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I am thinking of having a constant (but small) influx of tap water for new
tank I am setting up. If the flow is on the order of 25% per week there
shouldn't be any problems (especially since on occasion I have done 25%
untreated changes all at once with no noticeable negative impact on fish or
plants). I was thinking of pretreating this trickle flow through a peat
media. (Note: 4 dGH and pH of aged tap water is 8)
It seems to me that this would provide a very stable environment and lower
Who has such a system? Any tips? How do you ensure that, if for some reason
the outflow becomes blocked, you don't spill water?
Thanks in advance. | <urn:uuid:1047b231-c045-4fa5-9792-f5a5361a4b40> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://fins.actwin.com/aquatic-plants/month.9907/msg00615.html | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368706499548/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516121459-00021-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.942336 | 177 | 1.765625 | 2 |
Jordan's king urges U.S. to work on peace
WASHINGTON (Reuters) - King Abdullah of Jordan urged the United States on Wednesday to exert new leadership in the Middle East and said the Israeli-Palestinian conflict is still the core problem.
Speaking to a joint session of the U.S. House of Representatives and Senate, Abdullah noted that 11 U.S. presidents and 30 Congresses had already wrestled with the dispute and said it could not be left once more to a future generation.
"Let us say together: 'No more!' Let us say together: 'Let's solve this!' Let us say together: 'Yes, we will achieve this!'" he declared.
Washington, struggling with an unpopular war that the Bush administration started in Iraq nearly four years ago, is under pressure from European and Arab allies to get more involved in resolving the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. Peace talks collapsed in 2000.
The Jordanian king told U.S. lawmakers that, despite the Iraq war, the wellspring of regional division remained the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.
Abdullah was the first foreign leader to address a joint session of the new Democratic-led Congress, which since gathering in January has been searching for ways to wind down the U.S. presence in Iraq.
U.S. potential to help Palestinians and Israelis find peace was unrivalled, he said, "because the people of the region still regard the United States as the key to peace, the one country most capable of bringing the two sides closer together, holding them accountable, and making a just settlement reality."
The Jordanian Embassy said Abdullah made similar appeals for more U.S. engagement during a meeting with President George W. Bush. He has also met with U.S. Vice President Dick Cheney and U.S. Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice, and had lunch on Wednesday with U.S. House Of Representatives Speaker Nancy Pelosi.
Rice lists resolving the Israeli-Palestinian crisis as a top priority in Bush's last two years in office. But results of her recent trip to the region were modest: a promise by Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas and Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert to meet again soon but no fixed date.
Washington is cautious about the Palestinian power-sharing pact recently struck between Abbas and the Islamist Hamas party. It wants to continue to shun Hamas -- which won an election last year but does not recognise Israel -- and has promoted an aid embargo against the Palestinian Authority.
Abdullah's call for revived peace efforts drew a standing ovation from Congress. His recipe for peace won applause, but not from everyone in the chamber.
There should be collective security guarantees for all countries of the region, including Israel; an agreed solution to the refugee problem; a withdrawal from Arab territories occupied since 1967; and a "sovereign, viable, and independent Palestine," Abdullah said.
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By Marcia Moore
The Daily Item
HUMMELS WHARF — A proposal to merge the Hummels Wharf and Shamokin Dam fire departments is being mulled as a way of reducing costs and duplicated services.
The idea was initiated by Shamokin Dam Borough Council about a year ago, and the issue was turned over to the established fire task forces set up in each community.
Chad Gavason, chairman of the Shamokin Dam Fire Task Force and a former fire chief, said consolidation has to be considered as equipment costs rise and membership declines.
“Many fire companies in Pennsylvania are merging or consolidating,” he said. “We have two municipalities that could fund one fire company. We’re very open to the idea of it.”
Not everyone is convinced it’s the way to go despite encouragement from the state fire commissioner.
Hummels Wharf Deputy Fire Chief Jack Grove said his company is in good financial standing and doesn’t need to take on Shamokin Dam Fire Company’s debt of about $35,000.
Hummels Wharf receives about $25,000 each from Monroe Township, its fund drive, and its social hall yearly. The social hall profits also pay the building’s utility expenses. Assets include two engines, a tanker and utility vehicle. The fire company expanded the truck room in the past decade, plus several neighboring properties.
And, Grove said, with assets of about $3.8 million and a debt of about $750,000, “we’re in the best financial state we’ve ever been in.”
Shamokin Dam Fire Department is also in good financial shape, Chief Brad Aurand said.
The company has two engines, a utility vehicle and boat and receives about $52,000 a year from the borough, plus an undisclosed amount from fundraising efforts. While the truck room has no debt, the social hall is about $35,000 to $40,000 in the red, Aurand said.
“Right now we don’t have a financial problem, but down the road we might,” he said, adding that the shaky economy and declining number of volunteer firefighters is forcing the consolidation discussion. “We’re interested in the future.”
With the fire stations less than two miles apart and each having an active membership of about 20 firefighters who invariably show up at the same calls, Aurand said it makes little sense to pay double for buildings, vehicles and equipment.
“We have 34 air packs we must maintain and not enough people to use them,” Gavason said.
Despite the support for a merger, Grove said he won’t take part in the discussion since a proposal to eliminate Shamokin Dam’s fire company and have Hummels Wharf provide fire service through a contract was rejected outright.
“Things are going well for us. If it ain’t broke, don’t fix it,” he said.
A meeting of the two fire company task forces is scheduled for 7 p.m. Dec. 12 at the Hummels Wharf Fire Company.
Email comments to [email protected] | <urn:uuid:ba069d8e-1651-4278-b1d4-4b42d8d17686> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://dailyitem.com/0100_news/x983008673/Fire-department-merger-receives-mixed-reaction/print | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368702810651/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516111330-00029-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.961787 | 678 | 1.585938 | 2 |
What is absolutely certain is that not all of these movies will be successful. A few of the books may never even make it to the screen. What is uncertain is which one will be Hollywood’s Holy Grail -- the next "Harry Potter," the new "Twilight," the future "Hunger Games." Most of the novels are the first in a trilogy or a longer series, so commercial success can last for years.
And commercial failure can be a bone-chilling end. 20th Centuiry Fox’s “Eragon” (2006) was to be the first of a series. But the sword and sorcery movie about a boy and his dragon was trashed by the critics, and, with a cost of $100 million before prints and marketing, the $75 million “Eragon” made in the United States did not give Fox an appetite for a second film.
“The Golden Compass,” the first book in Philip Pullman’s award-winning “His Dark Materials” trilogy, cost over $200 million. Flawed but by no means an artistic failure, the New Line film did well abroad but had a mediocre domestic boxoffiice gross of $70 million in 2007, despite starring Nicole Kidman and Daniel Craig. Its story of a girl living in an alternate Oxford University in an alternate universe where people's’souls take the shape of small animals--witches can be good and polar bears are amored-- was too intellectual, too philosophical, too steeped in theology to work well on the screen. And, although the anti-religious elements that permeated the trilogy were scrubbed away in the movie, their shadows remained. The silver screen demands something simpler and less rigorous.
So, for a wonderful afternoon, read the books. | <urn:uuid:47182e01-befa-4abd-82f5-951cd14837f1> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://blogs.indiewire.com/thompsononhollywood/young-adult-novels?page=2 | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368706499548/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516121459-00003-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.957447 | 372 | 1.609375 | 2 |
Contact John at MicroCarve.
I've been lurking for a while, collecting parts, registered sometime into that lurking (I'm active on a few other machining forums...) but now I'm posting debating if there is a way of changing my attitude/approach.
Gather some cheap parts, slap them together to make small table to learn, make parts for a larger table... I have a tendency to turn things like this into a never ending project- you get it working, tear it apart to improve it, you never have it running when you need it...
New plan (hoping that you guys can point me in the right direction):
Skip the cheap parts, build a setup that can do the kind of stuff that I want from the get go- buy known working stuff (mostly thinking about the electronics/controller/drives...) that pretty much work out of the box (FWIW, I probably have access to better tooling then what most people start with, I have a bridgeport, 10x22 lathe, welders/plasma cutter...).
I'm almost looking for a "DIY CNC in a box" or a "get these motors, this controller, this drive... and you'll have what you need. Basically, I want to try to avoid my typical "spending the next X (I've turned some of these things into projects that took years) of my life building a tool to build stuff that I want to make."
What I'm looking to do with it:
- small to medium size parts, most stuff I would make would fit in my hand, but some stuff gets larger, car parts (say supercharger brackets, flanges...), some prototyping type work for electronics, hobby type stuff, I've even been talked into machining custom guitar body for a friend. 2x4' would cover 99.9% of what I've ever done, but 24x18 or somewhere in that range would take care of 95% of it and be acceptable. Not sure about the Z, but 3-5" travel would be really nice.
- Most of it is aluminum, composites (micarta, delrin), hard woods... a lot of my "prototype" type stuff has been MDF. Dare I dream steel/iron (not necessary, can always drop it on the bridgport or lathe if I really need it and if this puts a realistic setup out of bounds, if it does maybe a second project would be something stronger for that kind of work or cnc'ing my bridgeport or a smaller import mill).
Not sure what other info to add... ideas?
LOL if you have a bridgeport AND a lathe then building a cnc shouldn't be too hard! Heck, why not just CNC the bridgeport and lathe? You'll get a better cut in metal than wth most fiy router designs, except for maybe cutting guitar bodies...
The bridgeport makes a killer "router" for modifying guitar bodies... I've had a few serious guitar players notice that what I've ended up with is much better than factory (once I actually looked out what the geometry is supposed to be I could get it dead on, and I'm actually surprised how bad some really good guitars are made). I actually really like carbide router bits in the bridgeport for a lot of things, and with the bridgeport you can actually set up to just shave the thickness of the finish... off the surface (but again, originally they don't tend to be that flat so you can get yourself into trouble when you get too cocky).
I'm part way through the MicroCarve thread... I like the design, but I don't see anything that is nearly large enough to do what I want there. Also, the actual design of the table isn't what I'm worried about, but the controls/electronics are, and it seems like he's all about the table design and so far the stuff that I'm worried about is an afterthought, lots of the pictures do not have the motors installed and I haven't seen anything about them.
I'll spend some time on the second thread later.
As far as converting the bridgeport (sorry, for some reason I just don't get the cnc lathe thing for most applications), well, I really like the big manual machine, and I don't want to loose that. I'm not sure that it would be a good candidate either, with the DRO and some care the worn 1960 vintage machine can do some really nice work, I don't see it working well CNC without some tuneup or more likely rebuilding
I was in the same place you are. I really want a 4x4 joe's machine but I really don't have the space right now and the time & $$$ I know I'd want to put into getting one going. I looked at what I really want to do right now is make some smaller parts and John's Microcarve machine (link posted above) fit most of my needs. Buying it allows me to dive into the cnc world a lot faster then building a bigger machine. John is a great guy to deal with.
If you go with a microcarve machine just add stepper kit from say 3-Axis CNC Stepper Motor Driver Kits you can get them a ready to run. And you'll be off and running. Or if a bigger machine is a must Fine line has complete kits. Home : Fine Line Automation
I think it's probably too small for what you want to do. My router has a 30 x 24 envelope and I cut mainly guitar parts. The early guitar bodies were rough bandsawed and then pin routered. Believe it or not, Peavey was CNCing guitar bodies as early as the 60s! Onsrud's inverted pin router made it safer, and some guitar shops still use them for bodies and necks. I'm always amazed however, what the CNC can do. What once took me 4 hours prepping and routing and shaping a body now takes under 30 minutes!
I would like to keep my aluminum and wood work separate, as the lubricants I sometime use could ruin a guitar finish. I have to wipe my table down with denatured alcohol ro removev any residue. You could build something like the cnc router parts/fine line automation kit for wood and plastics, and maybe even build or convert an x-y table to CNC for your Bridgeport and manually z (I think a previous issue of Digital Machinist covered that topic) for metal work.. This way you don't have to modify your machine, it's bolt on, bolt off...
I think its the size that is making it tough.
If you go down to about 18"x24" you can run 5/8" ball screws and some smaller steppers and the Gecko G251 drivers and still be under a grand for the whole thing.
You go much bigger and then you want 3/4" screws or racks and larger motors and drivers.
1K or 2K?
I'm sure my machines are too small for you...they
won't make a guitar body. Except maybe for Barbie
& her friends...but it'd be a Nice one...
If you want a bolt together kit, the cncrouterparts
kit will be large enough, strong enough, and well
supported...which is important.
Ahren...(cncrouterparts)...has been at this a long
time and knows what works with what. He makes everything
you need available and will explain what it is and why you
need it. Electronics, wires, motors....everything.
You have the Bridgeport and chances are anyone who's
taken the time & trouble to have one of those will
have the Best of the Best tools to easily complete
the cncrouterparts machines.
You can DIY from complete scratch, but you need a design
to begin that $$ journey. The kit I mentioned will get
you there a lot faster, so you can be using a machine
instead of planning a machine.
Myself, I'm just a hobbyist that makes machines for the
fun of it, and I sell them off to make another. There's
little to no profit in what I do, so what I can make is
very limited. I try to make small easily shipped machines
that are good for beginning with cnc in general. There's
a lot of pluses to them, but I stay away from making larger
machines mainly because there are already plenty of
For getting all you need in one place....and the all important
support and help with questions you'll surely have...I'd
go with the cncrouterparts kit. There are lots of others
who have them, so help is practically there for you almost
PS...I never bothered to cnc my large mill. I like to be able
to feel how things are cutting. You don't have that important
feedback with cnc. It's all programmed in advance and the
machine won't know or care if things are proceeding correctly.
The machine will do as commanded...right or wrong.
Without cnc on my mill, I know if I'm cutting just a little too
deep or the cutter doesn't like the job.
Not as "glamorous" as cnc, but it's quicker and better in
Let me fill in some background on my suggestion... It sounds like you are an experienced machininst, but the CNC part of machining (or at least he building of the machines) is new to you? It sounds like you want to "start small" to a degree, but a machine capable of making guitar bodies is, in my opinion, much bigger than "small"...
So, my suggestion is to start smaller than you were thinking, and make SURE you want to "go bigger" with a lower cost entry point. For instance, I bought a V90 (John's "first" entry to a commercial CNC machine on a larger scale, I think. The V90 is now sold exclusively by Probotix). I didn't know squat about actually making or using CNC machines when I bought the V90. I got a machine I put together in 4 hours, including a full electronics setup (electronics all pre-built so I couldn't "screw it up"). I just had to "follow directions" to put it together to get it running. Next I had to tackle the computer side, and the software side.
I used SolidWords for CAD, BobCAD for CAM, and run Mach3 to drive the V90. Everything worked "to perfection", but there were many bumps in the road. I tried to use EMC2 on a couple of times and had nothing by headaches. I know other people use it perfectly well, it was not a fit for me. I tried many different CAM program trials, and narrowed down my selection by knowing what I wanted to be able to do (fully 3D parts, not just engraving or 2.5D), and how easily I could "grasp" the interface and get done the things I wanted to be able to do "down the road". Again, all these facets of the decision making process were able to be tested out 100% on the V90, with a minimal outlay of cash, and a very high degree of success/applicability to larger machines.
I got through all that, loved what I saw, and then went "whole hog" by buying a Mikini machine. This EXACT same set of software was fully capable of running the Mikini (CAD, CAM, machine control) - there was zero learning curve to go from the V90 to the Mikini (software wise). Electronics wise, it is also "basically the same" thing, just "grown up". Ditto the tooling. Sure, the machine has way more power, capability, and experience than the V90, but deep down "it's just a router" on steroids...
The VERY last think I would have wanted to do was dump $10k+ in to building a "dream machine", taking years to do it, and then finding it didn't meet my expectations in capability or accuracy. It seems to me there are quite a few examples of people taking this approach, and getting broke and frustrated in the process...
Now that I have a V90 working, and the Mikini, I am starting to collect parts to make a "mammoth" machine for myself. I would never have been successful or even been aware of all the pitfalls of building this machine, without going through the step-by-step learning I have done so far.
My V90 is fully functional at the moment. I bet I could sell it for 90% of what I paid, but I choose to keep it. It is great for doing PCB's, and smaller parts that fit in it's build envelope. If I wanted, I could also sell the V90 base machine only, and put the motors/controls/etc. on to a larger format machine. Just the hardware for that machine would likely cost more than everything I have put in to the V90 so far.
That's my $0.02, use or ignore as you wish. | <urn:uuid:8b7b9a9b-641a-4fb7-b6e3-d65f778d4233> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.cnczone.com/forums/diy_cnc_router_table_machines/125758-save.html | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368702810651/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516111330-00032-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.969455 | 2,771 | 1.640625 | 2 |
Michael Itkoff April 13, 2009Posted by Geoffrey Hiller in United States.
Tags: United States
Demo Derby Heat, Pittston, Pennsylvania, 2008
Michael Itkoff (b.1981. USA) is the editor of Daylight Magazine. His work is in public and private collections in the United States and he has been a recipient of the Howard Chapnick Grant for the Advancement of Photojournalism (2006), a Creative Artists Fellowship from the Pennsylvania Arts Council (2007), and a Puffin Foundation Grant (2008). Itkoff’s monograph ‘Street Portraits’ was published by Charta Editions in February 2009.
About the Photograph:
“The arena at the Northeast Fair in Pittston, PA is, like so many other demolition derby tracks, simply a patch of dirt surrounded by cement barriers. Instead of a grandstand with a stage and bleachers, the Northeast Fairgrounds boast a leveled off pit next to a hill from which the spectacle can be observed. Last June, men and women of all ages gathered one Saturday night for the fairs’ main event. Derby’s consist of one or more ‘heats’ where cars or trucks ram into each other until only one is able to move. An ambulance and fire truck is always on hand to evacuate injured participants and control any fires that may break out. This photograph was taken near the end of the last heat when many of the cars had been rendered immobile and the steam emanating from busted radiators shrouded the action in a ghostly fog.” | <urn:uuid:ce5a4af4-1627-48a8-8193-4bdb012448aa> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://vervephoto.wordpress.com/2009/04/13/michael-itkoff/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368711005985/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516133005-00012-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.942499 | 323 | 1.59375 | 2 |
British retail sales fell by 0.6% in January, ending a trend of year-on-year growth recorded in the sector since August 2011.
According to figures from the UK’s Office for National Statistics, the amount spent in the retail sector was the same as January 2012 but, due to rising prices, the quantity of goods declined.
The ONS figures are based on a survey of 5,000 retailers, including large chains that employ 100 people or more.
The decline in sales is blamed somewhat on the heavy snow experienced in many parts of Britain during the month, with food and fuel retailers particularly affected.
This led to a fall in sales at smaller outlets but a rise in sales for larger retailers, which were buoyed by an increase in online shopping.
According to the ONS figures, there was an 8.7% increase in the average online weekly spend in January.
The internet accounted for over 10% of all retail spending, excluding automotive fuel, during the month. | <urn:uuid:759e0037-e5cf-4e12-937e-aa5f0b1c88c5> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.rte.ie/news/business/2013/0215/367953-british-retail-sales/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368696382584/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516092622-00030-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.979793 | 204 | 1.804688 | 2 |
|College hosts 2002 Kentucky Historic Preservation Conference
RELEASED: Aug. 1, 2002
DANVILLE, KY-Centre hosted a conference this past Thursday, Friday and Saturday that dealt with preservation issues important to communities and individuals throughout Kentucky. The college was home to most sessions of the 2002 Kentucky Historic Preservation Conference held in Danville.
The conference, themed "In Tune With Preservation," focused on many timely issues, including preservation of historic and endangered buildings, downtown revitalization, community development, neighborhood design, historic military sites, heritage education, heritage tourism, architectural studies and preservation financing. In addition to three days of educational sessions, activities included Preservation Kentucky's Advocacy breakfast, dinner and auction; a bookstore and exhibit area; and tours of historic sites, including several National Historic Landmarks.
An especially appropriate venue for the conference, Centre has engaged in a systematic program of historic preservation during the past 15 years. Its signature building, Old Centre, was began in1819 and completed in 1820 and is Kentucky's oldest continuously operating academic facility. During the Civil War it was used as a hospital by Confederate troops and then by Union soldiers after the battle of Perryville.
The college has 14 buildings included in the National Register of Historic Places on its 115-acre campus (see www.centre.edu/web/news/blds02.html).
Keynote speakers at the conference were Joseph P. Riley Jr., mayor of Charleston, S.C., nationally known for his leadership in preservation and urban revitalization issues; Edward McMahon, vice president of the Conservation Fund of Arlington, Va., an author and nationally known speaker on conservation issues; Dwight Young, senior communications associate for the National Trust for Historic Preservation and author of the back-page feature in the Trusts monthly preservation magazine; and Crit Luallen, Secretary of Kentucky Gov. Paul Patton's Executive Cabinet, who spearheaded Gov. Patton's Smart Growth Task Force. Luallen is a 1974 Centre graduate.
"We are extremely delighted to be working with Danville Mayor Alex Stevens, Centre President John Roush, the Heart of Danville staff and other volunteers who are working very hard to make this conference such a wonderful event," said David L. Morgan, executive director of the Kentucky Heritage Council and state historic preservation officer, who is a 1975 Centre graduate. "Danville is the perfect location to host our statewide conference, given the community's emphasis on preservation issues, the pride that its citizens take in their homes and the city's designation as a Great American Main Street by the National Trust for Historic Preservation."
Located in Frankfort, the Kentucky Heritage Council was created in 1966 to preserve the Commonwealth's historic and prehistoric resources for future generations.
- end -
600 W. Walnut Street
Danville, KY 40422
Public Information Coordinator: Telephone 859-238-5714 | <urn:uuid:ef98870b-7438-4e63-b310-575a716a0911> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.centre.edu/web/news/2002/khp302.html | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368702448584/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516110728-00041-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.952458 | 584 | 1.539063 | 2 |
NEW YORK (AP) — Sexual assault occurs in many settings, and the perpetrators come from every part of U.S. society.
Yet as recent incidents and reports make clear, it's a particularly intractable problem in the military, with its enduring macho culture and unique legal system.
Advocates for change say one significant factor is the perception by many victims in the military that they lack the recourses available in the civilian world to bring assailants to justice.
The military insists it takes the problem seriously and has implemented numerous policies and programs to reduce the assaults.
But the problem persists.
A recent Pentagon report estimates that 26,000 service members were sexually assaulted last year, up from 19,000 in 2011. Victims reported 3,374 incidents in 2012, and there were convictions in 238 of those cases.
Reports of a disturbing case of sexual assault coming from Belleville.
A 45-year-old man is in custody after allegedly raping a 2-year-old girl. Officers say there was a witness present for the assault. The suspect in the case is a relative of the child. The toddler has been taken to a hospital for evaluation.
The case is now in the hands of the State's Attorney.
Determined not to let the statute of limitations keep them from prosecuting a serial rapist, St. Clair County authorities have charged a suspect identified only by his DNA profile with a 2005 assault in East St. Louis.
The profile is linked to four other sexual assault cases between 1997 and 2008.
Prosecutors say they to the action in order to file charges before the 10 year statute of limitations runs out.
Illinois State Police Lt. Dave Wasmuth says he believes the serial rapist will eventually be arrested. "We're just waiting for his DNA to be taken, submitted to the DNA index, and a match will occur, Lt. Wasmuth said. "And then the warrant would be amended and actually put that person's name on the warrant."
St. Clair County State’s Attorney Brendan Kelly says the victim, who no longer lives in the St. Louis area, is "happy" that authorities are pursing a conviction so aggressively.
This is the first time St. Clair County prosecutors have filed charges against a suspect identified only by a DNA profile, but similar legal actions have been taken elsewhere in Illinois.
Bail for the unnamed suspect has already been set at $750,000.
St. Louis Public School officials have placed a high school teacher on leave after he allegedly had sex with a student.
Court documents say David Marler had sex with a male student at Soldan High School. Marler also allegedly gave the same student an inhalant that made him dizzy and lightheaded. Marler faces eleven charges, including sodomy, sexual contact with a student, and endangering the welfare of a child.
The school placed Marler on leave on Monday.
St. Louis Police are asking any parents who believe their kids may have been victimized by Marler to call the Child Abuse unit at 314.444.5385.
Police are hoping someone will come forward with a tip that leads them to a sexual predator.
Students at Lindenwood University were alerted Sunday of a report of sexual assault overnight.
A Lindenwood University student was reportedly attacked early Sunday in the 1000 block of Powell. St. Charles Police are investigating.
Anyone with information is asked to call CrimeStoppers at 866-371-8477.
ST. CHARLES, Mo. (AP) - A registered sex offender in St. Charles County has been sentenced to life in prison after pleading guilty to more sex crimes.
The St. Louis Post-Dispatch reports that 54-year-old Dennis Lee Noack of St. Charles was sentenced Monday to three life terms for statutory sodomy and child molestation. The sentences will run concurrently.
The three victims ranged in age from 7 to 16.
Noack was previously convicted of sexual conduct with a 12-year-old girl in a 2000 case, and sentenced to 179 days in jail.
JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. (AP) - U.S. Sen. Claire McCaskill returned to Missouri to push for tougher punishments of military sexual assaults.
The Democratic senator and former Jackson County prosecutor met Wednesday with top officials from the Missouri National Guard at the Guard's Jefferson City headquarters.
Her appearance came one month after senior military leaders were chastised at a Senate hearing because an Air Force commander dismissed the conviction of a lieutenant colonel for sexually assaulting a civilian employee at Aviana Air Force Base in Italy.
McCaskill has introduced legislation to revise the Uniform Code of Military Justice to prohibit commanders from overturning jury verdicts in military tribunals. Those leaders would also have to explain in writing any decisions to reduce sentences after guilty verdicts in court martials.
"Do you really think that after a jury has found someone guilty, and dismissed someone from the military for sexual assault, that one person, over the advice of their legal counselor, should be able to say, 'Never mind'?" Sen. Claire McCaskill, D-Mo., asked Marine Corps Gen. James Mattis, the top officer at U.S. Central Command, at a Senate hearing.
Mattis explained that commanders, including female commanders, have the authority to act for a reason. "And I would just tell you that I would look beyond one case," he said.
McCaskill sent a letter to Air Force officials seeking an explanation while Sens. Barbara Boxer, D-Calif., and Jeanne Shaheen, D-N.H., wrote to Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel asking him to review the case.
The Air Force Times reported last month that Lt. Col. James Wilkerson, a former inspector general at Aviano Air Base in Italy, had been convicted on Nov. 2 on charges of abusive sexual contact, aggravated sexual assault and three instances of conduct unbecoming of an officer and a gentleman. The incident had involved a civilian employee.
Wilkerson was sentenced to a year in prison and dismissal from the service. But Lt. Gen. Craig Franklin, the commander of 3rd Air Force, later dismissed the charges. The Air Force Times reported that Franklin had concluded that the evidence was insufficient to meet the burden of proof beyond a reasonable doubt.
"This is a travesty of justice," Boxer and Shaheen wrote. "At a time when the military has unequivocally stated that there is zero tolerance for sexual assault, this is not the message it should be sending to our service men and women, and to our nation."
They asked Hagel for information on what was the basis for Franklin's decision and pressed him to act immediately to restrict such authority to dismiss military court decisions unilaterally.
McCaskill wrote Air Force Secretary Michael Donley and Gen. Mark Welsh, the Air Force chief of staff, that Franklin's decision "show ignorance, at best, and malfeasance, at worst."
"I strongly urge you to undertake an immediate review of his conduct and consider removing him from his leadership position," the senator wrote.
She pointed out that as the Air Force and "other military organizations are redoubling efforts to erase a culture that has often turned a blind eye on sexual assault, Lt. Gen. Franklin's conduct undermines this important shift."
In January, Welsh likened sexual assault in the Air Force's ranks to a cancer and vowed to tackle the problem by screening personnel more carefully and putting an end to bad behaviors like binge drinking that can lead to misconduct.
Welsh told a House oversight committee that the service recorded a disturbing number of reports of sexual assault last year even as it worked to curb misconduct in the wake of a sex scandal at its training headquarters in Texas. Dozens of young female recruits and airmen at Lackland Air Force Base near San Antonio were victimized by their instructors who sexually harassed, improperly touched or raped them.
Most difficult, Welsh said, is transforming a culture in which victims are often reluctant to report what happened because of guilt, shame or fear they won't be believed.
John Scott Thomas III will spend 30 years in his prison for his role in the June 2011 abuse case. Thomas, along with his girlfriend and another man, sexually assaulted three young girls, ages 7 months, 3 years, and 5-years-old. The abuse took place at Tee Kay Mobile Home Manor in an unincorporated area of the county near O'Fallon. | <urn:uuid:da43ca51-b5ab-4ecf-9161-43b0b8c9cef7> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.ktrs.com/news/health-news/itemlist/tag/sexual%20assault | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368709037764/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516125717-00006-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.970975 | 1,739 | 1.71875 | 2 |
Playing Cards - 108 Poker Tips
Brand: Finders Forum
Types: Playing Cards, Card Games
Poker - a game of chance or a game of skill? Chance, because of the random dealing of playing cards; skill as players have to make informed decisions based on the risk-reward nature of the game and the general probabilities presented with each hand.
Among the more interesting tips and trivia contained in our Poker Tips & Trivia Playing Cards are the following:
When players are placing their bets watch which chips they use. Using small denomination chips for the same size bet usually denotes weakness or a bluff while using larger denomination chips often subconsciously indicates confidence and strength. If you are betting using a black chip to bet $100 it looks like a smaller wager than a bet of $90 using three green chips and three red chips even though it's $10 more. If your opponent is inexperienced you can put more chips in the pot when you would like him to fold and the greater number of chips in the pot is more intimidating than only one and conversely if you are looking for action, bet with fewer chips.
Alice Ivers, better known as "Poker Alice", moved to Colorado from England in 1860 and eventually married a mine who played cards. She often accompanied him and after he died started playing for a living. She earned the nickname "Poker Alice" having been able to make as much as $6,000 gambling on a good night. Alice claims to have won more than $250,000 gambling over the years and to have never once cheated as she new how to count cards and figure the odds and was skilled at "reading" other players while remaining stone-faced herself.
An intriguing combination of Poker Trivia and Poker Tips, while there's no guarantee you're going to win you will however learn more about the game and the interesting personalities who play for a living and for pleasure when you explore the world of poker with our Poker Tips & Trivia Playing Cards. | <urn:uuid:0bb607f1-b60c-4e74-aca8-a6407ffa50db> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.puzzlemaster.ca/browse/games/boomerangs/4702-playing-cards-108-poker-tips?image=7537 | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368696382584/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516092622-00012-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.977085 | 404 | 1.5625 | 2 |
Gov. Scott, declaring storm emergency: 'Be careful'
After cancelling two official events in Tampa Monday, Gov. Rick Scott flew back to Tallahassee and got a briefing on the effects of Tropical Storm Debby in Florida. Scott declared a Level 1 state of emergency, the lowest declaration, which activates storm operations in all 67 counties.
At a news conference at the state Emergency Operations Center in Tallahassee, Scott advised Floridians to be safe, avoid non-essential driving, pay close attention to weather reports and stay away from downed power lines.
"I think the most important thing is, one, just use common sense. Be careful," Scott said. "If you're close to a beach, be very cautious. Look at all the beach advisories. If there's any standing water, if there's any flooding, don't drive into it. Be very, very, very cautious."
Emergency managers said Debby, a dense, slow-moving storm, plans to stick around for awhile, and that rains could last until Thursday. No National Guard troops have been activated and the state has not yet asked for any federal disaster assistance.
Scott said the storm is 75 miles off the coast and is moving in a northeasterly direction at 3 miles an hour. He said the low-lying counties of Taylor and Dixie were in the storm's path, and that both counties could sustain from 10 to 20 inches of rain in the next couple of days.
"We could be seeing 10 to 20 inches of rain in parts of the state that could lead to some fairly severe flooding," said Bryan Koon, the state's chief of emergency management. Heavy winds have forced the closing of the Sunshine Skyway Bridge in Bradenton and the causeway bridge to St. George Island, south of Tallahassee, he said. "Wind primarily. They're just not safe to cross when it gets about 40 miles an hour," Koon said.
Koon said power outages are scattered and widespread and he estimated that 35,000 people were without electricity. Three hundred stranded Boy Scouts, on a camping trip in Hernando County, had to be moved to a shelter, officials said.
The next state update from the National Hurricane Center will be at 5 p.m. Monday. The state's first storm briefing came about 30 hours after sustained rains from the storm began falling on the Tampa Bay region. Of the timeliness of the state's official response, Scott said: "This is the right time to respond ... We're prepared." | <urn:uuid:f6095840-00dd-4b52-ae68-0c6e59192b8a> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.tampabay.com/blogs/the-buzz-florida-politics/content/gov-scott-declaring-storm-emergency-be-careful/2041878 | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368705195219/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516115315-00015-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.96876 | 525 | 1.632813 | 2 |
Joy Community Outreach was founded in 1986 to address the social ills that impact
our community. We have been feeding the homeless and disenfranchised ever
Currently, we serve in excess of 150 clients per day. During Thanksgiving we serve
over 2,000 hot meals and deliver food to our shut-in clients. Our "Christmas All
Over L.A." event hosts over 2,000 guests.
Years ago, our government gave the problems of joblessness, homelessness and hunger back to us as our responsibility of HOPE to those in need.
"A hungry man is not a free man." In the future, we optimistically look toward the
betterment of humanity. Our dream is the continuation of our mission at a permanent address-a warehouse space large enough to house classrooms where clients can learn by day and live by night to help themselves.
"Give a man a fish, and you feed him for a day. Teach a man to fish, and you feed him for a lifetime."
- Chinese Proverb.
We envision literacy and computer training, job placement, psychological counseling, drug and alcohol abuse counseling; parenting and conflict resolution classes; elder and shutin outreach, and endangered youth programs.
We will continue our mandate to feed the hungry in an industrial-sized kitchen and spacious dining area, along with providing a laundry room, showers and toilets for those without access to these necessities.
We are not funded by any city, county, state or federal agency, and we are entirely dependent upon corporate and private donors.
This letter is to inform you that the spirit of helping others, fighting domestic hunger and homelessness, and making a difference in the lives of others can continue with the help that we receive from conscious minded people like yourself.
Your donations can help combat the war against homelessness and hunger, fight social ills and to support the vision. Your generosity and support will promote community togetherness and offer a sense of pride. The fight continues... Hunger and homelessness still exist in our city.
Please help us find and furnish our building. Please help us feed, clothe and shelter LA's homeless. | <urn:uuid:542fe6c1-8269-49e1-8be4-95b7f55fd5d5> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://joyinjesus.org/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368708142388/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516124222-00035-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.939061 | 432 | 1.625 | 2 |
Obama Eulogy Narrates Kennedy’s Lively ImpressionsAugust 30th, 2009 - 6:34 pm ICT by GD
By Meena Kar
President Barack Obama is has delivered his eulogy for Kennedy at resort Island of Cape Cord, the landscape of which was itself painted and presented to Obama when he assumed office at Washington, and the painting still hangs in his private study at White House, reportedly.
Deputy Press Secretary Bill Burton revealed to sources that the eulogy would “be a personal message from the President about Senator Kennedy’s impact as a friend, legislator, mentor, colleague, and family member on those around him and our entire nation.”
The lead writer Jon Favreau, assisted him at the composition, along with former speechwriter for Kennedy Cody Keenan. The final impressions were thoughtfully created by Friday night when the President returned from Martha’s Vineyard Mass. to Boston.
“It is his giving heart that we will miss. It was the friend and colleague who was always the first to pick up the phone and say ‘I’m sorry for your loss or ‘I hope you feel better’ or ‘What can I do to help?’”, said US President Barack Obama.
The president appreciatively stated, that Kennedy was one “who sent birthday wishes and thank you notes, and even his paintings to so many who never imagined that a U.S. Senator of such stature would take the time to think about someone like them.”
The president seemed to arouse genuine affection for the down-to-earth Kennedy, after stating that it was common to have people saying, “You wouldn’t believe who called me today”, since the demised Senator had been very amiable and mixing with his near and dear ones.
- Obama may cut his Martha's Vineyard holiday short - Aug 28, 2009
- Obama family to begin their 6th holiday of the year - Aug 19, 2010
- Obama begins vacation by picking up summer reading - Aug 21, 2010
- Kennedy's death brings end to historic chapter: Obama - Aug 26, 2009
- President Barack Obama Lands On Martha's Vineyard For 10-Day Vacation With Family - Aug 20, 2010
- Obama mourns Kennedy's demise - Aug 27, 2009
- Obama spending rain-hit holiday playing Scrabble - Aug 25, 2010
- Senator Kennedy's Funeral Service On Saturday - Aug 29, 2009
- Obamas' condole death of Edward Kennedy - Aug 26, 2009
- Obamas' holiday in Martha's Vineyard kicks off - Aug 24, 2009
- Obama to cut short vacation due to Hurricane Irene - Aug 27, 2011
- Obama Set To Deliver Eulogy At Edward Kennedy's Funeral - Aug 27, 2009
- Obama to vacation at Martha's vineyard - Aug 11, 2011
- Obama sticks with his vacation at Martha's Vineyard - Aug 29, 2009
- Ted Kennedy greatest legislature: Obama - Aug 31, 2009
Tags: barack obama, bill burton, birthday wishes, colleague, deputy press, family member, friday night, genuine affection, impressions, jon favreau, keenan, legislator, mentor, message from the president, personal message, press secretary, private study, senator kennedy, speechwriter, stature | <urn:uuid:23e5136d-7e68-439f-8dec-5e14267502ef> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.thaindian.com/newsportal/politics/obama-eulogy-narrates-kennedys-lively-impressions_100240289.html | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368708142388/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516124222-00004-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.96421 | 703 | 1.648438 | 2 |
|Unstable Terrain Artillery Transport|
Unstable Terrain Artillery Transport
Not available for sale
The Unstable Terrain Artillery Transport (UT-AT), also known as the "Trident," was a military transport and assault vehicle that served the Grand Army of the Republic during the Clone Wars when the use of walkers was unsuitable. Slow and vulnerable, the vehicle was adept at crossing bridges and traversing unstable terrain, but due to its elevated position it was constantly prone to enemy attack. Alternate configurations of the UT-AT were stocked with bridge laying equipment, converting the transport into an effective trail blazer.
The vehicle was developed by Kuat Drive Yards and Mekuun Corporation following the disastrous use of walkers on the agriworld of Agamar. Realizing that walkers were not the answer in such situations, the two companies developed a repulsorlift ski system, which involved a series of undulating panels that would adapt to different terrain. The vehicle was favored by Jedi General Ki-Adi-Mundi, and was used to great effect on Mygeeto and Cato Neimoidia.
Since the heavy footfalls of Republic walkers had caused bridge collapses on the front lines, Kuat Drive Yards and Mekuun Corporation eliminated the catalyst altogether. Instead of "legs," the UT-AT featured 16 low-power repulsorlift skis that would shift to properly balance the vehicle depending on the terrain. Four additional repulsorlift plates were located under the main carriage for propulsion. The skis also had the ability to reverse their repulsion, causing gription fields and allowing the vehicle to ascend sheer surfaces if needed. The skis supplied superior stability when firing, and were particularly effective on unstable terrain.
Although the skis canceled out the weight of the vehicle, it was still difficult to maneuver due to its significant inertial mass. This limited the recommended speed of the craft to 45 kilometers per hour. The skis were blast-proof, which made them invulnerable to light blaster fire, but not to explosive charges. A significant amount of heat was generated by the undulating plates, which was compensated for by an air vent located towards the front of the vehicle.
For armament, the UT-AT had three forward-facing cannons: one dorsal anti-infantry cannon, and two side-mounted medium cannons. This configuration earned it the nickname "Trident." Bomblet generators were also installed, allowing drivers to unleash a maelstrom of ion-charged destruction on opposing droid armies. Shells and other artillery were stored externally on racks. Standard configuration UT-ATs also featured four anti-personnel turrets in the rear of the craft, although variants featured supplies to bolster the vehicle's standard bomblet generators, while others stored temporary bridge equipment and kits. This configuration would allow UT-ATs to forge a path over unsteady terrain while placing a suitable track for the heavier walkers.
The cockpit of the UT-AT had positions for a driver and a gunner, who would operate the two side cannons. Twenty additional troops could be transported in the front half of the vehicle, where the bulk of the internal machinery was also held. Scanning equipment was located under the cockpit, providing the driver with ample data relevant to their field of view. The rear was padded with heavy armor and stations for the anti-personnel gunners, although this would change with alternate variants.
Origin and developmentEdit
Despite the fact that the Rothana Heavy Engineering/Kuat Drive Yards All Terrain Tactical Enforcer had served the Grand Army of the Republic well on the battlefield, it did have several drawbacks and pitfalls, as experienced on Agamar during a Republic campaign to claim the Mirgoshir system. Grand Army walkers attempted to traverse the natural bridges of the planet during the Battle of Agamar, but their heavy tread and gross weight prompted their collapse. As a result, the Republic lost significant amounts of personnel and armor, as well as losing the battle itself.
Kuat Drive Yards saw that their coverage of "All Terrain" had a clear deficiency, and so began devising a new vehicle that could cross bridges with a minimum of fuss, or, at least, would not be the cause of any unfortunate collapses. In an unusual move for the company, Kuat Drive Yards co-developed their new product with Mekuun Corporation, a company known for their expertise with repulsorlift technology, particularly on heavy vehicles. The product of their combined effort was the Unstable Terrain Artillery Transport, a vehicle that was not so much a walker as it was a tank.
UT-ATs were put to use in environments not suited to the AT-TE, such as snowy wastelands or shifting surfaces. However, although Kuat Drive Yards and Mekuun had solved the problem of the collapsing bridges, the UT-AT was exceptionally slow and had considerable vulnerabilities. Due to the vehicle's elevated position, a significant gap existed between the vehicle and the surface, which could be exploited by well-placed explosives. If hit in such a fashion, the UT-AT would rocket up into the air before crashing back down, usually killing all crew and passengers.
The UT-AT was used frequently in the closing stages of the Clone Wars, particularly on worlds with an abundance of bridges, such as Cato Neimoidia and Mygeeto. In the battle for the latter, Jedi General Ki-Adi-Mundi and Commander CC-1138 utilized several of the vehicles to press the attack. Since Mygeetan cities were interlinked by a honeycomb of bridges, use of the vehicle was pivotal, although many UT-ATs fell prey to the precise shots of Tri-droids. The attack pressed on, however, and CC-1138 utilized the vehicle's bomblet generator to great effect, clearing the way for the troops of the 21st Nova Corps.
Behind the scenesEdit
- "But, honestly, I have to be fair here. For the UT-AT entry, I really only contributed bits and pieces of terminology, a little technobabble, a little vocabulary, and essentially the last paragraph."
- ―The Dark Moose
First appearing in George Lucas' Star Wars Episode III: Revenge of the Sith, the UT-AT was named and elaborated on by Billy Buehler and "The Dark Moose" through the StarWars.com Hyperspace feature, "What's The Story?". Buehler supplied the name and the majority of the information included in the final entry, while "The Dark Moose" contributed technical elements and the final paragraph. "The Dark Moose" had originally called the craft an "All-Terrain Combat Sled," but this was passed over in favor of Buehler's submission. The "What's the Story?" information has gone on to be referenced in three other works of Star Wars media: Star Wars: The Complete Visual Dictionary, Guide to the Grand Army of the Republic, and The Complete Star Wars Encyclopedia.
- Star Wars Episode III: Revenge of the Sith (First appearance)
- Star Wars: Battlefront II (Appears in cutscene(s))
- "Guide to the Grand Army of the Republic"—Star Wars Insider 84
- Star Wars: The Complete Visual Dictionary
- Star Wars PocketModel TCG (Order 66 Expansion Set)
- The Complete Star Wars Encyclopedia
- The Clone Wars Campaign Guide
- (First identified as Unstable Terrain Artillery Transport)
Notes and referencesEdit
- ↑ 1.00 1.01 1.02 1.03 1.04 1.05 1.06 1.07 1.08 1.09 1.10 1.11 1.12 1.13 1.14 1.15 1.16 1.17 1.18 1.19 1.20 1.21 1.22 1.23 1.24
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 2.3 The Clone Wars Campaign Guide
- ↑ 3.0 3.1 3.2 3.3 3.4 3.5 3.6 Star Wars: The Complete Visual Dictionary
- ↑ Star Wars Episode II: Attack of the Clones
- ↑ Star Wars: Clone Wars – "Chapter 4"
- ↑ Star Wars: The Clone Wars game
- ↑ 7.0 7.1 Star Wars Episode III: Revenge of the Sith
- ↑ Guide to the Grand Army of the Republic
- ↑ "Kinda Sorta But Not Really Published!..Kinda…", "Moose Poodoo" | <urn:uuid:5ef93d32-c780-4262-99ef-d70d59179e1c> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://starwars.wikia.com/wiki/Unstable_Terrain_Artillery_Transport | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368711005985/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516133005-00027-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.947574 | 1,766 | 1.703125 | 2 |
As I listen to various people and ponder statements made, it seems to me that some things just don't necessarily follow from initial statements.
Take for an example: to help you remember, set up some “memory pegs” or associated ideas. But how in the world will doubling what I am trying to remember going to help me - when remembering is my basic challenge?
Another goofy (to me) proposal: if it is on the Internet it much be true, accurate, real. Says who else? Who is the monitor for accuracy? | <urn:uuid:a9eca8e8-49c2-4b96-b1b6-dca04aa29f12> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.laruecountyherald.com/opinion/columns?page=6&mini=calendar-date%2F2012-09 | 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 | 0.939943 | 112 | 1.53125 | 2 |
Interview with MacAndrew Jack
MacAndrew Jack, PhD, Director of the School of Graduate Psychology, shares his thoughts on two frequently asked questions:
What do you look for in a prospective student?
The Admissions process involves meeting a lot of interesting and wonderful people at a critical juncture in their lives. We get to see all this intelligence, heart, and tenderness in the applicants, many of whom are drawn to the program for very personal reasons. In this process, I love seeing people’s sense of humor. It is just fun that way. And it can really show an individual’s light touch with the world.
I guess I also look for people who are drawn somehow to understanding the nature of awareness. This usually involves a great deal of curiosity and openness, as that kind of exploration can bring uncertainty and groundlessness. While often this is found in individuals with some life experience, in a few instances individuals closer to their undergraduate education have had a dawning sense that this inquiry is important to them.
So we have the curiosity about the nature of awareness, which cuts under the illusions we usually carry, leading us to encountering the world as it is, as opposed to simply the way that we try to pretend it is. By this I mean that individuals in this program come more face to face with the heartbreaking parts of life, like we are going to die, our bodies fail us and register physical pain, and the suffering of others is also our suffering. This takes courage and commitment.
But I don’t want to give the sense that we look for people who are demoralized and stuck in attachment to pain and loss either. Because there is of course so much more to our lives too. So the capacity to experience joy and upliftedness is also important.
Then there is the part about training in the particular path of psychotherapy. I look to see that a prospective student is really interested in working directly with the suffering of others. I see this as coming out of egoless heart, beyond actions designed to solidify and consolidate the individual self. So there is an ability to trust and rest in one’s interdependent nature.
In the MACP, we often see prospective students who have experienced significant suffering in their lives, through the loss of a loved one, his or her own life threatening disease, or simply awareness of his or her own restless mind, etc. Many times this seems to have opened them to a direct experience of something larger, of interdependence maybe and the natural arising of their interest in relieving suffering in themselves and others.
Lastly, I would say that I look for prospective students who are interested in learning about themselves in community. That is, while we learn a lot on the cushion in meditation and on retreat, we also learn a lot through our relationships with each other. In the MACP, we establish a particular kind of space in which the students go through the program together with their group of classmates. This brings a richness, sometimes irritation, and ongoing relatedness which is very helpful to learning how to counsel other human beings in the intimate relationship of psychotherapy.
So there is so much brilliance and sanity that is really pretty easy to see in prospective students.
In your opinion, how does the program prepare students for clinical work?
At the most basic, the program teaches students how to be in human relationship. The research on therapeutic effectiveness repeatedly finds that the quality of the relationship, beyond the specific orientation of the therapist or specific interventions used, is the biggest factor in outcome. But how does a student of psychotherapy learn to attend to the relationship?
In the MACP, we offer an intensive approach to relationship. This begins with establishing an attentive and compassionate relationship with one’s self. Basically, the first year is devoted to space for the student’s introspection, self-understanding, and insight. But insight itself is precarious, as often we have reactions to what we find out about ourselves. We take care to help students to foster friendliness to what they find in themselves. That is called Maitri. So students go through a pretty rigorous process of developing self awareness and in that precarious space of discovery they also learn warmth, forgiveness, and softness for their own humanness.
The perspective of the MACP is that it is out of this awakened heart for oneself, that generosity and helping for others can spring. Students also develop a first hand understanding of the vulnerability of a person in pain, and a steadiness and trustworthiness with that vulnerability. So while we sit with another in pain, we have all kinds of reactions and discomfort ourselves as therapists. Training in non-impulsiveness at this point is essential, and quite subtle, in order to discern what of these impulses is likely to be helpful at any given point. We offer specific training in how to identify motivations that are geared solely toward the comfort of the therapist, and practice with not acting unconsciously on these impulses.
So I would say that we train the most fundamental ground of relationship, both with oneself and with others. The students have many, many opportunities to see disowned parts of the self, ways that they don’t like themselves or others, as they study and progress through the program as a community. There are supports from the program for this in the form of training in small and large group process, working with a personal Meditation Instructor for the three years of the program, and intensive retreat practice.
Of course, though, the program is not actually a therapeutic community, so we are not all here to work through every member’s issues or struggles. Many students find it an excellent time to be in personal therapy to really address the challenges that are stirred up by the program.
We also stress that graduate training is a beginning and not an end in professional development. We encourage students to seek additional specialized training in their areas of interest including Dialectical Behavior Therapy, EMDR, Cognitive Behavioral Therapy, addictions counseling, and so on. Some of that they will get in the program, but in the scheme of things, three years of graduate study that is broad based can only be a beginning in any given area. All techniques rely on the sound judgment of the therapist, on the ability to discern what intervention to use when. The MACP provides this ground for whatever techniques one gravitates toward in their professional life.
So when a student graduates with a Masters in Contemplative Psychotherapy he or she is extremely well prepared to encounter the intensities of intimate therapeutic relationship, which is the space where real help and healing can take place. Agencies both locally and increasingly nationally, know this about our students and seek them out for positions where maturity, trustworthiness, and steadiness are called for. Sometimes this takes the specific form of working with people in extreme states, like psychosis or suicidality, but it is also helpful simply working directly with suffering in whatever form.
If I were to sum it up, I’d say our students learn to awaken the wisdom of their own open heart, and how to work with this in the everyday, grounded reality of human relationship. I’d say this is what psychotherapy is really about.
Toll Free: 800-772-6951
2130 Arapahoe Avenue
Boulder, CO 80302 | <urn:uuid:70057393-6007-4d35-ac10-f8f3f6f8b49b> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://naropa.edu/academics/gsp/grad/contemplative-counseling-psychotherapy-ma/what-is-contemplative-psychotherapy/interview-with-macandrew-jack.php | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368708766848/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516125246-00012-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.96671 | 1,498 | 1.632813 | 2 |
Today’s Motivated Monday post comes on Tuesday. Motivation doesn’t take a day off!
“You will find that it is necessary to let things go; simply for the reason that they are heavy. So let them go, let go of them. I tie no weights to my ankles.”
― C. JoyBell C.
There will come in time in each of our lives when we will have to let go. Let go of a relationship, of a friendship, of a job or worse, of a dream.
Loosening your grasp on something you once held so dear is not easy. And at times it can feel like you’ve had your hopes and dreams ripped from you. But letting go and knowing when to let go is probably our minds (and bodies) best defense.
The things we want are not always the things we need. Learning and understanding this is one of life’s biggest lesson and a part of “growing up.”
Personally, I’ve had to let go of plenty of things. It never gets easier to let go but it does begin to make more sense. Letting go of the things that are not working or making us happy, leaves an open pathway. And having faith that that pathway will be filled with goodness is our only job.
Let’s not lament the things we have to leave behind. Instead let’s look forward to the things that will come in their place.
Stylish Thinkers, what have you had to let go of recently? How did you manage? Please share. | <urn:uuid:c7264afb-36d7-4bc0-937c-9cb903f94dda> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://stylishthought.com/life/empowerment/motivated-tuesday-letting-go/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368708766848/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516125246-00020-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.972982 | 332 | 1.554688 | 2 |
Did I miss something?
Indeed, one should consult the sources prior to writing. So here some more lapsus:
Azadmere Kingdom Module AZADMERE 1, HISTORY: The city and kingdom of Azadmere were founded in 6894 BT, by Ahzrdin, leader of the Thazhain Khuzdul, and for six millenia
of the Codominium, only dwarves dwelt there. Some of the first Jarin to reach Harn were permitted to settle within the kingdom because they had a tradition of farming and
fishing, trades which the Khuzdul found distasteful. The relationship was successful and some Jarin refugees of the Atani Wars were also allowed to settle within the
kingdom. With their agricultural needs met largely by the Jarin, the Khuzdul were able to refine their own special skills, a division of labour which benefited both
Azadmere Kingdom Module AZADMERE 1, ECONOMICS: The Kingdom of Azadmere is the only district of Harn required to import food. The high altitude and poor soils do
not permit wheat to be grown; oats and barley are the staple crops. Wheat and other agricultural products are imported from Kaldor. [...]
Azadmere Kingdom Module AZADMERE3, 5. VILLAGE OF TANIZ: The residence of most "clanless" humans of the city. [...] The principal occupations of Tanizites are
labouring (in Azadmere) and fishing. [...]
Azadmere Kingdom Module KHUZDUL 3: The Coming of Men: [...] While Kiraz obtained most of its food by hunting and gathering the abundant wildlife of Equeth,
Azadmere's higher elevation and less bountiful environs had forced it to devote a large part of its valley to farming, fishing and herding. The Khuzdul have never been
fond of such activities, so some of the first Jarin to reach Azadmere were allowed to settle along the shores of Lake Arain where they gradually took over these
So, the Khuzdul must be excellent hunters and gatherers, since they were capable of supporting the large city of Kiraz that way (Kiraz was larger than Azadmere). They also
mastered agriculture and fishing, but have always strongly disliked these ways.
Lythia 2nd ed. KONDASGEL [B1]: The major Khuzan (dwarven) settlement of Ivinia. Kondasgel has nothing to do with the Ivinians, but still trades with the indigenous
Yarili. The smaller dwarven settlement of Harkaheim is bearby but not shown on the map.
Ivinia Index KONDASGEL [L6]: The greater of the two Khuzan cities in Ivinia, founded around 6700 BT. Kondasgel is connected to Harhakeim (qv) by a tunnel some eight
leagues in length. The lower reaches of the city are partly of Earthmaster origin. Kondasgel is ruled by King Inkanar, head of the royal clan Zynahul. It has a population of
about 2700 Khuzdul an a small Yarili population of about 400 who trade with the dwarves, and provide them with food by hunting, herding and fishing. SOme mining takes place in
the deeper reaches of the city.
Ivinia Index KUZJERA [L6+]: A forested, hilly an swampy region of southeastern Ivae. This wasteland is avoided by most humans other than the Yarili (qv). Kuzjera
contains the two Khuzan cities of Kondasgel (qv) and Harhakeim (qv). The Yarili in the region trade foodstuff and hides for dwarven products. Kuzjera is a refuge for exotic
creatures, notably the Ilme (qv).
Ivinia Index YARILI, The: [...]The Yarili are nomadic, travelling in small clan groups and following their reindeer herds. [...] The Yarili in eastern Ivae enjoy a
unique relationship with the Khuzdul in Kuzjera. They are the only humans the dwarves will deal with on any terms. There is a transient Yarili population in Kuzjera that
trades with the Khuzdul settlements of Harhakeim (qv) and Kondasgel (qv).
Ivinia Index HARHAKEIM [L6]: The younger and smaller of the two Khuzan settlements of Ivinia, connected to Kondagel (qv) by a tunnel some eight leagues in length.
Hahakeim was founded as a colony of Kondasgel in 3728 BT to mine iron and silver deposits. Altough there are still some valuable deposits of iron in deep lower caverns, the
silver has been largely exhausted, resulting in a steady decline in population to about 1300 dwarves. Harhakeim is ruled by an appointee of the king of Kondasgel. Since 692,
the governor has been Prince Ralin, the third son of King Inkanar. Harkaheim has a semi-transient population of less than 200 Yarili who provide food for the dwarves by
herding, hunting and fishing.
So, there is
some trade even in Ivinia. The Khuzdul patrolled the land until 430 TR and probably sustained their people themselfs as hunter gatherers, but seem to have
given up this way. Instead, they commit trade with the Yarili, which also act as intermediaries for limited trade. Food imported via the Yarili seems to be insignificant,
since the sources state that the Yarili produce the most part of the food for the dwarves themselves.
However, I'd really like to learn how these <200 guys keep up feeding themselves plus 1300+ dwarves all those years long... You know, cold climate, not very productive nature,
Ivinia Index KHUZDULThe: [...] The dwarves also practice a few crafts that are rare or unheard of among other races. Among these are the mushroom farming and
truesilver (platinum or mythral) working.
While this "proofs" that they do grow mushrooms, we get no notice about the extents and any details of this practice.
Lythia 2nd ed. LARHAKUL [E3]: A city of the Lythian Khuzdul founded in 7025 BT and the sister city of Erdar. Larkahul lies in mountains on the northwestern edge of the
Ketarh Plateau. The dwarves of Larkahul have never had much to do with humans, none of whom are aware of the city's existence. Larkahul has a vast network of tunnels and its
citizens rarely come above ground.
No trade with humans, but maybe with some other race? (I don't think so.) And most interestingly the "citizens rarely come above ground
". This could imply that some
outside supporters exist, but are not counted to the "citizens". However, they might be dwarves. (But nothing of this is written.)
Lythia 2nd ed. ERDAR [E3]: A city of the Khuzdul in mountains on the edge of the Ketarph Plateau. Erdar was founded in 7060 BT and is the sister city of Larkahul. The
dwarves of Erdar have built a vast underground network of tunnels, but have never had much to do with humans.
Once again: "Not much to do" may mean there is
some trade. Also,in this case assuming overground farming, hunting and foraging by the dwarves is not as strictly
discouraged as in the case of Erdar.
In the Azadmere module, some references indicate that Larhakul and Erdar have never had anything to do with the humans. There is even no legend or other kind of reference to
these cities in human history.
Lythia 2nd ed. MERDAIN [E4]: The original home of the seven nations of Khuzdul. Almost nothing is known of Merdain, even by the dwarves of the other cities. Merdain was
rumoured to be the place where the Khuzdul arrived on Kethira for the first time. Its location, or whether it is still inhabited is generally unknown. Legends of Merdain
describe it as a city of seven grey and silver towers wherein lived the seven nations of the Khuzdul. For unknown reasons, six of the nations departed to found their own
colonies. See: Azadmere, Kondasgel, Larhakul and Erdar.
Either Merdain has perished or established a total isolation. In the latter case, outdoor/surface activities are probably minimal, making for a unnoticeable/unconceivable | <urn:uuid:b059ea78-7728-44a6-88ce-b937417b488f> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://lythia.com/forum/viewtopic.php?f=9&t=12628&start=50 | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368706499548/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516121459-00005-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.945114 | 1,878 | 1.617188 | 2 |
Upstate woman sent to prison for financial aid fraud scheme
An Upstate state woman is headed to jail after admitting her role in a scheme in which students paid others to take college placement test in an effort to receive financial aid
Fiasha Paul, 26, was sentenced to 13 months in prison.
Paul pleaded guilty in federal court to conspiracy to commit mail fraud.
Paul was also ordered to pay restitution in excess of $21,000.
Evidence presented in court showed the essence of the scheme was that people wanting to obtain financial aid checks paid proctors and others to take a placement test for them so they could enroll at Piedmont Tech.
Many of those individuals seeking checks did not have high school diplomas or GEDs.
Hence, they had to earn a minimum score on the placement test to be permitted to enroll and to collect federal financial aid.
In addition to the fraud with the tests, some members of the conspiracy also created false high school diplomas that were sent to the school.
Those that fraudulently enrolled did not attend classes, and simply took the financial aid checks and used them for personal expenses.
The financial aid checks were sent out in the mail to members of the conspiracy.
Paul was a former employee of Piedmont Tech and worked as a placement test proctor.
She admitted to taking placement tests for multiple individuals and allowing co-conspirators to take the tests for others for prospective students.
Paul’s typical fee was $300 to take the test.
Copyright 2013 by WYFF All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed. | <urn:uuid:7b0eef16-1043-48f4-84b6-4e7b701eb7f4> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.wyff4.com/news/local-news/anderson-news/Upstate-woman-sent-to-prison-for-financial-aid-fraud-scheme/-/9654706/19394704/-/view/print/-/15vpm1z/-/index.html | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368705195219/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516115315-00040-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.978774 | 336 | 1.554688 | 2 |
Isn’t this an adorable organizer box? Want to know how I made it? All you’ll need is a cereal box, paper (even construction paper will work!), scissors, and some tape!
If you want to make your organizer box extra cute use your favorite scrapbook paper! The awesome thing about these organizers is that they are almost free and you can make them and size, color, and shape that you want! You can even color code them for different shelves, students, subjects, or anything else that you will need them for! I made my box to hold all of my tax receipts that I can claim for deductions at the end of the year as well as all of the business cards that I receive.
Take your cereal box (any size!) and cut it in half. You can cut the cereal box equally in half or in a 1/3 – 2/3 ratio depending on what size(s) you want. Make sure both ends are closed and/or taped shut as they will be the bottom of your new organizer system.
Tape or staple the two boxes together and then tape or paste your paper onto the outside and inside of the box. As you can see my boxes can be used standing upright or even laying flat on their side! You can also staple entire cereal boxes together and lay them on their side like shown above to store entire sheets of paper in them. It’s great for separating colors of construction paper or separating student assignments too!
It’s as simple as that! You can experiment with different sizes, shapes, and designs to customize it exactly how you want it! You can use this same concept with cardboard boxes for toy storage and storage on shelving systems! Feel free to pin this and share it! | <urn:uuid:509d6a94-0434-4b58-aef6-e2cc873247c1> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.survivingateacherssalary.com/2013/01/diy-stylish-organizer-box.html | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368697380733/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516094300-00022-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.956879 | 361 | 1.507813 | 2 |
Since today is both Chinese New Year and Japanese Setsubun (Bean-Throwing Festival), I feel like a dose of red is in order. Coupled with requests for more Asian inspired kitchens, I have two sleek modern kitchens to show – both hinging on the color red – and both quite different from the rustic mizuya tansu (kitchen chests) I have shown in the past.
Designed by the architect Winthrop Faulkner for playwright Barbara McConagha, this first kitchen has many literal Japanese references and details. Inspired by Japanese jewelry cases, the red cabinets were custom-built and lacquered and traditional pull handles, like those found on tansu chests, were ordered from Japan. Upper storage is hidden behind shoji screens which can be lit from behind. Maple cabinetry and small shadow boxes are highlighted by painting their interiors black and filling them with ceramics. A witty touch is the classic farmhouse table – in this case painted black and sealed to look like lacquer.
Storage for extra books was squeezed in below the ceiling and a library ladder, designed to taper like a pair of chopsticks, was built for access.
This second kitchen in a historic 1915 Chicago building was renovated by architect Lawrence Booth. It’s keystone is the bright red Aga stove, set for cooking worship in its own altar-like niche. The shiny finish looks almost like lacquer and its stalwart British shape could almost be a tansu base.
Again we see the contrast between the light maple cabinetry and the dark black honed granite with touches of stainless steel. There are also great details, like the flip down drawers hiding all the electrical outlets and disposal switches and the pot filling faucet at the stove.
The adjacent sitting area has cabinetry filled with Asian display items, including Chinese and Burmese lacquer pieces and a kimono box, an unusual glossy red ceramic garden stool and a richly colored Persian rug. And speaking of molded plywood the other day, how great is that Frank Gehry Ribbon chair? The contrast of textures, finishes and periods makes this space sing.
Definitely two kitchens that would keep any evil spirits at bay…
Image credits: 1 & 2. House & Garden, February 1998, 3-6. House & Garden, date unknown. | <urn:uuid:1e253091-6793-4337-882f-892581619907> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://tokyojinja.com/2011/02/03/whats-cooking-red-lacquer-jewel-box-kitchens/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368703682988/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516112802-00040-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.953488 | 484 | 1.6875 | 2 |
Healthcare Trends Drive Design Requirements
Multicore offers opportunities for medical device manufacturers, but overall adoption is slow.By Cheryl Coupé, Senior Editor
|VDC Analyst Jared Weiner|
Medical device requirements vary dramatically, from pace makers to room-sized magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) machines, but some common demands are driving innovation. Requirements such as improved imaging capabilities, secure connectivity and interactive, customized interfaces are making multicore and virtualized architectures more attractive for many of these designs.
Multicore processors can help medical device developers meet specifications for light weight, low power consumption and low heat dissipation in a wide range of equipment. For mobile medical devices – as with mobile devices of any kind – one of the most important factors is battery power. Multicore designs that enable cores to power down when their processes aren’t running can extend battery life, offering advantages for equipment used in busy clinical settings as well as home medical devices, for which long battery life may help improve patient compliance. For large medical equipment, such as ultrasound machines, x-ray systems and some patient-monitoring devices, high-performance multicore processors help meet high-definition and 3D-imaging requirements with faster response time and increased throughput. And with continued interest by healthcare facilities in cutting power costs and environmental footprints, multicore’s power-management capabilities may become more attractive even for large equipment.
But significant moves to multicore and virtualization in medical – and in embedded markets overall – still haven’t occurred according to Jared Weiner, analyst in the VDC Research Embedded Software Practice. While companies continue to project growth in that area, Weiner says sometimes they can get a bit ahead of themselves. That seems to be the case with regard to the use of multicore processors in general. “We’ve been hearing for years that this is the year we’re going to see really significant growth in the use of multicore processors,” Weiner says. “Then each year we get our end-user survey and there’s maybe a small incremental growth, but certainly nothing to the magnitude that vendors and other people in the field have indicated. Certainly there will be an impact, but I would look further out for when a significant change will occur.”
|2011 Embedded Software & Tools Market Intelligence Service, Track 1: Embedded Software Engineering Market Technologies & Statistics, Volume 7: Vertical Markets & Applications.© Copyright 2012 VDC Research Group, Inc.|
A new trend that Weiner noted was the increased interest in Android by medical device manufacturers. While he isn’t aware of specific Android-based medical devices coming to market yet, developers are asking about it – primarily for its graphical capabilities and customizability. Weiner believes this direction could be a good fit with multicore, which would allow the use of Android along with a real-time operating system (RTOS) in a virtualized environment. This would allow the developer to take advantage of Android’s strengths – such as customization, touchscreen-based user interface, high-quality and 3-D graphics – while running sensitive or critical processes, including transmitting sensitive patient information on the cloud, on a separate core. While Android has yet to make a dent in medical devices, Microsoft Windows continues to play a role there, and provides similar advantages in virtualization.
Another trend Weiner has observed is the growth in the use of handheld or mobile medical devices. He attributes this to a number of converging effects, but certainly the aging Baby Boomer population is a significant element. In the U.S., hospitals are dealing with overcrowding through the use of technologies such as telemedicine and other approaches that allow care to be offered remotely – in the home or other types of care facilities – with data securely uploaded to the care provider. At the same time, emerging markets such as China, Brazil and parts of Eastern Europe are using telemedicine and mobile medical devices to bring care to remote areas where traditional healthcare facilities don’t exist. Even as the majority of software vendors Weiner talks to are pointing to these emerging regions as areas where they expect to see significant growth, he says large-scale changes are not occurring yet. The big spenders in terms of medical devices are still in North America, with the U.S. far ahead of these emerging markets in terms of adoption of large, complicated and expensive systems. He expects that investments in emerging markets may be less cutting-edge and more about getting basic care out to people who need it.
On the other hand, healthcare reform will continue to impact the U.S. market. VDC Research published its Vertical Markets and Applications report in January 2012, which covered several vertical markets including automotive, consumer, industrial and medical. The report looked at three to five specific applications within each vertical; in medical, that included defibrillators, ultrasound scanning devices and nuclear medicine equipment. Nuclear medicine uses small amounts of radiopharmaceuticals to image and treat the human body. It’s a relatively new technology that uses large devices and is costly to administer. Despite its innovation and medical successes, recent changes to reimbursement allowances (including Medicare) have prompted providers to reexamine their use of nuclear medicine in order to control patient expenses. Primarily because of these changes, VDC is forecasting minimal growth in this sector in the near term.
Cheryl Berglund Coupé is editor of EECatalog.com. Her articles have appeared in EE Times, Electronic Business, Microsoft Embedded Review and Windows Developer’s Journal and she has developed presentations for the Embedded Systems Conference and ICSPAT. She has held a variety of production, technical marketing and writing positions within technology companies and agencies in the Northwest. | <urn:uuid:d03a7fbe-94f3-4715-8397-2090bc5fe5aa> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://embeddedintel.com/market_watch.php?article=2347 | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368706153698/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516120913-00011-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.947204 | 1,174 | 1.789063 | 2 |
|Comment on this report, or find other reports.
|Our Mystery Worshippers are volunteers who warm church pews for us around the world. If you'd like to become a Mystery Worshipper, start here.
|Find out how to reproduce this report in your church magazine or website.
Baptist, Hoole, Chester, England
Hoole, Chester, England.
of Great Britain.
A very plain brick building with arched windows. They actually
meet for worship in the community centre next door; the church
itself was used for after-service coffee. The church consists
of a rectangular room with large open spaces furnished with
sofas. There was plenty of room to socialise. The community
centre, on the other hand, is a very dated and dull building.
The entrance was hard to find and no signage was provided. The
room had no carpet in the main hall and no real decoration,
and was split into two halves by a partition wall that opened
up. There were windows along one side of the room, but even
so, it was fairly dark in the building.
The congregation was established about 60 years ago and is community
based, with not many traveling in from the outside. Everyone
seemed to know each other well. They seem to have a lot going
on, e.g. a football team. There are a number of groups especially
directed toward men. They pride themselves on cordial ecumenical
relationships with other churches in the area.
Hoole is a suburb to the east of Chester, a city in Cheshire
near the border with Wales. Its name is believed to mean "at
the hole," perhaps referring to a Roman road. It is a residential
area with Victorian terraced houses, and is home to many hotels,
guest houses, and bed and breakfasts. The church is located
in a section of Hoole that doesn't particularly stand out from
The Revd Andy Glover, minister (apparently – we had to
ask to find out!), led the service. Someone whose name was not
given opened with a reading from Isaiah. The minister was wearing
a fleece and I did not recognise him from the beginning, nor
did he introduce himself.
The date & time:
Sunday, 13 December 2009, 10.30am.
What was the name of the service?
How full was the building?
Fairly full – more than two-thirds.
Did anyone welcome you
Road signs pointed to the church, but there was no board outside
and nothing on the walls inside to indicate that this was a
church or when the service times were. Likewise there was no
notice that worship would be held in the adjoining community
centre. We heard music and followed the sound, stopping to ask
a gentleman where we should go. Once we arrived, we were handed
a leaflet. After sitting down, we were greeted by a gentleman
sitting next to us, as well as by a couple who arrived after
we did and sat near us.
Was your pew comfortable?
Yes, it was comfortable, but warm (we had chosen a seat by a
radiator) and somewhat cramped. I banged heads twice with person
in front of me as we sat down.
How would you describe the pre-service
We arrived 10 minutes before service time but the place was
very empty. The band were playing softly. We feared that this
would be just another empty service. But on the dot at 10.30
everyone suddenly walked in. It was almost as if they had been
congregating elsewhere until the right moment. Some people arrived
later – see below.
What were the exact opening words of the
"Hello. Welcome to the third Sunday in Advent. We are going
to do a reading from Isaiah."
What books did the congregation use during the
Worship music projected onto a screen. The screen was difficult
to see due to the shape and layout of the room, plus there were
Christmas decorations in the way. There were some Bibles scattered
around on various seats, but they must have been the extra-sharp-vision
edition, as the print was very small and very difficult to read.
What musical instruments were played?
Keyboard, guitar and drums.
Did anything distract you?
The layout of chairs was distracting and annoying; a moment's
thought could have made for a better arrangement all around.
As latecomers arrived, they had to walk past the front to get
a seat – I'm sure they felt intimidated by everyone else eyeballing
them. I also had the feeling that I obviously stood out as a
Was the worship stiff-upper-lip,
happy clappy, or what?
There were prayers during the service, all ad-libbed either
from the front or by someone in the congregation. A communion
service was included at the end of the minister's talk following
a time of quiet reflection. The elements were passed round to
each individual person to take. The music was easy listening
style, although contemporary, mid 90s. Not challenging. During
one hymn, "The light of the world," we sang the chorus
over and over again but for some reason left out the verses!
Exactly how long was the
On a scale of 1-10, how good was the preacher?
4 I didn't realise straight away that Pastor Glover had
started. He mentioned some biblical passages but didn't tell
us where to find them. They were not projected onto the screen.
I had a panicky feeling as I thumbed rapidly through the extra-small-print
pages trying to find what he was referring to, but he was done
long before I succeeded. The sermon was repetitive and it was
hard to know what his point was. There were no illustrations,
visual or by way of example.
In a nutshell, what was the sermon
He referred to Hebrews 1 (God spoke in the past through prophets,
but in these days through his Son). God speaks. How should we
listen? (I don't think he ever actually answered that question.)
Which part of the service
was like being in heaven?
Someone was moved to speak in tongues. A lady went forward and
spoke to the minister, who then told us that she had a tongue.
He explained quite well what this was, and then she began to
speak. The minister asked if anyone had an interpretation, and
after a brief silence another lady who was sitting down spoke
out. We then went back to the time of silence. No one in the
service said anything or reacted in any way. I was surprised
that this felt not in the least uncomfortable – in fact,
it was heavenly!
And which part was like
being in... er... the other place?
We felt very much out of place in a closed community. No welcoming
words for newcomers were spoken. I'm not sure they get many
What happened when you
hung around after the service looking lost?
There was no mention of what a visitor should do, no housekeeping
or welcome. The pastor's wife (we think) came to talk to us,
but as soon as we told her we were visiting on holiday, she
seemed to lose interest. We asked her if there was coffee, but
she told someone else to show us. It just felt like we had been
dismissed! To that other person's credit, though, she escorted
us to the coffee and spoke with us until it was time to leave.
How would you describe
the after-service coffee?
Tea in proper mugs, which was OK.
How would you feel about making this church your regular (where 10 = ecstatic, 0 = terminal)?
6 I'm not sure we would be embraced. I would also feel
wound up by the things done poorly which could easily be rectified.
Overall it felt like an easy listening concert, not dynamic
Did the service make you feel glad to be a
Generally, yes. Despite it all, it was a time of quiet reflection.
It felt safe.
What one thing will you remember about all this in seven days' time?
The fact that latecomers had to enter in full view of everyone
else. Had I been late, and not Mystery Worshipping, I would
have been reluctant to enter under those conditions.
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|The Mystery Pilgrim
| One of our most seasoned reporters makes the Camino pilgrimage to Santiago de Compostela in Spain. Read here.
| Read reports from 70 London churches, visited by a small army of Mystery Worshippers on one single Sunday. Read here. | <urn:uuid:d810b95d-3927-4b27-a5fe-811f32f2e2d5> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://shipoffools.com/mystery/2010/1872.html | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368700958435/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516104238-00000-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.983733 | 1,870 | 1.5625 | 2 |
To-morrow . . . Prepare!
Krool did not sleep. What he read in a letter he had found in a hallway, what he knew of those dark events in South Africa, now to culminate in a bitter war, and what, with the mysterious psychic instinct of race, he divined darkly and powerfully, all kept his eyes unsleeping and his mind disordered. More than any one, he knew of the inner story of the Baas’ vrouw during the past week and years; also he had knowledge of what was soon to empty out upon the groaning earth the entrails of South Africa; but how he knew was not to be discovered. Even Rudyard, who thought he read him like a book, only lived on the outer boundaries of his character. Their alliance was only the durable alliance of those who have seen Death at their door, and together have driven him back.
Barry Whalen had regarded Krool as a spy; all Britishers who came and went in the path to Rudyard’s door had their doubts or their dislike of him; and to every servant of the household he was a dark and isolated figure. He never interfered with the acts of his fellow-servants, except in so far as those acts affected his master’s comfort; and he paid no attention to their words except where they affected himself.
“When you think it’s a ghost, it’s only Krool wanderin’ w’ere he ain’t got no business,” was the angry remark of the upper-housemaid, whom his sudden appearance had startled in a dim passage one day.
“Lor’! what a turn you give me, Mr. Krool, spookin’ about where there’s no call for you to be,” she had said to him, and below stairs she had enlarged upon his enormities greatly.
“And Mrs. Byng, she not like him better as we do,” was the comment of Lablanche, the lady’s maid. “A snake in the grass—that is what Madame think.”
Slowly the night passed for Krool. His disturbed brain was like some dark wood through which flew songless birds with wings of night; through which sped the furtive dwellers of the grass and the earth-covert. The real and the imaginative crowded the dark purlieus. He was the victim of his blood, his beginnings off there beyond the Vaal, where the veld was swept by the lightning and the storm, the home of wild dreams, and of a loneliness terrible and strange, to which the man who once had tasted its awful pleasures returned and returned again, until he was, at the last, part of its loneliness, its woeful agitations and its reposeless quiet.
It was not possible for him to think or be like pure white people, to do as they did. He was a child of the kopje, the spruit, and the dun veld, where men dwelt with weird beings which were not men—presences that whispered, telling them of things to come, blowing the warnings of Destiny across the waste, over thousands and thousands of miles. Such as he always became apart and lonely because of this companionship of silence and the unseen. More and more they withdrew themselves, unwittingly and painfully, from the understanding and companionship of the usual matter-of-fact, commonplace, sensible people—the settler, the emigrant, and the British man. Sinister they became, but with the helplessness of those in whom the under-spirit of life has been working, estranging them, even against their will, from the rest of the world. | <urn:uuid:9f8bbaed-67e0-4b51-b409-b1022d5e19c1> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.bookrags.com/ebooks/3746/133.html | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368701852492/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516105732-00011-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.986879 | 788 | 1.765625 | 2 |
2008 LAKE ERIE FISHING OUTLOOK IS GREAT!
2003 hatches of walleye and yellow perch should provide excellent angling opportunities
COLUMBUS, OH - Lake Erie anglers should enjoy another year of exceptional fishing in 2008, according to biologists with the Ohio Department of Natural Resources (ODNR) Division of Wildlife.
"Lake Erie remains one of the greatest natural resources in our country," said Roger Knight, Lake Erie fisheries program manager at ODNR. "Where else but Lake Erie can an angler find such diversity of fish species and sizes? We anticipate excellent fishing opportunities once again this year for walleye and yellow perch, as well as strong fisheries for other species like smallmouth bass, white bass and steelhead."
Knight noted that anglers should have access to good fishing in the western and central basins due to the numerous public boat ramps, private marinas and shoreline areas. The large number of charter boats on the Ohio shore is also an asset.
Ohio walleye anglers can expect to catch fish mostly from the 2003 hatch, with continued contributions from 1999 and 2001 hatches, as well as some fish from the 2005 hatch. Walleye from the 2003 hatch will be 20 to 24 inches long, while fish from the earlier hatches will range from 21 to 27 inches over the course of the fishing season. Fish from the 2005 hatch should be in the 15 to 18-inch range. Large walleye from strong hatches in the 1980s and mid-1990s still persist in the population, providing "Fish Ohio" trophy (more than 28 inches) opportunities.
"The walleye fishery in 2007 was better than the phenomenal fishery that we saw in 2006," said Knight. "Weather permitting, we expect to have another year of excellent walleye fishing, with an unbelievable average size of more than 20 inches in the catch."
The daily bag limit remains four fish per person during March and April, and six fish from May through February 2009. The 15-inch minimum size limit is in effect during the entire season.
Perch anglers should encounter excellent numbers of 9 to 12-inch fish from the 2003 hatch this year, although perch numbers will be down slightly over 2007. Moderate hatches from 2005 and 2006 should contribute some smaller fish to the harvest as well, with a few jumbos from the 2001 hatch present. Anglers will continue to see larger fish in the central basin of Lake Erie, as compared to the western basin. There is no minimum size limit for yellow perch.
The Division of Wildlife is proposing changes to the daily bag limit for yellow perch in western Lake Erie, pending public input and approval by the Ohio Wildlife Council. Details about the proposal will be forthcoming through public announcements.
Smallmouth bass fishing is expected to be good in 2008, with contributions from hatches in the 1990s and 2003. Fish should range in size from 14 to 21 inches and weigh 1.5 to 5 pounds. Bass fishing is best around areas with bottom structure, which is available across much of the entire Ohio near-shore area. ODNR biologists have seen several good hatches in recent years, potentially contributing to good smallmouth bass fishing in the future.
A closed season remains in effect from May 1 through June 27, during which all black bass (smallmouth and largemouth) must be immediately released. Beginning June 28, the daily bag limit will remain at five fish, with a 14-inch minimum length limit.
Steelhead anglers should enjoy great fishing in Ohio's Lake Erie tributaries throughout the fall, winter and spring months. Good fishing opportunities will also exist on the open lake, when schools of fish can be located. Peak steelhead action on Lake Erie can be found offshore from June through August between Vermilion and Conneaut, with catches measuring 17 to 29 inches.
Most Lake Erie anglers trolling for steelhead in deep waters use spoons with dipsy divers or downriggers. The daily bag limit remains at five fish per person from May 16 to August 31 and two fish between September 1 and May 15, with a 12-inch minimum size limit throughout the year.
White bass will continue to offer seasonal fishing opportunities in both tributaries and the open lake. The catch will include many 10 to 14-inch fish from the 2005 and 2003 hatches. The 2006 hatch was moderate, and should contribute some 8 to 9-inch fish to the fishery. Anglers should focus on major western basin tributaries during May and June and near-shore areas of the open lake during summer months. There is no daily bag or size limit on white bass.
Anglers are also advised of numerous fishing opportunities in the bays and harbors on the Ohio shoreline. These inlets offer excellent fishing for panfish, including crappie and bluegill, as well as largemouth bass. In early spring, anglers may also catch an occasional northern pike or muskellunge in vegetated areas.
Anglers are reminded that fishing conditions on Lake Erie can change hourly and adjustments are often necessary to improve success. Anglers should take into account such factors as water temperature, cloud cover, water clarity, boat traffic, wave action, structure and the amount of baitfish in the area. Anglers are also reminded to carefully monitor Lake Erie weather and to seek safe harbor before storms approach.
During the season, ODNR provides an updated Lake Erie fishing report online at wildohio.com and at 1-888-HOOKFISH.
Division of Wildlife staff members are available from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. weekdays at Fairport Harbor (440-352-4199) for central basin information and at Sandusky (419-625-8062) for western basin information. For additional information on lodging, charter boat services and local launch ramps, contact one of the following lakeshore visitor's bureaus:
|Ashtabula County Convention & Visitors Bureau
|Lake County Visitors Bureau
|Convention & Visitors Bureau of Greater Cleveland
|Lorain County Visitors Bureau
|Sandusky/Erie County Visitors Bureau
|Ottawa County Visitors Bureau
|Greater Toledo Convention & Visitors Bureau
|Ohio Division of Travel & Tourism
Information on the Division of Wildlife's Lake Erie research and management programs, fisheries resources, open lake and steelhead fishing reports, as well as maps and links to other Lake Erie Web resources is available online.
For Further Information Contact:
Roger Knight or Jeff Tyson, ODNR Division of Wildlife (419) 625-8062
Kevin Kayle, ODNR Division of Wildlife (440) 352-4199 | <urn:uuid:579d6bfc-c576-4fb9-867a-dd67a4ba5dcf> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.ohiodnr.com/home_page/NewsReleases/tabid/18276/EntryId/342/2-6-08-2008-Lake-Erie-Fishing-Outlook-Is-Great.aspx | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368697974692/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516095254-00008-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.938988 | 1,378 | 1.789063 | 2 |
This post begins my 7th year of blogging.
It's also what I share at the beginning of each new year. For 12 months whenever I need some quick inspiration, I just look at the top of my daily to-do agenda where I keep a list of motivational quotes I gather.
All year long whenever I find a new quote, I add it to the list. I post them front and center to inspire me as I work on the Born2Fly Project to stop child trafficking.
When the fight seems impossible, I read what Einstein said. Or Edison. Or Zappos.com.
Today I start a brand-new list, so enjoy these now. I hope they motivate you as much as they do me. Most of these come from my fellow Twitterati, so I've included their Twitter names after each quote in case you want to follow them.
Got a fav quote of your own? Leave it as a comment. I've already begun my 2013 list and could use a few good quotes to start the year right.
* * *
"If Plan A fails, remember you have 25 letters left."
"A year from now you may wish you had started today."
"History shows us that the people who end up changing the world are always nuts, until they are right and then they are geniuses.”—John Eliot via @JohnStanko
"We were trained to finish our homework, our peas and our chores. Today, we're never finished, and that's okay."—@Seth Godin
"You can't build a reputation on what you are going to do."—Henry Ford via @JohnStanko
"If you really want to do something, you'll find a way. If you don't, you'll find an excuse."
"This is a people plundered and despoiled; all of them are trapped in caves, or are hidden away in prisons; they have become a prey with none to deliver them, and a spoil, with none to say, 'Give them back!'”—Isaiah 42:22
"Silence in the face of evil is itself evil. God will not hold us guiltless. Not to speak is to speak. Not to act is to act."—Dietrich Bonhoeffer
“God only gives three answers to prayer: 1. 'Yes!' 2. 'Not yet.' 3. 'I have something better in mind.” —@WayneHilsden
"May victims of inhumanity and injustice not find us merely curious, but furious."—@JamieMcIntosh
"Knowledge is the pathway from slavery to freedom."—Frederick Douglass
"Rescue those being led away to death."—Proverbs 24:11
"He who has begun a good work in you will be faithful to complete it."—God
"Difficulty is the very atmosphere of miracle. It is miracle in its first stage."—L.B. Cowman via @JamieMcIntosh
And my #1 quote from 2012....This is from a group of children in the Philippines who were approached by traffickers. The kids had already gone through the Born2Fly program to stop child trafficking so when the traffickers tried to lure them with cell phones, the kids yelled:
“We’re more valuable than cell phones!”
—B2F kids in the Philippines | <urn:uuid:b936e4be-d34a-4ccb-959a-d04eee14faeb> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://dianascimone.typepad.com/diana_scimone/2013/01/can-i-quote-you-on-that.html | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368697380733/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516094300-00033-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.959163 | 707 | 1.679688 | 2 |
Geneseo senior Bridget Dunn interned between semesters at the National Museum of Natural History in Washington, D.C. (Photo courtesy of David Price, National Museum of Natural History)
GENESEO, N.Y. - Bridget Dunn was amazed at the seamless coordination of effort among the scientists and staff at the National Museum of Natural History in Washington, D.C., one of 19 museums administered by the Smithsonian and the most visited. Dunn, a senior anthropology major at the State University of New York at Geneseo from Marcellus, N.Y., spent three weeks between semesters as an intern at the museum. She did everything from update documents in the invertebrate zoology department to getting a close-up view of the mummy vault containing specimens from Egypt, Peru and other countries. The museum contains more than 126 million specimens of plants, animals, fossils, minerals, rocks and human cultural artifacts.
"The most interesting aspect of working there was discovering the great amount of activity and coordination involved in preparing the numerous displays," said Dunn. "The staff and scientists were all very friendly and supportive and encouraged my input. The experience helped me clarify how I want to be involved in the museum field. It was a tremendous networking opportunity."
Dunn has a keen interest in cultural resource management, the practice of managing cultural resources such as the arts and heritage, and she is considering graduate programs in either museum studies or archeology. Her interest grew in the field when she began volunteering in her hometown at the Marcellus Historical Society. She also spent a semester in a study abroad program in the Netherlands.
"Whether it's a town historical society or major national museum, the purpose is to connect the public to our history," said Dunn. "It's important to know where we came from to get a better idea of where we can go."
Media Relations Manager | <urn:uuid:4901ef06-5dac-4492-b9f6-4c650cfad155> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.geneseo.edu/m/news/47663 | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368702810651/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516111330-00013-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.94811 | 383 | 1.734375 | 2 |
Ph.D., Brandeis University, 1975
Professor of Political Science and Liberal StudiesProfile:
James Miller is Chair of Liberal Studies and Professor of Politics at the New School for Social Research. His latest book, Examined Lives: From Socrates to Nietzsche, has just been published by Farrar Straus and Giroux. The book's introduction and the chapter on Seneca can be found here. To read a review, please click here.
He is the author of five other books: Flowers in the Dustbin: the Rise of Rock & Roll, 1947-1977, winner of an ASCAP-Deems Taylor award and a Ralph Gleason BMI award for best music book of 1999; The Passion of Michel Foucault (1993), an interpretive essay on the life of the French philosopher and a National Book Critics Circle Finalist for General Nonfiction, which has been translated into nine languages; "Democracy is in the Streets": From Port Huron to the Siege of Chicago (1987), an account of the American student movement of the 1960s, also a National Book Critics Circle Finalist for General Nonfiction and recently recommended by Michael Kazin as one of the 5 essential books to understand the roots of the Occupy Wall Street movement (to read the article, please click here); Rousseau: Dreamer of Democracy (1984), a study of the origins of modern democracy; and History and Human Existence - From Marx to Merleau-Ponty, an analysis of Marx and the French existentialists.
The original editor of The Rolling Stone Illustrated History of Rock and Roll (1976), he has written about music since the 1960s, when one of his early record reviews appeared in the third issue of Rolling Stone magazine. Subsequent pieces on music have appeared in The New Republic, The New York Times and Newsweek, where he was a book reviewer and pop music critic between 1981 and 1990. Pieces on philosophy and history have appeared in The London Review of Books, The New York Times Book Review. In 2000, the magazine Lingua Franca published his best-known essay, "Is Bad Writing Necessary? George Orwell, Theodor Adorno, and the Politics of Language."
Besides publishing in such peer-reviewed academic journals as History and Theory and Political Theory, he has contributed to a variety of reference works, from Encyclopedia Britannica and A New Literary History of America, published by Harvard in 2009, to the Dictionnaire de philosophie morale edited by Monique Canto-Sperber in 1996.
From 2000 to 2008, he edited Daedalus, the journal of the American Academy of Arts & Sciences. He has been a Guggenheim Fellow, an NEH Fellow twice, and in 2006-2007 he was a Fellow at the Dorothy and Lewis B. Cullman Center for Scholars and Writers at the New York Public Library. A native of Chicago, he was educated at Pomona College in California, and at Brandeis University, where he received a Ph.D. in the History of Ideas in 1976.
Take a look at some other essays by James Miller:
Room 712, 6 East 16th StreetOffice Hours:
212-229-2747, ext. 3027Email:[email protected] Interests:
Philosophy as a way of life; democracy in theory and practice; social movements; popular culture; intellectual history, eighteenth century to the present; radical social theory; history of political philosophy.Recent Presentations/Exhibits:
"Examined Lives: From Socrates to Nietzsche" Talk delivered at the University of Wisconsin, Madison, October 27, 2010
Forthcoming: The first annual New School Arts Festival, Noir Now.
The term "noir" was coined in 1946 by a French film critic who, viewing some American films for the first time after World War II - The Maltese Falcon; Double Indemnity; Laura; and Murder, My Sweet - focused on their similarities, and labeled what he saw noir, or "black."
Noir thus became the name for a genre of morally-ambiguous crime films (directed by John Huston and Billy Wilder, among others) and the sometimes frankly nihilistic novels that inspired them (written by Dashiell Hammett and James M. Cain,
among others). Yet with the passage of time, it has become ever clearer that noir is not just a matter of moody lighting and cynical gunplay. From our own standpoint, the fearful sensibility at play in noir is as elemental as classical tragedy - and as contemporary as a new film by the Coen Brothers, Todd Haynes or Guy Maddin.
Today one even hears talk of noir fashion, noir design, noir poetry, noir comics - the list goes on. So what if anything does this French adjective, so promiscuously deployed, actually mean? One can start with a set of evocative and emblematic phrases: "darkness visible," "the imp of the perverse," "the naked city," "the killer inside me." But to discover more about what noir means today, the New School presents a one week arts festival, April 1 - 8, featuring a variety of art exhibits, theater productions, concerts, screenings of films, and free public events featuring Academy Award winning actress Frances McDormand; directors Guy Maddin and Todd Haynes; jazz guitarist Marc Ribot; composer Paul Moravec; playwright and graphic novelist Ben Katchor; poets Frank Bidart, Robert Pinsky, and Robert Polito; novelist Mary Gaitskill, cultural critics Mary Haskell, Greil Marcus, Luc Sante, Susie Linfield, and James Naremore; and a variety of new plays and art works by New School students at Parsons, in Media Studies, and throughout the University. | <urn:uuid:b0340e07-0814-4718-b134-dc46b0004a17> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.newschool.edu/nssr/faculty.aspx?id=10346 | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368706499548/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516121459-00027-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.935642 | 1,195 | 1.8125 | 2 |
NSA has concerns after UK EID trials
FIELD trials of EID tags in the UK sheep flock have highlighted the ‘critical’ importance of having ‘tolerance’ within the regulations, the National Sheep Association has claimed.
Speaking after the trials, NSA chief executive Peter Morris said: “Farmers can not and must not be penalised because the equipment the sheep industry is working with cannot deliver perfect results. Tolerance of these facts must be recognised and accepted by the authorities at all levels.”
The EU’s Food and Veterinary Office (FVO) is due to arrive in the UK on Monday for a fact-finding mission looking at EID, and Mr Morris said the NSA would be voicing its concerns ‘very strongly’.
During the trials, the reader manufacturers, who volunteered to take part, set up their own systems within the handling area, powered only by portable batteries.
Several hundred store lambs sourced from all over the UK were read by a combination of three race readers as well as hand-held stick readers. There were numerous different types of tags, including some non-electronic slaughter tags, in the lambs. Many would have been in the ears for some time.
There were four electronic tags, all from the same manufacturer and with the same flock number, which no equipment could read. When removed from the statistics, there was a 100 per cent read rate from the best static reader.
The NSA said such static readers were used at Critical Control Point Centres but the equipment was not likely to be used on farm other than in a very few situations.
Several lambs had ears clearly ‘infected’ as a result of tagging, with the signs of damage clearly evident. Several tags were also badly inserted, being close the edge of the ear and would be easily lost, which highlighted the need for careful tagging.
Mr Morris said the trials had shown the good and indifferent sides of EID. “It has clearly shown there is reading equipment out there which is very good and other equipment which needs further work, particularly some race readers.”
The best results had a 99 per cent read rate, which, he said, exceeded most people’s expectations.
He added the reliability and quality of the EID tag was paramount and this had also been shown in the trial.
He said the fact there were four tags, all of the same type and with the same flock number, which could not be read by any equipment was a considerable concern and needed further investigation. “This sort of issue has to be thoroughly investigated as it is the farmer who would suffer for this without accepted tolerance in the system to allow for it.”
Total number of lambs in group 536
Number of lambs with non EID tags or tags missing 100
Number of lambs in which EID tags which could potentially be read electronically 436
Best race reader result of the 436 lambs with electronic tags 432 99%
Best stick reader result of the 436 lambs with electronic tags 430 98.5% | <urn:uuid:a23ce94f-6b92-4cc8-96c3-027288ba8a8c> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.farmersguardian.com/home/livestock/nsa-has-concerns-after-uk-eid-trials/37874.article | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368700958435/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516104238-00042-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.976641 | 631 | 1.664063 | 2 |
When changing jobs, well over a third of British workers unashamedly take sensitive information with them to their new employer, grapevine.com reports.
A survey by information management company Iron Mountain has discovered that 44 per cent of workers will leave not just with some spare Post-It notes, but having sent themselves some confidential data. On average across France, Germany, Spain and the UK, 51 per cent of leavers do this.
The saving grace is that most employees do not mean any harm by taking data with them; merely feeling they have the right to any information which they helped to create. Most of them intend it to be used as guidance in their next role, not to do any damage.
However, whether intentional or not, damage can be caused - particularly if the 'stolen' information includes customers' details. A company's reputation can be negatively impacted and consumer trust diminished.
The findings highlight the importance of securing databases and folders, especially those which can be accessed via the cloud and making sure defined confidentiality policies are in place. Employees should be made aware from the early recruitment stages that by taking sensitive data, they may be in breach of the terms and conditions of their employment contract.
Commenting on the results, Iron Mountain's Vice President, Patrick Keddy, told infosecurity-magazine.com: "These findings highlight the need for information management policies to be developed closely with human resources as part of Corporate Information Responsibility programme." | <urn:uuid:cfa624dc-3cb3-480f-b7f5-cf029226ca19> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.cbsbutler.com/44-per-cent-of-workers-steal-confidential-data-from-ex-employer | 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 | 0.94814 | 298 | 1.5625 | 2 |
WILL: To the extent that that fiction we call the international community makes it impossible for Israel to conduct this kind of boycott, to prevent Hamas from being rearmed, two things happen. You hasten the coming of the next Middle Eastern war, because SCUDS are coming to Hezbollah from Syria in the north. Weapons will pour in to Gaza from which 6,000 rockets have been fired at Israel.
So Israel will have to take active defense and go in again to Gaze and into southern Lebanon. Furthermore, no Israeli Prime Minister is going to allow a two-state solution. If a Palestinian state based on the West Bank can not allow some kind of armed presence on its eastern border to prevent the influx of arms into the new Palestinian state.
Therefore, a two-state solution becomes impossible, and the next war becomes likely all because people are trying to undermine the legitimacy of Israel's self-defense.
HUFFINGTON: But what is happening in Gaza right now, Senator Kerry said earlier, when you asked him about. It's a real humanitarian disaster in violation of the Geneva Convention that forbids collective punishment. What is happening in Gaze is collective punishment.
And if you look at the list of things that are not allowed to go into Gaza, you understand why there is such a there.
TAPPER: But Senator Kerry did point out that it was -- some of the --
HUFFINGTON: That they had --
TAPPER: No, no, but that the Hamas government was responsible as well for the humanitarian crisis.
HUFFINGTON: Absolutely. The Hamas government is a terrorist organization. Nobody's saying anything contrary to that. The Hamas government is an organization that won an election, an election the Bush-Cheney and Condy Rice encouraged to happen.
TAPPER: That is what -- let me ask you about -- You were at the State Department in 2005-2006 when these elections were pushed forward and some were saying don't do it, they're not ready for it. Do you think that was a mistake in retrospect?
CHENEY: I do. I don't think they were ready for it. I don't think we should have pushed it. And I think that Senator Cornyn's point earlier though was a very important point, which is no matter how they came into power, they're a terrorist organization.
And if you look at the difference between life on the West Bank and life in Gaza, I think it puts the lie to this notion that somehow the Israelis are responsible for the conditions inside Gaza. Hamas is running Gaza, and essentially the position that you guys are taking says that Israel does not have the right --
MOULITSAS: Who said that?
CHENEY: -- to stop a flotilla.
MOULITSAS: Nobody said that.
CHENEY: To stop a flotilla from --
MOULITSAS: Nobody said that.
CHENEY: -- from -- well, but your criticism -- no, no --
MOULITSAS: I said they handled it in such a way that was so incompetently that it backfired on Israel.
CHENEY: Okay, did you --
MOULITSAS: Not that they didn't have a right to do so.
CHENEY: So you agree that they had a right to stop that flotilla?
MOULITSAS: There's ways to do it that weren't as aggressive and counterproductive. If they did it in the middle of the night, over the air. I mean there's ways to handle blockades in international settings.
CHENEY: Yes, but Markos --
MOULITSAS: You can -- boats can be stopped; to redirect -- | <urn:uuid:4611e4d7-6fd0-4fb3-b7e4-bec425d53860> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://abcnews.go.com/ThisWeek/week-transcript-allen-kerry-cornyn/story?id=10838756&page=14 | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368702448584/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516110728-00001-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.97662 | 778 | 1.75 | 2 |
Downside of the Rolling Jubilee
As a media-savvy ploy to shift public opinion on the debt problem, the Rolling Jubilee may be a brilliant PR move. It's probably not much real help for debtors. (See also: How Debt Fools People)
Are you familiar with the Rolling Jubilee? What they do is use donations to buy up distressed debt for pennies on the dollar, then forgive the debt and send the debtor a letter telling him how to get started cleaning up his credit rating.
As public relations, this is brilliant. It highlights the way lenders and collection agencies swap these debts around for pennies on the dollar — but won't let the debtor pay it off for pennies on the dollar. It also engages the public in a discussion on the unfairness of our current system of debt and the crushing burden weighing down the poor, the sick, the young, the troubled, and the merely unlucky.
As a way of actually relieving debt for actual people, it doesn't do much.
Too Little Help for Too Few People
Any debt that can be bought up for pennies on the dollar is debt that was already long ago written off as uncollectable.
That doesn't mean it's not a problem for the debtor. The debt's presence on their credit report probably makes it impossible for the debtor to ever get their finances cleaned up. It doesn't just make it impossible to borrow money; it makes it tougher to find a place to live, find a job, get insurance, even open a bank account. (If that last applies to you, check out my posts New Tools for the Unbanked and Making Direct Deposit Safe for the Garnished.)
It does mean it probably isn't the debtor's biggest problem. Forgiving $1,100 originally charged on some credit card is great, but it does nothing to keep the electricity turned on or stave off foreclosure or cover the health insurance bill.
So from the debtor's perspective, it's more a tease than actual help. "Oh joy! Kind strangers have swooped in and solved my eleventh most pressing problem!"
It also helps too few people for the debt reduction to have any societal effect. A really sweeping reduction in the amount of debt that all heavily indebted people owed would change the whole economy, unleashing all sorts of activity from people previously trapped by debt. (Unleashing spending, of course, but not just that. It would also free people to be more entrepreneurial, if they didn't have the relentless burden of monthly payments.)
Pernicious Effect on Debt Value
This, I think, is where the Rolling Jubilee does real harm.
A lot of the debt that has gone into collections isn't even owed. This can happen a lot of different ways:
- A legitimate debt was paid in full, but is still on the books due to an error by the lender.
- Debt that was illegitimate from the start, such as money borrowed by an identity thief.
- The lender has gotten confused about who owes the money and is dunning the wrong person.
- The debt was discharged in bankruptcy.
- The debt is disputed, such as when a shoddy product is returned, but the seller refused to credit the account.
- The underlying debt is a trivial amount — a $10 late fee — but has blown up to a large sum due to additional fees and penalty interest rates.
Most of those cases could be sorted out if the borrower (or supposed borrower) knew their rights. Most could be ended with a simple letter along the lines of, "I don't owe that money. Either send me proof that I'm wrong or quit bugging me." Sadly, too many borrowers don't know their rights with regard to disputed debts.
The problem is, even bogus and disputed debts like these have some value on the secondary market. Debt collectors on the sleazier end of the business will buy debts for, let's say, 5 cents on the dollar. Then they badger the supposed borrowers, trying to get blood out of a stone. If the collection agency can collect 10 cents on the dollar, they're making real money.
Once they've gotten what money they can, they'll sell everything on to some even sleazier agency.
The danger I see is this — if the Rolling Jubilee will pay cash for these debts — especially if they're buying the cheapest ones they can find — they're rewarding the very people who keep selling on the illegitimate debts. That makes it worth keeping the fake debt — debt nobody actually owes — on the books.
Anything that makes it more profitable to be sloppy about keeping track of who does and doesn't owe you money is a bad thing.
Still Probably a Positive Force
Despite the fact that the movement will do little good for real debtors, and will do some real harm (by inflating the value of fake debts), I think on balance the Rolling Jubilee is a good thing.
I don't expect it will get big enough to be a real factor in the debt market, so the real harm is as limited as the real good it might do. But just by existing, it is advancing the discussion on how our society handles debt. That's a big win. | <urn:uuid:8aa4b1d3-28d2-4946-9daf-937f3e312230> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.wisebread.com/downside-of-the-rolling-jubilee?quicktabs_2=2 | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368698924319/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516100844-00008-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.966102 | 1,077 | 1.765625 | 2 |
My inspiration today was my mom and dads 5 week vacation to the Lake District in England. They left yesterday for some hiking and exploring the small villages and countryside. The fact that they are in their 80's and hiking the mountains of the Lake District is a testament to their vegetarian and healthy lifetyle. I am sure they will come across a Ploughman's lunch or two along the way! Go into almost any British pub for a taste of British food and you are likely to see a Ploughman's Lunch on the menu. A Ploughman’s can be put together at a moment’s notice. At some pubs, there is even a notation next to this menu item claiming that it can be brought to the table in less than 10 minutes. But, what is a Ploughman's Lunch? It means different things to different people and sometimes, even though not traditional, it includes a sausage, pate, pot pie or a piece of ham. What is for certain, it is not for the fainthearted. If you choose it on the menu they may need to roll you out of the pub for more than one reason!!!
This popular meal has been around since the early 1800’s, possibly earlier, when ploughmen’s wives sent their husbands off to plough the fields with a packed meal. There are even records of it mentioned in 18th century literature. Whatever would keep well without further refrigeration could be included. Traditionally the cheese, bread and pickles would be home-made by the ploughman's wife, making it an inexpensive and substantial lunch. Today, a good Ploughman's will be cheeses of the region and at the very least British; the same for the meats and other accompaniments. The bread must be a thick wedge of crusty bread or a baguette, anything less will not hold up when piled high with cheese, chutney and pickles. And to drink ...in a pub it must be a pint of the local beer, cider or a “Shandy” (1/2 beer and ½ lemonade) to wash it all down. Or what about a Pimm's?
A Ploughman’s is the perfect meal to serve in hot summer weather, or to pack and take on a picnic. It is a perfect warm-weather meal for busy cooks, since no actual cooking is involved. For those who are not close to a British Pub, or planning to visit one soon, a quick stop at the supermarket will guarantee that once home, a Ploughman’s Lunch is only about 10 minutes away!
Be part of the solution and join in on Meatless Mondays.
Gather the ingredients:
•Bread: Most grocery stores and bakeries in Britain sell freshly baked ploughman’s rolls, which are similar to hoagie buns, only shorter. Baps, granary rolls, which contain malted wheat flakes, are another popular choice, as is a small baguette. Any favorite roll or bread may be used as long as it is freshly baked.
•Cheese: Mature cheddar is the most popular cheese to serve with a Ploughman’s. English Stilton comes in a close second. Since the Ploughman’s is classic British pub food, it would be fitting to serve English cheese if you have it available.
•Pickles: Branston pickles (made by Crosse and Blackwell since the 1920’s ) are classic with the Ploughman’s Lunch (This distinctive relish includes carrots, cauliflower, rutabaga, marrow (a type of summer squash), and dates combined with vinegar, lemon juice, and assorted spices). Also traditional is the mustard based relish called piccalilli. Both of these pickles are available in major grocery stores in the imported foods section. Pickled onions are considered a must by many, but some prefer green onions with salt.
•Salad/Fruit: A simple lettuce salad with tomatoes is served in many pubs, with a packet of “French Salad Cream,” a light creamy sweet dressing. Since this particular dressing isn’t readily available outside of the United Kingdom, a similar dressing can be quickly made at home. (recipe below). Fruit is usually served in addition to the salad, and this dressing is great drizzled on fruit such as apple slices, grapes, strawberries, and pineapple.
English “French” Salad Cream
1/2 cup sugar
1 teaspoon dry mustard
1 teaspoon salt
1/3 cup white wine vinegar
1 tablespoon finely chopped onion, or use a teaspoon of dry onion
3 tablespoons vegetable oil
1/2 cup mayonnaise
Combine all dressing ingredients in the blender or food processor; process until smooth and creamy. Now arrange the ingredients on a plate That’s it! Ready in 10 minutes just as promised. Serve and enjoy!!!!
You are reading this post on More Than Burnt Toast at http://morethanburnttoast.blogspot.com. Excerpts and links may be used, provided that full and clear credit is given to the author/owner of More Than Burnt Toast. All rights reserved by Valerie Harrison. | <urn:uuid:7b868af9-269b-4da5-8099-681509086ead> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://morethanburnttoast.blogspot.com/2010/06/ploughmans-lunch-for-meatless-mondays.html?showComment=1276008441752 | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368696383156/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516092623-00002-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.948187 | 1,088 | 1.617188 | 2 |
Learn something new every day More Info... by email
An office party is the celebration of a holiday among coworkers, and sometimes their families. They are intended as social events, usually to raise coworker morale. Although it is technically a party, it is still a business event and should be treated as such.
Committees are often formed to plan and host the office party. The company may choose to host the party at a cocktail lounge, hotel banquet room, restaurant, or the house of a higher-up in the company. Although, they are sometimes held at the job location, often times people want to avoid the office altogether in order to have a more festive atmosphere. Decorations are usually kept neutral, as not everyone celebrates Christmas.
Planning an office party means choosing a menu that can be enjoyed be everyone, from carnivores to vegetarians. Serving alcohol can get expensive, so decide in advance how many free drink tickets to give each employee. Any additional drinks will have to be paid for by the employee himself. If you are serving alcohol, it is recommended that you provide your employees with a way home. This is best done by distributing taxi coupons to all employees, even if they aren't planning on drinking.
When attending an office party, there are several things to keep in mind. Office parties are expensive, planned events that are coordinated and paid for by your place of business. On this note, don't bring uninvited guests. The party is usually planned on a per person basis and bringing an extra guest will stretch the food and space limitations.
It is always best to attend the office party, as you can damage your reputation if you don't. Make sure to attend for at least an hour and dress to impress. Although it is a party, your boss and other executives will be watching you. Under-dressing will demonstrate that you don't care, while overdressing might make people think you are overpaid. Women shoudl avoid wearing dresses that are too short or flashy clothes with plunging necklines.
Remain professional at all times. An office party is not the place to gossip, blow off steam, or whine about your job. Try to hold positive, upbeat conversations without bragging about yourself. Make sure to keep your hands to yourself and don't flirt.
Office parties are the perfect time to get to know people who may greatly influence your career. Take the time to network with management and executives from other departments. Stay sober during the office party, or drink in moderation, so you are able to make a good impression. | <urn:uuid:c99abc09-5469-4f36-bc7f-70f72f82c5ab> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.wisegeek.net/what-is-an-office-party.htm | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368706890813/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516122130-00038-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.974548 | 521 | 1.648438 | 2 |
How the U.S. shares its bounty with those in need
By Carol Adelman
In the 1600s, before our nation was formed, Cotton Mather, a New England religious and civic leader, called for Americans and their voluntary associations to engage in "a perpetual endeavor to do good in the world."
Right on, governor
School spending, merit pay ideas make sense
To his credit, Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger recognizes that simply dedicating ever more billions to California's schools will not result in ever greater student achievement. Addressing the decline in overall student achievement is not so simple as throwing more money into school coffers, especially when most of it goes to teachers who by union demand are paid more not for achieving more but for, as the governor put it, "just showing up."
Minimum wage hike proposed yet again
Art Pulaski, secretary-treasurer of the California Labor Federation, is one of the biggest backers of a bill, recently reintroduced by Assemblywoman Sally Lieber, D-Santa Clara, that would hike the state minimum wage by 15 percent over the next year and a half.
Democrats need 'a fighting faith' on national security
By Peter Beinart
On Jan. 4, 1947, 130 men and women met at Washington's Willard Hotel to save American liberalism. During World War II, only one major liberal organization, the Union for Democratic Action, had banned communists from its ranks.
The end of world-fatigue syndrome
A prediction. Barring another major terrorist act on our soil, 2005 will be the first year of a new, kinder era. The seminal event of this new age is so large that it belongs in a category of its own. We do not identify it by date or special name, but simply as "the tsunami." | <urn:uuid:006f00ea-4e9a-44e0-a48d-375e7752e003> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.utsandiego.com/uniontrib/20050109/10.html | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368701852492/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516105732-00034-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.937851 | 367 | 1.742188 | 2 |
Making The Best Of You
A middle-aged man decided to take up jogging. He found a sports shop
carrying a wide variety of running shoes. While trying on a pair, he
noticed a little pocket on the side of the shoe.
"What's this thing for?" he asked the sales clerk.
"Oh, that's to carry spare change so you can call a friend to come
pick you up when you've jogged too far."
That would probably never be a problem for me. I know avid runners
and gym enthusiasts who can't wait to get out in the morning and
work up a healthy sweat before starting the day. THEY are likely to
jog too far. I know others, however, who exercise with a grim
determination to get through the workout because they know it's good
for them, like a child forcing down the healthy breakfast cereal
when all the while wishing she were eating the sugary bowl
advertized on television. Whereas the first group is anxious to work
out, the second group needs a good reason to push through the
workout session. I find myself squarely in the second group. I
cannot imagine myself jogging too far.
Of course, if I begin each morning with an exercise regimen, I feel
better all day long. And I know I am healthier. But when I wake up
feeling good -- no aches, no soreness, no stiff muscles - I suddenly
find good reasons to skip my routine. I am too busy today; I just
need some quiet time; there is something else I'd rather do. It is
the aching back and stiffness in my neck that prods me to do what I
ought to do anyway.
Oddly enough, my sore and aching muscles are probably good for me -
they motivate me to take better care of myself. It's not about just
making the best of my aches and pains -- THEY are actually making
the best of me.
Abraham Lincoln knew the value that difficulties can bring to a
life. One of his cabinet appointees, Edwin Stanton, frequently found
flaws with the president and criticized him -- sometimes in public.
But Lincoln seemed to show excessive patience with him. The
president was asked why he kept such a man in a high level position.
Lincoln characteristically responded with a story. He told about a
time he was visiting with an old farmer. He noticed a big horsefly
biting the flank of the farmer's horse. Lincoln said he reached over
to brush the fly away. As he did so, the farmer stopped him and
cautioned, "Don't do that, friend. That horsefly is the only thing
keeping this old horse moving."
Even life's many irritations and problems have their place. That
horsefly kept the horse moving. Edwin Stanton, no Yes Man, kept the
president sharper, honest and self-reflective. My sore muscles and
aching back keep me exercising regularly.
Sometimes we make the best of our problems. But how wonderful it is
when those problems can make the best of us.
~ Steve Goodier ~
[ by: Steve Goodier - Copyright © 2011 - from Steve Goodier ([email protected]) ]
All Rights Reserved. | <urn:uuid:d4291a89-4d09-4006-8454-cdf7102eeb58> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.skywriting.net/inspirational/messages/making_the_best_of_you.html | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368704132298/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516113532-00017-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.955797 | 695 | 1.671875 | 2 |
New wave of foreign policy?
He came to bury Blairite foreign policy, not to praise it. He came to lament the "scars of ten years of government". He came to explain patiently how we all must learn (a word he used no fewer than six times) from the past. This was Tony Blair's former policy chief David Miliband speaking. Politics is a brutal business.
The foreign secretary's speech (read it here) proclaimed a "second wave of New Labour foreign policy" and was spun in advance as a significant break from what had come before.
But hang on a second. Beyond the words and beyond the carefully calibrated signals what has actually changed in British foreign policy?
Mr Milliband worried aloud that Muslims think, "we're seeking not to empower them but to dominate them". The lesson, he said, was, "that it's not good enough to have good intentions". Quite right, you might think. What, though, will that mean for policy? He didn't say beyond, that is, backing the age old British position that Turkey should be welcomed into the EU.
The foreign secretary declared that "there never is a military 'solution'". Did that mean he didn't back any of the four Blair wars? No, he made clear he had backed them and still did. So, what did it mean? Well, he went on, we need to work with all the neighbours of Iraq. So too said Tony Blair.
He did talk of stronger international institutions - or what Gordon Brown has talked of as a "new world order" - without spelling out what they were.
Now, it may be that David Miliband could not say what he really thinks. It could be that his message was that with him and Gordon running foreign policy there'll be no more wars, no more messianic rhetoric about spreading democracy, no more bypassing of the UN. Or it could be that that's the impression he wants to create with voters who left Labour in protest at the Iraq war.
The lesson of the first wave of New Labour foreign policy is that it was shaped by events and was best assessed by what ministers actually did and not the speeches they gave. The same, I suspect, is true of the second wave.
UPDATE, 03:30 PM: Before he became prime minister, Gordon Brown talked of building "a new diplomacy in the next few years to build better institutions".
He went on to say that, "the American alliance we have, the European cooperation we welcome and are going to strengthen in the years to come, and our role in the Commonwealth are the basis on which we move forward - but I believe that there is a collective interest that the world can be persuaded of, in the United Nations playing a bigger role in security, Nato playing a bigger role out of theatre, and also the European Union as a collective institution playing a fuller role in world politics." | <urn:uuid:b5d1b7e2-facb-4bbe-b87a-947cb361ae60> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.bbc.co.uk/blogs/nickrobinson/2007/09/new_wave_of_for.html | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368708766848/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516125246-00017-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.97889 | 592 | 1.671875 | 2 |
As the Chinese government builds its case against disgraced former railways minister Liu Zhijun, new details are coming to light about the scope of the corruption bedeviling the country’s world-beating high-speed rail build out.
On Wednesday, the state-run Xinhua news agency said a government audit report shows embezzlers made off with 187 million yuan, or roughly $28.5 million, from just the Beijing-to-Shanghai portion of the high-speed railway project–a revelation that reinforces earlier doubts about implementation of the massive rail expansion.
The latest numbers come from the same interim audit report, produced by the National Audit Office, that originally brought down Mr. Liu, who was made to step down in February. Xinhua now says that the audit could pave the way for other arrests for corruption and embezzlement.
The steady drumbeat of revelations could spell a grim fate for Mr. Liu in China, which has a record of executing high-profile officials accused of corruption.
Relative to the overall amount of money being funneled into the high-speed rail project, the amount that Xinhua said was embezzled on the Beijing-Shanghai line is small. The Beijing-Shanghai line involved total investment in the range of $33 billion, meaning embezzlers made off with less than a tenth of a percent. But if other Chinese infrastructure projects have seen larger chunks of their funding disappear into the pockets of corruption officials and contractors, few others have been as highly touted.
China’s national rail program, along with its burgeoning space program, has been a point of national pride for the country, with California even mulling the use of Chinese technology for its own high-speed rail project.
Fed by tales of lurid backroom dealings reported in the Chinese press, the corruption scandal has dampened some of the crowing over the high-speed trains, which have also bit hit with concerns over the cost and safety of lines that already under construction.
Reports from February, when the scandal first hit local media, acknowledged that the Ministry of Railways was under a heavy debt burden. Indeed, under Mr. Liu’s tenure the ministry had racked up 1.3 trillion yuan in debt, with 854.8 billion yuan in short term debt and 448.6 billion yuan in long-term debt, in 2009 according to a report by the Global Times.
At the time, the paper quoted a researcher from Beijing Jiaotong University, Zhao Jian, saying the debts had “grown too large for the government to afford.”
While ferreting out the people responsible for corruption may help restore some of the public’s faith in the rail ministry, it doesn’t address many of the other challenges facing China’s high speed rail network, which is supposed to stretch 16,000 kilometers by 2020. | <urn:uuid:2c9b65ef-929d-4aff-9bed-e947a9c058c9> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://blogs.wsj.com/chinarealtime/2011/03/23/new-revelations-in-chinas-railway-corruption-scandal/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368700958435/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516104238-00030-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.962755 | 598 | 1.734375 | 2 |
Most of us rely on a logical view of the world as the basis for making choices every day. The joke is, that then we grouse and complain when everything stays the same=>=>=same challenges=same interruptions=same negative self talk=same limiting beliefs=same feeling of being stuck in a rut so high the sky cannot be visible. It isn’t our inability to create change that has us stuck, it is the fact that the logical worldview is not, and never was, the best way to get a foothold on change.
Change is best managed via a structured, yet open interface between the LOGICAL, EMOTIONAL and IMAGINAL expressions of BeInG. It is an internal process, individual to each person and available as they overcome fear, boldly come to know who they truly are, and choose their actions based on who they deeply agree themselves to be––a love of self that is about honoring and celebrating. Definitely not about external image and the amassing of material worth.
So, changing from being a worker bee, to becoming a force within a network marketing company is an INSIDE JOB. The network marketing industry has intuited this for six decades as it has fostered personal and professional growth and development. Now, there are explanations (logical explanations) for why it is so. Here’s one powerful example: CLICK | <urn:uuid:b9c395b3-ad32-4fca-aa73-12dcb6d8c2e2> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.boldmovesblog.com/tag/logical-world-view/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368706153698/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516120913-00033-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.944159 | 281 | 1.75 | 2 |
The Original and #1 Website for Security Guard Training
Online Security Guard Training and Career Center
Welcome to Security Guard Training Headquarters! We have everything you need to make your life easier as you begin your career as a security guard officer. State specific training requirements, a step-by-step hiring process, potential employers and interviews to help you get hired are just some of the helpful things you'll find here.
Security companies and businesses that employ security guards are not required to provide life insurance benefits to their employees, regardless of how risky the job is. With this being said, companies are required to carry worker’s compensation insurance that will cover on-the-job injuries or death.
For security guards who want to provide their family with a legacy when they pass, purchasing individual life insurance is typically the best answer. But with so many different types of individual life insurance to choose from, how do individuals sift through options to choose the best plan? By understanding the difference between each individual insurance policy, you can make an educated decision, and invest in peace of mind and protection.
First things first, just because you are an armed security guard, does not mean that you will be unable to get life insurance. We’ve had many people approach us with that misconception.
Most Popular Type of Life Insurance – Term
There’s no question that most affordable life insurance for those on a budget is term life. Term life, which is also known as temporary life insurance, will provide a level amount of coverage for a specified period of time. Terms can range in length between as little as a year, to as much as 40 years. Typically, the longer term, the higher the premiums.
All premiums will stay level throughout the length of the term and are based on the applicants age at the time of application. Term life does not have an investment component and is great for security guards who have children or a mortgage.
Universal Life Insurance
Universal Life is one of two very popular types of permanent life insurance. Unlike term life, permanent life insurance will remain active for the remainder of the policyholder’s life, as long as the premiums are maintained. What makes universal life insurance unique is that the policy will accrue cash values. A portion of premiums are applied to life insurance premiums and the remainder of the premiums are credited to the cash value on the policy plus interest.
While these policies do have an investment component that some appreciate, they are far more expensive than term insurance. Security guards who are looking for permanent insurance with flexible payment terms, loan terms, and withdrawal terms, may want to consider universal life.
Whole Life Insurance
Whole life insurance is the second very popular type of permanent life insurance available on the market today. While both whole life and universal life are similar, one of the primary differences between the two is that level premiums must be paid into a whole life policy every year. Whole life gains cash values and these values earn a minimum amount of interest. If you feel more comfortably paying level premiums to fund your policy, whole life might be the better permanent option.
Security guards who are shopping for life insurance should take time to compare the rates of each policy before selecting a policy. There are plenty of resources to get life insurance quotes online so that you have a decent understanding of the cost before you approach a life insurance agent. If you can only afford to start with term insurance, you always have the option to convert term plans into permanent plans within a specific time frame. Invest in even a minimal amount of coverage and provide your family with the financial protection they need to survive if you pass away unexpectedly.
This is guest post by Jeff Rose, a certified financial planner from the site LifeInsurancebyJeff.com.
Top 10 Security Interview Tips
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guard employers want to
hear from you!
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now by entering your email
- Tips for Security Guards That Want to Ask for a Raise
- Fight or Flight – What Does it Mean for a Security Guard
- Manage Your Online Reputation in Preparation for a Security Guard Job
- Top 8 Ways to be a Great Security Guard
- Life Insurance for Security Guards
- How to Write a Detailed Incident Report
- Security Guard Users Taser and Fans Raise Money for New Equipment
- How to Handle Yourself as a Security Guard Under Pressure
- How to be a Respected Security Guard
- Four Reasons you Should Continue Your Training to Become an Armed Guard? | <urn:uuid:b395a3ad-c7e6-4a38-82e9-e2104ae3f81d> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.securityguardtraininghq.com/life-insurance-for-security-guards/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368699881956/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516102441-00020-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.940504 | 916 | 1.617188 | 2 |
TOLEDO, OH — William Ernest Spengler, founder of the Tolco Corporation, passed away peacefully on August 30, 2011, according to a press release.
Spengler founded Tolco Corporation on January 11, 1961, after a successful career at National Labs, the release stated.
According to the release, Tolco had humble beginnings and, because of his visionary leadership and steadfast dedication to quality, Tolco soon became the leader in trigger sprayers and pumps for the janitorial industry.
Through his partnerships with longtime associates around the world, Spengler was able to lead Tolco and expand its market presence at an unprecedented rate, the release noted.
Click here to read the complete release. | <urn:uuid:f6197ee3-58a3-4344-9f8e-cd8fbbd13159> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.cmmonline.com/articles/print/tolco-corporation-mourns-the-passing-of-their-founder-3 | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368707435344/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516123035-00030-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.969064 | 147 | 1.804688 | 2 |
Shisha (the Hindi word for “little glass”) embroidery is also known as mirror-work or abla embroidery. Originally, pieces of mica were used as the mirrors, but later, thin blown-glass pieces were broken and used. Today, small mirrors are commercially available for shisha embroidery. If you use these, make sure to file the edges first so the mirrors aren’t sharp.
I like using paillettes, those large sequins with a tiny hole in the side. They’re extremely lightweight, not sharp at all, and readily available in many colors. They worked perfectly in my “Local pride” apron. I also think it would be really neat to use coins from around the world in shisha embroidery.
I’ve recently gotten really into playing with embroidery, and I decided to at the very least do this one tutorial to share my love of the art form with you all. All you handcrafting/DIY-type folks, get ready!
- Gather your materials. You’ll need fabric, an embroidery hoop, a sharp needle, a shisha mirror (or paillette or coin), and embroidery floss.
- Secure your fabric in the hoop tightly. Thread your needle and knot the end of your floss.
- Place your shisha on the fabric, and secure it with a crossing of foundation stitches.
- Now, duplicate the foundation stitches, but turned 45 degrees… like this.
Until you get this.
- Now, you could leave it at that, and decorate around it. It’s pretty secure and it looks pretty, right? But if you’re more interested in creating a solid frame for your shisha, continue. Poke your needle up through the fabric beside your mirror.
Then, slide your needle under the foundation stitches, from the center toward the edge.
- Pull your needle through and tighten the stitch, then work one backstitch right next to your mirror.
- Now, your next stitches will be like blanket stitches. Again, thread the needle under your foundation stitches from the center to the edge, but make sure your thread is looped UNDER your needle as you pull the stitch tight.
- From now on, when you work the backstitch after your blanket stitch,make sure to initially poke your needle through the previous backstitch. This will create an attractive chain around your shisha.
- Once I get mine shishsa started, I like to take it out of the embroidery hoop. You can if you want to, but you don’t have to. Keep working steps 7 and 8 around the mirror.
This is why I like to take it out of the hoop. It allows me to sort of bend the fabric backward to have more control over my backstitches.
- Keep going until you’re finished!
- Are you proud of yourself? You should be! You could stop there, or you can decorate it some more (back in the embroidery hoop for this). I started with a border of turquoise chain stitches, to match my paillette.
- And then… oh look! The shisha is shining with happiness!
- I finished mine up with some delightful little french knots.
- Enjoy! And join the flickr group to show off your own shisha embroidery. | <urn:uuid:b97c0ed0-186f-424f-833a-cf386a499bb8> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.joyfulabode.com/2008/02/12/tutorial-indian-shisha-mirror-embroidery/comment-page-3/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368698924319/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516100844-00023-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.930182 | 721 | 1.539063 | 2 |
The latest tussle over red lines and deadlines on Iran's nuclear program obscures some of the genuine dilemmas now confronting the international community.
For a long time, the major powers had hoped that imposing strenuous sanctions on Iran could produce an interlocutor willing to negotiate honestly and to adhere to an exacting arms control agreement. But time may no longer permit the patient exercise of coercive diplomacy.
To temper Iran's nuclear ambitions we may need not one strategy but two. The immediate challenge is to obtain an agreement that imposes some limits on Iran's more disturbing proliferation activities. However, this cannot be the end of the story, but an interim step to provide time for a strategy that broadens Tehran's ruling coalition and injects some moderate voices into its deliberations.
It is important to note that the Islamic Republic has persistently violated all aspects of its nonproliferation commitments. Both of Iran's known enrichment installations began as surreptitious plants that were later discovered by the International Atomic Energy Agency.
The Iranian regime continues to operate and expand these facilities in violation of six United Nations Security Council resolutions that call for their suspension. Tehran has refused the I.A.E.A.'s requests for information on previous weaponization activities or to grant access to its scientists and many of its facilities. Given this history, one can count on Tehran to similarly violate any agreement that it may be compelled to sign. For the Islamic Republic, as currently constituted, treaties are but diversions on its way to greater nuclear empowerment. | <urn:uuid:92b33464-988c-46ef-a3cd-9b830b3afd02> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.cfr.org/iran/talk-irans-leaders-but-look-beyond-them/p29087?cid=rss-proliferation-talk_to_iran_s_leaders%2C_but_lo-091912&utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+issue%2Fproliferation+%28CFR.org+-+Issues+-+Proliferation%29 | 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 | 0.954435 | 309 | 1.625 | 2 |
Union Nixes Plan to Reward Good Schools
A program adopted by the Philadelphia school board to link teacher performance reviews and pay raises to student achievement was denounced by the Philadelphia Federation of Teachers as “vindictive” and “school-bashing.” The new professional accountability program holds teachers responsible for student test scores, attendance, and graduation rates.
Teachers at high-achieving schools would receive cash bonuses, while others could be dismissed if their students consistently performed poorly. In fact, up to three-quarters of the staff could be replaced at schools that fail to meet performance goals.
Such incentives to improve are clearly in order in the Philadelphia school system. Barely half of the city’s students graduate from high school on time, and fewer than one in five are proficient in reading, math, and science.
The school board is budgeted to spend a total of $1.4 billion on the city’s 257 schools this year, or $6,511 for each of the district’s 215,000 students. It appears to be serious about linking pay and performance. In September, the board concluded that Superintendent David W. Hornbeck had only partially met expectations, giving him a “grade” of 2.7 out of 4.0. Hornbeck did not qualify for a pay increase. | <urn:uuid:a4695232-23d0-4f55-a955-93fa3395b4ce> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://news.heartland.org/newspaper-article/1997/01/01/union-nixes-plan-reward-good-schools | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368704392896/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516113952-00015-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.971952 | 274 | 1.570313 | 2 |
This past weekend President Jacob Zuma married a fourth wife, Gloria Bongi Ngema. She joins his three other wives, Sizakele, Nompumelelo, and Thobeka. The private ceremony took place at his home in Nkandla, KwaZulu-Natal, and, according to the press, Zuma paid all of the costs himself.
Zuma took the occasion of his new marriage to clarify the status of his wives. According to the press, the presidency affirmed that South Africa has no position of “First Lady.” Therefore, the spouses pay all of their own expenses and live in private houses not supplied by the government. However, the wives are expected to “provide support to the president in the execution of his duties.” Therefore, the government does pay for secretaries and travel in conjunction with that support.
Polygamy is legal in South Africa, and is frequently practiced among Zuma’s fellow Zulus (and certain other ethnic groups) who can afford it. Nevertheless, many South Africans are uncomfortable that the chief of state is a polygamist, not least because they regard it as incongruent with a modern, democratic state.
Zuma is also facing renewed corruption charges. That could account for the official clarification of the position of Zuma’s wives and the assurance that only limited public funds are spent on them. | <urn:uuid:744fd892-8b68-41a5-8cd9-92cc3e5bfa33> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://blogs.cfr.org/campbell/2012/04/24/south-africa-president-zuma-gets-a-fourth-wife/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368698924319/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516100844-00026-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.978747 | 292 | 1.765625 | 2 |
This week, the Chamber of Commerce announced a $100 million campaign “to defend and advance economic freedom.” Chamber President Tom Donohue proclaimed the campaign “one of the most important and necessary initiatives in our nearly 100-year history.”
Never missing an opportunity to promote the interests of the business lobby, CNBC dedicated its “Most Underplayed News Story” segment last night to the Chamber’s campaign, with host Dennis Kneale proclaiming “it’s about time business started fighting back.” Not surprisingly, all of Kneale’s guests agreed. Watch it:
First, the claim that this story was “underplayed” is spurious at best. Politico essentially repackaged the Chamber’s press release announcing the campaign into an article, and both the Wall Street Journal and BusinessWeek covered the campaign’s launch. In fact, C-Span thought the campaign was important enough to merit asking Vice President Biden’s economic adviser Jared Bernstein about it on Washington Journal yesterday.
But more importantly, this notion that the business lobby hasn’t been fighting the Obama administraion’s agenda until now — thus making the Chamber’s campaign vitally necessary — is absolutely ludicrous. Consider:
– The Chamber partnered with the National Foreign Trade Counci, Business Roundtable, and the National Association of Manufacturers, and threatened to “spend whatever it takes” to defeat President Obama’s corporate tax reforms.
– The Chamber, in conjunction with other business interests, “said they will spend about $200 million on advertising and lobbying” against the Employee Free Choice Act.
– During the stimulus debate, the Chamber released a plan that centered on corporate and capital gains tax cuts.
And none of this takes into account the vast influence that the banking industry has had over the legislative debate so far this year. The Chamber is merely throwing another $100 million into an already intense effort to bog down the administration’s health care, climate change, and tax reform agendas.
Earlier this year, Duke Energy left the National Association of Manufacturers “because of disagreements with the lobbying group’s stance on climate change policy.” So far, no one has rebuked the Chamber, but are companies like Nike, IBM, and UPS (which all have spots on the Chamber’s board of directors) okay with this campaign of obstructionism? | <urn:uuid:0b57a508-68e9-4bf7-99e6-a80b061b10c0> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://thinkprogress.org/economy/2009/06/12/172818/cnbc-and-the-chamber/?mobile=nc | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368700958435/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516104238-00006-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.939925 | 507 | 1.546875 | 2 |
The Meir Schneider Method of Self-Healing Through Bodywork and Movement empowers you to take charge of your own health and unlock the body’s ability to heal itself. The method combines massage, movement and breathing education, visualization and, for those who need it, vision improvement training. The development of kinesthetic awareness is fundamental to Self-Healing.
The Method is a nonmedical holistic health rehabilitation and prevention system. It is comprehensive and integrated, combining movement education, therapeutic massage, self-massage, passive movement, gentle movement exercises, breathing, visualization, and vision training.
Meir Schneider, PhD, LMT was born with cataracts and other serious vision problems. After five unsuccessful surgeries on the lenses of his eyes, which left them shattered and filled with scar tissue, doctors pronounced his condition hopeless and he was certified permanently legally blind. He performed his reading and schoolwork in Braille.
At age 17, Meir learned the Bates Method of eye exercises. He practiced them with a diligence that probably no one had ever applied to them before, up to 13 hours a day, undeterred by the skepticism of family and friends. To this he added his own regimen of self-massage and movement.
Within six months, he could recognize visual objects for the first time; within 18 months, he could read print without glasses. His vision continued to improve, and today is 20/80. He holds a current unrestricted California driver’s license.
During his recovery process, while still a teenager, Meir began to help others with a wide range of degenerative conditions, such as polio, muscular dystrophy and multiple sclerosis.
He found that the same principles which enabled him to gain functional eyesight could be applied to the entire body.
His discoveries led to the creation of the Meir Schneider Method of Self-Healing through Bodywork and Movement, helping tens of thousands of people with serious physical and visual conditions worldwide.
The Meir Schneider Self-Healing Method is unique in its:
Emphasis on combining massage and movement equally
Inclusion of vision improvement work for those who need it
Detailed programs that meet the custom needs of the individual at a given time, to nurture specific organs or organ systems that are fragile or damaged
Client motivation, empowerment, and support groups
The Method overturns the unconscious expectations that program how we think, move, breath, and see, and it teaches us new ways to move and live. Learning to use muscles and joints in a more balanced way- by isolating muscle groups, enhancing circulation, using more muscles and relaxing chronically overused ones, and strengthening and stimulating brain-body neural connections- can address and prevent common degenerative and debilitating conditions that arise out of lifestyle, profession, injury, or serious health problems.
The Method is a unique approach that has helped many thousands of people make remarkable gains in health and function with a wide range of “incurable” conditions and injuries, including poor eyesight. Computer users, cashiers, massage therapists and others have learned how to prevent and overcome repetitive strain injuries. Athletes and musicians have used Self-Healing to overcome injuries and enhance performance.
The Method is body-mind work. It offers powerful combinations of massage, movement therapy, visualization, breathing exercises, and for those who need it, vision improvement techniques. The method grew out of Meir Schneider’s experience in overcoming his own congenital blindness as a teenager. A former Braille user, Meir now reads normally and has an unrestricted driver’s license.
The Method teaches us how to listen to our bodies and respond to their needs. Applying the many tools and techniques of Self-Healing, we create a more relaxed, balanced use of the body - and the eyes - which can bring about dramatic improvement. Self-Healing is a non-medical, holistic health rehabilitation system.
Self-Healing is above all an educational process. The client becomes an active, inventive partner of the therapist. support groups, private sessions, and books and tapes are available to teach and support the Self-Healing Method. | <urn:uuid:d825ce27-cb9a-4f45-93d8-ae424b334e03> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.cdbaby.com/cd/meirschneider4 | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368702810651/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516111330-00007-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.951418 | 846 | 1.6875 | 2 |
John 17:17 "Sanctify them in the truth; Your word is truth.
John 15:3 "You are already clean because of the word which I have spoken to you.
Colossians 3:16 Let the word of Christ richly dwell within you, with all wisdom teaching and admonishing one another with psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing with thankfulness in your hearts to God.
Psalm 119:9,10 How can a young man keep his way pure? By keeping it according to Your word. • With all my heart I have sought You; Do not let me wander from Your commandments.
Proverbs 2:10,11 For wisdom will enter your heart And knowledge will be pleasant to your soul; • Discretion will guard you, Understanding will watch over you,
Job 23:11,12 "My foot has held fast to His path; I have kept His way and not turned aside. • "I have not departed from the command of His lips; I have treasured the words of His mouth more than my necessary food.
Psalm 119:99 I have more insight than all my teachers, For Your testimonies are my meditation.
John 8:31,32 So Jesus was saying to those Jews who had believed Him, "If you continue in My word, then you are truly disciples of Mine; • and you will know the truth, and the truth will make you free."
New American Standard Bible Copyright ? 1960, 1962, 1963, 1968, 1971, 1972, 1973, 1975, 1977, 1995 by The Lockman Foundation, La Habra, Calif. All rights reserved. For Permission to Quote Information visit http://www.lockman.org.
Daily Study Bible | <urn:uuid:21e4a9c8-9c0f-4853-b752-91c0fb1047c6> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://dailystudybible.com/Morning_November_16.htm | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368708766848/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516125246-00013-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.93639 | 359 | 1.53125 | 2 |
21 December, 2010
Filed UnderLegal Costs
Lord Justice Jackson has won a Golden Bull award from the Plain English Campaign for one of the year's "best" examples of gobbledygook.
This was from an excerpt from his Review of Civil Litigation Costs: Final Report on page 184.
"Personal injuries litigation is the paradigm instance of litigation in which the parties are in an asymmetric relationship, as discussed in chapter 9 above."
The Plain English Campaign suggested that perhaps Lord Jackson could have said:
"Personal injuries cases are the examples of court cases between different parties."
As Solicitors Journal pointed out: "Sadly this appears to make no sense". | <urn:uuid:5a5454ba-55cf-4191-9181-b223427c0145> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.gwslaw.co.uk/2010/12/lord-justice-jackson-wins-award/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368696383156/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516092623-00026-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.960641 | 138 | 1.515625 | 2 |
Faqir Shah sprays machine-gun fire across the black hills of Tora Bora, shooting at phantoms of al Qaeda. The shots echo through a forest of twisted holly trees, zigzagging up through the ravines to the granite peaks, as if searching for a reply. But there is no response, only the wind. Shah lowers his machine gun, smoke curling from the barrel. It's the first time the Afghan militiaman has gone back to Tora Bora since the fierce battle between al Qaeda fighters and the U.S. military in December 2001, and there is an equal measure of bravado and fear in his macho display.
"We fought al Qaeda here for two weeks in the snow," says Shah, who is wearing U.S. Army-issue camouflage trousers under a ragged gray coat. He points to a nearby bomb crater, 15 feet (4.6 meters) deep, left by one of the U.S. warplanes, and says, "See that hole? An American soldier tossed a piece of concrete in there from the World Trade Center, because he thought al Qaeda was all finished. I told him I didn't think so."
Shah leads me across the boulders of a narrow creek and up a hill into the Tora Bora caves. There are dozens of caves honeycombed into the hillside, all empty now, save for a few cartridges left over from the U.S. siege of three years ago. Next we venture back outside to the ruins of a mud-brick house, pulverized by bombs. I find fragments of an artillery shell, a prayer cap. "This was where Osama lived," says Shah.
I sit in the rubble, peel an orange, and check the coordinates on my GPS. North 34.07.080 by East 70.13.209. According to eyewitnesses, sometime before the siege of Tora Bora began in early December 2001, bin Laden stopped here for the night, gave a pep talk to hundreds of his fighters, and vanished.
As this article goes to press in early October 2004, the world's most wanted man has not been seen since, although rumors are flying that U.S. forces or their Pakistani allies have captured him and will produce him just before the U.S. presidential election.
Where could he have gone? Since 9/11 I've asked that question nearly every day as I covered breaking news from my home in Islamabad, Pakistan. In search of an answer, I've trailed bin Laden along the smugglers' crossroads near Afghanistan's desert border with Iran, through the craggy mountains of the Hindu Kush, and even in the high-rent districts of two Pakistani cities, Peshawar and Karachi, where a few al Qaeda chiefs have been found hiding in fancy villas.
It may turn out that bin Laden is hiding somewhere far away—in his family's ancestral homeland of southern Yemen, perhaps, or posing as a dreadlocked beachcomber in Costa Rica. There's no shortage of theories, some of them outlandish. But electronic intercepts, statements from captured al Qaeda fighters, and videotapes that show bin Laden in local surroundings are persuasive evidence that bin Laden is still right here, along the Afghanistan-Pakistan border, in a wild, mountainous region the size of Ireland that I've come to think of as "Bin Ladenstan" for its most infamous occupant.
For any outlaw or fugitive this is the perfect hiding place: a fortress-like maze of geography, defined by a great wall of mountains running a thousand miles (1,600 kilometers) from the Hindu Kush south to the Arabian Sea. Those formidable mountains form a natural barrier between Central Asia and the plains of India, as a parade of would-be conquerors, from Alexander the Great to 19th-century Britain, and more recently the Soviet Union, have learned the hard way.
Even more forbidding than rocks and snow are the locals, a bewildering array of tribes and clans known collectively as the Pashtun, who number more than 25 million and are sometimes referred to as the Pakhtun, or Pathan. Living on both sides of the border, the Pashtun share a language (Pashtu), a love of guns and jokes, a deep suspicion of outsiders, a passion for the green chewing tobacco called naswar, and belief in a strict and ancient code of honor, called Pashtunwali. One tenet of this code—nanawateh, or sanctuary—is particularly vexing to bin Laden's hunters. It means that every Pashtun is duty bound to help anyone who comes knocking at his door seeking refuge, even if it's his worst enemy. A Pashtun is expected to give his life defending a guest, and many have done so.
I recall a conversation with the urbane Col. Mohammad Yahya Effendi, one of the Pakistani spymasters who ran the Afghan rebels, or mujahideen, during the Soviet war in the 1980s. The Pashtun "can act with nobility and yet be absolute rascals," Effendi told me. "They'll do all sorts of treacherous things—even betray their fathers. But they're bonkers when it comes to giving sanctuary. It's like a sacred mission."
Anyone who hands bin Laden over to the Americans might be 25 million dollars richer in reward money, explained Effendi, but the disgrace would hang over this person, along with his family, clan, and tribe, for many generations. "Osama's a major Islamic hero," he added. "Whoever betrays him, why, his life wouldn't be worth an onion."
In a clearing near the ruins of bin Laden's Tora Bora house, I punch a few buttons on the GPS, broadening the map on my screen. Due south, directly over the Spin mountain range in front of me, is the crooked line of the Pakistan border, drawn by a British diplomat, Sir Henry Mortimer Durand, in 1893.
Northeast lies the Afghan town of Jalalabad. There are stories that bin Laden doubled back there from Tora Bora and spent a few days cloistered in the house of a wealthy landowner, even as U.S. forces and their allies were closing in. That seems unlikely: Returning to the Afghan war zone would have been foolhardy, and bin Laden has proved to be a cautious man.
Directly in front of me lies another possibility: a mule trail that threads through the holly trees, away from bin Laden's house up to a granite ridge, toward Pakistan. It's only logical that bin Laden would have headed for Pakistan; in December 2001, Pakistani troops were slow in sealing off the border, and dozens of al Qaeda fighters made a run for it up those mountains. Maybe bin Laden did too. | <urn:uuid:ae18affa-b4d2-457c-a8bf-5f9cea8c727a> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://ngm.nationalgeographic.com/features/world/asia/pakistan/pashtun-text | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368701852492/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516105732-00015-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.970656 | 1,410 | 1.695313 | 2 |
David Fitch once said that most missional thought leaders "emphasize incarnational forms of church over attractional; the church as Missio Dei over mission as program; organic forms of missionary living in neighborhoods over ministry set in a building." Yet many others seem to add the term to the current program they are attempting to promote or make cool sounding. As Ed Stetzer noted, "The word missional is used to bludgeon legalism and antinomianism alike. To some it is a sign of freedom from all established forms of the church and to others it is a degeneration into syncretism with the world."
So, do we abandon the term and move on? Not yet, because the concept behind missional is really big and words help us when we can agree on their definitions— or at least we can agree what we mean when we use a word.
Over the next few weeks, we want to discuss how "missional" happens in our lives and in the life of the church. It will be discussed here as well as at other places including the blogs listed below. As the conversation moves forward, we hope you will move from blog to blog and offer insights from the scriptures and how you see missional happening in your local community.
By doing this, we can all be a part of a specific missional conversation. As many of you know, there are several working toward a "Missional Manifesto" that will be rolled out as a part of the missionSHIFT conference on July 12-15. The intent with the manifesto is to say, "This is what we mean when we talk about being missional." It is not the manifesto's intent (or within its ability) to say this is what everyone should think or say about the term, but reflects a hope that it will help us all be clearer and more mission-shaped in our own thinking and practice.
Conversation on the grassroots level is important, so be sure to join in here and at the other blogs and let's see where God take us. Here is the team that will be leading the conversation:
Rick Meigs: The Blind Beggar
Bill Kinnon: kinnon.tv
Brent Toderash (Brother Maynard): Subversive Influence
David Fitch: Reclaiming the Mission
Jared Wilson: The Gospel-Driven Church
Jonathan Dodson: Creation Project
So for the sake of conversation today, leave a comment about with your own 1-sentence definition of "missional.” And, in the weeks to come, we will be addressing certain points or issues in the missional conversation that need consideration and perhaps clarity.
Monday, March 1, 2010
Prologue to Missional Discussions
I will be participating in a synchro-blog with some other fine writers over the next few weeks. Details from the hub:
Posted by Jared at 10:56 AM | <urn:uuid:62e459f1-67d0-45ee-89a2-de43c1382462> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://gospeldrivenchurch.blogspot.com/2010/03/prologue-to-missional-discussions.html?showComment=1267556385159 | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368698207393/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516095647-00027-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.950838 | 603 | 1.515625 | 2 |
US, MIDLAND — Energy industry analyst and forecaster Henry Groppe says the days of crude oil prices at $25 to $30 a barrel are coming to an end.
The new era of $40 oil has begun, said Groppe, a founding partner of Groppe, Long & Little in Houston. He was speaking at a meeting of the Petroleum Information Exchange.
“We’re in an era where slowly, over time, prices are going to have to rise from the low $30s to the mid-$40s over the next eight years to balance the available supply,” Groppe said after speaking to PIE’s breakfast meeting at Midland Country Club on Wednesday.
Nearly 100 industry executives and professionals listened intently as Groppe peered into his crystal ball and said this is the year non-OPEC production (United States, Canada, western Europe, Asia) will peak at about 39 million barrels per day.
“We’ve reached the point where, maybe this year or within the next year or two, we’ll reach the all-time peak in world oil production,” Groppe said.
A maverick among energy analysts, Groppe said the world is not going to run out of oil but energy prices will rise during the long term to rein in demand.
“A simple way to understand it is this. You never run out of oil, but in the early ’70s, we ran out of $2-a-barrel oil. A few years later, we ran out of $8 oil. All I’m saying is we’ve run out of $25 to $30 oil,” Groppe said.
Jim Henry, president and chief executive of Henry Petroleum Corp., agreed with Groppe’s supply and price forecast.
“He thinks it’s going to take a price in the mid-$40s over the next 10 years. It’s not astronomical. It’s not going up to $100 per barrel. That’s the price it’ll take to keep the demand in check,” Henry said.
The global decline will mirror what has occurred in the United States, where oil and gas production flourished from 1945 to 1970 but has declined 50 percent since then.
Groppe, who founded hi Houston-based company 49 years ago, has 55 years of experience in the oil, gas and petrochemical industries. He held positions with Arabian American Oil Co., Dow Chemical, Monsanto and Texaco.
He has also served as a charter member of the Texas Governor’s Energy Council and as a director of the United States Energy Association.
Groppe’s basic thesis is all the “easy oil” has been found. Existing reserves are being exploited more and more rapidly and new reserves are too small to offset the loss from historic oil and gas assets, he said.
“So that’s what’s in store, really, all over the world,” Groppe said. “The basic question is not what is the future growth and demand going to be. The right question is how high a price is going to be required in the future to cause consumption to decline to match a declining total world oil supply?”
Groppe sees the same scenario for U.S. natural gas supplies.
The last year newly discovered natural gas supplies exceeded the depletion rate of existing reserves was 1967. Since then, Canadian natural gas imports “have solved our supply problems,” but Canada’s production is at its peak.
“If they had not supplied us, we would have had roaring gas shortages for many, many years,” Groppe said.
Groppe said rapidly declining natural gas volumes could be best offset by liquid natural gas imports and greater reliance on coal and atomic energy.
One of the answers to dwindling crude oil supplies is increased use of fuel-economy cars.
Groppe had predicted crude oil prices in the mid-$30s at this point but that commodities trading has driven it up too high.
Futures trading has also produced an “unprecedented” $7 differential between the price of West Texas Intermediate crude and the price of Middle East crude.
Groppe said he expected a return to the more typical $3 to $4 “premium” for the better-grade, more easily refined WTI in the near future.
The forecast of tightening supplies and rising prices presents a lot of opportunities for people in the energy industry, Groppe said.
“You’ve got much higher prices for both oil and gas and you can go after harder-to-find, smaller deposits.”
Exploring for and developing new reserves will be a “growing, profitable activity” even though the quantities extracted will not stop the trend of declining production.
Bob Dimit, president of Ares Energy Ltd., of Midland, said what Groppe has to say about energy’s future is controversial because his forecasts don’t simply continue supply-and-demand trend lines.
“I think he’s right on track,” Dimit said. “He looks at the underlying fundamentals. What are the underpinnings?”
On the current situation in the Middle East, Groppe said political volatility there remains at the top of his “list of surprises” that cause energy price spikes.
The countries of most concern to Groppe are Venezuela, where President Hugo Chavez is leading a “true revolution that is not reversible.”
Chavez’s ouster of the “better educated minority” that ran the national oil company Petrobras will lead to lower production than otherwise would be expected.
Political instability, social unrest and demographic changes in the Middle East and Africa will contribute to price volatility, Groppe said.
“The only kind of rational surprise that would bring down prices would be some event that reduces consumption rapidly, “Groppe said. “And the most likely one would be wordwide recession.”
An economic downturn in the United States would ease natural gas demand, and thus, lead to a drop in price, he said. | <urn:uuid:9ec7711b-6723-434c-8590-2e1953cdeefb> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.energybulletin.net/print/260 | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368701852492/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516105732-00025-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.955587 | 1,302 | 1.554688 | 2 |
The Bangor Fire Department celebrates 100 years of service to the community this week as it hosts the Four County Firemen's Parade Saturday.
Firemen have been busy polishing trucks, stringing banners and sprucing up the three fire companies - Rescue, Second Ward and Liberty - in preparation for the festivities.
Fire Chief Robert Owens proudly notes the approximately 100 men in active service with the department are working as a team on this project just as they do fighting fires. "The more activity you have (between fires), the better fire department you have," he says.
He says, "I have a lot of good men. Everybody plays a part. You don't have to have a nozzle in your hand."
Some of the older men, such as Claude Fisher Sr., 86, who has been an active member for 60 years, continue to lend a hand as fire police, directing traffic and keeping the curious at a safe distance from a fire.
The fire department has seen many changes over the years. Organized April 29, 1886, as Rescue Hose Co. No. 1, the fire company set up shop in Bangor Borough Hall, N. First St., still the home of Rescue today.
Oscar M. Custer was the first chief of the company, which had a hand-drawn hose cart and hook and ladder wagon as its original pieces of equipment. Clinton Flory often responded with a team of horses to assist the firemen in moving the apparatus to the scene of a blaze.
As a boy of 12, Fisher watched one of the more spectacular fires the community witnessed. He remembers it was about half past eleven on July 30, 1913, when the Milton Flory Mill and Flory Foundry caught fire. "My fatherworked there at that time," he recalls. "They had no modernized equipment at that time . . . It burned for several days."
Fisher says the firemen had only their fire hoses, and just the pressure from the fire plugs, to fight the blaze. A steam engine was brought from Easton to Martins Creek, and from there by rail to Bangor, to help battle the fire, but Fisher says the firemen were unable to use it even when it finally arrived.
By the time Fisher joined the fire company, it had its first modern equipment, a 1914 American LaFrance pumper.
The firemen's dress uniform in that era was a smart navy blue, wool, double-breasted coat, cap and white gloves. For firefighting, Fisher says the men wore rubber boots and coats similar to those used today, but they had no air packs in those days.
Fisher was overcome by smoke while fighting the 1927 Wise Lumber and Bangor Electric Co. fire that caused as estimated $500,000 in damage. He remembers firemen from Easton, Pen Argyl, Wind Gap and East Bangor assisted Bangor firefighters. Fisher and Allen Frederick had a hose line back in an alley when a wall collapsed. "They turned the hose on us and got us out," Fisher says.
He was not hospitalized in the incident.
Before the advent of the Blue Mountain Control Center, Fisher says, "We had an alarm system and a box system. There used to be a steam whistle down at the Bangor Electric Co."
All of the box alarms, placed at various locations throughout the community, were numbered. When an alarm was triggered, the whistle blew the number of times corresponding to the box number. The town clock also struck the same number of times. That's how firemen knew about where the fire was located.
With the rise in vandalism and false alarms, plus the increased maintenance for the old box alarms, all but three were taken down. One remains at each fire house today.
Also largely remaining for its quaint charm is the old brass pole at Rescue once used by firemen.
In Bangor's 100 years of firefighting, the department has had only seven chiefs: Custer, 1886-1906; Ed Werkheiser, 1906-1912; Elmer Ackerman, 1912-1939; Herb Schoch, 1939-1943; Ben Albert, 1943-1972; Kenneth Beegle, 1972-1983, and Owens, 1983 to the present. Fisher, who has the longest record of active service in the department, has served under the last five of those chiefs.
Firefighting has been a tradition in Fisher's family. His brothers-in-law, Arthur, George and William Eden, also were firemen, as was his son, the late Claude Fisher Jr. Another son, Franklin Fisher, is currently fire chief in neighboring Washington Township. His daughter, Beatrice, with whom he resides, is active in the ladies auxiliary.
His great-great-niece, Lisa Rondinelli, won the essay contest sponsored by the Rescue and Second Ward Ladies Auxiliaries and will serve as queen of the 100th anniversary celebration.
Fisher himself will be grand marshall for the parade.
Modern firefighters, although they have more sophisticated equipment and support systems such as the Liberty Ambulance Service, face their own set of problems. "We need more technical training, let's say." Owens says, "Years ago, it would be more 'surround and drown.' " By contrast, firefighting today is more a matter of strategy and planning. "More or less like a football team," Owens says. | <urn:uuid:3f3fa9ef-62b9-4ae4-981c-3defc46dfb0b> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://articles.mcall.com/1986-06-19/news/2520045_1_fire-department-firemen-three-fire-companies | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368705953421/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516120553-00023-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.978106 | 1,114 | 1.664063 | 2 |
The registration of an Industrial Design allows designers to obtain protection for the appearance of products that they have designed.
Registrable designs must have features of shape, pattern, or ornamentation which are present in the product. These features in the product must be apparent to the eye. Registrable designs do not include methods or principles of construction which are more appropriately afforded protection under the Patents Act.
In accordance with a law passed in 2004, registration and certification of a design will grant the owner the right to use, make, and sell products under the registered design for a period of up to ten years.
Wrays can advise you of the most appropriate manner in which to seek protection for your design, we prepare and file all documents, including drawings prepared by our specialist staff, that may be required for your design application. We can also deal with any objections raised as a result of an examination of your application by the Designs Office.
If you require design protection in other countries, we will provide you with the latest advice and, through our network of foreign associates, prepare and file design applications throughout the world. | <urn:uuid:a779ae47-e273-481c-b1b0-8e3c52d95f17> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.wrays.com.au/designs/designs.html | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368706153698/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516120913-00038-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.949711 | 226 | 1.773438 | 2 |
University can be a tough time for students from all over Indonesia, living in rented rooms and missing their families. Sometimes overseas students are craving home-cooked meals. The founders of the cooking show startup, Masak.TV, had the same feelings when they were at college.
Masak.TV presents a cooking tutorial video podcast with young chefs Faisal Lanin and Tirta Pane. It also features chef Alvin Maulana – aka Mr. Ribet (meaning ‘busy’) – who shares simple tips for preparing cooking ingredients. They share the same culinary passion, and carry Masak.TV’s mission to make cooking look easy and fun. The target audience is young people overseas who might be missing simple home-cooked meals.
Alvin once worked as a head chef at the Madam Kwok restaurant, Epicentrum Kuningan mall, Jakarta. But for now, he works as an executive chef in Cabal Dining and Lounge, Manado, North Sulawesi. Alvin said that the Masak.TV concept came to life when they met head of production house Bagindo KPS, in Pulomas, Jakarta. They finally launched their cooking show on November 2010. Alvin explains:
We choose this format because online TV is more easily seen by all people no matter where they come from. We make this show look relaxed, because we are all still young. I’m only 24-years old. It’s more cool to make the show not too heavy and stiff. Our mission is to bring “easy cooking and [make it] enjoyable.”
Masak.TV collects donations to fund its website via PayPal, and it uses media spot advertising to attract sponsorship. It’s still growing with 7,528 YouTube viewers and the crew also spreads simple cooking tips on its Twitter account while reaching out to other chefs to share their knowledge. A mobile app is on the way to make content easier to enjoy anytime.
The folks at Masak.TV hope people are not afraid anymore to experiment in the kitchen. You can even bring your iPad to replace your cookbook with cooking videos. Give it a try! Bon appetit! | <urn:uuid:cedcacd4-e480-4606-8ba9-e3a6bf886f4d> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.techinasia.com/masaktv-serves-simple-fun-cooking-videos-homesick-people/ | 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 | 0.9357 | 450 | 1.53125 | 2 |
Tuesday, January 31, 2012
Do Genealogists Need to be More Like Curators?
Thomas MacEntee mentioned it in his post "It's Not Easy Being Abundant" where he says,
"...a hoarder gathers somewhat indiscriminately with little purpose besides gathering and possessing. A curator gathers that which adds value."
After that I found a follow-up post by Randall Dickerson called Hoarder or Curator? Randall further defines the difference between hoarder and curator, "To me, the definition of curator implies a person who gathers and keeps items of intrinsic value, both to themselves and others. A hoarder gathers anything they think “may” have value, regardless of what others think (i.e. no peer review)."
These two posts really got me thinking about all the items that I have collected over the years as the family historian. I have my mother's genealogy research, as well as newspapers clippings and other paper documents. In addition I have been given many books, heirlooms, photo albums and ephemera.
I have collected all these items but never cataloged them. As genealogists we are focused on finding the paper trail of documents that lead us from one generation to the next. We do a good job, or try to, of organizing, storing and documenting the papers.
Some items I have, such as family Bibles, have been documented because they contain specific information related to family history. Outside of that the individual Bibles are not cataloged or organized in any specific way. In fact, they are boxed and just sort of squeezed into any spare space possible.
My mother, in addition to being a genealogist, collected antiques. She numbered her collection and maintained a paper list of the items with their description, number and value. I presume she cataloged as she went. I'm not sure why her cataloging efficiency didn't rub off on me.
How is it that after years of indiscriminately accepting and collecting family-related items that I have never thought to catalog them? Wouldn't it be great if I had a list of each item, what type of item it is, how old it is, where it came from and where it is currently located?
I'm not going to add this to my already long to-do list for 2012 but I am going to start thinking about how to organize what I have and search for systems that I can use to keep track of it.
Tell me I'm not the only one who has randomly collected family-related items and never thought to organize them! Someone else must be in the same boat as me, right?!
Posted by Marian Pierre-Louis at 3:38 PM | <urn:uuid:30225974-5074-4eab-a376-71c6f3715a3e> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://rootsandrambles.blogspot.com/2012/01/do-genealogists-need-to-be-more-like.html?showComment=1328125024728 | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368697380733/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516094300-00005-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.970444 | 558 | 1.539063 | 2 |
During the Pope's trip to Brazil, there was a flap about whether Catholic politicians who support legal abortion are "excommunicated." That's a live issue in Brazil now because the government, in the persons of both President Lula de Silva and the legislature, is expanding the kinds of cases in which abortion is legal. We saw an earlier version of this movie in the U.S. during the 2004 election campaign; as then, the man who is now pope only said what ought to have been obvious. But as this sort of thing just isn't obvious to journalists, especially secular journalists, a flurry of "clarifications" ensued from those around the Pope.
Basically, the claim is that those who procure, carry out, or otherwise "formally cooperate" in abortion excommunicate themselves; public officials who support legalizing abortion are formally cooperating in abortion; therefore, such officials are, in a certain sense, "excommunicated." But what sense? In canon law, that kind of excommunication is called latae sententiae, i.e. "by broad judgment" not requiring a specific judgment or decree; call that 'ELS' for short. ELS is distinct from excommunication ferendae sententiae, i.e. "by judgment carried out," which must be expressed in a specific decree; call that 'EFS' for short. What a lot of people don't seem to understand is that stating when ELS holds does not constitute EFS. Stating when ELS holds does not bring about a state of affairs that didn't obtain prior to the statement; it merely describes a state of affairs that already obtains, given canon law and certain people's actions. But EFS does bring about a state of affairs that didn't obtain prior to the statement; that's why, in certain cases other than abortion, formal decrees of excommunication are occasionally issued by bishops or the pope. Thus, in saying that Catholic politicians who formally cooperate in abortion are "excommunicated," all that's being said is that such people have made themselves unworthy to "communicate," i.e. to receive the Eucharist. Such a statement does not make such people unworthy or otherwise impose penalties on them. It merely points out what is already and objectively the case.
That's the good news. The bad news is the reason why so many people don't get the good news: in practice, the clergy often do not behave accordingly. The pope, the bishops, and even some among the lower clergy can say until they're blue in the face that people who formally cooperate in abortion are unworthy to receive the Eucharist; but many bishops and priests will give the Eucharist to such people all the same, citing as justification that they can't be sure, in individual cases, whether the communicant is unworthy at that moment. That is a tiresome, hypocritical, and highly destructive dodge. Most such politicians are utterly unrepentant and make no bones whatsoever about that fact; so until most bishops and priests actually withhold the Eucharist from such people, the Church's claim that such people are unworthy to receive the Eucharist will not be taken seriously, and they will be understood to be "excommunicated" only when decrees of EFS are actually issued to that effect. Thus the clash between the good news and the bad news generates a huge amount of confusion, for which the bishops have only themselves to blame.
The solution is simple: withhold the Eucharist from those who, by their public actions and statements, formally cooperate in abortion. A scattering of bishops, both in the U.S. and abroad, do just that. But spreading that solution is not easy because it requires a courage that is in relatively short supply. We witnessed the lack of such courage during the coverup of the sex-abuse scandal. When will they learn that, in matters spiritual, clarity requires integrity and credibility requires both? | <urn:uuid:1062a926-de31-41df-a7a6-18b9a21f8061> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://mliccione.blogspot.com/2007/05/good-bad-and-confusing.html | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368705559639/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516115919-00003-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.976108 | 806 | 1.773438 | 2 |
The Hawkeye Initiative exposes sexism in comic book art
The Hawkeye Initiative is the new trendy way to fight back against comic-book sexism. It all started when Tumblr user Hoursago re-drew a Marvel comics cover with Black Widow and Hawkeye’s positions switched.
In the original, Black Widow is upside-down, her body in a contorted position and her legs in a split, whereas Hawkeye is simply jumping straight down and holding his bow over his head.
Hoursago drew Hawkeye in the upside-down split, and Black Widow jumping down carrying her guns. The caption reads, “For real though, look me in the eye and tell me which is more likely for these two.”
Popular artist Noelle Stevenson reposted the drawing, and added her own advice on how to fix sexualized feminine poses in comics: “Replace the character with Hawkeye doing the same thing.”
Hundreds of artists joined in, depicting Hawkeye saucily turning to show the viewer his behind, contorting himself into an impractical position for a kick, and many others.
The genius of the Hawkeye Initiative is in its simplicity. Rather than try to argue that comics often draw women in sexist or unrealistic poses, the artists involved in this project simply illustrated how ridiculous the pose would look if made by a body that is not traditionally objectified and sexualized.
Indeed, the Initiative led to the coining of the “Hawkeye Test“: ”If your female character can be replaced by Hawkeye in the same pose without looking silly or stupid, then it’s acceptable and probably non sexist. If you can’t, then just forget about it.”
This is a great way to expose insidious sexism. Ridiculous comic book poses for women are so common, it’s almost background noise to see a woman bending over gratuitously, or twisting her spine around to show off her chest and bottom simultaneously.
Seeing Hawkeye in these poses serves not only to highlight the hypersexualized nature of these drawings, but also to remind us that these positions are unnatural for women as well.
Women don’t usually run around with their backs constantly arched, forever swiveling to show off parts of their anatomy to an imaginary camera.
But now, Hawkeye does.
Magdalena Newhouse is a senior at Oberlin College, where she teaches a class on body positivity and fat acceptance. | <urn:uuid:fc389842-1c95-4a0f-a763-7f2fe88ce925> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.about-face.org/the-hawkeye-initiative-exposes-sexism-in-comic-book-art/ | 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 | 0.949452 | 513 | 1.71875 | 2 |
Workboat (August 1999)
27 January 2009
Stan Craft Boats delivers passenger ‘Torpedo’
Charles B. Summers
Granted, she doesn’t look like a workboat but given her job of carrying passengers for hire, that’s what she is.
In the spring and fall, Keith Snyder runs fishing charters on Idaho’s Lake Pond Orielle, but summer tourists are more interested in sightseeing. As a result, between June 15 and September 15, he moves his operation 30 miles south to Lake Coeur d’Alene, where he sells 30-minute boat rides at $15 a head. While the boat ride is an attraction, the boat itself – a new 29’, all wood, 1930s-style "Torpedo" runabout – is just as appealing.
Built last winter by Syd Young, owner of Stan-Craft boats, Post Falls, Idaho, the triple cockpit, six-passenger boat is powered with a 415-hp Mercruiser and will hit top speeds around 50 mpg. Although such craft are associated more with the rich and famous of years past than a modern commercial tour boat service, Snyder believes it is ideal for the clientele he has in mind.
"Idaho lakes have quite a history of using wood water taxis," explained Snyder. "Our service is not a water taxi as much as it is just a thrilling boat ride. The opportunity to take a spin in such a classic boat is part of what will sell the tour. It will leave the Coeur d’Alene Resort every half-hour, and we’ll be able to show passengers a lot of the lake’s north-end highlights with that much speed."
Young’s father started Stan-Craft Bats in 1933 on Montana’s Flathead Lake. Young moved the business to northern Idaho, where he now does new construction (four to five 25-30 footers annually), restoration of classic runabouts, and general boat repair at a six-acre facility in Post Falls. Other wood workboats built by Young include two custom-designed, 30’ water taxis delivered to the Coeur d’Alene Resort in 1990 that still look like new after 9,000 hours of operation.
Construction of Snyder’s 29-footer features 1/2" African mahogany planking with a double, diagonally planked bottom. The first layer is 1/4" with a layer of vinyl bedded in 3M 5200 between it and the 1/2"-thick second layer. All frames are 3 1/2"x1" African mahogany sawn to shape and assembled with double gussets at the 3 1/2"x1 1/2" chine bars; 3 1/8"x7 1/2" longitudinal stringers run full length. Stainless-steel fasteners and 5200 bedding compound are used throughout.
The wood hull and planked deck are stained, then finished with five coats of epoxy and six layers of clear urethane enamel. The final coat is sanded with 600- and 1,200-grit sandpaper and buffed to a mirror finish.
In addition to good looks, this $140,000 classic speedster will offer passengers an unusually smooth ride, despite the lake’s often choppy water conditions. "Our bottom design has been developed and refined over the years until we now have an incredible set of lines," said Young. "Although only six degrees at the stern, the dead-rise becomes extremely deep in the bow, probably 50 to 55 degrees. It has a very soft entry, fabulous turning characteristics, and no bad habits of any kind." | <urn:uuid:0b7dc5c8-f694-4b3a-8dcb-c0122566aa58> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.stancraftboats.com/workboat-august-1999 | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368706890813/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516122130-00033-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.950911 | 776 | 1.679688 | 2 |
This week’s question via the Soul Guidance Hub , comes from Hemant in South Africa. Hemant’s website is www.saihconsulting.co.za
Question: How do I stop procrastination?
Tal's Guidance: Thanks for your question Hemant. It is short, to the point and yet so loaded for so many of us. So before I offer some suggestions to break this habit, I would like to acknowledge that procrastination is one of the ways our ‘internal survival mechanism’ keeps us in our known or safe zone. To our ego, safe simply means familiar. So anything that is not familiar to our ego, even if it’s for our highest good, is interpreted as dangerous. This is when resistance kicks in to save the day and keep us from moving forward into unknown and potentially dangerous territory. Procrastination is one form of resistance.
One thing I do know is that if you were held at gunpoint right now and told to “complete the task you've been procrastinating ….OR ELSE…”, you would most likely (I hope!) get that task done in no time. I also have a feeling that if I offered you one million dollars in cash (granted you valued how that could positively affect your life) for getting the same task done in less than a month/week/day it would have a similar affect.
So what changed?
Well, for one, a sudden sense of urgency was created. In the first scenario it was a sense of urgency in response to pain and in the second scenario it was a sense of urgency in response to pleasure.
You see, there is nothing like a sense of urgency (real urgency) to help us MOVE FORWARD!
1) Place yourself in an environment that will HOLD YOU ACCOUNTABLE to that which you say you want or desire. This could be a mastermind group, a coaching environment, focused peer group or private mentorship. Make sure this is a committed, consistent and high integrity environment that will hold you to your word …precisely when you hit those thresholds of resistance. Find a group, peer, colleague or coach that is more committed to your vision than to your fears, excuses and resistance (and yes, this can be done in a gentle, loving “kick in the pants” way!).
2) Write down the task you want to get done and WHAT IT IS COSTING YOU not to complete it! For example, the cost of not completing your website (Yep! I took a sneak peak!) may be eroding your self trust and therefore your self worth (emotional cost). It may be diminishing your credibility in the eyes of prospects who land on an incomplete website and therefore never turn into paying customers (financial and credibility cost). I remind you not to use this as another way of judging yourself , but rather as a reason to start taking action!
3) Schedule 30 minutes a day for the task you have set yourself. Have fun seeing how much you can get done in 30 minutes alone. No more. Celebrate yourself afterwards. If for some reason you are called to continue beyond the 30 minutes, consider it A SURPRISE BONUS!
The idea is to create positive movement that is doable and to begin experiencing consistent success. Success leads to more success. Also, you’ll be surprised how much more you can get done when you have a very specific “urgent” time frame to do it in!
In fact, a few years ago I put together an entire ebook in one of these ’30 minute’ sittings, and this was after weeks of agonizing procrastination. Were it not for this highly focused 30 minute sitting back then, thousands of people would not have read and benefited from this ebook. This is how powerful a practice this is!
Most importantly, I invite you to have fun and love yourself as you move towards creating the positive momentum, sense of accomplishment and mastery you seek and deserve!
To your movement and success!
P.S. Was this blog helpful to you? What did you learn? Did you have any epiphanies or gain any insights relative to your own business and life? Please do share your comments, epiphanies and personal experiences IN THE COMMENT BOX BELOW. I truly value hearing from you! | <urn:uuid:f049cf5c-8d7c-421b-9104-3a8df4f01478> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.soulbrewing.com/stop_procrastination | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368704713110/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516114513-00004-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.95898 | 906 | 1.539063 | 2 |
Astley Cheetham Art Gallery
Please Note: The Gallery is only open during August Summer Holidays
Astley Cheetham Art Gallery in Stalybridge was built as a gift to the town by John Frederick Cheetham and his wife Beatrice Astley in 1901. The gallery originally opened as a lecture theatre and then the space was turned into a gallery to house the Astley Cheetham Art Collection, bequeathed in 1932. This collection has grown with gifts and donations throughout the twentieth century and is one of the most interesting small regional collections. Alongside collection exhibitions, the gallery hosts a programme of temporary exhibitions by regional artists.
Astley Cheetham Art Gallery is situated in Stalybridge town centre, above Stalybridge Library, just outside of Manchester. It is accessible by car, bus and train. There are parking spaces just outside of the building. Please note there is currently no disabled access to the gallery and is only accessible by stairs.
Your Paintings website - see the nations paintings online
The Public Catalogue Foundation and the BBC have joined forces and are now offering everyone a chance to see all paintings held in public collections in the UK.
As part of this project you can now see all paintings from the Astley Cheetham Art Collection on the BBC Your Paintings website .
NICE Paintings (The National Inventory of Continental European Paintings)
You can now see some of the artworks held by the Astley Cheetham Art Collection online .
This is the first phase of the National Inventory Research Project's aim of creating a searchable illustrated inventory of all 22,000 pre-1900 Continental European oil paintings in the UK's public collections.
The database currently contains nearly 8,000 records and over 2,500 images from 200 museums across the UK. | <urn:uuid:c8eea2c4-0430-418f-811f-9f456996857a> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://tameside.gov.uk/museumsgalleries/astleycheetham | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368704713110/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516114513-00003-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.942686 | 369 | 1.726563 | 2 |
An ICT Firm, Open Media Communications Has Exposed Cutting edge technology products from a US-based organization, Transition Networks to a select audience of chief information officers and procurement managers at a one-day seminar which held in Lagos last week.
Open media is a service management and technology consulting firm with core competence in analyzing, advising, and providing solutions to business, operational, and ICT challenges of public and private sector organizations in order to enable them achieve set goals and objectives.
At the seminar, Zak Admani, Regional Sales Manager (UK, Ireland & Africa) for Transition Networks walked his audience through a presentation featuring key products and services from Transition.
According to him, his firm offers applications and products for industrial environments such as oil and gas, energy, utilities, transportation, and security solutions.
From his presentation, Transition targets governments for solutions to challenges in the military arena, in city (urban) management, as well as broad options for state governments.
Speaking further on burgeoning security needs and solutions from Transition, Admani said: "The world is becoming a terrible place -- terrorism, bombings, killings, and people are afraid. You can actually make a lot of money out of peoples' fears."
For governments, the key need these days seem to be in the area of information protection. Transition offers fibre optics cabling, which Transition, in a flier, says ensures superior data security.
"This is because copper cabling is easy to tap into without being detected by a network management application. Any attempt to tap into fibre cabling however would involve a link loss accompanied by traps that are sent by the network management system."
Solutions in this area include fibre to the desk, PoE (Power-over-Ethernet) switches and media converters. These switches come with built-in fiber interfaces to manage powered devices - including IP video cameras, Voice-over-IP (VoIP) phones and wireless access points (WAPs).
For transportation systems, ethernet is now being used "across a wide spectrum of transportation applications. Whether in trains, buses, ships or traffic control systems each application requires fast, efficient and robust operations in order to meet the performance expectations of that particular network. Communications uptime is of the utmost importance to ensure that safety and security of passengers and equipment are maintained."
The above, and more, from Transition Networks is what Openmedia will be providing its clients through advisory and consultancy services over a wide range of management, telecommunications, and information technology requirements.
Immediate past Executive Vice-Chairman of NCC, Dr Ernest Ndukwe is Chairman of the Openmedia Group. | <urn:uuid:66b2e04d-90f2-417d-b0d8-0ecb1dd5bb7d> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.nigerianelitesforum.com/ng/telecommunications/17831-transition-in-talks-with-open-media-on-how-to-solve-ict-problems.html | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368710006682/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516131326-00023-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.948651 | 542 | 1.585938 | 2 |
News - IFJ Partners with WageIndicator to Campaign for Decent Pay to Journalists
BRUSSELS - The International Federation of Journalists (IFJ) is partnering with WageIndicator, a global wage survey that has measured wages of over 1,500 different occupations and 400 industries in over 48 countries around the world to date, to campaign for decent pay for journalists.
"Too many journalists face wage discrimination in the workplace," said Aidan White, IFJ General Secretary. "Wages of women and young journalists are particularly at stake. Unions need to take action so that journalists' salaries are, for the first time, assessed on a global scale."
In a letter addressed to its affiliates on 5th July, the IFJ called on all its members to participate in the global wage survey to help national campaigns to raise awareness among journalists of their rights to decent pay for their work and decent working conditions.
"By taking part in this initiative, journalists will be able to enhance decent pay for their work by carrying out a salary check. They can compare their current salaries with those of their peers, or those in other occupations in the global labour market," explained White.
The global wage survey will measure, in particular, journalists' average salary based on experience, salaries of young journalists entering the profession and the gender pay gap in the profession. The analysed data will be published in different languages and made accessible online. The findings will serve as a wage indicator for journalists around the world.
"Journalists can also take a ‘decent work check' to assess whether their working conditions are decent, based on international standards and in accordance with the national law of the countries where they work," added White.
"At a time when many journalists face salary cuts and deteriorating working conditions, such information is particularly helpful in salary and benefit negotiations," stressed White. "By making such information available to the public, journalists are making the profession more transparent and accountable."
The IFJ encourages its affiliates and journalists to participate in the survey and make use of this information for effective collective bargaining and promoting public trust in journalism.
To join the survey, check the IFJ website to visit your country's website on WageIndicator. | <urn:uuid:6007edce-da07-45f8-8c6e-86086273e675> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.fondspascaldecroos.org/en/inhoud/nieuws/ifj-partners-wageindicator-campaign-decent-pay-journalists | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368704392896/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516113952-00000-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.947295 | 448 | 1.734375 | 2 |
Divorce involving military personnel and dependents is unique and challenging. You not only deal with standard divorce related issues such as child support and custody but there is also Survivor Benefits, whether or not you will be able to continue to access to government housing and military installations such as the commissary.
Add to that the division of military retired pay and it isn't any wonder to process is so confusing. The Uniformed Services Former Spouse's Protection Act (USFSPA) , a federal law that defines how states can handle the division of military retirement during divorce is often misunderstood on this particular subject.
I receive at least one email a week from a dependent spouse who believes that the USFSPA guarantees her/him a portion of their spouse's military retirement pay if they are married 10 years or more. Nothing could be further from the truth.
According to the USFSPA, "a court may treat disposable retired pay payable to a member for pay periods beginning after June 25, 1981, either as property solely of the member or as property of the member and his spouse in accordance with the law of the jurisdiction of such court."
In other words, military retirement is treated like any other property acquired DURING the marriage and is divided as such at the courts discretion. So, to clarify, there are no laws that grant a spouse any portion of military retired pay. Whether a spouse is awarded a portion of such pay is solely up to the judge who presides over the case during the divorce process. | <urn:uuid:7baa5dc0-a07e-4f7c-9462-2d0186433b16> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://divorcesupport.about.com/b/2012/06/12/a-common-misconception-about-the-uniformed-services-former-spouses-protection-act.htm | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368704132298/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516113532-00014-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.981324 | 305 | 1.539063 | 2 |
Flight 1549 wings arrive in Charlotte
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CHARLOTTE — The wings from the “Miracle on the Hudson” plane are joining the fuselage in Charlotte.
The left wing arrived just before 10:30 a.m. Thursday and the right wing followed it a few hours later. The wings will be re-attached to the body of the plane inside the Carolinas Aviation museum as part of a live exhibit.
The museum's president, Shawn Dorsch, said the wings may be even more exciting for many passengers than when the fuselage arrived in May.
"A lot of the passengers think that the wing is the most important part of the airplane, because that's what they stood on after they landed in the water and it saved their lives. It's really exciting to get these here, it means a lot to a lot of people," said
US Airways Flight 1549 will be completely assembled in time for the third anniversary of the miraculous landing in January. | <urn:uuid:97acd3f3-a574-4458-bd33-37ee71ea6b9d> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://triad.news14.com/content/local_news/646830/flight-1549-wings-arrive-in-charlotte | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368701459211/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516105059-00029-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.949675 | 231 | 1.554688 | 2 |
7 December 2010: Lunch debate on the JPND research programme
Alzheimer Europe organised its 8th lunch debate in the European Parliament on 7 December. It was hosted by Nessa Childers, MEP (Ireland), and entitled “The Joint Programming of research in Neurodegenerative Diseases (JPND). What progress so far?” Answering this were Pieter Jelle Visser, a member of the JPND Management Board and Elmar Nimmesgern of the European Commission,
Research and Innovation Directorate General, Medical Research Unit.
Opening the debate, Ms Childers gave a brief introduction regarding action on Alzheimer’s disease at European level, highlighting how neurodegenerative diseases require specific action. She said that EU initiatives in Alzheimer’s disease should eventually help secure earlier diagnosis, enabling appropriate treatment and support to be given, but also hoped that we could work towards finding a cure for Alzheimer’s disease. Recognising that it is not possible to give predictions on how long this process may take, she believed that the JPND should accelerate the process.
Pieter Jelle Visser explained how the JPND works and said that it was instigated to help address the fact that in Europe research on Alzheimer’s disease is fragmented and budgets are not as effectively used as they might be. 85% of research budgets in Europe are spent nationally and this fact increases the risk of fragmentation, duplication and also often results in a lack of a critical mass. Diagram 1 illustrates the differences between the level of research spending in different areas and the levels of fragmentation and coordination. Currently, research spending and coordination on dementia is low and the level of fragmentation high and he compared this to the research into nuclear fusion where fragmentation is low and funding together with collaboration levels are high. It is hoped, he said, that by increasing the collaboration between Member States on key research topics, such as Alzheimer’s disease, joint programming can result in great benefits such as harmonising national strategic research approaches, achieving a synergistic use of shrinking research budgets, reinforcing the potential for scientific collaboration in Europe by grouping calls for grants, offering greater accountability to stakeholders in pooling research efforts addressing common social issues in Europe and a simplification of European procedures governing scientific collaboration and its administration.
Joint Programming is a completely new collaborative approach to European health research. Neurodegenerative diseases became the first area to be targeted by joint programming as they are a recognised ‘major societal challenge’ in Europe (Mr Visser highlighted the fact that there are over 6 million Europeans with Alzheimer’s disease and attached to this is a societal cost of EUR 72 billion). The JPND, which commenced in 2009, now has 23 countries participating. It is a long-term project (10 years) and the mission of the JPND is to develop a shared vision and a strategic research agenda (by mapping ongoing research and running workshops), by identifying ‘best suited instruments’ and funding mechanisms and to build up an ‘à la carte’ programme” whereby Member States participate on a voluntary basis. For example, a programme on diagnosis may have 10 of the participating 23 countries collaborating.
This year, said Mr Visser, the Commission’s Framework Programme (FP7) funding of EUR 2 million was approved for a 3 year project (JUMPAHEAD) in support of the implementation of JPND. Work has now commenced to develop a Strategic Research Agenda (SRA) to address the medical and societal impacts of neurodegenerative diseases.
Mr Visser also gave an overview of the management structure, workflow of the JPND and research priorities. The latter included priorities in three research fields (basic, clinical and health care) and six themes (pathophysiology, diagnosis, prevention, therapy, care and infrastructure). Currently, he said, there is a pilot call on cerebrospinal fluid biomarkers for neurodegeneration being made and this should result in the pilot project commencing in 2012. Further programmes should then start in 2013.
He concluded his presentation by offering his own feedback of the JPND over the last two years. Mr Visser said that it is encouraging that many countries have come on board and that such a positive approach was being adopted for selecting the research topics. However, he acknowledged that there are challenges such as:
- A need to improve the communication regarding various EU options for funding
- A need to avoid ‘reinventing the wheel’ regarding the implementation of JPND
- The fact that funding may not meet the requirements of such an ambitious project
- The rate of progress being relatively slow (one project per year).
Frieda Brepoels, MEP (Belgium) asked for clarification on the issue of neurodegenerative diseases being a broad field and asked what impact this may have. Mr Visser said that it was important to focus on a number of diseases at first and then to prioritise.
Marco Blom, Alzheimer Nederland, asked if patient organisations would be involved in the development of the Research Agenda and Mr Visser confirmed that Alzheimer Europe is considered as one of the stakeholders and as such would be able to comment.
Elmar Nimmesgern then clarified the role which the Commission plays in terms of the JPND. He emphasised that the process of Member States collaborating and developing a common vision and strategic research agenda (SRA) is an interactive one. However, he reminded the audience, that it takes time to develop and subsequently implement the SRA (which will be available in 2011). This, in turn, means that the Commission cannot yet fully realise its role of facilitator (as asked to do by the Council) but rather than wait, the Commission has published a call under the health theme of the research programme with a focus on neurodegenerative diseases. This call is in the middle of an evaluation process, which should result in EUR 60 million being invested. This amount is in addition to the EUR 180 million funding allocated to neurodegenerative research under the Framework Programme (FP) 7 so far and marks a significant increase from the funding for neurodegenerative diseases under the FP6, in which EUR 136 million were allocated over the entire programme. The Council also invites the Commission to look into possible forms of consultation and cooperation at international level and this, Mr Nimmesgern believes, is important for the medium to long-term success of the project. Currently, the Commission is actively supporting the Joint Programming by having organised a workshop, developing the SRA, preparing a report for the European Parliament (due in 2011) and supporting the mapping of ongoing research. Evidence of concrete progress was given by highlighting the discussions which have occurred about early priorities for joint action which expanded to include several countries.
Addressing the issue of the broad field of diseases which neurodegenerative disease cover, Mr Nimmesgern recommended not to focus solely on one disease and he concluded his presentation by explaining that the Commission supports neurodegenerative research in various areas.
Jean Georges, Executive Director of Alzheimer Europe, highlighted the differences between the two approaches for funding at EU level, with one communicating with the European Parliament and Commission rules applying and the other a more inter-governmental approach in which the role of the Commission is limited. Mr Nimmesgern concurred that there are indeed two very different approaches but said that among Member States there is a variance of views regarding collaboration so both were useful. He recognised that if the funding was given at national level then it would be appropriate that the control is also at national level.
Mr Georges commented how happy he is that such collaboration is occurring, especially as Alzheimer Europe has been asking for this, but also sought reassurance as to what will happen after 2012. Pieter Jelle Visser said that if a project requires EUR 20 million from Member States that it has to be acknowledged asking each Member for a contribution of EUR 1.5 million is a lot. Mr Nimmesgern again emphasised the need to take a medium to long-term perspective saying that as Member States learn to work together and share a common vision that a better understanding results which will eventually ensure that new money becomes available. However, in the near-term it is how we use the existing money which matters and that better allocation and use of money is needed. He said, “I’m rather optimistic that we can build on our experience and can take it a step further.”
Nessa Childers said that in the current economic climate some countries, such as Ireland, are subject to austerity programmes and she was concerned that existing research programmes may no longer be protected. She stressed that in the area of research, politics should not matter, saying “I hope that this part of the EU will continue to work.”
The recently-elected Chairperson of Alzheimer Europe, Heike von Lützau-Hohlbein shared her personal history of being a carer for family members with Alzheimer’s disease. She reinforced how important research can be to the quality of life of people with dementia in that it can lead to earlier diagnosis and better treatment. She stated that Alzheimer Europe is delighted by the European Initiative and the JPND. She then launched Alzheimer Europe’s 2010 Dementia in Europe book (which focuses on legal capacity and proxy decision making for people with dementia) together with the Alzheimer Europe Report on the ethical issues linked to the use of assistive technology. Ms Lützau-Hohlbein thanked in particular, Dianne Gove, Information Officer of Alzheimer Europe, for her contribution to the books and thanked both the European Commission and German Health Ministry for their support. Lastly she thanked the speakers for giving all the participants at the lunch debate a much deeper insight into how the European action is working, the sponsors for their support and Nessa Childers together with her assistant for hosting and organising the event.
Nessa Childers remarked on the depth of information in the Alzheimer Report on assistive technology, calling it a ‘magnificent piece of work’. She said she herself remembered some good and bad memories of trying to take care of her own mother and that the book ‘covers areas I would not even have thought of.’ Ms Childers said that in the area of ethics it is not really possible to solve the dilemmas which arise, but it is important to ask the right questions Ms Childers closed the meeting by thanking Alzheimer Europe and said that she looked forward to collaborating with it in the future.
Last Updated: Tuesday 27 March 2012 | <urn:uuid:c67c3757-1466-4508-b03f-857fd2d90dc2> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.alzheimer-europe.org/%C3%98EN/Policy-in-Practice2/European-Alzheimer-s-Alliance/Alliance-activities/December-2010-The-Joint-Programming-of-research-in-Neurodegenerative-Diseases-JPND-.-What-progress-so-far | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368707435344/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516123035-00000-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.957878 | 2,173 | 1.84375 | 2 |
I live in Illinois, the weather is starting to warm up 55-60 degrees. I gave my hive a pollen patty and fed 1-1 syrup starting middle February. I looked at my hive today and found small brood pattern about the size of a dollar bill. Uncapped stage, small white healthy c shape brood. I found this on only one frame, on one side. I went through both hive bodies. I had a softball size cluster though Winter. Last Summer the hive replaced the queen in July. This hive was started last April. I did not get a real good chance to judge the queen last fall. She seemed to be ok, not great, but ok.
Should the queen have started up more? Is this small brood pattern noraml for beginning brood,or do I need a new queen?
If it were me I would be replacing the queen if I had any doubts about her only being fair in the fall and it sounds like she isdoing poorly now.
just South of Lansing Michigan
>This hive was started last April. I did not get a real good chance to judge the queen last fall. She seemed to be ok, not great, but ok. Should the queen have started up more? Is this small brood pattern noraml for beginning brood,or do I need a new queen?
A hive started last April should have been a booming hive going into winter. Other than that, dropping down to a small cluster is sometimes a breed thing. Starting late in the spring is also a breed thing. They may really take off. But back to the "softball sized cluster all winter". I might have expected them to drop back to one, but there should have been a lot more going into winter. Were there?
If you are in a doubt about a queen, I agree with Clinton.
If they wintered over with a softball sized cluster, could it be that there aren't enough bees to rais more than a few brood at a time?
A similar thing happened to one of my hives. The brood pattern was about 2 inches in diameter and a few frames of bees. Through the wonderful advice of this forum, it was suggested that I give them a frame of capped brood and switch locations with my strong hive. Three weeks later both hives are doing very well! Thanks Guys (BjornBee and MB)!! The weak hive's queen has completely laid up two deeps! I'm glad I didn't get rid of her. Can't say that the same thing would help you, but there's an issue of "critical mass" that dominates the hive's ability to care for brood. This could be your problem too.
I Set hive up in April with a package of carniolan bees. June hive blew over in a storm.
Middle of June saw two supersedure cells on top hive bars. July had eggs and their new queen,also twelve swarm cells on bottom of frames. She swarmed and took half the hive with her. They raised a new queen, the current queen. Her Fall brood pattern was eight inch oval. Not as good as the other two queens. Now I am concerned she may doom the hive. This hive gives my friends a good laugh. So far we are all learning the hard way off my hive. We all ordered together, so we are able to compare other hives.
Mine always is the most interesting because of all the problems. I am the first to open hive in our small group, and of course I think I have another problem. .
Current situation, still have about a softball amount of bees.
Acutally sounds like they did well considering blowing over in a storm and swarming. They wouldn't have swarmed if they weren't doing well.
Maybe you want to just let them get going. Of if you have another hive, give this one a boost with some emerging brood and/or switching locations. | <urn:uuid:486d16c2-d3d4-4d24-9ad2-a8ffc5ab174b> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.beesource.com/forums/showthread.php?195309-Replace-queen | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368708142388/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516124222-00003-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.973327 | 805 | 1.523438 | 2 |
It seems to me that whenever two courteous, thoughtful people of good will come to a serious disagreement when discussing some important matter, invariably it is because they have entered the conversation or the discussion or the debate with different pre-suppositions.
And it seems to me that this is why well meaning folks sometimes get frustrated with each other. Although frequently they agree on the evidence, they nonetheless end up at different conclusions because they have begun, sometimes unknowingly, at different starting points.
Pre-suppositions are critically important. They were so important to the founders of the American form of government that they were laid out in the Declaration of Independence before any argument was made about the wrongdoing of King George the Third and the tyrannical behavior of the British Parliament.
Essentially, in that document, our founders said this on our behalf:
Dear King George:
There is a God and He is the Author of all Law and Liberty and government. Since He is the Creator, we all follow His rules, including kings and parliaments. When you make what you call “laws” they are, in fact, not law unless they are in harmony with His law. His law is found in the Bible.
After laying out these pre-suppositions then they made their case.
You, king and Parliament, have attempted to enforce on us many things that you call law, such as taxes you have no authority to impose and you have intruded into areas of our lives, such as our privacy and our freedom to speak and worship and write, that God has given you no right to intrude upon.
No matter how many guns or police you send to enforce these pretended laws, they are not valid and we reject and resist them.
We will fight you if we have to.
Not because we desire to be lawless, but because you have acted lawlessly.
Now do you see that absent this belief in a higher moral authority, the complaints against king and Parliament would be nonsense. Do you see that if you pre-supposition that the king is the lawgiver, then it doesn’t matter how many complaints you have, he is the law.
Do you also see that if we, in America, do not start with the same understanding as our founders- the same presuppositions - then we have no argument against ObamaCare or bank bailouts or endless spending or anything else.
We have no liberties and we have no rights unless we base their existence on the pre-supposition that God exists and that His Authority is over everything, including civil government, and that His Word is law regardless of what any court or president says or does.
If you pre-suppose that the Supreme Court or the President makes law, it’s over. Save your breath.blog comments powered by Disqus | <urn:uuid:9149b08c-359e-4c36-8736-42c2c6aaec75> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://archive.theamericanview.com/index.php?id=1780 | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368698924319/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516100844-00042-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.973256 | 581 | 1.71875 | 2 |
A missile defense system might be nice now …
posted at 9:30 am on December 16, 2009 by Ed Morrissey
Iran test-fired a new missile platform earlier today, the Sajjil-2, a solid-fuel missile capable of reaching throughout the Middle East and into Europe. It’s exactly the kind of weapon against which the American missile shield would have defended Europe, had we continued to install our systems in Poland and the Czech Republic, as well as the eventual longer-range missiles these tests will produce. The Iranians used the test to demonstrate its intention to retaliate for any attempt to stop its nuclear-weapons program through military means:
Iran on Wednesday test-fired an upgraded version of its most advanced missile, which is capable of hitting Israel and parts of Europe, in a new show of strength aimed at preventing any military strike against it amid the nuclear standoff with the West. …
State television broke the news in a one-sentence report accompanied by a brief clip of the test, showing the missile rising from the launch pad in a cloud of smoke.
Defense Minister Gen. Ahmad Vahidi vowed that the Sajjil-2 would be a “strong deterrent” against any possible foreign attack. He said the new version can be fired more quickly and flies faster than previous ones making it harder to shoot down, though he did not give further details.
“Given its high speed,” he said, speaking on state TV, “it is impossible to destroy the missile with anti-missile systems because of its radar-evading ability.”
It may be impossible to shoot down, but not because of “radar-evading ability.” It’s impossible because Iran’s Russian allies successfully pushed Barack Obama out of deploying the missile defense system where it would work against the Sajjil-2. Iran doesn’t have to worry about having these shot down if they wish to threaten Europe and NATO and extort their silence while Iran completes its nuclear bomb.
The move to the exclusive use of solid fuel (the Shahab-3 used both solid and liquid fuel) is worrisome. With the Shahab-3, we could see the fueling and the staging of the missile before its launch. That would give us time to attack the launch site if we thought it necessary. The Sajjil-2 can be fueled far in advance and then hidden in silos, giving us only a few minutes warning on any launch. If the Iranians put a nuclear warhead on the Sajjil-2, defending against it will be very difficult, even if we do manage to install defensive systems where it counts.
Jammie Wearing Fool notes that Barack Obama’s self-assigned “good, solid B-plus” was predicated in part on Obama’s assertion that he had “made progress toward halting development of nuclear weapons in Iran and North Korea.” However, as Fox News analyst Michael Tobin reports, this test shows that Iran is accelerating its efforts:
This test also shows Iran ’s aggressiveness with the missile program. “The advance rate is phenomenal,” says Rubin, noting that Iran has now conducted three missile tests in 13 months. It shows just how high a priority missile technology is for the Shiite regime. Rubin says, “They need to keep testing to prove their past successes were not spurious.”
The Iranians have succeeded in stalling the world while it pushes ever faster to both a nuclear weapon and a launch vehicle to carry it. Any idea that we have somehow begun “halting” this push is either a lie or terminal naïveté.
Update: McKittrick at Closing Velocity noted yesterday that the US had shifted the focus of its missile-defense testing from North Korea to Iran, despite an earlier contention that the Iranian threat had “slowed.” He called shenanigans yesterday, and it looks like he was right to do so.
Update II: McKittrick has a new post assessing this latest test. He concludes:
Impossible to destroy? No, not really.
But intercepting the Sajjil-2 is certainly more challenging, especially with a stripped-down European missile defense architecture that focuses exclusively on short- and medium-range missiles. Yesterday’s announcement that the US is planning an unprecedented missile defense test against an Iranian ICBM could not be more timely. It will be the first time we’ve wargamed our longest-range GBI interceptor against an Iranian threat rather than our tradtional North Korean scenarios.
And again, one of the two reasons President Obama discarded long-range GBI interceptors in Europe was because of an intelligence assessment claiming the Iranians would not produce ICBMs any time soon. How’s that working out for you?
He also has video of the launch.
Update III: The Cold War strikes again! Well, at least in my first paragraph. That should have read “Czech Republic,” not “Czechoslovakia.” Thanks to Steve Eggleston for the reminder.
Breaking on Hot Air | <urn:uuid:9935fc20-868f-46b9-b7cc-ce00d2c8075b> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://hotair.com/archives/2009/12/16/a-missile-defense-system-might-be-nice-now/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368706890813/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516122130-00039-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.959087 | 1,073 | 1.84375 | 2 |
A severe thunderstorm hit several parts of the Maltese Islands at around 7 pm producing heavy rain and large hail of around 2cm diameter confirmed in Victoria as Gozo bore the brunt of the storm. The storm caused some rubble walls to collapse and also destroyed some crops. A funnel cloud was also seen at Gharb just before the storm at around 6 pm. Strong lightning from this storm was also observed over various localities.
Strangely enough areas less than a kilometre away remained completely dry or just received some light rain. Rainfall amounts measured were not high due to the fact that most rain gauges were in an area which did not experience the heavy rain. Smaller hail was reported in various places including Gharb, Msida, Hamrun and Xewkija amongst others.
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Forehead Acne Symptoms
What are some common forehead acne symptoms?
Surprisingly, acne symptoms can go way beyond that typical pimple.
As forehead is one of the most exposed parts of our face, the skin pores of the forehead are always on the verge of getting affected by dusts. This exposure blocks the skin pores and leads to the formation of whiteheads and blackheads. These whiteheads and blackheads then convert into forehead acne.
Acne on forehead appears with a red spot and gets developed into pimples overtime which contains fatty acids. If treated in time then the pimples subside and fade disappear. But, if ignored, they can turn into acne, the scars of which are difficult to erase. Further, forehead acne can have demoralizing effects on a persons with this disease.
For those that suffer from acne on forehead, their first priority is to find a quick manner of getting rid of the symptoms. And whilst washing the infected area on your face many times a day can help a little, if you have suffered an out break your going to need to use a better and advanced method.
One of the easiest ways to get rid of the symptoms, is the boil method. But how it works? Just boil the kettle and pour some boiling hot water onto a flannel. Then you need to let it cool off before placing it over your forehead. After that, i recommend to get some ice cubes and put them on the infected pores.
Generally, pimples are caused because they have quite oily skin. If this is the case with you, then it would be better that you use hazel and lemon juice as a way of getting rid of that oil.
Something else that you may want to try, is mixing just a little bit of baking soda with some distilled water and massaging this mixture onto your face. This has been known to help remove acne and the scars that are often left behind. However, the results from this kind of treatment are different for different people, and whilst some report that it has had dramatic effects, others state that it did nothing at all. But you may as well give it a go anyway because it’s such an easy one to implement.
My opinion is that it’s always best to try the above methods before you turn to chemical solutions.
I hope that you will take the time to try out some of the ideas I have provided above about forehead acne. And remember, give them a fair go before you dismiss them. They may not seem like they are working at first, but give them time and you will see results.
Like this post? Subscribe to my RSS feed and get loads more! | <urn:uuid:20278931-0a44-4f2d-b02c-ff0c4156bcaf> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.forehead-acne.net/forehead-acne-symptoms/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368703682988/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516112802-00000-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.967188 | 544 | 1.601563 | 2 |
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Wednesday, May 22, 2013
Can you explain this and what may or may not be done to prevent this and/or make it better in a person who has been diagnosed with this. My mother had an MRI and was told that she has these on her brain.
"Microinfarcts" is another term that typically refers to white matter changes or periventricular white matter changes or leukoariosis. I have written extensively in previous answers about the significance of white matter changes seen on imaging. Please refer to these answers.
Brett Kissela, MD
Assistant Professor of Neurology
Director, Neurology Residency Program
College of Medicine
University of Cincinnati | <urn:uuid:99eede92-5399-4d83-905f-c3238c0da046> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.netwellness.uc.edu/question.cfm/48191.htm | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368701459211/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516105059-00016-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.953146 | 175 | 1.78125 | 2 |
While the Dow hit 14,000 and Wall Street cheered, economic indicators cast a broadening dark shadow. Wall street is partying like it is March 2000. Yet Q4 GDP showed economic contraction. The response of the press and Wall street was to ignore Q4 gross domestic product as some sort of illusion and anomaly. We don't think so.
First, the reduction in real Federal defense spending was 22.2% from Q3 and is really a record decline. Some point to Q4 being a time when defense expenditures are low, due to their need to spend their budget by Q3, the end of the fiscal year. Indeed, defense spending did boost Q3 GDP. Yet if we look at the below graph, federal defense consumption and investment really crashed and burned for Q4.
The reduction was pretty much all services used by national defense. These are research and development and support services for installation, weapons, personnel, transportation and travel. There hasn't been a worse quarterly decline in defense spending on services since Q1 2000.
On just the investment side, the reality is defense investment has been driving the economy, but planned defense cuts will curtail that significantly. Below is adjusted for inflation investment by federal defense.
Defense spending is rarely mentioned as economic activity and a stimulative one at that, but two wars, the war on terror, and hordes of defense contractor lobbyists have been costly. Those costs also stimulate the U.S. domestic economy. While some blame the fiscal cliff and Simpson-Bowles for the national defense spending declines, the reality is the Obama administration is planning defense budget cuts all the way to pre 9/11 levels. That actually will cause the economy to contract. Who says war isn't a business?
We cannot find any actual announced cuts by the DoD in services in preparation for the fiscal cliff. That said, there were announced defense budget cuts generally earlier in the year to the tune of $487 billion over the next 10 years. That is in addition to the forced $600 billion in cuts that were part of sequestration, which were threated if the fiscal cliff wasn't resolved.
Sequestration is still on the table as the debt ceiling was simply suspended for three months. The temporary raising of the debt ceiling is now tied to the budget, so the U.S. could still be looking at another over $1 trillion in defense budget cutting over 10 years.
Part of the $487 billion cuts also required $47 billion to be cut FY2012. The defense budget requested $31 billion less for FY 2013 and at minimum the defense budget must fall to $589 billion by 2014 due to earlier agreements.
The Bipartian Policy Center estimates the defense cuts to now be $55 billion over the next seven months The job loss estimates are ranging from the CBO's 700 thousand to one million for 2013 and expect 1.2 percentage points to be shaved from 2013 annual GDP. Imagine what would happen to the economy if House Republicans demand more slash and burn budget tactics, targeting America's social safety nets.
Another element which causes 4th quarter GDP to implode was non-farm inventories. Businesses shed what they had on hand for making products to stock for future sales.
Some are referring to the January ISM manufacturing index , which showed an increase in inventories, to claim the GDP contraction is just temporary. Even though the manufacturing ISM indexes do track other indicators, manufacturing inventories are only part of the inventory changes which contribute to GDP. Factory orders show no such hope that inventories will grow in Q1 2013. A decline in inventories is actually an indicator of weak economic demand. Goods are not flying off the shelves so businesses cut back to what they believe they really need for future production and business activity.
There was one effect on Q4 GDP that was temporary. Superstorm Sandy as we outlined here and here, did negatively impact 4th quarter GDP. Northeast shipping ports were temporarily crippled, which possibly affected Q4 exports. Yet GDP imports are always revised and almost always upward in the 2nd estimate for gross domestic product. In other words, yes exports were probably affected by the storm, but that doesn't negate the bad trade deficit figures we see monthly.
We also have Congress and this administration focused on budget cuts instead of stimulating the economy enough to create jobs. While budget deficits do matter, ignoring America's jobs crisis as not government job #1 explains in part why America continues to suffer a weak economy.
Bottom line, ignore 4th quarter GDP at your peril. There is nothing in economic reports so far which show things will greatly improve. If automatic budget cuts go through it is more probable the economy will see a new recession. It is only in the minds of those on Wall Street and politicians believing their own spin on K street that the economy is swank and we're on the road to recovery. | <urn:uuid:6268dde4-664c-460d-bf0b-142df4b70733> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.economicpopulist.org/content/whats-wrong-economic-picture | 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 | 0.965482 | 987 | 1.648438 | 2 |
Saturday, December 3, 2011
There are two cookie manufacturers that provide cookies for the Girl Scouts. In our region, it's Little Brownie Bakers. Other areas of the country get cookies from ABC Bakers. Both have excellent allergen labeling policies. If you are concerned about peanut/tree nut ingredients and the risk of cross-contamination, you'll need to know which bakery supplies your cookies and/or double check the labeling on the box. At Little Brownie Bakeries, the Thin Mints, Samoas, Trefoils and the Thank U BerryMuch cookies are safe for peanuts and tree nuts. The Dulce de Leche and the new Savannah Smiles may contain traces of tree nuts, and of course, the Tagalongs and the Do-si-dos are not safe for either. It looks like ABC Bakers has just 3 cookies that are safe which are Thin Mints, Thanks-a-Lot and the Lemonades. That's a bummer! At least the Thin Mints are safe!
It's no secret that I'm not a fan of my daughter selling Girl Scout cookies. However, I do love her being a part of the organization, and we've found a really great Brownie troop in the new area where we live. I was pleased to find out that her new troop is selling cookies to raise money to go on a mother/daughter trip when they're in 5th grade. That gives them 4 years (the other girls started working towards it last year) to raise the money to spend a long weekend in Savannah, the birthplace of Girl Scouts. So, I'll be out there in the cold with Abigail the first of January while she rings doorbells asking if anyone wants to buy Girl Scout cookies. And, I'll even buy a box...or two. | <urn:uuid:10ead1a5-48d4-4e5b-9342-853dfe598127> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://peanutclinicaltrial.blogspot.com/2011_12_03_archive.html | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368707435344/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516123035-00019-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.95526 | 374 | 1.820313 | 2 |
How I Made Sleep a Priority—And Got More Productive
When I was around 10 years old I would regularly wake up at 5 or 6 a.m. to play Nintendo before school. My brother, six years my senior, would sleep in as late as possible and remind me on a daily basis that I should do the same while I still could. I, however, thought being awake was simply more fun than being asleep. And the notion of living a full life by avoiding sleep stuck with me into adulthood.
Three years ago I started a company in San Francisco with some friends. I didn't quit my day job, so this was an after-hours project. We set up an office and established a routine of working from 6 p.m. to midnight. After we started working for the new company full-time, I fell into a classic trap of San Francisco startup culture: I confused work hours with productivity. Somewhere in the back of my mind I knew that working smart was better than working hard, but I convinced myself that I was doing both.
I wasn't. As a programmer, I averaged 10-12 hours in front of a computer every day and rarely went to bed before midnight. Eventually, I felt dull and unmotivated. When I took two weeks off to travel in Colombia, I spent the first few nights sleeping for 10 hours each. I realized that if there is such a thing as sleep debt, I had accumulated some. I made up my mind to correct my sleep patterns.
I began sifting through studies, articles, and anecdotes about programmers and sleep. I spent some time reading a Reddit thread on polyphasic sleep, where an alleged sleep scientist recommended a regular bedtime and no alarm clock. I was convinced after reading this Harvard Business Review piece and this New York Times Magazine article that sleep deficits impair work performance.
In the spring of 2011 I overhauled my approach to sleep. I bumped my bedtime to 10 p.m., which means I actually got in bed at 10:30 p.m. and probably fell asleep at 11 p.m. I stopped setting an alarm clock—programmers, especially the freelance type, can usually get away with this. I cut out what little caffeine I already drank, made sure my room was dark and quiet (with the help of a fan for white noise), and truly made sleep a priority.
For a almost a month I slept from about 11 p.m. until 8 or 9 a.m. It's possible I was catching up on sleep debt I had accrued over the previous two years. I was much more motivated and happily doing more in less time. I found it easier to direct and hold my concentration: programming had my attention for two four-hour blocks per day, and I played music for a solid hour or two in the evenings. I will not go back to compromising sleep unless it's absolutely necessary.
I've recently started experimenting further. This fall I read an article about Haruki Murakami. His schedule fascinates me: He goes to bed around 9pm and wakes up naturally at 4am. He writes from the time he wakes up until 9 or 10 a.m., and then goes about the rest of his day.
Recently, I was in the midst of an isolated software project for GOOD. A small team and I would spend three weeks offsite and come back with something to share. Most programmers will tell you that they solve their most difficult problems by distracting themselves with a break or a good night's sleep. As my days grew longer, I decided to try Murakami's schedule.
Each day, I would make a list of all of the problems I wanted to solve in the next 24 hours, then get in bed at 8 p.m. I would wake up somewhere between 4 and 6 a.m. with most of the solutions flooding through my head. Implementation took far less time, I made fewer mistakes, and even though I'd gotten up so early, I didn't feel completely terrible because I had actually slept.
The intense work project came to an end, but I've started applying this somewhat insane schedule a few times a week with moderate success. I don't find motivation to write music or stretch my programming skills in the evening, so I do it in the morning from 5 a.m. to 9 a.m. I get in bed between 8 p.m. and 10 p.m., but being 27 in Los Angeles and not yet a full-blown urban hermit means I don't have as regular a bedtime as I would like. My sleep schedule is still more erratic than is probably healthy.
After only a year of prioritizing sleep, I feel I've already learned and produced more, relatively speaking. I've even been able to conquer that weird desire to stay up late despite having nothing to do. The dull feeling I had a few summers ago has not returned, and the tradeoff between longer, lower-quality days and shorter, higher-quality days has been worthwhile. | <urn:uuid:ee23c794-4a50-41c2-bc68-382ef6bc405a> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.good.is/posts/how-i-made-sleep-a-priority-and-got-more-productive | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368709037764/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516125717-00034-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.98147 | 1,027 | 1.695313 | 2 |
The super supplement revealed
by Michael Ventresca, co-owner
If I ask you to think of the best food for your eyes, what comes to mind? If you’re like most, you probably thought of carrots, and for good reason. We’ve known for years that beta-carotene, the nutrient found in carrots responsible for their orange color, can help support the eyes.
However, based on recent research, it would appear that a cousin to beta-carotene, astaxanthin (asta-ZAN-thin), may be even more powerful, offering greater benefit to not only your eyes, but your entire body. In fact, astaxanthin was recently featured on a segment of the Dr. Oz show as, “The Surprising Supplement you Need” where guest Dr. Joseph Mercola reviewed it’s many health benefits.
But first, what is it?
Astaxanthin is a very powerful antioxidant that is found abundantly in nature in algae as well as in the marine animals that consume it. In fact, it’s responsible for the pinkish color of wild salmon and shrimp.
So what does the research say? It’s important to note that much of the research is animal, in-vitro or human pre-clinical, but it’s impressive nonetheless. Astaxanthin has been found to protect the eyes from cataracts and macular degeneration, boost immune function, reduce blood pressure, increase insulin sensitivity (thereby supporting healthy blood sugar), and perhaps most importantly act as a powerful anti-inflammatory. It’s this final point that makes astaxanthin the super-hero in waiting, as roughly 80% of diseases, including many forms of cancer, are inflammatory related.
The most common food source of astaxanthin is wild Alaskan salmon, but you can also supplement with it directly. I like Jarrow Formulas’ Astaxanthin 4mg softgels because it uses a patented form that has been used in clinical studies. One final note – to maximize absorption, experts recommend taking it with a meal containing fat.These statements have not been evaluated by the Food and Drug Administration. This information is not intended to diagnose, treat, cure or prevent any disease. If you have any concerns about your own health, you should always consult with a healthcare professional.
|Printable Version||E-mail a Friend| | <urn:uuid:eaddbed1-afeb-4c1a-8e5f-fa4a594d3142> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.vchoice.com/common/news/store_news.asp?task=store_news&sid_store_news=845&storeID=WJU4DJ2CQFSR2L1C0G03N0ET9DG2FLQ7 | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368704392896/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516113952-00041-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.954439 | 507 | 1.625 | 2 |
The lack of time management prevents us from doing lots of things we
would like to, like reading a good book, spending time with family,
exercising for physical fitness and participating in a sport. Once you
go through the rigors of a day, a good nap is one of the first things
that comes to mind. When you get up the next day, its time again to
move ahead and prepare for the days work..
If someone talks about exercising, you feel it is all nonsense. If you
don't have the time for your family and others how can you possibly
But what happens to the ignored muscles of our body?
Have you notice them become weak and feeble?
Will you be able to continue the same hard labor you are doing today?
In this article we will give you a great idea to keep yourself fit.
How would you like to setup your own home gym?
You need to keep your body fit to be energetic and tireless throughout
the day. The human body is something like a machine and it needs fuel
in the form of food and exercise to keep it strong. We need to be fit
and healthy. We need to workout in a proper and methodical manner. With
this in mind a large number of Americans are setting up their own home
gym. There are various exercise machines available for a home gym.
A home gym helps in exercising without leaving your home for the gym.
Do your workout at home! This saves time spent in going to and from a
gym and gives you the freedom of exercising anytime of the day.
While working in home gyms you can watching TV read a book or listen
music. You can even talk to your family. You get to exercise and do
lots of the things which you always wanted to!
Generally simple and hi-tech equipment is preferred for home gyms. Of
course you can’t open a full scale commercial gym in your house because
of lack of space.. There are certain exercise machines like treadmills,
elliptical bars, bikes that can be easily go into any corner of your
Each of them is as a multipurpose machine for various exercises. These
exercise equipments are made in both commercial and domestic models.
What are you waiting for? If you are the type of person who would like
to start up on a fitness regime, but can’t seem to take out the time,
then a home gym is the right thing for you! | <urn:uuid:22780618-c955-4ff5-8d51-2be165b4e260> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.treadmill-online.com/home/home-treadmills/about-home-treadmills/home-gyms-exercise-in-the-comfort-of-your-own-home.htm | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368697380733/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516094300-00010-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.960803 | 522 | 1.8125 | 2 |
Older gamers may remember Gamma World: a tongue-in-cheek role-playing game where players assumed the personae of mutants, androids and humans to explore a savage post-nuclear landscape full of dangers like killer mutant rabbits and psychic dogs. As one of the oldest role-playing games around, it’s got quite a legacy, even if that legacy is a bit silly. This week Wizards of the Coast re-launched Gamma World for a new generation, and even it is a bit different from the original title, the essential goofiness remains intact.
The Gamma World game comes with almost everything you need to play: player character and monster tokens, Alpha Mutation and Omega Tech cards (plus a bonus booster pack – more about these later), character sheets and a small book of rules similar in size and lay-out to the D&D Essentials books. Wait, I said almost everything, right? For some reason Wizards neglected to include that most essential of gaming components: dice. Although the back of the box does indicate that dice aren’t included, it’s small enough to be easily overlooked, necessitating a return trip to the hobby store to purchase something that in my opinion probably should have been included with the game to begin with. At a price point of nearly $40, including a set of dice to actually play the game doesn’t seem too unreasonable of an expectation.
The game itself is built upon the chassis of the D&D 4th edition rules, so if you’re familiar with those already then learning to play Gamma World should be an easy matter. There are some variations to suit the new setting, though, and these are largely to be found in character creation. Unlike D&D, in Gamma World there’s only one class – adventurer – and character generation begins with the player rolling twice on a single chart of character origins like “Yeti” or “cockroach.” The player gains benefits and special abilities from both of these origins, as well as the fun and challenge of imagining what a combination like that would look like. The character also begins with one Alpha Mutation, which is dealt randomly from the Mutation deck, and one piece of Omega Technology. Neither will be permanent. In Gamma World, ancient technology isn’t renewable and can only be replaced by adventuring, and mutations are refreshed from encounter to encounter via the Alpha Mutation deck.
In a major departure from the original game’s nuclear-themed setting, the new Gamma World is built upon a reality-warping event called the Big Mistake. Hundreds of years ago an accident at the Large Hadron Collider caused an infinite number of realities to come into being and then collapse. The players now inhabit a world of shifting realities and alien energies. Alpha Mutations are explained as being the result of some characters being able to harness and direct this strange new reality for short durations, hence their inherent unpredictability. Alpha Mutation cards are sold in random booster pack assortments, with the idea being that a player can build his or her own mutation deck, guaranteeing a prime assortment of favorite powers, rather than relying on whatever the gamemaster may have in his or her own deck. Cards are still drawn randomly from the player’s deck, but with an optimized deck this randomness isn’t as much of a risk.
Adventurers are presumed by the rules to be mutants, but the rest of the world – with the exception of monstrous foes – is described as being basically inhabited by humans. The Gamma World rules offer a nice assortment of creatures both hilarious (the killer bunny men from earlier incarnations are back) and horrific (flying tusked giant bat insect thing, anyone?), and the great thing about them is that you can import then directly into your own D&D game with a minimum of effort. Same thing goes for monsters from your D&D world. The older versions of Gamma World were somewhat compatible with D&D, but it was never a very good fit. This version corrects that. The only thing that I noticed as being missing were stats for the regular humans that presumably would make up the majority of non-player characters encountered during a game, but I’m willing to say that I may have overlooked them.
Gamma World combat is deadly and quick healing hard to come by, so players are encouraged not to become too attached to their characters. Fortunately, this is nicely balanced by the quick and easy character generation, making Gamma World perfect for a session of “beer and pretzel” gaming. While I have my doubts that anyone would look to Gamma World as a long-term replacement for their usual role-playing fare, it would be great for a few one-off sessions here and there. | <urn:uuid:11766e01-41e9-42da-875a-9380ff688351> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://gaming.suvudu.com/2010/10/venturing-forth-into-wizards-of-the-coasts-gamma-world.html | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368704392896/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516113952-00002-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.965163 | 985 | 1.523438 | 2 |
Maintenance is key to prolonging the life of your bike and your safety. Last night on my way home I had a close call because of my lack of maintenance.
I was riding home on kept hearing a weird rattling soun. coming from my rear wheel/drivetrain. Not sure what was causing it and nothing really seemed to be working improperly at the time I continued home with out really stopping to check everything. There were a couple more incidents of rattling and chain skipping but nothing that really set off alarm bells for me.
. make it home and pick up my bike, turn it around to put it away for the night and the rear wheel rattles. Hmmmm… That’s not right I thought. I reach down check the wheel and it is definitely loose. Turns out the nuts holding the rear wheel in had come loose because I did not check to make sure they were still tight after my first few rides. I had been riding with a loose rear wheel for more than 4 miles, that I knew of.. If I had ridden much further and hit and bumps, gone off a curb or something like that I could have had a serious crash possibly injuring my and damaging my bike.
Moral of the story, be sure to periodically check all the fasteners on you bike from top to bottom. Also, one of the best tools you can have in you tool box is a torque wrench. Every bike and component manufacturer now has recommended torque settings for practically every fastener and that should be adhered to in order to prolong the life of you equipment.
Here are a couple places for inforamtion on maintaining you bike. | <urn:uuid:4bad537c-3c89-454e-89dd-22c8561379d2> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.commutebybike.com/2008/01/05/maintenance/comment-page-1/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368707435344/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516123035-00023-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.97956 | 336 | 1.65625 | 2 |
How Whitey Bulger Corrupted The Justice System
When Whitey Bulger was captured last year, he'd spent close to 20 years on the run — and on the FBI's Most Wanted list.
Bulger was the head of an Irish gang terrorizing the streets of South Boston. The Massachusetts State Police wanted him gone, but curiously couldn't touch him.
Why? Bulger was a confidential FBI informant, and the bureau shielded him for years.
Robert Fitzpatrick, the author of Betrayal: Whitey Bulger and the FBI Agent Who Fought to Bring Him Down, says Bulger was widely known to be an unsavory character.
"He's a stone killer, has been known to be a hit man for the Mafia out of Providence, and he's also known to be the head of the Winter Hill gang, a bunch of Irish guys trying to take over the rackets, extortion and the drug stuff up in Boston," Fitzpatrick tells weekends on All Things Considered host Guy Raz.
Fitzpatrick was a young FBI agent with a solid track record when the bureau sent him to Boston to sniff out corruption in the office. One of his first tasks was to evaluate Bulger, who was supposedly providing information on Mafia activities in New England.
"I put out my hand to shake his hand, and he kind of turns on his heel and walks away," Fitzpatrick says. "He's evasive, he's not answering the questions, he's going all over the place, and so I make a mental reservation that I'm going to end this thing, I'm going to cut it short."
Fitzpatrick decided to "close" Bulger, to end his informant status with the FBI. But he found himself stymied at every turn by Bulger's handler, John Connolly, and higher-ups in the bureau.
Several witnesses approached Fitzpatrick with information tying Bulger to a murder. When two of them were killed, Fitzpatrick says he began to suspect there were leakers in the FBI's Boston office. But what he never suspected was that the leaks were coming from Bulger's handler, Connolly, and Connolly's immediate supervisor, John Morris.
"That's not within my ken, at that time," Fitzpatrick says.
Fitzpatrick never managed to bring down Bulger. Eventually, he left the bureau.
Bulger went on the run in 1994, tipped off by Connolly. He was captured last year and is awaiting trial.
"Primarily, John got ego" out of being associated with such a famous gangster, Fitzpatrick says.
"I think in his own mind, he wanted to do good. And he began to disregard the information that was hurting the citizens, hurting the people. And he got too ingrained. He became one of them."
But Fitzpatrick says he believes that while the FBI certainly helped Bulger become a criminal kingpin, the crime boss himself was brilliantly able to corrupt the criminal justice system.
"This is a guy who co-opted the FBI, the United States' Attorneys office, the Boston police, the state police, the probation department and the Coast Guard. That's a failure of the entire system," Fitzpatrick says. "He beat them at the game." | <urn:uuid:e01ec164-c5d1-4541-a1ac-cc5c239fa268> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.wutc.org/post/how-whitey-bulger-corrupted-justice-system | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368700958435/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516104238-00011-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.984183 | 667 | 1.570313 | 2 |
Full Text of the Deliverable
The second phase in COPRAS' information gathering process targeting IST projects in FP6, addresses projects in Call 2, which launched September 2004. Gathering of information establishes the first in a series of methodological steps followed by COPRAS to determine which projects would benefit most from COPRAS' support in their interfacing with standards bodies, and hence aims to provide the basis for subsequent steps analyzing and selecting IST projects for closer cooperation.
The information gathering process for projects in Call 2 in principle followed the same methodological steps that were applied when Call 1 projects were addressed during the spring of 2004, and hence focused on generic as well as specific standards related information. However, with respect to the instruments that were used to determine projects' specific standardization objectives, activities and requirements, it was decided not to use pre-defined categories in the questionnaires anymore (as was the case for Call 1), as experience indicated that this approach did not always generate information that was sufficiently detailed to be useful in subsequent steps in the COPRAS processes.
Nevertheless — and similar to call 1 — a virtually complete set of generic data could be gathered for 107 out of a total of 111 projects. Further, 52 responses to the questionnaire were received, generating a response rate of 48,6%, which is not as high as the 56% finally achieved for call 1, but still well within the target range of 40-50%. Moreover, intensive follow-up accompanying the distribution of the questionnaire showed that the vast majority of projects that could actually benefit from cooperation with COPRAS are included in the 48,6% that provided their feedback. Also, the fact that for projects in Call 2 the questionnaire could be filled in on-line clearly increased the quality (and hence usefulness) of the feedback.
The results show that almost a third of the projects in Call 2 could eventually produce standards related output and/or would benefit from COPRAS' support. The deviation between the 8 Strategic Objectives addressed is however even larger than it was in Call 1, possibly leading to COPRAS concentrating on only a limited number of Strategic Objectives in Call 2. Nevertheless, as in Call 1, the overall quality and quantity of feedback establishes a good basis for COPRAS to arrange for the targeted 8 - 10% of projects to participate in the COPRAS Programme.
Finally, overall experience from the information gathering processes in Calls 1 and 2 show that a good communication and marketing of COPRAS' benefits towards research projects, prior to or during the information gathering process is an important element for acquiring the targeted feedback. Nevertheless, considerable and continuous effort remains required in many cases to obtain the necessary information, and the present Call 2 information gathering report should not be regarded as the end of the information gathering process, as valuable input may still be received at a later point in time. | <urn:uuid:0fd0b347-9cd9-4295-a2ed-5230375c1108> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.w3.org/2004/copras/docu/D09exe.html | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368702810651/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516111330-00001-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.963587 | 578 | 1.757813 | 2 |
From the Nebraska Game and Parks Division
-- Circle May 16 on the calendar—that’s the date of the Nebraska Outdoor Expo in Kearney.
Nebraskans of all ages, interests and experience levels are invited to this free event to take advantage of the opportunity to learn new outdoor skills or revisit some old ones. The skills learned could lead to a lifelong love of the outdoors and the start of family traditions. A variety of interactive activities is sure to educate and entertain the entire family.
New to the third annual Nebraska Outdoor Expo is the setting. The Expo will take place at Fort Kearny State Recreation Area (SRA), just southeast of Kearney on the south side of the Platte River. The SRA's eight lakes will offer on-the-water experiences for anyone interested in kayaking, dog training and fishing.
Other Expo activities will include hunting, camping, shooting sports, outdoor cooking, wildlife observations, and Nebraska history reenactments. Demonstrations and seminars by outdoor specialists will enhance the schedule. Local and statewide professionals will share their knowledge.
Entry into a state parkland such as Fort Kearny normally would require a park entry permit for each vehicle. However, May 16 also is Free Fishing and Park Entry Day in Nebraska. No park entry or fishing permit is required on that day only.
An added feature to the Expo this year will be a kick-off event for Nebraska's 2009 Great Park Pursuit outdoor adventure program. The Pursuit was a huge success in its inaugural year in 2008. Like the Expo, the Pursuit encourages families to spend time outdoors and take advantage of the state's natural resources.
For more information on the Nebraska Outdoor Expo, go to nebraskaoutdoorsexpo.org. | <urn:uuid:3e74aac1-4676-4df1-9d6b-ad31089f6665> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.buckmasters.com/nebraska-outdoor-expo-is-may-16.aspx | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368697380733/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516094300-00014-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.937516 | 357 | 1.648438 | 2 |
BEIRUT, Lebanon, March 23 (UPI) -- In the wake of U.S. airstrikes against Moammar Gadhafi's residences in recent days, there's growing speculation the Americans and their allies are out to get rid of the quicksilver Libyan dictator and effect regime change in Tripoli.
What's happening now, masked by the U.N.-mandated no-fly zone over Libya, has the look of a settling of old scores against the man Ronald Reagan branded "the Mad Dog of the Middle East" and tried to kill in airstrikes in April 1986.
U.S. President Barack Obama has declared that Gadhafi has to go but has stopped short of saying he's a target for assassination.
U.S. Secretary of Defense Robert Gates says that killing Gadhafi isn't part of the U.S.-led Operation Odyssey Dawn authorized last Friday by U.N. Security Council Resolution 1973 to support Libyan rebel forces fighting Gadhafi amid the turmoil sweeping the Arab world.
British Prime Minister David Cameron, an early and enthusiastic advocate of the no-fly zone to aid the rebels, and others have made no secret of their desire to remove the "Great Leader" from power.
Cameron's foreign secretary, William Hague, was evasive during a heated BBC interview Monday about whether Gadhafi would or could be assassinated.
"I'm not going to speculate on the targets," he said, adding ominously, "that depends on the circumstances at the time."
However, British Defense Secretary Liam Fox insisted Gadhafi was "a legitimate target," underlining how the objectives of the military intervention remain nebulous and obscure outside the corridors of power in Washington, Paris and London.
George Friedman, founder and chief executive officer of the global security consultancy Stratfor, observed: "The long-term goal, unspoken but well understood, is regime change -- displacing … the government of Gadhafi and replacing it with a new regime built around the rebels …
"The test will come if a war designed to stop human suffering begins to inflict human suffering. That is when the difficult political decisions have to be made and when we will find out whether the strategy, the mission and the political will fully match up."
In the opening stages of Operation Desert Storm against Iraq in 1991, Saddam Hussein was targeted at least twice by U.S. airstrikes in a bid to decapitate his regime. Neither attack succeeded but, if they had been, countless lives lost in the subsequent war may have been saved.
Gadhafi has made many enemies since, as a 27-year-old army captain, he toppled the Senussi monarchy in Libya and established an erratic and often murderous regime, bankrolled by Libya's oil wealth, which became anathema, not just to the West, but to his fellow Arabs as well.
Throughout the 1970s and '80s, Gadhafi was reviled by the Americans and Europeans for sponsoring international terrorism.
Britain's Secret Intelligence Service tried to assassinate him June 1, 1996, because of his funding and arming of the Irish Republican Army.
On April 15, 1986, Reagan sent 37 warplanes to bomb Tripoli and Benghazi after radio intercepts indicated Gadhafi's intelligence services were behind the bombing of the La Belle disco in Berlin 10 days earlier in which two American servicemen were killed.
Gadhafi's residence was a particular target in that British-assisted operation and the objective was clearly to kill him if possible. He wasn't there but his adopted daughter was killed, along with 30 other people.
Gadhafi's revenge was to buy three Western hostages being held in Lebanon -- two Britons and an American -- and have them executed in the hills overlooking Beirut.
But more was to come. On Dec. 21, 1988, a bomb in the cargo hold of a Pan Am Boeing 747 blew apart Flight 103 over Scotland on a London-New York flight. All 259 people aboard the jetliner, mostly Americans, were killed, along with 11 people on the ground hit by falling wreckage.
Libyan agent Abdelbaset al-Megrahi was convicted by a special Scottish court in the Netherlands in 2000 and sentenced to life imprisonment. He was freed in 2009 because he had terminal cancer, although he is still alive.
On Sept. 19, 1989, the Libyans blew up another jetliner, a French UTA DC-10, over the northwest African state of Niger, killing all 170 people aboard. Gadhafi's intelligence chief, Col. Abdullah al-Senussi, and five other Libyans were sentenced in absentia to life terms by a French court in 1999.
|Additional Special Reports Stories|
DAMASCUS, Va., May 18 (UPI) --Dozens of people were injured Saturday when a car in the Appalachian Trail Days parade in Damascus, Va., plowed into the crowd.
MALMO, Sweden, May 18 (UPI) --Oddsmakers pegged Emmelie de Forest as the favorite to win the Eurovision Song Contest finals in Sweden Saturday. | <urn:uuid:47c41fa8-a952-4a54-8ffb-7242e103098e> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.upi.com/Top_News/Special/2011/03/23/Odyssey-Dawn-Gunning-for-Gadhafi/UPI-76211300899492/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368697380733/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516094300-00006-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.973132 | 1,042 | 1.507813 | 2 |
Each and every time I go into a classroom filled with small children and spend more than a few moments there I come away with renewed gratitude and respect for those among us, elementary school teachers I mean, who have the intestinal fortitude and whatever other strength of character it takes to spend days with young children, in sets of 20, helping them grow and learn.
Children are loud! They don’t always have complete control of their body fluids! And they need to learn all sorts of things, from the difference between to, two and too, to how to listen to a peer talking while they, too, have something to say (many adults, by the way, never master either of these two skills).
In any case, my oldest child was lucky enough to have Karlyn Taylor, who was profiled two weeks back in the Alameda Journal. What I found most remarkable about Mrs. Taylor (aside from the fact that she was teaching in the classroom in which she herself attended kindergarten decades back) was that she created, in a classroom of high readers and low readers, socially gifted and socially awkward, native English speakers and ESL students, the warmest and friendliest social environment. Those children cared for one another, and learned how to show it. As my daughter said, “I love Mrs. Taylor.” So happy retirement Mrs. T, and thanks for all your love. | <urn:uuid:8ad49d97-3d5e-4442-a623-879e5c9f6964> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.ibabuzz.com/alamedajournal/2008/06/23/a-teary-wave-to-alamedas-karlyn-taylor/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368698207393/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516095647-00029-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.976068 | 285 | 1.742188 | 2 |
The ban is a part of legislation proposed by Gov. Earl Ray Tomblin to help fight the obesity and general unhealthiness of West Virginia citizens. West Virginia was recently selected The Unhealthiest State in America and the Huntington area was cited as having the highest misery index. Tomblin said "If the West Virginia citizens want to be fat then there at least going to have to get out of their cars to do it. We are not going to make it any easier for them to be any fatter than they already are. Walking to get their meals is often the only exercise some citizens get all day."
The bill passed right after the ban on cell phones and texting passed. Apparently, the West Virginia legislature is seeking total control of it's residents lives. Sen. Buford Watson said ,"Because of the lack of education in West Virginia, we can not trust the people of West Virginia to always make the right decsions. We are tired of a few lazy and uneducated indviduals making our state look like a bunch of hillbillies. as a Democrat, it is my duty to seize control of West Virginians lives and make their choices for them.
"You can drive by any West Virginia fast food resturaunt and see a bunch of old broken down cars in line. If these people walk into the resturaunts and order, it may be the only exercise they get all day. So I feel that by forcing theese people to walk to get their Big Macs, may just be saving their lives."
Sen. Mike Lucas agreed, "They complain there are not any jobs and that they can not afford gas, but then they sit in drive thru all day. Well, if they get out of their cars and walk in they would not need as much gas."
But Wayne resident Goober McComas disagreed, "It just ain't right. It's bad enough that I can't buy Big Macs on food stamps, but now they are telling me I have to walk inside the resturaunt and get my food. I am an American. It is my right to have my food brought to me. If I wanted to work for my food I'd get a job."
The West Virginia legislative session ended with the lawmakers feeling secure that they have protected the citizens of West Virginia from themselves. Sen. Lucas summed it all up, "What's the point of having this big oversized government if we do not accomplish something. All we ask is that West Virginians pay their taxes and we will take care of everything else."
UPDATE (4/17/2012): The WV Legislature has bowed to public pressure and removed language in the bill that would ban fast food drive-thru windows. Instead they will focus efforts on removing salt and fat from popular menu items. | <urn:uuid:761dfe08-178a-44e1-9b83-6ee50f6209a7> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://thediggerer.com/mysteries-of-wva/item/1-wv-legislature-bans-fast-food-drive-thru-windows | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368706890813/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516122130-00011-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.973568 | 569 | 1.515625 | 2 |
Lancaster animal charity Wolfwood is hoping pet lovers around the district will take on board the important annual message that “a dog is for life, not just for Christmas.”
The sanctuary, based off Hazelrigg Lane, has been inundated with dogs in recent weeks, although charity founder and chairman Stephen Wakelin said taking on abandoned dogs has become a year-round issue.
Wolfwood currently has around 40 dogs to be rehomed, as well as horses, ponies and wildlife.
“We used to get an influx of young dogs in the New Year but now it’s more of a problem all year round,” he said.
“But the run up to Christmas still seems to be the main time for people to get rid of dogs when they have more to pay for.
“We would appeal for people to think about what they are doing before getting a pet, particularly the longevity of it.
“We wouldn’t need to get a lot of the dogs we do get if people just thought about what having a dog involves.
“A lot of it is a matter of education. People need to think about the implications of taking on a dog.
“People must appreciate that a dog is not a human.
“That doesn’t mean they shouldn’t be loved but they need structure and rules. A happy dog is a trained dog.
“You are going to have to put time and energy into having a dog, you can’t expect it to just fit into your lifestyle.”
Wolfwood’s weekly running costs are about £1,200 to £1,500, and the charity relies heavily on donations.
The charity’s shop burnt down in a fire at its Bowerham Road premises in September, and they are now renting out a new shop opposite Moorside Primary School.
“We get so much support; the fire showed us how much the charity means to people,” Stephen said.
“It was a struggle but we have come through the other side.”
The charity is always on the lookout for donations – either in the form of money or items such as toys, bric-a-brac, clothes, books and CDs which can be sold in the shop.
You can also set up a standing order to support the charity, or volunteer to walk some of the dogs.
The shop is open Monday to Friday 10am until 4pm and on Saturdays from 10am until 2.30pm.
Wolfwood can be contacted at www.wolfwood.co.uk or on 07931 220094.
* A variety show at the Grand Theatre on January 26 is being held in aid of Wolfwood. Tickets cost £9 (concessions £7).
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Weather for Lancaster
Sunday 19 May 2013
Temperature: 10 C to 14 C
Wind Speed: 14 mph
Wind direction: West
Temperature: 10 C to 16 C
Wind Speed: 18 mph
Wind direction: North west | <urn:uuid:ec1fb103-d157-4c7e-a194-2f0291799f73> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.lancasterguardian.co.uk/community/paws-for-thought-over-charity-appeal-1-5248848 | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368697380733/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516094300-00036-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.964245 | 652 | 1.679688 | 2 |
Frequently Asked Questions about Ultimate Aloe™*:
What is the active ingredient content?
The active ingredient content is a minimum of 2200 milligrams per liter.
What is the polysaccharide content?
The polysaccharide content is a minimum of 2000 mg per liter.
How many calories are in one serving of Ultimate Aloe? Per bottle?
There are approximately two calories per serving with approximately 16 servings per bottle, which would be 32 calories per bottle.
How much potassium is found in Ultimate Aloe?
There is about four to five milligrams of potassium per liter.
What is the shelf life of Ultimate Aloe?
If unrefrigerated and unopened, Ultimate Aloe will last approximately one year.
Is Ultimate Aloe approved by the FDA?
No. Ultimate Aloe is classified as a dietary supplement, which cannot be submitted to the FDA for approval. It follows all of the guidelines the FDA sets forth for dietary supplements.
Is Ultimate Aloe safe for diabetics?
Anyone under medical treatment should consult a physician before taking any natural products.
What does MPS mean?
MPS is the abbreviation for “Methanol Precipitable Solids” and refers to a test to determine the amount of total solids contained in a solution — in other words, the total active ingredients. Aloe contains numerous polysaccharides, including mucopolysaccharides.
Is Ultimate Aloe cold-processed?
No, it is pasteurized. Pasteurization is the process by which the product eliminates bacteria to prevent contamination and spoilage. In fact, several studies show that the active ingredients can be enhanced by heating.
What is the concentration of aloe in the different flavors?
All flavors are 150 percent aloe vera.
Why is caramel added to the Regular flavor?
The caramel is added to the product to obtain the dark brownish color.
Why does the taste vary?
The taste will vary from lot to lot due to the seasonal time of harvest. The sun and the amount of water the plants receive are directly responsible for the ripeness of the plants. Just as with any vegetable, you will have a different taste depending upon the growing process.
The label on the bottles includes something called malic acid. Why is that added?
The malic acid was added to further promote freshness and aid in balancing the pH level.
On the label, there is Linne gel? What is it?
Linne is the name of the person given credit for categorizing plants and animals. Aloe is the genus and Vera is the species. The type of aloe in our product is Aloe barbadensis Miller. Miller described and categorized the plant we know as Aloe Vera.
What benefits are there in taking a liquid form of aloe instead of a tablet form?
The liquid form of aloe is much more bio-available than in pill form.
I noticed the IASC Seal on the Ultimate Aloe™ bottles. What is it and what does it mean for me?
The seal is a certificate from the International Aloe Science Council (IASC). It demonstrates that the quality of aloe in Ultimate Aloe has been validated and certified by an independent group of professionals. Market America has made a strong commitment to sell a standardized, well-defined, thoroughly tested product that meets the rigid standards of the Council.
What are the steps in harvesting the natural aloe in Ultimate Aloe™?
Aloe is harvested by pulling back on the green leaf and cutting at the white base. Approximately three of the outermost mature leaves are cut from each plant. Leaves are gathered in boxes that are transported immediately to the production facility. Back at the building, production employees feed incoming harvested leaves into the primary washer located just outside the production room. The production room has a stainless steel conveyor system that quickly moves harvested leaves from the primary wash tank outside through a small opening in the wall into the room. The conveyors propel leaves to the mechanical leaf washer, then to the cutting area, and finally through the gel expulsion machines. The production room is kept in an ultra-sanitary state, even when not in use. Employees are required to go through a process of sanitation every time they enter the room and the entire area is thoroughly cleaned after each production run. Once the gel is expelled from the leaves, it is pumped through a de-pulping machine. The pure aloe gel is then moved through a chilling system designed to bring the temperature of the gel down to 37 degrees Fahrenheit. The chilled gel is stored in an insulated tank, ready to be pumped into a transport tanker for delivery to the processing facility.
It is important to use aloe vera that has been processed in a manner to stabilize the aloe and stop the enzymes from continuing to break down the polysaccharides. This normally has to be done in the first four to six hours after severing the leaf from the mother plant. We preserve the bioactive content of the aloe, which we have found to be the 50-100,000 molecular weight (mw or dalton) polysaccharides. Most processors fail to do this and end up with 5-50,000 daltons, which have considerably less bioactive capability (shown in immune restoration and cell proliferation studies). Ultimate Aloe is properly harvested and manufactured to ensure the body receives maximum benefits.
What is so important about using whole leaf aloe vera?
Modern chemical analysis of aloe leaves shows that the active agents that are responsible for the plant’s widely celebrated health properties are concentrated in the green skin (rind) and yellow sap (latex) which is found just under the skin. The same and many other studies show that the gel (thick center of the leaf) should be included in all aloe products because it acts as a buffering agent to soothe and cool body tissue.*
The juice of aloe contains at least 99.1 percent water, which means that the polysaccharides (acemannan and other polypeptides), glycoproteins, and other components constitute less than one percent of the juice. To date, over 200 active components have been identified including fatty acids and immune-stimulating compounds. Therefore, we know that the amazing benefits of aloe are produced by relatively small amounts of many components, acting together synergistically to produce benefits that no single agent can produce alone.*
Why is the aloin removed from the aloe?
Fresh whole leaf aloe vera juice contains aloin, a very powerful laxative, which must be eliminated from the juice if it is to be used safely as an ingredient in topical products or as a health drink. Aloin is a compound, which is produced frome-modin and glucose. When whole leaf aloe is pasteurized and the aloin is eliminated, the juice is safe for both topical and internal use.
What is the history of aloe vera use in promoting health?
The idea that aloe vera can promote skin health is as old as the Pyramids. It is believed to have originated in the warm, dry climates of northern Africa. It has been found referenced in ancient hieroglyphics, which indicate it was a product that was traded between the Egyptians and the Sumerians as many as 6,000 years ago. It was first described in the Papyrus Ebers, an Egyptian medical book written between 1553-50 B.C.E. The ground whole leaf of the plant has been used as a health agent or cosmetic ingredient for thousands of years in promoting normal wound healing, healthy digestion and healthy skin. Persian and Indian healers have used the soothing powers of aloe vera for centuries. In addition, both Chinese and Japanese civilizations have taken advantage of aloe vera’s beneficial properties. Greeks and Romans also used aloe vera in supporting health as early as the first century. Ancient Greeks obtained it from the island of Socotra in the Indian Ocean. In the 10th century C.E., its soothing powers were recommended to the British king Alfred the Great by the Patriarch of Jerusalem. Muslims who have made the pilgrimage to Mecca are entitled to hang an aloe plant over their doors as a talisman against evil.*
If you look at the history of aloe as a topical application or cosmetic ingredient, there are three types of evidence that have been used to support its value, including testimonials, scientific research and chemical analysis. Reports show that as early as the 1930s, the gel was used to successful sooth and promote the normal healing of X-ray and radium burns. Studies were also done on its effectiveness for thermal burns.*
Many individuals apply the gel to minor cuts, abrasions and burns. Aloe vera products enjoy growing public interest. Strong examination of aloe vera continues within the medical community. Most of the modern research has focused on aloe vera’s ability to promote skin health and support normal healing. These outcomes are supported by over 1,000 modern clinical studies conducted by medical professionals.*
The juice of the plant continues to gain in popularity as an effective health drink. Hundreds of chemical reports show that aloe vera contains vitamins, minerals, amino acids, enzymes and a large number of healthy compounds.*
How does aloe work?
Aloe vera works because the green skin of the plant produces and the sap stores at least six beneficial health agents: lupeol, salicylic acid, urea nitrogen, cinnamonic acid, phenol and sulfur. In addition, the plant also produces at least 23 proteins (polypeptides) and at least four mannan sugars, which regulate cell growth and stimulate the immune system (biogenic stimulators). These agents enhance the skin’s immune function. Polypeptides and mannons are the building blocks for new, healthy cells. They are more abundant in young skin cells. As aging occurs, the amount of polypeptides and mannans in the cells diminish. Topical application of an aloe product helps provide ample concentrations of these agents for the proper formation of healthy cells. Polypeptides and mannans are two of the reasons aloe helps to promote normal skin healing.*
The skin and yellow sap (latex) of the aloe vera plant contain at least three fatty acids (HDL cholesterol, campesterol and beta-sitosterol). They represent cortisone-like compounds, which make aloe extremely effective in addressing minor skin injuries. The presence of beta-sitosterol explains why topical aloe vera is effective in skin irritations. Beta-sitosterols are plant sterols that are responsible for aloe’s effectiveness as an excellent moisturizer.
Are there any preservatives in Ultimate Aloe™?
Yes.The aloe vera plant is classified as a vegetable and like all plant products, the juice must be preserved or it will rapidly decompose when the leaves are processed. Potassium sorbate (from Mountain Ash trees) and sodium benzoate (from benzoin gum) are used in minute quantities as preservatives, and ascorbic and citric acid are used to stabilize and balance pH levels. Ultimate Aloe is made from 100 percent aloe vera through a unique whole leaf process, using only certified leaves. This method carefully removes the unnecessary aloin and aloe-emodin while still maintaining high levels of modified Aloe polysaccharides, which have been shown to contribute too many health benefits. The International Aloe Science Council has certified the aloe content and purity in this product. | <urn:uuid:4c2d3df9-6d40-4e4e-a59a-98dd352a6f66> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.shop.com/Ultimate+Aloe+reg+Juice-603891601-0-FAQ-p+.xhtml | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368708142388/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516124222-00019-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.95019 | 2,411 | 1.507813 | 2 |
It's all very silly, of course, because you can pick any number that you like, and then given a long enough sequence of words, you can find seemingly significant phrases on any subject. If you'd like to verify this for yourself, you can read the short article I wrote at the time, and then find your own gematria-based phrases by running my program.
I still get email about this from time to time. Part of the reason is because I'm linked from the first page of a Google search on Theomatics, and I'm also linked from the Wikipedia page. Here is an email exchange I just had.
I just reviewed your Theomatics Debunked rebuttal of Theomatics... and immediately,it became a useless challenge.I have known of Theomatics for over 20 years... and understand it.After reading your rebuttal and so called "Debunking" it becameimmediately apparent that you completely misunderstand the entirepremise and subject. And so much so, that I can see that your onlygoal was to slam Theomatics... whether you proved anything or not.In totem, your 'Debunking' was hillarious... hedging on utter stupidity!
Now, usually I don't respond to this level of obnoxiousness at all -- somebody who walks in assuming that I'm an idiot is unlikely to yield a fruitful discussion. But I was curious about what Gary might bring to the table, so I replied:
Okay, I'll bite. What was it about my program that failed to capture
the point of Theomatics? Can you be more specific about what makes it so stupid?
For one (major) of many points:I am admitedly no expert on the subject, but I'm not brain dead. Your analogies to debunk Theomatics were clearly without merit.All you did was show that numbers can be found in random text.a) you completely ignore the fact that in the Bible, specific NUMBERS are established "in the text/writings" that also correlate and become significantly re-established in the numerology of both the Hebrew/Greek alphabet. That these numbers are adequately repeated throughout scripture.Theomatics reveals that these numbers written in text (IE: seven, two etc) are reinforced by the subjects, themes and within context of "MEANING" whether literal or prophetic, whether poetic or factual, whether spiritual or historic... THESE SAME NUMBERS IN TEXT are directly supported by the construction of the writings... which, across 4000 years span of two languages/cultures (Hebrew/Greek), and authored by 40 authors... the letter symbol construction of these writings in these two languages reinforce the script or TEXT level numbers and meanings. None of which was assembled in random nor is there ANY evidence in collusion between or amidst the authors to establish the onion skin-like layers of numerical significance. To go further, The phenomenon of Theomatics wasn't even KNOWN until the mid seventies.In this point alone, you have missed the boat in your lame attempt to make an analogy of Theomatics with your examples. In short, your examples leave out 80% of what is significant about Theomatics.
I certainly do appreciate the feedback, but I'm not convinced that
your claim has any bearing whatsoever on my response.
Regardless of how the significant numbers are chosen, the point of the program was to demonstrate that ANY number can yield seemingly significant results from any text. Thus is doesn't matter whether the text attaches significant meaning to 111 or 52 or 69. By running a large enough text through a computer with some set of rules and any number you please, you can pick out thousands of phrases which translate to multiples of that number. It's simply a matter of confirmation bias. No collaboration or special planning on the part of the authors is required.Of course it wasn't, and that's part of the point also. Theomatics doesn't make any predictions and it doesn't yield any useful new knowledge. At best it can be used as a tool for identifying events in hindsight. You know what you are looking for already, and you find things that appear to confirm the significance of phrases that look
> To go further, The phenomenon of Theomatics wasn't even KNOWN until the mid
Gary replied (all bold text from the original):
But you DO SO at the complete exclusion of the fact that the numbersare significant because they are established IN THE TEXT and writings.They are established both in language/writings and are given specificrelationships to people, times, places and subjects.Your analogies do NOTHING but prove you can produce detached numbers!You exclude that the phrases associated with these numbers are relatedIN CONTEXT of the commucation of concepts of various central theme.No. I have reviewed your site all morning... and you simply DO NOT MAKEA VIABLE CRITIQUE that holds relevence whatsoever to support "debunking."All you achieved is to debuke yourself.Of course it wasn't, and that's part of the point also. Theomatics
doesn't make any predictions and it doesn't yield any useful new
knowledge. At best it can be used as a tool for identifying events in
hindsight. You know what you are looking for already, and you find
things that appear to confirm the significance of phrases that look
important.Wrong again. But, you've already debunked yourself.So I will leave you to your own defunct debunkingness.
Then I replied:
But as I've already said, it doesn't actually matter how the numbers are chosen. The number 111 will produce significant hits, and so will all other numbers. You claim that the number 111 is especially interesting because it is established as important by the text — although in reality, 111 is just one of thousands of numbers which could be regarded as significant depending on your interpretation.
But I don't care how you pick your numbers. The point is that whether a number is "significant" to you or not, it will yield phrases which appear to relate to any topic you choose. It's just that you care about the resulting phrases when the chosen number is "significant," and you don't care when the chosen number is not "significant." It's your own filter on the text that makes it meaningful or not, however you read it.That's a great word you've invented. Although I think I would have picked something like "debunkiferation."
> Wrong again. But, you've already debunked yourself.
> So I will leave you to your own defunct debunkingness.
You have missed the entire collective point.I don't know how to help you see it, but I have friends who arePHd's that get it... and several friends who are not even Christianssee the signifiance. If you see a copy of the book I have,Sanford University's Statistics division studied Theomaticsfor several months and produced a report that said thatthe Theomatics feature in the Bible is unique. They couldnot produce the same results in other writings, or evenspiitual writings. And they said the chances of it justhappening were like 1 out of several hundred billion.If I find the online re-print of this I will send it.
> I don't know how to help you see it, but I have friends who are
> PHd's that get it...
It looks like you can't. Maybe you should ask them to discuss it with me instead of you.Since "Sanford" doesn't appear to be the name of an actual university, I have to assume that you mean either "Stanford" or "Samford." Samford is a Bible college in Alabama, so I bet it's that. Imagine that: a Bible college came to the conclusion that Theomatics is correct. I'm floored by their objectivity.
> If you see a copy of the book I have,
> Sanford University's Statistics division studied Theomatics
> for several months and produced a report that said that
> the Theomatics feature in the Bible is unique.Well, I produced what appears to be a similar result in just twenty minutes on my computer, so perhaps they weren't trying all that hard. I expect you'll continue to repeat that I missed the entire point of Theomatics, as you have in each letter so far. So far I still don't see the relevance of your argument that some numbers are more important than others. But I suppose that's just a factor of my dysfuntional debunktionality.
> They could
> not produce the same results in other writings, or even
> spiitual writings. And they said the chances of it just
> happening were like 1 out of several hundred billion.
> If I find the online re-print of this I will send it.
That was the last message in this exchange.
So let's see: in the final tally I see at least two arguments from (unnamed) authority, and three things I'll say are confusion of cause and effect (the phrases were found in the Bible after the "discovery" of theomatics, therefore they were put there deliberately by someone who knew theomatics in advance).
Did I miss any others? | <urn:uuid:9488dc9d-f12c-4f86-b034-a421e3002c46> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://atheistexperience.blogspot.jp/2008/03/theomatics-again.html?showComment=1205442120001 | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368711005985/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516133005-00002-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.965544 | 1,919 | 1.53125 | 2 |
You always see sophisticated laser systems in movies, but those are super expensive, right? Nah, with a simple red laser and a photocell, DIY laser security is simple. There are a few different ways to setup your system and we’ll walk you through the process.
Laser systems work on the principal that if the laser is broken and isn’t received by the photoresistor, the alarm is activated. Tiny mirrors discreetly placed around the rooms to convert a single beam into several beams forming a net which will surely be broken by an intruder. Here is a video of a laser system in action below:
When that beam is broken, there are numerous methods you can use to alert yourself or scare away the intruder. Firstly, you can use your computers parallel port to send yourself a text message via e-mail. This is outlined in this post. or you can set up an alarm system as detailed below.
It’s quite easy to build a laser alarm security system for under $20 using basic items you’ll find lying around your house. These include the IR detector for most remote controls, electrical tape and a magnifying glass. This can easily be accomplished in just a few hours.
Often, setting up the laser system is not the problem for most. The touchy part is getting the laser and mirrors setup properly. So friends, you need not spend thousands of dollars on an expensive security system when you can create your own DIY security traps to accomplish the same job. | <urn:uuid:2a316503-4d18-4b49-91a4-7184a8c41ba7> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://hacknmod.com/hack/how-to-diy-aser-security-systems/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368702448584/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516110728-00012-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.943358 | 312 | 1.71875 | 2 |
Address by Jakob Kellenberger, President of the ICRC at the Governing Board of the International Federation - 2 May 2007
in this address, the ICRC president says that priority is given to operational partnerships with operating National Societies involving strategic, long-term investment as operational partners.
Mr. President of the International Federation, Mr. Secretary General of the International Federation, dear members of the Governing Board,
I thank you warmly for giving me the opportunity to address you briefly. My first remarks relate to the Movement part of ICRC's institutional strategy for 2007-2010.
ICRC's institutional strategy for 2007-2010
1 . Priority is given to operational partnerships with ONS involving strategic, long-term investment as operational partners. Armed conflicts such as Afghanistan, Somalia and Iraq demonstrate that the ICRC and the ONS can have a far greater humanitarian impact by working together as partners than each could ever hope to achieve on its own. Let me just illustrate the importance of these partnerships with two of our five largest operations:
Since 2003, working in close partnership with the Iraqi Red Crescent Society (IRCS), the ICRC has been one of the few international humanitarian organizations with a permanent operational presence in central, southern and northern parts of Iraq. It is now also extending its permanent presence to western Iraq in order to improve access to areas difficult to reach from other parts of the country for security reasons. Throughout their daily field activities, IRCS and ICRC staffers bear witness to the terrible plight of the entire popul ation.
The IRCS has remained operational despite daily adversities, including the killing of 14 of its staff and volunteers, the abduction of 45 others, 12 of whom remain unaccounted for, as well as numerous attacks on its offices, warehouses and convoys. I can only pay tribute to the courage and tenacity shown by IRCS staff and volunteers all over the country.
Since 2006, the IRCS has been the ICRC's primary partner for emergency relief response. The Society plays a pivotal role in the distribution of ICRC food and non-food aid to displaced families across the country, and in the collection and distribution of Red Cross Messages. The ICRC very much looks forward to continuing and expanding this essential relationship in a context where independent and neutral humanitarian action is vital.
The recent fighting in Somalia is the latest in a series of catastrophes to affect the country's population. The inhabitants of Mogadishu have been caught up in the worst fighting in 15 years. Hundreds have been wounded and hundreds of thousands have been forced to flee the Somali capital. They have sought refuge in other areas, living in makeshift camps or hosted by local residents.
The ICRC has stepped up its humanitarian operations in Somalia to treat the wounded and assist displaced families. Its primary partner is the Somali Red Crescent Society, which has managed to remain operational in even the most c onflict-affected parts of the country. Today the ICRC supports five first aid posts and 23 SRCS health clinics located in violence-prone areas.
The success of this partnership between the ICRC and the SRCS testifies to the trust they have managed to build within Somali society. I pay tribute to the steadfast determination of the SRCS to pursue its humanitarian mission in extremely difficult circumstances, and to express our appreciation for a partnership which allows the ICRC and SRCS to do much more together than they could ever hope to achieve on their own.
We shall strengthen our ability to be good partners for ONS, to make sure that partnerships with the ICRC will have a clear added value. Both the ICRC and the ONS must emerge stronger from their partnerships.
2 . This also includes the reinforcement of the emergency response capacity of ONS. The Federation and the ICRC have begun to work together on tools and approaches for emergency preparedness and response. This needs to be intensified so that the role of global " first responder " becomes a defining characteristic of the Movement components.
3 . Restoring links between families is another crucial area of partnership with ONS, which is also highlighted in ICRC's institutional strategy for 2007-2010. A Movement strategy for restoring family links will be submitted for adoption at the upcoming Council of Delegates at the end of the year. This strategy encompasses all situations in which families might become separated - armed conflicts and internal strife, but also natural and technological disasters and migratory movements. We need the support of the International Federation to ensure that tracing becomes an integral part of the ONS disaster management as well as its actions on behalf of migra nts.
4 . We shall further deepen the cooperation with PNS. In particular in the field of rapid deployment in order to better understand and better integrate their competences and the contributions they can make in this particularly important and sensitive phase.
Seville Agreement/Supplementary Measures
Implementation of the SA is important in strengthening the role of the ONS in emergency preparedness and response. The concept of ONS as " primary partner " is being institutionalised throughout the Movement: The Federation and ICRC have developed a joint training tool, which is serving as the basis for training of operational managers not only within the two Geneva institutions, but also among PNS and ONS around the world. A strong momentum has been created, which is being felt in the field and translated into operational practice (ex. Lebanon). In this regard, I would like to salute the ongoing work of the Resolution 8 group, comprising some of you who are here at this Governing Board. The ICRC strongly supports your efforts, and recognises the need to intensify the positive momentum which you have helped to generate.
Council of delegates and International Conference 2007
1 . The Statutory Meetings of 2007 offer us the opportunity to position the Movement as a network comprising components with their own identities which, whenever required by our common mission, can come together as a " Movement " and operate in a coherent manner dist inct from other networks or systems. The International Conference is an opportunity to explain and to emphasize the specificities of the Movement, mandate and role of its different components.
We should also clearly identify and promote the " added value " of our action and partnerships in addressing humanitarian consequences of some of the great challenges of our time. Some of these challenges are dealt with in various frameworks. We have therefore, in a convincing manner, to show the Movements value added in addressing those challenges if we want the States attention and support. We should not underestimate either the importance of being clear and understandable on the cope of action for National Societies in their auxiliary role and as components of the Movement attached to the basic principles.
2 . International Conference and IHL
As is usually the case, IHL will be high on the agenda of the next Conference. The conference should reaffirm the applicability and relevance of IHL for preserving human life and dignity in armed conflict.
In a draft resolution, accompanied by a " background document " providing explanations, members of the Conference will be asked to commit themselves to respect and ensure respect of IHL.
We would like them to reaffirm the basic tenets of the law - such as the principe of distinction - and the fundamental guarantees to which all persons in the power of a party to the conflict are entitled. Such guarantees include the right to humane treatment, the prohibition of torture and other forms of ill-treatment, of arbitrary detention and the right to fair trial.
The draft resolution will also underline the importance of national implementation of IHL, of training and education, and of enforcement by national and international tribunals.
The ICRC will also submit a report on its Customary IHL Study, as requested by the 2003 Conference. However, the Conference will not be asked to adopt the Study.
Another ICRC report will enumerate a number of IHL challenges, such as asymmetric warfare and issues related to terrorist acts, the notion of " direct participation in hostilities " , private military and security companies, the need for procedural safeguards in administrative detention and internment, etc.
IHL will be discussed more specifically in a Commission, as well as in informal workshops.
Members of the Conference are strongly encouraged to make pledges on IHL.
Constitutional Review process of the International Federation
We take note of the ongoing process to review the Federation constitution, and look forward to the opportunity in the coming weeks to express our views on aspects relating to our common spheres of competence, such as the protection of the integrity of National Societies. I would like to express again our appreciation for the opportunity given to Vice-President Jacques Forster to participate in the Board Committee on the Protection of the Integrity of National Societies, and stress the importance for the ICRC of its continued participation in this Board or whatever body may replace it following the revision of the Constitution of the International Federation.
I thank you once more for your friendly invitation to briefly address your Governing Board. This gesture reflects the good and trustful cooperation between the International Federation and the ICRC and is highly appreciated. | <urn:uuid:86728478-a76e-4891-a6cb-09d103368e0a> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.icrc.org/eng/resources/documents/statement/cooperation-statement-020507.htm | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368696383156/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516092623-00033-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.952782 | 1,845 | 1.789063 | 2 |
At the end of the year, the members of Congress will face a situation whose resolution — it can be said with only slight exaggeration — is a matter of life and death for the U.S. economy.
At midnight Dec. 31, the Bush-era tax cuts are scheduled to expire, which the Obama White House says will mean an average tax increase next year of $1,600 for 114 million families, a body blow to the economic recovery.
Simultaneously, a 10-year, $1.2 trillion, across-the-board cut is to be imposed on federal spending, also likely to be very damaging to the economy.
Combined, the two would total $600 billion in tax hikes and spending cuts — and, in the opinion of the Congressional Budget Office, would push the country back into recession.
The automatic spending cuts are part of the Budget Control Act passed last August to defuse a crisis largely manufactured by tea party-led House GOP conservatives. In return for raising the debt limit, the Republicans agreed to leave the spending cuts they were demanding in the hands of a “supercommittee.”
To the surprise of few, the supercommittee failed in its mission. It became clear the lawmakers had voted for it, confident that the unthinkable fallback position — the automatic cuts — would never happen.
As the consequences of those cuts became clear — particularly for the military, which would be gutted, to the delight of some on the political left — members who voted for it are fleeing from the Budget Control Act. Defense Secretary Leon Panetta, to his credit, called the cuts “a disaster” for our national defense. Gen. Martin Dempsey, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, called it “an unacceptable risk” that increased the likelihood of a conflict.
The House Republicans are now arguing to scrap the automatic cuts in defense and to make up for them by slashing the budget elsewhere. The Democrats would raise the needed funding by letting the tax cuts expire for families earning more than $250,000 a year. In other words, they are willing to risk the nation’s safety in their quest to punish certain Americans with higher taxes.
Neither solution is acceptable to the other side.
Faced with this difficult and perhaps intractable problem, what is Congress planning to do? Take off for a five-week vacation starting Aug. 3. The Congress-watching newspaper The Hill scolded members: “Do your job — you’re lucky to have one.” | <urn:uuid:61317274-00f7-48df-b8cf-44938df0f510> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.mdjonline.com/view/full_story/19592203/article-Faced-with-crisis--Congress-plans-a-long-vacation?instance=secondary_story_bullets_left_column | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368706499548/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516121459-00005-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.964838 | 518 | 1.742188 | 2 |
"Simpson Safari" is the seventeenth episode of season 12. It originally aired on April 1, 2001. John Swartzwelder wrote the episode and Mark Kirkland directed.
In a frantic search for food Homer finds a box of thirty-year-old animal crackers, which contains a gold giraffe - which means he has just won an African safari.
When Maggie eats a magazine, Marge demands that Homer go to the grocery store to pick up some food. While there, Homer (and all the other shoppers) offends the bag boy, causing all the bag boys in Springfield to go on strike. The bag boys also prevent anyone from carrying their groceries to their cars. When all the food in the house is gone, Homer becomes desperate and goes in the search of some food. Santa's Little Helper finds a 30 year old box of Animal crackers. Homer bites into a giraffe-shaped cracker and realizes it's made of gold, which means that the family has won a trip to Africa. The makers of the animal crackers (who no longer produce the crackers) refuse them the trip, but when Homer hurts himself on the corner of the box, they reconsider, as they don't want to be sued.
When they arrive in Ngorongroro, Tanzania, the Simpsons see billboards with messages such as "Hail President Muntu", who their guide, Kitenge, informs them recently seized power. We then see the family staying in a treetop hotel, then going on safari in the Masai Mara, visiting Olduvai Gorge, and spending a day with some Maasai tribesmen. The family then join the tribesmen in a tribal dance, and Homer, while attempting to play the drums, accidentally beats the rear end of a hippopotamus, which enrages it. They use a tribal shield as a makeshift raft to escape down the river, but take a wrong turn, get swept over a waterfall, and end up far from the Maasai village. Suddenly, a chimpanzee appears, and lead them to "Joan Bushwell's Chimp Refuge", which is run by Dr. Joan Bushwell (who is voiced by Tress MacNeille). Dr. Bushwell tells the Simpsons that she is in Africa because she is researching chimpanzees, but, when Greenpeace arrive at the refuge, the family discover that she has enslaved the apes and is making them work in a diamond mine beneath the refuge. Fearing the repercussions for what she has done, Dr. Busswell attempts to bribe the Simpsons and the people from Greenpeace with handfuls of diamonds. The next scene starts with the family sitting on the plane to go back to Springfield, with all of them but Lisa carrying a small fortune in diamonds. Out of the window of the plane, they see a new billboard which reads "Hail President Kitenge", with a picture of their old guide in the presidential robes that Muntu was wearing earlier in the episode. Marge asks "What happened to President Muntu?", at which point Muntu appears dressed as a flight attendant and says "I don't want to talk about it.". Muntu begins handing out peanuts, and the family all laugh as the plane takes off. | <urn:uuid:f69e5480-7ce4-4491-920e-d206704e1b93> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://simpsonswiki.net/wiki/Simpson_Safari | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368710006682/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516131326-00012-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.965459 | 662 | 1.625 | 2 |
Dodger Stadium has been the home of unique and special moments, Hall of Famers and World Champions. From no-hitters to Nomo-mania, Most Valuable Players and Cy Young Award winners to World Series victories, Dodger Stadium has a rich history that places it among the truly great venues in sports history. With musical extravaganzas that have included rock, pop and opera royalty, a papal visit and unique events such as motorcycle racing and monster truck events, Dodger Stadium is also among the great entertainment destinations in the country.
It is the third oldest continually used park in Major League Baseball and stands as one of the most unique and picturesque settings in sports, carved as it is into the hillside of Chavez Ravine overlooking downtown LA to the south and the San Gabriel mountains to the north.
Through the years, Dodger Stadium has seen legendary moments, such as Sandy Koufax's perfect game in 1965, the rise of Fernandomania in 1981, Kirk Gibson's walk-off home run in Game 1 of the 1988 World Series (one of 20 World Series games), the 1980 All-Star Game, the 1984 Olympic Games baseball competition, the 2009 World Baseball Classic Final and events such as a Mass conducted by Pope John Paul II and concerts by the biggest names in the business like The Beatles, Michael Jackson and U2.
One of the true cathedrals of baseball, Dodger Stadium has hosted more than 147 million fans since it opened its doors in 1962. The club topped the 3.85 million mark in 2007, which stands as the all-time franchise record.
The ballpark's rich history began with Dodger President Walter O'Malley's foresight five decades ago. In 1957, O'Malley lobbied for a new stadium to be built for his Brooklyn club, but when a deal could not be reached, the Dodgers made the unprecedented move to California. In September of that year, the city of Los Angeles agreed to give 300 acres of land to the Dodgers in exchange for the deed to Wrigley Field in Los Angeles and their commitment to construct a 50,000-seat stadium. While Dodger Stadium was being built, the Dodgers played at the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum through 1961, before the true Opening Day- April 10, 1962 - when the Dodgers finally played in their new home before 52,564 fans. The 56,000-seat Dodger Stadium, the first privately financed ballpark since Yankee Stadium in 1923, was designed by O'Malley and architect Emil Praeger. It has parking for 16,000 automobiles on 21 terraced lots adjacent to the same elevations as the six different seating levels.
Dodger Stadium has seen improvements in the past from the addition of suites to new scoreboards and a renovation of the field level. Now in its 52nd season, Dodger Stadium is undergoing its most ambitious improvements to date including both visible changes and behind the scenes upgrades to the aging infrastructure.
HD video screens and a new sound system, more spacious concourses, restrooms and concessions and expanded and renovated clubhouse and a state-of-the-art WiFi network will help evolve one of Los Angeles' best known landmarks into a technologically advanced, fan friendly entertainment venue.
Many of the architectural touches that make Dodger Stadium unique are repeated in the new additions, inspired by exploring the venue as well as researching the original, well kept, Walter O'Malley archives.
Since opening its gates, Dodger Stadium has hosted eight World Series and the Dodgers have won four World Championships (1963, 1965, 1981 and 1988), eight NL pennants (1963, 1965, 1966, 1974, 1977, 1978, 1981, 1988), 11 NL Western Division crowns (1974, 1977, 1978, 1981, 1983, 1985, 1988, 1995, 2004, 2008, 2009) and two NL Wild Card berths (1996, 2006). The stadium has also hosted 3,939 regular-season games, with the Dodgers posting a 2,224-1,715 (.565) record during that time.
Dodger Stadium continues to be a major part of the history and tradition of the Dodgers. It is the home of one of baseball's most storied franchises, a destination for a worldwide fan base and a monument for a bustling, multicultural city. For 51 years, Dodger Stadium has been a home for a team and a community. Its history lives on. | <urn:uuid:8bb89e0b-092a-4f15-84f4-cfea91aab355> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://losangeles.dodgers.mlb.com/la/ballpark/information/index.jsp?content=history | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368706499548/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516121459-00012-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.953367 | 896 | 1.710938 | 2 |
While a fugitive in Mexico, Mr. X remotely infiltrates the Arctic Nuclear Fusion Research Facility’s (ANFRF) lab subnet over the Interwebs. Virtually inside the facility (pivoting through a compromised system), he conducts some noisy network reconnaissance. Sadly, Mr. X is not yet very stealthy.
Unfortunately for Mr. X, the lab’s network is instrumented to capture all traffic (with full content). His activities are discovered and analyzed… by you!
Here is the packet capture containing Mr. X’s activity. As the network forensic investigator, your mission is to answer the following questions:
1. What was the IP address of Mr. X’s scanner?
2. For the FIRST port scan that Mr. X conducted, what type of port scan was it? (Note: the scan consisted of many thousands of packets.) Pick one:
- TCP SYN
- TCP ACK
- TCP Connect
- TCP XMAS
- TCP RST
3. What were the IP addresses of the targets Mr. X discovered?
4. What was the MAC address of the Apple system he found?
5. What was the IP address of the Windows system he found?
6. What TCP ports were open on the Windows system? (Please list the decimal numbers from lowest to highest.)
X-TRA CREDIT (You don’t have to answer this, but you get super bonus points if you do): What was the name of the tool Mr. X used to port scan? How can you tell? Can you reconstruct the output from the tool, roughly the way Mr. X would have seen it?
Deadline is 3/18/10 (11:59:59PM UTC-11) (In other words, if it’s still 3/18/10 anywhere in the world, you can submit your entry.)
Please use the Official Submission form to submit your answers. Here is your evidence file:
MD5 (evidence04.pcap) = 804648497410b18d9a7cb1d4b2252ef7
The MOST ELEGANT solution wins. In the event of a tie, the entry submitted first will receive the prize. Coding is always encouraged. We love to see well-written, easy-to-use tools which automate even small sections of the evidence recovery. Graphical and command-line tools are all eligible. You are welcome to build upon the work of others, as long as their work has been released under a an approved Open Source License. All responses should be submitted as plain text. Microsoft Word documents, PDFs, etc will NOT be reviewed.
Feel free to collaborate with other people and discuss ideas back and forth. You can even submit as a team (there will be only one prize). However, please do not publish the answers before the deadline, or you (and your team) will be automatically disqualified. Also, please understand that the contest materials are copyrighted and that we’re offering them publicly for the community to enjoy. You are welcome to publish full solutions after the deadline, but please use proper attributions and link back. If you are interested in using the contest materials for other purposes, just ask first.
Exceptional solutions may be incorporated into the SANS Network Forensics Investigative Toolkit (SNIFT kit). Authors agree that their code submissions will be freely published under the GPL license, in order to further the state of network forensics knowledge. Exceptional submissions may also be used as examples and tools in the Network Forensics course. All authors will receive full credit for their work.
Deadline is 3/18/10 (11:59:59PM UTC-11). Here’s the Official Submission form. Good luck!!
Copyright 2010, Lake Missoula Group, LLC. All rights reserved. | <urn:uuid:002387d5-6ef3-42d3-af5e-d9f5a2dd03d4> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://forensicscontest.com/2010/02/03/puzzle-4-the-curious-mr-x | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368696382584/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516092622-00027-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.935049 | 805 | 1.78125 | 2 |
Protecting Your Home From Break-Ins
Help protect your home from break-ins with these home security tips for alarms, lights, and locks.
Anti Burglary Tip No. 3: Don't Make It Easy to Hide
A burglar is more likely to try getting into a house where there is less chance of being seen. Taking away the robber's cover goes a long way toward protecting your house.
- Thieves can hide behind trees and shrubs. Trim back or remove any shrubbery next to doors or windows. If you are going to use plants next to the house, you should use thorny plants such as holly or roses.
- Use outside security lighting to illuminate every access door. The main entrance should be illuminated with a fixture that has two bulbs or with two fixtures in case one bulb burns out.
- Use exterior lighting with motion detectors for the yard, driveway and other outside regions. If lights come on when someone approaches, a burglar is less likely to try breaking into your home. Also, if the lights are activated by motion rather than being left on all the time, your neighbors are more likely to notice if someone is moving around your house.
- Remember the back and side of your home offer some concealment for a burglar who is trying to break in. So pay close attention to securing all entrances, and if possible avoid installing a tall privacy fence since that offers even greater concealment.
Anti Burglary Tip No. 4: Install a Home Security Alarm System
Home security alarms are not a guarantee that burglars will not enter your home. But they do make it more difficult by increasing the risk that the burglar will be seen and caught. If it's obvious your house is alarmed, the burglar may look for an easier target.
- Be sure to use the yard sign and window decals that say your house is protected by a home security system.
- Regularly check to make sure the sign is visible and has not been covered up by shrubs or pulled out of the ground by pets or neighborhoods children.
- Choose a home security system that uses motion detectors as well as arms all windows and doors that could provide access.
- Also consider using glass-break sensors that set off the alarm at the sound of a window or glass door panel being broken. Some sensors also detect sudden shock waves and will set the alarm off if someone is trying to kick open the door.
- Never post your pass code next to or on the home security alarm key pad.
Anti Burglary Tip No. 5: Get to Know Your Neighbors
The best home security comes from neighbors who look out for one another. Make it a point to meet your neighbors so that you can ask them to keep an eye on things while you're away.
And if your neighborhood does not already have a neighborhood watch program, consider organizing one. Most local law enforcement agencies have people available who can help you plan and organize a watch program to keep not just your possessions safe, but your family as well. | <urn:uuid:5fa3978f-291f-4125-9f01-b9274d44c2ca> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://women.webmd.com/home-health-and-safety-9/protecting-your-home-from-break-ins?page=2 | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368705195219/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516115315-00030-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.950784 | 624 | 1.59375 | 2 |
- Sustainable development
- Sustainable development
As at 31 August 2011, Trigano had a total workforce of 3,677 employees.
Trigano’s multicultural and multilingual workforce is spread across eight countries, and more than 20 nationalities are represented in the company. The number of women employed by Trigano is rising steadily. They represent 24% of the total workforce.
Training and qualifications
Workplace adaptation, safety, languages: Trigano offers various training courses for its employees, which are essential throughout their professional life.
Intergenerational work and length of service
The average age of the personnel is 40. One-third of employees have been with the company for over 10 years and almost one-quarter for over 20 years, reflecting employees’ loyalty to the company.
Health and safety
Trigano is particularly aware of the importance of occupational health and safety, which forms an integral part of its risk management policy. In particular, investments are regularly made to reduce the loads carried by employees.
Equality of treatment and code of ethics
Principles and operating codes are implemented and applied consistently to all employees throughout the group. Trigano’s code of ethics in particular sets out the roles and responsibilities of each individual. Furthermore, Trigano has always striven to develop its business without granting excessive benefits to intermediaries, without financing political organisations and without distributing any remuneration to market decision makers.
Nature conservation and respect for the environment are among the fundamental values which have long formed part of Trigano’s corporate culture. These values are inextricably bound up with its activity, which for more than 60 years has focused on outdoor leisure. Trigano’s pro-environmental activities involve in particular the development of environmentally friendly products, control of the environmental impact of its production activity and the reduction of polluting emissions from the use of vehicles.
Preservation of resources and management of environmental risks
In its production activities, Trigano strives to reduce its impact on the environment. The need to limit water consumption and liquid waste is a constant focus of attention, which is reflected in a significant fall in their levels each year. Trigano has also introduced checks in both the design and manufacturing stages in order to monitor and reduce the potential risks. Leisure vehicles are manufactured mostly with recyclable materials which are not harmful to the environment.
Compliance with laws and regulations
Trigano regularly monitors compliance by the business units with environmental laws and regulations. Particularly close attention is devoted to the use of hazardous materials, notably having regard to the REACH regulation, which covers the production, marketing and use of chemical products and aims to increase the protection of human health and the environment. Trigano continues to promote awareness of these issues among its business units.
Design and use of vehicles
Combating polluting emissions
Polluting vehicle emissions and fuel consumption are now key issues. In compliance with the relevant European standards (Euro 4), the equipment in new generations of motor caravans makes it possible to reduce fuel consumption by around 10%, cut particle emissions and reduce nitrogen oxide emissions. At the same time, Trigano is continuing its research aimed at reducing the unladen weight of vehicles and hence their consumption of fossil energy.
Optimum use of energy sources
Trigano greatly encourages the use of clean energy sources in meeting the energy autonomy needs of vehicles. In just a few years, the fuel cell has emerged as an appropriate solution for the supply of mobile, non-mains energy for leisure vehicles. Fuel cells are quieter, lighter and more economical than conventional generators. They allow electricity to be generated continuously and stored in the cell’s batteries, substantially increasing the vehicle’s autonomy, while remaining clean and free of disruptive emissions. Trigano also greatly encourages the use of solar panels.
Integration in rural and urban areas
Improvements to the conditions in which motor caravans are accommodated are a key concern for both users and local authorities. A dialogue must be maintained between manufacturers and local councillors in order to promote their integration in tourist areas.
From a legislative point of view, it is permitted to park motor caravans in the same locations as cars. Local authorities wishing to preserve sensitive sites may nevertheless restrict the parking of motor caravans, but such measures – which must be the subject of a bylaw – must be proportionate, justified and non-discriminatory, applying to all vehicles of the same overall dimensions, mass and weight. In any event, general and absolute parking prohibitions are proscribed by law.
Furthermore, the use of motor caravans gives rise to major economic effects. It plays a part in the development of local tourism and fulfils a developmental role in spatial planning by opening up rural areas and allowing a spreading of tourist traffic, which is still highly concentrated in the summer period. | <urn:uuid:35446a0a-50e5-4ebe-87ca-8281b1658adb> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.trigano.fr/en/dvt_durable/dvt_durable.asp | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368704713110/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516114513-00030-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.947958 | 998 | 1.757813 | 2 |
car stereos & components?
Video: Tour of the Mobile Audio Listening Lab
We built our Mobile Audio Listening Lab so we could get hands on with various car audio gear — and then pass whatever we learn on to you. Our advisors can listen to various sets of speakers and establish their own opinion of what sounds great, so they can help you find a better match for your system. In short, the Labs have made us better at what we do — and now we’d like to take you behind the scenes.
For an in-depth description, check out our article on the Mobile Audio Listening Lab.
Hi. I'm Robert, and today I'm going to show you around the car audio portion of the Crutchfield Labs. We'll start with right here behind me, the speaker demo board. You'll see something like this in most car audio shops. Basically it allows us to listen to, in this case, up to six different sets of speakers at a time, and just with the flick of a button we can compare one set of speakers to another. They're all powered by independent channels of amplification provided by three JL Audio amplifiers. And when we want to add it in, we have similar amplification for the bass. So this really lets us compare apples to apples and speakers. You know, we can listen to a set and see how it sounds compared to other sets we're familiar with, and similar with subwoofers.
So that was our listening board where we can compare a lot of speakers at one time for casual listening. For critical listening, we have this station over here. It starts off with two acoustically dampened boxes that internally mimic the acoustic properties of a car door. The speakers are powered by a top of the line Focal amplifier and also an audiophile-quality Pioneer head unit. We sit back in a chair on the other side of the room, and then to switch back and forth we have this really handy thumb switch, so that as we're listening we can get into the music and push the button and it'll switch from one set to the other.
That was our speaker listening room. Out here is where we check out all the different head units. We can listen to them. We can see how the different touch screen interfaces work — pretty much all the functions of the stereo. We can check it out here and just get a feel for how each stereo works. Now over on this side, we have an area where we can do the same thing with single-DIN stereos, whether it's a CD receiver or a digital media receiver. We can compare different features. We can compare how they sound to one another. And in fact, in this board we can even compare different sizes of speaker from the same line, starting from the 4, 5 ¼, 6 ½, 6x9.
Then over on this workbench here, we have a box that we built for a road test we did a while back — you may have seen it, where we took five different navigation receivers out on the road specifically to compare the navigation capabilities of each one. Well, we built the box for that test, so now it's here in our lab. We can use it any other way we come up with.
So this is our installation bay. This is where we can bring the cars in and put the gear into the car for real, and then take it out into the real world and play with it. And really this is what the Crutchfield Labs is all about. It allows us to get hands-on with the gear, with the products, so that we can form expert opinions about what any given product can do, or what a line of speakers or amplifiers is going to be good at, and maybe not so good at, so our advisors can form expert opinions to tell a customer what's gonna work for that person given their situation. And that's what it's all about. So if you have any questions about any car audio gear give us a call. | <urn:uuid:96428d64-b699-4a2a-b923-02d28da010d8> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.crutchfield.com/S-YTftT9LAIzt/learn/video-tour-mobile-audio-listening-lab.html?pg=2&g=410 | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368709037764/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516125717-00000-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.955215 | 828 | 1.648438 | 2 |
Thanks to Ana for this awesome tutorial that really goes with my blog! ~ Megan
INTERMEDIATE TUTORIAL: Rainbow Candy Cane Nail Art
When Megan asked me to do a guest post, I immediately knew that this design belongs on her page! I originally completed this design for a nail art contest hosted by Tip Top Nails South Africa (and won, by the way.) I love this design so much because it reminds me of the rainbow candy canes you can buy at Disneyland. I could almost lick my fingers! :D You can see the winning design on my Facebook page because today's tutorial was just the first half of the final design! I used nail polish because it was a requirement of the contest. If I did this design again, I would do it with acrylic craft paint—it's much easier. Have Fun! ~Ana
STEP 1: Basecoat – to protect your nails and create a surface that nail polish bonds to STEP 2: 2 coats of your favorite white polish STEP 3: Using any color, create a stripe diagonally through the approximate middle of your nail. I started at the cuticle and rolled my finger toward me. This finished the line at the side of my nail. STEP 4: Continue making lines in your rainbow pattern down toward your cuticle. STEP 5: Then continue making rainbow lines on the other side, moving all the way to the tip of your nail. STEP 6: Topcoat – To seal in your design and give it a high gloss shine. Remember to topcoat the free edge and underside. This extends wear and reduces water absorption, which causes peeling and chipping
- To load the paint or polish on the long striping brush, drag the brush through the paint several times, while rotating the brush in your fingers. This way you will have enough on the brush to paint without reloading.
- Do not paint the stripes by dragging the brush across your nail. Instead, put your finger on a tabletop, place the brush on your nail and ROLL your fingernail under the brush. This will create a much straighter line. As you can see, mine were still a little curvy.
- Why do I start in the middle? This will help you keep your lines straighter. Just like when you're trying to write in a straight line on plain paper, a natural twist will happen. When you start in the middle, it minimizes the twist.
- I also used two different polishes for yellow and orange. The first coat was pale and didn't have much pizazz. Since all the other colors were shimmers, I repainted over the yellow and orange stripes with a shimmer to make the design pop. It took me 90 minutes to do one hand! This is why I recommend using acrylic paint for a full nail design. It won't have the shimmer, but it will be much easier and still be beautiful.
- If you do chose to use nail polish for the stripes, I would recommend just doing one rainbow, in a diagonal at the tips of your nails. I would also recommend starting at your nail tip and moving toward the center.
Striping Brush: The longest brush from the Mash Nail Art brush set. (Available on Amazon.) I trimmed a few of the bristles off to make the brush thinner. Base: Sally Hansen Hard As Nails - White Tip Red: Nicole by OPI - OMB! Orange: Orly - Crush On You / LA Colors Color Craze Orange (from the Shimmer Brights collection) Yellow: LA Colors Color Craze Yellow #567 / LA Colors Color Craze Yellow Shimmer #570 Green: Wet n Wild FastDry - SaGreena the Teenage Witch #226 Teal: Wet n Wild FastDry - Teal or No Teal #227 Blue: Wet n Wild FastDry - Saved by the Blue #230 Violet: Wet n Wild FastDry - Buffy the Violet Slater #231 Note: this polish stains—as I found out upon removal :( Thanks so much to Megan for inviting me to guest post for her while she's on her honeymoon! We appreciate you stopping by! Please feel free to visit me (Ana at www.SimpleNailArtTips.com) on Facebook and ask me any questions. Have an amazing day!Will you be trying this design? | <urn:uuid:2172fb39-e868-4795-aa40-84c2d39538b0> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://paintingrainbowsblog.blogspot.com/2012/07/guest-post-rainbow-stripes-tutorial.html | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368698924319/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516100844-00011-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.931263 | 896 | 1.601563 | 2 |
The Alliance for Health Reform hosted a discussion on chronic conditions and technology as contributing factors to the rise of healthcare costs.
The briefing took a look at the drivers of cost increases, both for insurance providers and the government through Medicare and Medicaid, but also for consumers of health care, who are spending more out-of-pocket for health care due to rising premiums and co-pays, as well as an increasing number of chronic conditions and expensive treatments.
According to the group, the Allicance is a nonpartisan, nonprofit group that does not lobby or take positions on legislation. "Our underlying goal -- from our origin and into the future -- is affordable, quality health care and long-term care for all Americans."
Ed Howard, head of the Alliance for Health Reform, delivered the welcoming remarks, followed by two panels of experts. | <urn:uuid:0237443e-8c13-4b13-ac3c-b7bd95600c73> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.c-span.org/Events/C-SPAN-Event/10737431047/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368704392896/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516113952-00015-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.963106 | 169 | 1.78125 | 2 |
Squeak as Linux and other threads
sql.mawi at t-link.de
Thu May 22 16:16:14 UTC 2003
Stephen Pair wrote:
>>The problem is that you are not the author of A and B. You can't
>>find out that easy if A and B are satisfied with a larger range of
>>versions of C too.
>Most of the time, neither can the author of A or B since they are not
>necessarily the authors of C.
They can do it better than you, because they know package C better
than you and they are following its evolution more closely than you.
>>Second problem: Everyone who wants to load A and B must write your
>>added config, it is more efficient to do this only once.
>It's only necessary to write the config if your config tools force
>you to write it. A configuration can be created by simply
>"snapshotting" the packages that you have loaded in a given image.
I stand by this too. Either there are 'configs' with ALL possible
versions of a prerequisite ( e.g. declared with ranges ), or there are
FEWER possible versions meaning there are large gaps and many people
will have to fill these gaps on their own. This means many will do
what could have been done only once.
>>With this 'added config' you are only doing something afterwards (
>>perhaps multiple times in perhaps different scenarios ) which could
>>be done beforehand once by the one who could do it best - the author
>>of a package.
>No it can't. The author of a package has absolutely no way of
>knowing whether a prereq of "PackageC >1.0" will actually work...that
>is, unless they have the ability to see into the future. ;) Thus,
>such a pre-req specification is not only inaccurate, but it's also
Sorry, but it can, for instance with 1.0<=version<=2.0.
Even if you use an 'openend' range like version>=1.0 where sometimes a
disharmony may occur you may be better off than with your system,
where you have to test _often_ if something 'officially not allowed'
works and where you will have such failures too.
But you are right these 'openend' ranges should be used careful, and
should be taken care of - especially if a higher version arrives :)
More information about the Squeak-dev | <urn:uuid:845b0490-cdeb-49ba-b3b2-2cdf138903ad> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://lists.squeakfoundation.org/pipermail/squeak-dev/2003-May/058620.html | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368705195219/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516115315-00013-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.944583 | 538 | 1.726563 | 2 |
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