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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: January 29, 2009
CONTACT: Austin Guest, [email protected] , 212.680-3116 x 110
AMIDST BUDGET WOES, NEW STUDY POINTS TO SAVINGS FROM COMPREHENSIVE HEALTH CARE REFORM
WA plans could save state and its residents billions while extending coverage to all; similar proposals moving across country
Olympia, WA — At a hearing today of the Washington State Senate Health and Long Term Care Committee, the actuarial firm Mathematica Policy Research will present a new study showing that Washington state could cut health care costs from $300 million to $800 million and boost economic activity anywhere between $370 million to $1.6 billion from a range of comprehensive health care reform initiatives proposed last year by state lawmakers.
Set against the backdrop of devastating budget shortfalls in states and households across the country, the report bolsters the case for national and state health care reform playing a central role in ongoing economic recovery efforts.
According to Adam Thompson, the Senior Health Care Policy Specialist with Progressive States Network, a national network of legislators and advocates promoting progressive state-level policies, “With the economy in the state that it’s in, you hear a lot of people complaining that we can’t afford to do comprehensive health care reform. What this study clearly shows is that we can’t afford not to.”
Washington is one of a growing number of states looking at comprehensive health care reform as a way to achieve savings and boost economic activity. In 2007, a study by the Lewin Group found that Healthy Wisconsin, a comprehensive health care plan sponsored by Wisconsin State Senator Jon Erpenbach would save the state $13.8 billion in annual health care expenditures. A similar partnership-style bill, the New York Health Plan, was recently introduced in New York by Assemblymember Richard Gottfried and is expected to achieve similar savings.
While these comprehensive models are drawing increasing attention, they are just one of a host of innovative and cost-saving plans that are moving at the state level. State activity is helping to show the way for national reform.
“In Washington DC, national health care reform is back on the agenda not just because it’s the right thing to do, but because it saves badly needed money,” said Thompson. “As the federal government moves to mend the broken economy, it must also move to fix the broken health care system. The states, in turn, must put bold plans in place so that they’re ready once help arrives.”
The Mathematica report is the result of 2008 legislation calling for a study to analyze the comparative savings of five different reform packages. One plan that fares particularly well in the study is the Washington Health Partnership, which would generate $1.6 billion in new economic activity and save state taxpayers $330 million in spending while reducing employer health care expenditures by $2.35 billion and family out-of-pocket spending by $1.03 billion.
The Partnership, a proposal by Senate Health and Long Term Care Committee Chair Karen Keiser, would create a public-private purchasing pool in which consumers could choose from a range of providers and private insurance plans - achieving health care for all residents and administrative efficiency while enhancing health care choice. | <urn:uuid:c433f1cb-4e5e-4b39-b557-8e15ede6bc96> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.progressivestates.org/print/22636 | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368709037764/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516125717-00007-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.934148 | 688 | 1.546875 | 2 |
WALTHAM researcher Dr Adrian Hewson-Hughes was invited to speak at the recent American Society of Animal Sciences conference in Phoenix, Arizona, 15-19 July 2012.
His presentation, entitled “New findings in the obligate carnivore-omnivore debate: Regulation of macronutrient intake in cats and dogs,” highlighted research into the instinctive feeding behaviour of cats and dogs carried out by the nutrition and metabolism team at WALTHAM. “WALTHAM is at the forefront of research in this area of pet nutrition” said Dr Hewson-Hughes. “I feel very proud that I had the opportunity to talk about this groundbreaking WALTHAM science to a group of animal science experts.”
The research in cats was published last year in the Journal of Experimental Biology and the findings in dogs have recently been accepted for publication in Behavioral Ecology. | <urn:uuid:93c20942-3077-4927-b1fe-a91eecfc607e> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.waltham.com/news/news-1.shtml | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368710006682/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516131326-00033-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.946054 | 183 | 1.609375 | 2 |
The LAC du DER area invites you to undertake an unusual journey through a delightful part of the Champagne region, to the edge of a splendid lake, nestling in a wonderful lush setting. 4,800 hectares, and a 77 km shoreline. Everything here is impressive and beautiful.
Tourism for all seasons
As soon as the fine days of summer arrive, brightly-coloured sails can be seen, bobbing across the waters of the lake. The summer heat brings with it swimming and sunbathing enthusiasts, who come to enjoy any one of the Lac du Der's six beaches with their visitor amenities.
As they relax, motorboats and water-skiers put on a display on the 600 hectares of lake specially set aside for them.
When the light begins to take on the colours of autumn, anglers launch their boats and set out to fish for pike, carp, perch or roach.
As winter sets in, the lake takes on the appearance of an estuary at low tide. Visitors see a very different scene at this time of year.
This season is above all the time for watching the migrating birds. More than 270 species have been seen on the Der, some of them rare and endangered. Every year, over 250,000 birdwatchers make their way here to watch nature's great performance. | <urn:uuid:b529b987-0457-4401-9ab2-4fa73203a965> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.paris-vatry.fr/z4861e1_uk-Lac-du-Der.aspx?Param%2FbpIdTheme=2347&Globales%2FbpListeIdFournisseur=25481 | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368698924319/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516100844-00006-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.933519 | 274 | 1.632813 | 2 |
More California Theft Crimes information
Theft Attorneys Explain
California PC 484 – Theft Crimes
What are Theft Crimes under California Law?
Under California Penal Code 484 PC, it is illegal to take someone else’s property with the intent to keep it permanently. Our theft attorneys at Wallin & Klarich explain the four types of theft crimes in California that can result in criminal liability under PC 484:
- Theft crimes by larceny
- Theft crimes by false pretense
- Theft crimes by trick and
- Theft crimes by embezzlement
The theft offense committed will be classified as either theft by larceny, false pretense, trick or embezzlement based on the way in which the property was acquired. However, the four types of offenses are charged as theft crimes under California Penal Code section 488. Therefore, the prosecution only needs to prove that you committed at least one of these prohibited acts in order to convict you of theft. The property protected by this section includes real and personal property, money and services. Speak to an experienced theft attorney at Wallin & Klarich today for more information.
Under California Penal Code section 484, any person who feloniously steals, takes, carries, leads or drives away the personal property of another is guilty of theft by larceny. In order to convict you of this theft offense, the prosecution must prove the following:
- You took possession of property owned by someone else AND
- You took the property without the owner’s consent AND
- When you took the property, you intended to deprive the owner permanently of the object or to remove it from the owner’s possession for so extended a period of time that the owner would be deprived of a major portion of the value or enjoyment of the property AND
- You moved the property, even a small distance, and kept it for any period of time, however brief
Under California Penal Code section 484, any person who knowingly and designedly, by any false or fraudulent representation or pretense, defrauds another to obtain title to money, labor, or real personal property is guilty of theft by false pretense. In order to convict you of this offense, the prosecution must prove the following:
1. You knowingly and intentionally deceived a property owner by false or fraudulent representation or pretense AND
2. You did so intending to persuade the owner to let you take possession and ownership of the property AND
3. The owner let you take possession and ownership of the property because the owner relied on the representation of pretense
Under California Penal Code section 484, any person who uses fraud or deceit to obtain possession of money, labor, or real personal property is guilty of theft by trick. In order to convict you of this theft crime in California, the prosecution must prove the following:
- You obtained property you knew was owned by someone else AND
- The property owner consented to your possession of the property because you used fraud or deceit AND
- When you obtained the property, you intended to deprive the owner permanently of the property or to remove it from the owner’s possession for so extended a period of time that the owner would be deprived of a major portion of the value or enjoyment of the property AND
- You kept the property for any length of time AND
- The owner did not intend to transfer ownership of the property
Under California Penal Code section 484, any person who fraudulently appropriates property which has been entrusted to him or her is guilty of theft by embezzlement. In order to convict you of this offense, the prosecution must prove the following:
- An owner of property (or the owner’s agent) entrusted his or her property to you AND
- The owner (or the owner’s agent) did so because he or she trusted you AND
- You fraudulently converted or used that property for your own benefit AND
- When you converted or used the property, you intended to deprive the owner of its use
Theft crimes are charged as either grand theft or petty theft depending upon the value and character of the item taken. Under California Penal Code section 487, your theft offense will be charged as grand theft if the value of money, labor, or real or personal property taken exceeds $950. The property’s value is determined by its present market value at the time of the offense (when it was taken). The offense will also be charged as grand theft if the character of the property falls within a prohibited category, regardless of its value at the time it was taken. You will be charged with grand theft if the type property taken is a firearm, a farm animal, automobile or if the property is taken from the person of another. All other theft crimes where the value of the property does not exceed $950 or the property does not fall within a prohibited category will be charged as petty theft. Speak to an experienced theft attorney at Wallin & Klarich to receive immediate assistance and answers to all your questions pertinent to the specific facts of your theft case.
Theft crimes sentencing and punishment
The punishment and sentencing for theft crimes is determined by whether the offense is charged as grand theft or petty theft under California Penal Code sections 487 and 488. Grand theft is considered a “wobbler” in California, which means it can be charged as either a felony or misdemeanor depending on the circumstances of your case and your previous criminal history. If you are convicted of misdemeanor grand theft, you face up to a year in county jail and a maximum fine of $1,000. If you are convicted of felony grand theft, you face a sentence of 16 months, two or three years in county jail and maximum fine of $10,000. In addition, there are several enhancements that increase your punishment beyond this range. If you are convicted of petty theft, you face up to six months in county jail and a maximum fine of $1,000.
To help you understand the various aspects of theft charge, our theft attorneys at Wallin & Klarich have provided answers to some of the most commonly asked questions in our FAQ section. There, you can find answers to questions such as:
What is the difference between theft by false pretenses and theft by trick?
What if I thought the item I took actually belonged to me?
Can I still be charged with theft even if I returned the property to the owner?
Where can I find the most experienced California theft lawyers?
If you are confronted with accusations of theft crimes in California, it is essential that you contact criminal defense lawyers who are experienced with theft crime cases. With offices in Orange County, Riverside, San Bernardino, San Diego, Los Angeles, Ventura, Victorville and West Covina, our theft attorneys have successfully represented clients facing theft charges for over 30 years. We have the knowledge and the know-how to win your case.
Let us help you today. Call 1(877) 4-NO-JAIL (466-5245) or fill out our confidential form. We will be there when you call. | <urn:uuid:9c001e93-0fe1-4f52-b952-244858c6c55d> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.wklaw.com/areas-theft.html | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368697380733/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516094300-00035-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.94327 | 1,457 | 1.515625 | 2 |
There’s been a bit of confusion on the part of everyone from the highest ranked “who is not to be named” official working for a manufacturer to the lowliest developer of apps and writer of posts on what it means for a company to have their product “licensed” with Google. One of the more popular ideas is that for a manufacturer to release a product with Android mobile OS working on it, they MUST go through Google to have it licensed and approved. This thought process lead to a rather large firestorm of fear that Android was going “closed-source.” You can read all about that nightmare in a column called Android Remains Open, Android Remains Powerful, or you can continue on below to know the truth behind licensing.
What licensing means for manufacturers is gaining access to the Android Market, and nothing more. If a manufacturer wishes to create a product that works on Android but they do not want it to have the Android Marketplace as well, they’re free to do whatever they wish, no holds barred. This is why Android remains as open source as the day it was conceived.
That’s all I’ve really got to say, and I could end the article right here, but let’s explore this a bit further: why would a group want to go through Google to gain access to the Android Marketplace? Because up until now, when other app markets are springing up with heavy potential, (Amazon’s new app market rings a bell,) the Android Market was a HUGE selling point for this manufacturers trying to get carried by stores and mobile carriers. This is, as Ben Bajarin says in this article on SlashGear very possibly all about to change with the advent of this app market spread.
What’s happening now is that Google is thinking of ways to keep manufacturers interested in their app market, and are therefor tightening the reigns on what manufacturers are allowed to do with Android if they want access – is this the wrong direction? They’re Google, they might very well know what they’re doing, who knows?
Another note to keep in mind is that in the process of being approved for the Android Market, a manufacturer must join the OHA, aka the Open Handset Alliance. This is a group of technology and mobile companies “who have come together to accelerate innovation in mobile and offer consumers a richer, less expensive, and better mobile experience. Together we have developed Android™, the first complete, open, and free mobile platform.” You can find out more about them on their homepage or our dedicated forum.
You may be asking if there are hardware companies that don’t bother with the Android Market at all, skipping the Google approval process. There’s quite a few, actually, many of them sitting healthfully over in China and Taiwan. Take a peek around large areas in the “Eastern” part of the world and you’ll find a giant lack of Android Market going on, and cheap tablets and cellphones galore. Again, with the Amazon app market ramping up specifically, we’re banking on a changed game right quick. | <urn:uuid:af410b27-e276-45c7-b6e5-dc345f580278> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://androidcommunity.com/android-community-101-android-licensing-20110404/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368696383156/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516092623-00042-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.965161 | 654 | 1.632813 | 2 |
Phil Clark of Building Design asks Why bother specifying a green roof when it adds extra costs, consultants, hassle and work? This attitude seems common when it comes to deciding whether to add vegetation to your scheme’s structure. And in the credit crunch, any part of a project that could be considered an added expense is likely to be first for the chop. So does this spell a decline for the green roof, which has emerged as a significant sustainable design addition in the past few years?
Read more @ the SOURCE: Building Design(bdonline.co.uk) – Don’t let green roofs be victims of the crunch – | <urn:uuid:adc5a487-0832-4887-83cf-fd00bb0ab663> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://worldlandscapearchitect.com/dont-let-green-roofs-be-victims-of-the-crunch-building-design/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368699881956/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516102441-00017-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.94474 | 131 | 1.742188 | 2 |
|<< Revelation 12 >>|
Darby Bible Translation
The Woman and the Dragon
1And a great sign was seen in the heaven: a woman clothed with the sun, and the moon under her feet, and upon her head a crown of twelve stars;
2and being with child she cried, being in travail, and in pain to bring forth.
3And another sign was seen in the heaven: and behold, a great red dragon, having seven heads and ten horns, and on his heads seven diadems;
4and his tail draws the third part of the stars of the heaven; and he cast them to the earth. And the dragon stood before the woman who was about to bring forth, in order that when she brought forth he might devour her child.
5And she brought forth a male son, who shall shepherd all the nations with an iron rod; and her child was caught up to God and to his throne.
6And the woman fled into the wilderness, where she has there a place prepared of God, that they should nourish her there a thousand two hundred and sixty days.
The War in Heaven
7And there was war in the heaven: Michael and his angels went to war with the dragon. And the dragon fought, and his angels;
8and he prevailed not, nor was their place found any more in the heaven.
9And the great dragon was cast out, the ancient serpent, he who is called Devil and Satan, he who deceives the whole habitable world, he was cast out into the earth, and his angels were cast out with him.
10And I heard a great voice in the heaven saying, Now is come the salvation and the power and the kingdom of our God, and the authority of his Christ; for the accuser of our brethren has been cast out, who accused them before our God day and night:
11and they have overcome him by reason of the blood of the Lamb, and by reason of the word of their testimony, and have not loved their life even unto death.
12Therefore be full of delight, ye heavens, and ye that dwell in them. Woe to the earth and to the sea, because the devil has come down to you, having great rage, knowing he has a short time.
The Dragon Persecutes the Woman
13And when the dragon saw that he had been cast out into the earth, he persecuted the woman which bore the male child.
14And there were given to the woman the two wings of the great eagle, that she might fly into the desert into her place, where she is nourished there a time, and times, and half a time, from the face of the serpent.
15And the serpent cast out of his mouth behind the woman water as a river, that he might make her be as one carried away by a river.
16And the earth helped the woman, and the earth opened its mouth and swallowed the river which the dragon cast out of his mouth.
17And the dragon was angry with the woman, and went to make war with the remnant of her seed, who keep the commandments of God, and have the testimony of Jesus. | <urn:uuid:8b0ad479-8953-4659-aba1-7b213389a6bd> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://biblehub.com/dbt/revelation/12.htm | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368707435344/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516123035-00001-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.985087 | 656 | 1.726563 | 2 |
One of my favorite lines from Clint Eastwood’s Dirty Harry movies was, “Man’s got to know his limitations.” This implies a person can get in trouble if he tries to go beyond his scope of expertise. For example, I have a good idea of how to structure and organize things in business, but I’m a lousy electrician and plumber, which is why I tend to leave such tasks to others as I can only do a mediocre job of them at best. Maybe it’s a left-brain, right-brain kind of thing, but I think it’s important we understand our strengths and weaknesses and live our lives accordingly.
It disturbs me though when I see someone who obviously does not grasp his limitations and tries to be something he is not, and you see a lot of this in all walks of life, both personally and professionally. For example, we’ve all seen people who have risen above their level of competency at work and end up screwing things up not only for themselves, but for others around him as well. There is nothing wrong with aspiring to rise above our station in life, but we have to be smart enough to know our limitations.
Some people refuse to acknowledge this and, instead, create a facade about them to act as a smoke screen to blur the truth about themselves. As a small example, men who lose hair will wear wigs or get hair transplants in order to look younger and more virile, not just to attract the opposite sex but to project a certain image at work. Hair coloring, breast augmentation, face lifts, and other cosmetic surgery is done more for facade than anything else, they certainly do not make you smarter or enrich your business skills. You are what you are, and sooner or later people will wise up to you. Facade only delays the inevitable discovery, which might just be enough time to accomplish your objective and move along to the next one. Nonetheless, people who rely on facade possess a deep-seated embarrassment about themselves and probably suffer from an inferiority complex.
Age alone doesn’t imbue us with any supplemental skills either, only education, training or experience does. Seniority is meaningless if the person has not enhanced their skill set. Yet, we often see people promoted at work simply because of age, not expertise. Age does not necessarily mean entitlement.
I may be far from perfect but I believe I know what my strengths and weaknesses are and have no problem walking around in my skin. It is beyond me how people not in touch with their limitations do it. Then again, maybe they know their limitations too well and draw upon facade to mask them. Somehow, Lincoln’s observation comes to mind, “You can fool some of the people all of the time, and all of the people some of the time, but you can not fool all of the people all of the time.”
In other words, I know a lot of people who could use a dose of humility.
Such is my Pet Peeve of the Week.
Keep the Faith!
Note: All trademarks both marked and unmarked belong to their respective companies.
Tim Bryce is the Managing Director of M. Bryce & Associates (MBA) of Palm Harbor, Florida and has over 30 years of experience in the management consulting field. He can be reached at [email protected]
For Tim’s columns, see:
Tune into Tim’s new podcast, “The Voice of Palm Harbor,” at:
Copyright © 2009 by Tim Bryce. All rights reserved. | <urn:uuid:77433ed5-538c-4607-aec2-e74d38698b71> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://timbryce.com/2009/12/04/limitations/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368705953421/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516120553-00003-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.967383 | 749 | 1.609375 | 2 |
After a Federal Trade Commission (FTC) review into whether Google snafued its launch of Buzz, a Gmail social media tool, the internet search giant apologized to its users and settled with the FTC yesterday.
Google plunged into the social network waters in February last year with Buzz, which was designed to stream external feeds like Twitter and Google Reader. It also allowed users to create public or private posts that the Buzz network could comment upon.
Gmail users were led to believe that they could choose whether to participate in Buzz, but soon discovered they were unable to opt out. Users also lodged thousands of complaints regarding the difficulty in controlling what information was shared on Buzz.
Not only did these settings breach Google's own privacy assurances to its users, the FTC say it violates its Act.
Google responded by tightening its settings, making the contacts private by default, but it was too late.
The FTC reported in their press release:
Google Inc. has agreed to settle Federal Trade Commission charges that it used deceptive tactics and violated its own privacy promises to consumers when it launched its social network, Google Buzz, in 2010. The agency alleges the practices violate the FTC Act.
As a results of this review, Google have agreed to implement a comprehensive privacy program that includes privacy and data protection audits by an independent third party every two years for the next 20 years. This is the first company to be asked to implement such a program by the FTC.
Google published this apology on its blog yesterday:
Now, I rather like this statement from Google. It apologises for its actions. Many companies pass the buck or don't own up when they screw up. Good for them.
But this isn't the first time Google have been embroiled in a privacy debate around Buzz. In November last year, the internet kings faced an
£8.5 million lawsuit. | <urn:uuid:32a0e31c-d4f7-4333-bbfa-930965d2b01c> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://nakedsecurity.sophos.com/2011/03/31/google-apologises-for-buzz-privacy-issues/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368698207393/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516095647-00013-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.971349 | 375 | 1.765625 | 2 |
THE EUROPEAN MONKEY, or White Ape, part of the subfamily Coccerpithecinae, are found throughout Europe. Five species of Euro-primates are commonly recognized, although there is some disagreement about whether they are really full species or subspecies. They are Major. Arsus (southern Europe), F.Uchingdeebags (found in the far eastern regions), H. Amardalways (found in Northern Europe), U. Twats (Great Britain, Ireland) and C. Entralprich (found in central Europe). They range in size and weight depending on species and their diet is relatively carbohydrate-rich. Although many are distinguished by frequent unemployment, limited education, limited desire to travel and a feverish passion for repressive government, many can also be found in higher altitude corporate boardrooms and national assemblies. They show a distinct fear of homo sapiens, particularly those with high levels of melanin or Judaism, and hostile behavior is frequently exhibited towards these groups. They travel in packs. They keep their hair short. The love footballfutbolsoccer and they speak the same language: a mono-syllabic grunt known simply as a “monkey chant.”
The most recent sighting of White Apes was at a practice pitch in Poland where Dutch players were the subject of “monkey chants” during their practice before the losing match against Denmark. Officials also spotted the European primates at the tournament opener featuring Russia and the Czech Republic where monkey chants were heard as Czech defender Theodor Gebre Selassie was taking a corner kick. Although Italian forward Mario Balotelli has threatened to leave the field if racially abused — an act of protest that would cost him a yellow card — the Czech defender said it would take more than rocks being hurled at him by racist fans to make him leave the field.
Russia’s football federation was charged by UEFA for the attack and hospitalization of four stewards in Wroclaw stadium in Poland by White Apes of Russia after the 4-1 victory over the Czechs. It’s on YouTube if you’re into that sort of thing.
Out of the Jungle and on the Field
Italy vs. Spain
Google “italy+spain+euro 2012” with a “past 24 hours” filter and you’ll get 11,400,000 hits. Go there for analysis.
It was a tie game. Both teams proved they were good. At the same time.
Ireland vs. Croatia
Both teams ended their previously held streaks as Ireland went down to the referees once again. Ireland might do better to change their name to the Republic of Roger, since it’s a sound rogering they get from officials in international competition. Remember that hand ball in the World Cup qualifier against France? No? Ireland does. They might also remember a missed offside call that led to Croatia’s game winning goal and a foul on captain Robbie Keane in the penalty area in the second half. Two game changers. Ireland has evidently taken half their squad from the national rugby team. I’ve seen smaller houses than some of these Irish players.
The Barnstormer bank card is still operational, though I was not able to extract the maximum. I suspect there may be a limit to Michelle’s tolerance of my European spending habits. I will take in tonight’s game at the neighbourhood ping pong park where a big screen and 3 Euro steaks have been made available. God bless ping pong, and 3 Euro steaks.
Day 4 Previews
Ukraine vs. Sweden
Ukraine will play Sweden. The colours of both teams are yellow and blue so it’s a home game for Sweden too.
England vs. France
This one is hotly anticipated. No pressure on England who lately have been taking consistent shits in their own bed in international competitions. They have firepower, but men with great firepower under intense pressure are known to shoot themselves in the foot. Or worse. Their Italian stepfather, Fabio Capello, left the family in February, but now their real dad, Roy Hodgson, is home.
France, coming off their karmically inspired meltdown from the World Cup (see: hand ball against Ireland in WC qualifier), have a handsome streak of 21 unbeaten games and 9 goals in their last three going into this match. They’ve been sticking it to England for a thousand years. Why should they stop now? | <urn:uuid:7a2f6756-6a86-423e-954f-2eaed1b4952b> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://thebarnstormer.com/euro-2012-day-3-the-white-apes-of-europe/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368700264179/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516103104-00001-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.969955 | 927 | 1.765625 | 2 |
TALLAHASSEE, Fla. (AP) -- Financial penalties would be reduced for school districts that violate Florida's class size limits under a bill moving in the Legislature.
A House education subcommittee approved the measure (HB 189) on Wednesday.
A 2002 state constitutional amendment limits classes in core subjects to 18 students in kindergarten through third grade, 22 in fourth through eighth grade and 25 in high school.
The state now penalizes districts for every class over those limits. The bill would impose penalties only if a school's average class size violates the limits.
That's the way the penalties were applied during a phase-in period from 2006 through 2010.
Statewide penalties totaled only $267,000 in the last year of school average penalties. Since then they've ranged from $10 million last year to $5.8 million this year.
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|Take a break!
Classic Pacman, Frogger, Asteroids and more.
Sell almost anything locally. | <urn:uuid:b723fb14-9096-4c72-90c2-52c95e09166c> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.wtvy.com/news/headlines/Bill-Would-Reduce-Florida-Class-Size-Penalties-192107051.html | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368705559639/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516115919-00031-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.932338 | 226 | 1.679688 | 2 |
McKinsey: Adopt the cloud, lose money
Virtualize your datacenter instead
The logic - as ever with crowd-based movements - is self-evident: cloud computing will save you money because you will no longer need to own your own servers.
As ever with the wisdom of crowds, the truth isn't quite what it seems.
Sure, you no longer need to buy or run those servers, but along with the cloud comes a whole new bunch of issues that add cost.
First, there'll be the differing levels of service that mean that basic, entry-level pennies on the computing hour or annual subscription do not apply to customers that want guaranteed availability.
It's a cost stratification similar to getting a cell phone on contract. You end up paying far more to the service provider than the device - in the case of cloud computing, the server - would have been worth over time.
And then there's the ongoing cost of having to manage that relationship with the service provider, of re-architecting your applications or building new ones for the cloud, of moving your applications and data if you change suppliers or if your chosen supplier goes tits-up or - if you're really stuck and can't move and get lumbered with a new supplier like Oracle - having to swallow massive price hikes.
Step up consultant McKinsey & Co.
A company employers have an alarming habit of taking very seriously, McKinsey & Co has issued a report that says touted savings associated with cloud computing not only don't exist, but that you'll lose money.
Outsourcing a typical corporate data center to the cloud would more than double the cost, the consultant has reportedly said. McKinsey based its findings on Amazon's popular Web Services, saying the total cost of the data-center functions would be $366 a month per unit of computing output compared with $150 a month for the conventional data center.
Furthermore, McKinsey said, those touted labor savings have also been exaggerated. Software is still software, and putting it on a cloud does not mean you can finally get away from those tedious old tasks of providing support for the software during its life cycle and its end users.
Rather than move to the cloud, McKinsey has advised organizations to streamline their existing data-center operations through the introduction of server virtualization.
McKinsey said server utilization can be boosted to 18 per cent using virtualization - up from today's 10 percent. It's even possible to hit 35 per cent.
I guess that's where the McKinsey suits step in to tell you how to hit these numbers.
Companies would do well to pay head to McKinsey as they go forth and evangelize the placebo that is the cloud. It's going to cost customers more over the long run, not less, and it's going to increase the amount of work and logistical challenges when it comes to managing data centers because now they are in the hands of an external supplier.
Sun Microsystems in particular, now talking up cloud computing as a last-ditch effort for making money on open-source, should pay special attention, given that its chief executive is a McKinsey alumnus. ® | <urn:uuid:3cf40f0a-67e5-448d-b8f9-92a437937bff> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.theregister.co.uk/2009/04/15/mckinsey_cloud_report/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368702810651/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516111330-00010-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.956663 | 652 | 1.515625 | 2 |
There's Trouble. Right here in River City. With a capital "T," that rhymes with "P," that stands for "Pool."
That little refrain is the beginning of Harold Hill's sales pitch to the people of River City, Iowa, in the musical The Music Man. The spiel, designed to sell band instruments and uniforms, works better than Hill could expect. Even he falls under its spell.
The romance of the pitch is also, in a way, the romance of the show, which is the opening production for the Augusta Opera Company's 30th season. Performances begin Wednesday at the Imperial Theatre.
Hill is a slicker who travels the countryside, getting people in small towns worked up about some problem and then offering to solve it by starting a marching band. He tells them about the big parades they'll have, and how tall their boys will be walking. And then he sells them all the instruments and uniforms.
To the town's lonely piano teacher, Marian, he's also selling romance. Marian is the only person who might notice that Hill knows nothing about music, so he needs to distract her.
Marian, a librarian, is at first immune to his charms. She suspects he's a phony, and with a little research discovers she's right.
But she sees how Hill has excited people, especially her moping brother. She notices, also, how happy she's become with the man in her life, even though she's been told Hill courts the piano teacher in every town he scams. She decides to let Hill keep scamming the town and herself, knowing he'll leave as soon as he collects his money.
When Marian tells Hill she knows the truth, she doesn't confront him or beg him to stay. She tells him to go.
Susan Powell, who plays Marian, said that farewell speech is one of several moments in the story that make her cry. In a funny way, it recalls a moony 1960s slogan.
"If you love something, set it free..." Ms. Powell started.
"...If it comes back, it's yours forever," finished a laughing Michael DeVries, who plays Hill.
Meredith Wilson's The Music Man is filled with big dance numbers and familiar songs, such as Till There Was You, the aforementioned Ya Got Trouble, Seventy-Six Trombones and Good Night, Ladies. The musical is most popularly known through the 1962 film version, which starred Robert Preston, Shirley Jones and a young Ron Howard as the moping brother.
Ms. Powell, Miss America of 1981, has appeared in Augusta Opera productions of Oklahoma and a Cole Porter revue. Mr. DeVries, a Broadway veteran, is making his first Augusta appearance. The cast includes many local performers, including Matt Stovall and Barbara Feldman.
In a show such as The Music Man, set in a small town, having a local ensemble is ideal, Ms. Powell said. When everyone is from the same place, it gives the interaction among townspeople more authenticity.
The musical, which is set in 1912, was first staged in the 1950s. It hasn't become dated because Wilson originally designed it as a period piece, said Karen Azenberg, stage director. Its outlook was never realistic, but always nostalgic.
Ms. Azenberg has directed six other Augusta productions, including the two with Ms. Powell.
The Music Man isn't the sort of show that's going to change anyone's life, Ms. Azenberg said, but it can make you go "ooh" and laugh and maybe bring a tear to your eye.
"It sounds silly, but with all the talk about family entertainment, this is family entertainment," Ms. Azenberg said.
What: The Music Man
When: 8 p.m. Wednesday, Friday and Saturday; 2 p.m. Saturday; and 6 p.m. Sunday
Where: Imperial Theatre, 745 Broad St.
How much: $40, $35, $25 and $12. Students and patrons 60 and older can buy half-price tickets for 2 and 6 p.m. shows. | <urn:uuid:709508fe-d57d-42bb-9861-38665daa076f> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://chronicle.augusta.com/stories/1996/08/30/met_199357.shtml | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368697974692/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516095254-00010-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.975981 | 853 | 1.765625 | 2 |
Google will hire people to design, build and sell you a Nexus one, but after that you're on your own.
But the company's Android Market site is selling applications to users of smartphones running Google's mobile operating system Android has been known to allow malicious software to sneak through.
Google relies on users to flag applications that might be malicious, but of course, any malicious piece of software worth its salt wouldn't exactly broadcast that fact about itself.
Competitor Apple, on the other hand, won't release an application to the App Store until it has been approved by the company, which annoys application developers.
Google did move quickly to remove an application once it was notified that it was attempting to gain access to user's banking information. However, that doesn't necessarily instill confidence in potential customers of Google's Android-powered Nexus One.
Especially when you realize that if you are potentially having problems, you can't call Google about it -- instead, you'll have to email them and wait up to 48 hours for a response.
An executive for Google says that the company is working to shorten that window, it's unlikely that early adopters experiencing problems are likely to recommend Google-powered smartphones to their iPhone buying friends.
Jackson West wonders why Google won't at least outsource customer support to somebody who might hire real human beings. | <urn:uuid:fa56b8ed-8d0d-4e92-8cf4-8eebeff83cba> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.nbcnewyork.com/news/tech/Googles-Unwillingness-to-Hire-Humans-Could-Hurt-Phone-Business-jw-81780022.html | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368705195219/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516115315-00032-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.969418 | 274 | 1.539063 | 2 |
Story last updated at 11/2/2011 - 6:07 pm
The morning unfolds quietly while I carefully wade through frost-nipped weed beds that line the shallow edge of the lake. Masked by an angelic mist, silhouettes from across the lake struggle to take shape and form. Their faint figures, however, gradually develop into alders and spruce trees as the first bands of morning light crest the eastern horizon of Thunder Mountain now dusted with fresh November snow.
Suddenly, there's a thunderous splash off in the distance. Startled, I stop my wading and hastily begin surveying the water, my body now flushed with goose bumps. To the calming sight of a beaver, I exhale a sigh of relief then proceed with a short false cast towards the outlet of the lake.
My fingers are cold and wet, but I continue to cast. Each cast seems more laborious than the previous one. My fingers, now pink and almost numb, continue to burn as I slowly retrieve my marabou leech, crawling it through the water.
Then, without warning, there's a soft tap followed by a heavy thump at the end of my line. Instinctively, I strip and set quickly with my fly rod and suddenly there's a splash followed by a cartwheel of silver that erupts on the surface as a beautiful, speckled, fall-run cutthroat trout shatters the morning calm.
As the month of November slowly unfolds, fresh water sport fishing opportunities in Southeast Alaska become much more limiting. With the exception of a few select systems that receive late-season runs, river and stream fishing for silver salmon, once the primary quarry of sport fishers throughout Southeast Alaska for the past month and a half, is now an angling memory. Even Dolly Varden once ubiquitous in the summer seem to have vanished from their shadowed pools.
However, even during this seasonal lean period in Southeast, adventuresome sport anglers can still find and enjoy plenty of opportunities for late season angling relief in the form of still water fishing for fall-run cutthroat trout and hold over Dolly Varden in our numerous lakes and salt chucks.
Fly-fishing for still water cutthroat trout is a pleasant reprieve to river salmon fishing. The rods and general tackle are much lighter and most of the fishing takes place from canoes, prams, float tubes or gentle wading. The rods I choose when chasing fall-run cuttys or lake Dolly Varden are nine to ten foot six-weights. I prefer six-weight fly rods because they are light enough to still enjoy the tussle of a 12-inch fish, yet strong enough to push a tight loop through bitter fall winds mixed with rain and sometimes snow.
I also prefer a longer rod (9-1/2 to 10 feet) when fishing from a float tube or while sitting when fishing
from a canoe. This added length of the fly rod provides the angler a mechanical advantage when you're low in the water as it facilitates lifting large amounts of fly line off the water during extended casts.
As for fly lines, the ideal line for still water conditions is one that sinks slowly and places the fly one to three feet below the surface. I prefer a type 1, intermediate sink fly line, and I fish it slowly with deliberate two-to-three inch strips while pausing briefly in between each strip.
The flies I use are predominantly small, size 8, marabou Monroe-style leeches. The natural marabou moves freely in the soft water, undulating and pulsating, when slowly retrieved which I find crucial to enticing fall-run cuttys in cold, late-season conditions.
Sill water fishing in my opinion is the most under rated and least exploited segment of recreational sport fishing available in Southeast Alaska. Fishing lakes and salt-chucks offers an excellent alternative to early and late-season angling opportunities when local rivers and coastal streams are either void of salmon or when rivers are blown out of shape from heavy late-season rains.
In spite of these positive features, however, local fisheries management continue to ignore this vast potential and balk at community requests of reviving many of our still water systems into reliable recreational fisheries, particularly those that are readily accessible along our roadsides.
Fortunately, there are a few local organizations and chapters working cooperatively with community volunteer groups with an objective to change this. It is through their commitment and arduous work that recreational sport fishing enthusiasts in Southeast Alaska can enjoy peaceful solitude on many of our still water systems and many times encounter hot action for fall-run cutthroat trout and Dolly Varden. Good luck fishing and tight lines.
Rich Culver is a fly-fishing freelance writer and photographer. He can be reached at [email protected]. | <urn:uuid:323a8101-be32-4c50-ba60-d9b3df6cd03b> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.capitalcityweekly.com/stories/110211/out_908501275.shtml | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368701852492/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516105732-00013-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.944411 | 999 | 1.679688 | 2 |
Bradenton, FL, March 16, 2013 --(PR.com
)-- The Stroke Association of Florida has announced its Fourth Annual Victory Over Stroke event, scheduled for Thursday, March 21, 2013, 9 a.m. to 1 p.m., at H2U Blake Medical Center, 6670 Cortez Road W. in Bradenton, Florida.
Ana M. Guillermo, H2U Program Manager, will emcee the free event, which includes presentations from distinguished local speakers, free stroke risk health screenings and exhibitors. Breakfast snacks and lunch will be provided.
“The goal of Victory Over Stroke is to raise awareness about stroke symptoms and the critical need to call 911, what you can do to minimize your chance of having a stroke and how to be prepared in the event a major health crisis happens to your family,” said Holly Dykema, co-founder of the Stroke Association of Florida. The mission of the non-profit organization is to reduce the incidence and impact of stroke by educating the community about prevention, risks, signs and symptoms, and by providing resource referrals for stroke survivors and their caregivers.
Dykema founded the Stroke Association of Florida in June 2009, three years after her husband suffered a massive stroke, leaving him unable to speak in full sentences and paralyzed on the right side of his body. “Eighty percent of strokes can be prevented. People just need to know the simple steps they can take to reduce their personal risk for stroke and avoid this horrendous disabler,” Dykema said.
More than 800,000 Americans suffer from a stroke each year. It’s the number one cause of adult disability and the fourth leading cause of death in the United States. More women die of stroke each year than of breast cancer. In the United States, someone has a stroke every 45 seconds. Approximately 3,000 people a year in Manatee and Sarasota counties are among that number.
The speakers for the event are:
Dr. Joseph Pace, M.D.
Mary Ellen Bond, MS, RN, CNRN
Stroke Program Coordinator, Blake Medical Center
Weight Watchers Leader/Facilitator
John T. Griffin, Esq.
Attorney, Griffin & Griffin Attorneys and Counselors at Law
Co-Founder, Stroke Association of Florida
The program and screenings are free, although pre-registration is required. Please RSVP to (888) 359-3552. The Stroke Association of Florida can be reached at P.O. Box 25082, Sarasota, Florida 34277. Telephone: (941) 346-1122. For more information, please visit www.StrokeFL.org. | <urn:uuid:be1bb1d0-3e12-44cd-ba3a-3f401993b523> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.pr.com/press-release/479135 | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368705953421/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516120553-00001-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.933765 | 568 | 1.515625 | 2 |
As you prepare for your kitchen remodeling project, you'll have to face the inevitable.
Before you see the new cabinetry and floor and the large center island, you will be surrounded by dust, noise and construction debris. During part of the project, you will be living without a kitchen.
As the kitchen often is the hub of family activity, this can be a disconcerting experience.
There are ways to prepare, however, to make the project more manageable.
Talk with your contractor during the planning stages to determine how much functionality you can keep and for how long. If you are adding onto the room, you may be able to keep the kitchen working until the foundation and framing are finished on the addition.
As the workers get into electrical and plumbing work, however, the lights or water may be shut off for a few hours or days. Once they begin to rip out the cabinets, countertop and sink, the major work has begun. You may not have a functioning kitchen for a few weeks or longer.
Once you have a time line, plan your packing schedule. "For a kitchen project, empty everything out of the room," said Jack Zaruba, owner of BBC Construction in Batavia.
Pack pots, pans, spices, cookbooks, glasses and other items you will not use during the project. Make sure that you label the boxes for quick reference later. Put the boxes in a basement or garage so that they are away from the construction dust.
Put items you may use, such as plastic silverware, paper napkins, plates and cups, in a box that will stay near the kitchen. Include any lists of important telephone numbers that usually are kept in the kitchen.
The kitchen should be clear of household items before the workers start the kitchen project. This will help prevent breakage and allow the workers to focus on their jobs, without worrying about moving plants, step stools and books. Also, take down pictures from walls that abut the kitchen in case any demolition causes the walls to shake, Zaruba said.
Then decide how you want to approach meal planning. Many homeowners consider a kitchen remodeling project a good excuse to eat out every night. Since remodeling can be stressful, this provides a welcome respite from looking at the exposed wall studs and boxes of plumbing supplies.
This approach can be expensive and is not as realistic for those with small children, however. Also, you may tire of going to restaurants and eating take-out food.
Regardless of how much time you will spend at home, you will need some sort of makeshift kitchen. Often the contractor will move the refrigerator into a nearby room, such as the dining room or family room. You'll also want to keep a coffeemaker and related supplies nearby.
Take some time before your old kitchen disappears to make meals that can be frozen. Or, stock up on frozen meals from the grocery store. Also move the microwave oven to the temporary kitchen for help with reheating food. In warmer weather, an outdoor grill can be a big help.
As you prepare to use the temporary kitchen, remember to keep some old rugs and towels in a box nearby. Use the rugs to cover the wood floor in the dining room or the cream colored rug in the family room. This will protect your floors from the dust and dirt that is tracked through the house.
Also ask the contractor to seal off parts of the kitchen with heavy plastic during the demolition work and during other times when dust will be released.
If you are buying your own appliances and arranging for their delivery, schedule the delivery for a few days before they will be installed.
If those items are delivered too early they may interfere with the workers mobility.
Living without a kitchen can be a difficult process. By planning ahead and anticipating the disruption, you can help make the experience less stressful. | <urn:uuid:653c7976-eb6a-4f73-8d5a-84e7d8d482ff> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://articles.chicagotribune.com/2001-09-21/business/0109210035_1_kitchen-dining-room-or-family-remodeling | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368705953421/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516120553-00034-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.958352 | 787 | 1.78125 | 2 |
Greek protesters storm German partnership meeting
Greek workers stormed a meeting of Greek and German officials in the northern city of Thessaloniki on Thursday and tried to attack a German diplomat in a protest over austerity measures.
Police used truncheons and teargas to disperse around 250 city employees after several burst into the building and ran swearing through its halls. Police said the protesters wanted to stop the meeting aimed at smoothing ties between Berlin and Athens.
Riot police formed a shield around German Consul Wolfgang Hoelscher-Obermaier and fought off protesters who tried to attack him as he entered the building. Some demonstrators tried to pelt him with water bottles.
More than 200 more thronged outside the building chanted "It's now or never!" and held up mock gravestones and banners proclaiming "Fight until the end!"
In Greece, many people worn down by years of austerity blame German Chancellor Angela Merkel for forcing the painful cuts in exchange for the two international bailout packages.
In Germany, media have long characterised the Mediterranean state's 11 million people as lazy, corrupt and ungrateful.
Tens of thousands of protesters clashed with police when Merkel visited Athens in October and some burned Nazi flags.
Greeks have stepped up protests in recent weeks against the austerity measures that Athens has promised its lenders, the European Union and the International Monetary Fund, in return for the aid keeping it afloat.
The German embassy was not immediately reachable for comment. An employee at the Thessaloniki city hall said no one was able to respond to a request for comment.
"No one can talk to you now. They have occupied the building," a woman who answered the building's switchboard said. | <urn:uuid:1725fcf8-50d1-4997-9082-e60ca961181f> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.timeslive.co.za/world/2012/11/15/greek-protesters-storm-german-partnership-meeting | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368696382584/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516092622-00015-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.964789 | 351 | 1.773438 | 2 |
Infrastructure represents opportunity. That was the thinking of “construction clown” Raymond Thunder-Sky, the quiet, self-taught artist and downtown icon who saw possibility for improvement whenever a wrecking ball swung. In his world, police stations gave way to amusement parks.
Like a demolition
crew working on a building, the artists of
Infrastructure at Thunder-Sky Inc. are stripping art to its essential
elements. Through their abstract paintings, they present opportunities to
reflect, marvel and dream.
boiling art down to its infrastructure,” says Bill Ross, co-founder of the
gallery showcasing “unconventional” artists, including those with disabilities.
This exhibit in particular democratizes art and
artists, as viewers inevitably make comparisons to the masters of Abstract
Infrastructure continues at Thunder-Sky, Inc. through Feb. 11. Read Kathy Schwartz's full review here. | <urn:uuid:2a36f4cd-21dc-4955-a9bf-deeebdd50f9c> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.citybeat.com/cincinnati/article-24689-art_infrastructure.html | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368709037764/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516125717-00035-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.939705 | 190 | 1.554688 | 2 |
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the Cuba Money Project?
An independent investigative journalism initiative based in Florida.
What is your mission?
To become a leading source of information, analysis and opinion about U.S. government-financed democracy programs in Cuba.
Why did you start the Cuba Money Project?
I want to help shed light on the U.S. government role in Cuba’s transition to the post-Castro era and learn whether democracy programs in Cuba are effective.
What U.S. law authorizes the democracy programs?
Section 109 of the 1996 Helms-Burton Act.
How much has the U.S. government spent on Section 109 programs in Cuba?
More than $150 million.
The U.S. government spends trillions of dollars every year. What’s the big deal about $150 million?
The amount of money is small, but it is important in light of the historical context. U.S. officials have been trying to exert influence on Fidel Castro’s government for more than 50 years. The democracy programs are a continuation of that crusade.
Are the democracy programs legal from the Cuban government’s perspective?
No, they are not. In 1999, Cuba’s National Assembly enacted Law 88 – the Law for the Protection of National Independence and the Economy of Cuba. Under the law, Cubans who collaborate with media organizations seen as promoting U.S. policy can get up to five years in prison. People who disturb the public order and aid the U.S. “economic war” on Cuba can also be punished. Dissident leaders can be sentenced to up to 20 years in prison.
What is your opinion on the democracy movement in Cuba?
My goal as a journalist is to be objective and to collect opinions from people on all sides of the issue. Those are the opinions that matter, not mine. That said, I believe that efforts to expand basic liberties in any country is a noble cause, and I recognize the courage of Cuban dissidents, bloggers and others who risk their freedom trying to build a better nation.
Why don’t you create a website focused on democracy in Cuba?
There are already dozens of informative and effective websites aimed at promoting freedom and human rights in Cuba. But I haven’t seen any websites like the Cuba Money Project, and I decided to try to fill that niche.
What is your opinion on U.S. policy toward Cuba?
As a blogger since 2008, I have written that the U.S. ought to look for ways to improve relations with Cuba. I have since decided that it’s best to leave the opinion-making to others. My duty as a journalist is not to issue opinions. It is to listen to and consider all sides of the story. I want this website to be a forum for a diverse crowd, including both those who favor hard-line policies toward Cuba and those who don’t. My pledge is that I will report the story with respect for all views, from everyone from Bay of Pigs veterans and dissidents to government supporters in Havana.
What is your opinion on the Cuban government?
I don’t intend to take sides, interfere with the democracy movement in Cuba, or endorse Cuban government policies.
Is your project about journalism or is it advocacy?
This is an investigative journalism project that advocates for greater openness and accountability in the U.S. government. I am not trying to ‘out’ dissidents who accept funds.
But aren’t government agencies accountable?
U.S. Government Accountability Office reports in 2006, 2007 and 2008 were critical of U.S. Agency for International Development, or USAID, democracy programs. Some lawmakers, including Sen. John Kerry, D-Mass., have had questions and concerns about the programs’ effectiveness. USAID does not make public detailed reports showing how it spends democracy funds. Neither does the State Department. Government officials may say that $1 million went to a private contractor, but then little is ever known about whether the money reached Cuba. Subcontractors who receive funds generally are not identified. This lack of transparency persists despite President Barack Obama’s promise to create a more open government.
Are you trying to identify each individual in Cuba who accepts U.S. funds?
No, I am only trying to get a better idea of whether democracy programs are effective. During interviews, some Cuban dissidents choose to discuss their own personal circumstances related to democracy aid. However, I’m not concerned with whether an individual accepts U.S. aid. My focus is more general.
Are you researching private efforts to boost basic freedoms in Cuba?
No. I’m concerned with U.S.-government funded programs, not people-to-people or private efforts to expand freedom in Cuba, although sometimes there is an intermingling of government and private democracy money. My main focus is the transparency and the accountability of U.S. programs.
What else is there to know about democracy programs?
I am interested in hearing about not only the challenges, but the successes in promoting democracy in Cuba. I would like to hear from USAID officials, private contractors and others who have insights into the programs. I am interested in knowing how much aid reaches the dissidents who risk their freedom and whether any of the money is wasted. And I think it’s important that dissidents and bloggers – whether they receive money or not – have the opportunity to tell the world about their struggles to promote change.
Why should we care about Cuba?
Cuba is a small nation, about the size of Pennsylvania, but it has played a pivotal role modern U.S. history. Many key events have Cuba connections, including the Bay of Pigs invasion, the Cuban Missile Crisis, the assassination of John F. Kennedy and the Cold War.
Did any other organizations inspire you to create the Cuba Money Project?
I have gotten valuable tips from members of Investigative Reporters & Editors, or IRE, a non-profit organization dedicated to improving the quality of investigative reporting. I’ve also drawn ideas from The National Security Archive, a non-profit research institute in Washington, D.C. Peter Kornbluh, who directs the Archive’s Cuba Documentation Project, has spent 25 years obtaining and publishing declassified documents related to Cuba. (See my interview with Kornbluh). Even today, there is great interest in these documents, which are decades old. Rather than wait 25 years to learn more about recent U.S. government activities in Cuba, I decided to begin requesting documents and tracking activity now.
How do you finance the Cuba Money Project?
The Pulitzer Center, a non-profit journalism organization in Washington, D.C., awarded me grants in 2010 and 2011 to help pay hard costs associated with travel to Cuba and in-country reporting. I am grateful for that assistance. Once the grant money is spent, I will post an expense report showing how I used it. I also sell freelance stories to help defray costs, but that doesn’t cover all the expenses associated with this project. I am interested in finding additional funding to help sustain and expand the project.
Can I donate to the Cuba Money Project?
Yes. A non-profit organization based in Washington, D.C., has agreed to accept tax-deductible donations on behalf of the Cuba Money Project. I will announce additional information once the details are worked out.
Is the Cuba Money Project registered as a corporation?
Not yet, but I plan to form a board of advisers or directors, and will incorporate the Cuba Money Project in Florida.
What is your background?
I have been a journalist since 1983 and have worked for seven daily U.S. newspapers.
When did you first travel to Cuba?
I went to the island 29 times while on assignment for the Dallas Morning News from 1994 to 2000. I opened the newspaper’s Havana bureau in 2000 and ran it until the newspaper closed it in early 2005. These days, I go to Cuba once or twice per year.
Have you ever received money from the U.S. government?
Yes, several times.
In 1981-82, I received a Fulbright grant to carry out a study in Ecuador.
In around 1997, I traveled to Managua, Nicaragua to conduct two-day workshop for journalists. The U.S. government financed the trip.
I also went to San Jose, Costa Rica for a few days in the late ’90s and ran a journalism workshop. The U.S. government paid for travel and lodging and gave me a stipend of several hundred dollars.
Why do you generally post entire interviews rather than cherry-picking a few quotes like a lot of the big, mainstream media outfits?
It seems somehow unfair to spend an hour talking to someone and then use one quote, which could easily be taken out of context. That’s why I prefer posting entire interviews. It contributes to a healthy exchange of ideas and helps engage readers.
And I need all the help I can get from readers. I have scarce resources and am not backed by any big media companies. It only makes sense to share with readers the stories I am pursuing and what sources are saying even before the stories are done.
This style of reporting is known as “beat blogging.” It’s a way for journalists to get instant feedback, make new connections and improve the overall quality of the reporting and the final product. Here’s what NYU professor Jay Rosen said about beat blogging in 2009:
Some have called this the “journalism of the inbox.” It’s editorial production, social media style. The ultimate promise of such a system–and we’re not there yet–is to bring lots more people, with their beat-specific knowledge, connections, interests and talents, into the production of good reporting, quality features, great posts: better stories!
My goal is to create a forum where people can read unfiltered opinions on democracy programs. Cuba is a controversial, polarizing issue. I would like people on all sides of the issue to feel free to express their views – preferably without making personal attacks or unsubstantiated claims.
What is your policy on anonymous sources?
I would prefer not to use anonymous sources, but some people won’t talk unless their identity is protected. I will use anonymous sources when they contribute to a greater understanding of the story.
What is your corrections policy?
My policy is to correct errors promptly. Please let me know if you see a mistake on the website and I will correct it. | <urn:uuid:f2269e61-4522-4ba3-b0a5-c61c1c9c4ad4> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://cubamoneyproject.org/?page_id=2097 | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368705559639/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516115919-00027-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.950771 | 2,205 | 1.789063 | 2 |
Anthony Ferrara has posted a pledge he recommends all developers take to improve the security of their applications.
Every day I come across code that is insecure. Sometimes the code is so hilariously insecure that any 10 year old could break it. I've also gotten into discussions with people who should know better about their practices. It's very, how to put this, disheartening. It's sad that the average developer knows (and cares) so little about proper security practices. So, I've put together a simple pledge (or manifesto, if you'd like).
The pledge includes the ideas of data storage techniques, taking responsibility for user data, reusing existing/tested libraries instead of writing your own and being open to constantly learning. He elaborates on each point, giving a little context for each.
Are you a secure programmer? Do you want to be? Then take the pledge, and fight for the security of your applications. It's all of our responsibility, so do your part! | <urn:uuid:e911497c-d65d-4a1b-b69b-e16f0ee6dfbe> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://phpdeveloper.org/news/18236 | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368696383156/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516092623-00020-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.955719 | 202 | 1.65625 | 2 |
3501. Life has it’s best, pains, failure and everything but it is natural. It’s God’s way to teach us how to make one step higher after we fall. Good Morning!
3502. Love is not always a fairytale. There are people who give so much love to those who don’t love them back. There are some people who feel so loved and find out in the end they are fooled. There are some who’s into mutual love but can’t call as there partner as their own ‘coz someone already holds the title. There are some who gave so much love but the others won’t believe ‘coz they always consider your past. There are some who received so much love but can’t seem to move on from the previous relationship or the others just want to play game and choose their playmate. Now which story is yours?
3503. If you’re facing trouble right now, don’t ask “why me?” Instead ask, “What do you want me to learn?”then trust God and keep on doing what is right. Don’t give up! Grow up!
3504. We know little about pain and regret, except that it is soluble in alcohol.
3505. Oprah Winfrey: “Though I’m still grateful for the blessings of wealth, it hasn’t changed who I am. My feet are still on the ground. I’m just wearing better shoes” | <urn:uuid:7278057a-67a3-4468-a868-71913758c836> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://textmates.blogspot.com/2008_09_01_archive.html | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368702810651/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516111330-00018-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.962644 | 328 | 1.546875 | 2 |
CHERRY VALLEY — Joseph Sapinsky, 89, of Cherry Valley, died at his home on March 1, 2013, with his wife by his side. His heart was young and his spirit loving and peaceful as it had been all his life.
Joseph Charles Sapinsky was born in New York City on Dec. 13, 1923. His father was Judge Simon Sapinsky, a law partner of Mayor Fiorello LaGuardia. His mother, Janet Charles Sapinsky, was a dress designer with a shop in New York that catered to singers from The Metropolitan Opera.
He grew up on the beaches of Long Beach, Long Island, where he eventually become head of the lifeguards on one of the busiest ocean beaches in the East. His love of swimming and the water was lifelong.
After graduating high school at 16 Joe studied Illustration at Pratt Institute. He left during World War II to serve as a naval aviator where his natural skills as a pilot made him an aviation instructor at the age of 20. He remained in the Navy Reserve for the next 20 years. He rose to the rank of captain, leading a squadron that flew out of Floyd Bennett Field on Long Island.
By the time he retired, to protest U.S. involvement in Vietnam, he had flown everything from open-cockpit biplanes to supersonic jets, claiming the hardest thing he ever did was land on a carrier in a storm at night.
After the war. Joe went to work in the studios of famed cartoonist Al Capp where he not only designed and illustrated for Mr. Capp’s stable of magazines, but occasionally posed for covers where his handsome, boyish good looks made him the perfect Billy the Kid.
He moved on to The Saturday Evening Post as photography editor, then to The Herald Tribune magazine as art director. Joe discovered and worked with some of the outstanding photographers, illustrators and writers of the day, including Richard Avedon, Hiro, Hans Namuth, Tom Wolfe and many others. He also worked in Europe in both Geneva and London, where he and Jane were married in 1970.
On returning to the U.S., he became art director of Woman’s Day magazine and later the Woman’s Day specials. He was the recepient of numerous awards from the Art Director’s Club and the Society of Illustrators.
After retirement, he and Jane gave up their home in New York’s West Village and moved to Cherry Valley full time, where he worked with his wife in their freelance photography business.
Besides his wife, Joe is survived by their daughter, Laura and husband of New York City; by his son, Michael of Brooklyn; and daughter, Jane of Far Rockaway, both children from a previous marriage; as well as beloved grandchildren, Kyla and Max; extended family and many close friends.
He will be missed more than words can say.
In accordance with Joe’s wishes, there will be no funeral service but a celebration of his life will be held at a later date.
Donations in Joe’s name can be made to the Catskill Area Hospice.
To send condolences or light a candle please visit www.ottmanfuneralhome.com.
Arrangements were entrusted to the Ottman Funeral Home, Cherry Valley. | <urn:uuid:45421ae1-ee7c-4a12-92dd-5eaaa4b962b9> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://thedailystar.com/obituaries/x1874095244/Joseph-Sapinsky | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368702810651/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516111330-00004-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.985707 | 685 | 1.609375 | 2 |
Apes & Angels in the 21st Century
Proving that old fashioned nativism(a/k/a racism)is not dead, Arby's latest TV commercial features a team of scientists(one of whom appears to be Indian) watching a group of chimppanzees on an assembly line making hamburgers, ostensibly for Arby's, the fast food chain. The scientists are amazed as the chimpanzees break into an Irish step dance.
Arby's gets an F for stereotyping and stupidity in advertising, but they're not the only ones.
The man who posted this insult says his daughter "loves Irish dance music." He responded to a critic on his blog by saying, "and sometimes and Irish-dancing monkey is just an Irish-dancing monkey. Stop trying to make racism out of everything. That's just immature."
Simianizing an entire ethnic group is immature? We suggest he pick up a copy of "Apes and Angels: The Irishman in Victorian Caricature" by L. Perry Curtis Jr. for an insight into the caricatures of the 19th Century, specifically Thomas Nast, and read how that effected Irish-Americans of the time. Then he might want to look at what stereotypes can do to people, using the genocide of the Native Americans, the opression of Africans, and theJewish and other victims of the Holocaust crematoriums as guideposts.
Then tell us the reaction to his nonsense is immature!
What's even more disturbing is that another cretin out there has done a video response to the original commercial minus the scientists, remixing "Lord of the Dance" with chimpanzees. This is almost as insulting as equating Irishmen with nothing but alcohol. What's even more insulting is that people actually think this idiocy is funny. Where are the rest of the outraged Irish?
A very belated thank you to our colleague in Minnesota, Mark R. Connor, who brought this to our attention -- and a very loud raspberry to Merkley & Partners, the downtown New York ad agency who created this outrageous piece of trash.
WGT Culture Editor | <urn:uuid:3b7ae83e-1ff8-4b45-8ded-e1312d8a940b> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.thewildgeese.com/blogs/2007_10_01_archive.html | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368700958435/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516104238-00003-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.945157 | 434 | 1.789063 | 2 |
J. Meade Falkner
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In AD 119 four thousand soldiers of the Roman Ninth Legion march into the wilds of Northern Britain to quell a Caledonian uprising. They are never seen again. Legends abound as to their fate. Were they swallowed up by the mists that shroud this darkest fringe of the Empire? Did Queen Boudicca put a curse on the legion that crushed the Iceni? Of one thing there is no doubt: the honour of the Ninth has been lost with the legion's bronze eagle standard, and cannot be restored until the eagle is returned to Rome. Fourteen years after his father disappeared with the Ninth, Marcus Flavius Aquila experiences 'the glory of his first command' in the south-west of Britain. But his dreams of a military career are shattered when he is seriously wounded saving his garrison from a tribal rebellion. Invalided out of the army, Marcus sinks into despondency. What direction should his life take now? Gradually, however, as he makes his recovery at his uncle's villa, Marcus realises this is his chance to set foot in the uncharted territory beyond Hadrian's Wall - to solve the mystery of the lost legion . . .
Rosemary Sutcliff has an extraordinary ability to bring history alive for her readers. With its powerful evocation of the creeping mists and simmering feuds of early Roman Britain, and the symbolic quest at its heart, the Eagle of the Ninth is one of the best - and best-loved - of Sutcliff's historical novels.
See more titles in the series:
Read more about the life and work of Rosemary Sutcliff | <urn:uuid:3ca937d0-9b5c-4b89-a7bc-a9511642c904> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.foliosociety.com/bookcat/9197/EAG/eagle-of-the-ninth | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368697380733/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516094300-00040-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.970508 | 349 | 1.570313 | 2 |
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52 posts tagged with JFK. (View popular tags)
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My friends and fellow citizens: I cite these facts and figures to make it clear that America today is stronger than ever before. Our adversaries have not abandoned their ambitions, our dangers have not diminished, our vigilance cannot be relaxed. But now we have the military, the scientific, and the economic strength to do whatever must be done for the preservation and promotion of freedom.
From the speech that President Kennedy would never give. Contrary to Oliver Stone's version of the facts, doesn't read to me that Jack was backing off on Cuba or Vietnam.
posted by ZachsMind
on May 17, 2001 - | <urn:uuid:d6e0378f-cfe5-4a98-a382-6a8c164cbea1> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.metafilter.com/tags/JFK?page=2 | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368710006682/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516131326-00027-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.953082 | 150 | 1.5 | 2 |
From Orangevale, California, USA:
I have a son who will be 4 in a few months. I took insulin while pregnant with him. He has asthma. I have been noticing some things in him that lead me to wonder if he has diabetes. He wakes up craving food, high carbs or real sugary items. He is very easily bothered, has fits of rage, and has a constant dry itchy skin. He is a big boy (47 pounds) and very strong. He seems to be thirsty a lot and I have always attributed these things to his asthma. We have diabetes in our family (my dad). I would appreciate any information that could help, maybe some questions to ask the doctor, or tests we should have done.
If you are concerned if your child has diabetes, the easiest test to have done is a urine check for glucose in the urine. If this is negative, the symptoms are not due to diabetes.
Original posting 13 Jul 2000
Posted to Diagnosis and Symptoms
Last Updated: Tuesday April 06, 2010 15:09:11
This Internet site provides information of a general nature and is designed for educational purposes only. If you have any concerns about your own health or the health of your child, you should always consult with a physician or other health care professional.
This site is published by Children With Diabetes, Inc, which is responsible for its contents.
© Children with Diabetes, Inc. 1995-2013. Comments and Feedback. | <urn:uuid:3fca12cc-b2f5-42fa-b01b-ebe253c08bff> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.childrenwithdiabetes.com/dteam/2000-07/d_0d_52r.htm | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368701459211/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516105059-00035-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.967518 | 300 | 1.632813 | 2 |
In The Red Or In The Black?
I hope that you all survived the weekend full of savings and crowds. Did you keep track of what you spent? Lets face it December is probably the most expensive month for most of us and its not even here yet. So what are you supposed to do?
Being that its the end of the year, it is the perfect time for us to look back at our expenses and see what changes we could make to help save for that rainy day or pay down on our debt. Even if you are in the black, it doesn't hurt to make a few changes to help better our situation.
If you are in the red.... there are a few simple things you could do to make bill time less stressful. First, look at your bills and see what changes could be made. For example, did you know that not everyone pays the same amount for the same cable packages? What? Its true. But don't call the cable company, call their promotion department and hagle with them. How about your cell phone? Do you really need all the services you are paying for. Most likely no. Shop around for a cheaper way to get similiar plans for a limited time while you work on your dept.
Other ways to save... pay cash for everything. Give yourself a weekly allowance and stick to it. Only use your credit cards in an emergency. Pack your lunch, but treat yourself once or twice a month. Take your own coffee from home to start your day. With a variety of flavors now available, the savings will add up.
There are a million ways for you to save. You just need to invest a little time to find out which best fit your lifestyle. It is stated in the bible that we should not be in debt to others and with compounding interest it only gets worst. | <urn:uuid:fe37c93b-c6be-4f18-8ee0-329e732b6bef> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://coastalmommies.com/blog/2012/11/red-or-black | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368703682988/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516112802-00010-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.973882 | 374 | 1.539063 | 2 |
5 Biggest Baseball Brawls in MLB History
There’s no denying that the typical professional baseball game has many dull moments. Even the most diehard fan can have a hard time focusing on those midseason snoozefests during the dog days of August. Still, every once in a while, fans are treated to a phenomenon as rare as it is riveting—the bench-clearing brawl.
Whether it’s a longstanding feud between rivals or a random minor league skirmish, there’s something mesmerizing about watching entire teams confront each each other. Here are 5 of the biggest brawls in baseball history:
October 11, 2003: Down Goes Zim
The bad blood between the Yankees and Red Sox had been brewing all season, culminating in 2003 playoffs with this infamous brawl.
Dugouts emptied and punches flew when a Roger Clemens fastball nearly took Manny Ramirez’s head off. Don Zimmer, angry about Pedro Martinez’s tendency to throw at Yankee players, decided to charge the diminutive hurler. Martinez responded by tossing the 72-year-old coach headfirst into the dirt, prompting a media firestorm.
Although Zimmer later took the blame for the incident, baseball fans will always remember the day that Pedro Martinez assaulted a senior citizen.
July 24, 2004: Sox Vs. Yankees Round 2
What happens when the outspoken leaders of two hated rivals occupy the same batter’s box? Alex Rodriguez and Jason Varitek decided to answer that question.
Bronson Arroyo drilled A-Rod with a fastball, causing the slugger to hurl some insults toward the mound on his way to first. Jason Varitek moved quickly to block A-Rod’s path, and after a brief (foul-mouthed) exchange, the two stars mixed it up. The resulting fight led to 8 suspensions, and reminded everyone that the Red Sox and Yankees just don’t get along.
August 4, 1993: The Headlock Seen Round The WOrld
By 1993, Nolan Ryan was 46 years old and entering the twilight of his career. Robin Ventura was looking for a first-round knockout when he charged the mound and took on the big Texan. Unfortunately for Robin, the legendary flamethrower wasn’t the average middle-aged man.
Ryan caught Ventura in a headlock and proceeded to administer the most painful noogie of all time. For the next decade and a half, the Rangers replayed the fight on their stadium’s jumbo-tron before every home game.
July 3, 2001: Izzy Goes Crazy
This brawl took place during a game between the Triple A affiliates of the Boston Red Sox and Philadelphia Phillies. Red Sox minor leaguer Izzy Alcantara took exception to a pair of inside pitches, and decided to take matters into his own…well, feet. After unleashing a vicious kick straight into the catcher’s mask, Alcantara charges the mound, causing an all-out donnybrook between the two clubs.
If baseball doesn’t work out, Alcantara can always try out for the WWE.
August 22, 1965: Marichal Makes His Mark
The 1965 showdown between San Francisco Giants and the Los Angeles Dodgers is the grandfather of all bench-clearing brawls.
Pitcher Juan Marichal was batting against Sandy Koufax, and thought that catcher Johnny Roseboro’s return throws were coming a little too close to his head. Roseboro took off his mask to argue otherwise, and was immediately struck by Mirachal’s bat. Needless to say, a massive fight ensued between the fierce rivals.
Still, this story has a happy ending—Roseboro’s personal appeal was instrumental in securing a Hall of Fame induction for Mirachal. | <urn:uuid:ac974515-8517-46d9-ae63-54d4741bb223> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://keanradio.com/best-baseball-brawls-videos/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368708142388/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516124222-00016-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.956123 | 794 | 1.601563 | 2 |
Damon Hill believes F1 racing is cleaner these days than in the past, thanks partly to the self-policing amongst drivers.
Although last season there were several controversial instances, which most notably resulted in Romain Grosjean's one-race ban, dirty racing has become a thing of the past.
The days of deliberately crashing into a rival, a move that resulted in Hill's nemesis Michael Schumacher being excluded from the 1997 Championship, are gone, replaced by strict stewarding and self-policing.
"There was a time when it was very controversial," the 1996 World Champ told Pitpass.
"There were drivers who overstepped the aggressiveness threshold and appeared to be condoned or even encouraged to drive in that way.
"I think today that there's a little bit more self-policing that goes on with the drivers.
"I think that the GPDA (Grand Prix Drivers' Association) they get an opportunity to air their grievances with driving standards and I think there is peer pressure involved."
He added: "There's a line over which you don't want to see drivers go and I think they've been pretty good with the stewards in finding the balance.
"You don't want to neuter the competition, you want to see some brave moves but just running off the track because you can is not really racing, it's just blocking. It's not use of skill, it's use of belligerence."
Any reproduction, publication or redistribution of this material without the written agreement of 365 Media Group is strictly forbidden. | <urn:uuid:06d2da01-6917-44e9-9c60-28a666f4a19a> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://planetf1.com/print-article/3213/8503640/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368697974692/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516095254-00014-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.980685 | 326 | 1.515625 | 2 |
Promoting Dispostionism through Entertainment – Part III
Posted by Jon Hanson & Michael McCann on April 20, 2007
In Part I of this series, we described how Americans pursue happiness by watching heroes like Rocky Balboa and Chris Gardner pursue theirs. In Part II, we examined why the basic scripts for films like Rocky Balboa and Pursuit of Happyness–placing the individual in charge, making him sovereign, and letting power and responsibility fall to that person, while minimizing the role of the paternalistic and intermeddling “regulator” or “social program”–are the same foundational scripts employed by most influential policymakers and legal theorists today.
While these scripts are compelling, intuitive, and often affirming, social science indicates that they are upside-down. These scripts miss the power of the situation and how our schemas are primed to find (or imagine) causation and disposition in others’ behaviors and attitudes.
But there is no need to exhaustively review the social psychological evidence to make this point. All we have to do is go back to those same two films to see how, even by each movie’s own account, the bigger part of the story is about luck and situational forces that have little to do with the main character’s choices!
Remember back to the original Rocky — before it was known as Rocky I. Recall the setup. Rocky’s boxing career was done, finished, never having even reached the level of a has-been. Rock had hit bottom and found himself firmly anchored to a “never was” and more clearly, “never will be” status. Although Rocky may have shown flashes of talent as a boxer in previous years, and although he had a strong jaw and a never-broken nose when the story begins, he was also a second-rate club fighter who had just been thrown out of his locker, and his future seemed more intertwined with breaking legs for a small-time loan shark than with bustin’ face for the world title.
Rocky was without assets, without family, without reliable friends, and without his youth. His best friend was a manipulative and self-serving alcoholic. Completely by fluke – owing nothing whatsoever to Rocky’s will, choices, preferences, or character, Apollo Creed, the world champion, arrives in Philadelphia to take on a challenger, who, at the last moment backs out because of an injury. It was to be a bicentennial bout, and canceling it was going to cost a lot of dough. Creed wanted a substitute – some local guy who the city might get behind but who posed no real threat. He thumbed through a book looking at names of local boxers and picked Rocky for one reason — a reason that had nothing to do with our hero’s talent, drive, intelligence, or merit. Creed selected Rocky simply because of his nickname, the “Italian Stallion.” The opportunity is as much the product of Rocky’s hard work as a lottery winner’s take can be attributed to good choices — more or less random luck.
But Rocky’s good fortune didn’t end there. When the opportunity arose, Rocky’s other options were bleak. At that moment, he had one foot into a dead-end life of low-level organized crime and thuggery. Had his alternative career options been more promising, the tiger’s eye may have remained dormant.
Pauly, who as friends go, left much be desired. But he happened to work at the slaughterhouse where Rock could spar against a warehouse full of bovine carcases. Rocky was also blessed to have an experienced trainer and manager, Mickey, who had immense knowledge of the sport and — owing to his age and his own star-crossed fighting career — something to prove. Mickey’s lessons were integral in Rocky’s battle with Creed.
Other sources of luck were Rocky’s idiosyncratic physical endowments. As five movies would demonstrate, Rocky had an unbreakable jaw. Rocky’s lackluster boxing skills meant that more punches landed, but his steel jaw absorbed blows that would have flattened most fighters. Similarly Rock was a south-paw, a factor that even Creed’s trainer worried about and that Mickey exploited. Fighters, if the movie is to be believed, expect power from the right side, and are taken by surprise when hammered from the southside. It was also plain luck that this aging pugilist didn’t pull a groin running steps, or break a finger glovelessly pounding cow cadavers , or otherwise injure himself from that unorthodox, treacherous, and full-on training regimen.
Rocky was also extremely lucky that his opponent, Creed, was himself situationally constrained — preoccupied as he was with the business side of the faux fight and unconcerned with the challenge Rocky posed. It’s a truism that being underestimated by one’s opponent is an enormous advantage.
Most important, at the very moment of Creed’s serendipitous selection, Rocky’s wooing of Adrian was just paying off. The growing mutual admiration between those two quirky and lonesome souls gave Rocky someone to impress, someone to show that he was more than he seemed. And as their love developed, Adrian provided Rocky confidence, inspiration, and someone who would be there for him win or lose.
In short, Rocky had all upside and no downside. Rocky’s situation created his disposition, not the other way around.
* * *
In our next post in this series, we will discuss the situational sources of Chris Gardner’s success. | <urn:uuid:ac9898f9-3093-4e58-a1ce-5cfcd0462342> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://thesituationist.wordpress.com/2007/04/20/promoting-dispostionism-through-entertainment-part-iii/?like=1&source=post_flair&_wpnonce=836876f408 | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368703298047/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516112138-00017-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.973992 | 1,177 | 1.578125 | 2 |
Ability to take bikes on local/nearby public transit (bus, train...)
Qarl Johnson commented
Since the mid 90s in Victoria and Vancouver BC, cyclists have been able to load 2 bikes on exterior racks on the public buses. But unless your destination is at a terminus, commuting is a risky business especially during commute times. So the success of the bus racks is now imperilling the ability top reliably integrate bus and cycling. Furthermore, if conditions allowed, in the 90s I could take my bike trailer into the bus. Now bike trailers are explicitly prohibited from being allowed on board ever.
Daniel Howard commented
Different modes and transit agencies have different value: Caltrain is possibly the best transit agency in the nation for bringing your bike. And the Santa Clara County VTA light rail also has dedicated indoor bike racks on each vehicle. A city bus with a bike rack on the front would be a bit further down the list.
From that perspective, the transit center in Mountain View, CA is very favorable: Caltrain, light rail, buses, bike lanes, small blocks with light traffic, and access to a regional trail a few blocks down ...
Linking mobility modes is critical to getting more people to get around by bike.
I've lived places where bikes could, and places places where bikes couldn't be taken on public transit. Being able to take my bike on the bus/train helps me be more flexible in my commute, and used in combination can make getting around much easier and faster. (also the back up plan for getting home when you're tired, carrying groceries and it's rainy is nice to have) | <urn:uuid:8cbad756-c3a8-486b-b01e-822ec1663b69> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://bikescore.walkscore.com/forums/6114-bike-score-/suggestions/1100683-ability-to-take-bikes-on-local-nearby-public-trans | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368696382584/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516092622-00007-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.948662 | 332 | 1.671875 | 2 |
Across the Globe
From the heartland of America to the Gold Coast of Africa, The Raabe College of Pharmacy is committed to improving pharmacy practice and education
Patrick Acheampong, PharmD ’11, felt an instant connection when he arrived on ONU’s campus to begin pharmacy studies in fall 2008. Ada’s peaceful environment and friendly people reminded him of his home country of Ghana in West Africa, even though the two places couldn’t be further apart culturally or geographically.
The signing ceremony for the formal agreement between
Ohio Northern University, the Pharmacy Council of Ghana
and the Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and
Acheampong nurtured this thread of connection. He initiated a pharmacy rotation site in Ghana for ONU students and linked his ONU pharmacy professors with their counterparts at Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology (KNUST) – home to Ghana’s premier pharmacy school.
His efforts blossomed into a partnership that far exceeded his expectations. This past summer, the Raabe College of Pharmacy forged a formal agreement with the Pharmacy Council of Ghana and KNUST to help them improve pharmacy practice and education in their country and beyond.
Frances Owusu-Daaku, KNUST’s vice dean of pharmacy faculty, calls the partnership “history in the making.” Dr. Jon Sprague, dean of the Raabe College of Pharmacy, hails the partnership’s far-reaching implications: “We have a tremendous opportunity to influence and improve health care not just in Ghana, but across all of West Africa, thereby impacting millions of lives.”
More than 24 million people live in Ghana alone – a country slightly smaller than the state of Oregon. The West African nation borders the Ivory Coast to the west, Burkina Faso to the north and Togo to the east, with the Atlantic Ocean and the Gulf of New Guinea to the south. Called the “Gold Coast” by the British for its rich gold resources, Ghana achieved its independence from Great Britain in 1957. Although several languages exist in Ghana, English is the official language and is used in educational settings.
Dr. Jeff Talbot (far left) and Dr. John Sprague (second from
right) tour Ghana this spring.
A developing nation with a stable political climate, Ghana struggles to modernize and improve the standard of living for its citizens. Health care quality and availability remain pressing concerns. According to the World Health Organization, Ghana ranks just 135th out of 191 countries in overall health system performance. In fact, the number of cases of non-communicable diseases, such as malaria, continues to rise in the country.
Just like in America, pharmacists in Ghana work on the front lines, says Dr. Jeff Talbot, associate professor of pharmacology. “They are one of the few clinicians accessible without an appointment,” he explains. “People can walk in off the street and see a pharmacist.”
Yet most Ghanaian pharmacists aren’t equipped with the knowledge, tools or resources needed to provide qualitycare, adds Talbot, who spent time touring clinical practice sites and interviewing Ghanaian pharmacists in 2009 and 2012.
“They are passionate professionals who want to improve therapeutic outcomes for their patients,” he says. “They do a tremendous job with the resources they have, but they could do so much more with just a few more tools.”
Sprague, who also traveled to Ghana this past spring, said the health care challenges he witnessed both humbled and motivated him. He saw outdated technology and medical reference materials, inadequate patient record keeping, and a lack of standards of practice. “Modernizing and advancing the practice of pharmacy will force all branches of health care in the country to improve,” he says. “Pharmacists can push and drive that change.”
Launching a PharmD program
The West African Health Organization (WAHO) identified the transition from a Bachelor of Science to a doctorate degree in pharmacy as a first step toward change.
WAHO tagged KNUST to become the first university in West Africa to make that transition. The Raabe College of Pharmacy signed a memorandum of understanding with KNUST and the Pharmacy Council of Ghana to offer guidance as they develop and implement the PharmD program in a relatively short period of time.
“We (in the U.S.) went through this several years back, and it’s a huge task,” says Sprague. “They will need to dig in and stub their toes a few times to get it done. Our role is to be a consultant: not to control change, but to support it.”
Visiting pharmacies gave Dr. John Sprague a better understanding
of the challenges faced by pharmacists in Ghana.
Sprague says the Raabe College of Pharmacy plans to offer pragmatic advice, review curriculum, initiate faculty-student exchanges, assist in the development of a continuing education program for practicing Ghanaian pharmacists, and help update technology and materials. The college is seeking grant funding to support the initiative and also encouraging ONU alumni to get involved.
“ONU will be crucial in helping KNUST implement its PharmD program and avoid potential pitfalls,” says Owusu-Daaku. “And KNUST will bring a whole new dimension to pharmacy – both culturally and globally – to ONU.”
The PharmD program, once up and running, will transform the role of the pharmacist in Ghana, adds Owusu-Daaku.
“I look forward to a time when the pharmacist in Ghana will be seen as an equal member of the health care team, taking a more active role in patient care that goes beyond dispensing and minor intervention,” she says. “I look forward to the time when the pharmacists’ input is sought on medication decisions and when pharmacists operate chronic clinics so physicians have more time for diagnosing illnesses. It should improve our health care delivery and save both patients and the government money.”
Learning goes both ways
ONU also benefits from the college’s partnership with KNUST because cultural diversity leads to learning and personal growth, says Talbot. “I have a lot of enthusiasm for this partnership because it provides a chance to not only serve, but also have your own perspective changed,” he explains. “You go there (to Ghana) and come back a different person.”
According to Talbot, ONU pharmacy professors, students and alumni will have the opportunity to interact with Ghanaian students and professors on campus, as well as to travel to Ghana to teach and learn. “We hope to bring KNUST pharmacy professors here, and send ourprofessors over there, to teach and visit pharmacy practice sites,” he says. “And we hope to bring more Ghanaian students here to study. They bring an unparalleled perspective to the classroom.”
Pharmacies in Ghana cope with outdated technology and medical
reference materials, inadequate patient record keeping, and a lack
of standards of practice.
Ghana already serves as a rotation site for sixth-year ONU PharmD candidates. During the rotation, students not only learn about the practice of pharmacy in Ghana, but also become fully immersed in a different culture. This fall, five ONU pharmacy students are traveling in Ghana to participate in the elective international Advanced Practice Pharmacy Experience (APPE).
Cynthia Amaning-Danquah, a pharmacy professor at KNUST, and her husband, Daniel Amaning-Dunquah, a pharmacist who owns several independent pharmacies and who sits on the Pharmacy Council of Ghana, are hosts and preceptors for the ONU students. They open their home to the students and generously share their time and knowledge with them. “I believe the benefits (of the partnership) on both sides are beyond human imagination,” says Daniel. “The transformation of lives, to me, is the key driver.”
Amanda Binkey, a sixth-year pharmacy student from Ada, Ohio, and Jessica Davis, a sixth-year pharmacy student from Somerset, Ohio, departed on Aug. 30 for a four-week APPE rotation in Ghana. “I am ecstatic about the trip,” wrote Binkey before her flight departed. “The Amanings have been wonderfully patient answering my endless emails and questions. Numerous people have told me this will be the trip of lifetime, and I intend to make the most of it.”
The two students set up a blog on ONU’s website to share their experiences. In their blog, they write about the challenges of pharmacy practice in Ghana, the hospitality of the Ghanaian people, and many cultural practices – from the meaning of extended family, to traffic, to shopping – so radically different from life in the U.S.
The Amanings enjoy hosting the students. “ONU students, when they visit Africa, come to appreciate the privileges they have that their colleagues in Africa do not,” says Cynthia. “Therefore, they learn to make good use of what they have when they return to the U.S.”
Moving health care forward
Although still in its infancy, the ONU/KNUST partnership promises to impact many lives on two continents – thanks to the vision of one Ghanaian international student and his ONU pharmacy professors who believed in his vision and helped it grow.
“This is the beginning of many good things to come,” says Acheampong. “I am grateful for the opportunity to be part of this wonderful endeavor and for the many people who are making it happen. In the next few years, the first batch of PharmD students from KNUST will walk, and, like a proud dad, I will be content within myself knowing I played a significant role in making this happen.”
Published: Mon, 12/17/2012 - 9:51am | <urn:uuid:ffd31f9e-cf50-4b55-9061-cbc8596fecdf> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://mailto:[email protected]/features/45481 | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368705559639/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516115919-00011-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.944795 | 2,086 | 1.78125 | 2 |
This week's Mom's Talk inquiry: How do you respond to the bad stuff that comes out of the mouths of teenagers?
Out of the mouths of babes comes some shocking stuff. There seems to be a new language among the younger crowd that is rough, raunchy and so frequently punctuated with profanity that the "F" bomb has lost its bomb. This has grown beyond the typical rude and surly teen speak. The language we're talking about here includes words we never uttered in front of our parents until we were at least 30 (I still remember the first time I said "hell" in front of my mother—it felt funny and I'd been out of the house for years).
You hear it on cable TV, from rappers and in the halls at our local schools. Is it a fad? A decline in civilization?
I remember getting my mouth washed out with Ivory soap (more threats than actual washing), but we're too civilized for that now. Is it too late? What are your suggestions and how do you handle this decline in the spoken word? | <urn:uuid:8a95443c-73e9-4cd2-90ba-d099909ecd29> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://mercerisland.patch.com/groups/opinion/p/moms-talk-a-response-to-teen-talk-how-to-deal-with-th4b777b163b | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368711005985/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516133005-00007-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.976685 | 221 | 1.671875 | 2 |
An elderly carpenter was ready to retire. He told his employer-contractor of his plans to leave the house-building business and live a more leisurely life with his wife enjoying his extended family. He would miss the paycheck, but he needed to retire. They could get by.
The contractor was sorry to see his good worker go and asked if he would build just one more house as a personal favor. The carpenter said yes, but in time it was easy to see that his heart was not in his work. He resorted to shoddy workmanship and used inferior materials. It was an unfortunate way to end his career.
When the carpenter finished his work, and the builder came to inspect the house, the contractor handed the front-door key to the carpenter.
"This is your house," he said, "my gift to you for many years of faithful service."
What a shock! What a shame! If he had only known he was building his own house, he would have done it all so differently. Now he had to live in the home he had built none too well.
So it is with us. We build our lives in a distracted way, reacting rather than acting, willing to put up with less than the best. At important points we do not give the job our best effort. Then with a shock we look at the situation we have created and find that we are now living in the house we have built. If we had realized that we would have done it differently.
Think of yourself as the carpenter. Think about your house. Each day you hammer a nail, place a board, or erect a wall. Build wisely.
It is the only life you will ever build. Even if you live it for only one day more, that day deserves to be lived graciously and with dignity. Your life today is the result of your attitudes and choices in the past. Your life tomorrow will be the result of your attitudes and the choices you make today.
Contributor Mike Menefee
Comment Author unknown.
Date Entered 05-Mar-2001
Click here to report possible copyright violations. | <urn:uuid:bca4899e-3163-4ec9-b9bf-5aeb86449390> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.scoutorama.com/minute/min_display.cfm?min_id=24 | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368698924319/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516100844-00022-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.990299 | 437 | 1.734375 | 2 |
Hotel de Hollande,
Rheinstrasse, 77. Mainz, Germany
July 22, 1921
My dear ones,
This day has brought us far on our way- to a new country and a new feeling of independence, for we entered Germany this morning, left Wilma and Dexter at Heidelberg, crossed over another frontier into the district of the Rhineland occupied by the French, and finally arrived at Mainz without painful adventures- all since 10:35 this morning.
At Kehl this morning our passports were visaed and stamped by both French and German officials (It seemed like too much rubbing it in to have a Frenchman stationed on a French boundary as far east of Avicourt as Kehl) and our baggage examined. The German customs officer tried to make a fuss about my Kodak, but I grew quite eloquent ^ in German^ about how long I had had it and where it had been purchased. He was dear, and said that he always believed Americans.
This was all after I had performed the eventful act of crossing the Rhine, which was as broad as the Genesee and not half so pretty.
At Kehl we had dinner in the Bahnhof, a good, solid, and substantial meal of goulache (??) potatoes, spinach, rolls, butter, and kuchen, for 12 marks or about $.18. That is what the rate of exchange is doing in Germany, and it is really pitiable to me. Our money is worth almost twenty times theirs | <urn:uuid:79728a43-4db2-4843-9cd6-287ac9ec4ec8> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://cdm16694.contentdm.oclc.org/cdm/compoundobject/collection/p277601coll5/id/3921/rec/16 | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368701852492/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516105732-00005-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.982677 | 317 | 1.523438 | 2 |
Watch how WoodPellet.com is already working to build bulk delivery solutions!
In the US, wood pellets are typically delivered on pallets or skids, and sold by the ton, or fifty 40lb bags. Most pellet consumers store their pellets in the garage or basement and then carry the bags to the appliance to fill it, leaving them with a fairly large empty plastic bag to throw away, along with a large wooden pallet.
By handling fuel in bulk, there is reduced process time, no extra packaging, less handling and damage to the fuel, and more convenience for consumers. WoodPellets.com is committed to helping build the infrastructure and technology to US consumers, and is already moving forward to make this option available in selected areas.
Benefits of Bulk:
- Less waste. No pallets or plastic bags
- More convenient delivery into storage solution best suited for your home
- No need to fill appliance hoppers daily with complete storage and transfer system
- Safety! Don't have to pick up, carry, haul up or down stairs, set down, tear open, and empty a 40lb bag into your appliance
- Dedicated location for storage. No more storing bags in your truck, closet, back patio, storage room, or any number of other locations
- Less dust in the house with a complete storage and transfer system
Bulk Already Established in Europe
Throughout Europe, the majority of wood pellets are already being delivered in bulk and blown into businesses and residences from large trucks in much the same way that oil is delivered.
Single family residences, multi-family, businesses, community utilities, and some schools rely on seasonal deliveries to both rural and urban areas for their heating fuel. Basement rooms, outbuildings, and underground holding tanks are common storage solutions.
WoodPellets.com is working to make these solutions available, and to help America shift to these renewable, domestically produced, carbon neutral heating fuels.
Learn More About Bulk | <urn:uuid:ab4fcd2d-05ac-4c1f-aa56-734b9d2540de> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.woodpellets.com/bulk-delivery/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368696382584/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516092622-00042-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.931641 | 407 | 1.507813 | 2 |
SAN DIEGO San Diego police wrote up 328 pedestrians for violating traffic laws Thursday, in an effort to drive home safety rules and reduce accidents.
Officers on a special pedestrian-enforcement mission spread out around the city from 7 a.m. to midnight.
Besides citing those who violated traffic laws on foot, officers issued citations to 12 bicyclists and 30 motorists. They also issued 81 warnings to pedestrian violators, police said.
Traffic Lt. Steve Hutchinson said out of 13 accidents involving pedestrians in the city so far this year, 10 were the pedestrian’s fault, and six died.
He said many people become distracted with cellphones, iPods and other electronic devices while they walk, and they don’t pay attention to traffic when they step into the street. | <urn:uuid:2d16b859-dfb9-4200-8a2f-cb38530c05bf> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.utsandiego.com/news/2013/mar/08/san-diego-police-pedestrian-citations/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368701459211/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516105059-00006-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.967528 | 160 | 1.664063 | 2 |
The digital beast
Newsweek’s switch from the print medium to a digital format indicates changes in economics as well as in readership
This week, Newsweek magazine announced that it would be cancelling its print publication of nearly 80 years and switching over to digital issues. In spite of surprising and somewhat abrupt nature of the switch, Editor in Chief Tina Brown went out to state that going all-digital was “not about the quality of the brand or the journalism…” but rather the “challenging economics of print publishing and distribution.”
Whichever the reason, this is big news. Having gotten its start in 1933, Newsweek’s place in the stands among the other news magazines like Time and The New Republic has been something of an undeniable position. And albeit a number of people who followed Newsweek’s recent identity crisis saw it as print failure from a mile away, the digital-switch still raises the question of whether the failure is specific to Newsweek, or the magazine industry as a whole. More importantly, what can other publications do to avoid it?
If we go back to the so-called “challenging economics” of running a print magazine, we see that magazine ad revenue in the United States has risen 2.6 percent this year alone, according to eMarketer, a research group cited by the Associated Press. What’s more, the publication database MediaFinder reported that 181 new magazines were launched so far during this year, while only about 61 shut down in the same time. Paired with the fact that subscriptions for paid magazines went up 1.1 percent in the past year, it’s safe to conclude that the magazine industry’s been shaky, but nothing that would suggest a collective demise – yet.
So what made Newsweek one of the 61? While economics play a large part, the problem in question has deeper roots than that. Brown said that despite the new digital format, the publication remained “committed to Newsweek and to the journalism that it represents.” But what does Newsweek really represent? If the answer is a “hip” journal for political commentary, there is hardly a print audience for that anyway. As stated in Commentary Magazine, Newsweek has been “redesigned by its editor, Jon Meacham, in the model of…an opinion magazine.” But when a publication is saturated with opinions for a tech-savvy audience – a quality that, as many students can agree, was practically invented by the Internet – it’s almost counterproductive to continue printing it on paper.
This is not to say that opinions don’t have followings, but the followers today look elsewhere for it. Newsweek’s devoted readership is also a very small and uniform group, so the limited demographic does not lend itself to the practice of mass printing. In other words — it’s not that there’s no longer a place for political and social commentary pieces, but the changing market has decided that the place is no longer on paper.
Based on the comparative success of other magazine sales, it seems that the change is specific to Newsweek. But in 20 years time, or even sooner, it’s feared that the same will be said of all types of print material, even beyond political opinion. If you think about it, Newsweek’s demise was big news not because people revered it, but because it was the first one to get kidnapped in the horror movie that is the shift to all-digital media.
And as both and Internet and horror movie enthusiast, I get it. On the one hand, ideas are becoming easier, faster and more accessible. The laptop replaces the newspaper, the phone becomes a magazine, and we could stop at any point if we wanted to. The flip side — and maybe the majority opinion — is that digital media is breathing down our backs, ready to consume us the minute we turn around.
It may be a bit of an exaggeration, but in a weird sense, the latter has already started. I can’t remember the last time I physically picked up a news magazine — or even a newspaper for that matter — to read in my hands (sorry, Cavalier Daily). Conversely, however, the thought of not being able to read off paper altogether is more foreboding than I’d ever like to admit.
But in spite of the fear, it’s impossible to know the extent to which what we’re seeing is the psychological side-effect of more technology, or the beginning of a permanent shift we’ve been afraid of. When Tina Brown speaks of a “tipping point at which [Newsweek] can most efficiently and effectively reach [its] readers in all-digital format,” it could very well mean an omen to print media. What’s most important, though, is to recognize that horrifying or not, the shift is the sum of the choices we make as readers. The fall of print Newsweek is an example of knowing your demographic well and beating some “challenging economics” to reach them. So if we are, in fact, the monster we fear, then an eventual shift is not only inevitable, it’s what we’ve wanted all along.
Denise Taylor’s column appears Tuesdays in The Cavalier Daily. She can be reached at [email protected]. | <urn:uuid:024f1115-b244-45dd-b23e-6d12feab6c22> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.cavalierdaily.com/article/2012/10/the-digital-beast | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368702810651/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516111330-00011-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.959162 | 1,123 | 1.625 | 2 |
The Big Island is nearly twice as large as the others combined, and it is still growing. Since 1983, the Kilauea volcano has spewed lava and has added more than 70 acres to the island's southeast shore. In fact, offshore, an underwater Mount Loihi is building another Hawaiian island--due to emerge in 10,000 years or so.
Volcanoes in Hawaii are gentle giants. Rather than erupting violently, lava flows slowly and continuously. Groups visiting the Big Island can travel almost to the end of Chain of Craters Road, past lush greenery, lava tubes, cinder cones, and steam vents, and walk to where molten lava spills into the ocean. Hawaii Volcanoes National Park Ainahou Ranch offers a pastoral atmosphere in a dryland forest setting for retreats, workshops, and conferences. At night, another show begins atop Mauna Kea, where powerful telescopes allow small groups of attendees to get close to the stars.
Along the South Kohala/Kona Coast, just south of some of the island's largest resorts and prettiest beaches, lies Holualoa Village, an excellent day trip. Start with a tour of Uchida Kona Coffee Living History Farm, where attendees will learn the history of coffee on the island, how it is grown and harvested, and taste fragrant samples. For lunch and shopping, finish the trip in the village, an enclave of Hawaiian art galleries, shops, restaurants, and cafes, where different estate brands of Kona coffee are offered.
For more adventurous groups, the waters off Kona Coast are prime fishing grounds for the most exciting of all big game fish, the Pacific blue marlin. A wide variety of fishing boats is available for group charter.
And don't forget golf. The Big Island is known for its lush green courses in the midst of black lava fields, with Mauna Kea towering in the distance. There are 20 courses on the island, some resort courses and some public, most created by big-name designers. All are wonderful. The newest course, at Four Seasons Resort Hualalai, was designed by Jack Nicklaus and is home to the Senior MasterCard.
* Mauna Kea, which means "white mountain," is usually snowcapped from December to May. Don't try to take a group skiing. It's treacherous, ungroomed, and they'll have to herring-bone uphill. Instead, hit the beach, where you'll experience temperatures in the 70s.
* Ka Lae Point, on the southern tip of the Big Island, is the most southerly land in the United States.
* The largest orchid industry in the world is centered around Hilo on the Big Island's east coast. Many of the gardens and nurseries are open for group tours and retail sales | <urn:uuid:47932353-f60b-43e0-b1ac-5f433a6b4123> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://meetingsnet.com/medicalmeetings/meetings_big_island | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368708142388/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516124222-00009-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.949308 | 579 | 1.570313 | 2 |
With 2013 just over two hours old, the Senate voted 89-8 on Tuesday to approve a last-minute deal to avert income tax hikes on all but the richest Americans and stall painful spending cuts as part of a hard-fought compromise to avoid the economically toxic “fiscal cliff.”
The country had already technically tumbled over the cliff by the time the gavel came down on the vote at 2:07 a.m.. The House of Representatives was not due to return to work to take up the measure until midday on Tuesday. But with financial markets closed for New Year's Day, quick action by lawmakers would likely limit the economic damage.
The lopsided margin belied anxiety on both sides about the deal, which emerged from barely two days of talks between Vice President Joe Biden and Republican Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell. Among the “no” votes: Republican Senator Marco Rubio, widely thought to have his eye on the 2016 presidential race.
In remarks just before the vote, McConnell repeatedly called the agreement “imperfect” but said it beat allowing income tax rates rise across the board.
“I know I can speak for my entire conference when I say we don’t think taxes should be going up on anyone, but we all knew that if we did nothing they’d be going up on everyone today,” he said. “We weren’t going to let that happen.”
“Our most important priority was to protect middle-class families. This legislation does that,” Democratic Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid said. But Reid cautioned that “passing this agreement does not mean negotiations halt. Far from it.”
Compromises on tax ratesUnder the compromise arrangement, taxes would rise on income above $400,000 for individuals and $450,000 for households, while exemptions and deductions the wealthiest Americans use to reduce their tax bill would face new limits. The accord would also raise the taxes paid on large inheritances from 35% to 40% for estates over $5 million. And it would extend by one year unemployment benefits for some two million Americans. It would also prevent cuts in payments to doctors who treat Medicare patients and spare tens of millions of Americans who otherwise would have been hit with the Alternative Minimum Tax.
The middle class will still see its taxes go up: The final deal did not include an extension of the payroll tax holiday. And the overall package will deepen the deficit by hundreds of billions of dollars by extending the overwhelming majority of the Bush tax cuts. Many Democrats had opposed those measures in 2001 and 2003. Obama agreed to extend them in 2010.
Efforts to modify the first installment of $1.2 trillion in cuts to domestic and defense programs over 10 years -- the other portion of the “fiscal cliff,” known as sequestration -- had proved a sticking point late in the game. Democrats had sought a year-long freeze but ultimately caved to Republican pressure and signed on to just a two-month delay while broader deficit-reduction talks continue.
Debt-limit battle looms
That would put the next major battle over spending cuts right around the time that the White House and its Republican foes are battling it out over whether to raise the country's debt limit. Republicans have vowed to push for more spending cuts, equivalent to the amount of new borrowing. Obama has vowed not to negotiate as he did in 2011, when a bruising fight threatened the first-ever default on America's obligations and resulted in the first-ever downgrade of the country's credit rating. Biden sent that message to Democrats in Congress, two senators said.
Experts had warned that the fiscal cliff's tax increases and spending cuts, taken together, could plunge the still-fragile economy into a new recession.
Biden, evidently in good spirits after playing a central role in crafting the deal, said little on his way into or out of a roughly one hour and 45 minute meeting behind closed doors with Senate Democrats. "Happy New Year," he said on the way in. Asked on the way out what his chief selling point had been, the vice president reportedly replied: "Me."
Biden's intervention; hurdles in the House
Hours earlier, a Democratic Senate aide told Yahoo News that "the White House and Republicans have a deal," while a source familiar with the negotiations said President Barack Obama had discussed the compromise with Reid and Democratic House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi and "they both signed off."
But the House’s Republican leaders, including Speaker John Boehner, hinted in an unusual joint statement that they might amend anything that clears the Senate – a step that could kill the deal.“Decisions about whether the House will seek to accept or promptly amend the measure will not be made until House members -- and the American people -- have been able to review the legislation,” they said.
Biden, a 36-year Senate veteran, worked out the agreement with McConnell after talks between Obama and Boehner collapsed and a similar effort between McConnell and Reid followed suit shortly thereafter. With the deal mostly done, Obama made a final push at the White House.
“Today, it appears that an agreement to prevent this New Year's tax hike is within sight, but it's not done,” Obama said in hastily announced midday remarks at the White House. “There are still issues left to resolve, but we're hopeful that Congress can get it done – but it’s not done.”
"One thing we can count on with respect to this Congress is that if there is even one second left before you have to do what you’re supposed to do, they will use that last second," he said.
Obama’s remarks – by turns scolding, triumphant, and mocking of Congress – came after talks between McConnell and Biden appeared to seal the breakthrough deal.
“I can report that we’ve reached an agreement on all of the tax issues,” McConnell said on the Senate floor moments later. “We are very, very close to an agreement.”
The Kentucky Republican later briefed Republicans on the details of the deal. Lawmakers emerged from that closed-door session offered hopeful appraisals that, after clearing a few last-minute hurdles, they could vote on New Year’s Eve or with 2013 just hours old.
“Tonight, I hope,” Republican Senator Bob Corker of Tennessee told reporters. “It may be at 1, 2, 3, 4 in the morning. Oh, I guess that’s technically tomorrow.”
Reckoning with the 'sequester'
Republican Senators said negotiators were still working on a way to forestall two months of the “sequester” spending cuts, about $20 billion worth. And some expressed disquiet that the tentative compromise ran high on tax increases and low on spending cuts -- while warning that failure to act, triggering some $600 billion in income tax increases on all Americans who pay it and draconian spending cuts, was the worse option.
McConnell earlier had called for a vote on the tax component of the deal.“Let me be clear: We’ll continue to work on finding smarter ways to cut spending, but let’s not let that hold up protecting Americans from the tax hike,” McConnell urged. “Let’s pass the tax relief portion now. Let’s take what’s been agreed to and get moving.”
House passage was not a sure thing: Both the AFL-CIO labor union and the conservative Heritage Action organization argued against the package.
The breakthrough came after McConnell announced Sunday that he had started to negotiate with Biden in a bid to "jump-start" stalled talks to avoid the fiscal cliff.
Under their tentative deal, the top tax rate on household income above $450,000 would rise from 35 percent to 39.6 percent -- where it was under Bill Clinton, before the reductions enacted under George W. Bush in 2001 and 2003.
Some congressional liberals had expressed objections to extending tax cuts above the $250,000 income threshold Obama cited throughout the 2012 campaign. Democrats were huddling in private as well to work out whether they could support the arrangement.
Obama responds to critics
Possibly with balking progressives in mind, Obama trumpeted victories dear to the left of his party. "The potential agreement that’s being talked about would not only make sure the taxes don’t go up on middle-class families, it also would extend tax credits for families with children. It would extend our tuition tax credit that’s helped millions of families pay for college. It would extend tax credits for clean energy companies that are creating jobs and reducing our dependence on foreign oil. It would extend unemployment insurance to 2 million Americans who are out there still actively looking for a job."
Obama said he had hoped for "a larger agreement, a bigger deal, a grand bargain," to stem the tide of red ink swamping the country’s finances – but shelved that goal.
"With this Congress, that was obviously a little too much to hope for at this time," he said. "It may be we can do it in stages. We’re going to solve this problem instead in several steps."
The president also looked ahead to his next budgetary battle with Republicans, warning that “any future deficit agreement” will have to couple spending cuts with tax increases. He expressed a willingness to reduce spending on popular programs like Medicare, but said entitlement reform would have to go hand in hand with new tax revenues.
“If Republicans think that I will finish the job of deficit reduction through spending cuts alone … then they’ve another thing coming,” Obama said defiantly. “That’s not how it’s going to work.”
“If we’re serious about deficit reduction and debt reduction, then it’s going to have to be a matter of shared sacrifice. At least as long as I’m president. And I’m going to be president for the next four years, I hope,” he said.The other “no” votes were: Michael Bennet (D-Col.), Tom Carper (D-Del.), Chuck Grassley (R-Iowa), Tom Harkin (D-Iowa), Mike Lee (R-Utah), Rand Paul (R-Ken.), and Richard Shelby (R-Ala.). Republicans Jim DeMint of South Carolina and Mark Kirk of Illinois as well as Democrat Frank Lautenberg of New Jersey did not vote. | <urn:uuid:1176c4c1-d404-4b4d-bc08-7e50c2e7a69f> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://news.yahoo.com/blogs/ticket/senate-passes--fiscal-cliff--deal--house-up-next-082813845.html | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368698924319/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516100844-00037-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.969371 | 2,191 | 1.632813 | 2 |
Mobile canning is a relatively new idea in the world of craft beer. The idea is simple enough: a company brings the machinery necessary to can beer directly to a brewery that doesn’t currently have the space or money for their own. They may also provide a labeling service and off-site storage for cans. It provides an opportunity for smaller brewers to get their beers in an additional retail package—one that is becoming more and more sought after. Surprisingly, mobile canning has just barely been around for a year. So how did it all begin and what does the future hold for this segment of a seemingly ever-expanding craft beer industry?
It was just over a year ago that Lindsey Herrema and Jenn Coyle received their MBAs in Sustainable Management from San Francisco’s Presidio Graduate School, and like many recent grads they were anxious to start using their newly acquired knowledge. By the time their caps hit the ground, they had already set out to make a project they had worked on during their final semester in school a reality.
The plan was to start the craft brewing industry’s first mobile canning company, which they would call The Can Van. Sighting the multitude of mobile bottling company’s that service nearby Napa Valley’s wineries, along with the high cost of canning lines and minimum can orders, they felt it was a business model that could work.
Around this same time, about 70 miles north, Pat Hartman was finishing up an Intensive Brewing Science for Practical Brewing course at UC Davis. During the class, the tried and true concept of mobile bottling was discussed, and Hartman asked himself, “Why not a mobile canning line?” He took the idea back to Colorado and discussed it with friend and homebrewing partner, Ron Popma.
Before long, Hartman and Popma set to work getting Mobile Canning, LLC off the ground. They settled on a space in Longmont—the hometown of canning pioneers Oskar Blues—and journeyed not far down the road to Boulder to pick up their canning line from Wild Goose Engineering. Mobile Canning would house the equipment in a box truck which they are able to drive directly to a brewery and easily unload.
Being located in a very craft beer-friendly state, whose residents participate in ton of year-round outdoor activities, Mobile Canning hoped to set themselves up for a win-win. It wasn’t long at all before they had their first partner in Crabtree Brewing Company out of Greeley, Colo.
The First Mobile Canned Craft Beer
The first American craft beer to be commercially filled by a mobile canning outfit was Crabtree Brewing Company’s Eclipse Black IPA. It was canned and first released at the end of November 2011. About 4,000 cans were initially produced and the brewery continues to use Mobile Canning’s services for both their Eclipse Black IPA and their Oatmeal Stout on a monthly basis. The ability to package small amounts of cans with custom labels using Mobile Canning’s services has also allowed the brewery to release a limited amount of Trigger Blonde cans for Colorado minor league baseball team the Trinidad Triggers. Sales of the cans at a liquor store in Trinidad will help fund the team’s travel expenses. The brewery will likely soon add Serenity Amber Ale to their canned lineup with the help of Mobile Canning—with some of those cans possibly ending up for sale in Japan! Talk about mobile!
Mobile Canning has now canned beers for a number of other craft breweries in Colorado including Bonfire Brewing Company in Eagle, Crystal Springs Brewing in Boulder, and just recently Renegade Brewing Company in Denver. A slew of other breweries have expressed interest in canning, so you can expect plenty more Colorado cans in the future.
The Can Van Begins Operations in San Francisco
Months of planning, strategizing, and fundraising pushed The Can Van’s opening to early 2012. They settled on a canning line from Wild Goose Engineering, bought a truck and custom trailer, and hit the road for Colorado to pick up the line and get a crash course on how to run it. By mid-January they were back in California with their canning line in tow.
The Can Van’s first client would be Devil’s Canyon Brewing Company in Belmont, Calif. By mid-February Devil’s Canyon had done some sample canning for local distributors. Like Mobile Canning in Colorado, The Can Van’s equipment can be rolled out directly into a brewery for easy operation. Devil’s Canyon’s cans are labeled with stickers, akin to what goes on to their bottles. This labeling is also a service provided by The Can Van, which is currently working with a half-dozen different breweries in Northern California, so keep a look out for more cans on shelves soon in that part of the state.
Mobile Canning in the Pacific Northwest Begins
Not so many months ago, in Tacoma, Wa., Justin Brandt took a walk down the beer aisle in his local grocery store looking for some canned beer to bring tubing. After noticing a lack of locally canned craft beer, he decided to do something about it. Brandt and college friend Arne Hakanson began talking about a business plan. They both had a love for craft beer and now shared a vision similar to that of the others—a mobile canning company that could serve the packaging needs of the smaller breweries in their region. Deciding to make a sincere go at it, they both quit their jobs as financial advisors for military families and established Northwest Canning.
Within six months they took their idea from concept to reality. They purchased a Wild Goose Engineering manual canning line and a labeling machine. Like Colorado and Northern California, the Pacific Northwest has a strong cultural love of craft beer and outdoor activities. Unlike Colorado, the region is without the large amount of craft breweries currently canning their beers. Brandt and Hakansen have begun to change that. Striking while the iron was hot, the pair have already helped Seattle’s Emerald City Brewing put their beer in cans.
When asked about what he loves most about what he is doing, Brandt offered, “Hands down, the best part about this business is providing a worthwhile service to breweries. Their beer is their livelihood, and having the ability to get that beer out the door in cans without huge expense or hassle is priceless.”
Business is already going strong and Northwest Brewing has ordered two more canning lines from Wild Goose to help with their output and to enable them to work with more than one brewery at a time. They’re currently canning for a half-dozen breweries, so craft beer lovers in the Pacific Northwest will soon be able to find plenty of canned options.
The newest mobile canning outfit to begin operations is called Craft Canning. Owned and operated by Owen Lingley, Craft Canning began operations just last month (June 2012). The Portland-based company is also utilizing a Wild Goose Engineering canning line—all four currently operating mobile canning companies have chosen to use Wild Goose canning lines. Lingley chose the MC-250 model, which is fully automated and can put 30 barrels of beer in cans a day. Craft Canning also offers shrink sleeve labeling and off-site can storage, another challenge for small breweries looking to get into the canning game.
Florida Mobile Canning Outfit Set to Launch Next Month
Along with the four currently operating mobile canning companies, there are likely a number of others in the planning stages. One that will soon be up and running is Florida-based Craft Beer Crew founded by Justin Beamon. With popular Florida breweries Intuition Ale Works, Tampa Bay Brewing Company and Cigar City Brewing all beginning canning programs in 2011, The Craft Beer Crew should find a lot of interest from smaller craft brewers in the state looking to be a part of the movement.
What the Future Holds
When asked about the future of the mobile canning industry, Mobile Canning’s Pat Hartman said, “I think the next few years are going to be exciting for not only the ones providing a mobile beer canning service, but for the breweries and consumers as well.” It will be interesting to see how things progress nationwide.
Northwest Canning’s Justin Brandt sees mobile canning’s future in a realistic light. He offers that, “The majority of the country simply doesn’t have a high enough concentration of breweries to make mobile canning feasible. The areas that do have enough breweries (like the Pacific Northwest, Colorado and California) already have mobile canning operations. Hypothetically, if one in three breweries can their beer, and one in three of them use a mobile canner, that’s only 11 breweries out of 100 who use mobile canning.”
Time will ultimately tell how this newer segment of the craft beer industry will unfold. For now, those players in the game certainly have their hands full. Their successes will be seen nationwide and most certainly bring about more mobile canning operations. As long as consumers continue to be keen on cans this should be a viable part of the industry.
Photo © 2012 Mobile Canning, LLC, Jason Kaplan and Crabtree Brewing Company
CraftCans.com is a site dedicated to providing news and reviews for the “Canned Beer Revolution”. Started in early 2010, CraftCans.Com provides the web’s only database of all craft beers currently available in cans (as well as future canned releases). The site also provides unbiased reviews of canned craft beers, interviews with those involved in the canned side of craft beer and loads of other things related to canned craft beer.
When Russ Phillips isn’t working on CraftCans.com he is holding down a 9-5 job that isn’t beer related and spending time with his wife, young daughter and two dogs in Western MA.
Last Updated: July 9, 2012 | <urn:uuid:341c495a-e8c1-4e11-8095-0547c681f79f> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.craftbeer.com/craft-beer-muses/have-canning-line-will-travel | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368705559639/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516115919-00012-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.96501 | 2,072 | 1.640625 | 2 |
More than 100 civilians have been killed in a new "massacre" in Syria, a watchdog said Thursday, as Russia slammed the United States for blaming deadly blasts at a university campus on the Damascus regime.
The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights claims the army on Tuesday swept through farmlands north of Homs city causing the deaths. It added that around 1,000 people had sought refuge from fighting in the central Syria metropolis.
"The Syrian regime carried out a new massacre on Tuesday claiming 106 victims, including women and children," said the Britain-based watchdog, which relies on a network of activists and medics on the ground.
Witnesses said several members of the same family were among those killed; some in fires that ravaged their homes and others stabbed or hacked to death. Among the dead were 32 members of the same clan.
Homs, dubbed "the capital of the revolution" by Syria's opposition, is the most strategic city in the country's largest province, lying on key trade routes near the borders of Lebanon and Iraq, and with its southwestern areas not far from Damascus.
Pro-regime daily Al-Watan reported army advances against "gunmen" -- a term used by the regime for insurgents -- in the area, but activists said there were none there.
The Observatory urged the United Nations to send a fact-finding team to the area to investigate the latest bloodshed.
The reported deaths were the latest to emerge from Syria, where twin blasts on Tuesday tore through an Aleppo campus while students were sitting exams.
At least 87 people were killed in one of the bloodiest attacks of the 22-month conflict, in a city that has suffered some $2.5 billion in damage in six months of bitter conflict, according to Aleppo's governor.
No one claimed responsibility for the Aleppo blasts, but the United States blamed government forces for the violence, suggesting they were caused by air strikes on university buildings.
The remarks by US State Department spokeswoman Victoria Nuland triggered an angry Russian response.
"I cannot imagine anything more blasphemous," said Moscow's Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov on Thursday, describing the killings as a "terrorist act."
Violence erupted again in Syria on Thursday, with the Observatory reporting several air strikes on flashpoints in Damascus province and Kafr Nabuda in the central province of Hama. That attack killed at least four children.
In the Husseiniyeh area near the capital, warplanes dropped three missiles killing 11 civilians, among them seven children, according to the Observatory.
The Observatory gave a preliminary death toll for Thursday of 118 killed -- among them 61 civilians.
Meanwhile, in the majority Kurdish town of Ras al-Ain, in the northern province of Hasakeh, fierce fighting pitted rebels against pro-regime Kurdish fighters.
A senior Jordanian salafist said two prominent jihadists were killed while fighting regime troops with the Al-Nusra Front fighters, among them a brother-in-law of slain Al-Qaeda leader in Iraq, Abu Musab al-Zarqawi.
More than 60,000 people, mostly civilians, have been killed in Syria's conflict, according to the United Nations, while the Observatory says it has documented more than 48,000 dead. | <urn:uuid:20146ead-fee6-44ac-88a8-6e518a1bd8e8> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.alarabiya.net/articles/2013/01/17/261047.html | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368705559639/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516115919-00039-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.96956 | 661 | 1.5625 | 2 |
Get the kettle on and help kids with cancer - Cloughmills mum
SOMETIMES all you need to feel better is a nice warm brew but for kids with cancer it isn’t that simple.
Every week in Northern Ireland three children, teenagers or young people are given the devastating news they have cancer.
Northern Ireland Cancer Fund for Children (NICFC) is launching its Hug in a Mug coffee morning campaign on November 2 to raise money for these local children and their families.
The charity works hard to provide practical, emotional and financial support but it needs help from the public in order to continue this vital work.
Having a cup of tea or coffee might be something you do every day, why not ensure your next cup makes a difference?
Get everyone together in the workplace or at home and get the kettle on for NICFC’s Hug in a Mug 2012.
Cloughmills woman, Claire Cully felt the benefit of NI Cancer Fund for Children first-hand when her son Mark was diagnosed with a brain tumour when he was 11 years-old.
“Mark was going through regular radiotherapy and chemotherapy treatment. Instead of going to schhol he was being tutored so he didn’t get to see his friends as much or spend time with people his own age.
“When NICFC got involved Mark was appointed a youth programme worker, Darren McKinley, who took him out on daytrips with other children who were going through the same thing. It was a real confidence boost for Mark to be able to talk to Darren and other kids in the same situation about what he was going through. It really lifted him. His little sister Megan was also included in any fun activities Darren organised which gave me the chance to get the house work done or do the shopping,” Claire said.
Claire urged people to sign up to Hug in a Mug to help fund youth programme workers like Darren so they can help other kids with cancer.
“Mark’s brain tumour is now stable; he is doing well and going for scans every six months. As a family we are forever grateful to NICFC and I would urge people to sign up to Hug in a Mug so the charity can help more children like Mark, “she said.
For more information or to sign up to Hug in a Mug 2012, contact Amanda on 028 9080 5599 or email [email protected]. Further info can be obtained from the NICFC Facebook page and website: www.nicfc.com.
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Weather for Ballymoney
Saturday 18 May 2013
Temperature: 9 C to 12 C
Wind Speed: 15 mph
Wind direction: North
Temperature: 8 C to 13 C
Wind Speed: 10 mph
Wind direction: South east | <urn:uuid:11925c85-e58f-49b7-b390-e8da13ae6f6d> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.ballymoneytimes.co.uk/news/local/get-the-kettle-on-and-help-kids-with-cancer-cloughmills-mum-1-4404408 | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368696381249/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516092621-00032-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.963189 | 592 | 1.617188 | 2 |
Q: I upgraded my iPhone 4S to iOS 6 and heard about all the problems with the new Maps app that Apple switched to; is there a way to get Google Maps back on my phone or something else that’s more reliable? — Samuel
A: It should be pretty obvious to even a casual observer that Apple and Google don’t like each other.
What started out as an amiable relationship during the first iPhone launch has turned into a multi-billion dollar patent war over dominance in the mobile device industry.
When Google decided to create its own smartphone operating system (Android), it suddenly became a competitor to its partner and Apple was none too happy.
The culmination of this relationship gone bad is evident in the most recent update to Apple’s mobile operating system (iOS 6) as both Google Maps and the native YouTube app disappeared.
Apple no longer wants to include anything from its competitor and is going after Google’s dominance in mobile mapping by replacing it with their own mapping system (there’s substantial advertising revenue at stake).
Apple took one step forward by finally including turn-by-turn directions and many steps backwards in the actual core mapping data.
The complaints range from massive mistakes in location (cities and stores located in oceans and rivers) to huge chunks of data and images that are really old or missing altogether. Apple’s position on their new Maps app is that “it’s a cloud-based solution and the more people use it, the better it will get.” They are counting on crowdsourcing to fix all that is wrong or missing (more on that later).
Those of us that used Google Maps on our phones in the early days remember being sent to the wrong end of an unfamiliar city because the map data was inaccurate; Apple is now throwing us back to those days with their work-in-progress mapping system.
Google has an approved replacement app for YouTube, which is actually much better than the old built-in app, but to date, there is currently no option to install a Google Maps app from the App Store (there are rumors that Google will be submitting an app for approval at some point).
You can, however, still use Google Maps via a web browser by going to http://maps.Google.com.
The first time you load the page, it should ask for permission to use your current location, which is necessary if you want to use the Web version of Google Maps. If you turned off the location services for Safari or an alternative browser, you will need to go into Settings/Privacy/Location Services and turn it back on.
To make it easier to access in the future, once the page loads, tap the share icon (the rectangle with the arrow pointing to the right) and click on “Add to Home Screen” to add the site as an icon on the phone.
We also like Microsoft’s Bing search app that includes their mapping service; it’s very similar to the old Google Maps app and includes mass transit directions if you need them.
Apple is hoping that the millions of users who have their new mapping system on their phones will help them improve the quality of the information by tapping on the “Report a Problem” button that exists in the details of any location pin when they find something wrong (crowdsourcing).
I think if they had been more up-front about the need for help in getting their mapping data cleaned up, they would have had a more sympathetic audience. The problem with the existing situation is that you can’t really trust the directions or locations of unfamiliar destinations until you get there.
I’d highly recommend confirming location information with Google or Bing before relying on Apple’s turn-by-turn directions on any long trips in unfamiliar territory until they get their act together. | <urn:uuid:525b9252-c715-4319-85b4-f1a27b7afbe0> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.eastvalleytribune.com/local/the_valley/ahwatukee/article_e5666422-7958-52c0-b4f2-bc28b3e8249e.html?mode=story | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368700958435/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516104238-00001-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.956385 | 791 | 1.601563 | 2 |
RENO, Nev. (AP) - For the second time in a year, improper disposal of ashes from a fireplace or wood stove is being blamed for a dangerous wildfire that threatened dozens of homes south of Reno.
Authorities said Wednesday they don't know who's to blame but investigators were able to pinpoint the area of origin even as firefighters battled the blaze that burned 10 acres and forced evacuations of dozens of homes in Washoe Valley last Thursday.
Truckee Meadows Fire Chief Charles Moore says when the investigation is complete, he'll present the findings to Washoe County prosecutors to consider criminal charges.
Improper disposal of ashes also was the cause of a fire on the edge of the valley in January that destroyed 29 homes and was blamed for the death of a 93-year-old woman.
Copyright 2013 Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. | <urn:uuid:3518300d-054d-4c22-bd6f-c62e206d9742> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.kolotv.com/home/headlines/Improper-Ash-Disposal-Caused-Washoe-Valley-Fire-179363821.html?site=mobile | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368710006682/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516131326-00000-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.963459 | 187 | 1.617188 | 2 |
Here is the correspondence with Dr Huber cautioning against firm conclusions from the paper and the paper provided by Dr Huber for discussion. His note to me referencing two slides refers to the 2012 WAPF conference presentation. If you wish to purchase a copy of Dr. Hubers full presentation please visit www.westonaprice.org and inquire.
Dr Huber Spoke at the WAPF conference this past wk. If there is one presentation to buy this is the one. Dr. Hubers information is startling. If you have been following this story linking glyphosate and a new pathogen you will know the importance if his work. Here are a few tid bits; The 'New' Pathogen is close to being sequenced, maybe within the month more information on this story. The US has dipped 25% in human fertility rate in the last 5 years. 93% of US females have this pathogen in their system. It appears the pathogen will be a prion or prion like. The pathogen is the first of its kind in its ability to cross between plant, animal and humans with the same destructive force harming fertility of its host. It is directly associated with glyphosate and is harbored in the soil and our food chain.
One paraphrase from the talk '...we are on the brink of a calamity...risk of loosing an entire generation....'
I think the link to buy the talk by Dr Huber will be posted soon on the WAPF.org site.
Dr. Huber is a retired Colonel, 13 years Joint Chiefs of Staff (two administrations), 40 year Purdue University pathologist emeritus
From Huber's summary: "The introduction of such an intense mineral chelator as glyphosate into the food chain through accumulation in feed, forage, and food, and root exudation into ground water, could pose significant health concerns for animals and humans and needs further evaluation."
In less than an hour, Don Huber, professor emeritus at Purdue University and USDA senior scientist (see Box) delivered to the UK Houses of Parliament a damning indictment of glyphosate agriculture as a most serious threat to the environment, livestock, and human health .
The New Licorice Emulsified is in. All three are good, and i think will be enjoyed by many. they are very easy to take. Usually i would mix the fclo liquids in warm water to take, but the emulsified's are not only easy to take but .. do i dare say, enjoyable.
"If the American people ever allow private banks to control the issue of their money, first by inflation and then by deflation, the banks and corporations that will grow up around them (around the banks), will deprive the people of their property until their children will wake up homeless on the continent their fathers conquered." Thomas Jefferson
(NaturalNews) As though joining a noble cause, some pediatricians in the U.S. are making the decision not to see patients, who are unvaccinated, and are calling upon colleagues to do the same. Ironically, one reason given, and feigning great heroism in its expression, is to keep waiting rooms free of "diseased patients". The reality, however, is quite different. Outbreaks of diseases commonly vaccinated against are most often found in individuals, who have received the vaccine. Dr. William Atkinson, senior epidemiologist with the CDC confirmed this fact when he reported: "Measles transmission has been clearly documented among vaccinated persons. In some large outbreaks...over 95% of cases have a history of vaccination <http://www.naturalnews.com/vaccination.html> ." This is true with regards to other diseases as well.
After trucking across the high plains for five hours, and casting my eyes over perhaps 100,000 acres or more of winter’s still deathly gray industrial farmland, I came face to face with the newly famous Dr. Don M. Huber in the cave-dark meeting room of the Black Horse Inn just outside the American Heartland village of Creighton, Nebraska.
On the morning of March 24, along with about 80 farmers and Extension agents, I listened as Huber discoursed with erudition and eloquence upon industrial farming practices that may be impacting nearly every morsel of food produced on the planet, and that subsequently may also be having staggeringly serious health consequences for plants, animals, and human beings.
Huber is emeritus soil scientist of Purdue University, and a retired U.S. Army Colonel who served as an intelligence analyst, for 41 years, active and reserves. In Nebraska, he stood ramrod straight for three hours with no notes and spoke with an astonishing depth and range of knowledge on crucial, controversial matters of soil science, genetic engineering, and the profound impact of the widely used herbicide glyphosate upon soil and plants, and ultimately upon the health of animals and human beings.
1Botany & Plant PathologyPurdue University, West Lafayette, IN, USA 2Institute of Plant Nutrition and Soil Science, Braunschweig, Germany
Plant diseases are a major limitation to improved production efficiency and crop quality as they reduce nutrient availability, uptake, distribution, or utilization by the plant. Disease symptoms frequently reflect the altered nutritional status of the plant and it is frequently difficult to clearly distinguish between the biotic and abiotic factors involved. | <urn:uuid:3829539b-6fd5-4396-baab-2b7ce641e0a5> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.greenpasture.org/fermented-cod-liver-oil-butter-oil-vitamin-d-vitamin-a/toddler-taking-raw-fermented-cod-liver-oil/index.cfm?showKW=2243 | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368696381249/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516092621-00000-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.956336 | 1,099 | 1.59375 | 2 |
By Caroline N. Jackson
New vending rules proposed by Councilmember Alan Gerson are stirring up activists who have fought to protect First Amendment rights for artists selling their works on the sidewalks.
Robert Lederman and his organization A.R.T.I.S.T. (Artists’ Response to Illegal State Tactics) have won several lawsuits that have protected street artists’ right to sell their wares on city streets. Gerson’s proposal would allocate marked spaces to artists by lottery and allow them only to sell in these areas. Lederman views this as a step toward a concession system in which vending spots would go to the highest bidder.
“What Councilmember Gerson is doing is destroying the freedom of speech on public property,” said Lederman. “It’s grossly unfair because clearly some people will be better at applying for a permit or know someone that will give them a leg up.”
Lederman says Gerson has presented the new proposal as something vendors want, when, in fact, 100 artists have personally written Gerson letters in the last week speaking out against the bill.
“We will do everything in our power to not get it passed, and we will never follow rules in this approved law if it’s passed,” said Lederman.
Lederman believes Gerson is trying to please some of his constituents both residents and business owners who are anti-vendor because they believe it hurts local businesses and clogs up the streets. But the vending activist thinks once business owners realize these new rules will put vendors in front of some stores and not others permanently, they won’t like the plans either.
“These people will go crazy against what Gerson is proposing,” he said. “In politics, you can never please everyone, but this law won’t please anybody.”
Other artists are not against the proposal entirely but agree that some of the new restrictions negate the good that could be done by the bill. Street artist Lawrence White supports parts of Gerson’s proposal that would train police in detecting copyright infringement, allow new vending licenses for the outer boroughs, designate artists markets and allow artists to gain health insurance.
But White says he opposes other parts of the councilmember’s bill that would restrict the number of artists on a block and curb free expression, all of which he said could cause protests and more art “bootleggers” to set up where legitimate artists currently operate.
“He is missing the mark in a harmful way by restricting artists, instead of focusing on the bootleggers and other illegal vendors who are causing the problem,” said White. “Hopefully, he wakes up before he introduces his bill. If not, it will be a real mess.”
Gerson said the bill is still being modified but that he hopes to release it by next week.
“We’re still dotting the I’s and crossing the T’s,” he said. “There have been a few letters and we have bounced a couple of ideas off people in the community, people who are concerned.” | <urn:uuid:ed2cd995-d945-4ad1-92f3-b46c08e6e88b> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.downtownexpress.com/de_258/gersonhawks.html | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368696382584/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516092622-00005-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.970482 | 661 | 1.679688 | 2 |
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Editor's Note: Portions of this report were taken from a press release from CVS-Caremark.
It seems commonsensical to say that employees who take their medicines as prescribed are more productive than workers who risk medical problems because they neglected to take their meds. Now a CVS Caremark research study confirms that notion: Employees who adhere to their medications and schedules as prescribed averaged seven fewer days away from the job because of illness-an increase in workplace presence that is worth an average of $1,700 per employee to the average company in the study.
Researchers pored through data on 100,000 employees at 16 medium to large companies, including workers with diabetes, high blood pressure, congestive heart failure, high cholesterol, and asthma/chronic obstructive pulmonary disease. They looked into the workers' prescription drug usage, absenteeism, and short-term disabilities.
"This is one of the first studies to be able to quantify the impact of medication adherence on worker absenteeism," said Ginger Carls, PhD, senior research leader at Truven Health Analytics and co-author of the study. "The results provide a clear message that employees with common chronic conditions who take their medications as directed miss fewer days at work, resulting in potential cost savings for employers."
This study is part of ongoing CVS Caremark-sponsored research that focuses on understanding why many consumers do not take their prescriptions as directed. The hope is to develop solutions that will help patients use their medications effectively. The company, which is the largest pharmacy healthcare provider in the US, estimates that annual healthcare costs due to medication nonadherence could be as much as $300 billion nationwide.0
0 comments - Jul 26, 2012
Diabetes Health is the essential resource for people living with diabetes- both newly diagnosed and experienced as well as the professionals who care for them. We provide balanced expert news and information on living healthfully with diabetes. Each issue includes cutting-edge editorial coverage of new products, research, treatment options, and meaningful lifestyle issues. | <urn:uuid:b8b89fc3-cce8-421b-985e-02a8a4861151> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://diabeteshealth.com/read/2012/07/26/7601/workers-who-take-their-medicine-are-more-productive-/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368703682988/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516112802-00008-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.96624 | 469 | 1.828125 | 2 |
While relatively wholesome in nature, a challenging job search–on its hardest day–can knock even the most confident and sane individual off their feet.
But similar to the variety of challenges we face in life, the challenge of seeking employment is far easier to tackle when surrounded by a beneficial and unique group of individuals.
These are people who will help lift you up on your worst days, challenge you to better yourself in areas where you’re weak, and even guide you toward your career goals. In an overarching context, this may be considered a support system, but I believe it takes far more than support to complete a successful job hunt.
Inspiring a successful job hunt often comes down to the individuals you choose to surround yourself with. Here are five kinds of people you need during your job search:
1. The Supporter
This person is your go-to for seeking out the necessary strength needed to succeed. Oftentimes this individual is a close friend, family member, or even your significant other. It’s not necessary for this person to have any job search expertise or even work within your chosen career field, their only duty is to lend an ear and the necessary encouragement to help you “keep on, keepin’ on”.
2. The Mentor
The relationship you share with this person is generally of a professional nature. Mentors are often previous or current co-workers, managers, or professors who are willing to act as a sounding board for all that you’re faced with during your job search. They can provide you with sound professional advice, as well as insight into their own personal trials and tribulations. When seeking out a mentor, choose someone who isn’t afraid to be critically honest with you–this isn’t a place for a “yes” man or woman.
3. The Friend
While many of the people necessary to the success of your job search may fall into the friend category, this person is strictly in place to help you do more than just search for jobs. That’s right–your job search needs someone who forces you to get out of your house to go see a movie, get a drink, or even just someone who keeps you laughing. Consider having an agreement where you must refrain from talking about your woes when you’re out and about.
4. The Motivator
Every job seeker needs a cheerleader. There’s really no specifications for this person, other than their unending ability to send good energy and motivational phrases in your direction. For some, this may be a parent, while others may find their strongest motivational confidant to be someone also immersed in the job search.
5. The Expert
Having a professional relationship–often considered to be network-based–with an expert can do wonders for your job search. This individual will act as your industry-insider and is likely to be a beneficial connection when it comes to finding job openings and expanding your network.
Sometimes a successful job search comes down to who you surround yourself with. While having these five kinds of people will be key to your success, there may be one person in your support system who plays a multifaceted role.
Who have you been surrounding yourself with during your job search? | <urn:uuid:e1162ec0-26cb-4894-a7f2-c8cb831636ee> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.businessinsider.com/5-kinds-of-people-you-need-during-your-job-search-2013-1 | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368706499548/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516121459-00038-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.959557 | 674 | 1.625 | 2 |
90 results for 'lesbianism'. Showing results 19 - 36
Akilah was molested as a child, triggering an attraction to other women. As an adult, she immersed herself in the lesbian lifestyle until a visit to her brother's church opened her eyes to a better way of living.
Family Restores Christian School in Liberal ‘Education Valley’
Evangelist D.L. Moody founded a school that soon grew cold to the Gospel. But the Green family wants to see the now empty campus return to its original purpose.
Wash. Churches Want Vote on Gay Marriage
Kirk Cameron Defends Gay Remarks after Outcry
Obama's Move to Advance Gay Rights Worldwide?
Washington Seventh State to Legalize Gay Marriage
She lived a homosexual lifestyle for 14 years until an encounter in a grocery store parking lot led her back.
Her attraction to the dark side was a cover-up for her internal struggles with homosexuality and depression.
Andrew Marin's vision is for the church to bridge its gap with the gay community.
Earlier this year, the British government lifted the ban on same sex civil partnerships in churches. Now, plans are now being considered to introduce religious aspects to these ceremonies, causing increasing concern among evangelical Christians.
She was molested as a child and nearly died in a drug overdose. Jesus's love was the only thing that broke through her bitterness.
A lesbian punk rocker dabbles in witchcraft and finds that none of it repairs the broken places inside her heart.
Pat Robertson answers the following Bring It On questions: I wish my parents would get a divorce. How do I get control of my lesbian teenager? Should all married men wear rings?
Vicki Duffy got caught up in a lifestyle of promiscuity and addictions until she found the One who set her free.
After 29 years as a gay activist, former lesbian magazine publisher Charlene Cothran stunned the homosexual community when she announced she had become a Christian.
While most eyes are on the White House race, gay activists are quietly targeting smaller contests throughout the rural U.S.
Dianne Partian: Freed From Lesbianism | <urn:uuid:6d098a1d-c170-411e-941d-2f19fb9d5def> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.cbn.com/tv/lesbianism?page=2 | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368703682988/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516112802-00018-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.956925 | 441 | 1.53125 | 2 |
Work participation and work-related health: a life course perspective (1127)
Prosjektperiode: 2010 - 2014
The study population is all 626 928 live born women and men in Norway 1967-1976. Thus, the study is restricted to young adults. The main focus is on estimating the impact of early life course determinants (individual characteristics, family background) on subsequent educational attainment and entrance into work, and the role of these factors in interplay with work-related factors for work participation, work related health, and exclusion from working life. The main outcomes are sickness absence, disability pension, and work-related musculoskeletal pain but the study will also include employment/unemployment, social benefit, job seeking career, and income level.
We will apply a comprehensive approach based on information regarding the individual participants and their parents in follow-up from birth onwards. The main body of data have been gathered through linkage between several national registries. Municipal data will be retrieved in Statistics Norway and Norwegian Social Science Data Services. This registry-based material will be linked with repeated county surveys (HUNT) as well as The Norwegian Mother and Child Cohort Study (MoBa).
This combined approach will give us an opportunity to gain new knowledge with regard to both short and long term determinants of importance for work participation and work-related health. We will pay particular attention on the interplay between life-course social and individual factors and the work environment. Gender differences and social inequalities in work-related health will be particularly addressed, as well as experiences in groups with a suboptimal social background or chronic health impairments in childhood and adolescence. In this way, we expect to gain broad knowledge of value for promoting work participation as well as preventive strategies related to sickness absence and exclusion from work in young age. | <urn:uuid:ae87081c-6437-4c0a-bd89-572b0b7ddd23> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.stami.no/forskning-fra-avdeling-for-arbeidsmedisin-og-epidemiologi?lcid=1033&proid=67254&subavd=0&selected=1 | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368707435344/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516123035-00002-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.945796 | 374 | 1.789063 | 2 |
Tragedy has hit the nation of Poland and hit hard. A plane carrying Polish President Lech Kaczynski, his wife, commanders of all four branches of their military, the head of the central bank, and many other top political leaders, after 4 attempts to land at the airport at Smolensk in Russia in fog, lost altitude and crashed killing all on board. The circumstances, however obviously accidental, have left many with feelings of suspicion. Read more about that HERE.
No doubt, Poland needs our prayers this Divine Mercy Sunday. Get out your Rosaries.
President Kaczynski was a staunch anti-communist, a very devout Catholic, and a social conservative who was very pro-life on abortion. He also had an identical twin brother who joined him in his political battles.
From the UK Telegraph:
The Smolensk plane crash brings to an end the life of one of the dominant forces of Polish politics.
Lech Kaczynski, as either president or party politician, stamped his name on the Polish political scene to become one of the most influential and powerful men in the country, earning a reputation for being a sharp and shrewd political operator.
He was also a man happy to court controversy.
Exhibiting a prickly sense of nationalism that brought him into frequent conflict with Donald Tusk, the prime minister, the 60-year-old president also faced accusations of siding with his identical twin brother Jaroslaw, the leader of Poland's main opposition party, to foil the government's reform programme.
Along with his twin, President Kaczynski cut his political teeth by joining Lech Walesa's Solidarity trade union in the fight against communism. With the fall of the socialist state in 1989 he briefly served in the office of then president Lech Walesa, before Mr Walesa fired him.
His sacking sparked a long and bitter battle with the former Solidarity leader that tainted the rest of Lech Kaczynski's political career. He became convinced that the Nobel Prize winner had, by striking an agreement with Poland's last communist government, sold out the Solidarity revolution, and allowed elements of the socialist state's security apparatus to live on.
It was the belief that Poland needed to clean its house of the remnants of communism that led to Lech and Jaroslaw Kaczynski to form the Law and Justice Party in 2001. Along with trumpeting a socially conservative agenda, the party promised to crack down on corruption and purge Poland of the unwanted traces of the socialist state.
After serving as mayor of Warsaw for three years, in October 2005 Lech Kaczynski triumphed in presidential elections to become Poland's head of state. When Law and Justice won the Polish general election a month later, ushering Jaroslaw into the prime minister's office, Poland found itself in the unusual situation being run by identical twins.
In an attempt to downplay the fact that twins occupied the two most powerful posts in Polish politics, Lech and Jaroslaw, who many had trouble telling apart, were rarely seen together in public, and bridled when people referred to them as a single political entity rather than individuals.
After Law and Justice was defeated in general elections in 2007, President Kaczynski found himself in a bitter battle with Donald Tusk, the new prime minister. A series of very public clashes between the two men over who controlled Polish foreign policy prompted the prime minister to suggest changes to the Polish constitution to limit presidential power.
The government also complained of President Kaczynski's frequent use of the presidential veto, which stalled a series of key reform programmes.
President Kaczynski was due to fight for re-election this year in October. | <urn:uuid:9c99fd43-8847-4d36-b18b-c3c1b1edfeef> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.stblogustine.blogspot.com/2010/04/plane-crash-takes-life-of-polish.html | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368700958435/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516104238-00035-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.977141 | 758 | 1.835938 | 2 |
- Residential Market
- Light Commercial Market
- Commercial Market
- Indoor Air Quality
- Components & Accessories
- Residential Controls
- Commercial Controls
- Testing, Monitoring, Tools
- Services, Apps & Software
- Standards & Legislation
- EXTRA EDITION
The Greenguard Environmental Institute is based in Washington, D.C.; however, it is a global, nonprofit organization with a third-party board to establish environmental standards for indoor products and building materials.
According to the institute, "Our goal is to improve public health and quality of life by encouraging and helping manufacturers to build better, safer products and to uphold environmental practices in product development, manufacturing, and distribution. We are an independent organization and not affiliated with or sponsored by any manufacturer or industry."
The institute calls its certification and labeling program for interior products and building materials "the only testing program worldwide for low-emitting products." The institute oversees the certification process, including all audits and qualifying criteria for each product category.
"Our board members are world-renowned for their expertise in chemical emissions testing, indoor air quality, and public health."
One manufacturer recently spoke about its one-year anniversary with the program. "Since CertainTeed's announcement in January 2003 that all of its insulation products - including the HVAC and mechanical insulation product line - would be certified for superior IAQ performance by the Greenguard Environmental Institute, the response has been very positive," said Tom Newton, manager of advertising and promotion for CertainTeed Corp.'s Insulation Group.
"The third-party assurance that the products are certified for lower emission of contaminants is taking the worry out of the insulation decision for specifiers, contractors, and end users alike."
More than ever before, HVAC contractors need to make IAQ a focal point in their businesses. "With people spending more time inside, IAQ is more important than ever, especially for individuals with respiratory ailments like asthma and allergies," explained Newton. "In addition, educated consumers are searching out products that they know will not negatively impact their health."
He added that manufacturers with Greenguard-certified products "can give people independent assurance of IAQ excellence, while allowing developers, builders, and contractors to capitalize on the growing green building trend."
Moreover, Greenguard has been recognized by the U.S. Green Building Council's Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) program; using Greenguard-certified products is one measure to obtain LEED-CI (Commercial Interior) credits. "These enable businesses to qualify for a growing array of state and local government incentives," explained Newton.
To educate the professional market, CertainTeed produced a brochure explaining the Greenguard process for CertainTeed Fiber Glass Insulation. In addition, the company is making a brochure available to consumers on "How to Build an Environmentally Responsible Home." It outlines items the consumer can discuss with builders in order to build an environmentally responsible home, Newton said, including using Greenguard-certified products. "The idea is to create a demand for the product."
The certification program includes all construction materials, furnishings, furniture, office equipment, cleaning and maintenance materials, and processes that are used in interior environments.
Products are tested for emissions of formaldehyde, volatile organic compounds (VOCs), respirable particles, ozone, and other pollutants using stringent environmental chamber protocols.
For more information on Greenguard, visit www.greenguard.org. For information on the CertainTeed literature, visit www.certainteed.com.
Publication date: 01/19/2004 | <urn:uuid:c7cde2f9-3102-495b-b8d1-0e3c613bbc19> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.achrnews.com/articles/how-green-is-my-duct-insulation | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368703298047/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516112138-00033-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.930983 | 737 | 1.554688 | 2 |
Viewers who are drawn into the clever fictional construct of The Blair Witch Project might be surprised to see a director of photography credited for the film. The distributor, Artisan Entertainment, is presenting this scary mock documentary as if it were the real thing--as if three student filmmakers went off into the Maryland woods in search of the title creature and were never heard from again. What we're seeing, supposedly, is their 16mm black-and-white film and High-8 video footage, found in the forest a year after their disappearance.
So what exactly did DP Neal Fredericks do on The Blair Witch Project? Everything but the actual shooting. "Before the film started, the directors, Daniel Myrick and Eduardo Sanchez, and I planned out where the actors where going to be each day," Fredericks says. The three principals, Heather Donahue, Michael Williams, and Joshua Leonard, were turned loose for eight days in the woods, and instructions (along with film magazines) were left for them at drop-off points every day. For example, "We made sure they photographed some scarecrows in the late afternoon light. That was one way I was able to control the look of the film.
"The second way is that the 16mm footage was shot on Kodak's 7231 200ASA film, which we pushed two stops for grain. The camera light for night shooting was a 750W ENG light; Ed and I did tests to make sure that you could only see 20' (6m) in front of the camera." The video, which makes up about 75% of The Blair Witch Project, is meant to be putative director Donahue's "making of" account; the film, shot by Leonard, represents the actual documentary footage.
"We wanted to convey a different emotional feeling with the 16mm," says Fredericks, who shot student films for the directors at the University of Central Florida. "As for the black and white, when we were students, we all had to shoot it. It also meant we didn't have to worry about color reproduction." When Artisan picked up The Blair Witch Project at the Sundance Film Festival, the entire movie was transferred to 35mm.
During preproduction, Fredericks conducted training classes with the actors, who had no experience shooting film and very little with video. "I explained basic composition to them, but I didn't get too strict, because we wanted them to capture things spontaneously," he says. "If the camera happened to be pointed down at the ground, and they had to tilt it up really fast, we wanted to get that reaction."
If that meant that "almost the whole film's out of focus," then so be it. "I always want to point out that Blair Witch does not represent my cinematography at all," the DP says, adding that an upcoming independent film titled Dreamers does this much better. But for now, The Blair Witch Project, which caused a sensation at Sundance and was released by Artisan in July, is likely to be Fredericks' best-known calling card.
"Part of me wishes it were more of a traditional film where I could flex my cinematography muscles, because it's kind of hard to watch from a DP point of view," he says. "The other side of it is, they tell everybody that the actors shot it. So you get weird reactions when they introduce you as the director of photography." | <urn:uuid:279a0db6-c2d5-49f3-a756-9aeba4067cdf> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://livedesignonline.com/mag/witch-craft | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368701459211/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516105059-00028-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.98388 | 702 | 1.726563 | 2 |
"Innovation has a long tradition at Carl Zeiss: it is in the company's genes. Optical technologies are key technologies
for our future. Their applications in industry and science will make increasing inroads into our everyday lives",
says Dr. Michael Kaschke, President and CEO of Carl Zeiss.
The company has stood for innovation for more than 160 years. The research and development teams work
intensively on constantly expanding the technology leadership. The ownership structure lays the foundation
for ensuring that investments in innovations can be made with vision and foresight. | <urn:uuid:0ad78bc8-e0e0-4e52-ada4-85e13b7b87b9> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://corporate.zeiss.com/innovation-and-technology/en_ca/home.html | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368710006682/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516131326-00006-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.938383 | 116 | 1.570313 | 2 |
John Waters biography
John Waters was born on April 22, 1946, in Baltimore, Maryland. Sometimes called the "King of Bad Taste" or the "Pope of Trash," Waters has built a reputation for shocking his audiences. He started out making short experimental films in the 1960s. Roman Candle (1966), one of his early works, marked the first time Waters worked with Divine, an oversized, over-the-top transvestite.
King of Bad Taste
Filmmaker, director and writer John Waters was born on April 22, 1946, in Baltimore, Maryland. Sometimes called the "King of Bad Taste" or the "Pope of Trash," Waters has built a reputation for shocking his audiences. Many of his films satirize suburban America as well as many social conventions and attitudes. He started out making short experimental films in the 1960s, often using friends as actors and holding small showings in offbeat locales. Roman Candle (1966), one of his early works, marked the first time Waters worked with Divine, an oversized, over-the-top transvestite.
Turning to feature films, Waters made Mondo Trasho in 1969. Divine starred as a hit-and-run driver who looks after her dead victim. Waters went to create what is considered by many to be one of the grossest movies of all time. Pink Flamingos (1972) features Divine as Babs Johnson. Johnson is a mother who leads her family in a battle against the Marble family to determine which group is the filthiest. One legendarily disgusting scene from the film has Divine eating dog excrement. The film became a cult classic and a popular choice for many midnight showings.
Moving toward the mainstream a bit, Waters made Polyester (1981) with Divine and Tab Hunter, a movie star from the 1950s. As with many Waters films, the storyline is an absurd take on suburbia, exaggerating the usual martial squabbles and family problems. Starring as a discontented housewife, Divine must contend with an unfaithful pornographer husband, a sexually promiscuous daughter and a glue-sniffing son who likes to stomp on people's feet.
Still filled with unusual and offbeat characters, Water's 1988 film Hairspray was a much tamer effort for the legendary filmmaker. Instead of grossing out audiences, the movie centered on the struggle of Tracy Turnblad, an overweight teen, to join the cast of television dance show. Set in the early 1960s in Water's hometown of Baltimore, the film's heroine, played by Ricki Lake, also speaks out about a pressing issue of that era - integration. This story of an underdog overcoming obstacles struck a chord with many audience members and has become Waters' most popular and best-known work. The film was later turned into a successful Broadway musical and a film version of the musical was released in 2007.
His next film, Cry-Baby (1990), took audiences back to the 1950s. Featuring Johnny Depp as the title character, a teen delinquent from the wrong side of the tracks, the movie is a send-up of the teenage exploitation films of the period.
Cry-Baby falls for a "good" girl from a respectable home and there's a touch of Romeo and Juliet as the two struggle to be together. Waters went contemporary with his next work, Serial Mom (1994), which starred Kathleen Turner as a suburban mom gone homicidal. As with many of his films, Waters made some interesting casting choices. The legendary kidnapped heiress Patty Hearst appears as a member of the jury in Serial Mom and went to handle roles in Pecker (1998) and Cecil B. Demented (2000).
One of Waters' most recent directorial efforts, 2004's A Dirty Shame, starred Tracy Ullman as a mother who becomes oversexed after suffering a head injury. Although there is more talk than action in the film, it still earned an NC-17 rating for its sexual content. For his next project, Waters stepped in front of the camera for 2006's This Filthy World, in which he shares many stories from his long career. That same year, he hosted a film series on the Here! Channel, a pay-for-view cable network, called John Waters Presents Movies That Will Corrupt You. Known to take on occasional acting gigs, Waters made a guest appearance on the hit sitcom My Name Is Earl in early 2007.
Besides his film and television work, Waters has authored several books, including Shock Value: A Tasteful Book about Bad Taste (1981) and Crackpot: The Obsessions of John Waters (1983). He also had a traveling exhibit of his photography called Change of Life, which featured still images from some of his early films. | <urn:uuid:304fe5f8-c669-439b-bf8e-e2d7db5e9607> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.biography.com/print/profile/john-waters-210964 | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368710006682/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516131326-00002-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.97547 | 977 | 1.6875 | 2 |
Senate Votes to Require Proof of Citizenship for Voters
The Senate voted Monday to allow election officials to require "satisfactory proof of citizenship" from persons registering to vote if they deem it appropriate, a move opponents said could lead to racial profiling.
Current law already requires that voters be citizens, but those pushing the measure (HB270) said it is poorly enforced.
"What you have right now is, in a phrase, don't ask, don't tell," said Senate Majority Leader Mark Norris, R-Collierville, contending that election officials are "afraid to ask" and the "applicant doesn't tell."
"If you don't vote to give election officials this quantum of guidance, what you are saying by extension is that you don't care whether they're citizens or not," Norris said.
The bill has already passed the House 92-1, but in a different version. The House version required voters using mail-in registration forms to sign a statement declaring citizenship and that they understand the penalty for lying in doing so is a felony, punishable by up to 12 years in prison and a $5,000 fine.
As amended by the Senate, the bill says that election officials "may" require a voter to furnish proof of citizenship. Democratic critics said that provides such broad discretion that it could be used to deter or prevent voters from registering on the basis of race or even politics. The bill would apply only to future registrations; voters already registered would not be impacted.
The final Senate vote was 20-12 with all no votes coming from Democrats. The measure was debated for hours over two different days.
The bill now returns to the House for a decision on whether to go along with the Senate amendments.
"What we're ding is allowing the election administrator to reject as to some and accept as to others," said Sen. Doug Jackson, D-Dickson. "This is unbridled, undirected discretion... What is 'satisfactory evidence?'... It could be one thing in one county, something else in another."
Senate Democratic Leader Jim Kyle noted that voter registration drives are sometimes organized by candidates or political parties. He said the bill would allow a registrar to demand citizenship proof from voters signed up by one candidate; not from another.
If the new forms were turned in on the deadline for registering, he said they could effectively be denied the right to vote.
Sen. Dewayne Bunch, R-Cleveland, said that bill is a response to Congress failure "to protect our borders" from illegal immigrants. It protects "the integrity of our elections," he said, which is one area where state legislators have some control. | <urn:uuid:dd7e9740-463c-4f25-976f-4c5e58ac565c> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://blogs.knoxnews.com/humphrey/2010/05/senate-votes-to-require-proof.html | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368707435344/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516123035-00034-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.973628 | 551 | 1.554688 | 2 |
It’s a bad flood. Central Pennsylvania was hit hard. The rain didn’t stop and it wasn’t just rain, it was a torrential rain! Estimates are over 12″ of rain with river banks overflowing and basements flooded. Twenty seven feet above flood stage! Some are comparing it with the 1889 flood, a record that may be broken by the current flood. Boy we have it bad!
. . . or do we?
Several years ago, I had the pleasure of transcribing my great-great grandmother’s diary. It covered just a few years, and 1889 was one of them.
Ephraim and Catharine Auxer Niess lived at 117 Dock Street in Harrisburg. Ephraim could walk to work at Bailey Iron Works and the Susquehanna River was their neighbor. The area today is known as Shipoke, and a trendy neighborhood. It was a working class neighborhood at that time. Today there is no longer a Dock Street. Dock Street is now the Dock Street Bridge and their home was razed for that bridge. As you travel west on I 83, crossing the Susquehanna, you travel over the area where Catharine once had her garden and Ephraim and Catharine raised their family.
You have the background, now I’ll give you Catharine’s view of the 1889 flood from her diary. Any of my comments will be in italics. Everything I write will be Catharine’s words and style.
May 31st – The weather is very unpleasant, has been pouring down rain all day last night and yesterday and still raining very fast this month all through was wet there is fear of a heavy flood. The grain is flattened on the ground, little do we know what is before us. . . Preserve, me, O God: For in thee do I put my trust.
June 1st – We have had a wonderful flood (wonderful does not have the same meaning that it does today!) a lake at Johnstown gave way and drowned over 13,000 people, bridges gave way, and went down with trains. Oh! it was wonderful, it rained powerful the streams swelled every place it reached our city. done great damages only a few lives lost. May 31st (Friday) the flood at Johnstown, on Saturday the waters began to rise very high here, the Paxton creek back of us rose higher than it ever had been, the Susquehanna river in the front came up so high until it swept many things away what was left was in a frightful condition. it left very heavy mud a great many are getting sick. it is feared that we may have a great deal of sickness, but the Lord knoweth best. On Saturday night the waters began to come over the door sils (sic) front and back. Then we were surrounded. We have taken almost everything to the second story, by eleven o’clock we all had to go up and were obliged to stay there until Monday. On Sunday noon the waters began to fall very slowly. Every body seemed glad they had several sand flats in the street. At night they had torches so they could see the boom logs coming, and guide them straight through so they would do no damage to the buildings. Poor men they wished for the day. It was frightful scene, but nothing to compare with Johnstown. Many other towns were swept away with that flood. Water is very powerful and will take it course. Gods ways are not our ways and his ways are past finding out.
June 12th – Am very tired today. We washed a very large wash. Mrs. Blessing helped. Since the flood we have a great deal to do and so much company. On Monday we had six for dinner. The floors are still bare. Orders were given not to lay carpets this week. It seems very unpleasant, but we must bear up with it all. It is all right.
July 9th – I will now make another attempt to write in my Journal. Since the flood my time was so taken up, and besides we had so much rain that were unable to do our out side cleaning and sellers. (sic)Edwin (my great grandfather) white washed the seller to day, the weather has become more settled is very warm, and the farmers are very glad. They can scarcely get hands enough to get the grain away so much rain has caused it to ripen very fast and much of it falls out. A great deal of hay had turned black and it is unfit for use. The heavy rains has caused another flood at Johnstown, not so bad as the first, it was dreadful. A great many came to our city that were saved there. A family of five, husband, wife and three children. It is awful to hear tell when the water came, it came up as fast that it very soon drove them to the roof of the house. Next the house began to move off, they broke a hole through the roof and got on the outside from there to another roof and that way they struggled for life for sixteen hours, and were almost frozen and starved. Some others were 24 hours in the water almost to the neck. Several woman (sic)are here that the rest of the family were lost they are almost insane. Mrs. Blessing was here to day. We washed and ironed. . . . We have not laid our parlor carpet but all the rest. It takes the walls so long to dry.
To compare our life today with what Catharine went through over 100 years ago keeps me grounded. Whenever I feel sorry for myself, I pick up Catharine’s story and I’m thankful for the blessings I have. I’m also thankful for Catharine and her diary. It’s not only an insight into life in the late 1800′s but an insight into Catharine. She was a strong woman with a strong faith.
Thank you, Catharine, for taking time to record your life. My life is easy compared to yours! | <urn:uuid:f5914010-9405-4ba5-b006-c305dd89d695> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://stienstradl.wordpress.com/tag/ephraim-niess/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368704132298/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516113532-00000-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.988135 | 1,249 | 1.820313 | 2 |
Formal dinner parties have been on the wane for many years, and the age-old question of 'Which fork goes where?' seldom applies. Most parties today are informal, buffet-style affairs, but the appearance of your table is still of prime importance. It can set the mood for the entire evening. If you have enough space, locate the buffet table in the center of the room, so guests can get to the food easily. If you need to run electricity to warming dishes, tape the cords to the floor so they can't be tripped over. Think about how traffic will flow and arrange the foods accordingly. Starting at one end and proceeding around the table, the order should be: plates, rice or pasta, main dish, vegetable, salad, bread, relishes, tableware, and napkins. You can offer two or more versions of any of these for larger occasions. Try to keep the menu simple and the table uncluttered. Simplicity is also a good idea when it comes to centerpieces. A single large blossom floating in water in a crystal bowl is quietly elegant. For a more dramatic effect, use a round mirror as a base. Seasonal fruits, vegetables, or flowers make excellent centerpieces. For a summertime affair, carve out a watermelon and fill it with chunks of fresh fruit. This can also solve the problem of what to serve for dessert. | <urn:uuid:502904e8-9591-4b48-870e-2c74f915b63a> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.wtvq.com/guides/home/household/story/Setting-the-table/Br-eT0gA6EyXEMxy5nv-xA.cspx | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368706153698/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516120913-00040-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.935652 | 284 | 1.53125 | 2 |
Jobs Picture Improving For First Time Home Buyers: Trulia
NEW YORK (TheStreet) - The December jobs report has some good news for the housing market.
Trulia economist Jed Kolko notes that the employment picture for 25-34 year olds -- the prime age group for housing demand -- is continuing to improve. The unemployment rate for young adults dipped to 7.7% in December, below the rate for all adults at 7.8%.
First time home buyers were worst affected during the recession but have made strong gains in the recovery. 75.6% of young adults were employed in December, up from 75.3% in November and from 73.9% in December 2011. In contrast, the employment rate for adults overall was 58.6% in December - unchanged from one year earlier.
Another trend that is positive for the housing market is the final pick up in construction jobs. "Over the past quarter, construction jobs increased by 3.3% (annualized rate), and residential-building construction employment rose at a 2.3% annualized rate, ahead of employment overall, which expanded by 1.4%."
The U.S. work force added 155,000 jobs in December, the Labor Department said Friday. The consensus was for nonfarm payrolls to rise by 150,000 in the month, following a 146,000 increase in November.
-- Written by Shanthi Bharatwaj in New York. | <urn:uuid:ac5f26ca-8f76-47e2-93fc-3e003e77f8b3> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://business-news.thestreet.com/timesreporter/story/jobs-picture-improving-for-first-time-home-buyers-trulia/11804404 | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368704392896/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516113952-00009-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.972908 | 299 | 1.507813 | 2 |
On the first anniversary of the war, Mr Olmert tried to strike an upbeat note despite the fact that two Israeli soldiers remain in the hands of Hizbullah.
"We had great achievements in this war," Mr Olmert said, speaking near a road that was hit by one of the nearly 4,000 rockets that Hizbullah fired into Israel last summer. "We also had not a few weaknesses and failures that we are trying to deal with ... to fix, to deploy, to renovate and to strengthen."
Mr Olmert's view that the war was a success is not shared by many in Israel, who see the conflict almost as a defeat. The prime minister has already been chastised by the Winograd committee for his conduct in the war, which was described as a "severe failure".
The committee has investigated only the government and army's performance in the initial days of the conflict and has yet to report on the rest of the conflict. Analysts believe that Mr Olmert will be unable to remain in office once the final report is delivered next month.
The war began on July 12 2006 when Hizbullah guerrillas ambushed an Israeli patrol on the border, killing three soldiers and capturing two. Soon after Mr Olmert declared that he intended to free the captives and remove Hizbullah from southern Lebanon. Israel then began a war in which it failed to defeat Hizbullah.
Israel lost 119 soldiers and 43 civilians while between 250 and 500 Hizbullah fighters died. The brunt of the fighting was borne by Lebanese civilians, with more than 1,000 killed.
Michael Williams, the UN Middle East envoy, said the UN had held "many, many meetings" with Hizbullah representatives to bring the release of the captives but no progress had been made. "It causes me pain to report to you that those negotiations have not so far met with success," he told Israel Radio. | <urn:uuid:16762633-0f6c-4734-b80e-cecda12b35a6> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2007/jul/13/syria.israelandthepalestinians | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368708142388/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516124222-00031-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.983492 | 401 | 1.695313 | 2 |
In the latest blow to the beleaguered citizens of Homs, a pipeline close to the city exploded yesterday. Satellite images captured the magnitude of the fire and the thick smoke covering the city. The pipeline was reportedly on fire at the edge of Baba Amr district, a neighborhood that experienced some of the heaviest attacks by government forces.
Homs has been under shelling for almost two weeks now. When Russia and China vetoed a UN Security Council Resolution on February 4, they effectively gave a green light to the regime in Syria to continue its violent crackdown. At least 377 civilians have been killed in Homs in recent days as Syrian security forces escalated their shelling of civilian neighborhoods in the besieged city. Medical supplies to treat hundreds of wounded are dwindling. The dead include 29 children.
Today, the UN General Assembly will vote on a resolution condemning the escalation of violence and human rights violations, which we (and the UN) believe amount to crimes against humanity. Resolutions in the assembly cannot be vetoed; however, they are not legally binding. Nevertheless, strong support for the resolution would send a clear and unified message to President al-Assad and would further isolate the regime. It would provide a strong boost to the advocacy work of the many organizations working on human rights issues in Syria. Our central calls will continue to consist of a referral to the International Criminal Court and an asset freeze of al-Assad and his senior associates. Additionally, our call for a comprehensive arms embargo is now more important than ever following the increased use of heavy weaponry by the regime.
Monitoring Syria Through New Technologies
Over the following weeks, we will attempt to keep monitoring developments in Syria through the use of satellite images. We plan to monitor and document attacks against residential neighborhoods, building on our years of experience using remote sensing for human rights research. Watch this space for updates. In the meantime, please take a look at our interactive Eyes on Syria map to explore human rights issues in the context of the uprising.
For updates on developments in Syria and our work with satellite images, please follow me on Twitter. | <urn:uuid:cf83a758-dbbb-4d89-bdd8-d5e1def01399> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://blog.amnestyusa.org/middle-east/satellite-image-shows-homs-on-fire/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368702810651/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516111330-00026-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.954866 | 416 | 1.835938 | 2 |
Interested in getting free music? Have you heard of “creative commons license”? Well, these are licenses that allow musicians to waive their copy rights for us users - or for other musicians who may want to use the music for further vreative work. In fact:
Creative Commons has been described as being at the forefront of the copyleft movement, which seeks to support the building of a richer public domain by providing an alternative to the automatic “all rights reserved” copyright, dubbed “some rights reserved.” (Wikipedia)
Soundclick is a site that offers musician the opportunity to provide their music through creative commons license. And so offers us the opportunity to download free music!
On the home page there are several options to choose from in the header bar. Click on “Music” and select license songs and beats from the drop down menu. In the header bar under the “license songs and beats” you will see that you can choose the type of license. The drop down menu will give you the choice of “commercial license ($)” or “creative commons (Free)”. Select creative commons and the genre of music you like and hit “go“
For “Pop” for example, the current result is 14,841 licenses have been found!! You will have to register to become a member with Soundclick - but its free and there are over 300,000 songs available on Soundclick through Creative commons license. When you choose a song you want, just click “full” and you will be sent to where you can download to iTunes. Above is one example of a free song from the rock genre. | <urn:uuid:fcc1563e-dafe-4f6a-9547-5600f753ed47> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://ipodbomb.com/download-legal-music-free/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368709037764/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516125717-00015-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.930412 | 351 | 1.570313 | 2 |
Athletics Northern Ireland will create the best environment for everyone in the sport to achieve their maximum potential.
Athletics Northern Ireland, the governing body for the sport of Athletics in Northern Ireland, has in the past few years developed a structure to ensure that there will be open access for all those who wish to participate in our sport. The structure aims to make appropriate athletics disciplines as widely available as possible, ensuring that all athletes are treated fairly. Athletes from Northern Ireland have had the opportunity to compete at the highest level and there are currently two Paralympic Gold medallists in Northern Ireland, Jason Smyth; 100 and 200m and Michael McKillop; 800m.
For disabled athletes this has included providing a number of pathways offering integrated opportunities to participate. These include the following:
Invites are sent to school throughout Northern Ireland for disabled athletes to attend a taster session of athletics. The session is usually held in September and if an athlete achieves the appropriate level of performance they will be invited to regional development squads. All athletes will be directed to clubs for future training opportunities.
Regional Development Squads
Disabled athletes are includd in the regional development squad structure with 6 coaching sessions provided throughout the year by some of Northern Ireland's top coaches. There is also a development competition at the end of the squads and all athletes are given the opportunity to compete. Athletics Northern Ireland has a number of racing wheelchairs available for athletes who are wheelchair users and this is an excellent opportunity to get a chance to use these specialised chairs.
These are opportunities to compete locally with events in the competition programme throughout the year. These have included open meetings and the Ulster Schools Athletics Association has a number of events for disabled athletes. Athletics Northern Ireland will also provide national level competition.
For more information on squads, taster days and competiton please contact Jackie McKernan on: | <urn:uuid:921e9eab-36a6-47de-96ef-aa1d1b1d66ba> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://academy.britishathletics.org.uk/parallel-success/parallel-success-in-northern-ireland | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368696383156/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516092623-00036-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.959067 | 383 | 1.789063 | 2 |
People across the world protested today, Saturday, against Israel’s ongoing airstrikes against Gaza.
In London thousands rallied outside Israel’s embassy in the afternoon. A group of women held placards asking drivers to “honk for Gaza”. Bus drivers, motorists and cyclists made a deafening noise as they passed.
“This isn’t the first time Israel has brought bloodshed to Gaza,” said NHS worker Navid. “William Hague makes me sick. He gives a green light to Israel, just like he does to the regimes in Bahrain and Saudi Arabia.”
Many protesters noted how the Arab revolutions had shifted the balance of power in the Middle East. “Israel hasn’t got the same friends it used to now,” Walid, a student from west London, told Socialist Worker.
“Hosni Mubarak is gone from Egypt. The new government knows that if Egyptian people don’t like what it is doing, they will go back to Tahrir Square to change it.”
Another protester, Sadia, said, “People in Egypt made me see that you can get change—but you have to fight for it. I hope that helps people in Palestine not to feel hopeless or alone. I hope they see our protest and see that people here care.”
There were flags and banners representing different countries from across the region. Jumanah was one of a group of London Syrians with a Syrian revolutionary flag.
“It’s our duty to show support when our brothers and sisters in Gaza are suffering,” Jumanah said. “Syria’s president Bashar al-Assad says he is for the Palestinians. But where is he when Gaza is being bombed? And why did he sell the Golan Heights?
“If our revolution is successful, the first thing it will do is take back the Golan Heights. It will be a first step in getting all the Arabs to stand together against Israel.”
Other protests took place across Britain, including in Oxford, Cardiff, Swansea, Edinburgh and Manchester.
The Stop the War Coalition and Palestine Solidarity Campaign have called a national demonstration on Saturday 24 November in central London. Assemble outside Downing Street at 12 noon for a march to the Israeli Embassy. More details at www.stopwar.org.uk | <urn:uuid:42f938ba-c6b7-4678-b80e-d26e6c92975e> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.socialistworker.co.uk/art.php?id=30028 | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368704132298/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516113532-00039-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.950594 | 490 | 1.59375 | 2 |
Tracey White's initial impression of "Django Unchained," Quentin Tarantino's new slave-era shoot-'em-up extravaganza, could be summed up in three words: smart, funny and ugly. Sitting through a recent screening in Beverly Hills, the L.A. costume designer was mostly absorbed and found herself laughing aloud at particularly outrageous moments.
But White, who is black, said her feelings evolved significantly. Two days after reflecting on the matter of slavery and Tarantino's treatment, she pronounced the movie mostly ugly.
"He [Tarantino] gets a good product out of it in terms of wit and a visual look," said White. "But when it was over I found myself wondering, 'What is he trying to do?' I enjoyed the movie when I was in there, but I still have a problem with Tarantino when he deals with our race."
White will certainly not be alone among African Americans in her ambivalence about the gleefully outrageous film. While "Django" has nabbed almost uniformly warm reviews and four NAACP Image Award nominations (including for best picture), the fact is that it is an extremely Hollywood-ized vision of a critical black American experience.
Some blacks are already calling the revenge-fantasy movie, especially its graphic and highly stylized violence, insensitive, exploitative and ahistorical. Filmmaker Spike Lee, a longtime critic of Tarantino, said this month that he refuses to see the movie, and calls his spaghetti-western approach to slave history "disrespectful."
Many moviegoers will know something of what they're getting into. Violence and the liberal use of black idioms and so-called urban culture are Tarantino hallmarks, notably in early films such as "Pulp Fiction" and "Jackie Brown," and they've always stirred controversy. But this movie is different because it mines slavery, the complicated source material for so much black culture and fountain of violence in American history.
It is an institution whose horrors need no exaggerating, yet "Django" does exactly that, either to enlighten or entertain. A white director slinging around the n-word in a homage to '70s blaxploitation à la "Jackie Brown" is one thing, but the same director turning the savageness of slavery into pulp fiction is quite another.
Barbara Chennault, another costume designer who attended the Beverly Hills screening, could do without it. Like White, she admits to being conflicted about Tarantino. "I don't think that slavery is something you can make light of," she said. "Overall the movie was jarring and unsettling, but the humor totally distracted from the depth."
Tim Cogshell, an African American movie critic for KPCC-FM's "Filmweek," says the issue is not Tarantino riffing on slavery but the fact that blacks are still living out its painful legacy. That makes Tarantino's broadly comedic aims fall flat where they hit the mark in "Inglourious Basterds," his first historically specific revenge fantasy, in that case enacted against Nazis.
Where "Basterds" arguably works as both social commentary and entertainment, he said, "Django" doesn't because blacks as a group are still so compromised by racism. "The surreal liftoff that happens at some point in 'Basterds' doesn't happen here, because of the weight of what's still real," he said. "For example, there's a certain racial backlash to Obama that's still going on. Quentin wants this to be a dark comedy, but with [black] history the way it is, you can't get from here to there in a movie. There's no ill intention on his part, but it doesn't work. The movie can't rest."
But Eric Deggans, a black television and media critic for the Tampa Bay Times, gave "Django" a thumbs up, suggesting in his review that the film's brutal depiction of slavery makes up for its shortcomings — that is, its over-the-top approach to a subject that's generally swept under the rug is aesthetically justifiable, even necessary.
Of the prolific use of the n-word, Deggans writes that "such baldfaced profanity does obliterate the tentative, halting attitude other filmmakers display in depicting how black people were treated in the Old West — either refusing to feature black characters at all or pretending they were treated as equals to white people."
Todd Boyd, professor of critical studies at USC's School of Cinematic Arts, agrees that Tarantino, whatever his shortcomings, does us a favor by bringing a unique, pop-culture sensibility to the small canon of film representations of slavery that tend to be overly solemn or sanitized. "Both Oprah [Winfrey] and [Steven] Spielberg have both made movies about slavery," said Boyd, "and neither of them have done well."
Tarantino has said in promoting "Django" that America has never dealt honestly with its history of slavery — true, but general enough to be almost entirely uncontroversial. In a recent interview with The Times, however, he assigned meaning to his new film in a way that he typically resists. "Even for the movie's biggest black detractors, I think their children will grow up and love this movie," he said. "I think it could become a rite of passage for young black males."
The presumptuousness of that sentiment is striking to some — passage from what to what, exactly? Watching somebody getting blown away in nearly every frame hardly seems like indoctrination young black men need, if they haven't been indoctrinated into such violence already.
But the deeper problem is the backdrop described by Cogshell and Boyd, namely the fact that Americans of all colors are still clashing over the scope and historical meaning of slavery. Consider: Education of its history is minimized in public schools, particularly in the South. In such an atmosphere, "Django" is a free-floating vision unattached and unaccountable to any fundamental national consensus about what slavery was and how its effects live on.
True, the movie abounds with disturbing details of slavery — face masks, Mandingo fights, killer dogs, "hot boxes" into which runaways were thrown as punishment. But details alone do not argue anything. The most disturbing detail is the emotional violence and degradation directed at blacks that effectively keeps them at the bottom of the social order, a place they still occupy today. And critics maintain it is this sort of violence that, like the endless gunplay, "Django" revels in more than it critiques.
White predicts that reveling will offend many and split black opinion. "I think black people will be 50/50 on this movie," she says.
But Cogshell says the relevance of message in a movie so emphatically about slavery is unavoidable. "You can't get away from the issue of, does this advance black progress?" he said. "That's why I hated 'The Help,' for what it showed. The truth is, if Quentin Tarantino had never made this movie, I'd be a perfectly happy black man." | <urn:uuid:9e6d224b-0190-4a34-8009-ff33345c8a06> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.ky3.com/entertainment/elist/la-et-django-reax-2-20121228,0,7798819.story | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368705195219/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516115315-00014-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.970716 | 1,476 | 1.59375 | 2 |
Photo Gallery: Wild wet weather
Thunderstorms moved into the San Gabriel Valley Thursday afternoon, bringing heavy rain and light hail in isolated spots.
The National Weather Service is forecasting that additional storms may develop all around Southern California through Saturday.
Thursday's storms, however, were centered in the eastern San Gabriel Valley, according to Ryan Kittell, a meterologist with the National Weather Service.
"The storm is centered right around Azusa, where the 210 and 605 freeways meet," said Kittell. He also said there were reports of hail storms in Glendora. The Tribune newsroom, in West Covina, also had hailstorms.
A flash flood warning has been issued for the area. Flooding was reported on several spots on San Gabriel Valley Freeways, including the 605 Freeway at Live Oak Avenue, and the 210 Freeway around Santa Anita Avenue
The worst case, said California Highway Patrol Sgt. Carl Gafford, is on the 10 Freeway eastbound around Peck Avenue, where four lanes are shut down for flooding. All traffic is traveling through just the the HOV lane, said Gafford, causing huge traffic delays.
The City of Industry also had some major flooding on Workman Mills Road. Industry police said they also had issued a warning for the La Habra Heights areas because of concerns of flooding and mudslides.
The California Highway Patrol also are investigating reports of flooding on the 210 Freeway around Santa Anita Avenue. Motorists calling in told officers that three lanes were flooded.
Steve Solis, a Covina resident, had a tree in his yard struck by lightening on Thursday afternoon.
"The Fire Department came by and put it out but it is still smoldering," said Solis, shortly after the incident.
Sierra Madre authorities are distributing sandbags in potential flood areas in case of landslides, though police said that as of 3 p.m. the city had received only light rainfall.
Hail and thunderstorm's whipped through the Southland on Thursday, forcing the postponement of several CIF-Southern Section quarterfinal softball games.
The Glendora High school softball team trailed Vista Murrieta 2-1 in the top of the second inning when it was postponed due to the rain. Weather permitting, the two schools agreed to reschedule its Div. II quarterfinal at Glendora at 3:15 p.m. Friday.
Bishop Amat was scheduled to host its Div. III quarterfinal against Alemany, but that too was postponed until Saturday at Bishop Amat at 1 p.m.
In Orange County, Fire officials ordered mandatory evacuations in three canyons that were scarred by wildfires last fall. Orange County Fire Authority Capt. Mike Blawn says evacuations are under way in Williams, Modjeska and Trabuco canyons. Blawn doesn't know how many people are covered by the order issued early Thursday afternoon.
Orange County Fire Authority Battalion Chief Kris Concepcion says some residents in those canyons can't leave their homes because of Thursday's mud and debris flows. Some houses have been damaged as well.
Concepcion says debris flow has also made a road in Trabuco Canyon impassable.
There have been no reports of injuries.
The area of the mudslides was charred last fall by a wildfire that burned 15 homes and 28,000 acres.
The downpours are part a wild weather system that dusted Southern California with a rare late spring snowfall. | <urn:uuid:dcf9b89c-2281-424a-8db3-f39d142b5497> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.sgvtribune.com/ci_9349120 | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368703298047/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516112138-00012-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.976227 | 736 | 1.5625 | 2 |
The expression of support for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu during his speech before Congress this week was almost unanimous.
To a person, the U.S. lawmakers rose and applauded, 29 times, four times more than they did for President Obama's Inaugural Address.
But seated in the Capitol Gallery was one young woman who withheld her adulation: Rae Abileah, a Jewish-American of Israeli descent and member of the peace group CODEPINK.
Just as Netanyahu was praising the youth in the Middle East who spoke out for democratic reforms, Abileah took her cue, stood up, unfurled a banner and shouted: "No more occupation! Stop Israeli war crimes! Equal rights for Palestinians!" She was immediately tackled, gagged, tossed to the floor by members in audience, some of whom, she says, were wearing AIPAC buttons, and whisked out by ambulance to George Washington Hospital where she was treated for neck and shoulder injuries and then placed under arrest for disrupting Congress.
Moments after Abileah was carted away, Netanyahu reportedly said to his Congressional audience, "You can't have these protests in Tehran; this is real democracy."
"Is it?" asks Abileah in a forceful essay that was posted on Mondoweiss explaining why she chose to disrupt Netanyahu's address to Congress yesterday. I recommend reading all of it, but here is an excerpt:
What's more, despite the growing nonviolent movement in the West Bank and Gaza, and the recent Palestinian Unity Agreement, in his speech to Congress, Netanyahu made it clear that the Palestinians have no partner for peace, and Congress would back his outrageous claims. In referring to the Occupied Palestinian Territory of the West Bank, he said, "And you have to understand this: In Judea and Samaria, the Jewish people are not foreign occupiers." Someone should inform Mr. Netanyahu that his own Supreme Court has written that the West Bank is "held in belligerent occupation."
The worst part of Netanyahu's speech to Congress was not what he said, but the appalling spectacle of watching our elected officials who literally applauded this bald-faced lie about the West Bank and the other outrageous statements Netanyahu made. It occurred to me that right now when it comes to this issue our Congress is more an outpost of the Israeli Knesset than a representative body of the United States.
The day before Abileah's ordeal in Congress, activists who repeatedly attempted to disrupt Netanyahu's speech at the AIPAC Gala were also assaulted.
Responding to the Israeli leader's claim that withdrawal to the 1967 was "indefensible" (international law requires this withdrawal), the five protesters sought to call attention to Israeli policies that are indefensible: starving Gaza, occupying and stealing Palestinian land, bulldozing Palestinian homes, silencing dissent within Israel. As each activist began to unfurl a banner and shout their protest, he or she was pounced upon by AIPAC audience members and dragged outside.
The AIPAC disruptions were one of many events this week organized by MoveOverAIPAC , a coalition of more than 100 peace and justice groups committed to challenging the influence the lobby has on U.S. policy in the Middle East.
At the top of this piece, I quoted from Uri Avnery's scathing critique of Netanyahu's speech before Congress. A veteran of the Israeli peace movement, Avnery sums up the prime minister's message in a single word: no. "NO to return to the 1967 Borders. NO to a Palestinian capital in East Jerusalem. NO to even a symbolic return of some refugees. NO to military withdrawal from the Jordan River-meaning a future Palestinian state would be completely surrounded by the Israeli armed forces. NO negotiations with a Palestinian government by Hamas, even if there are no Hamas members in the government itself."
And to Avnery's list, I would add, NO to all the core issues for resolving the Israeli/Palestinian conflict. NO to peace.
Avnery rightly concludes what is becoming obvious to more and more reasonable people. Given the abysmal failure of Israeli and U.S. leaders, the path to peace is recognition of a Palestinian state at the U.N. coupled with a nonviolent movement within Palestine to end the Israeli occupation.
That nonviolent movement is already happening. But it needs more support. | <urn:uuid:99357b40-409c-491e-8ea7-4e0e0d2a6632> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://ncronline.org/print/blogs/ncr-today/standing-peace-amid-yo-yos-us-congress | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368707435344/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516123035-00038-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.968335 | 882 | 1.710938 | 2 |
Blood Levels of Serotonin Are Differentially Affected by Romantic Love in Men and Women
Journal of Psychophysiology, 05/04/2012
Langeslag SJE et al. – In women, obsessive thinking about the beloved was associated with an increased serotonin level in serum. The serotonergic system seems to play a role in romantic love, but the effects appear opposite for men and women. | <urn:uuid:4fd41f92-fc24-4a1b-8303-682c3aadddde> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.mdlinx.com/neurology/xml-article.cfm/4053816 | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368710006682/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516131326-00007-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.936589 | 81 | 1.5625 | 2 |
Craft Sales Support Mission in Zimbabwe
At the far end of the General Conference exhibit hall, the Rev. Vienna Mutezo tends a handsome array of handcrafted gifts to raise funds for people and programs in her Harare Central District in Zimbabwe.
“When I travel I bring items to sell that I know people will be interested in,” said Ms. Mutezo, Harare Central District Superintendent.
Women’s groups in Zimbabwe made most of the items on her display, and sales will benefit women, widows with children and students at the Nyamacheni Mission School, a 2011 United Methodist Women Call to Prayer and Denial grant recipient.
“In Zimbabwe the government provides primary education for 6-12 year olds. After that, funds permitting, parents have to pay to send their children to secondary school,” Ms. Mutezo explained.
For families that cannot afford secondary school, there are some less expensive programs available that offer training in construction, tailoring, cooking and catering, she said, but not enough.
“Our plan as a church is to introduce training in these subjects as part of the school curriculum at Nyamacheni,” Ms. Mutezo said.
About 30 percent of Nyamacheni Mission School’s 291 students are orphans, disadvantaged or members of child-headed families. Many of these students came to the school through local pastors or church members who discovered during home visitation or other community encounters, that the children were living alone and not going to school. Without family to pay even small school fees, the church pays their way, as able. “Sometimes we take them in the school for a year, but it’s very difficult for us to guarantee their fees till they complete the school, ” Ms. Mutezo said.
The school used the $10,000 A Call to Prayer grant to build a staff house for teachers who had been walking miles to and from the school each day. The school had experienced a high turnover of teachers because of the lack of staff accommodations.
The grant covered the materials for building the staff house, and the community came together to make the facility a reality, she said. Local people brought sand and water to the site in their own ox-drawn carts and assisted with the labor.
The secondary school that opened January 7, 2006 now includes one classroom block and a staff house. The new building will be dedicated in June.
With a 75 percent national unemployment rate in Zimbabwe, Nyamacheni Mission School’s work to educate and otherwise equip young people with skills for the jobs that are available is paramount.
“The economy is still a challenge; we are using the U.S. dollar, not the Zimbabwe dollar, but things are getting better,” Ms. Mutezo said. “Politically we are enjoying peace. Although there are going to be elections this year, there is peace.”
Yvette Moore is editor of response, the magazine of United Methodist Women. | <urn:uuid:8bed9e2b-1feb-4175-b93d-c7c18b17e996> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://new.gbgm-umc.org/umw/news/events/item/index.cfm?id=871 | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368698924319/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516100844-00020-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.968192 | 624 | 1.71875 | 2 |
We provide, facilitate and support a wide range of sport, health, social inclusion, community safety and physical activity opportunities within Bolsover district.
We aim to work with partners to develop and support a range of sporting and community activities and initiatives that have a positive impact on the social, economic and wellbeing of the community.
Bolsover District Sports Development Team aim to create “A district where everyone has the opportunity to participate in and benefit from physical activity, which includes sport and active recreation, whether it be for fun, for health, to learn, to enjoy the natural environment, or to excel”
To achieve this, we work closely with the community, voluntary sector sports clubs, coaches, volunteers and other strategic partners.
- To increase the number of people of all ages and all abilities who are participating in regular physical activity; which includes sport and active recreation.
- To increase the number of sports performers from Bolsover district who are competing at all levels from club/community, to county, regional, national and international levels.
- To work in partnership with new and existing public, private and voluntary sector organisations in using sport and physical activity to improve quality of life.
We can provide information on local clubs, coach education and training along with advice and encouragement for local organisations to promote sport and physical activity in their communities.
For further information please telephone 01246 242357 or submit an enquiry form
Last Updated on Wednesday, 01 May 2013 12:10 | <urn:uuid:d18e0a82-6a52-4b36-a9b5-880ed6549fa6> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.bolsover.gov.uk/sports-development-overview/340-sports-development-overview.html | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368699273641/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516101433-00035-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.934298 | 303 | 1.5 | 2 |
A Pennsylvania State Senator is continuing his crusade to privatize the state's liquor stores -- or at least sell of 51% of the system to investors to "wring out inefficiencies."
Republican Sen. Rob Wonderling of Montgomery County argued that "Inevitably, free market competition always results in better quality at the best possible price for the consumer, and it does so exceedingly better than a public monopoly." Here, here.
Of course there will be opposition from the usual suspects -- the liquor control board itself (they don't want to lose control), the employees, and MADD who has historically not been in favor of privatization. MADD argues that the state has been more responsible to selling and distributing liquor than the private sector has (I guess regulating that beer can only be sold by the case, rather than in groups of 6 or 12 represents responsible).
Read more about privatizing state' liquor monopolies here. | <urn:uuid:743c9fd2-0465-4cd2-a756-64b3132cb65d> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://reason.org/blog/show/getting-the-state-out-of-the-l | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368707435344/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516123035-00039-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.956668 | 188 | 1.539063 | 2 |
America Supports You: Groups’ Monkeys Carry Encouragement to Troops
By Samantha L. Quigley
American Forces Press Service
WASHINGTON, April 19, 2007 About 1,000 sock monkeys are preparing to deploy to the Middle East with the mission of reminding servicemembers that the American public still supports them.
A member of the Marine Corps League holds one of the few and the proud sock monkeys created by the Sock Monkey Ministries. The sock monkeys, all hand made by the Alabama-based group and its volunteers, are meant to let servicemembers serving overseas know that they’re not forgotten. Courtesy photo
(Click photo for screen-resolution image);high-resolution image available.
“I feel that sometimes our soldiers kind of get forgotten,” Beth VanSickle, the founder of Sock Monkey Ministries, said. “We’re just trying to let everyone know, we need to kind of forget about the political and just remember that our soldiers are still there.”
Each monkey, created from socks that are stuffed and hand sewn by one of more than 1,500 volunteers, also carries with it the thoughts and prayers of its creator in the form a small foam heart, VanSickle said.
To help her get the monkeys ready for “Operation Monkey Drop,” the effort to send the monkeys to the troops, she enlisted the help of 322 fourth- and fifth-grade students from Chelsea Intermediate School in Chelsea, Ala., who stuffed 425 monkeys in one afternoon.
“That’s about 800 pounds of stuffing,” VanSickle said. She added that the students held a contest to see who could bring in the most “monkey making” supplies. The winning class got a pizza party.
In addition to stuffing the monkeys, the students completed more than 1,000 personal messages to accompany them, she said. The front of the message card explains the monkey’s purpose and encourages servicemembers to pass it on to a child who could use a lift.
“We understand that the Iraqi people may not have a very good view of us,” VanSickle said. “We’re hoping with this little act of encouragement … that it gives the (servicemembers) the opportunity to kind of befriend the (Iraqis).”
Fort Benning, Ga., has requested some monkeys to send to their soldiers for that very purpose, she said.
The organization, which has applied for nonprofit status, began in February 2005 in VanSickle’s Sunday school class of first and second graders in Texas. She was looking for a way to teach them about service as well as maintain her participation in church activities while fighting with metastatic breast cancer.
The project, which she said helps keep her going, is now based in Alabama and has had a much greater impact than originally intended. VanSickle approaches community groups to help with the project.
“We try to go to those individuals that are in a situation where they don’t feel like they’re able to provide a service,” VanSickle said. “So, by us going into the nursing homes or going to the hospitals to help people stuff monkeys, it kind of gives them a renewed sense of purpose as well.”
VanSickle’s group also reaches out to the families of fallen servicemembers, she said.
The “Fallen Hero” sock monkey has a U.S. flag embroidered on its chest and carries a special note for its recipient. Simply stated, it offers appreciation and gratitude for the family’s sacrifice.
Nearly 4,800 sock monkeys have been created since 2005, far surpassing the original goal of 100. The monkeys have inspired hope in the lives of orphaned children, cancer patients, AIDS patients, homeless families, and anyone in need of encouragement as far away as Israel, or in their own backyard, VanSickle said.
They won’t head off to the Middle East without a proper send off, though. Chelsea Intermediate School will hold its “Monkey March” on May 1, before shipping the monkeys out.
“We’ve invited the community leaders and we are going to march around the school to let everyone know that we support our troops and that we’re not going to forget them,” VanSickle said.
The students will also take the opportunity to present monkeys to several military family members who have been invited.
Those sock monkeys that are shipped overseas will get a lift from America Supports You home-front group Operation Homefront, which has offered to help with the shipping.
America Supports You is a Defense Department program connecting citizens and corporations with members of the military and their families at home and abroad. | <urn:uuid:f56aedc2-1a91-48f1-a269-98d250341b96> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.defense.gov/News/NewsArticle.aspx?ID=32863 | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368702448584/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516110728-00029-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.968659 | 1,005 | 1.601563 | 2 |
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FaithfulAmerica offers a 'faithful' version
of the 2006 State of the Union Address
Washington, January 27, 2006 -- FaithfulAmerica.org, a Washington D.C. interfaith advocacy organization, today released its "Faithful State Of The Union Address" in anticipation of President Bush's address to be delivered next week. The address offers an assessment of the nation's priorities through the lens of faith, conscience, and moral values.
"We want to get past the political posturing, party rhetoric, and examine the state of our union in light of our most enduring religious traditions," said Vince Isner, the program's director. "It's going to inspire some people and anger others -- we're not mincing words here -- but our hope is that people of faith and conscience will begin talking seriously about their role in shaping a more perfect union."
Using a passage from the Hebrew prophet Micah, the address reflects on how the United States is "doing justice, loving mercy, and walking humbly," and offers views on the federal budget, torture, the war in Iraq, and the courts.
The address was released in both print and podcast. Both may be found at www.faithfulamerica.org.
FaithfulAmerica.org is an interfaith program of the National Council of Churches of Christ, USA. The Faithful State of the Union Address is not an official statement of the Council.
The text of the "Faithful" State of the Union Message follows:
In little more than two centuries the United States of America has grown from a band of fledgling colonies to one of the grandest nations in the history of the world.
Much has been said of the wisdom that has guided this great nation across the centuries; the wisdom of its founders, its constitution, and, at a few pivotal times, it's elected leaders.
Yet thousands of years before there was a United States of America, the Hebrew Prophet Micah proclaimed in just a few words what would be a moral standard for persons of faith and the nations they build. He declared, "What does the Lord require of you but to do justice, love mercy, and walk humbly with your God?"
In light of these words, the state of our Union is troubled indeed. As persons of faith and conscience we hold ourselves to a standard that measures more than our economic wealth and military might. We recognize that we are more than consumers, voters in red or blue states, taxpayers, polling numbers, demographics, target markets and all the rest. As human beings living together on this planet we know that we are, as the Judeo-Christian tradition reminds us -- our brother's and our sister's keepers. We are, as Native American Tradition teaches, guests of this planet – not its owners. We are, as Jesus taught us, the "light of the world."
We are also the living agents of Micah's prophetic call. So let us examine just how we are doing justice, loving mercy, and walking humbly.
Inscribed in the East pediment of the Supreme Court -- the side few people see -- are these words: "Justice the guardian of liberty." Two things are significant about that.
One, it does NOT say, "Justice, the guardian of liberty for some" but rather implies liberty for ALL.
Two, the inscription appears on the East side -- the back door, as it were, of the Supreme Court.
Few of us would dare approach the Supreme Court and openly declare, "My views are better, truer, and more important, than theirs and therefore you should interpret the law in light of me."
That is why special interests choose the BACK door when trying to influence the courts. Recently some well-funded and organized Christian fundamentalist groups have used massive media events to help load the open seats on the Supreme Court with ultra-conservative judges sympathetic to their fundamentalist agenda. They even said that those who disagree with them are "against people of faith."
People of faith in the United States of America do not march lock step to the drums of Christian fundamentalism, and we must resist the claims of those who claim to speak for people of faith and conscience everywhere.
It is an arrogant dinner guest who seizes the conversation and shouts his proclamation so loudly that nobody else can speak. That is why all who love their faith and their country must work to insure that everyone has a voice around the national table. It is only through dialogue, the free expression of ideas, and respect for all points of view can justice reach its full height. That is part of what it means to DO justice.
Yet justice extends far beyond the courts. Martin Luther King Jr. once said, "Injustice anywhere is a threat to justice everywhere."
The world has been shocked and outraged by the revelation that the U.S. has engaged, and perhaps continues to engage in torture of its detainees. Many are being held without charge and without access to legal representation. The United States embroiled in a torture scandal? It would have seemed unthinkable a few years ago. Yet using 9/11, the White House has tragically adopted a policy that bears little resemblance to the example of Christ.
The President has said, "we do not do torture," but he opposed a bipartisan anti-torture bill in Congress. When Congress passed the measure, the President signed it, but added a so-called "signing statement" -- a disclaimer of sorts, reserving the right to interpret the law as he sees fit. In short, the President has declared himself above the law in matters of torture. Such action not only dishonors our nation's commitment to the rule of law, but also imperils our hard-fought reputation around the world as guardians of human rights.
Allegations of secret U.S. prisons, denying detainees due process, charges that the U.S. is "outsourcing" its torture to other nations, and the President's unapologetic seize of privacy rights by ordering electronic eavesdropping without Congressional approval, all signal a tragic sacrifice of our nation's most cherished moral values upon the altar of arrogant self interest.
An Arab proverb states that arrogance diminishes wisdom.
After a lifetime of living in the public eye, a revered television personality remarked, "The longer I live the more I realize that the true drama of life is not in the spotlight but in the wings. The acts of kindness that go unnoticed by the cameras are perhaps the most important dramas we will ever see."
Looking at the earth from space, only a degree or two separates shadow from light. In the same way, comfort and misery are often just a few degrees apart. For most Americans, a chilled room can be made toasty with just a touch of a button -- a few degrees is all it takes. At 98.6 degrees our bodies thrive, laugh, love -- we live. A few degrees colder, hypothermia sets in, and we die. A few degrees warmer -- fever overtakes us, and we die.
It is no less true of our political climate. Congress' cruel and reckless decision to cut billions from aid programs may seem like a small shift in a massive budget, but that tiny shift is critical to those already on life's margins. The consequences will be real -- in the form of more children frozen into lives of poverty, young people succumbing to the fever of despair, unable to afford an education. More and more seniors, many already living below the poverty line, will suffer and die for lack of medical care.
Budgets are moral documents. We may speak of compassion, but in the final analysis, the truest measure of our government's political will is made clear every time our government completes the sentence: "Pay to the order of . . ."
If we say we care about the hungry but feast on corporate greed -- if we say we love peace but kneel at the altar of an out-of-control war machine -- if we say we cherish our children but steal their very futures through our own reckless spending -- then all the excuses in the world cannot mask our true intentions.
Economic growth is important, but it isn't everything. Robert F. Kennedy once said:
"The gross national product does not allow for the health of our children, the quality of their education, or the joy of their play. It does not include the beauty of our poetry or the strength of our marriages; the intelligence of our public debate or the integrity of our public officials. It measures neither our wit nor our courage; neither our wisdom nor our learning; neither our compassion nor our devotion to our country; it measures everything, in short, except that which makes life worthwhile. And it tells us everything about America except why we are proud that we are Americans."
On February 1, the House of Representatives will have one final chance to vote on what has been called one of the most immoral budgets in American History. If it passes, millions will suffer needlessly. If it fails, we will be given another chance to speak on behalf of all Americans -- not just the wealthiest few.
As lobbyists for hundreds of special interests huddle outside the House Chamber wringing their hands and licking their chops over the billions they stand to gain either for themselves or for those whom they represent, who will stand in the chamber and speak for the poor, the young, the ill, and the elderly of this nation? Who will remember them?
We dare not forget that mercy and misery are only degrees apart. Thus far, Congress and the President have chosen misery over mercy. Let us hope that on February 1, the House has the courage to honor their sacred call to love mercy -- and to act likewise.
Whether the need is to fix our nation's healthcare nightmare, lift the long-overdue minimum wage, or tear out the deep and destructive roots of economic inequality as revealed in the Hurricane Katrina tragedy, our mandate must be mercy on a massive scale. Not the bone-throwing, dignity destroying, cheap feel-good handout kind of mercy, but systemic, bold, committed, and faithful acts of courage worthy of our call as our brothers' and sisters' keepers. If we fail to eradicate hunger in our nation, provide quality healthcare for all, grant every working American a living wage, and enable everyone to obtain a quality education -- and do it with committed hearts -- then all our proclamations are hollow.
At a gathering of political contributors President Bush had this to say to his audience:
"This is an impressive crowd: the have's and have-more's. Some people call you the elites. I call you my base."
At another gathering on a hillside in Galilee, Jesus had this to say to his audience:
"Where your treasure is, there will your heart be also."
We are a nation at war. Ordinarily it is a time in our national life to come together around the effort to secure a victory and celebrate the rightness of our cause.
This is not such a time.
We are a nation at war, but our leaders have committed a grave error, for this war is of our own making. The Iraq war is unjust, unnecessary, and immoral. Nearly 2,300 U.S. soldiers have died in faithful service to their nation, but it did not have to be. More than 16,000 brave men and women have been maimed or wounded in service to their country. But it did not have to be. An estimated 30,000 Iraqi innocents -- women, children, elderly -- have been killed in the crossfire. But it did not have to be.
The Iraq war was not launched as an act of regrettable last resort but as an arrogant first strike -- fueled by misinformation and perpetuated by fear. Now, nearly three years into the bloodshed, even terrorists laud the war for being the most successful terrorist recruiting campaign ever. Most of the world agrees.
Throughout history our greatest spiritual teachers -- from Jeremiah to Jesus -- from Lao-Tzu to Gandhi -- have shown us that military might is no match for moral integrity. It is also true, as this war has shown, that all the firepower on earth cannot atone for moral weakness.
Napoleon once said that God was on the side of the country with the biggest cannons.
Napoleon was mistaken.
Whenever leaders invoke the name of God to justify a particular war, it speaks more of the leader than of God. For while many have used religion to justify individual wars, can there truly be a moral justification for war as a way of settling differences between members of the human family?
The decisions we make matter to more than we who inhabit this world. They affect the planet itself. Despite rhetoric to the contrary, our choices -- from our refusal to sign onto the UN Kyoto treaty to gutting environmental standards for power plants -- are killing the earth. Even as weather patterns destabilize around the globe, glaciers melt, seas rise and winds blow erratically, the Bush administration resolutely refuses to acknowledge U.S. responsibility and take action to halt these dangerous patterns. Some scientists believe it is already too late -- that the events we have set in motion cannot be reversed in time to save our planet.
Native American wisdom teaches us to us to walk lightly upon the earth -- so that all we do may bless the earth and its inhabitants for seven generations. The prophet Micah would agree. To walk humbly is to be in awe of creation. It is to be in gratitude for its blessings. It is to act in lovingkindness for the life it bestows and the miracles it sustains.
And so we stand here --- today -- together -- to ask again, what is the faithful state of our Union? Are we doing justice? Are we loving mercy? Are we walking humbly?
More importantly, can our faith stir our hearts to lift our eyes to a higher standard, set our feet on a different path, engage our hands and our backs and our minds and our spirits toward building a more perfect union?
If we hope to save our nation from ruination, we must embrace the calling that we share across religions and the span of human history. By turning clenched fists into open hands we will see that in those hands are the keys to a better world -- a world which we must help to save.
No longer can we move non-chalantly through life as though our presence makes no difference to others. Instead, we must move chalantly -- with humility yes, but with purpose, courage, and grace:
Protecting our souls as well as our shores.
Opening our hearts as well as our minds.
Rejecting arrogance while embracing understanding.
Putting aside retribution while taking up love.
Printed on our currency are the words "In God We Trust." Whether or not we live up to that claim, we should also consider that God has placed in us God's trust to care for each other. By virtue of our being alive together on this planet we are entrusted and empowered to live out creation's most sacred call -- to love one another.
Vince Isner, Director
Return to NCC Home Page | <urn:uuid:559292b7-346d-4a00-909e-92032adf67b2> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.ncccusa.org/news/060127faithfulspeech.html | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368701852492/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516105732-00019-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.948233 | 3,134 | 1.578125 | 2 |
An eclectic group of passengers at the Ardrossan ferry terminal boarded the top deck of the Caledonian Isles as we prepared to cross the Firth of Clyde to reach the Isle of Arran.
Dubbed "Scotland in Miniature," the island is studded with craggy mountains, bracken-clad moors, beautiful beaches, castles and a history as colourful as the kilt.
A chill wind cutting through my woolly sweater sent me scurrying for cover. Below deck, my husband and I gingerly picked our way through a jumble of golf bags, fishing rods and bulky rucksacks that looked as if they'd been purloined from an army surplus store. By now, the only vacant seat was beside a weather-beaten shepherd and his pair of nervous collies pacing at the end of a rope.
As our ferry nudged against Brodick pier, I thought back to my childhood holidays when the journey from Glasgow used to be a half-day undertaking complete with flasks of hot tea and enough egg-and-cress rolls to feed a Highland regiment. Today the train and ferry trip from Glasgow Central station takes less than two hours.
A short walk along the grassy esplanade took us to our B&B where we received a warm welcome. Our bedroom window overlooked the brick-red sands of Brodick Bay, so named from the Old Norse word meaning "broad bay."
On the far shore, the sharp summit of the island's tallest mountain, Goat Fell (874 m), was unusually devoid of mist. The hill walkers and mountain bikers would be pleased.
Top of our sightseeing list was a visit to 13th century Brodick Castle, which is now owned by the National Trust for Scotland.
An elderly volunteer clad in a tartan skirt nimbly led us up a broad staircase under the watchful eyes of 87 mounted stags' heads.
Our self-guided tour drew us into a time capsule of Scottish baronial life and uncovered a veritable treasure house of art, porcelain and silverware. Afterwards we meandered through the 65-acre woodland Country Park and alongside pastures dotted with Highland cattle.
Having completed our loop, we followed the sound of clinking teacups and found ourselves in the castle's terrace tea room. Volunteers were doing a brisk business selling fresh scones, shortbread and local ice cream.
Outside, with the castle ramparts sheltering us from the prevailing wind, we basked in the sunshine. Our few crumbs were shared with a robin redbreast that eventually flew off to the adjacent walled garden.
History buffs can happily wile away a couple of hours at Brodick's Heritage Museum, which is situated in an 18th century croft farm. To turn the clock back even further, however, we drove inland over the scenic String Road to Machrie on the opposite side of the island.
From here we walked along a track to the Bronze Age stone circles at Machrie Moor, which are evocative of Stonehenge. Unfortunately we weren't the only visitors. Clouds of pesky midges descended upon us and our flailing arms did nothing to keep them at bay.
For a scenic daytrip, visitors can take a bus, drive or cycle around the island's 100 km of coastline. Dotted around the perimeter is a necklace of unspoiled seaside villages -- perfect spots to enjoy afternoon tea or visit craft stores that display local paintings, pottery, jewelry and wood carvings.
One of my favourite villages is Edwardian-style Lamlash. From its jetty, a small boat transports visitors over to nearby Holy Isle, which, once Christian, is now a Buddhist spiritual retreat.
There's also Kildonan with its playful seal colony, the hamlet of Corrie with its whitewashed cottages and Blackwaterfoot with one of the island's seven golf courses.
A perfect spot for sunset photography is Lochranza with its 14th century ruined castle made famous by Sir Walter Scott's epic poem Lord of the Isles.
It was near here that I spotted a herd of magnificent red deer which, having caught my scent, ascended to the highest ridge. My last memory of Arran was watching a row of moving antlers outlined against a dimming sky. It is a sight forever etched in my memory.
IF YOU GO:
- Good walking shoes and rain gear are recommended.
- For more information, visit the Scottish Tourist Board's website for Canadians at www.cometoscotland.ca. | <urn:uuid:dad39c3b-684e-4777-962e-0407f84fe232> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.canada.com/travel/Isle+Arran+Scottish+treasure+travellers/803055/story.html | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368705195219/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516115315-00005-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.950094 | 949 | 1.617188 | 2 |
'Oil-rich' Abyei: Time to update the shorthand for Sudan's flashpoint border town?
Read any of the media coverage of Abyei and you’ll be hard-pressed not to find the phrase 'oil-rich' placed somewhere in front of the town’s name. But these days the accuracy of the journalistic short-hand is questionable.
The failure to agree on who gets to vote in a Jan. 9 referendum on whether the key strategic Sudanese town of Abyei will remain part of northern Sudan or become part of what could be a newly independent south is leading pundits to cite Abyei as a possible trigger for a return to war.Skip to next paragraph
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Accordingly, the number of articles on the Abyei referendum has sky-rocketed. Read any of the media coverage and you’ll be hard-pressed not to find the phrase “oil-rich” placed somewhere in front of the town’s name. But these days the accuracy of the journalistic short-hand is questionable.
In 2004, when the final stages of the negotiations for the Comprehensive Peace Agreement were underway, the Abyei area was indeed “oil rich.” There were two major oilfields to the east of Abyei town, Heglig and Bamboo, and another to the north called Diffra.
Back then, the combined production of the three fields was an estimated 76,600 barrels per day (bpd). If you crunch the numbers, this amounted to 25 percent of Sudan’s annual oil production. With so much at stake, “oil-rich” summed up perfectly the reasons why Abyei was an obstacle to the conclusion of the peace agreement.
But we are now in 2010. In the intervening six years, two factors have diminished the accuracy of the “oil-rich” label:
First, oil production from Heglig, Bamboo, and Diffra has declined across the board. From the 76,600 bpd of 2004, the 2009 estimates for the three fields dropped to 28,300 bpd. Meanwhile, production from outside the area increased. By early 2009, “oil-rich” Abyei only accounted for 5 percent of Sudan’s annual production.
Second, a July 2009 ruling by the Permanent Court of Arbitration, placed Heglig and Bamboo outside of Abyei. Of course these two fields are still physically in the broader border region, and the dispute between north and south over who will benefit from them continues. But they are no longer up for grabs in the Abyei referendum, which is what most reporting on Abyei is about. The only oilfield now remaining in the Abyei equation is Diffra, estimated to have produced just 4,000 bpd in 2009 – less than 1 percent of Sudan’s current annual production.
According to Rosie Sharp from Global Witness, some oil has been found beyond Diffra, “but it's not clear whether the quantities are commercially-viable.” Given the possibility that Abyei has more usable oil than we currently know or can verify, one may argue there is no harm in continuing to label Abyei as “oil-rich.” But the problem is that as long as oil remains the primary lens through which Abyei stories are packaged, we miss what else is at stake.
Abyei is extraordinarily fertile, and the significance of the River Kiir (in Dinka)/Barh el-Arab (in Arabic) to the sustenance of life here cannot be overstated.
This river continues to flow throughout the harsh dry season, meaning it is the only place to graze livestock for many months of the year. Without it, the nomadic population could not survive. Even if it turns out there is untapped commercially-viable oil within Abyei’s boundaries, that still only accounts for one strand of what is going on in Abyei.
At the national political level, oil matters.
For the people who live here – who have never seen any benefits from oil and don’t believe they ever will, the talk of oil just feels like a headache they would rather do without. But if you took oil out of the equation you would still have a very big Abyei problem – primarily because of water, but also because of the political manipulation of local actors, and the legacy of war on inter-ethnic relations. None of these issues are getting the coverage they deserve because of the hyped-up focus on oil. | <urn:uuid:43b65f2b-b2db-4652-83d9-0a619a0f5181> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.csmonitor.com/World/Africa/Africa-Monitor/2010/1102/Oil-rich-Abyei-Time-to-update-the-shorthand-for-Sudan-s-flashpoint-border-town | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368699881956/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516102441-00028-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.955387 | 1,015 | 1.820313 | 2 |
Plane with Dutch royal couple on board makes emergency landing
Wednesday, November 1, 2006
The heir to the Dutch throne, Prince Willem-Alexander of Orange, has been forced to make an emergency landing in New Zealand after passengers smelt smoke on board a chartered plane soon after takeoff.
The private Jetstream 32 carrying Prince Willem-Alexander and his wife Princess Máxima departed for Wellington from Nelson, and was forced to make an emergency landing at Nelson Airport at around half past four this afternoon, minutes after takeoff.
Nelson Airport General Manager Kay McNabb says the plane was not in the air long when the crew detected what they thought was smoke in the cockpit, forcing the aircraft to circle the airport and land.
She says that the rescue fire crews were on standby as the royal couple's airplane touched down.
She says the plane landed without incident, all 17 people on board were unhurt. The royal couples were put on a commercial flight to Wellington at five o'clock.
The emergency landing comes after they made headlines earlier this week, with an apparent snub as he and Princess Máxima started an official visit to New Zealand on Tuesday.
The royal couple are visiting New Zealand from October 31 to November 4. Their stay will include visiting Christchurch, Nelson, Wellington and Auckland. They are due to fly out for Singapore Saturday afternoon.
- "Dutch Prince leaves sour impression with New Zealanders" — Wikinews, November 1, 2006
- "Dutch royal couple's plane in emergency landing at New Zealand airport" — , November 1, 2006
- Australian Associated Press. "Dutch royals in plane emergency landing" — , November 1, 2006 | <urn:uuid:34a01ac5-50ae-44b5-8c60-c8ba28760bc0> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://en.wikinews.org/wiki/Plane_with_Dutch_royal_couple_on_board_makes_emergency_landing | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368703682988/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516112802-00033-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.970132 | 346 | 1.59375 | 2 |
November 21, 2011
To ease crowding in Lower Manhattan, the Department of Education could move offices out of its headquarters.
That’s the suggestion of State Sen. Daniel Squadron, who argues in a letter to Chancellor Dennis Walcott that DOE officials would do well to clear out to make space for children.
The letter comes days after the elected parent council for Manhattan’s District 2 rejected a DOE plan that would have tweaked zones for some overcrowded schools and created a zone for a new school set to open next year.
That school, Peck Slip School, is set to spend its first year in the basement of Tweed Courthouse, the DOE’s headquarters ever since Mayor Bloomberg relocated the education department’s offices from Brooklyn when he first gained control of the schools. The ornate building mostly contains administrative offices, but for the last several years, its basement has housed just-starting-out schools. Ross Global Charter School and the Spruce Street School have occupied the space while waiting for permanent sites, and Innovate Manhattan Charter School opened there this year.
Since the space is certified for public school occupancy — an obstacle the city has run up against when surveying other vacant buildings in Manhattan — Squadron says the DOE should convert more offices into classrooms and send the adults elsewhere.He suggests Tower 4 of the World Trade Center, where the city has already leased space starting in 2013.
“Simply rearranging school zones will not address the serious overcrowding problem in Lower Manhattan,” he writes.
In the letter, Squadron also raises concerns about the city’s enrollment projections — an issue he tried to address in a state bill last year — and possible effects on federal funding at Chinatown’s P.S. 1 if the city directed large numbers of middle-class students to the Title I school. | <urn:uuid:94e60e96-24c0-4c6b-82b2-7a389b98b423> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://gothamschools.org/2011/11/21/to-ease-school-crowding-legislator-urges-doe-to-rezone-itself/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368697974692/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516095254-00028-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.958065 | 374 | 1.671875 | 2 |
Postings on this site are NOT by mental health professionals, rather the opinions & experiences of a community of regular people. If you feel like you are going to hurt yourself or others PLEASE call Suicide Prevention at 1-800-273-8255
Most of my life has been a struggle to regulate strong emotions. When I hear/see something that's even a little sad, I get overwhelmed by sadness and I experience that as really unpleasant. Maybe trying so hard to regulate or contain my emotions is part of the problem. I don't know.
dystopika wrote:I cried like I hadn't cried in YEARS. It was a bit embarrassing but sooo cathartic. I felt a sense of peace afterwards.
I have a similar experience when I hear songs that remind me of high school. At least for now, it's hard for me to remember that there were some good times mixed in with the awful ones when I was a teenager. Anytime I hear a song that was popular in the mid '90s, my impulse is to immediately turn it off.dystopika wrote:NIN's "And All That Could Have Been" reminds me of my divorce. It is sort of a devastating song for me.
My ability to cry was so tightly bound with my sense of self-entitlement and feeling sorry for myself and demanding the world to give me everything I wanted without me having to put in any effort. So when I got rid of those terrible parts of myself, I kind of lost the ability to cry. I am not sure how to move to a healthier place.
Users browsing this forum: No registered users and 2 guests | <urn:uuid:ed75c7f0-209b-42b4-81e9-0179b50bfea1> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://mentalpod.com/forum/viewtopic.php?f=21&t=29 | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368704713110/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516114513-00006-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.973782 | 338 | 1.585938 | 2 |
St. Thomas is an inkblot, about 12 miles long and three miles wide. It is the second largest of the U.S. Virgin Islands but the most populous. A steep spine stretches from east to west, with the highest point at Crown Mountain, on the western third of the island.
Charlotte Amalie is one of the West Indies’ most picturesque harbors: Layers of historic and modern homes, businesses, and churches rim the broad harbor. This is the center of business and government, plus an inviting historic town. The international airport is a short drive west, and ferries and seaplanes leave regularly with service to St. Croix, St. John, Tortola, and Puerto Rico.
Historically and today, St. Thomas is the hub of the Virgin Islands. As the center of business, commerce, services, and transport, St. Thomas long ago lost the quiet island feel of the other Virgin Islands. This is the “big city” of the Virgins—the place where people come to shop, celebrate, and meet up. At the same time, for those who call this island home, it is a small town where everyone knows each other.
The island’s long history has left historic attractions dating back to the earliest days of colonization—old churches and forts that bring an old world feel to Charlotte Amalie, an attraction that is often overlooked in favor of the beaches of the east end and north shore. Magen’s Bay, the best beach on the island, is broad and quiet. On the east end, Coki Point and Sapphire Bay are alive with tourists and island residents.
St. Thomas is one of the best islands for family vacations. There are plenty of activities for children, ranging from underwater observatories to snorkeling, and parents will find pleasure in the dining, nightlife, and shopping of the city. Modern comforts like a large movie theater, fast-food restaurants, and American-style shopping malls will appeal to travelers who want to maintain a link to a familiar American culture.
You can also head off the beaten path to St. Thomas’s western end, where a small Rastafarian community lives, and drive through the winding, narrow mountain roads that pass vistas rivaling any in the Virgin Islands.
© Susanna Henighan Potter from Moon Virgin Islands, 4th edition | <urn:uuid:5744fd63-8fd4-4f36-8fc8-fbd045eab251> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://moon.com/destinations/virgin-islands/st-thomas | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368697974692/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516095254-00019-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.936326 | 495 | 1.796875 | 2 |
12 March 2013
Imperial College London has launched a brand new interactive news website.
Imperial News is modelled closely on established news websites such as the BBC but will be unique in the UK university sector.
The site will feature expert opinion pieces alongside news of Imperial’s research and education activities, and users will be able to engage with Imperial by commenting on stories.
Imperial News has an adaptable layout, with a variety of column designs and lead story layouts that gives it the flexibility to respond to daily news. It replaces a chronological list of stories – standard for the sector – with a front page and series of themed sections on science, engineering, health, business, and college and campus, letting readers browse the subjects that interest them the most.
It has been tailored to make it easy to access content from a variety of platforms including touchscreen smartphones and tablets. Audio, video images and the written word will all be used to bring news and feature stories to life.
Caroline Davis, Head of Communications at Imperial, said: “As one of the world’s top universities, Imperial is a source of fascinating stories about new discoveries, student achievements and day to day life on our campuses. In developing Imperial News we wanted to do justice to those stories, capturing their vibrancy through a window on the world of the College.”
“We hope people will enjoy exploring Imperial News and look forward to receiving their comments.”
The site will combine specially commissioned material with news and features from the College’s existing news channels such as press releases, the staff newspaper Reporter and the Imperial podcast.
Karsten Seipp, Senior Digital Designer and Developer at Imperial said: “We have designed the site to make it easy for anyone who is interested in science news and news about Imperial to be able to access it freely. A front page and a series of theme pages will help users to browse through content and once they have clicked through to a story, they will be offered a variety of other stories and links that may be of interest.”
Content for the site is produced and edited by staff from Imperial’s award-winning Communications and Public Affairs Division with contributions from the College’s Faculties of Medicine, Natural Sciences and Engineering, the Business School and support services.
The site will be edited by Kerry Noble, Research Editor and News Manager, and graduate of Imperial’s Science Communication MSc. She said: “I look forward to reading comments from colleagues and students across the College. I also want to encourage staff and students to contribute to the pages by suggesting story ideas and by writing their own stories.”
Imperial News is aimed at broad audience including the 22,000 current staff and students, 168,000 alumni and the general public.
“We hope Imperial News will inform and entertain anyone with an interest in the College’s work. The breadth of news and features could help school students researching course work, patients hoping to learn about the latest medical advances, and academics from other institutions seeking new collaborations,” Caroline Davis added. | <urn:uuid:34ca5d50-7a08-4bae-ad9f-3c8f1aea3c1d> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www2.imperial.ac.uk/blog/reporter/all-stories/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368703298047/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516112138-00019-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.94249 | 637 | 1.570313 | 2 |
What If We Got This Whole Facebook Thing Wrong?
There are times when I’m sure we’ve gotten this Facebook thing -- and maybe this social media thing -- all wrong.
When it comes to the Facebook IPO, yesterday was a day like any other day. Well, perhaps it was even more of a day like any other, because there was a clear, mathematical reason the stock dropped: the first lockup expired. This, of course, means that the Interwebs are full of almost gleeful headlines about Facebook’s crash-and-burn:
“Zuckerberg admits Facebook stock ‘painful’ to watch, report says, notes The Washington Post, illustrating its story with the photo of CEO Mark Zuckerberg and COO Sheryl Sandberg ringing the opening bell only three months ago.
First flight out: FB hits new low as lockup expires,” crows The New York Post.
“Facebook stock slump cuts Zuckerberg's worth by $600M,” intimates The Chicago Tribune.
But what none of these headlines can get at is the powerful flip side of Facebook, the part that has incalculable value, but, as its revenue models are structured now, is unmonetizable. What is it? The power of being able to connect with people who mean something to you.
It’s the way users derive value from the site, but, while a brand may piggyback on this interest, by overtly buying into the News Feed, or by harnessing data from Facebook interactions, those things have nothing to do with the value that people derive from it.
Once again, I’ll return to two examples from my personal life to illustrate what I mean:
Last night, I spent time scrolling through MOPS, the acronym the locals use for the Moms of Pelham Facebook group. (Yes, rocket scientists, that’s where I live.) Here are the topics covered in the five most recent posts:
1. The time of the high school football parents’ meeting last night.
2. The sorry state of a local vegetable garden.
3. A request for mason recommendations to repair a slate walkway.
4. A reachout from a newcomer about the local elementary school.
5. A recommendation for a new pediatrician.
What kind of value do you put you on a group capable of doling out advice and information on gardening, the school system, and local masons, all at your fingertips? Of course, these groups have existed online since we were all using dial-up modems to experience the wonders of America Online. But what separates the Facebook experience from its precursors is critical mass.
Pelham is a town of 12,000 people, and 680 of them are members of MOPS. Engagement levels are incredibly high. Almost every post gets at least one comment. In fact, it’s far more common that a post will have comments than “Likes.” But, while there’s plenty of discussion about goods and services, there is virtually no local advertising, except for a righthand column ad from our ubiquitous State Assemblywoman. And I’m really not sure how well advertising would go down, unless it was part of the kind of well-thought-out social media content strategy that most advertisers, let alone Mom-and-Pop stores, haven’t yet engineered.
As powerful as MOPS is though, it only scrapes the surface of how deep Facebook connections can go at their best. And, so, now, for my other example:
For years now, my family and I have wondered whatever happened to the family that used to live down the hill from us, especially their youngest son, who moved from my hometown when I was seven, and was one of the closest playmates I ever had. You know how this story ends, because you’ve probably experienced it. He was wondering about us all these years too. And now, we’re reunited, on Facebook.
It’s impossible to put a price on that. A CPM? A market cap? Are you kidding me?
So, let me close by asking you something: How does Facebook derive value from this power, if advertising doesn’t end up being the answer? | <urn:uuid:543071b2-9827-4308-bf72-8e2bcac3cee0> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.mediapost.com/publications/article/181067/what-if-we-got-this-whole-facebook-thing-wrong.html | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368711005985/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516133005-00023-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.944854 | 900 | 1.5625 | 2 |
New sound technology helps congregants who have auditory difficulties
Published: Saturday, February 9, 2013 at 9:25 a.m.
Last Modified: Saturday, February 9, 2013 at 9:25 a.m.
The Word of God now comes in crystal clear, without extra hearing devices, thanks to a new sound system at St. James Episcopal Church.
The wireless T-Coil loop technology recently installed at the church has been a boon to congregants with hearing loss, who can now hear more clearly through their own hearing aids.
“I think it’s one of the coolest uses of technology that really benefits the older population and/or those with hearing difficulties,” says the Rev. Joel G. Hafer, rector at St. James.
The church’s exploration of the use of the wireless sound system originated with a suggestion from Bishop William Folwell, who had experienced the benefits of the “loop” at Carolina Village and calls it a “wonderful help.”
St. James Senior Warden Kristin Huntley was intrigued with the promises of the system, which works through sound clarification rather than amplification.
The hearing loss of Huntley’s father, Lewis Lees, caused him to stop attending church.
Her mother, Kathleen Lees, continued to attend, though “unable to hear the Word,” Huntley says.
Huntley says before the T-Coil was installed, some St. James parishioners with hearing loss had asked clergy to provide written copies of sermons.
Parishioner Ann Ryan says she has been wearing hearing aids for 20 years and recently has “become more seriously deaf and unhappily miss much.”
“I was delighted to find that with the new sound system I could hear 99 percent of all the microphone speech,” Ryan says.
“I hope more churches, theaters and meeting halls install the hearing loop,” Ryan adds. “Our local area is full of people who are deaf, some young, and many … who become deaf, like me, as they get older.”
Large church sanctuaries like the one at St. James are typical of places where background noise makes hearing a challenge, such as restaurants and train stations.
Late last year, Huntley asked parish administrator David Marshall to investigate the viability of the system: to find out the costs and whether the sanctuary could accommodate an installation.
“We held a demonstration for those affected to see if it truly made a difference,” Huntley says. “To see the change of expression as they heard clearly what was being said was very moving — the elation, the liveliness — they could hear!
The St. James Vestry voted unanimously to pursue the purchase and installation, through All Ears Hear Here, an Asheville firm owned by Carl Chesick. The installation was completed in time for Christmas services.
“Once people become familiar with the technology and experience the benefits, I’m convinced we’re going to have many places looped,” Chesick says.
Many churches have devices for assisted listening, as did St. James, though their use was limited, Marshall says.
“The T-Coil broadcasts what goes through the mic,” Marshall says.
Even with the greatest hearing-aid technology, ambient noise is an issue, he says.
Also, not all churchgoers are comfortable with picking up a hearing assistance device, as it signals they have a hearing problem, Marshall adds.
Now in widespread use in many public and private spaces in Europe, T-Coil loop systems are just starting to take off as a solution for those with hearing loss in the U.S.
The technology is relatively simple. It is based on the T-Coil — something that has been around awhile in the telephone industry.
In a typical installation, a thin strand of copper wire is installed around the edges of a room, at the floor level — usually under carpet.
This wire sends out electromagnetic signals to be picked up by a tiny receiver that most hearing aids and cochlear implants already have.
The hearing aid needs to be switched to “telephone” or “T” mode for it to link with the wireless loop.
Basically, “the hearing aid turns off background noise,” so it can pick up the signal coming from the microphone, Marshall says.
Since it links directly with personal hearing aids, there are no batteries to charge or devices to replace if lost.
Marshall says St. James did purchase some headsets with the new system, for those who do not use hearing aids. These impart the same, enhanced listening experience.
Chesick says the next step would be “affordable behind-the-ear T-Loop listeners for folks who don’t have hearing aids,” so they could get the benefit from wherever T-Coil loops are installed.
Once these become available on the market, people would not have to check out headsets.
“The loop will help any normal hearing person in places that have bad acoustics,” Chesick says.
A front-page story in The New York Times in 2011 featuring the composer Richard Einhorn has helped to spread the word about the technology, he says. The story included a demo of how the system improves audio quality in the New York subway system, where hearing loops have been installed.
Chesick, who launched All Ears Hear Here in 2008, has installed T-Coil systems across North Carolina, including a retirement home in Winston- Salem and a theater in Charlotte. Locally, he has also installed a system in the sanctuary and social hall at Congregation Beth HaTephila in Asheville.
Chesick concedes demand is fairly light now, as people are unfamiliar with how the systems work and are not completely clear on how to synchronize hearing aids to the wireless loop.
Costs vary, depending on the size of the area to be covered, he says.
At St. James, the total cost was $3,500 for the system and the installation.
As an affirmation of the blessing the system has been to them, many of those at St. James benefitting from the T-Coil made donations toward its purchase.
“My parents made a financial contribution to honor their 65th wedding anniversary, and because we knew it meant so much to them we — their children — added our financial contributions to honor their anniversary as well,” Huntley says. “They can finally hear the Word.”
Reader comments posted to this article may be published in our print edition. All rights reserved. This copyrighted material may not be re-published without permission. Links are encouraged. | <urn:uuid:d95a3785-a6eb-4c30-9104-0347ee4d2ea7> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.blueridgenow.com/article/20130209/NEWS/130209824/0/WIRE | 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 | 0.96502 | 1,413 | 1.75 | 2 |
Germano Facetti was an Italian graphic designer who headed design at Penguin Books from 1962 to 1971. As well as his many achievements in design, he appeared in Chris Marker's famous short film La Jetée (1962).
Born in Milan he was arrested in 1943 for putting up anti-Fascist posters and deported to Mauthausen as a forced labourer. He moved to London in the early 1950s where he took evening classes in typography at the Central School of Art & Design. During this time he also designed the Poetry Bookshop in Soho and a stage set for Lindsay Anderson at the Royal Court, and took part in the This is Tomorrow exhibition at the Whitechapel Gallery in 1956. At Penguin, which he joined in 1960, Facetti was instrumental in redesigning the Penguin line, in particular Penguin Classics, introducing phototypesetting, the 'Marber grid', offset-litho printing and photography to their paperback covers.
He returned to Italy in the 1970s, where he eventually retired. He died in 2006.
Works by Germano Facetti / | <urn:uuid:fac45b53-428e-444e-9fd6-3d4bbfc1160c> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://lux.org.uk/collection/artists/germano-facetti | 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 | 0.981889 | 226 | 1.617188 | 2 |
Recent News Articles
Boom for Angola after big Atlantic strike
Angola is poised to throw open oil exploration rights in the offshore Kwanza Basin following a major strike by Houston-based Cobalt International Energy.
That’s expected to give the Luanda government a big boost for its drive to double production in the West African state from the current 1.8 million barrels per day to 3.5 million bpd by 2020.
Much of that crude will go to the United States, already a major buyer of West African oil, and Angolan production will challenge Nigeria’s long-held supremacy in Africa. China imports 15 percent of its oil from Angola.
Luanda is expected to auction exploration rights to major international oil companies early in 2013 following Cobalt’s deepwater strike.
The company, which is backed by Goldman-Sachs, estimates the Kwanza strike in the Atlantic Ocean contains 1.5 billion barrels of oil.
The geological strata there are believed to extend westward across the Atlantic to Brazil.
Angola’s offshore blocks have shown geological similarities with the bountiful Santos and Campos basins off Brazil where major discoveries have been made in recent years.
British Petroleum, Statoil of Norway, Total of France, ConocoPhillips of the United States and Italy’s Eni already have stakes in 11 exploration blocks in Angola’s Kwanza and Benguela basins to drill the pre-salt deposits, a geological layer dating from the dinosaur era about 100 million years ago.
“The Cobalt discovery proved that what was a concept — the comparison between the Kwanza Basin and Brazil — has become a reality,” says Didier Lluch, regional exploration manager for Spain’s Repsol, which recently acquired Angolan blocks.
“The bounty of crude deep under the Angola seabed counts as one of the most tempting targets for international oil groups,” the Financial Times reported July 2.
But before that boom gets properly under way, the international oil companies will have to face major technological difficulties in extracting the oil from its deepwater vaults — Cobalt’s well reached a depth of nearly 5 kilometers, or just over 3 miles — as well as political perils ashore amid an emerging power struggle over who’ll succeed longtime strongman Jose Eduardo dos Santos when he steps down later this year.
“Getting to the oil … involves feats of engineering and the ability to navigate a country consistently ranked as one of the world’s most corrupt,” the Financial Times observed.
But, the business daily noted, “As Angola seeks fresh investment to add to the tens of billions of dollars energy groups have spent to make it Africa’s second-biggest crude producer, oil companies’ appetite shows no sign of abating.”
The favorite to take over from dos Santos, who has ruled the former Portuguese colony for 32 years, is Manuel Domingos Vicente, who ran the state-owned Sonangol oil company for 12 years until January, transforming it into a conglomerate “likened by some observers to be a sovereign wealth fund.”
The oil companies are paying huge signature bonuses to secure exploration rights, most of which, many observers say, end up in the hands of top Angolan officials.
Statoil, for instance, is estimated to have paid $1 billion for its stake. BP recently disclosed it plans to spend $15 billion in Angola over the next decade.
“Graft poses a risk too,” the FT noted. Angola was ranked 168th out of 186 countries in Transparency International’s most recent corruption blacklist.
In April, the Financial Times reported Vicente and two senior Angolan generals had earlier concealed holdings in Cobalt’s local partner.
Cobalt lawyer Michael Goldberg said the company was “more convinced than ever that Cobalt has not violated any U.S. or Angolan laws.”
Vicente has denied any wrongdoing.
The FT reported he had “dismissed concerns that such groups might serve as fronts for officials seeking an illicit share of the oil bonanza, which would leave foreign groups at risk of violating anti-corruption laws at home.”
Vicente “is seen as someone who’s popular with the oil companies because he was effective and good to do business with,” observed Dairmid O’Sullivan, a researcher with the Global Witness advocacy group.
“But Angola’s economy and Angola’s future prosperity is based on oil and their record for using that oil for the benefit of the people is terrible.”
Copyright 2012 by United Press International | <urn:uuid:ed572329-59db-4f02-a11c-2939c6a3138f> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.onlinejournal.com/energy-resources/boom-for-angola-after-big-atlantic-strike/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368706499548/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516121459-00038-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.951688 | 989 | 1.53125 | 2 |
I’ve been trying to follow the increasing pressure developing throughout the world against GMO foods in general, and more particularly, the corrupt mercantilist business practices that American “agribusiness” has sponsored in its revolving door between corporate personnel and federal agency staffers.
In that respect, I’ve reported on the growing list of countries in Europe and elsewhere that, on the basis of various scientific studies, are either partially or completely rejecting America’s “agricultural” products as harmful to the health and well-being of their citizenry. It began with partial bans in France and Poland, and quickly spread to other countries such as Germany and Hungary.
Well, it seems that Hungary is particularly intent on making good its ban:
There’s a passage here that concerns me and it should concern you too, especially if you live in Europe:
“The free movement of goods within the EU means that authorities will not investigate how the seeds arrived in Hungary, but they will check where the goods can be found, Bognar said. Regional public radio reported that the two biggest international seed producing companies are affected in the matter and GMO seeds could have been sown on up to the thousands of hectares in the country. Most of the local farmers have complained since they just discovered they were using GMO seed.”
The free movement of goods in the EU, in other words, can be used to move GMO seeds into places where it isn’t welcome.
Yesterday I advanced some modest proposals to the BRICSA nations (Brazil, Russia, India, China, South Africa) for how they might turn the growing issue of GMOs to their advantage and actually help humanity in the process (since the American government certainly doesn’t seem to be interested in doing so on this issue). One of those proposals involved the issuance of public statements of support of nations such as Hungary that, while not a part of BRICS, are taking a stand against GMOs.
So we might extend the modest proposal to the EU: Hungary needs to prosecute whoever initiated the transfer of the seeds to that country, and the EU needs to take a long and hard look at its policy with respect to GMOs… Who knows? the issue might even be the issue that either tears the EU apart, or stitches it back together.
And another suggestion to Hungary: rather than plowing the fields under, why not uproot the plants, load them onto a big airplane, fly them to St. Louis, Missouri, and drop them on the company’s HQ?
See you on the…
Oh yea, one more thing. If you’re not sufficiently pissed off yet, then maybe this will do the trick:
Now I can go. See you on the flip side… | <urn:uuid:bc0c75e2-eaa0-4fb3-9ca8-353ec99f4bee> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://gizadeathstar.com/2013/03/gmos-monstersanto-and-brics-bans-slavery-and-lawsuits-part-two-hungary-says-no-to-monstersanto/ | 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 | 0.959844 | 572 | 1.601563 | 2 |
The Starkey Foundation has given the gift of hearing to over 800,000 people in the past 12 years with free hearing aids. In 2012 notable celebrities like Chelsea Clinton who helped Bill Austin distribute new hearing aids to hundreds of kids at Yankee Stadium. . And deaf kids still get excited upon receiving a free hearing aid. Deaf boy at 1:06 into the video (first video at top of page) signs and says while smiling "I have a new hearing aid! I am happy!"
At the Clinton Global Initiative in 2012 President Bill Clinton challenged Bill Austin to do more on providing free hearing aids to kids and adults around the world. Starkey Foundation for awhile remained "stuck" at 50,000 fittings a year decided to meet Bill Clinton's challenge to scaled up their efforts to more than 100,000 fittings a year to kids and adult so that they may experience, as Bill Austin said, the gift of hearing.
Besides Bill Clinton and Chelsea Clinton who are championing for free hearing aids to kids around the world so does Marlee Matlin who champions for the donation of free hearing aids to deaf and hard of children around the world. In fact she regularly attends this annual gala event called "So the world may hear." This year's gala 2012 event raised a record $7.6 million dollars and had many notable celebrities like:
President Bill Clinton, Maria Bello, Robin Williams, Marlee Matlin, Billy Crystal, Forest Whitaker and Sammy Sosa attended this year's Awards Gala, which raised a record $7.6M. But the biggest star was the power of hearing.Indeed, the power of hearing. Yes, that's a strong draw and reason for people to support on finding ways to alleviate hearing loss. Even Lou Ferrigno (who received his Esteem Envoy implantable hearing device) and Gary Busey who were at the gala event as well. It was Marlee Matlin who confronted Busey in the Celebrity Apprentice show about his hearing loss that he needs to get a hearing aid. It was on the Celebrity Apprentice when Marlee Matlin helped raise $1 million dollars for the Starkey Hearing Foundation. And now Gary Busey has become a big supporter on helping deaf and hard of hearing kids get their free hearing aids.
Now, here's the irony.
Marlee Matlin is perhaps unwittingly helping people understand and value the power of hearing for several years by attending the "So the World May Hear" gala annual event that began in 1984. Marlee Matlin supports the distribution of free hearing aids to children around the world and for them they are getting a taste of that power of hearing and experience the joy of being able to hear sound. | <urn:uuid:447fd985-00e8-4c9c-9923-2cd8a5a38c1a> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://kokonutpundits.blogspot.com/2012/11/nbc-story-of-deaf-girl-to-hear-again.html | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368696382584/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516092622-00042-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.960011 | 556 | 1.609375 | 2 |
San Francisco Business Tips
(San Francisco, California - CA, USA)
In the mid-19th century, the gold rush brought enormous prosperity to this area and transformed San Francisco into a cosmopolitan city, almost overnight. San Francisco's Financial District is situated east of Union Square and is bordered by the Embarcadero, Market, Third, Kearny and Washington Street.
This is San Francisco's main business region and is home many of the city's major corporations. Highlights include the TransAmerica pyramid at Montgomery, which is one of the Financial District's most distinctive architectural features. An impressive mix of old and new businesses are currently flourishing in this popular business district.
Business Hours and General Etiquette
In both dress and manners, Americans can be less formal than Europeans, although normal business courtesies should still be observed. The degree of formality necessary depends upon the actual nature of the business, with financial and legal professions being more formal than computer and media organizations. Although both men and women may still wear suits, short sleeve shirts are acceptable in the summer.
Business hours in the San Francisco bay area are usually from Monday to Friday, between 09:00 to 17:00, although some city offices may close slightly later. Many shops are open longer and often throughout the weekends, and some supermarkets are open 24 hours. Banks in San Francisco generally open from 08:00 to 16:00 and on one day of the week until late in the evening. On Saturdays, banks in the city are often open until midday.
Working lunches are a popular way to do business in San Francisco and Americans are quick to use first-name terms. Some exclusive restaurants have a strict dress code, although a more informal, yet presentable dress code is acceptable. Drinks or dinner is a popular way to end the hard working week.
A brief and friendly handshake is usually the customary greeting in this business community. New acquaintances are often addressed on first name terms.
Many restaurants now have a strict 'no smoking' policy, although some tend to cater for smokers in different areas. Most offices are now nonsmoking and as this is currently a sensitive subjective in America, it is best to only smoke when in the company of like-minded people. | <urn:uuid:b63ea4d7-0f4a-4867-82f3-3138274ce87a> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.san-francisco.world-guides.com/business_tips.html | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368696383156/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516092623-00013-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.94781 | 457 | 1.742188 | 2 |
Bork: Nixon offered next high court vacancy in '73February 25, 2013 @ 3:58 pm
WASHINGTON (AP) - Robert Bork says President Richard Nixon promised him the next Supreme Court vacancy after Bork complied with Nixon's order to fire Watergate special prosecutor Archibald Cox in 1973.
Bork's recollection of his role in the Saturday Night Massacre that culminated in Cox's firing is at the center of his slim memoir, "Saving Justice," that is being published posthumously by Encounter Books. Bork died in December at age 85.
Bork writes that he didn't know if Nixon actually, though mistakenly, believed he still had the political clout to get someone confirmed to the Supreme Court or was just trying to secure Bork's continued loyalty as his administration crumbled in the Watergate scandal.
President Ronald Reagan nominated Bork to the high court in 1987. The nomination failed in the Senate.
Bork describes a surreal time in Washington as the Watergate scandal began to consume the government and the country, and a sense of paranoia prevailed.
Bork says that soon after his arrival in Washington in 1973, White House Chief of Staff Alexander Haig tried to persuade him to resign as Solicitor General to become Nixon's chief defense lawyer. Bork sought out his good friend Alexander Bickel to discuss the offer. Rather than talk inside Bork's home in McLean, Virginia, they walked along a dark, semi-rural road so that no one would overhear them. Bork turned down the offer.
When Bork and Attorney General Eliot Richardson were called to the Oval Office to discuss plans to indict Vice President Spiro Agnew, the two men ducked into a restroom where Richardson turned on all the faucets so their conversation would not be picked up by electronic eavesdropping.
Most details about Bork's role on the tumultuous evening of October 20, 1973, immortalized as the Saturday Night Massacre, are well known.
Nixon ordered Richardson to fire Cox over the prosecutor's subpoena of White House tapes. Richardson resigned rather than carry out the order. The next in line, William Ruckelshaus, refused to fire Cox and was himself fired.
That left Bork, whose main job was arguing in front of the Supreme Court and who also was the third-ranking Justice Department official. Bork says his initial inclination was to fire Cox and then resign so as not to be seen as a White House toady. He says Richardson and Ruckelshaus encouraged him to stay on for the good of the Justice Department.
In the end, Bork served as acting Attorney General until January 1974, and stayed on as Solicitor General until January 1977. Nixon resigned in August 1974.
After Richardson and Ruckelshaus refused to carry out Nixon's order, the White House sent a car to the Justice Department to fetch Bork.
He met the car outside the department and found Nixon lawyers Leonard Garment and Fred Buzhardt in the passenger seats. Bork says he joked that he felt like he was being taken for a ride, as in a scene from a gangster movie, but that no one else laughed.
Shortly after he sent Cox a two-paragraph letter, he was taken in to see Nixon. Bork says the resignation and firings should have been called "The Saturday Night Involuntary Manslaughter" because Nixon didn't plan the episode, but blundered into it.
It was in that conversation that Bork says Nixon for the first and only time offered up the next Supreme Court seat.
(Copyright 2013 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.)
Behind the Wheel
Police begin cracking down on distracted drivers
Tax Exempt Robocalls
What the IRS kerfuffle could mean for the Tea Party and other political organizations
Fresh voices & seasoned stars hit the red carpet of the Billboard Music Awards
Bonneville Media encourages site users to express their opinions by posting comments. Our goal is to maintain a civil dialogue in which readers feel comfortable. At times, the comments can descend to personal attacks. Please do not engage in such behavior. We encourage your thoughtful comments which: have a positive and constructive tone, are on topic, are respectful toward others and their opinions. Bonneville reserves the right to remove comments which do not conform to these criteria. | <urn:uuid:45a3000a-ba0e-4451-ae2d-0d516c6b7815> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://mynorthwest.com/178/2211330/Bork-Nixon-offered-next-high-court-vacancy-in-73 | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368699273641/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516101433-00030-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.971669 | 901 | 1.835938 | 2 |
Students at Alfred G. Waters Middle School got to fight Spinal Muscular Atrophy their own way Jan. 31.
The middle school students and their families filled the gymnasium for the dodgeball competition, the final part of a month long fundraising event.
The month long fundraising event was organized by the National Junior Honor Society in memory of their friend and classmate Brandon Stewart who passed away from SMA last summer.
They ended up raising more than $2,700 during the month of January.
Brandon, who was an 8th grader at the school, suffered from SMA, which causes the muscles to weaken and waste away.
Teams of six competed against each other Thursday night in front of a packed gymnasium in the dodgeball match, which cost $2 for parents to watch and $10 per team, all of which went towards the fundraiser.
The NJHS, with teacher Amy Brown, has planned a month of awareness-building and fundraising activities that will support research for a cure, said Appoquinimink spokeswoman Lilian Miles.
All of the proceeds from that night, including snack sales, benefited SMA.
Other fundraising events included selling t-shirts and a night at Jake's Wayback Burgers of Middletown, where a percent of the night's proceeds went towards the cause. | <urn:uuid:ed6a1e1b-10d6-4cb0-842f-e9475b986e8c> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.middletowntranscript.com/article/20130201/NEWS/130209985/1003/CCH | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368706153698/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516120913-00001-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.959187 | 274 | 1.78125 | 2 |
3.4.2 Public actors and cultural diplomacy
Since the merger of the Ministry of Tourism and the Ministry of Culture, there has been a decrease in the government's interest (and funding) in cultural activities in general. No significant efforts have been seen to establish co-operation between the Ministry of Tourism and Culture and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. The latter has announced a major plan aimed at setting up a network of "Albanian Institutions" abroad, but to date this is only, and merely, a statement.
Unlike Albanian public institutions, foreign cultural agencies have been increasingly active in promoting their respective national and European cultural values in Albania. Especially, the Italian Institute and the Alliance Française have sponsored a wide range of activities, from translation and book publishing, to drama productions and live concerts. The Italian Institute is a promoter and major sponsor of "Allegretto Albania", a series of classical music concerts in major cities, while the Alliance Française organises the annual French Cultural Festival, a multi-disciplinary event.
A major actor in this field remains the Swiss Cultural Council - Pro Helvetia, which also supports projects with a national or regional profile. Recently, the British Council has been expanding its services, including library and home video rentals.
The major instruments used in international cultural relations are bi-lateral co-operation agreements. A good example in this matter is the 2002 agreement between Albania and Italy, which paved the way for two co-productions of feature films, the first ever with Albanian and Italian money.
Another agreement, between the Albanian and Italian ministries of education, has allowed many Albanian students to study arts and culture at Italian universities. In addition, opera and classical music institutions from Italy, France, Germany and Austria, have been offering training courses and internships for Albanian singers and musicians, thus helping many of them to start an international career abroad.
Due to a lack of interest in international cultural co-operation, the Albanian government provides no specific funding programmes for projects of this kind. However, the Ministry of Tourism and Culture provides limited and decreasing funding, benefiting events such as international drama and film festivals or classical music summer festivals.
Within the framework of regional cooperation, the Meeting of CEI Heads of Government held in Tirana on 23 November 2006 approved the Plan of Action for 2007-2009, which includes cultural cooperation. Since 1995, Albania is one of the members of this inter-regional initiative which aims to promote regional cooperation. The key elements of CEI cultural cooperation in the next years will be the development of projects related to intercultural dialogue and the preservation of cultural diversity in Central Europe, as well as the promotion of activities aiming at the conservation of cultural heritage, jointly with the transfer of know-how in cultural management. Additional activities aimed at advancing the ability of governments and civil society as a whole in the preparation, financing and implementation of cultural projects could be implemented especially in the following areas: support to cultural policies as a contribution to socio-economic development (cultural industries development; cultural tourism; sponsorship and donations to the arts) sponsoring cross-border cooperation in the field of arts, including the mobility of individuals and groups. Training programmes as well as seminars and workshops will be organised under the initiative of member countries with the aim of promoting various aspects of cultural dialogue, also aiming at the preservation of cultural diversity. Management of cultural institutions and the introduction of a modern administrative approach, including issues related to public subsidies, private sponsorship, ways and means of making culture especially attractive to the public, will be analysed in seminars and workshops organised by CEI member states, including Albania. | <urn:uuid:7f6693c2-1f27-4329-8f8c-96110cb41b35> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.culturalpolicies.net/web/albania.php?aid=342 | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368703682988/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516112802-00006-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.95173 | 738 | 1.625 | 2 |
San Diego Housing Market News and Analysis
Interest Rates and House Prices
User Forum Topic
Submitted by AmenhotepIII on September 8, 2011 - 5:11pm
Been following the housing market in San Diego since 2003-ish, saw the boom and bust and there's something that I'm trying to extrapolate out how the current really low interest rates. I believe at least a basic relationship between interest rates and housing prices is that when rates go up that prices tend to go down (and visa-versa), as the majority of people buy houses with 80% borrowed money. So with prices on average pretty low and interest seemingly now setup for a mid-2013 increase (referring to Fed's statement).
So my question which may be obvious is, as house prices drag along the bottom what will happen when the housing rate increases to say 6 to 7%? I see two things as possible, both could be 100% wrong though. The banks raise the down payment requirement so buyers will have to put more down to somewhat offset the rates? Or, SD house prices drift down to compensate?
Just interested in opinions, as in the 1990's boom/bust I seem to remember the interest rates had room to fall along with prices.
~Financial Market Commentary~
*Investment advisory services and securities offered through Girard Securities, Inc., member SIPC/FINRA.
~Active forum topics~
~SD Home Price Snapshot~ | <urn:uuid:fd0312ed-159f-460b-a9b7-fe3c0de63421> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://piggington.com/interest_rates_and_house_prices | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368709037764/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516125717-00017-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.959726 | 299 | 1.625 | 2 |
Iraq Hurts Bush: Nader Hurts Kerry
There is growing concern among New Jersey voters about the war in Iraq, even if the president's support remains steady. According to the most recent Fairleigh Dickinson University poll, the percentage of those who say the "United States did the right thing in going to war with Iraq" has decreased to 47% from 55% in January and from a high of 67% a year ago. Similarly, the percentage of those who think the U.S. military effort in Iraq is going "very well" or "fairly well" has declined since January by 14 points. Now, 55% say the effort is going very or fairly well as compared to 69% just three months ago.
The percentage of voters who think the country is on the "wrong track" has increased to 48% from 38% three months ago. To complete the reversal, only 38% of New Jersey voters say the country is "moving in the right direction," down from 47% in January. The president's job rating has also suffered as the percentage of voters rating the president's performance as "only fair" or "poor" has increased to 56% from 47%. These changes can be seen among Democrats, Independents and Republicans alike.
"Peace and prosperity are the two broad issues on which incumbent presidents are typically judged," said Bruce Larson, professor of political science at Fairleigh Dickinson University and survey analyst for PublicMind. "It's far too early to see exactly how events in Iraq will affect the president in November's election, but it's clear the public is more deeply concerned after some difficult weeks in Iraq."
The president's support among voters is not suffering badly yet. As in many national polls, Bush and Kerry are running closely, with Bush getting 40% of the vote and Kerry 41%. When "leaners" are included, Kerry leads Bush within the poll's margin of error by 48-47%. But when Ralph Nader is also included in the question, the 5% he draws is enough to put Kerry behind Bush by 44%-48%. National polls show that Nader is drawing between 2% and 6% of the vote nationwide.
"It's still early in the election season," cautioned Larson. "With 7 months to go before the election, and not having chosen his running mate yet, Kerry is still undefined as a clear alternative to Bush. The economy, the war in Iraq, the 9/11 Commission Report due out in July, and the campaign itself all have the potential to shape the election-day outcome in New Jersey."
The PublicMind poll of 802 registered voters was conducted from April 3 through April 10 and has a margin of error of +/- 3.5 percentage points.
Bruce Larson 973.443.8727
Peter Woolley 973.670.3239
Radio actuality line: (201) 692-2846.
For more information, please call (201) 692-7032. | <urn:uuid:8fb7b745-f402-4910-81cf-e5b58f2305bb> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://publicmind.fdu.edu/head2head/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368702448584/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516110728-00023-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.972964 | 606 | 1.625 | 2 |
All bets off for 2020…
Today in Parliament, the UK Secretary for State for Energy and Climate Change – Ed Davey, announced that there would be a one year delay in the GB deployment of smart meters. That’s not a great surprise to anyone. Rather than copy what has been deployed in other countries, the UK industry has been developing specifications to make our smart metering system the most complex (and expensive) of any deployment anywhere in the world, and complexity takes time.
However, the timing is not great. Anyone following smart meter deployment will have noticed a distinct slowdown over the past few years. Some of the larger US utilities have already rolled out smart meters, helped by $83 billion of stimulus funding. A significant chunk of Australia has them as well. But as stimulus funds have dried up, so have the bulk of smart meter deployments.
The one remaining gung-ho project was the UK one, where previous ministers had been keen to pull it forward. A lot of the rest of the world, particularly other countries within Europe, who are working out how to address the EC directive on smart metering, have been waiting and watching to see how we’re doing. On the surface it’s looked good. Underneath there are conflicting interests which have been building up delays. Unfortunately the timing of today’s announcement plays to quite a lot of those underlying politics, which could further derail the future of the program. Continue → | <urn:uuid:94d01e05-0742-4cea-8cf5-c5b1ad9318ea> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.nickhunn.com/ | 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 | 0.966761 | 297 | 1.742188 | 2 |
Federal budget cuts impact medical research at the University of Utah, Governor Herbert appoints a new UDOT director, and last year’s health record data breach will cost the state hundreds of millions of dollars.
A new report shows that last year’s data breach of Utah health records was a costly mistake with far-reaching consequences. An independent analysis by Javelin Strategy & Research predicts that the total amount of fraud perpetrated could approach $406 million in costs.
The Utah Department of Health says human error caused the most recent data breach, where the personal information of 6000 Medicaid clients was lost on a thumb drive.
The mistake was made by an employee of a third-party contractor, Goold Health Systems, which processes pharmacy claims for Utah’s Medicaid program. State Health Department spokesman Tom Hudachko said the employee should never have downloaded data onto an unencrypted thumb drive.
Utah’s new health data security ombudsman says more people are signing up for credit monitoring after a state data breach exposed the personal information of 780,000 people, but there are still parts of the population who are not protected. | <urn:uuid:e19425a9-f861-4a84-807e-6da8b1f37655> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.kuer.org/term/data-breach | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368702810651/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516111330-00019-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.935926 | 229 | 1.835938 | 2 |
The Senate Education Committee discussed potential changes to the biggest portion of Superintendent of Public Instruction Tom Luna’s proposed reforms to public schools, but took no formal steps to tweak or tank the plan.
Senate Bill 1113 contains some of the biggest and most controversial changes in Luna’s reform package, including expanding technology in classrooms and changing the funding formula for school classes, which could lead to larger classes and fewer teaching jobs in the state.
Committee chairman Sen. John Goedde, R-Coeur d’Alene, said the plan likely wouldn’t get through the Senate in its current form. “If something moves forward, it’s going to have to get started this week, or at the very least by the beginning of next week,” Goedde said after the Tuesday meeting.
Luna’s spokeswoman, Melissa McGrath, said the plan could change to gain more support among lawmakers and the public. “The fact that the bill went back to committee means that changes will likely be made,” McGrath said via e-mail. “When those changes are made, they will probably come forward as a new bill.”
Other parts of Luna’s reform package, including limits on teachers’ labor negotiations and pay for performance bonuses for teachers, have passed the Senate.
Goedde said he and other lawmakers have talked with Luna’s staff and the leaders of education groups about some of the issues with the plan. Among the changes discussed during the committee Tuesday were delaying the implementation of the technology program in high schools and relaxing “use it or lose it” provisions that require districts to hire a certain number of teachers.
Sen. Monty Pearce, R-New Plymouth, said he didn’t know the future of Luna’s overhaul plan, but he expects Gov. Butch Otter, who supports to plan, to push for its passage when the governor returns from Washington, D.C.
Rep. Bob Nonini, R-Coeur d’Alene, whose leads the House Education Committee considering the other parts of Luna’s plan, said they could stand on their own without the legislation still in the Senate.
Senators also discussed how to set the budget if Luna’s reforms don’t go through. Sen. Dean Mortimer, R-Idaho Falls, said schools are facing a $62 million shortfall, and that providing flexibility to local districts is important.
“If it has to happen, the individual district needs to be given the flexibility to implement those budget cuts as they see necessary,” Mortimer said.
Sen. Nicole LeFavour, D-Boise, who like Mortimer also serves on the panel setting the state budget, said lawmakers should also consider raising revenues to prevent further cuts to schools. “Where we sit right now is in a giant deep hole, and do we want schools to go deeper into that hole,” LeFavour said. She said that if lawmakers don’t fund education, class sizes will increase. | <urn:uuid:ddf97521-3b88-47d7-b312-bfd94cdff750> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.idahoreporter.com/2011/key-part-of-lunas-reforms-remains-stalled-in-senate-committee/comment-page-1/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368706499548/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516121459-00033-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.959408 | 643 | 1.625 | 2 |
My 6-year-old came home from school one day very excited to let me know that Maggie’s mommy was a doctor and she helped sick people get better. Seems Maggie's mommy was a “community hero.”
My unspoken response: “Not Maggie’s mommy again.”
You see, in preschool, Maggie’s mommy remembered to send not one, but two rocks on “paint a rock” day. I, sadly, forgot to send even a single rock. My daughter, without a rock, had to paint her clenched fist.
But I digress. Maggie’s mommy was, in fact, a wonderful doctor and very dear friend. My spoken response was, “You are so right — we are so lucky to have community heroes like Maggie’s mommy.” There, done.
Well, I wish. Instead, my daughter followed up with an extremely uncomfortable pair of questions: “What do you do, Mommy? Are you a community hero?” (Is it just me, or is “community hero” day in first grade a quality engineer’s worst nightmare?)
I summoned up my excited voice. “I’m a quality engineer—I make software better!”
“Did you make 'Angry Birds?'” She could barely contain her excitement. Maggie’s mommy couldn’t hold a candle to the creators of “Angry Birds.”
“No, Minitab makes statistical software.”
Her disappointment was only slightly heartbreaking. “Okay...well, how do you make it?”
“Well, actually I don’t make it, I just make it better,” I said. (I couldn’t bear to let her know that I actually didn’t even make the software better myself—I simply managed people who made it better.)
I received a blank stare and a hesitant, “What does that mean?” At this point, she clearly was clinging to the hope that my response would be something worthy of sharing with someone…anyone.
This might be the second-most-uncomfortable discussion quality engineers ever have with their children. While we love what we do, it’s tough enough to explain to adults, let alone children. Despite my best efforts, my grandmother passed away still believing that I drove a train. Not that I didn’t try to explain, of course. I once attempted to share the details of my work in pharmaceutical packaging, but that resulted in her informing her home-health aide that I had fallen into, let’s say, “controlled-substance distribution.” I decided being a train engineer was simpler and wouldn’t result in having the feds on my trail.
But, I digress…again. I’m human, so I wanted my daughter to be as proud of me as she was of Maggie’s mommy. How could I illustrate the importance of statistics and quality improvement?
The answer: M&Ms, of course.
So, that evening, I opened a bag of M&Ms and we sorted and counted each color:
Orange - 20
Brown - 17
Red - 11
Green - 21
Blue - 22
Next, we talked about the different attributes of the data we collected. What was the mean? What was the minimum and maximum? What was the total? We talked about how these characteristics were all things that quality engineers analyzed to make sure that customers, like my daughter, were always happy.
So, for example, what if she got a bag of M&Ms that only had 10 pieces of candy in them?
Her reply? “That would be really bad. Especially if they were all orange.”
Exactly! Especially if they were all orange. That would be devastating.
“Quality engineers,” I explained, “make sure stuff like that doesn’t happen. They make sure that the bag always contains about the same amount and that you always find about the same number of each color.” And, then, we opened Minitab and created a pie chart that represented the data that we collected. We could see that the bag we opened contained some of each color of M&M.
Next, I talked to her about how engineers use Minitab to analyze data and processes to make sure that all the products in the world are made the way that we want them. I explained that the “rules” we have to follow are outlined in something we call a specification. And when specifications change, as they occasionally do, we adjust the process to deliver.
“For instance, what if the M&M people decided that bags of M&Ms should have more brown M&Ms than blue M&Ms?" I asked. "What would we do?”
“Why would they ever do that?”
“Because designers enjoy making the lives of engineers difficult, honey,” I answered. “That’s why.”
(Okay, I really didn’t say that, or dive into the related idea of “scope creep.” That’s a lesson for next year. Instead, I went straight to the “how.” )
"We’d go to the machines that make brown and blue M&Ms and adjust how much they are making," I told her. (I should note that I’m aware that there probably isn’t a brown and blue M&M machine, but for the sake of my 6-year-old, it just needed to be that way.)
Finally, we ended with a discussion of how complex the products that we use really are. And, behind each of them is a team of engineers working to make sure that we’re always satisfied.
A few weeks later I overheard my daughter telling her friends, including Maggie, that her mommy made M&Ms. In the world of a 6-year-old, the makers of M&Ms are also community heroes, and I'm human. For that reason, I chose to not clarify. At least, not right away.
Take that, Maggie’s mommy! | <urn:uuid:b7ca161b-b316-4d53-9b4e-8da4678c1c1b> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://blog.minitab.com/blog/adventures-in-software-development/how-to-talk-with-your-kidsabout-quality-improvement | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368704392896/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516113952-00008-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.973409 | 1,332 | 1.523438 | 2 |
September 4, 2003
Ready or Not
There is a new High Holiday book on my shelf that I have been avoiding assiduously, if only for the exalted title: "This Is Real and You Are Completely Unprepared." Rabbi Alan Lew's book, subtitled, "The Days of Awe as a Journey of Transformation," reminds me that the summer is ending, and the time has come to prepare for Rosh Hashanah, the Jewish New Year.
"A mindful awareness of our circumstances often makes things worse, not better," Lew writes. "Suddenly aware of problems we never knew we had, we may genuinely feel that we are much worse off than we thought we were; we may feel a sense of urgency, even of desperation, about our plight."
The rabbi says that this is the "emotional basis" of Selichot, "the week of urgent, desperate prayer that commenced approximately three weeks into the process of daily contemplation we began with the blowing of the shofar on the first day of Elul [the last month on the Hebrew calendar]."
For many of us, September -- with shorter days, the beginning of the school year and the return to a more regimented schedule -- signals a time for inner contemplation, for re-evaluation of our personal goals, accomplishments and the direction our lives are taking.
No matter how you prepare for the High Holidays -- whether you recite the traditional Selichot prayers, or whether you simply plan elaborate sweet meals to beckon in a sweet new year -- these autumn holidays set us apart from the rest of the world. While they are only busy with back to school, we are also busy with the Days of Reckoning.
More than a personal time of reckoning, the High Holidays bring us together, as a community, as a family and as a nation, to chart our course. With the war in Iraq, a continuing intifada in Israel and anti-Semitism plaguing Europe, this year was a tumultuous one for the Jews; although it was less so than the year prior, when Sept. 11 turned the world upside down. Do you remember how different everything was in 2001?
According to Jewish tradition, now is the time that the events of the upcoming year will be decided. "Who will live and who will die?" we recite in the holiday prayer.
But instead of looking at it with trepidation and avoidance, Lew writes we should look at this time as one of opportunity.
"This moment is before us with its choices, and the consequences of our past choices are before us, as is the possibility of our transformation," he writes.
"On Rosh Hashanah, the gates between heaven and Earth are opened, and things that were beyond us suddenly become possible. The deepest questions of our heart begin to find answers. Our deepest fear, that gaping emptiness up ahead of us and back behind us as well, suddenly becomes our ally. Heaven begins to help us."
Heaven help us all. Shanah Tovah! | <urn:uuid:2aa1f264-f407-44c0-b487-24368539d9dc> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.jewishjournal.com/articles/print/ready_or_not_20030905 | 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 | 0.963895 | 621 | 1.75 | 2 |
Secretary Clinton and CARICOM Ministers Celebrate the Launch of the Caribbean Basin Security Initiative (CBSI), A Shared Regional Security Partnership
Today, Secretary Clinton celebrated the launch of a major security partnership with the Caribbean - the Caribbean Basin Security Initiative - and affirmed the Department of State's commitment of $45 million to CBSI in 2010, with $79 million requested for 2011.
"We all know well that addressing transnational security challenges in the twenty-first century requires a comprehensive approach. CBSI means working together not only to strengthen national security forces and anti-trafficking efforts, but also focusing on broader citizen safety partnerships and social inclusion," Secretary Clinton told leaders of Caribbean states at a CARICOM ministerial meeting today in Bridgetown, Barbados.
"For all of us, the safety of our people must be our highest priority. That's why today we are committing ourselves to CBSI.... We've worked with Congress to identify over $45 million in funding for this effort this year. And we've asked for $79 million in next year's budget - a $124 million commitment to CBSI over two years."
This partnership continues to draw upon and help develop the capacity of the Caribbean to address common and related challenges.
Key objectives of the CBSI Partnership include: substantially reducing illicit trafficking, increasing public safety and security, and promoting social justice.
CBSI funds will:
- Combat the growing threat of transnational crime in the region, specifically the illicit trafficking in drugs and small arms
- Develop and strengthen the capacity of regional defense, law enforcement, and justice sector institutions to detect, interdict, and successfully prosecute criminal elements operating in the Caribbean
- Reduce the opportunity for crime and violence to thrive in the Caribbean Region by increasing the skills and educational opportunities for populations vulnerable to recruitment by criminal organizations and fostering community and law enforcement cooperation
- Provide alternatives to at-risk youth, such as formal and informal education initiatives, and through the establishment of effective training and employment opportunities
CBSI will also serve as a coordinating venue to attract and incorporate support from non-Caribbean allies in pursuit of its key objectives.
U.S. and Caribbean government representatives have met four times in recent months to jointly define and develop the goals and scope of the Initiative.
The Inaugural Caribbean-U.S. Security Cooperation Dialogue took place in Washington, D.C. on May 27, 2010 and was attended by all members of CARICOM, the Dominican Republic, and partner nation observers. Participants worked toward a declaration of principles, a framework for engagement, and a broad plan of action.
CBSI partnership activities complement other regional efforts, such as the Merida Initiative and the Central America Regional Security Initiative. They also will mitigate any “balloon effect” – criminal spillover resulting from successful reductions in drug trafficking and transnational crime elsewhere in the region. | <urn:uuid:8627d675-10ca-47b8-8f85-d31cfce730d5> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://m.state.gov/md142950.htm | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368701459211/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516105059-00015-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.939692 | 585 | 1.773438 | 2 |
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