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Tuesday, December 6, 2011
Difference Between Chalk and Fromage
Observations from recent tours of Eurocopter's facility in Marignane, France and Boeing's plant at Ridley Park.
My observations this month surround two different assembly lines that I’ve witnessed recently. In November I visited Eurocopter’s Marignane sprawling headquarters complex outside of Marseille in the south of France. A month before I’d been to Boeing’s Ridley Park facility outside of Philadelphia. The immediate impression that was made upon me was the difference in assembly method between the two lines, due largely to volume of order and customer profile of each aircraft type.
The Super Puma assembly technique in Marignane involved the helicopter, for the most part, staying static and engineering teams working around it. With an aircraft such as the versions encompassed in the Super Puma family, orders tend to be from a wide variety of customers but in volumes from single aircraft up to some that are into double figures. So when an aircraft needs a unique modification, the specialists come to it and fit the mod. The parts system is still centralized where engineers go and ask for the items they require and there seems to be a busy, almost cluttered hive of activity around each aircraft. But then with so many modifications that continually need to be done according to customer requirements, the ability to standardize this system into a pulse line seems limited. However, it does allow Eurocopter to be flexible and adaptive towards individual customer needs, however big or small they might be.
The opposite is true at Boeing’s Ridley Park facility. With a single big customer that is the U.S. Army, it has been possible to lean and pulse-line helicopter production and the process surrounding it. If you are building so many aircraft the same, great economies can be made although even here, extra modifications have to be done to the completed aircraft at a different location. However, there was something very impressive about the focus on point of use where the exact location of different services, tools, skills and people are located around the circumference of the aircraft:
• <100 feet—tools, parts, test equipment and inspectors;
• <200 feet—team areas, feeder areas, support personnel, lockers and break areas;
• <300 feet – ITPs, deliveries, training, build-up, assemblies and so on.
I’m not saying that this was not present at the Eurocopter facility, it’s just an observation that its U.S. counterpart—admittedly thanks to a recent multi-million dollar facility redesign—seemed to have its working area around the aircraft more ordered.
This does not mean that Eurocopter hasn’t been modernizing, or doesn’t believe in pulse lines. Far from it—in many ways it’s down to a numbers game. However, having just seen its newly completed logistics center, with automated warehouse, it must be said that it is of a level of size in both actual space and volume of parts handled that is scarcely, if ever, seen outside of the U.S. in this business. It is almost how a Hollywood film would portray an automated industrial facility of the future—clean, always moving, relentless. And this is going to be, indeed already is, a tremendous advantage in the battle to keep customers happy and shortening the downtime of their precious rotary assets. Time is money—and the faster a spare or replacement part gets to where it is needed, the happier the customer. In today’s harsh economic environment, that will count more than ever. | <urn:uuid:7a37d345-c474-45cb-bb22-ec786d1dfabd> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.aviationtoday.com/rw/military/attack/75304.html | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368704713110/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516114513-00003-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.963503 | 751 | 1.65625 | 2 |
Jim Seymour, D.Min., an Assemblies of God minister, is head of the Department of Religion and Philosophy at St. Augustines College in Raleigh, N.C. He recently spoke with Ken Horn, managing editor of the Pentecostal Evangel, about his efforts at racial reconcilation.
Evangel: Tell us about your spiritual journey.
Seymour: In 1971, I was home from college in Bridgeport, Conn., with my best friend, Ray Monroe, who today pastors Bethany Assembly of God in Stamford, Conn. We were both Roman Catholics who went to a tent service, just to waste time. We responded to the salvation appeal and now almost 30 years later are in ministry.
I was called into the ministry after my second year at Central Connecticut University and attended Zion Bible Institute in East Providence, R.I., and later, Southeastern College of the Assemblies of God in Lakeland, Fla. I spent the first 16 years of my ministry as a missionary first, in Bethel, Alaska; then in Zimbabwe, Africa. I pastored in Raleigh, and came to St. Augustines in 1996.
Evangel: Share your perspective on Acts 1:8.
Seymour: Evangelical churches are committed to the Great Commission, but we have largely neglected our "Samaria." I identify the Samaritans today as being the minority communities among us. And particularly in America, we should be reaching back to help right the wrongs caused by slavery by building relationships with our African-American brethren.
Evangel: How can we reach Samaria?
Seymour: We have a ministry in Raleigh called Pastors for Awakening and Reconciliation (PAR), which is clergy from various denominations, both black and white, who meet monthly. One of the leaders of PAR mapped out the area in our community that has the most crime, violence, drugs and prostitution. Pastors, even those from the suburbs, have adopted a city block to pray for as well as build relationships. We are finding grandmothers who dont have blankets, children without school supplies, children who go to bed hungry. Were getting together one on one for fellowship and our children are getting to know each other.
Another model churches can embrace is Jobs Partnership International. Jobs Partnership was founded by an African-American pastor in Raleigh and a white businessman who owned a construction company. The businessman had a shortage of workers. The pastor had many in his church who were unemployed. And that was the genesis of Jobs Partnership.
People take a discipleship course and then network with Christian mentors on job sites who oversee their work for several months and help connect them to a local church.
My wife and I have a ministry called First Steps. We started it under the covering of First Assembly of God in Raleigh for interracial healing and racial reconciliation. Last June we did two racial reconciliation conferences with pastors to give guidelines for the body of Christ to come together along racial lines.
Evangel: Anything else?
Seymour: George Barna listed the top 10 challenges facing America as we begin the 21st century. Number 1 on his list is ethnic fragmentation. We must make it our highest priority to dismantle this wall of racial separation in the body of Christ.
Being a missionary has helped me to understand racist attitudes. My prayer is that the body of Christ will face reality and begin to deal with these.
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MONTCLAIR, N.J. -- Three days after Hurricane Sandy came and went, the hunt was on for fuel.
At an Exxon station in Montclair, where fights erupted overnight among drivers frantic to fill up, yellow police tape wound around empty pumps. But motorists paid that little mind Thursday morning. They pulled in, anyway, asking when more gas would come and where else they could find some.
Rosa Lazzizera, a teacher from nearby West Orange, sat in her car a half-block away, waiting for the station to reopen.
"They said they were going to get something by 6," said Lazzizera who had arrived at 10 a.m. "I'm going to just sit here and wait. I'm on zero. I'll be lucky if the car turns on.''
She had Diet Coke and cake to while away the time. Still, she said it was hard to believe it had come to this.
"I think something is going to break out because things are getting so desperate,'' she said. "I think in times of need people are going to show who they really are.''
Station owner Abhishek Soni said the station closed before dawn Thursday because the crowd had gotten ugly.
"People started fights,'' he said. "They wanted to throw coffee on us.''
On Wednesday, when the station received gas at 4 p.m., Soni said he let families fill their plastic containers with fuel first so they could get back home and keep their generators going.
"I wanted to make sure families were OK, because I have a kid,'' he said. "I'm here 16 hours, pumping gas myself.''
Over nine hours, Soni filled 1,700 plastic containers and sold 8,000 gallons of gasoline.
The U.S. Energy Department said Thursday afternoon that 16 Northeast refineries were shut or running at reduced rates. Some relief may come Friday: An 825,000-barrel-a-day pipeline carrying gasoline and diesel from North Carolina to Linden, N.J., is to resume limited operations. And the Port of New York has reopened to loaded fuel barges.
Responding to the long lines and short tempers, the state police on Thursday stationed troopers at all service areas on the Garden State Parkway and the New Jersey Turnpike "to keep order," the city of Newark tweeted.
It was a familiar scene throughout these suburban towns of North Jersey. The needs may not have been as dire as in some other parts of the region, where residents were struggling to get food and water. But gas tanks were getting low. Generators were the only ways to keep houses lit and warm, and the search for fuel was growing increasingly frantic.
Sheryl Frost had a little less than a quarter of a tank. "I'm driving around trying to find gas,'' said Frost, of Montclair, who was calling friends to find out where she might be able to fill up.
After pulling into a Delta station that had gas but no power to pump it, Frost considered heading home to conserve what she had left. "It's scary," she said.
Among residents who had gas, some used it to search for electricity.
Marisol Segarra lives in Newark but drove to a Starbucks in nearby Glen Ridge to charge her laptop and sign in to an online college course. "If I don't log in today I'll be dropped,'' she said.
Back home, Segarra said, she had "no power, no Internet, no heat . ... I think that a lot of people underestimated (Superstorm Sandy) due to the fact (Hurricane) Irene was not as bad.''
Still, the storm was bringing her neighbors together, she said. They gathered to clean up the street where trees and a power pole had fallen. "If I made coffee, another brought bread," Segarra said. She'd even cooked chicken noodle soup for more than 20 people after the temperature dropped.
St. Luke's Episcopal Church in Montclair posted a sign on the corner declaring that it had Wi-Fi, electric outlets and free coffee. That was enough to lure Judy Vogel inside.
"I can't get into the city,'' said Vogel, who lives in Montclair and works in advertising in Lower Manhattan. "The pressures of work don't really let up. ... It's very frustrating, because you have things that have to get done. We're in the mode where we have to get things done all the time, and you feel a little paralyzed.''
Life was different during Hurricane Irene. Vogel's lights stayed on and "we opened up our home to friends who went days without power.''
This time, she is the one who had to throw away the spoiled food in her refrigerator. E-mail alerts from the local utility company, PSE&G, warned that power might not be restored for seven more days.
"I'm having dreams about the power coming back on,'' she said. "When I woke up this morning and saw my breath, I knew it wasn't.
"And then I look at the newspaper and see pictures of the rest of the state,'' she added. "And I have nothing to complain about.''
Copyright 2013 USATODAY.com
Read the original story: In North Jersey, a desperate search for gasoline | <urn:uuid:3f0b90a4-268e-4c9f-9394-1844ca24c6d8> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.fdlreporter.com/usatoday/article/1675005?odyssey=mod%7Cnewswell%7Ctext%7CFRONTPAGE%7Cs | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368698207393/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516095647-00040-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.983883 | 1,104 | 1.632813 | 2 |
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In Alberta, few things are 100 years old. After all, the province is just 107. But the Calgary Stampede, which begins tomorrow, is celebrating its centennial in 2012, so the 10 days of cowboy hats and pancake breakfasts will be especially festive this year.
Every town wants an annual fair, no matter how contrived. As young Calgarians, we would look northward and down our noses at the Stampede’s ugly stepsister, Edmonton’s Klondike Days. That fabricated festival — the Klondike gold rush took place hundreds of miles from Edmonton — re-named itself the Capital EX a few years back, signifying perfectly that it was an ersatz festival about nothing at all. It was a bust, and Edmonton’s best and brightest had exhausted their imaginations about how to brand their fair. They are currently holding a contest in which the general public will vote on a new name.
Branding has never been a problem for the Stampede. The Stampede ranch has a brand for its own livestock. The marketing fellows at Stampede HQ use the same brand the real cowboys on the actual ranch do — and come July, the Stampede brand is plastered all over town, not just on the animals.
A sensible annual fair should tell you something about a place and its history. My favourite example is Morgan City, La., where I visited the site of the annual Louisiana Shrimp and Petroleum Festival. Just from the name, you know how Morgan City came to be, and came to prosper.
So too with the Stampede. Long before the Leduc No. 1 well gushed forth in 1947 — leading to the explosion of both Alberta’s economy and population — southern Alberta was ranching country. It still is, despite the oil wells one finds scattered about. The Calgary Exhibition and Stampede, which has its roots as just that, an agricultural exhibition that continues to this day, is both a festival and a history lesson.
Southern Alberta was settled by the aboriginal people and early pioneers, or as most people remember it, cowboys and Indians. The centenary parade tomorrow will be led by Alberta’s most famous real cowboy, Ian Tyson, and the seven chiefs of the Treaty 7 First Nations. The parade route follows the dull enumerated names of Calgary’s downtown streets and avenues, but the city’s main thoroughfares pay tribute to its aboriginal heritage — Deerfoot Trail, Crowchild Trail, Blackfoot Trail, Sarcee Trail, Stoney Trail, Shaganappi Trail.
There is a degree of artifice about all such festivals, but the Stampede less than most. The carnival midway is the same as can be found in a thousand desultory parking lots, but the marquee events highlight cowboys and Indians and their animals. For city dwellers who think primarily of animals as pets, the Stampede is a reminder of the working animal, from whom a return is expected — food, clothing or athletic excellence. In the infield, the animals are as important as the cowboys; and in the riding events, bovine and equine performance is given equal weight to that of the cowboys.
The Stampede has been unjustly attacked in recent years by activist busybodies who think they advocate for animals better than the cowboys who raise them, care for them, ride them and race them. Actual ranchers spend most of their days tending to the welfare of their livestock, as do those who race chuckwagons or ride bucking horses.
Accidents of course do happen. I was present on July 10, 1986, when the worst accident in Stampede history occurred: The pile-up on the chuckwagon backstretch that resulted in the death of six horses. It was horrible to witness, and a reminder that work and recreation in the frontier West was not a genteel affair. A province that boasts of an archaeological site known as “Head-Smashed-In Buffalo Jump” ought to know that, but with most Albertans living in cities and hiking on weekends on Rocky Mountain trails, reminders are necessary. No one was more horrified at the 1986 accident than the drivers themselves, and the Stampede has put in place numerous measures to enhance animal safety.
The Stampede’s chief veterinarian supervises the “Fitness to Compete” program, which follows each animal involved in the chuckwagon races, including implanting a microchip in each horse’s neck. The microchip ensures that each horse has the proper vet checks, drug tests and rest days. The typical horse at the Stampede has far more health supervision than the fat man strolling the midway under the hot sun, fueled by beer and corn dogs. But he too is welcome, for amid the carnival games and amusement park rides, there is a story to be told, and a history to be learned.
Do you have an opinion to share with other readers? Then send us a letter. | <urn:uuid:850a0db7-c124-4b1a-83fc-d1aeb0588c8e> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://fullcomment.nationalpost.com/2012/07/05/father-raymond-j-de-souza-100-years-of-the-calgary-stampede/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368705559639/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516115919-00008-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.956524 | 1,093 | 1.78125 | 2 |
WASHINGTON --It was not all that long ago that political reporters were writing about "the Republican lock" on the White House. From 1972 to 1988, from Richard Nixon's re-election through George H.W. Bush's victory over Michael Dukakis, 24 states supported the GOP nominee each time. By the end of the run, those states could deliver 219 electoral votes, leaving only 51 others to make up a majority. But now the Republican electoral lock has been replaced and surpassed by "the blue wall." That's the term Ronald Brownstein, the political director of the Atlantic Media Company, applies to the Democrats' advantage. In an important article in a recent National Journal, Brownstein notes that there are now 18 states and the District of Columbia that have voted Democratic at least five times in a row, supporting Democrats from Bill Clinton through Barack Obama. Those states -- concentrated in the Northeast, the upper Midwest and on the Pacific Coast -- provide 248 electoral votes, 29 more than the old Republican lock and more than 90 percent of the Electoral College majority. Democrats also hold at least 33 of the 36 Senate seats from those states (with the Minnesota race still undecided), 12 of the 18 governorships and the vast majority of House and legislative seats. The wall appears to be solid. But as one who is more impressed with the volatility of American politics, especially in this age of lightly held or nonexistent party loyalties, I am skeptical of terms like "electoral lock" or "blue wall." Still, if real-world confirmation of Brownstein's thesis were needed, the Republican National Committee furnished it on Jan. 30 when it elected Michael Steele, the former lieutenant governor of Maryland, as the first African-American to hold that post. It was the clearest possible signal that the GOP realizes it must escape the shackles of its ideologically binding Southern strategy and compete in a more diverse, pragmatic and intellectually challenging environment. I have written before about the way the election losses of 2006 and 2008 left the House and Senate Republicans even more dependent on those elected from Southern states. The attrition in the Northeast, Midwest and West has been heavy, and ever since Trent Lott and Newt Gingrich started the trend back in 1994, the national party has spoken more and more with a Southern drawl. Brownstein noted that several of the 18 states in the blue wall had been part of the earlier Republican lock. California, Illinois, New Jersey and Vermont switched sides, in part as a reaction against a Republican Party dominated by the South and defined by its conservative positions on abortion, immigration, stem-cell research and the teaching of evolution. The states that are part of the blue wall have distinctive characteristics. As Brownstein wrote, they "combine large numbers of well-educated, affluent and less-religious whites with substantial numbers of racial and ethnic minorities, including sizable immigrant populations." They rank high in the proportion of college graduates and residents who are foreign-born, and their median income tops the national average. They lag in church attendance. Every one of those traits makes them less receptive to the message being offered by most Republicans. Maryland, where Michael Steele built his political base, and the District of Columbia, where he has practiced law, are building blocks of the blue wall. After losing a Senate race in 2006, Steele understands how great a disadvantage the party label is in places like his home. He is pro-life, as are most Republicans. But his message to his party is to broaden its appeal and to raise its sights. When Steele defeated the former Republican chairman of Lee Atwater's and Strom Thurmond's South Carolina, the ancestral home of the Southern strategy, in the final round of voting for the RNC chairmanship, it sent a dramatic signal of change from the old ways and the old alignments. It will obviously take much more than that to put the GOP into a position to challenge the blue wall -- and the hard fights all lie ahead, in the primaries for candidates in 2010 and 2012, and in the policy debates within the Senate and House GOP caucuses. Clearly, Republicans have to change if they are going to climb that wall. David Broder's e-mail address is [email protected]. | <urn:uuid:32839d8e-6fda-4136-baf6-6c59e947a819> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://articles.southbendtribune.com/2009-02-08/news/26727602_1_blue-wall-electoral-votes-election-losses | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368704392896/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516113952-00027-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.965963 | 850 | 1.6875 | 2 |
Today, the internet is used for virtually all forms of communications between pirate listeners and operators. Loggings are posted to message boards and mailing lists. Reception reports are sent to email addresses, with eQSLs coming back to the listener by email. And listeners (and some times operators) engage in real time chats via IRC and chat rooms.
The advantages over the older forms of communications in the dark ages (pre-internet) are numerous. The most important is undoubtedly the almost instant speed with which information can be received. Once the first listener logs a station (on a message board such as the HFU / HFUnderground or via IRC), other listeners can immediately learn of this transmission, and tune in, while the station is still on the iar. Back in the old days, the logging would be sent to a SW/DX club newsletter editor (I was one for the ACE back in the 90s) where it would sit until other loggings arrived. Then the loggings column would be edited and finally the newsletter published and mailed to club members. By the time others read the logging, it was weeks if not months old.
Likewise, operators can browse the message boards or chat rooms, and learn in real time how their signal is being heard. They can also find out if there is interference, and they need to move to another frequency, or go off the air. There have been many cases of a pirate operator learning that another operator was also on the air, and they could quickly change frequencies to avoid continued interference. Or wait and not go on the air until the first station was done with their broadcast.
Reception reports and QSL verifications are almost exclusively conducted via email today. The listener sends their report to the station’s email address, and gets an eQSL back by reply. Verifications are often received in a day or two, sometimes in a matter of hours or even minutes. In addition to the instant gratification factor, there’s a huge cost savings. No need for the often cash strapped operator to print up paper QSL cards, and for listeners to spent money on postage. And the pirate operator and listener don’t have to run the risk that the maildrop they use might share personal information with others, as has been rumored to have happened in the past.
eQSLs are not “fake” QSLs. They are verifications that you heard a transmission, and are just as real as a dead tree QSL. Anyone who claims otherwise most likely has impure motives for trying to convince you to send them your personal information.
Operators and listeners do need to be concerned about possible lack of privacy issues with internet based communications. These risks, and their solutions, include:
Many email systems include the originating IP address of the sender in the message headers. In other words, your IP address. With this IP address, your location can be determined, often to your city. Of the supposedly anonymous email services, yahoo and hotmail are known to include your IP address, making them not very anonymous. Gmail, on the other hand, does not include your IP address, making it the preferred email service. Most new operators are using gmail, but many older stations continue to use yahoo or hotmail accounts. This is extremely dangerous, and operators should consider switching to gmail. Likewise, listeners who wish to maintain an anonymous identify should also consider using gmail, if they aren’t already.
Message boards / Chat Rooms / Web Sites
Many pirate radio resources exist on the web. These include message boards, real time chat rooms, as well as general purpose websites. These sites all use web servers and clients, and share the same privacy risks.
When you connect to a web server, it records your IP address and what pages you viewed, as part of the server logs. The administrator of the website often uses this information to determine how popular various pages are on the site, as well as what parts of the world visitors are from. More sophisticated analytical tools can even “follow” a user as he navigates the website, to observe in what order he traverses the various pages. Generally this information is not used for nefarious purposes, but rather to help the website administrator improve the quality of the site, and increase the number of visitors.
Your IP address can be used in the same way as with email headers, to roughly determine your location. Of course, this is only relevant if the person examining the logs knows who you are. If you are just a visitor to the site, not logged in, then your IP address appears alongside the hundreds or thousands of other visitors, and there is no information that links it back to your identity. You’re just 192.168.0.1, or whatever your IP address happens to be.
If you’re logged into the site, then your IP address is of course linked to your user name. If you log in as a pirate operator with your station or DJ name, then the weblogs can be used to roughly determine your geographic location from the IP address. The solution is to use an anonymous web proxy. This is essentially another web server that you connect to first. Then you tell it the URL of the site you want to visit. All data between you and the final website is passed between the proxy, which hides your IP address. You just have to trust the web proxy that you use!
IRC (Internet Relay Chat)
Users connect to IRC servers with client software. Your IP address is available to IRC operators (usually not an issue since most of them have no idea what pirate radio even is) and sometimes to other users (which can be an issue). Many IRC servers mask the IP address, usually by changing the last octet. While this does hide your exact IP address, the remaining three octets are usually sufficient to roughly determine your location, as with email and the web. One solution is to use a pseudonym as your IRC nickname, not related to your actual name or station/DJ name. That way, you just appear as another pirate radio enthusiast, and no one knows who you really are. Another is to use a web based IRC client, and connect to it via a web proxy. Problem solved.
Safer web browsing
If you’d rather avoid being tracked on unfamiliar or “hostile” sites, try the Startpage search engine, which features the option of using Ixquick proxy to mask your location and machine type. Many free web proxies will mask your location (IP), but few will mask your machine type. Are you that one guy using Windows Vista on a PC with monitor resolution set to 800×600? If so, you’re easy to spot. Ixquick proxy randomly rotates among a dozen or so types, making it more difficult for snoopy web/blog owners to identify visitors.
Personal Information in Documents and Images
If you create and send documents and images (such as PDF files or JPEG pictures) be aware that some applications include personal information in the document’s metadata. This could include the name of the registered user for the program. There are various tools out there that can open documents and display any metadata that is present. If you’re concerned, get some of these programs and make sure that files you create and send don’t compromise your identity. The free/shareware image editor Irfanview can be used to view metadata and, if desired, re-save images such as eQSLs with metadata stripped for security.
Enjoy Pirate Radio
Don’t let these issues dissuade you from using the internet as part of your pirate radio hobby. If you follow a few simple steps, you can feel secure about your privacy. And don’t let the Chatrooms and the Internet are Eeeeevil crowd scare you, they have ulterior motives for encouraging you to use their snailmail maildrops and other ancient forms of communications – namely to collect more details about you. | <urn:uuid:eb7c21e0-454e-4ecf-8fb2-ed26e34aab1c> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.radiohobbyist.org/blog/?m=201207 | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368702810651/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516111330-00042-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.944166 | 1,651 | 1.820313 | 2 |
Pinned-up wisdom: Finding encouragement and inspiration on my bulletin board
Published: August 11, 2005
I've seen what's up on a lot of refrigerator doors, my own and others, with their magnet-held pictures, notes, kid's drawings or jokes. But a writer's bulletin board is not as open to such casual survey by friends or even fellow writers. What would theirs hold?|
What set me to wondering was an item in an Authors Guild Bulletin. It mentioned an author's favorite Charles Schulz comic strip pertinent to writers. I realized I've had one on my bulletin board for years: Snoopy, sitting atop his doghouse, types: "Dear Editor: Why do you keep sending my stories back? You're supposed to print them and make me rich and famous. What is it with you?"
I admit I often ignore my board except for special phone numbers: the library, the bank, the post office , newspapers. And, of course, my publisher and editor's name and number.
But there are other items on my board. Dominating the middle of it is a message in large print, cut from a newspaper ad: You can do it!
There are other encouraging notes. The line "Chaos precedes creativity," from a Sunday sermon, allows me to accept my desktop--or at times my mental--"chaos" and get on with my "creativity."
"Keep the channel open," which is from a longer quotation from Martha Graham (via Ursula Nordstrom, the famous Harper editor) implies that my vision, my life force, my vitality can only be transmitted through me.
And a line from an Ivan Southall talk indicates, "Your quality as a writer depends upon your talent for making choices," which applies not only to my writing.
And of course, because I work in a basement office, I had to have Van Wyk Brooks' epigram wherein he says, "As against having beautiful workshops, studies, etc., one writes best in a cellar on a rainy day."
Yes, I have pictures: two postcard repr oductions of Mary Cassatt paintings, because I have written a biography of her. And a postcard reproduction of my husband's watercolor cover illustration for my middle-grade historical novel, Sean's War.
I've posted short poems by diverse writers: Langston Hughes' poignant "Poem," which begins, "I loved my friend."
"Exhortation to the Dawn" by third-century Indian poet Kalidasa, which reminds me to "Look to this day."
The poem that advises me to sell one of my last two loaves of bread "to buy hyacinths for my soul" by Muslim poet Gullistan, first shared with me by my high school English teacher.
An eight-line poem suggesting that I mingle "with Truth among the flowers" by Liu Chang-Ch'ing, another way of remembering to stop and smell the flowers.
I've saved a poetic quote from Ann Morrow Lindberg's Gift of the Sea to remind me that I am but a partner in the dance of life as well as love.
And of course there's Goethe's poem that asks me, "Are you in earnest?" and urges me to "Only begin!"
Some odd items get pinned up by me. A soft fuzzy lavender ball, a "warm fuzzy" reminder of my Transactional Analysis discussion group. A mouse pin to recall one of my first published children's stories. A large plastic button with a cartoon-like bee, with the saying "Reading Gives Me a Buzz"--because it does. And another plastic button bearing the words, on a background of flowers: "Smoking Stinks." A gentle reminder to whoever visits me in my studio.
Do I ever change my bulletin board? On rare occasions--an address correction, another phone number, or new additions, such as the story of the author who received--in the same mail, from the same publisher--an award for a best first novel and a rejection for that same novel. A clerical error, no doubt, but don't we all hope that our next "return" could be a mistake?
With all of these "pin-ups," there's still room on my 20-by-20-inch cork board for a few more. But it's reassuring to know where I can look for my old standbys when I need inspiration or motivation, a laugh, a reminder or an incentive.
What's on your bulletin board? | <urn:uuid:618dd5fb-e3e6-4c67-90d0-0c2c798d5b6e> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.writermag.com/en/Articles/2005/08/Pinned-up%20wisdom.aspx | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368699881956/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516102441-00033-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.956796 | 939 | 1.507813 | 2 |
Pennsylvania, it seems, has lost its swing. We’re not talking 1940s big band music or even baseball here, despite the disappointing finish of the Phillies and the Pirates. The losing streak extends to the political realm as well. This once heavily courted state is quickly losing its standing as a toss-up. With President Barack Obama enjoying leads in recent state polling, the Keystone State no longer merits the star status it commanded — and enjoyed — in previous presidential battles.
For Obama supporters, of course, this is a good thing. They’ll sacrifice all the attention for the peace of mind that Obama is ahead. Mitt Romney supporters, for their part, hold out hope that the dynamics could still change in the final weeks of the campaign, given Romney’s first debate bounce.
It’s easy to see why until just a month ago Pennsylvania rated swing status. Although the Democratic candidate has trumped his opponent in the state in each of the last five presidential races, the fact is that Pennsylvanians defy easy prediction when it comes to choosing their political leaders. Their erratic voting record is why the state often arouses the hopes of candidates across the political spectrum. This is, after all, the state that elected a (Jewish) Democrat, Ed Rendell, as governor during the same period that Rick Santorum, the archconservative and recent presidential hopeful, represented the state for two terms in the U.S. Senate. Since the 1970s, in fact, residents here have thrown the party in power out of the governor’s mansion in Harrisburg every eight years. And while Obama won here easily by more than 10% in 2008, two years later, voters elected conservative Republicans Tom Corbett as governor and Pat Toomey as junior senator.
It follows that when the Keystone State is in play, so, too, are its Jews. Jews make up an estimated 2.3% of the state’s population, according to Jewish Virtual Library, with close to 300,000 Jews in all. With a demographic that skews older, the number of actual voters in that mix could make a difference in a close election. More than two-thirds of Pennsylvania’s Jews live in Philadelphia and its ever-extending suburbs. This includes Montgomery County, once a Republican stronghold, which since 2008 has more registered Democrats than Republicans. In 2008, the county, where 30% of the region’s Jews live, garnered national media and campaign attention as a must-win and bellwether for where the nation was headed.
But as the campaigns turn their attention elsewhere, the Jewish community is not attracting the multiple high-level surrogate appearances and advertising dollars it did in the past. Even the Republican Jewish Coalition, which had positioned Pennsylvania squarely in its $6 million campaign to target Jewish constituencies in battleground states, has significantly scaled back its operations here.
While the national pitch for the Jews has shifted to Florida, Ohio and Nevada, locally, Jews are still swinging hard — both for the candidates and at each other.
Both Romney and Obama have garnered significant financial support from Pennsylvania’s Jews. Although figures are hard to come by, given the lack of full disclosure on campaign financing, insiders say that Romney has pulled in more Jewish Republican funds than did previous GOP nominees. The Philadelphia Jewish community boasts Romney’s state finance committee chairman, attorney Charles Kopp, and a top bundler, Mitchell Morgan, a Montgomery County developer. As the Jewish Exponent’s Bryan Schwartzman reported recently, Morgan says he has raised a total of $1.7 million from friends and associates and has hosted the candidate in his home three times in the past year. | <urn:uuid:8833e7d2-4c49-46c2-ba27-5fd3cefcf3e7> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://forward.com/articles/164050/pennsylvania-losing-swing-state-status/?p=1 | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368699881956/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516102441-00018-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.962412 | 752 | 1.617188 | 2 |
Some different magnet layouts, which will be tested on the turntable.
The first picture shows the flexibel tube, filled with concrete, used as counter-weight for the magnets. The second picture shows the 'big' magnets. Then the complete wheel as Calloway desribed it. Just a little bit smaller. But is is not turning more then 300 degrees. Not with one, two or even more stator magnets. I'm will take the whole thing apart and try to mount one magnet at the time. I must try to get a movement which accelerates. I which that Calloway had made a picture of his 'working' model.
The completed wheel.
An ordinary speed clock to show if the wheel if gaining or loosing speed.
This shows how the wheel is build in a wooden frame.
This construction will hold a magnets in the right position.
The first picture show the notes which I made after creating the geometric model.
These notes will be translated and published.
The last pictures on this line show the 'bridge' construction which will hold the magnets in the right position from each other.
Update 2002-11-10 I found out that the ultra light wheel works worse with more magnets. Perhaps this means that the big wheel has too many magnets? The next wheel will only have 32 magnets…. Stay tuned.
Finally I made Wheel B1, first the small 'Ultra light' version. That one showed a clear movement into the right direction.
Then the big wheel (1000 mm diameter), but that one only wants to move with the big magnet in attraction mode and then moving into the wrong direction.
So something must be wrong, but what?
Before I take this wheel apart I'll try to get a much stronger Stator Magnet.
The first picture shows B1 in Ultra Light form. Good swing, starting everywhere with the stator magnet at the size of the wheel with the magnets.
The second picture is the Wheel made of polystyrene. 100% balanced. Very light, except for the magnets and the cunterweights. But no swing.
Maybe the stator magnet needs to be stronger. That is the only difference I can think of between the small wheel and the big wheel. Or maybe that the form of the magnets has any to do with it?
In that case I can make a big wheel with neodymium disc magnets with 1 inch diameter but than I need to sell my car to be able to buy the magnets. So right now that's not an option.
The last picture shows a nice detail. This wheel is a very nice construction, fast to build, cheap and light. I will prepare more 1000mm discs to test some more different magnet layouts. | <urn:uuid:5abdf76f-1d29-4422-8b9a-909de9d4f996> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://fdp.nu/photobooks/album.asp?fdp=n&from=photobookindex.htm&album=2&name=Minato%20wheel%20experiments | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368704713110/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516114513-00041-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.947226 | 561 | 1.765625 | 2 |
Toothless Nawab KebabHome >> Recipes
Lucknow, a muslim city in the North of India, was ruled by nawabs for 150 years, becoming a place of utmost culinary refinement and the capital of Persian-inspired Indian Awadhi cuisine. When the British East India Company decided to pull the plug on nawab rule in Lucknow in 1856, sending nawab Wajid Ali Shah (pictured above) in exile, the uprising that ensued changed British rule in India for good.
I visited the city last year on my way to Benares and would gladly go back. The city has an amazing feel to it - you'd think you are in Pakistan, but people are very friendly and not suspicious of foreigners. The city is very clean and well-run. It has many attractive monuments from both the nawab and British periods. Pictured below is La Martiniere, the former home of brilliant French adventurer Claude Martin, a man of taste who settled in Lucknow.
Legend has it that the ruler of Lucknow, nawab Asaf-Ud-Dowlah, had lost all his teeth. And yet, the toothless nawab was so big there was no horse that could carry him. What was his secret? Legend has it that he commissioned the creation of a version of his beloved kebabs that could be eaten without teeth. His court chef designed a new kebab that would use the finest lamb cuts, mince them twice very finely, add a tenderizer and flavor the whole with a heavenly spice mix. I have tasted this kebab in some of the best restaurants in India and of course at every single meal in Lucknow. Gorgeous! The texture is so fine it surprises at first, but being dispensed from any chewing is blissful. Kebab makers in the Chowk bazaar claim to use 100 spices in their kebabs - that's about every spice they can get and I'm not sure the meat is any better for it. I obtained several recipes from books written for Indian chefs and reproduced the dish at home successfully. Here is for you this cult dish part of the Lucknawi identity. You will need:
Measure 30 grams gram dal or about 3 heaping tablespoons. These are split yellow lentils from the Indian grocery store, buy those that say 'gram dal' on the package. Dry-roast the lentils until they turn a shade darker, stiring them regularly to minimize burning.
Add the spices - peppercorns, dried chilies, mace and green cardamom seeds you just removed from their pods.
Grind to a fine powder in an electric mixer.
Dice the leg of lamb. You can trim the fat because we will add more fat later.
Grind the meat twice, using the finest disc you have. This is our first layer of decadence. I have to be honest here, normally I ask the butcher to do it (twice) and it takes but a minute. But here I wanted to give my readers some dramatic illustration of the grinding and for some reason it took me the best part of 30 minutes to grind the meat with my bloody Porkert grinder. I will soon buy an electric grinder. | <urn:uuid:1014b233-e984-4667-af69-60e859846f4f> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://fxcuisine.com/Default.asp?language=2&Display=148 | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368699881956/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516102441-00002-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.968801 | 672 | 1.625 | 2 |
Rentals out of reach
With interest rates at record lows and home values that plunged, buying a home in the Scranton/Wilkes-Barre area has never been more affordable.
But low-income households shut out of the home market or not in it, are struggling to afford an apartment or rental unit, according to a study released this week by the National Low Income Housing Coalition that looks at the rental unit costs relative to local income.
To be able to afford fair market rent of $743 for a basic, two-bedroom apartment in the Scranton/Wilkes-Barre area, the study concludes that local households would have to earn $14.29 per hour full time, what the study calls "the housing wage." At twice the state minimum wage of $7.25, more than half area renters, 55 percent, earn less than that.
The statistics were released as part of the annual "Out of Reach" report from the National Low Income Housing Coalition, which examines housing affordability and earnings data for every state, metropolitan area, combined non-metropolitan area and county in the country.
Liz Hersh, executive director of the Housing Alliance of Pennsylvania, finds the difference in these numbers troubling for lower-earning parts of the community such as senior citizens and people unable to work due to disabilities.
"It's just hard for people earning modest amounts of money," she said, "This report adds poignancy to how hard it is for people who aren't doing anything wrong."
Compared to the state and other metropolitan areas, the region fares well. Among the state's 14 metro areas, only Johnstown, Erie and Altoona have a lower housing wage. Johnstown is the lowest with a housing wage of $11.73 and a fair market rent of $610 for a two-bedroom.
Northeastern Pennsylvania proves more affordable than the state average housing wage of $17.21 per hour to afford a two-bedroom unit at the state's fair market rent of $895 per month.
The challenge isn't the cost of renting or the availability of rental units, said Teri Ooms of the Institute for Public Policy & Economic Development. Rental affordability has made modest improvements over the last two years. The focus needs to be on increasing income levels.
"Our per capita income is lower compared to the state and nation," Ooms said. "We need to develop a more balanced employment base."
Hersh said the Housing Alliance works with federal aid programs to ensure lower-income families have the chance to rent an affordable home. Federal sequestration, however, could result in serious cuts to those programs. Housing Choice Vouchers provided by Section 8 housing could face a 38 to 50 percent cut in funding, Hersh said.
"They're cutting services," she said, "They're trying not to displace anyone who has already been placed in a home."
The region has a comparatively high rate of those who rent. Hersh said the demand for rentals in recent years contributed to the increase in fair market rent.
"In the wake of the foreclosure crisis, demand for rentals went up," she said. She also noted a "pushdown on the market" caused by people who may be able to afford a more expensive rent still choosing the cheaper price tag.
"People rent down," Hersh said.
The study found about 32 percent of households in the metro area are renters. Only State College and Philadelphia have a greater percentage of households who are renters. | <urn:uuid:7b2febd7-1215-4d18-a827-b2bd1e5f579f> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://citizensvoice.com/news/business/rentals-out-of-reach-1.1457594?localLinksEnabled=false | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368704713110/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516114513-00002-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.967187 | 723 | 1.726563 | 2 |
There is something about a body that gets fit through sports that is more attractive than gym built bodies. The nice thing about sports is that the body gets built up in a natural way. A common thing I see with “gym rats” is that they have bulky muscle that actually makes them less athletic.
Have You Ever Seen A Guy With Huge Legs Try and Run?
There are some guys with legs so bulky they can hardly even walk, so running is out of the question. I forget where I read this, but a world renowned track coach got into an argument with a bodybuilder. He argued that excessive leg mass was a disadvantage in any sports requiring running (which includes almost every sport, by the way). To make a long story short the 25 year old bodybuilder and 3 of his bodybuilding friends raced 800 meters (2 laps around the track) against a man in his 60′s.
Results of This Race Between The 4 Bodybuilders and Man in His 60′s
The man in his 60′s beat the next closest by over 200 meters! Two out of the other three couldn’t even make it two laps around the track, because of pulled muscles. The 4th guy had to walk the last lap. I have to laugh!
Some Time in the Gym is Great, But Sports Will Push Your Body to The Next Level
I think one of the reasons sports really gets people nice and lean is that you get competitive and physically push yourself harder than you normally would on your own accord. You will naturally run harder if you are sprinting against an opponent -vs- just running on a treadmill.
Here Are Some Inspirational Photo’s of Athletes that Have Created Nice Physiques Through Competing in Sports…Volleyball and Soccer (Futbol)
Fans of Team Sweden Soccer Are in Good Shape As Well!
Sorry, I couldn’t Help It
Until Next Time! | <urn:uuid:aac22545-98d2-4e3a-acc5-f2072894b7fc> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://fitnessblackbook.com/muscle_tone_strategies_/athletes-have-more-attractive-bodies-than-%E2%80%9Cgym-rats%E2%80%9D/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368703298047/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516112138-00010-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.961287 | 400 | 1.757813 | 2 |
Tricks and Treats for Everyone! Big and Little Brothers Get Together for Halloween Fun
BOSTON – October 30, 2012 – On Saturday, October 20, Big Brothers Big Sisters of Massachusetts Bay transported kids from Dorchester, Mass. to Boston College to meet their Big Brothers and spend an afternoon filled with pumpkin carving, face painting, donut eating and trick-or-treating.
The kids are involved in the Franklin Field Program, created by Big Brothers Big Sisters of Massachusetts Bay, and made up of more than 50 students from the college. The Little Brothers in the program are from the Franklin Field housing project and are bused from Dorchester to B.C.’s Chestnut Hill campus twice a month, where they get to do activities like conduct physics experiments, learn new dance routines, play dodge ball and just spend time with their Big Brothers and Big Sisters outside of their everyday environments.
The Franklin Field Program was started because Big Brothers Big Sisters discovered that there was a group of children in the Franklin Field development who wanted Big Brothers but were isolated from public transportation, making it difficult to find matches who could travel there regularly. In its second year, the program has been a tremendous success, growing from 40 to 50 matches and experiencing tremendous support from everyone involved. This past weekend’s Halloween outing was the program’s second meeting of the school year.
For more information on the programs of Big Brothers Big Sisters of Massachusetts Bay, or to learn how you can volunteer, please visit http://www.bbbsmb.org/. | <urn:uuid:33911994-5f0c-478a-9ac0-b188729ac962> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://jamaicaplain.patch.com/announcements/tricks-and-treats-for-everyone-big-and-little-brothers-get-together-for-halloween-fun-73ca0a16 | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368701852492/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516105732-00001-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.954972 | 315 | 1.601563 | 2 |
US congressional leaders from both sides of the aisle have expressed outrage after learning that Saudi Arabia is blatantly violating a pledge to stop boycotting Israel and Israeli-made goods.
The congressional leaders voiced their anger following a Jerusalem Post report last week that detailed how the Saudi have in fact been steadily intensifying the enforcement of the Arab League trade embargo against Israel in recent years.
That is despite a promise by Riyadh in 2005 to drop the boycott in exchange for Washington's support in gaining entry into the World Trade Organization.
"Saudi Arabia's disregard of its 2005 pledge to end the boycott against Israel is unacceptable," Rep. Mike Pence (R-Ind) told the Post. "Congress and the administration must hold Saudi Arabia accountable."
Rep. Howard Berman (D-Ca), who chairs the powerful House Foreign Affairs Committee, said he didn't appreciate being lied to by the Saudis, and vowed to "pursue this matter with the [Obama] administration." | <urn:uuid:76fea2fe-a5b1-473a-9466-e94f3cd39e4e> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.israeltoday.co.il/NewsItem/tabid/178/nid/19625/Default.aspx | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368708142388/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516124222-00037-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.947522 | 192 | 1.5625 | 2 |
1970s highway plans
Alternative 4 in the 1970's T-2000 plan called for extending the WEP (it wasn't called that yet) along the train tracks through Whiteaker. The WEP's "purpose and need" states the highway is needed to connect Oregon 126 with Interstate 105 -- and therefore would require some sort of additional connector (extension?) of I-105. See the plans for the 6th / 7th Freeway. | <urn:uuid:7a3150bc-6463-4ec7-b3b0-8e5b9562724a> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://sustaineugene.org/whiteaker-bypass.html | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368703682988/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516112802-00010-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.961865 | 90 | 1.789063 | 2 |
A “New Wave Feminist” pro-life advocate posted three strategies aimed at abolishing abortion that she believes will, “make abolition a beautiful reality.” They are…
1. “Pro-Life Feminists”
What does make an impression is when women who are self-described feminists adopt a pro-life position. It blows people’s minds a little bit. It’s the thing that started me on my road to conversion. Groups like Feminists for Life of America remind people that our early feminists were dead-set on freeing women from tyranny, not just passing the tyranny on to their children.
The site she links to and is the vice president of argues to tradition, but not to the right wing religious tradition you would expect -at least not overtly. The presidential election has shown how that fails to persuade anyone who isn’t already a zealot. Instead, it quote mines feminists of the past. The site and its publication “American Feminism” uses every appeal to emotion possible to push its pro-life propaganda.
Quote Mining, Appeal to Authority and Tradition…
They called it “child-murder” (Susan
B. Anthony), “degrading to women”
(Elizabeth Cady Stanton), “most barbaric”
(Margaret Sanger), and a “disowning (of)
feminine values” (Simone de Beauvoir). How
have we lost this wisdom?
It is impossible to rip these quotes out the context of how different abortion was compared to the medical procedure it is today. All of the options available to women with an out of wedlock pregnancy were “degrading” and “barbaric”, because of the religion-based judgmental attitudes of the past. Among the options for women being consigned to religious asylums or left with the option of enduring unsafe and illegal abortions. The feminists of the past called attention to this. As a result of their courage, religion has lost much of the ability to dictate with the aid of the government to women what they do with their own bodies.
2. “Pro-Life Doctors”
Groups like the Association of Pro-Life Physicians and the American Association of Pro-Life OBGYNS help women find pro-life physicians. The more doctors refuse to perform abortions and respect their patients enough to tell them the truth, the fewer abortions there will be.
Convincing doctors to deny women with unplanned pregnancies a safe abortion, will only increase the number of illegal abortions and forced births to women who aren’t in a position to care for a child. For all the preaching about being a true feminist, note how she would turn back the clock to denying a woman a medical abortion.
3. Premarital Chastity
Of course, you can never get everybody to stop having premarital sex. But back in the olden days of yore, when there was a standard – and when if you got caught having sex before marriage, you would get your butt beat and get sent off to Ye Olde Forbidding Nunnery & School For Wayward Girls – there were a lot fewer teenagers having sex. You see, when you lower and then completely eradicate the standard, people – surprise! – fail to live up to that standard.
What follows is the gist of her holier than thou argument. It is solidly based in controlling normal sexual behavior, and punishing people who challenge religious authority. It harkens back to an era of The Magdalene Asylum Laundries when the church was something to be feared.
The first Magdalene Asylum opened in Dublin in 1765 with the mission of reforming “fallen women” like prostitutes and wayward girls. Throughout the 19th century they spread to Europe, Britain, Ireland, Canada and the United States. The last Magdalene Asylum closed in Ireland in 1996. An estimated 30,000 women in Ireland alone went through the asylums.
Although the Catholic Church wasn’t the only religious sect to set up these “homes” for unwed mothers and exploit their physical and maternal labor in the guise of charity, it was largely responsible for institutionalizing this practice throughout 18th, 19th, and 20th centuries. Women in these asylums were subjected to slave labor, imprisonment, having their children sold and forcibly taken away from them, and physical, emotional and sexual abuse. So yeah, women were still having premarital sex, they were just being imprisoned, exploited, enslaved, shamed, and abused by the church for it.
The third strategy of premarital chastity in the post is the most irksome, as it is an appeal to return to the ignorance of reproduction practiced in the storied past whitewashed into being wholesome. In reality she neglects to mention the most effective ways to prevent abortions -sex education and better access to contraception. Women don’t need to be in the dark about their reproductive rights or abdicate them to a higher authority. If we treat women with the dignity of educating them about the responsibilities and safe practice of sex rather than instilling in them the mindset of a grown child, there will be fewer abortions and no illegal abortions.
The way religion has co-opted reproductive rights and perverted it in the past is still evident today in this woman’s post. It is what makes pro-life organizations like “Feminists for Life” so wrongheaded, it prevents us from moving toward a more enlightened future where abortion is more rare and largely unnecessary. | <urn:uuid:26eab6fd-909d-4b8d-816e-2c83953f6ceb> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://freethoughtblogs.com/aronra/2012/12/01/a-professed-pro-life-feminists-attempt-to-co-opt-feminists-of-the-past/?ak_action=force_mobile | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368701852492/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516105732-00025-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.956647 | 1,169 | 1.5625 | 2 |
How to change start time of YouTube videos using URL's & iframe embed codes
15th August 2011 by Simon Malone 2 comments
In my previous YouTube related post I shared 3 tips with you that helped you add a video to your LinkedIn profile, include website links in videos and remove the YouTube branding off your clips.
I had some really good feedback from our clients on that post and have decided to start finding and sharing more tips and tricks with you that will help you leverage the power of YouTube for your videos.
I often get asked by our customers how they can change the start time of the Internet Videos and Video Email Newsletters we produce for them once they are posted to YouTube. The good news is that it is possible to adjust the position at which YouTube videos start and finish by altering their URL and embed codes. With the explosion in the use of Internet Videos viewers are becoming more selective about what they watch and how long they will view it for. It is more important than ever with video to get straight into key messages and points if you are to hold your audience’s attention. If a key point that is relevant to the person you are sharing the video with comes in at around 3 minutes into the video, it is far from guaranteed they will watch the previous 2:59 to get there!
Altering the start time of a YouTube video can be useful for a wide range of reasons and the good news is that it is easily done by changing the odd link and a few lines of simple code. I know just the mention of the word “code” might be enough to make you quit this page, but please stay with me! I will do my best to make these tips really easy to follow and implement, and if you do have any trouble with them, just give me a call and I will happily talk you through them.
How to adjust the start position of a YouTube video via it’s URL:
The first part of this post explains how you can change the URL (Uniform Resource Locater) of a YouTube video to change the position in which the video starts. When you view any video on YouTube it has its own specific URL. This provides information on what the video is, where it is from and contains all the information that enables you to share it via email, twitter, Facebook etc. The URL looks like jumbled letters and number code. When you watch a video on YouTube and press the “share” button this is an example of the sort of URL link you will be presented with: http://youtu.be/BogitQpXh8A
The good news is that you can tweak these YouTube URL’s so that the video starts at a specific point in time. If you wanted your video to start playing at 3 minutes and 05 seconds then at the very end of the YouTube URL you need to add #t=3m05s to the end of it. The “#t” shows you are asking the URL to set a time to start the video and “m” and “s” stands for the desired time in minutes and seconds.
One of our clients asked me this morning how we play videos in our virtual studios. I have added a specific start time to one of our videos that shows Rachel talking about this and our customer can now click on a link and see the exact information they were looking for. I have used the same URL code as before but have just added the new time addition in red as you can see. Please feel free to click on the link to test that this works! http://youtu.be/BogitQpXh8A#t=3m05s
That particular method only works when sending the YouTube link to someone or somewhere that accepts them and will not work on embedded videos (those you play out on a video box on a website page or blog). To alter the start times of these videos we need to play with the actual video code (not as scary as it sounds!)
How to adjust the start position of a YouTube video via it’s embed code:
Now this is a mild warning to you! This method is more complicated than the previous example so I will try to make it as clear as possible. As I said earlier, if you have any problems with this please do let me know and I will talk you through it.
To change the start time of embedded videos you need to tweak the actual embed code of the video, rather than just its URL link. To do this you need to click the “embed” button under a YouTube video to reveal an Iframes code.
In order to set a new start time for the video you first need to calculate the point in time that you would like the video to start. Unfortunately, unlike the URL example that allows you to set minutes and seconds this method uses seconds only. Therefore to make this embedded version of our example video start at 3 minutes 05 seconds we would need to set the time to 185 seconds. To add this start time to the code you need to delete anything that comes after the “?” of the video code, in this case “rel=0”.I have underlined the areas that you need to remove from the example part of the code below. To set the new start point of your video you need to replace this vacant space with “start=TIME” which in this case is 185. Therefore the code I have added to this example is “start=185” as shown in italic and bold in the code below:
Original Code:width= width="560" height="315" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/BogitQpXh8A?rel=0" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen>
New Finished Code: width="560" height="315" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/BogitQpXh8A?start=185" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen>
I would recommend when possible that you edit this code within the box that appears on the YouTube website. Some websites do not respond well when you insert code from other sources such as Microsoft Word, that use a different font. Just another little point that you need to consider!
To show you how an embeded video looks and plays with a set start time on a web page page I have embedded this video in the space below:
Reading this post back it does look quite complicated, but I have tried to explain every stage in detail so it makes sense as you go through the process. The best thing to do is have a play with some videos and test different start times to see how it looks. I hope you have found this tip useful, and if you need any help or assistance at all, please do get in touch with me. | <urn:uuid:8da14c9e-6314-4e47-848e-7f8476432463> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.virtualstudio.tv/blog/post/103-how-to-change-start-time-of-youtube-videos-using-urls--iframe-embed-codes | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368706890813/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516122130-00001-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.930216 | 1,414 | 1.53125 | 2 |
China, Bernanke, and the price of gold
China has issued what amounts to the “Beijing Put” on gold. You can make a lot of money, but you really can’t lose.
I happened to see quite a bit of Cheng Siwei at the Ambrosetti Workshop, a gathering of politicians and global strategists at Lake Como, including a dinner at Villa d’Este last night at which he listened very attentively as a number of American guests tore President Obama’s economic and health policy to shreds.
Mr Cheng was until recently Vice-Chairman of the Communist Party’s Standing Committee, and is now a sort of economic ambassador for China around the world — a charming man, by the way, who left Hong Kong for mainland China in 1950 at the age of 16, as young idealist eager to serve the revolution. Sixty years later, he calls himself simply “a survivior”.
What he said about US monetary policy and gold – this bit on the record – would appear to validate the long-held belief of gold bugs that China has fundamentally lost confidence in the US dollar and is going to shift to a partial gold standard through reserve accumulation.
He played down other metals such as copper, saying that they could not double as a proxy currency or store of wealth.
“Gold is definitely an alternative, but when we buy, the price goes up. We have to do it carefully so as not stimulate the market,” he said.
In other words, China is buying the dips, and will continue to do so as a systematic policy. His comment captures exactly what observation of gold price action suggests is happening. Every time it looks as if the bullion market is going to buckle, some big force steps in from the unknown.
Investors long-suspected that it was China. We later discovered that Beijing had in fact doubled its gold reserves to 1054 tonnes. Fait accompli first. Announcement long after.
Standing back, you can see that the steady rise in gold over the last eight years to $994 an ounce last week – outperforming US equities fourfold, even with reinvested dividends – has roughly tracked the emergence of China as a superpower in foreign reserve holdings (now $2 trillion).
As I have written in today’s paper, Mr Cheng (and Beijing) takes a dim view of Ben Bernanke’s monetary experiments at the Federal Reserve.
“If they keep printing money to buy bonds it will lead to inflation, and after a year or two the dollar will fall hard. Most of our foreign reserves are in US bonds and this is very difficult to change, so we will diversify incremental reserves into euros, yen, and other currencies,” he said.
This line of argument is by now well-known. Less understood is how much trouble the Fed’s QE policies are causing in China itself, where they have vicariously set off a speculative boom on the Shanghai exchange and in property. Mr Cheng said mid-level house prices are now ten times incomes.
“If we raise interest rates, we will be flooded with hot money. We have to wait for them. If they raise, we raise.”
“Credit in China is too loose. We have a bubble in the housing market and in stocks so we have to be very careful, because this could fall down.”
Of course, China cold end this problem by letting the yuan rise to its proper value, but China too is trapped. Wafer-thin profit margins on exports mean that vast chunks of Chinese industry would go bust if the yuan rose enough to close the trade surplus. China’s exports were down 23pc in July from a year before even at the current exchange rate, and exports make up 40pc of GDP. “We have lost 20m jobs in this crisis,” he said.
China’s mercantilist export strategy has led the country into a cul-de-sac. China must continue to run its trade surplus. It must accumulate hundreds of billions more in reserves. Ergo, it must buy a great deal more gold.
Where is the gold going to come from? | <urn:uuid:2d182d33-48be-4dd8-9c37-5ccf67acef87> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://highchartpatterns.blogspot.com/2009/09/china-and-gold.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 | 0.959253 | 880 | 1.53125 | 2 |
June 14, 2012
Peres calls for renewed peace talks in medal ceremony
Receiving the Presidential Medal of Freedom from President Obama, Israeli President Shimon Peres called for a renewal of peace talks with the Palestinians.
“Israel and the Palestinians are ripe today to restart” peace talks, Peres said at the White House ceremony on Wednesday. “A firm basis already exists. A solution of two national states: A Jewish state – Israel. An Arab state – Palestine. The Palestinians are our closest neighbors. I believe they may become our closest friends.”
Peace talks have been stalled since 2010, with the Palestinians demanding a freeze of settlement building in the West Bank, and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu insisting on no preconditions.
Peres, addressing about 140 dignitaries in the White House East Room, also thanked Obama for pressuring Iran to end its suspected nuclear weapons program.
“Mr. President, you worked hard to build a world coalition to meet this immediate threat.,” Peres said. “You started, rightly, with economic sanctions. You made it clear, rightly again, that all options are on the table.”
Obama also emphasized peacemaking in his remarks.
“Shimon knows that a nation’s security depends, not just on the strength of its arms, but upon the righteousness of its deeds — its moral compass,” he said. “He knows, as Scripture teaches, that we must not only seek peace, we must pursue it. And so it has been the cause of his life — peace, security and dignity, for Israelis and Palestinians and all Israel’s Arab neighbors.” | <urn:uuid:0b7940bf-cd39-46fa-a823-2e7511080276> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.jewishjournal.com/articles/print/peres_calls_for_renewed_peace_talks_in_medal_ceremony_20120614 | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368709037764/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516125717-00008-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.954659 | 347 | 1.585938 | 2 |
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So Why Are You Looking Like That at Me?
California State University, Dominguez Hills
University of Wisconsin, Parkside
Created: April 23, 2006
Latest Update: April 29, 2006
Why Are You Looking Like That At Me?We Didn't Do It
I know I'm safe.
I'd never do it.
We just kissed and
Fooled around a little.
I'd never do it
Before I get married!
We didn't do it.
So how could this be?
Why are you looking
Like that at me?
I have HPV?
So, what's HPV? Never heard of it? Well, neither had we. Only two people in our graduate class knew of it last Wednesday. It's a virus for which they are working desperately on a vaccine because they've learned that though it's harmless in most cases, it contributes as a risk factor to the later development of cervical cancer. Both men and women can get it, probably have it at some time, since it's one of those viruses out there that our immune systems generally overcome with little problem. But sometimes, it's dangerous.
It's transmitted by direct skin contact. And, of course, sexual activity includes direct skin to skin contact. We thought we knew all the sexually transmitted diseases. We thought we knew how to be safe. The arrogance of knowingness is dangerous. There are so many things we don't know about yet. We thought we had convinced our young people that oral sex was sex, despite the President's contention. Now we need to make them aware of HPV, which can be transmitted innocently, without sexual activity, so they will understand how to protect themselves from the later development of cervical cancer and whatever else we eventually learn this virus can support or encourage.
Maria Marquez asked that I make available for flower gifts of cards, bookmarks, whatever to warn our young adults and parents of these new prcautions we need to know about. Read about it at HPV (Human Papillomavirus) - What Women Should Know American Social Health Association. Backup.
We were so sure we were safe. We didn't do it. Clinton claimed he didn't do it; but we've learned that "sex" has many meanings. We didn't do it. We've only just found out that HPV can be contracted by direct skin contact. That means "touching," not "doing anything in particular, just touching."
Parents, please look carefully at the information. It's time to talk with your teens. HPV can be a contributing cause to cervical cancer. We all need to know about HPV.
HPV (Human Papillomavirus) - What Women Should Know American Social Health Association. Backup.
- TALKING TO YOUR KIDS
Dear Habermas focusses on illocutionary discourse, listening actively and in good faith and with respect to the Other, be the other a child, a public intellectual, a friend, or someone with whom we violently disagree. Sexuality is a topic on which we often disagree: whether it should be an open or a private issue; whether our schools and institutions should address it; even whether we, as consenting adults, should engage in it. I liked this explanation offered by the American Social Health Association. I think I'd expand the title to TALKING ABOUT SEXUALITY AND SEX, because I think it offers communication skills we all need when this issue comes up. It's on the site Maria Marquez found for us. I'm glad you sent the link, Maria. jeanne
- HPV (Human Papillomavirus) - What Women Should Know American Social Health Association. Backup. Thanks to Maria Marquez for sending me the link and asking me to put it up immediately. Good idea, Maria.
- Human Papilloma Virus (HPV) A free collection of articles about human papilloma virus (hpv) published in The New York Times.
- Prevention of Hepatitis A Through Active or Passive Immunization Recommendations of the Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices (ACIP). Covers the importance of the thorough washing of your hands. Technical, coded language, but important information for everyone. jeanne Thanks to Kathleen for the link.
Knowingness Gets Us Every Time. The story of Dr. Semmelweis, who got fired for making his staff wash their hands in 1848.
3D Hand-Washing Mobile Provided by Colgate Softsoap. Good source for flower gifts. jeanne
Consider WHAT I WAS THINKING ABOUT WHEN I WROTE THE QUESTION. AND LINKS TO SOURCES. | <urn:uuid:2df68b64-952d-42ff-ba21-394a094e41e8> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.csudh.edu/dearhabermas/hpv01.htm | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368706153698/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516120913-00000-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.945234 | 1,066 | 1.65625 | 2 |
By allowing Russia to stage the summit we have accepted her as one of us, says Anne Applebaum. This G8 will give its tacit approval to the theft of private assets, the destruction of the rule of law and the violation of human rights
For sale, the advertisement might read: One very large Russian energy company. Estimated assets, including oil wells, reserves, refineries: $60 billion. Possible liabilities: four major international lawsuits, a part-time CEO who works full-time as President Vladimir Putin’s deputy chief of staff, and a certain — shall we say — lack of clarity about whether the company legally acquired most of those assets at all.
I am talking here about Rosneft, the very large Russian energy company whose shares go on sale in London next week. Don’t worry if you’ve never heard of Rosneft; it hasn’t been a very large Russian energy company for long. Much of its wealth was acquired recently — last year, in fact — when the Russian government forced another oil company, Yukos, into bankruptcy by demanding $30 billion in back taxes and sending its chairman to a labour camp. Only one bidder — a previously unknown company whose listed address turned out to belong to a mobile phone shop in an obscure town — showed up at the auction of Yukos assets. A few days later that mystery company sold its Yukos property to Rosneft for a pittance — which was not surprising, given that Rosneft’s major shareholder is the Russian government. Have I mentioned that the Rosneft CEO works as President Putin’s deputy chief of staff?
But the truly unusual, almost comic aspect of the Rosneft sale is the openness with which this extraordinary company has presented itself to the London Stock Exchange. When a prospectus was issued two weeks ago, it contained a few warnings, including some that are uncommon in the rarefied world of Morgan Stanley, Goldman Sachs and the other investment banks which are straight-facedly managing the sale. ‘Crime and corruption could create a difficult business climate in Russia,’ notes the prospectus, which also points out that the company is controlled by government officials ‘whose interests may not coincide with those of other shareholders …and may cause Rosneft to engage in business practices that do not maximise shareholder value’. Translation: when the Russian government walks away with your money — as it walked away with Yukos investors’ money — don’t say no one warned you.
There is no pretence here. The Rosneft sale next week — scheduled for 14 July —will establish the principle that companies with illegally acquired assets can receive the imprimatur of the international financial establishment — as long as they are rich enough. But maybe that shouldn’t surprise anyone. After all, on the following day Prime Minister Tony Blair, President George Bush and the leaders of Italy, Germany, France, Canada and Japan will meet in St Petersburg to help President Putin preside over the annual meeting of the Group of Eight. By doing so, they will establish the principle that authoritarian governments can receive the imprimatur of the international political establishment — as long as they are rich enough.
Admittedly, the G8 isn’t as serious an institution as the London Stock Exchange. Although it started its life as a private meeting between the leaders of the world’s largest industrial democracies, the organisation has lately come to resemble nothing so much as a very expensive circus. The Japanese, who consider the G8 a substitute for the UN Security Council they’ll never join, racked up a $750 million bill last time they hosted it. Others, the British Prime Minister included, have chosen elaborate, crowd-pleasing ‘themes’, such as last year’s save-the-Africans extravaganza, to boost their particular agendas. The first Russian president, Boris Yeltsin, was allowed to attend meetings on the muddled grounds that making him a member would magically turn Russia into one of the world’s largest industrial democracies. It did not.
Nevertheless, President Yeltsin stayed in. His successor, President Putin, stayed in too, mostly on the equally muddled grounds that it would be too embarrassing to kick him out. Mr Putin has now taken full advantage of this muddle and turned the St Petersburg meeting into a major propaganda offensive, dedicated to the idea that Russia is still a superpower — an ‘oil and gas superpower’ — and a democratic, free-market one at that. Just last week he defended his country’s deployment of gas-pipeline blackmail to disrupt the Ukrainian elections on the grounds that Russia had merely been ‘using free-market principles in the gas trade with some of our neighbour states’. His top adviser held a rare public meeting to announce that Russia is in fact a ‘sovereign democracy’ after all. The Russian government has even hired a powerful American public relations company (Ketchum, whose clients include Disney and Pepsi). Ketchum’s job is to explain (as one Ketchum executive put it) that recent problems are ‘exceptions to the rule’, and more generally to encourage the Western press to join their leaders in ignoring President Putin’s transformation of Russia.
For those with memories as short as those of London investors, it’s therefore worth stopping for a minute to recall the highlights of that transformation. To start with, President Putin destroyed independent Russian television, which is now almost entirely state-controlled. He twisted election results to ensure that he and his allies won by landslides (not that, lacking media attention, his opponents would have won anyway). He recently passed laws designed to make existence close to impossible for Russia’s beleaguered human rights groups, environmental groups and other independent advocates. All the while, he continued his stunningly brutal (and now totally invisible) guerrilla war in Chechnya, which long ago moved beyond any legitimate repression of terrorism and into the realm of massive human rights abuse. The blatant illegality that accompanied the transfer of assets from Yukos to Rosneft — Mikhail Khodorkovsky, the Yukos CEO, was arrested, put through a macabre, Soviet-style show trial and sent to a prison camp where he suffers mysterious ‘accidents’ — put a permanent dent in national respect for the rule of law.
Much worse, though, for anyone who wishes Russians well, are the subtler changes in the Moscow atmosphere. Paranoia is back: recently, when the American Foreign Affairs magazine published an obscure article that idly speculated on the aftermath of a US nuclear attack on Russia or China, the city was instantly awash with rumours of impending nuclear war. Fear is back too: once again, my Russian friends are too nervous to be honest on the telephone. Some of them report visits — perfectly polite, it’s true — from agents of the FSB, the agency formerly known as the KGB, who are very interested in their foreign acquaintances and bank accounts. A Russian visiting America last spring told me that he was surprised by how many people, both in Washington and in Russia, had asked whether he’s really returning to Moscow afterwards — ‘will you dare go back?’ being a question that no one even considered asking five years ago. It is tragic but true: once again, Russia is a place where the blunt-speaking watch their backs.
All of these changes at home have, of course, coincided with Putin’s use of gas-pipeline blackmail in what Russia calls ‘the near abroad’ (and by extension Western Europe); his attempts to undermine the governments of Georgia and Ukraine and his increasingly ambiguous role in Iranian nuclear and Middle East peace negotiations. Yet none of these changes has prevented Bush, Blair and e
veryone else heading for St Petersburg, where the leader of the ‘oil and gas superpower’ with a ‘sovereign democracy’ and ‘free-market principles’ will welcome them with open arms.
And here is the real crux of the matter: it’s not the meeting itself that counts; it’s the context. President Putin has met with Western statesmen many times, and rightly so. Indeed, advocates of realpolitik are absolutely right to argue that we should have normal relations with Russia, that President Putin is a potential ally on many issues, that Russia is not North Korea. But a G8 summit is not a normal, bilateral meeting. The G8 is an informal gathering of the world’s largest industrial democracies. By allowing Russia to head it, we have accepted Russia as one of us.
And after everyone goes home? The Kremlin — along with Venezuelans, Iranians, Arab leaders and other oil tyrannies — will sit back, laugh and agree that the leaders of the so-called West merely pay lip service to the ideals of freedom and democracy; they don’t really believe in them. If you have enough oil, they’ll let you into their fancy clubs anyway. As Putin’s defence minister recently put it, ‘In the contemporary world, only power is respected.’ As Putin’s adviser recently put it, ‘They [the West] talk about democracy but they’re thinking about our natural resources.’
What is at stake here, in other words, is not just Russian–Western relations, but the West’s very ability to go on talking about democracy — in Russia, in Iraq, anywhere — and still get taken even remotely seriously. In a world where the promotion of democratic and liberal values is itself a realpolitik necessity — some form of political liberalisation is absolutely essential to the battle against al-Qa’eda and the ultimate integration of the Middle East into the global economy — that’s a pretty big problem.
Oddly, the only people who seem really worried about the long-term credibility of the West are Russians. In Washington a few months ago, Andrei Illarionov, an economic adviser to Putin until his dramatic resignation last year, told me that Putin always returns from G8 meetings feeling utterly convinced of the rightness of his political course; more than once, Putin’s opponents have been arrested or put on trial in a G8 summit’s wake. By attending the G8 summit this month in St Petersburg, Illarionov said, Western leaders will show their approval of ‘the nationalisation of private property, destruction of the rule of law, violation of human rights and liquidation of democracy’. Garry Kasparov, the chess champion who dabbles in politics, has also said that the G8 will resemble ‘the Berlin Olympics in 1936’ and predicts it will be followed by the ‘equivalent of Munich 1938’ — the de facto acceptance of Putin’s Russia by the West.
But perhaps it is not surprising that Russians, not Americans or Brits, are the ones pointing this out. After all, it is they, not we, who really care about abstract ideas like ‘democracy’ and ‘free markets’ since it is they, not we, who will suffer without them. Russians also understand better the significance that the G8 — a dull bit of bureaucracy to most of us — has acquired in the rest of the world. When I told Illarionov that Americans and West Europeans don’t care much about the G8 one way or the other, he shrugged. ‘What is important is not how you in the US view the G8. You have to think how your participation will be viewed and used in the world.’
We, like the London Stock Exchange, have now been warned.
Anne Applebaum is a contributing editor of The Spectator and a Washington Post columnist and member of its editorial board.
This article first appeared in the print edition of The Spectator magazine, dated July 8, 2006 | <urn:uuid:3f560a00-bc60-46f8-a320-8d4d7c8ba03d> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.spectator.co.uk/features/23527/should-putin-host-the-g8/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368709037764/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516125717-00030-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.965631 | 2,483 | 1.617188 | 2 |
When I launched the Realist Idealist column, the idea was to look at environmentally promising home improvement projects through the eyes of a budget-minded consumer. I had seen so much media coverage that heaped praise on newly constructed eco-manses or expensive retrofit products, but the stories didn't answer my biggest question: For the green-minded person writing the checks, are the improvements worth the time, effort and expense?
The idealist in me finds value in every improvement, but the realist can't deny that some have been far better in terms of payback — if not financially, at least morally. The systems that easily fold in to my busy life are the ones I've enjoyed most.
What's been worth the money and effort, and what hasn't? I've divided the projects into two categories: "Worth It" and "Second Thoughts."
Gray water, 1st place
Gray water is the waste generated from faucets, showers and laundry machines — water that accounts for 54.2% of all water used inside a home, according to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency. With California deep into a drought, in August 2008 I retrofitted the plumbing on my laundry machine to send its gray water onto my landscape. Over the last two years, that simple switch has sent 9,720 gallons to passion fruit vines instead of the sewer, and it required only one change to my usual routine. I had to swap laundry detergents because my usual brand, like many, contained salt and other ingredients that kill plants.
When I first installed a gray-water system, it wasn't legal. Making it legal would have required a permit, extensive filtering apparatus and lots of cash. But in August 2009, these laundry-to-landscape systems were legalized in California, as long as homeowners followed 12 guidelines.
I've been so pleased with this low-cost, high-impact system that I hired a plumber to expand it in January, tying the wastewater from my bathtub, shower and bathroom sink into the same gravity-fed plumbing line that handles my laundry water. This so-called simple system also was legalized in California in 2009. Its legal status has since been rescinded, so once again I've gone rogue. I estimate my additional savings to be roughly 1,120 gallons per month.
Financially, this system is paying for itself, just slowly. The Los Angeles Department of Water and Power charges me less than half a penny per gallon, so technically, gray water has saved me only $95 in water costs so far. But it's also reduced my sewer charge by about one-third, saving me an extra $3.30 per month. In drought-prone Southern California, gray water feels like the right thing to do. It's been the easiest, most sensible, hassle-free, sustainable system I've put in place at my house.
Cost: $1,988 ($312 for the laundry-to-landscape plumbing, $1,676 for bathtub and bathroom sink tie-in)
Resources: Greywater Action, http://www.greywateraction.org; Oasis Design, oasisdesign.net
Solar power, 2nd place
Photovoltaic systems pay off most quickly for consumers who use a lot of energy because tiered rates impose a penalty for heavy use, but solar electric still makes sense for low-energy users such as myself.
So much of Americans' carbon footprint results from buildings — about 43%, according to the U.S. Department of Energy. I'm a household of 1.5 (mom and 7-year-old), and we use only about 4 kilowatt hours of electricity per day, something we've managed through behavioral changes, such as turning off the lights in rooms after we've exited, and through in-home efficiencies, such as swapping out incandescent light bulbs for compact fluorescents and using power strips that can turn off DVD players, coffee makers and other energy vampires.
Using less electricity means I can get by with a smaller, less expensive photovoltaic system that not only covers my use but also produces a credit on my power bill. Going solar also meant my house was upgraded with a time-of-use meter. This type of meter allows me to receive credit for the electricity I generate during peak hours when electricity costs the most, but pay the least for the electricity during off-peak hours, when I recharge my cellphone and laptop and perform other tasks requiring power.
The downsides are that I am tied in to the grid and still susceptible to power outages, and I now have panels that need to be cleaned. It's a subject of debate, but my installer, REC Solar, said dirty panels decrease energy production by 6% to 8%. Many panel manufacturers recommend cleaning panels at least once during the summer. I wash mine whenever they look dirty or dotted with bird droppings, which is about every other week.
I think $6,000 is a small price to pay, not only for panels that should generate my next 20 years of electricity, but also for the greenhouse-gases I'm not creating.
Cost: $5,939 ($11,564, minus a $3,898 DWP rebate and a $1,727 federal tax credit)
Resources: California Public Utilities Commission, http://www.cpuc.ca.gov; 1 Block Off the Grid, http://www.1bog.org; REC Solar, http://www.recsolar.com
Rain barrels, 3rd place
I was a rain barrel skeptic before I joined L.A.'s rainwater harvesting pilot program last fall and received a 55-gallon pickle barrel. Though rainwater holds such enormous potential for supplementing Southern California's dwindling reserves of imported water, rain barrels seem like such thimbles. During a normal L.A. winter, my 1,500-square-foot roof generates 13,500 gallons of water — a tidal wave compared to what a little barrel can handle.
Having lived with rain barrels for a year, I've learned that their small size makes them manageable and affordable. The water they catch isn't stored only for summer use. It can be drained in between rains to water nearby plants. An added perk: reducing storm-water runoff to the ocean.
I have three rain barrels — one from the city and two that I purchased separately. They're along the edge of my house, at the halfway point in a row of kiwi vines and berries. The 175 gallons they hold were a lot more useful than I'd expected for feeding my exceptionally thirsty fruit plants. The water they held lasted about a month into the summer.
I never had mosquitoes. I did, however, have some algae growing in the plastic tubes connecting my rain barrels, but it wasn't significant enough to reduce flow. Water pressure was problematic only for the last few gallons of each barrel.
I still think larger rain catchment systems are preferable. Alas, larger systems frequently need electric pumps and are far more expensive. In this economy, affordability rules. And it's affordability that could lead to mainstream adoption and significant water savings for our parched city.
Cost: $500 ($300 for rain barrels, $200 for installation and parts)
Resources: L.A. Rainwater Harvesting, http://www.larainwaterharvesting.org; Rain Bud, http://www.rainbud.com
Earth works, 4th place
Rainwater isn't only a resource. It's also a potential pollutant if it runs off property onto pavement, picking up fertilizers and automotive fluids that are washed, unfiltered, into the ocean.
To prevent my home's contributions to runoff, which could be as much as 10,000 gallons per year, according to L.A.'s Bureau of Sanitation, I've sculpted my landscape to retain as much rainwater as possible.
The parkway between the sidewalk and the curb is concave and mulched. My backyard is home to a 15-foot-wide hole in the ground that is fed with gutters from my roof. During the rainy season, this infiltration pit can hold as many as 500 gallons at a time, allowing it to gradually replenish groundwater. During the dry season, it's been doing double duty as a skateboard pit.
Cost: Not easy to determine because it was part of a larger landscape project, but for DIYers, potentially free
Resources: Rainwater harvesting books by Brad Lancaster, http://www.harvestingrainwater.com
The Waterwall is an Australian product that is exactly what its name implies: It's a wall that catches and stores water. Water channeled from the roof and gutter drains into a tank shaped like a thick concrete-block wall. It operates similarly to a rain barrel but holds six times as much water and is better looking. It's also modular, allowing water to flow freely from one wall into another in series.
The Waterwall was expensive, and installation was a nightmare. It's an excellent idea that simply wasn't worth the money for a person of my means. If California's drought persists and water prices start going through the roof, I'm likely to change my attitude. But so far, the $4,078 I've spent to store 634 gallons of water I could have bought from the city for about $3 is an embarrassment, particularly with so many ways to conserve.
Even worse, it's been annoying to use. I put my Waterwall near a trio of stone-fruit trees that would happily drink in the water. Unfortunately, the water pressure drops along with the level of water in the wall, and running the water through a relatively short, 15-foot length of hose or even lifting the hose above the spigot decreases its flow rate.
I love the Waterwall in theory, and I still think I would've ringed my backyard with Waterwalls if I'd known about them 10 years ago, when I installed an appallingly expensive redwood fence.
Cost: $4,078 ($2,300 for two walls, plus $944 for shipping and taxes, plus $834 for installation)
If I had to do it over again: I'd go with a cistern or a large, agricultural above-ground tank.
When the economy was freefalling two years ago, I couldn't shake the fear that the American infrastructure was about to crumble and that I should start growing my own food. Thus began an incredibly long, expensive and back-breaking journey. Not only did I have soil that was high in lead, but I also had critters that liked to dig and destroy. Then there's the water issue. It takes a lot of the wet stuff to grow most fruit and vegetables.
Having transitioned my low-water ornamental landscape to edibles, I'd say this is a project for people with time, money and a love of gardening and cooking. It isn't a job for single mothers with high-stress jobs who'd rather not spend their precious down time watering, pulling weeds and bringing in their harvest.
I've resigned myself to the fact that I won't likely learn as much as I should to maximize my yields. At this point, I'm just hoping this whole project won't end up being a high-cost intellectual exercise that bears little fruit. Passion fruit and tomatoes have had the biggest payoff so far. Beans, corn and kale? Not so much. It's so easy to get high-quality produce from a CSA, or community supported agriculture group, which is what I've been doing for the last year: spending $18 a week for organic, locally grown produce conveniently delivered to my son's school.
If I had to do it over again: I would install one or two planter boxes. I'd buy the rest of my produce from a community-supported agriculture group such as Equitable Roots.
Water is a precious resource, and we flush an awful lot if it away. At my house, my low-flow toilet uses 1.6 gallons per flush. If it's flushed 10 times a day, that's 16 gallons of imported drinking water that's pooh-poohed and sent 23 miles to a wastewater treatment plant that uses precious electricity to process it, then has to dispose of leftovers.
The final frontier of green living, the composting toilet is a low-tech option. There are a surprising number of commercial composting toilets on the market that look nice, cost a fortune and can't handle heavy use, which is why I went with something called a Separett. Developed in Sweden, it's a piece of plastic foam that looks like a toilet seat except it's outfitted with two holes — yes, No. 1 and No. 2. Each empties into its own 5-gallon bucket I access through a trap door on the side of my house.
I'll admit, as committed as I am to living green, this is not a system I use all the time. In fact, I use it rarely, and only for No. 1
As much as I support the premise of a composting toilet, I'm more devoted to the traditional porcelain god. I just try to flush less.
Cost: $627 ($127 for Separett, $500 for construction labor and materials to convert built-in cabinet to toilet)
If I had to do it over again: I might need more clearance under my house, but I'd go with a commercial composting toilet from Clivus Multrum.
This is one of the projects I was most excited about and one that's turned out to be among my biggest failures. After buying a chicken coop, feed and hens procured through L.A. Animal Services, I got only four eggs.
L.A. may be a sprawling metropolis, but it isn't devoid of wild animals. Some people have coyotes. I've got possums and raccoons, which breached my coop and gobbled down my ladies.
A forensic investigation revealed the intruder had dug under its edges, so I fixed the problem by driving stakes deep into the ground and nailing pieces of wood to other possible areas of entry. Although I wasn't 100% confident that these beady-eyed villains wouldn't return to the scene of the crime, I nevertheless journeyed back to the animal shelter to purchase two more chicks, only to be woken up at 1 in the morning to the sound of distress. Running outside, I found a lady bird dangling from the mouth of a shiny-eyed raccoon. The other chicken was missing.
I've been buying eggs at the store ever since, but I was hipped to my local egg underground. Last week, I got my first dozen eggs from a neighbor who's more game than I for the challenge of raising chickens.
Cost: $530 for coop, feed and chickens
If I had to do it over again: I would skip the coop and find a local alternative.
SIDEBAR: EASIER FIXES
Green home improvement doesn't have to mean elaborate new systems or expensive construction projects. Some small steps for a greener life:
Laundry line: Clothes dryers account for 5% to 10% of a home's energy use. I have one, but I use it only if I'm desperate. My laundry line is strung unobtrusively across my backyard deck, and the sun dries clothes in mere hours. For me, the low-tech laundry line is about the easiest and simplest thing I can do to reduce energy use and greenhouse gas emissions. Cost: about $50 for equipment.
Diet: My home improvement retrofits have convinced me that more environmental savings could be obtained by eating less meat and dairy. The cattle business creates more greenhouse gases than the transportation industry, according to a 2006 United Nations report. So, although I love burgers and can't give them up entirely, I eat fewer, and I'm mostly substituting almond and soy milk for dairy.
Composting: About 26% of the U.S. municipal solid waste stream is yard and food waste, according to the Environmental Protection Agency. Composting that waste is how I produce only a small grocery bag's worth of trash every other week. It's one of my greatest achievements. About a quarter of my trash savings comes from composting food scraps. Cost: $20 for a bin through a city of Los Angeles composting workshop.
Recycling: The other three-quarters of my trash savings comes from recycling, for which I have an almost-religious fervor. About 80% of what Americans throw away is recyclable, yet only 28% actually is recycled. Cost: nothing but the time it takes to throw something in the blue bin. | <urn:uuid:42c49f20-6acf-45f1-ad7e-a0ce31aae219> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.latimes.com/features/home/la-hm-realist-main-20101016,0,557807,full.story | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368708142388/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516124222-00025-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.964905 | 3,477 | 1.671875 | 2 |
By Nick Gallaudet
The American sports world is notoriously homophobic. It’s a traditionally macho culture, and there has never been an openly gay athlete in one of America’s four major men’s sports, including the NBA. In 1991, when Magic Johnson announced he was HIV positive, he made an appearance on the Arsenio Hall show and unquestionably denied being gay, claiming, “I’m far from homosexual. Far from it.” Magic’s declaration of heterosexuality was met by an approving roar from the studio audience. In 2007, former NBA player John Amaechi came out as a gay man and was greeted with mixed reactions. Amaechi claimed that he was surprised by America’s reaction and expected it to be much worse than it actually was, but there were still negative comments, some from other former players. Tim Hardaway infamously claimed he would have asked for a gay player to be removed from his team. Last month, Lakers star Kobe Bryant was fined $100,000 for directing a gay slur at a referee. | <urn:uuid:711a8e66-3e9b-429a-8e36-f7fd87067c7f> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://thesacklunchblog.com/tag/magic-johnson/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368705195219/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516115315-00015-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.986397 | 227 | 1.78125 | 2 |
10 Absurd Consequences of Hostess Filing for Bankruptcy
Hostess, which makes such iconic foods as Wonder Bread and Twinkies, has filed for bankruptcy. The company is some $860 million in debt, so clearly some restructuring is in order.
What happens now, you ask? Here are some possible scenarios of what may take place:
1. The people who eat Hostess cakes can discover apple and strawberry are real foods, not just artificial flavors.
2. Ho Hos will have to go back to the streets to make ends meet.
3. Little Debbie and Drake’s go to court for custody of Twinkie the Kid.
4. All Hostess cupcakes will be seized by the TSA.
5. Hostess offers to settle with its creditors by paying them off with $900 million worth of Sno Balls.
6. All remaining icing will use whatever connections they have to get a job in the Krimpets division of Tastykake.
7. Government scientists will throw all their time and energy into figuring out just what is in a Twinkie.
8. Every single CupCake ever made will come forward to announce it is diabetic.
9. Nothing will happen. A Twinkie can last forever, so waiting out a little thing like bankruptcy is no big deal.
10. Hostess and Sears will team up to create the least profitable company in history. | <urn:uuid:90aec0f8-1f40-4d97-afeb-48bb2eddade8> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://k96fm.com/10-absurd-consequences-of-hostess-filing-for-bankruptcy/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368702448584/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516110728-00027-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.938004 | 295 | 1.554688 | 2 |
FRANKFURT — Deutsche Bank, Germany’s largest lender, reported a surprise quarterly net loss of $3 billion on Thursday, as new management tallied the cost of past mistakes and tried to draw a line under the bank’s troubled past.
The fourth-quarter loss of 2.2 billion euros included about 1 billion euros the bank set aside to cover legal proceedings and investigations, including accusations that Deutsche Bank was among institutions that rigged global benchmarks used to set rates on trillions in loans. The bank also booked losses in recognition of the diminished value of acquisitions going as far back as its purchase of Bankers Trust in the United States in 1998.
While the loss partly reflected problems peculiar to Deutsche Bank, it was a reminder of the weak state of European banking more than four years after the beginning of the financial crisis. Deutsche Bank is considered relatively healthy by European standards. Hesitant action by national regulators means that many other banks have not yet been forced to recognize the full scope of bad investments and depend on the European Central Bank for cash they need to operate.
The loss at Deutsche Bank contrasts with strong earnings recently by competitors like JPMorgan Chase. Still, its shares rose 2.9 percent in Frankfurt trading as investors apparently concluded that the German bank’s relatively new co-chief executives, Jürgen Fitschen and Anshu Jain, were front-loading the bad news. Investors were also rewarding the bank’s efforts to increase the size of the reserves it holds as insurance against losses.
The two men took over the reins less than seven months ago and have declared their intention to deal more severely with the legacy of the financial crisis. The new approach includes raising the amount of capital the bank keeps in reserve compared with the amount of money it lends to customers or otherwise puts at risk. Deutsche Bank has suffered from the perception that it is among the most highly leveraged banks in Europe.
The bank said on Thursday that it had raised its so-called core Tier 1 capital ratio, a measure of the size of the reserves in relation to the amount of money at risk, to 8 percent from less than 6 percent a year ago. Some analysts questioned whether the bank really had become safer or whether the improved ratio simply reflected changes in the way the bank calculates risk.
For now, though, investors are willing to give Deutsche Bank the benefit of the doubt, analysts said.
“The new management under co-C.E.O. Anshu Jain is starting to deal with D.B.’s legacy issues,” analysts at JPMorgan Cazenove said in a note to clients.
Capital is also an issue for Deutsche Bank in the United States, where the Federal Reserve is proposing that foreign banks hold more capital at their local operating units. Stefan Krause, the bank’s chief financial officer, said in a call with analysts that Deutsche Bank was prepared to allocate more capital to the United States in 2015, adding that the rules “were really not very helpful in terms of helping global financial markets.”
The quarterly results showed the bank was clearing its books of bad assets and reducing risk, its executives said. Late last year Deutsche Bank created a “noncore operations unit” to dispose of bad investments or holdings that did not produce an adequate return.
“We are willing to take pain,” Mr. Jain said at a news conference. “That is the real story of the fourth quarter. We are willing to take losses.”
Deutsche Bank said revenue in the fourth quarter rose 14 percent, to 7.9 billion euros, from the period a year earlier. The bank warned in December that it would incur major charges in the quarter, but most analysts had not expected the loss to be nearly so big. Before taxes, the loss was 2.6 billion euros.
For the full year, Deutsche Bank reported a net profit of 665 million euros after subtracting 3.5 billion euros related to legal problems or diminished value of assets.
The bank’s problems are far from over. Deutsche Bank continues to cope with the consequences of behavior by some employees, including a tax evasion inquiry that led to a raid on company headquarters last month involving hundreds of police officers. Executives acknowledged on Thursday that the bank could face additional lawsuits related to its sale of securities tied to the United States subprime mortgage market.
“Although they have taken some chunky provisions, litigation is an ongoing drag on the industry,” said Jon Peace, a bank analyst with Nomura in London. “There is probably going to be more litigation drag in 2013.”
Deutsche Bank is among institutions accused of helping to manipulate the London interbank offered rate, or Libor, which is used to set rates on trillions of dollars of mortgages and other debt. Mr. Jain said on Thursday that during the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland, last week, he and other bankers discussed whether it would be possible to work out a global settlement with authorities and complainants. While the bankers did not make any decisions, Mr. Jain said, they agreed that a comprehensive settlement might make sense and would discuss it further.
In response to lapses of the past, executive bonuses have been curtailed, and employees have undergone mandatory ethics training which stresses integrity in trading and dealing with clients, Mr. Fitschen said.
“If you cannot commit yourself to those values without reservation,” he said, “Deutsche Bank is not the place for you.”
Stocks regained ground in New York after global investors were rattled by signs of a slowdown in Chinese manufacturing and a potential easing of central bank support for the economy.
The Public Company Accounting Oversight Board said the firm found a fraud risk in nine audits in 2009 but did not sufficiently follow up on the risk.
A resolution passed Thursday calls for an exemption for “audiovisual” industries and online media in a free-trade deal now under discussion with the United States.
A blistering heat wave in north and western India has caused widespread electricity cuts and led residents to protest and even attack power company officials and property.
Refining Canada’s petroleum-soaked oil sands produces petroleum coke, and the question of what to do with it has found at least one answer in Detroit, where a large coke pile covers an entire city block.
A nonprofit group representing scientists dings officials at both ends of the political spectrum for global warming distortions.
Content marketing is expected to be a big growth area for the ad industry and Robert J. Murray, global president of iProspect, a leading digital agency, is signing up.
The sitcom, which is likely to have additional episodes produced, has Mr. Crystal playing a once-great comic who tries to revive his career.
The product, rather than the model’s body, may be the focus of new campaigns. Or not.
Nearly 23 years after the Americans With Disabilities Act went into effect, patients with disabilities continue to receive inadequate medical care — and many cannot even get a doctor’s appointment.
A new report from ConsumerLab.com shows that some bottled varieties of green tea appear to be little more than sugar water, while some green tea leaves are contaminated with lead.
Children of mothers with cancer must learn this painful lesson early: the vulnerability of the figure on whom they have grounded their existence. With varying degrees of fearful awareness, such children intuit that the mother who comforts by murmuring “I am here” will not always be there.
Kenneth deRegt, the executive in charge of Morgan Stanley’s once-powerful fixed-income department, is retiring. | Jamie Dimon is looking to mend fences with regulators. | Tesla Motors repaid a federal loan nine years ahead of schedule. | A look at the battle over Herbalife.
Sign up for the DealBook Newsletter, delivered every morning and afternoon, and receive breaking news alerts throughout the day. | <urn:uuid:1e49e601-996a-4047-8801-b3ff36bbfab6> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://dealbook.nytimes.com/2013/01/31/deutsche-bank-books-3-billion-loss-in-fourth-quarter/?ref=business | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368704132298/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516113532-00004-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.960388 | 1,647 | 1.539063 | 2 |
On Jan. 19, 2007, then-9-year-old Justin Abraham says he was attacked on the playground of Glenview Elementary, a predominantly black school in the North Little Rock School District. By the account of Justin's mother, a 10-year-old white boy kicked Justin in the head and stomped him as he lay on the ground. The aggressor then twisted Justin's left arm back and sat on it, snapping both his radius and ulna bones. Justin was taken to the hospital; a few days later, doctors performed surgery, placing a titanium steel plate and four screws into his arm. Justin had to miss three weeks of school.
Justin, who is of African-American, German, Japanese, Hispanic, Hawaiian and Hungarian Jewish descent, says he has been the victim of abuse since at least the second grade, when he first remembers hearing his classmates' shouts of “half-breed.” All together, his mother Shanna McCoy says, Justin has had to visit the emergency room four times. McCoy, who sees apathy about the incidents on the part of school administrators, has taken her case to court. School officials have mostly declined comment.
McCoy has sued the North Little Rock School District, Glenview Elementary and the members of the North Little Rock School Board in Pulaski Circuit Court. Trial is set for May 5.
McCoy said that when she suggested to Glenview's principal, Carol Thornton, that the three-day suspension of the boy who broke Justin's arm was too light, Thornton told McCoy she should be grateful Justin was not suspended as well — that “he was lucky all he got was just his arm broken.” McCoy also recalls one of Justin teacher's suggesting the boy act “more like Condoleezza Rice … be like other blacks and stop complaining so much” about his treatment.
McCoy certainly hasn't heeded advice not to complain. Two months after Justin's arm was broken, McCoy was a guest on the “Montel Williams” television show, in an episode entitled “Dangers in Our School.” McCoy said her appearance proved disastrous for her son. “After the show, they started suspending my child every week,” says McCoy.
Trouble followed Justin when he moved from Glenview to Seventh Street Elementary in October last year, according to McCoy. She said he was warned his first day at school by vice principal Alan Pittington, who reportedly said, “You're not gonna come over here and make us look bad.”
Physical incidents continued at Seventh Street, she says: Justin came home with black eyes and bruised cheeks, and at one point was cut on his forehead after a child attempted to stab him with a pencil, his mother said.
North Little Rock Superintendent Kenneth Kirspel declined to discuss McCoy's accusations. In an e-mail message, he wrote, “Principals talk with all involved when incidents occur or when concerns are expressed by students or parents. I am confident the administrators at both schools investigated the allegations and that appropriate disciplinary actions (if warranted) were taken by the principals.”
Requests for comment from Thornton and Pittington were directed to Paul Blume, the district's in-house council. Blume would not comment, except to say, “I don't have any doubt that there was some friction between the minor plaintiff and another student.” Blume indicated he will be filing a motion for summary judgment, saying the district is immune from negligence liability.
Justin, McCoy said, also got ugly e-mail, calling him a “mixed punk.” She said she asked the school for help, but was told there was nothing administrators could do about “cyber-bullying.”
McCoy says she feels betrayed by school officials and also at a loss to explain the abuse towards her son. He is getting therapy, she said.
This year, Justin is enrolled in fifth grade at Meadowpark Elementary. McCoy says the bullying continues.
Home Energy Rx (http://www.homeenergyrx.com/faq_5017_ct.as…) offers free home energy evaluations if you meet…
A&E Feature / To-Do List / In Brief / Movie Reviews / Music Reviews / Theater Reviews / A&E News / Art Notes / Graham Gordy / Books / Media / Dining Reviews / Dining Guide / What's Cookin' / Calendar / The Televisionist / Movie Listings / Gallery Listings | <urn:uuid:9a604c79-e2dc-45f9-88ed-5981251e92e7> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.arktimes.com/arkansas/bullying-complaint-filed/Content?oid=933742 | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368701459211/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516105059-00018-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.98051 | 934 | 1.601563 | 2 |
Notwithstanding my relative optimism about the financial reform legislation in congress, the fact remains that there’s a lot of rot in our political system and our elite culture has entered a bizarre accountability-free zone. Compare our situation to what’s happening in Iceland:
Last Monday, a special investigative committee released a much-anticipated report that analyzed events in the nation’s public and private sectors that led to the bank failures. The report, which ran more than 2,300 pages, accused seven government officials, including the former prime minister and the former head of the central bank, of acting with “negligence” in their oversight of the financial sector.
The findings prompted three members of Parliament to take leaves of absence pending the outcome of a parliamentary review of the report. More are expected.
“We thought we were living in this well-ordered society, a respected member of the Nordic countries, stable, well-organized, well-behaved, deeply democratic and certainly not corrupt,” Jon Baldvin Hannibalsson, a former foreign affairs minister and ambassador to Washington said in an interview Sunday. “This investigation showed a totally different picture.”
The Financial Crisis Inquiry Commission is doing some good stuff, but there’s just no comparison. | <urn:uuid:9627d02b-b0cf-4b4d-8e74-eeeef42c0b87> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://thinkprogress.org/yglesias/2010/04/19/196922/accountability-in-iceland/?mobile=nc | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368697974692/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516095254-00033-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.952007 | 262 | 1.5625 | 2 |
Cyclists peddling on the new cycling superhighway through Tooting Broadway could be put in danger because of patchy planning, it is claimed. Labour councillors say the A24 through Tooting is not scheduled to be finished until after the rest of the highway, creating a dangerous gap in the route.
The route runs from Merton to the City through Tooting High Street, which has often been described as a “death trap” because it is so busy and narrow. Last year a 16-year-old cyclist was killed by a lorry in Tooting High Street.
Charlie Holland, a cycling instructor from Tooting said: “I would like to see a superhighway that 12-year-olds can use to cycle to school with safety and confidence. I don’t see the absolute commitment to making the kind of change that will allow that to happen.”
Friends, why not make your own 'cycling super highway'? Simply convert an existing cycle lane, such as this attractive facility shown here in central Walthamstow this morning, by painting it blue. Your 'cycling super highway' is now ready for use! (Please note, for added realism this cycling super highway contains buses, just as in the original Transport for London artist's impression of a cycling super highway.) | <urn:uuid:d9e58848-1545-4773-9cb1-5ca0a34d3b1c> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://crapwalthamforest.blogspot.com/2009/09/tooting-cycling-superhighway-not-so.html | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368705195219/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516115315-00013-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.968186 | 271 | 1.757813 | 2 |
The Importance of Dude-Lit By Don Calame"Boys aren’t reading. You hear it all the time. In the newspapers, from teachers, from parents, from librarians. But if you take a look at the teen section of most bookstores you might get a clue as to why. The majority of the books that are geared toward teenagers are meant to be for girls, about girls, doing girl things. Whether that’s finding out that they are secretly a princess, learning that their friend has the problem du jour (anorexia, cutting, drugs, alcohol, pregnancy), or perhaps most disturbing of all, discovering that the boy they are in love with is a vampire (or werewolf, or zombie, or angel, or alien from another planet). And then there are the books the students are meant to read in school. Novels by Steinbeck, Melville, Shakespeare, Bronte, etc. All very important works of literature, all having absolutely nothing that might appeal to a teenage boy. And nothing that a teenage boy can relate to in his current life. In fact, it takes quite a lot of effort to find those really good books that address what it’s really like to come of age as a teenage boy. And believe me, I’ve tried, with the help of some very knowledgeable booksellers. I’m not sure why this is. Because guys are half the population. These types of books should and need to be published. “Well,” some people say, “teenage boys won’t read even if you do publish them. Because they have short attention spans. And because they like sports. And because they play video games.” I’m sorry but I don’t buy it. Why? Because I’m a guy. And I have a short attention span. And I like sports. And I play video games. I also happen to love reading. And I learned to love reading when I was a teenager. Beyond that, most of my friends are exactly the same. I honestly believe that if you hand a boy a book that he can relate to, that feels realistic to him, that presents guys the way guys really are, with all the humor and confusion and awkwardness that we experience at that age, then boys will not only read that book, but they will thoroughly enjoy it and ask for another one just like it. And hopefully, more and more of them will be published, so that when they do ask for that next book it’s available for them to pick up." Big thank you’s to Don for stopping by the blog today and to Templar for setting this whole thing up. To learn more about my thoughts on Swim the Fly you can stop by my review here. The tour will next be stopping at Chicklish where they’ll be offering up an exclusive extract plus your chance to win a signed copy of Swim the Fly! Exciting stuff right? For more info on the tour you can check out Templar’s post here to find out more about what will be taking place and to watch the trailer for Swim the Fly (trust me you don’t want to miss THAT!)
Swim the Fly is out in the UK 1st June 2011. Don is currently in the UK promoting Swim the Fly so be sure to give him a warm British welcome and check out his website here. | <urn:uuid:b7e76820-ee4f-409e-8ad4-99b55d9addb7> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://jessheartsbooks.blogspot.com/2011/05/kick-starting-swim-fly-blog-tour.html | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368702810651/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516111330-00039-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.963864 | 707 | 1.703125 | 2 |
Most Christians who have been in conservative circles for any amount of time are aware of arguments in Biblical interpretation (i.e. differing opinions of how to read Genesis 1, views on predestination, Calvinism, the role of women, etc.). These “in-house” discussions tend to dominate the horizon in many conservative communities. Sharing a set of presuppositions – the inerrency of Scripture, the Divinity of Jesus, etc. – the conversation tends to stay within these boundaries.
But while plenty of congregants have spent time thinking about what the Bible says, many have not engaged in the wider discussion about what the Bible is. Marcus Borg, in Reading the Bible Again for the First Time, wants to push the discussion away from Biblical minutiae, and talk about the wider topic of how we see our Scripture. What, fundamentally, is the Bible? And how should we read it?
Borg spends significant time framing this debate (especially explaining the difference between a Conservative view and a Liberal view), and then expands on each portion of Scripture, articulating how to read each section from his (Liberal) point of view.
Conservatives will hate him, Liberals will (sometimes uncritically) rally around him. I like to come up with nicknames for him and his followers … How about “The Borg Collective” (for all you Star Trek fans)? Let’s get into the book…
Overview: Reading the Bible Again for the First Time is broken down into 3 “Parts.” In Part I : Foundations, Borg lays out the Conservative / Liberal divide and argues for the Liberal view on how to look at Scripture. In Part II : The Hebrew Bible, he takes a close look at Israel’s Creation narratives, the Pentateuch, the Prophets, and Israel’s Wisdom. Finally, in Part III : The New Testament, Borg looks at the Gospels, Paul, and Revelation. The heart of this book is in Part I. If you don’t buy into Borg’s “lens” for reading the Bible, you won’t really care what he has to say when he talks about individual portions of Scripture. I’ll give an overview of Part I, and then you can go read Parts II and III yourself:) I also have a pretty in depth look at Part I of this book on the “Contrasting Paradigms” section of the site.
Part I: Foundations
The first part of Borg’s work is further broken down into 3 Chapters, I’ll summarize the first two.
Chapter I: Reading Lenses
In the first chapter, Borg contrasts two different ways (or different “lenses) of looking at the Bible, expounds on what the “old” or “traditional” way looks like, and then lists several reasons why he thinks this way of viewing Scripture won’t work in today’s age.
For Borg, the traditional lens for understanding Scripture can be understood by looking at 3 aspects of the view. He summarizes the traditional lens as follows:
1. Origin – The Bible is a divine product. Such is the natural or immediate meaning of how the Bible has been spoken about by Christians throughout the centuries. The Bible is the Word of God, inspired by the Holy Spirit; it is sacred scripture. The Bible is thus not a human product, but comes from God in a way no other book does.
2. Authority – The Bible is therefore true and authoritative. The truth and authority of the Bible are grounded in its origin. As a divine product, it has a divine guarantee to be true and must be taken seriously as the ultimate authority about what to believe and how to live.
3. Interpretation – The Bible is historically and factually true. In a state of natural literalism, it is taken for granted that what the Bible says really happened. The only exceptions are manifestly metaphorical language, such as “mountains clapping their hands with joy.” Natural literalists can recognize and appreciate metaphor. But when the Bible seems to be reporting something that happened, it happened. Moreover, believing in the factuality of the Bible takes no effort; in a state of natural literalism, there is no reason to believe otherwise.
This model for understanding what the Bible is has led to a Christianity that is: (1) literalistic, (2) doctrinal – being a Christian means believing the “right doctrine,” (3) moralistic – especially with a focus on original sin and how sinful each person is deep down, (4) patriarchal, and (5) exclusivistic – Christianity is seen as the only true way and, for some, those outside the church will end up in hell unless they convert.
Although Borg realizes that not every Evangelical or “Traditional” Christian would agree with all of these points, and recognizes that there are nuances to these beliefs for each Christian and each congregation, he believes that these points fairly summarize the traditional lens … it is a familiar scheme of seeing the Bible for most.
For Borg, this paradigm won’t do.
Because of our cultural context, we need a new way of looking at Scripture. In today’s society, we are: (1) uniquely aware of religious pluralism, (2) aware of historical and cultural relativity, (3) “modern”, shaped by the Enlightenment and scientific discovery, and (4) on the verge of postmodernity, and see that even modernity is culturally conditioned – thus we turn to “experience.” These facts have made living with the traditional understandings of the Bible and the kind of Christianity that it creates, impossible for many North American Christians, including Borg himself.
Chapter II: The Bible and God
In Chapter Two, Borg lays out a new (most would say “Liberal”) model for understanding the Bible and contrasts it with the Traditional lens.
1. While the Traditional understanding sees the Bible as a Divine Product, a Liberal model sees Scripture as a human response to God, a totally human product.
The alternative, of course, is to see the Bible as a human product – the product of two ancient communities. The Hebrew Bible is the product of ancient Israel. The New Testament is the product of the early Christian movement. What the Bible says are the words of those communities, not God’s words. To see the Bible as a human product does not in any way deny the reality of God. Indeed, one of the central premises of this book is that God is real and can be experienced…
I see the Bible as a human response to God. Rather than seeing God as scripture’s ultimate author, I see the Bible as the response of these two ancient communities to their experience of God. As such, it contains their stories of God, their perceptions of God’s character and will, their prayers to and praise of God, their perceptions of the human condition and the paths of deliverance, their religious and ethical practices, and their understanding of what faithfulness to God involves. As the product of these two communities, the Bible thus tells us about how they saw things, not about how God sees things.
2. While the Traditional model sees the Bible as totally Authoritative due to its divine origin (what Borg calls a monarchical model of biblical authority), a Liberal model sees the Bible as Authoritative in the sense that it is the continuing dialogue partner of the Christian community (what Borg calls a dialogical model of biblical authority). It is a common set of books, decided on by a given community, and therefore the shaper of that community.
To be Christian means to live within the world created by the Bible. We are to listen to it well and let its central stories shape our vision of God, our identity, and our sense of what faithfulness to God means. It is to shape our imagination, that part of our psyches in which our foundational images of reality and life reside. We are to be a community shaped by scripture. The purpose of our continuing dialogue with the Bible as sacred scripture is nothing less than that.
3. While the Traditional model interprets Scripture more or less literally and looks at Scripture as the holder of factual truths, a Liberal model interprets Scripture more figuratively and looks at the Bible as a sacrament.
The word “sacrament” also has a broader meaning. In the study of religion, a sacrament is commonly defined as a mediator of the sacred, a vehicle by which God becomes present, a means through which the Spirit is experienced…
The goal is not to systematize and find right doctrine, the goal of reading Scripture is to experience God and “hear what the Spirit is saying” through the words of our spiritual ancestors.
In Chapter III, Borg goes on explain how to read the Bible with a “Historical-Metaphorical approach.” In the rest of the book, he expounds on sections of the Christian Scriptures using this approach.
Personal Takeaways: The strongest part of this book is the breakdown between two models of understanding what the Bible is, and the different “Christianities” (liberal and conservative) that stem from each. Borg’s thoughts in this area really helped me understand what I could do with Scripture after the Traditional model became unconvincing. The idea of Scripture as a Sacrament has been very helpful for devotional purposes.
Ultimately this is one of the books, and Borg is one of the authors, that former Evangelicals can turn to to make some sense out of faith if their original paradigm has fallen apart. In my opinion, this is by far Borg’s best work (as I find his historical Jesus research unconvincing).
Final Thoughts: Hardly a better place to understand the differences between “Mainline” or Liberal Christianity and Conservative Christianity. How you see what the Bible is, and how you therefore read it, will determine what you think the Christian faith is all about. I don’t necessarily recommend all of Borg, but most definitely do recommend this one.
For a sympathetic liberal review, check out Anthony David. For a more conservative perspective on Borg, check out the series by Carl at TheologicalPursuit (link goes to his criticisms, but he also summarized various chapters in previous posts). I’ve also got a great video of Borg on religious pluralism posted here. | <urn:uuid:f1a6c79c-415b-4354-b68f-b9197ec8b3ed> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.walkingtowardsthelight.org/marcus-borg-reading-the-bible-again-for-the-first-time-review/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368711005985/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516133005-00001-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.952156 | 2,173 | 1.726563 | 2 |
January 30, 2012
John McGraw & Christy Mathewson: Out-of-Copyright Authors
I'm always in awe of the digital age we live in. Everything is on demand and at your fingertips. Music, movies, television, video games - they can all be enjoyed anywhere you are almost instantly. Books are the same way, with all the various e-book readers on the market now. In fact, instantly downloadable electronic books are so prevalent that each and every one of us can even read books about baseball written by turn-of-the-century Hall of Famers with just a few clicks of a mouse button.
Currently, there are at least five different baseball books available free on Google Books written by early-20th century baseball stars, including legendary Hall of Famers John McGraw and Christy Mathewson. These books are also available in other ebook stores, but the prices and availability differ.
Here's a brief look at the five books on Google Books so far. Full disclosure: I have not read through all of these books, so my impressions may be incomplete or inaccurate. Feel free to download them yourself (for free!) and let me know where I'm wrong.
Baseball: Individual Play and Team Play in Detail
Clarke played for thirteen years in the National League beginning in 1893 for five teams, including the Baltimore Orioles and Boston Beaneaters. After retiring, "Boileryard" Clarke took up the head coaching job at Princeton University. Over the next 36 years, Clarke compiled a 564-322-10 record for the Tigers. In 1965, Princeton opened Clarke Field, where the Princeton Tigers still play today.
"Baseball" covers the fine details for how to play the game. In the introduction, Clarke and Dawson put forth that, while the sport is widely followed, "few players, and fewer spectators, really understand it thoroughly" because "leaders of the game" have "reserved this knowledge for those immediately under their control, while the average player and spectator must be content to play and watch the game as best he can." Chapters cover each position (with the outfield lumped together) as well as batting, base-running, and "team plays". There are even chapters called "Hints to College Players" (number one: have regular hours for study) and "Hints to Spectators".
The best part of the book, though, are the photos illustrating proper technique, from how to catch a low ball from the pitcher to how to handle a throw at first-base (while wearing a dapper college sweater!) to how to slide. There is also a collection of diagrams at the back of the book, describing how players on the field should react to different situations. They look like they belong in Phil Jackson's or Bill Belichick's office more than Tony LaRussa's or Joe Torre's.
Who knew the gristled Hall of Fame manager was such a literary figure?! Although both books seem to be structured and geared towards the same audience, the more thorough of these two books is very obviously "How to Play Baseball". The sections are longer and seem to take on a more "coach-y" tone. McGraw constantly gives the "boys" he's writing for hints on how best to practice a position and who among their friends should claim each spot. There are even more photos in this book than Clarke's "Baseball", making it a great resource for checking out turn-of-the-century baseball. For example, there's an extended section early in the book where McGraw describes the perfect wind-up:
The most effective form of delivery is overhand, and I would advise all pitchers to aim to acquire this style for many reasons. … The regulation overhand swing starts with the ball and both hands held against the chest, and then the right or left arm, according to whether the man is a southpaw or a right handed pitcher, is swung in a short circle, with the muscles of the arm and body relaxed. Finally, the pitching hand is brought back over the head and joins the other when the twirler swings back on his right foot if he is a right hander, or the left for a southpaw. …
"Scientific Baseball" reads like a condensed version of "How to Play Baseball", though that's not strictly true. The sections aren't exactly the same, including, for example, a two page section on how to throw a spitball. This book is also a fun thing to flip through thanks to the included 1913 Major League Baseball schedule, the statistics at the back of the book, and the detailed rules of the game included near the back.
Pitching In a Pinch: or, Baseball from the Inside
A more conversational book from one of the greatest pitchers of all-time. Mathewson describes the different facets of the game from his point of view on the mound, giving many in-game examples of how things played out in real life.
Very often spectators think that a pitcher has lost his grip in a pinch, when really he is playing inside baseball. A game with Chicago in Chicago back in 1908 (not the famous contest that cost the Giants a championship; I did not have any grip at all that day; but one earlier in the season) best illustrates the point I want to bring out. Mordecai Brown and I were having a pitchers' duel, and the Giants were in the lead by the score of 1 to 0 when the team took the field for the ninth inning.
Perhaps the best sense of Mathewson's writing comes from the table of contents. "Pitching In a Pinch" includes chapters, among others, called "The Most Dangerous Batters I have Met", "Big League Pitchers and their Peculiarities", "Coaching - Good and Bad", "Honest and Dishonest Sign Stealing", "Jinxes and what they Mean to a Ball-Player" and "The Game that Cost a Pennant". If I were to read any single one of these books, I think it'd be this one.
Touching Second: The Science of Baseball
The complete sub-title of this book is "The History of the National Game; Its Development Into an Exact Mathematical Sport; Records of Great Plays and Players; Anecdotes and Incidents of Decisive Struggles on the Diamond; Signs and Systems Used by Championship Teams." That's quite a mouthful from the man most famous for his part in a poem.
The structure of this book isn't much different than any of the others above, focusing on the various positions on the diamond and the best way to put together a winning team. The main difference lies in the fact that most of the book was written by Fullerton, a "reporter who has followed the fortunes of winning and losing teams for twenty years". The text has a more elevated or educated feel to it.
As a prime example, "Touching Second" is the only book listed here with a chapter called "Baseball Law". In it, Fullerton goes into some detail about how the "law" of baseball works:
Understand in the first place that baseball "law" is illegal, contrary to civil law, in direct violation of the Federal laws regulating combines and the blacklist, and in principle, directly in defiance of the Constitution and of the Rights of Man. Yet, because of the nature of the peculiar business, the greater part of baseball law is necessary.
Somehow I don't think Johnny Evers wrote the "Baseball Law" section - but I'm certainly glad it's there.
I've done some searching on other ebook sites for similar books in the out-of-copyright age, but I haven't found anything else. If anyone happens to know of others, I'd love to hear about them. | <urn:uuid:5790b197-c9f6-433f-8aef-d1142350c660> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.baseballprospectus.com/article.php?type=2&articleid=15941 | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368696382584/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516092622-00036-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.96808 | 1,609 | 1.78125 | 2 |
This is the rough text of a short talk I am scheduled to deliver at a symposium on 'Future Directions in Book History' at Cambrdige on the 24th of November 2011.
I am on the programme as talking briefly about the ‘OldBailey Online and other resources’ (by which I assume is meant London Lives, Connected Histories, and Locating London’s Past, and the other websites I have helped to create over the last ten or twelve years). But I am afraid I have no interest whatsoever in discussing the Old Bailey or the other websites. The hard intellectual work that went in to their creation was done between 1999 and 2010, and for the most part they have found an audience and a user base and will have their own impact, without me having to discuss them any further. We know how to do this stuff, and anyone can read the technical literature, and I very much encourage you to do so.
Instead, I want to talk about how the evolution of the forms of delivery and analysis of text inherent in the creation of the online, problematizes and historicises the notion of the book as an object, and as a technology; and in the process problematizes the discipline of history itself as we practise it in the digital present.
The project of putting billions of words of keyword searchable stuff out there is now nearing completion. We are within sight of that moment when all printed text produced between 1455 and 1923 (when the Disney Corporation has determined that the needs of modern corporate capitalism trumped the Enlightenment ideal), will be available online for you to search and read. The vast majority of that text is currently configured to pretend to be made up of ‘books’ and other print artefacts, But, of course, it is not. At some level it is just text – the difference between one book and the next a single line of metadata. The hard leather covers that used to divide one group of words from another are gone; and every time you choose to sit comfortably in your office reading a screen, instead of going to a library or an archive, while kidding yourself that you are still reading a ‘book’, you are in fact participating in a charade. We are swimming in deracinated, Google-ised, Wikipedia-ised text.
In other words, and let’s face it: the book as a technology for packaging and delivery, storing and finding text is now redundant. The underpinning mechanics that determined its shape and form are as antiquated as moveable type. And in the process of moving beyond the book, we have also abandoned the whole post-enlightenment infrastructure of libraries and card catalogues (or even OPACS), of concordances, and indexes and tables of contents. They are all built around the book, and the book is dead.
If this all sounds rather doom laden and apocalyptic – and no doubt we could argue about the rosy future and romantic appeal of the hard copy book – it shouldn’t. At least as far as the ‘history of the book’ is concerned these developments have been entirely positive
First, it has allowed us to begin to escape the intellectual shackles that the book as a form of delivery, imposed upon us. If we can escape the self-delusion that we are reading ‘books’, the development of the infinite archive, and the creation of a new technology of distribution, actually allows us to move beyond the linear and episodic structures the book demands, to something different and more complex. It also allows us to more effectively view the book as an historical artefact and now redundant form of controlling technology. The 'book' is newly available for analysis.
The absence of books makes their study more important, more innovative, and more interesting. It also makes their study much more relevant to the present – a present in which we are confronted by a new, but equally controlling and limiting technology for transmitting ideas. By mentally escaping the ‘book’ as a normal form and format, we can see it more clearly for what it was. And to this extent, the death of the book is a fantastic and liberating thing – the fascism of the format is beaten.
At the same time, I think we are confronted by a profound intellectual challenge that addresses the very nature of the historical discipline. This transition from the ‘book’, to something new, fundamentally undercuts what we do more generally as ‘historians’. When you start to unpick the nature of the historical discipline, it is tied up with the technologies of the printed page and the book in ways that are powerful and determining. Our footnotes, our post-Rankean cross referencing and practises of textual analysis are embedded within the technology of the book, and its library.
Equally, our technology of authority – all the visual and textual clues that separate a CUP monograph from the irresponsible musings of a know-nothing prose merchant – are slipping away. While our professional identity – the titles, positions and honorifics – built again on the supposedly secure foundations of book publishing – is ever less compelling. So the question then becomes, is history – particularly in its post-Rankean, professional and academic form - dead? Are we losing that beautiful disciplinary character that allows us to think beyond the surface, and makes possible complex analyses that transcend mere cleverness?
And on the face of it, the answer is yes – the renewed role of the popular block buster, and an every growing and insecure emphasis on readership over scholarship, would suggest that it is. In Britain we shy away from the metrics that would demonstrate ‘impact’ primarily because we fear that we may not have any.
Collectively we have put our heads in the sands, and our arses in the air, and seemingly invited the world to take a shot. A single and self-evident instance that evidences a deeper malaise is our current failure to bother citing what we read. We read online journal articles, but cite the hard copy edition; we do keywords searches, while pretending to undertake immersive reading. We search 'Google Books', and pretend we are not.
But even more importantly, we ignore the critical impact of digitisation on our intellectual praxis. Only 48% of the significant words in the Burney collection ofeighteenth-century newspapers are correctly transcribed as a result of poor OCR. This makes the other 52% completely un-findable. And of course, from the perspective of the relationship between scholarship and sources, it is always the same 52%. My colleague Bill Turkel, describes this as the Las Vegas effect – all bright lights, and an invitation to instant scholarly riches, but with no indication of the odds, and no exit signs. We use the Burney collection regardless – not even bothering to apply the kind of critical approach that historians have built their professional authority upon. This is roulette dressed up as scholarship.
In other words, we have abandoned the rigour of traditional scholarship. Provenance, edition, transcription, editorial practise, readership, authorship, reception – the things we query issues in relation to books, are left unexplored in relation to the online text we actually read.
And as importantly, the way we promulgate our ‘history’ has not kept up either. I want television programmes with footnotes, and graphs with underlying spreadsheets and sliders. Yes, I want narrative and analysis, structure, point and purpose. I want to continue to be able to engage in the grand conversation that is history; but it cannot continue to be produced as a ragged and impotent ghost of a fifteenth century technology; and if we don’t do something about it, we might as well all go off and figure out how to write titillating tales of eighteenth-century sex scandals, because at least they sell.
The book had a wonderful 1200 odd year history, which is certainly worth exploring. Its form self-evidently controlled and informed significant aspects of cultural and intellectual change in the West (and through the impositions of Empire, the rest of the world as well); but if, as historians, we are to avoid going the way of the book, we need to separate out what we think history is designed to achieve, and to create a scholarly technology that delivers it.
In a rather intemperate attack on the work of Jane Jacobs, published in 1962, Louis Mumford observed that:
‘… minds unduly fascinated by computers carefully confine themselves to asking only the kind of question that computers can answer and are completely negligent of the human contents or the human results.’
Lewis Mumford, “The Sky Line "Mother Jacobs Home Remedies",” The New Yorker, December 1, 1962, p. 148
I am afraid that in the last couple of decades, historians who are unduly fascinated by books, have restricted themselves to asking only the kind of questions books can answer. Fifty years is a long time in computer science. It is about time we found out if a critical and self-consciously scholarly engagement with computers might not now allow us to more effectively address the ‘human contents’ of the past. | <urn:uuid:de98a436-b63b-4921-9461-a8e151a2a804> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://historyonics.blogspot.com/2011/10/academic-history-writing-and-its.html?showComment=1319421245174 | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368705953421/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516120553-00017-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.952972 | 1,903 | 1.8125 | 2 |
Reno characterizes L.A. shootings as hate motivated, calls for tougher gun laws
August 12, 1999
Web posted at: 11:41 a.m. EDT (1541 GMT)
WASHINGTON (CNN) -- Attorney General Janet Reno Thursday said the shooting death of a Filipino postman and the shootings at a Jewish Community Center in Los Angeles "appear to have been motivated by hate" and urged Congress to get "a serious grip on gun violence" by strengthening gun laws.
Buford O'Neal Furrow Jr., a self-described white separatist, has been charged with the Tuesday murder of the postman, shortly after he allegedly opened fire at the North Valley Jewish Community Center, wounding five people, including three children. He surrendered to the FBI Wednesday.
Attorney General Janet Reno spoke Thursday on the L.A. shootings
"Although the investigations are still under way, these shootings appear to have been motivated by hate," an emotional Reno told reporters. "Hate crimes represent an attack not just on individual victims, but also on the victims' communities. They tear at the very fabric of a people's life."
She said eliminating hate crimes and bigotry are among the nation's top challenges -- for the sake of the nation's children.
Reno called for stronger hate crime legislation to enhance the federal government's ability and to help states prosecute crimes of prejudice.
She also called for tougher gun laws in response to a public outcry.
"When you go out to America, America is saying why can't you all do something," she said. "And I think the message should be loud and clear -- the American people, including a great majority of gun owners, think that we need rational regulation of guns to make sure that people who are not entitled to have them don't have them."
She said in the four months since the attack with guns and explosives at Columbine High School in Littleton, Colorado, that took 15 lives, gun control measures remain unpassed.
"Four months, and anyone can still walk into a gun show and buy a high-powered dangerous weapon without even having to establish their identity," she said.
"We are never going to get a serious grip on gun violence in this country until we adopt comprehensive measures to keep guns away from those who should not have them," said Reno.
Among those measures, she said, are exploring the licensing of all handguns, extending the Brady gun law background checks to include violent juvenile offenders, cooling-off periods before purchasing a gun, laws addressing children's' access to guns and limits on how many guns someone can buy in one month. | <urn:uuid:f954a52e-c602-43e7-b280-63c9444f9bfc> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.cnn.com/ALLPOLITICS/stories/1999/08/12/reno.guns/index.html?_s=PM:ALLPOLITICS | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368699273641/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516101433-00016-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.975702 | 536 | 1.546875 | 2 |
Heavy snow across the world
New Zealand, Canada and The Alps have seen some decent snowfalls this week. It has been a pretty amazing time for some resorts around the world. See the latest conditions in the PlanetSKI weekly overview.
Monday September 27, 2010 - Email this article to a friend
New Zealand has been hit by extreme weather and though it has led to big problems for many people the ski resorts have had more snow.
However many have had to remain closed due to high winds.
One of our readers/reporters in New Zealand, Amanda Pirie, sent us this short message which sort of sums it up; "It is extreme weather here, no photos to send because it is all just fog!"
The weather has badly affected farmers and tens of thousands of people have been without electricity as power lines have been brought down.
"The spring storm of 2010 is frankly the worst in a generation. The last big dump of snow we had was 14 years ago in the winter of 1996, while the last time we had anything this severe was 38 years ago," said one farmer in New Zealand.
Animals have died, the transport system has been hit and many people are suffering.
On the other side of the world in Canada it looks like it is winter already from the pictures we have been sent.
But we start in Europe where there has been less snow, but still some.
More resorts are opening too with some new snow according to our friends at skiinfo who have supplied some of the information in this report.
We have also just put up this seperate story with pictures and information about light snowfalls in Cairngorm and Verbier over the weekend.
FRANCE:In the Alps Tignes opened for business less than a month since it ended its summer snow season.
We have reported on it in a separate story on PlanetSKI.
The resort will be open through to next May.
We have some PlanetSKI readers in the resort this week and they will sending us in some pictures and telling us what it is like, so keep an eye open for that this week.
For the next two months Tignes will be the only French resort open, with the exception of a brief opening of Les 2 Alpes in late October.
AUSTRIA: Six glacier ski areas are now open in Austria after the Stubai and Kaunertal glaciers joined already open Hintertux, Solden, Molltal and Pitztal glaciers at the weekend.
The Kitzsteinhorn glacier has been closed for a while but opened again last Wednesday with a 42cm base.
SWITZERLAND: In Switzerland it's still either Saas Fee or Zermatt with a 1m to 1.5m lying and terrain parks open.
It's still a few more weeks until the glaciers of St Moritz, Gstaad and Engelberg join the party.
Laax plans to open on November 13th.
One of our readers/reporters, Guy Ordway, has taken the picture below in Verbier. Winter is on its way by the looks of things.
And we have just received some fresh information from Guy on Monday morning.
"OK, we didn't need to dig out the cars and wear down jackets, but it's been snowing in resort this morning and settling just a tad above Verbier," says Guy. He works for the ski school, Performance.
ITALY: In Italy Val Senales still has 1m base.
It received a dusting of 5cm of new snow last weekend to freshen up its slopes.
FINLAND: In Finland, Ruka, has announced it plans to open next week on October 1st, all being well.
It then hopes to stay open through to June 2011.
It has Europe's longest ski season for a resort without a glacier, maintaining a snow slope for nearly nine months a year.
There's currently no skiing in North America, as Timberline in Oregon is closed until October for its annual maintenance period however the snow is starting to fall big time, especially at the northern end of the continent.
The annual battle to open first has begun too with the ski area of Loveland firing up its snow guns with the aim of opening in mid-October. Here's a report on the firing up of the snow cannns in Loveland.
Below is a You Tube of the snowmaking manager, Eric Johstone, getting things ready.
It is not exactly the most exciting of videos but it does show things are happening.
CANADA: Marmot Basin above Jasper and Banff - Lake Louise, all in the Canadian province of Alberta, have reported big snow falls in the past week.
We reported on it here a few days ago.
Over 20cm of snow blanketed Banff-Lake Louise in one fall alone.
Jasper's Marmot Basin also received over 10 cm of snow on 20th September with considerably more accumulation at higher elevations.
Last winter Marmot opened on November 11, its earliest opening date ever, with ideal snow conditions.
So far this fall is shaping up to deliver a repeat performance of last year's early season snowfalls which helped contribute to Marmot's record setting year for attendance.
In Whistler the mountains have already received a dusting of snow and the resort is currently scheduled to open on November 25
It's getting towards the end of the season in the southern hemisphere but New Zealand is seeing the biggest snowfalls of the winter to date at present.
NEW ZEALAND: "We have received heavy snow mainly from the west and north west since late last week. Whakapapa has gone from a depth of 1.3m's a week ago to over 2m,' said a statement from Mt Ruapehu.
"Turoa has received just as much snow but it has come with higher winds meaning the snow stake measurement hasn't changed as much. Don't be fooled though, conditions will be way better when the storm passes."
It's a similar story at other areas, most reporting up to 60cm of new snow over recent days but with strong winds.
The extreme weather means most have had to close their slopes until the storm passes over.
It's not all good news though, the heavy snow led to a collapse of a sports hall and on Ruapehu Tower 8 of the High Noon Express has been damaged in the storm.
The resort has already ordered replacement parts and hopes to have the lift fixed by late next week.
The extreme weather has caused severe problems for farmers and thousands of people have been left without power.
AUSTRALIA: There's been no fresh snow in Australia but conditions are still good at most ski areas thanks to the huge falls in August and subsequent top ups.
Temperatures have been touching double figures above zero at some areas and most are reporting "beautiful Spring-like conditions."
Thredbo for example still have 1.7m of snow lying at mid mountain.
At Falls Creek snow depths are a little lower, just above 1m, although deeper in the snow making areas.
It's a similar story at Mt Hotham that says it has finished snow making for the season.
To see what it is like take a look at the snow report video below from Perisher.
CHILE: Over in South America, in Chile, Valle Nevado is in to the last few weeks of the season, but temperatures are still below freezing and the snow tally for the season has just passed the four metre mark.
The hotels are scheduled to close this weekend but limited terrain will remain open to 2nd October.
At Portillo snow depths are 25-50cm with no new snow in the past week and Spring-like conditions.
ARGENTINA: In Argentina one of the top resorts, Las Lenas, closed on Monday, but Cerro Catedral is still open with a diminishing snow pack on upper slopes.
It is now down to 1.7m.
For the spirit of the mountains
Bookmark this page
Related ArticlesThe snow remains (Friday May 17, 2013)
Snow in the Southern hemisphere (Wednesday May 15, 2013)
The fat lady sings (Thursday May 9, 2013)
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Snow in New Zealand (Wednesday May 8, 2013)
The snow melts (mostly) (Saturday May 4, 2013)
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- Easyjet trials mobile boarding passes | <urn:uuid:ed4d36d5-88b2-42ee-b95c-453ce78a4563> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.planetski.eu/news/2089 | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368698207393/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516095647-00013-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.967207 | 1,806 | 1.679688 | 2 |
The Housing Again Bulletin, sponsored by Raising the Roof as a partner in Housing Again.
A monthly electronic bulletin highlighting what people are doing to put housing back on the public agenda across Canada and around the world, sponsored by Raising the Roof as part of the Housing Again partnership.
News for July, 2007
Facing up to the Crisis of Homelessness
Toronto photographer Edward Gajdel, an internationally acclaimed portrait artist, has created masterpieces out of an impressive list of famous faces for magazines around the world. Now he has lent his considerable talents to the clients of 6 St. Joseph House, a community centre committed to helping people who are at a crossroads in their lives develop more creative and compassionate ways of responding to the challenges of livelihood and homelessness. Gajdel and his subjects are putting a face to homelessness—a human face beyond the tragic visions we see everyday.
“Living in Toronto it is impossible to ignore the homeless,” Gajdel told Housing Again during a visit to his gallery in the arts district in the Queen West Village. “It bothered me a lot and I knew I wanted to do something.”
“But I had no interest in doing the typical photographs of the homeless on park benches and sleeping on grates. I wanted to contribute in a way that honoured their lives,” he said.
The creation of these intimate portraits was inspired by the dreams of David Walsh and Sister Susan Moran, co-founders of 6 St Joseph House. In collaboration with Gajdel, Yasmin Glanville and Karena Phidd of Creative Transition Resources Inc. put forward the idea of producing photographic portraits that honour the individuals that have stood up to their livelihood challenges and have found ways to contribute to the well-being of others.
The extraordinary portraits were displayed at a “Be Inspired” fundraising event last year at the Gladstone Hotel. And earlier this year, Toronto Image Works Gallery presented Gajdel’s portraits, which he says, honour “compassion and transformation.”
Dr. Melissa Metnitzer, from Parkdale Community Health Centre’s Homeless Initiative, was so moved by the exhibit she is determined to find a way to turn it into an ongoing initiative and expand the project.
“At the end of life, everyone wants to leave a legacy,” she said. “This project honours their life—tells their personal story in a way that reflects who they really are.”
Although Gajdel has always understood the healing power of art, he said there were unexpected consequences during the photo shoots, which evolved over many hours with each participant.
“Healing happens in many different ways. It was amazing to see the impact the experience had with each person as we worked to capture their inner spirit,” Gajdel said. “But I couldn’t believe how much love was reflected back to me.”
“We were all so moved by the outpouring of emotion when the portraits were revealed. It was a very intimate, moving experience,” he said. “I was honoured to be part of it.”
“I want to honour these heroes like we do celebrities,” Gajdel said.
2007 Innovation Award Finalist Quint Development Corporation
In this second year of Eva’s Initiatives Award for Innovation, which is sponsored by CIBC, three winners were recognized for their outstanding and unique work with homeless youth. Each winning organization received a prize of $5,000. Eva’s Initiatives also selected another five as finalists, including the Quint Development Corporation’s Male Youth Lodge in Saskatoon. Quint Development Corporation was created to strengthen the economic and social well-being of Saskatoon’s five core neighbourhoods through a community based economic development approach. Quint, meaning five in Latin, represents the communities of Caswell Hill, King George, Pleasant Hill, Riversdale and Westmount.In 1995, community representatives from the five neighbourhoods formed a CED organization through which they work to improve its neighbourhoods, as well as their own lives. Community residents form at least three quarters of Quint’s board of directors, including appointed representatives from the five community associations. Quint saw the development of a service for young men as a much needed and complimentary next step in its efforts to provide housing alternatives in the core neighbourhoods because transitional and emergency housing for young men was identified as one of the highest priorities in Saskatoon’s Community Plan for Housing and Homelessness. The doors to Quint’s Male Youth Lodge opened in January 2003. The hostel, which is in a previously “stressed” building renovated to help improve the community, provides safe, secure transitional housing for up to 10 young males 16 to 22 years old who need a place to stay. Wherever possible, the residents are linked to education, training, and employment opportunities and are given practical assistance such as getting ID and social insurance numbers. By having round-the-clock staffing, the lodge has been able to provide safe and appropriate housing combined with the support necessary to help at-risk young men make changes in their lives for the better. Staff works hard to ensure that the young men are comfortable, that they really think of the Lodge as their home. “This home is truly about change for the young men.”
Toronto Seeks Best Practices to Build 10-Year Affordable Housing Plan
Toronto Mayor David Miller kicked off an affordable housing public forum on June 28 that included municipal experts from Vancouver, Montreal and Ottawa, along with local stakeholders. The goal of the forum was to generate ideas for best practices to help guide a 10-year Affordable Housing Framework (2008-2018). Toronto will release the framework in the fall followed by a comprehensive affordable housing plan in early 2008, said Raising the Roof Chair Sean Gadon, who is also the Partnership Director for the City of Toronto’s Affordable Housing Office.
Toronto anti-poverty activist Cathy Crowe, who is studying homelessness through a grant form the Atkinson Charitable Foundation, launched her new book, “Dying for a Home: Homeless Activists Speak Out.”
“This book is even more impressive because Crowe and her fellow activists managed to pull this off in the midst of the immense crisis they live everyday,” said activist and actress Sarah Polley. “Required reading for anyone concerned about the ongoing emergency of homelessness.”
Susan Scott interviewed more than 60 women in major centres across the country for her new book. All Our Sisters, Stories of Homeless Women in Canada, published by Broadview Press, explores the reality of women who have nowhere safe to lay their heads at night, while framing the words of the women within a political context.
“After listening to the women and looking at government policy, it’s very clear that women are homeless for reasons beyond their control—such as lack of affordable and safe housing for them and their children,” said Scott. “As well, appropriate help is often difficult to access and inconsistently administered.”
For more information on how to obtain copies of these books, please click on the above links. | <urn:uuid:50d5c3ff-2256-4861-aa8f-f46724bf1769> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.sharedlearnings.org/index.cfm?fuseaction=News.FA_dsp_news&ym=2007-07 | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368701459211/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516105059-00006-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.970908 | 1,477 | 1.835938 | 2 |
I moved to a good street for trick or treaters. Between a very moving event at the Golden Gardens Bathhouse and quite the party at The Scoop on 32nd NW there were at least 50 children at the door. Small people explained the specifics of their costumes to me and negotiated with their parents on how many more houses. All of the lead characters from The Wizard of Oz appeared en masse and a small princess pressed her case for why she should be able to get a kitty. “My daddy’s allergic,” she said. “But one time we went to look at the shelter for an hour and he was fine.”
Then there was the little girl who held out a plastic cup and said, “My school is collecting pennies.”
It reminded me of “I gave at the office.” Just days before I’d carried the accumulated pennies of the last few years to the office at Adams Elementary School as an offering to the students I was interviewing about Penny Harvest. Who doesn’t have any pennies in their house? At that moment it seemed to be me.
Guilt-stricken I went scrounging by the dryer and into my wallet for all of the change, then managed to track down the little girl, hailing her in my Little Red Riding Hood outfit by whispering “Penny Harvest girl…”
At last I was able to hear the thunk of coins in her plastic cup.
At Large in Ballard. Ballard News-Tribune. November 4, 2009.
Penny for your thoughts
It was one of the best meetings I’ve attended in years. Eight fifth-graders at Adams Elementary School gave up their lunch period to meet with me in a circle of chairs in the main office to discuss the third year launch of the Penny Harvest Program. Their enthusiasm and sincerity was as bright as a new penny itself.
Adams Elementary is one of more than 50 local schools participating in the national Common Cents program, administered locally by community non-profit Solid Ground in Wallingford.
Through Thanksgiving, all grades will collect pennies with a goal of 25 sacks. The rationale is that all households, no matter what income level, have pennies. By getting them out of the pickle jars and into a bank, they become valuable again.
However, the pennies are just a means to the end – the first stage of a service-learning project that teaches children how to research and have an effect on issues facing their community.
At Adams fourth and fifth-grade students have to apply to be part of the Penny Harvest leadership team. In the winter and spring, they meet for the collaborative process of apportioning their “grant” money to the community, usually $1,000 to $1,200 per school.
Bobbi Windus is in her third year as parent coordinator for Penny Harvest at Adams. She decided from the get-go that it would be fun to make a film about the program for the kick-off assembly each year. Never mind that she had never even made a film before then.
The Adams film from 2008 is now featured on the national Web site. Some kids are drawn to the film-making portion of the program (others to the rumored pizza party), but in no time they’re discussing philanthropy.
“How many of you knew the word philanthropy before you did Penny Harvest?” I asked the lunchtime crew, who were all fifth-graders in their second year with the program. It was the only time that no one raised their hand.
The eight students I met during lunch are part of a group of 31 students, out of 45 applications this year. In response to why they applied, Quinn Smart volunteered that students are eager to join, “It started with 12 to 15 kids,” she said. “Now there are 31 who’ve gone onto leadership. It makes me happy.”
Caleb Backel-Corthell shook my hand when he introduced himself. “We all really wanted to do Penny Harvest,” he said. “I told myself I’m definitely going to try out for this. We all tried and succeeded.”
Hannah Stalter mentioned being aware of the program when it started at Adams. “We were a grade too young,” she said. “We didn’t know if we’d get to do it.”
Addressing what makes the program so fun, Mitzi Adler-Wachter talked about creating characters such as Dr. Big Brain and Dr. Know-it-all for the movie. Travis Spring said what he really likes is that students choose who to help, and they all get a part in the movie.
Melanie Greenberg particularly enjoys the research portion and then deciding where to donate the funds. “I feel like we have so much power,” she told me.
Natalie Budd sitting next to Melanie nodded in agreement. “Not only are you helping people, but then you get to go on to Philanthropy Roundtable.”
“Which is really cool,” Alexandra Mihalski chimed in. “Last year we donated to Childhaven.”
Quinn Smart added, “People in the community realize that kids can make a difference. It’s a great thing to do and it makes you feel good.”
There was a chorus of agreement around the circle of very engaged kids. Then we took my pennies to the brand new collection jug, and they poured them in for me.
My mother makes it a point to always pick up any pennies on the street, having decided that she should never feel she’s too good to pick up a penny. It’s possible that these fifth-graders, who will one day enter the world as high school class of 2017, will never pass by a penny either, even though they weren’t born during the Great Depression.
What I know from looking around at their eager faces is that all meetings should be so inspiring, and they are going to make that Philanthropy Roundtable sizzle.
Pennies (as well as all other coins) can be dropped off through Thanksgiving break in the main office at Adams Elementary School, located at 6110 28th Ave. N.W. | <urn:uuid:5e305db1-9e36-4baf-942b-d9c4793ba548> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://blog.seattlepi.com/ballard/2009/11/05/its-common-cents/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368704132298/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516113532-00003-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.980283 | 1,339 | 1.59375 | 2 |
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What makes the perfect team? To be in groups is, I believe, a human instinct. We are tribal beings. At work, as manager we need to create teams - the work equivalent of a tribe. How do we do it?
Over 1400 years ago, a monk named Benedict knew then what we know now: the best organisations require effort to join. This effort is the main reason they are superior organisations - it sets up a virtuous circle where the best remain the best.
So how do we get the best? Benedict sets out a clear, detailed procedure to ensuring only the best get in - and then how to support and keep them. He begins with admission, and says:
The rule of St. Benedict, Rule 58
For the Benedictines, the next steps are the Postulant, Novitiate, First Monastic Profession and Perpetual Monastic Profession. The point of each is laid out, as is the time frame. The Postulant is the transition time into monastic life. It’s a time of work and study, with a mentor, to help you see if this is the right life for you. It lasts six months to two years.
Your novitiate lasts a year and, with your mentor, you are guided to deeper understanding, which culminates in your First Monastic Profession. This lasts three to six years, and you are now a full participating member of the order. The Perpetual profession is, of course, the final step - a permanent commitment to the community.
For us, it’s the application form and interview process. Are we clear in our needs? Do we ask the questions to ensure that the applicant can do the job and add value to our organisation and team?
Do you have a Postulant and Novitiate process? In other words, do you have an organised induction process with someone to guide your new team member into the work? There is nothing like a clear, guided induction to ensure that a team member feels truly valued and can begin bringing their gifts and new perspective to the work at hand.
The point for the Benedictines was to ensure that those that remained within the community provided support and give benefit to the organisation, while getting support and benefit from the organisation.
So how do you create a great induction process to ensure a great team member? Begin by ensuring that there is one person in charge - involve the rest of the team, but make sure there is a "mentor" to keep track.
Create a process which takes into account how this person learns best, as well as builds in time to practice the skills and knowledge you are imparting. Practice not only makes perfect but makes habit.
Next, get the person up and working as soon as possible! Provide them with support and knowledge on how things are done, but listen to them and let them get on as soon as they can. Not only will they feel good, but they will begin establishing their worth with their colleagues.
Lastly, remember it’s a process. People need time to absorb and practice what they have learnt. Mistakes will happen, and we all learn in our own way and in our own time. Just because one topic today doesn’t mean you won’t need to revisit it.
We can’t ask people to make a Perpetual Profession to us these days, but we can get them to their First Profession. Make sure that you get it right from the beginning and follow it through with a solid induction process, and you will be rewarded.
|Community Topics||View more »| | <urn:uuid:7440ffd0-7dd4-4c2b-95c6-857714a5b0f1> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://fabulously40.com/article/id/your-team-is-your-tribe-1161 | 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 | 0.958485 | 755 | 1.71875 | 2 |
In a 5-4 ruling, the U.S. Supreme Court upheld the constitutionality of the Affordable Care Act. But as the political, legal, and policy world scrutinizes the details of today's ruling, it's worth pausing to appreciate just how far the four dissenters -- who filed their dissent jointly -- were willing to go.
The conventional wisdom, which was neither conventional nor wise, was that the individual mandate was in deep trouble, but it was unrealistic to think the justices would be so radical as to kill every letter of every word of every page of the law. Such a breathtaking move would simply be unnecessarily radical.
And yet, as of this morning, four justices -- Alito, Kennedy, Scalia, and Thomas -- insisted on doing exactly that. The four dissenters demanded that the Supreme Court effectively throw out the entirety of the law -- the mandate, the consumer protections, the tax cuts, the subsidies, the benefits, everything.
To reach this conclusion, these four not only had to reject a century of Commerce Clause jurisprudence, they also had ignore the Necessary and Proper clause, and Congress' taxation power. I can't read Chief Justice John Roberts' mind, but it wouldn't surprise me if the extremism of the four dissenters effectively forced him to break ranks -- had Kennedy been willing to strike down the mandate while leaving the rest of the law intact, this may well have been a 5-4 ruling the other way.
Roberts' motivations notwithstanding, it's important that Americans understand that there are now four justices on the Supreme Court who effectively want to overturn the 20th century. Based on the flimsiest of arguments, the four dissenters want to kill progressive legislation basically because their political ideologies tell them to do so.
There are some who argue that this year's presidential election isn't especially important. I hope those who believe this consider what today's court minority was prepared to do, and what they will do with just one more vote. | <urn:uuid:12941c66-792d-4074-86a9-0b9fd9dddece> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://maddowblog.msnbc.com/_news/2012/06/28/12459913-how-far-the-four-dissenters-were-willing-to-go | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368705195219/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516115315-00022-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.970788 | 404 | 1.507813 | 2 |
"Under the microscope, I found that snowflakes were miracles of beauty; and it seemed a shame that this beauty should not be seen and appreciated by others. Every crystal was a masterpiece of design and no one design was ever repeated., When a snowflake melted, that design was forever lost. Just that much beauty was gone, without leaving any record behind."
Wilson 'Snowflake' Bentley.
- the first person to photograph a single snowflake. | <urn:uuid:97054066-09f1-4081-b6a4-7c9413e0d277> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://sellsellblog.blogspot.com/2013/01/wilson-snowflake-bentley.html | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368700264179/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516103104-00022-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.982535 | 93 | 1.734375 | 2 |
Mary Etta Conner Lemmon — a pillar of strengthPosted: April 2, 2012
This post is part of The Stitches we Leave Behind series.
My mother came from a tradition of creative women on both sides of her family, specifically, her grandmother on her father’s side and her own mother and maternal grandmother.
My mom’s paternal grandmother, Mary Etta Conner, was born September 7, 1880 in Champaign County, Ohio. Mary Etta’s mother died when she was very young. She was from a rural area of Ohio, and according to her daughter-in-law, my grandmother Anna Adams Lemmon, her family lived in a one-room log cabin where the snow sometimes sifted in through the cracks between the logs upstairs in the loft where she slept.
Mary Etta only went to school until the 3rd grade. According to my uncle, Cory Jr. Lemmon, she was proud to have received an education. She married Cory Oscar Lemmon when she was sixteen years old. He was twelve years her senior. According to my grandfather, Cory Oscar “was a drunk.” The marriage was rocky and after eight children were born Cory Oscar reportedly left the family and started a new one. When the marriage broke up, she was left with six children to raise, alone and without support.
Mary Etta worked at the Imperial factory making ladies stockings to support her family.
My great-grandmother was a mid-wife and helped deliver my mom into the world. Uncle Cory said, “She ‘doctored’ herself, with her own remedies until she was unable to care for herself any longer.”
My mother said my great-grandmother was always a hard worker, and “she’d be up on a chair at 80-years-old washing the walls or something.”
My great-grandma Lemmon made us a little stuffed Santa Claus one year; my mom still sets it under her tree at Christmas.
I remember very little about my great grandmother, only that my mom used to do her laundry for her. I remember one time my sister and I had braided our hair when it was wet and then let it loose after it dried. The result was that it was kinked all the way down. My great grandma really liked it. I remember the one-room apartment she had in a duplex. And that she had a pot-belly stove that she baked the best big soft sugar cookies in I’ve ever had and never have been able to reproduce.
I was a little intimidated by her, and perhaps even scared as young children sometimes are around the elderly. As an adult, knowing what I know now about her and her life, I wish I had had the opportunity to know her better.
See The Stitches We Leave Behind under the Series tab above for more links in this 10-part series. | <urn:uuid:aab1895e-6cc4-4aa3-bbb3-c07645627454> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://randomthoughtsfrommidlife.wordpress.com/2012/04/02/mary-etta-conner-lemmon-a-pillar-of-strength/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368696383156/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516092623-00006-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.991039 | 608 | 1.632813 | 2 |
Of course, affluent blacks and whites do not lead completely bifurcated post-work lives. "It's not as segregated as you might think," said Nelson George, the cultural critic, adding that at most predominately black establishments, there will be at least a smattering of whites. "These are people who hang out with black friends at these places or are just down with blacks."
Still, says Lawrence Otis Graham, a black, Harvard-educated lawyer and a frequent commentator on race relations, when black professionals get together, they often choose to do so in "places that are accustomed to serving a large black clientele."
Why is that? Mr. Graham, the author of "Member of the Club: Reflections on Life in a Racially Polarized World" (HarperCollins, 1995), asserts that based on his experience, blacks not in the company of whites run the risk of being ignored or treated rudely or seated next to the bathroom or kitchen in many of the city's top restaurants.
But Earl Caldwell, the former Daily News columnist, has another explanation for the popularity of places like B. Smith's and the Shark Bar. They represent something "exotic" to younger blacks raised in the era of integration, he said. "The music is different, the language is different," he said. "Isn't it just more exciting?"
For Alison N. King, 34, a television producer and consultant, being a member of a black salon offers a gratifying sense of community as well as a venue for intellectual discourse. "It's good to know that there are others like yourself out there," said Ms. King, a member of the Brooklyn Black Belt Salon Brunch, which brings together Fort Greene and Clinton Hill artists and professionals to schmooze and discuss everything from fashion and literature to affirmative action. "Often, you think you're the only one out there with certain thoughts and experiences."
Not that successful blacks are a homogenous lot. There exists, says Mr. George, "an internal gamesmanship" based on educational and social pedigree. Second- and third-generation members of the black middle class -- those who vacationed on Martha's Vineyard as children, attended debutante balls as teen-agers and, later, graduated from exclusive colleges and universities -- may not fully welcome the newly arrived.
"You get a certain vibe from some of the Harvard and Yale blacks," said Mr. George, author of "Buppies, B-Boys, Baps and Bohos: Notes on a Post-Soul Black Culture" (HarperCollins, 1993). "But then there is also a cockiness among the up-by-the-bootstraps buppies. Those who came up from the streets will pull rank on the people who have the pedigree. They won't claim to be more authentically black, but they'll say I had to go through so much more than you, so therefore I am stronger."
For many decades, Manhattan has been the primary after-hours playground for black professionals. In the 60's, lawyers, doctors and politicians sipped cocktails at Frank's Restaurant, the Flash Inn, Jock's Place and the Red Rooster, Harlem restaurants and bars that closed as accommodations opened up to blacks downtown. In the 70's and 80's, the Cellar and Mikel's, now defunct rhythm and blues and jazz clubs on the Upper West Side, were the haunts.
Manhattan remains the social nexus for black professionals, although Fort Greene, often called the home of the new black renaissance, continues to grow in popularity and is now drawing black revelers from beyond Brooklyn's borders.
From a salon to soul food restaurants, herewith a look at a few of the places the city's black professionals find one another and themselves. SALONS, POETRY READINGS, BOOK DISCUSSION GROUPS | <urn:uuid:8fe89dd1-58d6-4bbc-9ad6-3de21753a705> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.nytimes.com/1995/08/20/nyregion/the-comfort-zones-of-the-young-black-professional.html?pagewanted=2&src=pm | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368707435344/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516123035-00018-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.966092 | 795 | 1.671875 | 2 |
My blog is going orange for the month of September and it’s for a great cause. I am participating in the Moms Fighting Hunger initiative headed by Stacy Teet of Kids Stuff World. Eating healthy is a very important topic for me. It breaks my heart when I see a child drinking soda or eating junk instead of real food. What breaks my heart even more is that there are children in our own country going hungry everyday. The fact is 1 out of 5 children in the US struggle with hunger, that’s 16 million kids. September is National Hunger Awareness month and if you would like to get involved too there are many things you can do to help:
- Donate to your local food bank, but don’t forget about the kids with peanut allergies. Follow my friend Pamela’s lead and donate a jar of sunbutter.
- Go to the Moms Fighting Hunger page and “like” it.
- Join the TwEAT OUT on September 17. This is for all you Twitter users out there, you can help spread the word all day on Monday September 17 9AM-9PM EST
- Watch this video to get inspired.
Look for posts on this topic all month long. | <urn:uuid:664cd50f-17b0-4fa3-943d-63f810cb02dd> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.exfoodie.com/go-orange-to-help-end-hunger/ | 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 | 0.931408 | 254 | 1.796875 | 2 |
Hot on HuffPost Parents:
- Claire McCarthy, M.D.: Is Your Family Ready for a Disaster?
- HooplaHa: WATCH: Shari Alyse: Showing What Kids Can Teach Us
Reviews: What's New This Week
In Theaters: "Flipped"
A childhood crush evolves over time in "Flipped," a coming-of-age story based on Wendelin Van Draanen's novel of the same name. Set in a simpler time before social networking and texting, the film takes an age-appropriate look at growing up and falling in love. Rated PG, OK for kids 11+
DVD: "The Back-Up Plan"
A single woman is desperate to have a child in "The Back-Up Plan," a romantic comedy starring Jennifer Lopez. After becoming pregnant via artificial insemination, Lopez' character meets the man of her dreams and the complications ensue. The rough language and frank talk about sex and pregnancy make this one inappropriate for teens. Rated PG-13, Iffy for kids 15-17
TV: "MADE: The Movie"
Based on the popular MTV reality series, "MADE: The Movie" features an awkward girl trying to break into the popular crowd by going out for the school cheerleading squad. With the help of her popular brother's girlfriend, she faces her fears and stays true to herself. The language is mild, but the frank sexual talk and scenes of underage drinking make it inappropriate for young audiences. Not Rated, OK for kids 13+
Books: "Catching Fire: The Hunger Games, Book 2"
A sequel to "The Hunger Games," Suzanne Collins' "Catching Fire: The Hunger Games, Book 2" is a well-written page-turner featuring a strong female lead fighting against a terroristic government. While the story is violent, it's not overly graphic and is free of rough language and sexual content. OK for kids 12+
Music: "Mine" by Taylor Swift
Country music darling Taylor Swift's latest single is "Mine," a squeaky clean love song with a happy ending. Other than a reference to "a drawer of my things at your place," there's nothing of concern in the lyrics and the message is a positive one. OK for kids 12+
A virtual world created by Build-A-Bear Workshop, "BuildABearville" is a safe place for kids to build an avatar, play games and chat safely with their online friends. Kids who have purchased a real Build-A-Bear plush toy have access to more areas, but even those going solo will find this site has lots of fun things to do. OK for kids 8+
Games: Mafia II
For PlayStation 3, Windows and Xbox 360, "Mafia II" lets players take on the role of a mobster looking for wealth and respect through murder and mayhem. In this vicious world of organized crime, it's all about graphic violence, sexually suggestive imagery and extremely strong and offensive language. Rated M, not for kids
Ask Us Anything About Parenting
Start by teaching him that it is safe to do so. | <urn:uuid:34bacedd-e5fc-40a5-ad25-1b88a760fc1c> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.parentdish.com/2010/08/27/reviews-whats-new-this-week/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368704713110/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516114513-00022-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.932415 | 643 | 1.640625 | 2 |
The unions’ takeover of the United States under Barack Obama and his fellow Marxists associates is hitting a stone wall with the nation’s largest employer, Walmart. Unions such as the United Food and Commercial Workers union (UFCW), which organized Black Friday protests at Walmarts around the country, failed at enlisting employees of the retail giant to join them.
Of course, the unions appeared to fabricate claims of the number of employees who participated; the UFCW asserted that “hundreds and hundreds” of employees joined them, which is amusing because even if true, that is a miniscule percentage of the 1.4 million employees of Walmart. Dan Schlademan, director of Making Change at Walmart, told the website Raw Story “hundreds and hundreds” of workers took part. Not to be left behind, Service Employees International Union (SEIU) President Mary Kay Henry claimed in a press release that “thousands” of Walmart employees had walked off the job, saying:
Today’s protests at Walmart stores across the country are a reminder of the enormous power of working people uniting to demand a better future with a living wage, affordable healthcare and respect on the job. From this day on, ‘Black Friday’ should be remembered as a pivotal day for working people at Walmart and everywhere.
Walmart quietly stated that only 50 associates (Walmart’s term for employees) nationwide had left. CEO Bill Simon said:
Only 26 protests occurred at stores last night and many of them did not include any Walmart associates. We estimate that less than 50 associates participated in the protest nationwide. In fact, this year, roughly the same number of associates missed their scheduled shift as last year.
There were good reasons why Walmart associates were loyal; they receive a 10 percent discount on general merchandise they buy at Walmart stores all year long; this year Walmart gave associates a special holiday discount of 10 percent off most food items from November 9 to January 1; and associates who worked on Black Friday got an additional 10 percent discount on an entire basket of goods as well as holiday pay.
The unions have hated Walmart for years, trying to destroy it with groups called Wake-Up Walmart (now defunct) and others called OUR Walmart and Making Change at Walmart. But Walmart has been fighting back; they filed an unfair practices claim against UFCW with the National Labor Relations Board.
One Walmart associate in Philadelphia characterized the unions’ efforts most succinctly:
Everything they’re saying is wrong, wrong, absolutely wrong. They give us benefits, they give us extras, they give us parties, we get bonuses, this is all wrong.
And here’s the real punch line to the story: Wal-Mart said it had made at least 10 million transactions since its stores opened late Thursday, its best Black Friday ever. | <urn:uuid:1b84ca76-80b4-43d0-8eb8-4dcefa3fa77c> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.breitbart.com/Big-Government/2012/11/25/Unions-Fail-To-Stop-Walmart-On-Black-Friday | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368703682988/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516112802-00024-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.966373 | 586 | 1.6875 | 2 |
DENVER - Colorado's Senate passed a civil unions for same-sex couples bill on Monday.
After its third and final reading in the Senate, SB-11 will move to the House, where Speaker of the House Mark Ferrandino is the sponsor.
"There are families throughout Colorado, including my own, who are living the same as any family but lack the legal safeguards and recognition afforded to everyone else," Speaker Mark Ferrandino said. "These committed couples want civil unions to uphold the values we all hold dear: commitment to others, stability, responsibility, and, most importantly, family."
This marks the third time the Colorado Senate has approved the legal recognition for gay partners.
The House is now under Democratic control and is likely to approve the measure, sending it to the governor's desk.
Democratic Gov. John Hickenlooper has said he plans to sign civil unions into law. Civil unions would grant gay couples rights similar to marriage.
If signed into law, SB-11 will provide committed gay and lesbian couples with critical legal protections and responsibilities, such as the ability to inherit property, to take family leave to care for a partner, to visit a partner in the hospital, and to make medical and end-of-life decisions for a partner.
More than a dozen states allow either civil unions or gay marriage. Colorado's constitution bans gay marriage.
(KUSA-TV © 2013 Multimedia Holdings Corporation with The Associated Press) | <urn:uuid:669d1c88-5cd2-4b78-8eb1-6120064dddb2> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.9news.com/news/local/article/316336/222/CO-Senate-planning-final-civil-unions-vote | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368706153698/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516120913-00037-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.950233 | 297 | 1.5 | 2 |
Are sustainability and living green important to you? They matter to us, too. SIUE is continually looking for ways to ensure a healthful and sustainable campus life. There are many ways to live green at SIUE.
You can choose from more than 40 courses with a sustainability focus in biology, engineering, business, anthropology and philosophy. You can minor in environmental science or pursue an undergraduate specialization in ecology, evolution and environment.
The 380-acre nature preserve is a dedicated location for student and faculty research, lab projects and class assignments.
You can live on campus in a focused interest community among other students who want to explore living sustainability. You can join the Student Organization for Sustainability (SOS) and get involved in campus sustainability efforts.
Visit the Sustainability website for more information | <urn:uuid:59bc7b3f-f8f2-4d29-8304-9831d8a471d8> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.siue.edu/admissions/admissions-living-greener.shtml | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368703298047/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516112138-00023-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.937503 | 162 | 1.796875 | 2 |
Kansas v. Ventris (07-1356)
Oral argument: Jan. 21, 2008
Appealed from: Supreme Court of Kansas (Apr. 28, 2008)
SIXTH AMENDMENT, RIGHT TO COUNSEL, IMPEACHMENT, PERJURY
Around January 2004, Donnie Ray Ventris was arrested and charged with the murder, burglary, and robbery of Ernest Hicks. At his trial, the prosecution offered the testimony of Ventris's cellmate, whom the prosecution had recruited to uncover incriminating information from Ventris. This testimony was obtained in violation of Ventris's Sixth Amendment right to counsel because his counsel had not been present at the time, nor had he waived his right to counsel beforehand. The trial court therefore did not allow the prosecution to use the testimony in its case-in-chief. It did, however, let the prosecution use the testimony for impeachment purposes. Eventually, Ventris was acquitted of felony murder but convicted of robbery and burglary. The Kansas Court of Appeals affirmed. The Kansas Supreme Court, however, reversed because it held that Ventris's statements to his cellmate should not have been admitted for any purpose, including impeachment. The U.S. Supreme Court will now decide whether voluntary statements obtained in the absence of a waiver of one's Sixth Amendment right to counsel can be used for impeachment purposes. The Court's decision will impact the procedural fairness and truth-finding function of criminal trials.
Whether a criminal defendant's "voluntary statement obtained in the absence of a knowing and voluntary waiver of the [Sixth Amendment] right to counsel," Michigan v. Harvey, 494 U.S. 344, 354 (1990), is admissible for impeachment purposes-a question the Court expressly left open in Harvey and which has resulted in a deep and enduring split of authority in the Circuits and state courts of last resort?
Whether a defendant can be impeached at trial with a voluntary statement that he made to an undercover police informant in the absence of a waiver of his Sixth Amendment right to counsel.
On January 7, 2004, Donnie Ray Ventris and his girlfriend, Rhonda Theel, went to Ernest Hicks's home, because Theel wanted to confront Hicks over rumors that he was abusing the children of his live-in girlfriend. See Kansas v. Ventris, 176 P.3d 920, 922-23 (Kan. 2008). While Ventris and Theel were at Hicks's home, "one or both of them shot and killed Hicks" and took his cell phone, wallet, and truck keys. See id. at 923-24. They then drove away in Hicks's truck. See id.
Eventually, Ventris and Theel were arrested and charged with several crimes. See id. at
923. Theel entered into a plea bargain with the prosecution and pled guilty to aggravated robbery and aiding a felon. See id. In exchange, she testified against Ventris at his trial and said that he had shot Hicks and stolen his property. See id. Ventris, however, testified to the contrary in his defense and claimed that Theel had been the one to shoot Hicks and take his property. See id. at 923-24.
At trial, the prosecution also offered the testimony of Johnnie Doser, a prison inmate who had shared a cell with Ventris while Ventris was awaiting trial. See id. at 924. The prosecution had recruited Doser to discover incriminating information about Ventris. See id. Doser wanted to testify that Ventris told him that he had gone with his girlfriend "to rob somebody and that it went sour." Id. According to Doser, Ventris had also admitted to shooting Hicks and stealing his wallet, keys, and truck. See id. Ventris, however, objected to having Doser testify. See id. He argued that the prosecution had violated his Sixth Amendment right to counsel by using Doser as an undercover informant because Ventris's counsel had not been present when he had spoken with Doser, and Ventris had not waived his right to counsel beforehand. See id. The prosecution conceded that it had violated Ventris's Sixth Amendment right to counsel and that Doser's testimony could not, therefore, be used in its case-in-chief against Ventris. See id. Nevertheless, the prosecution argued that the testimony should be allowed for impeachment p purposes. See id. The trial court agreed and let Doser testify. See id.
The jury acquitted Ventris of felony murder and misdemeanor theft but convicted him of aggravated robbery and aggravated burglary. See id. The Kansas Court of Appeals affirmed. See id. The Supreme Court of Kansas, however, reversed in favor of Ventris because it held that Ventris's incriminating statements to Doser should not have been used for any purpose, including impeachment, as they had been obtained in violation of his Sixth Amendment right to counsel. See id. at 926-28. In particular, the court found that the police had violated Ventris's Sixth Amendment right to counsel by using an undercover informant to elicit incriminating information from him in the absence of counsel though Ventris had never waived his right to counsel. See id.
The State of Kansas appealed, and on October 1, 2008, the U.S. Supreme Court granted certiorari to decide whether statements obtained in the absence of a valid waiver of one's Sixth Amendment right to counsel can be used for impeachment purposes at trial. See 129 S.Ct. 29.
The Supreme Court's decision in this case will have significant implications for the reliability of criminal trials. Petitioner State of Kansas argues that a defendant's incriminating statements to an informant, made in violation of the defendant's Sixth Amendment right to counsel, should be admitted at trial for impeachment purposes because it will increase the trial's reliability. See Brief for Petitioner, State of Kansas at 21-22. In support of Kansas, the United States contends that if the statements are admitted, the jury can balance and weigh them against the defendant's inconsistent testimony. See Brief of Amicus Curiae United States in Support of Petitioner at 24. The United States argues that if the defendant's statements are not admitted into evidence, however, then the jury will be unable to determine the defendant's credibility properly. See id. at 9-10.
Respondent Donnie Ray Ventris, on the other hand, argues that impeachment testimony by undercover informants that is obtained through the violation of the defendant's Sixth Amendment rights should not be admitted. See Brief for Respondent, Donnie Ray Ventris at 7. The National Association of Criminal Defense Lawyers ("NACDL") explains that informant testimony is untrustworthy and could lead to unreliable criminal trials, particularly when the informants are "jailhouse informants" as in this case. See Brief of Amicus Curiae NACDL in Support of Respondent at 5. Jailhouse informants are prison inmates who act as informants on the police's behalf. See id. at 3-5. Therefore, "by definition," such informants "necessarily are charged with, or have been convicted of, a crime." Id. at 5. The NACDL cites evidence indicating that jailhouse informants often lie at trial and fabricate a defendant's confession, because they generally receive benefits from the police in exchange for testifying, such as better prison conditions or reduced sentences. See id. at 3, 12-14. Their testimony, the NACDL argues, is therefore untrustworthy and could result in the conviction of innocent defendants. See id. at 14. In fact, according to the NACDL, the use of jailhouse informants is the "leading cause of wrongful conviction in capital cases." Id. at 15.
The NACDL also argues that a decision allowing the use of jailhouse informants for impeachment purposes might prevent a defendant from testifying when he otherwise would do so. See id. at 24. Since the prosecution can use an informant's impeachment testimony only if the defendant actually testifies, the defendant might choose not to testify in order to avoid having the jury hear the informant's fabricated testimony. See id. Furthermore, the defense counsel might not find out whether an informant is testifying until just before trial, as informants occasionally come forward at the last minute. See id. The NACDL argues that the uncertainty over whether an informant plans to testify will hinder the defense counsel's strategic planning, especially as to whether the defendant himself should testify. See id.
In support of Kansas, however, the United States counters that jailhouse informants should be allowed to impeach a defendant's testimony at trial, because the use of impeachment testimony will deter defendants from testifying falsely and committing perjury. See Brief of United States at 24. Similarly, twenty-five states ("States") argue that defendants might easily lie on the stand if not for impeachment testimony. See Brief of Amici Curiae States of New Mexico, et al. in Support of Petitioner at 15-16. According to the States, "This would erode the confidence of ordinary citizens in their judicial system." Id. at 16.
The Sixth Amendment
The Sixth Amendment guarantees criminal defendants the right to counsel. U.S. Const. amend. VI. A defendant's Sixth Amendment right to counsel attaches upon the initiation of formal charges against him. See Maine v. Moulton, 474 U.S. 159, 176 (1985). Once formal criminal proceedings begin, the Sixth Amendment does not allow prosecutors to use statements "deliberately elicited" from a defendant in their case in chief without an express waiver of the right to counsel. See United States v. Henry, 447 U.S. 264 (1980). A defendant who's right to counsel has attached, however, may execute a knowing and intelligent waiver of that right. See Patterson v. Illinois, 487 U.S. 285 (1988).
In Massiah v. United States, the Supreme Court held that the use of a defendant's incriminating statements, obtained without his knowledge by a co-defendant upon the police's request, and after the defendant had been indicted and retained counsel, violates his Sixth Amendment rights. See Massiah v. United States, 377 U.S. 201 (1964). This rule also applies to statements obtained through confidential jailhouse informants. See United States v. Henry, 447 U.S. 264, 274 (1980).
In Michigan v. Harvey, the Court addressed whether statements obtained in violation of a defendant's Sixth Amendment rights could be used to impeach his false or inconsistent trial testimony. See Michigan v. Harvey, 494 U.S. 344, 345-46 (1990). In Harvey, the police initiated a conversation with the defendant after he invoked his Sixth Amendment right to counsel, and he subsequently waived his right and made an incriminating statement. See id. at 346. The Court held that the statement could be used to impeach the defendant's trial testimony, even though the police violated the prophylactic rule that such a waiver is presumed invalid if secured pursuant to police-initiated conversation. See id. at 344. The Court reserved decision, however, on whether such statements would be admissible for impeachment if the police engage in conduct, such as the use of jailhouse informants, that prevents them from obtaining a valid waiver. See id. at 354.
The Issue of Defendant Testimony
Petitioner, the State of Kansas, argues that under the principles of Arizona v. Evans, evidence is only to be excluded if doing so will deter future misconduct that would not otherwise be deterred. See Brief for Petitioner, State of Kansas at 11-12. The benefits of excluding the evidence must be weighed against the costs to the truth-seeking function of the criminal justice system of excluding relevant evidence. See id. at 12. Kansas points out that the Court has held that evidence obtained in violation of the Fourth Amendment, the Miranda protections, and the Sixth Amendment in Harvey, may be used for impeachment purposes. See id. at 15. Kansas argues that in all of those cases, as in this one, the additional deterrent effects of precluding the evidence for the purpose of impeachment does not outweigh the costs of allowing a defendant to commit perjury. See id. at 16. In addition, Kansas argues, the Court has also recognized that making such evidence inadmissible would pervert the right to testify into a right to falsify facts without facing the possibility of contradiction. See id. at 18.
Respondent, Donnie Ray Ventris, argues that exclusion of evidence operates differently depending on whether one is talking about the Fourth Amendment, Miranda violations, or the Sixth Amendment. See Brief for Respondent, Donnie Ray Ventris at 8. Ventris points out that the Court allows tainted evidence to be used to impeach a defendant's trial testimony only when its use does not violate the accused's constitutional right at trial. See id. The Sixth Amendment right at issue here, Ventris explains, is a trial right designed to preserve the integrity of the adversarial process. See id. at 10. Ventris argues that the logic used to justify impeachment in other situations does not apply to this case, and the logical implication is that the text of the Sixth Amendment makes un-counseled statements inadmissible, even if used for impeachment. See id. at 10-11.
Kansas argues that to the extent that allowing impeachment with voluntary statements discourages defendants from testifying, it only prevents them from offering false and inconsistent testimony. See Brief for Petitioner at 21. Kansas emphasizes that the Sixth Amendment does not include the right to have counsel assist a defendant in committing perjury. See id. at 22. In addition, Kansas points out that for more than fifty years, the Court has recognized a fundamental interest in preventing perjury. See id. at 23. Therefore, Kansas argues, stopping the government from introducing such evidence as impeachment allows a defendant to use the government's illegal conduct to shield himself from his own fabrications. See id. at 24.
Ventris, however, argues that the right to counsel constructed by the Framers is intended to provide the criminal defendants with a champion to test the prosecution's evidence. See Brief for Respondent at 11. The right to assistance of counsel represents the Court's feeling that even the educated layman is unable to navigate the complexities of the criminal process unassisted. See id. at 13 (citing Moulton, 474 U.S. 159, 168 (1985). Ventris argues that "trials should focus on whether the accused actually committed the conduct charged and not whether he could be fooled or forced in a private interrogation into saying he did." Id. at 15. Ventris contends that counsel's absence from such interrogations makes it impossible for them to effectively attack the evidence obtained, and without access to counsel during questioning the defendant cannot make an informed decision about whether to make a statement. See id. at 16. Ventris also argues that total exclusion does not create a right to commit perjury as human frailty, rather than a desire to lie, may lead a defendant to make an inconsistent statement. See id. at 22.
Deterrence and Michigan v. Harvey
Kansan also argues that excluding unconstitutionally obtained voluntary statements from the prosecution's case in chief already provides sufficient deterrence of police misconduct. See Brief for Petitioner at 24. Kansas contends that total exclusion would have a highly speculative and probably marginal effect on police conduct, and that the ability to use all statements gained within constitutional limits provides police with more than adequate incentives to abide by them. See id. In addition, Kansas argues, it is highly speculative that any particular defendant will testify at trial, as a significant number choose not to do so, even in serious cases. See id. Kansas also points to the fact that individual law enforcement officers and police departments that engage in Sixth Amendment violations already face the possibility of civil liability, which acts as a significant deterrent of unconstitutional conduct. See id. at 26-27. As a result, Kansas argues, as long as the prosecution is prevented from using involuntary or compelled statements at trial, then the defendant's rights are adequately protected. See id. at 31.
On the other hand, Ventris argues that the injury placed in the balance here is far greater than Kansas recognizes. See Brief for Respondent at 17. Allowing the prosecution to use un-counseled statements at trial, even for impeachment, undermines the Sixth Amendment guarantee of an effective advocate. See id. at 18. Ventris contends that use of un-counseled statements for impeachment ties counsel's hands in regard to client testimony even before trial and may prevent defendants from making the informed decision to choose to stay silent at trial on the advice of counsel. See id. In addition, Ventris argues that the prospect of civil liability does not deter prosecutors or police from committing such violations. See id. at 20. Ventris points out that prosecutors and police normally enjoy qualified immunity while conducting investigations, which shields them from civil suit. See id. at 21.
Kansas, however, points out that the case for exclusion here is weaker than that in Harvey. See Brief for Petitioner at 32. Kansas argues that in cases such as this one, where the statements are obtained by an informant who as far as the defendant knows has no connection with law enforcement, the possibility of coercion is much smaller than in situations like Harvey, where the defendant is subject to the stress of direct questioning by police officers. See id. at 33. Kansas also argues that here it is irrelevant whether it is a "core" right or a "prophylactic" rule as discussed in Harvey, as the "ultimate question in determining the scope of the remedial exclusionary rule is whether a cost-benefit balancing analysis of the competing interests justifies a rule of total, partial, or no exclusion." Id. at 35-36. Kansas contends that here, where the costs of the exclusion of probative evidence are high and there is the risk of encouraging or condoning perjury, the balance weighs in favor of admissibility. See id. at 37-38.
Ventris counters that even if the text of the Sixth Amendment allows an impeachment exception to be crafted, Kansas goes too far as to its content. See Brief for Respondent at 24. Ventris argues that Kansas' rule allows the prosecution to introduce an un-counseled statement that is inconsistent in any way with the defendant's trial testimony in order to impeach him, and that these prior statements will almost always reflect negatively on a defendant's credibility. See id. at 24-25. Ventris contends that because credibility is always in issue when a defendant takes the stand, prosecutors have a strong incentive to obtain these statements, and Kansas' proposed rule encourages police and prosecutors to elicit statements before the defendant has an opportunity to consult with counsel. See id. Consequently, Ventris argues, the Court should instead create a more limited rule allowing the prosecution to introduce un-counseled statements only when they are able to demonstrate to a judge that the defendant has in fact testified falsely. See id. at 26.
In this case, the U.S. Supreme Court will determine whether a statement obtained from a criminal defendant using an informant, without the defendant's knowledge and in violation of his Sixth Amendment rights, may be used to impeach his trial testimony. If the Court finds in favor of Kansas, defendants may be deterred from testifying in their own defense at trial. A decision in favor of Ventris, on the other hand, may prevent the Government from being able to impeach a defendant's false or inconsistent statements at trial.
Edited by: Hana Bae
- False Testimony by a Defendant in a Criminal Case
- The Impeachment Exception to the Sixth Amendment Exclusionary Rule | <urn:uuid:fff2be50-7437-4696-8a1f-d53b8723e340> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.law.cornell.edu/supct/cert/07-1356 | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368699881956/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516102441-00016-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.94804 | 4,058 | 1.664063 | 2 |
1. By the Sun and his (glorious) splendour;
2. By the Moon as she follows him;
3. By the Day as it shows up (the Sun's) glory;
4. By the Night as it conceals it;
5. By the Firmament and its (wonderful) structure;
6. By the Earth and its (wide) expanse:
7. By the Soul, and the proportion and order given to it;
8. And its enlightenment as to its wrong and its right;-
9. Truly he succeeds that purifies it,
10. And he fails that corrupts it!
11. The Thamud (people) rejected (their prophet) through their inordinate wrong-doing,
12. Behold, the most wicked man among them was deputed (for impiety).
13. But the Messenger of Allah said to them: "It is a She-camel of Allah. And (bar her not from) having her drink!"
14. Then they rejected him (as a false prophet), and they hamstrung her. So their Lord, on account of their crime, obliterated their traces and made them equal (in destruction, high and low)!
15. And for Him is no fear of its consequences. | <urn:uuid:02176e22-5006-4697-8b5b-0c5524f33df8> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.islamicity.com/Mosque/QURAN/91.htm | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368705195219/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516115315-00000-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.974297 | 274 | 1.742188 | 2 |
Elizabeth Blankenship, 18, wore a dream dress to graduation ceremonies at Hutchison School recently. At this school, where graduates wear white dresses, there were many more expensive and just as pretty as her cotton and lace frock.
But her dress, created by her great-grandmother almost 60 years ago, carried sweet dreams in every stitch. It was not love at first sight when Elizabeth first saw it, pulled from a hope chest, where it had rested almost 30 years. In fact, it didn't look like a dress at all but like the night gown it was.
Myrtle Schneider, Elizabeth's great-grandmother, lived in Lockhart, Texas. The wife of a gas station owner, she sewed to help support her family during the Depression. When her daughter, Mary Elizabeth Wales, married in 1952, she wed at home in a pink suit. But her mother wanted her to have something that would make her feel like a bride. So she designed and sewed a gown for her daughter's wedding night. It had a full satin skirt and a satin back, with lace on the front of the bodice and ribbon ties. She added a satin coat that dipped in the back and gave it to her daughter as a surprise shortly before the wedding.
"We didn't have very many pretty things in those days," said Wales, who visited Memphis for the graduation. "It was right after the war, and we weren't rich. It was real fancy for those days. I thought it was beautiful."
After her honeymoon, Wales laid the dress in her hope chest where it remained for nearly 30 years until her daughter and Elizabeth's mother, Kim Blankenship, dug it out. With its heavy skirt and high neck, it was outdated as honeymoon apparel even then. But the young woman loved it and wore it for her own wedding night in 1980.
Elizabeth had planned to borrow a dress for graduation when her mother rediscovered the old night gown last year in Wales' hope chest. Elizabeth was doubtful. But she had an eye for design. She had always pursued her interest in art and painting. Last year, looking for something fun to do, she enrolled in an intensive summer design course at the Fashion Institute of Technology in New York. She found she could design and sew clothes. She did so well her work was later put on the school's Web site to advertise the program.
Elizabeth sketched a redesign of the dress and took it to local seamstress Barbara VanHouten, who found herself confronted with a maze of difficulties. Among them, the dress had two different structures: a drop-waist, with an unusual V-shaped satin insert in front, and a natural waist in back. Its lace was fragile and held with the tiniest stitches.
It took nearly 50 hours of hand work and more working with Elizabeth to refine the fit and design. But eventually, the antique night gown turned into a charming graduation dress. Elizabeth took her diploma at Idlewild Presbyterian Church in a cap-sleeved gown with a sweetheart neckline, an open back, and skirt overlaid with layers of cotton and lace.
Dreams came true for all who wore this dress. Her grandmother, a nurse, married Dr. Phil Wales and celebrated her golden wedding anniversary with him a few years ago. Kim Blankenship and her husband, Earl, have passed their silver anniversary.
Elizabeth too has something to celebrate. She has been accepted at the prestigious Fashion Institute this fall and will pursue a degree in fashion design.
Fashion editor Barbara Bradley can be reached at 529-2370 or [email protected]. | <urn:uuid:db4813d6-06fd-4220-8106-9187bbf47ba9> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.commercialappeal.com/news/2008/jun/01/good-luck-gown/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368703298047/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516112138-00042-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.985718 | 755 | 1.53125 | 2 |
Pham An Hai Artwork Details
At one level, many of Pham An Hai’s paintings may be viewed as cityscapes or landscapes from his home city of Hanoi and its surroundings, or paintings from nature. We can discern houses, buildings and narrow lanes, and also imagine the city in various seasons or time of the day. Some paintings draw one’s attention to Hanoi in winter or it can be Hanoi in a red light stemming from the evening sun. Paintings of lotuses and water and mountains also feature in his latest series. Sometimes, there is a tranquil, romantic tinge to the works. At another level, his paintings may also reflect inner landscapes of the soul and heart. Pham An Hai is a master in the use of colours, and the choice and combination of colours are important features in his works. In his current exhibition, he has ventured into lacquer painting, a traditional technique that has been adopted in Vietnam for contemporary art. Pham An Hai is a unique artist who has shown that abstract works can show deeper meanings than being plain abstractions. | <urn:uuid:14dd6f1e-dfcb-49c2-ab61-12f1db96d6a8> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://picassomio.com/pham-an-hai/72506.html | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368697380733/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516094300-00039-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.978867 | 227 | 1.59375 | 2 |
That said, my whole family has been and actually still is sick. We've had terrible colds, congestion, pink eye and who knows what else. My weekly trip to the grocery store never had a chance so we've been feasting on whatever was already in the house and convenient due to lack of energy. It just doesn't seem fair to be sick at the beginning of summer. Colds in the summer? It's preposterous!
But this is a new week which means I get to try again and do everything I can to get back on track. The grocery store is calling my name and I can't wait to get myself some yummy food with actual nutritional value. I think it will help us all recover quicker also.
So this week, we're going to focus on the amount of food you are taking in. If you've read my blog long, you know that I've already said that when you're eating clean, you don't need to count calories. And now here I am telling you to watch the amount of food you eat.
Just know that from here on out, I may sound like a walking contradiction due to the fact that eating clean really is a personal thing and it all depends on what your goals are and how far you want to run with it.
We know that calorie intake really plays a huge factor in our weight. Eating clean really is more about better health and eating whole foods. However, often times, with that comes weight loss. But that really depends on whether you have weight to lose and it is still possible to gain weight while eating clean if you're not careful.
Maybe you're thinking, why the heck would you say that I don't need to count calories then? Well, here's the deal:
When we eat only 3 or 4 meals a day (which many people do), we are so hungry by the time that we eat that we over indulge. So, what you need to do is eat 5 or 6 times per day. Sound like too much? It's not. This tells your metabolism to speed up because it's going to be getting more fuel within the next few hours. Your body now knows that it doesn't need to hold on to the food from the last meal because it will be fed again shortly.
Does that make any sense? I hope so.
Well, now that you are eating breakfast (you are eating breakfast, right?), and making sure it's a good one (you're not eating Trix or something equally nasty are you?) we just need to make sure you eat a snack between breakfast and lunch. Here's your new eating plan, unless of course you're doing this already. In that case it's not new...
- Breakfast - shortly after waking up
- Snack (if hungry and not too soon before bed)
Sound good? Alright, let's chat. Your meals, including your snacks, should be 2-3 hours apart. Make sure you are drinking your water between meals and with your meals. At the 2-3 hour mark you should be hungry again. Not starving, just hungry. Make sure you eat until satisfied, not full. If you get full, you've eaten too much.
This may take a few days to get used to the feeling of being just satisfied but be patient. You'll start to recognize when you've eaten too much or not enough.
In general, your breakfasts, lunches and dinners should be around 300-400 calories. Your snacks should be around 200 calories. But like I said, everyone is different and you don't have to count. That's just a general idea if you want to count calories just to see how much you are eating each day. To be honest, I started out not counting the calories but decided to count for a few days just for informational purposes.
I figured out that I was eating around 1800 calories per day which made sense for me. That was the perfect amount for me to maintain my weight at that time. I also incorporated some pretty vigorous (vigorous to me anyway) exercise too which helped me to actually lose a few pounds at the 1800 calories a day. I would recommend not dipping below 1500 calories even if you are trying to lose weight but that's just me. You have to do what's right for you.
Make sure you're not eating too soon before bed also. I recommend eating your last meal at least 2 hours before going to bed.
Don't be freaked out that we're not changing the content of the meals we haven't discussed yet. We've already discussed breakfast and snacks.... keep 'em clean! Now just make sure you're eating enough for what your goals are and only eating until satisfied. I think we, as Americans, think that a portion is as big as Rhode Island. Think smaller, people!
In case you missed it...
Step 3 update | <urn:uuid:4debfa28-7d8c-4684-baee-a8967a2f42c6> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://babblin-brooke.blogspot.com/2011/06/clean-eating-challenge-step-4-enough.html | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368696382584/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516092622-00020-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.982711 | 998 | 1.664063 | 2 |
You’re no fool – you know that in order to protect your newly installed engineered flooring you’re going to need some sort of sealant, stain or varnish. But which should you choose? What’s the best protection for your floors? Here are the main types of wood protection, what types of floors they work best on, and how to use each.
Wood sealant is a great choice if you’re concerned about uneven grain or stain patterns. Most often used on soft woods, wood sealant will penetrate your floors and harden, helping slow stain absorbency and giving your floors a more even color distribution. Sealants help protect wood from the elements and are most often used in decking projects, but they can be used on floors in high-traffic or extremely open rooms. Softwoods such as spruce, white pine and Douglas fir (sometimes referred to as SPF lumber) take very well to sealants and are common flooring and decking choices in the US.
Used for centuries as a wood finish, shellac is a natural resin produced by tree-dwelling insects. Shellac isn’t as commonly used as it once was, but it can still be found at hardwood supply stores and is a great choice for DIY-ers because it doesn’t produce a lot of fumes. Shellac is very compatible with most other finishes, and when used as a primer can help protect wood from stain blotching or resin bleeding. It also acts as a sealant. It isn’t the most durable wood protectant, so if you only use shellac plan on doing touch-ups as scratches happen.
Varnishes offer great protection to wood floors, but are a little trickier to apply than stains and sealants. Made up of a combination of resins and oils, varnishes must be applied in a completely dust- and dirt-free area as the wet varnish surface is very susceptible to damage. Polyurethane varnishes offer the best protection, making them perfect for indoor use.
The downside to varnishes is that they add a plastic appearance to the floors, which some people find unappealing. Varnishes also tend to yellow and crack with age, so they require a bit more maintenance in the long run. They can be applied to any type of wood, however, and many people find the versatility and protection worth the plastic appearance and down-the-road maintenance.
Very popular in hardwood flooring projects, stains accent and emphasize wood grain while offering moderate protection. Stains are the most versatile wood protectant, coming in a variety of transparencies and colors, and are generally either oil-, latex- or water-based. Stains are great on woods with striking or exotic wood grain patterns, such as Acacia, Cumaru, and Tigerwood. The downside? Stains don’t offer great protection, so be prepared to reapply more often than you would a varnish or shellac. | <urn:uuid:aa9adfee-fd7d-486b-b84f-9df8e7c65c4c> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://engineeredflooring.org/tag/cumaru/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368702448584/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516110728-00033-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.94293 | 623 | 1.507813 | 2 |
The US Environmental Protection Agency made a Big Announcement this week in Austin, TX, regarding e-waste and product stewardship — the announcement came as EPA head Lisa Jackson stood beside leaders from Sprint, Dell and Sony.
In Austin, EPA Administrator Jackson signed a voluntary commitment agreement with Dell CEO Michael Dell and Sprint CEO Dan Hesse to promote a US-based electronics recycling market. Sony Electronics Inc. representatives were apparently present and “also committed to improving the safe management of used electronics,” but it wasn’t clear whether they signed anything. But their presence indicates good intentions.
“Americans generate nearly 2.5 million tons of used electronics each year,” said Chris Nowak of Actio Corp., the New England-based company that tracks manufacturing regulations worldwide and bundles these findings into product stewardship compliance software.*
“This is a key commitment made today by Dell, Sony and Sprint,” Nowak said. “Evolving end-of-life policies such as these force designers, quality assurance personnel and manufacturers to think differently about their products and their product quality.”
Michael Dell, chairman and CEO, Dell Inc. said, regarding the stewardship initiative, “Last fiscal year, we diverted more than 150 million pounds of end-of-life electronics globally from landfills, and we are well on our way to meeting our goal of recycling 1 billion pounds by 2014. We encourage everyone in our industry to commit to easier, more responsible recycling as we all work to protect our planet.”
E-waste not, want not. Under the strategy announced today, the US General Services Administration (GSA) says if products do not comply with comprehensive and robust energy efficiency or environmental performance standards, those products will be removed from the information technology purchase contracts used by federal agencies. GSA also says it will ensure that all electronics used by the Federal government are reused or recycled properly.
Key components of today’s announced strategy include:
- using certified recyclers
- increasing safe and effective management and handling of used electronics in the US
- working with industry in a collaborative manner to achieve that goal.
For more information on the EPA and industry collaboration, click here.
Electronics stew: wardship and US policy. It’s not the first time we’ve heard rumblings of this sort. Last October, Lisa Jackson visited China — including a site visit to Guiyu, home of perhaps the most famous e-waste dump but certainly not the only one. And just a few weeks ago a new e-waste bill was proposed by US Representatives Gene Green and Mike Thompson, with a focus on the exports of used electronics. It’s called the Responsible Electronics Recycling Act. It establishes a new category of “restricted electronic waste” — that is — waste that cannot be exported from the US to developing nations.
Exemptions from the bill include:
- used equipment can still be exported for reuse as long as it’s been tested and is fully functional
- nonhazardous parts or materials are also not restricted
- crushed cathode ray tube (CRT) glass cullet that is cleaned and fully prepared as feedstock into CRT glass manufacturing facilities.
WEEE WEEE WEEE. In other responsible product end-of-life news: in February 2011, members of the European Parliament (MEPs) passed new WEEE guidelines for electronic waste. Key points are as follows:
- manufacturers would help pay for goods disposal
- EU governments would implement more stringent penalties for breaching, e.g, for falsely identifying shipments as “reusable”
- authorities would be able to target all WEEE categories
- current ambition levels for collection rates would be maintained
- European standards would be set for collection, recycling and treatment for WEEE management.
For full details, see article on the top 5 WEEE bits.
Europe accepts a RoHS. In related RoHS news, the Council of the European Union (“the Council”) officially revised the RoHS directive earlier this summer. In the Big Picture, this critical recast attempts to harmonize the directive across the European Union.
In the smaller picture, RoHS affects hazardous substances in electrical and electronic equipment. The chemical restrictions will now apply to all electrical and electronic equipment, as well as to cables and spare parts, and to medical devices, medical equipment, control and monitoring equipment – which were previously exempt from RoHS compliance but are not exempt now. | <urn:uuid:31dda665-cd06-49bc-af32-5aca637ff869> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://circuitsassembly.com/blog/?p=2049 | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368702448584/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516110728-00005-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.946739 | 939 | 1.695313 | 2 |
How can I make my logo suitable for all purposes, from webpages to very large printed banners?
I currently use use Photoshop.
The answer is to create your logo artwork as vector rather than raster graphics. You can then use this artwork directly for print work, or export raster artwork at the size you need for web graphics.
While Photoshop has some vector support, if you have Creative Suite, Illustrator is the tool for the job. If you don't, then Inkscape (which is free) is worth looking at.
e100's advice is spot on. A vector application such as Illustrator is the best tool for logo design, whether you start on paper and scan it in, or work directly within the program.
This isn't the whole story, however. Scalability doesn't just involve vectors; the detail in a logo must also be adjusted for the size of the finished artwork. Just as with text, fine detail will either get lost or appear too fussy at small sizes, and a logo that is drawn to look good at business card size will tend to appear stolid or clunky at very large sizes.
This is a bit tricky to demo on a low-resolution device like a monitor, but I'll try to convey the idea.
Here's a logo for a riverside community non-profit:
The wavy lines read well at this size, but look what happens when we bring it down to a business card:
You see the problem immediately: those fine lines are all but invisible. In print, you run a very strong chance that ink spread will swallow them completely. The solution is to make a version for small sizes with less detail, but that conveys the same impression:
In this case, increasing the text weight to bold is also necessary, because it is a subtly crafted serif face (Trajan) with fine detail that disappears at tiny sizes.
There is an excellent example of this in John McWade's "Before and After Graphics for Business." There is an entire section of the book devoted to logo design, and this is one of the books I recommend frequently for this and its other content.
In addition to Adobe Illustrator which is clearly the gold-standard of commercial vector graphics tools, you should give some consideration to Inkscape. Inkscape is a vector drawing tool that would be an excellent chose for building scalable logo art. Inkscape is also free and runs on lots of platforms including both Windows and Mac.
The key attribute of these tools is that they operate in an abstract representation of shapes and lines rather than on a field of pixels. When using the resulting artwork, it is only converted to pixels near the end of the process. This allows the art have sharp features at all scales.
Note that this advantage holds from billboard scale down to the printed page. However at very small scales (small in the sense that the rendered image would span only a few tens of pixels, as in an icon) it is often the case that a skilled artist will need to refine the art to make the best possible use of the limited number of available pixels.
I use Photoshop to create logo's, if you use the correct tools within Photoshop I don't see any problem - you can create vectors so you would be able to scale them no problem. You can obviously use Illustrator as others have suggested, but just use what you're comfortable with.
@Scott I think you were a bit blunt with your comment as you gave no constructive ideas as to what to use instead and why Photoshop is so wrong?
With Photoshop you can't just create something and save it in a vector format and be good to go, but all I'm saying is you can create a logo that will be scalable, using the Pen tool and text (so long as you don't make it bold using Photoshop when the actual font didn't come with a bold option etc). I'm sure there are other ways, I just prefer to draw things from scratch with the Pen tool :)
|show 2 more comments| | <urn:uuid:98935519-db18-4c61-ad8e-839fecbd5ae7> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://graphicdesign.stackexchange.com/questions/8611/how-to-ensure-scalability-of-logo-design | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368711005985/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516133005-00019-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.96535 | 828 | 1.515625 | 2 |
9 Now even the first covenant had regulations for worship and man earthly place of holiness. 2 For na tent1 was prepared, the first section, in which were othe lampstand and pthe table and qthe bread of the Presence.2 It is called the Holy Place. 3 Behind rthe second curtain was a second section3 called the Most Holy Place, 4 having the golden saltar of incense and tthe ark of the covenant covered on all sides with gold, in which was ua golden urn holding the manna, and vAaron’s staff that budded, and wthe tablets of the covenant. 5 Above it were xthe cherubim of glory overshadowing ythe mercy seat. Of these things we cannot now speak in detail.
6 These preparations having thus been made, zthe priests go regularly into the first section, performing their ritual duties, 7 but into the second only athe high priest goes, and he but aonce a year, and not without taking blood, bwhich he offers for himself and for the unintentional sins of the people. 8 By this the Holy Spirit indicates that cthe way into the holy places is not yet opened as long as the first section is still standing 9 (which is symbolic for the present age).4 According to this arrangement, gifts and sacrifices are offered dthat cannot perfect the conscience of the worshiper, 10 but deal only with efood and drink and fvarious washings, regulations for the body imposed until the time of reformation.
11 But when Christ appeared as a high priest gof the good things that have come,5 then through hthe greater and more perfect tent (inot made with hands, that is, not of this creation) 12 he jentered konce for all into the holy places, not by means of lthe blood of goats and calves but mby means of his own blood, nthus securing an eternal redemption. 13 For if othe blood of goats and bulls, and the sprinkling of defiled persons with pthe ashes of a heifer, sanctify6 for the purification of the flesh, 14 how much more will qthe blood of Christ, who through the eternal Spirit roffered himself without blemish to God, spurify our7 conscience tfrom dead works uto serve the living God.
Greek the presentation of the loaves
See ch. 5:3
Or which is symbolic for the age then present
See ch. 7:19
See Lev. 11:2
Some manuscripts good things to come
See Mark 14:58
See Acts 20:28
Or For if the sprinkling of defiled persons with the blood of goats and bulls and with the ashes of a heifer sanctifies
Some manuscripts your | <urn:uuid:c6896f87-5237-452a-967c-c3377a35669c> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://biblia.com/bible/esv/Heb.%209.1%E2%80%9314 | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368702448584/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516110728-00025-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.947155 | 568 | 1.8125 | 2 |
Google Blames a Human for its Robo-Car Crash
- — 07 August, 2011 10:45
One of Google's self-driving cars got into an accident earlier this week. But Google is claiming the auto-pilot-equipped Prius was actually flipped into manual mode when the accident happened, making this a case of user error.
The news initially came from a Jalopnik reader who sent the auto blog a photo of the fender-bender with another Prius near Google's Mountain View, California headquarters. The accident appears to be minor and no one was hurt, judging by the photo. Jalopnik and many other websites reported the incident as the "first caused by Google's self-driving car," which prompted a quick response from a Google spokesperson.
In a statement sent to Business Insider, that spokesperson clarified that the car (and Google's software) wasn't to blame for the Prius-on-Prius accident; its driver was.
"Safety is our top priority. One of our goals is to prevent fender-benders like this one, which occurred while a person was manually driving the car," the spokesperson said.
Google's self-driving cars use a combination of video cameras, radar sensors, and laser range finders to see other cars and rely on Google Maps and Earth to navigate the road, Google Software Engineer Sebastian Thrun says in a blog post in October 2010. He also points out that the autonomous cars had trained drivers and software engineers inside during testing.
Naturally if an accident were to occur while the car was in auto-pilot, it could cause some serious problems for Google's project. Let's go out on a limb and hypothesize that the car was to blame, even partially. It would be much easier for Google to have an employee take the fall rather than the software. Not to mention that it would probably next to impossible to prove otherwise.
CNET's Chris Matyszczyk asked a few of those tough questions in a post earlier today:
"And, though Google might--in a left-brained manner--want us to believe that is human error, its deftly phrased spokes-quote didn't suggest there was any error at all," he wrote. "So the 'person' was 'manually driving the car.' But no word on whether the 'person' made a mistake. Or whether the car did."
Matyszczyk asked Google to release more information on the incident to try to get to the bottom of the situation. Google only offered one additional bit of information: the car's logs confirmed it was in manual mode. | <urn:uuid:541e11e6-8e75-4ee4-a665-93cbca222759> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.goodgearguide.com.au/article/396331/google_blames_human_its_robo-car_crash/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368699881956/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516102441-00015-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.969778 | 537 | 1.679688 | 2 |
- Practising Development aims to explore ideas, discuss issues and share learning around research, information and development. Managed by the International Network for the Availability of Scientific Publications (INASP), the views and opinions expressed on Practising Development are those of the individual authors and do not represent those of the organisation.
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Monthly Archives: September 2012
We were recently reviewing the activities of the evidence-informed policy making team at INASP and trying to identify the success stories to see what could be learned and how our approaches could be improved. We identified four stories based around four different countries. Briefly: In Tanzania an INASP partner is developing a course in information literacy aimed at public servants studying at the Tanzania public service college. This is a comprehensive approach involving curriculum development, pedagogy training of trainers’ and content delivery. In Ghana, INASP supports the Ghana Information Network for Knowledge Sharing (GINKS) and Savana Signatures to deliver capacity building activities targeted at policy makers in response to local demand. The Zimbabwe Evidence-Informed Policy Network (ZEIPN) has just been formed which aims to promote interactions between multi-disciplinary researchers and policy makers to tackle challenges to evidence-informed policy making. In Uganda INASP is working with the Uganda National Council of Science … Continue reading
It seems 2012 is a year for significant anniversaries and I have been fortunate enough to be involved in several of them. In my view, the most important of these was, of course, INASP’s 20th Anniversary — but then I might be biased. Some of the other milestones included: the 30th anniversary of the European Association for Science Editors (EASE) during its conference in Tallinn; the 125th Sri Lanka Medical Association (SLMA) Annual Conference was held in Colombo; the Budapest Open Archive (BOAI) has been in operation for 10 years; and the Association of Learned and Professional Society Publishers (ALPSP) celebrated its 40th Anniversary at its recent Annual Conference.
There are a number of interesting links this week including an interview, a survey and the spread of the Science Café. However, before jumping into that, you may have heard that this year marks INASP’s 20th anniversary and, to celebrate the occasion, we held a symposium in June that focused on discussing a number of accepted ‘truths’ that impact on research, information and development. Our latest newsletter focuses on this important milestone featuring articles that look at our past and our future as well as contributions from speakers and participants of the symposium.
For many years I worked in the Bodleian Library at the University of Oxford, and throughout much of that time complaints and criticisms of our library website were frequently voiced. Indeed, at one point I persuaded a visiting scholar from the School of Information Sciences, University of Pittsburgh, to spend part of her sabbatical in Oxford evaluating our website and advising on its improvement. Though I no longer work at the University I am informed that the process of review and improvement is continuing, most recently through a series of internal focus groups.
Recently, I entered a poster presentation for a conference for the first time. My theme, Celebrating 20 years of INASP, was accepted for the 78th IFLA World Library and Information Congress last month. What I hadn’t counted on was the amount of competition — there were nearly 200 posters being displayed. So it wasn’t just being ready to talk people through your poster, there was also the challenge of getting their attention in the first place! Some exhibitors were dressed up or had extra incentives like sweets, bookmarks and keyrings — my favourite was the offer of a story from one of the Finnish public libraries. | <urn:uuid:673dffdd-5c1d-47aa-a233-93509717182b> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://blog.inasp.info/2012/09/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368702448584/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516110728-00023-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.964116 | 770 | 1.796875 | 2 |
Roger Ervin Miller
University of North Carolina
"In recognition of their spectroscopic investigations that have elucidated the structure and eigenstate resolved dynamics of weakly bound complexes. They have each pioneered a novel method of high resolution Infrared Spectroscopy and have used their respective methods in a series of insightful investigations of a wide range of chemically important complexes."Background:
Dr. Miller received his BS degree (1975) and his Ph.D. degree from the University of Waterloo, Canada. The focus of his research project was on the development and use of a new and powerful laser spectroscopic method, that is now well known as Opto-Thermal Spectroscopy. He then went to the Australian National University as a research fellow from 1980 to 1984. While there, Dr. Miller set up a new laboratory for the study of intermolecular forces. He also applied this method to the study of weakly bound complexes and in crossed molecular beam scattering studies.
In 1985 he joined the faculty at the University of North Carolina and has worked in a number of areas, including the spectroscopy and dynamics of weakly bound complexes, surface sciences, atmospheric chemistry and combustion.
Dr. Miller is an Alfred P. Sloan fellow, a fellow of the APS and in 1995 was awarded an Alexander von Humboldt-Stiftung Research Award. In 1996 he was appointed as John B. Carroll Professor at the University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill. | <urn:uuid:ee790409-1b4a-4e86-b6f7-2e4759be086b> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.aps.org/programs/honors/prizes/prizerecipient.cfm?last_nm=Miller&first_nm=Roger&year=1997&renderforprint=1 | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368701852492/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516105732-00041-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.961013 | 299 | 1.585938 | 2 |
Olafur Eliasson has virtually erased the boundaries between inside and outside, and between museum and artwork, in an effort to encourage people to think and sense beyond their traditional limits.
Your Rainbow Panorama is a permanent architectural work of art that sits 3.5 meters above the roof surface of ARoS Aarhus Kunstmuseum. Fifty-two meters in diameter, with a 150 meter walkway length, it is housed in glass that spans the colors of the visible spectrum. Visitors can stroll along the circle, experiencing a distinctive panoramic view of the city and of Århus Bay. The roof surface just below has been covered in wood and turned into a recreational area with viewing platforms.
Your Rainbow Panorama also completes the ARoS building scheme of Dante’s “Divine Comedy.” “The 9 Spaces” sits in the basement level, representative of the underworld, while Eliasson’s Panorama crowns the building’s reach toward heaven. | <urn:uuid:c078ea6c-d5ea-4eca-8f09-e40dac002bd2> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://architecturelinked.com/profiles/blogs/your-rainbow-panorama | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368706153698/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516120913-00006-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.932866 | 207 | 1.789063 | 2 |
What do you call more than $1 million in savings on prescription medications? Here in Allen County, we call it a good start!
For more than five years, the FamilyWize prescription drug discount card program has been available in our community through the work of the United Way of Allen County and the Allen County Board of Commissioners.
Over that period of time, these free cards have saved residents $1,021,227 on their prescriptions. The average saved per prescription is between 30 percent and 35 percent.
Were sure you are aware of how difficult it is for many people to pay for their prescriptions. More than 40 percent of people in the United States are not filling their prescriptions, skipping doses or cutting their dosage in half to save money.
The FamilyWize card is playing a role in helping people in our community who have no health insurance or who are underinsured get the medicine they need.
Anyone can use the card. There is no enrollment, eligibility, paperwork or fee, and no personal information is collected or shared. One card is good for the entire family. These cards can be used for any prescription not covered by insurance. People wont save every time over the pharmacy price, but they will about eight times out of 10.
A variety of local partner agencies, municipal and county agencies and departments are helping the United Way and commissioners office distribute the cards in Allen County. But we need even more help to reach everyone in our community with information about FamilyWize. We want to encourage physicians offices and clinics to display the cards. Civic organizations and neighborhood groups can help spread the message. Business owners, companies and employers – large and small – could help by making sure each employee has a card. After all, increased absenteeism as a result of illness affects productivity and the ability of a business to perform its best work.
Feel free to contact United Way of Allen Countys 211 information service or the Allen County Commissioners office for more information on the FamilyWize program and to obtain cards for distribution. You can also print your own card by going online to www.familywize.com. With everyones support, we can build on this good start, save our citizens millions more dollars on their prescription drugs, and help improve the health and well-being of our community. | <urn:uuid:95bc688e-16bd-4c39-9626-5b9ac0a02a22> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://journalgazette.net/article/20130117/EDIT05/301179991/1144 | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368703298047/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516112138-00032-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.957326 | 463 | 1.539063 | 2 |
By Christopher John Farley
One of the most emotional moments in the coming Pixar computer-animated film “Brave” happens during the end credits.
The film is dedicated to Apple co-founder Steve Jobs, who is lauded as a partner, mentor and friend in an early cut of the movie.
Jobs served as co-founder and CEO of the Pixar animation studio. He died of pancreatic cancer on October 5, 2011 at the age of 56.
In the movie, which is about a young girl in Scotland who seeks her place in the world, ghostly creatures called will-o’-the-wisps are said to lead people to their destiny.
During the credits of an unfinished version of the film, a will-o’-the-wisp flits on screen around Jobs’s name.
“Brave” opens on June 22.
For more follow me on Twitter @cjfarley | <urn:uuid:8d4f1c1a-1a67-4e8f-b7a8-e606f19b815e> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://blogs.wsj.com/speakeasy/2012/05/25/pixars-brave-pays-ghostly-tribute-to-steve-jobs/?mod=e2tw | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368699273641/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516101433-00016-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.967752 | 198 | 1.796875 | 2 |
Taare Zameen Par – movie review
Taare Zameen Par, which means Stars on the ground, is a movie is about a gifted child who is also dyslexic. The subject is handled sensitively by Aamir Khan, who is both producer and director. He manages to get an amazing performance out of Darsheel Safary, who acts as eight year old Ishaan Awasthi. I still can’t get over that kid’s acting performance…I have never seen a child act so brilliantly. And considering that the boy was present in almost every frame, the fact that he acted so well went a long way in making the film as brilliant as it is.
The movie is a little slow in the first half, but it’s a treat to watch the director take us into the world of children. One doesn’t have to be a dyslexic or have a dyslexic child to identify with the world that is created…a world of imagination, of colours and that of innocent wonder at the joys of nature. Surely all of us remember staring in fascination at fish swimming in a fish tank or at birds feeding their young? And each one of us has spent hours near water, trying to make paper boats float! We have all stared out of classrooms at birds and trees or doodled on pieces of paper while teachers droned on…well, I have! If the pace is a little slow, well, I think it was right for the subject.
What made the first half all the more poignant was that Ishaan is a child rejected not only by his peers and his teachers, but also by his father…and his world of imagination, of colour, is all that he has to cling on to. He has his mother too. Tisca Chopra plays his mother Maya, who understands him but is helpless in the face of a demanding, authoritarian father (played by Vipin Sharma). These two characters (of the parents) seemed stereotypical to me.
What I really liked about this movie is that the subject is not restricted to just a dyslexic child struggling with his writing and reading, but also talks about the struggle of a child against the rigors of a school system which pounces on every little mistake and humiliates the child for making it. A system which is rote oriented and stifles original thinking. When little Ishaan explains the meaning of a poem in an abstract fashion, in pure ideas, his teacher gets enraged, thinking that Ishaan is talking nonsense. Even the Art teacher insists that the children draw Still Life and is himself incapable of using his imagination. Well, this is how Art is ‘taught’ in Indian schools.
It’s not just rote, but the continuous emphasis on marks by both teachers and parents that is brought out in the movie. Worse, if one doesn’t perform…or is naughty, then corporal punishment is waiting! The harsh reality of Indian school life. Children who fall in line (Ishaan’s elder brother is shown as a stark contrast to Ishaan) and get good marks are rewarded and are seen to be winners in the game of life.
You don’t get to see Aamir in the first half. In fact a little five year girl sitting in front of us, kept asking her parents when Aamir Khan was going to put in an appearance, so I wasn’t the only one!
Aamir arrives in the last scene just before intermission. He plays an art teacher, Nikhubh Sir. Aamir I realised with a start, doesn’t look young anymore. As to how he plays his role as a teacher, well, he certainly looks old enough, but he doesn’t look like a teacher at all…in fact even the way he talks seems artificial. I think he should have paid more attention to this aspect … but well, it mattered less as the show was all Ishaan’s. And ofcourse of Aamir’s as well – as a director.
In the second half, we see a lot of Aamir, at a boarding school where Ishaan has been banished as a punishment for being ‘lazy’ and ‘dumb.’ We immediately know that there is hope for little Ishaan. If we had shed tears earlier, now there are reasons to smile. From here on the movie moves much faster and sad little Ishaan, traumatized by his separation from his family, starts to come out of his shell. It’s interesting to see how Aamir tries to help Ishaan….and also holds up a mirror to Ishaan’s father who is under the illusion that that he has loved, helped and supported Ishaan.
The music is by Shankar-Ehsaan-Loy and you can download the songs (and get the lyrics as well) here at the movie site. The song Taare Zameen Par is the best. The music is present almost throughout the film, as a kind of background and I think it’s overdone.
I always like to see a movie right till the end, even when the credits are being shown. And this one has footage of underpriviled children at the end which is heart warming to see.
If you love children you will love this movie. I am sure the movie is going to walk away with awards…and kudos to Aamir the director! Although he happens to be my favorite Bollywood actor, in this movie I prefer Aamir the director. And the review cannot go without the mention of writer and creative director, Amol Gupte, who has penned a wonderful story and script. | <urn:uuid:c07f3f21-92b5-4ae2-88a5-36de9003176b> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://nitawriter.wordpress.com/2007/12/22/taare-zameen-par-movie-review/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368706499548/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516121459-00001-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.980573 | 1,206 | 1.578125 | 2 |
“But I hate numbers; I like people,” said the small businessman. Then that no-longer-so-friendly banker called to say the loan payments were late, and the owner had to let some of his now-disappointed staff people go, and he had to get stricter with some of those nice but late-paying customers, and the ones who always came back for changes and even returns.
What happened? He ran the business like a social club, where relationships are all that matter. But a business needs cash to run. Without cash, the relationships disappear. When cash flow was weak, the foundation was tottering, but he refused to look down there. “Every time I look down there, I have to study things and make unpleasant decisions, so I don’t look any more. I just let my accountant look.”
If you don’t attend to your numbers, your business will fail. You should be eager to see how you’re doing! And eager to fix any problems, so the business can go on. It’s not hard to assess your business financial health, if you focus on “percent of revenue.”
You don’t need expertise in bookkeeping if your results are presented in a way that enables planning. You want these numbers to stand out: percent of revenue for every line, and the key lines are total variable costs, total fixed costs, and contribution margin. For a good way to present the information, see Owning Your Own Business Means Owning Your Own Books | Thomas H. Gray – Consultant, CEO, Director.
With your data in Excel, you can experiment. Copy it onto a new worksheet, or save it under another name, and then change the data to see how changes in your business would affect the bottom line — profit.
Sample Analysis: Profit Up 20%!
Assume you want a minimum profit of 10% of revenue, which will be something like 7.5% after income tax. If your fixed costs are 30% of revenue, then your contribution or operating margin MUST be 40% of revenue to cover that 30% overhead and leave a 10% profit.
If you can cut overhead from 30% of revenue to 25%, your profit goes up from 10% to 15%. Review your overhead or fixed expenses to see what changes make sense.
- You’ll see that small changes, such as not buying soda for the office refrigerator, have little or no impact.
- If you cut marketing (probably no more than 5% of revenue), what will happen to your flow of new customers? Is such a cut worth the risk?
- Maybe you can reduce nonproductive labor hours by changing work schedules. This is always worth examining. If this number is 5% of revenue including payroll taxes, cutting it to 3% raises profit by 2% of revenue, which is a 20% increase in profit from 10% to 12%! “Thanks for the raise,” says the owner.
Variable costs and revenue are usually the most fruitful areas to consider. The FIRST technique here is to understand the profitability of each product or product type. On a separate worksheet in Excel, consider each product type. Show the revenue for one unit, and the variable costs to produce it. Subtract costs from revenue to see product profit, and then show that as a % of revenue.
If this product profit is more than 40% — your 10% profit target plus 30% for overhead coverage — great! If it is less, you must do something. Your choices are: raise the price, reduce the variable cost, stop selling it, or accept a profit lower than your target.
- If you stop selling it, and you can replace the revenue by selling more of other products, your profit will increase as a % of revenue.
- If you can reduce the variable costs for the product, your profit will increase as well.
- One technique is to pay less sales commission on less profitable products – change your commission structure to be different per product.
- Another technique is to change your production process. This is the BEST approach, and there are many techniques. They all start with mapping out the process as it is today, and then imagining what might be changed. See
- A third technique is to move some subcontracted work in-house to use nonproductive hours, or move some work to other suppliers if you can offload the associated payroll hours. See Process Improvement | Thomas H. Gray
- Raising the price is the FASTEST way to improve profitability. A small price change may not be a problem for your customers, yet it will have a major effect on profit. For example, a 5% price increase would raise profits from 10% to 15%, a 50% gain! Even if you lost a few customers, the gain may be worth it. See Pricing Tips: Start High; Big Results from Small Changes | Thomas H. Gray – Consultant, CEO, Director.
- You can use Excel to change the price and revenue per product, and reduce the number of units sold to see how many sales you could afford to lose yet still be better off.
A word of caution: be careful of major investments that you hope will solve the problem. Examples include a major machine purchase, a major new marketing program, or moving to a larger newer location. They deserve their own careful analysis of costs vs. likely benefits. Your entrepreneurial optimism might be your own worst enemy with such major commitments!
Your numbers are begging for your attention! They control the life and death of your business. It’s not hard, if the numbers are presented the right way. When variable costs, fixed costs, and margins are presented in terms of % of revenue, you don’t have to be a bookkeeper or love numbers to see what’s out of line.
Have you tried this? What did you learn?
Tom Gray helps owners save and grow their companies. He is a management consultant focused on small business and telecom, a Certified Turnaround Professional (CTP), a Certified Business Development Advisor, and a Certified SCORE Mentor. He can be reached at 630-512-0406 or [email protected]. See www.tom-gray.com | <urn:uuid:4a641a72-03f4-4ac0-a993-daa60c89cd4d> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.tom-gray.com/tag/of-revenue/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368711005985/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516133005-00002-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.94637 | 1,302 | 1.757813 | 2 |
Over the next 25 years, Eagle County will face great challenges to its environmental quality, community character, and quality of life. Residents and community leaders exhibit great awareness of these issues, great concern about the future of the region, and outstanding talent, ability and willingness to tackle the problems.
ECO Transit has taken the lead by assembling experts and decision-makers to consider the future of Eagle County and create a vision for transportation that meets both the need for mobility and the need to preserve community character, the natural environment, and the quality of life. The vision proposed, which encompasses a combination of transportation, housing and land use policies, is hardly a final proposal, but a first step. Many questions and issues remain:
Is the fixed guideway spine and feeder/circular model proposed the optimal solution? Should other models be considered?
All transportation solutions, whether road or transit, are expensive. How do we fund them?
Land use and housing polices are critical. Are we proposing the right policies? Will they actually be enacted? Will they perform as designed? Will we have buy-in from landowners, municipalities, and the general public?
This transit vision is a long-term effort. How do we maintain a long-term outlook in a population that is generally short-term in its thinking?
We are still in the formative stage of creating an outstanding and effective transportation system that preserves and enhances our environment, community character and quality of life. This process will require more technical expertise, more political investment, and continuing public consultation. | <urn:uuid:4d035cd3-a5a9-4f80-9082-26deb5408f21> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.eaglecounty.us/Transit/ECO_Transit_Vision_2030/Summary_and_Conclusions/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368704392896/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516113952-00004-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.941072 | 314 | 1.726563 | 2 |
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Thanks every one, this is what I like to see.
A good discussion on what is in the pic.
I have no red crabs near me, but the local university has made something like this to help the turtles get across the road to their nesting grounds.
I am all for helping mother nature, sine we made the road and the cars, and since the crabs don't cross at he lights, they don't stand much of a chance.
More info on red crabs. http://www.environment.gov.au/parks/christmas/visitor-activities/migration.html (Not like salmon - they return to their inland home areas)
Do they live beyond spawning and return or are they like salmon? OR - I could do the research - how often I forget that I do actually have that capability too. It's so much easier to ask someone who has so much good info already. Thanks for the "puzzle" JM and for the great info robryan.
Wonderful to see. There is a wide underpass beneath one of our highways in Massachusetts for mammals to cross. Hopefully this idea will spread.
Christmas Island has millions of red crabs that live inland & at mating time they all head for the water to spawn. It's an Australian territory & most Aussies know it as the place where thousands of boat refugees head for are held in the detention centre. They start their journey in Indonesia & quite a few boats & all on board don't make it - either from storms at sea or unseaworthy boats.
It's amazing that they can climb something that steep. Thanks JM.
Nice to see that humanity does occasionally redeem itself.
Thank you Peggysuss
Thats so nice. Thanks for the great pic. | <urn:uuid:e110ef28-3da7-444b-8cb1-4e380f08c8f5> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.jigidi.com/puzzle.php?id=VLLJT09F | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368697380733/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516094300-00026-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.962229 | 393 | 1.84375 | 2 |
Courtesy of Jason Stout, Leila Stoner, Associated
Courtesy of Jason Stout, Leila Stoner, Associated
DENVER – Jason Stout remembers his mom sobbing on the phone when the sheriff’s department called to tell his family his great-grandmother had been murdered, found shot in the head along a rural county road in Colorado. He was only 7 years old at the time. Three years before the murder, his 5-year-old sister died of complications of a brain disorder, and in a matter of a few more years, his father would be dead of a heart attack at 42.
“I had a ton of nightmares. I was just so frightened of people I love dying,” said Stout, now 41. “We’re vulnerable in this world, and we’re not always supposed to be finding that out at 7 years old.”
After turning to fighting and alcohol to cope with his grief during his teenage years – and suffering through bouts of depression and anxiety attacks into his 20s – it took an Outward Bound trek through northern Mexico’s barren Chihuahuan Desert for him to begin to heal.
Sitting by himself, surrounded by only the sand below and the stars above, Stout said he found peace that he had never experienced before, and from then on, he began “self-medicating” with nature.
That seven-day trip with the adventure and leadership school in 2001, Stout said, planted the seed for a program called Heroic Journey that he developed through Outward Bound to take grief-stricken 14- to 18-year-olds into the Colorado wilderness in hopes that the healing process would begin for them, too.
In 2004, Stout’s efforts to raise money for the idea netted a paltry $74, and he had to cancel the trek planned for the next summer.
“It was a good awakening for me, but what we learn in Outward Bound is to be tenacious,” he said.
Stout, a Denver-based Outward Bound employee, recruited 10 teenagers from a local grief center for the inaugural year of the program in 2006. Since then, more than 400 teens have participated in Heroic Journey, which started its seventh season in June and now offers 200 spots in several weeklong summer treks.
Partly because of a $238,000 grant from New York Life insurance company, the program has expanded to include canoeing in Minnesota, trekking in North Carolina and sailing in Maine. It even has an urban center in the Philadelphia area to serve teens that have lost a loved one.
“With grief, when we have someone die, and especially when we’re a teenager and a kid, we feel like we have just lost everything. There’s no connection. It’s a total loss, and that is the most painful thing that we can experience,” said Stout, who grew up in the Denver suburb of Arvada. “But on this program, what they find out is, yes, they’ve lost a person but they haven’t lost the relationship.”
He said with Heroic Journey, those relationships are re-established, and grief is dealt with using peer support and a series of metaphors tied to the outdoors.
Climbing a 14,000-foot Colorado mountain symbolizes overcoming a larger challenge in life. Waves lapping against a sailboat represent the waves of emotion associated with grief. A babbling brook becomes a conduit to send a message to a loved one who has passed.
“When they find out they haven’t lost that relationship, it’s a breakthrough because they have something back,” Stout said. “They have some power in their lives back and a connection again.
“We’re also trying to connect grief to nature because nature is big.”
Josh Butts, who was 13 when he witnessed his grandfather die of a heart attack, participated in Heroic Journey in 2008 when he was 16.
“It taught me so much. How to push through pain, how to push through emotion, how to help each other out,” the Denver native said.
Butts said that before the trip, he suppressed his emotions and often was angry, sad and introverted. But the program taught him he didn’t need to be depressed.
“There are better things than sitting in a room and sulking in the corner,” he said. “Outward Bound makes you get up in the morning and face the day. It actually makes you think and learn about yourself.”
And though Outward Bound programs have for the last 50 years aimed to create a space for personal growth and self-discovery, Stout said Heroic Journey differs because it also creates a space for grief – something he wishes he had when he found his father’s body at the age of 14.
Stout – unsure how to cope with his pain and anger at the time – went to school the next day, rejected counseling, put on a brave face and told his friends he was doing OK.
“I didn’t feel like people would understand how I was feeling anyway,” he said, “and I didn’t want to give people my burden.”
Donna Schuurman, a counselor and founding board member of the National Alliance for Grieving Children, said that tactic is common, and emotions are often pushed aside by a “feel-good” society that doesn’t know how to support those who are grieving, especially teenagers.
Being told to move on, to forget the traumatic event and that everything happens for a reason often translates into anger and loneliness, said Schuurman, who also runs the Portland, Ore.-based Dougy Center for Grieving Children and Families.
“We can transform terrible events over time,” she said. “But you can’t rush that. You can’t push it.”
Stout, who based Heroic Journey largely on the Dougy Center’s model, envisions a program that can eventually handle 1,000 teenagers a year.
“You can’t start healing if you can’t acknowledge that you’re suffering and that someone has died, and that’s a defining moment,” he said.
“What I want is for kids to find out there is something beyond endurance. We want our kids to have resilience. ... They have it, but when they do Outward Bound, it’s uncovered.” | <urn:uuid:a7133aae-5dac-4b83-ad21-168f65ef2829> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.durangoherald.com/article/20120730/NEWS03/707309935/0/20110510/Outward-Bound-program-focuses-on-grieving-teens | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368701852492/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516105732-00031-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.975197 | 1,385 | 1.570313 | 2 |
Views » December 30, 2003
The Trouble with Gay Marriage
The push for gay marriage diverts the debate for gay rights into a cul-de-sac inhabited by screaming right-wing fundamentalists.
But my quick and easy answer didn’t quite get to the complex set of feelings and thoughts that the subject has stirred in me. And it certainly didn’t articulate a position that addresses the longings and needs of a great many of my brothers and sisters in queerdom.
So what is it we queer folk want when we seek the rites and rights of marriage? Do we long for a church or deity to sanctify our love for one another? Some do. Do we want inheritance rights and the right of inclusion in decision-making on family matters such as child-rearing and health care, including, ultimately, questions of life and death? Yes, many of us do. Do we want public validation that our relationships are as important and meaningful and tightly bound—and as legal—as those of heterosexuals? Again, some do.
I’m fully in favor of us having all those rights. But it’s in those rites that we run into trouble. The push for gay marriage bothers me in a couple of ways.
On one level, it’s the problem of the conflict between the two fronts of gay activism: gay liberation and gay rights. These two tendencies were pretty much intertwined from the early days of the sexual revolution through most of the ’70s, but by the end of that decade the movement had split. The leather boys, drag queens and bare-chested dykes were at one end of the parade; the political seekers and Dignity members (those craving acceptance by church and state) were at the other. And to gain acceptance, the latter often were all too willing to squelch the exuberance and freedom exhibited by the former.
This divide angered me then and it still does. The push for gay marriage is clothed in the uniform of a fight for equality. And, of course, it is that. But gay marriage strikes me as, first and foremost, just another way to show the straights that we’re the same as them, that we’re as “normal” as the heterosexuals with whom we share the planet and thereby are worthy of acceptance into their clubs. Well, without getting into a discourse on the social function of homosexuality in cultures ancient and modern, let me just assert that, guess what—we’re not the same. We’re different. Rather than try to paint heterosexual stripes on our pelts, let’s examine, explore and celebrate our different coloration.
The goal of the gay rights movement should not be to erase the perception of difference in the minds and hearts of our fellow citizens but to eliminate the use of that difference to deny us rights enjoyed by others.
Which brings me to the other level of my problem with the push for gay marriage: The timing couldn’t be worse. It’s a dangerously misguided political move during the Bush presidency with a Republican Congress full of born-again right-wing nuts. Marriage, as will be loudly declared by every Bible-thumping preacher and politician pushing for a constitutional amendment, is a heterosexual institution. “Marriage” is a term with a specific meaning and history.
And they’re right. Let them have it—the term and the institution. To engage in that argument is to be sidetracked by semantics. We should demand equal rights under the law until we receive them. Demand a civil contract recognized by state and federal governments that gives gay and lesbian unions the same rights, advantages and protections that marriage gives to heterosexual couples. If you want to have a clergy-blessed ceremony around the signing of that contract, have one. If you want to register at Target and get lots of stuff when you “wed,” do it. Let heterosexual men and women have their institution and their name for it; we need to find the imagination and the guts to visualize and build our own.
As Joel Bleifuss pointed out in his “First Stone” column (“Do You, Bob, Take This Man…,” December 22), the Massachusetts Supreme Court decision legalizing gay marriage [for the moment] in that state has pulled together the Christian right to fight what Focus on the Family’s founder calls the “tidal wave of homosexual activisim that is sweeping around the globe.” In other words, the backlash has begun. Gay marriage is likely to do for gay rights what the rallying cry of “abortion on demand” did for the Equal Rights Amendment and the women’s movement: It diverts the real debate, herding it into a cul-de-sac inhabited by screaming right-wing fundamentalists who will use it to galvanize opposition to gay rights in any form, on every level. It reduces the cause of gay rights to a single issue, one that will strike fear into the hearts of a population that has difficulty seeing past easy labels and sound bites. With the country swept up in the culture of fear and violence encouraged by the “bring-’em-on” belligerence of the insufferably self-righteous George W. Bush, it can lead to an unprecedented wave of gay-bashing that could take the fight to the streets.
Gay marriage is not for me; but in a perfect democratic world, it would be an option for those who want it. However, this world is not a perfect democracy, and the fight for gay marriage is the wrong fight at the wrong time. If we have to fight, let’s take a close look at what we’re struggling for. Let’s get beyond semantics and fight for equal rights for all.
ABOUT THIS AUTHOR
Jim Rinnert is the art director at In These Times. | <urn:uuid:a4b8a57e-87e5-498e-8e3a-e8110819c6a4> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://inthesetimes.com/article/493/the_trouble_with_gay_marriage/ | 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 | 0.958289 | 1,226 | 1.507813 | 2 |
Gaming Industry Opposes Proposal
The gaming industry is opposing a measure that would prevent gambling addicts from entering Illinois casinos.
The Illinois Gaming Board may make casinos check visitors' drivers licenses.
Industry representatives say that plan would cut into their business.
Pat Mitchell manages the Hollywood Casino in Aurora.
""I think the number one thing for a lot of people out there is, is someone getting my information or could somebody get my information. And we're very concerned with how they'll view it. We're not going to use it for anything, but I think all of us are a little concerned,"" Mitchell says.
The state already keeps a list of problem gamblers who are not supposed to enter casinos.
But since visitor ID's aren't compared to that list, some people sneak in anyway.
Gambling opponents are pushing for the measure. They point out hundreds of problem gamblers have already been caught in casinos. And they say the industry can afford to automate its system to check ID's.
More than 3,500 gamblers have voluntarily put their names on that list. | <urn:uuid:3420754b-9447-4f5e-94b9-9a3a824c8ac3> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.wbez.org/print/47153 | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368705953421/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516120553-00033-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.966523 | 223 | 1.53125 | 2 |
In public, anti-choice advocates claim they support enacting additional regulations for abortion clinics as an important measure to protect women’s health and safety. But when Mississippi Gov. Phil Bryant (R) attended an anti-abortion event on Thursday, he didn’t feel the need the sugarcoat his real motives for signing the restrictive measure into law last year:
“My goal of course is to shut it down,” Gov. Phil Bryant said after addressing a group of pastors attending a pro-life luncheon Thursday in Jackson.
The governor doesn’t have that authority. Instead, by Friday lawyers representing the state must file a response in federal court to a motion by the Jackson Women’s Health Organization.
Bryant himself doesn’t have the authority to ensure that women in Mississippi are forced to go without a single abortion clinic, but he certainly can move closer to his goal by imposing “Targeted Regulation of Abortion Providers” (TRAP) laws with the sole intention of indirectly restricting women’s reproductive rights. TRAP laws have been a successful method of targeting abortion providers in other states, since clinics are often forced to close when they are unable to meet the complicated new standards.
Bryant isn’t the first politician to suggest that TRAP laws are nothing more than a politicized attack on women’s constitutional right to an abortion. After Virginia imposed similar restrictions on its abortion clinics last year, the state’s health commissioner saw right through them — and resigned in protest of the Virginia Board of Health’s anti-choice agenda.
Unfortunately for the women of Mississippi, Bryant’s move toward accomplishing his goal could have dire consequences for them. The state already has high rates of teen and unintended pregnancy, statistics that Bryant chooses to blame on teenagers rather than accept responsibility for his own policies that promote ineffective, medically inaccurate abstinence education in schools. | <urn:uuid:971e2cfd-52df-4d0e-b4d7-1f85574e4b9b> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://thinkprogress.org/health/2013/01/11/1434991/mississippi-governor-shut-down-clinic/?mobile=nc | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368702810651/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516111330-00033-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.968349 | 395 | 1.53125 | 2 |
Julian Posted: Mar 13 2004, 03:11 PM
In fact, I think all "rights" (including the inalienable ones) are better expressed as their negatives - I do not have the right to life, I just have the right not to be killed...
and so forth.
I think Julian mixes up the notion of 'rights' and 'guarantees' -- A right is the thing to be protected, it is always the positive case (Right to life; Right to Liberty, etc), the negative is merely the preservative of that right (The right not to be killed; the right not to have your freedom abridged. Whether it can be protected, whether there are natural or human forces that will abridge that right is not carried in the negative expression but in the simple fact that Rights are not guarantees.
That said, the 'right' to reproduce does not derive from any notion about having/not-having children, but from the IV Amendment - the right to be secure in your person...against unreasonable search and seizure... That is, though it is not guaranteed that you can or will have children, the right is preserved by the injunction (negative case) against any person or public/private entity from preventing you from attempting to have children. It is from that right, the right to be secure in our persons, that the right of privacy emenates. And, it is from that right that ones jurisdiction over their body should be recognized and that the preservative (negative) case should operate, i.e. all reproductive right (birth, abortion, contraception. By the fourth amendment, these are matters of maintaining one's person, the integrity of the body, and should not be subject to 'unreasonable' search or seizure (i.e. is a private matter wholly within the jurisdiction of the person).
If one elects to have a child, of course, that right no longer applies because the 'thing in the body' is now external and, under law, has a new definition, a 'person' on its own and entitled to its own set of protections. That is why a baby may be taken at birth if a mother is deemed unfit.
However, the only get-around for the right of people to be secure in their persons, which should include the right to give birth (as well as the right to abort) and any other procedure one wishes to visit on their body is iff the state can show a 'compelling interest' in abridging the right secured through the IV Amendment.
As I have written elsewhere, the only two arguments I can think of that establish that compulsion are 1) the compelling interest to prevent abortions (or even compel people to have children) if the population of the country drops so low as to represent an immediate danger to preserving the country; or, 2) the population became so great as to represent and immediate threat and danger to preserving the nation. In that case they might compel things sterilization and abortion as a means of lowering that rate.
These may be 'unthinkable' conditions. But I can think of no other circumstance it which it is really anybody's business but the person who owns the body at issue. Jurisdiction decides the matter long before any questions of practicality or morals or parenting or anything else enters the picture. | <urn:uuid:f2db6467-f4ad-49e2-a1cf-a63c5d954896> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.americasdebate.com/forums/simple/index.php/t5695.html | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368705953421/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516120553-00037-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.948892 | 680 | 1.75 | 2 |
Peerfear.orgFear for no peers!
The History Of The Successful Watch Company Raymond Weil
The history of Raymond Weil dating back to the creation of the company in 1976.
The history of Raymond Weil watches all began in 1976 when Raymond Weil himself created the company. He jumped on the opportunity at a time when the Swiss watch industry was at a bit of turmoil. To get the company off on the right foot, Raymond Weil decided on the designs of the products first collections. To go even one step further, he then personally introduced the collections to his prospective distributors in Europe. In 1982, Raymond Weil's son-in-law, Olivier Bernheim, joined the company. It was perfect timing because the company was at a point where it needed to evolve into the competitive world with a global organization. Olivier was perfect for this because of his managerial skills. To start with he was in charge of the marketing and communications, which soon evolved into several new markets worldwide. After 10 years, the company celebrated its anniversary in 1986 by launching the Othello collection, which was a combination of avant-garde technology and refined design. The ultra-thin timepiece played out to be a significant piece for the company because of the brilliantly crafted design and its symbolism of creative impudence. In 1988 the Traviata collection was launched, again bringing to life the impeccable innovation of Raymond Weil. In 1989 Raymond Weil launched an unforgettable advertising campaign that brought the very nature of our world in accommodation with the spectacular timepieces. The campaign was shot in beautiful Iceland with amazing landscapes in the background. The campaign modeled the watches through water, earth, wind and fire. 1994 was a full year for Raymond Weil as it began by winning an award for the Precision Movements advertising campaign. It was this campaign that signified the image that Raymond Weis promised to deliver. From there, a new campaign was launched featuring the acclaimed photographer Lois Greenfield. Lois portrayed dancers in mid-air by adding black and white images to help project a campaign full of creativity and artistic modernity. Between 1995 and 1996 Raymond Weil launched two new collections, including one of its most famous collections in 1995. Tango was so popular because of the appeal it offers to the mainstream consumer. It is truly a watch that is suitable for all tastes and occasions. In 1996 the new W1 collection was launched, which was comprised of an innovative timepiece that was fresh and vivacious. In 1998 Raymond Weil was introduced to the luxurious and glamorous watch making as the Don Giovanni line joined the Raymond Weil collection. This would prove to be one of the most vital pieces to Raymond Weil's continuous success today with several different collections put out between the two lines. From 2000 to date, there have been several advertising campaigns launched and a plethora of new timepieces and collections developed. It is Raymond Weil's dedication and determination to continuously modernize their watches and provide fresh and enticing timepieces that has kept them atop the finest watch company's in the world. Copyright (c) 2007 Patrick Bedford | <urn:uuid:0d8c3e06-562d-445a-844f-2ffb63b6bb9e> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.peerfear.org/articles/16888 | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368701852492/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516105732-00020-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.971343 | 629 | 1.5 | 2 |
Can an electric motor be hooked up to a saildrive? If not, could a boat with a saildrive be refit with a shaft/propellor setup?
I will begin by saying that I have not yet done such a conversion, but if you are handy with tools it should not be any different than connecting an electric motor to an existing prop and shaft. Electric motors can be attached either vertically or horizontally so in your case what you could attach the motor directly to the top of the vertical shaft coming out of the saildrive (if the motor is properly supported). The easier option would be to put pulleys on the vertical shaft and then position the motor next to it with V-belt pulleys or a chain drive (like they use in go-carts) on the motor shaft. Depending on the amount of power you need you will have to use two or three belts to transfer the power to the shaft. Using pulleys and V-belts will also let you better match the rpms of the motor to the rpms of the existing propeller.
If you want to keep your transmission (rather than controlling reverse through a change in the motor polarity) you would have to atttach the electric motor where the existing motor attaches, in front of the transmission.
There have been a number of discussion on rpms and connecting electric motors to existing shafts in this discussion group. You may want the check them out.
Hope this helps,
Hi Donnie !
Did you find a boat with a sail drive ??? YES ! look on this site under "The ELECTRIC FLEET" go to "COINCEDENCE"
THIS is Eric Harm's EY installation with a saildrive. There are great pics here.
Thanks, I had missed that. I thought I might have found one, but apparently people don't really respond to their listings on the internet. Grrr.
Good question Donnie, as there are a lot of older saildrive/diesels out there.
The quick answer for Electric Yacht is-- Yes. However there may be a few details that you will want to address specifically before plunging ahead.
We have completed installations mating up with Sillette-Sonic, Volvo and OMC saildrives. No Yanmar installations yet, but that is just a matter of time. You can mate-up the appropriately sized EY System with the drive shaft on the saildrive, much as you would align it to a straight-drive shaft. Note that the Sillette saildrive is itself anchored to the hull, not the engine as in the case with Volvo and Yanmar. Either system works with our universal mounting system.
The next thing you need to know is the speed reduction built into your saildrive gear case. I think most are around 2:1 to 2.5:1. This generally works acceptably as a reduction, as our systems will have cogged pulleys in an adjustable arrangement whereby we can optimize your existing prop.
With an EY System, the single lever throttle control reverses the rotation of everything from the motor to the prop. You simply leave the manual shift-rod in forward forever, so that all forward and reverse thrust is current controlled. Getting rid of the transmission is just a good way to jettison more weight and power waste.
The last thing you will want to check is the condition of the saildrive. While it no longer needs a functioning dog-clutch, it does need to spin. Last I checked, the cost of a replacement is over $3K, and having a yard drop a shaft-log, shaft and prop into your boat should be far cheaper. Chances are good that you can find used parts for most of what you will need.
Good luck with it, Donnie. You can reach our Chief Engineer, Scott McMillan at 763-370-2610 if you want more details on your specific application.
Director of Marketing
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Posted on | July 28, 2011 | No Comments
Suggestive selling is one of the easiest ways to increase sales while providing your customers with beneficial information. Customers generally appreciate suggestive selling techniques whether they buy more or not. They feel important and like you are willing to help them by providing them with information that they could use.
Suggestive selling is also known as “up selling” or “add-on selling”. Customers generally expect suggestive selling. If you are selling them a game system and don’t let them know that the controller is separate, then they would leave feeling like you didn’t do your job. You should always try to let the customer know about products related to what they are buying so that they can decide if they want it or not.
Suggestive selling can even be used on your web site. If someone is looking at an item or selects it for their cart, you can have a pop-up that shows them the accessories and products that go with it. You can even use that point to offer a discount if the products are bought together. Up selling someone often gives them a better deal, even if they are spending more money.
Offering benefits to your customers that accept the up sale is a great way to gain customer loyalty. Even customers that don’t buy more appreciate that you offered them a deal and remember that the next time that they are shopping.
Retail workers should always at least ask if the customer would like to upgrade or add on to their order. If you don’t ask, you don’t sell. Suggestive selling is an easy way to offer customer service in a way that also increases profits and salespersons’ confidence.
Train your staff to make a habit of asking for sales. Instead of saying, “That shirt looks great on you!” your staff should say something like; “I’m going to let you see how great that shirt looks with this skirt and hat. We also have really cute jewelry that really brings the whole thing together. Oh, that all looks great! Would you like for me to hold it at the register for you?” Making suggestions will help customers to see what all you have to offer just in case they didn’t think of it before.
You can use garment rack displays and mannequin displays to accomplish suggestive selling without saying a word. Hang shirts and skirts that look good together on the same garment racks so that customers will automatically assume that they go together. Dress a mannequin with all of the matching accessories so that people will consider more products to go with the featured one that they really like. Suggestive selling is something that can provide a service to your customers while increasing your sales and profits. Make sure that your staff is trained in the art of suggestive selling and see how your profits can soar.
About the Author: John Garvey is on the staff of Only Garment Racks, a leading online source of garment racks including clothing racks. Find a high quality garment rack or clothing rack at http://www.onlygarmentracks.com. | <urn:uuid:563a4a13-4c3c-42f2-8e23-2e05b681f0ef> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.onlygarmentracks.com/wp/2011/07/retail-selling-tips/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368698924319/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516100844-00031-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.967616 | 641 | 1.648438 | 2 |
Boston rapper Moe Pope’s an original
Hip-hop is built of samples. Hooks have fueled 30 years of rap anthems. Public Enemy, Snoop Dogg and Kanye West have pulled from the works of James Brown, George Clinton and Michael Jackson, respectively.
Boston-born rapper Moe Pope knows this. He and producer Rain used loads of obscure jazz and r&b samples on his 2010 breakthrough album, “Life After God.” But for his follow-up with Rain, “Let the Right Ones In,” which came out this week, Pope didn’t lift a single hook, loop or beat from the past.
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Read More: Aig , Dodd-Frank Bill , Goldman Sachs , Great Recession , Politics , Third World America , Wall Street Reform , Business News
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Arianna Huffington’s new book, Third World America: How Our Politicians are Abandoning the Middle Class and Betraying the American Dream speaks for the disenfranchised middle class: Americans that have lost wages, lost jobs, lost value in homes, and lost substantial value in investments and retirement funds. The U.S. middle class is being scammed out of existence. Wall Street and large corporate special interests — including energy companies, large financial institutions, drug companies, and the large military industrial complex — effectively bought Washington.
For most Americans, the Great Recession never ended, and for many of the 14.9 million unemployed Americans, it’s a 21st century Depression. Yet in December 2009, Larry Summers, director of the White House National Economic Council, told ABC news: "Today, everybody agrees that the recession is over, and the question is what the pace of the expansion is going to be."
The recession was over for bailed-out banks paying billions in bonuses. Taxpayers fund Wall Street with nearly zero-cost loans, and Congress changed accounting rules in April 2009 so that Wall Street firms could hide losses to create the illusion of "big profits," as they try to fill the gaping holes in their balance sheets.
Money Cartel’s Yes Men
The money cartel is as dangerous as the Mexican drug cartel. Its weapons of choice are taxpayer subsidized funds for swarms of Washington lobbyists, "money jobs" for politically connected yes men, and lucrative positions for former regulators and the law firms that hire them. Wall Street is winning the class war, and taxpayers supplied the arms.
[White House Chief of Staff] Rahm Emanuel famously declared, "Rule one: Never allow a crisis to go to waste. There are opportunities for big things." But since the financial meltdown, it is actually the very people who created the crisis who have taken advantage of it and achieved "big things" – especially big profits and bonuses.
Third World America P. 193
Wall Street’s PR spin, lobbying, money train to Congress, and bullying of fact finders have kept much of the truth away from the public. Frank Rich of The New York Times pointed out: "What we don’t know will hurt us, and quite possibly on a more devastating scale than any [Al] Qaeda attack. Americans must be told the full story of how Wall Street gamed and inflated the housing bubble, made out like bandits, and then left millions of households in ruin."
In my book on the the global financial meltdown, Dear Mr. Buffett: What an Investor Learns 1,269 Miles from Wall Street, I explain the relationship between failed mortgage lenders and Wall Street’s private-label multi-tenacled securitization process. It was a widespread interconnected Ponzi scheme. The bulk of toxic mortgages were the result of Wall Street’s private label securitization (loan packaging) machine. Fannie and Freddie were forced to buy hundreds of billions of "highly rated" Wall Street mortgage backed "assets," and they are now Wall Street’s ongoing mortgage dumping grounds. There should be thousands of felony indictments for accounting fraud and securities fraud. [See "President Obama: Bring Back Black," Huffington Post, April 26, 2010.]
Taxpayers Bailout Goldman Sachs
Goldman Sachs is by no means the only offender, but it epitomizes the problem. Goldman enjoys many benefits and subsidies as a result of Congress’s massive bailout of Wall Street. [See "Goldman Sachs: Spinning Gold," Huffington Post, April 7, 2010.]
In August 2007, I publicly challenged AIG’s accounting for its "protection" (credit default swaps) on value destroying CDOs (collateralized debt obligations backed by mortgages and various other assets including credit derivatives). AIG said it had zero accounting losses; but its losses were material, and AIG had a serious problem. The potential for actual losses was so enormous that I called Warren Buffett and met with Jamie Dimon, CEO of JPMorgan Chase. Unbeknownst to me at the time, Goldman was already pressuring AIG for more than a billion dollars in collateral.
In the fall of 2009, I uncovered the fact that Goldman Sachs had a much larger role in the mortgage bets that nearly toppled AIG than the Treasury, the Fed, or Goldman itself publicly disclosed in September 2008, when AIG was first bailed out. Then Treasury Secretary Henry Paulson was Goldman’s CEO at the time the deals were done with AIG. He was also CEO when Goldman underwrote other value destroying CDOs against which foreign banks bought protection. Stephen Friedman, a former Chairman of Goldman Sachs and then Chairman of the New York Fed, concurrently sat on Goldman’s board. These men had serious conflicts of interest, and events played out very much to Goldman’s benefit at the expense of taxpayers.
By September 2008, AIG was drained of cash and close to imploding. At the time Fed Chairman Ben Bernanke testified AIG had to be saved lest AIG’s failure trigger a Great Depression. (In March 2010, Treasury Secretary (and ex-President of the NY Fed) Timothy Geithner and ex-Goldman CEO and ex-Treasury Secretary Hank Paulson also testified to this.) Instead of allowing AIG to fail with minimal intervention, Washington protected culpable bankers.
In September 2008, David Viniar, CFO of Goldman Sachs, said Goldman’s exposure to AIG was "immaterial whatever the outcome at AIG." Goldman CEO Lloyd Blankfein would later testify to Congress in that Goldman "facilitates customer transactions." After analyzing new information, on October 28, 2009, I issued a commentary, "Goldman’s Lies of Omission," stating that in my opinion, David Viniar, Goldman’s CFO, had lied.
Intimidation Tactics and Cover-Ups
Goldman’s response was to initiate an hour long phone conversation: a combination of a veiled threat (I don’t have a problem…but our lawyers might) and obfuscations. In response, I issued an "apology" to David Viniar. Viniar may not technically have lied; perhaps he is just unimaginative about risk. Either way, shareholders might ask why Goldman’s officers sucked tens of billions in bonuses out of the Goldman as they "hedged" value destroying CDOs with AIG–an entity that nearly collapsed, while it still owed billions to Goldman.
Goldman said it was only involved in AIG trades as an "intermediary." That wasn’t true. As a further response to Goldman’s pressure, I revealed Goldman’s key role in AIG’s crisis. At the time, I was confident that within a week, an expected SIGTARP (Special Inspector General for the Troubled Asset Relief Program) report would have similar findings, but inexplicably, it did not. My findings were sound, however. When Goldman blew smoke about only being an "intermediary," it didn’t know that I had information that had been suppressed by the Fed, AIG, Goldman, Treasury, and the SEC. [See: Goldman's Undisclosed Role in AIG's Distress, TSF, November 10, 2009.]
The AIG bailout benefited Goldman, the firm responsible for the largest share of many value destroying collateralized debt obligations (CDOs) against which AIG sold protection ($33 billion of the $80 billion). Goldman had already extracted $7.5 billion from AIG by September 2008, and Goldman’s cronies had extracted even more billions. When taxpayers bailed out AIG in September 2008, AIG still owed billions of dollars more on top of that.
Out of the approximately $20 billion CDOs Goldman protected directly with AIG, Goldman had structured and created $6 billion CDOs named "Abacus," against which it bought protection from AIG. (Abacus CDOs were backed by credit derivatives referencing value destroying mortgage backed assets, and some had hidden features that disadvantaged investors.) That goes far beyond merely acting as an intermediary.
AIG reportedly settled $3 billion (of the original $6 billion) Abacus related deals at a loss of $1.5 billion to $2 billion by April 2010. SIGTARP is now investigating these deals, which are similar to Abacus 2007-AC1, a CDO at issue in the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission lawsuit against Goldman alleging failure to disclose material information to investors. The fraud suit was settled settled for $550 million, of which $250 billion was paid in reparations to two sophisticated foreign banks. Among other issues the SEC’s settlement swept under the rug was that the Abacus deal may have been used to unload other complex value-destroying CDOs Goldman created. [See: "Abacus might have had other benefits for Goldman," by Mathew Goldstein, Reuters, April 24, 2010.]
Goldman also knew or should have known the character of the risk of $14 billion third-party value destroying CDOs it protected with AIG. Goldman claimed it acted as an "intermediary," as opposed to say, exchanging favors in a complicated game of "you bury my bodies and I’ll bury yours." The Fed used taxpayer dollars to settle these transactions for 100 cents on the dollar, an appalling example of crony capitalism. [See: "Redacted AIG filing might have spotted worst deals," by Matthew Goldstein, Reuters, January 10, 2010.]
Moreover, Goldman had also created additional value destroying CDOs (some were backed by cash assets and credit derivatives referencing value destroying CDOs), against which other banks–including some foreign banks–bought protection from AIG. Crony capitalism bailed out Goldman’s trading partners for 100 cents on the dollar, even though other bond insurers were settling deals for much less than that, and many of these deals were worthy of thorough investigations and audits.
Goldman reneged on its offer to provide me with confirmation of the fact that it hadn’t bought credit default protection on more than a small fraction of the full notional amount of the CDOs it hedged with AIG. Contrary to its assertions to Congress, Goldman Sachs was significantly exposed to AIG’s potential failure. It had both economic and reputation risk.
"Collateral" held by Goldman in September 2008 would likely have been clawed back by a sensible liquidator, after the nature of the CDOs was known. Even if Goldman got to keep the collateral, an AIG failure posed significant economic risk, since its hedges were relatively small, and the prices of the CDOs were plummeting. Goldman also had litigation risk on the CDOs it underwrote (Davis Square and more) and sold to foreign banks that bought protection from AIG. Taxpayer money later made that problem disappear when the Fed settled for 100 cents on the dollar. This information had been suppressed and kept from public view. [See: "I Retract My Apology and Call for More Regulation of Goldman Sachs," TSF, November 22, 2009, and "Congress Exposes Potential Profiteering in AIG Deals: Delay Enabled Further Cover-Up," Huffington Post, January 28, 2010.]
Goldman’s other big role in the CDO business that few of its competitors appreciated at the time was as an originator of CDOs that other banks invested in and that ended up being insured by AIG, a role recently highlighted by Chicago credit consultant Janet Tavakoli. Ms. Tavakoli reviewed an internal AIG document written in late 2007 listing the CDOs that AIG had insured, a document obtained earlier this year by CBS News. [CBS did not have the data to make the connection between the
CDOs and Goldman's large role as underwriter of CDOs backing its own
trades and the trades of other banks.]
"Goldman Fueled AIG’s Gambles," by Serena Ng and Carrick Mollenkamp, Wall Street Journal, December 12, 2009.
Goldman was unsuccessful in misleading me, but what chance would non financial professionals have against Goldman’s hokum? Goldman misled many members of the press, Congress, and even "investigators" (unless investigators were going along for the ride) for a very long time.
Why did Goldman Sachs try to pass itself off as merely an "intermediary?" In my opinion, it was trying to make its role sound innocuous when it was not. In its role as a structurer and underwriter of CDOs, Goldman was responsible for a high standard of thorough due diligence.
Investigating a Criminal Cover-Up
On November 17, 2009 (a week after my report), SIGTARP released its report. Despite discussing AIG and its problematic protection on CDOs, the report did not mention Goldman’s key role as underwriter (creator) of many of the CDOs, including CDOs for which foreign banks were paid billions in the AIG settlement. It appears that either the well-staffed TARP investigators knew less than I did, or they didn’t understand the implication of information they had (if they had it), or there was a cover-up. In other words, the SIGTARP report contained information that was less damaging to Goldman’s fairy tales than what I had already put in the public domain on November 10, 2009.
That begs the question. When Goldman called me (before my November 10 report), did Goldman already know that the SIGTARP report would not contradict its story? In other words, did it know the SIGTARP report would fail to reveal its role as creator (underwriter) of many of the value destroying CDOs? Was SIGTARP part of a cover-up?
Documents filed with the SEC had been redacted so that the names of the CDOs backing credit default swaps, the size of individual deals, the fallen prices of the CDOs, and the names of the banks tied to each deal were not revealed. Was the SEC also part of a cover-up? [See "Treasury Cover-Up of Goldman's Role in AIG Crisis?" Huffington Post, December 22, 2009.]
I sent my concerns to staffers on the Senate Banking Committee, the Financial Crisis Inquiry Commission, and other Congressional offices that had previously contacted me for information.
SIGTARP is now partly blaming Fed secrecy, yet why has SIGTARP been so slow to connect the dots? SIGTARP is now investigating a potential criminal cover-up. ["AIG Probe May Lead to Criminal Coverup Charges, Barofsky Says," by Richard Teitlebaum, Bloomberg News, April 28, 2010.]
Perhaps it’s also time to investigate SIGTARP’s process, since it reeks like three day old fish.
Dodd-Frank Reform Failure: "Customer Transactions" Were Behind the Meltdown
Goldman was responsible for huge systemic risk, even though it characterized its AIG trades as "customer transactions." It’s one thing to provide emergency relief for "troubled assets," and its quite another for Congress to delay so long in asking how these assets came to be so troubled in the first place. Congress has neither uncovered the truth nor mitigated the risk of even greater future devastation. The Dodd-Frank Bill does not provide necessary financial reform, because Wall Street lobbyists successfully tailored the language to suit bankers.
Senator Carl Levin (D. Mich.), Chairman of a senate investigative panel, issued a memo stating that Goldman "magnified the impact of toxic mortgages." In other words, it kept repackaging, reselling or protecting (buying credit default protection on) losers. It took the wrong kind of nerve for Goldman’s CEO to say he was doing "God’s work,"* when the reality includes this brand of malicious mischief.
In one case, a $38 million subprime-mortgage bond created in June 2006 ended up in more than 30 debt pools and ultimately caused roughly $280 million in losses to investors by the time the bond’s principal was wiped out in 2008, according to date reviewed by The Wall Street Journal.
"Senate’s Goldman Probe Shows Toxic Magnification," by Carrick Mollenkamp and Serena Ng, Wall Street Journal, May 2, 2010.
All of the large Wall Street banks generate huge risk in foreign exchange, commodities trading, interest rate derivatives, credit derivatives and more. The Dodd-Frank Bill’s so-called financial reform leaves the entire financial system at great risk from "customer transactions."
In Third World America, Arianna Huffington explains how Wall Street bought off Congress. America’s middle class is caught in the middle of a bi-partisan betrayal. Righting these wrongs will not be easy. Among other things, it may require an amendment to our Constitution to prevent money cartels from buying off our elected officials.
On April 20, 2009, Brian Lamb, CEO of CSpan, interviewed me about Wall Street’s Ponzi scheme, control in Washington, and influence over main stream media:
* Endnote: Goldman CEO Lloyd Blankfein’s quip that he is doing "God’s work," is put in its proper perspective by this apt quuote at Jesse’s Cafe Americain :
"There will be hard times in the last days. People will love only themselves and money. They will brag and be proud, tearing others down. They will be without love, gratitude, respect, or forgiveness. They will tell lies and be out of control. They will despise what is good and betray friends. They will believe they are better than others, and will love only what pleases them. They will say they are serving God, but their actions will show they are not." 2 Timothy 3:1-5
Books & More From Janet Tavakoli
Structured Finance and Collateraliz…
Dear Mr. Buffett
Credit Derivatives & Synthetic Stru… | <urn:uuid:52dbc7ea-5d68-4d4a-95fe-dca9e968d5f2> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://scottscontracting.wordpress.com/2010/09/15/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368696382584/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516092622-00001-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.967016 | 3,773 | 1.59375 | 2 |
Yemen's President Ali Abdullah Saleh said Wednesday he would soon travel to neighboring Saudi Arabia to discuss a long-running border dispute, reported Reuters.
Saleh made the comments in an interview with the Qatar-based Al-Jazeera satellite television channel after Saudi Crown Prince Abdullah visited Yemen this week for its national day celebrations.
"We agreed to discuss this (border) issue in Saudi Arabia, namely in Jeddah, in the coming 20 days. I will pay a visit to Saudi Arabia in 20 days," the president was quoted as saying.
He said he had discussed the border issue, but not in detail, during the visit by the crown prince, the most senior Saudi official to visit Yemen since the 1991 Gulf War, AFP said.
Yemen and Saudi Arabia have been locked in the border dispute since the 1930s when tribal homelands and frontiers in the Arabian Peninsula were ill defined.
The two states signed a memorandum of understanding in 1995 setting up several committees to try to resolve the dispute, but regular talks have shown little visible sign of progress, added Reuters.
Asked if Yemen would seek arbitration over the dispute, the president said "as far as I believe there is no reason to go to arbitration, we can reach a cordial solution."
Yemen has proposed in the past arbitration to resolve the row, a move opposed by Saudi Arabia.
The president said the crown prince's visit was a positive step in developing and strengthening bilateral relations, added AFP.
Riyadh and Sanaa share a border of some 2,500 kilometers, and despite holding discussions over its demarcation since 1995, they have made little progress and the issue has soured relations – (Several Sources)
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With the news last week that 2012 was the warmest year to date, it's about time we heard from last night's marquee guest. On Late Show with David Letterman, one of the most prominent political and environmental figures of the past decade had a firm, but civil discussion about one of the most hotly debated topics of today.
It's Getting Hot in Here
Former Vice President Al Gore was the principal guest last night on the Late Show with David Letterman. Where Vice President Gore goes, climate change is surely to be discussed. The two verbally sparred over how much we as a society can do to roll back the damage that's been done to the environment. Letterman held quite the pessimistic view, while Vice President Gore remained hopeful that we can positively affect climate change with the right course of action. In a very earnest yet friendly tone, the two covered other topics like CurrentTV's acquisition by Al Jazeera, and the recent election cycle.
Talk Show Trending Topics
Talk Show Gags Gettin' Tired
Conan Audiencey Awards (Conan)
Pros and Cons (Late Night with Jimmy Fallon) | <urn:uuid:36e73a1e-47ee-42ca-921b-b18671260776> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.rr.com/tv/topic/article/rr/51528047/80850840/Up_Late_Talk_Show_Daily_12913 | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368700264179/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516103104-00004-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.954885 | 231 | 1.546875 | 2 |
That's what religion is, says Christopher Hitchens in his profoundly skeptical manifesto
God Is Not Great: How Religion Poisons Everything
By Christopher Hitchens
Twelve, 307 pp., $24.99
In earlier ages reliable information was rather hard to get, and in general people could be excused for taking the founding myths of their religions on faith. These were the "facts" that "everyone knew," and anybody who had a skeptical itch could check it out with the local priest or rabbi or imam, or other religious authority. Today, there is really no excuse for such ignorance. It may not be your fault if you don't know the facts about the history and tenets of your own religion, but it is somebody's fault. Or more charitably, perhaps we have all been victimized by an accumulation of tradition that strongly enjoins us to lapse into a polite lack of curiosity about these facts, for fear of causing offense. It is rude, after all, to point out somebody's ignorance or gullibility. Besides, if you start calling attention to the frankly incredible creeds and deeds of other religions, they may retaliate and expose some of the embarrassing signs of all-too-human tampering with the heroic tales and traditions of your own tribe.
So only atheists are in a comfortable position to cast the first stone, and Christopher Hitchens, in "God Is Not Great," relishes the role. He has the credentials, as both a combative journalist and a surprisingly erudite literary scholar, and he wants to break the diplomacy barrier and expose the preposterous presumptions and ignoble machinations that stain the history of all religions, bringing discredit that tends to get magnified over the years by a persistent pattern of coverup, veils of illusion , and denial of one design or another. These efforts at obfuscation are quite transparent under Hitchens' s merciless scrutiny, and the results are often quite comical. As Dana Carvey's Church Lady would say, "How convenient!" For instance, how many Christians know that " the Greek demigod Perseus was born when the god Jupiter visited the virgin Danaë as a shower of gold and got her with child. The god Buddha was born through an opening in his mother's flank. Catlicus the serpent-skirted caught a little ball of feathers from the sky and hid it in her bosom, and the Aztec god Huitzilopochtli was thus conceived. . . . Krishna was born of the virgin Devaka. . . . For some reason, many religions force themselves to think of the birth canal as a one-way street, and even the Koran treats the Virgin Mary with reverence ."
And how many Muslims know that Uthman, some years after Mohammed's death, not only arranged the standard Arabic edition of the Koran, declaring many rival texts apocryphal, but "ordered that all earlier and rival editions be destroyed"? How convenient! And then there is the Hadith, the compilations of the words and deeds of Mohammed. Bukhari, who scrupulously collected 300,000 attestations several centuries after Mohammed's death, culled all but 10,000 of the most credible of these, some of which are quite evidently borrowings from the Torah and the Gospels, ancient Persian maxims, and the like. Still, in the great Ijtihad period of Islamic reformation in the ninth century, the learned scholars categorized many of these presumably high-quality attestations as "lies told for material gain and lies told for ideological advantage." Like sausage-making and legislating, the process of assembling the inerrant word of God is not always a pretty sight.
Religions, Hitchens insists, are "man-made," and anybody who doesn't know this is either willfully ignorant or else a victim of fraud. In what sense, though, are religions man-made? Are the design innovations he detects always or even often the foresighted schemes of specific deceivers, or are they more plausibly explained as the result of a series of unconsciously adopted variations that happened to prove more effective than their adopters dreamt? Probably the more recent the invention, the more culpably knowing it is, and Hitchens is a master at exposing the elements of stagecraft.
Hitchens is an equal - opportunity embarrasser. "If Jesus could heal a blind person he happened to meet, then why not heal blindness?" He recounts the doctrine of the Immaculate Conception of Mary as a handy bit of recent (1851) "reverse-engineering" to deflect attention from some awkward conflicts in the Gospels' accounts of her life, and her Assumption as an even more recent bit of tinkering (finalized in 1951). The Mormons' Joseph Smith comes in for some uncomfortable exposure, but so do Gandhi, Mother Teresa, and even the Dalai Lama. Must we really be so mean as to pull these heroes from their pedestals? Why not let them continue to grow in mythic stature, as fine examples for us all? Because, Hitchens insists, religion poisons everything. Does it really? Hitchens makes no attempt to give an evenhanded survey of both the sins and the good deeds of religion. We have been told countless times about the goodness of religion; he gives the case for the prosecution.
At their best, his indictments are trenchant and witty, and the book is a treasure house of zingers worthy of Mark Twain or H. L. Mencken. At other times, his impatience with the smug denial of the self-righteous gets the better of him, and then he strikes glancing blows at best, and occasionally adopts a double standard, excusing his naturalist heroes for their few lapses into religious gullibility on the grounds that they couldn't have known any better at the time, while leaving no such wiggle room for the defenders of religion over the ages. But these excesses are themselves a valuable element of this wake-up call. They say to every complacent but ignorant churchgoer: look how angry this well-informed critic of religion is. Perhaps when you know what he has uncovered about the words and deeds of religions around the world you will share his sense of betrayal of what is best in humankind.
Daniel C. Dennett is a professor at Tufts University and the author, most recently, of "Breaking the Spell: Religion as a Natural Phenomenon." | <urn:uuid:896e5f9c-1eb6-46d0-9f5c-ad9d6e97ba4a> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.boston.com/ae/books/articles/2007/05/13/unbelievable/?page=1 | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368698207393/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516095647-00031-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.959222 | 1,314 | 1.804688 | 2 |
Although Mary Elizabeth Lockey was the only child of Robert Lockey and Minnie Horler, both parents had children from previous marriages as is shown in her obituary published by the Johnson Funeral Home, Lake Wales on Saturday, March 20, 2004.
This description of Farleigh Hungerford, Somerset, England was written and drawn by a Miss Palmer and published by the Ilam anastatic drawing society in 1862
The Book of Beaminster tells the story of the town through words and a remarkable collection of photographs showcasing the locale through the ages. The book was put together by Beaminster Museum, where the authors are all volunteers.
Read the full story by Nicola Rayner in the Dorset Echo
The History and Description of the Public Charities in the town of Frome published in 1833 is based on the report of the report of the Commissioners appointed to enquire into the Charities of England which was published on January 15, 1820, together with other material. This account of the finances of the Free Grammar School was published as an appendix.
The Sandbanks area of Poole has been described as ‘One of the most valuable locations on Earth’, with even quite modest houses selling for over £1M. One hundred years ago the picture was quite different as this description published in 1905 by Charles Harper in his book ‘The Dorset Coast’ shows.
Anglican clergyman, publisher and convert to Roman Catholicism, Charles Kegan Paul (1828-1902) was born on March 8, 1828, at White Lackington, near Ilminster, Somerset the son of Charles Paul, curate of the parish and his wife Frances Kegan Horne. In 1899 he published his autobiography and it is from this that these memories of his early life in Writhlington are derived.
This account of the foundation of Christ Church, Frome Somerset has been extracted from The History and Description of the Public Charities in the town of Frome published in 1833, based on the report of the report of the Commissioners appointed to enquire into the Charities of England which was published on January 15, 1820, together with other material.
This description of Norton St Philip, Somerset, England was published in 1929 by George Woosung Wade & Joseph Henry Wade in their book, Somerset. The drawing of the George Inn is by Sydney R. Jones and originally published in 1912.
February 11, 2008 at 4:00 am (Genealogy, Location)
Tags: Bower, Bromley, Coombs, Dargai, Gordon, Judge, Kempster, Lockhart, Macbean, Mathias, McIntyre, Norie, Pennell, Robinson, Tillard, Travers, Tyrah, Vickery
As a young man, my Great-grandfather, George Coombs was a soldier in the 1st Batallion of the Dorsetshire Regiment and served during the Tyrah Campaign. This brief account of that action is taken from, Our Soldiers, Gallant Deeds of the British Army during Victoria’s Reign by W.H.G. Kingston.
A New exhibition is opening at a Dorset museum about the role of women in the country’s war effort.
The Royal Signals Museum at Blandford scooped £50,000 of Heritage Lottery Fund towards the cost of the showcase. Work is nearing completion on the Women at War exhibitions and curators hope it will be open in time for half-term.
It will focus on such organisations as the First Aid Nursing Yeomanry, Special Operations Executive and Auxiliary Territorial Service
For more information visit the Royal Signals Museum Web Site | <urn:uuid:3fc9589b-c885-47c2-925d-b5b7accd13e4> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://myancestors.wordpress.com/2008/02/page/2/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368698207393/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516095647-00007-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.969886 | 756 | 1.734375 | 2 |
Below is an excerpt from an article in the September edition of The New Yorker, by Lizzie Widdicombe entitled, “Teen Titan – The Man Who Made Justin Bieber.” Click on the above link for a fascinating read, the story of how a star was born and the Machiavellian machinations that delivered him into a world of fame, power, and wealth. Well written and informative, it is an education in how things work in the very competitive music industry where marketing is all and art is superfluous. At one point she quotes Universal Music Group CEO, Lucian Grainge, who recently signed a distribution deal with Braun… “We’re not in the art business.”
One afternoon, I sat in on a meeting Braun had in his living room with a potential client, a nineteen-year-old singer named Tori Kelly, and her parents. At eleven, Kelly had appeared on the TV series “America’s Most Talented Kid,” and she’d had a deal with the Geffen label. But her career had stalled.
Braun leaned back on the couch, his hands crossed behind his head. “So what do you guys want to do?” he asked in an antsy tone. “I think you’re a real artist with a real voice. I want to understand what you want so I can help you out.”
Kelly’s mom, wearing pink Capri pants, explained that Kelly had just self-released an album, which was charting on iTunes. Kelly named a few pop acts that she’d like to open for: Beyoncé, Alicia Keyes, Justin Timberlake. “Justin”-meaning Bieber-”would be great.” She said that she’d like to perform with a band and with choreography, “if it fits.”
Braun interrupted: “You’ve been doing this for a while now. What do you think the holdup has been?”
Kelly said, in a small voice, “I think the people we have worked with, they don’t see the full picture. They don’t know what to do with me.”
After a minute, Kelly picked up one of Braun’s guitars and performed a song-the chorus went, “Lavish me with your love.” It sounded a bit like acoustic Lauryn Hill. Braun listened attentively. It was nothing like the R. & B. and dance-oriented pop on his roster.
When Kelly finished, Braun asked, “Are you a fan of Jewel?”
She said, politely, “I’m not super-familiar . . .”
Braun jumped in. “Let me give you the background,” he said. “Jewel tried to get signed, it didn’t work out. She drove to California, and she lived in her car. She was homeless, she played coffee shops. She wrote really amazing songs. Then she sold millions of records.” He explained that in the late nineties, during the height of Jewel’s fame, the charts were dominated by elaborate pop acts like the Backstreet Boys and ‘NSync. “But the biggest female star on the planet was someone who came in with a guitar, real quiet, and people would sit there and just be blown away by these singer-songwriter songs.” He went on, “That is the lane for you. There is a time for that again.”
Kelly was wary. Her father said, “So, like, a Jewel-meets-Fiona Apple-meets-Beyoncé?”
Braun said, “Jewel-meets-Tori Kelly. The Beyoncé thing comes later.” He said that the strategy was a marketing approach, not a musical one. “People compartmentalize things. Kobe needs to be like Jordan. Justin Bieber needs to be like Justin Timberlake. You want to dictate to the public who you want them to compare you to. If I was to market you, I’d want them to call you the next Jewel. Because if another Jewel came out, in today’s music market, people would go crazy. That’s what they’re missing.”
Kelly asked, meekly, “How about just the next Tori Kelly?” ?
One of the things that has always impeded the public’s acceptance of David Archuleta is his refusal to be compartmentalized, to be placed inside a convenient box. He is the whole package who refuses to be packaged. People want the familiar, the no-brainer, the known entity. During AI, he made the media uncomfortable, which was a microcosm of the disconnect felt by many viewers. Who is this guy? To whom can we liken him, thereby giving ourselves permission to like him? I don’t blame Scooter Braun for knowing the public so completely and doing his job so well. The blame lies squarely at the feet of a complacent public’s refusal to admit that, like many of the scantily clad empresses on stage, most of the emperors that strut before them are also wearing no clothes. | <urn:uuid:4f7aaa6e-c93c-4855-b5af-e03dfca1325f> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://thevoicedavidarchuleta.com/category/the-new-yorker/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368711005985/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516133005-00038-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.980058 | 1,129 | 1.625 | 2 |
Research In Motion's new BlackBerry Curve, also called the 8300, is a response to the surge of new multimedia smartphones that are becoming commonplace as more people listen to music, watch videos, browse the Web, and check email from their mobile devices.
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I took a look at this cellular-wireless handheld to see how it stacks up against the competition.
This device is available in several carrier versions. The model I tested was the BlackBerry 8300 on AT&T U.S.A.
Design & Construction
The Curve uses the newer generation BlackBerry form factor: it's still a relatively thin yet broad device with a large screen, but (as with the Pearl and the Blackberry 8800) the Curve now uses a center-mounted trackball for menu navigation and selection rather than the traditional three-way jog dial common to earlier BlackBerry phones.
Like all BlackBerries it's considerably larger than the average phone. However, with the addition of multimedia capabilities such as a 2-megapixel digital camera and the ability to play QVGA-quality video and music, the Curve is remarkably compact. The Curve's size also makes for a very usable keyboard, though not quite as large as the slide-out keyboards on some smartphones.
On the left side of the 8300 is the headset jack and a mini-USB port which handles both sync and charge duties. The Push To Talk key is just below that.
The right side features volume up and down buttons and a one-touch camera button. As previously mentioned, the side-mounted three-way jog dial has been removed and replaced with the center-mounted trackball as the primary navigational control for the device.
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Build quality is solid and noticeably better than previous generation BlackBerry phones. The buttons for the keyboard have positive resistance. The entire case feels surprisingly durable despite its plastic construction. Rubber side panels also help provide a better grip and sense of durability. I didn't worry as much about dropping the Curve and didn't feel like I had to handle it with "kid gloves" like previous models.
Entering text on the keyboard is quite comfortable and speedy for anyone familiar with BlackBerry keyboards.
The overall design of the 8300 is simple yet stylish, with only two connectors and logically placed buttons. This might look like yet another business device, but it's a business device with class ... and a few toys hidden inside.
The 8300 uses a 312 MHz Intel processor, the same PXA901 "Hermon" processor used in other BlackBerry devices.
Although a 312MHz processor might sound slow by notebook standards, the processor keeps the operating system moving quickly and applications run without much (if any) lag.
Operating System and Bundled Applications
Unless you're already familiar with the menu system on a BlackBerry, you should expect to spend some time trying to figure things out. Every new generation of BlackBerry is simpler and easier to use, but even the Curve's menu system is not all that intuitive for many people.
The Curve makes life a little easier for new users since RIM has replaced the side-mounted scroll wheel with a center-mounted trackball. Anyone who knows how to use a mouse can navigate the menus with relative ease ... they just might get lost while trying to figure out where they want to go. The trackball also makes it easier to use the keyboard and move the cursor without changing the position of your hands.
While navigation is improved with the trackball, the Curve's web browser is still the all-too-frustrating BlackBerry browser that most people fear and revile. For those who haven't used this before, just imagine the most limited and ugly browser on the planet.
When you open even the simplest web site in the browser you get something that vaguely looks like a crossword puzzle with randomly inserted pictures. Some web sites won't even function properly. If you plan to use the Curve's browser on a regular basis, you need to stick to mobile device-oriented websites, which look much better on a BlackBerry.
While the browser is very fast, allowing you to access an entire page in seconds, speed doesn't matter much when the end result is a webpage that doesn't look like what it was designed to look like. This may be a problem since the Curve is being marketed to young, web-savvy consumers as well as business professionals.
Accessing email is a breeze with the Curve ... assuming you aren't trying to access web-based email via the web browser.
The Curve makes full use of its nice 320-by-240-pixel LCD, pushing the full potential of the QVGA screen when viewing videos or photos. The main system screen and most applications have a graphics-heavy appearance that rivals the look of lower resolution notebook screens.
|BlackBerry Main System Screen
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|BlackBerry Media Screen
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While previous generations of BlackBerry phones failed to showcase the real quality of their QVGA screens, you will immediately recognize how good the Curve's display looks as soon as you watch a video.
The 2.4-inch screen also provides plenty of space for the applications and web sites with lots of images.
Built-in digital cameras are now common among smartphones, but the two megapixel camera in the Curve is more useful than many others.
For starters, the higher resolution means you're more likely to actually want to print the photos from the Curve. That said, the camera still suffers from the same limitations as most smartphone cameras -- weak flash, grainy images in low light, motion blur, and an almost useless digital zoom.
Sample Image 1
Sample Image 2
Sample Image 3
Perhaps one day smartphone manufacturers will find a way to pack a powerful battery into a smartphone so it can provide power to a stronger camera flash, image stabilization, and an optical zoom lens. Until then the Curve's camera is about as good as a smartphone camera gets. I just wish the camera also offered a video function for taking short movies.
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One interesting feature related to the camera is a small "self-portrait mirror" located next to the camera lens. This mirror allows you to position your face in the frame so that you capture your entire face when you point the camera at yourself. It's a small feature that makes a huge difference ... especially for people who usually take close-up pictures of their ears when trying to take a self portrait.
Memory and Expansion
The 8300 comes with 64MB of internal flash memory, which is sufficient for most applications and uses. However, anyone storing music files, video, or a large number of digital image files should consider purchasing a microSD card.
This is where I found the single most frustrating problem with the Curve. The location of the microSD card slot is behind the battery. You have to remove the Curve's back case plate and remove the battery to access the expansion slot for the microSD card. This is completely unacceptable as it makes the microSD card slot impractical to use.
Most people who use flash memory cards want to be able to insert and remove the card whenever they want to transfer files from one device to another. If you take 100 photos on vacation with the Curve's built-in digital camera and want to put them on your home PC using a microSD card reader you have to disassemble the Curve in order to remove the card. The card slot should have been mounted on the side or bottom of the Curve so that the card can be inserted or removed without rendering the BlackBerry useless.
Size & Weight
The 8300 is surprisingly light for a smartphone with its range of capabilities.
Like most BlackBerry smartphones the Curve's broad, thin form-factor isn't exactly meant for the traditional way of holding a phone to your ear. You'll want to use a Bluetooth headset or the built-in speaker phone for voice use. Of course, you can also use a wired headset ... if anyone still uses those.
Docking & Communication
The 8300 features a simple mini-USB plug for charging and data connectivity, located on the upper left edge of the case below the headset jack.
Ths smartphone comes with Bluetooth 2.0 for short-range wireless connectivity, which is perfect for connecting to a Bluetooth wireless headset or for sharing the address book or other applications with Bluetooth-enabled devices.
In addition, the Curve supports the Dial-Up Networking profile, so it can be used as a modem for a laptop PC.
Unlike previous generation BlackBerry phones the Curve isn't strictly business phone oriented -- it actually can be used as a digital music player.
|(view large image)|
The media player included with this device is robust and easy to use.
The built-in speaker is surprisingly capable given the Curve's size. The included stereo earphones provide clean, distortion-free sound but lack bass. I also noticed the earphones are a bit large ... maybe too large for people with normal or small ears.
The 1000 mAh battery in the 8300 is rated for about 4 hours (240 minutes) of talk time, or 17 days (408 hours) of standby. As strange as those numbers might sound to some, since devices with such a high standby usually have more talk time, testing shows that these figures are pretty accurate. As with any battery, your actual times will vary according to usage.
While these numbers are in line with previous BlackBerry models, four hours of talk time really isn't impressive for regular business use (or for talkative teenagers).
The issue of battery life is even more important now since many owners will likely use the Curve as a digital media player ... draining the battery while they play music and videos.
Overall I was greatly impressed by the Curve. While it lacks some features that young consumers have come to expect in smartphones, the Curve is arguably the best blend of the business-oriented BlackBerry and a multimedia player to date. The rugged construction combined with ease of use make the 8300 an ideal purchase for anyone looking for their first BlackBerry. Likewise, working professionals can upgrade to a smartphone that offers a little more fun.
If you can overlook the poor web browser, lack of video camera, and horrible location of the microSD slot, the Curve might still be one of the best smartphones currently on the market.
Processor: 312 MHz Intel PXA901 Hermon processor
Operating System: BlackBerry 4.2.2 with Java support
Display: 320 x 240 (QVGA) transmissive/reflective LCD
Memory: 64 MB flash
Size & Weight: 4.2 inches long x 2.4 inches wide x 0.6 inches thick; 111g
Expansion: microSD card slot
Camera: 2 MP, flash, zoom, self-portrait mirror
Video formats: MPEG4 Part 2 Simple Profile, H.263, WMV
Audio formats: MP3, MIDI, AMR-NB, AAC/AAC+/eAAC+, WMA, WAV
Docking: mini-USB plug
Communication: Quad-band GSM/EDGE; Bluetooth 2.0
Audio: Earpiece; microphone; speakerphone; 2.5 MM headset jack
Battery: 3.7 volt, 1000mAh Lithium Ion replaceable, rechargeable battery
Input: QWERTY keyboard; multi-directional trackball; send key, menu key, escape/back key, and end/power key | <urn:uuid:cd50be10-7e7a-40ac-b30f-5f79ed97b491> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.brighthand.com/printArticle.asp?newsID=13099 | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368698207393/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516095647-00034-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.939764 | 2,363 | 1.625 | 2 |
Shannon - posted on 04/21/2010 ( 204 moms have responded )
My stepson's mother smokes in her home and car even with her child. He's 4 and has severe asthma! He has at least 5 asthma attacks a month. Mostly because she smokes around him. He has been coughing so bad (since last night when he got here from her house) it's to the point where he's vomiting because he's coughing so hard. I have to use his inhaler and breathing treatments every 2-4 hours because he just keeps having attacks. His mother told us that his doctor said cigarette smoke has no affect on his asthma! Well we called his doctor just to make sure cause that sounds ridiculous! The doctor laughed and said there is no way we would EVER tell anyone cigarette smoke has no affect on asthma, thats the number 1 reason for attacks.
Is this abuse/neglect? And if so, what should I do? | <urn:uuid:b5a6047f-0331-4029-a2ec-5c53f1d4dce6> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.circleofmoms.com/welcome-to-circle-of-moms/is-this-considered-abuse-neglect-525623/4 | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368698924319/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516100844-00035-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.990149 | 192 | 1.789063 | 2 |
So many interesting questions get asked on Stack Overflow and then immediately closed (or worse yet, closed and re-opened for days on end) because they're subjective, argumentative, and fundamentally unanswerable due to our lack of omniscience: without the ability to see into the future and/or know the secret motivations of companies and their developers, we are left to make wildly varying (un)informed guesses.
The obvious solution to this is to add a built-in clairvoyant feature to the Ask a Question page. Similar to the current "Related Questions" feature, this could be used to answer otherwise-unanswerable questions before they're asked, thus saving everyone time and frustration.
I propose a simple system whereby a web cam is aimed at an ordinary Mattel Magic 8-Ball device, long recognized as one of the most accessible and accurate fortune-telling mechanisms available to modern society. A simple vibrating pad could be placed under this rig and triggered in response to the user's typing. Once focus leaves the
Title input field, a short delay will be triggered, followed by a bit of logic to capture the 8-ball's result and feed it through a simple OCR routine to produce the result.
So far as i'm aware, SO would be the first major Q&A site to implement such a feature...
- Why was Google’s Chrome browser written almost entirely in C++ and not C# or Java?
- Why did Microsoft choose a RESTful API over WebDAV for BLOB storage?
- Why did Microsoft choose MVC for ASP.NET?
- Why did my wife divorce me?
- Python brighter future than ruby?
- Why isn’t OCaml more popular?
- Why is Github more popular than Gitorious?
- Why isn’t Google Web Toolkit more popular?
...another UV resurrection... | <urn:uuid:fc3e1331-3d1d-40fb-b64a-5c7531ac453a> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://meta.stackoverflow.com/questions/1696/add-a-magic-8-ball-feature-to-the-ask-a-question-page?answertab=votes | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368705195219/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516115315-00003-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.933125 | 392 | 1.601563 | 2 |
Minister Dlamini Zuma to hold bilateral discussions with Cuban Foreign Minister
25 August 2008
Pretoria: South African Foreign Minister Dr Nkosazana Dlamini Zuma will, today, Monday, 25 August 2008, hold bilateral discussions with Cuban Foreign Minister Felipe Perez Roque in Cuba. Minister Dlamini Zuma is also scheduled to meet with Cuban Minister of Foreign Investments and Economic Co-operation Ms Marta Lomas Morales on Tuesday, 26 August 2008.
Minister Dlamini Zuma will meet with Ministers Pérez Roque and Lomas Morales within the context of South Africa's priority to consolidate and strengthen existing bilateral political and economic relations between South Africa and Cuba within the broad framework of advancing South-South relations.
South Africa and Cuba have excellent bilateral political and economic relations.
In this regard political relations between the two countries are strong and date back to the prominent and decisive role played by Cuba in the struggle and victory against apartheid and colonialism in southern Africa.
South Africa is one of the main beneficiaries of Cuba's ongoing assistance in the form of scholarships provided to South African youth; transfer of technical expertise or skills development and training in a variety of areas, including health, social development, science and housing.
There are currently 293 South African students studying medicine in Cuba and eight studying towards a degree in physical education and sport.
Cell: 082 990 4853
Issued by: Department of Foreign Affairs
25 August 2008 | <urn:uuid:ac757380-f870-446d-a4cc-90d5b0d0ce44> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.info.gov.za/speeches/2008/08082515451001.htm | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368704713110/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516114513-00041-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.9336 | 299 | 1.507813 | 2 |
DAYTON, Tenn. -- Rhea County students will pay 25 cents more for lunch next year.
On Thursday, school board members raised prices in response to a federal mandate.
Director of Schools Jerry Levengood said the federal school lunch program is requiring an increase of at least 14 cents per meal next year. But he recommended the larger increase in an effort to put off another hike for three years or so.
Lunches cost $2.25 for elementary students and $2.50 for high school students this year.
Food Service Director Sally Lane said she did not intend to ask for a raise in the price before the mandate. But as a result of the board's action, she said she plans to implement a districtwide free breakfast program for all students in kindergarten through eighth grade.
"We'll evaluate that about Christmastime and see if we can continue," she said.
In other matters, the board authorized Levengood to join school officials from Bradley, Polk, Monroe and Meigs counties seeking a grant to upgrade technology in their systems.
Levengood said Rhea could receive as much as $100,000 and be required to match that with up to $5,000 in local funds.
Any money received would be used in schools other than the present high school, which is to be renovated for use as a junior high.
The board also decided it wanted more study on a proposal to have a high school student serve as a nonvoting member of the board. Board member Dale Harris questioned whether "one student truly can represent the views of all students."
Board member Bimbo McCawley said he supports the concept, but he recommended more research be done before the board acts.
"I think I see a lot of opportunities," he said. "There may be more hardship than it's worth, but I don't see that. But let's find out."
Board members asked Levengood to check with other systems where students participate and learn about their experiences before the board acts. | <urn:uuid:c7e3eeff-e7d2-4565-bbfc-ed266db321d2> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.timesfreepress.com/news/2012/may/12/12-512-lunch-fees-going-up-for-rhea-students/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368703298047/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516112138-00036-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.978698 | 415 | 1.585938 | 2 |
Noble (1852 - 1926)
Surnames: DOWNER JOHNSON WRIGHT HOLMES CONVERSE BAKER
----Source: NEILLSVILLE PRESS (Neillsville, Clark County, Wis.) 10/21/1926
Downer, Noble (7 AUG 1852 - 13 OCT 1926)
Noble Downer, one of the oldest settlers of the vicinity of Granton, Clark County, Wis., died at his home in the town of Fremont, Wednesday, Oct. 13, aged 74 years, 2 months and 7 days. He was born in St. Lawrence Co., N.Y., Aug. 7, 1852, being the son of Joel and Eliza Downer. He came with his parents to Clark County when he was 12 years of age. The first winter spent here the father worked in camp and the family lived on Pleasant Ridge, where Noble attended school. The father secured 40 acres of land in the town of York and moved the family into the wilderness. At the age of 14, Noble went to work in a lumber camp, following this work for 30 consecutive winters, 25 of which he was a camp foreman. He bought 80 acres of land in Section 36, town of York, which he cleared, and which remained his home till six years ago when he moved to a new place in the town of Fremont.
Mr. Downer was married to Miss Melvina Johnson Sept. 20, 1871. To them were born 8 children, one of whom, Noble, died in infancy. Mr. Downer is survived by his wife and seven children: Albion, Joel, Richard, Frank, Gertrude, Mrs. James Baker, Neil, Bessie, Mrs. Roy Wright, all living in the locality, two of them, Joel and Mrs. Wright, living on what was the old home farm.
A brother, Homer Downer, died about two years ago; two sisters are living, Mrs. Carrie Holmes of Neillsville, and Mrs. Cora Converse of the town of York. Deceased leaves also 27 grandchildren and 11 great-grandchildren.
Mr. Downer was a man of unusual character. He was forceful, energetic, efficient in his work, generous hearted, outspoken in his views and decided in his opinions. He took an active part in town affairs for many years and was considered a leader in local matters. The funeral was held Friday at Windfall Church, Rev. Wilson Mallory officiating. The pall bearers were the five sons and one grandson, Donald Baker. Burial took place in Windfall Cemetery.
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maintained by the Clark County History Buffs | <urn:uuid:2057b426-1ad9-425d-8966-9c42f797e6ec> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.wiclarkcountyhistory.org/0data/11/11582.htm | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368705953421/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516120553-00038-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.98151 | 595 | 1.5625 | 2 |
Honeymoon can provides a great help because during honeymoon both remain away from family with each other only. Due to this reason, we see a great trend for honeymoon after marriages and every couple looks towards honeymoon as great opportunity to explore love and romance in their life. Today, honeymoons are popular in all parts of world and it has become tradition across the world to send newly couples for honeymoon after their wedding. In India, honeymoon is still considered as western concept; however, it has seen great acceptance among Indians in recent times.
Today, it is very common to see newly wedded Indian couple going for honeymoon. Honeymoon provides an opportunity to newly wedded couple a chance to spend few days together while forgetting all worries of world. In this way, they return from their honeymoon with good understanding about each other and with many beautiful memories of honeymoon. Honeymoon has many good points and there is nothing wrong in accepting this western concept because it can provide great help by giving strong foundation to any marriage. | <urn:uuid:5eede5c8-1202-4b5d-b22f-b93e9fde41c5> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.thoughtsofanordinaryman.com/2010/12/honeymoon-makes-way-for-good.html | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368697974692/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516095254-00019-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.97326 | 210 | 1.539063 | 2 |
Feinberg Reflects on Mass Torts| December 10, 2012
During a trip to William & Mary Law School on November 13, renowned dispute resolution expert and mediator Kenneth R. Feinberg spoke to students about his work negotiating settlements for the victims of 9/11, the BP oil spill and other high profile cases.
Feinberg drew a packed audience to his lecture, "Reflections on Mass Torts," where he described the challenges of providing justice in the wake of mass tragedies. For torts students, the lecture provided an opportunity to apply the concepts they had been learning all semester.
"Engaging is a massive understatement," said Tony Glosson, 1L, after Feinberg's lecture. "He really just drew us in because he really is a master of this topic."
In recent years, Feinberg, founder and managing partner of Feinberg Rozen LLP, has made regular trips to William & Mary Law School to mentor students and deliver lectures to the wider community. In 2011, he received the Law School’s Marshall-Wythe Medallion, the highest honor conferred by the faculty, for his exceptional leadership and legal accomplishments.
During his lecture, Feinberg explained that events like 9/11 can give rise to thousands of lawsuits, making it difficult to provide justice in an efficient and timely manner.
“The existing tort system doesn’t cope with the problem of mass torts,” he said.
Feinberg has been on the cutting edge of addressing this problem. As special master of the September 11th Victim Compensation Fund, for example, Feinberg worked pro bono to distribute $7 billion in public money to victims and their families. Feinberg explained that the 9/11 fund allowed victims to circumvent the court system and receive more immediate compensation.
Earlier in the day, Feinberg met with a group of about 30 students to dispense career advice, drawing on lessons from his own career.
In addition to his 9/11 work, Feinberg served as fund administrator for the Hokie Spirit Memorial Fund following the Virginia Tech shootings. He also oversaw the Gulf Coast Claims Facility, which is administering $20 billion in claims from victims of the BP oil spill. Currently, Feinberg is leading the effort to compensate the victims of the Aurora, Colorado, movie theater shooting and the Jerry Sandusky scandal at Penn State.
Feinberg encouraged students to focus on their immediate goals, rather than worrying about what their career will look like in five or ten years. He explained that unexpected events can have a big impact on shaping careers, and counseled students to remain flexible to new opportunities.
“I’m the best example of a lawyer who never thought it important or imperative to think too far ahead,” he said. | <urn:uuid:ee69f30d-fc8f-4d62-8437-dff12f1410dc> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://law.wm.edu/news/stories/2012/feinberg-provides-reflections-on-mass-torts.php?svr=www | 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 | 0.964026 | 569 | 1.578125 | 2 |
Raves Might be Reined in Under Fiona Ma's Bill, Which Just Passed The California Legislature
The same day that the family of a teenager who died of an ecstasy overdose after attending an L.A. rave filed suit against public officials, San Francisco state assemblywoman Fiona Ma saw her raves-safety bill pass the legislature. It just needs Gov. Jerry Brown's signature to go into law.
Once called the Anti Raves Act of 2011, Ma's bill was heavily watered down following outcry from promoters, lobbyists and the rave community. It originally sought to ban raves like Electric Daisy Carnival, which the late Sasha Rodriguez attended before dying, from taking place at publicly run venues like the L.A. Coliseum and Sports Arena.
Now, not so much:
The renamed Raves Safety Act would now require public officials to undertake a "threat assessment" of events planned for more than 10,000 people at state-run facilities.
If officials think there could be "loss of life or harm to the participants" they would have to implement an "event action plan" addressing security, safety, medical personnel and age restrictions.
Which is pretty much what happens now. Brown has until Oct. 9 to sign this.
So is Ma running away from cracking down on raves with her tail between her legs? Sure seems like it. But this bill slid easily down the throat of Sacramento, like a ecstasy tablet for a Saturday night raver.
California needs to better monitor and control events occurring on State properties. Casualties can be prevented and I've seen what works. AB 74 is intended to prevent the loss of life and make safety a top priority at events on state property.
Sometimes they say you're tripping your face off when you're on ecstasy. Ma just saved face, but this bill doesn't really seem to do much at all. | <urn:uuid:509b49da-ad39-4109-a16a-4a66ae10d02d> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://blogs.laweekly.com/informer/2011/09/rave_act_fiona_ma_sacramento_ecstasy.php | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368708766848/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516125246-00027-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.962988 | 378 | 1.515625 | 2 |
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Commemorative concerts mark 9/11 anniversary in Houston
By COLIN EATOCK | September 8, 2011 | Updated: September 9, 2011 3:46pm
The urge to make music springs from many sources - including tragedy. One of the roles that music has played, over the centuries, has been to express grief and offer consolation. So it's not surprising that the events of 9/11 have inspired an outpouring of musical activity. To observe the 10th anniversary of the attacks, music presenters across the country are producing commemorative concerts.
Houston is no exception, with three local musical organizations - the Houston Grand Opera; Vox: the Rob Seible Singers; and the Houston Cecilia Chamber Choir - giving special performances. Their approaches are different, but their intentions are similar: to reflect on that terrible day, 10 years ago, and give comfort through the healing power of music.
The Houston Grand Opera's contribution is first, with today's premiere Pieces of 9/11 - Memories From Houston, at noon at the City Hall Reflection Pool. There are also performances at 7:30 p.m. Saturday at the Arab American Cultural Center, 10555 Stancliff, and at 2 and 4 p.m. Sunday at the Rothko Chapel, 1409 Sul Ross.
The piece was created by the San Francisco-based composer Jake Heggie, who's perhaps best known for the opera Dead Man Walking, performed around the world. It consists of six songs: settings by Heggie of texts by his friend and collaborator Gene Scheer. The texts are based on interviews Scheer conducted with Houstonians who were asked to recall the events of September 2001.
"The idea was to go into the community to explore what people experienced that day," Heggie says. And what Heggie and Scheer found was a wide variety of intense feelings and memories.
"Gene spoke to some of the first responders from Texas Task Force 1, who went to New York City," Heggie says. "And he spoke with the family of Lauren Catuzzi Grandcolas, who was on Flight 93, where the passengers took over the plane and it crashed. Also, one of the songs is from the perspective of a Muslim schoolteacher in Houston."
The half-hour work is scored for three singers (soprano, baritone and a girl soprano), and just four instruments: flute, guitar, violin and cello. The modest scale of the piece, Heggie explains, is intended to make it portable, easily performed in a chapel, firehouse, police station or any other place where a piano might not be available.
As well, the work's intimate scale is what HGO had in mind when the company commissioned Heggie and Scheer to create it.
"We felt that, as an opera company, this was something we could do," says Sandra Bernhard, director of HGOco - a kind of company-within-a-company for community outreach and the creation of new works. "But we didn't think the piece should be an opera - we knew we wanted a song-cycle. Jake Heggie is a very dramatic songwriter, so he seemed to be the natural choice."
Though the dramatic force of the subject matter gave Heggie a clear sense of purpose, it also made writing Pieces of 9/11 a challenge.
"Our job," he says, "was to find a kernel of hope in all of this - something positive for the future that could come from the ashes. So I wanted the songs to be uplifting. But it was a very dark event - there's no getting around it."
Heggie also found inspiration in the music of Bach. "I've incorporated the prelude from Bach's Cello Suite in G Major into the piece," he points out. "That piece has always meant a lot to me. It's very reflective."
Coincidentally, Bach's stately baroque style has found its way into another commemorative work that's the centerpiece of a 2:30 p.m. Sunday concert by Vox: the Rob Seible Singers at the University of Houston's Moores Opera House.
The Things We Have: In Memoriam September 2001, by Robert Nelson, is a piece for choir, chamber orchestra and organ that this Houston composer wrote shortly after 9/11. (It was premiered by Bach Society Houston in 2002). And, as Nelson explains, the music of Bach is a foundational feature of his work.
"It's very much a neo-baroque piece," he notes, "with lots of counterpoint throughout. And one of the things that occurred to me was to use an existing Lutheran hymn for one of the movements."
The texts are mostly excerpts from the Bible, drawn from the Lamentations of Jeremiah, and also some psalms.
"The first movement," Nelson explains, "is all about destruction and devastation, and things like that. And then we contrast this with, 'God is our refuge and our strength' at the end." In between these two extremes lies a contemporary poem, by the poet Patricia Clark.
"Her text is about how we deal with tragedy and a sense of ultimate peace. My own intention was to try to capture the flavor of the tragedy and then to bring out of it a feeling of hope and optimism."
This concert is almost entirely devoted to the music of Nelson, whose choral music has recently been recorded for release by Seible's choir. The CD will be available at Sunday's concert.
"Starting in April," Sieble says, "the choir began to work on the music for this CD, and we recorded it in May. The program on the CD is nearly identical to the concert program. But on Sunday we're also doing The Star Spangled Banner and God Bless America."
Last but not least, the Houston Cecilia Chamber Choir will observe the 10th anniversary of 9/11 on Sunday with a performance of Gabriel Fauré's Requiem. Fortunately, this event doesn't conflict with the VOX performance: The Cecilia Chamber Choir's concert takes place at 7 p.m., at St. Philip Presbyterian Church, 4807 San Felipe.
"The Fauré is one of the least fire-and-brimstone requiems," observes Justin Smith, the choir's director. "If focuses on soothing the souls of the departed and of the people they've left behind."
Also on the program will be Like as the Hart, an anthem by the English composer Herbert Howells.
Colin Eatock is a writer who covers classical music. He lives in Toronto. | <urn:uuid:d59852d3-3b5a-47b4-af9a-81e303193dfd> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.chron.com/life/article/Commemorative-concerts-mark-9-11-anniversary-in-2161632.php | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368707435344/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516123035-00040-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.973032 | 1,376 | 1.601563 | 2 |
On the one month anniversary of the Newtown school shooting, a group of Michigan mayors called for action to end gun violence.
They're demanding universal background checks, a ban on military assault-style weapons and gun trafficking made a federal crime.
"We're facing an avalanche, we are having guns rain down on us and bullets are raining down on our citizens," Lansing Mayor, Virg Bernero said. "It has already been a terrible January in Lansing and we're not unique."
Joining with law enforcement, the mayors are asking for the federal government to step in. They want additional, legal means to curb what they call a growing list of gun-related homicides.
"There may be a day without one, but then the next day we have two," Flint Mayor, Dayne Walling said. "In the City of Flint we were shocked for a homicide to be perpetrated in a church, at a funeral this weekend."
Currently, federal law only requires background checks at federally licensed dealers. No background check is needed for private, online or gun show sales.
Gun rights advocates worry universal background checks would have unintended consequences, burdening law-abiding buyers who are looking to defend themselves.
"Anytime you have government that interferes in the market, you artificially drive prices up," Phillip Hofmeister, President of Michigan Open Carry said. "Taking away guns from good people isn't going to help solve the problem."
Hofmeister also takes issue with the mayors' push for a ban on military assault-style weapons and high capacity clips.
"These weapons do serve valid purposes, there are some people that hunt with them, there are sporting purposes, markmanship programs that use these," Hofmeister added.
Bernero doesn't see it that way. He wants those weapons banned and illegal gun trafficking as a federal crime.
"We've got to get serious in this country about tracking these killing machines and that's what they are," Bernero said emphatically. He says Newtown is all the proof we need.
"I can't imagine what else would be more of a call to action than that," Lansing Schools Superintendent Yvonne Caamal Canul said.
Bernero is also calling for additional mental health resources. He called mental health funding "woefully inadequate" and says we can't continue to cut the programs that could stop gun violence, before it starts.
There could be action soon on the national level. President Obama said Monday he is reviewing a proposal from Vice President Joe Biden, who is heading up a task force on gun violence. | <urn:uuid:19eff1af-6fb8-4b4b-a35a-3e7f89e140b3> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.wilx.com/home/headlines/Michigan-Mayors-Pushing-for-Changes-in-Gun-Laws-186868882.html?site=full | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368703298047/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516112138-00037-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.966036 | 532 | 1.6875 | 2 |
retrofuturist wrote:Generally I think it's difficult for anyone interested in establishing a cult to do it under the guise of Theravada Buddhism, because Theravada takes the Pali Canon as the primary source of authority. Buddhavacana (Buddha word) comes to the Theravada tradition via the Pali Canon, not via a Guru.
Well even within Theravada there are different branches that have some differing interpretations of the Tripitaka and what have you.
TheDhamma wrote:Fortunately, we don't have much of a problem there in Theravada as perhaps some of the other traditions do. One reason might be that we have no pope, no vatican, so no one to 'rebel' against and form a splinter group.
Another reason might be that most cult leaders are not too keen on celibacy, a required precept for bhikkhus and bhikkhinis.
Well there's no figure that oversees all of Theravada, but within Thai and Cambodian Buddhism there is the Supreme Patriarch, or Somdech Phra Sangharaja.
With these two things in mind...
~ How is there not talk of heresy or labeling of groups as heretics for their different interpretations (and therefor practices?) ? Or is there?
~ How is it that this does not cause the same types of schisms that may be found elsewhere? Or does it?
It seems that the former does occur. I have seen at least two groups named here in this thread that it seems some people label as heretics. There could even be a third in this very thread, but Manapa declined to mention a name. Large congregations (Buddhist and Christian) and their praises/criticisms are a topic I'm interested in.
From what I know of the controversy surrounding the two groups mentioned, some seems to be politically driven. Both have or have had attendees that are of high-profile. That being the case, a particular temple becomes "guilty by association" and these groups may face backlash from their attendees' opponents. Criticizing a temple would seem to be a good way to discredit an opponent, especially one in the political realm. In addition, while neither is recently founded, they both have experienced recent growth in reach and size, arguably exponential relative to previous growth and expansion.
It appears universal across faiths that large congregations are on the receiving end of much criticism, the easiest of which is vast finances. Naturally, that's the easiest thing to point out in that many people feel that a religious institutions should not have much assets, etc. | <urn:uuid:67f1c9bf-5dc0-40f6-bf0c-809993b322f6> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.dhammawheel.com/viewtopic.php?p=4870 | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368700264179/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516103104-00014-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.977913 | 544 | 1.773438 | 2 |
Previously, AT&T customers who owned iPhones had to be connected to Wi-Fi to make calls via the Internet, and other smartphone users were out of luck.
Developers will need to modify their VOIP apps to take advantage of the capability, which will take some time. But some seem to have gotten a head start: Vonage, an Internet-calling service, recently rolled out an app which uses both Wi-Fi and AT&T's 3G network.
AT&T has been notoriously guarded about its 3G bandwidth -- and customers have been outraged by network slowdowns and dropped calls. The company has been concerned that too many VOIPusers may overload their data network. Critics say it was more about protecting profits by disabling apps that allowed free phone calls. | <urn:uuid:6d5ea8e9-6bba-48e6-b591-78db0435137a> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.nbcbayarea.com/news/tech/ATT-Opens-Up-3G-Network-to-VoIP-63627677.html | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368697380733/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516094300-00035-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.983472 | 157 | 1.773438 | 2 |
Click on any phrase to play the video at that point.Close
There's currently over a thousand TEDTalks on the TED website. And I guess many of you here think that this is quite fantastic -- except for me. I don't agree with this. I think we have a situation here. Because if you think about it, 1,000 TEDTalks, that's over 1,000 ideas worth spreading. How on earth are you going to spread a thousand ideas? Even if you just try to get all of those ideas into your head by watching all those thousand TED videos, it would actually currently take you over 250 hours to do so. And I did a little calculation of this. The damage to the economy for each one who does this is around $15,000. So having seen this danger to the economy, I thought, we need to find a solution to this problem.
Here's my approach to it all. If you look at the current situation, you have a thousand TEDTalks. Each of those TEDTalks has an average length of about 2,300 words. Now take this together and you end up with 2.3 million words of TEDTalks, which is about three Bibles-worth of content. The obvious question here is, does a TEDTalk really need 2,300 words? Isn't there something shorter? I mean, if you have an idea worth spreading, surely you can put it into something shorter than 2,300 words. The only question is, how short can you get? What's the minimum amount of words you would need to do a TEDTalk?
While I was pondering this question, I came across this urban legend about Ernest Hemingway, who allegedly said that these six words here: "For sale: baby shoes, never worn," were the best novel he had ever written. And I also encountered a project called Six-Word Memoirs where people were asked, take your whole life and please sum this up into six words, such as these here: "Found true love, married someone else." Or "Living in existential vacuum; it sucks." I actually like that one. So if a novel can be put into six words and a whole memoir can be put into six words, you don't need more than six words for a TEDTalk. We could have been done by lunch here. I mean ... And if you did this for all thousand TEDTalks, you would get from 2.3 million words down to 6,000. So I thought this was quite worthwhile.
So I started asking all my friends, please take your favorite TEDTalk and put that into six words. So here are some of the results that I received. I think they're quite nice. For example, Dan Pink's talk on motivation, which was pretty good if you haven't seen it: "Drop carrot. Drop stick. Bring meaning." It's what he's basically talking about in those 18 and a half minutes. Or some even included references to the speakers, such as Nathan Myhrvold's speaking style, or the one of Tim Ferriss, which might be considered a bit strenuous at times.
The challenge here is, if I try to systematically do this, I would probably end up with a lot of summaries, but not with many friends in the end. So I had to find a different method, preferably involving total strangers. And luckily there's a website for that called Mechanical Turk, which is a website where you can post tasks that you don't want to do yourself, such as "Please summarize this text for me in six words." And I didn't allow any low-cost countries to work on this, but I found out I could get a six-word summary for just 10 cents, which I think is a pretty good price.
Even then, unfortunately, it's not possible to summarize each TEDTalk individually. Because if you do the math, you have a thousand TEDTalks, the pay 10 cents each; you have to do more than one summary for each of those talks, because some of them will probably be, or are, really bad. So I would end up paying hundreds of dollars. So I thought of a different way by thinking, well, the talks revolve around certain themes. So what if I don't let people summarize individual TEDTalks to six words, but give them 10 TEDTalks at the same time and say, "Please do a six-word summary for that one." I would cut my costs by 90 percent. So for $60, I could summarize a thousand TEDTalks into just 600 summaries, which would actually be quite nice.
Now some of you might actually right now be thinking, It's downright crazy to have 10 TEDTalks summarized into just six words. But it's actually not, because there's an example by statistics professor, Hans Rosling. I guess many of you have seen one or more of his talks. He's got eight talks online, and those talks can basically be summed up into just four words, because that's all he's basically showing us, our intuition is really bad. He always proves us wrong.
So people on the Internet, some didn't do so well. I mean, when I asked them to summarize the 10 TEDTalks at the same time, some took the easy route out. They just had some general comment. There were others, and I found this quite cheeky. They used their six words to talk back to me and ask me if I'd been too much on Google lately. And finally also, I never understood this, some people really came up with their own version of the truth. I don't know any TEDTalk that contains this.
But, oh well. In the end, however, and this is really amazing, for each of those 10 TEDTalk clusters that I submitted, I actually received meaningful summaries. Here are some of my favorites. For example, for all the TEDTalks around food, someone summed this up into: "Food shaping body, brains and environment," which I think is pretty good. Or happiness: "Striving toward happiness = moving toward unhappiness."
So here I was. I had started out with a thousand TEDTalks and I had 600 six-word summaries for those. Actually it sounded nice in the beginning, but when you look at 600 summaries, it's quite a lot. It's a huge list. So I thought, I probably have to take this one step further here and create summaries of the summaries -- and this is exactly what I did. So I took the 600 summaries that I had, put them into nine groups according to the ratings that the talks had originally received on TED.com and asked people to do summaries of those. Again, there were some misunderstandings. For example, when I had a cluster of all the beautiful talks, someone thought I was just trying to find the ultimate pick-up line. But in the end, amazingly, again, people were able to do it. For example, all the courageous TEDTalks: "People dying," or "People suffering," was also one, "with easy solutions around." Or the recipe for the ultimate jaw-dropping TEDTalk: "Flickr photos of intergalactic classical composer." I mean that's the essence of it all.
Now I had my nine groups, but, I mean, it's already quite a reduction. But of course, once you are that far, you're not really satisfied. I wanted to go all the way, all the way down the distillery, starting out with a thousand TEDTalks. I wanted to have a thousand TEDTalks summarized into just six words -- which would be a 99.9997 percent reduction in content. And I would only pay $99.50 -- so stay even below a hundred dollars for it.
So I had 50 overall summaries done. This time I paid 25 cents because I thought the task was a bit harder. And unfortunately when I first received the answers -- and here you'll see six of the answers -- I was a bit disappointed. Because I think you'll agree, they all summarize some aspect of TED, but to me they felt a bit bland, or they just had a certain aspect of TED in them. So I was almost ready to give up when one night I played around with these sentences and found out that there's actually a beautiful solution in here. So here it is, a crowd-sourced, six-word summary of a thousand TEDTalks at the value of $99.50: "Why the worry? I'd rather wonder."
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Sebastian Wernicke thinks every TEDTalk can be summarized in six words. In this talk, he shows how to do just that -- and less. (Filmed at TEDxZurich.)
After making a splash in the field of bioinformatics, Sebastian Wernicke moved on to the corporate sphere, where he motivates and manages multidimensional projects. Full bio » | <urn:uuid:67d4976d-8f0e-4887-8d8b-0de2f89007f2> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.ted.com/talks/sebastian_wernicke_1000_tedtalks_6_words.html?c=388034 | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368697974692/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516095254-00026-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.983322 | 1,907 | 1.726563 | 2 |
|U Receives $2.9 Million for Down Syndrom Research|
University of Utah Receives $2.9 Million Grant for Groundbreaking Down Syndrome Research. Studies including Utah families will provide insights into the human brain and treatment strategies for mental disability
SALT LAKE CITY – A multidisciplinary team of University of Utah investigators has received a grant for innovative research that will shed new light on the genes that cause Down syndrome (DS), as well as the defects of brain development and function that lead to intellectual disability. The $2.96 million grant co-funded by the Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health and Human Development and the National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke at the National Institutes of Health (NIH) will support cross-disciplinary research that studies not only genes and brain structure, but also the circuitry and chemical signals within the brain that lead to the development of DS.
“We’ll be taking a revolutionary first look at how brain circuits are related to behavior, intelligence, and brain function,” said University of Utah USTAR Professor Julie R. Korenberg, Ph.D., M.D. “The team’s approach to the study of Down syndrome is unprecedented and integrates genetics, neuroimaging and cognitive testing into the research. Winning this highly competitive grant speaks well to the university and to the support we’ve received from the entire Down syndrome community in Utah.”
The team Korenberg has brought together—the DS Therapeutic Consortium—is a group of internationally recognized investigators at the University of Utah who represent more than 10 highly interactive departments with a strong commitment to DS research. Local families, coordinated through the Utah Down Syndrome Foundation (UDSF), will participate in the study.
“Our state has an amazing network of support, which includes families, community members and professionals,” commented Ann Marie Christensen, UDSF board president. “The UDSF is happy to strengthen these bonds of support by working with such a wonderful group of medical professionals for the potential benefit of all individuals with Down syndrome.”
DS affects more than 400,000 individuals in the United States and is the most common genetic cause of cognitive disability and Alzheimer’s disease. In addition to defects in memory, language, and brain anatomy, DS is also associated with physical changes, congenital heart disease, and abnormal intestinal development. Individuals with DS are born with an extra copy of all or most of the genes on chromosome 21. While most genetic diseases are caused by mutations on a single gene, the characteristic features and developmental problems of DS are a complex function of more than 220 genes on chromosome 21.
There have been significant advances in the understanding of DS in the past 10 years, including research on treatments that boost the growth of brain cells and improve memory. However, most of these studies were performed in mice with an equivalent of DS. Korenberg and her colleagues will be studying DS in humans, including a unique group of individuals with DS caused by duplication of only part of chromosome 21, a rare condition referred to as partial trisomy 21. Korenberg has amassed the world’s largest cohort, or patient group, with this characteristic. People with partial trisomy 21 provide a unique opportunity to link specific genes with defects in brain development and function.
Even though a complete list of chromosome 21 genes has been identified, researchers still don’t know which of those genes is responsible for the mental disability associated with DS, Korenberg said. “Now, powerful advances in medical genetics and human brain imaging have given us new techniques to link genes to the structural abnormalities and changes in brain circuitry that occur in people with DS. The ultimate goal is to develop novel treatments for DS and other intellectual disabilities.
“The University of Utah has fantastic talent and resources in toxicology, imaging, pediatrics, mouse behavior, data management, and more. Around NIH circles, we heard the term ‘dream team’ used, and I think that’s accurate,” Korenberg said.
The team assembled on this new grant includes co-principal investigator and imaging expert Guido Gerig, Ph.D., a USTAR professor at the University of Utah’s Scientific Computing and Imaging Institute. Other key team members include: E.K. Jeong, Ph.D., associate professor of radiology; Jeffrey L. Anderson, M.D., professor of cardiology; John C. Carey, M.D., professor of pediatrics; and Nicola Longo, M.D., Ph.D., professor of pediatrics. University of Arizona psychology researchers Lynn Nadel and Jamie Edgin are also participating.
Credit: University of Utah Health Care | <urn:uuid:8cd6bf78-8f19-4749-a3ba-d59b9c55d180> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.sci.utah.edu/component/content/article/545-downsyndromgrant2012.html | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368703298047/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516112138-00036-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.935001 | 979 | 1.820313 | 2 |
Prizes Include Day Packs from Deuter USA, Four Round-Trip Tickets from Southwest Airlines, and National Park Pass
Charlestown, NH (Vocus) May 27, 2010 -- Calling all outdoor enthusiasts! If you have a favorite green space - somewhere in the outdoors where you relax, or connect to nature - now is the time to take a picture of it and share it. The Student Conservation Association (SCA), a national leader in youth service and stewardship, along with Deuter USA, today announced the launch of a new photo contest called "Conservation Begins Here." The contest, which runs through Sunday, July 4, invites photographers to submit photos of wildlife and green places, whether found in their own backyard, local parks or other urban and neighborhood areas. Contest photos can be submitted on http://www.thesca.org/photocontest , where visitors can view and vote on their favorite images.
"Photos can be of an awe-inspiring view from a national park or of your backyard garden," says SCA Online Communications Director Sandra Deacon. "We are looking for photographs of places where you connect to the natural world. SCA is committed to training a generation of conservationists who will respect and care for all of these green spaces." Photo contest winners will be evaluated and selected by a panel of expert judges: Ken Burns, award-winning filmmaker; Jay Heinrich, best-selling author and editor of Southwest's Spirit Magazine; Dan Elridge, SCA alumni and professional outdoor photographer; Katy Barnes, photographer and SCA alumni; Kevin Bacher, volunteer supervisor at Mount Rainier National Park. There will also be a People's Choice award given to the photo that receives the most online votes by the public.
"We are looking forward to seeing not only the incredible photos, but what places people choose to show their connection," says Christian Mason, Director of Sales for Deuter USA. "By sponsoring and partnering with the SCA, we are proud to continue to grow our outreach and see how people are seeing their passion for adventure."
The First Prize Winner of the "Conservation Begins Here" Photo Contest will receive four round-trip Southwest Airlines tickets and a Deuter ACT Lite 65+10 Deluxe Day Pack. Second Prize Winner will receive a Deuter Futura Pro 42 Day Pack and a National Parks and Federal Recreational Lands Pass, and the third prize winner will receive a Deuter Futura 28 Day Pack. The People's Choice Prize Winner will receive an Olympus Stylus Tough-8000 12 MP waterproof digital camera. There will also be weekly prize drawings to win cool camping gear from Backcountry Edge.
In addition to receiving prizes, winners' images will be showcased on the Photo Contest website, and published on the SCA Page on FacebookTM for all to admire.
For rules, voting and more information about the "Conservation Begins Here" Contest, go to http://www.thesca.org/photocontest
About Deuter Deuter Sport GmbH of Gersthofen, Germany, celebrated its 110th year in 2008 and is one of the leading international technical pack brands. Deuter's major focus is on the development and sales of innovative, high quality and multi-use packs. Deuter's current strength in pack innovation is the ventilated back system they have developed and refined over the last 24 years as well as their complete line of child carriers. Since establishing a subsidiary in Longmont, Colorado, in 2001, Deuter has made a significant impact in the U.S. market. Deuter USA has over 400 specialty accounts and has been recognized by its retailers as one of the top backpack brands in the industry. For more information, please visit www.deuterusa.com .
About SCA The Student Conservation Association (SCA) is the only national organization that develops tomorrow's conservation leaders by providing high school and college students with conservation service opportunities in all 50 states, from urban communities to national parks and forests. Since 1957, SCA's hands-on practice of conservation service has helped to develop new generations of conservation leaders, inspire lifelong stewardship, and save the planet. SCA is a non-profit headquartered in Charlestown, NH and maintains regional offices in Boise, ID, Oakland, CA, Pittsburgh, PA, Seattle, WA, and Washington, D.C. For more information, visit www.thesca.org | <urn:uuid:9bd25ea8-16ea-4118-8b1c-5e5011ef5023> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://thesca.org/print/49194 | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368704132298/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516113532-00025-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.93189 | 903 | 1.539063 | 2 |
Grammy-nominated bassist, composer and conductor John Clayton is not only much in demand as a top shelf player, he also co-leads the Clayton-Hamilton Orchestra, teaches at USC and is Artistic Director at various jazz festivals and workshops in the United States. In Washington to serve as Music Director for Benny Golson’s 80th birthday bash at the Kennedy Center, Clayton took time to listen to some of his mentors, peers and colleagues.
1. Slam Stewart & Major Holley
“Undecided” (from Shut Yo’ Mouth, Delos). Stewart, Holley, bass; Dick Hyman, piano; Oliver Jackson, drums. Recorded in 1981.
Before: [laughter] I know what this is. I have this recording, Major Holley gave it to me. I knew them both but I really knew Major. They exemplify to me what all musicians strive for, that is to become one with your instrument. They are role models for us, a reminder that the music has to be clear in you before you can get it out through your instrument. I always say you have to think of your instrument as an amplifier for the the music that’s inside of you. The barometer that we use to make sure that that’s on track is singing. So many of the greats did it instinctively, and you can hear them singing, humming, growling, tasting, breathing everything they play. And that’s what we try to do, that’s our goal to express ourselves with clarity.
What do you think of the sound they got with the bow?
Too many people think if you put the bow on the string and move it back and forth you’re gonna get what you’re looking for. That’s not where the sound is. The sound is in you. If you don’t know the sound that you want to come out of the bass, you won’t know what kind of adjustments you need to make. Sometimes you have to move the bow faster, sometimes you need to change the the position of the bow or add more arm weight. These guys studied but they also knew and discovered these things and it became second nature to them. They had a sound in their ear that their body had to find. Major Holley’s sound was mimicked by his voice and it had a raspy quality to it. Slam Stewart’s sound was also mimicked by his voice but it had a much smoother quality to it. And he sang an octave higher than his playing. Major Holley sang pretty much at pitch and would go into falsetto when he would play a G harmonic [demonstrates it]. By the time I met him I had already studied at Indiana University so I could not only fall in love with his playing but I could analyze it and say a-ha, that’s his bow placement, a-ha that’s what’s he’s doing with his left hand. I could figure it all out that way. | <urn:uuid:10e9c85f-20cf-4118-99c0-777b321d4c53> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://larryappelbaum.wordpress.com/tag/keter-betts/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368699881956/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516102441-00023-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.987371 | 638 | 1.648438 | 2 |
Kliph Nesteroff Presents "a portal into a previously unseen world" - The Guardian
"Invaluable" - The Onion AV Club
"Important" - John Hodgman, The Daily Show
Are you sure this is from 1955? It looks like videotape, which wasn't invented yet.
This is color film footage from from one of the old Al Gannaway "Opry" shows from around '55.
It sure is in good condition, though it's hard to tell sometimes with YouTube.
Although the show was broadcast on television, it was filmed on 35mm film, so it looks a lot better than a lot of footage from similar shows.For example, 1955's "Town Hall Party" was kinescoped (telerecorded if you're in the UK), so the existing footage from those shows is inferior compared to the Gannaway shows.
Post a Comment | <urn:uuid:0458bc05-6656-44d3-8f00-184f925f43d1> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://classicshowbiz.blogspot.com/2008/06/stars-of-grand-ole-opry-with-guest-chet.html?showComment=1214353980000 | 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 | 0.967699 | 185 | 1.5 | 2 |
Californians voted in favor of Prop 14 last night by a healthy margin. The open primary referendum empowers 3.4 million “decline-to-state” registered independents in the state, and is good news for independents and nonpartisan voters throughout the country. Partian control of elections has become a major obstacle to policy that truly represents the sentiments of voters, and is increasingly dangerous to our country.
Parties talk about lawsuit challenging ‘open’ primary victory (Sac Bee/Capitol Alert, Posted by Susan Ferriss) Jason Olson, director of Independent Voice, a group that backed that measure, predicted that more decline-to-state voters would turn out for primary elections with the Proposition 14 approach. Independent voters are now about 20 percent of all California’s registered voters.
California Voters Back Election Overhaul (By JESSE McKINLEY, NY Times) Richard Winger, a prominent opponent of the measure, said that “California now has the most restrictive general election ballot access in the nation,” but acknowledged the sour mood of the electorate.
State Ballot Measures – Statewide Results (California Statewide Primary Election Results, Sec of State) 54.6% yes on 14
California voters approve revolutionary ‘open’ primary (By Susan Ferriss, Fresno Bee) Disgruntled California voters have blown up their election system by approving Proposition 14, which tosses out the current political party-based primary system in all but presidential races… That revolutionary approach doesn’t bother Jason Olson, director of Independent Voice, a group that backed Proposition 14.
For more news for independent voters and Prop 14, see The Hankster
This entry was posted on Wednesday, June 9th, 2010 and is filed under News. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site. | <urn:uuid:cddc3c52-4fe3-4419-a043-0d2d2921e68a> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://donklephant.com/2010/06/09/california-open-primary-proposition-14-passes-with-54-good-news-for-independents/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368704713110/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516114513-00029-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.939906 | 391 | 1.546875 | 2 |
Such in-car routers are considered a niche product for the moment, but Autonet Mobile's unit has seen adoption in a wide variety of vehicles and applications. The technology was offered in the 2011 Subaru Outback and the 2009 Cadillac CTS, as well as Chrysler, Jeep, and Dodge products. Before that, Novatel Wireless, Delphi, and Avis Rent-A-Car announced agreements with Autonet. The company's technology has also been employed in school buses.
Making such technologies work as reliably as a desktop computer has been tricky. Using a setup called TRU Technology, Autonet Mobile's router is reported to deliver useful connectivity, no matter how fast a vehicle is traveling between cell towers. It works by combining cellular network technology with the traditional IP suite (commonly called TCP/IP). The key is the company's patented "session proxy" technique, which enables the router to remember its TCP session, even during temporary service dropoffs.
Autonet Mobile's in-car router works by combining cellular network technology with TCP/IP.
To accomplish that, the iPod-sized router incorporates a substantial bill of hardware materials, including Power PC-based processors from Freescale Semiconductor and four radios -- a 1xRTT (single-carrier radio transmission technology), EVDO rev 0 (evolution data optimized), EVDO rev A, and Bluetooth -- along with 2GB of flash memory, two Ethernet ports, two USB ports, and a CompactFlash slot. Onboard software, which runs atop an embedded Linux operating system, handles movement between the radios. The software searches for available networks, enabling users to get the best one as they speed down the highway.
Autonet Mobile executives say that such technologies can also move beyond the obvious Internet searches to encompass such applications as phone-based remote starting and door unlocking, as well as vehicle tracking and employee monitoring from remote desktop machines.
"The demand is definitely moving toward fleet applications," says Pratz. "You have these small to medium-sized businesses that have between three and 50 vehicles in their fleets, and their owners are asking, 'How do I manage these fleets?'"
Next stop: CAN bus?
Ultimately, experts foresee such Internet technologies drilling deeper into the vehicle electrical architecture, even to the point of getting access to the CAN (controller area network) databus, which carries vital powertrain information. Automotive engineers say that's a trickier enterprise, but most acknowledge that it's going to happen soon.
The CCC, for example, plans to write CAN access into an upcoming version of its standard. Version 1.1, due out at the end of this year, will allow for use of car data. Engineers say such access will give phones access to such items as vehicle diagnostics.
"If the phone knows that the traction control system has turned on, it might be able to alert the driver," says Tom of GM Ventures. "But we have to do it in a manner that doesn't compromise the data that's on the CAN bus. You want to be able to access the data without harming it."
Pratz of Autonet Mobile says accessing the CAN bus is the next big step for telematics. | <urn:uuid:b4e9341a-dc0c-4715-96a6-9cd5906e2fde> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.designnews.com/author.asp?section_id=1366&doc_id=235176&page_number=3 | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368706499548/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516121459-00015-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.953315 | 653 | 1.710938 | 2 |
Subsets and Splits