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TERROR CHALLENGES IN ASIA: THE TRILLION DOLLAR MARKET
Global spending on Homeland Security now stands at about $200 billion annually. But with budgets in Asia now set to increase by 30-percent in its trillion-dollar-plus market, where China, India, Japan and Saudi Arabia are closely followed by the South East Asia tigers, the message is clear: Asia is already almost as big a market as the United States, which accounts for one-third of the world’s Homeland Security expenditure. But unlike the US, it’ll be a mistake to look at the security situation in Asia as one constant. Asia has many geostrategic regions, each with its own peculiarities, presenting challenges that are either indigenous or insurgencies that survive on cross-border support.
The indigenous insurgencies and sometimes conflicts with communal divides have their roots in poor governance and corruption, ethnic inequalities and sense of persecution by the State. In India, these can be seen in the Maoist movement across Central India and the tribal insurgency in Northeast India, whereas in Pakistan it is the Shia–Sunni divide, the Balooch insurgency and the Pashtun disaffection in the NWFP (Af-Pak region). Russia’s Chechen problem and China’s battle against discontent in Xinjiang, as well as the Kurdish problem across Iran, Iraq and Turkey all fall in these categories. These require a combination of police-cum-military operations while adhering to the minimum-force dictum to contain the problem, backed with imaginatively delivered packages that address the core grievances of the locals, employment, education, housing and roads.
The second challenge is posed by proxy wars and trans-national threats. This is sometimes even used as an instrument of policy by certain countries, such as Pakistan’s support for cross border groups that operate in Kashmir that has added momentum to the failures of New Delhi policies, or Islamabad’s support to the Taliban groups in Afghanistan. Likewise, Israeli support for the Jundullah to undermine the Iranian government and the Iranian support for Hezbollah in Lebanon, or more recently the anti-Bahrain and anti-Saudi groups in the Gulf, are prominent examples.
Finally, trans-national terror groups either linked with or inspired by Al-Qaeda - from Philippines to Iraq - have inspired their cadres with radical Islam. While Osama bin Laden has been eliminated and Al-Qaeda may be in tatters, his legacy continues to motivate suicide bombers from Pakistan to the Gulf States. The challenge they pose is
not insignificant, and most difficult to counter. A heady cocktail of these threats have made Asia the fastest growing Homeland Security market. And Securing Asia 2012, a unique initiative to be held in London from 25th to 27th June at the QE-II Centre, will not
only show case the technologies and training methodologies that Asian
countries need, but will bring together, for the first time, the buyers and the suppliers under one roof, to equip Asian countries for their battles ahead.
Maroof Raza is a well-known across commentator on military and homeland security issues, especially on television, as he appears frequently on TIMESNOW, India's leading television news channel. He also writes for the editorial pages of The Times of India and The Hindustan Times, and a regular column in the monthly magazine he publishes, "Salute". | <urn:uuid:be4d79ac-1542-401d-a8aa-2a1c360d9091> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://news.cision.com/curzon-pr/r/terror-challenges-in-asia--the-trillion-dollar-market,c9272661 | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368704713110/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516114513-00012-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.941925 | 698 | 1.765625 | 2 |
Excerpted from Decomagazine 61
In our previous editions of decomagazine we presented the MultiSwiss machine in terms of its performance, design and the customer’s point of view. We continue the discovery of this product from behind the scenes : how is its production organised to ensure the combination of constant quality, short lead times, a very good price for the customer, while also recognising ecological concerns ? A meeting with Yvan Dominé, Assembly Manager at Tornos.
When we visited the MultiSwiss assembly, we were struck by the organisation and neatness prevailing in what is a genuine assembly line. The machines are mounted on carriages running on rails. There are 5 stages in the complete assembly of a MultiSwiss. Each stage takes just one day. If a continuous flow is ensured, every day a new machine will leave the assembly lines. As Mr. Dominé remarked : “From the outset, the machine was designed in line with the precepts of Lean Manufacturing, so we have been able to industrialise its assembly based on this principle. This provides production flexibility, enabling us to perfectly meet the requirements of our customers. If we work in 2 teams, we can produce 10 MultiSwiss machines per week without any problems.”
Major customer benefits
In theory the assembly methods are of little importance to the machine users, but if these methods ensure short lead times, a constant high quality and good prices, they provide maximum benefit. Furthermore, with less fixed capital, the company can invest more in research & development to provide ever more efficient solutions to its customers.
What were the design bases of this production optimisation ?
7 sources of improvement
“Our aim is to work on sources of waste,” Mr. Dominé told us. He explains : “The assembly of a MultiSwiss machine was divided into 3600 sequences of operations which we analysed for the purpose of optimisation, eliminating all so-called “non-added value” operations. Which means : downtime between operations, over-production and surplus stocks, unsuitable methods and processes, pointless movements and transport, and of course quality failures.” By working on all these points from the design stage, the company was able to achieve the objective of reducing the production time of a MultiSwiss by more than 75 % compared to other multi-spindle products ! A shortened production time also means a smaller floor space requirement.
And what about quality ?
If we talk about reducing the production time, we might wonder about the quality, but there is actually an increase in quality. As Mr. Dominé explained : “With a team of specialists, we sought out the best working methods and included checkpoints all along the production line. We drew up detailed procedures for all the work stations. Each assembler knows exactly what they have to do, and how. We demand great rigour from our personnel, and the rules which apply if problems being detected are well defined. Hence we are in perfect control of the production process, and can guarantee perfect quality of our products.”
Each stage of assembly is carried out “just in time”, and the specialists can concentrate wholly on their tasks. In practice, the machine arrives at its first assembly area at the same time as all the components required for this stage of assembly. All the tools and devices essential for this point are also on hand. The specialist has an assembly instruction sheet including all the important components, so that assembly can be performed under ideal conditions. Once this assembly stage is complete, the machine can proceed to the next station, where the machine currently at this second station will also be finished and ready to pass on to the next station (and so on to the end of the line).
What about for personnel ?
This work approach is fairly similar to the automotive industry, and may seem “inhuman” to some people, with these principles bringing to mind for some people visions of the Charlie Chaplin film “Modern Times”, since humans are used scientifically as targeted resources in each operation. Mr. Dominé told us : “Work specialisation does not detract from the merit or skills of our staff, quite the opposite. They are well informed about the tasks, and their working conditions are improved. The operations are optimised, enabling the work to be performed with perfect peace of mind. The work is tailored to each individual’s skills, and we also promote versatility. Our staff are key assets to our company, we are there to guide them and support them. They actively participate in improving quality by detecting problems and suggesting improvements. We strive to adapt the organisation to the tasks to be performed ; it should not impair the quality and efficiency, but boost them. Hence, within an approach of constant improvement, our staff can be proud of their work.”
The assembly of the MultiSwiss machine is broken down into 3600 processes, all of which have been timed and analysed for optimisation purposes. As Mr. Dominé remarked : “The aim was not to pressure added-value operations at the risk of reducing their quality, but to get rid of all “non- added value” operations, such as pointless movements and wasted time.” Once the process had been set up, a continuous improvement loop began. After the pilot run had been completed, nearly 700 processes were improved for a further 15 % productivity gain.
Fully integrated into the production flows
The machine assembly follows a pull system, i.e. an order-only basis. To ensure optimum use of the assembly lines, assembly is planned according to forecasts. Since each major stage takes just one day, there is maximum flexibility. In this way Tornos is guaranteed a minimum fixed capital (i.e. only producing machines that have been ordered).
Objectives achieved ?
“When we set up Lean Manufacturing our objectives were simple ; we wanted to control the quality and processes, and optimise efficiency (and therefore price), to ultimately eliminate whatever the customer does not pay for (the waste mentioned above). These two objectives have been achieved, and we are in a process of permanent improvement,” concluded Mr. Dominé.
In our Decomagazine 61 article “Responsible production – Blue Competence” on page 27, we cover aspects of sustainable development and energy savings that users can make by working with Tornos machines. But where does this come from ? The new MultiSwiss assembly line is fully in line with this mega-trend. Mr. Dominé told us : “With the optimisation of parts and machines flows, we have completely eradicated pointless movements and transport ; furthermore by adapting the workstations we have also eliminated redundancy. All these factors ultimately represent energy savings.” Since assembly requires a much smaller floor space, the ecological balance is very positive in this respect too. | <urn:uuid:03e3c598-6e74-43f7-a901-aa040a189393> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.tornos.us/newsroom/press/press_release.cfm?prID=140 | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368697380733/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516094300-00024-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.953101 | 1,410 | 1.710938 | 2 |
Giant Metal Scorpion is the Terminator of Arthropods
December 17th, 2012
If there’s one critter that I think universally gives people the creeps, it’s the scorpion. While only a very small percentage are deadly enough to kill humans, they’re still pretty nasty looking creatures, and not the type of thing I’d want to run into while walking around the desert. And if I saw a scorpion that looked like this, I’d get back in my car and drive as fast as I could.
This oversize metal scorpion was made by Kreatworks from discarded automotive and machine parts, and measures about 8.25 inches-long. That makes it much larger than the relatively tiny scorpions we tend to think about here in America. But if you happen to live in South Africa, it turns out that there are real scorpions that are almost the same size. I will not be able to sleep tonight knowing that fact.
Now the metal variant doesn’t seem as scary to me, though I’m still not buying one for fear it might come to life and attack me in the middle of the night. If you’ve got no fear of scorpions, you can order one of these bad boys over on Etsy for $68(USD). | <urn:uuid:da2f0de7-1a4d-4213-aded-cd5c82bf6cc6> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://technabob.com/blog/2012/12/17/giant-metal-scorpion/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368705559639/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516115919-00011-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.947875 | 273 | 1.65625 | 2 |
Allowing a child to do as much as possible for himself builds self-esteem. Jumping in and doing everything for him makes him less resilient.
—Avie Lumpkin, Alameda, California
My son wants to be an instant success at everything he does, so he gets frustrated when it takes time to master something new. I remind him that his favorite musicians still need to practice to be good—and that no skateboarding star got to be one by giving up.
—Karen Evers, Holliston, Massachusetts
When my son has a negative thought, I challenge him to turn it into a positive one by listing his great qualities. Nothing magical here—it's consistency that makes the difference.
—Jennifer Covello, Norwalk, Connecticut
Music! Art! Doctors who care!
—Trish Boudah, North Richland Hills, Texas
If your child isn't invited to the birthday party of the week, tell him you feel sorry for that kid, because “he doesn't know what a neat, fun person you are.”
—Rachel Goodman, Roanoke, Virginia
We helped our daughter hang up her sports medals in her room and to make a scrapbook of her accomplishments and of the fun things she has done. This lifts her spirits when she comes home feeling like she can't do anything right.
—Mary Beth Sisco, Jeffersonville, Indiana
Lots of pats on the back.
—Cindy Bloom, Kalamazoo, Michigan
The best thing I did to help my child feel resilient was allow him to take driving lessons and get his license. I have my mother-in-law to thank for that advice.
—Janice Longoria, League City, Texas
This article comes from the October/November issue of ADDitude. | <urn:uuid:aede9a3a-c3ff-4c08-81c8-1921b00cd988> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.additudemag.com/adhd/article/2547.html | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368704713110/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516114513-00037-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.974212 | 373 | 1.726563 | 2 |
The Office on both sides of the Atlantic
In the New Yorker, Tad Friend meditates on the differences between the British and American versions of The Office: The Paper Chase: Office life in two worlds: "The challenge that faced the American “Office” was to honor the spirit of the original while tweaking the workplace dynamics so that audiences would want to watch more than twelve episodes. The British scabrousness and barely suppressed violence is gone, and the Scranton office—brighter and noisier, with more posters, parties, and pep—is Slough on Zoloft."
The difference in tone between the two was very obvious in "The Convict," the first US episode penned by Ricky Gervais and Steven Marchant. The tone of the episode was more cringeworthy than usual for Scranton. While Steve Carrell and Ricky Gervais are the focal points of their respective shows, Mchael Scott is not David Brent and the jokes that work with one don't necessarily work with the other. Friend explores the distinction in the New Yorker with both depth and elegance. | <urn:uuid:93915a34-7f9e-4fa9-affc-5f9cf420710c> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://buzzrantrave.com/2006/12/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368700958435/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516104238-00036-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.956078 | 227 | 1.6875 | 2 |
A US Airways jet landed in the Hudson River near Manhattan Thursday afternoon, plunging its 158 crew and passengers, including one infant, into freezing waters after apparently hitting a flock of geese.
Miraculously, everyone aboard was able to escape, thanks to an incredible job by pilot Chesley "Sully" Sullenberger of Danville, Calif., who some witnesses said made a "three-point" landing on the water.
An armada of boats –– including at least half a dozen commuter ferries –– as well as firefighters and federal officials rushed to the scene before the Airbus A320 could be lost to the murky depths.
Authorities say 58 of the 155 passengers and crew were taken to New Jersey after being pulled from the sinking plane.
The rest were taken to New York City.
The frigid touch-down was the first non-fatal jetliner emergency water landing in 50 years of commercial flight, according to the Wall Street Journal.
The plane crashed near the USS Intrepid aircraft carrier museum, near 43rd Street, on Manhattan's West side five minutes after it took off at 3:26 p.m. from LaGuardia Airport, the FAA said. It was later towed to a pier further downtown.
"There were eyewitness reports the plane may have flown into a flock of birds," said Federal Aviation Administration spokeswoman Laura Brown. "Right now we don't have any indication this was anything other than an accident."
An air traffic controllers union official said the pilot reported a "double bird strike" less than a minute after takeoff and was headed for an emergency landing in New Jersey when he ditched into the Hudson River.
US Airways Flight 1549 was en route to Charlotte, N.C., and had 150 passengers and five crew members (two pilots and three flight attendants) aboard. Officials said there were only minor injuries.
Passenger Jeff Kolodjay of Norwalk, Conn., said he heard an explosion two or three minutes into the flight. He looked out of the left side of the plane and could see one of the engines on fire.
"The engine blew. There was fire everywhere and it smelled like gas," he said. "The captain said, 'Brace for impact because we're going down,'" Kolodjay said.
He added, "It was intense. It was intense. You've got to give it to the pilot. He made a hell of a landing."
“Prepare for impact" was all that was said by the pilot before the craft landed in the river, according to passenger Alberto Panero in a phone interview with CNN's Wolf Blitzer.
"Somehow the plane stayed afloat and we were all able to get on the raft," said Panero. "Some people were on the wings and had to wait there but most of the people were able to get on the raft."
"I don't even know how to put it into words right now," he said. "I actually grabbed one of the seats, that was the first thing that came to my mind. Some people grabbed the inflatable one. Immediately there were folks coming to us and throwing life jackets to us and helping us get to safety."
"There were a couple of people who took charge and started yelling for everyone to calm down," Panero said. "Once everyone realized we were going to be okay, they settled down."
The extraordinary rescue effort was due in large part to the ferries who quickly came to the plane's aid.
“We just started taking people from the wing and the inflatable rafts,” said Janis Krums who was riding on one of the first ferries to arrive and rescue the passengers. “And we just started giving them clothes and keeping them warm … in less than six or seven minutes we just had five or six boats helping.”
"I saw it hit the river," a caller who witnessed the crash told WNBC Thursday. "It just came crashing down into the river. I was wondering why it came down so low; there's no airport around here."
Scores of people in the city's highrises could barely believe their eyes as the the dramatic landing took place just outside their windows.
"I'm on the 27th floor of my building, sitting on my couch," a witness told WNBC. "I got up and said, 'Oh my God, they're gonna land in the river.' I watched the whole thing."
"I saw what appeared to be a tail fin of a plane sticking out of the water," said Erica Schietinger, whose office windows at Chelsea Piers look out over the Hudson. "All the boats have sort of circled the area. ... I can't tell what's what at this point."
US Airways Chairman and CEO Doug Parker made a statement from company headquarters in Phoenix before rushing to New York. He said they would soon release the entire manifest of passengers, and anyone who was concerned that loved ones might have been on board should call 800-679-8215.
Regarding the cause of the crash, Parker said "it's premature to speculate."
Experts say that Canadian geese are one of a pilot's worst nightmares.
A 4-pound bird exerts more than 6 tons of force if hit by a plane traveling 200 mph -- some geese weigh up to 15 pounds.
A U.S. Air Force plane crashed during takeoff at Elmendorf Air Force Base in Alaska in 1995 after a collision with geese. Twenty-four people died.
Birds caused another Air Force plane to crash during its approach to a runway in the Netherlands in 1996, killing 34 people.
Joe Mazzone, a retired Delta Air Lines pilot, said it is not unusual for birds to strike planes. In fact, he said, when planes get ready to take off, if there are birds in the area, the tower will alert the crew.
In the rare cases in which birds get sucked into an engine, "they literally just choke out the engine and it quits," Mazzone said.
Twenty-seven years ago this week, an Air Florida plane bound for Tampa crashed into the Potomac River after hitting a bridge just after takeoff from Washington National Airport. The crash on Jan. 13, 1982, killed 78 people including four people in their cars on the bridge. Five people on the plane survived.
On Dec. 20, a Continental Airlines plane veered off a runway and slid into a snowy field at the Denver airport, injuring 38 people. That was the first major crash of a commercial airliner in the United States since Aug. 27, 2006, when 49 people were killed after a Comair jetliner mistakenly took off from the wrong runway in Lexington, Ky.
Jonathan Dienst of WNBC contributed to this report | <urn:uuid:8d22a428-350f-4356-b052-20499bcbad0f> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.nbcnewyork.com/news/local/Plane-Crashes-in-Hudson-River.html | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368700264179/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516103104-00024-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.983258 | 1,396 | 1.695313 | 2 |
Dowling Family Genealogy
- Lamoine M. Dowling - A letter from Hubert Humphrey to Henry A. Wallace written at the time of President Roosevelt's death, asking for an appointive job for my grandfather.
- Henry Clay Ashbaugh - Excerpts from biographies found in the following books, "History of Eau Claire County", 1914, "History of the Chippewa Valley", 1892, William C. Cutler's, "History of the State of Kansas", 1883 and a log of the 45th Illinois Infantry during his period of enlistment.
- James & Anna (Dever) Dowling - Article and obituaries that appeared in the Baraboo newspapers.
- Charlie F. Dowling - A newspaper article that was printed on March 26, 1908, after the death of Charlie, while in Mexico with the U.S. Navy.
Copyright © 2001-2013 Timothy M. Dowling | <urn:uuid:c26db9da-48b6-43fd-b1fd-6817517e0c75> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://freepages.genealogy.rootsweb.ancestry.com/~tdowling/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368705195219/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516115315-00001-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.9374 | 195 | 1.507813 | 2 |
I have received e-mails, including pictures of Venezuela's Hugo Chavez with Cindy Sheehan, calling for boycotts of Citgo and their refined products. While my friends are well-meaning, and since I am the proud wife of a Citgo employee, I would like to point out that the facilities that are currently owned by PDVSA were once owned by American companies that sold them to whoever was willing to pay top dollar.
It is important to point out that these refineries are on American soil and employ Americans who work hard.
Their jobs enable them to support their families, pay taxes, and make purchases of all kinds, all of which obviously contribute to other businesses and .
All refined products, regardless of the source, allow us to have the fuels necessary for electricity, cooking, driving, and other activities that we take for granted. The refineries give back to the community by supporting fund-raisers, volunteering in the schools and community, as well as local taxes.
Boycotting Citgo or their products will do nothing to change a political mindset over which we have no control, be it Chavez's or anyone else who hates America, her people, and our way of life.
There is, however, strength in numbers. If you are really interested in making a difference, then be informed about the people we elect to public office.
Tell them what you want done, follow up, and exercise your right and privilege to vote each and every election.
I hear President Bush refer to dissenters of his policy in Iraq as "cut and run" people.
I was irritated at that remark because I don't think it's accurate, not if you're a clear-thinking individual who doesn't believe every word that comes out of the White House. The people he calls "cut and run" today are realistic, and more patriotic about our own country and military than Iraqis are about their country.
We realize we aren't wanted in Iraq or appreciated. We aren't into nation building, nor do we feel the over-whelming need to cram down the throat of other countries our own brand of democracy. The election can't get here soon enough for me.
As a retired Corpus Christi Independent School District assistant principal, English teacher and Vietnam veteran, I continue to be involved in the community. I observe which elected officials in Austin and Washington, D.C., promote and protect the best interests of our children and us, the homeowners and taxpayers.
I find that Gene Seaman is no longer doing the job he was elected to do as state representative, District 32. Therefore, I am now enlisting in the "Army of Juan." I encourage my fellow veterans, students, parents and friends to vote for Juan Garcia for state representative, District 32.
This year planners and organizers of Bayfest say they were more efficient. This is not true.
It took us at least 30 minutes to find parking, several miles away. Then we waited in line over 30 minutes at the admission gate and another 30 minutes to buy tickets for food and drinks.
If we are promoting healthier eating habits, why not offer a healthier variety of foods at Bayfest?
One of the reasons we go to Bayfest is for the concerts. This year the sound was terrible. We were less than 50 yards from the speakers and couldn't hear the performers. By the way, what happened to all of the arts and crafts booths from the previous years?
It was reported that Bayfest had record high admissions and profits. Maybe they could use some of that money to hire more staff to accommodate larger crowds, open more admission and ticket booths, and provide better parking solutions.
Charles. A. Dixon
I've had a difficult time not speaking out on Gene Seaman's situation, up until now. Enough is enough. Unfortunately, the politics of personal destruction we see at the federal level have found their way into a state representative race right here in our community.
I've known Mr. Seaman for quite sometime now. He is a tireless public servant. He has used his energy and his work ethic to further all of our interests in Austin. His work has helped and touched us all. From funding for finishing the pharmacy school at Texas A&M University-Kingsville to elevating the JFK Causeway and also working in our local school districts, he has represented his constituents well. He has even managed to maintain a bipartisan manner, which is refreshing, given today's political environment.
Not returning him to Austin would have consequences for us all.
I want to congratulate the Postal Service for providing a substation for residents to acquire passports at the Lamar Park post office on Everhart Road.
This service allows many of us who live on the south side to utilize this service on Saturdays and not have to go all the way to the Hector P. Garcia post office during the week. They should have this service during the week also, not only on Saturday.
I think this additional service has not been properly promoted by the Postal Service. Perhaps signs should be placed on all the post offices to announce this new service.
When you vote for Larry Olivarez, you vote for 100 percent of his time working on the business of our county and only the business of our county. In all his years as our sheriff, not once did he ever have another job.
Today, it seems candidates have a primary job or business that captures their first priority, and becoming a county elected official becomes second, taking a back seat.
I'm supporting Larry Olivarez for county judge because he is a principled man with proven experience within our county, and demonstrates the highest integrity.
We cannot afford a county judge where being county judge is his second job. There is no question that Larry is the better candidate.
What it takes
Everyone thinks of Calallen as "a school with kids born with talent or who do steroids" to get as far as they do each year. But they don't know the real story.
Friday, Sept. 15, the Calallen volleyball team defeated Refugio. But Coach Cardona and the players weren't happy with the way the team played. "Take off your knee pads and get to the base line," said Cardona after the game. They ran. They knew they hadn't really done that in the game.
Some girls stayed after to practice more, finding a way to do what they should've done in the game. They understood what her message was: Always do your best, always.
Calallen isn't a school that's born with talent or whose players do illegal drugs to get somewhere. They work hard every single day. Whether it's in practice or a game, players give everything every day to be the best they can be. There is a commitment to win, and expectation to do what it takes to win.
The sort most often elected here virtually demand aginners. They're seldom bad persons, but politics requires money and time, meaning that most are rich kids. Never having had to work, though they might've been attorneys or managers shoving people around like objects, they could always just party with their exclusive cliques.
Thus, with little grasp of having to work, they don't encourage such solid enterprises as manufacturing, preferring shaky tourist and entertainment businesses. Never having worried about expenses, they see taxes as daddy's inexhaustible gift and not others' hard gained necessity.
Always a notch above others, they tend to discount poor and middle-class people. They'll try to get around ordinary people's needs while imposing the fads and fancies of their own social class.
This is why our leaders' projects must be repeatedly rejected, knocked down, picked apart and revised. They need reminding who's boss and what's really important.
Mainly, they must be kept from ruining local distinctiveness, imposing impossible taxes, and re-creating here the polluted, crime-ridden resorts where they vacation and excluded citizens struggle.
David C. Morrow
Talking and saying nothing is worse than not talking at all. This is our present governor, Rick Perry. He is always going to do something, but talk is all he has done for us so far. For example, our borders are still wide open, teachers and veterans are still in line, and tax cuts are forgotten; but political donations are on the rise.
Let's elect someone who really cares. Let's try a woman; it's time. It's time for change. "Hello Granny and goodbye Perry." | <urn:uuid:385e8cae-2f20-4628-8a58-cb25f6310fa3> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.caller.com/news/2006/oct/10/letters-to-the-editor-101006/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368706499548/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516121459-00032-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.979568 | 1,741 | 1.5 | 2 |
CPSIA and Small Manufacturers
If you are a small company, this is probably one of the most important articles you’ll ever read here. Please read this carefully. Very carefully. Make note of verbiage such as “may”, “must” and “at this time” within the appropriate context.
There is some confusion regarding requirements that I will make more clearly; points of law brought to my attention by Jennifer Taggert, an attorney and environmental engineer who specializes in these matters. These distinctions and how they affect your business are significant based on company size (I’ll explain the differences and why it matters further along). For the sake of expediency, I’m only discussing lead; phthalates are omitted from discussion unless otherwise specifically stated.
First of all, the law is clear with respect to three pivotal matters regardless of company size:
- As of February 10, 2009, no more than 600 ppm lead can be present in products intended for children aged 12 and younger, as determined by a “reasonable testing program”.
- Third party testing, is not required until August 16, 2009.
- General Conformity Certificates (GCC) are required as of February 10, 2009.
Caution is in order.
Legally, you cannot blithely state your products don’t have lead just because you’re a small company making everything yourself, your products are “high quality” and issue your own GCC based on that assumption. Do you really know? I am shocked at the number of children’s tee shirts embellished with Swarovski crystals applied to them by home makers. These are nearly all lead! Likewise, what of applications like “puffy paint” or other paint applications or iron-on decals purchased at craft stores? How do you know those don’t contain lead or phthalates? As such, you are required to have a “reasonable testing program”. Unfortunately, “reasonable testing program” is unclear at this point but due diligence is implied. As the law reads now, effective August 16, 2009, CPSC certified third party testing is required. So, from February to August, you may have the option of using a reputable lab or testing service that is not an officially approved CPSC testing lab. Now, just because a lab is not currently approved doesn’t mean the lab isn’t any good but you have to do your homework. You will have to determine whether an official body such as the CPSC or your state’s Attorneys General (charged with enforcement) would consider your lab to be a legitimate resource. Some have suggested home testing kits for lead are an option but it is dubious that these would be acceptable. Most authorities agree that lead testing services provided by businesses such as Taggert’s are viable. Using an XRF gun, inventory samples can be scanned for lead. This is an attractive option for smaller producers because products remain saleable after testing (more comprehensive testing destroys products), it’s faster and it costs much less, perhaps $200 to $300 for a batch of samples.
In this entry on her blog, Jennifer Taggert makes the valid point that it is not true that existing inventory must be tested by a 3rd party but context is everything. I know how long you guys can hold onto inventory and she may not. Many of you hold inventory for much longer time periods than traditional manufacturers. Probably the best way to phrase this is that -at this time- inventory sold prior to August does not need third party testing. That doesn’t mean inventory doesn’t have to be tested, it does, it just means inventory isn’t subject to destructive and expensive CPSC certified third party testing. In summary, if you’re holding aging inventory (as I know many of you are) past the date of August 16, 2009, it will be subject to third party testing. Until then, you can use “reasonable testing” such as XRF gun scans.
“At this time”
A word about why this matters. Many of us are of the opinion that this law as written, is not sustainable due in part to costs and likely rampant non-compliance. There is little doubt there will be a fall out on February 10th that will disproportionately affect large producers. We are of the opinion that as a result, the regulations will evolve to more reasonable standards, hopefully before August when third party testing is required. As such, this may represent an opportunity for smaller companies. Worst case scenario, even if third part testing remains in effect, it is possible more labs will be approved by the time August rolls around. This means it may be that you can stay in the game and wait it out hoping for more favorable conditions in the future. I hope you all realize that any gains you realize will be coming at the grave expense of large firms so it remains inappropriate to sling any tactlessly worded verbiage towards them.
There is another reason it is inappropriate to speak badly of large manufacturers other than it’s just bad breeding and foul play since we’re all in this together and it serves no purpose to splinter. You stand to gain a lot more than they do. I realize it’s hard for you to see that now but more of them will be profoundly impacted by this law in ways you are not. Worse case scenario, littler players can wait it out a season or two but being smaller, it’s easier to get back into the game. Larger players can’t do that. How can they? Their product development time lines are 12 to 15 months out. Assuming they regroup (I think many will just throw in the towel) the smaller players who hid out for a season or two can get back in much faster and get higher margins in the short term (due to lack of product on shelves) which will help to recoup re-start up costs. I’m not saying you won’t be hurt, I’m not saying it won’t cost you but I am saying this is a matter of magnitude. The bigger they are, the harder they fall.
How the law disproportionately affects large firms.
When I was at that meeting in Washington last week, one man said “I don’t care what the CPSC wants”. You could have heard a pin drop but he has a very good point. He only cares what his customers want. Let me explain.
Very few retailers are environmental scientists cum attorneys and if the law confuses you, multiply that by a magnitude of “x”. They’re simply too busy to deal with it, they need easy standards to eliminate their liability because they are much larger targets for enforcement and lawsuits. As such, their fulfillment requirements are much stricter than the CPSC. They have to. They’re selling clothes and toys, not groceries. As I explained in the forum, this law is complex and retail doesn’t understand it anymore than we do. They don’t care that varying lead levels or third party testing is required on different dates. While they are set up to manage aging inventory according to seasonal calenders, they’re not selling groceries with rapid expiration dates. Retailers are not set up to cycle quickly expiring products in and out. They are not set up to buy and sell perishable products like milk. They’re not going to be able to track inventory at x lead levels according to a calender of X date in order to pull it from the shelves on time. So, they’ll do all or nothing, whichever is the least risk and ambiguity. They need blanket procedures to follow. Their definition is much stricter and more narrow than the CPSC.
In summary, to limit their liability, the largest stores are requiring third party testing for all goods sold after February 10th. They’re not waiting until August to implement it. If you don’t have any large retail accounts, this isn’t likely to affect you. If you do have big box customers, it would be safer to assume you’ll be getting product returned starting in mid January if you have not provided them with the required GCC so expect some sort of notification by mail. If you’re selling to smaller stores, I’m not surprised they know nothing of it. It has scarcely been mentioned in the trade press but with the upcoming fall selling season starting in January, rumors will be raging at market among smaller store owners. Hopefully you’ll be able to convince them your products are saleable without third party testing until August 2009. Remember, you are required to use a “reasonable testing program” to verify your lead levels as of February 10, 2009.
What you can do now:
Be sure to read Taggert’s entry for more information and background. You can also find a lot of information in the forum which is now open to the public. There’s a ning group focused on activism; Rob Wilson published a related entry on the topic of toy inventory today. You can sign the petition. Don’t hesitate to spread the word of the unintended consequences to anyone who will listen. Write letters to the editor and your legislators before this narrow window that only favors small companies closes in August 2009. Point people to all these sites (including National Bankruptcy Day) to bring those points home.
Related in the forum:
The War Room: CPSIA & Consumer Safety. This is a very active section with nearly 60 different threads and over 1,000 postings. Open to the public. | <urn:uuid:83751f20-9b07-4be9-87a7-021ef5784018> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.fashion-incubator.com/archive/cpsia-and-small-manufacturers/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368704713110/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516114513-00013-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.964506 | 2,015 | 1.5 | 2 |
Ho Chi Minh City
Getting There And Around
Getting There And Away
Ho Chi Minh City's Tan Son Nhat International Airport hosts flights from many major international airports, as well as domestic flights from 11 centres. If you can't travel directly to HCMC, the next best route is via Bangkok, Hong Kong or Singapore.
Buses run to the city from Cambodia and Laos, while buses and trains also link Ho Chi Minh City to most major towns in the country.
The streets of Ho Chi Minh are not a place for the faint-hearted, so you'd be well-advised to put yourself in the hands of an expert. Metered taxis, cyclos and xe om (motorbike 'taxis') run the route from the airport to town, with official taxi meters in US dollars. Unless you're happy about paying four times the going rate, avoid the airport Taxi Booking Desk. Cyclos are the most popular (and hair-raising) form of transport among travellers. They're cheap, everywhere, and the usually helpful drivers are happy to steer you around all day for a small fee. Taxi rental is also a good deal if you're headed further out of town.
Probably because the routes and timetables are a constant mystery, foreigners rarely make use of the few buses in the city (though an upgrade of public transport is underway, so watch this space). The hard-core adventure traveller usually prefers to rent a moped or bicycle.
If you're more interested in the journey than the destination, Ho Chi Minh is a good city for walking around, with one drawback - the traffic. Learn to cross roads by observing locals: they don't sprint towards the other side for a very, very good reason. Take it slowly, avoiding any sudden movements or panic, and you'll probably survive for at least a day or two. Because Ho Chi Minh stretches along the Saigon River, many people enjoy seeing the sights from a boat. Small boats are easily hired, and many destinations are located along the banks of the river or one of several long canals.
© 2008 Lonely Planet Publications Pty Ltd. All rights reserved.
We and our content providers Lonely Planet Publications Pty Ltd. have tried to make the information on this website as accurate as possible, but it is provided 'as is' and we accept no responsibility for any loss, injury or inconvenience sustained by anyone resulting from this information. You should verify critical information (like visas, health and safety, customs, and transportation) with the relevant authorities before you travel.
DEAL OF THE WEEK
Deal of the Week
- Hacking 'a lone wolf terror attack'
- 'Badass' mum confronted terrorist
- Ford to shut plants in 2016
- Boston bomber's friend shot by FBI
- Karl vomits on 'Flaming Ron' pie
- Murder victim Joan 'sexually assaulted'
- Ford closure: What it means for SA
- Veteran Johncock open to offers
- Subbie rips up NBN infrastructure
- Bombers CEO Ian Robson quits
- i found out about my wife's affair. now she wan...
- haven't heard back about the job? follow up
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- i slept with my daughter's boyfriend. should i ...
- she's just found out she has herpes. do i dump ...
- he won't let me into the house to get my stuff ...
- help: i'm caught in wife swapping hell. | <urn:uuid:40e425c3-1a2c-4779-896d-4825cb09b42d> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.adelaidenow.com.au/travel/world/destination/getting-there/ho%20chi%20minh%20city | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368702810651/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516111330-00009-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.939158 | 764 | 1.554688 | 2 |
June 18, 2010 | Review by Bill Gates
Life is What You Make It (Book Review)
In his recently published book, Life is What You Make It: Find Your Own Path to Fulfillment, Peter Buffett writes about the values he absorbed growing up as one of three children of Warren Buffett and the late Susan Buffett, and the independent path he has pursued as a musician and producer.
Peter Buffett recently published a terrific book, titled Life is What You Make It. Peter writes about the values he absorbed growing up as the son of Warren Buffett and his -late mother, Susan Buffett, and the path he has pursued to identify and pursue his passions in life.
I knew Peter was passionate about music. He’s an Emmy-Award-winning musician and songwriter, has composed for film and television, and released more than 15 albums. But the focus of his book is a reflection of his broader life experiences—in particular the values, work ethic and commitment to social action that he learned growing up in the modest Buffett family home in Omaha, Nebraska.
Contrary to what many people might assume, Peter won’t inherit great wealth from his father. Instead, he was encouraged by his parents to find his own path. The book is a chronicle of that journey – and the wisdom and perceptions he has developed along the way.
In particular, Peter’s insights about the four core values he “absorbed” growing up in the Buffett home really resonated with me. They are:
- Trust in the belief that the world is fundamentally a good place and that all people, however, flawed, are—at the core—well-intentioned
- Tolerance for other people’s viewpoints and perspectives
- A passion for education—not in the traditional sense but as a way to approach life with curiosity and an openness to what others have to teach us
- A personal work ethic grounded in self-discovery and a commitment to finding something that you wake up every morning looking forward to
Melinda and I have both read it and like it a lot. We’ve known Peter for many years because of our friendship with Warren, and the whole Buffett family. It’s a thoughtful and touching book, and we plan on reading it with our older children. | <urn:uuid:404b9f09-f1f5-48ca-a0c8-49d378851ab3> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.thegatesnotes.com/Books/Personal/Life-is-What-You-Make-It | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368709037764/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516125717-00009-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.981025 | 475 | 1.648438 | 2 |
Posts Tagged ‘condominium association’
by Ross Turner
If you live in a home in a developed area or subdivision, there’s a reasonable chance that you are a member of a homeowner’s association. The same is true if your pad is a condominium.
Association membership has its benefits. In return, members of the association are sometimes asked to contribute funds to help maintain the integrity/value of the common elements. Those common elements—a garage or clubhouse, for example—are those items of property commonly owned by all members. “Asked” may be too soft a word—such contributions usually are collected through mandatory assessments.
What are some things for which you as an association member can receive an assessment? Good question. The answer is typically found in association bylaws. In some states, laws will have something to say about the extent an assessment can be charged and for what it can be charged. However, such statutes do not exist everywhere.
Here’s another question: If you receive an assessment from your home or condo association, will your home or condo insurance policy help you pay for it?
The answer, well, depends.
Most home and condo insurance policies have very similar language in how they address coverage for loss assessment. There are a few things you will need to know before coverage can be determined.
What Caused the Assessment?
The home or condo policy only will kick in to pay an assessment that is charged to you for a reason that would be covered by your insurance. For example, if the assessment were charged to help cover the cost of damage to the clubhouse caused by a fire, your policy would pay due to the fact that fire is a covered loss under your policy. However, if earth movement damaged the same building, your policy would not pay if earth movement is not a covered loss under your policy.
If an assessment is charged to cover the cost of painting the exterior of the clubhouse simply because the association decided it was time to paint, your coverage would not kick in due to the fact that there has been no covered loss.
Assessments are not only charged to cover claims of damage to common elements. Members also may be assessed for claims of bodily injury or property damage against the association’s master policy. For example:
A guest suffers a permanent head injury after slipping on a damaged walkway. The bodily injury claim against the association is $1.5 million. The association’s policy will cover the injury up to its policy limit of $1 million. The association assesses its members to cover the remaining $500,000.
In this example, your insurance policy would kick in to help pay the assessment. Why? Bodily injury is covered by your policy.
Which Policy Covers the Assessment?
Your home/condo policy says that it will only pay the cost of assessments that are charged during the policy period. This is important to note because it’s possible that the actual assessment may not be charged until months after the loss causing the damage occurred. For example, say the hurricane happens in August, when Company X insures you. In September, you switch your coverage to Company Y. The assessment for the portion of the hurricane damage that isn’t covered by the association’s master policy arrives in October. Company Y’s policy would kick in as it was in effect when the assessment was charged.
How Much Will My Home or Condo Policy Pay?
Most policies are issued with a limit of $1,000 to cover loss assessments. This limit is the most your policy will pay for a single loss, regardless of how many assessments are charged for it. For example, if the clubhouse is damaged by a hurricane, it’s possible that members may be assessed first to cover the cost of the association master policy’s deductible—and again to cover the cost of the repair that exceeds that policy’s limit of insurance. Since both assessments are charged due to the same hurricane, the total paid by your insurance would not exceed $1,000.
That $1,000 Seems Too Low. Can I Increase My Assessment Coverage?
Yes. Most home and condo insurance companies offer you the opportunity to add more coverage for loss assessments. It’s important to know that while the dollar amount may be increased, the terms of the policy still apply (i.e. you will still need the assessment to be charged due to a covered loss).
If you choose to purchase additional assessment coverage, proceed with caution. Most loss assessment endorsements will still only allow you a maximum limit of $1,000 if the purpose of the assessment is to cover the master policy’s deductible.
Loss assessments can be expensive. Having the right home or condo insurance policy to help cover some of the cost could save you big bucks. For more information, call The Turner Agency today at 288-9513. | <urn:uuid:eab04fe4-dec4-4c9b-80cb-6a85574aa6ae> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://turneragencyinc.com/tag/condominium-association/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368711005985/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516133005-00006-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.967196 | 1,011 | 1.515625 | 2 |
On July 20, 2010, the Ohio Supreme Court expanded access to public records formerly protected from disclosure under the “uncharged-suspect” exemption to Ohio’s Public Records Act. The court held that the exemption applies only to portions of records that, if released, could reveal a suspect’s identity. The records in question were not “inextricably intertwined” with the suspect’s identity, so the court ordered disclosure after identifying information was redacted.
The decision was not, however, unanimous. The dissent stated concern that the ruling will weaken the uncharged suspect exemption, impose an onerous burden on trial courts by requiring additional review of portions of records, and create an unworkable redaction standard that may not actually protect suspects’ identities.
How does Washington compare? Like Ohio’s Act, Washington’s Public Records Act exempts certain types of investigative, law enforcement and crime victim information from public inspection. Similarly, the Washington Supreme Court does not support a blanket investigative records exemption, finding that in some scenarios, the trial court should determine on a case-by-case basis whether nondisclosure of all or parts of a requested record is essential to effective law enforcement or for the protection of privacy rights. | <urn:uuid:67d75a9f-b357-4045-8ae3-55e5ad0e2c34> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.localopengovernment.com/2010/08/articles/public-records/ohio-supreme-court-allows-disclosure-of-unchargedsuspect-records/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368704392896/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516113952-00003-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.935054 | 260 | 1.75 | 2 |
Much of the government's expensive public relations campaign to convince Americans the national health care law is good for us focuses on senior citizens. But just how good is the law for them, really?
If you have been watching some of the slick advertising on health care benefits for senior citizens, you may assume the government plans to spend more on that age group through the Medicare program.
Wrong. The health care law includes a $500 billion reduction in spending for Medicare. That's right: "Obamacare" will slash funding for the program on which tens of millions of older Americans rely to help them with health care.
We have been pointing that out since before the health care law was enacted, in 2010. But the issue has resurfaced in Washington, in part because those concerned about Medicare clients had hoped the Supreme Court would invalidate the entire statute. When the justices failed to do that, concern about the law's effect on senior citizens once again came to the fore on Capitol Hill.
One reason many conservatives in the House of Representatives want to repeal the health care law is their concern about Medicare cuts. Liberals respond that critics just don't understand. More will be done for older Americans, they insist.
Indeed, some improvements have been made. For example, the "doughnut hole" in Medicare's prescription drug benefit has been filled in. And some benefits, such as free mammograms, have been added. But rather than pay for them through Medicare, "Obamacare" requires insurers to provide such coverage "free."
There is no such thing. Someone will pay for the new benefits. In all likelihood, the very senior citizens President Barack Obama is trying to get on his side in the health care debate will pay, indirectly.
The bottom line is the bottom line. Obama and liberals in Congress must believe the majority of older Americans don't understand that slashing $500 billion in Medicare spending will affect them adversely. It will, of course - and a growing number of Americans of all ages are coming to realize that. | <urn:uuid:f5ce98f0-f4b2-4559-b699-b6ea6b0eeace> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.theintelligencer.net/page/content.detail/id/571875/Medicare-Funds-Will-Be-Slashed.html | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368704713110/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516114513-00039-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.97267 | 410 | 1.726563 | 2 |
Go ahead, switch it off
Not a good look for the family holiday. Photo: iStock
Over the recent Christmas break I took a self-imposed digital detox. After a frantic year at work and an even more frantic year at home, I decided to unplug and disconnect from my mobile, iPad, laptop and other digital devices.
I still took phone calls and sent text messages (and checked some of my mates' cycle times on Strava), but I purposely avoided tweeting, Linking, Facebooking, emailing, Pinning, RSS feeding, or constantly dialing into the grid.
There is no doubt in our "always on" and "constantly connected" 24/7 world, more and more people are wired up and melting down. We no longer use digital devices as a way of increasing productivity or connecting with family and friends – we are using them to run our lives. Correction - they are running our lives.
A recent report titled "Work State of Mind" highlighted how many executives resemble 24/7 news networks, constantly receiving, processing and sending information. Only 2 per cent of respondents said they never work on weekends, and 52 per cent reported receiving information around the clock.
Researchers form the University of Glasgow reported half of the study participants checked their emails at least every hour, with some respondents checking 30 to 40 times each hour. An AOL study revealed 59 per cent of smartphone users check every time an email arrives, and 83 per cent regularly check email on holidays.
The human brain is not a machine that can just turn on in the morning and run at the same intensity all day. Multitasking and being constantly connected overheats the brain, similar to a car engine that has been running at high intensity for too long. Our bodies and brains need periods of rest and recovery during the day to perform at their peak.
A friend who works in the media was telling me about her one-month break over Christmas. When I asked her "how was your time off?" she responded with "it went so quick and I feel like I haven't really had a mental break from my job". Doing a bit of investigating of my own, I checked her Twitter account and saw she had been tweeting nearly every day on her break – no wonder she didn't feel rested when she got back to work.
Last week I asked a coaching client how his recent family holiday was in Fiji and he said "the hotel was amazing, I had full internet connectivity the entire time I was there and I got a heap of work done by the pool".
Have we really lost the plot? Call me old fashioned, but aren't holidays meant to be a time to switch off, recharge and have a break from all of the busyness of day-to-day life? And aren't holidays meant to be an opportunity to slow down, reflect and to have actual physical human interaction?
Seems like my friend and coaching client are both candidates for a recent trend in the travel industry that tempts people to get away with digital-detox holiday packages.
St Vincent and the Grenadines in the Carribean asks travellers to leave their technology at home. Before arriving on one of the 32 islands, visitors receive a guidebook explaining how to survive their upcoming holiday without technology. They even have an on-site life coach to give people practical advice on how to tame technology. Do a Google search on technology-free holidays and the list is growing exponentially.
If you don't want to sign up to a digital-detox holiday package, here are a few tips to create your own next time you get away from the rat race.
Turn off your mobile
The thought of this will scare some people senseless, but life will go on. If you need your phone for contact, at the very least turn off the internet function and only use your phone for personal calls or text messages
Social media freeze
Next time you have a break, stay away from Twitter, Facebook, LinkedIn and the rest. Rather than posting photos or messages about how you're having a great time, actually be present and have a great time.
Set up the auto-responder on your email to let everyone know you are away and won't be checking your messages. If it is urgent, give them details for another colleague or ask them to send you a text message.
Leave your phone in the room
Try leaving your phone in the hotel room when you head out to explore and avoid the impulse of "just checking to see what's come in". I know some executives who consciously hand their laptops and digital devices over to hotel reception when they check in for holidays - to avoid the temptation.
Try experimenting with short periods of inaccessibility and working for half a day without connecting to the internet and without constantly checking your phone. Try an afternoon with your family or partner going technology-free. The scary thing is you might all have to talk to each other …
One final tip: be prepared to go through some stages of withdrawal, especially if you are constantly connected. But overall, a digital-detox is a great way to freshen up and help you gain perspective on what is really important.
Do you "switch off" on holidays or weekends? What are your best tips? | <urn:uuid:7d1d3669-d3bf-4342-a746-69e28b4f135d> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.canberratimes.com.au/executive-style/management/blogs/performance-matters/go-ahead-switch-it-off-20130219-2eo91.html | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368699881956/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516102441-00001-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.958852 | 1,074 | 1.640625 | 2 |
Ford Lotus Cortina, Jim McKeown, Neptune Racing Team, 1964
Product Code: C3210
In the 1960s, Australian touring car racing was beginning to take over from open wheelers as the most popular form of the sport in that country. One of the new names to appear on the flanks of these touring cars was the Australian oil company, Neptune. Its Trident marketing logo was a familiar sight on race tracks in the 1960s as the Shell owned company sponsored three of the top touring car drivers of the time.
Jim McKeown – who was the first driver in Australia to race a Lotus Cortina – debuted in Neptune colours at Calder Park on Australia Day, 26th January 1964. Assembled by Colin Chapman’s Lotus Company in the UK with body shells provided by Ford, the Lotus Cortina of Neptune Racing Team would prove to be one of the slickest outfits in the pits.
In July 1964 they found themselves at Lakeside, Queensland trying to win the Australian Touring Car Championship. McKeown’s 1:08:20 lap put him on pole. He failed to finish the race when he clipped an abandoned car and crashed out of the race. McKeown campaigned Cortina’s for the next few season, including a change to Shell colours as the parent company took over sponsorship and Neptune was phased out. The former sports car ace and the Neptune Lotus Cortina will forever remain linked in Australian touring car history.
The Scalextric Model
Digital Plug Ready (DPR) - convert for use with the Scalextric Digital range in under sixty seconds using the C8515 Digital Plug.
This product is not suitable for children under 3 years because of small parts which can present a choking hazard.
- Motor - Mabuchi FF; 18k rpm; Gear ratio 9:27
- Chassis - Rear Mounted In-line Motor; Rear 2 wheel drive
- Magnet - Rectangular 2.5 mm; Downforce 175gm
- Overall length - 132 mm
- Wheelbase - 78 mm
- Axle/Hub width - 45 mm Front; 45 mm Rear
- Tyre diameter/width - 18(ext), 11(int) x 7 mm Front; 18(ext), 11(int) x 7 mm Rear
- Weights - Car 74 gm; Case 156gm
- Scale - 1/32 | <urn:uuid:6c924e85-4263-4c30-ab24-2f9354d609c4> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.scalextric.com/shop/cars/dpr/c3210-ford-lotus-cortina-mk1-1964/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368708766848/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516125246-00038-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.938461 | 491 | 1.59375 | 2 |
Today, only Molly Foley's knuckles bear the visible traces of scleroderma scar tissue that keeps her fingers slightly curled. Internally, she is nearly completely healed, too. She takes medicine for acid reflux, but her lung and heart function are normal. In the summer of 2011, she and her husband resumed traveling, visiting Belgium, France, and the Netherlands. She's also back at work typing too much. "A few months ago someone stole my phone. That's where my funeral plans were," Foley says. "I took it as a sign."
Macie Morse, now a student at a local community college who hopes to become a veterinarian, returned to China for more rounds of stem cell infusions in the summers of 2010 and 2012. The family took out a second mortgage and maxed out credit cards to pay for the trips. After her last treatment, Macie took her driver's test wearing a special set of glasses with telescopic lenses attached to them, much like physicians use in microsurgeries. Although ophthalmologists may say that it's virtually impossible Macie is anything but legally blind, after a lot of training, she negotiated the driving course and passed. The only limitation on her license is that she cannot drive at night. "She loves the freedom," says her mother, Rochelle. "She drives herself to work. She runs errands. She goes where her heart takes her, just like any normal young adult."
Fia Richmond's son Palmer is now 17 years old. He is a little over 4 feet tall, weighs 49 pounds, and though he's a happy boy who smiles a lot, he has never said "Mom" or anything else. He remains undiagnosed. Richmond continues to be involved in the CNS Foundation, now run by her son Alex. "It's all about hope," she says. "You never give up. You always have hope for your own child. But now I'm even more motivated by hope for someone else's child."
Stem Cells Are Helping...
Doctors at Cedars-Sinai Heart Institute in Los Angeles and Johns Hopkins University in Baltimore have successfully used cardiac stem cells to regrow damaged heart muscle after a heart attack.
Using patients' own immune cells as well as stem cells from cord blood, University of Illinois at Chicago researchers have lowered blood glucose levels in 15 type 1 diabetics for 40 weeks.
Doctors at UCLA modified embryonic stem cells and improved the vision of two women with macular degeneration. One can now thread a needle; the other can navigate a shopping mall.
Joanne Kurtzberg, M.D., of Duke University, has just begun a study using stem cells derived from cord blood to treat children with cerebral palsy. Earlier research suggests this can help, but "we can only know for sure with a controlled trial," she says.
Last spring, Swedish doctors saved a 10-year-old girl's life by inserting a bioengineered intestine-to-liver vein in her body to replace her obstructed one. They seeded a cadaver vein with the child's stem cells, creating a part that will grow as she does.
Spinal Cord Injuries
The first human embryonic stem cell clinical trial for paralysis was stopped last year (with the company citing financial reasons). But in July, UC Irvine received a $20 million grant to begin a trial of transplanting nerve stem cells into people paralyzed by spinal cord injuries.
4 Tip-Offs to Trouble
Signs that a center is selling ineffective or even dangerous stem cell treatments:
"I'm Cured" Testimonials
Claims of recovery are unreliable. Patients might have gotten better for reasons that had nothing to do with the treatment. And some testimonials could be fictitious.
Treatments should have a protocol and the plan should be specific to the illness. A legitimate program may cover related disorders, but if a center offers the same treatment for a laundry list of unrelated ills, that's a red flag.
"No Risk" Claims
All medical procedures have risks, and they should be explained thoroughly.
...or mystery costs. A questionable center may charge many thousands of dollars or be vague about final fees. Also, if the clinic is in another country, you may have to pay for emergency care if something goes wrong. | <urn:uuid:a8617200-c7d5-4cb9-8283-21dc0b3c44d5> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.goodhousekeeping.com/health/womens-health/stem-cell-research-treating-diseases-5 | 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 | 0.962649 | 889 | 1.789063 | 2 |
Companies, vendors gear up to secure cyber space
With the recent hacking attacks on hardware, software and Internet content of several large organizations across the world, everyone is eyeing the cyber security space. While governments and enterprises across the globe are trying out newer ways to secure their networks and systems, internet security firms are also seeing goldmines in the cyber security market.
Solutions to combat cyber threats
Kaspersky Lab for example recently released its new generation of business security solutions - Kaspersky Endpoint Security for Business – that is designed to deliver deeper protection and seamless manageability to IT departments. “CIOs not only face sophisticated malware targeting businesses on a daily basis, but also grapple with the complexities that arise due to bring your own devices (BYOD) and other mobility trends,” says Petr Merkulov, Chief Product Officer, Kaspersky Lab. Keeping these challenges, the new solution has been designed with a number of improved technologies that allow IT administrators to see, control, and protect their network. These features include mobile security and device management, data encryption, endpoint control tools, systems management, and anti-malware.
Similarly, IT security firm Symantec believes that conflicts between nations, organizations, and individuals will play a key role in the cyber world in 2013 and beyond. Particularly concerned about the security threats small business CIOs face, Symantec has come up with its Endpoint Protection Small Business Edition 2013 very recently that offers simple, fast and effective protection against viruses and malware. Last week, Symantec also released new updates to its Website Security Solutions portfolio including new multi-algorithm security certificates. Anand Naik, Director - Technology Sales - India & SAARC at Symantec informs that in the next few months, the company is bringing security solutions for specific industries such as defense, chemical, pharmaceutical and manufacturing, which he believes are the most critical industries for cyber attacks.
Other security vendors such as Trend Micro, Checkpoint and McAfee are also gearing up with to help businesses overcome the latest challenges in managing a secure, efficient network with the latest solutions.
Newer ways to combat threat
“Besides installing high end security solutions from trusted vendors, it is important for organizations to use innovative ways to combat new cyber threats,” believes Lawrence Orans, Research Director, Gartner Inc. The European Police Congress for example is focusing on cyberspace security by using social networks to track down criminals.
Oran recommends enterprises to have a robust business continuity strategy in place to avoid newer security threats .CSOs should review their company’s existing social media policy to ensure employees are not compromising company data security through their personal accounts. At the same time, he states that security vendors should ensure firewalls and intrusion prevention systems are extended to protect against social phishing. “A layered, multi-pronged approach to security is crucial for enterprises to secure their critical assets,” he states .
“We’ve entered the age of high-profile targeted attacks, with sophisticated espionage tools becoming widespread. Cyber-espionage is becoming the most serious threat there is for businesses, and just about any enterprise can be attacked, regardless of its size or market share. Every decision-maker should keep all these in mind when building a company’s IT security infrastructure,” advices Eugene Kaspersky, chairman, CEO and co-Founder, Kaspersky Lab.
Howard A. Schmidt, Former Cybersecurity Coordinator for President Barack Obama believes that although organizations should take up adequate precaution to protect their cyber security space, they should understand that the issue it has to dealt at a global level. According to him, the government and the private sector companies should learn to deal with the risks in cyberspace collectively by realizing the full benefits of the cyberspace. Collaboration with different governments and businesses across the globe which is already underway has to be further strengthened to achieve this objective.
- Dell announces new network security appliances
- Indian organisations are secretive about security leaks
- Indian organizations are secretive about security leaks
- Nevales debuts cloud managed security gateway
- Android continues to give CIOs sleepless nights
- Five actions for CIOs so BYOD doesn’t render them powerless
- Engagement will become a key differentiator for businesses in 2013
- PMC Bank to secure high speed connectivity for internet banking
- APAC led in mobile phone sales in Q1 2013, says Gartner
- Will CIOs ever earn a seat at the business table | <urn:uuid:29534f71-f4b6-4d62-bd4d-b955de5d3763> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.cxotoday.com/story/companies-vendors-gear-up-to-secure-cyber-space/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368696383156/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516092623-00000-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.936759 | 932 | 1.617188 | 2 |
At Dasein Executive Search, coaching is developed by experienced and qualified consultants, empowering executives to reach their full potential in their current position or to help them achieve a promotion and excel at a more complex level.
The application of practical coaching enhances and develops competence in order to create a more effective leadership and balanced emotional condition. Coaching also creates resources to systematize troubleshooting and increase the ability to manage adversity.
Research proves that the return on this sort of investment is real and very quick, being considered at least seven times bigger than the invested value.
Objectively, the coaching process brings great improvement to all the levels of relationships the individual has in all their interfaces; it increases the professional commitment as the coachee detects ‘gaps’ through feedback and solid diagnosis and becomes aware of the need for change. Subjective analysis, which often distances the coachee from their goals, ideals and life mission, is always avoided.
The coaching process exists to remind each person that there are ways of changing potential into result and possibilities into reality. After all, being an effective leader, an efficient negotiator, having an above-average performance, making decisions, balancing personal activities and being able to accomplish goals, are all skills that one learns. And they can be performed increasingly effectively with the support of an executive coach. | <urn:uuid:aad0c2c7-b888-4d50-8a82-e47abf61e7df> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.dasein.com.br/en/coach_executivo | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368704132298/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516113532-00007-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.969035 | 269 | 1.53125 | 2 |
Lot's of Small Corporations are upset about a proposed tax which is being unofficially dubbed as the "John Edwards loophole." John Edward's own S-Corporation paid him a $360,000 salary which was not exempt from employment taxes, but he took an extra $26 million from the s-corporation which was taxed yet because of a loophole he was not taxed the employment tax on the income. The proposed tax would tax all s-corporation profits, which has many s-corporation owners upset, as they feel that if the tax proposal is passed they will be punished for something they didn't do. Many s-corporations put all profits back into the business and the tax will cut into those profits. If you want to learn more about about s corporations visit our site or call us at 866-999-8200.
April 15th might have some people running to the post office by midnight to file their returns, for others it's a day of free treats. In honor of tax day many businesses are giving out discounts or free products.
Here's a list of some of the best freebies:
- Starbucks is giving away free coffee as long as you bring in your own mug.
- Sign up at Del Taco and get a free taco today.
- Jack in the Box is giving out free french fries.
- Banana Republic online is giving 25% off your entire order with the coupon code "taxbreak25"
- Subway is giving away cookies!
If you're around any of these establishments, check them out!
One of the advantages of a LLC is that it has pass through taxation. What pass through taxation refers to is the tax structure for LLC's and Scorps. Pass through taxation allows the owners of the LLC's to have the LLC's profits "pass through" the LLC and report the income of the LLC on the individual's taxes. The benefit to this tax structure is that the LLC doesn't have have "double taxation" as with corporations.
In comparison with a C corporation, the corporation pays a tax and any profits distrubuted to the shareholders is taxed again. In essence it is double taxation. However, for corporations, you do have the opportunity to file a Scorp filing with the IRS to change the tax structure of the corporation to mimic the same tax structure of the LLC. However, the penalty of filing the S corp with the IRS is that you limit the growth of the company to a maximum of 75 shareholders. This limit is not an issue as most family run corporations will never have more than 75 shareholders. As the company grows bigger and needs more capital, it may change the tax structure back to a C corp to raise more capital by selling shares to investors.
The LLC is very advantageous for many small business because of the tax structure and liability protection. You can form a LLC today. | <urn:uuid:7a254298-b132-46a9-b410-b427f4251826> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.incorporatefast.com/blog/category/Taxes.aspx | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368705953421/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516120553-00003-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.980728 | 587 | 1.617188 | 2 |
Republican presidential candidate Mitt Romney took aim at Dodd-Frank financial reform during Wednesday's debate, but Rep. Barney Frank (D-Mass.), who co-authored the reform bill, didn't take the criticism too seriously.
"Whether it's tax deductions or Obamacare or financial reform ... the lack of specificity is really an admission by Romney that what he's proposing is impossible," Frank told The Huffington Post in an interview after the debate. "It's the notion, 'Oh, I'll just sit down with Congress and negotiate with Congress.'"
Romney, who said he would "repeal and replace" Dodd-Frank if elected president, said he thinks the Dodd-Frank Act of 2010 has "hurt the housing market."
"We don't know what a qualified mortgage is yet, so banks are reluctant to make loans, mortgages," Romney said.
Frank slammed this attack as "totally inaccurate," noting, "The housing market has been getting better, not worse." He added that since regulators have not defined what a qualified mortgage is, the policy "has no effect" on loans now, which "will not be covered by this."
Romney also claimed during the debate that Dodd-Frank "designates a number of banks as too big to fail, and they're effectively guaranteed by the federal government."
Frank said that, in fact, banks have "resisted" getting labeled too big to fail. He added that Dodd-Frank subjects financial firms to "much tougher supervisions" and that if a firm "gets into so much debt that they can't pay off all their debts, they are put out of business."
Related on HuffPost:
Obama Doubled The Deficit
When Obama took office in 2009, the deficit was projected to be $1.2 trillion during that year, and it <a href="http://www.nytimes.com/2012/10/04/us/politics/a-closer-look-at-what-the-presidential-candidates-said-in-the-debate.html?hp">ultimately turned out to be $1.4 trillion</a>, according to Congressional Budget Office data cited by <em>The New York Times</em>. The deficit is expected to be $1.1 trillion for fiscal year 2012.
Obamacare Killed Jobs
The Congressional Budget Office estimates that healthcare reform will reduce the health care industry's workforce <a href="http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/10/03/mitt-romney-obamacare-jobs_n_1937929.html">by only about 0.5 percent</a>, largely because workers will decide to retire early or work fewer hours. And if Romney's Massachusetts health care reform law is any indication, job loss won't be a big problem; employment trends in the state have mirrored national trends since Romneycare took effect.
Dodd-Frank Hurt The Housing Market
The Dodd-Frank regulations aim to prevent another housing crash like the one that helped to cause the 2008 financial meltdown by <a href="http://www.cbsnews.com/8301-505245_162-57517942/why-it-matters-wall-street-regulation-and-reform/">banning high-risk lending practices</a>, according to CBS News. In addition, the housing market has <a href="http://www.usatoday.com/story/money/business/2012/10/02/home-prices-rising/1608957/">been on a slow rebound</a> since Obama took office. If anything, it may be banks that are holding back the housing recovery. Many are <a href="http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10000872396390443890304578006482230678780.html">slow to lend</a> because they're concerned Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac will make them take back any bad loans, the <em>Wall Street Journal</em> reports.
The indirect effects of Obamacare have yet to be determined, since the law has yet to be implemented. But as the law is written now, <a href="http://abetteriowa.desmoinesregister.com/2012/10/03/obama-romney-debate-fact-check-claims-on-tax-cuts-and-job-gains-need-second-look/">Obamacare doesn't cut seniors' benefits</a> as part of its plan to curb health care costs, according to <em>USA Today</em>. Obama's healthcare law would curb benefits to health care providers and insurers, but doesn't directly cut seniors' benefits. <a href="http://abetteriowa.desmoinesregister.com/2012/10/03/obama-romney-debate-fact-check-claims-on-tax-cuts-and-job-gains-need-second-look/">Critics allege however</a>, that the cuts in payments would have the unintended consequence of hurting seniors because doctors would stop accepting Medicare patients, according to <em>USA Today</em>.
Health Care Panel
Though Obamacare does create an independent board,<a href="http://www.sfgate.com/business/bloomberg/article/Romney-Plan-Needs-Economic-Growth-to-Add-Up-3918731.php#page-3"> the law prohibits the board</a> from making recommendations to "ration health care," or "otherwise restrict benefits or modify eligibility,” according to Bloomberg.
Employer-Based Health Insurance
Some workers may switch from their employer-provided health plans, according to the Congressional Budget Office, but that number is more likely to be closer to <a href="http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/10/04/obama-romney-debate_n_1938067.html">between 3 and 5 million</a> per year between 2019 and 2022.
President Obama's proposed budget is estimated to <a href="http://www.huffingtonpost.com/bernard-whitman/reason-22-1-trillion-in-s_b_1819355.html">cut about $1.1 trillion</a> over the next 10 years and, so far, Obama has signed $2 trilion worth of spending cuts into law, according to Democratic Party Pollster Bernard Whitman.
Balancing The Budget
President Bill Clinton managed to balance the budget during his time in office with a <a href="http://www.newsobserver.com/2011/07/16/1346965/under-clinton-the-budget-balanced.html">tax boost for those in the top 2 percent </a>of earners, according to Duke professor William Chafe.
Adding To The Deficit
Romney's tax plan would<a href="http://firstread.nbcnews.com/_news/2012/10/03/14207584-truth-squad-the-debate?lite"> cost the country $4.8 trillion</a> over the next 10 years, according to Tax Policy Center data, cited by NBC News.
Clean Energy Failures
Businesses that got government clean energy loans failed at a rate of <a href="http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/ezra-klein/wp/2012/10/03/footnoting-the-debate/">about 1.4 percent</a> at the end of 2011, according to <em>The Washington Pos</em>t. | <urn:uuid:e1f40906-a78d-4780-98d4-0b922106a7f2> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/10/04/barney-frank-mitt-romney_n_1937975.html | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368699881956/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516102441-00035-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.930431 | 1,601 | 1.515625 | 2 |
Essay:Should everyone under the age 17 have 9:OO PM curfew
TOPIC: Should everyone under the age 17 have 9:OO PM curfew
The age from 13-18 is very precious time for everyone. Because in that time people learn many things. Besides it is an important time because it is an important time to choose a path of life. In the following paragraphs I am going to prove teens should not be allowed to go outside after 9:00 PM.
Firstly, Everyone know time is money. if teen spend their time in studies they can bright their future.Going Outside after 9:00PM seems not good for teenagers. Because this can spoil them. Day by day their interest would involve in hanging out with friends and thus it would be difficult for them to give their time to Positive things.
Secondly, Everyone know that world is full of bad people when they would see a teen moving around late night they might kidnap him or may force him to take drugs. Because teenagers are usually very emotional People may take benefits of their sentimental.
Lastly, their concern towards studies would be improper. Its not like that they should stay home all the time but they should go out for sports, for a picnic,meet with their friends, but on a daylight and the best time is at evening.
So, if they would follow these guidelines then they can safe themselves from many incidents and giving their more time to studies would enable them to become a successful man in the coming days of his life.
NOTE: I am non-native. Please rate my essay. Would love your suggestions. thank you
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Search Engine Optimization by vBSEO | <urn:uuid:43a6a1e9-cc5e-49ce-ba3a-6423ce91fc5c> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.usingenglish.com/forum/editing-writing-topics/185503-essay-should-everyone-under-age-17-have-9-oo-pm-curfew.html | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368711005985/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516133005-00017-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.965528 | 449 | 1.554688 | 2 |
(FRISCO, Texas) -- A high school basketball team in Texas is proving the old adage, “there’s no ‘I’ in team,” true by rallying around a senior player diagnosed with testicular cancer.
Justin Nicholas, 18, a senior at Wakeland High School in Frisco, Texas, was diagnosed with testicular cancer in late December after discovering lumps on his body. Doctors found the cancerous tumors had spread to Nicholas’ lymph nodes, stomach and neck, forcing the four-year basketball player, who had been playing basketball up to a week before his Christmas Eve surgery, to cut his senior season short.
Nicholas’ teammates on the Wakeland varsity team responded by rallying to his aid, holding “pass the bucket” fundraising drives at the halftime of their home games and holding a “shoot-a-thon” to raise money to help defray his medical costs.
“The insurance is paying some of the costs but each time he goes into the hospital [for chemotherapy] it’s a five-day stay,” Nicholas’ mother, Gayla, told ABC News. “He just did a stem cell collection in case he needs a transplant in the future. We don’t even have any idea what the total is going to be.”
Nicholas will begin his fourth round of chemotherapy treatment next week. In between his treatments he’s been a fixture on the sidelines and last week he got the chance to shoot the last bucket of his high school basketball career.
The team honored Nicholas on its senior night Feb. 12, presenting him with a signed team poster, the game ball and allowing Nicholas to score the first basket of the game against Heritage High School.
“Justin never thought he’d get to play again so that meant a lot, that his coach did that for him,” Gayla Nicholas said, also noting that the opposing team, Heritage High, gave the family a $500 check -- $100 of their own donations along with $400 raised by another local high school.
In all, Gayla Nicholas says, the basketball team and Wakeland High have raised almost $15,000 for Nicholas and his treatment. Friends of the family -- which also includes Nicholas' dad, Wayne, and brother, Drew -- and the local Frisco community have also made donations and tributes on his Caring Bridge page.
Nicholas is being home-schooled for his final semester of high school and still planning to attend the University of Arkansas in the fall. After his fourth round of chemotherapy is completed early next month, doctors will do a full-body scan to see if his tumors are continuing to shrink and then decide on the next course of treatment.
“That’ll be a fork in the road where we have to make more decisions,” Gayla Nicholas said.
The generosity from his fellow teammates and the medical team working to get him well have already led Nicholas towards a major decision himself.
The student, once planning to major in sports marketing in college, is now leaning towards a career in nursing, his mother said.
Copyright 2013 ABC News Radio | <urn:uuid:b287bc58-6d9b-4081-9c6e-b3e64e58d43a> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.kugn.com/common/more.php?m=58&ts=1368956822&article=D5D0B1907D3311E2B66BFEFDADE6840A&mode=2 | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368697380733/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516094300-00030-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.9824 | 663 | 1.507813 | 2 |
California’s unemployment rate decreased to 9.8 percent in November, state officials announced this week.
San Mateo County's unemployement rate measured 6.2 percent last month, one of the lower rates for the counties in California.
According to data from the Employment Development Department website, nonfarm payroll jobs decreased by 3,800 during the month for a total gain of 564,100 jobs since the recovery began in February 2010.
The U.S. unemployment rate decreased in November to 7.7 percent.
In October, the state’s unemployment rate was 10.1 percent, and in November 2011, the unemployment rate was 11.3 percent.
The unemployment rate is derived from a federal survey of 5,500 California households.
Nonfarm jobs in California totaled 14,406,400 in November, a decrease of 3,800 jobs over the month, according to a survey of businesses that is larger and less variable statistically.
The survey of 42,000 California businesses measures jobs in the economy. The year-over-year change (November 2011 to November 2012) shows an increase of 268,600 jobs (up 1.9 percent).
Keep up with local news — follow Patch!
Want to share your opinions with the Pacifica community? Start your own blog here. | <urn:uuid:fb7cb5f0-81a4-4a37-b836-b5d7bb60c033> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://halfmoonbay.patch.com/groups/politics-and-elections/p/state-unemployment-rate-dips-in-november-27d4a284 | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368706153698/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516120913-00013-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.941779 | 267 | 1.820313 | 2 |
Small dairy farmers in the Northeast and Wisconsin said a tough year has been made worse by Congress' failure to pass a new farm bill before the old one expired.
Many dairy farms were already struggling with low milk prices and high fuel and feed costs as the worst drought in decades helped push up the price of hay and feed. Dozens in states like California, the nation's leading milk producer, have filed for bankruptcy.
In Vermont, the end of the milk income loss contract, or MILC, program, which paid dairy farmers when milk prices fell below a certain level, has created another wave of panic after more dairy closures earlier this year.
Myles Goodrich, of Molly Brook Farm in West Danville, said his family is paying $4,000 a month more now to feed its 120 or so cows than it did a year ago. | <urn:uuid:8bdb8841-7a02-42c5-9b81-c3b04866b039> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.channel3000.com/news/Dairy-farm-safety-net-dies-with-farm-bill/-/1648/17074206/-/yfhpifz/-/index.html | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368703298047/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516112138-00028-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.977784 | 171 | 1.6875 | 2 |
Adam Lanza brought three weapons inside Sandy Hook Elementary school on December 14 and left a fourth in his car, police said. Those weapons were a Bushmaster AR-15 rifle and two handguns -- a Glock 10 mm and a Sig Sauer 9 mm.
In the car he left a shotgun, about which police have offered no details. Lanza used one of the handguns to take his own life, although police haven't said whether the gun was the Glock or the Sig Sauer.
In fact many details remain unknown about the weapons Lanza used that day to kill 20 children, his own mother, six other adults and then himself. Here's what is known so far:
Bushmaster AR-15 rifle
The primary weapon used in the attack was a "Bushmaster AR-15 assault-type weapon," said Connecticut State Police Lt. Paul Vance. The rifle is a Bushmaster version of a widely made AR-15, the civilian version of the M-16 rifle used by the U.S. military. The original M-16 patent ran out years ago, and now the AR-15 is manufactured by several gunmakers. Unlike the military version, the AR-15 is a semiautomatic, firing one bullet per squeeze of the trigger. But like the M-16, ammunition is loaded through a magazine. In the school shooting, police say Lanza's rifle used numerous 30-round magazines.
An AR-15 is usually capable of firing a rate of 45 rounds per minute in semiautomatic mode.
Police didn't offer details about the specific model of the rifle Lanza used. A typical Bushmaster rifle, such as the M4 model, comes with a 30-round magazine but can use magazines of various capacities from five to 40 rounds. An M4 weighs about 6 ½ pounds and retails for about $1,300.
Under the 1994 federal ban on such weapons, buying some variants of new AR-15s was against the law. The ban expired in 2004.
Bushmaster is the No. 1 supplier of AR-15 rifles in the United States, according to the company website.
Their weapons are used by more than 100 police departments and by the militaries of 50 nations, according to Bushmaster. Private citizens use them for "hunting, recreation, competition and home defense and security," the website says.
Glock 10 mm handgun
Police haven't said what kind of Glock 10 mm handgun Lanza used. But Glock lists two types on its website, including the Glock 20 and Glock 29.
Lanza had "multiple magazines" for the Glock, Vance said. Such magazines are widely available.
The Glock 20 model has a 15-round magazine. Glock describes it as an ideal weapon for hunting because of its larger bullets, referred to as the ammunition's caliber.
The Glock 20 measures nearly 8 ¼ inches long and weighs about 2 ½ pounds when loaded, according to Glock's website.
Sig Sauer 9 mm handgun
The other handgun police said Lanza had with him during the school massacre was a Sig Sauer. Authorities didn't say what kind, but possibilities include the P226, P229 or P250, P290, and if it was an older pistol, possibly the P220. The 9 mm P220 is no longer sold in the United States
Like the Glock, Lanza's Sig Sauer also allowed a high-capacity magazine, Vance said. Lanza used "multiple magazines" that are widely available to feed ammunition to the Sig Sauer, Vance said. Sig Sauer makes 9 mm pistol magazines with a maximum capacity of 20 bullets.
And like the Glock, Vance said the Sig Sauer handgun was a semiautomatic.
The P226 has a 15-round magazine, measures 7 ¾ inches and costs about $1,142, according to Sig Sauer's website. They can be found cheaper at some gun shops.
The Handguns magazine website says of the P226: "Adopted by the [Navy] SEALs nonetheless, it has proven to be durable, reliable, accurate and adaptable. What it has not had a reputation for is compactness." | <urn:uuid:444f7878-c0e1-4bd2-b44a-6e986e0ec3ac> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.channel3000.com/news/Newtown-shooter-s-guns-What-we-know/-/1648/17820918/-/t0swjxz/-/index.html | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368700264179/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516103104-00023-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.966249 | 855 | 1.726563 | 2 |
Value on the Move: Screening for Low PEG Ratio Stocks
It is not uncommon for a value investor to worry about being caught in a “value trap.” This occurs when a stock appears to be attractive based on valuation multiples, but the price remains depressed. The trap is that the stock’s seemingly low price is actually appropriate. The value trap can also occur when a stock is undervalued, but other investors fail to catch on to this mispricing.
A good way to avoid this problem is to look for stocks that have characteristics besides a low valuation that justify a higher price. Two screens highlighted in this article are designed to identify such stocks.
In this article
- Overview of the Screens
- Screen Performance
- Portfolio Characteristics
- Passing Companies
- What It Takes: Value on the Move Criteria
Share this article
Overview of the Screens
AAII’s fundamental stock screening and data research program, Stock Investor Pro, has two screens that isolate value stocks exhibiting earnings growth and price appreciation. These screens are also accessible on AAII.com and are labeled as “Value on the Move.” Both combine the price-earnings-to-growth ratio with other criteria to capture value stocks on an upward trajectory. The screens are called Historical Growth PEG and Estimated Growth PEG.
The PEG ratio is an alternative calculation to the price-earnings ratio in that it accounts for growth in earnings. This ratio attempts to examine whether a stock’s price is out of line with earnings and the earnings growth rate. It compares a stock’s price-earnings ratio to its growth rate in earnings. You can use the current or future price-earnings ratio and a historical earnings growth rate or a future, estimated earnings growth rate.
To read more, please become an AAII member or CLICK HERE. | <urn:uuid:4dcf0d96-1457-44c4-bdb2-6a9ee305a6bf> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.aaii.com/journal/article/value-on-the-move-screening-for-low-peg-ratio-stocks | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368704713110/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516114513-00025-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.93357 | 389 | 1.65625 | 2 |
Bush Picks Right Wing Ideologue To Head Labor Dept.
Linda Chavez, President-elect George W. Bush's pick for Labor Department Secretary, has a decades-long record of anti-affirmative action, anti-pay equity, anti-minimum wage and English-only education positions. Women's rights groups, labor groups and Latino groups have expressed outrage over Chavez's nomination. Cecelia Munoz of the National Council of La Raza, criticized Chavez for being "in favor of dismantling affirmative action. She really opposes a vigorous federal role in enforcing civil
rights." AFL CIO President John Sweeney decried Chavez's nomination as "an insult to American working men and women." Business interests and right wing organizations have applauded her nomination.
Bush's cabinent appointments, with only a few exceptions, represent the very ideological, right wing of the Republican Party, despite his earlier pledges of bi-partisanship and consensus following an election in which he lost the popular vote and had no mandate.
Chavez served as Ronald Reagan's U.S. Commission on Civil Rights Director from 1983-1985 and became his Director of Public Liaison in 1985. Chavez was soundly defeated for the U.S. Senate in Maryland when she ran against Senator Barbara Mikulski in 1986.
Media Resources: Washington Post - January 3, 2001; New York Times - January 2001; and Los Angeles Times - January 3, 2001 | <urn:uuid:f564d877-377b-4e60-86f2-1e78e3e6a0be> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.msmagazine.com/news/printnews.asp?id=4691 | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368699881956/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516102441-00035-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.96319 | 288 | 1.546875 | 2 |
The Terrors of Justice: The Untold Side of Watergate
by Maurice H. Stans
Everest House, 478 pp., $10.95
Whatever Maurice Stans, Nixon’s top fund raiser, may or may not have been guilty of in the Watergate campaign of 1972, he certainly should be jailed for writing this book. It is a literary felony, the primary overt act in a conspiracy to obstruct the printed word. At the least, the editors and executives at Everest House, the publishers of this chaotically dull, 478-page work of angry, apologetic confusion, should be named unindicted co-conspirators in this sinister effort to get those few left who read to switch to television.
Still, Maurice Stans is such an important figure that someday his role in the politics of Nixon’s campaigns may be regarded as more worthy of study than that of Haldeman or Mitchell. Students of money and elections, like Herbert E. Alexander of the Citizens Research Foundation, have long since considered Stans much more than a minor member of the Nixon entourage who pleaded guilty to five misdemeanor counts but managed to stay out of jail.
“The 1972 campaign, businessmen pointed out, had brought extraordinary pressures. It was the first campaign in memory, for example, in which solicitations were so widely made by so high a former official as Maurice Stans, who as Secretary of Commerce had close associations with many of the businessmen he was soliciting,” writes Alexander. “One might have to hearken back to the days of Mark Hanna and his systematic assessment of corporations for funds in support of William McKinley for a historic parallel; it was the Hanna approach, in fact, that led to the Tillman Act of 1907, the first federal law prohibiting corporate contributions.”
The parallel goes even further in that it was the reaction to revelations about the Nixon campaign money machine that led to the recent federal campaign law which, while more sweeping than that of 1907, appears to be no more effective in preventing moneyed groups and individuals from controlling elections. Under the provisions of the new reform’ legislation corporations may legally solicit political contributions from their own management personnel in ways that would have been against the law in the past. Naturally the contributions extracted from junior and middle management must be voluntary, meaning upper management can’t come right out and say, “kick into the slush fund, or start looking for a future in some other organization.” But whether the new laws have increased corporate power to buy elections is questionable. Money always finds a way to express itself, so that, for example, the class background and personal wealth of the members of the US Senate haven’t changed from the early years of the century, when the Senate was referred to as a “millionaires’ club.”
However that may be, in post civil war history, only Hanna can rival Maurice Stans as a money raiser, but Hanna didn’t raise his dough for an incumbent president. In 1972, though not in 1968 when Stans raised considerably less, Stans had his boy in the White House in a position … | <urn:uuid:891391f8-3325-46bf-a59f-9b4f0216dc26> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.nybooks.com/articles/archives/1979/feb/08/ill-take-my-stans/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368700264179/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516103104-00020-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.967496 | 652 | 1.765625 | 2 |
Posted by: walt-sjc
on September 27, 2007 01:14 AM
Personally, I find LDAP to be much more useful. I have everything authenticating against it - lots of different web tools (LDAP integrates into many CMS systems, wikis, etc.) plus proxies (squid), email, etc. Anything that doesn't support LDAP out of the box can usually be modified without too much work to support it.
Maintaining multiple password databases just seems so primitive now... Plus with LDAP, you can delegate admin access to subtrees and such, which you just can't do with simplistic flat user tables.
A quick little perl script imports / deletes users based on CSV files. | <urn:uuid:560016b5-35e7-43ef-a883-0b616b198884> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://archive09.linux.com/?module=comments&func=display&cid=1166590 | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368708142388/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516124222-00028-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.931891 | 148 | 1.6875 | 2 |
Monday October 31
The day shift began with the Tevatron (TeV) in shot setup, with Operations monitoring the Recycler stash, with the Antiproton Source (Pbar) and the Meson MCenter experiment off due to shot setup, with the Collider Detector at Fermilab (CDF) and D-Zero (D0) waiting for colliding beam, and with NuMI and MiniBooNE taking beam.
Operations established Recycler only store 4477 at 9:28 AM with an initial luminosity of 164.17E30. This store set a New Luminosity Record.
At 9:31 AM, a Linac expert investigated a problem with a drifting quadrupole power supply (L:QT3).
At 9:37 AM, a TeV RF station (TRF1) tripped off. There was minimal effect on the colliding antiprotons.
At 11:49 AM, experimenters at CDF reported water spilling through the concrete barrier on the west side of their parking lot. A FESS expert said that there was an ICW leak in the area and that they were working on stopping the water flow.
FESS reported at 12:54 PM, that they had found and stopped the water leak. They began planning on how to repair the leak.
Booster experts began a 400 MeV study at 1:21 PM. This study limited all useful downstream beam.
Pbar resumed stacking with what beam there was at 2:10 PM.
Booster studies ended at 2:15 PM.
At 2:18 PM, a LCW leak was reported in Linac. A Linac technician and operators found water under a Klystron RF station (KRF1). Operations halted Linac beam while the techs began a temporary repair. They completed the repair at 3:18 PM.
Pbar resumed stacking at 3:32 PM.
MCenter resumed taking beam at 4 PM.
At 5:55 PM, a cryo system tech reported that the TeV sector E1 wet engine was failing; one of its exhaust valves was stuck closed. An expert was called in.
Operation began preparing the Recycler at 7:38 PM to stash antiprotons. The stash ended and MCenter resumed taking beam at 8:25 PM. Pbar resumed stacking five minutes later.
Tuesday November 1
The midnight shift began with Operations monitoring store 4477 and the stash, with Pbar stacking, and with MiniBooNE, NuMI, and MCenter taking beam.
The Recycler began preparing at 12:16 AM to stash. The stash ended and Pbar resumed stacking at 1:08 AM. MCenter resumed taking beam.
At 3:07 AM, Operations reported a vacuum burst in the P1 transfer line. The vacuum recovered quickly.
The Recycler began preparing at 4:59 AM to stash. The stash ended. Pbar resumed stacking and MCenter resumed taking beam at 5:41 AM.
The Recycler began preparing at 9:32 AM to stash. The stash ended. Pbar resumed stacking and MCenter resumed taking beam at 10:24 AM.
Pbar experts began a reverse proton study at 10:31 AM.
Operations reported around 11:38 AM that the TeV sector F2 wet engine had a bearing failure.
TeV experts began an end-of-store study around 1:09 PM.
At 3:24 PM, store 4477 quenched at TeV sector F4 when Operations tried to terminate it. TeV experts investigated the quench, but couldn't find a cause.
Operations prepared CDF and DO for a collision hall access at 3:39 PM.
Pbar reverse proton studies ended at 4:31 PM.
At 4:40 PM, a Booster RF station (BRF15) tripped off for the first of six times in about forty-five minutes. It reset each time.
At 4:44 PM, a TeV RF expert reported that the TRF1 station had a bad Power Amplifier (PA). The expert had the PA changed out two hours later.
At 4:46 PM, Operations reported that they couldn't get a Pbar quadrupole power supply (Q109V) to turn on. An expert managed to get Q109 up and running on one power supply, but Q109V remained off.
Pbar resumed stacking at 5:35 PM.
Techs completed the TeV F2 wet engine work at 9:33 PM.
Operations began the TeV turn on at 10:36 PM.
Operations put the TeV through a dry squeeze at 11:36 PM.
Wednesday November 2
The midnight shift began with Operations monitoring the stash, with Pbar stacking, and with MiniBooNE, NuMI, and MCenter taking beam.
Operations began putting the TeV through a wet squeeze at 12:06 AM.
Operations put the TeV into shot setup at 12:48 AM.
At 1:04 AM, the MiniBooNE Horn tripped off. An expert came in an investigated.
At 2:32 AM, the NuMI chiller tripped off. An expert directed Operations to reset it.
At 3:11 AM, the NuMI chiller tripped off again. The expert told Operations to reset it again.
Operations established store 4480 at 3:18 AM with an initial luminosity of 146.74E30.
The Recycler began preparing at 3:28 AM to stash. The stash was completed and Pbar and MCenter resumed normal operations by 4:13 AM.
The Recycler began preparing at 7:34 AM to stash.
The Plans for Wednesday
The plans for today are to stack, stash, and store.
Accelerator Update Archive
For Tevatron luminosity charts and the current status of Fermilab's
accelerators and detectors (live!), please go to Fermilab Now
Comments and Suggestions
What do you think about the Accelerator Updates? Please send comments and suggestions to: [email protected]. | <urn:uuid:ff141ee4-5aa4-4e65-a704-a2033228a868> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://fnal.gov/pub/news05/update_archive/update_10-31_11-2.html | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368701459211/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516105059-00012-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.947568 | 1,289 | 1.570313 | 2 |
Lely's latest Yellow Revolution
This afternoon, during an event in Emmen that was attended by more than 400 interested guests, Alexander van der Lely, CEO of the Lely Group, revealed Lely's latest Yellow Revolution: the Lely Vector automated feeding system. Lely's Yellow Revolution, which is the company’s seventh innovative launch since 2005, uses ground-breaking technology to provide a new boost for the agricultural sector.
After numerous Lely innovations in the field of automatic milking, the Lely Vector is the next major step in automating working methods within dairy farming and as such, it matches the impact of the milking robot. The Lely Vector makes sure that correct rations are fed to cows consistently and on time, allowing cattle farmers to achieve efficient and high-grade milk and beef production. This new system has been developed in close co-operation with Lely’s customers.
The system ensures a constant supply of feed in a flexible manner, 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. The process is fully automated and ensures optimal flexibility for cattle farmers using the system. The Lely Vector enables cattle farmers to define and adjust their feeding strategy for different groups of animals. This results in improved animal health, improved feed efficiency resulting in optimal milk and beef production.
The feed is stored in the feed kitchen; an open area without any obstacles, in which all kinds of feed can be stored, each in its own location. Depending upon the size of the feed kitchen, feed can even be stored for a three-day period. This means that that there is sufficient feed for more than a weekend, so that cattle farmers and their families can enjoy more free time.
The Lely Vector makes sure that correct rations are fed to cows consistently and on time.A feed grabber moves over the feed kitchen to select the feed, and load it in onto the mixing and feeding robot. The feed grabber scans the part of the feed storage area that has been designated for a specific feed and collects the feed from the highest point.
A concentrates dispenser monitors the feed quantities, which can be established and measured with the utmost accuracy. In addition, minor quantities of minerals and addititives can be mixed with the concentrates. A user interface with touch screen is used to set up the feeding plan and the feed kitchen. It is also possible to programme rations and view a variety of reports.
The feed level sensor is a technological tour de force. The robot knows exactly how much feed there is at the feed gate and it determines when and where feed is required, without any intervention from the cattle farmer being required. Because there is an ongoing supply of feed, it is not necessary to measure large doses, and therefore the feed at the feed fence is always fresh.
The Lely Vector saves money, labour, time and energy. It uses much less energy than many other feeding systems and is therefore less expensive to operate. Test farms have shown that labour savings are huge when feeding two or more different rations. The Lely Vector also saves dairy farmers a lot of hassle. Filling the feed kitchen is all that remains for them to do. Furthermore, thanks to the electric control system, the Lely Vector is noiseless and environmentally-friendly, and does not disturb either man or animal.
For Lely the Lely Vector is as groundbreaking as the introduction of the first Lely Astronaut milking robot. To safeguard a professional roll-out and development of the Lely Center distribution network, Lely has opted for a roll-out in phases over different countries. The first countries include the Netherlands and Scandinavia where Lely has been testing this concept, and France. For other countries, such as Germany, Australia and New Zealand no offers will be made yet, not even for deliveries in the future.
The Lely Vector is a complete and efficient feeding system that allows modern dairy farmers to control their business the way they want to. With the invention of this milking robot, Lely was the first company to launch an effective system on the market. The Lely Vector is a major step in the further automation of the dairy farming business.
Queen’s Award Crowning Glory for World No.1 JCB Backhoe
Lidl Shows Commitment to British Farming
Heinrich Dreyer's 150th Birthday | <urn:uuid:1244e5a9-8d14-4785-8f4a-a8c254502a49> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.stackyard.com/news/2012/04/machinery/11_lely_vector.html | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368698207393/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516095647-00042-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.947437 | 891 | 1.625 | 2 |
The theme of this year's lecture is as follows:
"For more than four decades experts and politicians have endeavored to create a European Patent Court. Such a European Patent Litigation System would be indispensable for a future Community Patent, or as it is now called, an EU-Patent. Some also believe it would be desirable to make this court responsible for the European Bundle Patents in order to unify the decisions made regarding the whole of these bundles.President of the Court since 2006, Herr Lutz was formerly Head of the Subdivision for Trade and Business Law at the Federal Ministry of Justice, Berlin, where his primary focus was on intellectual property.
President Lutz will discuss the status and future of this project, as well as possible alternatives to some of the details of the proposed solutions".
You can click here for full details and registration. | <urn:uuid:8ec3291b-6a9f-42bc-a255-5a807c5aeb39> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://patlit.blogspot.co.il/2010_04_01_archive.html | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368697380733/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516094300-00017-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.955208 | 174 | 1.5625 | 2 |
NY Magazine posted an article listing their reasonsas to why RIM, the creator of Blackberry, fell apart. Once an avid Blackberry user, I have crossed over to the ‘dark side’ and couldn’t be happier with my iPhone. This caused me to think as to why the age of the Blackberry has died so abruptly. While the article goes on to list the reasons the company itself fell under, I wanted to express the ways as to why the phones themselves simply couldn’t keep up. Here are my reasons:
1. Blackberries freeze… a lot. There was no easy way to figure out how many programs were open on your Blackberry at a given time. You were just to exit the application each and every time it was opened. While I knew well enough to close them religiously, I still experienced multiple issues with my phone freezing. On iPhone’s, all you have to do is double hit the home button and you can simultaneous close all your open applications, therefore eliminating a system burnout. Such a small seemingly insignificant change makes a huge difference.
2. The apps kinda sucked. I hope after reading that sub header one app in particular came to your mind: Facebook. The Facebook for Blackberry application was painful. Painful enough that it always froze, always had bugs, and never seemed to work. I consistently used Facebook on the browser, simply because that was more efficient than the app itself. It was really difficult to maneuver, especially with the top bar that was meant to ‘navigate’. While some of the other Blackberry applications worked decently, their iPhone versions seem to be much much more helpful and easy.
3. The screens are small. Zooming in on a Blackberry screen was obnoxious and required several keystrokes. On an iPhone, all one must do is pull the screen, if it is needed at all. With a bigger screen, it is easier to view entire pages. The pixels are also much clearer, both on Android and iPhones than I ever remember seeing on my Blackberry.
4. BBM was far too exclusive and often slow. Ah, Blackberry Messenger, RIM’s version of AIM. I was an avid user of BBM and can report feeling pretty cool when my little check marks turned from D (delivered) to R (read). What was nice about BBM is that it worked both on telephone service as well as Wi-Fi. iPhone’s version, iMessage, is a step up from BBM and I believe knocks it out of the ballpark. Each Blackberry had a specific PIN number (that differed from a telephone number) that could be given out to add someone to your BBM contacts. iMessage differs in that as long as you have a contact’s phone number, the phone will recognize who else had an iPhone and the conversation would instantly turn to iMessage. By not becoming a different application (both texts and IMessages appear under the ‘Messages’ app) this eliminates the chance of your phone freezing since one less program is open. BBM also seemed to have a lot of issues delivering messages; since users could see when their messages were delivered, when it took some time, it often became frustrating. If iMessage gives users trouble, they have the option of sending the message as a regular text message to eliminate a long wait time. When BBM services went down for nearly a day last October, users were very disheartened. I can’t seem to think a similar situation would happen to a company as seasoned as Apple.
5. Trackpads & Roller Balls are a lot more trouble than they’re worth. I used to be anti-touch phones. They seemed annoying and difficult to type on. While typing can still be an issue (that’s a whole other story), the navigation on a Blackberry was often impossible. With both roller balls and their later replacements, trackpads, your phone freezing became almost inevitable. I used to think the idea of them was so cool …Wow I can run my hand over this tiny little square and it will MOVE? I got to deal with it only deciding to move half the time, if that. Guess what — unless I lose or hurt them, my fingers ALWAYS move, i.e. my iPhone screen is always alert when I need it to be.
I will admit, there is one sole thing I miss about my Blackberry: the smileys. Emoji on iPhones are expansive, but it’s more that there are numerous different symbols and not nearly enough smiley faces that express emotions. The eye rolling & the raised eyebrow smiley are two that still hold a place near and dear to my heart. App creators, it’s time to get on the bandwagon and create some better emoji!
In short, RIM was simply unable to keep up with the technology that Mac was developing. My iPhone not only does everything I need it to, it does a hell of a lot more. I can even scan documents with this thing. Can YOUR Blackberry do that, RIM? I think not.
Lovelies, what are your feelings on Blackberry & RIM? What issues have you had with your past or current cell phones? | <urn:uuid:1d2cade0-e0b8-4054-8043-d6d6f8f8c65b> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.lovelyish.com/2012/07/20/a-moment-of-silence-please-for-blackberry/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368701852492/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516105732-00026-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.97729 | 1,088 | 1.71875 | 2 |
As a father of four himself, Dr. Greene has devoted himself to freely giving real answers to parents' real questions — from those all too common childhood conditions to those that address the most recent and rare pediatric illnesses.
Yes, you read it right! In this video, Shane Valentine, author of The Baby Cuisine Cookbook, admits that baby food is a made up term and passionately explains how processed food companies have created one of the most successful marketing campaigns of all time.
Shane Valentine is an author The Baby Cuisine Cookbook, speaker, chef instructor for Whole Foods Market, activist and father of 3 An Ambassador for Jamie Oliver’s Food Revolution, American Heart Association 2020 Task Force and Marin County Child Care Commissioner.
Note: This Perspectives Blog post is written by a Guest Blogger of DrGreene.com and is provided in order to offer a variety of thoughtful points of view. The opinions expressed on this Perspectives Blog post do not reflect the opinions of Dr. Greene or DrGreene.com. As such, Dr. Greene and DrGreene.com are not responsible for the accuracy of the information supplied. This post is used under Creative Commons License CC BY-ND 3.0
At DrGreene.com we are dedicated to using information technology to make pediatric wisdom more accessible than ever before. Our goal is to improve children's health by informing and inspiring those who care for them.
By providing information, wisdom and perspective, we strive to prepare parents to become knowledgable partners who can work with their children's physicians in new and rich ways. | <urn:uuid:ecd22567-f8a7-413a-bc5c-2b7241822e15> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.drgreene.com/perspectives/video-baby-food/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368704392896/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516113952-00028-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.934923 | 324 | 1.570313 | 2 |
Tuesday, October 30, 2012 7:14 PM
I am setting up a deployment server for my college's Computer Engineering lab. I had to do some "unconventional" things to achieve the configuration the program director wanted. The machines we are deploying to have two NICs connected to our network, and she wanted both to have static IPs based on their computer name. I achieved this by adding OSDComputer name in the priorities list and have the NIC settings listed in the deployment rules. I also edited the ZTIGather.xml to include the second set of adapter variables (OSDAdapter1IPAddress etc.) This method worked flawlessly on my test deployment to a virtual machine. I then tried it on our test hardware machine and I had a couple warnings related to the NIC settings. I reviewed the ZTINicConfig log and found that the ZTINicConfig script was running again after a reboot from the WSUS post application pass. It appears the warnings are generated because the script is trying to assign the static IP addresses that are already assigned to the NICs. Also, after the reboot I am prompted to choose a network location (home, work, public.) Is the script running again after the updates normal?
I am using MDT 2012 update 1, and my task sequence is a standard client install with no additional tasks added.
Wednesday, October 31, 2012 9:08 AM
I am guessing it is something to do with the drivers? What is the vendor for the NIC (Intel, HP, Broadcom??). If you can provide the PNP or DeviceID value from device manager - maybe we can try the latest driver.
The logs show error """" WMI Adapter.Enable FAILURE: -2147180508 - """""
-2147180508 means Incorrect Function which makes me believe it is something to do with the driver
Regards, Vik Singh "If this thread answered your question, please click on "Mark as Answer" | <urn:uuid:ccd0a724-5bbc-48c8-835a-8611566f7625> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://social.technet.microsoft.com/Forums/en-US/mdt/thread/1fccf505-992a-409b-96d0-db969c8e791d | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368696383156/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516092623-00003-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.945372 | 407 | 1.539063 | 2 |
Eskom generates approximately 95% of the electricity used in South Africa and approximately 45% of the electricity used in Africa. Eskom generates, transmits and distributes electricity to industrial, mining, commercial, agricultural and residential customers and redistributors. Additional power stations and major power lines are being built to meet rising electricity demand in South Africa. Eskom will continue to focus on improving and strengthening its core business of electricity generation, transmission, trading and distribution. For more information, please visit www.eskom.co.za.
About Romano Group
The Romano Group is a multi-skilled provider of a broad range of sustainable solutions, to clients who are typically large commercial, industrial or retail property owners and tenants spread throughout Africa. Romano’s value-added offer includes the design, manufacture and installation of high-quality Solar PV, ECO-Lighting, Modular Construction and Signage & Print solutions, all of which are delivered on-time at a competitive price. The company celebrated its 60th birthday in 2012 and employs 150 people. For more information, please visit www.romano.co.za.
About Canadian Solar Inc.
Founded in 2001 in Canada, Canadian Solar Inc. (NASDAQ: CSIQ) is one of the world’s largest and foremost solar power companies. As a leading vertically integrated provider of solar modules, specialized solar products and solar power plants with operations in North America, South America, Europe, Africa, the Middle East, Australia and Asia, Canadian Solar has delivered more than 4GW of premium quality solar modules to customers in over 50 countries. Canadian Solar is committed to improve the environment and dedicated to provide advanced solar energy products, solutions and services to enable sustainable development around the world. For more information, please visit www.canadiansolar.com
JOHANNESBURG, May 15, 2013 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ — Canadian Solar Inc. (NASDAQ: CSIQ) (the “Company” or “Canadian Solar”), one of the world’s largest solar companies, today announced the successful expansion of its partner Romano Sustainable Solutions in Africa. Romano, a pioneer company in the South African photovoltaic (PV) industry, was recently awarded the engineering, procurement and construction (EPC) contract for a 360 kW PV solar system installation. The roof top installation will be on the Johannesburg headquarters of Eskom, the largest producer of electricity in Africa.
As one of the most experienced solar PV systems integrators in Africa, Romano designs, manufactures and installs solar PV systems to commercial clients spread throughout Africa. Most of Romano’s solar PV systems are grid-tied systems. When connected to the client side of the on-site electrical sub-station, the electricity generated is used on the site by the client. When connected to the utility side the electricity generated is exported to the national or municipal electricity grid.
“We are very proud to be involved with this prestigious project for Eskom, which we understand was awarded on the basis of our technical capability and track record, as well as the cost effectiveness of our offer,” said Alexi Romano , CEO of Romano.
“The solar energy market in Africa continues to develop and has considerable potential for growth. We are positioned to benefit through our relationships with experienced partners like Romano. We look forward to supporting their growth in this important market, including the high profile Eskom project,” said Dr. Shawn Qu , Chairman and CEO of Canadian Solar.”
SOURCE Canadian Solar | <urn:uuid:6b9519e2-49d1-410f-9d2e-5fbce843b30b> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://africabusiness.com/tag/provider/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368710006682/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516131326-00004-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.930817 | 740 | 1.5 | 2 |
Danisa Ndlovu, president-elect of Mennonite World Conference and bishop of the Zimbabwe Brethren in Christ Church, has urged people around the world to support and pray for the people of Zimbabwe.
Meanwhile the Student Christian Movement of Zimbabwe has lamented what it says is the "continued criminal and sinful repression of students by the state, using brutal force", following the arrest of 21 students in the second city of Bulawayo earlier this week.
Among those arrested was the Student Christian Movement of Zimbabwe's vice chairperson, Lawrence Mashungu, seven SCMZ members and several Zimbabwe National Students Union general councillors.
"It is of serious concern that these arrests are preceded by numerous other arrests of students and civic society activists in the demand for the opening up of democratic space and justice. Students have been arrested on several incidents in Bulawayo and Harare within the past two months," said the students' statement.
In Geneva, the general secretary of the World Student Christian Federation, Michael Wallace declared: "This action raises concerns for the federation, whose members are encouraged to live out their faith by challenging injustice in their own contexts."
He added: "It is the freedom of groups like SCM that guarantees the functioning of civil society and guards against the perpetration of injustice", reported Ecumenical News International.
Mennonite World Conference is organizing an international 'Koinonia delegation' to visit the Zimbabwean Brethren in Christ Church, from 17-29 August 2007. The primary purpose of the team will be to stand in visible communion with the Zimbabwe church at what they describe as "this time of unabated duress".
Delegation members will divide in two groups to visit several BIC communities, and then participate in the church’s annual national assembly, from 22-26 August.
The host church has requested that the delegation provide workshops on conflict transformation and peacebuilding. MWC Associate General Secretary Pakisa Tshmikia is organizing and will lead the team visit to Zimbabwe.
Mennonite World Conference is a communion of Anabaptist-related churches. | <urn:uuid:f996175f-b7e3-481f-987b-618cf8078872> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.ekklesia.co.uk/node/4856 | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368702448584/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516110728-00030-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.951867 | 430 | 1.523438 | 2 |
Mark Wilson/Getty Images
Tea Party supporters hold signs across from a rally held by the American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees in front of the Maryland State Capitol building in Annapolis on March 14.
Tea Party supporters hold signs across from a rally held by the American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees in front of the Maryland State Capitol building in Annapolis on March 14. Mark Wilson/Getty Images
As Democrats accuse Republican congressional leaders of being co-opted by the Tea Party in the federal budget negotiations, a new survey shows that half of all conservative voters ardently support the movement.
The University of Washington poll suggests that the popularity of the Tea Party movement is wider than many political strategists have estimated. And it bolsters perceptions of Democrats and others that Tea Party supporters are as conservative about social and policy issues as they are about the Tea Party's fiscal principles.
Compared with respondents who identified themselves as traditional conservatives who don't support the movement, Tea Party backers were far more likely to oppose President Obama's policies and question his personal background and object to such issues as birthright citizenship and the repeal of the "don't ask, don't tell" policy on gays in the military.
A Divide Over Obama
In the survey, respondents were asked if they believed the president "will destroy" the country. Six percent of non-Tea Party conservatives said he would, while 71 percent of Tea Party conservatives agreed.
Conservatives And The Tea Party
The Institute for the Study of Ethnicity, Race & Sexuality conducted its Multi-State Survey of Race and Politics Jan. 24-March 12. The survey drew samples from 12 states, including five in which a U.S. candidate in 2010 was elected, or was a strong challenger, after receiving the support of one of six major Tea Party organizations. Conductors of the survey identified Tea Party supporters as respondents who said they "strongly approve" of the movement, excluding those who said they "somewhat approve," according to the survey’s principal investigator, professor Christopher Parker.
The majority, or 55 percent, of all conservative respondents said they believe Obama's policies to be socialist, reiterating an accusation widely tossed about by conservatives. But 75 percent of Tea Party conservatives said his policies are socialist.
Among non-Tea Party conservatives, 53 percent said they hope Obama's policies succeed; 32 percent hope for failure and 15 percent expressed no preference. Sentiments among Tea Party backers were far more hostile: 76 percent of them want Obama's policies to fail; 18 percent want them to succeed, and only 6 percent declined to say.
In addition, the two groups were largely split on questions about Obama's background. A plurality of all non-Tea Party conservatives said they believe the president is a practicing Christian and not a Muslim, was born in the U.S. and has a birth certificate.
But only 27 percent of Tea Party conservatives believe the president is a practicing Christian. Twenty-seven percent said they believe he's a practicing Muslim, 41 percent rejected the claim, and 32 percent said they don't know.
Forty percent of Tea Party conservatives believe Obama was born in the U.S., while 32 percent don't believe it, and 28 percent said they don't know.
"The biggest thing that emerges, to me, is this rift among conservatives that they are going to have to confront," said University of Washington professor Christopher Parker, who oversaw the survey for the school's Institute for the Study of Ethnicity, Race and Sexuality. "We suspected people in the Tea Party are going to be more pro-birther, etc., about Obama. But the gap when it comes to wanting to see his policies fail is huge. If you call yourself a patriot and you want to see the president fail, even if you don't like him, how patriotic is that? It's really paradoxical."
The results are part of a wider ongoing survey of more than 1,500 people across 12 states aimed at capturing the relationship between politics and race and how they influence voter participation, attitudes about patriotism, civil liberties and other topics.
Another goal was assessing the Tea Party movement and its impact. The survey, in its second year, was expanded to 12 states in 2011 to include five states in which a U.S. candidate in 2010 was elected, or was a strong challenger, partly owing to the support of Tea Party organizations.
A number of polls in the past year have sought to identify the characteristics of Tea Party supporters, particularly after the movement fueled the Republican takeover of the House this year and GOP governor victories in 2010.
Beyond Fiscal Conservatism?
Tea Party leaders have tried to push back against accusations from Democrats that their movement is expanding beyond fiscal conservatism to advocate for conservative social policies.
"We don't address those issues as an organization," said Mark Meckler, co-founder and national coordinator of the Tea Party Patriots, one of the largest such groups. "People who go to church have political perspectives, right? But churches don't deal with that. Folks come in and they are attached to other things. Because we don't deal with those issues, I couldn't comment on them."
Meckler disagreed with Parker's assessment that his survey reveals a schism among conservatives.
"There may be different perspectives, but I'm not hearing any divisions when I attend conservative groups' meetings all over the country. In fact, people are talking about how the conservative movement seems to be on the same page more than any other time in history. I think the left hopes for that schism, but I don't think their hopes will be fulfilled."
Polls have consistently shown that the movement continues to draw supporters who also hold right-wing views on social issues, from abortion to gun rights.
"Thinking of the Tea Party as a formal organization with members is maybe thinking too narrowly," says veteran pollster Mark Blumenthal, founder of Pollster.com. "It's always struck me as maybe a brand ID, a set of ideas. It's a way of people to label their affinity with a set of arguments they are making, which have in common an extreme negative reaction to Obama and to Democrats."
The Role Of Race
Among all respondents in the University of Washington survey, race appeared to influence what they disclosed about their opinions of Obama.
In the survey, which was conducted by phone, respondents were more likely to view Obama skeptically if they believed they were talking with a white interviewer. Respondents were more likely to say "I don't know" if they thought they were speaking to a nonwhite interviewer.
Parker said survey researchers call it the "social desirability" effect, in which respondents refrain from expressing opinions that might offend the listener or cause controversy. In the University of Washington survey, Parker said respondents may have withheld critical opinions of Obama because they assumed that the minority interviewers might be Obama supporters.
The Budget Battle
The University of Washington survey comes as Tea Party activists turn up the pressure on congressional Republicans to fulfill their 2010 election pledge to cut $100 billion in federal spending in the current fiscal year. Tea Party members attended a rally in Washington on Thursday in response to ongoing budget negotiations, which appear likely to yield much smaller spending cuts.
Throughout the budget talks, Senate Democrats have pursued a strategy aimed at denouncing cuts sought by Republicans as far beyond the wishes of mainstream Americans. They have portrayed congressional Republican leaders as hostages of the Tea Party and its extremist views.
On Thursday, House Speaker John Boehner (R-OH) said budget negotiators from both parties may be close to an agreement. Lawmakers are discussing a compromise that could be in the $33 billion range.
"That's unacceptable," Meckler says. "We're asking for $100 billion in total cuts. That's less than 2.6 cents per dollar of federal spending. But this is no surprise to us. Right now, [congressional Republicans] are not very popular in the movement anyway because they haven't held the line. But we will hold them accountable."
Views Inside, Outside The Mainstream
Is the Tea Party extreme? It depends.
Many so-called mainstream conservatives, from Karl Rove to columnist George Will, have derided the Tea Party's tactics as extreme or too naive for Washington.
Multiple polls, including the University of Washington results, suggest that the Tea Party movement falls both outside and inside the mainstream, depending on the topic.
For instance, on deficit reduction, the movement shows far more willingness than most other Americans to push for deep spending cuts. To that end, a Wall Street Journal/NBC News poll released this month found that more than 7 in every 10 Tea Party supporters feared that Republican lawmakers wouldn't cut enough spending.
At the same time, the poll showed that even Tea Party backers, by a nearly 2-to-1 margin, believe that achieving that end by making significant cuts to Social Security would be "unacceptable." | <urn:uuid:dd0c5542-5256-43b8-8e0b-dcf27898856c> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.npr.org/2011/03/31/135011774/tea-party-gains-wide-support-among-conservatives | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368706499548/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516121459-00023-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.969675 | 1,831 | 1.554688 | 2 |
Paddy Whiu mourned by two cultures
Updated at 7:10 pm on 11 February 2013
Police officers and Maoridom are mourning the death of Northland iwi liaison officer, Paddy Whiu.
Sergeant Whiu died at his home in Northland on 10 February, following a short illness.
Aged 62 years and of Ngapuhi and Whanganui iwi descent, Sergeant Whiu served the New Zealand police for 41 years.
He wasn't at Waitangi this year - an absence highlighted in prayers offered for him at the dawn service on Waitangi Day.
Sergeant Whiu was in charge of liaising with Maori wardens at the celebrations for the past two years.
Maori Council deputy chair for Maori Wardens, Des Ratima, says Paddy Whiu had a big heart and his support for the wardens will be sorely missed.
Mr Ratima says he was a strong advocate for the Maori wardens and the need to resource them adequately so they could do their job more effectively in the community.
He says Paddy Whiu had a calm nature and was able to easily cool down heated situations.
Meanwhile, Labour List MP Shane Jones, says Paddy Whiu was the first Maori person in the police to become an iwi liaison officer in Northland.
He says he also brought Maori and the police closer together.
Mr Jones says Sergeant Whiu was a leading personality amongst Northland Maori and was very popular with the kaumatua or elderly folk.
He says he recalls going to many meetings with Paddy Whiu to work out campaigns to stamp out methamphetamine abuse.
Mr Jones says Sergeant Whiu brought the police closer to Maori communities in such a way that he could uphold the peace.
The Maori Party has also paid to tribute to the Ngapuhi policeman saying that Sergeant Whiu was a legend. He had a heart for the community and could operate at both a local and a national level. He truly was a people's man, and a people's cop.
"He helped train Maori wardens in conflict management and negotiation at the Porirua Police College and worked with his people in the north to help keep young men out of prison and find new direction in their lives. He will be known for his calming influence and his ability to work with all levels of the community," said Maori Party Co-leader Tariana Turia.
Police Commissioner, Peter Marshall says New Zealand Police has lost a mighty totara following the death of Sergeant Patrick (Paddy) Whiu.
In 1997, Paddy became Northland's first Iwi Liaison Officer (ILO) and later began contributing to and facilitating ILO courses at the Royal New Zealand Police College.
In 2001, he received a Queens Service Medal (QSM) for public services in the New Years Honours. In 2004, he was honoured with a Commissioner's Commendation for his role in the foreshore and seabed hikoi, from Northland to the steps of Parliament.
Since 2007, Paddy had played an integral role in the Maori, Pacific and Ethnic Services (MPES) team at Police National Headquarters, forging relationships with Iwi leaders in support of Maori Wardens and led training to build the Wardens' effectiveness and professionalism.
Commissioner Marshall says, "Throughout Paddy's career, he was instrumental in developing relationships between New Zealand Police and Maori, significantly increasing trust and confidence among Maori to work with Police to reduce crime and crashes."
Next story in Te Manu Korihi: Te Reo seen a pivot-point for pupil success
Copyright © 2013, Radio New Zealand | <urn:uuid:fce757b0-288b-4628-ac3c-3faf67fcbeb0> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.radionz.co.nz/news/te-manu-korihi/127828/paddy-whiu-mourned-by-two-cultures | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368711005985/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516133005-00024-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.978523 | 768 | 1.515625 | 2 |
“The Bible" 8 p.m. Sunday, History Channel
Each Christmas and Easter season, History and other cablenets air a number of documentaries on various aspects of the Bible, usually featuring talking-head experts and iffy-looking dramatic re-creations.
Often these productions take a skeptical look at the historicity or accuracy or veracity of biblical accounts, as if the last thing in the world a documentary would want to be seen doing is taking anything in the Bible at face value.
But skepticism was the last thing on the minds of reality TV mogul Mark Burnett (“The Apprentice," “Survivor") and his wife, actress Roma Downey (“Touched by an Angel"), when they set out as executive producers of “The Bible," airing Sundays from March 3 to March 31, which is Easter Sunday this year.
Joined by their faith and a love for the sacred writings of Judaism and Christianity, they have spearheaded a 10-hour, five-part dramatic series that spans the Old and New Testaments, from Genesis to Revelation, capturing the full sweep of the biblical narrative.
On a recent Sunday afternoon at their seaside home in Malibu, Calif. — between attending the National Prayer Breakfast in Washington, D.C., and the Grammy Awards in Los Angeles — the spouses sat down over mugs of hot Irish tea to talk about the series, starting with an anecdote from Roman Catholic Cardinal Oscar Andres Rodriguez Maradiaga — one of those eligible to vote on the replacement for outgoing Pope Benedict XVI.
Recalls Burnett, “He said, ‘Thank you. It’s about this time that Discovery Channel, History Channel will put things on that sow doubts in the minds of people who do believe in the Bible. I’m so grateful for History Channel and to you and Roma for putting this on during Holy Week. It’s the opposite of what’s traditionally being done around this time.’
“So that was nice."
Says Downey, “We started with the premise that the Bible is the truth. These are true stories, and it was our job to bring them to life on the screen. We’re not saying, ‘Maybe this happened,’ or ‘According to the Bible,’ we’re just telling the story as written."
“So," adds Burnett, “someone who believes will recognize it and love it for that. Someone who doesn’t, and isn’t going to, will still feel the emotional pull of the story and will be informed in a different way, without being talked at."
Shot in Morocco — at the same location where Burnett once did an installment of his “Eco-Challenge" adventure race — the production features a large international cast, and a score by Hans Zimmer, who reunites with singer Lisa Gerrard for the first time since they collaborated on the theme to “Gladiator."
Playing some of the more famous Bible figures are David Rintoul as Noah; Peter Guinness as Nebuchadnezzar; Jake Canuso as Daniel; Nonso Anozie as Samson; William Houston as Moses; Downey as Jesus’ mother, Mary; Daniel Percival as John the Baptist; Simon Kunz as Nicodemus; and Portuguese newcomer Diogo Morgado as Jesus. Keith David provides voice-over narration.
One might wonder why anyone would bother revisiting stories as familiar as those in the Bible, which have influenced not only religious thought but ultimately almost every aspect of Western culture.
But these days, assuming biblical literacy would be a mistake, as Downey found out when she forwarded production stills to an ad agency employing many young people.
She says, “The photographs that we thought, ‘Anybody could have glanced at these and said, “This was Abraham," or “This was Moses" ’ — nobody knew anybody."
But, people who don’t know the stories don’t want to be bored hearing them for the first time, and people who do know the stories want them to be interpreted in a fresh way.
“I think the faithful will find this," Downey says. “It speaks to the center of a belief system. It’s done beautifully. It delivers through the emotional climax, and you’re left with a feeling of upliftment and hope. You feel loved. It’s deeply satisfying on that level.
“From a point of view of people being able to learn from it, it’s exciting, it’s compelling, and it’s dynamic — because nobody wants to be taught."
But even with a big budget, a huge crew, and dozens of theologians and advisers, sometimes the unexpected still happens.
Downey recalls filming a scene between Jesus and Jewish religious leader Nicodemus (Gospel of John, Chapter 3, Verses 1-21), in which Jesus speaks of being reborn in the spirit, saying, “The wind blows where it wishes, and you don’t know where it comes from or where it goes. And so it is when the spirit enters you."
Describes Downey, “Out of nowhere, on the stillest evening, a huge, sustained wind whistled through the village, took Jesus’ hair, Nicodemus’ robes ... thankfully, the actors held in their roles. There was no wind machine."
“We’ve had a lot of Holy Spirit experiences." | <urn:uuid:64293359-dc7e-4d21-9ed5-fed0c5209068> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.bendbulletin.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20130302/NEWS0107/303020306/1025/FEAT | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368701852492/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516105732-00004-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.960532 | 1,157 | 1.523438 | 2 |
Ernie BanksArticle Free Pass
Ernie Banks, byname of Ernest Banks (born Jan. 31, 1931, Dallas, Texas, U.S.), American professional baseball player, regarded as one of the finest power hitters in the history of the game. Banks starred for the Chicago Cubs from 1953 to 1971. An 11-time All-Star, Banks was named the National League’s (NL) Most Valuable Player for two consecutive seasons (1958–59). He hit more than 40 home runs in five different seasons, leading the NL in that category in 1958 and 1960. He also led the league in 1958–59 in runs batted in.
Banks excelled in football, basketball, track and field, and baseball at his Dallas high school. At age 17 he joined a barnstorming Negro league team at a salary rate of $15 per game. In 1950 legendary Negro league star Cool Papa Bell signed him to the Kansas City Monarchs. Soon after, Banks spent two years in the U.S. Army, after which he returned to the Monarchs. His stay there was short-lived, however, as the major leagues, recently integrated, were eager to take advantage of the wealth of talent in the Negro leagues.
Signed by the Chicago Cubs in 1953, Banks soon established himself as one of the league’s leading power hitters. In addition to his potent bat, he proved to be a skilled defensive player, setting a single-season mark for fielding percentage for a shortstop in 1959. After injuries limited his mobility, Banks moved to first base in 1962.
Banks was known for his enthusiasm and love of the game, his trademark cry of “let’s play two!” reflecting the pure enjoyment he took in baseball. When he retired in 1971, he was the holder of most of the Chicago Cubs’ offensive records and had earned the nickname “Mr. Cub” among the team’s fans. In his career Banks totaled 512 home runs and 1,636 runs batted in. He was elected into the National Baseball Hall of Fame in 1977; he was only the eighth player to be elected in his first year of eligibility.
What made you want to look up "Ernie Banks"? Please share what surprised you most... | <urn:uuid:5b7004b0-a53c-44bf-a49c-98f36cd4f38e> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.britannica.com/EBchecked/topic/52033/Ernie-Banks | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368710006682/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516131326-00015-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.984825 | 468 | 1.617188 | 2 |
|Home > After Saddam > Article||Thursday July 10, 2003|
One of Australia's key intelligence agencies today said it did not pass on American doubts that Iraq had sought to buy uranium for a nuclear weapons program to Prime Minister John Howard.
The Office of National Assessments (ONA) said it was aware in January this year that the US State Department had doubts over claims Saddam Hussein had sought to buy uranium from Africa.
But the ONA said it did not pass on the US doubts in its reports to Mr Howard.
In a rare statement from the office of director general Kim Jones, the ONA said it mentioned the uranium acquisition claims only once, in a report in December last year, in reference to material in a British dossier on Iraq.
"ONA became aware in January 2003 that the State Department was doubtful of the claims that Saddam Hussein had sought uranium from Africa," the ONA said in a statement.
"ONA's reporting to the government did not refer to this State Department view and ONA did not inform the government of its awareness of this State Department view."
The statement said the International Atomic Energy Agency reported in March that documents supporting the sale of uranium to Iraq were fake.
ONA also said it was not aware of the visit by US Ambassador Joseph Wilson, who went to Africa to check on the uranium claims and who found the claim to be untrue.
However ONA said British intelligence services continue to stand by their claim that Iraq had sought to buy uranium from Africa.
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|text | handheld (how to)||
Copyright © 2003. The Sydney Morning Herald.
|advertise | contact us| | <urn:uuid:a312765c-2056-486a-b361-17a48e987c13> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.smh.com.au/articles/2003/07/10/1057783262120.html | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368696383156/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516092623-00013-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.966788 | 525 | 1.65625 | 2 |
(WZZM)- Are you sitting down? Well you shouldn't be. New research shows sitting is the new smoking.
Adults spend about 60 percent or more of their waking hours sitting down and that's not good for your health.
To talk more about the research and show you a couple of quick solutions is Kristi Tuck, a health and fitness specialist with Saint Mary's Health Care.
To watch the segment, click on the video link. | <urn:uuid:ef27d02b-e726-45e6-aabc-78731ee51017> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.wzzm13.com/news/health/get_fit/233148/185/Sitting-the-new-Smoking | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368705195219/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516115315-00007-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.946662 | 94 | 1.726563 | 2 |
Saturday, 4 May 2013
Dungeon by fantasyTechtonics
All part of crazy idea inspired by my uni archaeology and pic of troll evolution by edition like those walking cave guy silhouettes. I considered archeological digging of troll graves over aeons and seeing this in layers in earth. Then thought what if different editions or settings equaled layers. An age of Cthulhu monsters, or Carcosa, or Tukemal, or 4th ed would be for heroic ancients with 1st Ed Adnd being a more recent gritty age. Perhaps there was a dark age of technology layer where buried robots and rayguns are found. Some of my dungeon zones might work well here.
Create geology to expose the dungeon of the era you want and players will get to pre read dungeon geology. Stocking treasure would this logic too - I could use Cthulhu horror biotech treasure at one lv, divine relics from god war or evidence of past apocalypse on another. It is rumored of deeper layers from previous planes, predating this one. I could do under land maps of Exile Island. layer by layer hmmm. Glorantha would probably have done this.
Aeon of flame
Age of burning metal, not much to see. Elementals and salamanders, no sentient beings
Aoen of darkness
Age of silent infinite darkness, some water and rock appearing mostly desolate black rock metal and ash in later period. Some life formed and dwell in the depths
A great sea covered all, luminous albino aquatic life in deepest seas and caves, first land rises, Tiamat and Apsu are rulers of this age. Great Dragons and giants appeared and battled. A great glacial land mass supported monster life. Goblinoids, demihumans, trolls appeared like grubs in rotting remains of the great beasts. A new generation of gods finally end this age
A new generation of gods bring light, kill monsters, free the people and lead them to their true homes. Gods and spirits and magical beings had minglings and interacted often. Mortals appeared at end of the age before death finished the age of the gods
Horrors from the dawn of the primordial age returned and made mortals their slaves. Serpent men, Bat Men, Mage-Spiders, Reptile Men, Mind Flayers, Frogmen, Firenewts and Fish Men ruled civilization. Other alien beings came ant took slaves too, experimenting on life they found and leaving evils. Magicians of mortal races: humans, demihumans and goblinoids drove the primords back to the dawn of time and a great rebellion destroyed the civilizations of their servitor races.
Age of Sorrows
Humanoids were free from monster slavery but many hid in dungeons to survive this age of purging and cleansing. Driving back the primords turned the world into a desert. Humans who were free often became like their former masters who preyed on others. Rival dynasties of necromancers ruled the world. Mind mages formed kingdoms in the deserts where primords could not. Faith in the gods returned and the rain and powers of life returned ending this age of black magic.
Humans dwelled in caves and battled great beasts and rival humanoids in the glacier covered world. The great sun temple was rebuilt and a second great dawn ended this age and the power of the gods was with humanity again.
The Dawn Emperor spread civilization and saved humans from savagery and ignorance. Bronze overcame stone everywhere. His citadels were impenetrable. The Dynasty ends when serpent men infiltrate the royal family and the empire is torn to the ground overnight.
Third Empire arose to exterminate an attempt by the lich kings of old to return, resulting in a reborn zealous new empire, dedicated to destroying evil. It used iron and silver to slay evil. Eventually killed all the evil it could reach then internally collapsed when it turned on druids, wizards, sorcerers and other magicians.
A new style of empire arose based on trade, repelling a growth in goblinoids and a spate of evil cults mobilizing the people to unite. Various kings elect one house to be in controls theoretically but emperors have held more absolute power. New technology such as steel, guns, advanced sail let the empire re dominate the known world again. Kings and princes are mid tier aristocrats and common nobility today. The current mad young emperor is having a difficult secession (civil war). Adventurers are now being sent to dig up relics of the past for the war effort. | <urn:uuid:f2e5271a-bf95-40d8-a6ae-c98f1060af64> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://elfmaidsandoctopi.blogspot.com/2013/03/dungeon-by-fantasytechtonics.html | 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 | 0.938448 | 925 | 1.554688 | 2 |
Equal Justice Works Names Fordham Law's Caroline Hsu 2008 Public Interest Law LeaderSeptember 30, 2008
Equal Justice Works has named Caroline Hsu, Fordham Law School ’09 as this year’s recipient of its annual award for outstanding law student contribution to the field of public interest law. The Equal Justice Works Awards are given annually to honor the outstanding public interest contributions of an individual, law school dean, law school faculty, and law student. This year’s other honorees include former Senator George Mitchell, Harvard University School of Law Dean Elena Kagan and Georgetown University Law Center Professor Philip Schrag.
Ms. Hsu founded the Prisoners’ Rights Advocates program at Fordham Law’s Public Interest Resource Center (PIRC) during her first semester of law school. The student-run organization, now in its third year, was created upon a basic belief that people, no matter where they may be living, should be treated with a basic level of dignity. Caroline has worked tirelessly on behalf of incarcerated individuals to protect and further their rights and to bring attention to the injustices of the criminal justice system.
Ms. Hsu’s goal is to work to assist formerly incarcerated individuals to successfully re-enter the community. She is pursuing a post-graduate fellowship which will focus of the rights of prisoners with learning, cognitive, and physical disabilities to access programs and supports that will provide them with the skills and assistance necessary to achieve reintegration.
Fordham Law’s PIRC is a nationally recognized, law student driven organization that mobilizes law students, both locally and nationally, to contribute their time and intelligence to public service. This year the American Bar Association honored PIRC with its Pro Bono Publico Award for public service. Fordham is only the second law school to be so honored in the 24-year history of the award.
Equal Justice Works, a nonprofit, nonpartisan 501(c)(3) organization, was founded in 1986 by law students dedicated to working for equal justice on behalf of underserved communities and causes. Today, Equal Justice Works is the national leader in creating summer and postgraduate public interest opportunities for law students and lawyers as well as in urging more public interest programming at law schools.
Contact: Hillary Exter | <urn:uuid:df159d28-f4ab-4bf0-ac26-2d96786993c4> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://law.fordham.edu/newsroom/8791.htm | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368696382584/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516092622-00032-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.955479 | 468 | 1.546875 | 2 |
As the sun set on Saturday evening, double decker tourist buses cruised down a well-lit Broadway in Lower Manhattan, past the Bull statue that will be labeled “Wall Street” in photo albums, and past historic Bowling Green, aglow from lights styled as 19th-century gas lamps. The electricity Consolidated Edison had restored south of 34th Street on Friday and Saturday made the city visible again. But as bus drivers curved east at Battery Park to travel north again, they would have to negotiate a darkened Water Street where even traffic lights weren’t working. To the west, the guide probably pointed out the historic Fraunces Tavern, now partly obscured by pick-up trucks, vans, Verizon vehicles, pumps and industrial dehumidifiers creating a whirring buzz.
Click images to start slideshow:
Double-parked on Broad Street, this recovery vehicle from Rhode Island had a "Frankenstorm Recovery Team" sticker on its tailgate. MetroFocus/Christina Knight
Recovery effort vehicles and trucks lined either side of Broad Street on Nov. 3, 2012. MetroFocus/Christina Knight
On Saturday, Nov. 3, the day electricity began returning to Lower Manhattan, three Con Ed trucks were parked at the intersection of Broadway and Beaver Streets, to the east side of Bowling Green. "The New York Times" reported a city official said that ruined electrical systems meant a building at 33 Beaver St. would probably not be usable for four to six weeks. Tenants include three city agencies: the Department of Probation, the Office of Administrative Trials and Hearings and the Department of Homeless Services. MetroFocus/Christina Knight
In the Financial District, Power For Rent was contributing to the restoration work underway on Stone Street, between Broadway and Broad Street. MetroFocus/Christina Knight
Workers carry pump equipment to entrance on Stone Street, where water from 90 Broad Street was being pumped out on Nov. 3, 2012. MetroFocus/Christina Knight
This pump on Stone Street was removing water from the basements of 90 Broad Street. Water can only be pulled vertically about 25 feet. The basement levels here are about 40 feet, so smaller pumps were installed within the building to create a chain that reached the sidewalk, where water emptied onto the street. MetroFocus/Christina Knight
The Alexander Hamilton U.S. Customs House (home to the National Museum of the American Indian - Smithsonian) is at the end of Stone Street, where water was being pumped out of basements. MetroFocus/Christina Knight
A man sorted tubes on a flatbed on Broad and Stone Street. MetroFocus/Christina Knight
This machine at 90 Broad Street was called a "big ol'" dessicant by an Interstate Restoration employee who had flown in from Texas. After the basement and sub-basement of the building is pumped out, the dessicant dehumidifies the areas. MetroFocus/Christina Knight
Recovery efforts at Verizon building on 104 Broad Street. MetroFocus/Christina Knight
A worker in protective clothing lined a dumpster labeled "non-hazardous" with thick black plastic. MetroFocus/Christina Knight
Workers in protective clothing brought equipment and items such as furniture out of the flood-damaged building and to the dumpster. MetroFocus/Christina Knight
Water pumped from buildings on S. William Street rushes towards Broad Street. MetroFocus/Christina Knight
Few cars, many of them taxis, were driving the Lower Manhattan streets on the evening of Nov. 3, 2012. Traffic lights were out near the Staten Island Ferry Terminal, making negotiating intersections a careful exercise. MetroFocus/Christina Knight
As night fell Saturday at the tip of Manhattan, electricity was not on, but parked recovery vehicles and a few passing cars provided ambient lighting. MetroFocus/Christina Knight
This part of Broad Street, just blocks south of the working New York Stock Exchange, is without power. Flooded businesses here include Verizon, which has a major switching center for Lower Manhattan at 104 Broad Street. The building provides voice and Internet services, and specialized communications circuits for major companies located downtown, according to Verizon spokesperson John Bonomo. Verizon’s neighbor, the Energy Star-certified 90 Broad Street, is also flooded. Its diverse range tenants includes Manfra, Tordella & Brookes, specializing in investment in gold coins and gold bars, the Coalition of Behavioral Health Agencies, The Gay, Lesbian and Straight Education Network, and The Potbelly Sandwich Shop.
The New York Times reported on the recovery efforts at Lower Manhattan addresses on Monday, saying that the water in Oppenheimer & Company at 85 Broad Street is not expected to be pumped out until Tuesday. The building, also contaminated by fuel oil, might not be inhabitable until Dec. 1.
Verizon employees discuss the post-storm recovery of their buildings at 104 Broad Street and 140 West Street, which are critical because of their proximity to Lower Manhattan financial houses and data circuits. Video courtesy Verizon.
MetroFocus is made possible by James and Merryl Tisch, the Cheryl and Philip Milstein Family, Josh and Judy Weston, Jody and John Arnhold, The Shelley & Donald Rubin Foundation, Jean and Ralph Baruch, and The Nissan Foundation. Corporate funding is provided by Mutual of America. | <urn:uuid:a765db3e-c426-4fc7-a05d-ae2490b4fcd7> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.thirteen.org/metrofocus/2012/11/man-and-machine-in-lower-manhattan-recovery/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368708766848/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516125246-00001-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.948754 | 1,091 | 1.59375 | 2 |
The Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR) is launching as series of ads in response to the anti-Muslim hatred and misinformation that’s being spread around the “mosque” controversy. The Upshot highlights a number of other initiatives by other Muslim-American groups in efforts to counter the xenophobia and racism that’s resulted because of the right-wing hoopla around the Islamic community center. Here’s their first.
CAIR National Executive Director Nihad Awad said:
“The stepped-up rhetorical and physical attacks on the American Muslim community and Islam require a positive, proactive response that will help counter the almost hysterical campaign of misinformation by a vocal minority of bigots. . . These public service announcements have the potential to reach millions of Americans with a message of religious inclusion and mutual understanding.”
Transcript after the jump.
Everybody was inching closer and closer instead of moving farther away. It just didn’t sink in — it didn’t — guys were just crawling under beams, crawling under cars, climbing on top of things…I had a very good friend of mine, Sean Powell, and he worked in my firehouse for a while. When my friend came up to me and told me that Sean Powell was on the list, I was like, “No, he’s not.” And I took out my phone and I called him. That’s when it really hit me, I was like, okay…this is real. That’s when it hit me. I’m a New York City firefighter, and I responded to 9/11. And I am a Muslim. | <urn:uuid:af6dde1e-a73b-4950-9b07-bed167d89df1> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://feministing.com/2010/09/01/cair-launches-ads-in-response-to-anti-muslim-attacks/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368696383156/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516092623-00020-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.962679 | 347 | 1.695313 | 2 |
On January 11, the Louisiana Board of Elementary and Secondary Education (BESE) selected John White as Louisiana's new State Superintendent of Education. The appointment was made during a special called meeting in Baton Rouge. White's term as the state education chief becomes effective immediately.
Governor Bobby Jindal said, "John's done a great job for the Recovery School District and he's going to do a great job as Superintendent of Education. Improving our educational system will require bold leadership and innovative ideas, such as empowering parents with more choices, rewarding highly effective teachers, and giving our schools the flexibility to pursue the most effective reforms for students in their communities. John is just the type of passionate, competent, and committed educator we need as Superintendent to build on our record of reform. Our kids only grow up once, and we cannot wait for the system to reform itself. I applaud BESE for recognizing John's leadership and entrusting him with the responsibility to prepare our students for success in our schools and the workforce."
Jindal's endorsement of White was reiterated by other state and national leaders.
"I want to salute the Louisiana Board of Education for appointing John White as the state's new superintendent," U.S. Secretary of Education Arne Duncan said. "John is a visionary leader who has done great things in New York City and New Orleans, and I'm confident he'll do the same for the whole state of Louisiana."
"John White has developed a reputation as a proven leader in reforming education and increasing student achievement," said U.S. Senator Mary Landrieu. "He has led successful education reform efforts in some of the country's most challenging school systems - most recently, as head of the Recovery School District. John's knowledge, talents, and commitment to serving the best interests of children make him a perfect fit for Louisiana as we seek to advance education in our state."
"Considering the high expectations we've set for our students, Superintendent White is the clear choice," BESE President Penny Dastugue said. "Specifically, when we look at the strategies we're pursuing - supporting the success of teachers and principals and turning around failing schools- John's demonstrated ability to advance similar initiatives in New York City and elsewhere makes him uniquely qualified. Likewise, as head of the Recovery School District, John has earned a reputation as an honest and straightforward leader, who is genuinely committed to listening, works to resolve contentious issues, keeps his promises, and makes sure we're taking care of our business. Those qualities are of immeasurable value for our State Superintendent."
The New Orleans Agenda.com is the leading local alternative for information on News, Arts, Culture & Entertainment in New Orleans and the Gulf Coast Region.
Read more stories from The New Orleans Agenda » | <urn:uuid:7c9fb167-5160-401c-b482-0e5b8849bd5c> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.nolabeez.org/article/2012-0125-new-orleans-agenda-state-education-board-names-john-white-state-superintendent-of-education | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368707435344/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516123035-00012-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.970389 | 561 | 1.578125 | 2 |
Today is Wednesday, January 18, 2012.
Weather from Ct Weather
It's a beautiful day!
The following area residents were named to the Dean's List for the Fall 2011 semester at Quinnipiac University:
Callie Cazlan of Bethel, CT
Lindsay Walker of Bethel, CT
To be eligible for dean's list status, a student must earn a grade point average of at least 3.5 with no grade lower than C. Full-time students must complete at least 14 credits in a semester, with at least 12 credits that have been graded on a letter grade basis (A through C) to be eligible. Part-time students must complete at least six credits during a semester.
Garden Hints for January from the Old Farmer's Almanac
Remember to prune your houseplants regularly. Pinch back new growth to encourage bushier plants. Group houseplants to increase humidity. Keep away from frosty windowsills.
Police Commission, 6:30 pm, Bethel Police Department
CT Rail Commuter Council, 7:00 pm, Government Center, Stamford, CT
This Day In History from On This Day
1788 - The first English settlers arrived in Australia's Botany Bay to establish a penal colony. The group moved north eight days later and settled at Port Jackson.
1886 - The Hockey Association was formed in England. This date is the birthday of modern field hockey.
1896 - The x-ray machine was exhibited for the first time.
1919 - The World War I Peace Congress opened in Versailles, France.
1929 - Walter Winchell made his debut on radio.
1939 - Louis Armstrong and his orchestra recorded "Jeepers Creepers."
1943 - During World War II, the Soviets announced that they had broken the Nazi siege of Leningrad, which had began in September of 1941.
1943 - U.S. commercial bakers stopped selling sliced bread. Only whole loaves were sold during the ban until the end of World War II.
1948 - "The Original Amateur Hour" debuted. The show was on the air for 22 years.
1950 - The federal tax on oleomargarine was repealed.
1958 - Willie O'Ree made his NHL debut with the Boston Bruins. He was the first black player to enter the league.
1964 - The plans for the World Trade Center in New York were disclosed.
1967 - Albert DeSalvo, who claimed to be the "Boston Strangler," was convicted in Cambridge, MA, of armed robbery, assault and sex offenses. He was sentenced to life in prison. Desalvo was killed in 1973 by a fellow inmate.
1975 - "The Jeffersons" debuted on CBS-TV.
1978 - The European Court of Human Rights cleared the British government of torture but found it guilty of inhuman and degrading treatment of prisoners in Northern Ireland.
1990 - In an FBI sting, Washington, DC, Mayor Marion Barry was arrested for drug possession. He was later convicted of a misdemeanor.
1991 - Eastern Airlines shut down after 62 years in business due to financial problems.
1993 - The Martin Luther King Jr. holiday was observed in all 50 U.S. states for the first time.
1995 - A network of caves were discovered near the town of Vallon-Pont-d'Arc in southern France. The caves contained paintings and engravings that were 17,000 to 20,000 years old.
If you have some news you want to share, post it on Announcements by clicking HERE. | <urn:uuid:a6e5bfc7-561c-4316-b1de-a3cda78b5153> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://bethel.patch.com/groups/editors-picks/p/bethel-daily-briefing-wednesday-january-18 | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368701852492/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516105732-00006-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.9666 | 739 | 1.523438 | 2 |
David Figlio’s latest report on Florida’s Corporate Tax Credit (CTC) Scholarship program was released yesterday. I can’t find the report online but Ron Matus of the St. Pete Times sent it to me and you can read about it in his article.
(UPDATE: Here’s a link to the study.)
I agree with almost everything said in the article. I even agree with Mark Pudlow, the spokesperson for the teacher union when he said: “There is no quick fix for struggling students.”
The problem is that the standard for success when it comes to school choice is that it has to produce a quick fix or critics deem it a failure and declare: “we really ought to reconsider why we’re doing it.” No one demands that every other education policy produce huge gains in a single year or they should be “reconsidered.” Yes, promoters of policies may make unrealistic promises to get them adopted, but the standard for success should be long-term progress, not promises made by politicians.
So let’s slow the rush to judgment and review what we really know about the CTC program. First, Figlio finds that 92.7% of all CTC students in private schools provided a usable standardized test to the evaluation. This shows widespread compliance with the legal requirements for those students to be tested to satisfy political concerns for accountability.
Second, Figlio finds that the CTC program has largely targeted students who are significantly more disadvantaged than students remaining in Florida’s public schools — even significantly more disadvantaged than public school students receiving subsidized or free lunch. So, concerns that the program would cream off the best students appear unfounded.
Third, and most importantly, Figlio’s report does not make any claims about whether students benefited academically from participating in the CTC program. He simply provides descriptive information on the academic achievement of CTC students as well as subsidized lunch students in Florida public schools. But we know that CTC students are even more disadvantaged than those public school students and Figlio makes no attempt in this report to control fully for those disadvantages.
Figlio makes these points explicitly and repeatedly in the report: “it is important to recognize that they are not causal estimates of the effect of program participation on student outcomes. Causal comparisons require more complete modeling of the selection decisions into the scholarship program and fuller data from a baseline than is afforded using the 2006-07 school year test score collection. More compelling causal estimates of program participation will be possible following the collection of the 2008-09 school year’s test score data. The comparisons in this subsection should be interpreted as purely descriptive in nature.”
Unfortunately, most people never pay attention to these warnings and rush ahead as if descriptive information is causal. Folks wrongly conclude that if CTC students make year to year test score gains that are about the same as subsidized lunch public school students, then they must not be benefiting from the program. Nothing in Figlio’s report supports that conclusion.
To know whether CTC students are benefiting we would have to know how they would be doing had they remained in public schools. The best way to judge that is with a random-assignment study where students admitted to the CTC program by lottery are compared with students who lose the lottery and remain in public schools. Unfortunately, that research design is not possible because there was no lottery. The next best thing would be to use a research design that approximated random-assignment (like a regression discontinuity) or a rigorous quasi-experimental design that controlled for all observed differences between the two groups. But Figlio didn’t do that in this report. He just provided descriptive statistics while promising a more rigorous research design next year.
Of course, we might wonder why Figlio bothered reporting this descriptive information without a more rigorous analysis. I suspect that he was required to produce a report each year by the legislature, so he complied even though he didn’t have the information he needed for a causal analysis.
And the descriptive information is useful. It suggests that choice was no miracle cure since the raw differences between CTC and public students in academic progress were not huge. Again, miracle cure is the wrong standard for judging a program’s success.
The CTC program may well have attracted students who had been on a downward trajectory before they switched to a private school. And the CTC program may well helped those students level-off and may, over time, enable them to make significantly greater progress than they would have made had they remained in public schools. This is what we’ve seen from rigorous evaluations of other choice programs, including the most recent evaluation of the DC voucher program. But these things require careful research designs and time to show themselves. Let’s give David Figlio more time to use a better research design so that we can actually say something about the academic effects of the CTC program.
(edited for typos) | <urn:uuid:4cb4daa5-dbc5-4768-8139-f76522310c08> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://jaypgreene.com/2009/06/30/the-rush-to-judgment/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368703298047/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516112138-00024-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.963586 | 1,029 | 1.625 | 2 |
Haiti on My Mind
Catastrophic doesn’t begin to describe the Haiti earthquake’s devastation on a country already ravaged by poverty. Haiti is one of the poorest in the Western Hemisphere, if not the world. I can’t bear to watch the news footage or see the pictures of destruction without doing something to help. I encourage you to do so as well.
Text “HAITI” to “90999″ and a donation of $10 will be given automatically to the Red Cross to help with relief efforts, charged to your cell phone bill. You can also give to the American Red Cross at 1-800-REDCROSS or redcross.org.
Text “Yele” to 501501, which will automatically donate $5 to the Yele Haiti Earthquake Fund (Wyclef Jean). It will be charged to your cell phone bill.
CARE can be reached at 1-800-521-CARE or care.org.
Mercy Corp already has emergency teams deployed. Their number 888-256-1900.
UNICEF has a special page set up so you can donate to the children of Haiti at 1-800 for Kids or unicefUSA.org.
The State Department Operations Center has set up the following number for Americans seeking information about family members in Haiti: 1-888-407-4747 (due to heavy volume, some callers may receive a recording).
Follow for More Information on Twitter
More About Haiti
Although Haiti averages about 325 people per square kilometer, its population is concentrated most heavily in urban areas, coastal plains, and valleys. About 95% of Haitians are of African descent. The rest of the population is mostly of mixed Caucasian-African ancestry. A few are of European or Levantine heritage. Sixty percent of the population lives in rural areas.
French is one of two official languages, but it is spoken fluently by only about 10% of the people. All Haitians speak Creole, the country’s other official language. English and Spanish are increasingly used as second languages among the young and in the business sector.
The dominant religion is Roman Catholicism. Increasing numbers of Haitians have converted to Protestantism through the work of missionaries active throughout the country. Much of the population also practices voudou (voodoo), recognized by the government as a religion in April 2003. Haitians tend to see no conflict in these African-rooted beliefs coexisting with Christian faith.
Although public education is free, the cost is still quite high for Haitian families who must pay for uniforms, textbooks, supplies, and other inputs. Due to weak state provision of education services, private and parochial schools account for approximately 90% of primary schools, and only 65% of primary school-aged children are actually enrolled. At the secondary level, the figure drops to around 20%. Less than 35% of those who enter will complete primary school. Though Haitians place a high value on education, few can afford to send their children to secondary school and primary school enrollment is dropping due to economic factors. Remittances sent by Haitians living abroad are important in paying educational costs.
Large-scale emigration, principally to the U.S.–but also to Canada, the Dominican Republic, The Bahamas and other Caribbean neighbors, and France–has created what Haitians refer to as the Eleventh Department or the Diaspora. About one of every eight Haitians lives abroad. (U.S. State Department Background Notes) | <urn:uuid:80e2b76c-8a18-49fc-90b2-11402028f579> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.blackgirlgrown.com/2010/01/13/haiti-on-my-mind/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368700958435/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516104238-00037-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.937562 | 729 | 1.835938 | 2 |
Paul Tukey is an American journalist, author, filmmaker and motivational public speaker, who has a particular expertise in environmental issues related to landscape management and water quality. Winner of the prestigious Horticultural Communicator of the Year Award from the American Horticultural Society, Mr. Tukey makes upwards of 100-120 appearances a year across North America. Lauded for his ability to turn a mundane subject — lawn care — into a rousing public discourse, he has been featured in thousands of media outlets from Good Morning America in the U.S., to the CBC in Canada, as well as National Geographic, Readers Digest and the New York Times, which called him “The godfather of the natural lawn care movement.”
In 2006, Mr. Tukey founded the U.S. 501(c)(3) non-profit SafeLawns Foundation and in 2007, he wrote the best-selling book, The Organic Lawn Care Manual, and produced an award-winning video series titled “Making the Organic Lawn Care Transition.” In 2009, he produced and starred in the award-winning documentary film, “A Chemical Reaction,” that is centered around the first town in North America — Hudson, Quebec — that ever banned lawn and garden chemicals.
Read more about him here. | <urn:uuid:4fb02e8f-3fe8-49da-8a9d-f04baf6bc921> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.bayactionplan.com/authors/paul-tukey/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368705559639/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516115919-00040-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.961083 | 265 | 1.757813 | 2 |
In her debut appearance today at a Senate Banking Committee hearing, Sen. Elizabeth Warren from Massachusetts made federal regulators uncomfortable when she asked a simple question: When was the last time you took a big Wall Street bank all the way to trial?
"Elisse B. Walter, chair of the SEC, said that although they can take financial institutions to trial, they typically do not go that route.
"'As you know, among our remedies are penalties but the penalties we can get are limited,' Walter said. 'When we look at these issues, and we truly believe we have a very vigorous enforcement program, we look at the distinction between what we could get if we go to trial and what we could get if we don't.'"
"We have not had to do it as a practical matter to achieve our supervisory goals," Thomas Curry, the Comptroller of the Currency, which regulates national banks, added.
Warren said that she was worried that banks are simply paying fines from the profits they earned breaking regulatory rules.
"I want to note that there are district attorneys and U.S. attorneys who are out there everyday squeezing ordinary citizens on sometimes very thin grounds and taking them to trial to 'make an example,' as they put it," Warren said. "I am really concerned that too-big-to-fail has become too-big-for-trial."
Warren is not the first to express concern that the SEC is settling too many cases before going to trial.
U.S. District Judge Jed S. Rakoff, based out of Manhattan, has thrown out two huge settlements between the SEC and Citigroup and the SEC and Bank of America.
Rakoff has argued that settling without a trial was not in the public interest. The SEC, he said, "has a duty, inherent in its statutory mission, to see that the truth emerges." And that means taking some cases to trial. | <urn:uuid:d1aa998d-c8aa-4c47-ae94-99f684888205> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.npr.org/blogs/thetwo-way/2013/02/14/172045516/watch-sen-elizabeth-warren-grills-regulators-on-taking-banks-to-trial?ft=1&f=103943429 | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368701852492/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516105732-00026-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.980973 | 389 | 1.679688 | 2 |
New Zealand Christian leaders decry income inequality
Wellington, New Zealand (ENInews)--Christian leaders in New Zealand are decrying the widening gap between the lowest and highest income earners, in a country that has one of the highest rates of income inequality among developed countries.
The Salvation Army said it fears a permanent fracture in New Zealand society if policy makers continue along the path of concentrating the nation's wealth and influence in the hands of a privileged few.
According to a 2010 report from the federal Ministry of Social Development, "in 2009, the equivalized disposable income of a household at the 80th percentile was 2.5 times larger than that of a household at the 20th percentile ... In 1988, the ratio was 2.2. Income inequality rose steeply between 1988 and 1991, briefly plateaued, then rose steadily from 1994 to 2004."
The Salvation Army's annual State of the Nation report, "The Growing Divide," launched in mid-February, depicts a country divided by wealth, race and age, and criticizes governments that "deal pragmatically with the problems of the day without really ever addressing the underlying causes of these problems."
"We can't just talk about [this] and go on from year to year and leave the numbers the same; we've actually got to have a plan," Salvation Army director of social policy Major Campbell Roberts said.
The New Zealand Council of Christian Social Services (NZCCSS) is also fostering debate to encourage politicians to address the impact of income inequality through government policy. NZCCS represents six denominations -- Anglican Baptist, Catholic, Presbyterian Methodist and the Salvation Army -- who are responsible for about 500 social service delivery sites nationwide.
"Communities with less inequality work together better, are healthier, suffer fewer social problems and are more environmentally sustainable," Chief Executive Trevor McGlinchey said.
The Rev. David Clark, in his maiden speech as a member of Parliament in the opposition Labour Party, pointed to "firmly held" Christian values, ordination, and a strong sense of social justice in his desire to promote greater equality in what he described as "applied Christianity."
"My theological education and my time as a Presbyterian minister have cemented that," he told Parliament on 14 February. "My ordination shapes my decision-making. That some people have many opportunities while others have few just doesn't feel right." | <urn:uuid:16012708-acbe-44d1-b6ce-b276be1ec1e0> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.christiancentury.org/article/2012-02/new-zealand-christian-leaders-decry-income-inequality | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368703682988/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516112802-00017-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.967061 | 484 | 1.671875 | 2 |
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PHOENIXVILLE – If you visited St. Basil’s on Oct. 25, you would have seen a sea of pink.
The entire school participated in a “Pink Out” to raise awareness and money for breast cancer research. Instead of wearing the usual Catholic school uniforms, students made a donation to wear pink. During the day of the “Pink Out,” $705.60 was collected for Phoenixville Relay For Life.
In the afternoon, students and staff members gathered in the softball field while photographer Mike Miller took an aerial photo of them standing in the shape of a pink ribbon. Miller was assisted by Kimberton Fire Company. The picture will be turned into a postcard that will be distributed to cancer victims in the community to give them hope.
The idea for the fundraiser came from student council advisers Jennifer Campisi and Mary Beth Homer.
Student Council President Jessica Anthony said, “We’ve done fundraising in past years (for breast cancer) just not to this extent.”
Anthony said she was thankful that so many people donated to the cause.
“We had kids that went over the minimum amount,” she said.
Student council members worked hard to prepare for the event.
“We put posters around the school and tried to get as many pink items as much as we could,” Anthony said. “We got ribbons for girls’ hair to really make it pop.”
Students even brought in extra pink items of clothing for the students that didn’t have a lot of pink at home.
Principal Mary Cronin was proud of students and staff who thought of other people in need.
“It’s wonderful,” Cronin said. “There’s so much excitement today. Students are really in the giving spirit.”
She said students were passionate about this because many of their lives had been affected by cancer in some way or another.
The school has participated in other community service projects, Cronin said.
In a press release, Campisi said, “The students recognize that all of their contributions, no matter how small, can have an impact on finding a cure for this dreadful disease.”
During Thanksgiving and Christmas, the school conducts an Adopt a Family program in which they help a less fortunate family. Students also write letters to shut-ins. Last year the school raised $3,000 for St. Jude’s.
Follow The Phoenix on Twitter, PhxvilleNews, or like the page on Facebook, www.facebook.com/phoenixnewspaper1. | <urn:uuid:dfc5c921-c699-46ea-82e6-2fbcfc84e6d0> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.phoenixvillenews.com/article/20121031/NEWS01/121039995/st-basil-the-great-school-s-pink-out-benefits-cancer-research | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368700264179/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516103104-00001-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.974337 | 557 | 1.6875 | 2 |
There are two phases to a job search. The first phase is developing job-search skills, or the how-to part of a search.
The second phase involves using your mental energy and staying focused so you keep your search moving.
It can be tough to keep your focus and maintain a positive attitude during the ups and downs you encounter along the way to your next opportunity.
One of the most important items to look at is goal-setting.
If you’re sending out resumes and applying for positions without getting results, you may be going through the motions. That’s where looking at your goals and your plan can really help.
This is a good time to give yourself a job-search review. Here are some things to include:
- Revisit your goals. Focus on the direction you want in your job search.
- Pay attention to your self-talk. What are your thoughts when you are disappointed? Do you give up? Do you slow down your job-search activities? It’s easy to start doubting yourself and believing in rejections instead of believing in the value you have to offer.
- Keep meeting new people and maintain contact with your circle of friends.
- Make sure you are asking good questions. You may need a different set of questions to produce results.
- Follow up on every lead and opportunity that interests you.
- Don’t procrastinate.
- Join a group or get a job-search buddy system going. If you’re accountable to someone, it will be easier to maintain your routine. | <urn:uuid:cac76069-b15a-4079-96f5-51d3deeec238> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://blog.sfgate.com/gettowork/2011/08/22/reinvigorate-your-job-search/?gta=commentlistpos | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368708142388/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516124222-00009-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.940922 | 326 | 1.804688 | 2 |
The Washington Free Beacon is reporting that if anyone is conducting a war on women, it is the Obama White House. Women employees at the White House make 18 percent less of the median salary as do male employees.
This has not stopped President Obama from criticizing instances of gender based pay gaps where it occurs in the private sector.
This revelation tracks with the story Amy Sullivan wrote in Time Magazine in September 2011 that described that Obama White House as a “boy’s club” and suggested that the president has a woman problem. There has been a work atmosphere at the White House that marginalizes and ignores women, Even senior women staffers are seen and not heard during policy meetings.
This new revelation, along with the overly close relationship that the Obama administration has developed with the nascent Muslim brotherhood government in Egypt, suggests that where women are concerned, they are more valued as weapons to be used against Republicans than as contributors to policy at the Obama White House.
Obama’s trumped up war on women campaign, uses women as wmd. | <urn:uuid:0f08809d-7646-4ffb-b81d-78cc278dc535> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://moodyeyeview.com/2012/04/12/obama-uses-women-as-wmd/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368697380733/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516094300-00003-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.976247 | 213 | 1.59375 | 2 |
Do they have 12 step programs for people that love Halloween too much?
I may need one…
The cards we sent…
At the pumpkin patch!
Also at the pumpkin patch!
Our haunted house (made from a kit)
The candy corn costume made by yours truly!
Unfrosted ghost cakes for TQ’s class!
One of many new decorations purchased
months before Halloween!
Don’t assume the telephone calls are coming from another house.
When it appears that you have killed the monster, NEVER check to see if it’s really dead.
Don’t go into the basement to check the power when the lights go out.
If your children speak to you in Latin, Sanskrit, or any other language which they should not know, shoot them immediately. Although this seems harsh, it will save you a lot of grief in the long run. Note that it will take several rounds to kill them, so be prepared. This also applies to kids who speak with somebody else’s voice.
As a general rule, don’t solve puzzles that open a portal to Hell.
If you wake up from a particularly horrific dream and find yourself still alive, you probably aren’t awake yet.
Always believe the kid. Even if the kid has lied before, even if you think that the kid has been watching too much TV — believe the kid.
If you’re searching for something which caused a loud noise and find out that it’s just the cat, don’t stand there sighing with relief – GET OUT!
If appliances start operating by themselves, don’t check for short circuits; JUST GET OUT!
The weirdo is always the one who saw this coming.
Do not take anything from the dead.
Don’t fool with recombinant DNA technology unless you’re really sure you know what you’re doing.
If trees, TVs, or other objects try to consume your children, save as many as you can and then get out of the area.
Never, ever, make fun of the “odd” kid.
Don’t go camping.
If at any time the house or place you’re staying in asks you to get out – DON’T argue.
If you’re running from the monster, expect to trip or fall down at least twice; more if you are of the female persuasion and/or wearing high heels.
If you turn and look back, and you don’t see the maniac/spirit/demon/creature chasing you, stop and run immediately back the way you came because the maniac/spirit/demon/ creature is now in front of you.
Listen to the dying person. They have the best ideas.
If your companions suddenly begin to exhibit uncharacteristic behavior such as hissing, fascination for blood, glowing eyes, increasing hairiness, etc., kill them immediately.
If your car runs out of gas at night on a lonely road, and you think it strange because you were sure you had a full tank, shoot yourself. You are going to die anyway, and will most likely be eaten.
Never speak to clowns in sewers.
Castles are not normally found in the American Midwest. Be wary.
Beware of strangers bearing strange tools; for example: chainsaws, staple guns, hedge trimmers, electric carving knives, lawnmowers, butane torches, soldering irons, band saws, laser pistols, Alludium Q-36 explosive space modulators, or any devices made from deceased companions. Also, be wary of anyone driving a combine. | <urn:uuid:d29e1388-3a51-43ac-a815-733e4539d24e> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://izzymom.com/2006/10/31/happy-halloween-2/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368701459211/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516105059-00028-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.936809 | 765 | 1.8125 | 2 |
Email, Phone and Social Media Monitoring in the Workplace – Know Your Rights as an Employer
by Caron_Beesley, Community Moderator
- Created: June 27, 2012, 7:09 am
Do you know how much privacy your employees are entitled to? For example, if you feel employees are abusing their work privileges, is it legal to intercept emails or phone conversations to find out what they’re up to and confirm your suspicions? Can you ask potential job candidates for their Facebook profile log-on information?
Here are some general guidelines that can help.
Screening Job Candidate’s Social Media Profiles
There has been plenty of coverage in the media recently about companies and public sector organizations asking job candidates for their Facebook passwords as part of the employment screening process. Many of the employers who do this are in law enforcement and are on the lookout for potential illegal activity. But businesses have also been known to use this approach to get a better handle on who they are about to hire.
Although there is no federal law prohibiting this, the Department of Justice considers it a crime to violate social media terms of service and enter these sites illegally. Asking an employee or candidate for their log-on information means you and that individual are both in direct violation of Facebook’s Terms of Service which states the following: “You will not solicit login information or access an account belonging to someone else” or “You will not share your password... let anyone else access your account, or do anything else that might jeopardize the security of your account.”
Many states are also now looking to make this practice illegal.
The Bottom Line: Simply asking for access to personal passwords is a clear privacy violation and is both offensive to the candidate and unethical. Employers and managers should also be careful they’re not accessing profile information to determine an employee’s religious, sexual or political views. If it’s determined that you used this information to discriminate against an employee, you may be found in violation of equal employment opportunity and privacy rules.
Monitoring Employee Social Media Activity in the Workplace
A recent report by Gartner suggests that by 2016, up to 60 percent of employers are expected to watch workers' social media use for security breaches. Currently, no specific laws govern the monitoring of an employee’s social media activity on a company’s computer (employers are on the lookout for unauthorized posting of company content – videos, documents, photos, etc.). However, the U.S. National Labor Relations Act does address employee rights in regard to the use of social media and acceptable social media policy. There has also been a ruling against employers who fired workers for complaining on social media sites about their workplace conditions.
The Bottom Line: Provide employees with a social media policy and be sure to include information about what you consider confidential and proprietary company information that should not be shared. For more tips on social media monitoring do’s and don’ts check out this article from Small Business CEO: Considerations for Social Media Use in the Workplace.
Intercepting Email or Phone Conversations
Increasingly sophisticated ways of storing and accessing email have made it easier than ever for employers to monitor email accounts. But is this an invasion of privacy? The law is fuzzy.
The Electronic Communications Privacy Act (ECPA) of 1986 prohibits the intentional interception of “any wire, oral or electronic communication,” but it does include a business use exemption that permits email and phone call monitoring.
This exemption often comes under close scrutiny by courts, and includes several elements. Generally, if an employee is using a company-owned computer or phone system, and an employer can show a valid business reason for monitoring that employee’s email or phone conversations, then the employer is well within his or her rights to do so. Likewise, if employees have consented to email or phone monitoring (in their contract of employment, for example), then you may monitor their calls or emails.
But here’s the rub: the ECPA draws a line between business and personal email content you can monitor – business content is ok, but personal emails are private.
Tip: If in doubt, consult your legal counsel. Develop and share a monitoring policy with employees (for example, in your employee handbook). If possible, get them to agree to it. Courts often look at whether employees were informed that their calls or emails might be monitored in the workplace, whether there was a valid business justification for the monitoring, and whether the employer complied with established policy.
- Protecting Employee Privacy: Health Information Rules for Businesses
- How to Prevent and Detect Business Identity Theft
· U.S. Equal Opportunity Employment Commission: Prohibited Employment Policies/Practices
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Legal terms and rules explained | <urn:uuid:363997ba-3aac-47bc-a003-3601fccea8d0> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.sba.gov/community/blogs/email-phone-and-social-media-monitoring-workplace-%E2%80%93-know-your-rights-employer | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368699273641/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516101433-00030-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.941831 | 998 | 1.789063 | 2 |
Bryan Reed is a member of the Game Whisperer's Game Den and a teacher by day. He wrote this review for Stones of Fate from Cosmic Wombat Games
To some, the cards of the mystic tarot are a divination tool that can reveal secrets from the past, provide insight into the present, and predict the future, and to some it is all hooey, but regardless of your opinion of the cards of the tarot, Stones of Fate takes some of its inspiration from this historic deck.
On the surface
Stones of Fate at its heart is a memory and pattern matching game overlaid on a deck of tarot cards, complete with both the major and minor arcana. If you ignore the elements placed on the cards for the purposes of the game, this deck could be used as a normal tarot deck. The only aspects that distinguish these cards from a tarot deck are special symbols used by Stones of Fate placed along the edges of the cards, the point value of the card placed in the corners, and on a few cards, text that explains a special rule regarding that card. According to the box it s a 30 minute game, for 2 to 4 players, ages 12 and up.
Game play is simple enough to learn and teach in only a few minutes. Each player starts with five uniquely colored fate stones and a few minutes to study the layout of nine cards in a three by three grid on the table (six cards in a two by three pattern in the two player variant). The cards are flipped face down and the game begins. Each player on their turn can perform two actions out of three possible choices: moving or placing one of their stones into the spaces around and between the cards, peeking at a card, or flipping a card. When a card is flipped, the special symbols and the placement of the stones within the spread are used to determine who, if anyone, will win the card and place it in their collection. If no one wins the card, it is discarded. The top card from the draw pile then replaces the card that was just resolved. An empty draw pile triggers the endgame. The player who has the most points of cards in their collection at the end of the game is the winner.
Getting into it
The game definitely deserves more than one play to really get a feel for how it is played, as some of the intricacies are not necessarily obvious after a single play. That being said, the game hints at a level of possible strategy that just does not come out in gameplay. Some of the unique abilities on the cards, and the arrangement of the symbols cries out for creative stone placement to block other players wins, or forcing opponents to win cards that earn negative points, but with only two actions on a turn, and a short game, make it hard to accomplish these tasks without getting lucky, and giving players more actions would likely make the game too easy. That is not to say that this game does not require skill to win. Being able to remember the placement of the symbols on the cards you’ve peeked at before is a valuable skill, as is being able to correctly determine where the symbols on the edges of the card will be when the cards are flipped.
Most of the hardcore gamers that played the game were disappointed in the simple gameplay, but the casual gamers that gave it a go seemed to appreciate the balance of skill, luck, and strategy. While there wasn’t enough there to keep the hardcore gamers engaged, the casual gamers felt empowered without being overwhelmed. The game definitely plays better with three or four players. Players in the two-player variant seemed to isolate in one corner of the play area and avoided conflict despite the smaller playing area.
The tarot theme to the game feels a little tacked on, as if the designer already had the art for a tarot deck and decided to use the art for a card game as well. We looked for meaning in the card’s special abilities that would tie thematically into the traditional associations with those cards in the tarot, but it did not seem to be consistently applied. The art, however, was universally praised. My wife, who is not herself much of a gamer, said she would buy the game primarily based on the art, although she also found the gameplay appealing.
Making the grade
The next time I play Stones of Fate, I will likely try out some variations, perhaps changing the size and shape of the spread to see how that might affect the way the game is played. A smaller area might create a little more competition for cards to satisfy the more hardcore gamers. The ability to be creative with the structure of the game, and the fact that each game is not played with the full deck of cards, gives this game a fair amount of replayability.
Stones of Fate is an entertaining casual game that I would play again, although it would not be my first choice of filler game. It is fast, easy to teach, and like other enjoyable filler games, has a decent balance of luck and skill.
Kickstarter project starts May 24th.
For those attending Gamex, there will be a launch party on Saturday, May 25th | <urn:uuid:07365399-a33e-4b41-977d-1140bbaf706e> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://richardbliss.typepad.com/game_whisperer/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368703298047/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516112138-00005-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.974931 | 1,060 | 1.757813 | 2 |
Visual art exhibitions and events with a platform for critical writing
Whitechapel Gallery, London
1 October 2010 - 2 January 2011
Reviewed by: Hayley Boba »
When I decided to venture to London to see the Stephen Sutcliffe exhibition I expected to view a film. Described by the blurb on the gallery’s website, I was to anticipate enticing “fragments of broadcast images and the written and spoken word”. Upon arriving at the Zilkha Auditorium (the room selected to stage Sutcliffe’s work) I was met by a notice giving the titles of nine video works. Fantastic – nine films when I expected one! Or so I thought.
When sat down I encountered collaged clips and sampled snippets, forming multi-layered entities on the screen before me: ‘entities’ being the operative word. Individual and random footage formed each of the nine separate films that ran rapidly from one to another. The brief on the wall outside of the auditorium claimed that Sutcliffe’s work referenced ‘moments of British social history’ suggesting that the artist had recycled famous film clips to create video work to which the viewer could respond with knowledge. However, these apparently well known subjects certainly did not connect with me. Perhaps I’m too tenderfoot in the world of cultural history for the artist’s target audience – I had never before witnessed any of the resampled clips, with the exception of a vague recollection of a Monty Python excerpt. There seemed to be a gap between what I knew, and what the artist expected me to know. So, when met with a jumble of video clips made into a discombobulated series of films is a viewer expected to draw upon meaning or interpretation? I felt excluded because I couldn’t culturally respond to what I was watching. It made me question whether the viewer needed to understand the context surrounding what they were watching to be able to fully appreciate it? At this moment, all that I could appreciate was that I was watching a mess. Viewing this series of films was like reading a review written all
Adding to this unhinged gallimaufry of footage, and continuous film after film structure, was the uncomfortable setting of the exhibition. My initial thought when entering the room was “gosh, these chairs are distracting”. Multi-coloured chairs lined the room that was far too brightly lit for video showing. Not a good first impression. Moreover, the room acted as an inappropriate thoroughfare for members of staff wishing to get through the door next to the screen, and the sound from the neighbouring exhibition flooded into the auditorium. Initially this was exasperating but as the films became further disjointed I started to ignore the distractions, as they blended well with the head-ache inducing nature of the artwork.
The incoherent structure of the videos appeared void of narrative, but I wished not to be defeated. I needed to delve more deeply into the seemingly nonsensical thinking of Sutcliffe: what were the films about? Were they connected? What were the artist’s intentions? This was proving to be a challenging exhibition.
Occasionally a video would appear that drew upon lines of humour. One film clip, for example, showed the artist drawing a moustache over the face of Dirk Bogarde. But if laughter was what the artist was trying to provoke then the work as a whole seemed empty. Sutcliffe’s intentions must have been far deeper than simply wanting to make films for comedic effect or entertainment. After twenty-five minutes and the viewing of various short films I was far from entertained and certainly not laughing.
During the screenings the only feelings that I sustained were those of annoyance and discontentment. A video of a man prodding books with a stick, merged with incessantly irritating ‘ping’, ‘ping’, ‘ping’ noises, only added to my aggravation. I’d had enough. Just when I was ready to arise from my seat to leave the gallery in a fit of frustration, the title ‘Despair’ appeared on the screen. Despair...the exact word to describe my feelings. How did Sutcliffe know I was feeling despair? Like the annoying noises heard previously... PING... suddenly the light bulb in my head gleamed. This was the artist’s intention. Through his playful manipulation he had created a scenario where, through the use of themes such as disjointedness, confusion and unsettlement I had purposely been lulled into a nettled state.
Sutcliffe's work was intentionally beginning to provoke saplings of flustered emotion. The fact that the title ‘Despair’ was so influential in evolving this interpretation pushed me into wanting to learn more. From the exhibition information outside of the entrance I discovered that ‘one reason for making [the] version of ‘Despair’ was [Sutcliffe’s] inability to track down a copy of Fassbinder’s version’ of the novel by Vladimir Nabokov that goes by the same name. Here we find a motive. Nabokov (a Russian writer) notably unfolded methods of repetition, reduplication and echoing in his work and it became clear that Sutcliffe wanted to play on the themes of Nabokov to create his own adaption of ‘Despair’.
It was now that I realised that Sutcliffe’s work was about the methodology of making – cutting, duplicating and layering until all narrative is deliberately confused. These techniques of appropriation developed ‘complex and disjointed relationships’ which begin with that of the connection between interpretation and fact. The way that we interpret the piece – thinking that it is simply a mash of random footage – is misleading and plays on the idea that there can be a vast gap between what we see and what we believe. This was worthy of more than a single layered interpretation. Another fold of meaning to be extracted is confusion over ownership. Sutcliffe addresses whether footage can ever be owned in its final form. The way that he overlapped video clips to give them completely new life and meaning made me imagine an original chunk of footage as a seed, which will only grow into its new form of a plant after being watered by an artist. He pulls on ideas of potential and how film footage is never to be discarded, but instead to be moulded into something exciting and new.
This brings me full circle to the question triggered previously: does the viewer need to understand the context surrounding what they are watching to be able to appreciate it? In this instance: yes. Without delving into background information behind the artist and his intentions I would have not been a happy viewer. The exhibition was heavy going and certainly not for those who wished to be entertained. However, upon reflection, this exhibition may be worth a re-visit. It’s the type of work made for a thinker – and for someone who will appreciate complex methods of creating meaning. I would not praise it, however, for its visual appeal or accessibility to a passive viewer.
Currently studying Fine Art at Nottingham Trent University.
Whitechapel Gallery »
80 Whitechapel High Street, London E1 7QX
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By: Adriana Noton
Learn How to Arrange Flowers from this article about how to make a
bouquet, from the all about rose gardening Article Library! You'll soon
be making a lovely flower bouquet of your own, once you learn these
tips on how to arrange flowers!
Flower arrangements are a great way to add character and charm to a room, and making your own flower arrangements can be fun and therapeutic. There are a lot of simple tips and tricks that can help turn an ordinary bunch of flowers into a beautiful arrangement.
The first step is choosing the right flowers. Depending on what type of arrangement you have in mind, you will probably need more than one type of flower.
To start off, it is a good idea to decide whether you want a mixed arrangement or one that is predominantly focused on one kind of flower.
It is important to think about colors at this stage as well. Decide if you want a lot of colors, one main color, or two or three colors that complement each other. Regardless of what you choose to use, make sure that you check the petals, stems and leaves.
Choose fresh, crisp blossoms and look out for any wilting or brown edges on the petals and leaves.
It important to be aware of the different elements that make up an arrangement, as well as how to use them effectively. To make a rose arrangement, for example, first, you will need to choose the right vase or bowl. It is a good idea to add floral food to the water, and to change the water daily to help keep the arrangement fresh for longer.
Before adding any type of flower, it is a good idea to remove any thorns to avoid getting any cuts or scratches while making the arrangements.
Stems should be approximately twice as long as the length of the vase and should cross over each other at angles inside the vase to keep them in place. Taller stems should be used in the center.
Any leaves at the lower end of the stems should be removed and there should be no leaves covered by the water.
Making use of a foundation such as ferns or trailing ivy will make the arrangement fuller. This will form the base of your arrangement. Extra greenery like lemon leaves can also be added. Filler flowers are stems that have a lot of small blossoms, such as baby's breath. These, together with foliage will help to create a soft, full look and can round out a bouquet. The fillers are also a great way to add an extra touch of color.
When you add the roses, or any other feature flower to the vase, make sure you use appropriate color. If you are using two colors, such as red and white, distribute them so that there is an even spread without looking to systematic or patterned. Start at the outer edges and work your way in until it looks like the arrangement is full enough.
Line flowers are also a great addition to an arrangement. These are tall and give the arrangement a balanced look. Most of these have buds growing a long a center stalk, for example, stock. This type of flower also looks great on its own when used in a tall cylindrical vase, and can make a striking but simple feature in a room.
Do not be afraid to get creative with your arrangements. Experiment with different vases, and try using interesting household items like a pitcher as a vase, or put some colourful stones at the bottom to hide the tips of the stems. The options are endless.
Published At: Isnare.com Free Articles Directory - http://www.isnare.com/ Permanent Link: http://www.isnare.com/?aid=9647
About Adriana Noton: Looking online for Ajax florists? English Ivy, a
leading provider of premium floral arrangements, offers the finest Ajax
flowers and gifts for all occasions.
Arranging flowers can be quite an art! Someone that knows how to do it, can make some serious money. Once you know how to arrange flowers, you can become a Florist for instance, and have a job doing something that you love...."playing with flowers!...
You can also impress you family and friends with beautiful bouquets, now that you know how to arrange flowers.
Subscribe to my occasional News Letter for tips and advice on growing roses organically,along with some rose crafts and even recipes! You'll find new roses and old favorites.Simply "All" about rose gardening! | <urn:uuid:64b5d073-2dfe-4aa8-ad34-1e1a456b63cc> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.allaboutrosegardening.com/How-To-Arrange-Flowers.html | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368702448584/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516110728-00013-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.940655 | 937 | 1.734375 | 2 |
Successful hearing aid wearers tend to wear their hearing aids for all waking hours. Once you're used to hearing sounds again, you'll probably find you don't want to be without your hearing aids.
While your unaided hearing may remain unchanged, you'll simply find you enjoy being tuned in again to what's happening around you when you wear your hearing aids. Many people who wear hearing aids say that in addition to helping you hear better, hearing aids can actually improve the quality of your life by improving your relationships, self-esteem, and self-confidence. So you see why people who wear them wouldn't want to be without them! | <urn:uuid:0b6503ec-8263-4295-9c06-32fb45e0f0c1> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://yourerie.com/fulltext-erichson/?nxd_id=140085 | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368700264179/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516103104-00030-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.981141 | 131 | 1.695313 | 2 |
“Canada risks being swept aside.” That’s the sobering conclusion of the Canadian Chamber of Commerce after assessing the nation’s performance in a changing global economic landscape that is seeing scrappier, hungrier countries such as China and India power ahead – with no signs of letting up. “The standard of living of every Canadian depends on how well we as a people respond to the challenge,” says chamber president and CEO Perrin Beatty. “The need for action is urgent.” Here are the Top 10 reasons why the Chamber of Commerce thinks Canada’s competitiveness is flailing – and what it proposes we can do about it.
1. We lack the skills to pay the bills: “When I talk to members of the business community, no matter where in Canada, skills are an area of particular preoccupation,” says Canadian Chamber of Commerce CEO Perrin Beatty. The skilled workers we’ve got are hitting retirement age en masse – Statistics Canada predicts that, sometime in the next 10 years, seniors will outnumber children for the first time – and the young(ish) bucks, by and large, don’t have the education and skill-sets needed to fill increasingly specialized jobs. “Businesses are saying they’re unable to get the people they need, whether it’s engineers, pipefitters, or even people with basic survival skills – literacy, numeracy, the ability to work in teams – who are willing to show up for work in the morning.” The Chamber of Commerce proposes several measures, including tapping into the fast-growing native work force and thinking about non-traditional ways to keep retirement age boomers in the workplace.
2. Filing taxes makes our brains hurt: The government needs to simplify our tax system so it’s easier and less costly for businesses and consumers to comply, says Canadian Chamber of Commerce CEO Perrin Beatty. (The Chamber of Commerce estimates that Canadian businesses spend at least $13-billion just to comply with their tax obligations.) The chamber would like to see a streamlined tax structure, as well as a comprehensive review of “hundreds of exemptions, deductions, rebates, deferrals and credits in the federal tax system with an eye to eliminating special measures that are unfair or that undermine economic efficiency.”
(Luis Louro/Getty Images/iStockphoto)
3. Our Labour Code needs to be more flexible: There are about 12,000 private-sector employers falling under federal jurisdiction – these include banking, transportation, telecommunications and broadcasting – and together they employ 840,000 people. “Even the whiff of a disruption in their operations can drive customers to competitors within and outside of Canada,” says the Chamber of Commerce’s recent report on global competitiveness. The chamber would like to see the Canada Labour Code become more flexible, to allow these companies to be more competitive on the market while still protecting employee and employer rights. And, while it’s on the topic of reform: Standardizing Employment Insurance requirements and benefits across the country would reduce regional unfairness and reduce the cost barrier for small– and medium-sized businesses.
(Tadija Savic/Getty Images/iStockphoto)
4. We’re a nation divided: “We put barriers between provinces that would be illegal between countries in Europe,” says Canadian Chamber of Commerce CEO Perrin Beatty. There are barriers to mobility, he adds, requiring people who work in basic trades to be recertified just to perform the identical job in another province. And, as any Ontario wine lover who nervously smuggled a few bottles of syrah back from the Okanagan will tell you, there are barriers to Canadian-made goods crossing provincial borders. “We’re a relatively small market,” Mr. Beatty says, “and when we try to balkanize that market we simply drive up the cost of doing business in Canada.” He points to the New West Partnership Trade Agreement that co-ordinated hundreds of laws and regulations (and that’s just between British Columbia, Alberta and Saskatchewan), as a welcome step. Cheers to the recently passed Bill-C311, too, which moves to end this country’s Prohibition-era laws about booze crossing provincial borders.
(Jupiterimages/Getty Images/Comstock Images)
5. We’re tangled in red tape: A 2011 World Economic Forum report pointed to Canada’s “inefficient government bureaucracy” as the No. 1 reason that we’re No. 12 in global competitiveness. We need regulatory oversight to ensure equity, consistency and safety. We don’t need to get bogged down filling out endless reams of forms in triplicate. (The Chamber of Commerce estimates that Canadian businesses spend as much as $33-billion to comply with the layers of regulations.) The chamber would like to see the federal government implement the suggestions of its eight-month-old Red Tape Reduction Commissions Report.
(Xanthe Pajarillo/Getty Images/iStockphoto)
6. We play hard-to-get with international suitors: Foreign investors can strengthen Canada’s global competitiveness by bringing know-how and economies of scale – but if those investors want to buy a Canadian enterprise valued at $600-million or more, the Minister of Industry sits them down in the proverbial parlour to discuss their honourable intentions. That not-so-little talk, says the Chamber of Commerce, is rife with unclear terms such as “net benefit” and “strategic asset.” If a foreign investor is shown the door, they’re not told why they struck out – and that frightens off other potential Romeos. The chamber would like to see more transparency in the rejection process – and for the government to implement a three-year-old amendment to the Investment Canada Act, which would raise the foreign acquisition process to $1-billion.
(Vitalii Gubin/Getty Images/Hemera)
7. We don’t do enough to stimulate R&D: It takes money to make money – or to at least pursue the big ideas that might eventually lead to making money. The federal Scientific Research and Experimental Development tax incentive program gives small businesses cash infusions (via refundable tax credits) in order to encourage R&D spending during those early lean years that aren’t generating taxable income. That’s good, says the chamber, but it would like to see legislation open up the program so that larger companies can also access the full value of the credits. (Currently, bigger businesses can only use the credits to offset payable federal taxes; this isn’t much help during lag times that don’t produce taxable income.) Canadian Chamber of Commerce CEO Perrin Beatty says Canadian businesses need that nudge to explore new ideas and solutions.
(George Doyle/Getty Images)
8.We’re not wired enough: “E-business is an enabler,” Canadian Chamber of Commerce CEO Perrin Beatty says. “It enables you to be more efficient, to reach a much larger audience, to improve productivity internally and to hold costs down. It enables you to use your existing work force in a more productive and efficient manner.” Sounds great. One catch: “Canada tends to be a laggard, unfortunately.” To get up to speed with the Scandinavian countries, the United States and parts of Asia, the chamber wants to see the federal government update its digital economy strategy to include stimulation of next-generation networks, help SMEs more quickly adopt e-business and evaluate IT literacy education. It’s not just about digital tools, either: We need to make sure our physical equipment isn’t a candidate for Antiques Roadshow.
(Robert Carner/Getty Images/iStockphoto)
9. We’re scaredy-cats: Venture capital is crucial for getting unproven start-ups off the ground, but Canada’s VC industry has been going downhill for a decade. Thomson Reuters reports a mere $1.1-billion in venture capital was invested in 354 Canadian start-ups in 2010 – that’s a fraction of Canada’s turn-of-the-millennia investment, and chump change compared with the United States, which saw venture capitalists cough up $23.4-billion for almost 3,500 businesses in 2010. Canadian Chamber of Commerce CEO Perrin Beatty believes a culture shift is needed. He cites a 2011 study by Deloitte that asked more than 900 Canadians and Americans about risk aversion. It turns out that the Canadians who don’t like risk really don’t like it – much more so than their fellow American chickens. “It’s a big problem that requires sustained will to change over a lengthy period of time,” Mr. Beatty adds.
(Adrian COSTEA/Getty Images/iStockphoto)
10. We’re falling apart. Like, really falling apart: It’s not just Canada’s work force that’s getting old and rickety: so is our public infrastructure, much of which dates back to the 1950s – and you can’t be expected to take on the world when you can’t properly flush your toilet at home. This is largely the responsibility of municipal governments, but those aren’t usually revenue-generating machines – which means repairs and revitalization too often get pushed off. Federal initiatives such as the annual $2-billion gas tax contribution help, says the Chamber of Commerce, but it would like to see Canada develop a comprehensive, long-term plan for getting grids and roadways back up to snuff – and to develop, and manage, public-private partnerships that can help foot the bill. | <urn:uuid:22504fa7-544d-4331-b097-0fa869165cf3> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.theglobeandmail.com/report-on-business/economy/canada-competes/in-pictures-top-10-reasons-canadian-businesses-cant-compete/article4456421/?from=6598555 | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368704132298/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516113532-00029-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.937114 | 2,065 | 1.835938 | 2 |
How do I simply
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Hello, Originally Posted by zapparage How do I simply You can start by using . If you're not supposed to know this identity you can start as follows :
It Equals 1, it may take me a lil while to post the answer since I'm trying to learn latex lol.
Last edited by 11rdc11; August 26th 2008 at 11:17 AM.
Reason: oops was to late
Here is another way you could do it,
View Tag Cloud | <urn:uuid:9d845929-0859-4faf-a07b-6738a58db5cf> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://mathhelpforum.com/trigonometry/46803-simplify-trig-equation.html | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368702448584/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516110728-00017-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.952806 | 116 | 1.570313 | 2 |
Syracuse, NY.-------More than 400 people attended a silent auction and dinner at the Renaissance Syracuse Hotel Friday to celebrate the 10th anniversary of On Point for College, a nonprofit organization that helps disadvantaged children overcome academic and financial hurdles to enter college.
The event raised nearly $55,000 which will help take students on college tours, help them buy books and provide a variety of support to ensure they succeed. Since its inception in 1999, On Point has placed 1,700 students in 170 colleges.
I remember when Ginny Donohue quit her corporate job to start this program out of her car. She had no money and help.
Today, On Point has 160 volunteers and 10 staffers.
I never get tired of hearing the success stories of young people who never dreamed a college education was in their future. Read some of their stories.
Friday, On Point honored nine of its students who overcame great odds to get a college education. Photos of the honorees were displayed in the ballroom. The students are featured On Point's new brochure, "Changing Syracuse Degree by Degree.''
Lawrence Denson, a 2008 grad of Notre Dame University, is one of them. Lawrence now works on Wall Street at Goldman and Sachs. Read more about him.
Mawut Guarak, 28, one of the "Lost Boys'' from Southern Sudan, is featured on the brochure's cover.
Mawut was four-years-old when he was separated from his parents after when civil war broke out in Sudan the mid-1980s. By the time he was 10, Mawut was forced to join the South Sudanese revolutionary movement. Instead of carrying books, he was holding a gun.
"That, I thought was the end of my studies,'' he said.
He later fled to the Kakuma refugee camp in Kenya where he spent 10 years before finding a home in Syracuse in 2002. Mawut credits On Point for helping him obtain a bachelor's degree in political science from SUNY Albany and a master's degree in public administration from SUNY Binghamton.
Friday, he told the crowd how On Point changed his life. When Ginny started the program, she had no idea she would touch strangers in far away places, Mawut told the crowd.
He shared a story of how he hadn't eaten for two days when Ginny showed up one day at SUNY Albany. He was having a tough time studying because he was hungry. He told Ginny he was fine, but the look on his face told her otherwise.
She gave him a check for $40, but he couldn't deposit it because he had no account.
Ginny cashed the check, and he used the money to buy food and a chair for his bare apartment.
Mawut still has the chair he bought at Wal-Mart for $17. Throughout his college education, On Point came through with money for books, food and other things he needed.
He thanked the crowd that included Syracuse schools superintendent Daniel Lowengard, heads of local corporations, entrepreneurs, volunteers and educators. He told them that though he hadn't met many of them, they were not strangers to him because he knew they were supporting his education.
He told them that their investment in the education of young people helps change the city, county and the world.
A $5 donation to On Point, he said, helps pay for books. When someone like him gets a college education and lands a job, they pay taxes and is able to send money home to their family in Sudan, he said.
I teared up when I heard Candice Gregory talk about how she was forced to leave an abusive home at 15 and ended up in Salvation Army homeless shelter.
Ending up in a shelter was a blessing, Candice said, because she received counseling and was diagnosed with bipolar disorder.
Candice told the crowd that she spent most of her life looking for someone to love and care for her and give her a sense of belonging.
As a child, she was told so many times that she was worthless and wouldn't amount to anything that she believed it.
She learned about On Point when she stumbled into the Southwest Community Center. After she got her high school diploma, she went to SUNY Buffalo where she earned graduated with honors. She has a degree in psychology and now works with people with mental illness. She talked about all the angels she met along the way including Ginny and her mentor, Mary Ann Laidlaw.
"All this time when I didn't see a light at the end of the tunnel, On Point was there with a flashlight,'' she said.
Gene Chasin, senior vice president of Say Yes to Education, the event's main sponsor, said he was moved by the graduates' stories. He said he's glad Say Yes is working with On Point to help students achieve their dream of a college education. Say Yes is the new initiative in Syracuse.
"I'm incredibly moved by the stories of these graduates and the support they receive,'' he said. "I couldn't help but think about the untapped potential of young people in our urban areas. The synergy that exists between On Point and Say Yes is part of doing something meaningful about it.''
On Point also honored some of the volunteers and mentors for going the extra mile for the students.
I sat at the dinner table with one of the honorees------Mark Goldleski, who is in charge of residence life at Le Moyne College. With Mark's help, Le Moyne offers housing to students who don't have a place to stay. About 20 percent of On Point's students have no parents in their lives, Ginny said.
Mark received one of On Point's Campus Angels Awards. During dinner, Mark told me about Le Moyne's support for the program, but he didn't mention he was one of Ginny's angels.
Mark shared the award with Joe Robustelli, of Cobleskill College and Phil Benson, of Mohawk Valley Community College.
Three mentors received On Point's Make a Difference Awards. The honorees drive students to college and keep tabs on them during the school year.
Here are the honorees:
Phil and Carolyn Doughty: The couple drives students to college. Carolyn, a retired guidance counselor, volunteers at the Southwest Community Center. The couple also opened their Jamesville home Julius Wani, one of the young men from Sudan.
Jo Ann Reed: In the last five years, Jo Ann has mentored 30 students. She also tutors students in math.
LaSonya Griggs: She helps students apply for financial aid and volunteers for a number of causes to support the program.
Anthony Kumeiga, of Bank of New York Mellon, received On Point for Jobs Champion Award. He's credited for helping the students find jobs. One of those students is Lino Ariloka, one of the "Lost Boys'' from Sudan who also works at Bank of New York.
I was so glad to be among the crowd of people sharing in the success of young people in this community. Too often we hear negative stories about young people. It's always a blessing to hear the success stories of young people who are achieving their dreams and making a difference in our community.
What do you think? Share your thoughts here or email me. | <urn:uuid:2e046070-3517-4157-b14b-69fd601d6b86> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://blog.syracuse.com/metrovoices/2009/04/on_point_for_college_raises_ab.html | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368699273641/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516101433-00025-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.985419 | 1,505 | 1.625 | 2 |
How to Help a New Coworker Succeed
Being a new employee can be scary and intimidating. For starters, there are all those unanswered questions: What’s expected of me? Can I do the job? Will my coworkers and my boss like me, and will I like them? Is this a place where I can succeed?
“To help someone who is starting out in your company, remember how you felt on your first day. Was it a pleasant experience? If so, what made it that way? If not, were you treated in a way that increased your stress?” says Julie Alexander, C.S.P., founder and CEO of Great Days in Garland, Texas. “Very often, people feel welcome when they are included in little and big ways.”
Here are some things you can do to make a new employee feel welcome.
Help a new staff member make friends because work friendships are an important factor in whether new employees stay with a company.
To help the person make connections with others, find out something interesting about him to say when making introductions to coworkers. He may have a hobby or interest that you or others also enjoy, or he could be from a far-off city or country.
Make sure your new coworker has someone to eat with at lunch time. Sitting alone in the employee cafeteria or going to a restaurant alone can be disheartening and lonely. Lunch is a great time to get acquainted with someone new.
“The new employee doesn’t have to be your new best friend, but should be treated with courtesy,” says Ms. Alexander. “Just keep in mind how you felt at the beginning.”
Help the person succeed
“Help a new employee get a handle on her job as quickly as possible because the faster you can help her get up to speed, the easier your job becomes,” advises Ms. Alexander.
Every company has its unique culture. So, if there are company traditions, buzzwords or procedures that a newbie might not know, explain them.
“Don’t color the new person’s attitude with a negative paintbrush,” warns Ms. Alexander.
For example, you may be tempted to talk about a difficult colleague with the new employee. But Ms. Alexander advises you to bite your tongue and stop any temptation to gossip.
“Don’t bad-mouth a fellow coworker or your boss,” she says. “A new employee doesn’t need more things to worry about, and, your negative words about others may come back to haunt you.”
Because it’s easy to get overwhelmed with information, be patient. Reassure your coworker that she doesn’t have to learn everything the first day, and that things will be fine just as long as she keeps making progress.
“New employees need lots of encouragement because they’re in the midst of change,” Ms. Alexander reminds. “Praise the person often for progress and a good attitude.”
In addition, let the person know you’re available to answer any questions but don’t hover over him checking that he does every single detail correctly.
“It’s not easy to work with a new coworker and it may take several weeks until everyone feels comfortable and trusts the person will do the job correctly,” Ms. Alexander says. “However, when everyone offers friendship, patience and encouragement, the process goes much faster and everybody benefits.” | <urn:uuid:ceabba45-21a7-4cf1-95a2-4220419fa62c> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.memorial.org/your_health_resources_library_wellness_library.html?itemID=f72d1a41-84b1-4951-90ad-7a59ae02a150§ion=5&contentTypeId=1&contentId=3055&subtopicD=22 | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368708766848/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516125246-00022-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.95589 | 743 | 1.671875 | 2 |
Report: Egypt protests cost $310 million per day
BY TAREK EL-TABLAWY AP Business Writer
Friday, February 04, 2011
2/04/11 at 12:05 PM
CAIRO — Egypt's economy has lost at least $3.1 billion as a result of the political crisis in the country, investment bank Credit Agricole said in a report released on Friday, as tens of thousands of protesters massed in downtown Cairo demanding the president's ouster.
The unrest that began on Jan. 25 led to the shuttering of businesses and companies, the closure of banks and the stock exchange and the exodus of thousands of tourists. The ensuing violence almost overnight drove a nation once seen as a pillar of stability to the brink of chaos.
Credit Agricole, in one of the first assessments quantifying the damage to the economy, said the crisis is costing Egypt at least $310 million per day. The bank also revised down its forecast for 2011 GDP growth to 3.7 percent from 5.3 percent and said the Egyptian pound could see a depreciation of up to 20 percent.
The losses are the tip of the iceberg of Egypt's economic woes.
Any post-crisis government will face major challenges in rebuilding the country's image and dealing with a range of fundamental economic problems that are sure to be exacerbated by the unrest.
"The economy is at the heart of Egypt's problems," John Sfakianakis, chief economist at the Riyadh-based Banque Saudi Fransi-Credit Agricole Group, said in the report.
Egypt's GDP grew by about 7 percent for three years, before the global meltdown cooled the economy to a still respectable 4.7 percent in 2009.
Still, Egypt faced major obstacles that have helped fuel, if not spark, the popular uprising.
Poverty is rampant, with about 40 percent of its 80 million people living on or below the $2 per-day poverty benchmark set by the World Bank. Unemployment is officially pegged at around 10 percent, but believed to be more than double that — particularly among the youth. Food inflation has hovered at about 17 percent per year, raising the cost of living for millions.
The disruption to daily life stemming from the protests has only exacerbated those issues.
The vital tourism sector, which accounted for 6 percent of GDP in 2010, could "easily retreat" to pre-2004 levels of under $5.6 billion, said Sfakianakis, adding that the "shortfall in tourism receipts will have to be addressed by additional budgetary support."
Egypt's new vice president said on state television Thursday that the unrest has cost the country $1 billion in tourism revenues. In a reflection of the impact on tourist arrivals, airport officials in Cairo said Friday that the only foreigners now flying in are journalists.
Officials have announced a slew of immediate measures to help mitigate losses felt by the people, including a compensation fund for businesses damaged during the protests, unemployment benefits, and releasing foodstuff from customs without prepayment of taxes.
The new finance minister, meanwhile, told state television that the damages to businesses and infrastructure during the rioting are estimated at about 5 billion pounds ($862 million).
But the government will also be forced to boost spending to appease its population, meaning that subsidies that drain 100 billion pounds per year from the budget will remain sacrosanct.
Reining in the budget deficit will likely be little more than wishful thinking as spending ramps up and Egypt's cost of borrowing climbs. Several of Egypt's key ratings have been revised down by international ratings firms over the past week.
Also likely to be hit is foreign direct investment, a key cash cow for the government. And, while worker remittances are unlikely to be affected significantly, there is a risk, at least in the short term, of a spike in capital outflows — money leaving the country.
Credit Agricole expects that Egypt's gross public debt to GDP will revert to 85 percent in 2011 and 97 percent by 2014, compared to earlier estimates of around 70 percent for the next three years. The budget deficit could reach 12.3 percent this year from an estimated 8.2 percent, the bank said.
Sfakianakis said the economy's overall loss estimates were based on a calculation of the main components of GDP, including, but not limited to, investment losses, the tourism and construction sectors, as well as projected costs for repairs to damages and manpower hours lost.
The Egyptian pound could fall by as much as 20 percent relative to the U.S. dollar in the short-term, dragged down by a drop in investments and an increase in capital outflows, Sfakianakis said. That would bring the pound down to about 7 pounds per dollar, based on the current exchange rate of around 5.85 pounds to the dollar.
While the Central Bank would likely intervene to support the pound by drawing on foreign reserves, "political tensions, a run on local banks as well as expected dollarisation of some of the deposits will impact the short-term currency outlook," said the report.
Egypt's recently appointed Prime Minister Ahmed Shafiq speaks to the media at the Ministry of the Interior in Cairo, Egypt. VICTORIA HAZOU / AP Photo | <urn:uuid:c1b23358-4ffe-4023-a325-f334b1b9aea3> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.tulsaworld.com/site/printerfriendlystory.aspx?articleid=20110204_13_0_WASHIN348566 | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368703682988/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516112802-00003-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.961335 | 1,077 | 1.59375 | 2 |
Finding the right nonprofit for you
Take a look at small service organizations. Many local organizations need people to build homes for the needy.
It could be a result of Wall Street layoffs, the Obama administrations reinvigoration of national service or a combination of factors, but across the country, theres been an increase in interest in the non-profit sector.
We spoke to Amy Potthast, director of service and graduate education programs at Idealist.org, and asked her for advice for those looking to break into the non-profit world.
The first thing, she said, was to start noticing the nonprofits all around you the hospitals, museums, schools, etc.
But, she said, advice differs greatly based on where you are in your career.
Do your research. Research the nonprofit sector as a whole, Potthast said. She recommended checking out Idealist.orgs Guide to Non-Profit Careers, which gives advice for both career-changers and first-time job seekers.Become familiar with the sector and language. Do informational interviews and listen to the words they use to describe the work, she said. Its important to know that. Youre going to sound like an outsider with business lingo.
Match your skill set with the right association. Once you know how to fit into the sector, you can continue to research the associations that are appropriate for you and your skill set, Potthast said. If youre in accounting and marketing, we have the same jobs in the nonprofit world.
Play up your ability to multi-task. If youve gained experience in lots of things throughout your career, Potthast suggests playing that up, because a lot of times people wear many hats at small nonprofits.
Show commitment to the issue. Another thing thats going to set you apart is proof that youre committed to the issue. Having a volunteer track record is a really good idea. That should be on your resume, she said.
FIRST-TIME JOB SEEKERS
Do a year or two of national or international service. This is my first absolute piece of advice, she said, pointing to Peace Corps and AmeriCorps. Note that it takes about 18 months from the point of application to ship out for the PeaceCorps.
Look for lesser-known service options. The problem is a lot of the larger organizations (especially Teach for America) are overwhelmed with applicants, Potthast said. But there are plenty of lesser-known options. Digging a little deeper is good. There can be a mom and pop AmeriCorp in your neighborhood. Theres even a program in India called IndiCorps, thats for people of Indian descent. There are so many options.
Through one of the corps youre usually getting paid a basic stipend.
The nonprofit sector certainly has not gone by unscathed by the current economic meltdown, but Potthast ensures that theres hope on the horizon.
The veil is being lifted a little bit, she said. The organizations that are hiring are doing so cautiously, but theres no more of a risk in working at non-profits.
The main thing is to really do your homework, Potthast said. Also, making your resume is as relevant as possible. Those are the key points
Plus, she added, They want to make sure youre going to get along with them. Showing your personality and being real in the interview is really important.
Good Web sites:
Cuso-Vso.org (Canadian, but they take American citizens and place them abroad)
Atlascorps.org (take Americans abroad and brings foreigners to the U.S.) | <urn:uuid:bc844ab7-c79b-4bd9-aa2a-fc09c4b078a9> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.amny.com/urbanite-1.812039/finding-the-right-nonprofit-for-you-1.1310396 | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368696383156/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516092623-00030-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.95511 | 758 | 1.664063 | 2 |
Almost a decade ago, Catherine Breillat, one of contemporary cinema’s great provocateurs, gave us Fat Girl (À ma soeur!), a disturbing and graphic look at the pitfalls of adolescent sexuality from the point of view of a pair of young sisters. With her latest film—which recently had its North American premiere at the New York Film Festival—Breillat has returned to the subject of little girls playing with desire: Bluebeard is a very Breillat version of the well-known (and famously violent) bedtime story, about the beastly nobleman who cuts off the heads of his many wives, as well as a film about the sexual politics of fairy tales. And though at times it is a fastidiously faithful adaptation, it has a tantalizing, even hilarious twist: a wraparound device in which two very young contemporary sisters read the gruesome story in their attic and provide commentary. We sat down with Breillat while she was in town for the festival and discussed sibling rivalry, adolescence, and fairy tales. —Michael Koresky
Like Fat Girl, Bluebeard is a film about the power dynamics between sisters, both the little girls reading the fairy tale and the sisters in the story itself. Are these taken from your own sibling relationships?
After Fat Girl, my sister was very angry with me. And that has only ended now with Bluebeard. She’s seen the film and finds it magnificent, and we’ve been reconciled. But the problems between sisters are very complex. They deal with jealousy, with love, with rivalry, and their relationships are even more difficult in the teenage years, when sexuality is just coming out. It’s more complex because one of the two always seems more desirable, more attractive, while the other sister is more in the background, more of an observer, as you see in Fat Girl. The younger sister inevitably thinks she’s more intelligent than the older sister; when I was a young girl I was convinced I was far more beautiful than my older sister, and it was only as a teenager that I realized that she was far more attractive, and that was a big disappointment.
These relationships end rather shockingly in both films.
It’s normal that the younger sister wants to kill off the older sister [laughs]. Because we were so angry at each other after Fat Girl, I could take my gloves off with Bluebeard. And now after Bluebeard, we love each other again, so life is very contradictory and unpredictable.
The modern sisters in Bluebeard seem to have different ideas about sexuality—the younger is more curious and confident than the older. Are you still identifying with the younger sister?
The older sister has a very romantic vision of love—she’s old-school, if you like. She has the perspective that many young girls had when I was growing up, which is obsessing over the ring, the beautiful wedding dress, and getting married one day. Whereas the younger sister is very different: she’s much more modern, reflects a time when we are much more open in discussing sexuality with children. So she knows a great deal, but she mixes things up in her own manner; she fantasizes with an unreflective delirium, a flow of fantasies. She’s not as interested in this idea of marriage as between a man and a woman and living happily ever after as she is, for instance, in homosexual marriage, where people get married because they are in love. She’s also more knowledgeable, because the younger sister is a fantastic actress. She was five and a half years old, but she understood everything, she was able to read perfectly, and when she came on set she knew her lines by heart. Both of the girls could do five takes of the scene, one after another, without losing their liveliness, any pleasure they took in the scenes, any of the sense of grace and naturalism.
Speaking of naturalism, your 2007 period piece, The Last Mistress, had a visual realism to it, but Bluebeard is heightened, artificial, almost like Rohmer’s Perceval or Bresson’s Lancelot du lac, almost like children playing dress-up.
Yes, The Last Mistress is realistic, except what concerns the character of the mistress herself, who is shot like a star from the forties or fifties, like Marlene Dietrich in Blonde Venus. But when you’re making a fairy tale, you can be anything but realistic. Children love to wear disguises, and they project themselves through the disguises. Today, fairy tales are about marketing—kids put on costumes of Superman or Spider-Man. But if they didn’t have those images, they would turn to disguising themselves as knights or fairies.
Bluebeard is a fairy tale, and fairy tales are often violent and deal with violent sexuality. Do you feel the fairy tale has been perverted or softened by the Disney versions?
I don’t mind if children see the Walt Disney fairy tales, but only if they see them after reading the fairy tales first. I think it’s tragic. Especially The Little Mermaid, which is one of my absolute favorite fairy tales. It would be expensive to shoot that film, but I would love to. She loses her eternal life for a man who will never look at her. The original tale is sublime. I think Hans Christian Andersen wrote some of the most beautiful fairy tales. I was horrified by how she’s depicted in the Disney film, this absolutely vulgar character dressed in neon colors. The imagination of children is much less simple than that, and it’s important not to impose our well-intentioned adult visions and imaginations on children’s understanding.
Interestingly, Bluebeard showed on television in France late at night and got good reviews, but a number of reviewers alerted readers that it wasn’t suitable for younger audiences. The film wasn’t shown in prime time because the broadcasters thought the film was too violent. But both of the young girls in the film did see it, and they loved it. Is it because children are more intelligent than adults? | <urn:uuid:33081093-4a05-402e-828a-f83f6a9def5a> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.criterion.com/current/posts/1270-catherine-breillat-on-sisterhood | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368701852492/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516105732-00042-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.971295 | 1,275 | 1.539063 | 2 |
Do we really want to obey biblical law?
Recently someone correctly wrote to the Times Free Press that the Bible (Leviticus 18:22) describes homosexuality as an abomination. Certainly this person and other like-minded fold would not want to accept any violation of biblical law. Guess we should shun those who eat shellfish, as that, too, is an abomination (Leviticus 11:10).
Other biblical laws we should obey are permitting the sale of your daughter into slavery (Exodus 21:7), to put to death your neighbor who insists on working on the Sabbath (Exodus 35:2), and to own slaves if they are from neighboring nations (Leviticus 25:44).
I'm assuming that the person writing the previous letter would not think that a logical or devout person could decide to follow just the biblical law they agreed with. Can you imagine this person being the one to throw the first stone at a homosexual working at a seafood restaurant on the Sabbath? But stoning would be out if this person was one of their own Canadian or Mexican slaves.
Realize the need to vote Democratic
The conditions of this republic will never be perfect. It is for sure our elected leaders will never be "perfect" for pleasing everybody.
The need is very important for the voters to be aware that the 2012 elections can be the time for the masses of the voters to send their message in determining whether they want to continue getting the proper "balance" of this republic back "for the people and by the people."
If the voters stick to the facts instead of being "overwhelmed" by the lies and misleading misinformation put out by the opponents of President Obama, there is not any doubt they will realize their need to vote for the Democratic candidates on Nov. 6.
Instant responses doomed writing
The art of writing is gone. Communication has hit its high with instant responses from Twitter, texts and cell phones. That luxury is cool and far removed from the time when we would use our regular home lines to return calls after work, and let our parents know where we were.
As we grow more into this technological world, we lose sight of how people used to sit down and write a letter and how it was often more appreciated when received through the mail. The wait and response was not instant, but the pen on paper, the stamp, the fact that the person sat down and took time to express thoughts, and that they wanted to write rather than text "I heart u" on their cell, counted more.
Kids are completely unaware of how much of life they are missing, because they are in such a constant dialogue with gossip and texting "what is up" that nothing else is up!
We have lost reason in thinking phones are the sole method of contact. Thank-you cards, wedding announcements and "break ups" are often sent online now or through Facebook. Some of this technology is brilliant, but it's costing us to lose a vital piece of communication.
Moment of silence is the best choice
In response to the front-page story (May 23): "Commission asked to stop praying."
One of the many things I have appreciated about Chattanooga since moving here four years ago is the growing diversity -- national, cultural and religious -- of our city and county. I strongly believe that any public religious ceremony should unite our community and not divide it. If our county commissioners or any other groups of elected leaders want to begin their meetings with a religious observance, I suggest that they offer a moment of respectful silence so that any who wish can offer a personal prayer in their own tradition or, if any wish, no prayer at all.
THE REV. DR. DAVID C. BROWN,
Pastor at Pilgrim Congregational United Church of Christ
America is still a criminal haven
Is anyone surprised the Rutgers student found guilty of filming his gay roommate for the Internet was sentenced to only a month in jail? America continues to be a criminal haven, as consequences for breaking the law are often laughable. From texting while driving, to DUI, to theft, to assault and murder, there's a good chance the guilty will be back on the streets before the change of season, at most.
Law-enforcement officers have their hands tied. They do their jobs, but the rest of the system is why America is the favorite of lawbreakers. At least we're fighting unemployment with the lawyers, judges and the like who help thugs get back on their feet again. And guess who pays for their services?
I've seen America drastically change its character. Nowdays, it's common to hear stories of cheating on tests and taxes, driving scofflaws, frivolous lawsuits, disrespect and excuses for every problem we encounter, and bullies continue to control others at school with impunity. It almost makes one want to return to the '60s or '70s, before computers became the national sport and people actually talked to each other. One thing's for sure: we can't count on politicians to get us off the "slippery slope." Any suggestions?
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Among the misrepresentations contained in the Perspective article (June 3) by Rhonda Swan, "Lost in Translation: Remove the Bible from ... | <urn:uuid:45ad0b08-cf17-4737-a5b3-2748977fcc7b> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.timesfreepress.com/news/2012/may/29/0529b-letters-to-the-editors-chattanooga/ | 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 | 0.966663 | 1,142 | 1.515625 | 2 |
How do you put a price tag on memories? That’s what I wondered this past weekend as I sorted through years of treasured clutter that I thought I couldn’t separate with only later to see dollar signs flashing as I prepared for my garage sale.
For the third time in my life, my home became a mini mall. The adage, “One man’s trash, is another man’s treasure” is wrong. My treasure is another person’s trash. They’re not willing to pay for the sentimental value.
I must confess, however, there were a few moments when I wasn’t very sentimental myself, like when I sold a microwave for two dozen tamales. I posted this on Facebook and a friend, Sharon Sisneros-Duran chided me, saying, “You’re not supposed to spend money at your own garage sale! You’re supposed to make money!”
In defense, I responded, “The microwave was $20 and the tamales were $10 a dozen. A girl’s gotta eat!”
In another memorable garage sale moment, a neighborhood kid determined to spend money asked what 50 cents could buy. I helped him choose a paperback on Selena. When I told his sister, she asked, “Selena Gomez?” I said, “No, Selena the Tejano singer.” She just looked at me blankly, sending a loud and clear message that I’m so old school.
Helena Rodriguez is a freelance columnist. Contact her at: [email protected] | <urn:uuid:ebc7673b-2c98-47c2-8b84-904ae4083cdd> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.pntonline.com/cms/news/story-500011.html | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368699273641/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516101433-00031-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.956229 | 348 | 1.664063 | 2 |
It is indisputable that the Internet, with its ever-expanding base and social media platform, is an important aspect of any marketing scheme. But a new study indicates that good old-fashioned networking in person is still valuable and vital to the success of both small- and new-business owners.
According to the August 2012 study commissioned by MOO.com, a Providence-based, online printing company specializing in business cards and business-related printing, in-person networking is more valuable to driving new revenue for small businesses than its online counterpart.
Small-business owners clearly see an economic impact due to networking, as nearly 90 percent reported it has resulted in “at least some” new business, and nearly one-third said it has brought “a lot” of new business to their company.
Of the small-business owners surveyed, 44 percent believe if they were to hand out 100 business cards it would generate a sum of $5,000 or more in new revenue.
The study was performed by Ipsos Observer of New York City, a global independent market-research company that specializes in advertising, marketing and media research. A sampling of 1,007 American respondents were interviewed between July 30-Aug. 8, 2012 for the study.
“It was an online survey of the general population of those 21 years old or older, those working that have a business card,” said Keita H. Williams of Atomic PR in New York City on behalf of MOO.com. “But there was also a subset specifically for small-business owners.”
“There were a lot of interesting questions asking how people use the social media, how they follow-up both in person and online, the impact of your presence in person and how you present yourself, even what people look for when networking. In effect it was a state-of-the-union of networking in general,” she said.
Among the findings:
• Seventy percent of those surveyed engage in online networking through the standard social media platforms such as Facebook and Twitter, but oddly, only half list their social network sites on their business cards; furthermore, only one-third find social media “very valuable” to their business. | <urn:uuid:63419c82-f3f4-4d3a-8bae-91461ba62912> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.pbn.com/Survey-No-substitute-for-in-person-networking,84413?category_id=129&list_type=most_viewed&sub_type=stories,packages | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368710006682/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516131326-00020-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.975074 | 460 | 1.695313 | 2 |
U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton praised the Libyan people Monday for their efforts to rid the country of the rogue militias blamed for the killings of four Americans this month, including the U.S. ambassador.
"The people of the Arab world did not set out to trade the tyranny of a dictator for the tyranny of a mob," she said here in a speech to the Clinton Global Initiative. "There is no dignity in that. The people of Benghazi sent this message loudly and clearly on Friday, when they forcefully rejected the extremists in their midst and reclaimed the honor and dignity of a courageous city.
"They mourned the loss of Ambassador Chris Stevens, a friend and champion of a free Libya, and his fallen comrades. They are not alone. People and leaders from across the region and the world and beyond have spoken in recent days against violence."
Clinton spoke as a 48-hour deadline approached for unauthorized militias in and around the Libyan captial, Tripoli, to withdraw from property belonging to the former regime under Moammar Gadhafi.
In her speech, she referred to Friday's rally in the eastern Libyan city of Benghazi where hundreds of protesters took over the headquarters of Ansar al Sharia, an Islamist militia that has been linked to the attack at the U.S. Consulate in Benghazi that killed Stevens and three other Americans.
Ansar al Sharia is blamed for organizing the protest outside the consulate against an inflammatory video that mocks the Prophet Mohammed and that may have served as a cover for heavily armed militants to launch their attack on the complex. Libyan authorities have detained eight people including Ansar al Sharia members, Libya's prime minister said last week, though he added that not all the suspected attackers came from one specific group.
Ansar al Sharia is among the militias under orders to withdraw from military compounds, public buildings and property belonging to members of the former regime. So far, there has been no resistance from any of the unauthorized militias, a spokesman for Libyan Prime Minister Mustafa Abushagur told CNN late Monday.
The Libyan army has vowed, if necessary, to "use force to carry out these orders," the state run LANA news agency reported shortly after Libya's military issued the deadline late Saturday.
The Libyan government has already begun its effort to impose control: army troops raided a former military base in Tripoli on Sunday, kicking out a rogue infantry brigade and detaining its members. And two Islamist militias -- Bou Salim Martyrs and Ansar al Sharia -- have agreed to disband, state-run media reported this weekend.
Militias and other unauthorized armed groups have been a growing concern in post-revolution Libya, however the issue didn't gain much attention until this month's attack at the U.S. Consulate in Benghazi.
Just three months ago, the head of the U.S. Africa Command warned of a growing threat from al Qaeda and other militant groups in Libya.
"There is a real concern in Libya. As Libya is coming out of the revolution and forming its new government, there very clearly are those who wish to undermine the formation of that government," said Gen. Carter Ham in a speech to senior military and civilian officials from Africa, Europe and the United States.
"We see some worrying indicators that al Qaeda and others are seeking to establish a presence in Libya," Ham warned. Ham often worked closely with Stevens, the U.S. ambassador to Libya.
The consulate attack underscores the power vacuum across Libya since the toppling of Gadhafi's regime last year, one analyst told CNN.
Fighting groups that battled Gadhafi have stepped in to maintain law and order after the fall of the regime, said Frederic Wehrey, a senior associate in the Middle East Program at the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace.
The fledgling government is in a bind, he said, as officials try to demobilize militias and fold these groups into government security forces.
Militia members across Libya remain loyal to their groups and distrust the new government's authority, in part because of the "taint" of a link to the Gadhafi regime, Wehrey said.
In a February report, Amnesty International said militias in Libya were committing human rights abuses with impunity, threatening to destabilize the country and hindering its efforts to rebuild. | <urn:uuid:2a5164af-aaa8-4483-aab1-71c7c574850d> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.news4jax.com/news/Technology/Clinton-praises-Libya-for-reining-in-militias/-/4882254/16719084/-/u506akz/-/index.html | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368697380733/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516094300-00004-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.966459 | 880 | 1.609375 | 2 |
The Manufacturers Alliance for Productivity and Innovation (MAPI) issued the results of a new survey that confirm what most economists and business people already suspect. In its new outlook about the prospects of its members, MAPI researchers concluded:
Manufacturers would be negatively impacted if Congress fails to prevent the government from going over the fiscal cliff; out of related concerns, many companies have delayed investment and/or hiring.
There is a school of thought that many businesses already have delayed investment and hiring. Whether those decisions were made last month or will be made next month, the prospects for job growth in the fourth quarter have become close to nil.
Hope continues, in some circles, that the economy can add 150,000 jobs in each of October, November and December. Depending on what happens to the size of the national workforce, unemployment may tick down to 7.7% or 7.6%. The chances that will happen have become longer and longer. The Wall Street Journal has just released it own poll of economists that showed:
On average, the 48 respondents, not all of whom answer every question, expect the jobless rate will still be at 7.8% in June of next year — matching the September figure released last week. The reason for the stagnation in the job market is expectations for lackluster economic growth during the rest of 2012 and into 2013. Through the first half of next year, the average forecast is for growth in gross domestic product below 2% at a seasonally adjusted annual rate.
One interpretation of the WSJ data is that it would take very little to tip the economy back into recession. The effects of the fiscal cliff could be worse than the WSJ or the MAPI projections say. Another perspective on a likely lack of recovery is the Congressional Budget Office prediction that the fiscal cliff could cause gross domestic product contraction early in 2013.
Taken all together, there are almost no groups of economists, associations or independent government entities that see anything other than tiny growth or a GDP retreat. That was not the case a quarter ago, but the reality of an economy in disintegration has finally set in.
Douglas A. McIntyre | <urn:uuid:69b6c664-b126-47fb-be90-559c8de83737> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://247wallst.com/2012/10/12/more-fiscal-cliff-concern/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368696382584/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516092622-00024-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.963543 | 435 | 1.796875 | 2 |
Housing and homelessness a prominent issue at Youth Conference
Opening conference, CWUYouth national chair Ryan
Case described the achievement of the youth section over
the past twelve months, and the need to do still more in 2013. He
introduced the CWUYouth "Review of the Year" - a stirring
resume of 2012 that can be viewed on http://www.cwuyouth.org/.
Vice chair of campaigns for Young Labour Bex
Baileythen called for reform of the private rented sector,
for more houses to be built and to get those houses presently
uninhabited back into use.
National youth officer Simon Sapper underlined the link between poor housing and bad health. He quoted the Kings Fund as saying that there is a £600 million health cost due to bad housing. Simon also suggested buildings in high streets could be reclaimed for residential use.
The CWU have made links with the Labour Party front bench, shadow chancellor Ed Balls pledging to build 100,000 new homes.
Login to your CWU Youth profile below. | <urn:uuid:0f8de4c8-0349-456a-9867-c868fd9caf96> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.cwuyouth.org/news/archive/housing-and-homelessness-a-prominent-issue-at-youth-conference.html | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368705953421/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516120553-00018-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.951102 | 220 | 1.609375 | 2 |
Today we spent the day in a poor neighborhood in Uruguay. We witnessed poverty that most of us cannot fathom. Amongst the dirt, garbage and poor conditions, students began to build the foundation for 3 homes. It was an amazing experience and after the initial shock of our surroundings, we quickly got to work on building a home for these families. These homes will provide 3 families with shelter and dignity.
The families that we are building the homes for are working alongside us and welcoming us into their lives. We are sharing hugs, kisses, playing with their children and using what little spanish we have to communicate.
Tomorrow we finish building the home and we will have welcome home parties for all of the families. My group took pictures of the family, had it developed and framed and will give it to them tomorrow to display with pride in their new home. They told us that this will be their first family photo.
After we complete the homes tomorrow, we will spend Thursday with the Jewish community and Friday will be spent working on a farm that helps families feed and sustain themselves.
It is truly an unbelievable experience, however, the poverty and conditions were are witnessing are tragic and disturbing. | <urn:uuid:9202bd0d-fd88-48cd-95e1-5f17bca6bcdc> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://marylandhillel.wordpress.com/2009/03/19/46/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368711005985/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516133005-00020-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.980019 | 240 | 1.84375 | 2 |
As a change agent and sustainability advocate, I spend a lot of time asking people to change their habits. I would love to see all of us (me included) adopt lifestyles that are healthier, more fulfilling and have less environmental and social impact.
Of course, I know from my own personal experience how hard it is to change habits. So I think it is important to celebrate successful behaviour change and try and reflect on what makes successes possible. Here, then, is a reflection on my own recent success in taking up exercise after a long period of poor fitness.
Six months ago, I was not doing any exercise other than walking to and from the train station. A few weeks ago, I completed the Noosa Half Marathon in a time of one hour and 43 minutes. What made this fairly rapid change in behaviour possible?
Working out your goals
I started running along my local beach in November 2011. My first runs were fairly half-hearted affairs, with little real purpose to them. In partnership with my wife I had committed to a better diet and had started to lose some weight, and I knew I wanted to be fitter and healthier, but those were vague objectives. Some of the impetus for starting came from wanting to set a good example for my kids so that they would grow up healthy. Some came from wanting to look better and lose the ‘spare tire’ developing around my waist. But I lacked a clear goal.
My attempt to start a new habit of regular running could have easily failed early on if I hadn’t found a more specific goal to aim towards. My wife wanted to run in the Noosa Half Marathon with some of her training group from Thirroul and we decided to travel up there as a family and have a holiday afterwards. I made a commitment to run in the 10 kilometre event. This felt like a stretch goal for me, given that I couldn’t even run 5 kilometres at the time. But it felt achievable – I had 5 months to train and prepare after all.
Having a clear goal to work towards helped me to take running more seriously and to measure my current behaviour against a desired future behaviour. It helped me make sense of what I was trying to achieve and provided strong motivation.
Reflecting on this experience, I think it’s rare to wake up one day with a clear goal to change your behaviour and then to successfully act to achieve that goal. Life is messier than that. We often get started on a change with little more than vague intentions and it’s our success in clarifying our goals along the way that helps to determine whether the change sticks. Certainly, that’s been the case with my running.
Flexibility and adaptability
While it is great to have a clear goal, the goal you start out with may not be the right one. Or it may turn out to be just a stepping stone on the way to the next goal. In my case, I found that my running improved rapidly and that my goal of being able to run 10 kilometres wasn’t challenging enough. I needed a revised goal that would provide a continuing challenge. I committed to running in the Half Marathon (21.1 kilometres) alongside my wife.
Now that I’ve met that goal I will again need to adapt. While the goal was crucial to get me started, I now feel like I will be able to keep running regularly because I enjoy it. The habit is established now and just needs to be maintained.
As well as being flexible with our ultimate goals, I think it’s important to be flexible and forgiving along the way. There were plenty of weeks when I didn’t quite manage to fit in all of the training runs I was supposed to. But I did enough to keep making progress and listened when my body was telling me to ease back in a particular week. This became particularly important when I started to battle with injuries.
Timely feedback about a behaviour can be really important when you are trying to change your habits. It’s helpful to know whether you are improving and how you are tracking against your goals. If the feedback is positive and rewarding, then it can help to reinforce and strengthen the new habits.
I used a mobile phone app with GPS to keep track of each run and to maintain a record of my progress over time. Before a run, I could set a target time or distance to achieve. There were plenty of times when I wanted to stop during a run but having set a specific goal at the start I managed to push myself to keep going.
During a run, I received verbal feedback about the distance I had covered, the time I had taken and the pace I was running at. As I got to know my capabilities better, this feedback became increasingly important to help me to pace myself over the course of a run.
After a run, the app provided words of encouragement, delivered by well-known athletes, particularly when I had achieved a personal best. While the messages were a bit cheesy, it became quite motivating to try and beat my records and see what message I would get each time. The messages we each got became a bit of a running joke between my wife and I, but having this instantaneous feedback added interest to the process and allowed me to clearly track my progress over time.
Whenever we’re trying to change our behaviour, we need to know that we’re heading in the right direction and the sooner we get the feedback, the more useful it is. Immediate, positive feedback helps to reinforce our behaviours and establish new habits.
A supportive group
Another factor that helped me a lot was having a supportive group around me. My wife was training for the same race so we supported each other along the way. We each had to fit in 3 or 4 runs a week and this meant a lot of juggling in our schedules. If we hadn’t been in it together, it would have been much harder to make it work.
There was also a whole group of people from Eager Fitness in Thirroul that were travelling up to Noosa for the race and we all egged each other on. There is plenty of evidence that publicly committing to do something and having a supportive group to hold you accountable is one of the most reliable ways to change your behaviour. It certainly worked well for me in this case. We shared running tips, commiserated when a run didn’t go so well and had a lot of fun along the way. Running became a social activity, instead of just an individual pursuit.
One habit at a time
One of the strategic decisions I made when I started running was to focus solely on running. I knew from past experience that it’s easy to try and change too much at once and to end up doing none of it well and slipping back into old habits. So I decided to focus on changing just one habit at a time. I wanted to get good at running and establish it as a habit before I tried adding in other types of exercise.
At times I would have liked a bit more variety in my exercise regime. But to be honest, it would have been hard to fit it in – training for the half marathon meant 3-4 runs per week and towards the end they were getting up to two hours long. I’m glad I had a singular focus on running so that I didn’t get distracted.
The right habits for you
None of the things above would have worked if running hadn’t been a habit that I enjoyed. We’re all different and the kind of exercise that we enjoy varies too. Running turned out to be the right habit for me – something I enjoyed enough to stick at through the hard times when every step hurt and I wanted to give up. For someone else, it might be cycling, or swimming or gym work.
The tricky thing is working out which habits are right for you and I think that this means you need to stick with something for at least a few weeks. My first few runs were agony. People kept telling me about the ‘runner’s high’ but all I seemed to be getting was a ‘runners low’, which made we want to collapse on the couch for the rest of the day. I stuck with it because there were patches during each run that I really enjoyed, when I had a rhythm going and it was a beautiful day. I was getting enough out of it to sense that running might be something I could get really good at. Eventually, I did start to experience a runner’s high and to enjoy my runs more and more. But if I hadn’t started to enjoy it after a few weeks, I would have dropped running in favour of another exercise.
Because my work is about creating change, pursuing this personal change in my habits has been a very reflective experience that has helped me to empathise with others that are trying to change their behaviour. Living sustainable lifestyles is not easy but it is possible to make big changes if you can surround yourself with supportive people and mechanisms like those I’ve described above. I would love to hear about your own experiences with changing behaviour in the comments. | <urn:uuid:6406570b-7486-4bd9-bdd5-572ff92a32fc> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://chrisriedy.me/2012/05/28/lessons-from-changing-my-own-behaviour/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368700958435/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516104238-00022-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.983118 | 1,889 | 1.609375 | 2 |
My four year old daughter loves Cheerios, and last night, my husband brought home a new box. Excited for breakfast this morning, we got it out. Here’s what we saw on the front: Shrek, Puss In Boots, and Donkey, 3 male characters from “Shrek.”
Besides “Shrek,” there are 3 other Cheerios collectible DVDs where we can “catch up with all our favorite DreamWorks characters.”
Unlike other cereal brands that have their own mascots, a cast of no less than 100% male characters, Cheerios borrows its crew from DreamWorks. But, apparently, these favorites don’t privilege females either, to say the least. “How to Train Your Dragon” pictures a boy and his male dragon, the two stars. We do see a girl riding bitch. Then, there’s “Kung Fu Panda” starring…Kung Fu Panda! And finally, Madagascar showing 6 male characters: the zebra, lion, and 4 penguins. Where is the hippo, the Minority Feisty in that movie?
Hippo does show up in the “fame game” on the reverse side of the box.
See, there she is down on the left. There are 8 characters and she is the only female. The game your kids play is “match each character to what they are famous for.” While characters are known for “Training the Furious Five” or “Being the Dragon Warrior,” what’s the hippo known for? “Loving a Giraffe.” No joke. Incidentally, my six year old daughter told me that hippo’s feelings are not reciprocated; giraffe never wants to dance with her.
See that little box to the right with the Croods character? He’s one the males from that movie too.
I write this a lot, but if this Cheerios box were one of many images kids see, it would not be a big deal. But again and again, kids see females go missing. It’s totally normal in their world. They don’t think anything of it and neither do we. But females are half of the population, so why are they presented as a tiny minority in kidworld practically everywhere outside of the Pink Ghetto? It’s an annihilation that acclimates a whole new generation to expect and accept a world where females go missing. Hey, Cheerios, can you make at least half of the characters on your box female? There’s no reason for the imaginary world to be sexist.
There is a lot to love and admire about “Wreck-It Ralph.” In many ways, both conspicuously and more subversively, the movie challenges gender stereotypes. That said, the gender matrix– a sexist framework that dominates animated films made for children– remains intact. Watching “Wreck-It Ralph,” for me, is like reading the Greek Myths; there are strong, complex females to admire but they are only permitted to demonstrate their power within a firmly established patriarchy.
Vanellope von Schweetz is such a cool Minority Feisty. She is smart, funny, daring, talented, compassionate, and vulnerable. She kicks ass but also has a huge heart. Vanellope is voiced by one of my favorite comedians, Sarah Silverman, and let’s just say, those two have a lot in common. Icing on the cake: Vanellope saves Ralph’s life with her speed and smarts. The cross-gender friendship between Vanellope and Ralph is the heart of the movie.
Vanellope is not the only Minority Feisty to love in “Ralph.” Sargeant Calhoun, voiced by Jane Lynch, also plays a complex and cool role. She is a fierce military woman but also passionate with a strong moral fiber.
A third Minority Feisty is Moppet Girl who hangs out at the arcade. Though her gender is a minority in the arcade crowd (I know, I know, that’s how it is is the “real world”) she is there and delivers the key line in the plot. Moppet Girl tells the arcade owner that the Fix-It Felix game is broken. She is also the character who provides the plot bookend, giving a fist bump to Vanellope at the end of the movie when she returns to her rightful position as ruler. It is a rare scene in animation to see two females interacting with each other, expressing power and victory. To put that scene in perspective, the awesome Minority Feisty of “Puss in Boots,” Kitty Softpaws, never meets any of the other 4 females in the movie.
More coolness: One of the crowd scenes– in Vanellope’s game, Sugar Rush– is female dominated. The trio of girls who actually get to speak in that crowd are a stereotype, the trifecta, of mean girls: one bitchy leader flanked by a pair of followers (as seen in “Mean Girls,” “Heathers” “Never Been Kissed,” and many more “chick flicks”.)
But still, females dominating a crowd scene– a crowd scene of race car drivers, no less– is nothing to sneeze at. Those cars may be made out of cookies and candy, the drivers may have names like Taffyta, reminiscent of “My Little Pony” but, still, progress noted.
There are still more depictions of female power in “Ralph.” A few weeks ago, I posted about “riding bitch:” how whether a female in kidworld is on a magic carpet (“Aladdin”) a dragon (“How to Train Your Dragon”) or a hippogriff (Harry Potter), she’s is almost always found behind the male. The message is: the boy leads, the girl is along for the ride. Not in this movie. In “Wreck-It Ralph” Sargeant Calhoun piloted some kind of motorized, flying surfboard and a space ship while Fix-it Felix rode shotgun. Not only was Felix in the passenger seat, but he gazed, admiringly at Calhoun as he watched her do her stuff. Calhoun was shown as attractive and powerful simultaneously. That, my friend, is almost never depicted. Vanellope, herself, becomes a race car driver. She is also shown in the driver’s seat with Ralph behind her. Ralph does teach her how to drive (when he doesn’t know how either) but her skills surpass his and he is shown admiring her for her talent. (I cannot find images on the web of Calhoun piloting with Fix-It Felix by her side or Vanellope driving with Ralph in the back. If you do, please send me the link.)
But here’s the gender matrix. Even breaking all these sexist barriers, Ralph is clearly the protagonist. The movie is named for him. He’s the hero. Fix-It Felix is the “good guy” to Ralph’s “bad guy.” The real bad guy, the villain of the movie, Turbo, is also male. Turbo masquerades as King Candy but when Vanellope is restored to her rightful role as ruler, she is “princess,” not “queen.” In an often used cliche in children’s movies trying to straddle the princess-empowerment image, Vanellope tears off her puffy, pink dress. Later, in the movie, when she has to wear the dress to attend a wedding, she is uncomfortable and scratches her neck. (I actually appreciated that detail much more than the overused “rip off your princess-dress/ corset” cliche. Another awesome factor: the toys from the movie. As far as I can see, the Vanellope figure is shown in her regular clothes or driving her car, not wearing the princess outfit she hates in the movie, which is, unfortunately, how Disney sells Mulan.)
The Bad Guy Anon meetings were hilarious and creative. I was cracking up watching them but these scenes fortify the sexist matrix.
The whole thesis of the movie is about being a bad “guy.” There was only one female in the bad “guy” group and she didn’t get a single line. It is mostly that cast of characters that made the poster that is all over San Francisco.
The bad female is not on this poster, nor is Vanellope, Calhoun, and Moppet Girl. When I posted earlier about the sexist poster, “Wreck-It Ralph” fans responded with hundreds of angry comments on Reel Girl and all over the web. Their first complaint was that the movie features strong female characters. It does. But the male is still the lead. That is what this poster clearly shows. That is why the poster was created to look this way and why the film is titled for Ralph.
Also, the poster is its own media. Even if you don’t see the movie, your kids see the poster on buses and looming over them on the sides of buildings. And again, if 50% of posters around town featured females, there would be no problem with “Wreck-It Ralph.” But, “Wreck it Ralph” fits a pattern, echoed and repeated, where males star and females are sidelined or missing.
Commenters on that blog post also told me the movie is called “Sugar Rush” in Japan. I think that’s pretty cool, but it’s still not called “The Racer, Vanellope” and it’s the U.S. version that sets the cultural standards here. Also, once again, Ralph narrates, the movie is Ralph’s story. Vanellope is his friend.
Why is the gender of the protagonist so crucial? We are all the heroes in our own lives. Again and again, with these films, girls see that there is a limit, a ceiling, to their potential, and it is marked with a male. No matter how important they are or how big a role they get to play, there is a guy who gets more.
Reel Girl rates “Wreck-It Ralph ***HH*** Take your kids to see this movie!
Update: A commenter tells me one of the 3 mean girls is, in fact, a boy. The one on the left. Beggars can’t be choosers, and I claimed claimed RF in spite of evil ways, but she is a he. | <urn:uuid:92c04a88-d3cd-4e51-937f-ddb1eca823d9> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://reelgirl.com/tag/kitty-softpaws/ | 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 | 0.957139 | 2,289 | 1.5625 | 2 |
October 18, 2004
Student project’s aim is more welcoming shelter
Sacramento State students have joined forces with the Salvation
Army in a project to revamp its homeless shelter and in the process are learning
about much more than design.
Professors Gwen Amos, Johanna Latty and Jill Pable are leading their students in a service learning project to redesign the Salvation Army’s “Center of Hope” Social Services Center in downtown Sacramento. The project was coordinated by the University’s Office of Community Collaboration.
“It’s about transforming the psychology of the place,” Pable says. “About changing how people feel when they are in the space.” Pable’s interior design students along with Amos’ graphic design and Latty’s photography students are working on plans to make the 132-bed, functional-yet-spartan facility into a warmer, more comfortable place.
The shelter takes in homeless clients through Salvation Army programs and from the County of Sacramento for a maximum of 60 days with the goal of finding at least semi-permanent housing for them. Clients are screened by shelter staff in a reception area and then assigned a bunk and locker inside one of the four-person cubicles at the facility. “This place wasn’t designed to be a shelter,” says Larry Dayton, director of the facility. “It just turned out that way.”
Students in one of Pable’s advanced interior design classes have been divided into groups and assigned the task of modifying the shelter. “It’s a great project for my students. They’re literally designing everything from office space to dining commons to dormitories.”
Each group will ultimately produce two plans for the shelter: a “visioning” plan that assumes a budget adequate to create an entirely new facility over five years, and a more practical, grant-based plan with a $500,000 budget that deals with the immediate needs at the facility.
Solutions offered in the “visioning” plan may include the addition of medical and dental services for clients, a kennel for their pets and even replacing the current single-story shelter with a multiple-story facility. The shorter-term plans may include an interim health care section and bringing the entire facility into compliance with the Americans with Disabilities Act. “We’re looking at something reasonable that would still make an impact,” Pable says.
Included in both plans is the installation of a work by Amos’ graphic design students and three of Latty’s advanced photo students. Dubbed a “hope wall” by Amos, the work will include design elements and written stories of shelter clients and their photos. The piece will grace the reception area of the shelter with the goal of making the clients feel valued, giving them an investment in the space, according to Amos.
“It’s not just ‘Paint the wall blue and it will look better’—that’s not a solution,” says Amos. “We’re working on a new attitude, not just a new image. The work will be aesthetic as well as practical.”
In addition to working on the wall, Latty’s photo students are documenting the shelter, its clients and the ongoing project. “It’s very difficult work, but rewarding to the students. Technically and mentally they’ve made leaps,” says Latty. “I think they’ve learned so much about other people, perhaps people they’ve never had any contact with.”
Pable echoes the idea of student growth. “I honestly think the most valuable thing that will come out of this is that the students will have worked with homeless people.”
In its beginning stages now, the project will close with a presentation to Salvation Army officials in December. The professors plan an on-campus gallery show chronicling the work in January.
California State University, Sacramento Public Affairs
6000 J Street Sacramento, CA 95819-6026 (916) 278-6156 [email protected] | <urn:uuid:f73b413f-6eac-40d2-86a1-043547e1c12c> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.csus.edu/news/101804shelterInc.stm | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368704713110/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516114513-00036-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.955268 | 885 | 1.679688 | 2 |
Bluff Lake Nature Center
Bluff Lake Nature Center is a nonprofit agency that owns and manages a unique urban wildlife refuge and outdoor classroom in Northeast Denver. It is home to an abundance of animals and native plants, which thrive in a variety of habitats. Each year, nearly 5,000 students visit Bluff Lake. Thousands of additional visitors come to Bluff Lake to enjoy a few moments of solitude and connection to nature. Learn about educational, recreation, and volunteer opportunities at Bluff Lake, and discover a 123-acre urban wilderness near your own backyard! | <urn:uuid:ff6a23b5-adc9-4482-b430-542c17dd6abd> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://denverlibrary.org/event/bluff-lake-nature-center?mini=events%2Fmonth%2F2012-10 | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368710006682/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516131326-00028-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.938043 | 112 | 1.5625 | 2 |
Juan Carlos Miranda
This new year many of us have set ourselves goals we are hoping to achieve, whether it is to eat better, get in shape, or get a hold of our financial woes. Sadly, many of us won’t make it past January before we fall off the wagon. Harsh? I’d rather think of it as being realistic. There is definitely nothing wrong with drifting from your resolutions or feeling down, because you ate that extra slice of pizza. However there is something very wrong with giving up. So no matter what happens, don’t you give up!
One of the things that always helps me when trying to achieve my goals is feeling good about myself. But you can’t feel good about yourself on the inside unless you feel good about yourself on the outside. How do you do that? Simple.
Dress to impress yourself. Most of the time we try to look good for others. What we wear and how we wear is usually dictated by others and, you know what? Not anymore.
When you wear what makes you comfortable and makes you look good, then you’ll exude confidence and control and most people react to that. Now, dressing comfortable does not, in any way, mean dress all fodonga, unless you’re going for the Chimoltrufia look–those of you who grew up watching El Chavo del Ocho know who I’m talking about.
Have you ever heard the expression “De moda, lo que te acomoda?” When it comes to fashion there are certain styles not everyone can pull off. It could be because of size, shape or even age. Clothes are designed for specific sizes and age groups; what might look nice on your friend might not look nice on you. In other words, choose wisely. Dress in clothes that are comfortable and will make you feel like a million bucks. It’s not that hard. Let’s say one of your resolutions is to get in shape. Well, I commend you for that. However, please don’t be that type of person that goes to the gym with clothes that are too old or just dirty. Always make sure to wear clothes that are designed for exercise activities. You wouldn’t believe the number of guys that go to the gym wearing jeans and sandals, white Ts with sweat stains or just plain dirty. Going to the gym means dressing for it too. You wouldn’t wear a two-piece bikini to a funeral, would you? Then why wear dirty or street clothes to exercise? It’s just oxymoronic.Do me a favor and start this 2013 by being a little selfish and taking care of yourself first. Pamper yourself and once you have achieved that self confidence, and love for who you are, then you will be able to get out there and achieve all your other goals. Think of everyday as a new beginning and always stay fabulous. | <urn:uuid:b2c74216-ae09-4592-9ab8-bcf2ba42d538> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://news.el-observador.com/2013/01/10/new-year-new-you/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368706153698/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516120913-00028-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.96703 | 615 | 1.734375 | 2 |
Shaped up and shipped out!
02 April 2012
The credit card battery was developed by Accutronics in response to its OEM customers' demands for a compact and rechargeable lithium-ion battery that would be available for delivery on a short lead time. Neil Oliver describes the rationale behind the company's decision to develop such a product.
If I described an object as being as small as a sugar cube, you would understand what I’m saying. Equally, if I told you that something is about as big as a £2 coin, then you would still have a good idea of the object’s dimensions. But what if I described it as being the size of an ‘1ICP-06/34/50-2 lithium-ion smart’ battery? Undoubtedly, that would leave most of you puzzled.
This very debate recently took place at the Staffordshire headquarters of Accutronics. The design team wanted to brand its newest battery range by giving it a descriptive nickname that would give everyone an idea of its approximate size; they came up with the phrase ‘credit card battery’. But when planning to build such an off-the-shelf battery, a few key points need to be considered, not least quality, availability and the level of customisation that might be required by the end user.
Most OEMs want to be able to integrate a battery into their application, without going through hoops to develop a new energy source for every new product. However, finding a product that meets their quality expectations and coming with the right level of functionality and regulatory compliance is no mean feat.
In order to meet these demands, the credit card battery series was designed as a standard, readily available product which lends itself to customisation in a timely and cost effective manner. The battery is pre-engineered, tooled and qualified before it reaches the end user.
The rationale for developing this new range came from the fact that electronic device OEMs in professional markets find it difficult to access smaller high quality rechargeable lithium ion battery packs for their portable devices. This might seem surprising, given the success of these batteries in consumer electronic devices such as mobile phones and laptop computers.
However, the requirements of OEMs in professional markets are very different from those in the consumer sector, and there is often a disconnect between managing expectations and what the battery industry is willing or, indeed, able to provide.
For instance, the lifecycle of an average consumer battery is 18 months. In contrast, specialist OEM devices have a lifespan of 15 or more years, which makes the risk of obsolescence very high. This means that embedding a consumer battery, which may become obsolete in just a couple of years, is not a viable solution for manufacturers.
Regardless, OEMs often have to buy a battery which was, likely as not, designed for a mobile phone or portable camcorder; but such products don't come with the technical backup required and the OEM is at the mercy of the product life cycle of the consumer device for which the battery was originally intended.
Accutronics’ credit card batteries feature accurate impedance tracking fuel gauges, and an active protection system that makes them resistant to over-charging, over-discharging and short-circuiting. Designed with flexibility in mind, they offer freedom of choice to OEMs, in the same way in which credit cards and other financial products offer freedom of choice. And just like a sugar cube or a £2 coin, the name of the battery clearly describes the technology encapsulated in such a small piece of engineering real estate.
Neil Oliver is with Accutronics
Contact Details and Archive... | <urn:uuid:928cc33a-c43f-4619-b761-594f36eeedc2> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.dpaonthenet.net/article/51314/Shaped-up-and-shipped-out-.aspx | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368697974692/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516095254-00031-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.973255 | 748 | 1.601563 | 2 |
Yehudi Menuhin (violinist and conductor)
April 22, 1966 - March 12, 1999
Yehudi Menuhin plays JS Bach's Double Violin Concerto with David Oistrakh, the Orchestre de l'ORTF and conductor Pierre Capdevielle.
A child prodigy who recorded Elgar’s Violin Concerto as a 16-year-old, Menuhin became one of the 20th-century’s finest and best-loved musicians. He gave numerous premieres of works written for him as well as performed and recorded the major concerto and chamber repertoire. He took up conducting in the 1960s and also founded a music school that gave many young musicians a unique education.
Menuhin: a tribute by Nigel Kennedy
'Yehudi’s beliefs and disciplines were largely influenced by his father, Moshe, and the results of that influence were felt across all aspects of his life, from his profoundly philosophical musicianship (rather than a mere technical mastery), to his post-war conciliation with the German people.
'Yehudi recognised that the music of the great German and Austrian masters was the foundation of all further developments in classical music. This recognition is missing from many performers of subsequent generations and makes Yehudi’s legacy even more crucial. His open attitude to other forms of music and his lack of shyness towards the media have left an everlasting impression on my own life.'
Yehudi Menuhin talks to Alan Blyth (Gramophone, April 1976) | <urn:uuid:b119be67-6e03-4dae-b6e4-fb5548906eaa> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.gramophone.co.uk/HallofFame/ArtistPage/Menuhin | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368705195219/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516115315-00006-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.978728 | 325 | 1.664063 | 2 |
Forgotten Artists: Tommy Collins (1930-2000)
In the Spring of 1966, the local country music stations in Tidewater, Virginia (WCMS & WTID) were playing the sounds of Tommy Collins’ new single “If You Can’t Bite, Don’t Growl.”
I whistled at pretty girl, on a corner downtown
She saw me when I winked my eye and then she turned around
She came and took me by the arm, I told her that I meant no harm
She said to me with a certain kind of scowl
If you don’t mean it then don’t whistle, if you can’t bite don’t growl
It was released on Columbia, his first release for them after more than a decade recording for Capitol. It appeared to be a career renaissance for Tommy, reaching #7 on the Billboard and Cashbox Country Charts, and his first real hit since 1955. Instead, it proved to be a last hurrah as he never again cracked the top forty as a performer, although a number of his songs continued to chart well for other performers.
Buck Owens and Merle Haggard are the names that immediately come to mind when the term ‘Bakersfield Sound’ is mentioned. While those are the two most prominent names, Tommy Collins and (slightly later) Wynn Stewart were at least as important to the development of the bright and tight electric guitar sound that came to dominate Bakersfield music.
Born Leonard Sipes near Oklahoma City, OK, Tommy Collins was the first of the Bakersfield artists to reach prominence. His second Capitol single “You Better Not Do That” reached No. 2 (for seven weeks) in 1954 and was the first of a string of six novelty hits that ran through the end of 1955. In contrast, Buck Owens was not to chart until 1959 and Merle Haggard did not chart until 1963.
Collins spent his entire childhood in Oklahoma, graduating from high school in 1948. After that he attended Edmond State Teachers college, recording his first singles for an independent label and working for radio station KLPR radio in Oklahoma City. While at KLPR he met and made friends with Wanda Jackson, who had her own show on the station. Collins served briefly in the military; after discharge, he and Wanda Jackson (and her family) moved to Bakersfield.
Wanda Jackson did not stay long before moving back to Oklahoma, but Collins made friends in the area, including Ferlin Husky (a/k/a Terry Preston and Simon Crum), with whom he roomed for a while. After recording some of Tommy’s songs, Husky convinced his label, Capitol, to sign Collins in June of 1953, upon which he adopted his stage name Tommy Collins. He immediately assembled a band featuring Alvis Edgar “Buck” Owens on lead guitar. Following the success of “You Better Not Do That,” Collins recorded more novelties. “Whatcha Gonna Do Now” was the immediate follow up, reaching No. 4, followed by “Untied” (No. 10) and “It Tickles” (No. 5). In October 1955, the double A-sided single “I Guess I’m Crazy” and “You Oughta See Pickles Now” charted both sides into the top twenty, but that marked the end as far as his sustained success as a recording artist as he became more interested in religion. He would not chart again until 1964.
In 1957, he enrolled in the Golden Gate Baptist Seminary with the intention of becoming a minister and did eventually become a pastor in 1959. While he continued to record for Capitol, including some novelties such “All of The Monkeys Ain’t in The Zoo,” his records received little promotion. His Capitol contract expired in 1960 and was not renewed.
In early 1963 he decided he was not meant to be a minister. He headed back to Bakersfield, re-signed with Capitol and in 1964 he returned to the lower rungs of the charts with “I Can Do That,” a duet with his wife Wanda.
Collins then signed with Columbia in 1965 (apparently with an assist from friend Johnny Cash). After the aforementioned “If You Can’t Bite, Don’t Growl,” he had a string of minor hit singles, none of which cracked the country Top 40. Plagued by personal problems, including a drinking problem, Collins muddled through this period touring, at times with Buck Owens and Merle Haggard, usually opening the show for them. Both Owens and Haggard were artists who had recorded songs Tommy had written.
Tommy would not chart again after 1968 and from that point forward his importance to county music would be as a songwriter. In 1972 Haggard had a huge hit with “Carolyn,” and in 1981, Haggard again paid tribute to Collins with “Leonard”, which focused attention back on Collins for the first time in many years.
While all of Tommy’s success as a recording artist came with novelty songs, other artists had considerable success recording some of his more serious songs. Faron Young had a major hit with “If You Ain’t Lovin’ (You Ain’t Livin’),” reaching No. 2 for three weeks in 1955, and George Strait took the same song to No. 1 in 1988. Merle Haggard had hits with “The Roots of My Raising,” “Carolyn” and “Sam Hill.” Mel Tillis took “New Patches” near the top in 1980 and numerous other Tommy Collins songs can be found in various albums recorded by country singers of the ’50s, ’60s and ’70s.
Tommy Collins was not prolific as a recording artist–those who still honor vinyl can occasionally find his Capitol and Columbia albums online or in used record stores. They are all good, so if the album is in decent shape, don’t be afraid to purchase it. None of the Columbia material is available on CD.
PureCountryMusic.com has some of his material available.
They do have the Bear Family Box Set Leonard which covers everything he recorded on Capitol and Columbia. Bear always does an excellent job, but these sets are expensive and they are overkill for all but the most diehard fan.
The Ernest Tubb Record Shop also has some CDs available.
Probably the best single CD collection is titled The Capitol Collection. Released by Koch in 2005, it has 18 songs including all of his Capitol Hits.
The British Archive of County Music issued a CD-R on Tommy called Think It Over Boys. It covers 25 songs Tommy recorded from June 1953 to July 1956. This label specializes in the obscure and issues releases in CD-R format–you can order from them through several sources. They basically stick with music that has fallen out of copyright in the UK (50 years or older), but there doesn’t seem to be anything too obscure for them to issue–they feature US, Canadian, UK, Australian and New Zealand country music artists.
Tommy Collins/Singer, Songwriter, Comedian is on the Gusto label and includes material Tommy recorded for Starday after his major label days were over. Tommy re-recorded some of his hits for this label–they are okay but lack the sparkle of the originals.
- Jack Hanford: For those who are interested, there is a new 90-minute documentary video about Tompall & the Glaser Brothers on DVD ...
- joe morris: how come nobody mentions his fan club which started 1950 and was called the " the penny pushers " which ...
- jane: I'm reading this article in 2013 and I've yet to hear anything from the album played on the radio.....
- Catwandy: I guess Matt C. is eating his well-deserved crow 'bout now. Critics....gotta love 'em , bless their little hearts.
- Ed McClendon: Saw the brothers in Greeley CO on the occasion of Tompall's 50th birthday. The show wasn't well promoted and there ...
- Roby Fox: I'm sure no one else will know, or even care about this little tidbit of trivia. "Keep Your Change" was ...
- kate wonders: Roni Stoneman is still on Hee Haw every Sunday night on RFD channel.
- Marsha Blades: Tommy, You were so kind to me during a tough time in my life and I don't think I ever ...
- Leona Jones: I seen Chris at the Grand Ole Opry last week.. First time I have heard of him.. He rocked the ...
- Sonicjar Music: Agree with Lucas, But one thing is certain, for a song to come to existence, so many things have to ... | <urn:uuid:ad363945-0713-45e4-9c16-f1db1cc48253> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.the9513.com/forgotten-artists-tommy-collins-1930-2000/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368708142388/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516124222-00028-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.97783 | 1,893 | 1.71875 | 2 |
Journalist Peter Seewald, who interviewed Benedict over the course of six days this summer, raised the Africa condom comments and asked Benedict if it wasn't "madness" for the Vatican to forbid a high-risk population to use condoms.
"There may be a basis in the case of some individuals, as perhaps when a male prostitute uses a condom, where this can be a first step in the direction of a moralization, a first assumption of responsibility," Benedict said. But he stressed that it wasn't the way to deal with the evil of HIV, and elsewhere in the book reaffirmed church teaching on contraception and abortion, saying: "How many children are killed who might one day have been geniuses, who could have given humanity something new, who could have given us a new Mozart or some new technical discovery?"
Does this make sense to anyone? From the Washington Post: | <urn:uuid:bb13f5ee-4c46-42ee-920f-d26399c6c74b> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.davechen.net/2010/11/pope-says-comments-are-okay-for-male.html | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368706499548/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516121459-00030-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.960334 | 181 | 1.632813 | 2 |
The Boston-based performance group Institute for Infinitely Small Things has published a book called The New American Dictionary.
The dictionary highlights the terminology of fear, security and war that has permeated American English post 9-11. It includes 68 new terms i.e. Preparedness and Freedom Fries as well as terms that have recently been redefined i.e. Torture.
The dictionary also has an interactive dimension. 58 terms are left undefined for the reader to pencil in their own definition. Furthermore, readers are invited to submit their additions to the institute for a possible inclusion in the 2nd edition.
The New American Dictionary is available at several online stores.
a huge balloon, tied to a car�s vent-pipe, depicting the amount of exhaust emissions a car releases a day.
the "bursting earth" project is similar, but more dynamic. activists attach world globe balloons on exhaust pipes of cars in Berlin. the exhaust gas inflates the ballons. after the message becomes readable, there is a big "bang".
Aram Bartholl is a german artist renowned for making physical abstractions of the digital world, particularly game-worlds.
One of Aram's not-to-be-missed performances is inspired by the popular computer game World of Warcraft (WoW).
In WoW, the nickname of the player's avatar is constantly hovering above the head of the player so that the identity is visible for everyone else in the game.
Aram took this little feature out of cyberspace to see how it would look if people's names would float above their heads in the physical world too.
WoW has been performed at different locations around the world. Luckily, it is well-documented!
Aesthetics and Politics
REALIZING THE IMPOSSIBLE: ART AGAINST AUTHORITY by Josh MacPhee, Erik Reuland, editors :: There has always been a close relationship between aesthetics and politics in anti-authoritarian social movements. And those movements have in turn influenced many of the last century's most important art movements, including cubism, Dada, post-impressionism, abstract expressionism, surrealism, Fluxus, Situationism, and punk. Today, the movement against corporate globalization, with its creative acts of resistance, has brought anti-authoritarian politics into the forefront. This sprawling, inclusive collection explores this vibrant history, with topics ranging from turn-of-the-century French cartoonists to modern Indonesian printmaking, from people rolling giant balls of trash down Chicago streets to massive squatted urban villages and renegade playgrounds in Denmark, from stencil artists of Argentina to radical video collectives of the US and Mexico. Lots of illustrations, all b&w.;
From: Frank Shifreen
Sent: 3/18/2003 3:10:27 AM
Subject: [drinkink] Dear Artists : Imminent War? Let's build a storm of images to counter velocity of war
Web Images Needed to counter War
Tonight President Bush announced the start of
Reproduced from: Assimilated Press
Author: Gwen Hooks
Earlier today American Scientists announced a stunning leap forward for biotechnology, and unexpectedly by extension a cultural awakening, by successfully reanimating the body of Joseph Stalin in a government laboratory located at an undisclosed US military installation. The genetic material brought to the US by a Russian defector in the early 1980's had been kept and under close guard until a crack-team of nuclear and chemical biologists petitioned and attained access to the material. "It took some hard work - everyone is aware of Stalin's public image problem - but thankfully we could convince President Bush that it was in his best interest to sign on to this project," commented chief scientist Richard Marine. While the scientific ramifications of this project are clearly monumental, perhaps the biggest surprise was the unexpected cultural and political dividends that this project could reap for the current administration. At a brief press conference held at President Bush's ranch in Texas, Stalin, who was not expected to speak formally, gave a brief and emotional statement including thoughts on his legacy, world politics, and the afterlife, but most surprising was an outline for the cultural revitalization of Amerika. The key to "liberating the masses," as he put it, was not to impose a blatant government mandate concerning art and other visual representations, but to "use the historic strategies of artists who resisted totalitarianism against those who are pro-democracy today." Stalin went on to state, "if we (the 1%) assimilate all that we previously saw as "subversive" and use these techniques as our own then where will the subversive exist?" Stalin continued, "the beauty here is that we can make the cultural elite and the uppermiddle classes - who are generally the demographic for successful artists - feel as though we are representing democracy even while our policies say quite the opposite.
>Thu Jan 30,12:43 PM ET
>By HILLEL ITALIE, AP National Writer
>NEW YORK - The White House said Wednesday it postponed
>a poetry symposium because of concerns that the event
>would be politicized. Some poets had said they wanted
>to protest military action against Iraq.
>The symposium on the poetry of Emily Dickinson,
>Langston Hughes and Walt Whitman was scheduled for
>Feb. 12. No future date has been announced.
> "While Mrs. Bush respects the right of all Americans
>to express their opinions, she, too, has opinions and
>believes it would be inappropriate to turn a literary
>event into a political forum." Noelia Rodriguez,
>spokeswoman for first lady Laura Bush, said Wednesday.
> Mrs. Bush, a former librarian who has made teaching
>and early childhood development her signature issues,
>has held a series of White House symposiums to salute
>America's authors. The gatherings are usually lively
>affairs with discussions of literature and its
> But the poetry symposium soon inspired a nationwide
> Sam Hamill, a poet and founder of the highly regarded
>Copper Canyon Press, declined the invitation and
>e-mailed friends asking for anti-war poems or
>statements. He encouraged those who planned to attend
>to bring along anti-war poems.
> Hamill said he's gotten more than 1,500
>contributions, including ones from poets W.S. Merwin,
>Adrienne Rich and Lawrence Ferlinghetti.
> "I'm putting in 18-hour days. I'm 60 and I'm tired,
>but it's pretty wonderful," says Hamill, based in Port
>Townsend, Wash., and author of such works as
>"Destination Zero" and "Gratitude."
> Marilyn Nelson, Connecticut's poet laureate, said
>Wednesday that she had accepted the White House
>invitation and had planned to wear a silk scarf with
>peace signs that she commissioned.
> "I had decided to go because I felt my presence would
>promote peace," she said.
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Contact: Paul Hardwin: [email protected]
DOW, BURSON-MARSTELLER CLAMP DOWN ON FAKE WEBSITES
But companies find it harder to stifle criticism
Two giant companies are struggling to shut down parody websites that
portray them unfavorably, interrupting internet use for thousands in
the process, and filing a lawsuit that pits the formidable legal
department of PR giant Burson-Marsteller against a freshman at
The activists behind the fake corporate websites have fought back, and
obtained substantial publicity in the process.
Fake websites have been used by activists before, but Dow-Chemical.com
and BursonMarsteller.com represent the first time that such websites
have successfully been used to publicize abuses by specific
A December 3 press release originating from one of the fake sites,
Dow-Chemical.com, explained the "real" reasons that Dow could not take
responsibility for the Bhopal catastrophe, which has resulted in an
estimated 20,000 deaths over the years
(http://www.theyesmen.org/dow/#release). "Our prime responsibilities
are to the people who own Dow shares, and to the industry as a whole,"
the release stated. "We cannot do anything for the people of Bhopal."
The fake site immediately received thousands of outraged e-mails
Within hours, the real Dow sent a legal threat to Dow-Chemical.com's
upstream provider, Verio, prompting Verio to shut down the fake Dow's
ISP for nearly a day, closing down hundreds of unrelated websites and
bulletin boards in the process.
The fake Dow website quickly resurfaced at an ISP in Australia.
In a comical anticlimax, Dow then used a little-known domain-name rule
to take possession of Dow-Chemical.com
(http://theyesmen.org/dow/#story), another move which backfired when
amused journalists wrote articles in newspapers from The New York
Times to The Hindu in India (http://theyesmen.org/dow/#links), and
sympathetic activists responded by cloning and mirroring the site at
many locations, including http://www.dowethics.com/,
http://www.dowindia.com/ and, with a twist,
http://www.mad-dow-disease.com/. Dow continues to play whack-a-mole
with these sites (at least one ISP has received veiled threats).
Burson-Marsteller, the public relations company that helped to "spin"
Bhopal, has meanwhile sued college student Paul Hardwin
([email protected]) for putting up a fake Burson-Marsteller
site, http://www.bursonmarsteller.com/, which recounted how the PR
giant helped to downplay the Bhopal disaster. Burson-Marsteller's suit
against Hardwin will be heard next week by the World Intellectual
Property Organization (http://reamweaver.com/bmwipo/wipo.html).
Hardwin, unable to afford a lawyer, has composed a dryly humorous
57-page rebuttal to the PR giant's lawsuit
(http://www.reamweaver.com/bmwipo/response.htm#reality). On page 7,
for instance, the student notes that Burson-Marsteller's "stated goal
is 'to ensure that the perceptions which surround our clients and
influence their stakeholders are consistent with reality.'" Hardwin goes on to assert that his satirical domain is doing precisely that, by publicizing "academic and journalistic materials about
Burson-Marsteller's involvement with and relationship to, for example,
Philip Morris and the National Smoker's Alliance, a consumer front
group designed to create the appearance of public support for
big-tobacco policies; Union Carbide and the deaths of 20,000 people
following the 1984 disaster in Bhopal; and political regimes such as
that of Romanian dictator Nicolae Ceausescu and more recently Saudi
Arabia following the events of September 11; and to properly associate
them with the relevant Trademark so that they may be understood
accordingly by Internet users."
In response to the suit's claim that "a substantial degree of goodwill
is associated with [the Burson-Marstellar Trademark]" Hardwin offers
much "evidence to the contrary" including "a newspaper headline in
which the Complainant is characterized as 'the Devil.'"
The primary goal of RTMark (http://rtmark.com/) is to publicize
corporate subversion of the democratic process. Just like other
corporations, it achieves its aims by any and all means at its
disposal. RTMark has previously helped to publicize websites against
political parties (http://rtmark.com/othersites.html#fpo), political
figures (http://www.rtmark.com/bush.html), and entities like the World
Trade Organization (http://www.gatt.org) and the World Economic Forum | <urn:uuid:cb0547be-f253-4371-b915-3e587991913c> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://rhizome.org/profiles/markcooley/?page=30 | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368698207393/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516095647-00010-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.941473 | 2,584 | 1.640625 | 2 |
This entry was written on July 31, 2004
With just a few days left on my trip, I'm trying to pack in the meetings. To speed things up, I've rented a car. Thanks to the U.S. embargo—which makes U.S. credit cards useless in Cuba—I'm required to put down $400 in cash. That gets me a battered Peugeot with a grinding sound coming from the right rear-wheel well. (It disappears when a worker pushes the bumper back into place.)
I first stop at Elizardo Sanchez's house. The human-rights advocate, who I mentioned earlier this week, is a slick-looking political type. Chomping on a cigar, he invites me into his backroom office. (Other than bedrooms, it's the only private room I've seen in Cuba that's air-conditioned.) He launches into what I sense is a kind of stump speech.
Like everybody else I've spoken to—dissidents or otherwise—Sanchez rails against the U.S. embargo and the Bush administration's hardline policies. "The White House's policies are causing us—the opposition—to lose," he says. "There's an old saying, 'The best ally of a dictator is a foreign enemy.' The result is that the White House has facilitated repression here."
Sanchez picks up a copy of the State Department's recent report titled, "Commission for Assistance to a Free Cuba."
"Look at the chapter one," he says, pointing to the title: " 'Hastening Cuba's Transition.' "
He waves the paper in disgust. "In Cuba, there's a great nationalist feeling," he says. "The Bush administration just doesn't understand Latin America."
Flipping to the acknowledgements page, Sanchez starts jabbing his finger at the names of Daniel Fisk and Roger Noriega, two hard-liners who helped oversee the report. "These two have never been to Cuba; they've never asked us dissidents what we think. We feel like hostages to their policy."
Sanchez is in a groove. Then the A/C sputters out. Another blackout.
We move outside and Sanchez starts talking about Cuba itself. He shows me two maps, one of prisons in Cuba before the revolution and one now. The new map shows perhaps 10 times as many prisons. "We never used to be a country of crime," says Sanchez. "Now we have one of the largest incarceration rates in the world." Thousands—mostly suspected prostitutes, he says—are jailed under a law against "dangerousness," a vague Minority Report-type provision that essentially criminalizes intentions.
Sanchez's work is well-regarded. But it's impossible to verify his numbers, since, as he points out, Cuba keeps its incarceration rates secret and prohibits inspections by human rights groups or the Red Cross—the only country in the Western hemisphere to do so.
"Welcome to our gulag," Sanchez says, pointing to the map. As others have explained to me, it's not that there are thousands of political prisoners. It's that so much of regular life—from selling a car to owning a VCR—has been made illegal. So just about everybody breaks the law. They are pushed into doing so because of the absurdly low state salaries (about 260 pesos or $10 per month). Cubans get free monthly rations—in addition to free education and health care—but it's not enough, so just about everybody in one way or another works in the black market. (One example: When I was driving, I saw farmers offering peanuts along the side of the road. Then, at one point, they ran off into the bushes. Turns out a police car was driving by.)
Soon after meeting with Elizardo, I swing by Old Havana to say goodbye to Claudia Marquez, the independent journalist I've become friends with. It's my last night in Cuba and she tells me that Manuel Vázquez Portal is finally back in town. Vázquez, 59, is one of Cuba's most well-regarded poets and essayists. I've been trying to get in touch with him since my arrival. He was jailed during the crackdown last year, and then given a medical parole last month. (Like a handful of other dissidents who've been released, all under similar circumstances, he wasn't told by the government what his illness was, and it's still a bit unclear.) After celebrating for a week, Vázquez had something of a breakdown and left to recuperate at his parent's telephoneless house in the provinces.
At about 10 p.m., Claudia and I hop into the Peugeot. She thinksshe knows the way. Twenty minutes later, we've stopped by the side of the road to ask directions. A bus passes us on our left and then—"CRUNCH!!!" The bus clips the car—the mirror to be exact—and doesn't stop.
The rental agreement, as well as Lonely Planet, insists that any accident needs to be reported to the police. With my flight early the next morning and an interview ahead of me, I have no intention of doing that. Though the glass itself is now sporting spider veins, I'm able to jiggle the mirror unit back into place.
We arrive at Vázquez's apartment a few minutes later. He's a small man with a big beard and thick, Monchichi-type hair. Warm and very funny, he serves us Cuban coffee and starts regaling me with one-liners ("Castro is walking down the street with his brother Raul when a bird seems to dirty his head. 'Raul, what do I have on my head?' 'Crap,' responds Raul. 'No!' says Fidel, 'I asked what's on top of my head, not what's inside it!' ") At one point, I look for the bathroom. Like many Cubans, Vázquez's toilet doesn't have running water and he says, "The bathroom is that way, careful what surprises you might find there!"
When I return, he starts sharing his poetry with me. I have a hard time understanding it. So I ask him if he's started writing again. "No," he says. "I'm too angry right now, and I want to wait until I feel more peaceful inside."
He starts telling me about his year in prison. "The jail was made for 800 people," he says. "There are 2,400 there now. We didn't have space, enough water, enough of anything." (Here's a diary Vázquez kept.) Echoing Sanchez's comments, Vázquez says most of the prisoners were there for economic violations."They're the victims of the system. Castro is like the owner of a plantation. He controls the jobs, he controls access to education and he controls health care. Those who are revolutionaries have access and those who are counter-revolutionaries don't; and he decides who is which. There are four ways to survive in Cuba: 1) Leave 2) Rob 3) Get drunk 4) Go crazy."
After a few hours' sleep, I return the car to the rental agency, which has said they'll give me a ride to the airport. They look the car over for damage and give a clean bill of health. Then the driver hops in to bring me to the airport. "What happened to the mirror?" he asks. "Dunno," I say.
The manager walks over. "Ah, it's OK," he says. "It was cracked beforehand." Then he points to some dirt along the side panel. "What is this!?!" he screams.
"Dirt," I say. "Some roads outside Havana aren't paved."
"I can't rent the car like this!" he says.
"So wash it."
"No no, the paint is ruined!"
He brings me inside and pulls out the rental contract. Clause #12 says, in English: "Diety car $50." [sic]
"What do you want me to do?" I ask.
"Give the driver $20," he says. I do, and head to the airport. | <urn:uuid:4e764a17-8560-4331-bae6-02b47721e196> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.slate.com/articles/arts_and_life/diary/features/2004/_5/entry_5.html | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368711005985/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516133005-00028-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.97679 | 1,702 | 1.625 | 2 |
I think having a big calendar is essential for any family so that everyone is on the same page. I, too have a big calendar in my kitchen to sort all the activities of our family each month. Brook is back today to share with you how to build a custom calendar that is a chalkboard and magnetic.
Hi IC readers! It’s Brook from Being Brook and today I’m going to let you in on a secret. I’m a little disorganized and I have a calendar phobia. When I have a paper calendar I am afraid to write stuff down because I don’t want the paper messed up if plans change. I tried a dry erase calendar but many times the carefully written schedule "accidentally" gets erased by a preschooler so they can do more important things – like color. So I decided to build my own calendar that met all my picky expectations. I am loving it because it’s a chalkboard and magnetic and the spaces are a big 4"x4" giving lots of room to fit in all the activities of a busy family.
1/4 sheet of 1/4” MDF
10’ of 1” x 2” pine
1 sheet of 24” x 26” galvanized sheet metal
(tip: look for it in the plumbing department for $10)
1/4” screen molding
Zinsser 123 Primer
Picture hanging hardware
1. Start by building your frame. I cut 2 pieces of 1×2 pine at 31 1/2" and 2 pieces at 25 1/2" with 45 degree angles at the corners. Then use wood glue and finish nails to nail the corners together. I took some scrap pieces of 1" pine and nailed one to the middle of the top and bottom and one to each corner The little scrap pieces will give your MDF something to nail into and rest on.
5. Time for some paint! I used some spray paint and just painted the outside frame. After the paint dried I used Liquid Nails to glue the painted metal to the MDF. Smooth the metal out carefully and set some heavy books on the chalkboard overnight to help hold the metal down while the liquid nails dries.
6. Now you are going to cover your metal edge with some 1/4" screen molding. I cut 2 pieces of molding at 30 1/2" and 2 pieces at 24 1/2" with 45 degree angles at the ends and nailed it to the 1×2 frame. I wouldn’t cut your molding all at once I would cut it as you go to make sure it fits your project exactly. Then I covered the chalkboard and spray painted the screen molding.
7. Now you are ready to make the chalkboard surface into a calendar. I used a ruler and pencil to draw my lines onto the chalkboard surface then drew over the pencil lines with a white paint pen. I used picture hanging hardware attached to back to hang my calendar.
8. I used some chalk ink markers to write the month and days on my calendar. Chalk ink is great because it has to be wiped off with a wet wipe. The important events also got written in chalk ink. I bought some post it note tabs in different colors to write activities, workouts, menus and project ideas. It would be great to type out your favorite meals and frequent activities and print them on magnet paper and you could just stick them right to the calendar!
I made myself two calendars and hung them above the sewing/kid art table in my craft room. The calendars are big which is great. I have room to write everything I need to and still be able to read the writing!
Hopefully now I can move past my calendar phobia and be a super organized Mom! Not the Mom I was last school year that shows up 5 minutes late for the soccer game and forgets the soccer snack. Thanks for having me Beckie! Come stop by BeingBrook for more building ideas and fun tutorials! | <urn:uuid:a9c47c48-f605-4a12-b51b-92aa8c5f29ba> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.infarrantlycreative.net/2012/09/how-to-make-a-magnetic-chalkboard.html | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368697380733/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516094300-00042-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.944389 | 832 | 1.671875 | 2 |
II. Equipment For Macro Photography–
Many thousands of dollars can be spent on gear for macro photography. However, with a few initial investments many great images can be made.
Today’s market is flooded with an overwhelming selection of camera styles, makes and models. When searching for a camera, be sure to first define what you will be using the camera for and take the time to do the appropriate research that is needed to make an intelligent decision. Otherwise, one may be tempted to purchase a camera based on ‘bells and whistles’ that may prove to be unsuitable for a particular application.
There are two main types of camera body styles: Point-and-shoot and S.L.R. (Single-Lens-Reflex). Most pros use the S.L.R. style of camera because of the flexibility that it offers the user. However, if the price of an S.L.R. doesn’t fit within your budget then I would recommend purchasing a point-and-shoot which comes packaged with the following features: 1) A macro or close-up setting 2) a tripod socket 3) a timer (to alleviate camera shake on long exposures) 4) an option to shoot high-resolution images (preferably raw files for the more serious amateur) 5) The option to shoot in manual mode and 6) a variety of flash settings. Many fine macro images can be made with an off-the-shelf point-and-shoot camera if it is loaded with at least some of the these features.
The advantage of S.L.R. style cameras is that they allow the budding macro photographer to have more control over the types of images that they make. They are designed to give the photographer an opportunity to swap and stack lenses as needed to improve or alter magnification. This very important feature (which I’ll address in more detail later) is very desirable for the macro photographer. Other important features found on most S.L.R. cameras are 1) Depth of Field Preview: This allows you to view what the camera is actually “seeing.” 2) Through the Lens Metering (may only work with automatic lenses) 3) Cable Release Socket: Allows a cable release to be attached which helps to eliminate ‘camera shake’ during long exposures 4) Professional style tripod socket. 5) Metering mode options 6) Raw capture: essentially a digital negative format which is very flexible when outputting images. The following items are not critical for the macro photographer but can certainly enhance images if they are used in conjunction with the items above: 1) Mirror lock-up 2) Through-the-lens-flash (TTL) and 3) a motordrive.
2.) Lenses (for the S.L.R.):
There are a variety of different ways to get close to your subject matter. However, the best methods always start with selecting the appropriate lens for the job.. Since this workshop is based on macro photography, I am going to discuss the lenses that will give you the best shot at that unforgettable image.
Macro Lenses: These specialized lenses can often be one of the most expensive pieces of gear in your bag. Fortunately, a great majority of these indispensable tools offer incredible clarity and image quality. One of the best focal lengths for clarity is the 50mm macro lens (it also makes an excellent portrait lens). However, the shorter the focal-length, the shorter the working distance. Working Distance is defined as the amount of space that exists between the lens and your subject. This factor becomes very important when you are dealing with live specimens. If you don’t believe me, try walking up to a dragonfly in mid-day. Although field craft and knowledge of your subject-matter can greatly increase your odds of making a nice image –regardless of the working distance– some situations simply require a longer focal-length. 100mm and 200mm lenses offer a great amount of working distance and the quality will usually be there depending on the make and model.
Zoom Lenses: Zoom Lenses are incredibly popular amongst pros and amateurs alike because they typically present a great deal of flexibility when it comes to how a subject can be approached. A very popular range of zoom is 80-200mm. With this focal-length, most ‘macro-worthy’ subjects can be approached with relative ease. If used in conjunction with an extension tube (see below) and/or a teleconverter (see below) greater magnifications can be achieved. Another advantage of zoom lenses is that they ‘compress’ your subjects. For example, if you are photographing a group of wildflowers which are spaced apart, a zoom lens will create the illusion that the subject matter is closer together than it actually is.
Standard Fixed-Focal Length Lenses: Although fixed focal length lenses (50mm, 120mm, 200mm, etc) aren’t especially suited for macro photography, with the addition of supplementary diopters, teleconverters and extension tubes it becomes very possible to create some really nice images. This is especially true with longer lenses around 300mm.
3.) Extension Tubes:
Extension tubes are literally what they appear to be; tubes of differing lengths which extend the length of a lens. The extension tube moves the rear of the lens further away from the film plane or digital sensor. When this distance is increased, it allows a lens to focus more closely than when used in its normal range of focus.
These handy devices –which are basically extension tubes with glass elements– can be a great way to increase the magnification capabilities of your lenses. They are available in two powers: 1.4x and 2x. By connecting a 2x teleconverter to a 300mm lens, for example, you will essentially upgrade your magnification to 600mm. This same multiplier (a term also used to describe teleconverters) can also allow you to increase a 1:1 ratio to 2:1 (or 2x life-size) when making a macro image. The downside of teleconverters is that they decrease the amount light coming into to the camera (because of the extra glass) which forces the photographer to either open up the aperture or slow down the shutter speed to compensate for this loss. There is also an increase in the amount of noise in the image. I have personally found that the issue with noise isn’t as noticeable with digital captures.
A great tripod cannot be underestimated when it comes to making professional quality images. Although sharp images can be created by hand-holding a camera (especially when flash is used), a tripod becomes quite handy when photographing close-up subjects with available light. There are many, many models to choose from and choice is based on personal preference. However, for the macro photographer, a model that allows the legs to be extended to so that the camera can sit just inches above the ground is a very nice option. Most professional tripods do not include a tripod-head and, once again, a wide array of options are out there for the choosing.
6.) Cable Release:
This is an simple, yet invaluable, device that allows the photographer to activate the shutter without actually touching the camera. It basically consists of a long cord with a cable running through the inside. One end of the tool is screwed into the cable release socket and the other is held in-hand where a button is located. This serves to trip the shutter when it is pressed.
7.) Close-Up Diopters:
Diopters are glass elements which can be screwed onto the end of a standard focal length lens; essentially converting it into a macro lens. This option provides a photographer with a relatively inexpensive way to capture small subjects. However, the quality is often not that great and the resulting images often appear soft on the edges.
The use of a flash or flashes can really enhance a close-up image. Some subjects actually require the use of flash because of the lack of light that is often found at higher magnifications. There are many different ways to position the flash. When one off-camera flash is used the background will often appear black. Although in some schools of thought this approach has become undesirable I still believe that in many situations beautiful and striking images can be made. The black (or dark) background comes from light fall-off behind the main subject. For a more natural approach, dual off-camera or ring flashes can be used. This approach allows one flash to be focused in on the main subject and the other on the background which in-turn creates the impression of a more naturally lit scene.
Fill-flash is also a powerful effect to use on certain images. This technique employs a flash –not as a main source of light– but as an extra bit of illumination to fill in shadows and improve color definition.
9.) Using Reflectors:
Reflectors are white, silver or gold pieces of material which are used to bounce light into shadows or add warmth to an image. In macro photography –because of the small size of most subjects– something as simple as a piece of white card stock or the back of a hand can be used. If one is forced to make an image in mid-day harsh shadows can dominate your image. A reflector can really save the shot by opening up those blocked, dark areas with light | <urn:uuid:dbeb8aae-60fb-4d34-853e-3bfa8ec58c7f> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://naturalimagery.blogspot.com/2008/05/intro-to-macro-photography-part-2.html | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368702448584/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516110728-00004-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.934347 | 1,931 | 1.773438 | 2 |
South Africans say a new Hollywood film about sport, race and Nelson Mandela will tell the world about the country's history of struggle and triumph despite some criticism that the lead roles are played by American actors.
Clint Eastwood's "Invictus" depicts Mandela, South Africa's first black president, as a strategist for racial reconciliation, working to bring whites and blacks together after the end of apartheid by supporting the country's mostly white national rugby team.
Mandela, once reviled by many whites who saw him as a terrorist, strode onto the field after South Africa won the 1995 Rugby World Cup final wearing a national team shirt and earned rapturous cheers from a crowd dominated by whites.
Chester Williams, the only nonwhite member of South Africa's 1995 championship rugby team, hopes the nation will come together for next year's football World Cup as it did 15 years ago.
The movie is "a great opportunity for everyone, not only in South Africa but the rest of the world, to see what Nelson Mandela has done for the country," Williams, who helped coach the actors during the shooting of the movie in South Africa, told The Associated Press Wednesday.
Most South Africans won't see "Invictus" until its general release Thursday, but the movie already has made headlines and dominated talk show radio.
It has not been universally embraced, with some complaining that South Africans should be starring in their own stories. Mandela is portrayed by Morgan Freeman and Matt Damon plays the rugby team captain. But South Africans have key roles, including Patrick Mofokeng as Mandela's chief bodyguard.
Mofokeng endorsed Freeman, saying at Tuesday's premiere in Johannesburg: "He was made to play the role. I think he is Nelson Mandela."
Acclaimed South African actor John Kani, who is not in the movie, told the AP he understood international movies needed big stars like Freeman to draw investors and audiences. But Kani was worried South Africans would never get a chance to claim "bankable" status if producers and the government did not try to develop and showcase local talent.
Still, Kani said movies like "Invictus" had broader benefits, telling the world South Africa's inspiring story.
In many ways, though, South Africa remains racially divided. Blacks denied education and opportunity for generations under apartheid remain in impoverished townships on the outskirts of cities where the best neighborhoods remain largely white.
Some blacks complain Mandela spent too much time on racial reconciliation and too little on economic development or fighting AIDS. Black critics say whites did little in response to gestures Mandela made, such as donning the rugby shirt or visiting a white separatist enclave to have tea with the widow of Hendrik Verwoerd, the architect of apartheid.
Sport, too, has not overcome the past. Attempts to reach out to black fans and players have repeatedly run up against rugby's legacy of racism, and black fans have been attacked at rugby stadiums.
Football is seen as the sport of blacks, and excitement over South Africa becoming the first African nation to host a football World Cup has been tempered by charges from some blacks that white South Africans didn't support the bid and won't go to the games.
"We're still living the change, we're still living the transition," said Oregan Hoskins, president of the South African Rugby Union. Like Williams, Hoskins is of mixed race.
Hoskins said in an interview that Mandela's bodyguards feared he was risking his life when he went to a rugby stadium full of white fans. He said that he did not know before reading the book by British journalist John Carlin that "Invictus" is based upon how much planning and force of will went into that moment in 1995.
Hoskins said even more people will learn by watching the film of "the stature of the man, determined to go in there and make it work, determined to make it successful, to make his country successful."
© Copyright 2013 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed. | <urn:uuid:55440a5e-862d-4bbe-a75d-b1c287d31894> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.newsmax.com/Farber/Film-South-Africa-Invictus/2009/12/16/id/343391 | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368700264179/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516103104-00019-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.968885 | 832 | 1.578125 | 2 |
June 14, 2012
The umbrella group Bagong Alyansang Makabayan is not surprised with recent reports that the US will be “helping” the Philippines establish a maritime surveillance system described as a National Coast Watch Center. “This center will improve the Philippine maritime domain awareness of a breadth of security issues including countering the proliferation of WMD (weapons of mass destruction) to countering illegal smuggling,” according to the US State Department.
Cables leaked by whistleblower site Wikileaks show that this is not the first time the US sought such a monitoring and surveillance system to allow it to have control over vital sea lanes such as the South China Sea.
“With the recent dispute between the Philippines and China, the US has found a very convenient justification to push for the surveillance system. The US is lying when it says it is “still in the planning stages” and that it has “no firm plans” of putting a land-based radar on PH territory. The idea of a maritime surveillance system that includes the Philippines has long been proposed during the time of US ambassador to the Philippines Kristie Kenney and PH president Gloria Macapagal Arroyo,” said Bayan secretary general Renato M. Reyes, Jr.
“If the plan pushes through, the US would have set up its own spy base on PH territory, disguised as a coast watch center, and in clear violation of PH sovereignty,” Reyes added.
In a cable dated August 27, 2007 by US ambassador to the Philippines Kristie Kenney, the US government was already aiming to establish “a seamless interface among their respective maritime security efforts”.
The US embassy in Manila proposed an elaborate regional surveillance network both land and sea-based to further advance US maritime security efforts. “Our proposal emphasizes the installation of land-based and sea-based maritime radars and other types of surveillance and identification equipment in the tri-border area of Malaysia, Indonesia, and the Philippines and other key points between Sri Lanka and the Philippines to monitor vessels suspected of carrying terrorists, weapons, or drugs, as well as engaging in human trafficking and other illegal activities”, the cable said.
It was clear from the cable that US strategic interests were paramount when it comes to the issue of “regional security”. “Protecting the waters in South and South East Asia and stopping the terrorist groups operating there are vital U.S. interests,” the cable said.
“The justifications stated in the 2007 proposal for the surveillance system is the same as the reasons being offered now, in addition to the issue of China. It shows that the US, even before the PH-China dispute, has already expressed interest in this elaborate regional maritime surveillance system,” Reyes explained.
US think-tank calls for increased surveillance, expanded bases
Meanwhile, a US think-tank has supported the US rebalancing of its forces in Asia, raising the China threat anew.
In a policy paper called Asia in the balance: Transforming US military strength in Asia, issued last June 4, the American Enterprise Institute called for the setting up of a “surveillance, and reconnaissance network in the Western Pacific”, expanding basing access in the Asia-Pacific region through the US military treaty allies which include the Philippines and strengthening undersea warfare.
A specific recommendation of the paper is the refocusing of US nuclear posture towards Asia, specifically against the alleged nuclear threats from China and North Korea. The paper suggests that the US should “force Beijing to invest in expensive defenses” while convincing it that “it cannot win a quick regional war”.
Bayan views the last recommendation as a proposal for US nuclear weapons to be repositioned in Asia as a supposed deterrent. “It would be a throwback to the nuclear arms race during the Cold War,” Reyes said.
“The entire plan to rebalance US troops and warships towards Asia is in furtherance of US imperialist interests. President Aquino is delusional if he thinks that the US is here just out of sheer benevolence and out of a sense of friendship with the Philippines. The US is manipulating us. The PH government is allowing our country to be used as a footstool and outpost for US hegemonic goals in the region,” Reyes said.
Bayan earlier accused the US of using a private defense contractor affiliated with Huntington Ingalls, a builder of nuclear warships for the US Navy, to regain its foothold on a former US base in Subic, Zambales. The private contractor has partnered with a Subic-based firm to service US warships making port calls in the former naval base. ### | <urn:uuid:1534ef4d-4ee1-41e9-82ad-77ba4f82bdbf> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.bayan.ph/site/2012/06/us-trying-to-establish-maritime-spy-base-in-ph-think-tank-supports-surveillance-net-bases/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368699273641/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516101433-00007-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.951245 | 968 | 1.632813 | 2 |
- Improves overall temperament and calms hyperactivity
- Prevents destructive behavior problems such as excessive jumping, barking, meowing, scratching, running, chewing and digging
- Maintains normal libido to discourage inappropriate sexual behavior
- Encourages a positive response to behavior modification efforts (obedience classes)
[Our puppy was] found at the shelter and .....we tried everything... We (now) use the Problem Pet regularly and it helps to calm her down without changing her happy personality.- Dana
What is Problem Pet Solution?
Problem Pet Solution is a safe, non-addictive, FDA registered natural remedy containing 100% homeopathic ingredients formulated especially for pets to relieve behavior problems such as hyperactivity and overactive libido to maximize training efforts and appropriate conduct.
Problem Pet may be used every day for long-term support or occasionally as needed – depending on circumstances and the needs of your pet.
Problem Pet Solution comes in convenient, dissolvable granule form. Safe and easy to administer, these pleasant tasting granules are simply sprinkled on your pet’s tongue and rapidly absorbed in the mouth – making them easy to administer to even the most difficult pets.
All Native Remedies homeopathic products and biochemic tissue salts are manufactured in an FDA and GMP registered pharmaceutical facility under the supervision of qualified homeopaths and responsible pharmacists. Individual ingredients are listed in the Homeopathic Pharmacopoeia of the United States (HPUS).
It is important to try to understand, if possible, why your pet is behaving the way he is. For instance, some breeds of pets such as border collies, are naturally more highly strung than others. Border collies are typically bred as working dogs so if instead they are kept as pets their owners need to be aware that they need lots of exercise and attention.
Other factors that can need to be taken into consideration include boredom, lack of stimulation, an inadequate diet (especially one with too much protein), allergies, stress, lack of attention and/or lack of exercise.
Recent environmental changes to the environment such as introducing a new pet or a new person to the home, moving house or even a new, particularly high-pitched doorbell can also be a factor. Pets may feel insecure and fearful and "act out". This all helps to illustrate the importance of learning to understand your pet and the context of the environment, as well as dynamics in the family which all contribute to forming your pet’s behavior.
The natural way
Regular exercise is essential. High-energy pets need a natural outlet for their energy and exhaustion can have a dramatically calming effect on an over-active animal! Plus, exercise has been shown to have a mood-stabilizing, calming effect.
What else can I do to help my pet?
- Regular exercise is essential. High energy pets need a natural outlet for their energy and exhaustion can have a dramatically calming effect on a too active animal! Plus, exercise has been shown to have a mood-stabilizing, calming effect.
- Ensure your pet is eating a balanced, high quality diet with plenty of raw and unprocessed food (preferably organic). Behavioral issues can often be related to food intolerances and an inadequate diet. A diet that is too high in protein can also be a factor. If in doubt, please consult your vet.
- Avoid exposure to toxins and chemicals as much as possible including pesticides, herbicides, commercial flea collars, flea powder, insecticides and second-hand cigarette smoke. Also make sure that food and water bowls are made of glass, stainless steel or porcelain. Cook food in stainless-steel pans, not aluminum or copper pans
- Don't feed your pet chocolate as even a small amount can be toxic
- Use PetAlive PetCalm™ to immediately soothe a highly-strung pet.
- Instead of reacting to your pet's bad behavior, try ignoring it and leaving the room -- the idea being to eliminate any attention-seeking efforts on their behalf. A pet behaviorist will give you further advice and ideas.
- Take note of particular stressors in your pet's environment that may be causing problems (particularly recent changes) and take whatever steps are feasible to minimize them.
- Ensure that your home is a secure environment where your pet feels safe.
- As a last resort, neutering or spaying may also have a calming effect on your pet.
- Natural remedies have a long history of providing safe and effective solutions. The correct choice can make all the difference!
What are the Ingredients?
Problem Pet Solution is a 100% homeopathic formula and contains the following ingredients in therapeutic dosage: Belladonna (30C), Cantharis (30C), Hypericum (3X), Nux vom (30C), Scutellaria (3X), Sucrose.
- Scutellaria (3X) is one of the best known homeopathic remedies for soothing the nerves and provides tonic benefits for the entire nervous system.
- Hypericum (3X) is widely used to promote well-being and emotional health and traditional use has been well supported by clinical research (Linde, K., Ramirez, G., Mulrow, C. D., Pauls, A., Weidenhammer, W., and Melchart, D. "St John's wort for depression-an overview and meta-analysis of randomised clinical trials." BMJ 8-3-1993;313(7052):253-258).
- Belladonna (30C) is a natural remedy which is used for supporting physical and emotional health in a variety of different circumstances and can have a very positive effect on behavior and the support of a soothed nervous system. Pets that are very sensitive to noise, light, touch and temperature changes will also benefit from this remedy.
- Cantharis (30C) is a natural remedy which also has many benefits; Cantharis helps to support appropriate and normal sexual behavior and balanced mood.
- Nux vom (30C) is often recommended for the support of normal energy levels and appetites and can also be of great benefit to the digestive system.
- Sucrose (inactive ingredient)
This homeopathic remedy is an OTC medicine registered with the Food and Drug Administration (FDA).
PetAlive is the leading brand of natural remedies known for safe, effective and quality products. Our remedies are formulated by natural health experts and produced under the highest pharmaceutical standards in FDA-registered, GMP certified facilities. We utilize the finest quality ingredients that are officially monographed in the Homeopathic Pharmacopoeia of the United States (HPUS).
PetAlive homeopathic products and biochemic tissue salts never contain any animal products, gluten, artificial colors, flavors or preservatives, and are not tested on animals. Our products are always backed by our One Year Unconditional Money Back Guarantee.
How do I use Problem Pet Solution?
Problem Pet Solution comes in convenient dissolvable granule form. The tiny granules are easy to administer to pets of all sizes and personalities with no fuss or bother!
Granules may be sprinkled directly into the mouth or as an alternative mixed with a small amount of wet food.
Cats: 1 pinch
Dogs under 20 lbs: 1 pinch
Dogs 20-50 lbs: 2 pinches
Dogs over 50 lbs: ¼ cap
Initial or occasional Dose: Every 30 minutes for up to 6 doses.
Maintenance Dose: Three times daily.
Safe for animals of all ages, pregnant animals or animals that are nursing. Problem Pet Solution can safely be used along with prescription medications. No adverse interactions have been noted between the ingredients in Problem Pet Solution and prescription medications. However, as with any medicine, it is always advisable to consult your vet.
Get optimum results with regular use
While conventional medicine works by often treating the symptoms in your pet, natural medicine strives to create holistic balance in their body to support systemic health, relieve ailments, and help prevent future disease. Unlike pharmaceutical drugs, the natural ingredients in our remedies support the overall health and functioning in your pet, rather than just suppressing symptoms.
Pets respond to natural medicine in different ways, some pets experience immediate results while many other pet owners have reported optimal benefits taking effect in their pets within 3-6 weeks. To ensure your pet receives optimum results it is important to administer natural remedies as directed and remain consistent. You may also find that a smaller maintenance dose is beneficial for ongoing support, many pets take a regular maintenance dose as part of a preventative program for continued health and well-being.
How long until I see results?
A positive response is usually seen within days or even sooner with some animals. As with all good tonics, you should continue to see improvement over time with regular use.
How long does one bottle last?
One bottle of Problem Pet Solution will last for 15 - 30 days, depending on frequency of use as well as the size of your pet. The bottle contains approximately 50 – 100 doses, depending on the size of your pet.
How has Problem Pet Solution helped others?
“We had really come to our wits end with our dog! She was a puppy we found at the Shelter and for two years …we tried everything. After some research we came up with your website and how glad we are that we did! We use the Problem Pet regularly and it helps …without changing her happy personality”
“…Thank goodness for your remedy!”
“If you have seen the cartoons of cats …then you have seen my Siamese cat. He behaves like a toy that you wind up in the morning and goes goes goes till he falls asleep at night (which doesn't last long!) …Your remedy seems to have made him more passive and even affectionate at last. It is almost as if he is also breathing a sigh of relief because he can relax for the first time. Yesterday I found him napping in the sun which I have never seen before. I am very impressed with this remedy” | <urn:uuid:408e572b-2acc-46c9-ba4f-15d953a45b48> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.nativeremedies.com/petalive/products/common-dog-cat-behavior-problempetsolution.html?mobile=0 | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368703298047/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516112138-00038-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.936932 | 2,087 | 1.570313 | 2 |
I have already received some feedback from customers who also happen to be part of my Dodecad Project and who appear to be perplexed by their results. It is unfortunate that my own rules preclude me from discussing the details of these reports. I encourage people who want to discuss their ancestry composition to do so in the comments.
Without going into details, I would first advise that 23andMe make transparent the way in which 23andMe participants were selected as part of their training data. This is explained in their writeup with the following paragraph:
Most of the reference dataset comes from 23andMe members just like you. When someone tells us that they have four grandparents all born in the same country, and the country isn't a colonial nation like the US, Canada or Australia, they become candidates for inclusion in the reference dataset. We filter out all but one of any set of closely-related people, since they can distort the results. And we remove "outliers," people whose genetic ancestry doesn't seem to match up with their survey answers.23andMe takes a "birthplace of grandparents" approach rather than an "ethnic origin" approach. This may be reasonable when the two tend to coincide but not appropriate at all when ethnic groups of different origins co-exist in a given territory. Contrary to the implicit belief expressed in the above paragraph, ethnic complexity is not limited to "colonial nations", and an approach that disregards ethnicity, language, and religion, and limits itself to "birthplace of grandparents" is bound to miss it.
The problem with supervised learning is that the end product is only as good as the labels. If the labels aren't good, or they're ambiguous, then you end up with a mess.
Let's take an example of an individual who reports "4 grandparents from Turkey." This may mean anything ranging from a Mesopotamian Kurd within the boundaries of Turkey, a Central Anatolian Turk, a Cappadocian Greek, a Turkocretan, an Armenian from Cilicia, an ethnic Greek from European Turkey, or a Turkish-speaking Muslim from Skopje or Bulgaria. Some of these may interpret "Turkey" geographically; others ethnically. The label "Turkey" is polysemous, for a variety of reasons: it can be interpreted either geographically or ethnically, and in both these senses it has not been time-invariant.
I don't know how 23andMe built their reference populations, but I am ~100% sure that 4 grandparents from Turkey = "Middle Eastern" in their terminology. I am also fairly sure that their "Balkan" sample consists of individuals as different as Croats and Greeks. So what do these meta-population labels mean? Your guess is as good as mine: a balance of samples of different origins and different interpretations of these origins in whatever training set 23andMe assembled.
In my own project, I never include a priori labels of individuals in the inference of ancestral components. I deal with genotypes and individuals, not self-reported ancestral origins and labelled sets of individuals (populations). Components emerge from unsupervised learning over a set of individual genotypes, and it is only a posteriori that labels are assigned to the inferred components, by observation. Indeed, one could forego the assignment of labels altogether!
My amicable advice to 23andMe is to drop supervised learning altogether. It will only get worse as new customers (aka new test data) join in. | <urn:uuid:1c5da7ee-654c-4444-b878-c8b3ecd27cde> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://dienekes.blogspot.com/2012/12/23andme-ancestry-composition.html?showComment=1356103853692 | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368705559639/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516115919-00035-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.95925 | 713 | 1.570313 | 2 |
By Evan Ackerman
When we posted our last update on the Martin
Jetpack Ductedfanpack about a year ago, they were looking at producing around 10 units at $100,000 each. In that quantity and price, it didn’t seem like something that was particularly realistic. At the end of last month the Telegraph reported that Martin Aircraft Company had teamed up with an unnamed international aircraft company, and that the new partnership had secured enough capital to begin producing 500 jetpacks a year at a cost of around $75,000 each. Yes, it’s a lot, but come on, it’s a personal jetpack, and it may actually be a practical one too:
-No pilot’s license required
-Runs on premium gas from a gas station
-30 mile range at 60 mph, 8000 ft ceiling
-Includes low altitude ballistic parachute for safety
It’s certainly not the sexy sci-fi jetpack of the future yet, but I mean, it works, and you can actually buy one (quite soon, anyway) for a not entirely crazy amount of money. | <urn:uuid:c4f40b4f-f616-4d2c-8508-5ac6bce2b122> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.ohgizmo.com/tag/martin-jetpack/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368703298047/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516112138-00031-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.944342 | 232 | 1.703125 | 2 |
What does triple-equals mean?
Many developers have their favorite programming languages, often to the point of religious fervor (case in point the C# vs VB.NET debates amongst Microsoft developers). I’ve never been one to be too religious about the language I use – I always like to choose what’s best for the job at hand (and anyway C# is WAY better than VB.NET ).
I usually separate libraries into 2 categories:
- widget libraries (like Script.aculo.us) extend the core library, tend to be based more around web controls and user interface components and depend on the core library to enable it to do cool stuff
At Xero we chose ExtJS. ExtJS started life as a widget library extending (hence the name) the Yahoo User Interface (YUI) core, however over time it’s grown into one of the best standalone libraries available (combining both widgets and a robust core library into one). While most libraries tend to be open-source, ExtJS is one of the only libraries with a commercial license (though they’ve recently changed their tune on that with the release of ExtJS 3.0 Core with an MIT free software license). The fact it’s commercial wasn’t a factor for us – it’s the quality of the library that won out over it’s rivals. It’s quite beautifully built, and even though it had some quirks and does require a learning curve to understand those quirks, it’s extremely powerful and allows for the creation of some quite stunning user interfaces. I recommend giving ExtJS a look (even if you currently use another library it’s designed to sit on top of other core libraries if you prefer them (such as YUI, Prototype and JQuery) so you can just use it when you need it).
Widgets based on or extending ExtJS are baked into our user interface – the invoice grid is an example of our custom implementation of the ExtJS grid control. Obviously we had our own requirements, but the programming model is so good it was very easy to extend and incorporate our touches to their existing control. ExtJS is very easy to style giving us complete control of the look and feel of their controls so that it fits within our own tight design guidelines.
Working on an application like Xero gives the team here a lot of scope for playing with different technologies and applying them to complex interface problems (usually brought on by our design team). Fortunately for me I absolutely love trying to solve them.
Read more about Developers
24 April 2009 #
26 June 2009 # | <urn:uuid:0b5471a6-5bc3-41dd-a5d4-dc88597a95fd> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://blog.xero.com/2009/04/what-does-triple-equals-mean/ | 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 | 0.934825 | 543 | 1.78125 | 2 |
CARIAD FARM HORSES
Inca, Jarrah and Seajul
Inca, Jarrah and Seajul are all elderly horses. Jarrah is about 25 years of age, Inca is about 20 and Seajul is about 19 years of age. Inca and Jarrah had both in the past been used as stock horses to work cows. Inca came to Cariad Farm because he was about to become homeless as his family had to relocate to the city for work. Jarrah had been roaming wild in the forests on a local farm. Seajul came to Cariad Farm because of a lack of food on the property. | <urn:uuid:16e90bb4-25d3-4567-8999-ff24b1c6c0df> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://cariadfarm.org/index.php/horses | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368698924319/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516100844-00011-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.991304 | 137 | 1.648438 | 2 |
Washington (CNN) -- More U.S. soldiers killed themselves last month than in recent Army history, according to Army statistics released Thursday, confounding officials trying to reverse the grim trend.
The statistics show that 32 soldiers killed themselves in June, the highest number in a single month since the Vietnam era. Twenty-one of them were on active duty, while 11 were in the National Guard or Army Reserve in an inactive status.
Seven of those soldiers killed themselves while serving in Iraq and Afghanistan, according to the Army numbers.
The spike comes after the monthly suicide numbers had dropped following a January high of 28, and Army officials admit they still haven't answered the question of why troops are committing suicide at a record rate.
"There were no trends to any one unit, camp, post or station," said Col. Chris Philbrick, head of the Army's suicide prevention task force. "I have no silver bullet to answer the question why."
He said he could offer only what he has said before: "Continued stress on the force and the opportunities we have been facing in terms of the challenges in the Army continue to cause these events to take place."
Including the June numbers, 145 soldiers have killed themselves this year, more than half of the total number for all of 2009, according to Army statistics.
In 2009, a record-breaking year for suicides in the service, 245 soldiers killed themselves.
In another attempt to put a halt to the trend, the Army released a suicide prevention video, a follow-up to one released last year. The updated video is designed to "hit home" with soldiers and instill the importance of getting help, Philbrick said.
The video, titled "Shoulder to Shoulder: I Will Never Quit," begins with the compelling story of a soldier whose wife said she was divorcing him. The soldier, Spc. Joseph Sanders, says his wife was his whole world.
"I grabbed my rifle, put it under my chin and pulled the trigger," Sanders says.
The gun did not fire, he says, and when he took the rifle apart he discovered that a key part was missing.
His Army buddy then tells viewers he removed the part because Sanders was showing signs that he could kill himself.
Asked why the Army thinks this video will be more effective than the first one, Philbrick said the soldiers will relate to it better.
The first video, made up of a mix of actors and real soldiers, "sucked," he said. It was rushed out, and troops did not believe in it. He said some even openly laughed at it.
"This video has all real soldiers with real stories," Philbrick said.
The video is part of a series of efforts to cut the suicide rate. Last year, the Army required all soldiers around the world to stop working and spend a day watching the first video and receiving suicide prevention training.
Philbrick said the alarming June numbers will not bring another Army-wide training day, called a stand-down. He said the new video will be incorporated immediately into the standard suicide prevention training for new troops and the yearly training all soldiers go through. | <urn:uuid:98940d14-dd97-42ca-9578-1529e022f7fc> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.cnn.com/2010/US/07/15/army.suicides/index.html | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368696383156/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516092623-00015-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.981425 | 651 | 1.773438 | 2 |
I remember the first time I was an exhibitor at a tradeshow about 22 years ago. My boss instructed me on very little but was very clear on one point. Don't sit down
when conference attendees are anywhere in sight. Sitting was the least welcoming sign and would not entice people to walk over to our booth where the "magic" happens.
Note: in photo above, we have removed the chairs so sitting is not an option!
Being an exhibitor is exhausting. Hopefully, as an exhibitor, you are engaging attendees in conversations of substance and making appropriate notes regarding post-show followup. Couple this with the many hours of standing around, and being on your A-game and we all know the body will ache for rest. Regardless, the goal of being an exhibitor in the first place is to foster relationships with prospective customers and to make stronger connections with existing contacts. That takes work. A lot of work.
Recently, my daughter and I attended a college fair. As a high school junior, this was her first exposure to seeking out a significant amount of information from schools. One school in particular, University of Delaware, had a young alumnus who could not hide the passion he has for his alma mater. He stood at his booth, pointed out facts in the brochures he provided and gave specifics to my daughter and me that would be important in the application process. I am positive that we walked away more excited about U of D than we would otherwise have been.
Another school also stood out but for the opposite reasons. We almost missed the "booth" as the table at this, not-to-be-named, university was empty. No brochures or anything. I happened to look up at the name of the school hanging high over the table and realized it was a school on our hit-list. There was a man sitting behind the table when we approached. He never stood up and explained his "man", who had all of the school's materials, didn't make it to the event. He didn't even have a sheet of blank paper to collect inquiring students' information to send materials.
I was baffled by this university representative and his inability to improvise
. I was most offended that he never stood which really did make us feel uncomfortable as we stood over him. He was not the only representative sitting, but the other seated exhibitor was at least enthusiastic and had good materials and information.
Preparation for a tradeshow is essential. This includes planning weeks and months ahead to assure you have the correct booth items (banners, table cover
, brochures, business cards, giveaways, etc.). Having adequate rest, good nutrition and hydration before and during the event should not be taken lightly as some tradeshows are like marathons, especially when they occur over several days.
Things go wrong and attendees will be understanding so having a plan B is also critical
. At the very least, every exhibitor should have a back-up for collecting information for following-up with the people who showed interest. Common courtesy, as in standing and looking at prospects face-to-face, will always go a long way helping to make any glitches appear less obvious. Whether you have great displays and handouts or are lacking such items, when working as an exhibitor, be sure to stand and smile. | <urn:uuid:7b8e6750-e4a5-4fc0-8d09-cf6bdfdfb06f> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.crownbaltimore.com/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368702448584/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516110728-00020-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.984373 | 690 | 1.703125 | 2 |
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