identity theft is never fun. This could appear on your credit report all too often. This is what happened to Gallow-Vazquez.
She obtained copies of her credit report after being denied a Discover Card. This is when she first learned she was defrauded.
It was no fun to find out that that her name was used against her for utility services as well as for car and home loan applications. It was also no fun for her to find out she had a two years worth of additional unauthorized transactions such as Internet and phone services affecting her credit report.
However, it is probably safe to say that Sylvia Gallow-Vazquez was quite relieved to find this out when she did. If she had never gained access to her credit report she would have never known so she is glad she did.
Finding negative remarks on her bill was the first step towards change. The next step would be to place alerts on the files and the earlier identity theft is detected the better.
In the case of Sylvia Gallow-Vazquez and similar situations it can take quite awhile to have all these negative marks removed. However, it never is too late to fix your situation.
Fraud alerts and free credit reports are requested all the time. Consumers who are in search of them now may have questions about these services offered to people.
What is the purpose of a free credit report?
People request them for a number of reasons. One of the main ones is to make sure they have no unauthorized purchases on their account. Another would be simply to monitor payment histories and to analyze in order to create a debt repayment plan.
How do I get a free credit report?
It can be obtained online at websites such as Annual Credit Report.com. It can also be requested by phone or by mail.
How long does it take to get a copy of my credit report?
You can usually get it almost instantly online. If you request it by phone or mail it takes up to 14 days to receive it.
What is a fraud alert?
It is a notice that is placed on your credit report to alert those to whom you owe money. This lets them as well as credit bureaus know that there may be unauthorized charges or unauthorized usage of your account.
How to I place a fraud alert on my credit report?
You can call one of three credit agencies (Equifax, Experian, or TransUnion) by telephone. You can also go to the websites of each one of these major credit bureaus.
Should I get an initial fraud alert or an extended fraud alert?
It depends upon the seriousness of your situation. The initial fraud alert stays on your file for 90 days and the extended fraud alert stays on your file for seven years.
What are my rights as a consumer seeking a free credit report or a fraud alert?
You are entitled to a free copy of your credit report at least once every 12 months. Information is provided by Experian, TransUnion, and Equifax. More info about this can be found at Annual Credit Report.com, the FTC website, and within Fair Credit Reporting Act documentation.
This of course is only a very small list of the concerns associated with protecting your identity and analyzing your financial history. You can seek answers to further questions if you call the appropriate customer service hotlines.
Furthermore, more detailed instructions are provided by more than one public service or legal service entity. This is to ensure your rights as a consumer are protected in case you notice a problem.
The concept of investigating credit reports is quite complex. It is done for many different reasons. Sometimes it is consumer fraud while other times it is because of identity theft.
It also could be a case where a consumer is just careless with money and has run up a “bunch” of credit card bills. It could be for any number of reasons or any combination of these reasons put together.
In any case, there is a variety of different ways that credit investigations are made. For instance, sometimes a credit report is checked. Usually this is done by way of social security number or birth date.
Other times other financial records such as bank accounts or credit cards are accessed. Of course, all of this is only done by the proper authorities who can be trusted to handle these investigations.
Sometimes credit bureaus or other governing agencies investigate overextended consumers. However, they do not always do their own research. They sometimes hire detectives of different sorts who sift through personal records.
All of this is done in order to search for financial judgments, liens, or other “dirt” against a homeowner. If there is any negative action on a person’s record, the detective then reports this to a credit bureau.
This further puts a person in financial trouble in even more jeopardy. New information is placed on a person credit record that would prevent them from getting a mortgage, car loan, or job.
There have been legal battles in recent times as to whether or not it is lawful for credit bureaus and other financial agencies to hire these detectives. Lawsuits were even filed in various geographical locations such as New Jersey and Pennsylvania.
There are a variety of different methods and tools that are used to investigate credit. You can read about these in a future blog entry.
When trying to clean up your credit-which sometimes seems such an impossible feat-you have a lot to consider. One of the major concerns regarding this is that pertaining to FICO scores and how loan modification can affect it.
People who have outstanding loans are encouraged to be careful about the decisions they make regarding this matter. Part of this is in knowing what a loan modification is in the first place.
A Simple Definition
A loan modification is the alteration of any financial contract. Usually this would be in the form of reducing interest rates or in the forgiveness (or partial forgiveness) of a loan. Sometimes it could be an extension of the loan’s maturity date.
This is a very complex matter-that of loan modification. It depends highly upon what parts of the loan are being modified or how it is recorded.
Some schools of thought suggest that since a loan modification is listed as a “Partial Payment Plan” on your financial records it would be better than perhaps not paying at all. However, this actually does lower your FICO score.
Avocation is being made by consumers to determine whether this is fair or not-the lowering of a credit score even if a payment is not missed after loan modification. If it still will affect you negatively why bother?
Therefore, although it might be a better solution than continuing to be delinquent on your loans it could still cost you. It often is not considered to be anything more than just a temporary solution to solving credit and debt problems.
If you are not sure whether this solution would be better for you than a charge-off or type of debt forgiveness, ask a financial counselor. A budget or credit counseling may be your best source for this type of information.
The Federal Trade Commission (FTC) alerts consumers about access to free credit reports. This information pertains to the fact that according to the Fair Credit Reporting Act (FCRA) you are entitled to one free credit report every 12 months.
However, you should also know that you are actually entitled to one report from each of the three agencies, not just one report total every year. Therefore, you can receive a copy of your payment histories and other vital financial records as kept by Equifax, Experian, and TransUninon.
Additional FTC Guidelines
In addition to the above, you are also entitled to the following:
- Accuracy and privacy of the information kept about you
- The right to know if someone has stolen your identity
- Immediate access to your credit report if you file online
- To receive your requested report within 15 days if you want it mailed to you
- Right to a free report if you are unemployed and looking for work within 60 days
- Right to investigation in case of an error
- Opportunity to dispute your case when necessary
- The right to know if anyone has obtained an unauthorized copy of your financial records
The Federal Trade Commission works to prevent consumer fraud. They also fight against unfair and deceptive business practices, including false advertising. They also help consumers remain aware of problems and thus teach buyers and sellers to avoid being a victim of fraud.
The FTC also helps people file complaints in the event a company or individual has wronged them in some way. This organization deals with all types of consumer-related scams, including falsified records, fake credit report fraud, and credit card identity theft.
The Internet has given rise to many fraudulent websites claiming to offer you a free credit report instantly. While some of these sites are very helpful, you need to watch out for any sign of a stolen identity.
WARNING: If you seek a credit report instantly online, make sure you know whom you are dealing with. This is especially important if you are signing up for a free trial of a credit monitoring service.
Remember, you should know what you are getting yourself into and who you are dealing with at all times. This is not to make you paranoid but rather to make you aware.
Use the Internet with caution when seeking a free copy of your financial history. Your financial future greatly depends upon taking proper precautions. | <urn:uuid:92ae1814-ba03-499c-977a-d9ec9abcbdb6> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.freecreditreportsinstantly.org/blog/tag/consumer/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368708142388/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516124222-00016-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.972261 | 4,393 | 1.6875 | 2 |
- RFID Digital Door Lock – this looks very cool, a totally key less lock system.
- The RFID Superstore
- MyPhotoPipe.com – a very large format printing service, run by a blast from the past
- What would Genghis Khan do in Iraq – an interesting article The Mongols also immediately executed the caliph and his sons on charges that they spent too much money on their palaces and not enough defending their nation.
From this post at Jane Galt’s
No matter how much cats fight, there always seem to be plenty of kittens –Abraham Lincoln
The commentor was dubbed “Occam’s Beard” which is a name I like.
Dan Habbot over at TDAXP has the single most informative article on the difference between Sunni and Shia Islam I’ve ever read.
One pleasantly departed meme is “War is good for the economy”. While never true (you can’t destroy human and physical capital and have a net increase in the economy) I haven’t heard it that much in the past few years.
A very well written post on the LP over at the Volokh Conspiracy, to wit:
Some LP defenders argue that even if the Party doesn’t have any chance of winning, it can at least help educate the public about libertarian ideas. However, there is little if any evidence that the LP has actually had any success in this task over its 35 year history. Those libertarians who have succeeded in spreading libertarian ideas – people like Milton Friedman, Ayn Rand, and the Cato Institute – have done so without any LP affiliations, and indeed have tried hard to work with the two major parties. Whether fairly or not, the mainstream media and academic world are not going to pay much attention to ideas emanating from a tiny third party that has no chance of winning any elections; therefore, the LP’s educative potential is unlikely to be much greater than its electoral potential.
If we had a proportional representation electoral system, like many European countries and Israel, a separate libertarian party would make excellent strategic sense. The party (if better run than the dysfunctional LP) could command 10-15% of the vote, thereby winning roughly that percentage of legislative seats, and would be a potential part of a ruling political coalition. A libertarian party might also make sense if one of the major political parties were on the brink of collapses and the libertarian party stood a chance of taking its place (as the Republican Party displaced the Whig Party in the 1850s). However, in the real world, the US is unlikely to move toward proportional representation and neither major political party is likely to collapse anytime soon. Therefore, the cause of libertarianism will be better off without a separate Libertarian Party.
Time has a nice synopsis of the current war between Ethiopia and Somalia.
It’s atheism this time, Sam Harris in particular. He rapes the mirror in 10 myths — and 10 truths — about atheism. It’s a smarmy read, in particular
2) Atheism is responsible for the greatest crimes in human history. People of faith often claim that the crimes of Hitler, Stalin, Mao and Pol Pot were the inevitable product of unbelief. The problem with fascism and communism, however, is not that they are too critical of religion; the problem is that they are too much like religions. Such regimes are dogmatic to the core and generally give rise to personality cults that are indistinguishable from cults of religious hero worship. Auschwitz, the gulag and the killing fields were not examples of what happens when human beings reject religious dogma; they are examples of political, racial and nationalistic dogma run amok.
How remarkably pointless. Everything good is on his side, and everything bad, even though explicitly and actively atheist, is on the side of religion.
What does it say of people who can’t admit that their position on an has an unpleasant side? Libertarianism is unclear on Foreign Policy and weak on the mentally ill. Liberalism is weak on education, conservatism is weak on immigration (pretty much every blend of conservatism). Why not admit these things? Any internally consistent ideology or religious theory will have strong points and weak points by any objective measure, | <urn:uuid:b4049318-0850-4763-988e-47c13fc288d9> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.moodyloner.net/2006/12/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368701459211/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516105059-00009-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.961483 | 876 | 1.59375 | 2 |
Public consultation opens on major new power-line project
12/04/2012 - 12:30:12
A €500m plan to link electricity supplies between Kildare and Munster has been unveiled.
The high voltage corridor, most likely overhead and covering at least 250km with pylons every 4km, is being promoted by energy infrastructure company EirGrid.
The proposed lines look set to go through Carlow, Cork, Dublin, Kildare, Kilkenny, Laois, Limerick, Tipperary, Waterford, Wexford and Wicklow after gaps in capacity were identified in the south and east of the country.
EirGrid, which has already faced massive opposition to high voltage lines running to the border through Co Meath, said it favours a 400kV alternating current overhead line linking Cork and Kildare via Wexford.
The public are being asked to give their views on the proposed link from now until the start of June.
Pat Rabbitte, Minister for Communications, Energy & Natural Resources, said it will provide a secure, long-term electricity supply for homes and businesses in the south and east.
“The grid link project will reinforce the electricity grid and have direct economic benefits for our local communities. I encourage people to engage in the public consultation and provide feedback to EirGrid,” he said.
EirGrid said it had carried out a detailed analysis of the national transmission grid to identify where the infrastructure needs to be improved to ensure a secure electricity supply.
Dermot Byrne, chief executive of EirGrid, said the south-east link was vital.
“The project will help enable Ireland to shift from a heavy reliance on imported fossil fuels to more sustainable sources of energy,” he said.
“It will also help ensure that the most efficient electricity generators in the south and east are utilised in the most effective way.”
Harold Kingston, IFA national environment and rural affairs chairman, warned of the need to avoid development problems of the past.
“The planned grid development by EirGrid will cause significant disturbance for the many farmers along the route in the counties affected,” he said.
“It is essential that lessons are learned from the recent problems in the Midlands.
“Particular attention must be paid to the concerns of farmers at route selection stage and all options in the planning phase must be considered.”
This first stage of public consultation will run for an eight-week period from today, Thursday April 12, to Friday June 8.
For more information visit the EirGrid GridLink page.
more stories like this:
- once per day, no spam. | <urn:uuid:000a8931-2b6b-4b3f-8fd2-aca2f14007ae> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.breakingnews.ie/ireland/public-consultation-opens-on-major-new-power-line-project-547180.html | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368710006682/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516131326-00003-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.937605 | 562 | 1.757813 | 2 |
A taxi drives by New York's Time Square brach of Bank of America in New York, December 11, 2008. Bank of America said Thursday it expects to cut up to 35,000 jobs over the next three years amid a sharp economic slowdown stemming from financial turmoil and its acquisition of Merrill Lynch. "Bank of America expects to have a final plan early in 2009 and estimates it will project the reduction of approximately 30,000 to 35,000 positions over the next three years," the Charlotte, North Carolina based bank said in a statement. AFP PHOTO/Emmanuel Dunand (Photo credit should read EMMANUEL DUNAND/AFP/Getty Images)
The capital markets headcount of the combined banks is expected to be reduced by between 30 and 40 percent, meaning the number of job cuts could reach about 4,000, a Merrill executive told the paper.
Bank of America Securities employs between 4,000 and 5,000 people, and at least as many are believed to work in Merrill's capital markets divisions, bank executives said.
Last week, Bank of America (NYSE: bac) received a federal backstop against $118 billion of bad assets it holds, as well as $20 billion in fresh government capital, as part of an aid package designed to help it absorb Merrill Lynch.
Fourth-quarter losses at Merrill Lynch were around $15 billion. | <urn:uuid:95fb59b0-9d7c-40bd-b437-171a94340c38> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.nbcchicago.com/news/business/Bank_of_America_Could_Cut_4_000_Jobs__Report.html | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368706499548/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516121459-00016-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.96798 | 278 | 1.585938 | 2 |
A Pentagon document has come to light that confirms the U.S. has put special operations troops on the ground in Mexico as the drug war there continues to escalate, notching some 40,000 murders since late 2006.
The document is a Department of Defense briefing presented in mid-May 2009 in Washington, D.C., to a group of business and political leaders from northwest Florida. The “Unclassified/For Official Use Only” briefing reveals the 18 Latin American nations where 7th Special Forces Group soldiers [Airborne Green Berets] were deployed as of fiscal year 2009, which ended Sept. 30, 2009. Among those nations, according to the briefing document, was Mexico.
The document also indicates a 7th Special Forces unit was deployed in Mexico in 1996 as well, as part of a “counter-narcotics” mission. The revelations in the briefing material are important because, to date, neither the Pentagon nor the State Department has confirmed that U.S. special forces have been deployed inside Mexico — a politically volatile subject in that Latin American nation given the rising drug-war death toll there and the “Yankee” history of U.S. Gunboat Diplomacy in the region.
From the vantage point of U.S. policymakers, the deployment of covert Pentagon special forces inside Mexico also is fraught with political peril, given the discovery of such operations by the targets, narco-traffickers in this case, could result in blowback against U.S. agents and interests in Mexico. It also could strain relations with Mexican President Felipe Calderon, who is already feeling increasingly isolated due to his disastrous drug-war policy.
The 7th Special Forces Group (SFG) has played a key role since the 1980s in the bellicose history of Latin America, according to the briefing document and other sources. The 7th SFG has participated in numerous “counter-insurgency” missions in Central America as well as in the invasion of Panama in late 1989. It also has been quite active over the years in counter-narcotics missions in the South America Andean Ridge Countries of Colombia, Venezuela, Peru Ecuador and Bolivia; and more recently in hostage rescue operations in Colombia.
The latter operation, according information in the briefing document, involved the participation of the 7th SFG in the July 2008 rescue of three DoD contractors and noted Colombian activist and politician Ingrid Betancourt, among others, who were being held as hostages by the leftist FARC guerrillas.
this story originally appeared in NarcoNews, U.S. Special Ops Troops Deployed in Mexico, Leaked Briefing Confirms
The confirmation that U.S. special forces are now in the mix of the drug-war violence, which Mexican citizens by the millions now see as senseless and resulting in far too much collateral damage (the death and disappearances of thousands of innocent victims), is certain to enhance the public outrage in that land — given the quite visible U.S. role as the major consumer of the drugs and the major exporter of weapons and policies fueling the drug war.
Given this madness, and the inherent duplicity, treachery and buffoonery marking the drug war, it should come as no surprise to anyone, even if their sympathies are not with the U.S. special-forces in Mexico whose lives are jeopardized due to leaks and other security lapses, that the source of those transgressions (intentional or not) is, in part, traceable to the U.S. side of the border.
The briefing document revealing the extent of the 7th SFG operations in Latin America in fiscal 2009 – in 18 countries involving 21 missions and 165 soldiers, including Mexico — was made public by a Florida business group whose membership includes a number of defense contractors. That group, the Economic Development Council for Okaloosa County (EDC), via its Defense Support Initiative, made the May 14, 2009, briefing available on its Web site for all to see and download — including WikiLeaks and some media in Latin America who made it available in Spanish to their audiences (almost assuring that the narco-trafficking organizations being targeted by covert U.S. special forces also were tipped off to their presence in Mexico).
This occurred despite the fact that the briefing document was marked “For Official Use Only,” which, according to Ken McGraw, spokesman for the Pentagon’s U.S. Special Operations Command, means the document was “not to be released publicly.” McGraw adds that he does not “know the specifics” of the 7th SFG operation referred to in the briefing document, explaining that “by the end of the year, we [USSOCOM] will have operations in 120 countries.”
That briefing was prepared by the 7th SFG at the request of U.S. Rep. Jeff Miller, a far-right Republican with Tea Party leanings whose Florida district is about to become the new home for the 7th SFG (which is relocating from Ft. Bragg in North Carolina to Elgin Air Force Base in Florida’s panhandle). | <urn:uuid:03910372-1dd8-4e12-974a-27000a6ff79f> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://endtimesnews.wordpress.com/2011/06/06/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368702448584/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516110728-00007-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.96437 | 1,068 | 1.609375 | 2 |
Mr Otto Preminger, the director of "Laura," "Carmen Jones," and "The Man with the Golden Arm" among other films, was in Manchester yesterday searching for a St Joan. He had already given auditions to nearly two thousand girls in the United States and Canada; now he is in Europe to hear another thousand. On Tuesday he was in London, on Wednesday in Glasgow, and today he is off to Stockholm.
The film is to be made in a British studio with Shaw's text edited by Graham Greene - but, according to Mr Preminger, almost unaltered except for the demands of a different medium. Richard Widmark will play the Dauphin and other parts are to be taken by well-known actors not yet named. But for St Joan Mr Preminger is looking for someone quite unknown, aged between 16 and 22. Established actresses, he said yesterday, could not look young enough on the screen, and audiences might associate them with roles they had played in the past.
That is why he is spending - according to his own account - some £50,000 or £60,000 on the search, and why 70 girls from the North of England, joined later by a dozen flown over from Dublin, were waiting in an ante-room at the Midland Hotel yesterday morning. The auditions were in the darkened banqueting hall, on an illuminated dais furnished only with one gilded chair. An actor from the Library Theatre sat nearby to feed candidates with cues, and at a green baize table in front sat the Inquisitor, in appearance and attitude like the Viennese Doctor of Law that he is.
The passage to be read was – inevitably - Joan's speech on hearing the sentence of perpetual imprisonment ("To shut me off from the light of the sky and the sight of the fields and flowers...") The girls came from the ante-room one by one, crossing with their returning predecessors like cricketers coming from the pavilion. Some had a very short innings - perhaps only one sentence before they were bowled out with a kindly "Thank you very much"; others got half-way through and a few were allowed to go on to the end of the speech. These were called to Mr Preminger's table and asked some questions, of which one was nearly always: "Where were you trained ?"
For, as he explained to newspapermen before the auditions began, girls without any acting experience had little chance of being able to play Joan of Arc. It was a point not appreciated by some of the 60,000 aspirants who wrote each week in America, and who trusted to their good looks (some sent photographs of themselves in the nude) and Mr Preminger's powers as a director to turn them into actresses. In Manchester, too, it was not difficult after the first few words to pick out those who knew more about the cinema than about Shaw. But they took their disappointment well, at least while they were in the banqueting hall.
Mr Preminger, having seen some 2,500 of them, may have been able to tell before they opened their mouths what chance they had, but there was no obvious correlation between their appearance and bearing and their acting ability. Their hair styles varied from the Diana Dors to the Burne-Jones, their costumes from the "Guys and Dolls" to the Personnel Officer. Most were modestly and unpretentiously dressed in their best day clothes, but one girl, in a sort of black track suit and black slippers with white socks, looked so much as though she was disguising herself as a student of dramatic art that one feared the worst. In fact her reading was one of the best: she may even have been in trousers because Joan dressed as a man.
The acting of the good ones was on the level one is accustomed to from the best amateur companies in Stockport, say, or Altrincham or Nottingham; Mr Preminger said afterwards that it was much the same in London and Glasgow. Among the 1,900 he had listened to in the United States and Canada he only found three that he could see in Saint Joan's part, although there were a few others who might make a good start to a film career in other roles. To find these is also part of his mission (he is looking for someone to play the leading part in a film of Frangoise Sagan's "Bonjour Tristesse"). Possibly for one of those at the Midland Hotel yesterday the hollow stomach and the dry mouth were not endured in vain.
[The role of Saint Joan was won by Jean Seberg, her first film role. The Manchester Guardian called the film "a sad failure" - click here for the 1957 review.] | <urn:uuid:afc18b18-f508-427c-907b-ed1f47883da2> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.guardian.co.uk/theguardian/2012/oct/05/jean-seberg-saint-joan-preminger-archive-1956 | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368696383156/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516092623-00017-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.989354 | 977 | 1.523438 | 2 |
I need to remove built up fat on the stove knobs and I need a good recipe for oven cleaner.
I have not idea, but be careful you don't clean too hard and erase the numbers of the oven knob. I did that, and had to buy a new one, I could have bought a new stove (not really, but close) cheaper. They wanted $45 dollars for a replacement. I ended up buying an oven thermometer ($15). And used it to mark the 200, 300, 400 etc on the knob. Use an indelible thin marker, and use the thermometer to get to the in between temps. Pain in the butt.
Do you have a recipe for homemade oven cleaner?
No one will believe this, till it's tried.
Without going into (past job of selling whole house water systems) and reverse osmosis, I'll tell you one of the secrets of PURE good water - and how well it cleans anything.
Pure water (even bottled water) does not contain any of the minerals or chlorine that our spigot tap water has.
So (use bottled water/any brand, or Reverse Osmosis water for this, and you'll see, it works as well as any oven cleaner no matter how caked on the
grease and food in the oven it may be. Also works for knobs on the outside.
Lay 3-4 paper towels together on the bottom inside of your oven (any where that needs cleaned). You want to use several paper towels together
so they stay saturated longer. One paper towel on a grungy spot in the oven will dry out too fast.
For the sides: tape several paper towels together to the sides where it
Then fill a spray bottle with (bottled water) or reverse osmosis water and spray the paper towels till they're completely saturated with your "good water" (bottled), or reverse osmosis water.
Make sure you check every 30 minutes to be sure the paper towels are still saturated. They must stay wet. If they dry out, then it will take longer.
After approx 4 hours, just wipe it out using the paper towels you've sprayed. The baked on grunge and grime will lift and wipe off like you've never seen before, or imagined it could!
That's it. Don't use soap mixed with the bottled water, nothing (just the pure water).
IF you use tap water out of your spigot, this will NOT work at all. You must use either bottled water or reverse osmosis water, because bottled water is so pure, or reverse osmosis water, it will break up *anything* even a baked on mess in the oven, no matter how long it's been baked on or how bad it is.
If the oven is incredibly grungy, you might need to keep saturating the
paper towels longer.
To clean knobs, submerge them into a container filled with bottled
water. No soap.
No soap is needed till all baked on grease is completely cleaned off of
either in the inside of the oven or the knobs. Then if you want to use
soap, use it.
This is such and impressive way to clean an oven, you'll never go back
to using chemicals again for the job.
Does anyone know of any home remedies to use to clean an oven? I cooked chicken and all the grease ran off the pan to the bottom and smoked the whole house. Needless to say the oven is a mess and I don't have any oven cleaner.
Laura from Orland Hills, IL
I am looking for a quick and easy homemade oven cleaner.
Begger from Atlanta, GA | <urn:uuid:ff47695b-051e-4344-9032-ba9713c6caa3> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.thriftyfun.com/tf/CleaningGroup/Cleaning_Recipes/Oven_Cleaners/Homemade-Oven-Cleaner-Recipes.html | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368698924319/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516100844-00009-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.942094 | 768 | 1.6875 | 2 |
By Kat Krull
“Whenever it is possible, a boy should choose some occupation which he should do even if he did not need the money.” This commencement quote from William Lyon Phelps is food for thought for those beginning their careers. Maybe the message to all those college graduates out there looking for work is…consider pursuing employment in a small business.
What’s the correlation, you might ask? A survey by the Trade Union Congress found that employees in small businesses are the most satisfied at work. They were found to be the most committed and loyal to their organizations. They also felt most engaged by their employer and had the most freedom to choose their working patterns. There were lower stress levels and far fewer complaints about long working hours.
Here are some other positives to consider:
You can make a difference: Employees in a small company wear many hats – treat that as a benefit and you’ll succeed. “Employees of startups tend to have more varied duties, which can mean a chance to develop a host of valuable new skills,” writes Aaron, a community manager at ResumeBucket. “One day you may be designing a product, the next day closing a sales deal. It’s up to you to seize the many challenges and opportunities that come your way in such a fluid environment.”
Networking: Small business employees have more networking opportunities than large corporation employees. They tend to meet clients face-to-face much more frequently.
Experience: Small companies are the ones that have a total workforce of 500 or less. These companies are generally fast-paced and it is easier to excel. At a large corporation, you may work on one or two projects a year. At a smaller company, you’ll have more variety, earlier responsibility, and more opportunities to work on your own initiative and to have your work noticed.
In small businesses, a new employee often has a higher profile and is more appreciated than in a large company. You are also more likely to have opportunities to collaborate with senior management.
Flexibility: Roles are often less rigidly defined and the working environment may be more informal and less bureaucratic than in larger organizations. Many small employers provide alluring trade-offs such as shorter workweeks, less travel, and work-life balance incentives, including telecommuting arrangements and flexible schedules.
Pete Czech, owner and editor of www.peteczech.com and a self descruibed Web guru, developer, CTO, theorist, idea generator, social media enthusiast, and entrepreneur says, “A small business will be more lenient and more willing to negotiate (simple pleasures like work from home, unusual schedules, etc. as long as you can prove there is a value-add to it.”
So, as you move your tassel and toss the mortarboard, remember Phelps’ thoughts, “Do some occupation which he should do even if he didn’t need the money.” In other words, find a job you love…which may mean giving small business a chance.
Kat Krull is the Marketing Manager of Resunate, the world’s only automatic resume tailoring tool. You can find Kat and Resunate on Facebook and Twitter. | <urn:uuid:d5de926c-0489-413c-9940-43e20e021eb9> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://blog.careermarketplace.com/tag/career-development/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368707435344/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516123035-00004-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.967413 | 676 | 1.828125 | 2 |
A.M. Best Co. has issued a paper explaining its rating methodology, which notes that “the assignment of an interactive rating is derived from an in-depth evaluation of a company’s balance sheet strength, operating performance and business profile as compared with A.M. Best’s quantitative and qualitative standards.” It noted that the objective of its rating system is “to provide an opinion of an insurer’s financial strength and ability to meet ongoing obligations to policyholders.”
Best said its quantitative evaluation is based on an analysis of more than 100 key financial tests and supporting data. “These tests, which underlie the evaluation of balance sheet strength and operating performance, vary in their importance depending on a company’s characteristics.
“A company’s quantitative results are evaluated on their own merits and also are compared with industry composites as established by A.M. Best. Composite standards are based on the performance of other Canadian insurance companies with comparable business mixes. These industry benchmarks are adjusted when needed to reflect changes in underwriting, economic and regulatory market conditions.
“A company’s underwriting, financial and asset leverage are subjected to an evaluation by Best’s Capital Adequacy Ratio (BCAR), which allows for an integrated review of these leverage areas. BCAR calculates the net required capital to support the financial risks of the company associated with the exposure of assets and underwriting to adverse economic and market conditions and compares it with economic capital. Some of the stress tests within BCAR include above-normal catastrophes, a decline in equity markets and a rise in interest rates. This integrated stress evaluation permits a more discerning view of a company’s balance sheet strength relative to its operating risks.”
As applied to Canadian insurers, Best said its “BCAR model is adapted specifically to the Canadian P&C-1 and P&C-2 Annual Statements as well as Canada’s GAAP (generally accepted accounting principles) accounting standards. A.M. Best’s Canadian capital formula takes a risk-based capital approach. Net required capital is calculated to support three broad risk categories: investment risk, credit risk and underwriting risk. However, A.M. Best’s capital adequacy formula contains an adjustment for covariance, reflecting the statistical independence of the individual components. A company’s adjusted surplus is divided by its net required capital, after the covariance adjustment, to determine its BCAR.
“A.M. Best makes a number of adjustments to a company’s reported surplus within the Canadian capital model to provide a more economic and comparable basis for evaluating capital adequacy. Goodwill and other intangible assets are eliminated. Other significant adjustments are related largely to equity, or economic values, imbedded in loss and loss-adjustment expense reserves, fixed-income securities and common stocks. Further adjustments are made to surplus to reflect the pricing risk inherent in unearned premium reserves and nonbalance sheet risks, including catastrophe exposures and debt-service requirements.
“Generally, more than two-thirds of a company’s gross capital requirement within A.M. Best’s Canadian capital model is generated from its loss reserve and net premiums written components. Consequently, a company’s absolute BCAR value is influenced largely by the capital required to support its net underwriting commitment, which in turn is largely a function of its business mix, surplus size, stability of loss development, profitability, loss reserve adequacy and length of claims payout.
“While only one-third of the gross capital requirement is generated from investment risk, interest-rate risk and credit risk components, a company that maintains a more aggressive investment portfolio, is heavily dependent on pyramided capital, has excessive credit risk or is excessively dependent on reinsurance, likely will generate a lower BCAR value.”
To access the BCAR rating methodology for Canadian P/C insurers, please visit http://www.ambest.com/ratings/methodology. | <urn:uuid:59f0e172-3707-487b-a874-bd8adae3cc05> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.insurancejournal.com/news/international/2005/04/05/53304.htm | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368705953421/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516120553-00019-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.942632 | 833 | 1.6875 | 2 |
The rumors appear to be true. The next model Apple iPad 3 will have a 'retina display' display. MacRumors has their hands on what appears to be the iPad 3's display component With four-times the pixels of the earlier iPad displays, the reputed iPad 3, screen with its 2048x1536 resolution, will have twice the resolution of the iPad 1 and iPad 2, which can only boast 1024x768 resolution. That's all well and good, but what will it mean for you?
Dr. Raymond Soneira, president of DisplayMate, the world's leading display and display tuning company, isn't in the least bit surprised at Apple's move. Soneira wrote: "The next generation iPad will quadruple the number of screen pixels with a resolution of 2048x1536." This in turn, will indeed give the iPad 3 a Retina Display [because it] does not require the same pixels per inch (ppi) as the iPhone 4 Retina Display because it is typically held much further away from the eye, whose visual sharpness is based on angular resolution rather than linear ppi resolution. The iPad is typically held 15-18 inches away as opposed to the iPhone 4's 12-15 inches. As a result, to meet the 300 ppi Retina Display specification made by Steve Jobs at WWDC for the iPhone 4, an iPad Retina Display would need only 240 ppi. So an iPad Retina Display could start anywhere above 1862x1397 pixels."
Still, we don't know who's making this display, so it's hard to work out exact what else the screen will be capable of. Soneira speculates, "Sharp is rumored as a supplier for the iPad 3 Retina Display. Sharp's IGZO is a technology for producing the thin film transistor (TFT) Active Matrix in a display - just like Low Temperature Polysilicon, which is the technology it is competing against in the current iPhone 4. So IGZO could be used to make an IPS display, which has the best Viewing Angles (but they aren't the often quoted 170+ degrees). My guess is that if Apple uses IGZO it will be IPS because Apple is unlikely to backpedal on Viewing Angle performance."
So, this is all great news right? Great resolution means sharper images, which means happier users? Yes? Well, not necessarily according to Soneira. "Technically an overkill and comes with a large penalty in cost and performance - requiring significantly more processing power, more memory and battery power, plus lowering the display brightness efficiency."
In other words, the iPad 3 display may indeed be the sharpest tablet display out there, but it may lead to slower overall performance and lower batter life. Of course, the iPad 3 is rumored to have a quad-core Apple A6 processor that could probably take care of the display's need for a faster processor, but that could only come at the cost of lower battery life.
So before getting too excited about a great iPad 3 display, I'd wait to see the first comprehensive reviews come in. I'm certain that Apple wouldn't release an iPad 3 unless it faster than its predecessors, but I'd really like to know what its battery life is going to be like before replacing my current iPad.
iPad 2 image courtesy of Apple. | <urn:uuid:128522c4-d64f-45ff-9e17-f1defbdec493> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.zdnet.com/blog/btl/what-will-apples-ipad-3-retina-display-mean-for-you/69848 | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368696383156/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516092623-00002-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.946795 | 688 | 1.773438 | 2 |
Polaris, J&J Idea to Solve Drug R&D Crisis: Work Together Early
When people think about experiments in Big Pharma, the image that comes to mind is probably that of a petri dish. But given the crisis state of pharma R&D and early-stage biotech investment, there are also a lot of experiments going on now to find ways to reform the way drug companies and venture capitalists work together. One of those experiments is gradually starting to take shape between Polaris Venture Partners and Johnson & Johnson.
Polaris, as readers in the Boston area know well, is one of the big fish in the life sciences innovation community, with $3 billion of capital under management and a big network of scientists and entrepreneurs who try to keep their fingers on the pulse of what’s new. New Brunswick, NJ-based J&J (NYSE: JNJ) naturally has the big name as the massive healthcare company that rakes in billions every year with its drugs, devices, and other health technologies.
Each organization has its issues. Polaris is one member of a rapidly shrinking industry of biotech venture capitalists, who are all groping for ways to deliver investment returns when there’s an anemic IPO market for biotech startups and slim opportunities to sell their companies to get acquired. J&J, like most every Big Pharma company, has to find a way to generate new revenue streams from new products as patents expire on its aging blockbusters. So these two groups announced a collaboration back in January at the JP Morgan Healthcare Conference, in which they will scout promising new investments together, look to co-invest, and hopefully serve the mutual needs for investment returns and valuable new products.
“As a company that’s dependent in part on external innovation, we want to make sure there’s a good healthy innovation ecosystem out there, and this is one way we can contribute to it,” says Michael Elliott, an entrepreneur-in-residence with Janssen Pharmaceuticals, the pharmaceutical group within J&J.
Detailed terms on how the Polaris/J&J relationship works aren’t being disclosed. But in broad terms, here’s how it works. J&J and Polaris are actively scouting for new investments in the Boston biotech hub, and the two organizations plan to co-invest capital in new companies, Elliott says. The companies may end up going into the Dogpatch Labs physical space that Polaris has established in Cambridge, not far from MIT. J&J is agreeing to chip in its industrial resources—things like small-molecule drug screening capability, drug testing facilities, and expertise in everything most startups lack, like commercial sensibility and regulatory affairs savvy.
Elliott is a key player in making this collaboration work, as the crucial liaison between the startup community and various units within Janssen. He says he’s spending roughly two days a week at Polaris’ Dogpatch Labs in Cambridge, and working closely with Polaris’s Kevin Bitterman and Paulina Hill.
For the past four months, Elliott and his Polaris colleagues have been making the rounds at campus tech transfer offices, and with top faculty. Elliott says he’s optimistic from this scouting effort that the partnership has a future. “We have a pretty unusual relationship, between Janssen and Polaris,” Elliott says. “Kevin and I often share a taxi when we visit folks at the universities, and I when sit I with Kevin and Paulina in a meeting to hear about the science, we often go away to discuss it later. The analysis is made together as a team.”
No actual investments have materialized yet between J&J and Polaris, Elliott says. But the two groups have reviewed 20 different projects in the past four months that he says represent “the best and most exciting biology going on.” A short list of projects has been put together, which is being reviewed, he says.
Of course, J&J and Polaris aren’t the only organizations trying to figure out how to revamp the historic relationship between Big Pharma and the venture capitalists the bankroll the biotech companies that attempt to fill up Big Pharma’s pipeline.
Pfizer has sought to do a better job of supporting early-stage innovations coming out of academic centers, through what it calls its “Centers for Therapeutic Innovation.” And Sanofi CEO Chris Viehbacher has been vocal about the value he sees in external innovation—as opposed to doing everything with his in-house scientists. One prominent example of the new approach was Sanofi’s investment alongside Third Rock Ventures in a startup called Warp Drive Bio, which Sanofi has agreed to nurture, and eventually acquire, if it can deliver on its promise.
J&J itself isn’t wedded to any single approach, and it is trying a different type of business experiment with a startup incubator it has established in San Diego. The San Diego approach amounts to a “parallel business experiment” J&J is testing, Elliott says.
Polaris has developed a comfort level of working with Elliott, says Polaris general partner Terry McGuire, through a relationship that dates back to J&J’s acquisition of TransForm Pharmaceuticals, a Polaris portfolio company, for $230 million in 2005. By having a trusted partner at Janssen, McGuire says each side can get something out of it the other needs.
“If you look at the various players in the healthcare space, their portfolio is broader than anybody’s,” McGuire says. “We get access to their deep knowledge. And we work with them to help them identify really interesting early-stage companies. We probably have the broadest collaborations with MIT and Harvard of any VC firm.”
It’s possible some of the startups that result from J&J and Polaris’s investment, if they hit their goals, could end up getting acquired by J&J, Elliott says. But McGuire says the actual structure of the deals, such as whether there will be pre-negotiated acquisition prices for companies, is still to be determined on a company-by-company basis. “We’re starting in Phase 1, which is basically, ‘let’s find some interesting companies together,’” he says.
I’ll be interested to see if and when this collaboration can bear some fruit, since it could end up being a template for solving a couple massive problems in the pharmaceutical industry—the need for Big Pharma to find new products, and the need for startups to find money and manpower to get started at all. I’m planning to probe a little more deeply next Tuesday as the moderator of a free event Polaris is organizing at Dogpatch Labs, with guest speakers from Janssen, Harvard Medical School, MIT, and the Biotechnology Industry Organization. For more information on how to register, click here. If you’ve got questions you’d like to ask these folks, send me a note at [email protected] or show up in person and fire away. | <urn:uuid:b72c704d-d484-4043-bb98-7eab87f95770> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.xconomy.com/boston/2012/06/14/polaris-jj-idea-to-solve-drug-rd-crisis-work-together-early/?single_page=true | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368704392896/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516113952-00007-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.954392 | 1,482 | 1.585938 | 2 |
Reports are circulating that the House of Representatives will be voting on reauthorizing the Violence Against Women Act (VAWA) as early as tomorrow. VAWA provides crucial protections to victims of domestic violence and there is no excuse for not reauthorizing this important bill.
Since it was first introduced in 1994 by then-Senator Joe Biden (D-DE), VAWA had been repeatedly reauthorized with strong bipartisan support—until last year, when Republicans blocked reauthorization because it expanded protections to same sex couples, Native Americans living on tribal reservations, and undocumented immigrants.
When the Senate voted this year to reauthorize VAWA, it received more Republican “no” votes that it did last year—including from 22 male Republicans. Unfortunately, Congressional Republicans have demonstrated that even protections from domestic violence are not exempted from their subservience to the right wing of their party.
Domestic violence is a sad reality for too many women—we cannot afford to let VAWA fail in the House!
As the co-founders of NJDC’s Women’s Leadership Network, we urge you to take action now by calling your Representative and encouraging them to pass the Senate’s version of VAWA.
Too many women are counting on VAWA for us to be silent.
There are no comments for this entry | <urn:uuid:20155310-cbdc-4d2d-b4f1-38390b7cae84> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.njdc.org/blog/post/vawa022713 | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368696382584/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516092622-00006-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.960667 | 278 | 1.757813 | 2 |
To me, Nature is God. Without it, we simply would not exist. Conserving the world’s natural spaces and the creatures that live there is paramount to the survival of humans as a species, and I have therefore dedicated my life to studying environmentalism in order to help people co-exist more successfully and sustainably with the natural world.
All natural materials I use in my creations are either sourced from roadkill, Fish and Game, secondhand sources such as fellow artists and estate sales, or are antique. In this way, I'm ensuring that no animals were needlessly killed for the sake of the artwork I produce. I fully believe that no part of any creature should go to waste if a purpose can be found for it, but I do NOT support trophy hunters or overseas fur farms by buying 'byproducts' like bones, skulls, or claws directly from them. The only exception I make for this rule is for parts from animals legally culled for population control programs approved by Fish and Wildlife.
As a photographer and wildlife enthusiast, I've been involved with many fantastic organizations such as Images4Life and Wild Tiger, as well as the Sierra Club and many smaller, local groups.
I've been published, interviewed, and even featured on Rainn Wilson (Dwight from “The Office”)'s personal networking website, SoulPancake.com.
I’ve also been blessed with the opportunity to visit many of the world’s most amazing wild places, like Komodo Island, Bali, Lombok, Malaysia, and the Cayman Islands, and have even documented entirely new species previously unknown to science.
Other interests include: Wilderness survival, primitive skills, backpacking, fishing, kayaking, boffing, airsoft, snowboarding, meandering around town, and caving.
I had a dream on the night of my birthday that I was on a tiny wooded island in the Pacific Northwest. There were a few others there with me, though I knew none of them. We were confused as to why we were trapped on the island, and as the other people began to argue over what to do with themselves, I got up and left the clearing we were gathered in to walk to the edge of the water.
Once there, I realize in shock that it was rising, slowly consuming our tiny spit of land. There was no larger landmass to be seen for miles around, no lights from potential rescue boats on the horizon, and the sun was beginning to set. In the gray-blue dusk, I hurried through the trees back to the clearing where the other people were gathered, and I found them there, fighting.
The familiar calmness I feel in a time of what others may consider grounds for panic came washing over me, and I closed my eyes for a moment, meditating on what I should do.
When I opened my eyes again, my back was to the fighting people, and I was staring into the woods once more.
I saw then, rushing through the trees, a collection of bright white dancing things. They were little antlered spirits, like the one tattooed on my wrist, which I had seen in dreams before. Only now, they were glowing white outlines in a sea of deep green forest. The light which emanated from them brought color to the forest wherever they passed, and I saw that in their playful dance, they were keeping the water from rising any further.
I did not fear then; I was instead overcome with a sense of ease and even joy. I knew that I would find a way to make everything okay.
I noticed then that the people fighting in the clearing behind me had stopped. One woman stepped away from the crowd and asked, “Did you see them, too?”
I nodded, then woke up. | <urn:uuid:9926d18a-1d0d-409d-b7f6-e3c717672a41> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://naturepunk.tumblr.com/post/31072569284/birthday-dreams | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368703298047/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516112138-00005-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.982234 | 786 | 1.507813 | 2 |
It’s hard to find someone who isn’t using social media in some way, or at the very least isn’t aware of its existence. Companies are becoming wise to this and are starting to utilize social media tools to build their brand, or bring in new customers. If your company does not use any form of social media, it may be time to look into getting your business out there.
Social media, once called a fad, has become the norm and is going to be with us for some time. A large number of companies already have an online presence, and are taking advantage of the benefits that social media can bring. Here are a number of things you can do to get your social media adventures underway.
Be Clear on Social Media It’s important that before you start looking into the different forms of social media that are out there, you are clear on what social media is, and what it isn’t. Social media is a way to meet people, and share content and ideas with them. For companies it’s a form of non-traditional marketing - think of it as soft marketing - it’s not meant to be the place where you flog your products, rather a place to develop interest in your company, so people will want to do business with you. By using social media you can show people who your company is, and connect with them on a more personal level. If you are clear on what social media is from the beginning, there’s a higher chance that you’ll be successful when you develop your online presence.
Before You Launch Into Social Media There are a number of things that your company needs to have either already done, or considered, before you jump in:
- Have a website: It’s a good idea to have a solid website with information about your company, contact information, products and services. Most potential customers will look at your website after looking searching for you online, and before they choose to do business with you, so your website needs to provide the relevant information they are looking for. If you don’t have a website, or feel yours is lacking, it’s easier than ever to get a professional looking site. With a quick search you will be able to find some competent designers.
- Get educated: It will be beneficial to educate yourself on current trends regarding social media. This can be done by simply going to social media websites, taking the free introduction tours and reading blogs related to the sites. Beyond that you should also research your competitors’ websites and Internet presence. Observe what content they have online, and more importantly: what they don’t have. It will also help to connect with and observe industry experts, see what they post online, and note the style and tone they use. This will help provide you with a sound knowledge base from which you can then create a more effective online presence.
- Set goals: As with any step in business, you should have a plan with realistic goals. Aim for results that are achievable for your company. If you’re a small, local IT company that focuses on providing support for banks, don’t expect to have the same massive hype that Microsoft and Apple do. Clearly set objectives and review periodically.
- Develop a focus: In real life, you can’t be all things to all people. The same goes for social media. You need to develop a focus on what type of online content you would like to share. You should aim to create content that your customers will want to share with people.
- Stake a claim: You should to go to the main social media websites - Google+, Facebook, LinkedIn and YouTube - and reserve your personal and business usernames. This is important because it will make you look more professional by having the same username across all sites, and users will be able to find you easier.
- Ask for help if you need it: While some companies make social media sound easy, it can be deceptively hard to master. If you feel lost, or are having a tough time with it, there are knowledgeable consultants out there who are happy to help.
One Thing to Not Forget There is one really important thing we can share with businesses thinking of pursuing social media: it isn’t a turnkey operation. You can’t just, “set it and forget it.” To be successful, you need to be active by posting updates, news, and above all interacting with the people who reach out to you. After all, they are your customers. If you do establish your social presence but forget to keep it up to date, you will be the company that’s forgotten.
If you would like help with your social media strategy, please get in touch with us. We’d love to hear from you. | <urn:uuid:1a22f9c7-0286-4b00-b967-8177711f603d> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.slingstoneit.com/2012/03/socialize-your-business/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368697974692/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516095254-00000-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.949699 | 1,000 | 1.710938 | 2 |
Pakistani Ship Captain Describes Time as Somali Pirate Hostage
Seven Pakistani crew members arrived safely back last week to the port city, Karachi, after their release by Somali pirates. Captain Javed Saleem spoke to VOA about the nearly 20 months he spent in captivity.
He missed his wife and daughters the most, he said. Saleem was captain of the ship, Albedo, hijacked by Somali pirates as it sailed toward Kenya in November 2010.
"The pirate boat came somewhere around this area, understand, and the pirate boat they had their own ladder, a steel kind of ladder," said Saleem as he described events to his daughter.
Overpowered by armed pirates, Saleem surrendered.
He and his crew spent the next 20 months living in difficult, exposed conditions as hostages in Somalia.
“We were in the bushes and we were exposed to bare nature, there is no shelter, no shade provided, no canopy provided, all our skin was scorched,” said Saleem.
They had little food. Almost no water. They started to lose hope.
After a year and eight months, a group of donors in Pakistan paid a ransom of more than $1 million.
Saleem and six Pakistani crew members were freed. Saleem finally came home.
"That was the happiest moment of my life, for my family, to see them, and they were too glad to see me," he said.
Saleem said he has quit his career as a sea captain because life is more important.
Article by Sharon Behn, VOA News | <urn:uuid:83883e60-5760-406a-9476-ee4a1040ef7c> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.sofmag.com/pakistani-ship-captain-describes-time-somali-pirate-hostage | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368709037764/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516125717-00010-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.991473 | 326 | 1.601563 | 2 |
The Roll and ShufflePokerPulse homeTwitter The Roll and Shuffle - the discriminating player's guide to the art of gambling.
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Many years after her husband had died, Nwamgba still closed her eyes from time to time to relive his nightly visits to her hut, and the mornings after, when she would walk to the stream humming a song, thinking of the smoky scent of him and the firmness of his weight, and feeling as if she were surrounded by light. Other memories of Obierika also remained clear—his stubby fingers curled around his flute when he played in the evenings, his delight when she set down his bowls of food, his sweaty back when he brought baskets filled with fresh clay for her pottery. From the moment she had first seen him, at a wrestling match, both of them staring and staring, both of them too young, her waist not yet wearing the menstruation cloth, she had believed with a quiet stubbornness that her chi and his chi had destined their marriage, and so when he and his relatives came to her father a few years later with pots of palm wine she told her mother that this was the man she would marry. (Opening of the story an excerpt of which is listed below, p. 69)
Nwamgba was alarmed by how indiscriminately the missionaries flogged students: for being late, for being lazy, for being slow, for being idle, and, once, as Anikwenwa told her, Father Lutz put metal cuffs around a girl’s hands to teach her a lesson about lying, all the time saying in Igbo—for Father Lutz spoke a broken brand of Igbo—that native parents pampered their children too much, that teaching the Gospel also meant teaching proper discipline. The first weekend Anikwenwa came home, Nwamgba saw welts on his back, and she tightened her wrapper around her waist and went to the school and told the teacher that she would gouge out the eyes of everyone at the mission if they ever did that to him again. She knew that Anikwenwa did not want to go to school and she told him that it was only for a year or two, so that he could learn English, and although the mission people told her not to come so often, she insistently came every weekend to take him home. Anikwenwa always took off his clothes even before they had left the mission compound. He disliked the shorts and shirt that made him sweat, the fabric that was itchy around his armpits. He disliked, too, being in the same class as old men, missing out on wrestling contests.
But Anikwenwa’s attitude toward school slowly changed. Nwamgba first noticed this when some of the other boys with whom he swept the village square complained that he no longer did his share because he was at school, and Anikwenwa said something in English, something sharp-sounding, which shut them up and filled Nwamgba with an indulgent pride. Her pride turned to vague worry when she noticed that the curiosity in his eyes had diminished. There was a new ponderousness in him, as if he had suddenly found himself bearing the weight of a heavy world. He stared at things for too long. He stopped eating her food, because, he said, it was sacrificed to idols. He told her to tie her wrapper around her chest instead of her waist, because her nakedness was sinful. She looked at him, amused by his earnestness, but worried nonetheless, and asked why he had only just begun to notice her nakedness.
When it was time for his initiation ceremony, he said he would not participate, because it was a heathen custom to be initiated into the world of spirits, a custom that Father Shanahan had said would have to stop. Nwamgba roughly yanked his ear and told him that a foreign albino could not determine when their customs would change, and that he would participate or else he would tell her whether he was her son or the white man’s son. Anikwenwa reluctantly agreed, but as he was taken away with a group of other boys she noticed that he lacked their excitement. His sadness saddened her. She felt her son slipping away from her, and yet she was proud that he was learning so much, that he could be a court interpreter or a letter writer, that with Father Lutz’s help he had brought home some papers that showed that their land belonged to them. Her proudest moment was when he went to his father’s cousins Okafo and Okoye and asked for his father’s ivory tusk back. And they gave it to him. (-- p. 72)
Congo's Daily Blood Ruminations from a failed state
By Bryan Mealer
You could never count all of Congo's dead, the way they keep piling up. The country is slowly emerging from a five-year war that has killed 4 million people, mostly from war-induced sickness and hunger, and aid groups estimate 1,200 people still die every day. The war drew in seven African armies at its peak, and helped create and maintain tens of thousands of militiament who still live by the gun, killing and maiming at will. The militia have all but commandeered the eastern half of the country - rich in timber, gold, diamonds and coltan - which they've divided into personal fiefdoms at the expense of the population.
Near the eastern border with Rwanda, packs of Hutu rebels survive in the forests only by looting. These rebels, who fled into Congo after participating in Rwanda's 1994 genocide, control huge swaths of jungle too dangerous for UN and Congolese soldiers to police. They carry out regular massacres and are known for rounding up a village's women and gang-raping them while family members are forced to watch. Farther north near the Ugandan border, other militias simply exterminate everything alive, then loot and bury what's left. Often these militias butcher and the dead on the battle floor and feast on hearts and livers, both as ceremony and as a tactic of cold intimidation. Its effectiveness is superb.
...No one at the UN had any idea how deep the evil ran in the jungles. The tiny UN mission that began in 1999 with 90 staffers observing a rebel cease-fire had since grown by sheer necessity to encompass much of the country's infrastructure. Congo is now the UN's largest, most expensive mission, with 16,700 peacekeppers and a combined annual budget of nearly $2 billion. Congo's peacekeepers, along with UN agencies, have been saddled with trying to eradicate some 20,000 militiamen in the east, while at the same time trying to assist more than 2 million people displaced as a result of war and the ongoing raids. More recently, they've attempted to midwife a democracy by arranging elections in a country lacking roads, electricity, telephones, and local governments. Battling the various militias while planning elections in Congo has unexpectedly become the single most ambitious project the world body has undertaken in its sixty-one-year history.(- pgs. 54-55)
Goodbye, Columbus When America won its independence, what
became of the slaves who fled for theirs?
By Jill Lepore
Born on the Gambia River around 1740, not far from where he would one day die, Harry Washinton (see Fleeing the Founding Father by Cassandra Pybus March 16/06) was sold into slavery sometime before 1763. Twelve years later, in November, 1775, he was grooming his master's horses in the stables at Mount Vernon when the royal governor of Virginia, Lord Dunmore, offered freedom to any slaves who would join His Majesty's troops in suppressing the American rebellion. That December, George Washington, commanding the Continental Army in Cambridge, received a report that Dunmore's proclamation had stirred the passions of his own slaves. "There is not a man of them but would leave us if they believed they could make the escape," a cousin of Washington's from Mount Vernon, adding bitterly, "Liberty is sweet." In August of 1776, just a month after delegates to the Continental Congress determined that in the course of human events it sometimes becomes necessary for one people to dissolve the bands that have connected them with another, Harry Washington declared his own independence by running away to fight with Dunmore's all-black British regiment, wearing a uniform embroidered with the motto, "Liberty to Slaves." Liberty may not have been as sweet as he'd hoped. For most of the war, he belonged to an unarmed company known as the Black Pioneers, who were more or less garbagemen, ordered to "Assist in Cleaning the Streets & Removing all Nuisances being thrown into the Streets." The Black Pioneers followed British troops under the command of Henry Clinton as they moved from New York to Philadelphia to Charleston, and, after the fall of Charleston, back to New York again, which is how Harry Washington came to be in the city in 1783, and keen to leave before General Washington repossessed it, and him.
No one knows how many former slaves had fled the United States by the end of the American Revolution. Not as many as wanted to, anyway. During the war, between eighty thousand and a hundred thousand (nearly one in five) left their homes, running from slavery to the freedom promised by the British, and betting on a British victory. They lost that bet. They died in battle, they died of disease, they ended up someplace else, they ended up back where they started, and worse off. (A fifteen-year-old girl captured while heading for Dunmore's regiment was greeted by her master with a whipping of eighty lashes, after which he poured hot embers into her wounds.)
...(It was at (George) Washington's insistence that the names of those who boarded British ships were recorded in the "Book of Negroes," so that owners might later file claims for compensation.) In Charleston, after the ships were full, British soldiers patrolled the wharves to keep back the black men, women, and children who were frantic to leave the country. A small number managed to duck under the redcoats' raised bayonets, jump off the wharves and swim out to the last longboats ferrying passengers to the British fleet, whose crowded ships included the aptly named Free Briton. Clinging to the sides of the longboats, they were not allowed on board but neither would they let go; in the end, their fingers were chopped off.
But those who did leave America also left American history. Or, rather, they have been left out of it...(-- pgs. 74-75)
Blood Oil Could a bunch of Nigerian militants in speedboats bring about a U.S. recession? Blowing up facilities and taking hostages, they are wreaking havoc on the oil production of America's fifth-largest supplier. Deep in the Niger-delta swamps, the author meets the nightmarish result of four decades of corruption.
By Sebastian Junger
This is why oil is so valuable: one tank of gas from a typical SUV has the energy equivalent of more than 60,000 man-hours of work - roughly 100 men working around the clock for nearly a month. That is the power that the American consumer can access for about $60 at the gasoline pump. * If gasoline were a person we would be paying 10 cents an hour for his labor. Easily accessible reserves are running dry, though, which means that the industry must develop increasingly ingenious - and costly - techniques for getting at the oil. Deepwater drilling, for example, now happens so far offshore that rigs can no longer be anchored to the seabed; they must be held in place by an array of propellers, each the size of a two-car garage. The cost of deepwater drilling is close to twice that in shallow water.
... Added to these technological problems is the fact that - as if by some divine prank - most of the world's oil reserves happen to be in politically unstable parts of the world. (The alternative theory is that oil exploitation tends to de-stabilize underdeveloped countries.) Because of the financial risks involved, oil reserves in politically stable countries have more value, per barrel, than oil in politically unstable countries. As we speak, the value of Nigerian oil - as a function of the capital investment that must be risked to produce it - is in steady decline.
That is [b]MEND's trump card[/b]. It has several times threatened to shut down all Nigerian oil production, but it's possible MEND (Movement for the Emancipation of the Nigerian Delta) doesn't quite dare, because of the chance it will provoke a military retaliation it wouldn't survive. By the same token, the Nigerian military has threatened to sweep the delta with overwhelming force, but it doesn't know whether that might force MEND to carry out one devastating counterstrike - taking out the Bonny Island Liquefied Natural Gas facility with a shoulder-fired rocket, for example. An act of sabotage on this scale could drive Shell and the other oil companies from Nigeria for good, completely wiping out the national (U.S.) economy. One major company, Willbros, has already discontinued operations in Nigeria because of the security threat.
... Short-term market predictions are a fool's game."
The Oil Shock Wave panel wasn't so sure. It found that a complete shut-in that coincided with another event - a terrorist attack in the Persian Gulf or even an exceptionally harsh winter, for example - could trigger a major recession. Furthermore, there seemed to be no good options for dealing with it. Opening up the U.S. Strategic Petroleum Reserve - some 700 million barrels of oil in underground salt caverns along the Gulf Coast - would lower oil prices for the whole world without providing a long-term solution. Begging Saudi Arabia for more oil could compromise the United States politically and damage our long-term interests in the region. And sending the U.S. military into the Niger delta would be politically risky and possibly unfeasible, given American commitments in Afghanistan and Iraq.
That did not stop the U.S. government from authorizing a joint training exercise with the Nigerian military in 2004. It was reported to have been focused on "water combat." (-- pgs. 121-122)
* Compare the figures above with the following:
... The Nigerian constitution stipulates that just under 50 per cent of national oil revenue must be distributed to state and local governments and that additional 13 per cent must go to the nine oil-producing states of the Niger delta. Last year that amounted to almost $6 billion for the nine delta states - plenty, it would seem, to take care of basic social services. The problem, however, is that the money goes to the governors' officers and then simply disappears ...
(Ijaw priest, President) Owei lives in the great, seething slum of Bundu-Waterside, on the outskirts of Port Harcourt. Bundu-Waterside is a community built literally atop garbage and mud. High tide and raw sewage continually threaten to rise up over the thresholds of its thousand of plank-and-corrugated-iron shacks. People are packed into Bundu-Waterside with such desperate ingenuity that almost every human activity - cooking, fighting, eating, sleeping, defecating - seems to be observable from almost everywhere at any given moment. (-- p. 118-119)
... The costs of fully protecting the delicate delta ecology are almost incalculable. Once the militants participate in illegalities, however, the Nigerian government can dismiss the entire movement ... Further complicating the issue is that much of the oil pollution in the creeks is from sloppy bunkering operations - which villagers then use as a basis for further claims of environmental damage to the delta. Shell recently appealed a decision by the Nigerian courts that ordered it to pay $1.5 billion to the Ijaw people in compensation for environmental damage to the delta. Under the current system, everyone involved in the oil business - from corrupt government officials to the militants themselves - makes vastly more money than he would in a transparent economy. And the bunkered oil isn't lost to the market; it simply becomes an additional tax borne by the oil companies for doing business in Nigeria. (-- p. 120)
Annals of Crime The Perfect Mark How a Massachusetts psychotherapist fell for a Nigerian e-mail scam.
By Mitchell Suckoff
Every swindle is driven by a desire for easy money; it's the one thing the swindler and swindled have in common. Advance-fee fraud is an especially durable con. In an early variation, the Spanish Prisoner Letter, which dates to the sixteenth century, scammers wrote to English gentry and pleaded for help in freeing a fictitious wealthy countryman who was imprisoned in Spain. Today, the con usually relies on e-mail and is often called a 419 scheme, after the anti-fraud section of the criminal code in Nigeria, where it flourishes. (Last year, a Nigerian comic released a song that taunted Westerners with the lyrics "I go chop your dollar. I go take your money and disappear. Four-one-nine is just a game. You are the loser and I am the winner.") The scammers, who often operate in crime rings, are known as "yahoo-yahoo boys," because they frequently use free Yahoo accounts. Many of them live in a suburb of Lagos called Festac Town. Last year, one scammer in Festac Town told the Associated Press, "Now I have three cars, I have two houses, and I'm not looking for a job anymore.
According to a statement posted on the Internet by the U.S. State Department, 419 schemes began to proliferate in the mid-nineteen-eighties, when a collapse in oil prices caused severe economic upheaval in Nigeria. The population - literate, English-speaking, and living with widespread government corruption - faced poverty and rising unemployment. These conditions created a culture of scammers, some of them violent. Marks are often encouraged to travel to Nigeria or to other countries, where they fall victim to kidnapping, extortion, and, in rare cases, murder. In the nineteen-nineties, at least fifteen foreign businessmen, including one American, were killed after being lured to Nigeria by 419 scammers. Until recently, Nigerian officials tended to blame the marks. "There would be no 419 scam if there are no greedy, credulous and criminally-minded victims ready to reap where they did not sow," the Nigerian Embassy in Washington said in a 2003 statement. (-- p. 37)
Passionate Minds The great love affair of the Englightenment, featuring the scientist Émilie du Châtelet, the poet Voltaire, sword fights, book burnings, assorted kings, seditious verse, and the birth of the modern world
By David Bodanis
She (Émilie) and the great writer Voltaire were lovers for nearly a decade, though they certainly took their time settling down, having to delay for frantic gallopings across France, sword fights in front of besieged German fortresses, a wild affair (hers) with a gallant pirate's son, and a deadly burning of books (his) by the public executioner at the base of the grand stairwell of the Palais de Justice in Paris. There was also rigging the French national lottery to guarantee a multimillion-franc payout, and investing in North African grain futures with the proceeds.
... When they ran out of money, Emilie would sometimes resort to the gambling tables at Versailles - since she was so much quicker than anyone else at mathematics, she could often be counted on to win. Voltaire wrote proudly that "the court ladies, playing cards with her in the company of the queen, were far from suspecting that they were sitting next to Newton's commentator."
Too Close to the Sun The Audacious Life and Times of Denys Finch Hatton
By Sarah Wheeler
At the bookmakers or around the roulette table, Denys thrived on risk. Inheriting the family gene that ruined his uncle George, he had begun betting at school, and quickly found that it took him to a place where reality was blotted out and adrenaline hijacked his functions. Besides danger, he craved the visceral thrill of winning and the challenge of outwitting his opponents. Naturally, he was keen to fill No. 117 (High Street, Denys's flat off campus) with gambling partners. When, in the winter term of his final year, a vacancy came up, he wrote to John Craigie asking if he would like to fill it. Craigie, a bluff golfer three years Denys's junior who had kept a betting syndicate at Eton, was about to go up to Magdalen. "Denys was such a celebrity," Craigie recalled, "that Dr Herbert Warren, president of Magdalen, allowed me as a freshman to say yes to this, and forgo my first year in college." Craigie shared many of Denys's delinquent tendencies, but even he could not always keep up. He remembered one particular roulette session at No. 117 attended by the mayoral bookmaker John Langley, Count Felix Elston, whose real name was Prince Yusupov, and C.T. Chu, a convivial little man who liked to bruit about the observation that he was the "52nd heir to the Chinese emperor." Craigie bailed out halfway through and was awakened the next morning by a gray-faced Feltham announcing, "It's 'arf past seven, sir, the ball is still rollin' and the Chinaman's lost two 'undred." In a single session, Denys had lost and retrieved his entire annual allowance of £300. ...
By the time Denys left Oxford, he was gambling so ferociously that he was poised over the abyss of self-indulgence - a Prince Hal fallen into the hands of his own Falstaff. But the risks were, over time, to grwo exponentially. The terrestrial pleasures of gambling failed to hold Denys down. He took to the air, where the stakes were higher. (From Take Your Hat Off, Hatton, pgs. 41-42)
Far more compelling take on the guy immortalized by author Karen Blixen (and Robert Redford):
New York Times Magazine
Questions for Dambisa Moyo The Anti-Bono The economist talks about why we should stop sending aid to Africa, why no one feels sorry for the Chinese and the trouble with relying on celebrities.
By Deborah Solomon
You argue in your book that Western aid to Africa has not only perpetuated poverty but also worsened it, and you are perhaps the first African to request in book form that all development aid be halted within five years. Think about it this way — China has 1.3 billion people, only 300 million of whom live like us, if you will, with Western living standards. There are a billion Chinese who are living in substandard conditions. Do you know anybody who feels sorry for China? Nobody.
Maybe that’s because they have so much money that we here in the U.S. are begging the Chinese for loans. Forty years ago, China was poorer than many African countries. Yes, they have money today, but where did that money come from? They built that, they worked very hard to create a situation where they are not dependent on aid.
What do you think has held back Africans? I believe it’s largely aid. You get the corruption — historically, leaders have stolen the money without penalty — and you get the dependency, which kills entrepreneurship. You also disenfranchise African citizens, because the government is beholden to foreign donors and not accountable to its people.
If people want to help out, what do you think they should do with their money if not make donations? Microfinance. Give people jobs.
But what if you just want to donate, say, $25? Go to the Internet and type in Kiva.org, where you can make a loan to an African entrepreneur.
Do you have a financial interest in Kiva? No, except that I’ve made loans through the system. I don’t own a share of Kiva. ...
For all your belief in the potential of capitalism, the free market is now in free fall and everyone is questioning the supposed wonders of the unregulated market. I wish we questioned the aid model as much as we are questioning the capitalism model. Sometimes the most generous thing you can do is just say no. (-- p. 11)
Willie said, "I don't see what I can do. I don't know where I can go."
"You've never felt there was anything for you to do. You've never understood that men have to make the world for themselves."
"Don't talk to me like that. That's the way the oppressor class thinks. They've just got to sit tight, and the world will continue to be all right for them."
Willie said, "It doesn't help me when you twist things. You know very well what I mean. I feel a bad hand was dealt me. What could I have done in India? What could I have done in England in 1957 or 1958? Or in Africa?"
"Eighteen years in Africa. Your poor wife. She thought she was getting a man. She should have talked to me."
Willie said, "I was always someone on the outside. I still am. What can I do in Berlin?"
"You were on the outside because you wanted to be. You've always preferred to hide. It's the colonial psypchosis, the caste psychosis. You inherited it from your father. You were in Africa for eighteen years. There was a great guerrilla war there. Didn't you know?"
"It was always far away. It was a secret war, until the very end."
"It was a glorious war. At least in the beginning. When you think about it, it can bring tears to the eyes. A poor and helpless people, slaves in their own land, starting from scratch in every way. What did you do? Did you seek them out? Did you join them? Did you help them? That was a big enough cause to anyone looking for a cause. But no. You stayed in your estate house with your lovely little half-white wife and pulled the pillow over your ears and hoped that no bad black freedom fighter was going to come in the night with a gun and heavy boots and frighten you."
"It wasn't like that, Sarojini. In my heart of hearts I was always on the Africans' side, but I didn't have a war to go to."
"If everybody had said that, there would never have been any revolution anywhere. We all have wars to go to.(From the chapter entitled, The Rose-Sellers], at p. 5)
Modern piracy has its origins in the wars that the great European powers fought over trade in the centuries following the discovery of the New World. Like Donald Rumsfeld, Renaissance monarchs seem to have believed in military outsourcing, and they cheaply and quickly acquired navies by granting private vessels, known as privateers, the right to raid enemy ships and pay themselves out of the plunder, a share of which they were to pass along to the government. If all went well—especially if the ships taken belonged to the Spanish, who hauled a fortune in American gold and silver across the Atlantic twice a year—the contracting government grew a little richer. So long as one of the nations involved considered it legal, privateering wasn’t technically piracy, but the Spanish liked to put the paperwork making this claim around the necks of privateers that they hanged. The privateers themselves, according to a 1724 account, tended to “make very little Distinction betwixt the Lawfulness of one, and the Unlawfulness of the other,” especially when peace intermittently threatened to deprive them of an income. In December of 1670, for example, Henry Morgan ignored a letter telling him that England had signed a treaty with Spain in July and went on to sack the Spanish-owned city of Panama. Morgan had scored princely sums elsewhere, however, so when he was eventually arrested and sent to London, he was knighted and appointed deputy governor of Jamaica.
The men who sailed with Morgan were known as buccaneers. They were French and English men who had gone native on Hispaniola, the island now occupied by Haiti and the Dominican Republic, and on Tortuga, a tiny island to the north. Their name came from a wooden frame, called a boucan by the Carib Indians, on which they smoked wild boar and cattle. They were the ones who developed the first pirate code of ethics, the Custom of the Coast, at the core of which was an explicit agreement about the sharing of booty, power, and responsibility called a chasse partie. Before attacking Panama, for instance, the buccaneers stipulated that Morgan was to get a hundredth part of the loot, with the rest divided into shares for the more than two thousand men in the expedition: each captain under Morgan was to get eight shares, and each man one share. They also allocated set-asides for professionals (two hundred pesos for each surgeon, a hundred for each carpenter), incentive payments (fifty to anyone who captured a Spanish flag, five to anyone who threw a grenade into a fort), and compensations for injury (a hundred for a lost eye, fifteen hundred for two legs). Pirates usually further agreed to maroon pilferers, to give “good quarter” to any victim who asked, and to keep their weapons clean. Sometimes they went so far as to forbid gambling and onboard romance (“No Boy or Woman to be allowed amongst them,” one such contract read) and to restrict late-night drinking to the deck.
Because criminal agreements have no legal force, it’s tempting to think of pirate articles as quaint—if not misguided, considering how often they showed up in court as evidence against their signatories. Leeson is at pains to show the articles as a rational choice, enabling pirates to create a voluntary association that was stable and orderly. By setting terms in advance, punishing embezzlement harshly, and keeping the pay gap between captain and men low, the articles reduced conflict over property claims. By limiting drinking and requiring clean weapons, they curbed individual behaviors that might otherwise have damaged the crew’s fighting ability. And by rewarding special achievements and providing health insurance they encouraged enthusiasm and risk-taking. The results were impressive. “As great robbers as they are to all besides,” a sea cook observed in 1709, they “are precisely just among themselves.” No one could join a pirate crew without swearing to the articles, which, Leeson explains, reduced what economists call the “external costs” of decision-making—in this case, the discontent of anyone who thought them unfair, a dangerous sentiment when betrayal meant hanging. Articles also made it harder for leaders to cheat, because their public nature enabled every pirate to tell if a rule had been broken. The only rules as tough and flexible, Leeson provocatively suggests, were the covenants that founded New England’s Puritan churches.
When Morgan campaigned against the Spanish in 1670 and 1671, he was both elected by the buccaneers and commissioned by the Jamaican governor. But when he returned to the Caribbean, in 1675, he had to choose sides. Planters now dominated Jamaican society, and thought the cost of disrupted shipping not worth the occasional benefits of poaching Spanish currency. Morgan turned planter himself, declared pirates “ravenous vermin,” and began hanging them. When piracy next broke out, it was in another part of the world. ...
Piracy seems to thrive when capitalism is advancing—when it has put enough wealth in motion to tempt criminals to kill for it but not yet enough for sailors to die in its defense—and perhaps, as in Somalia, when government is retreating. In several ways, Somalia’s contemporary pirates resemble those of three centuries ago. Violent and dangerous, they nonetheless are careful not to hurt coöperative hostages; they look to piracy to take them from poverty to a life of leisure; they have been known to regulate their own behavior with written rules; and they believe that their cause is just. The timing of their end, too, will probably be similar, coming whenever a major power decides that a crackdown costs less than the nuisance.
Greg Carr's Big Gamble "I had the idea at 25 that if I made a lot of money, I could do whatever I wanted," says the Boston entrepreneur. And so, in one of the largest private commitments in African conservation, he's putting $40 million into a spectacular national park in war-ravaged Mozambique.
By Stephanie Hanes
More on Africa from our favorite news source, News from Africa, based in Africa - not Washington or London.
The park (Gorongosa National Park) was once one of the most treasured in all of Africa, 1,525 square miles of well-watered terrain with of the highest concentrations of large mammals on the continent - thousands of wildebeest, zebra and water buck, and even denser herds of buffalo and elephant than on the fabled Serengeti Plain. In the 1960s and '70s, movie stars, astronauts and other celebrities vacationed in Gorongosa; tourists arrived by the busload. Tippi Hedren, who starred in Alfred Hitchcock's The Birds, was inspired by Gorongosa's lions to build her own exotic cat preserve outside Los Angeles. Astronaut Charles Duke told his safari guide that visiting Gorongosa was as thrilling as landing on the moon.
They called it the jewel of Mozambique," says Frank Merry, a visiting scientist at the Woods Hole Research Center, which has received a grant from the U.S. National Science Foundation to study Carr's project. "You've got an iconic resource there... In the U.S., you might think of Yellowstone."
But all of that was before Mozambique's 16-year civil war, which erupted soon after the country won independence from Portugal and set up a socialist, single-party government in 1975. As was common across post-independence Africa, antigovernment forces took refuge in national parks, a ready source of hidden shelter and food. They set up headquarters just outside Gorongosa, and the park itself became a battlefield: land mines were planted, the main camp was shelled and the animals were slaughtered.
"There were government forces, you had the rebel force, you had displaced people - they all used the park," says (Roberto) Zolho, the current warden, who was a ranger in Gorongosa when the rebels attacked. "We closed the park in '83 because it was impossible."
Outside the park, government asoldiers forced villagers into towns or "communal villages" dozens of miles away, often along the main road linking Zimbabwe to Mozambique'es port of Beira. It was a traumatic move for people who had spiritual connections to the land and for families accustomed to living at some remove from one another. (-- pgs. 87-88)
I have had my own experience as that of being a writer given evidence of a disaster which seemed to exceed all measure. In South Africa racism in its brutally destructive guises, from killing in conquest to the methodology of colonialism, certified as Divine Will by religious doctrine, took the lives of thousands of Africans and stunted the lives of millions more, systematically. I grew up in the Union that came out of wars for possession between the British and descendants of the Dutch, the Boers. The Africans had already been dispossessed by both. I was the child of the white minority, blinkered in privilege and conditioning education, basic as ABC. But because I was a writer - for it's an early state of being, before a word has been written, not an attribute of being published - I became witness to the unspoken in my society. Very young I entered a dialogue with myself about what was around me; and this took the form of trying for the meaning in what I saw by transforming this into stories based on what were everyday incidents of ordinary life for everyone around me: the sacking of the backyard room of a black servant by police while the white master and mistress of the house looked on unconcerned; later, in my adolescence during the '39-'45 War, when I was a voluntary aide at a gold mine casualty station, being told by the white intern who was suturing a black miner's gaping head wound without anesthetic, "They don't feel pain like we do." (From Witness: The Inward Testimony by Nobel laureate Nadine Gordimer, pgs. 109-110)
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Avoiding Ground Mishaps: What Every Operator Needs to Know
While many aviation safety efforts correctly focus on the critical phases of flight, preventing ground incidents is equally vital. Just as in flight, there’s little room for error. Even dents and dings can set an operator back tens of thousands of dollars in repairs and lost income.
Hangar and ground movements rank among the top aviation safety concerns, according to Eric Barfield of Hope Aviation Insurance. “We all read about the smoking hole in the ground, but fender benders don’t get the attention,” said the South Carolina insurer, who also serves on NBAA’s Safety Committee. “Insurance pays millions per year” for damage that occurs on the ground.
The causes vary as much as the accidents, but, as in flight, human factors are everything. Barfield offered some examples. A tug operator became complacent moving a small jet into a cavernous hangar, thinking ‘Why do I need a wing walker?’ The transition from the bright sunshine outdoors into the dark shadows of the hangar ended with the sickening sound of metal scraping metal as the jet was pushed over a tug parked in back of the hangar.
How about a puncture of the aircraft’s pressure vessel? That seemingly small accident cost a hapless owner $477,000 in repairs and seven months of lost revenue from an idle Cessna Citation. “Not to mention the headaches of paperwork and constantly working the issue,” said Barfield.
The causes vary as much as the accidents, but, as in flight, human factors are everything.
NBAA’s Safety Committee estimates that careless ground operations cost the general aviation industry more than $100 million per year. By far the biggest risk involves towing, followed by ramp, service equipment and hangar movements.
Ground Vehicle Safety Pointers
At first glance, tug safety might seem to be a likely cause of the losses, but a careful driver can perform the checks in less than a minute. Just like a pilot doing a preflight, operators should walk around the tug to ensure there’s nothing broken, missing or out-of-place. Check the limitations placard. Is this the right tug for the job? Check the tires for damage and proper inflation. Inspect the battery for corrosion, and ensure the cell caps are in place. Is there enough oil or coolant? Check the locking pins and safety pins.
Safety begins as you approach any ramp vehicle. Be aware of your surroundings. Check clearances, the proximity of other aircraft, equipment and workers. Check for foreign object debris (FOD) on your vehicle, remove any trash and secure loose items – anything that could be blown away by wind or jet blast.
For tractors without tow bars, ensure the emergency disconnect switch isn’t blocked, and check the bank support plate, safety clip and straps. For any tug, check the brakes before you move, and ensure the brake pedal doesn’t go all the way to the floor.
After starting the engine, listen for unusual sounds and check the instrument readings. Is the power steering working? Is there excessive play in the wheel? Any safety equipment required by the Occupational Safety & Health Administration (OSHA), such as seat belts, lights and horn, must be working. If you discover any problems with those items, OSHA requires you to tag it so the vehicle won’t be used until it’s fixed.
NBAA’s Safety Committee estimates that careless ground operations cost the general aviation industry more than $100 million per year. By far, the biggest risk involves towing, followed by ramp, service equipment and hangar movements.
The pace of driving a tug or tractor should be limited to walking speed in congested areas, and slow down if you suspect fluids or ice are on the ramp. Keep your legs and feet inside the vehicle, and only move with a passenger in the seat, not holding onto the side of the vehicle. Never place objects or cargo on the vehicle’s surface.
If there’s any doubt about clearance or space, or if you ever lose sight of the wing walker: stop.
Lead the tow bar when driving; pushing it could cause the vehicle to jackknife. Always stop your vehicle to speak to approaching people, and never allow anyone to jump on or off while the vehicle is moving.
When approaching an aircraft, approach from the front, facing the aircraft, while maintaining a 10-foot circle-of-safety from the aircraft at all times.
Use the parking brake and turn off the engine before leaving your tug. It’s also a good practice to chock the rear wheel closest to the driver’s seat before walking away. This requires you to scan the area behind the vehicle when you return to move it. Fuel trucks also should be chocked and grounded when servicing the airplane; ground power units should be chocked and not positioned under the aircraft’s tail. Golf carts should be shut off, braked and chocked when unattended.
The NBAA Safety Committee recommends using at least two wing walkers when moving aircraft into or out of the hangar. Survey the area before moving an airplane. Where are the hidden risks? Ensure that the hangar doors are secure and can’t be moved by wind or jet blast. Don’t let wings overlap when parking aircraft in hangars because they may settle. It’s a good idea to include procedures for aircraft ground movement in both the flight and maintenance operations manual and ensure that employees understand them.
That also applies to taxiing. Pilots should scan for risks, such as ground service equipment, narrow rows of aircraft, loose chocks or slope. If there’s any doubt about the marshaller’s hand signals: stop.
When parking an aircraft, use warning cones on wing tips and tails, chock both the main and nose wheel, and remove the airstair mat before starting engines.
If all of this seems familiar, it is. “It seems to be the same old stuff,” remarked Chartis Insurance’s Ray Stanton, who refers to the continuing mishaps as “hangar rash.” Stanton, who travels the country evaluating ramp operations for insurance companies and fixed base operators, concludes that the safest operators have ample supervision, with supervisors involved on the ramp, not at meetings or in front of computers when aircraft are being moved.
“We want to see highly reflective vests, hearing protection, good lighting and well-marked parking spots,” said Stanton. “We also want to see people working at a reasonable pace, not running because they’re pressed for time.”
Tire and Passenger Safety
Simply keeping aircraft tires inflated properly can increase ground safety and save operators money, according to Keat Pruszenski of Michelin. If tires are over-inflated, less tire surface is gripping the pavement and nylon chords stretch, including the rubber. The extra tension can cause objects, such as foreign object debris, to cut into the rubber, weakening the tire. Under-inflated tires force the tread to rise to the center, causing a high rate of wear where the inner plys lack tension, which could lead to a leak or the plys unraveling.
Preventing tires from failing also means understanding how temperature affects inflation. “You’ll experience a 1 percent decrease in inflation for every 5 degrees Fahrenheit decrease,” said Pruszenski. “For a flight from Florida to Minnesota, it’s common to see a 50 degree drop in temperature and a loss of 10 percent of tire pressure.”
Passengers also are an important part of ground safety. Keep them off the ramp unless boarding or deplaning the aircraft, and ensure they receive the safety briefing as required under Parts 135 and 91. Those FARs require passengers sitting next to an emergency exit to be able to open that exit during an emergency. Mobility-impaired passengers may require an assistant during flight. Assistants need to be briefed on emergency procedures as well.
Boarding and deplaning mobility-impaired passengers can be a mutual effort among the crew and medical staff meeting the aircraft, according to Ed Boyer of Angel Flight in Virginia Beach, VA. For stretcher transfers, there should be at least two people at the head and two at the foot of the stretcher. He emphasized that unless crewmembers are medically qualified, they should not render any other assistance.
For More Information
The Hangar and Ground Safety section of NBAA’s web site has several resources in this area, including presentations from NBAA’s Safety Committee, an OSHA compliance checklist and more, at www.nbaa.org/ops/safety/hangar. | <urn:uuid:f5099970-1101-4d90-aeb0-a5f945a299d9> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.nbaa.org/news/insider/2012/03/ground-mishaps.php | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368700958435/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516104238-00011-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.933133 | 1,863 | 1.789063 | 2 |
A shop on Montreal's Boulevard St. Laurent is lighting the way to the sustainable future in decor.
Galerie CO is Sarah Richardson's passion, a place where she has been able to join her enthusiasm for the work of cutting edge designers with her belief in supporting art that focuses on recycling and sustainability. She calls it CO, because those two letters are the thread that bind the elements she wishes to highlight: eCOnomy, eCOlogy and COmmunity.
"We specialize in sustainable design for the home in a setting that is as much art gallery as it is retail shop,' says Richardson, who opened in 2008. A lawyer by profession, she was born in Kingston, raised in Africa and schooled in England, and spent 15 years working on sustainable trade issues with governments, international organizations and NGOs.
She was working with the European Commission when they were signing agreements with African countries that dealt with the use of sustainable material — and the idea for CO was born.
"I saw people in South Africa who were making beautiful pieces, and I wanted to show great sustainable pieces from all over the world," she says. Her early African focus now includes designers and design companies from around the world — and in Montreal.
Lighting is a feature here. Wire and paper fixtures in the shape of African animal heads adorn a wall, made by fair-trade accredited Streetwires based in Cape Town, South Africa. "The company trains unemployed people to do bead and wire work, and papier-mache light fixtures," Richardson says.
In the bright front window, she has strung several circular hanging lamps from Norway, made of sustainable birch ply, laser-cut with an evergreen motif. Another row of hanging lights adorns the shop counter, these an explosion of bright flowers made of recycled plastic by Heath Nash, a Cape Town artist who exhibits widely and gives workshops on eco-design all over the world (www.heathnash.com).
Her latest project is an upcoming show featuring the work of New Zealander David Trubridge, an international lighting artist now represented in Canada only at Galerie CO. Named one of the 15 top designers in the world, he has exhibited at major design shows and, in 2007, received New Zealand's highest design award.
Trubridge's latest lighting innovation, a series known as Coral and Floral, will be shown, including the Coloured Corals that were launched at the 2010 Milan Furniture Fair.
"The material is bamboo ply, all natural and sustainable," Richardson says. "His work is inspired by wild landscapes, by natural images, shapes and objects, and he cares about how things are made and used. He's a perfect fit for us."
Knowing the artists is an integral part of doing business, Richardson believes. "Designers and materials matter, so we know where everything comes from and who makes it. Because I know their story, I have a sense of confidence in their work."
CO is also the first place in Canada to carry furniture by STAACH, a company from Rochester, New York, that creates furniture in a LEED-certified factory using sustainably sourced wood and no toxic glues. "Their tables, chairs, kitchen stools and benches have clean lines and a Scandinavian feel," she says.
From northern England, designer Richard Little has created chairs made from coloured plastic bottles transformed into ribbons then wrapped around a form. "He made only 25 in this series," says Richardson, "and they were shown at the Victoria and Albert Museum in London."
While she admits Little's chairs are among her higher priced pieces, at $1,825 each, the emphasis even here is on both innovation and practicality. Other furniture pieces include colourful stools inspired by African headrests from South African designer Ryan Frank, made of spruce ply, and the recycled cardboard bookcases from A4A Design in Milan.
Whether you're buying or just looking, this gallery space is a setting for appreciating incredible design, Richardson says. "I've chosen so carefully. I love being able to bring these pieces to Montreal and have space in which to show them to people."
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For the first part of the month, we've been enjoying the secular imagery and fun of Easter but during this holy week leading up to Easter, we have changed our focus to the real reason for Easter and this was reflected in our muffin tin meal this week.
Top Row: Red veggie juice representing the blood of Christ, a chocolate raspberry crisp representing the body of Christ, an apple ring crown of thorns
Bottom Row: Carrot sticks to represent the nails, a tortilla cross with peanut butter, onigiri with sesame seed to represent the stone rolled away from an empty tomb
Laural ate her entire lunch and some of Micah's too. I ended up making them each another tortilla cross which Micah called a "Jesus T" which had me trying to figure out what he wanted for a minutes. Too cute. I forgot to take pics of the kids with their meals because I was munching on the leftovers.
To help bridge the changeover in our focus, our book of the day is "My Easter Basket and the true story of Easter" which takes a look through the Easter basket and connects the colorful treats in the basket to a point in the Easter story. It's a sturdy, glittery board book so both kids can enjoy looking at it. | <urn:uuid:4808fc3e-d240-450f-b3ba-b15633275a18> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://lovelykillerbee.blogspot.com/2011/04/muffin-tin-monday-easter.html | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368698924319/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516100844-00011-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.965894 | 265 | 1.609375 | 2 |
Dear Lactation Consultant,
I was wondering how women continue to breastfeed after returning to work. I have read that it is healthiest for baby to breastfeed for at least 6 months. However, I will need to return to work after only 6 weeks. (My husband and I are just starting to try to conceive, but I am trying to plan ahead.)
Thank you for your response.
It is great that you are looking into working and breastfeeding in advance. That will give you time to think and plan, which will help you better meet your goals. Breastfeeding for six months is a good initial goal, but you may want to know that the breastfeeding recommendation was changed in 1997 to a minimum of one year.
There are many choices about how to manage breastfeeding while working. Some families are strongly motivated to feed their baby only mother's milk and avoid formula, particularly those with a family history of allergies. (Introduction of formula before six months is strongly correlated with increased incidence of allergy.) Some families give both formula and expressed mother's milk feedings while mothers are at work. And in some families mothers breastfeed when they are with their babies and feed formula when they're apart.
As with any new undertaking, the more you know in advance, the fewer unexpected problems you're likely to encounter. Attending a breastfeeding class should help immensely. Ideally, you'll learn how to establish a good milk supply before going back to work and how to avoid common problems (such as sore nipples) during the early weeks of feeding.
If you plan to express milk while at work, with a good breast pump, it takes only 10-15 min. per pumping session. Getting a good quality breast pump is important, because there are unfortunately many ineffective breast pumps on the market. Many mothers have had their efforts to work and breastfeed short-circuited by the purchase of a poor quality pump. For more information on selecting a breast pumps, I would recommend you read the article "Choosing a Pump" on the Art of Breastfeeding web site. If your goal is to provide mother's milk only for your baby, a good strategy is to breastfeed exclusively while you're on maternity leave. When you return to work, calculate how many times per day you need to pump by dividing your total time away from you baby (including travel time) by 3. To maintain your milk supply over time, count the number of times per day you drain your breasts (breastfeedings + pumpings) every 24 hours before returning to work and try to keep up that number while you're working.
Six months is the time solid foods are recommended. Once your baby is taking other foods, the amount of mother's milk needed decreases, because solids take the place of mothers milk in a baby's diet. Most mothers who are working and breastfeeding no longer need to pump at work sometime between their baby's ninth and twelfth months. After that they may wean, or they may continue to breastfeed when at home.
Most working and breastfeeding mothers will tell you that the huge cost savings (formula costs a minimum of $1200 during a baby's first year) are nice, but what they love most is the fact that breastfeeding is the one thing only *they* can do for their babies. When they spend so much time apart, it is one way to help keep their special bond strong.
Good luck and best wishes to you.
-- Nancy, IBCLC
Dr. Kendall-Tackett is a health psychologist, International Board Certified Lactation Consultant, and Research Associate Professor of Psychology specializing in women's health at the Family Research Lab, University of New Hampshire. She is a Fellow of the American Psychological Association in both the Divisions of Health Psychology and Trauma Psychology. Dr. Kendall-Tackett is a La Leche League leader, chair of the New Hampshire Breastfeeding Taskforce, and the Area Coordinator of Leaders for La Leche League of Maine and New Hampshire.
Dr. Kendall-Tackett is author of more than 140 journal articles, book chapters and other publications, and author or editor of 15 books including The Hidden Feelings of Motherhood (2005, Hale Publications), Depression in New Mothers (2005, Haworth), and Breastfeeding Made Simple, co-authored with Nancy Mohrbacher (2005, New Harbinger). She is on the editorial boards of the journals Child Abuse and Neglect, Journal of Child Sexual Abuse and the Journal of Human Lactation, and regularly reviews for 27 other journals in the fields of trauma, women's health, interpersonal violence, depression, and child development. Dr. Kendall-Tackett is the "Ask a Lactation Consultant" columnist on Pregnancy.org and serves on the Board of Directors of Attachment Parenting International.
Dr. Kendall-Tackett received a Bachelor's and Master's degree in psychology from California State University, Chico, and a Ph.D. from Brandeis University in social and developmental psychology. She has won several awards including the Outstanding Research Study Award from the American Professional Society on the Abuse of Children, and was named 2003 Distinguished Alumna, College of Behavioral and Social Sciences, California State University, Chico. | <urn:uuid:cbb5ea30-2d0c-4544-a0b9-6f17402a47bd> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.pregnancy.org/question/breastfeeding-after-returning-work | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368704713110/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516114513-00012-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.95537 | 1,075 | 1.539063 | 2 |
The End of the Aughts and a New Mentality for the Teens
The End of the Aughts
For the first time in over 15 years, I am looking forward to New Year's. It's extremely rare that I see any significance to arbitrarily designated ends of years and I thought too much of a deal was made about the numerological importance of the year 2000 and the new millennium (in 2001). Yet, I'm greatly looking forward to the end of the Goose Eggs' Decade.
A decade of Brittany Spears, Hummers, excess consumption, terrible action movies with bloated special FX budgets, accounting scandals, mindless unilateral military actions, complacency, and an environment where dou$#ebags like Thomas Friedman were considered "intellectuals".
The decade that gave us Linkin Park, George W. Bush, a brief renewal of McCarthyism, David Lereah, real estate prices that could "never fall again!", gay marriage "bans", the worst economic crash since the Great Depression, and more terrible rap, pop, and nu-metal than one could ever care for.
With the prolonged economic crash, we are seeing a wave of negativity around America. One that contrasts sharply with the utopian optimism of much of this decade. Yet, for once, I at least have a slight modicum of hope about the future.
The call of the Aughts was a familiar call. One that always seems to end in the same fashion:
"It's different this time"
It seems like any time the broader populace convinces themselves of that, something disastrous happens. Two major instances of it's-difference-this-time-ism should be remembered in the 20th Century:
(1) The 1929 Stock Market
(2) The early 1910's
We're all familiar with the '29 stock market crash, but more forgotten in the shuffle was the mentality that took hold in the Western world from about 1905 - 1914. The belief was in one of perpetual progress. War was a thing of the past and we were on the verge of democratically achieving an economic system of true equality: socialism. Well, so much for that! And so much for the boneheaded economic theories of this decade.
There is some good news lost in all the bad. While Americans are suddenly more pessimistic than ever, I believe the mentality that has taken hold actually gives us a better chance to succeed. The Aughts was a decade of complacency, but that has started to change in the past 24 months. Suddenly, major issues such as huge budget issues (Federal and several states), climate change, energy independence, and the transportation system are starting to get commented upon more frequently. While this by no means ensures success, it is at least a first step. You can never fix problems if you bury your head in the sand and deny their existence. There are at least fewer heads in the sand now.
Also, while we have a long, hard road ahead, we are by no means the worst off generation of Americans. My grandfather fought in both world wars and was haunted by images of WWI even in the late 1980s (right before he died). And most Americans seem to forget the problems of the late 19th Century, while culminated in a popular "Free Silver" movement, with the aim of causing deliberate inflation in order to allow Midwestern farmers to get out of debt. Don't forget slavery, the Civil War, the Republic's early crises, etc, etc, etc. My basic point here is that we have problems very unique to our generation, but other generations have also had to fight through major hardships. No reason we cannot succeed, as well.
My great hope is that all the negative that has happened over the past decade will result in a different mentality for the next few decades. I'm hoping we see an artistic revival, less obsession with status symbols, and a more productive mentality among the American populace. I'm hoping we see more hard work, more people with ideas, and more risk takers who start their own small business and try to create more long-term value for America. Maybe if we're very lucky, we'll eventually even get a less screwed up Washington; but don't the farm on that last one. All in all, I'm simply hoping that the Teens take on a very different character than the Aughts.
So, as one TMF'er already said, "Good riddance to the aughts." Let's do everything we can to make the Teens a much better decade. | <urn:uuid:656ca4f4-8932-462d-8ef3-46e240e3081d> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://caps.fool.com/Blogs/the-end-of-the-aughts-and-a/319595 | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368700958435/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516104238-00015-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.963779 | 933 | 1.554688 | 2 |
Quentin Tarantino films have reached cult status, with universities now offering courses based on issues ranging from race to his use of pop culture references.
We spoke with Robert J. Thompson, professor of Television and Popular Culture at Syracuse University, and Todd Dewett, a management professor at Wright State University in Dayton, Ohio and Tarantino film fan, about what makes Tarantino films so popular, which business lessons his movies teach us, and what we can learn from his career.
"[Tarantino's] characters are so compellingly flawed," Thompson says. "They speak in the language regular people understand, dripping in popular culture references people are going to get." While Tarantino films are controversial for their violence, language and subject matter, business lessons can be extracted from them such as what to look for when hiring, how to work with others, and what to look for in training programs.
Here are four business lessons for Quentin Tarantino movies:
1. Find the right training to get to the top of your game.
In Kill Bill: Vols. 1 & 2, Uma Thurman's character, The Bride, seeks revenge against the group who destroyed her life and left her for dead on her wedding day. Her singular focus on getting revenge against Bill and his team fuels her martial arts makeover and she is transformed into a force to be reckoned with.
While revenge isn't the best motivation in business, Thurman's character shows what's possible when effective training programs are implemented. According to Dewett, many training dollars are wasted each year because businesses don't bring in the right person to train their employees. Companies need to find a great teacher, make sure their employees have the motivation to learn new skills, then provide them with an opportunity to use their new skills.
2. Assemble a strong team.
Tarantino creates a team of actors that work well together, Dewett says. Other movie producers believe hiring one major movie star will be enough to carry a film to box office glory and are surprised when the movie flops.
Similarly, many companies believe success is achieved by hiring a marquee talent. A fundamental mistake companies make is they look at a candidate's resume and how they perform in an interview with one executive, when they should really see how that individual fits within the existing team, says Dewett. Many times, companies hire someone who looks great on paper, only to discover later they don't mesh well with the rest of the team.
3. Choose quality over quantity.
Tarantino decided to make one movie every few years, allowing him to be fully invested in each endeavor, Dewett notes. He assembles a stellar cast, develops a script with great writing, and takes his time with each project.
Many businesses are in a race with their competition, and "change too much instead of just enough," says Dewett. "A company has a finite capacity for change," he says. He advises against the impulse to 'keep up with the Joneses.' "The best practice for [one company] may not be the best for your company," Dewett cautions.
4. Surround yourself with top talent.
Tarantino has chosen really good projects, most of which he's generated himself, as writer, director, producer and actor, Thompson says. He's known for quirky, but excellent casting, and he's surrounded himself with a team of top-notch talent and production groups, many of whom he's worked with throughout his career, and with good reason, says Dewett.
Directors like Tarantino love candor, useful feedback, and aren't afraid to have difficult conversations. Likewise, in order to run their business successfully, leaders need to surround themselves with employees they can depend on who aren't afraid of conflict.
Related: Secrets of Successful Interviews | <urn:uuid:48195425-f0e0-44ef-aaaf-824a108ef654> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.entrepreneur.com/blog/225626?hootPostID=4cc0d1f99a1a65e8ec45c0de8a864421&buffer_share=f51b7 | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368701852492/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516105732-00013-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.973386 | 782 | 1.71875 | 2 |
Mindanao, Street Sceneries
Street photography is not limited to buzzing metropolitan
areas, the culture and life in the streets of any city or village in Mindanao can be perfect to capture the fascinating, local urban, rural and social landscape.
Because of the tropical climate Mindanao is one of the best places for street photography, so much happens with so many people out in the open. The intimate settings, the various traditions, the many strange faces and attitudes are every bit as photogenic as the region's magnificent natural vistas. The mixed lighting conditions and ever changing views can be challenging, a test of patience, yet creatively and personally rewarding. General Santos City and Koronadal City are just a few perfect backdrops for photographic forays, providing incredible street sceneries that will captivate the mind of every fervent shutterbug.
The urban areas in Mindanao are a melting pot of the surrounding rural belts and a magnet for people from many different walks of life. Neighbourhood markets are an indispensable element of the islands social landscape and ideal places to really capture the unique atmosphere of the local community. These locations show of all facets of city life and are always full of interesting, inspiring characters and situations that are producing many different aspects of people photography. There certainly is enough ironic imagery in these public places where the poor and the rich will meet together. Beggars, young and old, male and female, can be found in most markets and on the streets, they are an interesting but a grey visual aspect of the picturesque surroundings. The intense and piteous expression on their faces, their compelling body language with cupped hands asking for some money, often tells a gritty tale. Adding these scroungers to a photograph is like pasting live in a digital frame, this can be a little confronting but will create a powerful, dramatic looking shot. Alongside the beggars, numerous street vendors are roaming the roads, sidewalks and parking lots, selling sunglasses, pirated CDs, DVDs and all kinds of street food. These peddlers selling their merchandise either on foot, by bicycle or in a cart on the street are willing and challenging subjects for eye catching images. Don't be surprised if some money is asked for taking their photographs, so it is wise to put a few coins in your pocket.
Nothing captures the magnificence of the region like the different means of transportation; the colourful jeepney is one of the most popular ways of public conveyance and a cultural symbol in the Philippines. Decorated with flashy graphics and extravagant ornaments this flamboyant vehicle is an all-time photographic favourite. It's worth keeping an eye peeled in all directions, great photographic scenes play out on the streets and country roads right in front of you, motorcycles and tricycles are the dominant mode of urban and rural transport in Mindanao, these rushing bicycles are really everywhere. The chaotic movement of traffic, the rhythm of uncontrolled,crowded street life, the confluence of activity, the sheer amount of motorcycles, tricycles, drivers and passengers going every which way will surely make an excellent and unusual contribution in creating dynamic and impressive pictures.
One of the charming things about the cities in Mindanao is that they offer a lot of the old and the new, long standing wooden houses situated side by side with recently constructed concrete buildings. The older historical dwellings are often built of stone while the upper half is made of wood. This authentic Bahay Na Bato preserved in their original state, are a reflection of the vibrant and rich past of the region. In many cases these characteristic houses are not maintained properly, this can be seen in the many forms of natural decay. But for a photographer's well-trained eyethere is always beauty and elegance to be found in the derelict and forgotten structures and its surroundings. If there is a house there will be people living in it, if present, they can amplify the composition of the picture with meaning, depth, contrast and colour.
Photographing local people engaged in their day-to-day activities can help to tell the story of the picture as much as the urban landscapes and buildings. But when a person is the main subject in your image, it is important to ask permission after photographing them and their property. If photographing children take extra care to get permission from a parent or guardian. The friendly, unbiased Mindanaoans are generally very natural and spontaneous in front of a camera. Thanks to a rather laid back attitude towards life they are quite approachable and most of the times don't mind being photographed candidly, but some could have objections or even get offended, delete your images on the spot when permission is not given. In several parts of Mindanao there are existing restrictions limiting public photography, some places may require permits, while others simply won't allow it. In general, inside and outside banks, nearby schools or in shopping malls, you are not allowed to take pictures, the best thing to do is make your way to the security guard or manager's office and explain exactly what you are doing. Depending on the location and circumstances it is sometimes better not to wander around on your own, poverty, local customs and beliefs can create unpredictable, unpleasant and unwanted situations. There are conflict ridden places in Mindanao and it is best to avoid these spots, however there are far more many parts of the region where you are as safe as you can be like in any other city in the world.
Street photography on this exotic island is a never ending journey of discovery and much more than just taking pictures from every day places and faces. It is capturing the true slices of Philippine life as we see it in a split of a second; it is documenting and preserving everlasting memories, rather than creating them. These instant, moments are captured, without tricks, reflecting purity and spontaneity. The streets of Mindanao are always full of the elements of surprise, great moments can happen at any place at any time, you never know what you are going to encounter and what might pop into the frame while clicking the camera shutter.
Published on 5/2/12 | <urn:uuid:4d98c6c7-ed22-4111-9073-27b236fe2482> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.thingsasian.com/stories-photos/53645/55208442/6/brt0_unknown | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368704392896/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516113952-00002-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.9478 | 1,254 | 1.546875 | 2 |
Established in 1950, the Alfred Vincent Kidder Award for Eminence in the Field of American Archaeology was given every three years to an outstanding archaeologist specializing in the archaeology of the Americas. The award has been given alternately to specialists in Mesoamerican archaeology and the archaeology of the Southwestern region -- areas that were both central to the pioneering and exemplary work of A. V. Kidder.
This award, presented by the AAA but selected by the Archaeology Division of AAA, is now given every two years. Nominations should be sent by FEBRUARY 15 of the year in which the award is given to the Archaeology Division Secretary. They should be comprised of a cover letter of nomination, stating explicitly the qualifications and accomplishments of the nominee, and a CV. They will be reviewed by a specially selected Kidder Award Committee.
Please address all nomination materials to the Kidder Award committee and send either by mail or as an email attachment to the Archaeology Division Secretary who will forward materials to the selection committee. The Secretary’s contact information can be found on the AD website.
For more information please click here. | <urn:uuid:597b525d-335b-4e11-bba7-b17d7e88a6a3> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.aaanet.org/about/Prizes-Awards/Kidder-Award.cfm | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368700958435/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516104238-00011-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.950988 | 236 | 1.585938 | 2 |
With the London 2012 Olympic Games only days away, sporting fever is gripping the nation. Even CTS is part of Olympic history. A CTS General Secretary was a double Olympic champion.
John Pius Boland attended the first modern Olympiad in Athens in 1896 as a spectator. A friend, one of the organisers, asked him if he wanted to compete in the tennis tournament. Boland accepted the invitation and won both the men’s singles and doubles titles!
He beat Friedrich Traun of Germany in the first round, Evangelos Rallis of Greece in the second, Konstantinos Paspatis of Greece in the semifinals, and Dionysios Kasdaglis of Egypt in the final.
He then went on, together with the German he had defeated, Friedrich Traun, to win the doubles competition.
Returning to northern Europe, John Pius Boland’s career was in the law, then he became an MP for the Irish Parliamentary Party.
In 1926, he became General Secretary of the CTS, remaining in the post until 1947. His tenure saw the opening of the CTS bookshop near Westminster Cathedral in London in his first year, a move to Eccleston Square, where the Catholic Bishops’ Conference of England and Wales now resides, and the hardships of publishing during and after World War II due to paper rationing.
He received a papal knighthood, becoming a Knight of St. Gregory in recognition for his work in Education, and in 1950 he was awarded an honorary doctorate of Laws by the National University of Ireland that he had helped found.
He died at his home in London on St. Patrick’s Day 1958.
|CTS Membership, 1-year subscription|
|CTS Benefactor Membership, 1-year subscription| | <urn:uuid:8b7c669b-d670-43c2-b383-deb64746cd0f> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://ctscatholiccompass.org/cts-in-the-news/cts-general-secretary-was-a-double-olympic-champion/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368705953421/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516120553-00007-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.974664 | 374 | 1.828125 | 2 |
Geez Louise! Jobwise, things have really changed from when I was a twenty-something. Back then you got out of school, you looked for a job, you got a job and then you hung on to it for dear life. Well, actually, I didn't -- but other people did. Back in the 1960s, you could work for three months, save a bunch of money and go spend the winter in Mexico. But my friends held down their jobs like their lives depended on it. But, hey, I was ahead of my time.
Back in the 1960s, the pay was so high and the expenses so low that I could work a summer job for three months and make enough money to put myself through a whole year of graduate school with what I had earned. The tuition at UC Berkeley back then was $150 a year and my rent was $45 a month. And I lived on carrots, snack crackers and cheese and my biggest expense was my textbooks. Ah, Berkeley in the 1960s. I've never had so much fun before or since! But I digress.
Recently I talked with various young adults between the ages of 20 and 25 (aka Generation X-Box) about their employment situations. "What is the job market like?" I asked, being all into my deep-seated fears for the economy and all that. "Are you having trouble finding a job?" No, actually, they were not. Their answers really surprised me.
"I went to four job interviews at the mall last week," replied one of my research subjects. "And every one of them offered me a job." All of them? Really? And he rattled off a list of potential employers. The Gap. Old Navy. American Eagle. Adidas. Forever 21. Apparently these companies are always on the look-out for new employees who are young and hip and charming and can easily sell the product because of their looks. This guy fit the bill. He was a babe-magnet. If you're not a babe-magnet, I suppose you need not apply but still... Jobs are just right out there for the asking? Amazing. Retail sales must be doing better than I thought.
But maybe this guy's experience wasn't typical so I interviewed someone else and got the same sort of answer. "I found a job at the mall six months ago with no problem. Then I worked for two months, slept on my friend's couch, quit that job, took two months off and then found another job." Amazing. No fear of job security at all!
"And what did you do between jobs?"
"I played Guitar Hero." Oh. "And smoked Newports. And drank a lot of Bacardi." Hey, that's better than doing nothing at all or joining a gang. And way better than Camels and Colt 45.
The third person I talked with did NOTHING all day. I mean NO - THING. How did he support himself? His parents. And some chick that he had picked up on MySpace. But this guy was the exception. Most of the Generation X-Box types that I talked with didn't want to sponge off of parents or girlfriends. They wanted JOBS. Jobs at the mall. They just didn't want jobs at the mall all the time. And they DEFINITELY didn't want jobs that interfered with their social life. But they did want jobs.
Then I interviewed some Gen X-Box gangbangers. Like the do-nothing guy, they didn't want jobs at all either. But I think that they too were exceptions. And I also interviewed some young go-getters who had gotten 110% on their SAT scores and were ready to put their noses to the grindstone for the rest of their lives or save the planet or something. But they weren't mainstream either.
Based on my sociological samples, it seems to me that Generation X-Box is into retail sales -- they want to work at the malls where they grew up. And retail mall outlets are into hiring them too, even if it's only for a few weeks or a few months. The retailers, from what I've heard, expect this sort of behavior, know that Gen X-Box has a limited attention span from watching too many sound bites on TV, and the retailers run their hiring programs accordingly. They conduct group interviews, hire en mass and treat their fledgling employees like cattle. But if you are young, hip and eye-candy for the opposite sex, you can apparently always find a job. And a couch to surf on. And life is good.
What's my moral here? That Generation X-Box is doing just fine. But I'm a bit worried about Generation X-Box in ten or twenty years from now when they are all puffy-eyed and paunchy and the retailers of all those flashy, trendy clothes don't want them no more because they got a whole new generation coming up behind this one to chose from.
What will happen to Generation X-Box when they are no longer in style? I don't know. But as a mother and grandmother, it is my job to worry about them. "Stick with one job, son," I keep telling them. "And take care of your health!" But did I do that when I was their age? Heck no. But if I had, my Social Security check would probably be more than $317 a month. But then I wouldn't have so many outrageous memories either. You gotta consider the trade-offs. | <urn:uuid:a2a4c018-e88f-4549-8d86-5c2a4c4dfe7a> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://jpstillwater.blogspot.com/2007/11/t-ales-from-behind-counter-at-mall.html | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368705559639/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516115919-00006-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.985893 | 1,136 | 1.53125 | 2 |
The Sri Lankan government has asked the United States to abandon the prosecution of a Canadian charged with buying equipment and laundering money for the separatist Tamil Tigers rebels.
The extraordinary request, in a letter sent to the U.S. State Department, concerns Suresh Sriskandarajah, 32, who was extradited to New York in December to stand trial on terrorism charges.
The letter, which surfaced at Mr. Suresh’s bail hearing last month, urged the U.S. to drop the charges against Mr. Suresh “in light of his publicly recognized efforts to secure a lasting, peaceful reconciliation for the Tamil people,” wrote Judge Raymond Dearie of the U.S. District Court.
Given the history of Sri Lanka’s prolonged and bitter conflict, the request is indeed an extraordinary initiative
“Given the history of Sri Lanka’s prolonged and bitter conflict, the request is indeed an extraordinary initiative that evidences Suresh’s legitimate and admirable work to secure a lasting and just resolution of the tragic conflict.”
But U.S. prosecutors are proceeding with the case nonetheless, and the judge ruled the letter was not relevant to the bail proceedings, ordering Mr. Suresh to be held in custody for the duration of the trial.
The judge also denied bail to a second Canadian, Piratheepan Nadarajah, 36, who faces terrorism charges for his alleged role in a plot to buy $1-million worth of AK-47 assault rifles and surface-to-air missiles for the Tamil Tigers.
Both men were arrested in Toronto following a joint RCMP-FBI investigation called Project O-Needle. They were extradited to the U.S. in late 2012 after the Supreme Court of Canada rejected their appeals.
The U.S. court documents do not explain why Sri Lanka intervened in Mr. Suresh’s trial, but several sources said the government had been attempting to use those arrested in the O-Needle investigation to turn Tamil-Canadians against the Tigers.
An island off the southern tip of India, Sri Lanka fought a 26-year civil war against the Tamil Tigers, who financed their fight for ethnic Tamil independence with millions raised by front organizations in Canada.
In 2006, three Canadians of Sri Lankan descent were arrested in New York after trying to buy rifles and missiles from an undercover police informant. They have all since pleaded guilty. Three more suspects were arrested in the Toronto area.
Among them was Mr. Suresh, also known as Waterloo Suresh, an engineer and former head of the University of Waterloo Tamil Students Association. U.S. prosecutors alleged he helped launder $13,000 in rebel funds through U.S. bank accounts.
He was also accused of working with a Canadian co-conspirator, Ramanan Mylvaganam, to buy night-vision goggles, electronic equipment and submarine design software for the rebels. Mylvaganam pleaded guilty last year.
The Sri Lankan civil war ended in 2009 with the defeat of the rebels. Since then, Sri Lanka has been under mounting pressure over the conduct of its forces, who have been accused of killing tens of thousands of civilians during the final stage of the conflict.
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Four out of the first six days of this month have featured colder than average weather which is certainly unusual for this winter. Today, however, the temperatures jumped 20-25 degrees higher than yesterday with maximums in the upper 50s to lower 60s except over Cape Cod. Boston’s 62 degrees was recorded at 3:31pm. Most signs point to above to much above average temperatures for the next two weeks. There will be one cold shot this Saturday and possibly a couple other “cool” days along the way and that’s it. As time ticks away, I am wondering if 2011-12 is going to end up as the 2nd least snowy season in the Boston area. Don’t discount April just yet but the present pattern would have to morph into a very blocky setup and that seems to be out of reach at this juncture. Anyway, there have been a handful of very memorable blockbuster snow storms which were forecast triumphs for me here at WBZ-TV. My hat trick is comprised of the paralyzing storms of March 31-April 1, 1997 and April 6-7, 1982 and April 28-29, 1987. Do you remember any of these beasts?
The current surge of warmth into the Northeast will continue through most of tomorrow. It will stay mild all night as the southwesterly breeze blows under a sky displaying the Full Worm Moon. The moon will be occasionally dimmed by the passage of varying amounts of high cloudiness. This will linger into tomorrow resulting in filtered to dim sunshine at times. Between an approaching cold front and a strong zone of high pressure offshore, a tight gradient will produce a gusty southwesterly wind of 15-35 mph with some gusts to 45-50 mph. Consequently, the National Weather Service Forecast Office in Taunton has issued a Wind Advisory from 9AM tomorrow to 2AM Friday. The trajectory of air across the Atlantic Ocean onto the New England South Coast and Cape Cod will restrict temperatures from rising much above 50-54 while the rest of the area warms up to the upper 50s to upper 60s. There should be some near record high temperatures. Boston’s March 8 record of 67 set in 1995 will be challenged but probably not eclipsed. I am projecting about 66 for much of the Boston area northwestward into Middlesex County. There will be an almost solid or slightly broken band of showers associated with the cold front and that will transit east-southeastward across the region later tomorrow afternoon into the night. The band should be offshore except perhaps the outer Cape by dawn Friday and cooler air will be rushing in on a westerly wind. With some sunshine, temperatures will max out in the range of 43-48 Friday. An upper level disturbance and second cold front will pass through Friday night with some spotty snow showers most noticeable across the mountains of northern and western New England. After the passage, cold air from eastern Canada will pile in on Saturday with highs failing to reach 40. There will be ample sunshine with a diminishing wind in the morning as high pressure ridges overhead. This ridge will build offshore and send the warmth right back to us on Sunday and Monday. Expect a return of 55-60 on Sunday and 60-65 next Monday. A few showers Monday night may be followed by a more widespread steadier rainfall a week from today.
Melissa Mack delivers her AccuWeather Forecast in the morning and I shall follow later in the day.
Make it a great Thursday! | <urn:uuid:2b4ce63b-7b0b-4d7c-9e07-b4cb7d79c565> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://boston.cbslocal.com/2012/03/07/roller-coaster-ride-2/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368703298047/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516112138-00012-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.955246 | 715 | 1.648438 | 2 |
- Jun 16, 2011 3:44 PM EST
- [num] Comments
As I mentioned Tuesday, AMD is positioning these chips as having better graphics performance--including Direct X 11 support--than the Intel "Sandy Bridge" Core chips and better battery life than AMD's previous generation of chips. On the other hand, the Sandy Bridge chips tend to do better on CPU benchmarks, so your overall performance is likely to vary depending on application.
AMD will be addressing the CPU speed issue in its upcoming line, as it moves to the upcoming "Bulldozer" architecture in standalone desktop CPUs starting this fall, and in next year's roadmap for the APU products (which combine CPU and graphics functions).
On the mobile side, which AMD is transitioning to be almost totally based on the APU line, this year AMD is emphasizing its "Brazos" platform with the lower-end Fusion E- and C- series with one or two simpler "Bobcat" cores. Brazos notebooks started shipping earlier this year, mostly in inexpensive designs, and I think a number of these look quite good. These are 40nm chips that are manufactured by TSMC. Next year, they are due to be replaced by 28nm versions, including quad-core variants, under the "Krishna" and "Witchita"code names (varying by power draw).
For the mainstream line, the company just introduced its "Sabine" platform running the Fusion A-series. For next year, with a chip known as "Trinity," the big difference is that the core is moving to the new Bulldozer architecture. That architecture works in units which combine two integer cores with a single floating-point one and is quite different from the existing Stars core. At its Fusion Development Summit this week, AMD showed off a laptop it that was running Trinity and said it will offer 50 percent better performance than Llano. For the A-series, both this year and next year's chips are manufactured on Globalfoundries' 32nm process.
Next year, this is supposed to move to a new platform called "Corona" with the "Komodo" CPU. Again, these are likely to be manufactured by Globalfoundries on 32nm, though that isn't confirmed.
Mainstream desktops are very much like the mainstream notebooks, with "Lynx" the name for this year's platform running the "Llano" A-series that was just announced, and will transition to the "Virgo" platform and the "Trinity" CPU with the Bulldozer core in 2012 (most likely in mid-year). On the low-end side, I haven't really seen much of the "Brazos" platform on the desktop side, although it should be very similar to the same platform for notebooks. It's slated to be replaced by the "Deccan" platform and the "Krishna" CPU next year.
While much of the attention lately has been on chips for phones and tablets, remember the traditional PC market remains very large and is by far the biggest part of the market for both AMD and Intel. It will be interesting to see how well these new designs stack up. | <urn:uuid:e705dd4b-15b1-40d1-a936-a07b612a7d62> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://forwardthinking.pcmag.com/none/282279-amd-updates-2012-desktop-mobile-roadmaps | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368697380733/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516094300-00007-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.969333 | 658 | 1.546875 | 2 |
W. K. Kellogg Foundation Awards $900,000 to Food and Fitness
WAUKON, Iowa — The W. K. Kellogg Foundation has awarded $900,000 to the Northeast Iowa Food and Fitness Initiative to be used in the next four years. The award will fund current strategies related to school wellness, food systems and active living with an additional focus on the caregivers of children from birth to age five in Northeast Iowa.
With the additional support, the initiative will focus on long-term sustainability for the citizens in Allamakee, Chickasaw, Clayton, Fayette, Howard and Winneshiek counties.
Guided by a regional leadership council of local community members, FFI is grounded and supported by the staff of four core partner organizations: Iowa State University Extension and Outreach, Luther College, Northeast Iowa Community College and Upper Explorerland Regional Planning Commission. These organizations share a common vision for the region — to provide access to healthy, locally grown food with abundant opportunities for physical activity and play every day.
The newest strategy of FFI focuses on early childhood care settings. The work is being coordinated by Haleisa Johnson, who is housed at Northeast Iowa Community College.
“It is very important to include early childhood outreach because recent studies show increasing prevalence of obesity among children ages two to five. Over 21 percent of children age two to five are overweight or obese,” says Johnson. “If we do not address the health risk of our youngest children they could face a life of chronic diseases, which will in turn affect our health system.”
Individual behavior change is difficult without the support and influence of healthy environments in which to live, work and play. Because schools are hubs of a community, FFI has focused on school wellness for the past three years.
They have worked to engage each school district within the six counties to create practices that benefit the well-being of students and a culture that promotes and sustains healthy habits.
Outside of the school walls, the Active Living Work Group is dedicated to ensuring that people use the natural and built environments for physical activity, play and active transportation.
Access to Healthy Food
In the next four years, FFI plans to continue making locally grown food available and affordable in communities, neighborhoods and institutions.
“Demand for locally produced food including fruits and vegetables as well as livestock products has shown substantial growth. Buying and selling locally produced food revitalizes neighborhoods by creating and keeping jobs and money in the community,” said Teresa Wiemerslage, leader for the Northeast Iowa Food and Farm Coalition and ISU Extension and Outreach program coordinator.
In 2011, 25 food producers reported more than $3.5 million in local food sales. Local schools have purchased more than $14,400 from local farmers through farm to school efforts. More locally grown foods can be found on grocery stores shelves.
A key ingredient of FFI’s success has been the intentional engagement of youth in the planning and implementation of the work. Youth are viewed as partners and provide additional insight and enthusiasm for the changes that will directly impact their generation.
Their actions are leading to systems change in schools and communities. Youth have worked with school food service staff to establish salad bars in lunch programs and to get healthier food options on their ala carte food lines and in concession stands. They also deliver nutrition education and model healthy habits for their peers and younger children.
The youth outreach component has become a part of the Iowa 4-H program, said Lynette Houser, ISU Extension regional youth coordinator. More than 240 youth were members of their school-based FFI 4-H teams in 2012.
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6 Low-Stress Baby Checkups
At a routine checkup for my 6-month-old, Molly, I went from calm observer to tearful bundle of nerves in 30 seconds flat. The doctor told me that Molly's hips might be dislocated and that she needed an x ray. During the wait for the results, I drove myself (and my husband, mother, and sisters) nearly crazy, projecting scenarios of Molly in a wheelchair, or on crutches, or in pain. When it turned out her hips were just loose naturally, needless to say I was relieved. But I never took a routine exam for granted again.
Well-baby checkups are usually happy occasions -- you find out that your little one is thriving, that she's on-target (or ahead of the curve!) with her milestones, that she's just the cutest thing the office nurse has ever seen. But once in a while, the pediatrician will pick up on something that's not quite right. That can be freaky -- but the fact is, even the scariest-sounding symptoms rarely turn out to mean that something's seriously wrong. Here are six of the most common ones and fear-calming information about each.
It's good my doctor was so observant about Molly's hips, even if it did scare the bejesus out of me. About one in 1,000 babies has dislocated hips, or developmental dysplasia, says David Roye, Jr., M.D., chief of pediatric orthopedic surgery at the Morgan Stanley Children's Hospital of New York Presbyterian. "This can be anything from a joint that's dislocated at birth to movement that's so subtle, it won't be noticed until age fifty, when the person starts having hip pain." Risk factors include being a firstborn, female, breech, and having a family history of the disorder.
Fear-calming facts: This condition is totally treatable. If it's picked up before 3 months, the success rate of a brace or harness is 95 percent. A baby under 6 months will most likely wear a harness for 6 to 12 weeks; some may require a cast, and an older baby may need corrective surgery. But, says Dr. Roye, the outcome after any of these approaches is excellent.
Bridget Gilfeather of Pleasantville, NY, had to be fitted with a harness not long after her 6-week checkup. "I was very upset, thinking of all the things she couldn't do, like go in the baby swing," says Bridget's mom, Mary. "Plus, she had to sleep with her legs up! But she adapted easily." By 9 months old, Bridget was out of the harness; by a year, she was walking.
Not gaining weight
Although babies typically double their birth weight by 4 months and triple it by 1 year, some experience "failure to thrive." Despite the horrifying (not to mention guilt-inducing) label, this diagnosis isn't nearly as ominous as it sounds.
Fear-calming facts: A swerve off the normal growth curve can happen for a variety of temporary, treatable reasons, says Andrea McCoy, M.D., chief medical officer at Jeanes Hospital, in Philadelphia:
A skimpy diet. A baby who's exclusively breastfed may not be getting her fill at each meal, but if she's the laid-back type and doesn't fuss about it, you won't know. Most likely, Mom's milk production is at an ebb for some reason (undereating herself? overexercising? stressed out?); a lactation consultant can help. Meanwhile, check with your doctor about supplementing with formula.
Gastroesophageal reflux. It's a mouthful -- just call it GER -- but it simply means a baby spits up so much that she doesn't down enough calories. Most infants do bring up a bit of dinner after eating -- the muscle between the esophagus and the stomach is loose, plus, young babies spend most of their time in a horizontal position, which makes it easier for fluid to flow back. By around 6 months, the muscle tightens, babies sit up more, and GER goes away (although some kids still spit up at 9 months and beyond). The fix until then: frequent burping, holding a baby upright for 20 minutes after she eats, and offering her small, frequent meals.
Genetics. A baby who was hefty at birth may lose ground on the growth chart as her first birthday approaches simply because she's programmed to be a slender person. But check with your pediatrician about any growth concerns. | <urn:uuid:3a6db9c7-5897-4755-8d97-fcd539474ee2> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.parenting.com/article/6-low-stress-baby-checkups | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368697380733/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516094300-00011-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.96805 | 959 | 1.640625 | 2 |
Dancer with a Hoop 1881
Oil on Canvas
As a follower and protégé of Degas and often “compared to Rembrandt for his emotional power as an etcher”, I am very fond of Forain. I found it interesting that he moved to Paris at a young age and at first worked vigilantly from inside the Louvre at recreating art from old masters prior to meeting Degas.
By the way, Michelangelo also learned by recreating previous art works. It’s important to learn anyway that leads you.
A short film by Werner Herzog. The film focuses on a boy, Martin, who is outcast from the other children at his school. The film was made with pre-school children in Munich, and is partially based on true stories which Herzog heard from the children themselves. The use of a raven as a central plot element was inspired by the story of the raven from Herzog’s earlier film The Great Ecstasy of Woodcarver Steiner. | <urn:uuid:d25827d0-aaf6-41ae-830e-f135d3c833cc> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://sgtr.wordpress.com/2012/05/12/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368698207393/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516095647-00002-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.982624 | 214 | 1.765625 | 2 |
WASHINGTON -- New jobless claims dropped last week to 366,000 as the labor market continued to show signs of moderate growth.
The number of people filing for the first-time for unemployment benefits was down 5,000 in the week ending Saturday from the previous week's revised figure of 371,000, the Labor Department said.
Analysts had expected a deeper drop last week, to about 360,000 new claims.
The four-week average, which smooths out some of the volatility in the numbers, fell to 350,500. That was down 2,250 from the previous week.
Economists say that 350,000 new claims a week is consistent with a moderately improving job market.
Last week, the government reported the economy added 157,000 net new jobs in January and the unemployment rate inched up to 7.8%. The job creation was barely enough to keep up with population growth, but the Labor Department also sharply revised up figures for the last three months of 2012.
The new data show the economy added an average of 201,000 jobs in the October-through-December period. | <urn:uuid:615c7de9-4b72-4ca7-a785-058c66945489> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.latimes.com/business/money/la-fi-mo-weekly-jobless-claims-20130207,0,6542215.story | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368706153698/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516120913-00014-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.964091 | 226 | 1.507813 | 2 |
Street – level crime maps launched online
A new online crime map for England and Wales has launched, which allows people to see what offences have been reported in their local area. [1 February 2011]
The website called www.police.uk was launched at midnight and allows users to search for anti- social behaviour by entering a street name or postcode.
Home Secretary Theresa May said people had lost confidence in national crime figures, and the maps would give real facts and make police more accountable.
The website cost £300,000 to develop and enables users to find out which crimes have taken place on or near their street within the last month. It also allows users to see what police officers are responsible for their area.
Read more on the BBC News website.
Please note: Crimestoppers is not responsible for and does not endorse the content on external websites. Links to external websites are for the sole purpose of providing users with relevant crime-related information that may be of interest.
Crimestoppers is an independent charity and not part of the police.
If you wish to pass on information about crime anonymously, please call Crimestoppers on 0800 555 111, or fill out our anonymous online Giving Information Form.
Who are Crimestoppers? | <urn:uuid:de3aedba-9822-436c-a4ce-1a2ce6f8490f> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.crimestoppers-uk.org/media-centre/crime-in-the-news/february-2011-crime-in-the-news/street-level-crime-maps-launched-online-8547854 | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368710006682/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516131326-00011-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.946165 | 256 | 1.726563 | 2 |
Hyde Park Real Estate
Hyde Park is a historic neighborhood situated in Central Austin . Close to The University of Texas, the community is now home to many artists, professors, and students, but the area’s current diversity and modernity belies a richly storied past. Hyde Park was originally a streetcar suburb developed n 1891 by Monroe Martin Shipe. Shipe added a large artificial lake to the area – long since filled in – and built his home on the site of State Fair of Texas. The fair was held in Hyde Park from 1875 until 1884, at which point it was held in Dallas . Shipe in fact built his home on the curve of the race track of the Fair on 39th Street between Avenue F and Duval Street , using lumber that the fair had left behind to get construction started. Visitors to the area can still admire Shipe’s home and can still see the curve of the original race track. Visitors and residents can also admire other historic properties and museums in the area, including the Elisabet Ney Museum , originally built in 1892 as a castle and studio for acclaimed sculptor Elisabet Ney.
The Hyde Park Neighborhood Association serves the historic neighborhood, and many homeowners in the area belong to this organization. It’s no wonder that the Neighborhood Association takes so much pride in the community – Hyde Park features some of the most beautiful homes and streets in the area and boasts one of the most diverse population of neighbors in the region. With a variety of land uses and plenty to see and do, Hyde Park is a great place to live.
The annual neighborhood home tour hosted by the Hyde Park Neighborhood Association and the annual Christmas Lights on 37th street are an excellent way to see the Hyde Park real estate market. A quick tour of the city reveals that Hyde Park offers everything from starter homes, single family homes, apartments, duplexes and grand Victorian mansions. No matter what sort of housing style appeals to you, you are sure to find an excellent place to live in this community.
New life has been breathed into Hyde Park in recent years, as more professionals, artists, and students move into the area. Currently, median housing price per square foot is approximately $240 and many good homes can be purchased in the neighborhood with a median price of $300 000. Homebuyers in Hyde Park enjoy not only fabulous homes, but also many independent stores and business. Hyde Park Bar and Grill is a popular eatery featuring American-style fare. Asti ‘s is a popular Italian restaurant in the community, while Quack’s is known as the best place to get a coffee. Excellent vegetarian meals and celebrity sightings are de rigueur Mother’s Cafe and Shipe Park and Pool is a great place to unwind on summer nights. The Parlor is where residents head for live music and beer and I Luv Video is a popular store for the best indie films and latest big blockbusters. Avenue B Grocery and Fresh Plus are the independent grocery stores that combine great shopping with an excellent taste sensation.
Hyde Park is known for being friendly, independent, and peaceful. Enjoying the local, independent businesses and restaurants in the area is a great way to meet new friends and catch up with old neighbors. In fact, you will often see residents chatting on porches or under the large shade trees that line Hyde Park streets. The friendliness of its citizens is truly a Hyde Park trademark – and one of the community’s greatest strengths.
|Active Listings:||31||Pending/Contingent Listings:||13|
|Price Range:||$125,900 to $849,000||Price Average:||$423,275| | <urn:uuid:f6f14983-7fb3-42f6-860c-a0cd2d97bc92> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://condoaustin.com/sec-nav/central/hyde-park/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368710006682/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516131326-00014-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.96133 | 766 | 1.632813 | 2 |
Obama says 'these tragedies must end'
- From: AAP
- December 17, 2012
US President Barack Obama has vowed to use all his power to stop gun massacres like the slaughter of 20 children at a Connecticut school, saying "these tragedies must end".
Obama vented passion and anger as he told the grief-stricken community of Newtown, reeling from the unspeakable horror of Friday's rampage, that he was consoling victims of the fourth mass shooting of his presidency.
"Can we say that we're truly doing enough to give all the children of this country the chance they deserve to live out their lives in happiness and with purpose?" he said, as 26 candles burned by his podium to remember the victims.
"I've been reflecting on this the last few days, and if we're honest with ourselves, the answer is no. We are not doing enough, and we will have to change."
Obama's remarks, though impassioned and appearing to set a new mission for his presidency of curtailing rampant gun violence, did not propose specific solutions, in keeping with the sombre tone of the apolitical vigil service.
Heart-rending sobs broke the silence as Obama slowly read the names of six heroic adults who died trying to protect their innocent charges as gunman Adam Lanza, 20, unleashed terror with a military-style assault rifle.
Later, in an incredibly poignant moment, the president read the names of the children, all aged six or seven, whose lives were taken.
"Charlotte, Daniel, Olivia, Josephine, Ana, Dylan, Madeline, Catherine, Chase, Jesse, James, Grace, Emilie, Jack, Noah, Caroline, Jessica, Benjamin, Avielle, Allison, God has called them all home....
"We can't tolerate this anymore. These tragedies must end, and to end them we must change," Obama said, implicitly rebuking those who argue that efforts to introduce more gun control laws would do little to stop killings.
"Surely, we can do better than this," he said, appearing to set up a new political battle with America's powerful gun lobby with the potential to define his second term.
Obama promised to use "whatever power this office holds" to engage Americans, law enforcement and health professionals to try to prevent more tragedies like the one that struck Newtown.
"Because what choice do we have? We can't accept events like this as routine. Are we really prepared to say that we are powerless in the face of such carnage?"
Obama will face the tough task of manipulating Washington's stalemated politics to enforce change, against entrenched interests and under a constitution that enshrines gun rights.
Earlier, the voices of Jewish, Christian and Muslims faith leaders united in grief, at the multi-denominational prayer service, as mourners grasped for meaning amid unbearable loss.
Earlier, officials formally identified Lanza, 20, as the shooter who ran amok in the picture-postcard town and confirmed that he shot his mother several times in the head at the house they shared before going to his old school and embarking on a gruesome killing spree.
Lanza used his mother's Bushmaster .223 assault rifle to kill 26 people at the school, including the 20 young children, before taking his own life with a handgun as police officers closed in and sirens wailed.
Connecticut's Chief Medical Examiner, Wayne Carver, has said the bodies of the child victims were riddled with as many as 11 bullets.
Grief mixed with new calls on Sunday for action with the re-elected Obama under rising pressure to lead a charge to renew a ban on assault weapons and fast-firing ammunition.
Senator Dianne Feinstein of California, a Democrat, promised to introduce a bill to ban assault weapons on the very first day of the next congress, on January 3.
An assault weapon ban was passed in 1994 under President Bill Clinton, but it expired in 2004 and was never resurrected. Obama supported restoring the law while running for president in 2008, but did not make it a priority during his first term.
Many states, including Connecticut, already have strict laws on the purchase of firearms, but with no federal statutes, there is little to stop the traffic of guns from other states where fewer restrictions apply.
However, with gun ownership protected by the constitution and firearms popular among a broad base of Americans, especially conservative Republicans, gun bans have long been seen as a vote-losing proposition.
UPDATE: RESCUERS searching for two paragliders, one of them a South Australian man, who vanished in Victoria's southwest have found a body - but have yet to identify the victim.
IT WAS in cabin 5-281 of the Carnival Spirit that Kristen Schroder and Paul Rossington must have celebrated their plans to get engaged.
They're two of the state's best known companies, but this week, the fortunes of BP On The Run empire and Trims work clothes store took very different turns.
TOTING a box of glazed Krispy Kreme doughnuts from across the border has been a rite of passage for many frequent flyers returning to South Australia. | <urn:uuid:b14739f8-1473-42ba-aa13-5a92e10116e8> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.adelaidenow.com.au/news/breaking-news/us-mourns-connecticut-school-victims/story-e6frea7u-1226538014786 | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368697380733/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516094300-00003-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.97009 | 1,057 | 1.546875 | 2 |
Most Active Stories
Fri October 21, 2011
Clinton Says U.S. Met With Haqqanis; Pushes Pakistan On Security
Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, in Pakistan to urge the country's leadership to eliminate safe havens for terrorists, says that U.S. officials met with the Haqqani network this summer. She did not say who the participants were, or what was discussed.
As the BBC reports:
Reports about such a meeting circulated over the summer but the US refused to confirm them at the time.
Mrs Clinton said the US had reached out to the Taliban and to the Haqqani network to test their sincerity and willingness to engage in a peace process.
The meeting seems to have taken place before the Haqqani network came to be publicly mentioned in the same sentence as al Qaeda. The group earned that status in September, when U.S. officials blamed it for a deadly attack and siege in Kabul, and then again in October, when news broke of its plot to assassinate Afghan leader Hamid Karzai.
And last week, reports emerged that a U.S. drone had been used to kill a senior Haqqani leader.
Clinton's trip to Afghanistan and Pakistan is meant to strengthen counter-terrorism efforts in the two countries.
From Islamabad, NPR's Jackie Northam reports for our Newscast unit:
Clinton led a high-level U.S. delegation to Pakistan, including CIA chief David Petraeus and Gen. Martin Dempsey, the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, along with senior White House officials.
Together, they pressed Pakistan's leaders to go after insurgent groups, in particular, the Haqqani network based in the country's tribal area near the Afghanistan border. Local papers here in Islamabad are presenting the meeting as the Pakistanis appealing for peace while the Americans are banging the war drum.
Jackie says that Clinton has been in long meetings with her Pakistani counterpart, Foreign Minister Hina Rabbani Khar.
In September, Mike Mullen, then the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, said that the Haqqani network was both dangerous and a "a veritable arm" of Pakistan's intelligence agency. And earlier this month, Sarah Handel wrote up a primer on the Haqqanis. | <urn:uuid:0c215a34-f515-414e-9dfa-fdef9b4410ae> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://wuky.org/post/clinton-says-us-met-haqqanis-pushes-pakistan-security | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368709037764/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516125717-00014-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.951283 | 464 | 1.609375 | 2 |
I wanted to paint nothing. I was looking for something that was the essence of nothing, and that was it.
—Andy Warhol on why he chose to paint soup cans
If these musings prove nothing more than the paranoid ramblings of someone who finds poetry in grocery lists and weeps at the sight of octogenarians in matching hats, then so be it, but... something is off about this soup. There are consumer choices enough without worrying if one’s groceries are accurately reflecting some elevated cultural sensibility. Do you realize how many different kinds of tomatoes you can buy now? Organic, fair trade certified, “on the vine” etc. Those tomatoes are genetically modified to match my school’s colors. These tomatoes are mp3s. These tomatoes have big butts and gaze out seductively from the shelves like a cheerleader pyramid; the accompanying signage reads, these aren’t your grandmother’s tomatoes...
These tomatoes are official Andy Warhol merchandise.
The abject uselessness of the limited-edition Campbell’s tomato soup cans that ostensibly vanished from Target stores in just a few days is an interesting example—perhaps even the apotheosis—of the kind that can be produced from surplus cultural cache. I would have like to at least looked at one of the things, as the back of the label seems to have a special message from the Warhol Foundation (who authorized the whole thing, adding the special spice of officiality—the cans were purportedly made in celebration of the 50th anniversary of the first exhibition of 32 Campbell’s Soup Cans at Ferus Gallery in Los Angeles) but when I casually asked about them while shopping for cheap underwear and 10 cubic-foot packages of toilet paper, the Target clerk threw me shade like a seasoned big city shopgirl. “They’re so gone,” he said. “People were buying them by the case.”
So where are they now? Stacked in cupboards across the country, patiently awaiting botulism? The most absurd thing a body could do with them, oddly enough, is to display them like art.
The celebration of consumer culture in fine art was a revelation, but we are sadly, conclusively, past the time frame for such an enterprise to not have a cynical undertone. The imagery Warhol appropriated from mass consumer culture has been reverse-appropriated and is being sold back to us, marketed with the unverifiable signifiers of value that attempt to obfuscate the unavoidable “mass” of consumer culture today. Special edition! Limited quantity! Only 1.2 million made! We’re buying it because it’s such a deal, but it’s not democratizing Warhol so much as exclusivizing Target.
Pop art, in all its glitz and accessibility, is sort of begging to be merchandised, but it usually takes the form of plastering the imagery of an artwork onto an existing product with an existing function wholly separate from the subject matter that adorns it, not turning the subject matter itself into the product. If the Warhol Foundation authorized the sale of half-rotten bananas as an official Andy Warhol x Chiquita collaboration, the incongruence might be slightly more apparent, but canned foodstuffs are so small and cheap and hardy the strangeness of it is going largely unnoticed. Bemused comparisons to Keith Haring sex toys and Nars cosmetics’ Warhol -themed eyeshadow color palettes are being mentioned, but the Target x Warhol collaboration is more conceptually akin to the the ill fated Thomas Kinkade-themed housing developments, only one of which is still inhabited, even though living inside a painting is a common horror-movie trope to indicate the characters are trapped in a kind of purgatory.
I can’t pinpoint the moment I first saw Warhol’s Mao printed on a t-shirt, or keep track of the countless tattoos I’ve spotted of his spotted banana, but I do recall finally breaching the perimeter of the house of a boy I liked and noticing he had shower curtains printed with the acid-colored soup cans in his bathroom. From then on I disliked the boy and remained ambivalent toward Warhol. If I’m missing something, it might have to do with being exposed to his merchandise before I was exposed to his art; thus I judged him by his audience rather than his work.
The notion that “Andy would have loved that” is not impossible—he’s dead, all things are possible—but despite Warhol’s alternating reticence and contradictions regarding the impulses behind his work, this project undermines what made the series ironic in the first place. “Everyone who buys a Campbell’s soup can gets the same Campbell’s soup. Whether you’re indigent or a millionaire.”
The “real” cans of soup won’t hold up so well as the paintings, nor will they conceivably appreciate in value, despite the naïve cash-cow dreams of so many eBayers. Once houses and food become art, they are no longer fit to live in, or eat.
—Christina C. Martinez
(Image: Campbell's Soup Limited Edition Cans, Courtesy Campbell's Soup Company.) | <urn:uuid:08b64a1e-6b6b-43dd-9866-903a7ea8e107> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.artslant.com/ber/articles/show/32142 | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368696382584/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516092622-00007-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.951855 | 1,107 | 1.679688 | 2 |
One last book for kids about New York City, and only because this one is perfect for Thanksgiving. Milly and the Macy's Parade by Shana Corey and illustrated by Brett Helquist (of Lemony Snicket fame).
"It was 1924, Milly's first year in America, and all over New York City people were hustling and bustling about getting ready for the holidays." Milly's dad works at Macy's and Milly loves to visit every day after school.
Her dad and his fellow workers miss the holiday traditions of their old countries... "Big brass instruments and caroling from house to house". Milly hates to see them so sad.
She comes up with a wonderful idea, a parade, with singing and strolling in the streets. "And that's how Milly and Mr. Macy started a new holiday tradition. It looked a little like the old country, and a little like America, and a little like something entirely new."
We'll be watching it in the morning... Happy Thanksgiving! | <urn:uuid:046f462f-40ce-418b-b7d2-e2cce9902b60> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://inchmark.squarespace.com/inchmark/2008/11/26/nyc-6.html | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368701852492/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516105732-00006-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.956296 | 208 | 1.71875 | 2 |
This is a seminal work on teams that is as thoughtful and thought-provoking as any I have read in the past 25 years, which is what many of us have come to expect from the faculty of Harvard Business School. While it may not please readers who are in search of quick fixes and practical routes to easy success, the conceptual framework into which the author places the building of teams is extraordinary in its simplicity and completeness of design—kind of like an exquisitely prepared meal by a chef who knows her stuff.
As all great coaches and managers already know, the main task of the team leader is to create the right environment for people to flourish. This is more art than science and often comes as a result of great flailing and dismal failures. For Hackman, the conditions necessary for success are in place when the team is a "real" team and not one in name only.
Such a team has a compelling direction for the project, an enabling structure that facilitates teamwork rather than obstructs it, works within a supportive organizational context, and has expert coaching in generous supply. To which my initial reaction may be ... "as if."
Managers have problems with such lofty and admirable thinking because work doesn't happen this way in a real company. Think for a moment about how many times in your career these four circumstances have existed for any appreciable length of time in one setting. If you have had even one such experience, you are very fortunate. And most of the time the problem doesn't start with you. It starts at the top of the organizational chart.
Alas, our own frustration should not deter us from learning a great deal from this fine work and applying the author's thinking where we can. Like every good book, it contains diamonds of wisdom among the other rocks. A particularly provocative portion is Chapter 4, "Enabling Structure." In it there's a passage called "countering ordinary human tendencies" that runs a couple of pages and should be read by every team member and aspiring team leader at work today. | <urn:uuid:a9dcd6bc-e26f-4046-8528-d6d9484b6492> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://trainingmag.com/article/leading-teams?page=2 | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368701459211/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516105059-00017-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.972142 | 413 | 1.734375 | 2 |
What I want us to ask this morning is: What does that look like here and now? What does it mean to live real life? How are we to spend our 70, 50, or 30 years on this earth? When you get to the end of your life (and you will get there), how will you look back and evaluate? What do you think you will wish you had done differently? What if you got there and you realized that you wasted it all? So how do we live now in such a way that that doesn’t happen? What’s the difference between a wasted life and a life well-spent? What’s the difference between a worthless and meaningless existence, and real state of being, real life? God tells us this morning through the Apostle Paul.
It looks like love: Love is the one factor that gives worth to your existence. You can be the best, most “spiritual” person in the world and have all spiritual gifts. You can be the smartest, wisest, most resourceful person. You can do the greatest acts of mercy or the most magnificent and lasting work that people will remember for decades, or even centuries. But if you don’t have God’s love motivating you, there’s a sense in which it’s all worthless. That’s what we’re going to see this morning: Love makes life worth it. We will see that by looking at three negative statements that Paul makes about a lack of love from 1 Cor 13:1-3: (1)Without love you accomplish nothing. (2) Without love you are nothing. (3) Without love, you gain nothing. Then we will define what this love is from 1 Cor 13:4-7, and finally, we will see how we can experience it.
I. WITHOUT LOVE YOU ACCOMPLISH NOTHING. (v. 1)
Paul is saying this in the context of spiritual gifts. The Corinthian church was full of issues and sin problems, yet they considered themselves to be very spiritual and prided themselves on their spiritual gifts. The problem is that they were using even their spiritual gifts in pride and selfishness rather than out of love and for the building up of the body. So after Paul establishes the beauty of the church in chapter 12, with its diversity of gifts exercised in unity, he quickly moves to the attitude that should characterize all of their dealings in chapter 13 (where we find ourselves), before he gives them specific instructions on how to use them in chapter 14.
What Paul does here, in verse 1, is that he starts with that which was most important to them, speaking in tongues, and debunks the myth that their worth is found in that. He says, “You think you’re all high and mighty because of your speaking in tongues? Well let me clarify something for you: if you speak in tongues, but don’t practice it lovingly, you accomplish absolutely nothing of worth.” That’s what he means by the whole noisy gong expression, “You’re doing nothing but making a bunch of loud, useless, unedifying, obnoxious noises.” So when love is not the backbone of our spiritual gifts, not only do we not do anything worthwhile, but we actually accomplish the opposite of what we are trying to do, namely edification and encouragement; so the gifts disrupt and detract from what they’re supposed to do!
Let’s think about it for a minute. Let’s say you have the spiritual gift of helps or mercy, and you are constantly compelled to help people and try to build up the gospel that way. But if you are a jerk to people as you’re helping them, it won’t do much good. Or if you’re nice to them but you think that you’re better than them and you look down on them, how will they receive your help?
Or some of you have administrative gifts. You are organized, and resourceful, and make any system work effectively, but if in the process you end up being frustrated at everybody else that can’t think as neatly as you, or can’t keep up with you, you accomplish absolutely nothing; people don’t feel loved or encouraged.
Or if you have creative or performance gifts, or gifts preaching and teaching. And you try to exercise that gift to bless people, but your heart and your life are cold, uncaring, and selfish; and that’s what people know you for. How do you think your service going to come across? Like a loud, annoying, and meaningless sound. It’s like you’re trying to make a beautiful melody and you strum the guitar chords, but all that comes out is the sound of fingernails scratching a chalkboard. Or it would be like me trying to preach to you, but imagine Andrew banging a huge gong the whole time. Nothing would get across. That’s what we do when we try to serve and minister without love.
So do you want to be effective in your ministry? Do you want to actually accomplish what you set out to do with your life? Then love; more important than anything else you do, love. More important than getting better at your craft; more important than learning new skill-sets, or anything else, just seek to love. But Paul goes even further than that. Look at verse 2.
II. WITHOUT LOVE YOU ARE NOTHING. (v. 2)
Paul continues to make the same point and he enumerates more examples of spiritual gifts. You can be the best prophet, the best preacher, or the best theologian. You can understand all mysteries and have all knowledge! How awesome would that be, to finally have all of our questions answered. All of the painful and nagging questions of this existence, all of our "Why, God?" questions. If God were to sit down with you and explain everything to you, Paul is saying that love is still better than all of that. Love is better than knowing. And even if you had all faith to move mountains – if there was nothing you could not do – Paul says that it is nothing compared to love. Paul couldn’t have made his point any stronger: love is supreme over everything else.
Now these (tongues, prophecy, knowledge, faith) are all things that defined the Corinthians, things in which they found their worth, and in which they prided themselves. So this is much broader than spiritual gifts. You just fill in the blank with whatever you’re relying on. What defines you? What’s that thing that you secretly (or not so secretly) want people to notice about you and recognize you for? That one thing that makes you think you’re God’s gift to humanity? What’s the one thing that when all else goes to hell, you say to yourself “Well at least I have that” or “at least I am that, and I’m going to keep my head high.” What are you clinging to? What are you ultimately trusting in? What wakes you up in the morning and gives meaning to your life? The Bible is saying that you can have all of that; you can be all of that, and more, but if love isn’t beneath it, you’re absolutely nothing!
That’s what Paul says here. Look at the end of verse 2 – “I am nothing.” Now what does this mean? Not only do I accomplish nothing, but I am nothing. There is some sense in which love is tied to identity; and not just to identity, but also to existence itself…or at least worthwhile existence. So according to this passage, if I don’t love, I am nothing. Therefore, in order to even be something, I must love. One theologian put it like this: “Love is equal to being; the one who loves is.” You know how the philosopher Descartes said, “I think therefore I am?” Well, according to this text, the Apostle Paul would probably say, “I love therefore I am.” So love is part of the very definition of true existence. Now why is that?
Think about who God is. God is the ultimate manifestation of existence. He is in himself what it means to be; he is self-existent. But God defines himself as love (1 John 4:8). So the ultimate manifestation of existing, of being, is love! All of us humans derive our existence from him; we’re dependent beings. We were created in the image and likeness of God, made to reflect God’s character, which is love. So the fullest expression of who we are as human beings (not only as Christians) is love.
However, this image of God in mankind was distorted by sin. So because of sin, we can’t love like God anymore. We are like broken, muddy mirrors that can’t reflect the sunlight anymore. We are selfish and prideful; love isn’t the natural expression of our hearts anymore. That is why Jesus came into the world. God, in his love, sent his son to be the perfect human being that we couldn’t be. He lived the life of love that we couldn’t live and died and endured God’s wrath on the cross that we deserve for our falling out of love.
And now, when we trust in Jesus, we are born again to real humanity. The Holy Spirit comes in us and starts making us into humanity the way it was meant to be, into the image and likeness of Jesus, who is in the perfect representation of God, who is love. That’s why Paul can say, “without love, I am nothing.” Because with love, in other words, with God’s love effected in my life through Christ, I am everything I was ever meant to be. When I love, there’s nothing I’m lacking; I am complete.
The problem is that we have a hard time believing that. We don’t want to be dependent creatures. We don’t want to give up control and trust God. We keep on trying to do it on our own and prove ourselves. That’s why the Apostle continues with verse 3.
III. WITHOUT LOVE YOU GAIN NOTHING. (v. 3)
He culminates with the most excellent and sacrificial displays of “selflessness” and philanthropy. I can give away all my possessions, and even die a martyr’s death…but I gain nothing without love. Think about what is the costliest, most precious, thing for you to give up. If you did that, but not out of love, you will have gained nothing.
Now these seem to be real acts of love, don’t they? The sad implication here, like with the other points, is that you can do all of this without real love. You can live the most sacrificial, seemingly selfless, life devoid of God’s love. How can this be?
There are a variety of reasons other than love for a sacrificial life: You can sell your goods out of pride; to prove something to yourself, to the world, or to God. You can do it to make yourself feel better and thus somehow give meaning to, or define, your own existence. You can do it out of fear, you can do it from compulsion; you can do it as a means of getting people to like you or praise you. And, worst of all, you can do it as a means of trying to get God to accept you, rather than doing it because he accepted you.
This goes back to the scriptural principle that God isn’t impressed with your deeds if your heart is not in the right place. 1 Sam 15:22 says that “to obey is better than sacrifice.” Likewise, Psalm 51:15-16: “For you will not delight in sacrifice, or I would give it; you will not be pleased with a burnt offering. The sacrifices of God are a broken spirit; a broken and contrite heart, O God, you will not despise.”
What God cares about is your heart; not just about your external behavior. Marriage really helped me understand this principle. It turns out that when Sarah says she wants me to do something, she means that she wants me to want to do it because I love her, rather than because I’m afraid she’ll be mad at me if I don’t. For instance, if Sarah asks me to help with something, I’m going to help her. But, come to find out, when I do it with a frustrated tone and an impatient attitude, it doesn’t say “I love you” quite as much as if I did it with genuine joy. Actually, it says the exact opposite; she feels unloved by my “act of love.” So I could do the outward act of obedience all the while sending the inward message of “I don’t care about you; leave me alone.” You husbands know what I’m talking about? Now if our wives are perceptive enough to get that, I don’t think we can fool God.
So if you live your life without love, even if it’s seemingly sacrificial, it profits you absolutely nothing! It doesn’t do you any good. But the flip-side is that if you do live a life of love, it is most profitable to you. You actually get to live real life. You get to fulfill the meaning of your existence and be like your father, which brings him glory and brings you joy. So the point here isn’t: don’t be sacrificial, don’t have faith, don’t seek understanding, and don’t seek to serve others. The point is: do these things, but do them out of love.
IV. WHAT IS LOVE? (vv. 4-7)
So what does that look like? What kind of love are we talking about? First, notice from all of these what love is not: Love is not being sexually attracted to someone, even though hat is what our culture would say. Love is not really really wanting something or someone; that is what we call obsession or infatuation. Love is not saying, “You are everything to me, I can’t live without you;” that might be nice sounding and romantic, but that is actually idolatry. In fact, love is not me-focused at all. It completely focuses on the beloved. Love is never about what you can get from someone; it is about what you can give, regardless of what you get in return. This is what love looks like:
Love is patient. It does not fall for our cultural value of instant gratification: “I want it, and I want it now!” That is not love. Love can wait. But more than that, it is the ability to endure and persevere under pressure. The KJV says “love suffereth long.” Love is long suffering. If you love you can be wronged against, and you can suffer even unjustly, without retaliating.
Love is kind. If you are loving, you are gentle, compassionate, empathetic, and thoughtful. You mean for the well-being of the loved one. You genuinely care about someone else. Love isn’t a jerk. If your way of relating to people is by being a jerk, you might want to rethink that.
Love does not envy. Love delights in the blessing of someone else. The one who loves is content with his or her own lot. If you love, you truly want the beloved to succeed, irrespective of what that means for you. Love doesn’t hold someone down. You don’t compare yourself with the beloved, and you don’t try to outdo him or her. Love is not about winning. If your relationships are about winning and always having the upper hand, there is a big, big problem.
Love is not arrogant. When you love, you are not consumed with yourself, and you don’t think that you’re all that. The focus is not on you; it is on the beloved. When you love, you uplift the beloved and you humble yourself to the ground. Love is not about using the other person to make you feel good about yourself.
Love is not rude. This term can carry sexual overtones; some translations have “act unbecomingly,” so it can carry the meaning of not acting indecently. So love is decent and respectful. The term can also go beyond that, signifying any type of improper behavior that goes against conventional customs of decency and “oughtnes.” So when you love, you’re not rebellious. You don’t try to push the limits. You don’t rock the boat for the heck of it; you are not defiant.
Love does not insist on its own way. It is not controlling. Sometimes the most loving thing you can do is letting go. Even if you really think that you are right, often the loving thing to do is to just relax. When you love, you are not stubborn; you are sacrificial. Love is not about always being right. Love is not about always having the last word.
Love is not irritable. It is not easily provoked. You know how some people are like ticking time bombs waiting to blow up? Or others are always frustrated and you can never seem to please them. Love is not like that. Love doesn’t get easily annoyed, frustrated or mad. Love isn’t passive-aggressive either. It doesn’t say, “Ok, I’m going to bear with you, but I’m going to be inwardly bitter and frustrated and make sure that you know that you’re pissing me off.”
Love is not resentful. Other translations have “it does not take into account wrong suffered” or “keeps no record of wrongs.” How often do we say that we forgive, but we still keep a tab on someone’s mistakes? And then all they have to do is make another mistake, and the floodgates open, and we bring it all up again. Not so with love. But just like God, who removes our sins as far as the E is from the W, so does the loving person let go of the beloved’s sins. 1 Peter 4:8 says that love covers a multitude of sins. Love doesn’t throw sin in the beloved’s face.
Love does not rejoice at wrongdoing but rejoices with the truth. It is not happy when bad stuff happens. Love doesn’t say, “I told you so.” Love notices the pain and suffering and fights against it. At the same time it stands up for the truth and rejoices when it triumphs. So the loving person does speak truth when needed, even when it is hard, but never in a destructive or defiant way.
Love bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things. This doesn’t mean that love is gullible, naïve, or stupid. It means that love gives the benefit of the doubt. It means that love never gives up on someone. When the sorrow and the pain seem unbearable, love carries on, even if it is barely dragging itself on the floor. When everything seems dark and hopeless, love still trusts, it still believes, it still hopes. Love never ends.
V. HOW DO WE DO IT?
Looking at a list like this is convicting, isn’t it? Who could possibly live like this? So how do you do it? How do you love like this? Do you just decide to start loving? Try harder next time? Can you reach down inside of your heart of stone, melt it, and put love there? Can you will yourself to love? No!
We saw earlier that this love can’t come from you. Actually, if you think about these qualities, they are nothing more than the fruit of the spirit from Gal 5:22: “the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control.” So a love like this is actually the fruit of the Holy Spirit in your life. It only comes from being in a relationship of love with God who is love, through Christ who embodied that love for us. It is only by trusting him, the ultimate expression and manifestation of love, that you can truly love.
And when you stink at it, know that there is grace in God’s love. He loved you so much that he took the punishment for your lack of love on himself. Everything that we have just said about love is derived from God’s own attitude towards you. So when you suck it up, you go to him, beg him for repentance and help, trust him to put his love into your heart, and keep trying to love, knowing that his love for you has never wavered for one second.
So just cling to Jesus…whatever that looks like for you. And that’s how you live the fullest expression of life. That’s how you are who you’re meant to be.
Going back to the question from the very beginning, what will keep you from regret on your deathbed? What is the difference between a life thrown away and a life lived on purpose? It’s love. The Love of God through Christ in you and through you.
Love is why you exist. You exist to love God, and with God’s love to love your neighbor. So if you’ve ever wondered, “why on earth am I on this earth? Why am I a part of this church, this community, this family, or this workplace?” The answer is, “to love.” You are here to love!
So in trying to live like you were meant to live, your primary task is not to find your niche in life. It is not to get better at your craft or at your form of art. It is not to get more efficient at your job. It isnot to gain more knowledge, or even to do more service. The most important and meaningful expression of your humanity is to love; that is where your focus needs to lie. You are most like God, you are most like Jesus, when you love; so you are most like who you were meant to be when you love.
The cool thing is: when you embrace that what gives meaning to your existence is love, then every experience and circumstance can become meaningful, because every experience can be a chance to love God and those around you; every circumstance can be a vehicle for love. Having to go through a boring or super-difficult day at work with annoying coworkers has a purpose: to love. Having to deal with a family that doesn’t understand you or know how to love has a purpose: to love. So keep this in mind as you go home this Christmas. Being in a cord with people that you don’t click with, or that don’t support you well, has a purpose: to love. And having to go through the craziest, most difficult and painful situations in life, that you don’t know how to even begin to deal with, has a purpose: It’s love.
A life of love is a life lived like it was meant to be lived. And through Jesus, you can live like that. We can live like that, together. That’s what the Line is all about: people trying to love Jesus and each other because he loves us, and empowers us to do so. | <urn:uuid:4ec90147-d9fc-417b-bcc0-df4062d00560> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.theline.org/series/against_death/2_i_love_therefore_i_am.html | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368708142388/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516124222-00003-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.964735 | 5,053 | 1.828125 | 2 |
deVries wrote:johnrobholmes wrote:What a trick way to incorporate the mounting foot into a tensioning device!
Even more trick is how to get chain alignment?
Do you see and understand how it can move laterally to get chain-line alignment?
Use spacers or is there a tracking slot to move it?
Lateral adjustment for sprocket alignment is accomplished by loostening the mount foot clamping screws and sliding the whole jackshaft bearing tube left or right in the assembly. In my mock-up, you cannot see what I mean. But, the bearing tube will be about an inch longer than what is in the mock-up. For chain alignment, the whole jackshaft is moved side to side to make infinate alignment adjustments.
Thanks for pointing out something that could be easily overlooked in something like this. Do not be afraid to make suggestions or ask questions. It is not out of the realm of possibility that I could ovelook something or not thing of something that would be a good addition to a given design.
Also, yes, I have looked into lazer cutting and water cutting. Those are great options for 2D work.
The freewheeling crank has been boiled down to one machined part ------ the sprocket adaptor. I, ironically, looks much like my disc brake/chainring adaptor. I do not have any CAD drawings to show. I will wait to show the finished part. | <urn:uuid:fe1e76ad-535d-4e82-bb2a-65a73bf605a7> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://endless-sphere.com/forums/viewtopic.php?p=516496 | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368701852492/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516105732-00007-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.950555 | 302 | 1.726563 | 2 |
Miss-Lou no longer under flood warningPublished 6:58am Thursday, January 10, 2013
JACKSON — All severe weather warnings for the Miss-Lou have expired.
The area was under a flood warning until 6:45 p.m. today.
A severe thunderstorm that moved through the Natchez-Vidalia area today produced approximately 5.3 inches of rain in Natchez and Adams County and 3.9 inches of rain in Vidalia and Concordia Parish, according to the National Weather Service office in Jackson.
A tornado warning and a tornado watch issued earlier have been lifted.
The warning came after meteorologists at the National Weather Service office in Jackson spotted a severe thunderstorm on radar capable of producing a tornado. The storm moved through the Natchez-Vidalia area around 7:30 a.m.
A tornado warning means that a tornado is occurring or may be imminent. A tornado watch means that weather conditions exist that may lead to development of a tornado.
The severe weather is part of a slow-moving cold front moving through the area. | <urn:uuid:fa1f4829-5fd4-4409-9909-313fb5832952> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.natchezdemocrat.com/2013/01/10/miss-lou-under-tornado-warning/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368701459211/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516105059-00019-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.936044 | 225 | 1.632813 | 2 |
Efforts to reduce residents' sleep deprivation and stress with mandatory reductions in work hours have not been popular with hospital attending staff, and now a new survey suggests that the rules are equally unpopular among the residents themselves.
One might assume that all unit-of-use alcohol and povodine-iodine products are sterile. However...
Saratoga Hospital, located in Saratoga Springs, New York, set its sights on becoming a leading...
Each year, MIT’s Lemelson program awards an outstanding student inventor for his or her...
A new study validating a first of its kind prototype using augmented reality in surgical training was recently presented. Augmented reality combines three-dimensional (3D) computer-generated objects and text superimposed onto real images and 3D surgical video footage, all in real time.
Data being released for the first time by the government on Wednesday shows that hospitals charge Medicare wildly differing amounts — sometimes 10 to 20 times what Medicare typically reimburses — for the same procedure, raising questions about how hospitals determine prices and why they differ so widely.
An acute increase in lung allocation score (LAS) of more than five units in the month before lung transplant is a strong and independent predictor of post-transplant death according to a new study. The lung allocation score has been used in the U.S. since 2005 to determine which patients in need of lung transplants will get them.
Dr. Vincent L. Gott was part of an innovative group of doctors who trained with Dr. C. Walton Lillehei, considered to be the father of open-heart surgery. These days, Gott, 86, is retired and writing a children's book about the history of cardiac surgery. He discusses his career in this interview.
Since 2008, the United States has seen several landmark surgeries in face transplantation, giving people with severely deformed faces new lives through partially or totally different faces from donors. Receiving a new face is anything but easy. The surgery requires long hours with many medical specialists collaborating to make it happen. The patient then has to adjust to the new face, biologically and psychologically.
While diamond blade surgical knives are still preferred by top ophthalmologists over steel knives for precise cuts that dissect tissue instead of tearing it, particularly for cataract surgery, the downside is that they are very fragile and expensive. Breakage can occur during cleaning before sterilization even without human error. Improper cleaning of the blades can also lead to a clear material build-up.
There’s no doubt that robotic surgery is increasing in popularity and prominence as hospitals and medical facilities are trying to leverage technological advancement to achieve better outcomes, improve safety, and reduce costs. However, there are still some questions as to how robotic surgery will develop and evolve in the coming years.
Surgical Products recently spoke with Chuck Dunn, president of Lumalier, about some non-traditional and next-generation methods of infection control being practiced in hospitals today. Lumalier makes Tru-D SmartUVC, a portable UV disinfection system.
Healthcare facilities need to build in all of the safeguards they can and work with device manufacturers to ensure that validated reprocessing IFU are clarified and well understood. The best way to stay on track is to select instruments that are easy and intuitive to use and assemble from a partner who will provide all of the service you require in working effectively with the latest advances in instrument design and functionality.
There is a growing sense in emerging and developing markets around the globe that minimally-invasive surgical techniques will become more prominent as time goes on, and that prominence is being driven by certain factors. Surgeons in markets such as China, Indonesia, and Brazil are recognizing this trend and acting accordingly.
We need to adapt and educate ourselves on how to combat, interrupt, and destroy healthcare-associated infections. HAIs are running rampant within the healthcare system. According to the Center for Disease Control, there are over 1.2 million infections a year with 100,000 deaths occurring.
What constitutes good or sufficient surgical lighting in today’s operating room is not the same as it was just a few short years ago. Advancements in technology and product development have sparked an ongoing evolution of lighting products. As a result, the needs, wants, and expectations of hospitals and medical facilities have grown and evolved as well.
President Obama said Tuesday that his healthcare law was “working fine,” and he played down concerns that the law could disrupt coverage or lead to higher premiums for people who already had health insurance. At the same time, federal officials released simplified application forms to be used by people seeking health insurance, tax credits and other government subsidies under the law, which Obama signed three years ago.
The rise of these superbugs, along with increased pressure from the government and insurers, is driving hospitals to try all sorts of new approaches to stop their spread: "Star Wars" machines that emit ultraviolet light or hydrogen peroxide vapors, and germ-resistant copper bed rails, call buttons and IV poles. While these products can help get a room clean, their true impact is still debatable.
Placing healthy organs in the same container we use to keep soda cold at a picnic seems archaic. But until recently, it was the only option hospitals had. That changed with heart-in-a-box. In 2006, surgeons in Europe transplanted the first heart using the TransMedics Organ Care System, a portable device that kept the heart "alive" -- beating, with blood and oxygen flowing through it -- during transport. | <urn:uuid:b0caa95f-ea21-40d5-bd99-2f725bc343ad> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.surgicalproductsmag.com/Articles?qt-recent_videos=0&qt-recent_content=0&qt-recent_blogs_articles=0&qt-most_popular=0 | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368696382584/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516092622-00004-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.961537 | 1,139 | 1.507813 | 2 |
Bromelain is a proteolytic enzyme obtained from the stem of the pineapple plant (Ananas Comosus). Capsules are easier to swallow than hard tablets and dissolve faster to assure maximum benefit.
- Quick Acting Capsules
- No Added Salt or Preservatives
- Gluten Free
Take two capsules with each meal or as directed by a health care professional.
Serving Size: 2 Caplets
Serving per Container: 30
Amount Per Serving % Daily Value83333 *600 mg
*Daily value not established.
if you are pregnant or nursing, taking any medication or have any medical condition, consult a health care professional before use. These products are not intended to diagnose, treat, cure, or prevent any disease.
Twinlab was created in 1968 when founder David Blechman leveraged his 20 years of expertise in the pharmaceutical industry to develop and market a liquid protein supplement. Working out of his family's garage, he and his wife named their developing business Twinlab, after the couple's two sets of twins. Sales soared, and in the 1980s, Twinlab branched out to a broader range of vitamins, minerals, herbs and teas. | <urn:uuid:cc277aba-3984-4903-abd1-1adf39c6958c> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.nutrasource.com/2125-Mega-Bromelain-Caps-300-mg-60-Capsules-Twinlab.aspx | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368703682988/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516112802-00017-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.93704 | 244 | 1.65625 | 2 |
WILDLIFE AND PARKS COMMISSION APPROVES RECOMMENDATIONS
Early teal seasons expected to allow 16-day season; dove seasons set; peregrine falcon and bald eagle removed from state threatened and endangered species list
COUNCIL GROVE – The Kansas Wildlife and Parks Commission tentatively approved early teal seasons, set dove season dates, and passed state threatened and endangered species provisions, as well as two deer-related regulations at its June 25 public meeting in Council Grove.
KDWP waterfowl biologist Faye McNew told commissioners that preliminary reports indicate that early teal season frameworks will likely allow for a 16-day season. The federal frameworks hinge upon surveys of spring breeding numbers of blue-winged teal. If surveyors determine that the breeding population of blue-winged teal is above 4.7 million, frameworks allow a 16-day season. If the breeding bluewing population is determined to be between 3.3 and 4.6 million birds, the frameworks provide for a nine-day season.
McNew recommended a 16-day season for the Low Plains Zones (that part of Kansas east of Hwy 283), which would run September 12-27, 2009. For the High Plains Zone (that part of Kansas west of Hwy. 283), McNew recommended an eight-day early teal season. The Migratory Bird Treaty Act allows a maximum of 107 days of duck hunting. Because frameworks for the regular duck seasons are expected to allow 97 days in the High Plains Zone, with two days for the youth season, only eight days are left to reach the maximum number of days. McNew recommended an early teal season for the High Plains Zone of Sept. 19-27, 2009.
The daily bag limit for teal is four and the possession limit is eight. Shooting hours are one-half hour before sunrise to sunset.
The Commission approved 2009 dove season recommendations presented by wildlife biologist Helen Hands. A shift in dove management frameworks resulted in a change in the Kansas dove season from recent years. For the 2009 season, Hands recommended a first segment of the dove season that would run Sept. 1-Oct. 31, 2009. The second segment will open on the first Saturday in November and run for nine days – Nov. 7-15, 2009. A third segment will open Nov. 20, 2009 and close Feb. 28, 2010. Only exotic doves, Eurasian collared and ringed turtle doves, may be taken during the third segment. The aggregate daily bag limit for migratory doves, mourning and white-winged, during the first and second segments is 15, and the possession limit is 30. There is no aggregate daily bag or possession limit for exotic doves during any season. However, any exotic doves possessed in excess of the aggregate daily bag or possession limit for migratory doves during the first and second season segments shall retain a fully-feathered wing. All doves in the third season must retain a fully feathered wing.
Commissioners approved amendments to the state’s threatened and endangered species regulation. As a result of a five-year review and petitions reviewed by the Threatened and Endangered Species Task Committee, wildlife biologist Ed Miller recommended the following recommendations. The peregrine falcon and the bald eagle were delisted, and the delta hydrobe (snail), shoal chub, and plains minnow were added to the threatened and endangered species lists. The Commission also approved amendments to the regulation that designates nongame species in need of conservation (SINC). The amendment adds the bigeye shiner, redfin darter, lake sturgeon, striped shiner, common shiner, southern redbelly dace, cardinal shiner, and Johnny darter to the SINC list. The SINC list includes any nongame species deemed to require conservation measures to prevent the species from becoming a threatened or endangered species. SINC species do not have the level of statutory protection as those species listed as threatened or endangered in Kansas.
In other Public Hearing business, the Commission approved the deer season dates for Fort Riley Military Reservation, which is managed as a subunit. Military staff requested these season dates be approved later than most deer season dates are approved to provide more flexibility in avoiding conflicts with military exercises. Fort Riley firearm deer season dates will be Nov. 27-29, 2009, Dec. 18-22, 2009, and Dec. 26-29, 2009. The special archery season dates for Fort Riley will be Sept. 1-20, 2009, in addition to the regular archery season Sept. 21-Dec. 31. This regulation also established a limited number of Either-species Antlerless Only permits valid in Unit 3 and established a special extended whitetail antlerless only season for Units 7, 8 and 15 of Jan. 11-17, 2010. Another regulation approved moves the deadline for nonresident deer permit applications to April 30, 2010. The deadline for nonresident deer permit applications was June 1 in 2009. | <urn:uuid:8504d0d6-9b51-4799-8c02-ae96e207528f> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://kdwpt.state.ks.us/news/KDWPT-Info/News/News-Archive/2009-Weekly-News-Archive/7-2-09/WILDLIFE-AND-PARKS-COMMISSION-APPROVES-RECOMMENDATIONS | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368705559639/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516115919-00010-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.939276 | 1,042 | 1.664063 | 2 |
Britain urged to confront Russia over human rights
Britain is being urged to confront Russia over its human rights record today when it chairs a high-level conference on the future of the European Court of Human Rights (ECHR).
Campaigners want the Government to persuade Europe’s leaders to invoke new “exceptional” measures against Russia for failing to comply with almost 200 critical rulings from the ECHR.
However, Britain risks igniting a diplomatic storm if it adopts an aggressive stance while international efforts to garner Moscow’s support for a Syrian peace plan hang in the balance.
David Cameron and other senior Tory ministers have criticised the ECHR for meddling in Britain’s domestic affairs, suggesting that the court should concentrate on serious human rights abuses in countries like Russia.
But the ECHR has found Russian security forces culpable of multiple abuses in at least 180 separate cases arising from unlawful killings, abductions, secret detention, torture, ill-treatment and destruction of property perpetrated in Chechnya and other republics in the North Caucasus region.
A systematic failure by Russian authorities to adequately investigate the crimes has been a feature of almost all the cases ruled on by the ECHR since 2005. The Russian authorities have failed to hold anyone to account for the crimes leading to allegations by the United Nations of “widespread impunity” for perpetrators of human rights violations in the region.
The Committee of Ministers - the 47 Council of Europe foreign ministers responsible for monitoring compliance with ECHR judgements – could use new “infringement proceedings” for the first time which has the potential to embarrass the Russians by refocusing international attention on its ‘dirty’ internal conflict.
On Monday Britain has a unique opportunity to push for this as it chairs the conference in Brighton as part of its six month stint as head of the Committee of Foreign Ministers. The ECHR has made it clear that it has done as much as it can and that it is now down to political leaders to confront over its disregard of the court.
Lord Frank Judd, the Labour peer and former rapporteur on Chechnya, last night said Europe's feeble response to Russia's human rights record mounted to “wanton irresponsibility as its actions continued to incite terrorism and extremism in the region”. This comes amid warnings by MI5 that Moscow controlled assassins are operating in the UK.
Professor Philip Leach from the European Human Rights Advocacy Centre at London Metropolitan University said: “The ECHR has played an absolutely vital role in holding Russia to account, which no other international body has been able to do… Taking up infringement proceedings against Russia would signal that governments are serious about tackling grave human rights abuses on the European continent. Not to do so would call into question the effectiveness of the human rights machinery in Europe.”
Human rights experts want the Committee of Ministers to specifically refer the Russian military’s “indiscriminate” aerial and arterial bombardment of the village of Katyr-Yurt in February 2000 back to the ECHR. The bombings that led to dozens of unarmed, civilian men, women and children being killed during the three-day “disproportionate” military attack, have been ruled on twice by the ECHR, yet still the Russian authorities refuse to properly investigate.
In 2005, in the case of Isayeva, the court ruled that the Russian armed forces planned the attack by enticing the rebel fighters from Grozny into Katyr-Yurt, but failed to warn the villagers. The Isayeva family were attacked by aerial bomb while trying to escape through an apparent “humanitarian corridor”. The court found that the death of Isayeva’s son and three nieces as a result of FAB-250 bombs fired by two SU-25 military planes, violated Article 2, the right to life, including the right to a subsequent adequate investigation, and Article 13, the right to effective remedy.
Five years later, in a case brought by 29 of the villagers, including Marusya Abuyeva (pictured), involving 24 deaths during the same attack, the court said that Russia had “manifestly disregarded the specific findings of a binding judgment” in failing to carry out an effective investigation in response to the Isayeva judgment.
In an unprecedented move, the judges ruled that it was now up to the Council of Ministers, rather than Russia, to address what authorities should do in practical terms to comply with the judgment, which must include a “new, independent investigation”.
Tanya Lokshina from Human Rights Watch in Moscow said: “Russia submits regular reports to the Committee of Ministers on the alleged progress with implementation of ECHR judgement, however, this cooperation appears to be largely perfunctory.
“The Committee is possibly reluctant to invoke infringement proceeding because making Russia a test case is quite a challenge. There may fear that the invocation of infringement proceedings may result in Russia becoming even less cooperation on implementation issues.”
An FCO spokeswoman said: “Russia’s continued non-implementation of ECHR judgements relating to violations in the North Caucasus remains of concern. We have called and will continue to call for Russia to fully implement vital judgements, including pressing on individual cases through the Council of Europe’s Committee of Ministers.”
Notes from a small island: Is Sealand an independent 'micronation' or an illegal fortress?
World news in pictures
You thought the attendants had it bad? Wait ’til you hear about Ryanair’s pilots
Revealed: Eerie new images show forgotten French apartment that was abandoned at the outbreak of World War II and left untouched for 70 years
Join Ryanair! See the world! But we'll only pay you for nine months a year
- 1 Heading for the States? Prepare for the longest US immigration queues ever
- 2 Amir Khan interview: 'One second could end my boxing career'
- 3 Boxing: Purdy set to join long list of British fighters who take the money – and then the beating
- 4 Dan Stevens after Downton Abbey: The erstwhile Matthew Crawley is back in period costume
- 5 Join Ryanair! See the world! But we'll only pay you for nine months a year
BMF is the UK’s biggest and best loved outdoor fitness classes
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£30000 - £40000 per annum + BENS: Progressive Recruitment: Drupal Developer A ...
£45000 - £50000 per annum + bens: Progressive Recruitment: C# WEB DEVELOPER Le...
£240 - £260 per day: Progressive Recruitment: WPF Developer (C#, VB.Net) North...
£85 - £120 per day: Randstad Education Cheshire: KS2 teacher needed to do PPA ... | <urn:uuid:0c29ab03-c683-46aa-b0e8-d5e8ce9576e8> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/europe/britain-urged-to-confront-russia-over-human-rights-7646543.html | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368696381249/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516092621-00020-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.945181 | 1,463 | 1.664063 | 2 |
Waste Management Highlighted in IUCN, Holcim Summer Campaign
Communities are not often encouraged to talk trash, but at the June 5-6 launch ceremonies sponsored by IUCN VN and Holcim Vietnam Ltd. (HVL), that is exactly what they did.
The speeches, tree plantings and community rubbish collection activities marked the start of a month-long “Waste Management and Environmental Awareness” public awareness campaign designed to increase knowledge and spur behavior change on issues of waste collection, classification and reduction.
The events generated excitement in the communities. For safety reasons, the trash collection was originally intended only for youth and Holcim volunteers, but other residents joined in after attending the opening festivities, saying they now felt passionate about the issue.
The campaign is running in the communities surrounding the four national operational sites of HVL, a cement supplier that employs about 1,500 people in Vietnam. With a slogan of “Don’t throw away the future: Reduce, Reuse, Recycle,” the campaign is an activity under a four-year agreement between IUCN and HVL to support the cement producer in its environmental and social responsibility mission.
IUCN and HVL laid the groundwork for the campaign through a series of day-long trainings to familiarize residents with different types of domestic waste and challenges associated with their disposal. The program continued with a presentation on environmental protection and a communications skills training for community members who would take leadership positions during the summer campaign.
After opening ceremonies in each of the four sites, which were timed to coincide with the United Nations World Environment Day, each of the communities divided into four household groups to participate in competitive public education activities.
To learn new waste management procedures in an enjoyable and memorable way, the household groups will be judged on waste classification at the source activities, weekly home-to-village clean-ups and group discussions on waste management, sanitation and environmental protection that will take place through June and early July.
The campaign will culminate with closing contests in the four sites. In addition to scoring the community groups on the month-long activities, a contest board of examiners will award points for mock-game show answers and skits or fashion shows residents will design to display their knowledge.
The 2009 campaign is one of three yearly summer awareness-raising events planned between IUCN VN and HVL.
For more information, please contact Ms. Tran Minh Phuong at [email protected]. | <urn:uuid:26f1202c-df1d-499b-916b-63230e3934ee> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://cms.iucn.org/news_homepage/news_by_date/2009_news/june_2009/?3372/Waste-Management-Highlighted-in-IUCN-Holcim-Summer-Campaign&add_comment | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368710006682/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516131326-00017-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.954147 | 525 | 1.84375 | 2 |
Talk of tighter gun control has some worried about future gun rights.
The speculation has even boosted the attendance at local gun shows across the country.
Thousands showed up to a gun show in
"A number of people who are pro guns are coming out to express their concerns about the possibility of loosing their rights to carry and own fire arms," said Becher.
Those opposed to current gun laws have set their sites on the gun show loop hole, which allows private sellers to sell guns at private shows without a background check, but Becher says that's not the real problem.
"Almost everyone here follows the law. They aren't going to sell to someone who has a known felony or who they feel is mentally unstable. These guys aren't going to do it," said Becher.
Becher stressed that more focus needs to be put on mental health rather than tighter gun control.
"It's not one of these guys here that's buying or selling a gun that's going out and doing these shootings its someone who has obtained that weapon illegally or who has a mental health issue," said Becher.
The recent mass shootings in
"The gun laws I'm not sure if they need to be changed or not I'm kind of on the fence because I'm a sportsman yet assault rifles have there place," said gun enthusiast Bruce Scott.
"We've got the right to own guns and I think we should maintain those rights but there should be some restrictions on what guns we can have," said gun enthusiast Les Weber.
As for outlawing guns altogether.
"It's like the old bumper sticker says when guns are outlawed only outlaws will have guns," said Scott
"This is the good old | <urn:uuid:33fbb7fc-5d1c-4d52-87a7-31374d25e2b0> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://fortwaynehomepage.net/fulltext?nxd_id=77292 | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368700264179/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516103104-00017-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.982615 | 350 | 1.523438 | 2 |
Editorial: We Need to Dream Big to Grow Trade
At a recent conference in Jakarta that brought businesspeople from Latin American and Indonesia together, one thought was frequently expressed: both sides have to overcome their mental perception of the distance separating the two regions.
This is even more true in these uncertain global economic times. With Europe and the United States facing a prolonged economic downturn, Indonesia must look for new markets for its exports. As noted by Trade Minister Gita Wirjawan, Latin America, Africa and the Middle East present huge opportunities for our exporters.
Indonesian exports, excluding oil and gas, totaled $18.1 billion in the first five months of the year to these so-called non-traditional markets. This was, however, down 2.9 percent from $18.7 billion in the same period a year earlier.
Exports to non-traditional markets account for 28 percent of the country’s non-oil and gas exports. “We should expand the total cake,” Gita said. “We should be confident that in the future we can send products that have value added.”
For this to happen, he added, the country must continue to attract top-grade investments. We must move up the production value chain and build products that require technology, knowledge and skills. Only then can we progress as a nation and lift living standards.
We must in essence have the courage to dream big and pursue those dreams. We must dream of one day creating a Silicon Valley in the heart of Kalimantan or Papua, instead of just extracting natural resources there.
If we get our policy framework right, we can realize this dream. Indonesia must sell itself as a land of opportunities. | <urn:uuid:edc8e528-0678-465b-b584-0e3ff2cb8588> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.thejakartaglobe.com/archive/editorial-we-need-to-dream-big-to-grow-trade/531595/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368704392896/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516113952-00012-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.931432 | 356 | 1.710938 | 2 |
NEW YORK (Reuters) - Gun control is generally a tough sell in Pennsylvania - a Republican-ruled state with a large rural population - but a new poll suggests strong support for some measures, especially universal background checks on gun buyers.
A Quinnipiac University poll released on Wednesday found that voters in the state support requiring background checks for all gun purchases by a margin of 95 to 5.
Six in 10 voters in the Keystone State also favor a nationwide ban on the sale of assault weapons, while nearly as many support a ban on the sale of magazines with more than 10 rounds, the poll found.
In the aftermath of the December 14 massacre at Sandy Hook Elementary School, where a gunman killed 20 first graders and six educators after killing his mother, New York approved a set of new controls and lawmakers in Connecticut are considering doing the same.
President Barack Obama has proposed a series of new federal laws, including expanding background checks.
Voters in Pennsylvania also favor an idea put forward by the National Rifle Association, the powerful gun lobby, that armed guards be stationed at schools as an alternative to restrictions on guns.
Pennsylvania voters say by a margin of 46 to 42 percent that having armed guards in schools would do more to reduce gun violence than stricter gun laws.
The telephone survey of 1,221 registered voters was conducted January 22-27, and had a margin of error of plus or minus 2.8 percentage points.
(Reporting by Edith Honan; Editing by Bob Burgdorfer) | <urn:uuid:883378c7-a53e-4359-892a-0fc21ab7a10c> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://radiousa.com/news/articles/2013/jan/30/pennsylvania-favors-background-checks-for-gun-purchases-poll/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368711005985/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516133005-00004-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.963046 | 306 | 1.664063 | 2 |
It's A Good Life, If You Don't Weaken
Canadian cartoonist Seth (an admitted mistake of a name change enacted in the early '80s) has been writing his bittersweet autobiographical comic Palookaville on a semi-regular basis for five years now. Unlike other autobiographical cartoonists like Dennis Eichorn or Harvey Pekar, Seth's recent stories have not hinged on one tight narrative event in his life. Instead, his narratives focus on one theme or obsession, and they follow it over any period of time. In It's A Good Life, If You Don't Weaken, a six-issue story spanning two to four years, he tells of his search for an obscure gag cartoonist named Kallo. The story also offers a good insight into his person: While he can spend a great deal of time and effort on a quixotic endeavor, he can never channel those energies into his relationships with family members or lovers. Seth's art is perfect for the storyhis drawings are clean and crisp, much like those of the gag cartoonist for whom he's searchingand it matches his struggle to find order in a disorderly world. It's Seth's anachronistic characteristics and refusal to accept the "joys" of modern life which make It's A Good Life so fun to read. | <urn:uuid:3ed44f9d-0e08-401a-a241-26a75189b9f8> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.avclub.com/articles/seth-its-a-good-life-if-you-dont-weaken,6464/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368706499548/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516121459-00010-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.965087 | 270 | 1.648438 | 2 |
"A father complained about tainted milk powder after his 13-year-old daughter developed kidney stones after drinking the powdered milk in May. The Department of Health of Gansu Province received a hospital's report of 16 infants suffering from kidney stones after drinking the same formula in July.
However, the scandal was covered up until September. A total of 12,892 infants across China have been hospitalized with the effects of tainted milk powder as of Sunday morning, and at least three babies have died, according to the Ministry of Health.
"In some areas and departments, there is a culture among government officials that everybody struggles for more power and shuns responsibility. This neglect of the interests of the people is totally unacceptable in the current reform of the administrative system, which aims to build a service-oriented government," said Wang Shiquan, a doctor of the China Executive Leadership Academy Pudong.
China's top quality control official, Li Changjiang, resigned on Monday over the tainted milk scandal, becoming one of the highest-ranking officials punished after the acclaimed Olympics. "
It's absolutely unbelievable that babies die in this country because of the fuzzy food regulations and lack of proper checks. That said, at least responsible authority figures are held accountable and do step down, which is not a common thing at all in several other countries I won't specify here. Pity though they only take up responsibility once their lust for power leads to accidents so severe that people will have to find out about them. | <urn:uuid:7e119a77-88ef-424f-ab66-e6286fdfff00> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://lunesu.com/index.php?/archives/51-Chinese-milk-killing-babies.html | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368702448584/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516110728-00000-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.975591 | 302 | 1.601563 | 2 |
Diegocentric - Christa Borellini
In an attempt to fund their depleted reserves the Federal Housing Association will be raising 2 fees associated with FHA backed home loans. As a reminder FHA mortgages are low down payment home loans insured by the government. The down payment for these loans can be as low as 3.5%. In exchange for a lower down payment and other less stringent qualifying factors FHA has two added costs that are not found in other types of loan products.
One of these fee’s is the Upfront Mortgage Fee. This fee is stated as a percentage of the loan amount and can be paid either as a part of the closing costs or rolled into the loan. The second fee is called the Annual Mortgage Insurance Premium. This fee is also stated as a percentage of the loan amount, but it is paid as part of the monthly mortgage payment. Here are the expected changes:
Annual Mortgage Insurance Premium:
- April 1st, 2012– Mortgages under $625,500 pay a premium of 1.25% of the mortgage amount (up from 1.25%)
- June 1st, 2012 – Mortgages above $625,500 pay a premium of 1.5% (up from 1.15%).
- Will increase to 1.75% of the loan among. That is up a whopping .75%!
If you have questions how this will affect you please don’t hesitate to contact me. | <urn:uuid:47806536-4561-4f7c-a29b-5cf13852d996> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://diegocentric.com/2012/03/27/fha-to-raise-fees-again/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368698924319/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516100844-00013-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.97662 | 300 | 1.585938 | 2 |
BELMONT, Ohio — Paul Ryan knew his audience, talking up coal and deer hunting as he stood on a rain-soaked hillside in southeast Ohio on Saturday.
“The one thing Belmont County can do, if you head to early voting at the Belmont County Board of Elections ... is elect a man named Mitt Romney who will end this war on coal and allow us to keep these good-paying jobs,” the Republican told the crowd.
Some 1,100 people braved cold rain and wind to hear the man who wants to be the next vice president of the United States talk for fewer than 15 minutes.
“Gas prices have doubled since President Obama was elected,” he said. “We are losing thousands of coal jobs. We have a hundred coal plants scheduled to close, and thousands more jobs are on the chopping block.”
Republican presidential nominee Mitt Romney’s strategy to capture the must-win state of Ohio counts on a heavy turnout in largely rural southeast Ohio — coal country. One large sign on the road leading to the Valley View Campgrounds read: “Save Eastern Ohio: Fire Obama.” The words “Eastern Ohio” had been painted over with “USA.”
Most of the region went for Republican John McCain four years ago, but Belmont County was an exception by roughly 900 votes.
The digital national debt tote board and large digital video screen that accompany Mr. Ryan at many of his campaign events seemed out of place next to the large hilltop white-washed barn. The rain seemed to stop just as Mr. Ryan, in a water-resistant jacket, took to the stage. He had country and bluegrass musician Ricky Skaggs as an opening act.
Mr. Ryan repeated Mr. Romney’s promise to make North America energy independent by the end of the decade, pledging to approve construction of the Keystone oil pipeline and to embrace new technologies, such as those expected to produce a natural-gas boom in the region.
“We can unleash this technology boom that will keep American energy dollars in America,” Mr. Ryan said. “That creates good jobs. That creates coal jobs. That creates gas jobs. That creates all-of-the-above jobs, and it creates all the manufacturing jobs that come with it.”
President Obama made his first southeast Ohio visit of this campaign last week, rallying in friendly Democratic territory, Ohio University in Athens, where he went after Mr. Romney’s focus on coal during Tuesday’s second debate.
“The truth is, while he now claims he supports coal, Mitt Romney has been a longtime critic of coal-fired power plants,” Obama spokesman Jessica Kershaw said Saturday. “As governor of Massachusetts, he stood in front of a coal-fired power plant and declared he would not ‘protect jobs that kill people.’
“Under President Obama, employment in Ohio’s coal mining industry is up 11 percent while he’s making historic investments in clean-coal research and development,” she said.
That theme was picked up in a new radio ad in the region financed by the liberal advocacy group Progress Ohio. The organization has filed a complaint with the Federal Elections Commission against the owner of a local coal mine where Mr. Romney recently rallied with miners, some of whom later complained that they went without pay for that shift because the mine was closed but were still required to attend the rally.
The mine has denied that attendance at the rally was mandatory.
As Mr. Skaggs strummed his banjo for the crowd before Mr. Ryan’s appearance, Karen Green of nearby Bellaire noted the importance of coal to the region.
“My fiance is a coal miner and my son works as a federal mine inspector,” she said. “That provides a lot of employment for the area. If there are layoffs, there wouldn’t be any need for inspectors.”
Mr. Ryan has seemingly become the go-to guy for Ohio. He’s been in Ohio much of the week. Mr. Romney hasn’t been back to the Buckeye State since last weekend, heading instead after his second debate for other battlegrounds, Virginia and Florida.
Both Mr. Romney and his running mate will be back in the region next week at yet-to-be-announced events.
Mr. Obama is expected in Dayton on Tuesday and then back in Cleveland on Thursday night at the close of a two-day bus tour of swing states.
Vice President Joe Biden will be in Ohio Monday through Wednesday, including a stop Tuesday at the University of Toledo.
Contact Jim Provance at: [email protected] or 614-221-0496. | <urn:uuid:7c305803-5137-4aa5-9d87-0b51a3f2d193> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.toledoblade.com/Politics/2012/10/21/Paul-Ryan-talks-energy-jobs-at-rainy-rally-in-Ohio-coal-country.html | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368699881956/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516102441-00007-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.968589 | 996 | 1.710938 | 2 |
|Keynote Address by Senator Hillary Rodham Clinton, IWHC's Fourth Annual Gala|
Keynote Address by Honoree Senator Hillary Rodham Clinton
I want to say a special word of acknowledgment to Adrienne Germain. Adrienne is someone whom I've known a very long time. We went to Wellesley together. And although women all over the world may not know her name, they owe her a debt of gratitude for all she has done to help make women the focus of economic and civic development. And I just want to thank her, because she has been a stalwart champion of women's rights long before Cairo, long before Beijing. She has really been there for women all over this world, and I'm very grateful to her for her leadership.
I also want to thank and apologize to my friend Ellen Chesler, the former Board Chair. I was actually supposed to be here last year, as some of you might remember, and I couldn't get my schedule worked out, and so I missed being here. I am so grateful for the opportunity to come this year to really thank all of you for what you do, and Ellen, of course, is one of the most important leaders on behalf of women and women's rights here in our country and elsewhere, and I appreciate her and all she does.
You know, during the Clinton administration, we worked with so many of you and the Coalition, and so many in this room. It was a partnership. And we started working seriously together in 1994 at the International Conference on Population and Development in Cairo. For the very first time in history, representatives of 180 nations came to the consensus that women's health, in particular women's reproductive health and empowerment, are critical to a nation's sustainability and growth. And the world agreed that we needed to take concrete steps to protect and empower women and girls. And we went about trying to do that. One of the real champions of that effort, Tim Wirth, who was then in the State Department, has been a consistent supporter of women's needs, year after year.
Now, as all of you know, the consensus that was reached was not easy. But after all the hard work that was undertaken, and the goals that were set, and the agreements that were reached between the gathered nations and the NGOs, many of us felt that we had taken a first significant step toward a future that would open doors for women, would provide protection and opportunity for women and girls. We agreed that by 2015, all governments would make access to reproductive health care and family planning services a basic right. That all governments would work to reduce dramatically infant, child, and maternal mortality. And that we would throw open the doors to education for every citizen, but particularly for girls and women. And we have made a tremendous amount of progress together. The public-private partnership that was created and built on in Cairo, that was furthered in Beijing, really provided the building blocks for activists throughout the world to try to hold governments accountable to the goals of Cairo.
And then the agenda that came out of Beijing further legitimized the work that was being done, often in isolation, by people who just labored against tremendous cultural, and social, and political, and legal, and economic odds. When we came together in Beijing, the number of nations had grown to 189. And together, we articulated a vision that underscored the importance of linking a nation's progress with full societal inclusion of women. That linked the vibrancy of the economy with the full contributions of women. That looked to extend the franchise to women. That really underscored what not only human experience, but reams of research had proven: that indeed, where women flourished, children flourished, families flourished, communities and nations flourished as well.
I was very gratified that following Beijing, both world bodies and nations used the Platform for Action as a roadmap. During the Clinton administration, I served as the Chair of the President's Interagency Council on Women, working first with Secretary Donna Shalala, and then Secretary Madeleine Albright, to try to make sure that our own country, our own government, was working to fulfill the goals we set forth in Beijing. And we did this in partnership with critical NGOs, most particularly with IWHC. None of it could have happened without your help and without your continuing advocacy.
So I think we can fairly say that the last ten years have seen a lot of progress around the world. We still have too many problems that we're not paying enough attention to, that get lost in just the day to day pressure of other priorities, or, as we face now, the horrible tragedy of the losses inflicted by the tsunami in the Indian Ocean region. But we can't forget that there is this unfinished agenda when it comes to women's health. You've already heard Kati mention HIV/AIDS. We know that, increasingly, the world's AIDS pandemic is one that affects women and girls disproportionately. And we have seen some steps taken to try to deal with that. I was proud to co-sponsor the important Microbicide Development Act, and we finally got money for that in the last omnibus appropriations bill. Not as much as requested, but still, it was a start. Because with $30 million, we can fund more research. Unfortunately, the money under this Administration was taken from the USAID Child Survival and Health Program, so it was not as important a victory as we would have liked, but at least we're trying to make some progress on that.
But we have a lot still to do with respect to HIV/AIDS, and Senator Barbara Boxer and I have proposed an amendment to the Global AIDS Bill, to provide assistance to foreign countries to combat HIV, tuberculosis, and malaria, and in part to provide comprehensive assistance for programs for women and girls. There are so many strategies that we know work, and we're not yet fully committed in our government to implementing those strategies. ABC is a good strategy, but it has three parts to it, and we need to remind the Administration of that.
I think it's also important that we continue to push forward on global education, and along with my friend and my Congresswoman Nita Lowey, I've introduced the Education for All Act, to try to increase the amount of funding that comes from our nation for basic education, particularly of girls, but of all children. I think that one of the best ways we can combat terrorism is by educating girls and boys around the world, and we need a clear global strategy to do that.
We also are still struggling with family planning. Today, an estimated 20 million women worldwide risk unsafe abortions every year, and about 68,000 of them, the vast majority in poor countries, die from the consequences of these unsafe procedures. And yet, as we know, the current Administration is making it more difficult for women to receive the full range of health services. Under the global gag rule, which was reinstituted by the Bush administration, no USA funds may be provided to foreign NGOs that not only provide abortions for women, but even advocate counseling or legalization. I hope that we will do more to try to protect against these ill thought out policies by this Administration. I think we're going to have some very difficult years ahead of us, and I hope that each of you will be committed to advocate on behalf of women's health, the full range of women's health around the world, with respect even to our own government.
The third issue I want briefly to mention is something that another one of the honorees tonight has played a very critical role in highlighting. I want to thank Nicholas Kristof for the work he's done on human trafficking. We have an estimated 600 to 800 thousand men, women, and children trafficked worldwide each year across international borders. Approximately 14 to 17 to 18 thousand are trafficked annually into the United States. Since the United Nations Fourth World Conference on Women, I and others have been trying to raise public awareness, and frankly, global revulsion, against the practice of human trafficking. I've seen the results of such horrific human rights abuses all over the world, from young girls in Thailand dying of AIDS because they've been trafficked to the brothels in Bangkok, to young women in Eastern and Central Europe who had answered an ad for an au pair or a retail job, only to find themselves trapped in some kind of sex trade.
In the summer of 1997, I met with women leaders from Eastern and Central Europe, as well as with victims and family members, and we tried to develop a strategy, the first global strategy that had been devised. And later that year in Ukraine, our government, under the Clinton administration, launched a new information campaign designed to warn young women about the dangers posed by traffickers. And in the fall of 1999, in Istanbul, we announced a $1 million US commitment to combat trafficking, and to try to provide greater economic opportunities, such as through microcredit, so that young women weren't economically, or through family pressure, pushed into situations that led them to be trafficked.
So a lot of awareness has been built up, and improvements have been made. You know, in March of 1998, President Clinton condemned human trafficking as a fundamental human rights violation, and launched a comprehensive U.S. government response for prevention, protection, and prosecution, that laid the framework for the first anti-trafficking bill, which we finally were able to pass in 2000. I was proud as a Senator to join my colleagues on both sides of the aisle in voting to reauthorize that.
But we've got to do more, particularly with respect to the trafficking of young children, and I am hoping that the Senate will ratify the new protocol to prevent, suppress, and punish trafficking in persons, especially women and children. The U.S. has played a major role in developing this new campaign against international trafficking, and now we have to continue to work with the rest of the world community to finally do whatever is necessary to end this.
There's so much that needs to be done, and so much of the work that the Coalition has been doing will rest with the young people who are here tonight. Another one of the honorees who you will hear from, Nicole Bidegain from Uruguay, is an extraordinary young woman who believes that being a citizen, no matter how old or how young, means taking responsibility. And particularly for young women, that is a continuing challenge: that we have to help, through both our private efforts and governmental outreach, young women everywhere to be able to do just that.
So I'm hoping that even despite the less-than-friendly atmosphere we currently face in Washington with the current Administration, we will not give up or give in, because it's important for us to recognize how far we've come since Cairo and Beijing, since the first anti-trafficking statute. Even the coverage of the disaster of the tsunami talks about the dangers of young children being trafficked, something that I'm not sure would have even been on the radar screen five or ten years ago. So we have made progress together, and it is important that your elected officials, from the White House to the Congress, hear your voices, and that they have to confront the consequences of their decisions.
Everywhere I traveled as First Lady, I saw the results of no family planning, of no safe abortions. I went to hospitals in Brazil where half of the hospital was a maternity ward, and the other half of the hospital was caring for women who'd had botched abortions. I went to Central Asia, just coming out from under the pressures of the Soviet Union, and realized that without our help, so many of the women there had no family planning, other than abortions. In meeting with leaders from across the globe on the issue of trafficking, I could see how the devaluation of girls' lives was something that was so taken for granted, so ingrained in the culture, that it was hard to change. But it was changing.
So I am fundamentally optimistic. As someone said when they heard me say that some time ago, "If I'd led your life, I'd be an optimist too." But I think it's far better than the alternative. And when it comes to fighting for women's rights, we have not achieved anything on behalf of women, but for women and men who have stood together against the tide of public opinion, against misguided leadership, against cultural practices, habits, and traditions, and slowly but surely, gained ground and held it for girls and women. That's what this Coalition has been doing for the last ten years, and that's why I'm very proud to be honored. But more than that, to thank you, and to wish us ten more good years of progress on behalf of women. | <urn:uuid:eae26a64-9aa3-479c-b43b-6a5414e4ea5a> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.iwhc.org/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=2476&Itemid=751 | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368698207393/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516095647-00000-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.98033 | 2,625 | 1.625 | 2 |
Harry Potter - You've read the books, seen the films, now eat the sweets
Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince, the fifth film based on JK Rowling's books, has just opened around the UK.
If you have a child who's mad for the boy wizard, you may have already booked your seats. And if you have a particularly persuasive child, you may have done as I did and read the books as well.
One aspect of the books that I loved was the description of sweets that Harry Potter and his friends enjoyed. They relished their trips to Honeydukes Sweet Shop, in the magical village of Hogsmeade, and stocked up on chocolate frogs and fizzing whizzbees.
Here's what was in ours:
The box is called Frogs Snails and Puppy Dogs Tails - Every Boy's Favourite Wooden Box of Sweets, though my daughter would like me to point out that it goes down very well with girls too. At least I think that's what she said - I had to translate from the original "Mmgth mmmm shwgsh" as she was getting stuck into some Jelly Brains at the time.
The box also includes: Scary Spiders, Giant Rats, Devil's Fireballs Gobstoppers, Fruity Frogs and Jelly Filled Snails. And you can alarm passers-by with a green, red or blue tongue courtesy of Tongue Painter Lollies or Colour Changing Space Dust.
You also get some water bombs and whoopee cushions, to help your little Harry Potter indulge in some Horrid Henry behaviour on the side.
I know as parents we can get concerned that our children are eating too many sweets. But occasional sweets, in the context of a generally healthy diet, regular activity and daily teeth brushing, isn't so bad. In fact, I believe that if you make sweets a big deal then they will become more attractive to your children. If you forbid them entirely then you are probably storing up more future problems than you're solving now.
It's been interesting to observe that having a big box of sweets around the house hasn't turned my children into sugar crazed monsters. If anything, they are much more relaxed when they know there's an abundance available. They ask if they can have one or two sweets, then put the rest back - they're learning self-control. I think this is a good lesson to learn.
This box would make a nice present if you've got a little Harry Potter fan who's done well in their exams, or if you want a gift for a group of children. Prices start at £18.97, and it's available here. It's absolutely wizard. | <urn:uuid:3f55eab6-766d-40ef-b921-2c3db62b5117> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.parentdish.co.uk/2009/07/14/harry-potter-youve-read-the-books-seen-the-films-now-eat-th/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368705559639/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516115919-00005-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.975695 | 559 | 1.71875 | 2 |
A place for time, space & faith
The mood is solemn yet relaxed as members of Hillel, the Jewish student organization, eat at tables arranged family-style in a giant square. Tonight they are sharing Shabbat, a dinner of rest and reflection. On the menu is vegetarian lasagna and challah, a customary bread. It’s seems like a traditional Jewish atmosphere. That is, until you catch the the exotic aroma of Somali food drifting in from the kitchen, where other students are preparing Iftar, the meal that breaks the fast during the Islamic holiday of Ramadan. Members of the Muslim Student Association are quietly trickling in to set up for that event, which will follow Shabbat.
Overlaps like this are bound to happen at the Open House, the new home for Denison’s Center of Religious and Spiritual Life. But instead of just tip-toeing around each other, the passing groups come together. The Jewish students stay after Shabbat to help their Muslim friends rearrange the tables into rows and serve Iftar. They set up glowing lights and bright tablecloths, quickly transforming the atmosphere from somber to celebratory. Soon over 60 people, not all of them Muslim or Jewish, are standing side by side with those who had been fasting all day.
For Rev. Mark Orten, director of Religious and Spiritual Life, this impromptu demonstration of religious understanding was a “pointed moment.” It reminded him of the Hebrew phrase tikkun olam, which means “repairing the world.” It also symbolized the idea behind the Open House, which is to be both a haven for spiritual uniqueness and an umbrella under which diverse ideals are united. Now nestled in Mulberry Circle instead of crowded on the fourth floor of Slayter Union, the Open House offers Denisonians opportunities to transcend religious barriers like never before.
“We share time in the world, but we don’t always share the same space,” explained Orten, who is also Denison’s chaplain. “Open House turned that around. We share space, but not time. Each group maintains its own traditions, but this allows for more interaction than [sharing time but not space].” While the Open House offers a retreat from the rest of campus, Orten also noted that “the groups are here with a degree of intentionality. They are not just passing through.”
Orten’s vision for an interfaith community began when he was the Presbyterian Chaplain at Princeton University, where he had “an increasing passion to find ways to make my own faith broader and relate it to campus issues along with issues of the world.”
When he came to Denison in 2003, Orten saw his opportunity. He teamed up with Tricia Ruess, who wanted more interaction with students after doing institutional research in the president’s office for the previous 12 years. “I had the historical background [of the school] and Mark had the new vision,” said Ruess, the assistant director of Religious and Spiritual Life.
Before long, 25 students were gathered in the University Room on Slayter’s fourth floor for the first inter-faith dialogue. Eventually, Denison Religious Understanding (DRU) evolved out of these discussions. Today, this group welcomes students from the entire scope of spirituality, including those removed from it entirely. During discussions, students are asked to share personal views and experiences rather than represent an entire religion. According Tom Mitchell ’11, a member of DRU’s Elder Council, “you don’t have to agree with what people are saying, but you must respect other people’s views.”
DRU helped to foster a burgeoning interfaith environment that made the Center for Religious and Spiritual Life the perfect candidate to move into the former Alpha Chi Omega house. The dedication ceremony was in April.
Amid the Open House’s broad assembly of religious pursuits, Orten acknowledges Denison’s Christian roots. “It’s not my intention at all to dismiss that or change that, but rather to embrace that and all the different forms it takes at Denison today,” he said. The Open House provides resources to the Christian faith, as well as all other religious groups on campus. “The right thing to do is to encourage all faiths,” he said. “A rising tide lifts all boats.”
Echoing her colleague, Ruess noted that “the space is dedicated to celebrate Denison’s diversity. It’s open to everyone.”
The same principles that encourage religious differences might someday expand to other issues embedded in Denison’s diversity, including race, class, gender and orientation. Tikkun olam might not happen overnight, but Orten believes that the Open House is already making progress. “It’s not a question of whether we will move through these issues,” he said, “but how.” | <urn:uuid:18fb0019-c2b2-4c1d-850c-72ac36985ced> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.denison.edu/theden/2010/10/a-place-for-time-space-faith/?show=most-emailed | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368705953421/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516120553-00012-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.962293 | 1,051 | 1.585938 | 2 |
It’s been so scary here in Lendu. Almost every night there would be a few stories of (1) items being stolen and (2) people kena rasuk (possession), and (3) pukau.
1. The stolen items part is creepy. First you’d be entering your room and you would think everything is fine. And then you’ll start to realise that one thing is missing. And then two things have gone missing, then you realise that almost everything valuable is missing from your room. And finally you’ll find a note saying this: “Nantikan ketibaan saya di kolej-kolej lain.”, which roughly translated means “Await my presence/arrival at the other colleges.”. (Oh by the way, here, we call dorms ‘Kolej/College’.) From what I’ve heard, four places have been attacked by this person so far. All with the same note.
2. The rasuk/possession is a different story. This one, I saw with my own eyes. Real crazy stuff. Rasuk/possession is when a thing enters your body, with the intention to hurt you and the people around you, and use your body to do various things. The word here is ‘possession’. The girl at my level started dancing, and laughing, and screaming and shouting, walking here and there, and it was going in and out of her body so it was like she was her one second and another person the next. When it was happening at the early stages, my roommates and I turned on the Yaasin on a speaker in our room and sat together. And then we heard it: something screaming outside our window, as if trying to block out the sound of the Yaasin. When we paused the playback, it stopped screaming. When we turned it back on, it started screaming again. It was horrific. So we told our senior, who was at our level, handling the girl that kena rasuk. She then told us to just keep playing the Yaasin and ignore the sound, or leave the room and go to another room and stay there. We did the latter. When we went to the other room, and as we were just about to close our eyes to sleep, we heard a different sound: someone tapping at our window. Mind you, we’re on the third floor. Then we heard another sound: tapping on the bed posts. By that time, the girl that kena rasuk was already okay, but the seniors were still at our level. So we told the same senior again what had happened, and she came in, along with 17 of the other seniors, who are the members of the Majlis Tertinggi Kolej. In the room, we sat in a circle, kept quiet, and listened. Then we heard it. We all just stayed in the room at the time, with no intention to leave, and we asked the seniors what happened the night before, or the other nights, and they told us that it’s only been our college, and one other boys’ college. And it’s quite bad. Bad to the point where the Polis Bantuan, who are the people who guard our campus, had to be involved in the search of the boy who that was possessed, because guess what? They can fly. Yup, they freakin’ jumped off the second floor of the college, and flew or something. This is what I heard by the way. I didn’t see this happen. Anyway, as they were telling the story, a number of us could hear what was happening outside our window. Tapping, screaming, shouting, clapping.. you name it. And while one of the seniors was speaking, another senior was signalling towards the window, while the senior that was speaking just nodded as if to say, “Ignore it!” to her. She was describing to us what had happened in her room, and one thing that happened was that she heard claps but just one clap and at different intervals. She showed us the sound of the clap, and then the whole room felt two strong winds blowing at different directions, and bam, the door opened by itself, as if kicked by something outside. But there was nothing there. That was when we all read the Yaasin together, and decided that the entire room, all 20 of us, will not leave, because apparently the thing was around our level, waiting for us to come out. And get this: it was dancing the same dance the girl did when she got possessed, right outside our window. Scary stuff right there. I think that night is just one of the nights that I’ll just keep thinking about for years to come. I mean this is insane. I was scared. And I’ve never been scared of such things. I’ll just have to keep thinking that Allah SWT is with me. He and His words from the Quran will protect me better than anything else. God is greater than anything else, anywhere, any time. He is with me. Last night, which was Thursday, night of Friday, from what I heard, almost every college kena kacau. My college was the worst because here we were, reading the Yaasin, and then three people started screaming, as if in pain. It was the scariest. Even the colleges near us could hear the screaming, which is what my friend from one of the colleges said to me. Word got out really quickly so, an ustaz (I think) and some people from the Majlis Penggerak Masjid were present in our college when it happened. Some representatives of the Majlis Pewakilan Pelajar were there too. Then I found out through Twitter that every college was holding a bacaan Yaasin, all at the same time. I don’t know if the people were lying about this, but that was what I had read. College lights were flickering and whatnot, and every college was cold all night long. And, from what I read on Twitter, a lot of people couldn’t sleep because of the sounds and the voices. But gosh, it was super creepy. I can still remember the sound of the scream. I don’t think I’ll be able to forget it.
3. The pukau part, is just really really frustrating. What these intruders will do is they will knock on your door (or sometimes they just barge in, if you don’t lock it) and they will shake your hand or tap your shoulder. By then you’re screwed. They’ll start talking nonsense to you, and 10 minutes later you’ll realise that you have taken out RM700 from your bank account and given it to these intruders, for a bottle, of literally nothing. They move really quickly. Everybody’s just afraid of staying in their rooms by themselves now because if they forget to lock it, there’s a higher chance of kena pukau. And this pukau thing will only happen if there are any carnivals/bazaar/fairs in our campus, which happens pretty much every two weeks. Plenty people have been pukau-ed. It’s the worst.
I don’t know what’s going on anymore. It’s just been too much lately. At the start of the semester, everything was fine. And then a month later, creepy things start to happen. Hope we can all be safe during this troubling time. Just end this so we can all be in peace. Thing is, we don’t even know what we did that set off the anger in the spirits around Lendu. All the events this week were all Islamic-oriented. Perhaps it’s mad because of that, because two nights ago, there was a talk in which the ustaz explained the Al-Fatihah. And he read it ever so beautifully. Just as he got to the third ayat, strong winds started blowing, and everything went havoc. The projector screen fell nearly hitting the ustaz’s head, backdrop nearly teared, the papers on the registration tables flew around… and man it was just creepy when the ustaz said “Ada benda tak nak saya teruskan bacaan saya ni.”. When he said that, another strong wind blew.
Ugh, I just.. this is freakin’ scary alright. What do we do about this other than pray for safety? I mean it’s all the spirits here combined. Usually it’s one or two just trying to mess with everyone’s head, but now it’s really just disturbing everyone on campus for no particular reason. It’s annoying, and creepy, frustrating. Scary too. Gosh, just end this. End this now.
Isu Uitm Lendu Di Twitter..
Dan kat bawah ni pulak sekeping gambar yang didakwa diambil di UiTM Lendu yang menampakkan susuk tubuh lembaga yang seolah-olah sedang menari Ulik Mayang..
Jika anda suka artikel ini, jangan lupa sertakan kami dengan copy salah satu link di bawah ^_^
Kopi link post yang comel ini ^_^
Kalau nak dalam bentuk HTML, kopi saya lak ^_^ | <urn:uuid:bd59d56b-e8e3-4bec-ad30-aa52de048cc9> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://penpatah.blogspot.com/2013/01/seram-apakah-yang-sedang-berlaku-di.html?showComment=1358608161283 | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368704392896/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516113952-00003-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.970587 | 2,042 | 1.835938 | 2 |
Pressia is a sixteen year old survivor of the Detonations. They occurred when she was only six, so she doesn't remember much about life during the Before, but her grandfather tries to keep the memories alive by telling her stories of amusement parks, movie theaters and birthday parties. They do the best they can to survive; people sicken and die from drinking the water and others' faces basically melt away, as a result of the nuclear winter.
All sixteen year olds outside the Dome are required to turn themselves in to be trained as a soldier or, if they aren't considered strong enough, to be used as live targets. Pressia doesn't want to experience either of these things so she's on the run. While trying to avoid the soldiers hunting her, she comes across Partridge who has chosen to escape the Dome to search for his mother, who he is certain survived the Detonations. His father is one of the most influential men among the Pures (as Dome dwellers are called) in the Dome but is emotionally distant and Patridge has a tenuous relationship with him.
Pures are safe and healthy and live a much different life than those outside the Dome. Patridge knows he should be content in the Dome, but he's lonely, especially after his brother commits suicide. Then his father slips and makes a remark which gives Patridge hope that his mother survived the Detonations and is out there somewhere...so he escapes, risking his life to find her.
Submitted by Jacki @ Central | <urn:uuid:d6b0c108-8aa2-4ce6-b9c9-328dcbaa1f88> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://blog.mpl.org/mke_reads/2012/03/post_32_pure_by_julianna_baggo.html | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368700264179/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516103104-00001-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.984131 | 310 | 1.679688 | 2 |
“When the old men saw her enter every day for her walk, they began to lust for her. They suppressed their consciences; they would not allow their eyes to look to heaven and did not keep in mind just judgments.”
The Bible is a timeless piece of literature inspired by the Holy Spirit. I am sure you have had a moment where one particular reading struck you as very applicable to our modern times. We find this verse in the long version of the reading from Daniel today and it could not speak more clearly to our lost modern society. The two elders in this story are lusting after Susanna, a lust as commonplace as our daily interactions with other people in today's society. Daniel beautifully highlights the truth of such lust in his words: ‘...they would not allow their eyes to look to heaven...’
The reality of the lust that our world has so deeply entrenched itself in is not that people are exposed to too much, it is that they settle for too little. If the elder men in this story were not lusting after Susanna and had the pure eyes to see the glory of God's creation in front of them, the beauty they found in Susanna would have turned their eyes from creation up to the Creator. Remember, to the pure all things are pure. That is God’s purpose in creation, and it was no mistake. Our very bodies were made so that we would be able to turn our gaze from this earth and look up to Our Father in heaven and give him praise for his unending goodness to us. In his Theology of the Body John Paul II talks on this and its appropriate context in marriage.
In Matthew’s Gospel we receive a strict command on such lust from Jesus himself. He says: ‘...But I say to you that everyone who looks at a woman lustfully has already committed adultery with her in his heart. If your right eye causes you to sin, pluck it out and throw it away; it is better that you lose one of your members than that your whole body be thrown into hell...’ (Mt 5:28-29). This teaching is given in a stern, matter of fact way. This is right after we hear the Beatitudes from Jesus in some of his greatest teachings in the Sermon on the Mount. We know that God is merciful and loving. We are about to celebrate the most merciful, loving act in the history of mankind at Easter. He is also a just God, and in this story the two elder men receive the just punishment from God they brought upon themselves.
In the case of Susanna and the woman in today's Gospel from John we are given such great encouragement as we journey closer towards Calvary with Christ. We humans are so weak, we are helpless without the love of God. Susanna sets an example for us in her great faith. ‘Yet it is better for me to fall into your power without guilt than to sin before the Lord...Through tears she looked up to heaven, for she trusted in the Lord wholeheartedly.’ I also imagine that in the account from today's Gospel Jesus saw in the adulterous woman that her gaze had turned up to heaven seeking the mercy of God even in the midst of her sin. Remember how the elders is the story from Daniel today would not look up to heaven in their earthly lusts. We need only follow these women's examples to seek the good favor of God. In our weakness and failings if we turn our eyes to God he will deliver us. St. Therese of Lisieux knew this full well: ‘...the fire of love is more sanctifying than that of Purgatory.’ So to turn our hearts to God in full confidence, trust, and love, especially in our moments of trial, is to find favor in the eyes of God.
As we draw closer to the end of this blessed season of Lent, I encourage you to learn from these holy women of today's readings. Cast off the lies of this world and look to heaven. Throw yourself with a child-like love and trust into the saving arms of Christ on the cross. Whether it is through actually receiving the forgiveness of God through the great Sacrament of Reconciliation or just a deeper conversion that needs to take place in your heart, drink deeply from the rich graces present to you. Just as Susanna and the adulterous woman experienced, it is at our lowest point when God reached down to them in mercy. We need only turn our eyes to him in heaven and beg for his love in confidence. Let us finish our Lenten journey to Christ’s saving cross in this humble trust. | <urn:uuid:f38543cb-275d-4086-b10b-6e12bc42d359> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://onlineministries.creighton.edu/CollaborativeMinistry/Students/2010-2011%20Reflections/s041111.html | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368704392896/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516113952-00013-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.976586 | 961 | 1.78125 | 2 |
Consumers have had to make choices in recent times.
Housing purchase, rent and utilities have become more expensive; some goods and services like cars, mobile phones & internet, furniture and TVs have become cheaper or more affordable, especially via a stronger currency; and real incomes have risen, giving consumers more choice.
Aussies have cut back (volume share down) on housing (share accommodation) and utilities but because of higher costs these items are still taking bigger shares of budgets. Consumers are saving more on car purchase, household goods and furnishings, but they aren’t buying more, preferring to channel the savings to services. Education services, health services, insurance & financial services and sporting services like fitness classes are the big winners.
The biggest losers – that is, the categories taking a smaller share of household budgets – are gambling, clothing, purchase of cars, household goods and even spending at cafes and restaurants.
To read the full report, click here.
12 June 2012 | <urn:uuid:ed812a21-bfdb-4dfa-ab9d-bbd378b36342> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.adviservoice.com.au/2012/06/economic-trends-the-new-age-aussie-consumer/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368702448584/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516110728-00015-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.963941 | 201 | 1.835938 | 2 |
Robert Mugabe, the president who will be running for a sixth term in March, has been accused of rigging previous elections and using tough security laws to keep his opponents under control.
|"The challenge is to continue pressing the Mugabe|
regime ... to adopt a new constitution"
Lovemore Madhuku, constitutional lawyer
Lovemore Madhuku, a constitutional lawyer leading a pressure group pushing for a new constitution, told the Reuters news agency that the election date came as no surprise.
"It was always clear the elections would be held in March," he said.
"The challenge is to continue pressing the Mugabe regime - which, because of the twisted electoral environment, will still be there in the post-election period - to adopt a new constitution."
The parliamentary and presidential elections will take place against the backdrop of Zimbabwe's ongoing economic crisis. The annual rate of inflation is officially running at nearly 8,000 per cent, but many economists believe that the figure is closer to 50,000 per cent.
Unemployment is around 80 per cent and basic foodstuffs, such as cooking oil and sugar, are now a scarce commodity. | <urn:uuid:dad442f5-ab33-4ff0-9899-f854aa7d49b7> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://makaipa.blogspot.com/2008/01/early-poll-riles-opposition.html | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368702810651/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516111330-00011-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.969484 | 236 | 1.835938 | 2 |
by Ann Woldt
My soul is filled with small joys.
The first glimmer of light streaking over the neighboring hill, coming in my window, tickling my closed lids, beckoning me, waking me, coaxing me out of sleep. “Open your eyes, see me, follow me as I light your world, watch the night animals slide quietly to their dens, the morning birds rustle and shake loose their wings. You are seeing me; you are blessed with yet another day.”
And I am filled with joy to be alive
The full moon, reflecting down on the prairie path, lighting the way of the bear, her nose in the air, sniffing the night air, trundling towards the compost heap. Can she think? Does she think? Does she wonder about those humans, that other species, so wasteful, such good food awaiting her, not able to contain her excitement as small grunts pour from her snout?
And I am filled with joy to watch her.
The call of the barred owl, eight mournful notes, repeated and echoing through the early night, answered by his mate on the other side of the field. Whose names are they calling this night? Who will hear them and know that it is their time? Not me, not yet.
And I am filled with joy to hear their calls, and then the silence of the night.
The butterfly weed, its flowers an orange so intense it seems to glow, dotting the prairie like glowing lanterns, its contrast with the grasses such that my eyes dart from flower to flower as I look across the field. The butterflies reveling in its sap, filling their tiny bellies with its sweetness; not a weed to them, but a source of nourishment and shelter for their young caterpillars as they grow and change into a new life.
And I am filled with joy to see the life around them.
My cats, my four steady companions, who don’t care that I’m old, or fat, or unable to walk, or cranky, or ill. All they know is that I have a large lap, I offer them food, I’m always ready to embrace them, stroke their backs, rub their bellies, scratch their necks. Their love seems unconditional; I’ve long given up on looking for that in my own species. Instead I gather them up in the early morning, one at a time, each giving his full attention to me, and I to him, his purrs rumbling deep in his chest, his head pressing into my arm, his paws kneading my bare legs. We become one for a brief time, sometimes nodding back into sleep, together.
And I am filled with joy as I feel their life under my hands.
The scent of the summer rain as it falls gently onto the grass, glistening, leaving drops like diamonds on the tall blades, forming tiny rivulets in the sand as it seeks a path down the path. Fresh, clean, washing away the dust of the hot day, cooling the air as it passes through it, sacrificing itself to the growth beneath it, the leaves longing for the wetness and nourishment it brings.
And I am filled with joy as I watch the dusty leaves unfurl to take in every drop.
The first flakes of snow in the winter, falling gently, lightly, tentatively. “Is it time, yet? Is it our time now? Are you ready for us to blanket the earth with our weight, to embrace the dead and dying leaves and cover them, hiding them, pressing down on them, holding them tight against the ground?” The flakes grow in intensity, filling the sky with their numbers, first covering the grass, then the walks and fence posts, and soon the drive. The world grows quieter.
And I am filled with joy as they fall, cleansing the world.
The first glimmer of green in the spring, so faint it seems not real. Am I imagining it? Am I so longing for the green that I am seeing it where it does not yet exist? No, it is there, a pale awakening of life, a miracle of growth from what appears to be dead, a resurrection of life. I don’t accept the notion that all living things can be resurrected, but I am comforted to see that once again there are living things that are. The tiny shoots push hard against the soil, straining for the light, shuddering at the cold air as they break through and uncoil, then widen and grow so quickly that if I forget to watch each day, they’re fully in bloom the next time I notice. I need to be more attentive.
And I am filled with joy.
I am filled with joy. I have awakened, and so I will live yet another day. Each day that I awake is a good day. Only I have the power to ruin it. How I act, how I respond, how I embrace the day is up to me. Each day is a new fresh opportunity, a new chance to do right, to make it right, to be right. I only have that power, and that responsibility. What will I do this day to make it better? What will I do before I sleep to leave my world a bit better than it was when I awoke? I start each day with great expectations.
And I am filled with joy.
Ann Woldt lives in rural Wisconsin on 15 acres of land, some of which she and her husband of 43 years, Ralph, have restored to native prairie. Ann has been a UU for 40 years, and a member of CLF for the last 13. | <urn:uuid:5db89f09-474c-49f7-8ef0-96c6a51a7417> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.questformeaning.org/blog/post/a-litany | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368702448584/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516110728-00018-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.966802 | 1,189 | 1.523438 | 2 |
Teaching English to Pass or to Learn?
Chinese test preparation company New Oriental Education & Technology Group dominates the Chinese market for preparing students to take entrance exams such as the SAT and TOEFL (Test of English as a Foreign Language) to be accepted into American universities. What sets them apart from their American competitors such as Kaplan and The Princeton Review is that they have “seem[ed] to have cracked the SAT code,” according to Phillip Muth, associate dean for admissions at the University of Virginia in Charlottesville. Their rigorous classes teach strategies to master test questions rather than actually improving their students’ use of English. When these Chinese undergraduates are accepted into their respective American universities, many are left unprepared for lectures and group discussions in English.
Is New Oriental cheating its students out of the chance to master English, or rather does the bigger problem lay with standardized tests? In America, I took a test prep class for the SAT and improved my score by learning tricks rather than actual knowledge. Is it New Oriental’s fault that standardized tests are designed this way? What will the future hold for both standardized tests and test prep companies globally? | <urn:uuid:b58f5f32-cd85-48a5-b325-cdb6e95bab4a> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://mychinese360.wordpress.com/2011/05/26/teaching-english-to-pass-or-to-learn/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368704392896/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516113952-00000-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.956195 | 235 | 1.757813 | 2 |
Now that the average college freshman takes more than five and a half years to graduate, a growing number of colleges are trying to entice students with guarantees that they will finish in four years -- or the extra tuition will be free.
But most of these four-year guarantees come with fine print that can disqualify many applicants, such as requiring students who sign up for the program freshman year to declare and stick to a major all four years, take inconvenient classes or forgo study abroad. In addition, even the most generous of the guarantees only offer to cover tuition after the fourth year -- students still have to pay for dorm and living costs.
To qualify for a guarantee program, students are typically required to complete at least 30 credits each academic year, meet regularly with advisors, and take required courses.
In return, the colleges typically promise to help students finish in four years by eliminating roadblocks to graduation, such as reducing overcrowding, lowering the number of credits required to graduate, and creating standard four-year plans that can easily be followed. If school-caused delays prevent a student who signs up for a guarantee from finishing in four years, the college promises to pay for any extra courses they need.
Last year, for example, the University at Buffalo launched its "Finish in 4" free-tuition guarantee, and added 30,000 extra seats in bottleneck courses to help ensure students could meet their requirements.
The moves attracted hundreds of new applicants, says vice provost Scott Weber. "We had one of our largest freshmen enrollments this fall," he said.
But some colleges offering these guarantees aren't making the reforms needed to help students finish on time.
"I would be shocked if (these guarantees were) anything more than a marketing strategy" at schools where a majority of the students take longer than four years to graduate, said Tom Sugar, vice president of Complete College America, a nonprofit that works with states to raise graduation rates.
Some colleges are setting requirements so high that they are discouraging or disqualifying students from taking advantage of the guarantees.
At the California State University, San Bernardino, where only 13 percent of freshmen finish in four years, priority enrollment and free tuition after four years is only given to students who have committed to a major and the guarantee program before the start of their freshman year.
Officials at the University of Maine at Farmington blamed a low signup rate for its four-year guarantee (only 75 of the school's approximately 480 freshmen signed on last fall) on a contract that was "two-page, dense, and filled with legalese" says associate provost Robert Lively.
Last fall, the school drafted a shorter and simpler contract that it is now promoting to applicants.
Whether or not four-year graduation guarantees actually help students graduate on time, the promises still sound so attractive to applicants that more than 40 colleges offer some sort of pledge or incentive. Among them are many small private colleges, such as DePauw, Juniata College and Washington & Jefferson, as well as many large universities, such as the University of Minnesota, the University of Nebraska and Pace University in New York.
Some other colleges, such as Ball State University and Indiana University, offer "incentives" rather than guarantees. Ball State this winter started paying $500 to students who graduate on time. Indiana University last year announced it would freeze tuition for upperclassmen on track to finish in four years.
To tell whether any of these promises will actually help you graduate on time, experts say applicants should follow these steps:
Read the fine print. Every program is different, so make sure you understand what the college requires from you and what it offers in return. Will you be able to complete the number of required credits? Is your schedule flexible enough to enroll in early morning or night courses if those are the only ones available? How soon will you feel ready to commit to a major? What are you getting in return?
Avoid crowds. One of the most common causes of delayed graduation is overcrowding in required courses, says Michael Lovenheim, a Cornell economist who has researched the issue. So if you have a choice, avoid colleges where students have to scramble to get into the courses they need.
Choose deeds over words. Opt for colleges that are making changes proven to help students graduate on time, whether or not they offer guarantees. Seek out colleges that offer enough classes and set graduation requirements at no more than 120 credit hours, said Complete College America's Sugar.
Accept help. Research shows that students are more likely to stay on track when colleges offer "intrusive advising," or advisors who step in at early signs of trouble such as dropped courses, Sugar adds.
Check the record. Before choosing a college, check its four-year graduation rate -- and find similar colleges with better records - by entering the name of any college you're considering attending into Collegeresults.org. | <urn:uuid:7d85d253-fdba-40ee-873b-ddbfe578ed32> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.news4jax.com/news/money/Colleges-offer-4-year-graduation-guarantees/-/475848/19182264/-/item/0/-/f0le75z/-/index.html | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368706499548/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516121459-00002-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.961146 | 1,001 | 1.625 | 2 |
Should student loan borrowers have a chance to know the rules and strategies used by debt collectors?
The U.S. Department of Education appears to be saying no, at least for now, to the dismay of consumer rights and government transparency advocates.
The department says it is just temporarily removing from public view its procedures for the companies it hires to collect from defaulted student borrowers. Education says it is "reviewing" what should be public. Once the review is "complete, we will re-post all appropriate information," the department says. Meanwhile, the department directs borrowers having trouble making payments to its Guide to Defaulted Student Loans.
But many outside the government are worried. The guide designed for borrowers is incomplete, says Deanne Loonin, a student debt expert for the National Consumer Law Center. The site designed for collectors gives borrowers updates on changes to rules and practices "you can't get anywhere else," Loonin says. Loonin would regularly compare what collection agencies told her clients with the laws and specific procedures posted on the collectors' site to make sure her clients were treated fairly and legally. She says this is the first time she started using the site in 2004 that she has noticed the department hiding the collections procedures from the public.
Many transparency advocates also worry that the department's move contradicts the Obama administration's lofty rhetoric. "A democracy requires accountability, and accountability requires transparency," President Obama declared in a memo on his first day in office. "Agencies should take affirmative steps to make information public. They should not wait for specific requests from the public. All agencies should use modern technology to inform citizens about what is known and done by their Government," the president ordered.
Kathleen Day, a spokeswoman for the Center for Responsible Lending, a borrowers' rights organization, says the rules and procedures should be public "to make sure that everyone is playing fairly, and to prevent abuses by debt collectors ...If you believe in the free market, there has to be a free flow of information," she argues.
Last year, the department posted its full 292-page rulebook for the private collection agencies it hires to deal with people who are behind on their federal student loans. A student loan industry analyst, Tim Ranzetta, summarized it on his Student Lending Analytics Blog,. The government took the rulebook down from its site after a few months, but Ranzetta posted the manual on his site. Earlier this spring, I downloaded a copy, and wrote a blog post and an article giving tips gleaned from the manual. Borrowers who don't read the manual might not be aware, for example, that federal student debt collectors are permitted—but not required —to accept settlements as low as 90 percent of the debt.
I called the department before I published my articles to make sure the 2009 rulebook wasn't outdated. Instead of verifying any information, a department spokesman said the manual had been posted by mistake. He asked me to kill the stories because the government wants borrowers to pay every penny they owe, and borrowers might not do that if they knew that a smaller settlement was possible.
But legal and consumer rights experts I checked with argued that all citizens and borrowers should have access to collections rules and procedures. "I don't see any legitimate interest in the government keeping private this information (regarding their recommended standard operating procedures in dealing with student debt), particularly where it has already disclosed the same information to non-govermental actors, and those with resources to hire lawyers," emailed Gary Blasi, a UCLA law professor and specialist in public interest law.
Shortly after my posts hit the Web, the department removed from public view almost all of the other the collections rules and procedures it had posted. I have been calling and emailing for weeks asking who is performing the review of the collections information, when the review will be finished, and whether borrowers' interests are being taken into account. Not only have department officials refused to answer, but the spokesman I've been dealing with insists that the vague answer quoted above only be attributed to the department and not to him by name.
The debate over how much collections information the government should share with borrowers is starting to attract the attention of a larger audience, including the Center for Public Integrity.
What do you think? | <urn:uuid:cb2b46ac-c127-410d-808a-10eca6a5e5c6> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.usnews.com/education/blogs/college-cash-101/2010/07/05/government-mulls-making-debt-collection-rules-secret_print.html | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368699881956/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516102441-00009-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.973348 | 870 | 1.625 | 2 |
Publication Date:Nov 01, 2007
Source:Harvard Business Review Case Discussion
English Hardcopy Black & White
Also Available in:
|English Hardcopy Black & White||
This HBR Case Study includes both the case and the commentary. For teaching purposes, this reprint is also available in two other versions: case study-only, reprint R0711X, and commentary-only, R0711Z.
Castlebridge & Company, a maker of high-quality outerwear, is a century-old British institution. Its headquarters remain in London, but most of its manufacturing has moved offshore. With the last domestic factory slated to close, the firm's executives struggle to preserve the "Britishness" of the brand. For historian Niall Ferguson, the plant closure is a logical step. The British public has been down this road, as have foreign consumers of British products. The real risk to the brand, Ferguson asserts, is the potential loss of its high-class cachet--not its national identity. Fashion reporter Dana Thomas argues that by broadening their markets beyond the super wealthy, luxury brands have made themselves vulnerable to economic fluctuations. Cutting costs by moving production offshore is inevitable, so Castlebridge should, with characteristic British candor, come clean about it. If the firm shines light on its native roots and its international production, it could establish a winning reputation as a truly modern, global brand. Dov Seidman, CEO of LRN, takes issue with how Castlebridge has gone about the shift to offshore production. In a world where reputation matters more than ever, the firm can't just outperform competitors. It must "outbehave" them, by keeping its promises and acting in a principled manner. Seidman advises the company to rediscover and recommit to the core values that have brought it this far. Writer and consultant Gill Corkindale looks inside Castlebridge, focusing on the staff that will stay on as the company restructures. She recommends a trust-building people strategy, modeled by the CEO, which emphasizes forthright communication from management, as well as genuine solicitation of, and response to, the opinions of employees.
In this fictional case study, an upscale fashion house based in London must assess the advantages and disadvantages of shifting all its local production offshore to improve profit margins. The reader will consider questions such as whether the move would dilute the company's brand, how to market the company's increasingly global character, and how to handle public outcries against a plant closure.
- Geographic: Japan | <urn:uuid:4afeda02-1cde-4298-b117-ff3e827519d1> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://cb.hbsp.harvard.edu/cb/web/product_detail.seam?R=R0711A-HCB-ENG&conversationId=994683 | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368702810651/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516111330-00001-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.946397 | 518 | 1.78125 | 2 |
In this extract from his book Bloodied But Not Beaten, published by David Ling, veteran journalist Rod Vaughan tells of an investigation which exposed one of the last great secrets of the 1990–91 Gulf War.
From the moment I arrived to interview Henry and Daphne Halkyard I sensed that it was going to be an extremely painful ordeal for them.
The retired English couple, who had lived in New Zealand for thirty years, were still troubled by the memories of being held captive in Iraq seven years previously. Reliving that traumatic time was not something they wanted to do but they were still searching for the truth about their incarceration and hoped that I could help them.
They were quintessentially old-school English, polite to a fault and not prone to any overt displays of emotion or affection, although I sensed a very deep bond between the two of them.
As the camera rolled, they told their story calmly and deliberately with occasional flashes of anger and frustration and I was left wondering how two people could be so stoical after enduring such an awful experience.
Their nightmare began as they were returning to New Zealand after a trip to England to help Daphne’s elderly mother move into a rest home. As they boarded British Airways flight BA149 at London’s Heathrow airport they had no idea they were about to be caught up in one of the last great secrets of the 1990–91 Gulf War, when Iraq invaded Kuwait.
For reasons that have never been properly explained, their jumbo jet was allowed to fly into Kuwait hours after the Iraqi invasion, putting their lives and those of more than three hundred and fifty other passengers and crew on the line. In Kuwait they were taken hostage, with the Halkyards and many others later being moved to Iraq, where they were used as human shields by Saddam Hussein.
It was an extremely harrowing experience that left many of them physically and emotionally shattered and wondering how they ever came to be in such a perilous situation. The questions continued to haunt them for years afterwards and, with producer Stephen Davis, I determined to unravel the mystery.
Our investigation for TVNZ’s Assignment programme would take us around the world as we set about unearthing the disturbing secret of BA149.
Our story began at Heathrow Airport, the world’s fourth busiest. It’s bedlam there at the best of times, as it was on 1 August 1990 when the 385 passengers and crew of BA149 converged on Terminal 4.
The flight’s ultimate destination was Kuala Lumpur with intermediate stops at Kuwait and Madras.
Chief Purser on the first leg to Kuwait was Clive Earthy, an affable Englishman who was only too keen to share his memories with us when we visited him at his Hampshire home.
He remembered driving to the airport that day and hearing a news bulletin that filled him with a sense of foreboding. It stated that Iraqi forces were actually massing on the border, some reports indicating that they were actually over the border. When he heard this he felt somewhat perturbed.
Henry and Daphne Halkyard had similar misgivings when they checked in. They had sensed trouble brewing in the Gulf and were alarmed to discover they would be passing through Kuwait.
Henry recalled: ‘I wasn’t particularly happy. I’ve never liked the Middle East since my days in the army when I was there: I always considered it to be a time bomb, and it was rather a shock to me that we were going there at all.’
Did you express any of those concerns to British Airways staff on the ground at Heathrow or to any of the cabin crew?
Henry: ‘I think we expressed it to everybody, felt very strongly right from the first misgivings at Heathrow.’
The Halkyard’s concerns were shared by a number of the British, French, American and Indian passengers on the flight.The aircraft was due to leave at four o’clock that afternoon, but a fault was detected in its auxiliary power unit, a small engine in the tail, which provides air conditioning.
This delayed the departure by two hours giving chief purser Clive Earthy, a chance to confer with the plane’s captain, Richard Brunyate, about the wisdom of landing in Kuwait.
Clive: ‘So the two of us got together on this and he said “I’m not overly happy about this Clive, are you?” And I said no but you’re the captain and if the reassurance is sufficient, bearing in mind the safety of the flight, let’s review it. Now this is one hour approximately before boarding.’
So you agreed to take that flight somewhat reluctantly?
Clive: ‘Yes, somewhat reluctantly because when you’ve got the news media telling you one thing and your company telling you something different . . . but then again you’re there to work and to take on a company like British Airways and refuse to fly an aeroplane and inconvenience the 400 people is quite a big step.’
Around six o’clock that evening BA149 prepared to depart for Kuwait. As the doors were about to close nine or ten clean-cut young men hurriedly boarded the plane.
The late arrivals took seats at the rear of the aircraft where they were noticed by Dr Paul Merlet, a French anaesthetist. He was already nervous about going to Kuwait and the appearance of the group only added to his fears.
The young men were not the only ones on board to arouse the curiosity of other passengers. In the first-class cabin was a high-ranking member of the Kuwait royal family and his bodyguard.
The first sector of BA149 from London to Kuwait was scheduled to take just over six hours, a run the crew had done many times before without trouble. This time, however, they weren’t taking any chances, as Clive Earthy recounted to us.
Clive: ‘I kept in touch with Captain Brunyate upstairs and indeed he phoned me down several times into the cabin to say “It’s looking good Clive, looking good, Heathrow are saying that there’s no reports, no new reports, or anything to indicate there’s any problem in Kuwait, so our destination is Kuwait.”’
During the flight BA149 passed another British Airways plane that had just left Kuwait. It reported no problems.
But by the time the plane touched down in Kuwait the situation had changed dramatically. Iraqi troops and tanks were now storming the outskirts of Kuwait City, having invaded the country three hours previously.
Why the plane was given landing clearance by the control tower amazed people on the ground, including Alistair Lane, a New Zealander living there.
Alistair: ‘The air traffic controllers in Kuwait knew — in my own mind they would have known that the invasion had happened. There was a lot of fighting up north at that time. At four o’clock in the morning it was two hours into the invasion . . . there were troops . . . they were fighting. Jarrah, which is the north city of Kuwait at that stage would have been almost overrun . . . there would certainly have been fighting in Jarrah, the people in Kuwait City would have known about it, and the troops would have been mobilised. There’s no way that the air traffic controllers in Kuwait did not know that the invasion had started.’
Less than one hour after BA149 landed the airport came under attack from Iraqi jet fighters, the attack occurring just as the airliner was preparing to depart on the second leg of its journey to Madras.
With bombs going off around them the passengers and crew hastily evacuated the aircraft and took cover in the terminal building. Daphne Halkyard said it was a scene of utter confusion. ‘We didn’t really know what the loud noises were, but there we were in the middle of an airport with a refuelled aeroplane — it was not a nice place to be.’
By now the Iraqis were firmly in control of Kuwait and the fate of everyone on BA149 was in their hands, except the group of young men who’d boarded the plane at the last moment in London.
They had mysteriously vanished within minutes of the jet landing.
Who they were and what they were about only became apparent much later on.
For the moment the occupants of BA149 were trapped in a war zone, the situation deteriorating rapidly, as Alistair Lane recalled to us.
‘The grim reality of it all set in on the Saturday, which is two days after the invasion when at that point the roads were literally covered with tanks and troops — you couldn’t move without, you know, stepping on something. And on that day the first of the hostages that we knew was taken, and that was a German colleague of ours who worked in the company. He got pulled out of his car and taken off to a hotel initially, and then a few days later was taken to Iraq as a human shield.’
The dire situation prompted the captain of BA149, Richard Brunyate, and several crew members to go into hiding, fearful of what could happen to them if they fell into the hands of the Iraqi invaders.
With the help of friendly Kuwaitis they disguised themselves as Arabs and hid in deserted apartment blocks, existing on scraps of food. They evaded capture for more than four months before being repatriated back to Britain.
However, the passengers and remaining crew members of BA149 were not so fortunate, kept under armed guard in various hotels and left to ponder their fate, their mood fluctuating between optimism and despair. After four days of being kept in limbo their nerves were on a knife’s edge, especially when those holding British, American, Canadian, French, German and Italian passports were ordered to surrender their passports and board some waiting buses.
This included the Halkyards who, for the sake of convenience, were travelling on their British passports instead of their New Zealand ones. As they clambered aboard the buses, clutching their meagre possessions, there was a mood of optimism when it seemed they were headed for the airport and perhaps freedom, but the mood was short-lived.
The vehicles bypassed the airport and took them to Basra in southern Iraq, where they boarded a train for Baghdad and the start of their terrifying ordeal as human shields at a nuclear enrichment plant just north of the city. Here they were kept captive in a rat-infested tin shed, surrounded by a three-metre-high fence.
Living conditions at Tarmyah where the Halkyards were held were squalid and food was scarce.
Henry continued: ‘The septic tank at the enrichment plant was right outside the shower door, the shower window sort of thing at the end of the building, and it had no top on it, and it was pretty black and overflowing, so the aroma came in from outside. That wasn’t the best, and it used to overflow into a sort of black soggy mess around which one tried to walk.’
The Halkyards spent almost two months in such conditions not knowing what to expect next.
Daphne: ‘Chronic fear became a way of life with us. Every day there was something upon which we would focus — it varied. We were afraid of being bombed by the western allies. We were afraid of illness, obviously. We were afraid of being lynched. We were afraid of the breakdown of some of our fellow hostages. Obviously there was no freedom of speech — we were afraid of letting something slip that could have jeopardised members of our little group. We were watching our backs the whole time, but there was nothing we could do, nothing we could
You felt your life was on the line?
Daphne: ‘Throughout our incarceration, yes. We lived a day at a time, but we had no illusions whatsoever as far as our situation were concerned.’
Iraq presented a much different picture to the rest of the world. It broadcast pictures of the Halkyards and other hostages being treated as honoured guests of the Iraqi government. It was a charade that deceived few people, least of all the Halkyard’s daughter, Rowan, back home in New Zealand.
She held grave fears for the safety of her parents.
Rowan: ‘The whole thing was traumatic, the news varied from day to day. One day we would be told that the hostages would be having their food rations cut, which was absolutely terrifying. The next thing you know there was talk of a third world war. We knew — well we had a sketchy idea about — not where they were but the situation in which they were being held, and we knew that their situation was grave to say the least, so it was frightening, terribly frightening.’
Did you ever think you’d never see them again?
Rowan: ‘To myself, towards the end of the time that they were there, I had accepted to a very large degree that they wouldn’t be coming home.’
You thought they were a lost cause?
Rowan: ‘Definitely, yeah. The chances were very high that we would not see them again.’
Other human shields, like the chief purser of BA149, Clive Earthy, were in a similar predicament. He told us he was in no doubt that lives hung in the balance should the west invade Iraq.
Clive: ‘Our guards and the Iraqi commanders around the docks were very, very unhappy about this, and one afternoon six Iraqi soldiers came into the garden of the bungalow where we were and they dug a massive great hole, approximately three feet deep by about eight foot square.
I wandered outside, only on to the veranda — we weren’t allowed any further — but I was chatting to a particularly young Iraqi soldier and I said, “What the hell’s that hole for?” And he said, “Oh it’s a latrine Mr Clive.” “Well,” I said, “a latrine? But we’ve got toilets in this bungalow that flush.” “Ah no, not a latrine, it is for rubbish, to burn the rubbish.”
“But,” I said, “the rubbish? You’re piling it over there against the wall and burning it down every evening. Come on, tell the truth.” He said, “Well actually it’s for you guys. The first sign of any invasion at all, and my commander has said that we have to shoot you.”’
Also fearing for her life was New Zealander Gaela Tolley, who was living in Kuwait.
Her husband was out of the country on business when the invasion occurred. Left to fend for herself and her three young children she managed to escape captivity by sheltering with Kuwaiti resistance fighters, but not before a life- threatening encounter with Iraqi soldiers who arrived unannounced at her apartment.
She recalls: ‘They had their faces covered and they had guns, and they wandered into my place and I can tell you — I mean you don’t let people like that into your place anyway, but especially when they come like that.
So I got on my hands and knees and crawled out the front door and got away with the boys, but they went upstairs and they went to the next apartment and they tied up our friend and raped her for about three hours, and her husband had been tied up in the bathroom. So I mean it was pretty serious.’
Gaela escaped across the desert disguised as the wife of a diplomat.
It was about this time Daphne Halkyard was given the chance of freedom when Iraq released a number of women and children who had been held hostage. She was confronted with a terrible dilemma.
Every woman had a very difficult decision to make. I knew that my family, my children — our children — would look after each other, Henry would have been on his own. I decided that it was right for me to stay, but I often had misgivings because if both of us were to have been killed, well, then we would have left our children bereft. But no, I based my decision on what I believed to be right.’
An incredibly tough decision nonetheless.
Did it cause you much soul searching?
Daphne: ‘Yes, it did. I thought I had made the right decision but — and yes, we all made our decisions on varying grounds — it was very, very hard.’
Henry, how did you feel about that, the fact that Daphne could have gone but elected to stay with you?
Henry: ‘I felt very humble. I shall always be indebted to her for staying with me.’
By now the West was exerting extreme pressure on Iraq to release people who were being used as human shields, people like the Halkyards. Their situation was desperate and there were grave fears that they would become casualties of the bloody conflict.
Just when it seemed that their fate was sealed former British Prime Minister Ted Heath went to Baghdad and successfully negotiated their release.
The Halkyards could not believe their good fortune. Almost three months after leaving London on BA149 they finally arrived home in Warkworth, relieved to be safe and secure with their family and friends.
They tried to put those terrible memories behind them, but found it impossible to bury the past. They were still haunted by a fundamental question. Why was BA149 allowed to fly into a war zone and put the lives of so many people at risk?
Like the other passengers who became human shields they still didn’t have an answer.
Daphne: ‘The silence has amazed us. We feel that we were entitled to some sort of explanation of the events that left us for 84 days at the mercy of the Iraqi people. We have made all inquiries that we could, but there seems to have been a conspiracy of silence.’
How do you feel Henry?
Henry: ‘Oh, I’ve been spitting tacks since August the second 1990. I feel it’s most unjust and because there is this cloak of silence, every inquiry has been held behind closed doors. I am deeply suspicious.’
Also deeply suspicious was British politician John Prescott, who, at the time of the Gulf War, was the Opposition Transport Spokesman in Britain. He suspected that BA149 was used to insert an SAS team into Iraq.
If he was right the team could have been put together at the last moment, hence the two-hour delay in the flight departing London at 6.15pm.
As the jumbo jet sped towards Kuwait the crew got hourly updates on the situation there from British Airways in London.They were reassured all was well, but it was not.
Three hours before they landed American intelligence reported that Iraqhad invaded Kuwait and conveyed the news to its allies in Britain and Europe, including the Kuwaiti ambassador in London. But for reasons that are not clear no warning was issued to the crew of BA149, which touched down in Kuwait at 1.15am on 2 August, and immediately found itself in the middle of a war zone.
All of which raises two crucial questions. Was news of the invasion deliberately withheld from the crew, and if so, by whom and why? Or was there a genuine communications breakdown, perhaps the result of human error, and if so who was to blame?
Our Assignment investigation found little evidence to support the ‘cock-up’ theory but much to suggest that the British government, with or without British Airways’ knowledge, withheld crucial information, because it wanted BA149 to land in Kuwait.
But why? Perhaps to offload the group of ten young men who some think were members of the SAS.
Clive Earthy tried to find out the answer from the person who checked-in the passengers at Heathrow.
Clive: ‘A flying colleague told me that his wife was actually working for British Airways at the ticket office, the check-in at Terminal 4 at Heathrow, and indeed had checked in Flight 149 passengers, and that she recalled a group of men turning up quite late after everybody had been sent down to the departure gate to board the flight, and she also mentioned to him that she had the impression that they were military.’
What gave her that impression?
Clive: ‘I believe it was something to do with the ticketing codes on the tickets.’
What did those codes indicate, what did they say?
Clive: ‘Well, to her presumably that they were a military account. However, when I subsequently tried to contact the lady — and indeed I did do just that — she denied all knowledge of the whole affair.’
Does she still work for British Airways?
Clive: ‘No she doesn’t. According to her husband she now works for the MoD.’
The Ministry of Defence?
Clive: ‘The Ministry of Defence, yes indeed.’
Texas lawyer Bill Neumann, who pursued a compensation claim for American passengers, also tried to establish the identity of the mystery men on the flight.
You tried to obtain a list of passengers?
Bill: ‘Yes we did.’
And you didn’t get one?
Bill: ‘That’s correct.’
Bill: ‘They basically said they didn’t have one as I recall.’
Did that surprise you?
Bill: ‘Yes it did. Yes very much so.’
What does that suggest to you?
Bill: ‘Well I think that probably gives some fuel or support for the notion that perhaps there was someone on board that they didn’t want people to know about.’
Would it surprise you that an SAS contingent may have been on that plane?
Bill: ‘It would not surprise me, no.’
As part of the compensation claim Bill Neumann also took depositions from British Airways ground staff stationed in Kuwait at the time.They revealed that a senior staff member and the family of another left Kuwait in a hurry, a few hours before BA149 landed.
Bill: ‘It surprised me that Amanda Ball, who was second in command, left that very evening a few hours before, and that the station manager sent his family away that very evening also on the last flight out before 149 arrived.’
So are you saying that a senior staff member and the family of a senior staff member fled just before the invasion occurred.
Bill: ‘They wouldn’t characterise it as fled, but one could assume that they were doing that under the circumstances, I believe.’
So clearly the alarm bells were ringing among the British Airways team in Kuwait yet no one saw fit to alert the crew of BA149 to the danger they were flying into. There was still plenty of time to divert them elsewhere but they were allowed to proceed to their destination as if nothing was wrong.
As we delved deeper into the circumstances of BA149’s untimely arrival in Kuwait we struck a wall of silence wherever we went.
The UK Ministry of Defence refused to make any comment whatsoever and British Airways also declined to be interviewed, after earlier agreeing to appear on the programme.
However, the airline later provided us with a statement, which said:
"While British Airways has every sympathy for those taken hostage, what happened to them was the result of an act of war by Iraq. British Airways had no prior notice that Iraq would invade Kuwait. British Airways cannot be held responsible for this act of war as courts in England, Scotland and the United States have agreed.
It is preposterous to suggest that British Airways would deliberately endanger its passengers, employees or aircraft in any way. We have never been aware that there were military personnel on board and Prime Minister John Major confirmed this.
Our captain and senior cabin crew have stated that no passengers joined the flight during its delay at Heathrow."
It was a carefully constructed statement that absolved British Airways from any culpability, but in one key respect it still didn’t tally with what people were telling us: some passengers clearly recalled a group of military-looking young men boarding the aircraft at the last moment and this was corroborated by the British Airways check-in agent, who spoke of a similar group turning up late for the flight.
To get to the bottom of the matter we headed to the English cathedral town of Hereford where the Special Air Service is based and met with several former members of the elite regiment, people with impeccable credentials, people whose identity we couldn’t reveal.
The meeting had been arranged through an intermediary who had assisted me with previous investigations I had conducted in the UK.
The men he introduced us to said there was, indeed, a top secret team on BA149, but it wasn’t entirely from the SAS. It also comprised members of the SIS otherwise known as MI6, Britain’s external intelligence service. The team’s mission was to activate an underground intelligence network in Kuwait as the invasion got underway.
Our sources revealed it was not the first time a British Airways flight had been used to ferry secret agents in and out of trouble. They claimed that in the days before the Shah of Iran was overthrown by the Ayatollahs a flight was diverted to Tehran to uplift a team of agents whose lives were in danger.
We had no reason to doubt the integrity of the people who gave us this information, as not only had some of them held high office in the SAS, they also claimed to have spoken with members of the team who were on BA149.
So, if our informants were correct a cynical decision had been made at the highest levels to use BA149 as a Trojan horse in order to infiltrate a joint SAS/MI6 team into Kuwait, and to hell with the safety of everyone else on board.
Such a scenario would explain why Henry and Daphne Halkyard and everyone else on the flight had struck a brick wall trying to uncover the secret of BA149, because had they been able to prove this, it would have resulted in massive compensation for all concerned.
Instead, the Halkyards and all the New Zealand and British passengers on board that fateful flight have received next to nothing, unlike some other nationalities on the plane who were compensated for the traumatic time they spent as human shields in Iraq.'
Daphne: ‘Yes, it still haunts one, it’s there every day. You get flashbacks and these moments of absolute terror and you wake up in the night sometimes thinking you’re still there.’
But in the event you’ve received absolutely nothing?
Daphne: ‘We haven’t received anything at all. We feel that we are justified to some compensation for what has happened, and yes, in the whole experience the thing that we feel most resentful about is the treatment we’ve received from British Airways.’
How would you describe that?
Henry: ‘We haven’t received anything, we haven’t received any letter or communication even earlier on to say we’re awfully sorry this happened to you, I hope you’re all right and all the rest of it, nothing.’
So what you’re saying is you feel you’ve just been left totally high and dry?
Today Henry and Daphne are no longer together.
The man she refused to abandon in Iraq died suddenly some years ago, leaving her to face the gremlins of the past alone.
Writing poetry has helped her come to terms with the dark days they shared in Iraq, not knowing from one day till the next whether they would be dead or alive.
THE FACE OF EVIL
I took a trip to hell and back. It’s not a lonely place;
It’s full of mindless people, and one man’s smiling face.
I saw the face of evil — its presence everywhere.
It smiles at you benignly, without a worldly care.
I heard the voice of peril — it speaks of peace and love.
The words are full of slogans and visions from above.
I watched the hand of danger caress a small child’s head.
I saw the hand extended as if to bless the dead
The parts all came together to form a single man,
Aspiring to greatness in a doomed and wasted land.
I took a trip to hell and back. I wasn’t there by choice;
But I can’t forget the hand, the face, the sound of Saddam’s voice. | <urn:uuid:3b36cac8-ed6d-497a-80f9-dec071486eb1> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://m.nbr.co.nz/article/secret-ba149-ja-134165 | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368708766848/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516125246-00005-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.987491 | 6,045 | 1.664063 | 2 |
Farm Horizons, August 2010
The woman who paints cows
By Stephen Wiblemo
If you’ve been living in rural Minnesota for long, chances are you’ve at least heard of Bonnie Mohr. And if you’ve heard of Mohr, chances are good that what you heard about her was in regard to her special skills as a bona fide bovine artist.
While painting cows is what made Mohr famous in these parts, and, indeed, throughout all of rural America and dairy farming communities, she is much more.
Today, Mohr lives on a dairy farm north of Glencoe with her husband, John, and five children. While she and John both grew up on Minnesota dairy farms near New Ulm, they weren’t always living the rural American dream.
It was just 20 years ago that the Mohrs purchased their farm. Before that, they were living and working in the Twin Cities. Bonnie sold advertising for a publishing company, and John sold dairy sanitation products. While work was good, they both longed to return to farming, so in 1989, they moved out west and started their farm. This was also when Bonnie decided to take her first big step into the world of art.
Mohr had always enjoyed art, and although she never had any professional training, she had been doing it as a hobby for many years.
“I’m a self-taught artist. I’ve always loved art,” she said. “Ever since I was a kid, I loved design, color, and paintings. It was my favorite subject in class, but I never had any formal art training.
“While I was working for this other company in the Cities, I would play around with art on the evenings and weekends. I went and bought some oil paint and some canvas, subscribed to some art magazines, and just taught myself.”
After the Mohrs left the Cities and headed back out to the country, Bonnie saw it as her opportunity.
“When we bought the farm in 1989, and I knew we were moving out here, I decided I was going to give my art a try,” she said. “I thought, ‘if it doesn’t work out, I can always get a job and go back to the working world.’ But, if you never try, you never know.”
Like most beginning artists, things started slow. Not only was Mohr a beginning artist, but she was having to learn and figure everything out for herself.
“The first few years were slow, and almost painful, because I left a good job with a secure paycheck and went into a world I knew very little about,” Mohr said. “There are no artists in my family, and I was trying to do something I knew nothing about.”
Fortunately, Mohr had a plan. The saying is “do what you know," so when it came to painting, Mohr was inclined to paint what she knew, and that was cows.
“I knew them well. I grew up showing them, milking them, chasing them, and working with them,” she said. “What I found was, I did it (paint cows) well and there weren’t many people doing it. That was the beginning of a market for me.”
In that first year, she also got her first job, commissioned by Select Sires, a bull seed company, to paint portraits of two of their bulls. As it turns out, this was the beginning of a career that is still going after 20 years.
“For the first 10 years of painting, all I did was paint cow pictures,” Mohr said. “I went to the World Dairy Expo, which is a big show in Madison, WI the first week of October every year. It is the largest dairy show in North America.”
Mohr brought her work to the show and discovered there was an interest in cow art. At first, she only brought a few paintings, but after 25 consecutive years of attending the dairy expo, her displays have grown considerably. The expo was also an important part of growing her business.
As her business grew, the room required also grew, and about 12 years ago, the Mohrs made the decision to set up a studio and showroom for Bonnie to operate out of.
“From that point, when we put the building up, is when some fun growth and new things started to happen,” she said. “We put together a catalog, I went online, and I got into the Minnesota State Fair and started exhibiting there.”
It was also at this point that she decided to start painting something other than just cows, but she didn’t stray far from what she knew.
“That is when I started doing a lot of domestic animals, and rural America paintings,” Mohr said. “I have a huge love for all of rural America. I grew up on a farm, and I think it is the best-kept secret in the world.”
Mohr’s business continued to grow, and so did her identity as an artist. While her rural American work did well, about five years ago she decided to try her hand at some inspirational work.
She has a verse stenciled on the wall of her showroom that she wrote, and after years of listening to people ask for a copy of the verse, she was inspired to do something with it. She created a work called “Living Life” that includes the verse and a painting of a tree, which she felt was the perfect imagery to bring her verse to life.
“I created the painting to go with the verse, and it’s been my number-one selling print every year,” Mohr said. “That was kind of strange for me, because I’m thinking ‘wait a minute, I’m about cows. I’m a cow artist,’ but my inspirational art is taking off.”
While Mohr is excited to jump into this new area of art, she says she will continue with the work that made her famous.
“I’ve discovered that the inspirational area is something that I like, and I may have a calling for,” she said. “So, I think I am going to move in that direction, but I will continue with my ag and rural American art.”
Even if Mohr tried to get away from her cow paintings, the demand for them simply wouldn’t allow it. Most recently, Mohr was commissioned to do a painting in celebration of the 125th anniversary of Hoard’s Dairyman magazine.
“Anyone who milks cows probably gets Hoard’s Dairyman and reads it. They are the magazine of the industry,” Mohr said. “. . . To have landed that commission is really awesome. I feel like this is recognition that I have arrived at a place in my career to be given a great opportunity.”
The painting Mohr was commissioned to do was an updated version of Hoard’s Dairyman’s most famous work, “Foster Mothers of the Human Race.” The painting, which features all six breeds of dairy cows, was first done in 1957 by Hoard’s Dairyman’s former art director, James Baird. Baird also painted updates of the work in 1963, 1991, and 1993. Mohr’s updated version was unveiled in June.
Like most artists, Mohr’s journey started in one place, but over time has sprawled in many different directions. In this desire to diversify and become multifaceted, some artists can grow to resent the things that first made them famous. For Bonnie Mohr, though, she has embraced her place in the art world, and while she will continue to let her heart steer her work, she doesn’t resent being known as the woman who paints cows.
“I’m really proud of it, because if you are good at what you do, honk your horn,” she said. “I can paint cows really well.”
If you would like to see and learn more about Mohr’s work, you can visit her website at www.bonniemohr.com. | <urn:uuid:81341b22-279e-4a27-a612-5cc577c71485> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.herald-journal.com/farmhorizons/2010/mohr.html | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368699273641/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516101433-00014-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.989512 | 1,775 | 1.640625 | 2 |
77 Mac 202e
1600 Grand Avenue
Saint Paul, MN 55105
Assessment within academic departments helps a department to understand the general effectiveness of its curriculum in meeting the overall departmental goals.
Faculty members within academic departments are responsible for developing these goals, and for implementing a plan ensure that the goals are being achieved.
Each Academic Department has developed learning goals for its majors. Departments have also developed corresponding Assessment Plans that guide their regular inquiry into student learning objectives.
Each year, departments conduct assessment, discuss results and summarize findings and future plans in a Department Action Report (DAR) which is submitted to the Associate Dean of the Faculty.
The Associate Dean of the Faculty and Campus Assessment Facilitator serve as resources for departments. | <urn:uuid:9946559f-e405-4e1a-92ef-2c41814bf8ee> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.macalester.edu/assessment/academicdepartments/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368703298047/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516112138-00012-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.962199 | 152 | 1.570313 | 2 |
DENVER — With the presidency hanging in the balance, President Barack Obama and Republican challenger Mitt Romney clashed sharply Wednesday in their first debate, trying to convince voters theyre uniquely qualified to lead the country to full recovery from the worst economic downturn since the 1930s.
The two men sparred from the opening minutes over their competing visions of government and whether it should help lead the way to a better economy or get out of the way. Each also repeatedly accused the other of promoting damaging policies on such issues as taxes, spending, health care and business regulation that made or would make things worse, not better.
Weve begun to fight our way back, Obama said, arguing that he has helped turn around the economy but needs four more years to finish the job. Weve still got a lot of work to do.
Romney countered by noting his encounters with people who have approached him in recent days asking for help finding work for themselves or their families. "We can help, but its going to take a different path," Romney said. "The path that were on has been unsuccessful. Trickle-down government will not work."
They met at the University of Denver, standing on a stage with the texts of the Constitution and the Declaration of Independence over their shoulders at a time when the country remained closely divided between the two and millions of Americans are looking for the best path to restore jobs and paychecks.
Romney tended to be more fiery and aggressive, offering a starkly different menu of changes in how Americans are taxed and seniors get health care, a performance that could help him get his struggling campaign back on track. Obama tried to paint Romney as extreme and irresponsible, but he appeared defensive at times, pursing his lips and looking down rather than at Romney.
The two, who have met a handful of times, were cordial with each other, addressing each as Mr. President and Governor before they launched their fact-filled attacks. They even laughed about sharing a stage on the Obamas 20th wedding anniversary.
But they were resolute in their arguments, each aggressively defending his proposals or criticizing the other even when moderator Jim Lehrer tried to stop them after they exceeded time limits.
Romney argued that Obama has presided over a weak recovery that has crushed the middle class.
Under the presidents policies, middle-income Americans have been buried, Romney said. Theyre just being crushed. Middle-income Americans have seen their income come down by $4,300. This is a tax in and of itself. Ill call it the economy tax. Its been crushing. At the same time, gasoline prices have doubled under the president. Electric rates are up. Food prices are up. Health care costs have gone up by $2,500 a family. Middle-income families are being crushed.
He tore into Obamas signature domestic achievement, the 2010 health care law, calling it a misplaced priority at a time that Americans yearned mostly for jobs.
I just dont know how the president could have come into office, facing 23 million people out of work, rising unemployment, an economic crisis at the kitchen table, and spend his energy and passion for two years fighting for Obamacare instead of fighting for jobs for the American people, he said.
The president accused Romney of wanting to give tax breaks to the wealthy instead of helping the middle class, which he said would create jobs and boost the economy.
Gov. Romney has a perspective that says if we cut taxes skewed toward the wealthy and cut regulations, well be better off. I have a different view, he said.
Obama said he supports a balanced approach of tax cuts and increased spending. He said he would stress education and training, calling for a new economic patriotism that says America does best when the middle class does best.
Romney repeatedly said descriptions of his tax plan were not true, and he accused the president of distorting his proposals. He wants to extend George W. Bush-era tax cuts that lowered the tax rate paid by Americans at all income levels and enact additional cuts.
Virtually everything he said about my tax plan is inaccurate. . . . My plan is not like anything that has been tried before, Romney said. Going forward with the status quo is not going to cut it anymore.
Obama suggested that corporate tax rates should go down, but he also wants to close loopholes for companies shipping jobs overseas. On energy, Obama said, he and Romney agree domestic energy production needs to be boosted. But Obama also wants to promote energy sources of the future, like wind and biofuels.
Romney countered that Im not looking to cut massive taxes, and he pledged no tax cut that adds to the deficit, though he would not provide specifics. Romney would retain Bush-era tax cuts and slice income tax rates 20 percent across the board. Obama would retain the Bush rates only for families earning less than $250,000 and individuals making less than $200,000.
Taxes and the deficit dominated the first part of the 90-minute showdown between the two presidential candidates, the first of three nationally televised face-offs with an audience expected to total in the tens of millions. But also on the list was health care, the role of government and Social Security and Medicare.
Both Obama and Romney insisted they know how important it is to cut the nations debt. Obama said he has tried to cut the debt that has ballooned because of the cost of two wars, tax cuts and government programs that were not paid for. He insisted that he worked with Democrats and Republicans to cut a trillion dollars and is working to convince a divided Congress to cut $4 trillion from the projected deficit.
Its on a website. You can look at all the numbers, what cuts we make and what revenue we raise, he said.
But Romney said Obama had time to reduce the deficit and failed. The nation faces devastating cuts are the result of a bipartisan deal struck last year to raise the nations debt ceiling. Congress agreed that if a 12-member committee failed to reduce the deficit by $1.2 trillion over the next decade, the cuts would come from government spending. The first round is set to start in January.
I mean, you have said before youd cut the deficit in half. And this I love this idea of $4 trillion in cuts. You found $4 trillion of ways to reduce or to get closer to a balanced budget, except we still show trillion-dollar deficits every year. That doesnt get the job done, Romney said
They also clashed on health care, and few issues divide the candidates and their parties more than that issue. The 2010 federal health care law championed by Obama would require nearly everyone to get coverage by 2014. Romney sees the plan as a dangerous government takeover.
They also differ on how seniors should obtain care. Obama wants to retain traditional Medicare, which faces a severe financial crisis. He would save $716 billion from anticipated spending in the future, and save part of that money by having an independent commission recommend ways to cut costs.
Romney fired away at that notion and insisted his plan, which would provide federal help for seniors so they could choose Medicare or a private plan, was far more efficient.
I know my own view is Id rather have a private plan. Id just as soon not have the government telling me what kind of health care I get. Id rather be able to have an insurance company. If I dont like them, I can get rid of them and find a different insurance company. But people make their own choice, he said.
No, Obama countered. Private plans will insure the healthiest seniors, leaving Medicare to take the most ailing. And when you move to a voucher system, you are putting seniors at the mercy of those insurance companies. And over time, if traditional Medicare has decayed or fallen apart, then theyre stuck, the president said.
Obama recalled how Romney signed into law the Massachusetts health care plan widely seen as a model for the federal program.
Theres a reason why Gov. Romney set up the plan that he did in Massachusetts. It wasnt a government takeover of health care. It was the largest expansion of private insurance, Obama said.
Romney defended his plan, noting that it raised no taxes. But, he added, The federal government taking over health care for the entire nation and whisking aside the 10th Amendment, which gives states the rights for these kinds of things, is not the course for America to have a stronger, more vibrant economy But what it does say is that insurers, youve got to take everybody."
The candidates will debate again Oct. 16 in Hempstead, N.Y., and on Oct. 22 in Boca Raton, Fla. Vice President Joe Biden will debate Republican nominee Rep. Paul Ryan of Wisconsin on Oct. 11 in Danville, Ky.
Obama has an edge over Romney in most national and swing state polls. But Romney holds the edge on the economy. A Gallup poll released Wednesday found that voters think Romney would better handle the economy by 49 percent to 45 percent. The survey also showed slightly more voters think the economy will be better if Romney wins.
Part of the voters judgment is likely to involve their perceptions of how things are going, and economic indicators are mixed. Unemployment has topped 8 percent since February 2009, the month after Obama took office, an unusually long stretch for such a high rate. But the president can argue that unemployment has slowly dropped since its 10 percent peak two years ago.
The economy grew at a sluggish 1.3 percent annual rate in the second quarter of this year, hardly considered a healthy pace. But it did grow, and it has been expanding since the Great Recession of 2007-09 ended more than three years ago.
Consumer confidence, a key barometer of public mood, jumped last month, but even that spike only brought it back to its February level, according to data compiled by the Conference Board, a New York-based research group.
And household income continues to lag. A study by Sentier Research found that in the three years ending in June, inflation-adjusted median household income tumbled 4.8 percent, even worse than the 2.7 percent drop during the recession itself.
Email:[email protected]; [email protected]; Twitter:@lightmandavid; anitakumar01 | <urn:uuid:f34e411e-dc68-4ab6-847d-536581735ea1> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.kentucky.com/2012/10/03/2359208/obama-and-romney-to-clash-over.html | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368699273641/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516101433-00011-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.975571 | 2,114 | 1.617188 | 2 |
New Delhi | May 17, 2013 21:57 (IST)
Expressing surprise over S&P's threat to downgrade India's credit rating, industry bodies on Friday termed the global agency's affirming its negative outlook on the country as unfortunate and harsh.
New Delhi | May 17, 2013 20:40 (IST)
Expressing disappointment over S&P's rating action, the government said on Friday that its fiscal policies are on the right track and there is nothing to be worried about.
May 17, 2013 17:32 (IST)
Global ratings agency Standard & Poor's has affirmed its BBB minus with a negative outlook rating on India, the lowest investment grade among the BRIC group of large emerging economies. India has one in three chance of a rating downgrade in next 12 months, S&P added.
Mumbai | May 17, 2013 16:25 (IST)
Standard & Poor's expects India to grow around 6 per cent in the current fiscal year ending March 2014, said credit analyst Takahira Ogawa.
May 17, 2013 16:20 (IST)
So how exactly does S&P or any other rating agency decide the sovereign rating? Let's try to find out the answer.
Port Louis | May 17, 2013 14:57 (IST)
The 21 players in the Mauritian banking industry comprise 7 local banks, 9 foreign owned subsidiaries, one joint venture and 4 branches of foreign banks. All the banks are licensed by the Bank of Mauritius to carry out banking business locally and internationally.
Mumbai/Kolkata | May 17, 2013 14:13 (IST)
But Saradha went bust in April, wiping out as much as $3.7 billion in deposits from mostly low-income Indians, miring West Bengal's government in scandal, and illustrating the risks faced by the millions who live outside the banking system.
New Delhi | May 17, 2013 13:57 (IST)
Planning Commission Deputy Chairman Montek Singh Ahluwalia today told NDTV that the economy is back on the growth trajectory and he sees 2013-14 as the "turnaround year" for India's economy.
Washington | May 17, 2013 13:35 (IST)
India and China are expected to be the largest investors among developing countries by 2030, with the two Asian giants accounting for 38 per cent of global gross investment, a World Bank report said today.
May 16, 2013 23:25 (IST)
The U.S. economy showed fresh signs of slower growth in the second quarter, with factory activity slipping in the mid-Atlantic region while groundbreaking declined at home construction sites.
Mumbai | May 16, 2013 17:58 (IST)
In a fresh poll, seven out of 14 economists who had earlier said the Reserve Bank of India would not ease policy at a June 17 meeting now do expect a cut in the repo rate.
May 15, 2013 20:14 (IST)
The government will from June 1 roll out direct transfer of cash subsidy on cooking gas (LPG) in 20 districts as it looks to cut its subsidy outgo by up to Rs 10,000 crore annually by eliminating diversions.
May 15, 2013 17:23 (IST)
The investment bank cites lower-than-expected wholesale price inflation data on Tuesday as the reason behind its expectations of early rate cuts.
Frankfurt | May 15, 2013 16:46 (IST)
The headline wholesale inflation fell to 41-month low in April, dropping within the central bank's comfort zone of less than 5 per cent and fuelling market hopes for more monetary easing to revive sagging economic growth.
Brussels | May 15, 2013 15:22 (IST)
Falling output across the bloc, from France to Finland, meant the 17-nation economy shrank 0.2 per cent in the January to March period, the EU's statistics office Eurostat said.
Mumbai | May 15, 2013 14:56 (IST)
The principal will be indexed to the wholesale price index with a four-months lag, while the coupon will remain fixed, the central bank said.
New Delhi | May 15, 2013 14:14 (IST)
Also, the steps being taken to curb gold demand are expected to bring down the current account deficit (CAD) by 0.4-0.5 per cent of GDP in the current fiscal, he said.
Frankfurt | May 14, 2013 22:24 (IST)
Reserve Bank of India governor Duvvuri Subbarao said on Tuesday that he is "very happy" about lower headline inflation, where new figures showed it decreased more than expected.
New Delhi | May 14, 2013 17:56 (IST)
Reserve Bank of India deputy governor H.R. Khan said the central bank has allowed oil marketing companies to finance part of their short-term trade credit requirement through overseas debt.
New Delhi | May 14, 2013 16:12 (IST)
India's sagging economy will see a turnaround this fiscal year on the back of accelerating industrial production, improvement in global conditions and likelihood of good monsoon, the Planning Commission said on Tuesday. | <urn:uuid:2edf4717-801e-43a6-8b77-08cd2962aa1c> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://profit.ndtv.com/news/economy?microslug=railbudget2012,railbudget2012 | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368696383156/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516092623-00000-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.935483 | 1,065 | 1.59375 | 2 |
An Overview of Logistics Management at McKenna
Logistics management is a specialized industry that involves the seamless integration of information processing, inventory management, warehousing, material handling, packaging and distribution. Handling all of these important elements on your own can distract you from doing what you do best – running your business and developing your products and services.
At McKenna, logistics management is our business. As a third party logistics provider, we can manage these processes for you to ensure maximum efficiency and cost effectiveness for your business.
Experience and Innovation
At McKenna, we have been specializing in logistics since 1950, and we can put our experience to work for you. We also use the latest technologies and logistics systems available to ensure that our clients have the ability to get up-to-the-minute information about their warehoused product inventory levels and the distribution status of individual jobs, 24 hours a day, seven days a week.
Our on-line NetView Electronic Data Interchange (EDI) is logistics software that keeps McKenna’s clients informed with a comprehensive range of reporting functions, including:
- Firm dates for order fulfillment
- Ability to view inventory levels at any time
- Ability to check inbound and outbound shipment dates
- Download Excel files of reports to your desktop
These advantages provide not only peace of mind in your logistics management, but also the ability to more tightly manage profitability and forecasting.
Outsourcing your logistics needs to McKenna not only makes practical business sense for day-to-day operations, it makes financial sense. Many of our customers have saved hundreds of thousands of dollars each year using our logistical expertise and inventory management services to gain efficiencies and meet their business objectives. | <urn:uuid:67775ac8-886b-4b16-8f41-90d3dcfd6313> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.mckennalogistics.ca/Logistics | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368706153698/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516120913-00014-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.939035 | 344 | 1.601563 | 2 |
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