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|View single post by Albert Sailhorst|
|Posted: Fri Jan 11th, 2008 12:28 pm||
|Thanks Dixie Girl and Cleburne Fan!
I've checked the OR's, "Googled" it, etc.....I even contacted the Park Ranger at Ft. Pillow, tried to find anything in "Battles and Leaders" series, looked it up in the book "River Run Red" (an excellent book about Ft. Pillow) and can't find anything.
My conclusions are:
A) It was a minor skirmish, not worthy of mention in any of my sources
B) Due to the passage of time (over 50 years) my Dad's memory is mistaken (he is even starting to question it himself, in regards to where the bullets came from), and those bullets were found at the Ft. Pillow battle sight.
I appreciate everyone's help! | <urn:uuid:3fbf6393-b62b-4729-8758-bec4dc7efb06> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://civilwarinteractive.com/forums/view_post.php?post_id=10503 | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368706499548/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516121459-00018-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.95905 | 191 | 1.546875 | 2 |
Digital health and it’s associated health technologies (mhealth, wearable tech, health IT, etc.) is poised to become the next societal revolution. Fascinating and exciting new developments are happening every day in this space and when you factor in the amount of data that will be generated and all the new products and technology that will [...]
When responding to requests to develop custom animated explainer videos, one of the most common expectations to manage is the duration of the video. Specifically, most people think they can get a lot more information into a short video than is realistically feasible. A common rule of thumb that I provide is the script word [...]
Infographics – the word can have very different meanings depending on who you are and how long you’ve been involved in the visual thinking and communications community. In the last few years, the term infographics has become incredibly popular, but I suspect that most who now use this term are unaware of a deep schism [...]
A few months ago, a reader on my VizThinker.com site asked me to share my thoughts about the rising popularity of infographics. As both creator and curator in the visual communication space, I’m finding myself asked more and more frequently to review and share infographics so I thought it might be helpful to share that [...]
A digital health revolution is under way that is set to transform medicine and healthcare. The convergence of technologies such as smartphones, mobile connectivity, and wireless sensors, to name a few, will radically transform health and med tech. Medical devices working in conjunction with smartphone apps will be key players in this revolution. For example, [...]
It was a pleasure to work with Typenex again on a video explanation project. This animated explanation video gives an overview of how the the Typenex Barcode Blood Band for Pre-printed Labels works and the benefits of using pre-printed labels. Barcode Blood Bands for Pre-Printed Labels from Typenex on Vimeo. | <urn:uuid:8fd0f7b2-f06e-4728-aa2f-d9b3bcc6903d> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://digitalsplashmedia.com/author/jeffbennett/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368704713110/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516114513-00018-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.94122 | 402 | 1.71875 | 2 |
107. William Cotton Hawgood was born in Dec 1847 in Daventry.(12) xv 208 He was Marriage in GRO index in Dec 1875 in Daventry. (55) 3b 275 He was a postman (rural) in 1881. (59) He appeared on the census in 1881 in Brook St 2No+, Daventry, Northamptonshire.(59) REL head COND m AGE 30 PROF rural postman BORN NTH Daventry He appeared on the census in 1901 in 18 Waterloo, Daventry, Northamptonshire.(60) AGE 53 PROF rural postman BORN NTH Daventry. In household also is an 8 yr old grandson, "Harry Ferministe" in index He died on 19 Jul 1911 in 9 Oxford St, Daventry, Northants.(61) age 63, rural postman; family information on date agrees He was buried on 22 Jul 1911 in Daventry. He died in Sep 1911 in Daventry. (3) 3b 120 age 63 He has reference number 1086. of Daventry
was married to Emily Bird on 2 Oct 1875 in Independent Chapel, Daventry, Northants.
(62) bachelor 24, spinster 21, both of Brook
St; witnesses Lizzie Tooby and Joseph | <urn:uuid:b2dd2b61-cd64-4c2b-bc12-f4ce8065d0cb> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.hawgood.co.uk/family/NTH/d940.htm | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368706153698/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516120913-00002-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.944374 | 272 | 1.609375 | 2 |
How to Choose Film for Crafting Scrapbooks
Wall hangers are easy to create. The minute size quilts once created will make a nice gift and/or decoration for your home.
Shared by: francies
How to Choose the Basics in Quilt Craft Quilts are often made up of quality fabrics. The fabrics include cotton, which polyester is often avoided. Once you purchase top-quality cotton fabrics, you will need to consider style. How to choose style: Quilts are crafted in the Feminine, Cottage, Victorian, Country, Scrappy, Lodge, and Conventional Amish, Modern, or Juvenile style. The female and Victorian often has a mixture of flowery and smaller scales of coordinating patterns and colors. Cottage quilts have brighter pastels and prints on a smaller to average scale with off-white solids, such as beige, manila, fawn, or camel. The Country quilts include the reminiscent of dusty shades that stretch along scales of solid shades. The colors are solid and a couple of colors, such as off-whites, or flag colors integrate to make a fashionable quilt. Lodge style quilts are made up of reticent, or silent shaded prints, or reminiscent of woody colors that are deeply imprinted in the quilt. The colors are offset by shades of plaid, and the variations combine green, brown, rust, orchra, red, navy blue, tan, black, etc, blending it to make the Lodge quilt. The scraps means you can create any type of quilt you choose, as well as shades, tones, colors, etc. Conventional Amish quilts combine the penetrating shades of gemstones on a solid background with a mixture of black. Modern quilts include the colorful novelties whereas simple lines are used to make up its squares. Juvenile quilts is often made up of brilliant pastel, or crayon shades, colors, tones, etc, and includes prints as well as a solid background. Once you choose your style, you will need to purchase your materials and measure your fabric. The fabric should be machine washable. Sometimes however, the fabric will bleed, which in this case you will need to continue wash, rinse, and continue until the dye remains in tact. Once you purchase your yard bolt, or fabric you will need to learn steps to cutting your parts 揙 n the grain.?This is a common phrase used by quilt makers. In addition to cutting, you will need to purchase fillers and learn how to craft them so they blend into your quilt. In quilt maker terms, 揵 atting,?is choosing your style so to speak. For instance, if you wanted to create a traditional quilt you would choose 慺 latters?that match your material. When choosing batting it is ok to purchase polyester. You will have a choice of wools, cotton, and so on available as well. To help you make a decision consider the following questions. How to choose: Do you intend to craft your quilt on a sewing machine, or by hand? What is the size? How much time can you invest in making your quilt? Do you intend to wash your quilt regularly, or design a fashionable quilt for your showcase? Do you plan to make a quality quilt? Asking the questions can help you choose your materials. You can find additional help by visiting craft shops and reading recommendations by the manufactured written on the batting label. In the meantime, visit the Internet to choose your patterns. You also have the pre-packaged options, which you can purchase your batting, including the yard of batting. If you choose the pre-packaged, you will have convenience, such as elimination of cutting. The pre-packages are already cut to fit the average beds. If you purchase yards of batting, be ware that it has not been pre-shrunk. This means, you will have bulks of batting to carry to your home. You want to keep in mind that yards of batting is suitable for smaller projects only, and is difficult to cut your patterns. Brought to you by www.gotravelaround.com | <urn:uuid:e7eb6cc5-269c-493a-9d66-514442a03caa> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.docstoc.com/docs/59374191/How-to-Choose-Film-for-Crafting-Scrapbooks | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368707435344/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516123035-00021-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.949042 | 861 | 1.796875 | 2 |
Sometimes when you want the guidance of the cards you may not really have a specific question. Times like this using a simple layout with only a few cards to interpret is a much easier way to zoom in to what you are thinking even though you may not consciously realize that those things are on your mind.
The Cosmic deck is used to illustrate the Simple Elements Layout and to demonstrate the process of reading the cards. An emotionally provoking deck.
STEPS in using this Layout
- shuffle your deck in the usual manner that is most comfortable for you. It does not matter which deck you use. I am using the Cosmic Tarot. In an upcoming post I will demonstrate one of the Sibilla decks as well in the Simple Elements Layout.
- you can cut the deck in 3 piles and then pick 1 pile or fan the cards out on the table
- if you fan the cards, [way #1] before selecting the first card clear you mind (if possible) and try not to ask a direct question. [way #2] ask for guidance regarding a situation or person. [way #3] make a wish
- do the same for the remainder of the cards.
CARD #1 – Current thoughts. The card that falls in this spot will reveal to you where the energy of your thoughts is. It does not matter which [way] you selected to do this reading.
8 of Swords - Let’s suppose that there was no question asked. Right away you get the feeling that there is pacing going on. The female is still and observing. The male is either walking away from the swords or thinking about another way to go at them. The person involved in the reading has a very worried mind. This card suggests that the person is on edge and has some serious thinking going on in their head.
CARD #2 – Your feelings. The second card will expose the emotions going on. The feelings can range.
Key 13- The Death card – the person most likely couldn’t care less about things. It is too soon to tell which way the feelings will develop. Right now there is a stillness which is the result of the worries depicted in card #1. Within the Death card is hope. The passion will return. The caring will once again re-appear once the fear has been dealt with. The person is afraid to get involved again. The feelings are in a “cutting off” stage.
CARD #3 – Plan of action. The card that has been placed here will provide options or a suggestive energy to apply directly connected to cards #1 & #2. This is what you should do. Depending on which card falls here, a way to the solution will be shown. If you see a card of inaction and you do not change that then do not be surprised if the result in card #4 is negative or not to your liking. Of course there are times when no action is the best course but you will have to intuitively determine that yourself.
5 of Wands – It looks like this person is taking steps to resolve some issue at hand. Communication is action. This card indicates there is some opposition but it is nothing serious, it is just bantering. The stillness of card #1 has been broken. The numbness of card #2 has been overcome. In some cases physical activity needs to be increased to attain certain goals. Like getting off your butt and being active.
CARD #4 – What can happen. The last card is the result, outcome or probable solution. Here you will find what happens when you apply action coupled with emotions regarding something on your mind. The previous cards will be very beneficial to you because within each card is a promise for success regardless if initially it appears negative. You have a choice in most areas of your life. This card will show you the by-product of your efforts.
Queen of Swords. The queen when taken as a personality card shows tremendous promise of re-gained power. She is in control and is not still & observing like in card #1. She has picked up one of the 8 swords and has made a decision. The person getting the reading done would have most likely had to keep a lid on their emotions mainly due to the cautions contained within card #2 Death.
Let’s suppose it is a male getting the reading. He will also access his power center, too. Perhaps he was the type of male who let others walk all over him. Well that will no longer be – he has learned to fight back. He is depicted in card #1 as either walking away or planning a strategic attack. Obviously he won. | <urn:uuid:3f42f124-d296-46c5-a1ae-6b059591d4ce> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://seaqueen.wordpress.com/2008/05/05/simple-elemental-layout/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368704132298/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516113532-00036-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.97094 | 953 | 1.625 | 2 |
I should have kept my big mouth open. I don't think it was largely cowardice that prevented me from speaking up; at least, I'd like to believe it wasn't. I think it was a combination of excessive politeness, shock-induced paralysis, misplaced reverence, and not knowing what to do. But if I'm honest with myself, I have to admit that there was an element of fear in there, somewhere.
By now, unless you read this column via satellite transmission to some distant galaxy, you probably know most of the facts about the forced resignation of James Watson, the legendary co-discoverer of the double helical structure of DNA, as Chairman of the Board of Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory. You know Watson was forced to resign because, during an interview with a journalist in Britain, he made some outrageous comments about the intellectual capacity of black people - and I don't have to say "allegedly" here because there is a tape record and besides, he never denied it. When confronted about it later, he simply said that he couldn't believe he had said it. He never said he didn't believe what he said. And in the flood of stories that broke about the incident, there were many comments to the effect that people weren't all that surprised - that he had a history of making disparaging public comments about women and ethnic minorities.
Now, the purpose of this column is not to pile further approbation on someone who's down. His legacy has been tarnished and he's had to step down in disgrace; anyone who wants more punishment is being vindictive. Nor is it to lament the ammunition that someone with the cachet of a Nobel Prize, the godfather of the Human Genome Project, has given the racists and bigots. In matters of racial prejudice no one is going to be swayed by some authoritarian figure (if you don't believe me, look up William Shockley the Nobel prize-winning physicist who is also remembered for his offensive racial views). Nor is it to discuss freedom of speech versus political correctness. I think most people agree that Watson has the right to say what he said, but that Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory also has the right to choose the public face of their institution. Nor is it to debate the nonsensical idea that there are racial differences in native intelligence: a friend of mine put it perfectly when she said that Watson's remarks were not only beneath contempt; they were also beneath comment.
No, I want to talk about something that nearly all the newspaper stories and outraged editorials passed over: why this incident has made me feel awful. You see, I can personally vouch for the truth of the statement that James Watson had a history of making disparaging remarks about women and minorities, because I was present on three occasions when he did. I was present, I heard him say those things, and I kept silent. As did everyone else.
How could someone of James Watson's stature have made so many hurtful remarks for so long and not been called to account sooner? Thinking back on the times I sat there and said nothing, I have to believe it's in large part because we enabled his behavior. Why? Certainly not because we agreed with it. A large part, I think, was not knowing exactly how to respond. I come from a generation raised to avoid public commotion, to be polite in the face of poor manners, and not to drag the discussion down to the lowest level. That can make for civilized discourse, but it also makes for paralysis in such situations. Having neither the training nor the experience in handling this kind of confrontation the right way, the default is silence. And, as any law student will tell you, qui tacit consentiere videtur (he who keeps silent is assumed to consent).
Part of it also was respect, misapplied. There have been few iconic figures in science and even fewer in biology, but Watson certainly is one. He's probably one of the greatest biologists of all time - he's told us so himself. Who am I to challenge him, berate him, make an enemy of him?
But I have to be honest, though I was afraid of saying anything, it wasn't Watson I was afraid of. It was everybody else. I have strong feelings about many things, and I know that expressing those feelings about issues of morality and ethics, right and wrong, lays me open to the charge of being self-righteous. If I didn't know that before, the nearly eight years I've been writing this column have taught me. It's the most common complaint I receive, and the most wounding. Because it wounds, it also can inhibit. The fear is not just that someone will say you're being preachy, acting like you think you're better than they are; the fear is that they may be right. It's an insidious charge, because it attacks the style without addressing the substance of what's been said. It redirects a critical discussion into an hominem attack on the critic.
Yet, I remain convinced that it's the life without principles, not the unexamined life, that is really not worth living. Put simply, I think you have to stand for something. The question is how to do it. Interestingly, we scientists don't have a problem when the issue is a scientific one.
What if, instead of making a remark that carried with it all the enormous baggage of race, class, prejudice and intolerance, Watson had said "apes evolved from man"? Is there a biologist worthy of the name who wouldn't have stood up and demanded, politely but firmly, to see the data on which such an outlandish statement was based? And wouldn't the absence of any such data, and the presentation of data that clearly indicated the opposite, expose the idea for the nonsense it was? Why couldn't I have done the same thing? The fact that the issue was morally charged might have been difficult - I am flawed and might feel that I have no moral platform from which to preach to others. But that should not have prevented me from acting as a scientist. Science is about evidence, and now, thanks in large part to the field of molecular biology and genomics, which James Watson, ironically, largely co-founded, we have the data to refute the claims that one race is superior and another inferior or that gender is linked to intellectual fitness. If someone says something different, we can challenge them to produce the evidence that supports their assertions, and we can cite the facts that prove them false. If we don't know those facts well, then I think we owe it both to ourselves and to our fellow humans to learn them.
Our status as genome biologists gives us both ammunition and a powerful line of attack when we are confronted with ignorance, prejudice, and bigotry. It gives us a way of calling such attitudes to account and exposing them for the fallacies they are without necessarily falling into the trap of self-righteousness, real or apparent. That's what I should have done the first time I heard James Watson make a remark of the kind that got him fired, and that's what I hope I will have the presence of mind to do the next time someone else says something similar.
Look, I am well aware that most of the trouble I've gotten into in my life - and believe me, I've gotten into my share - has either been caused or compounded by my inability to keep my big mouth shut. But the Watson case is humbling because it's reminded me of all the times that I should have kept it open.
I hope I'll find a way to do it without seeming to be holier-than-thou. I hope I won't come across like a pompous, moralistic ass. I hope somehow I can make it clear that I know full well that dark thoughts and wrong notions are no stranger to me, that my feeling that I should speak up stems not from the sense that I'm better than anyone else but from wanting not to be worse than I am. And that it's being a scientist, not a saint, that gives me the right to challenge an idea, because I am trained to do so on the basis of the facts behind it.
But most of all, I hope that I won't let the fear of being called self-righteous or taken for a pompous jerk cause me to be silent again. If I come across that way and make a fool of myself, it'll hurt. I don't like any part of the idea of embarrassing either myself, or those who might be with me. But if the outcome turns out to be that I feel embarrassed, I guess I can live with it. Because I think it would still be better than the way I feel right now, which is - ashamed. | <urn:uuid:3d051df6-1e92-43a9-a780-ca4e90811f39> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://genomebiology.com/2007/8/11/113?fmt_view=mobile | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368696381249/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516092621-00015-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.98366 | 1,789 | 1.71875 | 2 |
State background checks miss important facts, critics say
New law excludes criminal-arrest info
The Daily Briefing
Buckeye Forum Podcast
The Dispatch public affairs team talks politics and tackles state and federal government issues in the Buckeye Forum podcast.
Your Right to Know
Criminal-background checks processed by the Ohio attorney general’s office under a new state law no longer include information about arrests and charges that didn’t result in convictions. The changes have some officials worried that employers are being given a false sense of security about applicants.
In reaction, the state’s criminal-investigation agency will begin warning employers this week that background-check information includes only convictions and guilty pleas.
The law was designed to make it easier for ex-offenders to find work after paying their debt to society.
It shields information about individuals who have been arrested but not convicted; such information used to be included in the reports. Critics say three categories of people don’t deserve the benefits of the new law: juveniles convicted of serious crimes that aren’t required to be reported; adults with recent arrests whose cases haven’t been concluded; and adults who years ago violated their bail conditions and fled to avoid prosecution.
“It’s giving that prospective employer a peace of mind about someone they shouldn’t have,” said Steve Raubenolt, deputy superintendent at the Ohio Bureau of Criminal Investigation.
In recent months, Raubenolt said, the bureau has conducted background checks for a police department’s applicant who had two drunken-driving arrests, and a hospital’s applicant who had a pending murder charge in California that was never closed because she had been deemed mentally incompetent. Both had to be reported as having no criminal record.
Attorney General Mike DeWine said yesterday that he has a list of “horror stories” of background checks, mainly for juveniles, that involved serious crimes that under the law can’t be reported. The law says that juvenile-court convictions can be reported only if they were for aggravated murder, murder or sex crimes in which the youth was labeled a sex offender.
DeWine cited the case of a county children-services agency that requested a background check on someone who turned out to have a 2006 juvenile-court rape conviction. That information couldn’t be reported because he hadn’t been labeled a sex offender.
“From a common-sense point of view, if I was looking for a foster parent or looking for someone to work with children or to be with children, I would want to know whether they had been convicted of rape,” DeWine said.
He plans to soon ask legislators to fix the problem. He’s also asking county clerks of court and probate courts to report on the conclusion of all cases as quickly as possible.
Under the new law, processing cases in which someone was arrested but not convicted has to be done by hand, which is also creating a backlog of background checks and costing taxpayers. BCI has racked up about $30,000 in overtime handling those checks since the law took effect last year. Background checks that once took 20 days now require as long as three months.
The backlog caught the attention of the Ohio Casino Control Commission, where background checks have gone from days to weeks, said spokeswoman Tama Davis.
That might be an issue in Cincinnati, where the state’s fourth and last casino opens in March; about 600 employees are still to be hired, Davis said. The agency is confident that it will hit its hiring deadlines, she said.
The legislation’s sponsor said he caught wind of the attorney general’s concerns late in the legislative process last year and is open to revisions, particularly when it comes to people who jumped bond.
Lawmakers never intended to reward people “who never showed up and faced the music,” said state Sen. Bill Seitz, R-Cincinnati.
Sen. Shirley Smith, D-Cleveland, disagreed, saying the law is serving the purpose it was meant to.
“We shouldn’t rush to judgment and prohibit a person from going to work when they have not been convicted,” she said. “I don’t think we should say a person should not get a chance at employment just because they’re waiting for a court date.” | <urn:uuid:e804ddf9-6bc8-4a3b-bb17-4c1120d88f7c> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.dispatch.com/content/stories/local/2013/01/16/state-background-checks-miss-important-facts-critics-say.html | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368706499548/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516121459-00036-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.962292 | 911 | 1.53125 | 2 |
Artists invited for ECOArt Exhibition for Colo. Schools
The "ECOArt Exhibition: Colorado Schools K-12" is an event to present the creative talents of young artists from Colorado. Hosted by the Red Brick Council for the Arts of Aspen, Colo., this exhibition provides art instructors and their schools the opportunity to share in the creative achievements of their students while demonstrating the goals and values of art education. Thanks to the generosity of the Thrift Shop of Aspen, $5,000 in cash prizes will be awarded to various school art departments. Participation in this event could garner a participating school's art department a $500 award.
The artistic submissions must be created from recycled and/or reclaimed objects. Judging is based on most artistic, and first, second and third place awards will be given to elementary, middle, and high schools.
The application to participate is due by Friday, March 1, with art due before Monday, April 1. The exhibition runs from April 3 through April 25. A reception will be held on Thursday, April 11 from 4 to 6 p.m. where awards will be presented.
The Red Brick Council for the Arts promotes art in education and urges Colorado communities to take advantage of this opportunity. Please contact the organization for help if, for any reason, there are obstacles to a school's participation. For more information contact the Council at 970-429-2777 or [email protected]. More information can also be obtained at www.aspenart.org. | <urn:uuid:0fddc674-8eaf-453d-a358-32bd29186091> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.cortezjournal.com/article/20130109/LIVING01/130109859/0/FRONTPAGE/Artists-invited-for-ECOArt-Exhibition-for-Colo-Schools | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368699273641/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516101433-00001-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.956957 | 309 | 1.601563 | 2 |
Nick, I too have no where near the book knowledge of some of our senior members, but I as well have some hands on from the tests I've done. TBH, I'm constantly learning new stuff, so you'll have to to take some of my older posts with a grain of salt. Some of it is good info and some as good as I knew at the time.
For a good while, I was never able to make good pizza with cold fermented dough as I found that my particularly dry environment lead to a more dry dough and a slightly tougher crumb and I was overdeveloping the dough. On the other hand I was always able to make a good same day dough, so it lead me to concluded that I favored a same day emergency dough. Since that time I have learned a few tricks to combat the dryness and toughness, decrease my kneading times and the way I knead, and now can make a good cold fermented dough.
2 of my favorite formulas for my preferred crust is either a 2 day cold ferment or a 24 hour Room temp ferment dough. And I can tell you it makes nearly an identical crust and crumb. This finding lead me to the conclusion that when using a commercial yeast (IDY,ADY, and even CY), the length of fermentation is more important than the temperature of fermentation. So I would say that a cold fermented dough is just as good as a LONG room fermented dough, if using commercial yeast.
You should know that not all room temp fermented dough has to be an emergency dough made in 4 hours. A dough that is room temp fermented for 24 hours will yield a different product than a 4 hour room temp fermented dough, even though both are technically SAME DAY doughs. A room temperature fermented dough can be 24, 36, or even 48 hours. And while it is not a cold fermented dough, it can make just the same quality of dough as a cold fermented dough. IMO, the only difference between the 2 is the temperature. In both scenarios, you are allowing for a lengthy fermentation period which allow for enzymes to help break down the dough, which gives the dough an improved taste, texture, and digestibility. And the first 2 are argueable and the 3rd not.
From my limited experience in baking bread and pizza, the tiny blisters are not exclusively cause by cold fermentation. But rather a product of the relative strength of the dough, the extent of fermentation, the relative (high) surface tension on the skin of the dough, and to a degree relatively high heat. When the dough is well kneaded and the gluten is well developed, it provides sufficient strength and structure to support and trap air and Co2, to tent up the air sort of speak. Then surface tension during balling is built onto the surface of the dough forcing the air bubbles closer to the surface, followed by a good degree of fermentation. Lastly the instant hot/high heat causes the final expansion of those air pockets, creating blisters. It's been sometime now, but from my recollection, I have been able to get those blisters in a same day dough without cold fermentation. Again, it is likely more about the strength of the dough, surface tension, degree of fermentation, and bake temp that causes blistering.
And yes, HG in comparison to BF, if done right is SLIGHTLY chewier, heavier, cools a bit tougher, BUT it doesn't have to be a ton more respectively. Despite what any expert tells you about HG flour, it is an absolute myth that HG flours make really tough and chewy products, and that it requires a mixer or more kneading to develop the gluten. Absolutely 100% bogus. It can be easily hand kneaded in a matter of a few minutes and can make a wonderfully soft and tender crumb, if you have the hydration high enough.
But don't take my word for it. Anyone can see this for themselves. Do a test between AP flour and HG flour to see the difference. Make a similar feeling dough, and you'll have to obviously adjust your hydration up for the HG dough. Now hand knead both for 2 minutes and test the strength by attempting the windowpane technique. Continue kneading for another 2 minutes and re-test. Now allow the dough to sit for 30m, retest for window paning, then again at the one hour mark. You will see a difference in dough strength at each phase and it will become obvious how protein content correlates to hydration levels, gluten developement, ease or difficulty in achieving gluten development (window paning), etc.
Again, this has just been my limited experience and YMMV. | <urn:uuid:a31b7dd4-e026-46d3-88f5-3877ebcea8fc> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.pizzamaking.com/forum/index.php?topic=13574.msg156137 | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368696382584/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516092622-00014-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.959351 | 961 | 1.617188 | 2 |
Social entrepreneurship is a relatively new phenomenon in Hong Kong--and one venture philanthropy startup, Social Ventures Hong Kong (SVhk) , has been at the forefront of the movement, with several investees under its portfolio focused on the elderly and disabled. The group's newest project, Diamond Cab , officially launches next week.
"Diamond Cab is the first branded, high-quality taxi service in Hong Kong specially tailored for wheelchair users--and the only taxis which are wheelchair accessible," SVhk founder Francis Ngai tells Fast Company. "It is a disruptive model to the existing taxi market, as we creatively reorganized the network of partners, bringing in elderly homes, disabled NGOs, and taxi operators altogether."
Ngai left a high-powered job working in telecommunications in mainland China to start SVhk with a few other entrepreneurs and has now found himself in the company of the Skoll World Forum and other international social enterprise outlets. "But the development of social entrepreneurship here is still in the infant stage and it's mostly developed by government and non-profits," says Ngai.
"We nurtured the Diamond Cab idea for three years and we found that disabled transportation is one of the main difficulties in Hong Kong. The market gap is very big. So we got in touch with government officials. We set up a small working group to come up with business plans. We met weekly, bridged with funders, and then we formed the preliminary idea and opened up to shareholders. Now other shareholders include elderly homes."
Ngai says that Hong Kong should already have handicap-friendly taxi services in place, much as the rest of the developed world does. But in the context of Hong Kong, where adult children are expected to look after their ailing parents, the need for disabled-specific public transportation has gone unheeded. And now, as Hong Kong continues to balance Eastern and Western influences, the need is bigger than ever, as young working parents are often too busy to assist their parents with every grocery trip.
"In Asia, when people think about social entrepreneurship they immediately think about villages. But there are a lot of urban issues," adds Ngai. "The public is more open now to other issues--they are hungry for other ideas. After a couple of years we will show that social entrepreneurship works."
"Our ambition is to show the public that by perfectly blending social and business elements together, some 'new' social capital could be built up, as this social venture is the very first one in HK--with mainstream businesses like taxi operators and elderly home groups being the shareholders."
Of starting SVhk, says Ngai, "We weren't happy with just being a think tank--we've mobilized a lot of different resources to create one of Hong Kong's first venture philanthropy startups."
For now the group's primary investees focus on the elderly and disabled, but eventually SVhk will expand into more culturally fraught issues such as youth and crime and health issues. But in the meantime Ngai says he and his team are focusing on making sure their model works and showing Hong Kong what social entrepreneurship is--and that it is viable both financially and socially.
Follow me, Jenara Nerenberg, on Twitter . | <urn:uuid:3ff04bde-dd33-4e82-aa2a-02d46ea03724> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.fastcompany.com/print/1718338 | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368708142388/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516124222-00002-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.966527 | 661 | 1.765625 | 2 |
Much has been written about the ‘death of the tandem’ of Vladimir Putin and Dmitrii Medvedev since they switched offices in the Kremlin. Although analyzing the tandem has been akin to reading the tea leaves of Soviet politics in the era of ‘Kremlinology’, it is worthwhile examining whether the tandem still exists and what the nature of the relationship between Russia’s president and its prime minister are under the new configuration of power.
Although the tandem 2.0 is different from the tandem 1.0, it seems there is more than enough evidence suggesting the tandem survives and reason therefore to hypothesize about its political basis. I have addressed on ROPV and elsewhere the disagreements over specific policies as well as the differences in general political orientation between the tandem’s two halves. Suffice it to say here that Medvedev is more laissez faire in economics – having even referred to the ‘new’ conservatism of Reagan and Thatcher as models – and more pluralist, decentralized, and society-oriented in politics. Putin is more of a Russian “statist” and traditionalist (rather than socialist bent) preferring a strong state over both the polity and the economy. Medvedev is more Western and more inclined to support Western positions in foreign policy; Putin decidedly ‘not so much.’ | <urn:uuid:27cabf40-d1a0-4674-bd30-51062a1a9725> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.russiaotherpointsofview.com/reforms/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368703298047/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516112138-00031-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.958457 | 276 | 1.734375 | 2 |
WorldVitalRecords.com - The Weekly Kansas Chief Births, Marriages, Deaths and Other News Items and Current Events, 1890 - 1891
The Weekly Kansas Chief Births, Marriages, Deaths and Other News Items and Current Events, 1890 - 1891. This index contains more than 5,000 names which is made up of lists of school children, teachers and school officers, township officials, Republican lists from each township, and two long lists of marriage licenses from the probate court. Other offerings include district court trials, disposition of cases (including Tribble who murdered Kinkhead in front of the schoolhouse, fled to Missouri, joined the rebel army and in 1890 was seen in Wathena, arrested and held in jail until the trial). Also included are real estate transfers, other lists of interest, births, deaths, social events, and men selling out and moving to western parts of Oklahoma. | <urn:uuid:1c39ab0c-3bc4-4172-bcf7-a841ff81f498> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.cyndislist.com/births/us/ks/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368701852492/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516105732-00021-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.958982 | 186 | 1.578125 | 2 |
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Welcome to the AARP Discussion Board. Here you can talk with peers about current events ranging from Social Security to caring for your parents to the latest on health care reform. It is also the perfect place to exchange healthy eating recipes and job hunting tips.
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DODD-FRANK, FINANCE REFORM
posted at May 14, 2012 1:36 PM EDT
First: February 6, 2010
Last: May 17, 2012
“DODD-FRANK IS ALIVE AND WELL, even though the regulation drafters are moving slowly.
Paul Volcker has suddenly become a profit and somewhat of a folk hero. J P Morgan Bank has just suffered over a 2 billion dollar loss while engaging in exactly what the “Volcker Rule” is intended to prevent, the gambling by a bank with its own capital.
This event is interesting in several ways. First, it demonstrates the wisdom behind the Rule. Apparently JPM was able to do the thing before the Volcker rule was actually implanted by the regulators pursuant to Dodd-Frank.
Secondly, it gives impetus to the school of thought that some banks, JPM, Citibank and Bank of America, for example are TOO BIG TO FAIL and should be shrunk. It demonstrates that in the modern era much banking, even by “commercial” banks has become so complicated that banks are necessarily at risk.
Jamie Dimon, JPM’s chief executive has in effect declared that the transaction (credit derivatives, etc.) leading to this loss was so complicated that he is not sure whether or not the final outcome might engender a somewhat larger loss. Due to complexity, the gambling aspect may be present irrespective of whether a transaction of a big bank violates “Volcker” or not.
So, regulators, make sure that Volcker gets promptly implemented and also, while you are at it, try to shrink or bifurcate the multi trillion dollar banks.” | <urn:uuid:3826ec95-e35d-4a26-a1ca-1088b97b3b29> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.aarp.org/online-community/forums.action/work-retirement_social-security_dodd-frank-finance-reform?plckShowLatestPost=1 | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368698207393/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516095647-00003-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.955564 | 460 | 1.617188 | 2 |
Do the T9 Countdown – Day 4: Show Off Those Battle Scars!
Day 4: Show Off Those Battle Scars!
Former athletes, surgery sufferers, and daredevils of the world rejoice! Today is the day to show off scarred knees, elbows, chins, shins – you name it! If you’ve earned yourself a battle scar, we want to see it and hear the story behind it. In the words of Katy, whose well-loved knees you see below:
Ode to some well-used knees…
At age 13 it all began,
for an active girl who ran and ran.
2 ACLs, a meniscus tear or two,
she didn’t cry or whine boo-hoo.
State HS basketball titles and DII ball,
took a few more surgeries, after all.
6 hard years of rugby next were up,
even to London for the Nations Cup!
Today it’s boats, boards, and bikes,
anything active that she likes!
The battle wounds and scars you see,
just tell the tale, don’t you agree?
Sure, they might be a bit unsightly to some, but if you ask us, plates, cadaver parts, and pins only help to make you a little more bionic so you can keep you doing what you love. Share a picture and/or your story and you could win a Limited Edition Power of 9 Tee and Title Nine Water Bottle. So come one, come all, to the showing of the scars that prove you’ve jumped, fallen, and gotten right back up. Don’t wait, get entered>
*Prize awarded based on availability. A substitute prize of equal or greater value may be awarded.
40 years ago Congress signed landmark legislation, Title IX, attacking the gender divide in sports. Today that divide has been virtually erased. In 1972, only 30,000 girls participated in high school sports. Today it’s over 3,000,000!! Because many of us here at Title Nine, including our founder, were there in the early years, we think there’s a lot to celebrate this year. | <urn:uuid:3a0c1d36-519e-4d74-acd3-3a3d40503647> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.timeoutwithtitlenine.com/living-title-ix/do-the-t9-countdown-day-4-show-off-those-battle-scars/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368700264179/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516103104-00020-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.945024 | 462 | 1.570313 | 2 |
Wow, I did such a good job of blogging for the first few months of school and then November hit and I am not sure what happened! We really enjoyed the month of November with our unit on Giant things in this wonderful world. We talked about Mountains, Oceans, Trees, Planets, the Solar System and how our planet revolves around the sun, but my most favorite day was our "indoor field trip" when we went camping! It really pays having a "Boy" Scout in our midst (Mrs. Jackson is our school's Den Master for those of you who didn't already know). She set up the tent, I brought s'mores, and we told stories by lantern light in the library. Let me tell you that 20 bodies in one tent is one hot place! It was a fantastic day and one I will not soon forget!
Some great things to ask the kiddos about are: Log Pole Pines, erosion, the dwarf planet, Great Wall of China, camping, caves and their formations, lions and how far away you can hear their roars, and building skyscrapers. We even saw a picture of Mrs. Haas' family's feet in a glass box on the top of the outside of a skyscraper and we looked down at the streets below us! November was a fantastic month and December is looking pretty exciting too! Bring it on! | <urn:uuid:22cfb50a-2e89-43ba-a8e4-89d0c12e1da5> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://teacherweb.com/BLOG/OK/GroveValley/AmyHaas/1/blog.aspx?Post=16e98abc-68e8-4704-89fa-bbc0df777d13 | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368700958435/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516104238-00018-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.974438 | 281 | 1.8125 | 2 |
we are artists.. we are writers.. we are drawers, sculptors, designers.. we are free people..
we are the ones who experss themself.. we are the voice of society we live in.. either trying to make it better, worse or just saying what we see..
we are the ones who see the grey walls and make something pretty, ugly, colorful or black'n white for others to hang on those walls..
we are the ones who help you find words of love or hate in our poems.. we are the ones who remind you about other people feelings...
you can't shut us up!
we wouldn't say "fuck" if something wasn't fucked up.. we wouldn't draw swastikas if there wasn't nazi freaks.. we wouldn't bother to write sad poems if there wouldn't be any sadnes..
artist is a mirror of what sourounds him.. dreams, hopes, history, past, people, buildings, actions, emptynes, love.. we are just reflecting it back to society..
freedom of speach isn't just for chosen ones...
and in case of artists.. basicly that's all we have.. :)
here are some details [link]
More from this Artist
Canvas Prints: Combining simplicity and elegance, our Canvas Prints are the classic way to present your art. learn more...
Photo Prints: High-quality prints in glossy, matte and lustre finishes. learn more...
Art Gifts: Customized art products including calendars, mugs, coasters, magnets and more. learn more... | <urn:uuid:b3c0de86-4dc5-4a21-8cd9-cce2351b9ba4> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.deviantart.com/print/793695/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368703298047/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516112138-00000-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.934952 | 331 | 1.585938 | 2 |
President Barack Obama's reelection didn't sit well with many people who believed his Republican opponent would've done a better job improving the nation's economy.
So many of those unhappy people have sent state petitions to the White House asking that their states be granted a peaceful secession from the United States.
Almost 30,000 people have signed a Georgia's petition asking to secede. Dan Treadwell of Laurens County is one of those people.
Treadwell, a Navy veteran, met with reporters in Wrightsville to discuss his reasons for signing the Georgia petition.
"I consider myself an American. I consider myself a patriot," Treadwell said. "I just don't like Washington dictating, and they're obviously not paying attention to what a lot of people are saying."
Describing himself as "not really a Tea Party" person, Treadwell said he's highly concerned over the federal government's spendning habits. He said he doesn't believe the secession movement will be successful.
"But it may get the attention of the White House," Treadwell said.
At Nana's Kitchen across the street from the Johnson County Courthouse, some lunch patrons supported secession efforts.
"If we have to be under Obama for the next four years, I think it's a great idea," said Lisa Keyton who was having lunch with her husband, daughter and granddaugher.
"He's taken this country, it's a bad road," Keyton said. "I think if we were our own country, we could control that much better, and I'm all for it."
Kevin Brantley said a successful secession effort could lead to war.
"I think we're heading to another Civil War if that happens," Brantley said. "I really do."
That would be tough, Brantley said, because "I've got kids, you know. I hate to see us get involved in a war. But I think this country is in bad shape right now."
Jerry Lewis serves as president and chief executive officer of the Bank of Wrightsville. He said he's been following the situation and plans to join the petitioners.
"I plan on doing it as soon as I get to the bank," Lewis said.
But Rowena Veal isn't sold on the petition drive. She said Obama's reelection sickened her. But she doesn't think secession is the right move.
"It's like they said, 'united we stand, divided we fall.' And that's exactly what's going to happen if all your states start pulling away," Veal said. "Just because something is wrong, 'we'll I'm going to pull out, you know, forget y'all,' no, that's not going to accomplish anything."
In order to receive a response from President Obama, a petition must have at least 25,000 signatures. Georgia's petition has surpassed that by more than 3,000.
Dozens of other states have similar petitions on the White House website as well. | <urn:uuid:f0e5179f-8b59-4995-9e7d-cba8be3c2fb0> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.13wmaz.com/news/local/article/204224/175/Secession-Hot-Topic-In-Wrightsville | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368705195219/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516115315-00010-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.986915 | 626 | 1.578125 | 2 |
NIAMEY, Niger — French troops on Saturday were in control of parts of Gao, northern Malis most populous city, in a sign that the offensive against al Qaida-allied Islamist militants was moving far more quickly than had been expected.
Reinforcements from the African nations of Chad and Niger were moving toward the city from neighboring Niger in a sign that regional troops could start sharing Frances burden in the war months sooner than had been predicted.
The French Defense Ministry, in a statement posted on its website, said that a bridge to Gao and the citys airport had been captured in an air and land operation Friday evening. Malian forces participated in the offensive, and "terrorist elements" that attacked the French-Malian operation were destroyed, according to the statement.
The French and Malian troops were expected to be bolstered by troops gathering in nearby Niger with experience in desert warfare, including troops from Chad and local Niger forces, the statement said. The African troops were to be airlifted from Niger.
The Islamists, who have controlled northern Mali since last spring, have melted away in the past week under French air strikes and special forces operations after initially advancing in the first days of Frances intervention in Mali, which began Jan. 10.
France since has taken advantage of the rebels apparent preference for flight instead of fight when faced with the superior military power. The Islamists mostly have disappeared before French forces arrive, avoiding inch-for-inch street battles for population centers.
For example, by Monday, Islamist forces had deserted the town of Gossi, on the road between Sevare the base of French and Malian operations and Gao, according to two village residents, including the district chief.
"After hearing of the withdrawal from Douentza, the armed rebels fled," said local chief Mohammed Sidiya Maiga.
On Monday, about 30 vehicles had sped through the town from the southwest in retreat.
Most of the towns Arab residents also had fled to nearby Bourkina Faso, fearing retribution at the hands of the Malian military, most of whom are black Africans, Maiga said.
When Maiga spoke by phone on Thursday, no French or Malian forces had advanced on the town. On Friday and Saturday, mobile phones were not reachable, though it would have been unlikely that they didnt pass through on their way to Gao..
African leaders are embarrassed that a former colonial power was needed to step in and stop further Islamist gains, and the continents power brokers are scrambling to pony up a force that can deploy to Mali and theoretically allow the French forces to leave.
The desert nation of Chad already has sent several hundred troops to Niger, which is also contributing 500 troops. Those troops were expected to take positions in Gao.
"Yes, I think," said Marou Amadou, the spokesman for the Niger government, when asked on Saturday evening if Nigerien and Chadian troops had entered into Mali.
"From what I know about the planning of the operation, Nigerien and Chadian forces are moving in," he said.
Nigerias air force also has sent planes to Niamey, Niger, but it was not clear whether those aircraft or French aircraft had been used to transport troops to Gao.
Malis beleaguered military also received a boost from the return of Tuareg commander Al Haji Ag Gamou and his men, who number a few hundred fighters. Ag Gamou was in charge of Malis Kidal garrison in northern Mali when a Tuareg rebellion broke out last year. Rather than fight, he pretended to defect to the rebels but then sped his troops to Niger for safety.
Gao is only 100 miles from Malis border with Niger, and Niamey, Nigers capital, is closer to Gao than Sevare or Malis capital, Bamako.
Many experts expect the rebels to regroup in the caves and mountains of northeastern Mali, where they are less vulnerable to air and ground attacks. French officials have not said whether French troops will pursue them that far.
Boswell is a McClatchy special correspondent. His reporting is underwritten in part by Humanity United, a California-based foundation focused on human rights. Email: [email protected]; Twitter: @alanboswell | <urn:uuid:d0e54cb1-2616-48b4-b53f-976378fb17f4> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.kentucky.com/2013/01/26/2491933/french-forces-take-parts-of-gao.html | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368709037764/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516125717-00001-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.979337 | 886 | 1.507813 | 2 |
Katherine Gallagher (GuardianUK-OpEd):
Though signatory to the convention against torture, Canada neglected to investigate George Bush. Will the UN now act?---One thing brings together these four men – Hassan bin Attash, Sami el-Hajj, Muhammed Khan Tumani and Murat Kurnaz: they are all survivors of the systematic torture program the Bush administration authorized and carried out in locations including Afghanistan, Iraq, Guantánamo, and numerous prisons and CIA "black sites" around the world. Between them, they have been beaten, hung from walls or ceilings, deprived of sleep, food and water, and subjected to freezing temperatures and other forms of torture and abuse while held in US custody.
None was charged with a crime. Two were detained while still minors. And one of them remains at Guantánamo.
This week, in a complaint filed with the United Nations committee against torture, they are asking one question: how can the man responsible for ordering these heinous crimes, openly enter a country that has pledged to prosecute all torturers regardless of their position and not face legal action? MORE... | <urn:uuid:ec1a2714-ed9a-4ae0-9bea-4a65975ebc6e> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://howieinseattle.blogspot.com/2012/11/damn-right-george-bush-should-face.html | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368697974692/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516095254-00020-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.93715 | 234 | 1.507813 | 2 |
CNC Router Training at Thermwood
When you purchase a CNC Router from Thermwood, a five-day comprehensive programming/operation training course for two students is included. This course is conducted at Thermwood's state of the art Dale, IN facility.
Superior Factory Training:
Training at Thermwood is conducted in a modern, comfortable and well equipped center devoted specifically to educating our customers. This is, by far, the fastest and most efficient way to learn. Over the years, Thermwood has experienced the ups and downs of training at the customer's facility, the interruptions and distractions, not to mention the lack of classroom facilities and equipment. It just doesn’t work very well. At Thermwood, the atmosphere contributes to the learning experience. Each classroom is setup specifically for the course being taught.
Our machine operator/programmer courses are located adjacent to the machine training lab, where students complete the prescribed projects on a specific training machine utilized only for training purposes. Our application software classes are conducted in a classroom with state-of-art computer equipment. Then when it comes time for practical applications on a full sized machine, Thermwood's training lab is equipped with a CabinetShop 45 outfitted with all major options and features. Real production type parts are cut. What a confidence builder!
Customer Training Lounge:
Thermwood also has a customer lounge and workstation available for use during your training at our facility. This comfortable area features free:
- Daily Lunch
- Lounge area with plenty of seating and satellite-equipped large flat-screen tv for your use.
Continuing Help and Support
Our five-day machine programming/operations training here at Thermwood is the first step to helping you hit the ground running. The goal is to help you understand how to utilize the power of your Thermwood CNC Router and QCore SuperControl to make your operation as efficient and productive as possible. Our commitment to this doesn't end when you complete the training course. We also offer:
For more information on our machine training or about any of our products, please email us at [email protected] or give us a call at 1-800-533-6901. | <urn:uuid:0652b75a-db0c-4c0d-b363-1dae3596a659> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://blog.thermwood.com/bid/85977/CNC-Router-Training-at-Thermwood | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368699273641/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516101433-00006-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.948671 | 459 | 1.710938 | 2 |
This quality of mine is not always a positive. I sometimes have a tendency to not think before I speak or to knowingly choose to use words that I know will cut. For years, I clung onto this quality, declaring that I was "just being honest" and "it's just part of my personality." We talk about the danger of bottling up emotions and encourage each other to "give him a piece of your mind!" Who cares if you're rude as long as you're being honest? Right?
I got thinking about this topic in light of the whole Chick-Fil-A debacle. I'm so weary of it. One thing I noticed was the complete lack of an ability to communicate a differing opinion with grace. In trying to be honest, we've become quite simply...rude. And we don't have a right to rudeness. We don't have the right to throw out words with little to no regard for the feelings of others. We don't have the right to honesty at the cost of kindness. We don't have the right to give full reign to our anger and let the words spew from an bitter, resentful heart.
Just because something is "part of your personality" does not make it right. I hate to break it to you, but you're a sinner. There are things about you that are wrong. There are ways that you behave that are wrong. You may have a bent in a particular direction but you're not required to indulge your natural tendency. I'll give you another example from my own life. I am an introvert. Quite frankly, this means that I don't always like to be around people. I freak out when my extroverted, social butterfly of a husband, spontaneously invites people for dinner (and by "spontaneously", I really mean "3 full days ahead of time"). I want to mentally prepare to have to talk to people. Ok, so, I'm introverted. That doesn't mean I'm allowed to be unhospitable. Why not? Well, because I'm told to...
Contribute to the needs of the saints and seek to show hospitality. (Rom 12:13)
Do not neglect to show hospitality to strangers, for thereby some have entertained angels unawares.
Sometimes we have to rise above our personalities and recognize that a natural bent can be sinful. Here's what we do:
Many of the problems we experience when talking with one another emerge from the fact that we have usurped the authority of God: we say what we want to say, when and how we want to say it. We speak as if we are in charge and as if we have the right to use words to advance our purpose, and to achieve what would make us happy.However...
We are not free to handle difficulties in whatever way seems best to us. When we are wronged, the thing of highest importance is not that we feel satisfied or avenged, but that we respond according to God's plan and for his glory.What should we do?
When it comes to communication, my job is to speak in a way that pleases the One who is ruling the very moment in which I am speaking.Using our honesty in a sinful way permeates many of our marriages. Our husband forgets our anniversary and we feel the need to berate him and accuse him of not loving us. He makes a financial decision we don't agree with and so we feel the need to continually remind him of how wrong you think he is. You and your husband don't agree on parenting situations, so you start to think he's a fool and mock him behind his back to your friends. But hey! That's just how you feel so it must be ok, right? God actually says a lot about this. Here's a few examples:
But if you bite and devour one another, watch out that you are not consumed by one another. (Gal 5:15 ESV)
Do not let any unwholesome talk come out of your mouths, but only what is helpful for building others up according to their needs, that it may benefit those who listen. (Eph 4:29 NIV)
I don't think that God wants us to be dishonest or to lack authenticity by hiding our personal opinions. But I do think He wants every single one of us to recognize His authority over even our words. All of us could afford to be radically more sensitive in determining the effect of our words. Don't stand on your perceived rights. Just try to speak right to the glory of God.
**All quotes apart from Scripture are from War of Words, by Paul David Tripp. I highly recommend this book as an excellent book on communication.**
Sharing with: NOBH, Life in Bloom, Thoughtful Thursday, Thought Provoking Thursday, Beholding Glory, Your Thriving Family, Consider the Lilies | <urn:uuid:eb858b99-b749-4d3c-b3e0-4c19dc843f33> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.thewarriorwives.com/2012/08/the-right-to-be-honest.html | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368698924319/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516100844-00035-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.976038 | 1,003 | 1.59375 | 2 |
Diesel shortage hampers harvest
A shortage of diesel fuel in western Victoria and south-east South Australia is causing a headache for grain farmers during harvest.
Some fuel distributors are restricting the amount of diesel farmers can buy by almost half.
Victorian grains group president, Andrew Weidemann, say it's hoped the supply will increase in the next few days.
"If a grower rings up and asks for 10,000 litres today, from some distributors he may only get five (thousand litres)," he said.
"Distributors are keeping growers going, but the obviously there's an issue if you want a full demand, you may not get that." | <urn:uuid:773ff617-2b7f-4827-8f19-f9048fbb6bbe> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.abc.net.au/rural/news/content/201212/s3648625.htm?site=southwestvic | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368703298047/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516112138-00013-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.961386 | 138 | 1.65625 | 2 |
Revenue recognition - collectibility and uncertain consideration
In discussing collectibility, the staffs sought the boards views on how an entity should account for the effects of a customer's credit risk, and changes in that risk, in a contract with a customer. Feedback received through comment letters indicated that preparers were generally concerned that the proposals in the ED would significantly change existing practices and be costly to implement. The first question asked of the boards was whether an entity should initially measure the transaction price — and therefore revenue — at a net amount, gross amount, or a combination approach. The boards generally supported measurement at a gross amount.
The staffs then recommended that the boards consider whether there should be a separate recognition threshold for collectibility. The staffs did not believe the final revenue standard should specify a recognition threshold for collectibility in addition to the criteria for determining whether a contract exists for purposes of applying the revenue model. The boards discussed this question at length and no consensus was reached.
Time value of money
In discussing time value of money, the staffs presented the boards with two questions:
- When the transaction price for a contract with a customer should reflect the time value of money of the promised consideration
- How to account for the time value of money component of the promised consideration, including the selection of an appropriate discount rate.
The staffs recommended that the boards affirm the proposal in the ED related to time value of money. The staffs also recommended that the boards clarify that a financing component is significant only if two conditions are met 1) the effects of the time value of money are significant and 2) the contractual payment terms have the dominant purpose of providing financing either to the customer or to the entity. It was also recommended that the boards consider a practical expedient that entities should not have to reflect time value of money if the period between payment by the customer and the transfer of the promised goods or services is less than one year.
The boards discussed the staffs' recommendations. There was support for the principle that time value of money should be included in an entity's calculation when it is material/significant. There was discussion about the staffs' use of the words material and significant, however, it was determined that the discussion of the specific wording would be handled at a later meeting. There was also support to provide implementation guidance around the concept of material/significant. The boards supported the staffs' recommendations to include the following — the effects of the time value of money are significant because: 1) there is a significant timing difference between when the entity transfers the promised goods or services to the customer and when the customer pays for those goods or services; 2) the interest rate that is explicit or implicit within the contract is significant; 3) the amount of customer consideration would be substantially different if the customer paid in cash at the time of transfer of the goods or service.
In general, the boards supported the staffs' recommendation for a practical expedient. There was concern, however, that this would be contradictory with decisions made for other projects. | <urn:uuid:c6a4013a-bc50-47de-8098-9c6c76159832> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.iasplus.com/en/meeting-notes/agenda_1103/agenda1623?set_language=en | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368703298047/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516112138-00036-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.95113 | 617 | 1.757813 | 2 |
Under the Planning and Environment Act 1987, Council is responsible for ensuring that land is used and developed in an environmentally, economically and socially responsible manner, to provide a sustainable future for its residents.
Please ensure you have discussed your proposal with Council's Planning unit before lodging your application for a planning permit. If you have previously discussed your proposal with the Planning unit and determined that planning approval is required, you can complete an application form which is available from Council's Planning unit or can be downloaded (see below).
When applying for a permit you are also required to fill out the Planning Application form, pay the application fee and provide proposal details, plans and supporting documentation. The type and level of detail of supporting documentation required by Council will depend on the nature of the proposal.
For most applications the following is required as a minimum:
Further supporting information may be required if the site is covered by planning controls such as Heritage Overlay, Inundation Overlay, Bushfire Management Overlay etc. or other planning provisions such as car parking requirements.
Sufficient and appropriate supporting documentation is important to enable Council and the community to fully understand the proposal and, in the case of Council, make a well-informed decision. If this information is not submitted with the application, your application will be delayed.
To request a copy of old plans or permits, you may download the application form below.
For further information please contact Council's Planning unit on (03) 5722 0888 or [email protected]
To assist you in preparing your application for a new planning permit or an amendment to a permit or plans already approved by Council, the Planning unit has developed the following documents which can also be downloaded. | <urn:uuid:1b3b2689-9863-40a9-9030-ee58b13f46fb> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.wangaratta.vic.gov.au/services/planning/Planning-Permit-Application.asp | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368700264179/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516103104-00022-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.930971 | 350 | 1.507813 | 2 |
Sandy Huffaker/Getty Images
Current and former military personnel stand in line for interviews at the Opportunity Job Fair on last year in San Diego. The number of Americans seeking unemployment aid fell last week to the lowest level in five years, evidence that employers are cutting fewer jobs and may step up hiring.
The number of Americans seeking unemployment aid fell last week to the lowest level in five years, evidence that employers are cutting fewer jobs and may step up hiring.
The Labor Department said Thursday that weekly unemployment benefit applications dropped 5,000 to a seasonally adjusted 330,000. That's the fewest since January 2008.
The four-week average, a less volatile measure, fell to 351,750. That's also the lowest in nearly five years.
The decline may reflect the government's difficulty adjusting its numbers to account for layoffs after the holiday shopping season. Layoffs spike in the second week of January and then plummet. The department seeks to adjust for those trends, but the figures can still be volatile.
If the trend holds up, fewer applications would suggest the job market is improving.
Applications are a proxy for layoffs. They have fluctuated between 360,000 and 390,000 for most of last year. At the same time, employers added an average of 153,000 jobs a month. That's just been enough to slowly push down the unemployment rate, which fell 0.7 percentage points last year to 7.8 percent.
There have been other positive signs for the economy and job market.
The once-battered housing sector is recovering, which is boosting construction and home prices. Home builders started work in 2012 on the most new homes in four years. And sales of previously occupied homes reached their highest level in five years last year. Still, home building and sales remain below the levels consistent with a healthy economy.
More home building will likely increase job growth. In December, the economy gained 30,000 construction jobs - the most in 15 months. And economists expect construction firms to add more jobs this year as the housing recovery strengthens.
Patrick Newport, an economist at IHS Global Insight, forecasts that construction companies will add 140,000 jobs this year, up from a meager 18,000 in 2012.
The overall economy grew at an annual rate of 3.1 percent in the July-September quarter. But economists believe activity slowed considerably in the October-December quarter to a rate below 2 percent or less, in part because companies cut back on restocking.
Less restocking leads to slower factory production, which weighs on economic growth. | <urn:uuid:4f303ef5-da6c-4853-93b9-5cb370112243> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.scpr.org/news/2013/01/24/35737/us-jobless-claims-drop-5-year-low-330000/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368711005985/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516133005-00001-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.956895 | 522 | 1.640625 | 2 |
Pretty much any dSLR will get you seriously nice quality pictures these days. Entry level Nikons or Canons are both great. For some reason, you see pretty much all of the professional photographers using Canon SLRs, but at on a casual level, a Nikon will do just as well.
If you are photographing specifically sports, you would want to get a camera body with a decent ISO (at least 1600) with not too much image noise. Don’t worry too much about resolution. Anything above 10 megapixels gets pretty excessive. For photographing sports, I wouldn’t suggest a full frame camera.
I would suggest investing more in a fast lens. A good lens will make a huge difference sometimes. Find one with a low f-stop of around f/1.8 or f/2. Those will get you sharp, crisp pictures. For taking pictures of racing, I would suggest a longer lens, probably at least 100 mm focal length. Unfortunately, long lenses with low f-stops get expensive, especially zoom lenses, but fixed lenses are a little cheaper. Zoom lenses of similar price will be a little slower, but will do perfectly well in nice sunlight but will struggle in dimmer light.
Finally, the most important aspect of taking pictures is thought. I think that the more thought you put into a picture, the better it will turn out. Think about your composition, think about your subject. Move around and look at it from different angles and perspectives. Putting in some thought will compensate most shortcomings in equipment. Be ready for moments of drama or beauty. Also try to snoop around and be a little daring.
A couple of my favorite F1 photographers are James Moy and Darren Heath. | <urn:uuid:93e6db15-a4c3-41ec-9fef-891963ee9b34> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.f1fanatic.co.uk/groups/f1/forum/topic/anyone-know-about-slr-cameras-re-f1/?topic_page=1&num=15 | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368702448584/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516110728-00014-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.946328 | 354 | 1.570313 | 2 |
By Stephen Power
Is the Obama administration warming to the idea of carbon tariffs?
That’s the gist of remarks Friday by Rep. Sander Levin (D., Mich.), in Copenhagen to observe the United Nations climate summit. He says that despite President Obama’s statement to reporters in June that such tariffs could send “protectionist signals” to the world, administration officials have told him the threat of such penalties has given the U.S. a bit of leverage in talks aimed at prodding major developing nations to control their emissions.
“Todd Stern has made clear the border adjustment issue has to be on the table,” Mr. Levin told us on the sidelines, referring to the U.S. Special Envoy on Climate Change.
The idea of tariffs-as-leverage, rather than pure protectionism, has been gaining currency of late.
This wouldn’t be the first time an Obama administration official has expressed openness to the idea. Testifying before Congress last spring, Energy Secretary Steven Chu talked favorably about carbon tariffs – only to get slapped down by Republicans who warned such penalties could incite a trade war.
Mr. Levin, who wrote a provision in the House-passed climate bill that would impose tariffs on goods from countries that don’t match U.S. efforts to combat global warming, says he got an earful on the matter when he met with India’s Environment Minister Jairam Ramesh Thursday.
“He said he was concerned it would be punitive and violative of” World Trade Organization rules, Mr. Levin said. “I said to him … if you look carefully at it, I don’t think you’ll find it punitive, and I think it’s WTO consistent.”
Mr. Levin said he’s going to keep discussing his provision with administration officials as climate legislation makes its way through the Senate. He said while he thinks the provision’s “basic structure” should remain, “we’re always willing to talk about the exact language.” | <urn:uuid:65d9a733-54f0-4857-a4f1-178393c47656> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://blogs.wsj.com/environmentalcapital/2009/12/18/carbon-tariffs-rep-levin-dishes-on-obama-india-in-copenhagen/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368705195219/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516115315-00015-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.956471 | 435 | 1.734375 | 2 |
Out of the darkness
Chaplain Bertram Bobb
I appreciate your prayers for our Native American people. Continue to pray for America and for our leaders.
The Gospel is the good news of salvation, the message that can bring you out of the darkness and bring you into the light (Acts 26:18)
The Gospel of Jesus Christ is the story of God’s love. God the Father loved us so much that He gave His only begotten Son, the Lord Jesus Christ, to die on the cross for the sins of the whole world. (John 3:16)
Many Christians today sense and can see there is something radically wrong in the churches but cannot see what is causing it.
The messages in many pulpits are one of promoting a program rather than preaching what the Bible says, what the Bible says about sin, the penalty of sin and God’s answer to these problems.
And also the teaching of the Bible that Jesus Christ will come again. Jesus will come back to Earth in the same manner He went to Heaven. How did He go to Heaven? We read this record in the book of Acts 1:9-11, just after the commission to His disciple to evangelize the world: “And when he had spoken these things, while they beheld, he was taken up; and a cloud received him out of their sight. And while they looked steadfastly toward heaven as he went up, behold two men stood by them in white apparel; Which also said, Ye men of Galilee, why stand ye gazing up into Heaven? This same Jesus, which is taken up from you into Heaven, shall so come in like manner as ye have seen him go into Heaven.”
Yes, Jesus is coming back to earth. We do not know the time of Jesus coming but we do have signs. One of the signs we read about in Matthew Chapter 25 is “wars.” What causes wars? James asks this same question in James 4:1: “From whence come wars and fightings among you? Come they not hence, even of your lust that war in your members?”
So we learn that war comes from greed and lust and this is sin, because there is sin in the heart.
So we see here that man’s problem is not a social or an economic one. That is, you cannot change a man by giving him a good house to live in, a good paying job, lots of clothes, a new car. But the problem is a spiritual one.
In the Old Testament we read in Jeremiah 17:9, “The heart is deceitful above all things, and desperately wicked: who can know it?”
Only you and God know your heart. That is the reason Jesus said “ye must be born again.” (John 3:7). There is nothing a man can do to please God until he has been born of the Spirit of God.
Even today you can trust Jesus Christ as your personal Savior and be born again into God’s family. You do this by faith in His finished work on the cross. You can pray something like this: “God, I realize I am a sinner, I receive Jesus Christ as my Savior.”
To trust Jesus Christ as your personal Savior means to be born again into the family of God – born into a spiritual life. Food for spiritual life is the Word of God. We study the Bible for spiritual growth.
Peter wrote in his first letter, First Peter 3:15: “But Sanctify the Lord God in your hearts: and be ready always to give an answer to every man that asketh you a reason of the hope that is in you, with meakness and fear.”
There is one thing by which a Christian is going to stand or fall. And that is his reality with God. Are the marks of the Holy Spirit’s power about him in his daily walk? Is there a clear ring to his testimony that the people cannot dispute the fact the man is close to God?
Here is something that Paul said in First Corinthians 9:16: “For though I preach the gospel, I have nothing to glory of: for necessity is laid upon me; yea, woe is unto me, if I preach not the gospel!”
Have we maintained a clear testimony through the years of our life as a Christian, one who is maintaining an unblemished testimony? You have not let down the standards and you are taking the gospel message out to an ungodly world. But do they see above all a man or woman who is triumphing in his personal walk because he is not allowing the flesh with its appetites to dominate his life, a man living under the control of the Spirit of God? These are the authentic marks of Christian experience.
But the Apostle Paul could never have expressed those things in his life were it not that within him was the indwelling life of the risen Lord Jesus Christ which enabled him to do so.
Again it is only the Gospel of Jesus Christ (1 Corinthians 15:1-4) that will give us victory. John writes in John 1:12: “But as many as received him, to them he gave the power to become the sons of God, even to them that believe on his name:”
Will you trust Jesus Christ as your Savior?
May God continue to bless you. Yakoke! (thank you) for your prayers. | <urn:uuid:b5408ab2-9607-489c-a0cd-b14291e23cb9> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.choctawnation.com/news-room/chaplains-corner/out-of-the-darkness/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368703298047/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516112138-00035-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.976678 | 1,138 | 1.5 | 2 |
NORMAN — He wasn’t from West Virginia. He didn’t have to be here. But Jay Rockefeller chose to become a West Virginian.
As his surname suggests, Jay came from wealth but thrust himself into a small West Virginia mining community as a 27-year-old VISTA volunteer.
From there, he fell in love with the state and its people and dedicated himself to a life of serving them — as a volunteer, a state delegate, secretary of state, a college president, governor and senator.
Rockefeller announced that he will not seek re-election at the end of his fifth term in the Senate. His legacy is vast.
He is known as an advocate for accessible health care and miners’ safety. He played an instrumental role in expanding the state’s economic opportunities. He co-authored legislation to improve education for children. He has targeted television violence and obscenity along with Internet security. His support for our nation’s soldiers and veterans is well-documented.
Rockefeller’s position as chair of the Senate Committee on Commerce, Science and Transportation; chair of the Health Care Subcommittee on Finance and being a member of the Senate Select Committee on Intelligence while serving on the Senate Committee on Veterans’ Affairs has given him a strong voice in Washington in several vitally important affairs.
Despite the silver spoon status that may have come his way as a great-grandson to oil tycoon John D. Rockefeller, Jay was just Jay to thousands of West Virginians. By humbling himself to serve others in public office, his legacy will be much taller than even the lanky, bespectacled senator himself. It will be one of representing West Virginia’s — and even the nation’s — middle class in a manner that improved the lives of several generations.
With two more years remaining in office, Jay will likely cement his heritage even more. At a height of over 6 feet 6 inches, Jay will forever stand tall in West Virginia and United States history — leaving some quite sizable shoes to fill in 2014.
— The Register-Herald, Beckley, W.Va. | <urn:uuid:79da5e15-47a7-4d51-b946-3aaf76b11c8a> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://normantranscript.com/opinion/x1525009057/Thanks-Sen-Rockefeller | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368705953421/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516120553-00039-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.973515 | 443 | 1.59375 | 2 |
The 1975 Topps set included many innovations. 1975 Topps Baseball Card Set had team cards with each squad’s checklists on the back, 7 Highlight cards, the Topps 1951 through 1974 MVP cards, as well as Rookie Cards for four future Hall-of-Fame players. Robin Yount and George Brett are THE best rookie cards of the decade, as they are regular sized cards and not the standard rookie cards that contained pictures four guys crammed onto one card.
By 1975, Topps had refined the production process to maximum efficiency. The 1975 Topps Set was printed in five different 132-card press sheets. The cards were printed in equal quantities, had no high numbers, short prints or variations of any kind.
The 1975 Topps Baseball Card Set was just the second time that the entire 660 card set was issued all at the beginning of the season, instead of the of the series format used by Topps from 1952 to 1973. The good old days of collectors chasing the new series issues as they surfaced were over. Previously, we would check the local stores every other day or so to see if they received the newest series of cards.
Topps also produced a test 1975 Topps Mini Baseball Card issue that was distributed in Michigan and on the west coast. The 1975 Mini’s were exactly the same as the regular set in everything but the card size.
At the in the time, the country was in the middle of a recession and Topps was looking for ways to reduce production costs and a way to lower the price of the cards. Many of these 1975 Topps Mini’s were sold out of vending machines in an effort to bypass the retailers.
In 1975, most of us collectors were unaware that Topps issued a mini-sized card. The Mini cards were basically ignored by collectors for several decades. Over the last few years, as parallel sets have been introduced and become accepted, the 1975 Topps Mini Baseball cards have been steadily gaining popularity with collectors.
The MVP cards (#189-212) of the 1975 Topps set were my favorite innovation in that it gave collectors their first chance in many years to own cards that had Mantle, Campanella and Berra on them. It also introduced us to past players and featured their MVP seasons. It was our first real exposure to “Retro” Cards from Topps.
The 1975 Topps (& Mini) Baseball card set facts:
- 660 cards, issued in a single series
- Card Size: 2 ½” x 3 1/2”
- 1975 Topps Mini Card Size: 2 ¼” by 3 1/8”
- Innovations: Team cards with team checklists, Highlight cards, MVP cards, and All-Star Designations on the player’s regular card.
- Hall-of-Fame Rookie cards: #223 Robin Yount, #228 George Brett, #616 Jim Rice, & #620 Gary Carter.
- Most Expensive Card: #228 George Brett RC
- Strangest Card: #407 Herb Washington (Position: Pinch Runner)
- HOF Player’s Worst Card: #660 Hank Aaron
- HOF Player’s Best Card: #228 George Brett
Click here to buy 1975 Topps Baseball Cards at Dean's Cards | <urn:uuid:73986698-a4eb-41e9-bc6d-9e70730395dd> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://blog.deanscards.com/2010/01/1975-topps-baseball-cards-and-1975_29.html?showComment=1290699017747 | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368698924319/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516100844-00009-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.977637 | 685 | 1.625 | 2 |
Andrew Osmond points out that sometimes it really is kids' stuff
The film Welcome to the Space Show, released today on DVD and Blu-ray, lives up to its name, sending us through a bright universe of exotic aliens and crazy cities. Five perky Japanese kids find an injured dog - only the dog is a well-spoken alien called Pochi, who offers to be their intergalactic guide. Naturally, the adventure spins out of control, but what’s showmanship without a little danger?
Welcome to the Space Show has points in common with most Western cartoon films. It’s suitable for all ages; it’s a self-contained story with its own characters; and it’s an epic fantasy adventure. It’s also one of several expensive, ambitious family films by heavyweight anime studios in recent years.
But first, here’s a cautionary tale about an American family cartoon film, to strike a chord with anime artists and executives. Back in the 1990s, Warner Brothers made a fairy-tale toon musical for families, called Thumbelina. The story goes that before it opened, Warners held two test screenings, showing Thumbelina clips to see how audiences would respond.
On the first screening, the audience reaction was “Meh.”
On the second, the test scores soared.
Can you guess what naughty Warner Brothers did the second time?
Answer – it had stuck the Disney logo on the Thumbelina footage. We all know that branding is king, but it’s spectacularly obvious in the field of family animated movies. Let’s consider 2010, when Space Show came out in Japan. 2010 saw other standalone family anime films; the child’s-eye drama Mai Mai Miracle, and the computer-animated Yona Yona Penguin. Both latter films were made by the prolific Madhouse studio – yes, the home of Ninja Scroll and Black Lagoon!
So how much did these family films earn? Here’s some context: that year’s Pokemon and One Piece films, both spun off from hugely popular manga and TV shows, each earned more than $50 million in Japan. Ghibli’s new film, Arrietty, earned $111 million. The films from two other franchises, Detective Conan (aka Case Closed) and Doraemon, pulled in $38 million. Below them were more franchise spinoffs: a Crayon Shin-chan film (about a naughty little boy) at $15 million, and the new PreCure or Pretty Cure pic (magical girl fare), earning just under $14 million.
And Welcome to the Space Show, Mai Mai Miracle, and Yona Yona Penguin? All three earned less than a million dollars each at Japanese cinemas.
Don’t feel too bad for them. Most Japanese cinema films aren’t expected to make their money back on the big-screen. The original Ghost in the Shell didn’t turn a profit on its Japanese cinema release, where it played only a fortnight; nor did a landmark epic like Wings of Honneamise. Still, the box-office disparity between the “brand” films and the standalone films is a bit of a shock. It’s certainly not because Pokemon XIV is fifty times better than Welcome to the Space Show or Mai Mai Miracle. It’s because of the power of the franchise. An anime film without the infrastructure of TV and manga (or the Ghibli name) just won’t do Pikachu figures.
But then there are the foreign markets. Western fans may complain that anime is often treated as one undifferentiated mass, with titles removed from their Japanese contexts. By the same token, though, it lessens the stranglehold of anime brands. There are a few powerful Japanese names in the British market, like Akira, Miyazaki and (ahem) Pikachu. But there’s also much more space for neglected titles to get recognition.
That goes especially for animated family films, where – series like Ice Age and Shrek aside – we expect self-contained stories that don’t need prior knowledge. The Girl who Leapt Through Time was based on a famous Japanese story, but it didn’t need that leg-up to sell in Britain. Anime in Japan is primarily a TV medium; in the West, it’s driven by hit movies. Family films like Welcome to the Space Show or Spirited Away show a friendly face to newbie foreigners who wouldn’t buy, say, the first Bleach box set.
The recent anime season at the BFI Southbank in London showcased several such films. They included Production I.G.’s Letter to Momo, the same studio’s CGI fantasy Oblivion Island, and Makoto Shinkai’s Children Who Chase Lost Voices from Deep Below. The BFI notes accompanying the season said, “A frequent misconception is that anime is invariably violent, or only for adults, but titles such as Momo or Oblivion Island are perfectly suitable for children.”
There’s no sign of such films running out. This May, Toei Animation released Rainbow-Coloured Fireflies: The Eternal Summer Vacation, about a young boy time-slipping back thirty years. July will see Mamoru Hosoda, director of The Girl who Leapt… and Summer Wars, release the furry-kids film The Wolf Children Ame and Yuki. Fans of the late Satsohi Kon, meanwhile, still hope the Madhouse studio will complete his last project, The Dream Machine, “a road movie with robots” that’s suitable for children.
Of course, there’s still the problem of how such films will fare outside Japan against Western brands: Disney, Pixar, Dreamworks, Aardman… Every anime studio must have envied Ghibli when its mascot Totoro had a walk-on in the Pixar megahit, Toy Story 3. Then there’s the Japanese CGI Friends: Naki of Monster Island, which opened in Japan last December. Judging by its cinema trailer, it has very Asian-folklorish trappings, like Production I.G.’s Letter to Momo. However, the story of a human baby adopted by monsters seems strikingly close to a certain Pixar film.
Friends has reportedly earned in the region of $20 million – a great haul in Japan, though not enough to worry Pikachu or Luffy. Ironically, Friends’ echoes of Pixar may be a liability in the West; they could make it look like a knockoff. Welcome to the Space Show, on the other hand, has its lush old-style drawings, of the kind seldom seen in Hollywood animation these days. True, it’s not as commercially sure-fire as a Totoro logo. But maybe it’ll show people that classy anime doesn’t need killer brands.
Welcome to the Space Show is out now on UK DVD and Blu-ray from Manga Entertainment. | <urn:uuid:2360f867-8c26-443b-8bee-19b0ce3aee4d> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.mangauk.com/?p=anime-family-values | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368701459211/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516105059-00016-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.934666 | 1,466 | 1.601563 | 2 |
Appetites for asparagus awaken early — at the first sight of these spears in grocery stores.
Shoppers already sated on asparagus, however, are passing up the best of the bunch. Oregon's asparagus season is in full swing this month with plenty of places to purchase some of the Rogue Valley's crop.
Read more about growing asparagus in Sarah Lemon's Season to Taste column in this month's HomeLife magazine at www.mailtribune.com/homelife.
"It flies out the door," says Mary Shaw, culinary educator for Ashland Food Co-op, which stocks purple and green asparagus grown near Jacksonville at Cowhorn Vineyard & Garden.
In case there's any doubt that these are superior spears, the co-op plans free sampling of Cowhorn asparagus recipes in the store through Saturday, May 19. A co-op cooking class scheduled for Thursday, May 24, also will celebrate asparagus in a variety of dishes with other delicate, spring vegetables.
"Everything about them bespeaks spring," says Shaw. "They're just like that new bud coming up."
Although the earliest asparagus, even at the co-op, come from Mexico and California, the vegetable — unlike many others — isn't seen very often in its opposite season, when it hails from the Southern Hemisphere, says Shaw. That's all to eaters' enjoyment of the first truly fresh vegetables of a new growing season, she adds.
"People really get the seasonality of it and have for a long time," says Shaw. "Even though everybody waits for asparagus season, it's wonderful to have a variety of ways to prepare it."
The variety of asparagus sizes also suggests diverse uses. Pencil-thin spears should be cooked quickly — stir-fried or lightly sauteed or added to a salad, says Shaw. Thick ones are best for steaming or roasting and can make a meal unto themselves. There's no basis for the myth that thin asparagus is more desirable, says Shaw. Rather, the opposite is true.
"The fat ones are storing more moisture, more sugar, so they have more flavor."
The key to really highlighting that flavor, says Shaw, is pairing asparagus with ingredients, like rhubarb vinaigrette, that don't take away from it. Free tastings are from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. Saturdays and from 4 to 6 p.m. Tuesdays at the store, 237 N. First St. For more information and to register for cooking classes, see www.ashlandfood.coop or call 541-482-2237.
Medford Food Co-op also stocks Cowhorn asparagus, and visitors to the Biodynamic farm, 1665 Eastside Road, can purchase it on site for $5 per pound. Applegate farmer Jeff Anderson sells asparagus for $3 per pound at Rogue Valley Growers and Crafters markets, Tuesdays at the Ashland armory and Thursdays at the Medford armory. Several other vendors will have asparagus through May. Check the seasonal availability of market produce on the Mail Tribune's online guide to local farmers markets, www.mailtribune.com/growersmarkets.
Reach Food Editor Sarah Lemon at 541-776-4487 or email [email protected]. | <urn:uuid:5878d332-adaf-4153-bfbe-5bd6445bc3c8> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.mailtribune.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20120509/LIFE/205090301/-1/SPECIAL17 | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368708142388/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516124222-00005-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.944414 | 711 | 1.703125 | 2 |
Apple Poised to Pass Intel as Top Mobile Chipmaker
Apple is on pace to surge past Intel this year as the top seller of mobile processors used in a variety of computers and handheld devices, ranging from laptops to smartphones and tablets, according to new research from NPD In-Stat.In a report scheduled for a March 27 release, NPD In-Stat defines "mobile processor" as "a range of processors used in mobile CE devices, often referred to as applications processors and central processing units (CPUs)." ARM is currently "the dominant processor architecture" for such chips, "with over 73 percent of the market and growing." Intel's x86-based chips continue to command the lion's share of the notebook PC market, but laptops represent just part of the mobile processor market as laid out by the research firm. In addition to the smartphones and tablets that generally sport ARM-based chips like Apple's new A5X (pictured), Intel and fellow x86 vendor Advanced Micro Devices also have to contend with makers of ARM processors that power ereaders, handheld game consoles, and portable media players. "Although the total available market for mobile processors continues to grow, the emergence of industry leaders in the high-growth mobile device segment is becoming a key factor in the success of processor vendors," Jim McGregor, NPD In-Stat's chief technology strategist, said in a statement. "Just having a captive market has propelled Apple into second place for the entire mobile processor market just behind industry leader Intel." "Apple will likely capture the top spot in 2012, driven by its success in devices, such as the iPhone and iPad," he continued. "Other companies that benefitted greatly from new product releases or dominance by their OEM customers included Nvidia, Texas Instruments, Qualcomm, and Samsung." Intel has promised to make a renewed push into the handheld device market with its next-generation Atom System-on-a-Chip (SoC), codenamed Medfield. Unlike previous generations of Atom chips, Medfield can run Google's Android mobile operating system and Intel believes improvements in power consumption can position the SoC to compete with ultra low-power ARM-based application processors used in handheld devices that require the sort of battery life that equivalent x86 chips have yet to deliver. But devices using Medfield won't arrive for some timeLenovo's K800 Android smartphone is supposed to start selling in China sometime in the next three months, while Motorola has a Medfield-based smartphone, also running Android, that isn't coming until the second half of this year. That puts Apple and other ARM chip makers in the driver's seat for 2012, according to NPD In-Stat. Particularly since the research firm projects smartphones and tablets to "represent the greatest opportunity for growth" in the mobile processor market, based on "a combined 75 percent growth in 2011 and 29.3 percent CAGR [compound annual growth rate] expected through 2016." The mobile processor market as a whole grew more than 43 percent last year and NPD In-Stat forecasts a 22 percent CAGR for the market through 2016. In the years to come, however, there are likely to be major changes in the makeup of that market. The research firm said it "anticipates consolidation in the mobile processor market beginning in the 2013-2014 timeframe."
blog comments powered by Disqus | <urn:uuid:f6e43c5b-18f1-48a4-b790-a9122d12a3ee> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.pcmag.com/article2/0,2817,2401949,00.asp?kc=PCRSS03069TX1K0001121 | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368705195219/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516115315-00004-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.950042 | 677 | 1.570313 | 2 |
"Wet" and Wild: PCP's Horror Show
(page 2)But Bohrman is quick to stress that police sometimes need to use force in violent situations to restore order and protect the public. “The police are the last line—they can’t hand off a mental health crisis to somebody else, like we social workers can,” she says. “A police officer’s number one priority is for his or her own safety and the safety of fellow officers. Subduing force can be necessary to get control over a violent person, and it’s important to remember that PCP is an analgesic. The amount of pain that would cause a normal person to relent and give officers control is not the same as that of someone on PCP.”
The worst part about media-driven hype is that it demonizes all PCP users, while only a very small number engage in violent or bizarre behavior. The result is that little reliable information is available about how to safely use the drug. “One of the challenges is that wet is actually a mix of drugs,” Bohrman says. “Often PCP is cut with embalming fluid, so users probably don’t know whether they’re smoking straight PCP or PCP cut with other chemicals. Many users also soak marijuana in wet, adding THC to the mix of PCP and embalming fluid and whatever else might be present. We don’t know how all these different variations of chemicals affect users differently.”
Such confusion about basic details of wet manufacturing was obvious in the case of the Camden murders as news outlets reported law enforcement claims that a “virulent strain” of PCP was responsible for the murders. But what made this batch of wet so dangerous? Did it have a higher content of PCP, or other chemicals with a particularly toxic effect? This wasn’t clarified; nothing was learned from these tragedies.
In the wake of this summer’s murders, Camden announced a crackdown on wet trade and use.
“The effects of smoking wet can range from sedating to violent to hallucinating to people stripping off their clothes because they feel like they’re burning up,” Bohrman says. “But the lack of serious research into what causes some PCP users to become violent means it’s really hard to develop a harm-reduction program that could instruct users who are going to use the drug to minimize their risks.”
The little information available on PCP harm reduction is mainly on web forums where drug users give advice based on personal experience (use small amounts, go slowly, wait to see how the effects feel before using more). Another complication is that users with mental health disorders predisposing them to psychosis likely can’t use the drug for any extended period of time in any amount without winding up in a crisis that requires police and medical intervention. What would a harm-reduction program for these users look like? Would doctors be willing to adopt it on psych units?
What is clear is that the limits of enforcement in winning the war against PCP have likely been reached. In the wake of this summer’s murders, Camden announced a crackdown on wet trade and use. But there’s no indication that these law enforcement efforts are working. A public health approach could make everyone’s life in PCP-dense neighborhoods a little easier: the users who smoke the drug and hurt people in their communities, the cops who are tired of dealing with what they see as self-inflicted insanity, and the doctors who are frustrated having to treat the same wet smokers cycling through their psych units and taking up public funds that they feel could be better used treating people with severe mental illnesses.
Most wet users say that they have no problems using the drug. They enjoy smoking it. “Wet is a mellow high for me,” Jared says. “I use it to get out of my head for a minute. It takes my mind off things that be stressing me out.”
The neighborhoods where Jared and the vast majority of PCP users live are among the poorest and most violent in our nation. The stress of getting through each day can be overwhelming, and the desire to take a “feel no pain” break and numb out for a few hours is understandable. Most wet users pose no threat to themselves or others, and education about how to minimize the drug’s risky side effects could, in turn, minimize dangerous episodes.
Should we demonize all wet smokers—and deny them reliable information on how to maximize their safety—because a small number of users go berserk and make headlines? Or should we take a zero-tolerance stance on such a high-risk drug that provides little tangible social benefit and has outsized costs? These are tough questions that must balance the value we place on both the lives of addicts and the rights of poor communities to enjoy the same sense of safety and security as the rest of us.
Jeff Deeney is a Philadelphia social worker and a writer who is in recovery. His column, "Street Beat," runs regularly in the The Fix. He is also a contributing writer at The Daily Beast.
Correction: An earlier version of this story stated incorrectly that Osvaldo Rivera had killed his own children. The Fix regrets the error. | <urn:uuid:495cbff9-4f15-447e-9c19-54697bb634da> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.thefix.com/content/pcp-camden-infanticide-crackdown-wet-psychosis8666?page=2 | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368703298047/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516112138-00012-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.952606 | 1,114 | 1.820313 | 2 |
In her recent State of the State address, Gov. Mary Fallin lamented Oklahoma's looming federal court battle with the Choctaw and Chickasaw nations over water rights.
"We continue to hope this issue can be settled through mediation, without huge legal fees, and with all parties negotiating in good faith," she said.
"In the event, however, that the tribes do not share that goal, we intend to defend the water rights of all Oklahomans against a claim that favors one group over the interests of the entire state and all its citizens."
Routine carrot-and-stick rhetoric? Hardly. It was a classic political two-step.
Fallin wasn't defending the water rights of all Oklahomans. She and many elected state Republican leaders are -- pardon the pun -- carrying water for deep-pocketed Oklahoma City-based special interests, the kind that bankroll political careers.
This whole dust-up with the tribes is a result of Oklahoma City's thirst for control over southeastern Oklahoma's Sardis Lake.
The capital's big money interests and developers know that a sufficient water supply is key to ensuring central Oklahoma's growth -- and their profits from it.
It all but ignores the needs of southeastern Oklahoma, where the two tribes are headquartered and are now financial powerhouses in their own rights.
So, of course, the taxpayers will end up footing the state's portion of this mounting legal tab that could have been avoided if Oklahoma's approach to water management didn't more closely resemble a Three Stooges routine.
State leaders for years focused primarily on striking a deal to sell surplus water to North Texas -- the equivalent of the state treasury winning the biggest Powerball and Mega Millions jackpots every year, forever and ever, amen.
One question cooled the windfall fever: When considering its long-term needs and roller-coaster weather, does Oklahoma really have surplus water to sell?
State leaders did the smart thing, ordering up a comprehensive statewide water plan that was designed to give policy-makers the information necessary to determine what's in the state's best long-term interests.
Unfortunately, the $16 million analysis was a dud, victimized by back-room special interest gamesmanship that overrode science and common purpose.
No one at the Capitol wants to admit that, of course. It's especially difficult in these lean budget times to explain how a multi-million-dollar investment could produce the equivalent of a dry hole. Hence, House Speaker Kris Steele's praise of the Oklahoma Water Resources Board's "thorough job" in producing the statewide water blueprint.
To their credit, Steele and state lawmakers are taking some steps that could transform chicken litter into chicken salad.
It will take several years to develop the strategy, but Steele hopes a conservation and management plan can keep Oklahoma's fresh water consumption at current levels over the next half century.
If the state does nothing, he said, water use is expected to jump 33 percent in the 50-year period.
Lawmakers also appear intent of getting to the bottom of a question that should have been answered by the statewide water plan: How much useable water does Oklahoma have?
First, the state is woefully behind in monitoring its 87 groundwater basins, leading to "a shortage of accurate data to inform water management decisions," according to one recent House news release.
Second, Oklahoma hasn't systematically considered possible uses for brackish (high-salt content) water or so-called "gray" water -- described as water left over from routine activities like laundry, dishwashing and bathing that possibly could be used for watering flowerbeds or lawns.
The most daunting challenge for lawmakers? How to finance an estimated $82 billion in drinking water and wastewater infrastructure needs over the next 50 years.
Before you waste much energy feeling sorry for your elected policymakers, know this: It's a conundrum of their own making.
Republicans wrested control of state government away from Democrats by running against government -- vowing strict allegiance to Grover Norquist's goal of shrinking government to the size where the rest can be drowned in a bathtub.
It's not easy to ask the taxpayers to pony up more when you've spent the last three decades demagogically ranting against government overspending and waste.
Rep. Phil Richardson, R-Minco, conceded as much when he outlined proposed legislation that would establish 13 regional water planning groups as part of the overall strategy of effectively managing Oklahoma's water resources.
The knock on the proposed planning groups, he said, is that it's "growing government." You could almost see legislative Republicans shudder collectively. Richardson insists these groups won't cost taxpayers a dime, though there will be cost to assembling information the groups compile.
By late May, it will be clear whether legislative leaders are merely putting earrings on a pig or making substantial progress toward effectively managing the state's most critical resource.
Thanks to competing well-heeled special interests, it would have been a daunting task even if the comprehensive water plan had been all it could have been.
It's even more difficult now with all the state and federal court challenges -- not only involving the Chickasaws and Choctaws, but also North Texas interests.
As Steele put it, "We will not be deterred by litigation and will work aggressively this session to lay a foundation for Oklahoma's water future.
"As the elected officials of all Oklahomans, it is our duty to ensure each and every Oklahoman has the water they need."
Fallin, Steele and Co. need to remember that all means all. Not just their deep-pocketed benefactors in Oklahoma City. Not just the tribes. But all Oklahomans, whether in Boise City or Idabel, Miami or Hollis, Blackwell or Thackerville.
--Arnold Hamilton is editor of The Oklahoma Observer; www.okobserver.net
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Despite that the article is Sensationalism.
And distracts people from whats going on behind the curtain so to speak.
The problem with the various treaties is that they are archaic, and presumptive. And some of the treaties are not actual treaties at all, but an assumption that an agreement is in fact a treaty, or even legally binding.
What the lawsuit is about, isn't water right Per Se, but exportation of water to Texas for state revenue, and not all the tribes disagree with this. (mine does not.)
I personally disagree with exporting water to Texas.... if... water is needed here,.... if..... it is not surplus......if....the benefits of said exportation do not benefit all that it would potentially deprive equally....
Another problem with treaties is that alot of them became essentially unenforceable or irrelevant when alot of tribes gave up there sovereignty by choosing to become "domestic dependent nations." essentially becoming more of a state of the US, than an independent nation.
there is also the problem with the treaties where they required all, or almost all, in some cases down to 2/3rds the males in the tribe I'll refer to as "shareholder"parties to agree to them, and for which most did not, and blatantly refused, for which was their right to do so, but also gives the treaties nothing more than a presumptive hold at best., so in fact the treaties were tentative. This in turn only created a treaty between the agreeing parties who put their signatures down,( at best,) and not of the nations or tribes. oops! Then there are the opposing/conflicting treaties that the other shareholders entered into, where they seeded rights to the US for compensations. 48 USC § 1451
Yep, tribes, and tribe members were trying to screw each other over in attempts for power grabs that they were unable to pull off prior to the treaties. so in reality, everyone was screwing everyone over. greed, vanity, and ignorance is a monster of a thing.
Then on top of that, only the senate had the authority to make the treaties, a well known fact, but some tribes sought to make treaties without respect to the senate, that they speculated would be legal and binding anyways. oops again!
Many tribes almost immediately invalidated treaties,(sometimes within hours of its creation.) giving the government the ability to repeal the treaties, saying oops! or saying, well, not every single member of the tribe violated it! this would be like the US starting a war, and saying afterwards, hey, not every member of government agreed, so you shouldn't take action. in reality, that just isn't going to happen.
though the tribes saw this as a violation of the treaty, not taking into account that they violated 25 USC § 72, giving the government the ability to take advantage of this, and so repealed treaties.
Many tribes think that the wording of 25 USC § 71, means that the treaties are unnegateable for any reason, and are legal and binding in only one direction, all the while not taking into consideration of the rest of USC, or even such wording within the treaty itself that directly allow for the negation of the treaty. This all gives the federal government the ability to pick and choose as they see fit. 48 USC § 1501, 48 USC § 1452, 48 USC § 1489,25 USC § 72.
Then there is the assumptions that come from confusing treaties with speculative agreements. need I say oops?
And I strongly disagree with Keri.
Even though there are the treaties, the treaties have no power over the U.S. Constitutions authority, which is thee supreme authority, (Art. I, Sec. 8, Cl. 3). This clause which clearly says "Congress has the ultimate right to pass legislation governing Native Americans, even when that legislation conflicts with or abrogates Indian treaties." DOH!
Yea, I know, it sucks. its a buyer beware kind of thing. Not everyone wins in everything. there are losers to all things. since the beginning, tribes of people been screwing other tribes over, governments screwing others over, etc...
I kinda felt the same way when my mortgage that I inherited turned upside down, and the giant balloon payment at the end, it no longer worked for me so i wanted to dump it. lol.
Speaking of which, as it turns out, the promises in mortgage's only work as long as your keeping up with your end of the deal. break the deal, miss a payment, falsify info, misrepresent, etc...well, too bad, they will pull your house out from under you. And nobody cares if the other signer to the mortgage doesn't pay their half of it, the broker only agreed to the terms of the contract, not your private arrangements with the co-signer!
Its sad, but the real problem isn't the treaties, its the tribes trying to screw each other over! And there lie a paradox. how does a tribe maintain its sovereignty when battling itself? As members of a tribe constantly turn to the federal government for help, and in doing so, proving they are dependent, thereby negating there sovereignty.
Id also be careful when saying the government cant do something, "making it off-limits and non-negotiable. Period." if history proves anything, every time its assumed that a government cant, they ended up losing more land and or rights.
The truth is, the Native American Nations have failed and fallen. And like always, is waiting too long, failing to fully adapt before its too late. Being killed off by the internal strive. In time, it'll all be just a faded memory as is alot already. Something for the great great grand-children to look up on some information database somewhere.
Squabbling over exportation of water to Texas is the least of the worries for Native Americans, and makes me wonder why the ancestors immigrated from Asia to the Americas in the first place. There is no other place for native Americans to immigrate to, leaving Asia and settling in America was the last stop for Native Americans.
So, unless Native Americans unite, grow strong, and build the Nations back up, then all is lost. Native Americans will eventually become extinct.
Whining about treaties and and water rights etc, while not actually jumping on the last chance to unite and strengthen the people and the nations... Well, it'll be recorded in history. right along with the dinosaurs, cavemen, and the dodo bird.
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Excellent article, though, for me (a proud member of the Choctaw Nation of Oklahoma), the larger issue is lawmakers' ignorance of (or refusal to abide by) treaties signed between the Choctaw, Chickasaw, and federal governments, including the Treaty of Dancing Rabbit Creek. Our removal and several terms of that same treaty make my skin crawl, but it also safe-guards water (including Sardis) on OUR land, making it off-limits and non-negotiable. Period.
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RELATED» DWP keeps bright idea dark at Harbor College
Last spring, a couple of beach cities residents with a devotion to sustainable building and "green" practices were excitedly promoting their vision.
They planned to open a unique resource center for homeowners, city planners and commercial builders to get hands-on learning about eco-friendly design.
They called it The Green Hive.
Business partners Kris Kimble and Kim Robinson were thrilled that a top building official with the Los Angeles Community College District had embraced their project and set aside space for it in a 6,000-square-foot office across from LACCD headquarters downtown.
Kimble and Robinson signed up more than a dozen corporate sponsors, got funding for eight internships and built an extensive website (www.thegreenhive.com). They spent two years designing the future space, to the tune of more than $1 million in district money, according to LACCD officials.
The district's $6 billion "green" construction program, BuildLACCD, sent out promotional material mentioning the project. Kimble and Robinson brainstormed with Larry Eisenberg, the district's executive director of facilities planning and development, who had taken a fancy to The Green Hive.
"I was inspired by the possibilities and inspired by Larry. He was portrayed as a visionary. ... I was
Then the district pulled the plug.
In April, Kimble and Robinson were told that the project could not move forward. They were stunned.
After spending more than two years and their own money creating The Green Hive, they face a shutdown of their business in a matter of weeks.
In an interview at their Hermosa Beach office last week, both were teary-eyed talking about their loss.
"We're out two years of our lives," Kimble said.
Eisenberg said he indeed had been enthusiastic about the project. But he had learned from an attorney for the college district that The Green Hive - even if it were considered an educational initiative - could not be funded by voter-approved bond money.
In addition, a for-profit business operating out of district space could be considered a gift of public funds, he said.
"We had been saying, Kris, we need a different business model. This thing is not going to work," Eisenberg said. "It's nothing about Green Hive. ... It was really about the nature of the legal issues. My hope is someone else picks them (up)."
Kimble insists that Eisenberg knew all along how The Green Hive planned to make money - from corporate sponsorships, product displays and rentals of the space. Room for corporate displays was built into early designs of the future space.
In April and earlier this month, Kimble took his frustration to the board of trustees. President Mona Field told him that the project had never been approved.
"That's a big old mess," Field said in an interview. "We have a guy who unfortunately was misled. I will say I think Larry or people working under Larry (are) responsible. They did not make clear that until the board votes, nothing is certain."
Now The Green Hive is left with five binders of correspondence between it and district officials. Among them is a 14-page contract - for which The Green Hive was paid $190,000 to design the downtown space - that is technically with a district contractor, though it's signed "on behalf of" Eisenberg.
A district attorney told Kimble's attorney that The Green Hive could not invoke a dispute resolution clause because the contract was not with LACCD.
"There is no contract," Eisenberg said.
Now Kimble and Robinson are hoping for a white knight to provide space for the resource center.
"We need to find a new home. Maybe some miracle will happen," Robinson said.
Meanwhile, Eisenberg said that only a small amount of the space at 811 Wilshire Blvd. was destined for The Green Hive, and the rest would go toward other district offices.
A greeting area for the district's personnel commission will be placed there, as will economic development offices and a showroom for furniture available for the district's nine colleges, Eisenberg said.
Robinson said she understands the legal reasons preventing The Green Hive from occupying the space, but notes it does not change the fact that the district spent a lot of money to design what will essentially become office space.
"They're going to say, gee, we screwed up, and we're putting a bunch of pencil-pushers in there," Robinson said. | <urn:uuid:58010a4d-ee9c-49b1-8c37-12ebab98cce3> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.dailybreeze.com/ci_15142068 | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368704713110/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516114513-00000-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.977539 | 936 | 1.578125 | 2 |
Informality Excess: Obama Replacing 'Hail to the Chief' With Sting's 'Desert Rose'?
On Day One of his presidency, everywhere Mr. Obama went they played "Hail to the Chief" for him – but not since. In fact the U.S. Marine Band's duties at the White House over the last 10 days appear to have been dramatically downsized.
Instead of the usual contingent of trumpets, tubas and drums, a single piano player now provides musical interludes before and after the president's appearance.
And the tunes have little connection to the military marching music of John Phillips Souza [sic] that is the usual accompaniment to presidential appearances. These days the pianist's repertoire includes Cole Porter's "Night and Day" and Sting’s "Desert Rose."
"He's not a 'Pomp and Circumstance' kind of guy," says press secretary Robert Gibbs of the new president.
To many Americans, this excessive informality suggests a real distaste for "official" or "patriotic" music, not to mention the Marine band that plays it.
This issue is light enough that Matt Lauer could have asked about it yesterday during his fluffy pre-Super Bowl interview. Will the rest of the media inquire about this musical flag-pin controversy?
At this rate, why doesn't he just put his i-Pod in a speaker and hit "Shuffle"?
UPDATE: Apparently, the makers of Barack-in-a-Box are stuck with toys that crank "Hail to the Chief." (There's a video if you click on Hillary-in-a-Box.) | <urn:uuid:a29c0862-426a-4048-ad78-095019511a7f> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://newsbusters.org/blogs/tim-graham/2009/02/02/informality-excess-obama-replacing-hail-chief-stings-desert-rose | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368701459211/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516105059-00038-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.958351 | 344 | 1.609375 | 2 |
Holland America says the vessel, the 1,916-passenger Westerdam, received a mild indentation during the Tuesday incident, which occurred in Yakutat Bay -- the waterway leading to the famed Hubbard Glacier.
The line says winds were high at the time.
"The hull was not breached, and the ship continued on its published itinerary as planned," Holland America says in a statement sent to USA TODAY.
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The line says upcoming cruises will sail as scheduled.
The U.S. Coast Guard says it is investigating the incident. In a press release issued Wednesday, the agency said the damage to the ship is approximately 15 feet below the waterline. Both the agency and Holland America say there were no injuries during the incident and no release of oil or other pollutants.
The Coast Guard says it met the Westerdam on Wednesday in Sitka, Alaska. The ship is scheduled to stop today in Ketchikan, Alaska.
Hubbard Glacier is the longest tidewater glacier in North America and a common stop for cruise ships sailing in Alaska.
Cruise Loggers, share your thoughts below. | <urn:uuid:3e1ec931-751a-41c0-8cf7-d0110e5a36ba> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://travel.usatoday.com/cruises/post/2011/05/holland-america-cruise-line-ship-hits-ice-alaska-westerdam/169918/1 | 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 | 0.95621 | 260 | 1.59375 | 2 |
The Johannesburg Workshop in Theory and Criticism invite you to a public lecture entitled Desert studies: more from less than ZERO by Prof. Dick Hebdige, Director, Interdisciplinary Humanities Center, University of California, Santa Barbara. Desert Studies is an interdisciplinary research field that has tended in the past to be heavily weighted towards the natural and agricultural sciences. It is the contention of the Desert Studies project that widespread public concern with issues as apparently diverse and unconnected as global population growth, suburban sprawl and climate change, natural resource management, wildlife habitat protection, border conflict escalation and political tensions in regions as disjunct as the American South West and the Middle East have pushed the desert from the margins to the forefront of attention in debates on the future of our planet. The talk argues that the critical arts should figure proactively in the debates currently being joined around these issues.
Date: 2 February 2012
Venue: WISER Seminar Room, 6th Floor, Richard Ward Building, East Campus | <urn:uuid:7c9cbd43-52a1-4df9-9366-f0c8939db380> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://jwtc.org.za/network/lecture/2012/February/desert_studies_more_from_less_than_zero.htm | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368702810651/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516111330-00008-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.932874 | 204 | 1.59375 | 2 |
Transcript for 'Wreck-It-Ralph' Animator on Creation Process, Oscar Nod
My name's wreck-it ralph. Reporter: When rich moore needed someone to lead the animation team for "wreck-it ralph" there was only one choice. Mike gabriel. I don't want to be the bad guy anymore.... See More
My name's wreck-it ralph. Reporter: When rich moore needed someone to lead the animation team for "wreck-it ralph" there was only one choice. Mike gabriel. I don't want to be the bad guy anymore. Reporter: What plays out as a sweet story of a video game's metaphmorphosis from bad guy to hero has 190 characters. Unprecedented. Mike was responsible for creating the look of everything that you see on the screen. Reporter: Moore says he needed someone with experience. And a sense of disney history. Animation is as close to the word imageation as you can get. Reporter: He learned from legendary creators, the artists that made memorable magic in the heyday of hand-drawn animated film. He brings that essence to the film. Reporter: But making an animated film is not just drawing cartoon characters. It's crafting the message and the feeling of the film, as well. And just like walt disney and the original animators, studied real deer while prepping for the film, "bambi." Those are real deer. Gabriel and his team traveled the globe, researchering how his characters and backgrounds would look in this imaginary video game world. We wanted to get the truth of what we're creating. Reporter: Gabriel's creativity is well-known in the business. He created the cinderella castle logo you see at the beginning of disney films. ♪ All the colors of the wind ♪ Reporter: He pitched pock han tass with a sketch and a sentence. Now, for this year's professed animated film will live on forever. Every character in this film is there because of mike. Reporter: For "good morning america," chris connelly, abc news, los angeles.
This transcript has been automatically generated and may not be 100% accurate. | <urn:uuid:1f1927de-7b63-4240-a1de-bdf0e1d09eec> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://abcnews.go.com/GMA/video/academy-awards-2013-wreck-ralph-animator-creation-process-18439906?tab=9482930§ion=1206852&playlist=18449580 | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368711005985/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516133005-00032-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.948388 | 460 | 1.515625 | 2 |
Colombia's President Alvaro Uribe has been sworn into office for a second term as tens of thousands of police patrolled the capital, Bogota.
Uribe has taken a hard line against terrorism and drug trafficking
Before presidents and officials from more than 20 countries, he pledged to seek peace with left-wing rebels and improve the country's economy.
The ceremony took place amid tight security with tanks on the streets and military helicopters overhead.
Officials feared a repeat of his 2002 inauguration, which came under attack.
Rebels from the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (Farc) fired a barrage of mortars at the presidential palace, killing at least 20 people in a poor neighbourhood a few streets away.
The group had killed more than 20 security officers in the past week. Police said they deactivated a car bomb outside Bogota on Monday.
In his inaugural speech, President Uribe highlighted the successes of his last four years and set out his plans for his next term.
Security forces are a visible presence in Bogota
"We strived without fear in our actions to secure peace," he told Congress.
"Fear will not stop us negotiating. I confess my concern is something else - the risk of failing to get peace and slipping back in security."
The ceremony was attended by 11 South American heads of state as well as dignitaries from other nations.
Increased security in Bogota included army and police checkpoints on the outskirts of the city, snipers positioned on rooftops around the presidential palace and a ban on alcohol consumption.
President Uribe, an ally of Washington, goes into his second term in office amid high expectations, says the BBC's Jeremy McDermott.
He has won praise for his relentless offensives against Marxist guerrillas and a generous amnesty law for right-win paramilitaries over the last four years.
But there is a feeling that he has failed to come close to defeating the rebels and the Colombian public has made it clear it wants more talk and less war in the next four years, our correspondent adds.
Tens of thousands of civilians have been killed in decades of fighting among rebels, right-wing paramilitaries and state forces.
President Uribe also pledged to tackle Colombia's social problems, promising to improve education, health and housing for people while balancing free-market economic policies.
Half of Colombians live below the poverty line, and 13 million have no access to any form of pension. | <urn:uuid:cd465c39-7f13-4423-a7de-9e4df1f48b1c> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/americas/5251392.stm | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368702448584/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516110728-00020-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.970671 | 502 | 1.796875 | 2 |
If you’re a Lego fan and want to know more about the company’s origins, 80 years ago this year, you could do a lot worse than to watch this amazing short film they’ve put out to celebrate the anniversary.
It’s got a very ‘Pixary’ feel to it, though it doesn’t actually seem to have been made by them – it’s only 15 minutes and it’s VERY safe for work. Go on, have a watch – I promise you’ll enjoy it!
And since we’re talking Lego, here’s the definitive answer to that old argument between us Brits and the Americans – namely, should you call them “Lego” or “Legos”. The answer was provided by an interview Gizmodo did with Lego a few years back:
“Lego” is an adjective and is not meant to be a standalone name. It should always be Lego bricks, Lego building, Lego products, etc.
So there you have it! Anyway, back to the film… | <urn:uuid:9c21518b-e199-423a-a4ce-8d27ff10d4c6> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.henrysblog.co.uk/2012/08/fatherhood%C2%B2-the-lego-story-15-minutes-of-lego-brilliance/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368709037764/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516125717-00018-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.95493 | 235 | 1.679688 | 2 |
Okay well first off in order to run your own server with hamachi were going to need to download hamachi from this site: https://secure.logmein.com/products/.../download.aspx [Download Unmanaged one]
Next we are going to need to download the server files from the minecraft website: http://www.minecraft.net/download.jsp
or just download the files I am going to upload.
Pictures And instructions
1. We are going to need to start up hamachi and create our own network when you create your own network.
Its up to you what your passwords going to be but you need a network name something you can remember to let people into your server.
2. Next we are going to need to our server files. First off we are going to have to run the file minecraft server.jar the file I am going to be giving you in the uploaded attachment. Your going to want to create a new folder and naming it whatever you want but place your .jar file in that folder and run it. After a second or two your going to see a couple of files pop up in your folder because the .jar is going to need to create these files for our server.
3. Once we get our files we are going to go to the file named server properties. Now we don't have a program to open it automatically were going to open it with note pad.
4. With our file open with note pad were going to go back to hamachi while its still running and above our network you should see something that looks like a IP address were going to enter that for our servers IP address underlined in the picture below.
5. Now that we have our Servers IP set up were going to have to change one more thing for you to not get an error. Where it says online-mode=true in your notepad for your server your going to want to make it online-mode=false.
This is what I have to do but I used a cracked version so maybe you won't have to change it who knows. And your going to want to leave the port number as is. The rest you can change to your liking.
6. Starting your server up your going to have to run that .jar file I gave you earlier make sure its still in the folder and its going to load up your world and prepare everything for you.
7. Getting your friends to join your going to have to have them join your hamachi network and for the multi player IP its going to be your hamachi IP.
Once they join both your Hamachi network and enter you Hamachi IP they should be able to get on minecraft as long as you still have your server running from your .jar file.
If you have any questions referring on how to get your server running or what not feel free to ask me I would love to help.
Its helpful to have a high ram to run both minecraft and your server.
Virus Scans on server file.
minecraft_server.jar - Jotti's malware scan
VirusTotal - Free Online Virus, Malware and URL Scanner | <urn:uuid:854a4f11-8290-4b6d-82a3-fe36c61518a3> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.mpgh.net/forum/386-minecraft-server-advertising/247750-how-make-your-own-minecraft-server-hamachi.html | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368702448584/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516110728-00016-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.97205 | 651 | 1.554688 | 2 |
For instance, Rembrandt knew the ostensible truth of local color to be less important than getting its changing tones as it passed through variations of light and shade; that way, color itself became organic. Compositions like “The Night Watch,” he gambled, would come alive not through an accumulation of posed portraits but through their atmospheric integration into an irregularly lit drama. The nineteenth-century painter Eugène Fromentin could not have been more mistaken when he wrote, “The country, the place, the moment, the subject, the men, the objects have disappeared in the stormy phantasmagoria of his palette.” It was precisely because, in defiance of any precedent, Rembrandt whipped up that storm that the Amsterdam harquebusiers march from “The Night Watch” toward us, from their time to ours, with undiminished élan.
In the nineteen-sixties, after a thirty-year absence, Rembrandt came calling again, as Cohen points out, entering Picasso’s increasingly morbid meditations on his own place in the pantheon. Picasso had undergone surgery for (depending on your sources) either his prostate or his bowel, but, in any case, a procedure that he thought had made him impotent. It’s a commonplace that the artist who liked to masquerade as bull or Minotaur equated sexual and creative potency. (Indeed, one of the Vollard prints depicts a blind Minotaur in exactly the same attitude as the blind Tobit groping across a room in Rembrandt’s etching.) If Picasso had made a variation of Rembrandt’s “Bathsheba” (in the Louvre) back in the thirties, he might have incorporated himself into the painter’s-eye view, which is also King David’s as he spies on the perfect nude’s ablutions, watching her read his summons to the royal presence and bed. But in his post-op satirical mood Picasso gave Bathsheba the features of his wife, Jacqueline, while making himself, grotesquely, the grinning maidservant washing her mistress’s feet in preparation for the royal rape.
Depicting himself as a dwarfish voyeur unmanned by the proximity of imperious nudes, Picasso had even greater need of his fantasy Rembrandt, the artist enacting his virility with his brush. Rembrandt’s startling portrait of himself as the Prodigal Son, unsubtly hoisting aloft a long, cylindrical goblet of wine, while Saskia, in the guise of a plump tavern whore, perches on his lap, became in Picasso’s etched version a piece of ornamental pornography. His Saskia wears high heels, tart’s lipstick, and a lurid grin, and, thanks to the Cubist convention of simultaneous front and rear depiction, can flash all her graphically detailed pudenda.
Picasso had become the emasculated onlooker in a perversely imagined Rembrandtian theatre of the senses; others would have to do his strutting and rutting for him. First, improbably, was the central figure in “The Night Watch,” the well-named, for Picasso’s purposes, Captain Frans Banning Cocq. Sometimes Picasso would project a slide of the painting on his studio wall, and from the uproar of that scene Captain Banning Cocq would stride into his drawings, paintings, and prints as the Musketeer, gripping his officer’s cane, especially when confronted by a mighty nude. In one strangely beautiful aquatint, the Musketeer marches, hand on cane, not across an Amsterdam bridge but toward another stockinged woman offering herself, thighs splayed, from within a curtained bed.
Picasso’s recruitment of Rembrandt as the sponsor for his own immortalization culminated, three years before his death, in a sacrilegious borrowing from Rembrandt’s most theatrical etching, “Ecce Homo,” Pilate’s display of Christ before the people. In the Rembrandt etching, the Saviour is brought out as if for a curtain call, hands bound, on a high stage; spectators look out from lead-paned windows, an ill-assorted crowd (in the first five states of the etching) jostling below. Picasso borrowed the proscenium stage show but replaced the mocked Jesus with himself, turbaned, but pathetically reduced in stature: the impotent potentate. Gathered around him, onstage, in the stalls, peering down from the gods, is the teeming cast of characters who have populated his life and work: nudes on and off horses; incarnations of himself as diapered baby-Pablo; Pierrot-Pablo; and, in imitation of the Musketeer, spear-bearing Pablo. In place of the jeering crowd calling for the crucifixion of Jesus there is, predictably, his seraglio, etched in as many styles as he had had lovers and wives.
Self-mockery (just about) saves this “Theatre of Picasso,” as he called it, from egomania. Picasso probably knew of Rembrandt’s disturbing final self-portrait, in which he posed as the Greek artist Zeuxis dying of a fit of bilious cackles as he laughed at the old woman whose portrait he was painting. Among the spectators smiling down at Picasso’s final act are the bulb-nosed faces of the Rembrandt-Picasso the painter fantasized he had become.
Rembrandt had the life force in his hands, right to the end. That’s why Picasso adamantly refused to think of him—or his other mentor-masters—as belonging to “the past.” “To me there is no past or future in art,” he said in the early nineteen-twenties. “The art of the great painters who lived in other times is not an art of the past; perhaps it is more alive today than it ever was.” Timelessness is not always an empty cliché; sometimes, as the ninety-year-old Picasso knew when he reached toward Rembrandt as a tonic against extinction, it is full of sustaining truth. ♦ | <urn:uuid:5de63874-55b5-4a60-baa9-a19bbbca672f> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.newyorker.com/reporting/2007/03/26/070326fa_fact_schama?currentPage=4 | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368696382584/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516092622-00034-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.972211 | 1,352 | 1.757813 | 2 |
Home purchase, Mortgage Payment, Property Information
A guide to paying off your mortgage early
Early Mortgage Payment
Early Mortgage Payment
One of the best ways to save money is by paying off your mortgage early. There used to be several advantages to keeping on a mortgage even when you can afford to pay off the whole thing, but this is not the case any more.
Back in the high inflation days of the seventies and eighties, borrowing heavily made a lot of sense financially, as the inflation reduced the true value of the debt. Nowadays, however, inflation is relatively low, and you can no longer rely on huge wage increases to reduce the value of your debt. Also, there used to be a tax break for people with mortgages, but this was scrapped in 2001 after years of reductions.
If you have, for example, a £200,000 mortgage with an interest rate of 6%, then overpaying by £200 every month could save you nearly £55,000, and reduce the length of your mortgage by more than six years. With some lenders, there is a minimum amount that you are allowed to overpay, and if you pay in less than this, then that money will simply sit in the lender’s bank account until the end of the financial year, earning interest for them rather than you. If you pay more than the minimum, then your interest bills will be recalculated the next month.
Some lenders, such as Santander, offer flexible mortgages, also known as offset mortgages, that recalculate your balance on a daily basis. So if you pay in extra every month, then you can be shot of your mortgage even quicker. Some normal mortgages have some of the benefits of flexible mortgages, although there is usually a minimum or maximum amount that you can overpay by. Santander offer lots of information on their mortgages on their website.
However, there are some circumstances which make paying off your mortgage early seem like not such a good idea. With some mortgages, especially those that are on a special discounted or fixed deal, you might have to pay an early redemption penalty if you want to pay off your mortgage early. Also, if you have any particularly heavy credit card debts, then you should pay these off first. Compared to a credit card with an APR of around 15% to 20%, even the poorest value mortgages seem like a bargain. | <urn:uuid:742ec51b-c454-4879-bfe3-9c0aaa9b1933> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.edinburgharchitecture.co.uk/early_mortgage_payment.htm | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368699273641/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516101433-00016-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.96789 | 482 | 1.65625 | 2 |
Historical Stock Chart
6 Months : From Nov 2012 to May 2013
--Gorgon project 40% over initial budget
--Cost overrun will squeeze profitability
--Australian currency, material costs up
By Ben Lefebvre
Chevron Corp. (CVX) said Wednesday it would spend $36.7 billion in capital projects in 2013, up 12% from 2012, an increase partially due to rising costs in a mammoth liquefied natural gas project in Australia.
The second-largest U.S. oil company after Exxon Mobil Corp. (XOM) said the Gorgon natural gas project in Western Australia will rise to A$52 billion (US$54 billion), up more than 40% from its latest estimate in U.S. dollar terms.
The increase emphasizes how the mining and energy boom in Australia has inflated prices for manpower and materials, threatening to stifle further projects. It will also add pressure to Chevron to target high prices for the natural gas eventually coming out its wells to pay for one of the largest LNG project-cost overruns in memory.
Fueling the surge has been the rise in the Australian dollar--up 49% since the Gorgon project began in 2009--and the competition for skilled labor in the country amid large-scale mining and energy projects by Woodside Petroleum (WPL.AU) and others.
Gorgon, now 55% completed, is slated to ship up to 15.6 million metric tons of LNG a year beginning in 2015 from three production units about 80 miles off the northwest coast of Western Australia.
Chevron also said it will spend big on oil and natural gas projects in Nigeria, Angola, the Republic of Congo, Kazakhstan and the deep water U.S. Gulf of Mexico. About $3.4 billion would be spent on scouring oil prospects offshore Sierra Leone and Suriname, and in the Kurdistan region of Iraq.
Chevron said its $29 billion Wheatstone project, also in Australia, is 7% complete and on budget. The project is set to start production in 2016 with an annual capacity of 8.9 million tons of natural gas a year.
An overrun for Gorgon was expected. Deutsche Bank analysts said in September they expected Gorgon's final cost to approach $50 billion.
Still, the steady climb in oil prices will save the project, said Fadel Gheit, senior energy analyst for Oppenheimer & Co. LNG prices are normally tied to the price of oil, which Chevron says have increased by 80% over the course of the project.
"This will squeeze the heck out of the profitability of the project," Mr. Gheit said of the budget increase. "If Brent oil prices drop below $80, this project would barely be competitive." Brent traded at $108 a barrel Wednesday.
About two-thirds of Gorgon's expected LNG supply has already been sold via contract to customers. But Chevron and other LNG suppliers are facing pressure from buyers to lower prices as the U.S. makes plans to start exporting its natural gas at prices much lower than the global average.
"Even if the US is not yet exporting LNG, it is already having an impact on suppliers around the world," said Leslie Palti-Guzman, global energy analyst at consultancy Eurasia Group. "It will definitely put downward pressure on pricing."
Chevron isn't the only company dealing with runaway costs in the region. Exxon said last month that costs for its LNG facility in neighboring Papau New Guinea had risen by 20% to $19 billion. Exxon and Royal Dutch Shell PLC (RDSA, RDSB), are partners in the Gorgon project.
Write to Ben Lefebvre at [email protected]
Subscribe to WSJ: http://online.wsj.com?mod=djnwires | <urn:uuid:7fcde6e8-1817-4291-be31-68c02a31375c> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://in.advfn.com/news_Chevron-Raises-2013-Capital-Spending-by-12-to-36-7-Billion_55333088.html | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368704392896/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516113952-00010-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.94377 | 806 | 1.570313 | 2 |
Remarks by Senator Joe Biden--as prepared for delivery
The Case for Change
Saint Clair Shores, MI
Monday, September 15, 2008
Eight years ago, a man ran for President who claimed he was different, not a typical Republican. He called himself a reformer. He admitted that his Party, the Republican Party, had been wrong about things from time to time. He promised to work with Democrats and said he'd been doing that for a long time.
That candidate was George W. Bush. Remember that? Remember the promise to reach across the aisle? To change the tone? To restore honor and dignity to the White House?
We saw how that story ends. A record number of home foreclosures. Home values, tumbling. And the disturbing news that the crisis you've been facing on Main Street is now hitting Wall Street, taking down Lehman Brothers and threatening other financial institutions.
We've seen eight straight months of job losses. Nearly 46 million Americans without health insurance. Average incomes down, while the price of everything -- from gas to groceries -- has skyrocketed. A military stretched thin from two wars and multiple deployments.
A nation more polarized than I've ever seen in my career. And a culture in Washington where the very few wealthy and powerful have a seat at the table and everybody else is on the menu.
Eight years later, we have another Republican nominee who's telling us the exact same thing:
This time it will be different, it really will. This time he's going to put country before party, to change the tone, reach across the aisle, change the Republican Party, change the way Washington works.
We've seen this movie before, folks. But as everyone knows, the sequel is always worse than the original.
If we forget this history, we're going to be doomed to repeat it -- with four more just like the last eight, or worse. If you're ready for four more years of George Bush, John McCain is your man.
Just as George Herbert Walker Bush was nicknamed "Bush 41" and his son is known as "Bush 43," John McCain could easily become known as "Bush 44."
The campaign a person runs says everything about the way they'll govern. The McCain-Palin campaign has decided to bet the house on the politics perfected by Karl Rove. Those tactics may be good at squeaking by in an election, but they are bad if you want to lead one nation, indivisible.
I count John McCain as a friend. I've known him since before he was a Senator. If he needed my personal help, I'd go. He served our country bravely, nobly. But America needs more than a great solider, America needs a wise leader.
Take a hard look at the positions John has taken for the past 26 years, on the economy, on health care, on foreign policy, and you'll see why I say that John McCain is just four more years of George Bush. On the issues that you talk about around the kitchen table, Mary's college tuition, the cost of the MRI for mom, heating our home this winter -- John McCain is profoundly out of touch.
Senator McCain has confessed, quote, "It's easy for me to go to Washington and frankly, be somewhat divorced from the day-to-day challenges people have." And he's right, if all you do is walk the halls of power, all you hear are the wants of the powerful.
I believe that's why Senator McCain could say with a straight face, as recently as this morning, and I quote "the fundamentals of our economy are strong." That, "We've made great progress economically" during the Bush years. But friends, I could walk from here to Lansing, and I wouldn't run into a single person who thought our economy was doing well, unless I ran into John McCain.
John McCain just doesn't seem to understand what middle class people are going through today. I don't doubt that he cares. He just doesn't think that we have any responsibility to help people who are hurting.
My dad used to have an expression: "Don't tell me what you value. Show me your budget, and I'll tell you what you value."
By that measure, John McCain doesn't stand with the middle class. He stands with George Bush firmly in the corner of the wealthy and well-connected. He stands with the CEO of Exxon-Mobil, who, while testifying before my Senate judiciary committee swore to me under oath that Exxon-Mobil didn't need the tax breaks they'd been given to explore for oil.
John McCain is so firmly in their corner he thinks the Exxon-Mobils of the world should get an additional $4 billion dollars a year in tax cuts.
He stands in the corner of the wealthiest Americans by extending tax cuts for people making over a quarter million dollars a year, and then adding more than $300 billion on top of that for corporations and the wealthy.
There is simply no daylight - at least none I can see -- between John McCain and George Bush.
On every major challenge we face, from the economy, to health care, to education and Iraq, you can barely tell them apart.
Don't take my word for it, look at the record. Ninety percent of the time, John McCain votes with George Bush.
Here's what that means:
When George Bush called for Social Security to be privatized, John McCain stood with him - he even campaigned for that roundly rejected plan.
When George Bush says that the government has no obligation to re-train or provide extended unemployment benefits for people who have lost their jobs due to trade agreements,
John McCain echoes that view, and has said that Bush is "Right on trade... absolutely."
When George Bush said we shouldn't investigate why the government's response to Hurricane Katrina was so incompetent, John McCain stood with him.
When George Bush initially opposed a new GI Bill that would send a new generation of veterans to college, John McCain stood with him, calling Senator Webb's effort too generous.
When George Bush blocked our efforts to provide health care to another 3.8 million children, John McCain stood with him.
And when, in early 2007, George Bush suggested that the health care benefits you get through your employer should be taxed as income, John McCain stood with him. And now, ladies and gentlemen, John McCain has resurrected that idea, and made it an essential part of his health care plan.
Issue after issue, vote after vote, the story is the same.
In the last 16 years, he's voted 23 times against the renewable energy - wind, solar, biofuels -- we need to free ourselves from foreign oil.
Since he arrived in the Senate over 20 years ago, he's voted more than 19 times against the minimum wage.
In 1994, I wrote and we passed a Crime bill that put 100,000 new police officers on the street, 3,300 of them here in Michigan, provided shelters and security for tens of thousands of battered women, and helped lead to an eight year drop in violent crime. John opposed the crime bill and the Violence Against Women Act it contained, calling them "ineffective" and "ill conceived."
Time and again John voted against increased funding for Pell grants to help families with incomes under $55,000 send their kids to college.
Time and again, John McCain voted to make it harder for women to achieve equal pay for the same work - making it harder to prove, and punish, discrimination. He even voted against a study to determine if there is a gap between what men and women are paid. Twice.
Governor Palin says all senators do is vote. Well, just imagine what the country would look like if John's votes had become the law of the land.
In John McCain's America, we wouldn't guarantee that more of energy would come from wind, solar, and other renewables. The minimum wage would still be $3.35 an hour. There would have been 100,000 fewer police on the beat. There would have been no national domestic violence hotline for the 1.5 million women who were in crisis and needed somewhere to turn.
Over 160,000 members of the Guard and Reserve who answered their country's call and served more than one tour in Iraq or Afghanistan would get no credit towards an education for their additional sacrifice. Fewer parents would be able to afford to send their kids to college. And women who were discriminated against on the basis of pay would more difficulty making their case. Thank God that's not the America we live in.
John McCain recently said: "the issue of economics is not something I've understood as well as I should." Then he proved it by the advisors he chose to surround him - advisors who have further cocooned him from the reality facing the rest of us. People like Phil Gramm. The man who wrote John McCain's economic plan actually said, repeatedly, that we're not going through an economic recession. Phil Gramm says it's just a mental recession. That we're a nation of whiners.
Tell that to my friend who flew jets for the Navy and then went to work for a commercial airline for over 20 years - only to see his pension wiped out while his CEO got a golden parachute. Don't tell me that he is a whiner.
Don't tell me that the woman I met in Missouri who worked for the Chrysler plant for 13 years making minivans and lost her job when production moved to Canada is a whiner.
Don't tell me that an engineer who sees his job go overseas because his company has been given a tax break to leave instead of one to stay is a whiner.
Don't tell me that these people, people who are our nation's heart and soul - deserve to be treated as economic scapegoats.
These people worked hard, they did everything right, and they're willing to work hard again. But instead of their government supporting them, their government walked away from them. Nobody stood up for them.
Barack and I will.
What is John's response to the state of the economy? Let me quote him: "A lot of this is psychological." Let me tell you something: Losing your job is more than a state of mind.
It means staring at the ceiling at night thinking that you may lose your house because you can't get next month's mortgage payment. It means looking at your pregnant wife and not knowing how you're going to come up with the money to pay for the delivery of your child, since you don't have health care anymore. It means looking at your child when they come home from college at Christmas and saying "Honey, I'm sorry, we're not going to be able to send you back next semester." It's not a state of mind. It's a loss of dignity.
When you and your economic advisors are so out of touch, it's no surprise that your economic policies ignore the challenges that normal families face.
Let me just give you one more example. In the midst of this housing crisis, John McCain said, "I will fight for those that lost their... real estate investments." He went on to say, "It's not the role of government to bail out big banks or small borrowers." What about small borrowers? What about homeowners? What about the people who don't invest in homes, but live in them? There's an important distinction between the predators and the preyed upon.
I heard that a Republican County Chairman right here in Michigan said that they're keeping a list of foreclosed homes, suggesting that if you've lost your home, you should also lose your vote. I have a different idea. I think that if you're worried about losing your home, you should vote for the guys who are going to help you keep it!
Whatever happened to the guy, who once denounced tax cuts for the wealthiest Americans in a time of war as immoral.
When someone running for election changes his views to satisfy the base of the party, that's not change, that's just more of the same Washington game. The problem is that in the Washington game today, the American people are losing.
Ladies and Gentlemen, as of today, there are 50 days until Election Day. That's just seven more weeks to talk about the direction we're going to take this country, to talk about the issues of concern in your lives, to talk about you. But as his campaign manager has said, and I quote, "This election is not about issues."
When Senator McCain was subjected to unconscionable, scurrilous attacks in his 2000 primary campaign, I called him on the phone to ask what I could do. And now, some of the very same people and the tactics he once deplored his campaign now employs. The same campaign that once called for a town hall a week is now launching a low blow a day.
Barack and I can take it. That's not what bothers me.
It bothers me that -- as one media watchdog put it -- John's recent commercial is the, "latest in a number that resort to a dubious disregard for the facts." As another news organization put it: The wheels have come off the straight talk express.
But what really bothers me, is that every punch thrown at us --- is an attempt to distract you. And they can be plenty distracting.
Like the McCain advertisements that misrepresent a vote by Barack Obama to protect young children from sexual predators. Like Senator McCain's effort to obscure the fact that Barack Obama's tax cuts will benefit 95 percent of all working people. Like John McCain's attempt to cloak himself in reform by misrepresenting his running mate's record.
It's disappointing to me to think that John McCain really does approve this message.
Every false debate we're drawn into is a real conversation we don't have with the American people. Character attacks get media attention, but they make this election about us when it really needs to be about you.
Barack Obama believes that progress in this country is measured by how many people have a decent job where they're shown respect. How many people can pay their mortgage. How many people can turn their ideas into a new business. How many people can turn to their kids and say "It's going to be okay" with the knowledge that the opportunities they give will be better than the ones they received.
That's the American dream. That's what the people in my neighborhood grew up believing. And I want our kids to have the same dream.
Barack Obama starts from that vision of progress and will do what it takes to get us there.
That's why his tax cuts - benefit the middle class. That's why he'll make it easier for families to afford college for their kids. That's why he says everyone should be able to have the same health care that members of Congress have. That's why his energy plan will reduce our dependence on foreign oil, bring down gas prices, and, in the process, we'll create five million new green jobs. Those are the changes we need.
Yes, this campaign is about change, but it's about even more than that. It's about what we value as a people. It's not just about a job, it's about dignity. It's not just about a paycheck. It's about pride. It's not just about opportunity. It's about respect. That's why Barack and I are in this race.
We know we need change if we're to restore dignity, pride, and respect. We know America's best days are ahead of us, and we know why we're here.
We're here for the for the cops and firefighters, the teachers and assembly line workers, the engineers and office workers, the small business owners and the retiree.
All of the folks who play by the rules, work hard, and do what is asked of them. They deserve a government as good and an economy as strong as they are.
We're all are Americans. There has never been a challenge too great. The stakes have never been higher.
My father always told me, "Champ, when you get knocked down, get up. Get up." It's time to get up. It's time to trust the grit and determination of the American people.
America is ready. You are ready. I am ready. And Barack Obama is ready. Our best days are yet to come.
May god bless America and may God protect our troops.
# # #
Biden slams McCain Palin in Michigan speech. Transcript, prepared remarks.
Remarks by Senator Joe Biden--as prepared for delivery | <urn:uuid:0e47f77d-4ac6-4a60-b137-35dbe97d181d> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://blogs.suntimes.com/sweet/2008/09/biden_slams_mccain_palin_in_mi.html | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368705953421/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516120553-00002-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.979454 | 3,423 | 1.515625 | 2 |
Khartoum — An April 8th deadline imposed on an estimated 500,000 Southern Sudanese to choose between returning home from the Republic of Sudan or staying on in the north will represent a massive logistical challenge to both governments and to the international community, according to IOM.
The Organization had hoped that an extension to the deadline beyond the current 8th April would be included in a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) that the two governments signed on February 12.
However, changing the deadline did not form part of the agreement.
The estimated 500,000 South Sudanese, who are still residing in the Republic of Sudan, seven months after South Sudan declared independence, will be required to leave the north before the expiry of the deadline or regularize their stay. Out of that number, about 120,000 have already been registered by UNHCR and are ready to depart.
In addition, there are more than 11,000 South Sudanese returnees currently stranded at Kosti way station in the north, waiting for transport to the South.
"It is logistically impossible to move half a million people in less than two months, in a vast country like Sudan with many infrastructural challenges. We desperately need enough time to guarantee safe and dignified return of these people" says Mohammed Abdiker, IOM's Director of Operations and Emergencies.
IOM has been supporting the Governments of Sudan and South Sudan by assisting in the voluntary return of more than 23,000 Southern Sudanese from Khartoum and other cities in the north to their homes in the South.
The Organization also chartered flights to repatriate extremely vulnerable people. In December and January, about 361 vulnerable people with their families were assisted to return to the South.
They included unaccompanied minors who were flown south to rejoin their families.
In South Sudan itself, IOM has been assisting in transporting people stranded at various points, unable to continue to their final destinations. Since South Sudan declared independence in July last year, IOM has assisted more than 120, 000 people stranded at Renk. | <urn:uuid:1c8bc525-77b5-4b10-bf81-f2a3df946142> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://allafrica.com/stories/201202150156.html | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368708142388/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516124222-00008-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.973409 | 424 | 1.742188 | 2 |
This is a share of a recent article by
Calculated Risk from a leading finance and economics blog written by Bill McBride, and published in Business Insider Magazine.
Bryan Smith CEO of 1 Hot Property.com a Bend Oregon Real Estate web portal and Bend real estate blog offers commentary about the article and additional comments on Bend Real Estate and the National economy as it relates to real estate and the where values are going from here with Bend Oregon homes.
From Bill McBride:
There have been some recent articles arguing the “housing bottom is nowhere in sight”. That isn’t my view.
First there are two bottoms for housing. The first is for new home sales, housing starts and residential investment. The second bottom is for prices. Sometimes these bottoms can happen years apart.
For the economy and jobs, the bottom for housing starts and new home sales is more important than the bottom for prices. However individual homeowners and potential home buyers are naturally more interested in prices. So when we discuss a “bottom” for housing, we need to be clear on what we mean.
For new home sales and housing starts, it appears the bottom is in, and I expect an increase in both starts and sales in 2012.
As the first graph shows, housing starts, both total and single family, bottomed in 2009 and have mostly moved sideways since then – with some distortions due to the ill-conceived housing tax credit.
New Home sales probably bottomed in mid-2010 and have flat lined since then.
Back in 2009, when I first wrote about the two bottoms, I thought we were close on housing starts and new home sales – but that it was “way too early to try to call the bottom in prices.” In real terms, house prices have fallen another 10% to 15% since I wrote that post according to the CoreLogic and Case-Shiller house price indexes.
And it now appears we can look for the bottom in prices. My guess is that nominal house prices, using the national repeat sales indexes and not seasonally adjusted, will bottom in March 2012.
The problem with using the house price indexes to look for a bottom is that they are reported with a significant lag. As an example, the recently released Case-Shiller index was for November and the index is an average of September, October and November – so it is a report for several months ago. The CoreLogic index is a little more current – the recent release was for December, and CoreLogic uses a weighted average for prices (December weighted the most) – but that is still quite a lag.
Both of those indexes will bottom seasonally around March, and then start increasing again.
There are several reasons I think that house prices are close to a bottom. First prices are close to normal looking at the price-to-rent ratio and real prices (especially if prices fall another 4% to 5% NSA between the November Case-Shiller report and the March report). Second the large decline in listed inventory means less downward pressure on house prices, and third, I think that several policy initiatives will lessen the pressure from distressed sales (the probable mortgage settlement, the HARP refinance program, and more).
Of course these are national price indexes and there will be significant variability across the country. Areas with a large backlog of distressed properties – especially some states with a judicial foreclosure process – will probably see further price declines.
And this doesn’t mean prices will increase significantly any time soon. Usually towards the end of a housing bust, nominal prices mostly move sideways for a few years, and real prices (adjusted for inflation) could even decline for another 2 or 3 years.
But most homeowners and home buyers focus on nominal prices and there is reasonable chance that the bottom is here.
Bryan Smith, CEO of 1 Hot Property.com, a Central Oregon Real Estate web portal, and author of a Bend Real Estate blog, adds the following commentary.
New Construction in Niche and “A” markets are doing pretty well in Bend and Portland Oregon.
Time will tell if that trend expands to the next tier. There are headwinds, like tight lending standards, but the trends are improved. Low rates are helping, inventories in the above noted markets are at 4 months, which is very good.
Some national economic changes would help even more:
a) Allow all FNMA and Freddie Mac mortgages to be refinanced at current levels.
The taxpayers “own” all of these loans, and risk is lower on default if they are refinanced to current low rates. The problem is, these two GSE’s make money on the spread, and do not want to lower rates for the majority of their holdings. This however is counter to the original mandate of their creation, brought about by the current goals of their government manager, who is seeking to change what they were put in place to do. I would argue that instead of the FED enriching banks by lending to them at close to zero and then allowing them to by treasuries to make the spread, we should actually fund the GSE’s to allow everyone to lower their mortgage costs. This would slow foreclosures, and further stabilize the market, and provide an economic boost as mortgage holders save or spend the savings.
b) Some economists are now seeing, that trade policies and energy policies damaged the economy, prior to the real estate bubble, and bank destabilization.
If we had strong employment with good middle wage jobs, that we lost due to trade policies, then the downturn would have been more of a true recession, more mild, and respond to fed stimulus. The problem is the FED did not create this recession, like previous ones, so they cannot fix it with low rates. Most favored nation status for China, without requiring that their manufacturing processes meet all the requirements in place in the U.S. created an economic imbalance, which was filled by the closing of manufacturing plants in the U.S. Yes China would still have increased it’s manufacturing based on lower wages, however other cost components, are actually a larger factor. We could and should reverse this error, by phasing in over 5 years, a requirement that all products imported into the U.S. are certified to be manufactured with the same standards for all the manufacturing processes that are required in the U.S. This would include pollution output, energy usage (percentage of green energy, reduced use of coal in electrical production etc) and so on. So we have a choice, continue on in the same way and allow China and others to gut our manufacturing sectors, and middle wage jobs, or fight back and create actual equal trade. We need middle wage jobs to have a strong economy, minimum wage jobs with no health care insurance, and service industry jobs are not going to provide the basis for a balance budget in the U.S.
We can follow Greece and Italy and such and try to cut budgets with austerity, try to continue to sell Treasuries and borrow to pay for budgets that do not recognize the reality of our “new” economy, or fight back and change the laws on the books to give Americans the chance to compete. We do have the right to regulate imports, and this would not be a blanket tariff, as many other countries have standards for manufacturing similar to ours. This would only impact those countries who have standards less than ours. They can improve their standards, and raise the prices on products, or choose not to export to the U.S. Yes prices would go up on a lot of imported products, but your neighbor would have a job, and we would have a way to grow the economy and cut deficits the good way, by stimulating incomes, and collecting the taxes on that growth, rather than raising tax rates.
And with regard to Real Estate, you need a healthy economy with good middle wage manufacturing jobs, to create incomes sufficient to purchase and keep homes.
Local Bend Real Estate:
As far as Bend Real Estate goes, we like Northwest Crossing. At our 1 Hot Property – Bend Oregon Real Estate website we feature an easy tabbed Bend Oregon MLS search, which displays all the current listings on the market. This month we are featuring Northwest Crossing on our Bend Oregon Real Estate page.
We invite you to check out our Bend Real Estate blog, and sign up for RSS feeds to keep up with breaking national and local news and commentary about Real Estate. We also invite you to visit our 1 Hot Property – Bend Oregon Real Estate Facebook Page , “Like” us and be eligible for Bend Real Estate related coupons and special offers from our Bend Real Estate related vendors of services. | <urn:uuid:40063ac0-a4cd-4a22-8289-c7ee657232bc> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://1hotproperty.com/author/bryan-smith/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368703682988/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516112802-00029-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.958968 | 1,790 | 1.515625 | 2 |
WASHINGTON, March 12 (Xinhua) -- Visiting Chinese Foreign Minister Yang Jiechi on Thursday proposed some major guidelines for China and the United States to promote sound and steady growth of bilateral relations in the new era.
Speaking at a luncheon meeting at the Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS), Yang expressed satisfaction that the two countries have worked together and ensured a smooth transition of bilateral relations in the past 50 days since the new U.S. administration took office.
The two sides have established good working relations at the top level and between various government departments and maintained close consultation and coordination in bilateral and multilateral areas, he said.
"A good beginning is half the success," Yang said, noting that this good start has laid the groundwork for the further growth of China-U.S. relations.
"We should now set our sight on the longer term and draw up a good blueprint for China-U.S. relations in the coming years. We should make concerted efforts and promote sound and steady growth of our relations," he said.
To do this, the minister proposed some guidelines which he believed could help advance China-U.S. relations in the coming years.
First, he said, both sides should adopt a strategic and long-term perspective and keep the relations on the right track.
China and the United States now have more common interests and a broader foundation of cooperation on a series of major and pressing issues facing today's world, according to the minister. The strategic significance and global influence of China-U.S. relations have further increased and their relations in the new era should be broader and deeper.
The minister believed that the two countries should work together in an all-around way to raise bilateral relations to a new and much higher level of cooperation in the 21st century on the basis of mutual respect, seeking common ground while shelving differences and cooperation for win-win results.
Second, Minister Yang said, both sides should maintain close dialogue and exchanges at the top and other levels and cement the political foundation of the relations.
Over the years, he said, close communication and frequent exchanges between the two countries "have given a strong boost to the sustained, sound and steady growth of our relations."
He hoped that both sides will work together and launch proposed "China-U.S. Strategic and Economic Dialogues" mechanism at an early date so that through continued discussions on strategic, overarching and long-term issues of mutual interest, they will further enhance mutual trust and cooperation.
Third, according to the minister, both sides should expand mutually-beneficial cooperation and inject fresh impetus into the relations.
The priority for China and the United States at the moment, Yang said, is to tackle the international financial crisis through intensified cooperation and work together to maintain and promote world financial and economic stability.
He said China and the United States share important common interests with respect to climate change, energy and the environment and have broader prospects to cooperate in such fields as counter-terrorism, nonproliferation, military-to-military relations, science and technology, culture and health.
The fourth guideline, he believed, is that both sides should respect and accommodate each other's core interests and make every effort to minimize potential disruption and damage to the relations.
The minister urged the U.S. side to handle Taiwan-related issues prudently and properly and respect the Chinese people's position of upholding state sovereignty and territorial integrity on equal sensitive issues related to Tibet.
For the fifth, Minister Yang said that both sides should promote dialogue and exchanges between people of the two countries and build stronger public support for the relations.
"We will not forget that the ice in China-U.S. relations began to thaw with the mutual visits of our pingpong teams," he said.
"The tremendous progress made in our relations over the last 30years would not have been possible without the active involvement and support of people from all walks of life in both countries," he added.
"It is of particular importance to look ahead to the future and vigorously promote and support exchanges and cooperation between the young people, so that the cause of China-U.S. friendship will endure and prosper further, the minister stressed. Yang is here on a five-day working visit as a guest of U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton. | <urn:uuid:d394ff50-6cc2-4ce9-ac39-dadb2df1104f> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://english.sina.com/china/p/2009/0312/225455.html | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368709037764/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516125717-00036-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.953376 | 889 | 1.5 | 2 |
Born: Brooklyn, New York
Bruce Jackson was born in Brooklyn, New York in 1936. He served in the United States Marine Corps from 1953–1956, then attended Newark College of Engineering (now New Jersey Institute of Technology) for three years. He received a BA from Rutgers University in 1960 and an MA from Indiana University’s School of Letters in 1962. From 1963 through 1967 he was a Junior Fellow in Harvard University’s Society of Fellows.
He has been the recipient of a Guggenheim Fellowship (1971), was nominated for a Grammy (1974), named an Associate Member of the Folklore Fellows by the Finnish Academy of Science and Letters (1995), and Chevalier in l’Ordre des Arts et des Lettres by the French government (2002). In 2012, the president of France appointed him chevalier in the National Order of Merit. He was president of the American Folklore Society (1984), chairman of the board of trustees of the American Folklore Center in the Library of Congress (1988–89, trustee 1984-89), and director, then trustee of the Newport Folk Foundation (1965—).
In 1968, he signed the “Writers and Editors War Tax Protest” pledge, vowing to refuse tax payments in protest against the Vietnam War.
With Diane Christian, he has directed and produced five documentary films: Death Row (1979), Creeley (1988), Out of Order (1983), Robert Creeley: Willy’s Reading (1982), and William August May (1982).
His photographs have been widely published and exhibited. The most recent exhibitions are Portraits from a Prison (Arkansas Studies Institute, 2009), Cummins Wide (Albright-Knox Art Gallery 2009 and Center for Documentary Studies, Duke University, 2008), American Gulag (Lega di Cultura di Piadena and Circolo Gianni Bosio, Rome, 2007), Bridging Buffalo (Buffalo and Erie County Historical Society, 2006–2007), and Mirrors (Nina Freudenheim Gallery, 2004).
His work has been funded by the National Endowment for the Arts, National Endowment for the Humanities, Fund for Investigative Journalism, Playboy Foundation, Levi Strauss Foundation, Polaroid Foundation, New York Council for the Humanities and the American Philosophical Society..
He has spent his entire academic career at the University at Buffalo. He joined it as an assistant professor of English and Comparative Literature in 1967, was promoted to associate professor a year later and to professor in 1971. He became SUNY Distinguished Professor in 1990 and Samuel P. Capen Professor of American Culture in 1997. In 2009 he was appointed James Agee Professor of American Culture. He has been also been adjunct professor in the UB School of Law and Jurisprudence, and the departments of Media Studies and Sociology.
Since 2000, he and Diane Christian have conducted the Buffalo Film Seminars at the Market Arcade Theater in downtown Buffalo—an undergraduate film class that is open to the general public for the price of a movie ticket (about 200 auditors take part each week). On 14 or 15 Tuesday evenings each term, they introduce a classic film, screen it, then conduct an open discussion with the students and any of the auditors who want to take part. They also prepare 8-12 page handouts of notes on each film (nearly all of which are online at the Seminar's web site, as are lists of all films screened thus far, sorted by series, director, title and year of production). The Seminars have now presented over 300 different films.
From 1986-1990 Jackson was editor of the Journal of American Folklore. From 2002-2010, he was editor and publisher of the political web journal Buffalo Report. In the past few years, his articles have appeared frequently in Artvoice and CounterPunch. He has also published articles and photographs in Harper's, The Atlantic, The New York Times Magazine, Film Comment, Der Spiegel, Le Monde, The Texas Observer, Rolling Stone, Ácoma, The Antioch Review, Sing Out!, The Minnesota Review, The Nation, The New Republic, Criminal Law Bulletin, Latino-America and Senses of Cinema. | <urn:uuid:08530662-bdd2-43fe-bbaf-87385a1509eb> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.burchfieldpenney.org/artists/artist:bruce-jackson/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368706499548/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516121459-00020-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.945833 | 866 | 1.554688 | 2 |
Stephen Colbert at the FEC? Really.
That so-called media exemption allows newspapers, blogs, radio show hosts and others considered media to urge votes for or against candidates.
The legalese in the request is largely indistinguishable from that in any of the dozens of others submitted to the commission each year, though it does contain a few telltale traces of shtick, such as its assertion that that his PAC – in addition to cutting political ads that may be aired on the Colbert Report – will “pay usual and normal administrative expenses, including but not limited to, luxury hotel stays, private jet travel, and PAC mementos from Saks Fifth Avenue and Neiman Marcus.”Continue Reading
But it also breaks from blowhard type, at least briefly, to state that Colbert sees his political commentary as something of a public service. The PAC idea, it says, has served as “a vehicle for discussing campaign-finance rules and new developments in politics, such as Citizens United and independent expenditure-only committees,” and explains that “Mr. Colbert has placed himself in positions where his personal political actions and experiences can serve as material for the show.”
If the six commissioners of the FEC take Colbert’s request seriously, and decides to grant him wide latitude in using “The Colbert Report” to promote his PAC – both very big ifs – it “could have a sweeping effect. That would be a troubling development,” said Paul Ryan, a lawyer at the Campaign Legal Center, a non-profit group that pushes for tighter restrictions on money in politics.
Likewise, said Gilbert, if the commission goes the other way, ruling that any airtime Colbert devotes to promoting the PAC should be treated, and disclosed, as a so-called in-kind contribution from Viacom, it could “have a real election law impact,” in part by restricting the freedom of a handful of high-profile Republicans who serve as paid Fox News pundits and are affiliated with PACs, including Sarah Palin, Mike Huckabee, Karl Rove and Dick Morris.
As with all things Colbert, though, it may be folly to try deduce any serious underlying motivation – other than satirizing the silly side of American politics and politicians – from his shtick.
For instance, the slogan for his PAC is “Making a better tomorrow, tomorrow,” and when he first unveiled the idea in late March, he quipped to his audience:”At this point some of you may be wondering ‘what is ColbertPAC’? Well get in line, because I have no idea.”
In a bit on his Wednesday show, he described its purpose as setting the stage so “the Colbert Nation could have a voice, in the form of my voice, shouted through a megaphone made of cash” in the 2012 elections.
Still, Washington’s political class clearly respects and fears the potential of Colbert – and his Comedy Central running mate Jon Stewart – to both embarrass politicians and to shape political narratives, particularly among younger, left-leaning demographics.
When the two held a massive rally on the National Mall ten days before last year’s midterm election, it was read as a measure of the enthusiasm of young Democratic-leaning voters and prompted both hand-wringing and optimism among the party’s organizers.
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Kenneth P. Vogel | <urn:uuid:e8659ee9-c727-4ab7-86ea-e12e2f94327c> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.politico.com/news/stories/0511/54946_Page2.html | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368705559639/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516115919-00006-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.967175 | 705 | 1.5 | 2 |
Goh Chok TongPolitical Leader
Born: 20 May 1941
Best known as: The man who followed Lee Kuan Yew as prime minister of Singapore
Goh Chok Tong was prime minister of Singapore from 1990 until 2004. He was the country's second prime minister, following the man regarded as Singapore's founding father: Lee Kuan Yew, who served from 1959-1990. Goh Chok Tong was already a prominent member of the ruling People's Action Party (PAP), having served as senior minister for trade and industry, finance, and health, among other positions. Goh continued as prime minster throughout the 1990s, and in 2004 he was succeeded by Lee's son, Lee Hsien Loong. Goh became a senior minister of the government, holding the post until May of 2011, when he and Lee Kuan Yew jointly stepped down.
Extra credit: Goh Chok Tong holds a master's degree from Williams College in Massachusetts, USA... Goh made news in the U.S. in 2004 when he refused the block the caning punishment given to teenage American vandal, Michael Fay... Other Singaporeans include resistance leader Lim Bo Seng and hospital builder Tan Tock Seng.
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Information Please® Database, © 2007 Pearson Education, Inc. All rights reserved. | <urn:uuid:29a31e68-66fe-444e-a8d7-9570f89dcdb3> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.factmonster.com/biography/var/gohchoktong.html | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368711005985/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516133005-00002-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.967479 | 284 | 1.75 | 2 |
Like many other north country law enforcement officials, Massena Police Chief Timmy Currier is frustrated by a criminal justice system that allows people charged with serious crimes to be released on meager bail while awaiting trial.
But unlike his counterparts, Mr. Currier has gone public with his frustration.
In a letter titled Enough is enough, submitted to the Daily Courier-Observer newspaper, Mr. Currier suggested it is time for St. Lawrence County leaders to determine what can be done to keep habitual offenders off the streets while awaiting trial.
It is a commendable goal during a time when more big-city drug dealers are coming to the north country because demand for their product is high and competition for their services is low at least compared to the cities from which they come.
More felons are setting up shop here from afar. More felons are getting caught here. It has to be frustrating for a police agency that does the catching to see its suspect released on bail and given the chance to break the law again while awaiting trial.
Case in point is Patrick R. Lloyd, who Mr. Currier said is a New York City man who has been living in Massena for about two years. Mr. Lloyd was released on $6,500 bail after a hearing on charges of felony counts of first-degree unlawful imprisonment. Mr. Currier said the man has been charged 25 times, with 18 cases still pending, and 10 of those are felony charges. The chief thinks the real crime is that with a rap sheet this long, Mr. Lloyd is still a free man.
Mr. Lloyds case is a fine illustration of how the problem is not exclusive to a particular jurisdiction. All of the previous charges against Mr. Lloyd were for crimes allegedly committed elsewhere. He was released on bail several times from other courts in different counties.
Ironically, the thing Mr. Lloyd has going for him and what police agencies dont is the law. Our criminal justice system does not allow for bail to be punishment for a crime not yet proven against the suspect. Innocent until proven guilty has been the American standard upheld by the courts for more than a century. Bail is primarily meant to provide security that the suspect will return for trial.
Provisions in the law have been added that allow prosecutors to argue successfully that bail should be increased because a suspect with several previous charges can be considered a flight risk. But the number of cases, lack of funding and staffing in prosecutors offices limit how often such time and effort can be put into making this happen. That is especially true in a jurisdiction as large as and with as many courts as there are in St. Lawrence County.
We think it commendable that Mr. Currier bring up the issue. We are somewhat disappointed with his approach to making it public. His letter makes no attempt to suggest solutions. He doesnt create a platform that could lead to debating the various issues he cites that need to be addressed. We think he should have done more to start the discussion he believes is needed.
He instead asks questions such as, Are we failing to prosecute these case properly or timely? Or, Are judges failing to put repeat and violent offenders in jail? Or, Is probation or parole not working? It would be more effective to get the dialogue going by saying what he views is causing what is wrong with the system. A question as to whether something might be causing a problem does not help establish how a problem could be fixed.
Mr. Currier makes too strong an effort not to offend anyone in his pleas for open dialogue about problems within the criminal justice system. He says he is not pointing fingers at any agency or department. Maybe it is time to start.
If the problem is the system of parole and probation is not working, lets say so and get the discussion started toward fixing it. Same goes for the other questions he puts forth in the letter. If law enforcement is not providing quality cases to be prosecuted, lets say so and discuss solutions. If judges are failing to put repeat and violent offenders in jail, put that on the table and lets figure out how to change things.
Mr. Currier has identified significant truths: That the same names are showing up repeatedly in police blotters across the north country; that resources are being expended to arrest people but those defendants end up suffering little consequence for their alleged actions; that there are problems with the criminal justice system, and that its time to start identifying the possible causes of these problems and taking real steps to fix them.
We agree with Mr. Currier. Enough is enough. | <urn:uuid:ed490e27-0f82-449b-b31a-040b9b6c1b5e> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://watertowndailytimes.com/article/20130311/OPINION01/703119999/1036 | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368703682988/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516112802-00011-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.974097 | 926 | 1.578125 | 2 |
The Church issued a press release today annoucing the creation of a “Church Historian’s Press” to handle the publication of the Joseph Smith Papers. (The press release also mentioned “works related to the church’s history and growth.”) I am not quite sure what the rationale for this is. Previous volume of the papers were published by Deseret Book, which did a nice enough job, although of late the physical publication standards at Deseret Book have been falling. Perhaps the new imprint is to insure library quality production values. Maybe it just reduces administrative hassle to have the production done in-house, particularlly in light of the way that technology has been dropping the costs of publishing. Or perhaps something bigger is afoot.
Perhaps this heralds a desire by the Church Historian’s Office to move more aggressively into the publication of more scholarlly materials on Mormonism. Note, the Church already publishes lots of stuff — CES Manuals, scriptures, etc. — and this is clearly meant as something different than the Church’s ordinary publishing. It is meant to boost Mormon scholarship, according to the press release. There are a number of ways that one might spin this. Perhaps, the Church is looking for a way of dealing with controversial or complex topics through some sort of an official imprint that is not tied to the ordinary demands of Church curriculum. At one extreme, this could be the second coming of Camelot, namely an attempt for the Church to provide scholarlly interpretation in-house, as it were. I hope not, as in the end I think that Mordred had a point.
I think that Mormon discussions are best served when we don’t have official interpretations of thorny historical problems. The theological stakes get too high and the cost of errors can become really big for some. A much better model is one in which the Church actively encourages faithful latter-day saints to look at these issues for themselves, and creates an enviroment in which Mormon scholars working independent of the church provide a rich literature on which interested saints can draw. It is best, however, that this literature not be published by the church, in my opinion. For example, I think that it is good both that the forthcoming book on MMM be published at Oxford. I hope that this means that the book’s interpretation gets judged on the merits rather than being seen as authoritative. One place where, I think a Church press could be useful is if it got into the business of providing high-quality library editions of original sources. Right now the most extensive collection of such documents — aside from the Selected Collections DVDs — has been done by Signature Books. I think that a Church press could produce such collections, and doing so would give them greater control over the sorts of copyright issues that always come up when publishing documentary collections. Even here, however, I hope that the Church Historians Press would tread softly, particularlly in its editorial policy. What I want to avoid is some sort of official interpretation of the historical texts. Much better to provide folks with good principles and good documents, and let them govern themselves. | <urn:uuid:4919a8bc-0789-429c-b38b-08b9c806c03a> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://timesandseasons.org/index.php/2008/02/the-church-historians-press-and-the-argument-in-favor-of-mordred/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368701459211/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516105059-00022-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.968767 | 640 | 1.585938 | 2 |
Both students and schools benefit when parents are involved in education. Academic achievement and standardized test results are higher, students have a more positive attitude toward school and their behavior is better. At Stoddert, we count on your involvement to make it a great school. Every single thing parents and friends of the school do to contribute makes a difference.
Be involved in your child’s education by communicating regularly with his teachers. Think of yourself as the teacher’s partner in managing education. Monitor your child’s homework and school projects, making them a top priority in her schedule. Volunteer to help in the classroom or help out with extracurricular activities.
Connect to the school community and volunteer through the Parent Teacher Association (PTA). Stoddert’s PTA is an organization of dedicated and energetic parents and teachers that sponsors many school activities and events benefiting the students, faculty, and staff. Stoddert families volunteer in classrooms, in the library, at holiday festivals, and for PTA-sponsored events. Be sure to support the PTA by paying your membership dues, suggested $400 per family per year tax deductible contribution. You can pay all at once or in payments throughout the year. | <urn:uuid:108c88fa-7704-4988-9727-26609ad8b986> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.stoddert.org/parents/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368706499548/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516121459-00010-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.969534 | 247 | 1.578125 | 2 |
Hundreds of Washington tourism professional are meeting in an Olympia for a summit Tuesday.
When the state tourism office closed in 2011, the Washington Tourism Alliance stepped in. The group organized this summit to present the state of the industry.
Between the waterfront, Space Needle, and our many state parks, tourists bring billions of dollars in revenue every year.
States around the country have been watching Washington to see how the tourism industry fares with the closing of the state office.
Tourism is the fourth largest industry in Washington in terms of its impact on economy. In 2011, the tourism industry had $16 billion in revenue and provided 150,000 jobs, which is double the Boeing work force.
That was the year the state tourism office closed. At the tourism summit, new numbers will be released showing how the industry is doing currently.
A spokesperson for the Washington Tourism Alliance said Washington saw modest growth in the tourism industry, but is lagging behind other western states. The alliance is asking for financial support to help Washington compete with other states. | <urn:uuid:b57039e4-3de3-4be3-908a-642e66171f49> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.krem.com/news/197465031.html | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368699881956/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516102441-00002-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.943486 | 210 | 1.804688 | 2 |
At least a dozen companies are ready to provide the service, including ones now operating in other US cities and overseas.
Raising your arm and yelling "taxi!" will soon be the old-fashioned way to nab a New York City cab. Soon, all you'll need is a smartphone app.
On Thursday, New York City's Taxi & Limousine Commission approved a plan that will allow riders to "e-hail" yellow cabs, starting Feb. 15 on a test basis.
"We should not ignore technology that's out there. This is not speculative, this is real," said TLC Commissioner David Yassky after the pilot program was approved.
Seven members of a commission panel voted in favor; two abstained. The commission issued a press release after the vote celebrating what it called "appy days ahead."
The system will be tried out for one year. After the apps start linking customers with drivers in mid-February, the commission will produce quarterly reports on its success, leading to a decision on whether to extend the pilot program.
Until now, the city has banned yellow taxis from prearranging rides.
A group of cabbies attended the commission hearing.
One later addressed the issue of customers who still want to hail a cab the traditional way — by standing in the street and waving — and who might worry that cabbies will pass them by.
"If I accept an e-hail, I won't stop for a person on the street," acknowledged driver Mohammad Butt, 35, a Staten Island resident. "But if I have a passenger in the car now, I don't stop either."
On the other hand, driver Antonio Clark said the smartphone hail will make getting a cab easier at night in neighborhoods where they're not easily available.
"You don't have to stand on a dark, empty street," said Clark, 30, of Brooklyn. "You can wait inside an entrance, because the driver has your address."
Yassky told the AP that TLC research showed that drivers still prefer to pick up gesturing passengers.
"They'll still tend to pick up a ride that's there first," he said.
The commission was subject to lobbying from the service car industry, which fears loss of business if yellow cabs are allowed to prearrange rides.
The commissioner said the city will make sure both drivers and customers are protected.
Distance limits will be built into the technology. For example, from 59th Street to Battery Park in Manhattan — the primary business zone — yellow cabs will be allowed to respond to an electronic hail within half a mile. Elsewhere in the city, the limit is a mile and a half. | <urn:uuid:95c0dbc1-2882-48a4-822a-e56f79349d68> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://m.csmonitor.com/USA/Latest-News-Wires/2012/1213/New-Yorkers-will-soon-be-able-to-e-hail-taxis-with-smartphones | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368706153698/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516120913-00010-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.959912 | 553 | 1.507813 | 2 |
Accessible Computer Workstations
DID YOU KNOW… that there are Adaptive Computing stations...and that these computers are available for all students to use.
In brief summary:
Anchorage offers both DSS maintained and IT maintained stations that are configured with a wide range of students in mind. These stations support use by a wide range of students including those with disabilities. There are also adaptive computing workstations in Eagle River, Mat-Su, Kenai, Kachemak Bay, and other UAA locations as well as on the campuses of UAF and UAS.
DSS maintained stations
Full Adaptive Computing Stations can be found in the DSS Adaptive Computing Lab, the Consortium Library, the Learning Resource Center, the University Center, the Gateway Learning Center, and additional locations as needed. These stations have:
IT maintained stations
DSS does not maintain stations in IT labs. If there are problems with these stations please notify both IT and DSS. IT Accessible Workstations Have: | <urn:uuid:e9f698fb-3e74-47a8-adb9-131c554b4c71> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.uaa.alaska.edu/dss/student/computeraccess.cfm | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368698924319/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516100844-00005-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.939135 | 210 | 1.828125 | 2 |
Once again, the message is loud and clear: drugs and alcohol are unwelcome on the Skwah First Nation.
Following on the heels of last year’s successful Walk For Peace, dozens of Skwah members gathered last Friday for dinner and to craft two dozen signs touting a healthy lifestyle.
The colourful signs, with slogans like “Give Hugs, Not Drugs” and “Evict Drugs,” now decorate power poles around the reserve.
It’s the latest in ongoing attempts by Skwah leaders and community members to up the pressure on their fellow residents.
“We have to straighten out our community and teach kids that that’s not the life they should have,” Skwah chief Robert Combes said. “It’s all about the kids. We don’t want them to fall under the things we had to put up with, like alcoholism.”
Housing manager Lory Oberst added: “It’s fabulous because it sends a message to everyone that this is what the majority wants.”
In addition to painting signs, children, staffers and parents from the reserve’s Chilliwack Landing Preschool walked the community and gathered outside of local drug houses to send a message both to the occupants and to the young children.
“We went around the whole reserve with a whole bunch of drumming and singing and stopped in front of houses where, well, we know that’s not a good place,” said Bernadette Williams, whose son attends the preschool.
Skwah residents have been battling the demons of addiction for years. Even so, Williams, who lived on the reserve until she was seven years old, says the community seems less safe than it once did.
“The reserve has definitely changed from when I was a kid,” she said. “When I was a kid, kids were out almost at night time all packed together and it was safe, but when I moved back here it was, like, kids have to be in way before dark. It’s definitely changed around here.”
Hence the signs.
“It’s something different for us to try because we’re tired of this in our community,” Skwah councillor Dean Williams said. “It’s been a long battle, a long fight.”
Combes said it’s important for the community at large to see the Skwah trying to spearhead change from within.
“We want it to be seen that we’re trying to change,” Combes said. “There’s a lot of negative thoughts about how reserves are and how natives are, so we want everyone to see that we’re trying to change.”
Many members have forsaken alcohol, he said, and the occupants of one known drug house have been evicted. Another known house is on the band council’s radar, he said, but it’s difficult to give the occupants the boot without criminal charges having been laid.
Supporting band in their fight
Support came both from residents and local businesses: Pioneer Building Supplies donated the wood, while Home Hardware and Home Depot supplied paint and brushes, and Grand Pappy’s Home Furniture provided a door prize.
- with files from Cornelia Naylor | <urn:uuid:38040581-e7f7-40ab-a8f2-7f14e4ef1160> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.chilliwacktimes.com/health/Chilliwack+Skwah+band+turns+heat+drug/7593364/story.html | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368696382584/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516092622-00014-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.964571 | 714 | 1.585938 | 2 |
Design and art have a lot in common. They both involve skill, tremendous amounts of creativity and often, but not always, some element of business. Even with their differences purpose, master designers have been likened to artists in the past, and an upcoming show at the Soho Gallery for Digital Art blurs these lines even further.
The Art of Apps is an exhibition that hopes to showcase the greatest user interface designers of our time, in celebration of Internet Week NY. The show, which opens on May 14th, features the likes of Danny Trinh of Path, Matias Corea of Behance, Andrew S. Allen of Paper, Mark Jardine of Tweetbot, Jon Slimak of Piictu and Andy Thompson of Cameo.
HW: How were the exhibiting designers chosen? How did they respond to your invitation?
Vinh: We looked for the apps doing the most interesting work at the intersection of social, creativity and mobile. All of our participants hit at least two of those three criteria. However, at the end of the day, what we wanted more than anything else were apps that looked fantastic, that showcased the very best of what’s possible in the app form.
All of the designers we talked to were eager to be involved; I literally didn’t have to persuade any of them to take part. I think there’s a real feeling out there that apps are becoming something of their own, something that’s becoming less and less like ‘web design’ every day. So having the chance to help crystallize that thought was very appealing to them, I’m guessing.
HW: Will there be more shows like this in the future?
Hindman: We certainly expect to do more of these shows. the response has been overwhelmingly positive.
HW: Can you describe how the “pieces” will be presented?
Hindman: The space, Soho Digital Art Gallery, is unique in that it is fully equipped with LED screens on the walls. The Art will be displayed on the screens.
HW: What are the goals of this exhibition?
Rojas: Great apps often feel complete and polished in a way that websites often don’t, something which obscures the process of experimentation, iteration, and (sometimes) failure that goes into making them. Creating an amazing user experience for an app — one where the device itself almost melts away — requires a thoughtfulness and cleverness that can be hard to find. We wanted to showcase examples of some of the smartest, best-designed apps we could find, as well as give a peek into how they get created in the first place.
You can visit the show starting May 14th at 10AM in NYC. For more info, check out the link below. | <urn:uuid:a521f7aa-473b-4129-b1f2-4a2b83733b23> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://thenextweb.com/dd/2012/05/01/this-soho-exhibition-honors-some-of-the-greatest-ui-designers-of-our-time/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368711005985/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516133005-00027-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.972613 | 581 | 1.546875 | 2 |
By Myrlia Purcell on
Athletes work hard to be the best at what they do, and now some of the top sports celebrities have joined their efforts to form a team with a common goal of philanthropy. The prize they hope to win is a better future for the world.
The founding members of Athletes For Hope are already familiar with charity work, and hope to pass their passion for helping others on to the future generation of sports stars.
“Combined, our 12 Founding Athletes have raised more than $500 million for charitable and health-related causes, have built schools, community centers, hospitals, parks, and stadiums, while touching countless lives in ways that can’t be calculated,” said Ivan Blumberg, CEO of Athlete’s for Hope.
Andre Agassi, Mia Hamm and Lance Armstrong originally put the idea together, and were soon joined by Muhammad Ali, Warrick Dunn, Jeff Gordon, Tony Hawk, Andrea Jaeger, Jackie Joyner-Kersee, Mario Lemieux, Alonzo Mourning and Cal Ripken, Jr. The have created a clearing house where young athletes will be teamed up with exsisting charities, or helped to create charities of their own.
They hope that involving the athletes will also inspire the public to get involved in philanthropy.
“We’ve helped each other through our foundations,” tennis star Agassi said. “We realized as much as we can effect (change) individually, you can effect more profoundly collectively. It’s an exponential message.”
Copyright © 2007 Look to the Stars | <urn:uuid:5929ae36-3a3c-40e2-9050-ab211ae357cd> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.looktothestars.org/news/217-athletes-create-charity-team | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368706890813/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516122130-00024-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.959545 | 337 | 1.75 | 2 |
PRINCETON — Princeton University Tuesday turned the "Queen of Soul" into a doctor.
During its 265th commencement, the school bestowed an honorary doctoral degree on legendary vocalist Aretha Franklin, 70, and five others, including a Hall of Fame college basketball coach and a community college president.
"She pioneered an impeccably bold and fearless, affective and affecting style of performance that calls upon listeners to journey to the depths of her soul and, in so doing, discover their own," university orator Stephen Oxman said of Franklin.
Franklin’s list of qualifications for a doctor of music degree is extensive. She has recorded 223 albums and earned 21 Grammy awards in her 50-year career as a performer. She was also the first woman honored by the Rock ’n’ Roll Hall of Fame.
Wearing a black robe and a black graduation cap adorned with a gold tassel, Franklin stood and smiled while waiting to receive her pink doctoral hood from Oxman.
"With her singular ‘Amazing Grace,’ she continues to traverse musical ‘bridges over troubled water,’ and by reminding us to ‘think,’ ‘do right’ and ‘call’ on her, the Queen of Soul will forever command the world’s ‘R-E-S-P-E-C-T,’ " Oxman said, alluding to some of Franklin’s greatest hits.
The other honorary degree recipients include Peter "Pete" Carril, who coached Princeton’s men’s basketball team for 29 seasons; Miami Dade College president Eduardo Padron; Joan Wallach Scott, a Princeton social science professor; Joseph Taylor, a Nobel Prize-winning physics professor; and Karen Uhlenbeck, a University of Texas-Austin math professor.
More than 2,000 students were awarded academic degrees during the two-hour ceremony, which took place on a shaded lawn outside Nassau Hall — a historic stone structure where the country’s fledgling government met during the Revolutionary War.
University president Shirley Tilghman implored graduates to appreciate their liberal arts degrees at a time when some notable political figures, like Florida Gov. Rick Scott, are calling for greater study of math and science exclusively.
Tilghman spoke of Princeton alumnus and fourth U.S. President James Madison, who studied Latin, philosophy, natural science, geography and Hebrew, among other subjects, before embracing the "patriot cause" and becoming "a leader in the crusade to found a free and independent nation."
"Just as the nascent United States depended upon well-educated individuals who brought historical perspective, political theory and a sympathy for the complexity of human nature to the task of designing a new nation, both this country and the dozens of others represented on this lawn today need thoughtful, open-minded and well-informed citizens to chart their course and influence their future," Tilghman said.
Parent David Grannum called the commencement "immaculate" in presentation. His daughter Kristin of Lansdowne, Pa., earned a bachelor’s degree in ecology and evolutionary biology.
"I was awed by the speakers today, especially Pete Carril," Grannum said. "His teams went up against giants and he taught his players that intellectuality and quickness could help David slay Goliath." | <urn:uuid:4a6802db-193e-4b3b-9576-097805576b9b> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.nj.com/news/index.ssf/2012/06/aretha_franklin_receives_honor.html | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368701852492/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516105732-00022-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.95084 | 700 | 1.734375 | 2 |
Megan Levy April 09, 2012
An Antarctic blast has delivered snow to Victoria’s alpine regions today and plunged parts of the state into a grey, wintry and wet Easter Monday.
With the start of the ski season still two months away, Mount Baw Baw and Mount Buller were treated to an early taste of winter when the mercury dipped below freezing today and light snow began falling on the resorts.
Bureau of Meteorology senior meteorologist Peter Newham said snow was expected to fall down to 1000 metres today, with some sleet down to 800 metres. Snow was already falling at Falls Creek and could also fall at other alpine areas, including Mount Hotham.
In Melbourne, the temperature hit 13 degrees at 8am today and barely moved during the morning, reaching 14.3 degrees at noon.
But those venturing outside would have felt the icy southerly wind, which plunged the apparent temperature down to 6.5 degrees.
At the MCG this afternoon, Hawthorn players warming up for their clash with Geelong at 3.10pm were forced to abandon their pre-match session when a hailstorm hit the ground.
Large hailstones reportedly turned the ground into a sea of white and drenched football fans waiting for the match to begin. The short but fierce storm quickly subsided.
The cold spell followed much warmer conditions late last week, when the mercury hit 28 degrees in Melbourne and higher in north-west Victoria.
"We had a mild to warm spell last week but this significant cold front has come through now," Mr Newham said.
"The initial cold front came through on Friday and this is a follow-up front that has got even colder air behind it.
"It wasn’t a well-defined shift to colder air, it has been a gradual shift overnight and during the morning as colder and colder air has come up from the south. We've got south-west to southerly winds developing and it’s bringing colder air from well south of Australia."
But don’t dust off those skis and snowboards just yet.
Mr Newham said the weather would gradually warm over the next few days, culminating in sunny skies and temperatures of 26 degrees on Friday and Saturday in Melbourne.
Mildura is forecast to hit a maximum of 30 degrees on Saturday, Swan Hill a top of 29 degrees and Echuca 27 degrees.
In other weather news, a Virgin Australia plane is being inspected by engineers this afternoon after it was struck by lightning on a flight from Launceston to Melbourne.
A Virgin Australia spokeswoman said flight DJ1365 landed safely at Melbourne Airport at the scheduled time of 10.50am after being struck during the journey.
"The safety of our aircraft, guests and crew was never in question," the spokeswoman said.
"Modern aircraft are designed to be able to withstand lightning strikes and to continue to operate normally."
However she said it was standard procedure to withdraw the plane from service until it could be assessed by engineers.
"The aircraft is currently being inspected by engineers and is expected to return to service later today," the spokeswoman said.
"As a result, a return Melbourne-Sydney service has been cancelled today. All guests will be reaccommodated on the next available flights."
Meanwhile, the cooler weather has prompted a warning from firefighters as residents pull out their heaters to combat the conditions.
"Many people will be turning on heaters for the first time in six months and it’s important they take a few simple safety precautions," Metropolitan Fire Brigade chief fire officer Rob Taylor said.
The MFB and Country Fire Authority have warned residents to ensure heaters are properly maintained, ensure smoke alarm batteries have been changed and smoke alarms tested, and to keep drying clothes at least one metre from heaters, especially electric bar heaters.
They also warned residents to use fire screens around wood heaters. | <urn:uuid:b9620710-5c08-4236-91b7-dd73c8377140> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://m.canberratimes.com.au/environment/weather/hail-as-winter-blasts-city-20120409-1wkh4.html | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368706890813/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516122130-00008-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.971724 | 814 | 1.765625 | 2 |
Published in Jihad Watch
Translations of this item:
Historically, non-Muslims whose lands were seized by the jihad had three choices: conversion, dhimmitude, or death. Today, however, they have a fourth option largely unavailable to their forbears: quit their lands of origin—emigrate—the latest testimony to the nature of Islam.
A recent report indicates that unprecedented numbers of Copts, Egypt’s indigenous Christian population, are emigrating from their homeland in response to the so-called “Arab spring”:
The Egyptian Union of Human Rights Organizations (EUHRO) published a report today on emigration of Christians from Egypt, saying that nearly 100,000 Christians have emigrated since March 2011. The report, which was sent to the Egyptian cabinet and the Supreme Council of the Armed Forces (SCAF), warned that this emigration has been prompted by the escalating intimidation and attacks on Christians by Islamists. “Copts are not emigrating abroad voluntarily,” said Naguib Gabriell, the director EUHRO, “they are coerced into that by threats and intimidation by hard line Salafists, and the lack of protection they are getting from the Egyptian regime.”
The report goes on to list a number of attacks on Copts and churches—including the killing of Coptic youth in Moqattam, the Imbaba and other church attacks—adding “Salafist clerics, who gained political influence after the January 25 Revolution, have become emboldened, calling Copts Dhimmis who have to pay the jizya (tax paid by non-Muslims to the state) because they are not first class citizens and can never enjoy full citizenship rights, or obtain sensitive posts.”
Indeed, this boldness is a harbinger of things to come—and Copts know it, hence the emigration. Wagdi Ghoneim, a popular cleric and former imam in California, recently called Copts “Crusaders” on Al Jazeera—about the worst thing to call someone in the Muslim world—insisting that they do not deserve equal rights with Muslims in Egypt, because they are infidel dhimmis. Likewise, Abu Shadi, a top representative of the Salafis, told Tahrir News that the Copts must either convert to Islam, pay jizya and assume inferior status, or die. These are just a couple of examples of the countless Muslim leaders openly hostile to Egypt’s native population.
Nor is this phenomenon limited to the Copts of Egypt:
Gabriel sees a parallel with the Christian emigration from Iraq, Palestine and Lebanon. “After the massacre of the congregation of Our Lady of Deliverance Church on October 31, 2010, and other attacks in Iraq, the ratio of Iraqi Christians went down from 8% to 2%; in Palestine to just .5%, and in Lebanon from 75% to 32%. If emigration of Christians, who constitute nearly 16% of the Egyptian population, continues at the present rate, it may reach 250,000 by the end of 2011, and within ten years a third of the Coptic population of Egypt would be gone.”
Bear in mind these large numbers are not simply indicative of those who want to emigrate, but those who simply can: not only does it take years to work out the legalities of emigrating, but many simply cannot afford it. In other words, if emigration was a simple thing, the number of Christian emigrants from the Muslim world would be even higher.
As professor Habib Malik confirms, “It is principally the violence visited sporadically upon these Christian communities in their native towns and villages across the Middle East, and the absence of any reliable means of protection in a region seething with religious fanaticism and despotic forms of rule, which impels Christians to flee and not return” (Islamism and the Future of the Christians of the Middle East, pgs. 36-37).
But it’s more than this; in fact, we are witnessing another manifestation of history—witnessing firsthand how formerly non-Muslim lands become Muslim. For just as conversion to Islam (out of force, out of necessity, out of cynicism) and the outright killing of non-Muslims saw the ranks of Islam grow, so too does emigration fit in this same paradigm of Islamization.
Beyond the authoritative primary sources which unequivocally demonstrate the violent nature of Islam—including history and theology texts—which many prefer to dismiss as “dead books,” here, then, is yet another live example. And yet the West’s leaders, from academics to politicians, will continue insisting that Islam is the “religion of peace”—testimony to the endemic blindness inflicting this age. | <urn:uuid:f6b69654-118c-4409-a8b2-d2d5d977d835> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.raymondibrahim.com/muslim-persecution-of-christians/running-for-their-lives/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368711005985/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516133005-00026-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.955442 | 993 | 1.5625 | 2 |
Targeting the Innocent
Targeting the Innocent
Lisa and I are walking in the Zone of Total Destruction in Jenin Camp, where in April the Israeli Defence Forces, after four nights of shelling, bulldozed four hundred and fifty houses, some with the occupants still inside. We are in Jenin, in the
I watch another stretcher carried out, and I can so easily imagine the shock and grief of that student¹s mother and father and friends. It¹s easy for me to identify with them, because they are my people. I know how I would feel if my partner or brother or stepdaughters were among those bodies, and nothing can justify inflicting such pain.
But I¹m aware that I am looking at the scene from a different background than before I came to the camp. I¹m standing with my back to the ruins of four hundred and fifty homes. I¹ve spoken with the survivors who were pulling body parts out of the rubble for days. I¹ve talked to the ambulance drivers who were kept out while patients bled to death. Every day since I¹ve been here, I¹ve seen the tanks roll into Jenin, shooting into the marketplace to announce curfew. I¹ve seen the frustration in the eyes of children who have seen their older brothers shot, their fathers arrested, and who never know when the occupying army will allow them out to play. I¹m viewing the corpses of the innocent against the background of a mountain of rubble where the crushed homes and belongings and unburied bones of the inhabitants still lie, in a town where gunshots and explosions are the normal sounds of morning, and where the targeting of the innocent is the overriding condition of life.
The men around the TV are not celebrating. They do not look happy. They look shocked and angry and infinitely weary.
"This is Sharon¹s doing," one says to us. "
And I understand what they mean. I cannot absolve the bombers from responsibility for their acts. Some human hand set the bomb, some brain and will chose to do so, perhaps some other mind conceived of the plan. They are beyond a doubt responsible. But those who hold the power to create the context in which others act hold a larger responsibility from which they also cannot be absolved. The policies of
Ten days before the bombing, major Palestinian militant groups, including Fatah, Arafat¹s organization, and Tanzim, its armed wing, with the support of ultra-militant Hamas, were about to issue a statement ending suicide attacks. It read, in part, as follows:
"It is in the name of that future, and in the name of all of those who have lost their lives that we make this declaration: we will do everything in our power to end attacks on Israeli civilians, on innocent men, women and children, in both
"The bombings of the last few months have transformed your society. Those bombings horrified and angered your people, and sent your nation into despair. It did that to us. It sparked a rethinking of who we are as a people. It marked a shift in our perceptions‹not of you, but of ourselves.
"For a time we were able to put this horror out of our minds. We were‹and we are‹the oppressed, the dispossessed and the forgottenŠOur eyes look out to see what you are doing to us in our towns and villages every day, but the same eyes look at the hardened hearts of our children. It may take a generation for us to teach our children a new way, to soothe their bitterness, to erase their hatred, to teach them that there is hope for the future. But we must begin. It is for them, for their future, that we have made this historic decision: we are against targeting the innocent." The statement was printed in the London Times on
Just before the Palestinian factions could proclaim their ceasefire, Sharon¹s forces dropped a bomb from an F16 on a house in
anyway had the cease fire initiative gone through), and his deputy, but it also killed thirteen other people, including nine children. And it killed the initiative to end the bombings of civilians. A certain amount of public outrage greeted the
Those policies lead as surely to the bodies in the cafeteria as they do to the mountain of rubble that once was the homes of Jenin. It is time we stopped funding, supporting, and condoning these policies.
It is time for the targeting of innocents to end. | <urn:uuid:00ecab4e-70b7-4b03-9294-344a1433fcd0> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.zcommunications.org/targeting-the-innocent-by-starhawk | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368704713110/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516114513-00028-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.975691 | 942 | 1.601563 | 2 |
While the scale of these two organizations is quite different, Wallick said their missions are very much the same: helping businesses obtain financing to expand and create jobs.
Wallick, who joined EDA in 1986, was director of business banking for the agency and oversaw the EDA’s investment of more than $160 million in Camden through the Camden Economic Recovery Board, including the EDA’s Waterfront Technology Center, a commercial office/laboratory space. On Tuesday she joins the Cooperative Business Assistance Corp. in Camden as a senior commercial lending officer.
Over the past two years, CBAC has closed 120 loans totaling $3 million, which includes microloans and a variety of other loans programs. The U.S. Small Business Administration lends money to several New Jersey nonprofit lenders which then make microloans, which are loans of up to $50,000, to small businesses. The average microloan in New Jersey is $19,000.
CBAC has been the state’s leading microlender, by far, in recent years, according to Harry Menta, spokesman for the SBA New Jersey office. Menta said it is “very good news” that CBAC is adding another commercial lender who will further expand small-business lending in southern New Jersey: “This is great, because the more loan officers that you have on the ground who can market the program to business, the more loans that are going to be made.”
Wallick said CBAC “is very customer-focused on assisting small businesses.” She said a key goal is helping small businesses graduate from microloans to conventional bank financing, and that CBAC partners with New Jersey banks on lending packages for small business. Besides microloans, CBAC offers a variety of other loan programs, some targeted to low-income borrowers, minorities and women, as well as technical assistance to help businesses overcome operational issues. “It is a small organization but they have been very successful, and I think I can bring to them experience that I have gained at the EDA.” Wallick said at EDA her work ranged from assisting businesses as small as one or two people, to overseeing EDA financing of infrastructure improvement for the headquarters expansion of Camden-based Campbell Soup.
Menta of the SBA said in the fiscal year ended last Sept. 30, CBAC made about 60 microloans for a total $1.3 million to small businesses, enabling them to retain 477 employees and hire 159 additional workers.
Michele Brown, chief executive of EDA, said, “For over 25 years at the EDA, Laura has helped to create thousands of new job opportunities for New Jersey residents. Laura’s work with small businesses and her significant impact in the city of Camden have been critical to the state’s efforts to grow New Jersey’s economy, and we will miss her professionalism, know-how and passion. The EDA’s loss is certainly CBAC’s gain, and New Jersey is fortunate that Laura will continue to focus on helping small businesses access the capital they need to thrive.” | <urn:uuid:e7d3bedb-201a-4532-8888-240415246204> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.njbiz.com/article/20130121/NJBIZ01/130129983&source=RSS | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368702448584/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516110728-00032-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.973184 | 653 | 1.53125 | 2 |
∞ BC to 1 BC
From Uncyclopedia, the content-free encyclopedia
In the beginning there was nothing - nothing, that is, except for God.
But where did I come from?
God has always been there.
But how did I-
Don't ask questions
Resistance is Futile
Anyways, God, deciding that nothing was boring, opted to create the universe. Although scientists are not sure how the universe came to be, there are many theories. Following Runescape, the most commonly accepted theory is the divine fart known as Big Bang, less commonly referred to as the Big Wang.
edit The creation of the universe
After science was made, scientists finally developed a plausible theory for the creation of the universe. The theory states that God, after going on a 0-note streak during a Nothing Hero marathon, celebrated by making himself a home made nothing-steak. This did not go so well, and he spent the night on the nothing-toilet. Finally, the main course dropped, and the universe was born - but just the smelly parts. The rest is unknown. A powerful stink odor, colloquially known to scientists as "Cosmic Background Radiation", is a result of the really bad dump.
edit The Earth
Shortly after creating the universe, God decided it would be fun to create a bunch of little people to torture at his leisure. So, he gathered together dust, stars and everything nice to create the Earth.
After creating the Earth, God made creatures gradually adapt new forms over billions of years, a process known as revolution. Slowly, (no, even slower than that!), after billions of years, humans began to appear. The first ancestors of humans, believed to be contemporaries of Neanderthals, (e.g: my ex-wife) were a species called Creationus Youngearthicus. Although their lifestyle is difficult to construct, scientists believe that, after gathering grain in the field, they would gather around the campfire and tell stories of the stars in the sky, like "The Man with Only A Hook for an Arm" and "Debbie does Jerusalem", which they believed to be the cumshots of the gods. (Holy run-on sentence!)
edit Adam and Eve
After evolving humans over hundreds of thousands of years, God created the first two humans, Adam and Eve.
But how would they be the first humans if-
Are you God?
Then stop questioning Your word.
God created the Garden of Eden for Adam and Eve to live in. However, he instructed both of them not to go near the forbidden tree, because that was where God kept his stash of pirated Facts of Life episodes.
For a while, they were happy, but then a talking snake came along and told Eve to check the tree out. Looking behind it, she found several amazing DVDs, including a video of Tootie and Natalie getting it on. She and Adam watched a few of the videos, but when God came along, they turned off the DVD and switched to the next channel, which happened to be the Yankees' game. Realizing that no human being would willingly watch the Yankees without being tortured, God thought that something was amiss. God looked behind the forbidden tree and was horrified to find that most of his DVDs were gone, including his five-hour cut of The Facts of life reunion!
Enraged, God expelled Adam and Eve from the garden, and they wandered the Earth, eventually giving birth to two sons, Cain and Abel. Then, after hundreds of years, they finally died. I know, I don't understand it either.
Cain and Abel didn't like each other: Abel was always getting more girls then Cain, and Cain was always hogging all of the pizza. Finally, Cain decided to take down Abel once and for all. When he wasn't looking, Cain took a rock and beat Abel to death. Eventually, God arrived on the scene. Biblical scholars believed the showdown when something like this:
God (noticing Abel's body): Oh... my...SELF! CAIN!
God: Cain, did you kill your brother?
Cain: Huh? I'm not Cain.
God: You're not.
Cain: Nope. I'm... Abel.
God: You're really fucked now!
For killing his brother, God put Cain in hell, where he was forced to watch Freddy Got Fingered for all eternity.
edit Noah's Ark
After this, God eventually decided that people had gotten out of hand. So, he decided to flood the world over a period of 40 days.
But how did I get it all to go away?
Before pulling a Katrina on the Earth, God decided that he would find the one man on Earth who was still righteous (he did not, however, choose to find someone who was gnarly). He decided on Noah, and he instructed him to build an ark. On that, ark, God said, Noah should bring two of each animal and a whole lot of video cameras. After Noah set sail, God summoned the waters of the Earth and did some serious fucking flooding.
But wait. What about all the animals living in the sea?
For 40 days, it rained, and Noah was very bored. Finally, God received the Water bill.
But if I'm God, why would I have to pay water bills? I mean, couldn't I just like, raise the oceans above land or something?
edit The Jews
After a while, a race would emerge that would become God's chosen people for getting him out of debt - the Jews. To lead the Jews, God chose Moses, and gave Moses ten rules to obey:
1. Thou shalt not wear a condom.
2. Thou shalt not root for the Chargers.
3. Thou shalt keep thy religion to thyself.
4. Thou shalt watch cartoons.
5. Thou shalt worship no other Gods before me, except for Zeus and Douglas Adams, and occasionally Bacon.
6. Thou shalt eat only kosher fetuses.
7. Thou shalt not drink and drive.
8. Thou shalt not be a fan of the men's ballet.
9. Thou shalt not trust the government.
10. Thou shalt smoke weed all day.
10.5 Thou shalt not listen to Celine Dion.
With these rules, the Jews prospered. Eventually, however, they were enslaved by the Egyptians. Moses begged the Pharaoh to give him a spliff, but he wouldn't listen. Finally, God sent several plagues on Egypt: he made all of their Xboxes have a certain red ring, and, worst of all, he made the first-born sons play soccer, which sucks. Finally, the Pharaoh agreed to let them go. | <urn:uuid:6f2ae007-33c3-44b7-88a3-961104925f2c> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://uncyclopedia.wikia.com/wiki/432BC | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368704713110/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516114513-00005-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.974042 | 1,402 | 1.84375 | 2 |
But how do you choose the right one?
Increasingly, Americans are deciding that prepaid cards are a good idea. In fact, prepaid cards are one of the few banking services products that are on the rise. A brand new study out from Javelin Research shows pre-paid card use was up 18% in 2011 from 2010, from 11% of the population to 13% on a year-to-year basis. The upward spike in prepaid card use comes at time when usage of checking accounts and debit cards -- products consumers equate with having high fees -- are edging downward.
Prepaid cards are especially popular with consumers who either don’t have a bank account, or who have suffered some financial setbacks or who are looking to get their credit rating back on track. Banks know that consumers are tapping into prepaid cards, and are making them more attractive by adding social media functions and mobile phone apps for card users.
Today’s prepaid features match and even surpass the features of many checking accounts, explains Beth Robertson, director of payments research at Javelin. “(That includes) functionality that can enable consumers to manage their account using their mobile device or social media account, establish and build a history that can be used for credit-issuing or enable person-to-person transfers provide high value to underserved consumers.”
If you’re a consumer angling for a prepaid card, what’s your best move? American Express is out with a new guide on prepaid cards that lays out some options for potential customers.
The biggest obstacle might be high fees linked to prepaid cards. But as more demand rises for the cards, Amex says that resulting competition among providers is keeping costs down. “The prepaid reloadable card industry has historically been laden with hidden fees and confusing terms, but new competition is beginning to change that,” notes Alpesh Chokshi, president of global payment options at American Express (Stock Quote: AXP).
Amex notes that competition has led to more “fee-lite” prepaid cards, so job number one for consumers is to study the fine print and ask card providers for a list of possible fees on any prepaid card they sign on to.
Some other tips for consumers from the Amex prepaid card guide include:
- Make sure your card is “consumer friendly” – Make sure to ask the provider about fraud protection, and ask for good perks like roadside assistance and travel insurance. Card companies want your business, so chances are they’ll go an extra mile to accommodate you – but you have to ask.
- Does the card suit you? – You’ll want to look for a card that is light on transaction fees, especially if you’ll be using the prepaid card in place of a debit card – that should translate into more transactions. Ask about any free ATM networks, as well.
- Ask about inactivity fees – Prepaid card providers may charge you if you don’t use the card, so ask about any fees triggered by inactivity. Use your card just enough not to trigger those fees, and make sure to get cash back at the point of purchase, and not from an ATM. Chances are there’s a fee for that, too.
For some consumers, a prepaid card may be a match made in heaven – if you get the right card use it wisely. | <urn:uuid:ab3998ac-8afd-4a31-ba32-b2570d9f6afd> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.mainstreet.com/article/moneyinvesting/credit/debt/prepaid-cards-growing-popularity?puc=quo | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368704132298/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516113532-00015-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.951991 | 702 | 1.523438 | 2 |
The Department of Homeland Security is positioning itself to assume immense domestic law-enforcement and surveillance powers. From patrolling the traffic on the Internet to consolidating local police power, DHS is accumulating all the unconstitutional authority necessary for a proper Stasi-like secret police force.
A recent story published by California Watch reported that DHS inked a new $443 million deal with über-defense contractor General Atomics to purchase 14 additional Predator drones. If (when) the new craft are delivered to DHS, there would be 24 drones in the agency’s fleet.
As we have chronicled, Predator is the preferred model of unmanned aerial vehicle of the U.S. military for prosecuting its death-by-drone program in Pakistan, Yemen, Afghanistan, and elsewhere overseas. What doesn’t receive nearly as much press is the domestic deployment of these remote control armed spy planes.
DHS is particularly fond of this brand of drone, having spent over $250 million since 2006 on building its Predator fleet. Reportedly, DHS is using the devices to patrol the porous border separating the United States from Mexico.
This new exclusive, exorbitant deal with General Atomics is curious in light of the scathing report on DHS waste issued in June by the Inspector General. As reported by Huffington Post: "The Homeland Security inspector general's office in a June audit recommended that Customs and Border Protection stop buying the drones until officials figure out a budget plan for the program and how to get the most use out of the unmanned aircraft, which are frequently grounded by inclement weather."
Specifically, the Inspector General found that the drones were often grounded by harsh weather conditions and were not flying enough to justify the cost on the vehicles’ outrageous price tags. Not to mention the mangling by DHS managers of the flight schedules proposed for the Predators. “CBP has not adequately planned to fund unmanned aircraft-related equipment. As a result of CBP’s insufficient funding approach, future UAS [unmanned aerial systems] missions may have to be curtailed,” the Inspector General’s report states.
Click here to read the entire article. | <urn:uuid:d45e5cc7-7d78-4190-b32e-73d7c5dfd978> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.jbs.org/constitution/dhs-inks-443-million-deal-to-buy-more-drones | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368704392896/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516113952-00012-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.947349 | 437 | 1.507813 | 2 |
Michael Patrick MacDonald grew up in South Boston’s Old Colony
housing project. After losing four siblings and seeing his generation
decimated by poverty, crime, and addiction, he became a leading
Boston activist, helping launch many antiviolence initiatives, including
gun-buyback programs. He continues to work for social change nationally,
collaborating with survivor families and young people.
MacDonald won the American Book Award in 2000. His national bestseller,
All Souls, and his follow-up, Easter Rising: A Memoir
of Roots and Rebellion have been adopted by university curriculums
across the country. MacDonald has written numerous essays for the
Boston Globe Op-Ed Page and has completed the screenplay of All
Souls for director Ron Shelton. He is currently Author-in-Residence
at Northeastern University. He lives in Brooklyn, NY. | <urn:uuid:a9f9fa91-1d0c-45c1-9af3-93829687c6ce> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.michaelpatrickmacdonald.com/bio.html | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368696381249/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516092621-00023-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.95954 | 183 | 1.6875 | 2 |
Google plans to submit applications for several generic top-level domains (gTLDs) before the April 12th deadline for this round of submissions. ICANN previously said that 200-300 new TLDs will be approved in this initial round and each one annually, “with no more than 1,000 new gTLDs... added to the root zone in a year.”
The search giant doesn’t necessarily need to lock down TLDs unless they plan to use them, though they’re in a better position than some to foot the $185,000 bill per application. ICANN has stringent guidelines about who may register what, as far as TLDs go; Google needn’t worry about an enterprising squatter scooping up the .Google, .YouTube, or other TLDs for trademarked names.
As for their actual plans for the new TLDs, Google isn’t talking. A Google spokesperson did confirm to Advertising Age Google’s intent to purchase, saying in a written statement: "We plan to apply for Google's trademarked TLDs, as well as a handful of new ones. We want to help make this a smooth experience for web users -- one that promotes innovation and competition on the internet."
That statement seems to hint at changes for Google account users. It seems far more likely, in mind anyway, that Google would assign users an address corresponding with their username, rather than actually selling off domains for $10 or $20 a year. For example, a Google+ page address could become username.google, or a YouTube channel username.youtube.
It would be an interesting solution to the Google+ custom URL issue. Currently, it doesn’t seem brands can set a custom URL for their Google+ page; not through Google, anyway. If Google has been waiting to assign custom URLs from their own TLD, it would explain why a pretty necessary and expected feature has not yet been made available.
Google has taken a lot of flack for the lackluster performance of Google+ to date, but like I said back in February, “Google is shooting for a model that makes the entire web, or as much of it as they can lay claim to, their ecosystem.” This really does seem like the next logical step for them.
Google reps who have spoken at various events about Google+, including Larry Page, Vic Gundotra and Bradley Horowitz, have always seemed confident. They are comfortable and happy with its growth, they are staying the course, they have a long-term strategy, etc. Giving users their own unique user.google web address makes sense as a part of that strategy.
As an interesting aside, this round of TLDs will mark the first time non-alphanumeric characters will be allowed. Could we see branded URLs such as cocacola.google+ for Coca-Cola’s Google+ page, or even www.cocacola.g+? It would certainly help Google make their social media platform a more integral part of their bigger brands’ online marketing efforts.
Over at Facebook, Pages have had the ability to set a custom URL for years. It’s no surprise, then, that Facebook spokesperson Brandon McCormick told Advertising Age they hadn’t applied for a Facebook TLD (at least, not yet). Brands and individual users at Facebook have already locked down their unique web addresses as facebook.com/username; switching now would be a nightmare.
Still, the application deadline isn’t for a few days yet. Time will tell which companies make the cut and how many of the 200-300 available gTLDs each are able to secure.
Early Bird Rates have been extended!
June 12-14, 2013: Join industry experts at SES Toronto for a crash course in the latest strategies in Online Marketing and Advertising.
Save $300 when you register by Thursday, May 23. | <urn:uuid:64ba3cd6-9d9b-47e2-ae73-33bd04e96749> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://searchenginewatch.com/article/2166757/Could-Googles-New-gTLDs-Be-the-Custom-URL-Answer-at-Google?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+sewblog+%28Search+Engine+Watch+Blog%29 | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368702810651/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516111330-00037-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.949101 | 815 | 1.578125 | 2 |
Over 100 scholars from a variety of disciplines are convening today for three days to discuss research on corporate sustainability at the Yale School of Forestry & Environmental Studies.
The conference will review academic papers and pedagogical techniques on sustainable business practices until May 18. It is sponsored by the Alliance for Research on Corporate Sustainability, a consortium of universities that encourages research on corporate sustainability, and hosted by the Yale Center for Business and the Environment. The principal activity of the conference will be to review 23 working papers in corporate sustainability on May 17 and 18.
“Leading corporations realize now that sustainable business practices are not only good for brand recognition, but can reduce costs, increase profits and provide for the long-term,” said Marian Chertow, the conference chair and associate professor of industrial environmental management at F&ES. “This conference features the latest in the business sustainability literature.”
Today, Jim Rogers, chair, president and CEO of Duke Energy, will deliver the keynote speech, discussing how to build shareholder value by using environmental strategy. Under his leadership, Duke has invested $7 billion to generate clean energy and is the only utility named on the Dow Jones Sustainability World Index.
Also today, educators and business leaders are discussing how to make corporate sustainability a meaningful topic in the classroom in an all-day session titled “From Classrooms to Boardrooms: Embedding Sustainability Research in Curriculum and Corporate Strategy” in Burke Auditorium.
On May 17, Ma Jun, executive director of the Institute of Public and Environmental Affairs and a leading expert on supply chains in China, will speak by video from Beijing. He was a Yale World Fellow and in April received a Goldman Environmental Prize, the world’s largest prize honoring grassroots environmentalists. In 2006 he was named by Time Magazine as one of the 100 most influential people in the world.
Also on May 17, Dan Esty, commissioner of the Connecticut Department of Energy and Environmental Protection, will discuss what every executive must know to manage the environmental challenges facing society and business. And on May 18, Mark Vachon, vice president of ecomagination at GE, will discuss his company’s investment of $5 billion in clean-tech research and development. | <urn:uuid:3b055624-8ed0-48b9-aaac-551d02e71122> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://environment.yale.edu/news/article/conference-on-corporate-sustainability-research/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368710006682/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516131326-00018-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.945607 | 462 | 1.570313 | 2 |
XML & Web services: saving state while talking to web service
- Posted by: Maciej Zywno
- Posted on: February 20 2004 11:51 EST
I would like to add webservice interface to a legacy application, but I am completely new to webservices(although I know the idea of course). I am trying to find out if there is any standard for saving a state while talking to a webservice.
I know that it is preferable to treat a webservice as a black box, but due to the fact that I deal with a legacy system, I suppose I will have to have a webservice session anyway.
I heard something about a SOAP extension that enables saving state in a SOAP header.
Can you suggest some links or papers or maybe a brief solution to my problem?
Firstly, Web Services (WS), at present,are stateless. WSDL 1.1 does not allow one to describe a WS as stateful. However, WSDL 1.2 will allow one to describe Grid Services, and hence stateful services. Maybe a fellow community member can give us some implementation specifics on this...
Also, I would say this could be handled differently depending on whether you are creating an RPC or a Document-Literal Web Service interface. A Doc-Lit interface doesnt describe the data coming over the wire at all and hence if you and your integration partner can agree on an integration architecture and XML Schema that allows one to pass information about state, then this is possible. This is a common scenario in the B2Bi space where folks have built stateful XML SOA Document Literal interfaces with their own proprietary state handling mechanisms within their proprietary xml message schema.
And in addition... there is a difference between a stateful interface and a message schema that can pass state around. I would really like to hear how other folks in the industry are feeling my pain, and what they are doing about it.
Integration Middleware Architect, IBM
A service oriented architecture is by definition stateless. You should give the service all the data it needs or you could save that data in the database and give the service the keys to access this data.
Hope this helps, | <urn:uuid:8b24d2e7-a563-4495-a97a-aa32b0c48bfa> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.theserverside.com/discussions/thread.tss?thread_id=24090 | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368696381249/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516092621-00034-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.932991 | 461 | 1.773438 | 2 |
One of the bigger challenges for bloggers is generating fresh and unique content at a consistent pace. There are many reasons why it is not easy. Monotony or bloggers block can cause spirits to wane. They may not have enough content to generate. If the purpose is to make money, a lot of time may need to be spent on marketing leaving lesser time for content. If you are blogging part time, your day job might not leave you with enough time or energy to write content.
There are ways to overcome this challenge by generating content from alternate sources. Not only to take care of the issues mentioned here, but also to add more variety and depth to the content. This is where you can get content from when you are not able to provide yourself adequately:
Guest Writers: It is not uncommon to invite others to contribute to your blog if they have something relevant to add. The guest could write a one-off post, or even agree to post something at a regular frequency. Their motivation to do so may be an opportunity to be featured in what they consider a quality media outlet, to do you a favour or even to earn some money. The last mentioned can be an option if you have a budget to pay writers.
Make it a collaborative blog: While blogs are usually perceived as one-person efforts, it need not be the rule. Nor is it always the case especially when operations cross a certain level. You could partner with one or more persons on the blog giving you more contributors. Even if everyone cannot write, division of labour can ensure all necessary functions like content, marketing and technology are given their due attention by the various partners.
Read the rest of this entry » | <urn:uuid:13051b87-44f0-4059-b63f-3fc19b63259b> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://blogs.digitss.com/tag/content/ | 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 | 0.951686 | 341 | 1.648438 | 2 |
“A major promotion during 1956 was the National Golden Queen Festival, presided over by Queen Shirley Bagwell. Many beauties from the four major tobacco raising states entered the Queen’s contest, and Governor [Orval] Faubus of Arkansas was a key speaker….”
– From “Selma’s Colorful Century, 1867-1967″ (selmanc.info)
Whatever happened to the National Golden Queen Festival?
And to Shirley Bagwell? She was also a semifinalist in the 1956 Miss USA pageant, but lacking a photo I can’t say for sure this is her royal depiction on the pinback button. Is there a Golden Queen expert in the house? | <urn:uuid:48382e8d-095d-4578-b4b4-ba939906dfd7> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.lib.unc.edu/blogs/ncm/index.php/2010/10/03/national-golden-queen-where-are-you/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368707435344/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516123035-00023-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.945401 | 148 | 1.726563 | 2 |
If you’ve followed insideHPC for any period of time, you’ll know that we love any reason to get us out of the office [in fact, our spouses usually encourage it]. You’ve also probably become accustomed to our annual Supercomputing conference. But what else is there? Our dear friend Andrew Jones wrote up a great overview for the greenhorn HPC techie looking for great events to attend throughout the year. Despite all the fanfare, there are plenty of great things to do within the HPC universe outside of SC.
Whatever your scale of technical computing, from multicore workstations to multi-thousand-node supercomputers, getting involved with the active HPC community can help you with your parallel computing goals. Online resources can help, but by far the most effective way of benefiting from the wider HPC community is by participating at the right events.
The most obvious event to attend is easy: the annual Supercomputing show held in the US. However, if you’re interested in a more personable event of similar scale, check out the International Supercomputing Conference [ISC] in Europe. It averages about 2,000 attendees as opposed to the 10K that peruse the floor at SC.
What if you’re more interested in the purely technical side of HPC. Case studies, networking and project collaboration are really what you’re after. Andrew suggests you check out the bi-annual HPC User Forum and/or the Newport event.
There are plenty of other great events throughout the year as well. Many of the various vendors have user group meetings, the IEEE and ACM both hold numerous domain-specific events and SIAM will even help you with your math homework. At the end of the day, the name of the game is participation. Get our of your element and participate with your peers. HPC users include some of the most dynamic and interesting individuals in science and tech. Use your peers to further your own pursuit of knowledge.
Many people have rightly remarked that the HPC community really is that — a community — and that there is still a relatively high degree of connection between the various practitioners. In other words, despite its growing size and global reach, it feels like a small community. People know each other.
The only other obvious reason to attend any of these shows is simply to meet Andrew himself. He’s been known to frequent many of the aforementioned events. In the mean time, check out his full article here. | <urn:uuid:26251eb3-e79a-4969-9efb-133a699e62fb> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://insidehpc.com/2010/02/25/andrews-corner-hpc-event-guide/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368699881956/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516102441-00030-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.961759 | 519 | 1.578125 | 2 |
|This website has been developed to provide information to patients, families, health care providers, students and the general public on the unique conditions of chromosomal mosaicism. We have tried to create an easy-to-navigate, comprehensive website of interest for those both with or without a scientific background and to provide in-depth coverage of specific abnormalities.
If you are * new * to the term chromosomal mosaicism, we encourage you to navigate through the site from beginning to end to gain a complete understanding of the complexities of these conditions. Please be sure to use the glossary for simple explanations and links to other sites.
If you are familiar with the conditions of chromosomal mosaicism but you are looking for more in-depth information, look for the sections designated with "more scientific details". In these sections we have provided more exhaustive descriptions of some of the mechanisms behind these conditions. If you are looking for information on a specific abnormality then you may want to jump straight to the Chromosome specific information section.
Please note, that while we are happy to provide the information in this website to you, we cannot give out medical advice over the internet. We feel that it is important to preserve the health care provider-patient relationship. However, please feel free to refer your health care provider to our site and the references herein.
We are very interested in learning of new cases of prenatally detected mosaicism and hearing of pregnancy outcomes. More about our research can be found on our lab website. | <urn:uuid:1d6a5ce6-eb84-4ea8-bc45-9fa618a1fd5c> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://mosaicism.cfri.ca/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368707435344/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516123035-00023-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.934112 | 305 | 1.84375 | 2 |
It's time to get enrolled in "Monsters University." Literally.
In anticipation of the upcoming "Monsters, Inc." sequel, Disney has launched an actual university website for "Monsters University." Fans can head over to the new website to "excel in the art of extreme creepiness" in the Monsters University School of Scaring, School of Engineering, School of Science, School of Business or School of Liberal Arts & Monstrosities. We'll probably take the latter.
There's plenty more to do on the college website. You can read about admissions rules, social activities happening on campus, upcoming events and, yes, even Greek Life. Though it's pretty clear that this is related to "Monsters University," there's no specific mention of the upcoming Pixar film on the site.
Here's the history of Monsters University, just one of many fun tidbits on the website:
"Established in 1313 following a land grant from the city of Monstropolis, Monsters University has grown from a small local center of learning to a leading global institution of higher education. Upon this hallowed ground, some of the most fabled academic buildings in the world have been built, serving the hundreds of thousands of alumni that have walked the halls and grounds of MU," the site explains.
"Monsters University" acts as a prequel to "Monsters, Inc." and tells the story of Mike Wazowski and James P. "Sulley" Sullivan as they enter college at the University of Fear. Though we know they end up as certified monsters eventually, the road there is a little bit bumpy. The film is due out on June 21, 2013.
What do you think of this new website? Tell us in the comments section below or on Twitter! | <urn:uuid:1ef3655f-e7ab-4bf4-956c-7a52cb8a34ad> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://moviesblog.mtv.com/2012/10/09/monsters-university-viral-website/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368706153698/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516120913-00003-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.953371 | 363 | 1.695313 | 2 |
Italy Senate gives austerity budget first nod
ROME (Reuters) - Italy's austerity budget passed its first parliamentary hurdle on Thursday but the opposition says Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi's government is in a shambles and should resign after it is finally approved.
The four-year package, which has been increased to 48 billion euros (42 billion pounds) from 40 billion euros in the last 24 hours, is aimed at balancing the budget by 2014.
The upper house approved it by a margin of 161-135. It is due to be approved by the lower house Chamber of Deputies on Friday and signed into law several hours later.
Italy has avoided the worst of the financial crisis thanks to strong controls on public spending, a conservative banking system and a high level of private savings.
But with Greece and Ireland both in trouble, markets have been unnerved by a public debt level that is among the highest in the world at 120 percent of gross domestic product.
Italy's delicate position was underscored by a bond auction hours before the vote in which the Treasury managed to sell 4.97 billion euros of long-term paper but only by offering high yields, that analysts said were unsustainable.
Addressing the Senate shortly before the vote, Economy Minister Giulio Tremonti said Europe needed a political solution to the unraveling debt crisis because no country would be spared dire consequences.
"No-one should have any illusions of individual salvation. Just like on the Titanic, not even the first class passengers will be saved," he said, referring to Europe's stronger economies.
The opposition voted against the measure but did not present amendments or carry out any filibustering tactics -- it hopes to show voters it is acting responsibly to overcome the crisis.
To underscore its resolve, the government called a confidence vote on the measure to streamline its passage.
Bond traders have targeted Italy, the euro zone's third-largest economy, because of doubts about its ability to sustain one of the world's heaviest debt burdens and fears it is getting sucked into a widening debt crisis.
Thursday's auction was seen as a vital test of Italy's ability to tap into the bond markets and keep refinancing a debt mountain equivalent to 120 percent of gross domestic product, second only to Greece in the euro zone.
But while nearly all of the bonds were sold, analysts said the rise in borrowing costs would be unsustainable in the long term.
The political consensus on debt-cutting measures earlier this week helped calm nervous markets, which picked up after suffering heavy losses last week and early this week.
The Democratic Party (PD), the largest opposition group, has demanded the resignation of Berlusconi's government, saying it is too weak to face up to the storm on financial markets.
But instead of aiming for potentially traumatic early elections immediately, the PD and other opposition forces have floated the idea of a transitional government to lead the country to the scheduled elections in 2013.
Berlusconi, who has steadfastly refused to resign despite a sex scandal and corruption trials, has emerged bruised from this week's financial crisis during which he has kept a low profile.
After attacking Tremonti in a newspaper interview last week which highlighted persistent cabinet divisions, he has not appeared in public to speak about the market turmoil. He only issued a written statement on Tuesday.
Seen by international investors as a guarantor of Italy's financial stability, Tremonti's position appears to have been strengthened since the market turmoil, despite his tense relations with Berlusconi.
The opposition has demanded Berlusconi play no role in any transitional government and Tremonti has been touted by some as a possible key member, perhaps even as prime minister.
Massimo D'Alema, a former prime minister and currently an opposition leader, told the business newspaper Il Sole 24 Ore on Thursday the PD was willing to support a transitional government whose aim would be to weather the financial crisis, spur growth and make changes in the county's electoral laws.
Many observers say already tense relations between Berlusconi's People of Freedom party and its coalition partner the Northern League may develop into a full-blown government crisis, perhaps as early as September.
(Additional reporting by James Mackenzie and Giuseppe Fonte and Valentina Za in Milan; editing by Matthew Jones)
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Room 137, Bureau of Mines Building, WY
Toll Free: (307) 766-2929
Email: 766-6729 Fax
January 2, 2013 — A weekly look at Wyoming business questions from the Wyoming Small Business Development Center (WSBDC), part of WyomingEntrepreneur.Biz, a collection of business assistance programs at the University of Wyoming.
By Bruce Morse, WSBDC Region 2 director
“I attended a business roundtable luncheon recently, and there was some discussion about benchmarks. Can you elaborate on what those are and where to find them?” Mike, Torrington
Benchmarks can refer to a couple different things. Typically, when we think of benchmarks, it is in relation to either the industry a business competes in, or it could be internal goals that the company has set for itself. Internal goals often are set by management (perhaps in collaboration with staff) and can be measured in a number of ways, such as sales growth, sales per employee or per square foot, hours billed and so on. Then the business would track these monthly or quarterly to measure progress.
External benchmarks often are monitored using various financial ratios. Industry comparisons can be found in trade associations or other national sources that compile these numbers. One that banks typically use is RMA, or the Risk Management Association, which tracks many ratios such as liquidity ratios (current, quick), profitability ratios (gross and net margins), efficiency ratios (return on assets, return on investment), and working capital cycle ratios (inventory turnover, accounts receivable turnover and accounts payable turnover). These are just a few that could be monitored. Each business must decide which are important to them. For instance, if you are a cash-only business, accounts receivable turnover would not make sense.
The first step is to know where you stand currently. Having accurate and timely financial data for your business is critical. If you are looking for benchmarks for your business and you belong to a trade association, start there. If they don’t collect or provide that information, ask your bank if it can help you. If not, contact the Small Business Development Center in your area, and we will be happy to assist in locating comparison data and setting up a system to monitor your progress.
A blog version of this article and an opportunity to post comments is available at http://www.wyomingentrepreneur.typepad.com/blog/.
The WSBDC is a partnership of the U.S. Small Business Administration, the Wyoming Business Council and the University of Wyoming. To ask a question, call 1-800-348-5194, email [email protected] or write 1000 E. University Ave., Dept. 3922, Laramie, WY, 82071-3922. | <urn:uuid:854e7d7f-4fbb-4ae4-982f-a67a52d934fd> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.uwyo.edu/uw/news/2013/01/wyoming-business-tips-for-jan.-6-jan.-12.html | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368696382584/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516092622-00031-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.933349 | 580 | 1.78125 | 2 |
Liviu Floria began his shift at the In Amenas plant last Wednesday expecting a day like any other, but the Romanian gas worker would within days find himself wandering through the desert with seven co-workers, desperate to escape the Algerian militants who had seized the facility, reports the New York Times. After seeing militants fire on security guards outside, Floria and a companion managed to evade capture while hiding under a desk for five hours. After 24 hours holed up in an office, Floria and his companion managed to team up with six others, and together decided their only option was to attempt an escape through the desert.
Under cover of darkness, the group managed to squeeze below the razor wire topping the six-foot fence surrounding the facility. They then set off toward the light of a burning gas well with only four bottles of water between them. When the sun rose, obliterating the flame's appearance, they relied on a compass app on Floria's iPhone and ultimately reached the well. Four of the men were able to make it from there to a nearby road, where they flagged down Algerian security officers. All eight men were eventually evacuated. One amazing detail: Floria thinks his early bedtime the night before the attack may have saved him; he rose early as a result, left the living area, and reached the processing facility minutes before the militants arrived. | <urn:uuid:ff269631-431c-4a9b-901a-b43f385a602e> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.newser.com/story/161487/algeria-gas-plant-survivor-tells-of-harrowing-escape.html | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368710006682/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516131326-00004-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.972939 | 278 | 1.703125 | 2 |
You are your home. Over the past 5,000 years, the Chinese have proven with time-tested accuracy that you can enhance your life when you enhnce your home decor with feng shui.
Feng shui, which literally translates as “wind and water,” provides simple and simply wonderful ways to design your environment to benefit your career, relationships, and finances. While the design of all areas of your home is equally important in bringing harmony to your life, your desk, its placement, and the way it’s accessorized are significant in bringing about creativity in your personal and financial affairs.
To understand how feng shui works, consider the stress you feel when you have much to do and little time to do it. Now add to the mix a cluttered, disorganized desktop. When there is no room on your desk, there is no room to think. When you clear your desktop, however, you also clear your head. You become better organized, less stressed, and allow new possibilities, ideas, and creative solutions an unfettered path to enter.
Because feng shui works via your unconscious response to what you see and experience in any given environment, imagine all the life-enhancing possibilities the following desk-decorating tips will make in your life:
• Avoid Jessie James Syndrome: Never sit at a desk with your back to the door. (Jessie would never have been able to count his bounty with his back to the door). If this situation can’t be avoided, place a small mirror in front of you so you can see someone entering the room. Being startled from behind creates insecurity; at your desk, this means financial insecurity.
• Design your desk so everything you need is easily accessible simply by spinning around in your chair or reaching across the desktop.
• Position your light source so it doesn’t create a “shadow of darkness” on the desktop. Avoid glare and use natural lighting to “lluminate” creative possibilities. Direct light for optimum efficiency: Right-handers should direct the light over their left shoulder, lefties over their right shoulder.
• Surround yourself with art and accessories that make you happy. Good feng shui means placing yourself amid furnishings you find beautiful, functional, and/or symbolic. What art and accessories symbolize personal or financial success to you? If you love to travel, consider placing beautiful travel photographs in metal frames on your desktop (metal represents abundance). If you’re an accomplished gourmet cook—or simply an accomplished gourmand—a metal gravy boat could serve as an ideal pencil holder. Even if you only use your desk to pay bills, consider accessorizing it with a beautiful, empty metal bowl to symbolically provide a place to hold your wealth.
Wherever in your home you choose to use feng shui—the ancient Chinese art of placement—you can positively enhance your wealth, health, and happiness quotients. How you nurture your physical environment is as important as how you nurture your body, mind, and spirit. In this case, even your desktop can become a mirror of your soul.
To help jump-start your professional life, call on the bagua life-situation chart to help you dress your desk for success. The bagua is a holistic symbol derived directly from the ancient Chinese text, I Ching. The eight sides of this simple figure represent the eight life aspects. Once you identify where these aspects are in your home, you can energize them with any number of cures and enhancements to stimulate positive ch’i and create good feng shui.
To allow health, wealth, and prosperity a clear path into your life, apply the bagua to your desktop much as you might map out a room plan. When seated at your desk, consider the section directly in front of you as the Career section. Moving counterclockwise, the next section of the bagua is Helpful People and Travel. Following are the sections for Creativity, Relationships, Fame and Reputation, Wealth and Fortunate Blessings, Health and Family, and Knowledge and Wisdom.
Knowing that the practice of feng shui affects the flow of positive ch’i, you will want to place even the most common, everyday desk items with creative intent in order to realize the greatest success.
Career. Stationery, notepaper, and a pen placed in this sector will remind you to contact people important to your career. Keep this area clear if you are ready to accept new projects.
Helpful People & Travel. An address book with phone numbers and addresses—including those you rely on in your business, such as employees, customers, and suppliers—should be placed here as a reminder of the people you welcome in your life. Include in the book those with whom you share positive personal and professional news and who are always there to lend a helping hand or sympathetic ear. A passport placed here can represent being ready to expand your professional or personal life to distant shores.
Creativity. A clock in this sector activates creative new ideas because the motion of the hands activates ch’i, and the clock’s silver surface is appropriate here because metal is the element linked to this section of the bagua.
Relationships. A crystal vase placed here symbolizes a vessel with the ability to contain nourishment from all your relationships. The flowers are living ch’i that attract new growth to you. This arrangement is further activated through the type, color, and number of flowers chosen. Tulips are a welcome sight in spring, reminding you of the cycle of the seasons and hope for new life in relationships. The flowers’ white, pink, and red colors—the Valentine colors of the West—are related to issues of the heart, as they are in the East. Additionally, these colors typify this section of the bagua. And the selection of nine flowers is auspicious. This number, used repeatedly in feng shui cures to symbolize all eight sides of the bagua plus its center, represents completion and movement.
The silver letter holder is placed here to hold the energy of people contacting you. The envelopes it contains represent thoughts about relationships sent out into the world.
Fame & Reputation. Fire is the element linked to this area of the bagua, representing your light shining brightly so that others can find what you have to offer on both a personal and professional level. Keeping an aromatherapy candle lit while you are working at your desk also is an excellent way to enhance your ch’i in order to attract new business.
Wealth & Fortunate Blessings. Placing something substantial like a paperweight in this section attracts substantial wealth and blessings; the crystal paperweight’s heft and hue, and the fact that it is an expensive desk accessory, make it particularly suitable. The silver bookmark holding the pages of the checkbook is an object of value that also denotes wealth. The checkbook itself has obvious connections to your financial well-being; visualize a steady and balanced flow of resources moving through it.
Health & Family. Placing family photos here reminds you how your loved ones support each other and your work in the world. Having them before you can motivate you to excellence in honor of the generations before and after you. A cup of your favorite tea here will comfort you at personal and professional tasks, whether you need a quick boost of energy or a soothing herbal brew.
Knowledge & Wisdom. The magnifying glass symbolizes close examination, representing all the details that add to your knowledge of both objects and situations. A ruler allows for precision and accuracy in your work.
Note that no sharp objects, such as scissors and letter openers, are found on this desktop. Rather, they should be stored in a drawer to protect you from harsh, cutting ch’i.
By artfully placing your desk accessories in the appropriate bagua sector, you can be assured of personal and professional success—and a wealth of possibilities.
Jami Lin is an internationally renowned author, lecturer, and feng shui consultant with more than twenty years’ experience as a professional interior designer. Laurelyn Baker is a noted author, speaker, mentor, and radio guest known for her detailed feng shui analyses of commercial and residential spaces. | <urn:uuid:03263bbc-7673-4f94-84e3-7fcbea08dfd5> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.motherearthliving.com/green-homes/desktop.aspx | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368705195219/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516115315-00029-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.937823 | 1,713 | 1.648438 | 2 |
Officials in Lincoln County are continuing the process of purging voter rolls in preparation for November's general election.
Just last month, a Lincoln County commissioner pleaded guilty to having a hand in election fraud, and purging the rolls is one way to ensure election laws are followed in the future.
"It's to the whole county's advantage to get these books cleaned up," County Clerk Myrl Gue said.
Every employee in the County Clerk's Office spends seven-and-a-half hours a day going through thousands of voter registration cards, Gue said.
That process has not been cheap, he said. Last week, the Clerk's Office used up its budget for the year.
"We were beginning to go in the red," Gue said.
But the Lincoln County Commission allotted more money to the Clerk's Office for the purging project, Gue said.
Officials hope that, once the project is complete, voter confidence will be restored, Gue said.
"It's open and fair now," he said. "I think you'll get better people seek office. Peoples confidence should be more now"
Part of the problem the Clerk's Office workers have encountered is how long the issue had been ignored, Gue said. Voter information in the county had not been updated in a long time – some for more than 50 years.
"Some of the material they're going through is from back in the ‘60s," he said. | <urn:uuid:241f8c06-1d8e-4900-8fff-b63da88e9ee6> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.statejournal.com/story/19573079/lincoln-county-continues-purging-voter-rolls | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368700958435/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516104238-00004-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.976192 | 300 | 1.546875 | 2 |
Experiencing social media vs monitoring it
Monday, May 10, 2010
Over four years ago, I wrote this post about the importance of companies understanding their customers. I wanted to focus on this section:
What happens when you better understand your customers is that you can better serve them by anticipating their wants and needs. And the best part? As we correctly anticipate the consumers' wants and needs, and fill them, a trust is developed, which leads to the consumer lowering their defenses and letting us interact with them on a deeper level. This leads to a greater understanding of their needs, which means we can more quickly and effectively meet these needs, and thus the cycle is created.
Understanding your customers is general is obviously incredibly important, but you should also understand how your customers are using social media. This is something that often is overlooked when we advise companies on how to get started with social media. We teach them of the value of monitoring social media, of tracking company and industry mentions. Of knowing what's being said and where it is being said.
But that's only half the battle. The 'why' gives meaning to the numbers. What social tools are your customers using? Why are they using them? What information are they looking for, and how do they want it to be delivered to them?
The numbers alone don't tell the whole story. For example, last year a couple of studies came out that challenged Twitter's popularity. The studies claimed that people were flocking to Twitter, but then they stopped using the service after a few months. But the studies were looking at how Twitter users used the Twitter WEBSITE. Many Twitter users move on to a Twitter client such as Tweetdeck or Seesmic after becoming comfortable with the service. So the numbers suggested that people were leaving Twitter, when in fact they may have simply been leaving the Twitter website, for a Twitter desktop client.
You should definitely monitor social media, but ultimately, you should strive to understand the people, not the numbers. If you can reach the point where you understand how and why your customers are using social media, then you can begin to use social media to connect with them on terms that they are comfortable with. And when their comfort level increases, then your customers will more freely connect with you, and this helps you better understand them. And when you better understand them, you can better meet their wants and needs, which in turn will prompt them to more easily understand you. And thus a cycle is created and eventually the understanding on both sides reaches a point where trust enters into the equation.
But it all starts with focusing on the people, not the numbers. Be aware of the numbers, but understand the people behind them.
posted by Mack Collier @ 11:42 AM,
- At 2:38 PM, Elizabeth Brinton said...
"...you should strive to understand the people, not the numbers"
Agreed. The numbers really don't mean anything unless you can translate them to understand your customers and their behaviors better. That's when you can really improve your social media efforts.
- At 8:10 PM, Mark Evans said...
I agree that knowing how your customers or potential customers are using social media (if, in fact, they are using social media) is an important part of the social equation. In many ways, it is as important as social media monitoring because it provides important insight into what a company should be doing with social media and what services should be used.
Director of Communications
- At 11:33 AM, Peter Hirsch said...
I call this iterative trust-building process "entrainment" a term I borrowed from biology. It's the process by which, over time, fireflies flash in unison and clock pendulums come to swing in rhythm.
- At 12:13 PM, Ekaterina Walter said...
You are right, Mack. A lot of times we loose the sight of what's important focusing on the # of followers or the # of fans instead of people.
- At 5:18 PM, Mack Collier said...
Peter I like that! At first it just looks like motion, but eventually you see a pattern to the movement.
Kinda like the difference between watching a group from the outside, versus being a part of that community. You can attain the same level of understanding from the outside looking in.
- At 4:06 AM, Megan Zuniga said...
Another great post! Yes, a good rule of thumb is that quality trumps quantity at all times. You may have lots of readers/followers but no interaction, sooner or later you will lose your followers. Or those followers may not have logged on for ages.I guess this is why some companies are still reluctant to include social media in their marketing mix is because it's hard to measure the ROI, and the success of a campaign.
And Social Media is a great way to interact with your customer and you would really know what they think of your company or your product. And the best part is if they're happy with your product, they promote it for free.
- At 9:37 PM, said...
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- At 12:14 AM, Heather williams said...
Thanks for pulling this altogether. Makes a really interesting post. I’m really enjoying your blog.............
- At 3:00 PM, JustinAtSmile.ly said...
Excellent post. I agree- numbers can be misleading. It's important for companies to start thinking like customers with regards to social media. There are a number of fancy analytics programs that claim to help with assessing ROI and the effectiveness of social media campaigns, but really, it's all about the individual customer.
- At 4:56 PM, theloftbarandbistro said...
You remind me of the book by Dale Carnagie. "listen first (people). Sell second (numbers). Thanks for the post. I'm using socaul media in the restaurant industry. I apply your post to my work.
- At 1:57 AM, Custom Logo Design said...
i strongly agree!
numbers and customer satisfaction level are different things.numbers not guarantee satisfactions..
when you understand customer you understand the need patterns,and then fulfilling needs brings loyalty and retention that is the point
- At 1:35 PM, Theresa Trevor said...
I just now read this blog and I really appreciate this focus on good old fashioned "know your customer" service as opposed to "buy your customer" service. The whole shift to word-of-mouth marketing keeps people more honest (and more satisfied), in my opinion. Enjoy your blog! | <urn:uuid:9a507355-2b8e-4ea5-b14a-f405e88a08b1> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://moblogsmoproblems.blogspot.com/2010/05/experiencing-social-media-vs-monitoring.html | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368708766848/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516125246-00018-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.947246 | 1,608 | 1.5625 | 2 |
Last week, Lightspeed Venture Partners and the Amazon Web Services team brought together top technologists, startups, students, former Lightspeed Summer Fellows and venture capitalists to discuss how big data trends are impacting companies today. Companies like Boundary, DataStax, Delphix, EdgeSpring, MapR Technologies and Qubole – all working on innovative solutions in big data spanning the underlying infrastructure to analytics – were also in attendance, sharing their insight with others looking to utilize big data to make their solutions possible.
At Lightspeed, we spend a lot of time talking to entrepreneurs about big data and have been investing in companies offering disruptive solutions such as DataStax and MapR, two pioneers building enterprise class platforms for big data workloads leveraging Cassandra and Hadoop. While the big data revolution is still in its early phases of development, we believe that a shift is occurring where there is a significant opportunity for companies to gain a competitive edge by collecting and analyzing full datasets instead of crafting predictive algorithms that rely solely on sampled data. Put another way, the core theme is a simple idea that “data beats math.” We’re starting to see that almost every industry, from IT to healthcare to retail, with companies like Boundary, which uses big data to help companies monitor and improve application performance to deliver optimal performance and uptime.
It was no surprise in speaking with several attendees during last week’s event that the common theme of conversation was taking the progress that has occurred in big data platform technology over the past several years and applying it to solve specific consumer and business challenges – i.e. creating so-called “killer apps.” One such startup we spoke with was Kidaptive, a company that is developing applications for children that are created in conjunction with top university researchers to provide adaptive content that enables learning through games. As children play the games, the technology assesses their performance and provides parents with actionable intelligence and useful tips about how to further support their child’s progress and interests. At Lightspeed, we are bullish on the educational apps space and are investors in Duck Duck Moose, creator of children’s applications for mobile and tablet devices.
However, while there is a lot of excitement around using big data to bring more value to businesses and consumers, Patrick McFadin, a solutions architect from DataStax, points out that there can be a gentle balance involved. When creating these types of next-generation big data solutions, especially when information about specific consumers is being utilized, it will be important to provide them with value without crossing delicate boundaries of privacy and security.
What do you think is the next big thing for big data? How are you innovating to create a big data solution that solves business or consumer challenges? Let us know in the comments, or send me a tweet at @krishparikh. | <urn:uuid:5e50f8f0-c1ca-4b5e-aac7-8e2f3a4f6074> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://lsvp.com/2013/03/11/big-data-big-ideas-a-recap-of-lightspeeds-big-data-drink-n-sync-event/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368701852492/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516105732-00036-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.95189 | 583 | 1.578125 | 2 |
We’ve all made bad decisions with money at some point. That’s how we got into debt. That’s why we leased a car. That’s why we bought a house with no money down and went upside-down after the housing market tanked.
These decisions, while no fun to experience first-hand, are not uncommon. But every now and then, we hear a story or two about someone who spent a lot of money on something that seems, well, a bit odd.
You know the stories. When you hear them, you do a double take and say, “He spent that much money on what?”
If you’re not sure of what we’re talking about, here are some of the more high-profile examples:
Underground Doomsday Condos
Some wealthy “doomsday preppers” recently spent millions of dollars to help build luxurious underground condos in a Cold War-era missile shaft outside of Salina, Kansas. When the world ends, let’s all head to Kansas!
Emergency Rooms … in Their House
Some wealthy Americans have bypassed health insurance and built their own personal ERs, complete with on-call doctors. To skip the ER lines like this, it will cost you around a cool million.
ATMs … in Their Kitchen
You can’t make this stuff up. NBA player Deshawn Stevenson, who has earned tens of millions of dollars during his playing career, had an ATM installed in his kitchen. According to TMZ, Stevenson charges his friends a $4.50 transaction fee. The ATM contains $20,000 and is restocked around six times a year.
A Town. The Whole Thing
Actress Kim Basinger once bought the town of Braselton, Ga., for $20 million in 1989. Why? Who knows. But we do know that she lost the town when she filed for bankruptcy four years later.
A $50,000 Sandwich
On February 1, 1976, Elvis and several houseguests were hungry—with a craving for a sandwich called the Fool’s Gold Loaf. This sandwich, which comprised a hollowed-out loaf of bread, a jar of peanut butter, a jar of jelly and a pound of bacon, could only be purchased at a restaurant in Denver for $49.95. The problem? Elvis was in Memphis. So on a whim, his private plane took him and his guests from Memphis to Denver. They ate their sandwiches and went home. Total estimated cost? Around $50,000!
But what about the real world?
Most of us can’t spend a few million on an underground doomsday condo, but that doesn’t mean we don’t spend money on what might be considered stupid stuff.
We recently asked Dave’s Facebook fans about some of their more embarrassing purchases. Here’s what they had to say:
“A $1,500 heavy-duty treadmill that I never used and wound up selling later at a loss for about $450. Dumb!” —Patrick
“A girlfriend of mine actually went to a restaurant and purchased four baked potatoes at $4 each to take home and add to their family's dinner that night. I about had a heart attack. Unbelievable!” —Sandy
“Political campaign contribution using student loan money!” —David
“$2,300 life-size yeti from Skymall!” —Jill
“A $1,000 vacuum when we lived in a mobile home with only eight square feet of ugly carpet.” —Cheryl
“When I was in college, a guy I knew used $3,000 of his tuition money to purchase a Star Wars stormtrooper costume!” —Yisel
“I bought a corset at an Irish festival for $300. I wore it twice and sold it for $25. Apparently there isn't much opportunity to wear them. Who knew?” —Aubrey
That’s just a quick sample. Nearly 1,800 people have commented on this question, with all sorts of hilarious examples of crazy things they’ve bought in the past.
Now it’s your turn to chime in: What’s an example of something that made you say, “You spent that much money on what?” | <urn:uuid:c83204e8-bdfe-41d4-8523-5adee77b0033> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.daveramsey.com/blog/you-spent-money-on-what?ictid=text2.130226.what | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368703682988/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516112802-00024-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.966153 | 924 | 1.664063 | 2 |
In the Wall Street Journal, Paul Christiansen suggests, “Don’t fire staff to avoid the 50-employee trigger. Make them corporations:”
We’ve already seen many of America’s biggest companies respond to the new law by laying off employees, putting them on part-time, or raising prices. But those are short-term solutions. Ultimately, these corporations will have to innovate and restructure to thrive in the era of ObamaCare. If small businesses follow their lead, they may even gain an advantage over their big competitors.
In his 2009 book “The Future Arrived Yesterday,” veteran Silicon Valley journalist Michael S. Malone described a new organizational model called a “Protean Corporation.” Like a protozoan single-cell organism, the protean corporation has the ability to “shape shift,” rapidly adapting to internal and external forces in the market and the company. At the heart of a true protean corporation is a tiny number of core employees surrounded by a large cloud of resources, generally contracted or outsourced talent that does most of the work.
While the concept has been used successfully in large corporations like Intel, Microsoft and IBM, it is bound to appeal to smaller companies now. Such businesses have several ways to get their workforce under the 50-employee limit at which certain ObamaCare rules kick in. These include reducing workers’ hours to move full-time employees to part-time; laying off workers; and either selling the company or closing down.
“Going protean” offers a better strategy for many businesses. Owners of protean companies create a core of strategic employees who manage the big-picture elements of the enterprise—the culture, business model, product mix, vision, strategy, etc. This core then outsources the business tasks to other corporations.
Non-core tasks could include things like accounting, marketing, product development, manufacturing, IT, PR, legal, finance, etc. There is almost nothing that cannot be outsourced—including even the CEO function (which can already happen, e.g., when a company is in turnaround.)
I shot a video interview with Michael when his book originally debuted; you can watch it here:
As Christiansen warns though, “These new contracts will be a mix of large corporations, small businesses, micro-corporations and even nano-corporations (an individual doing business as a corporation). But to be a protean solution, it must involve a corporation-to-corporation relationship. Any substitute—e.g., a sole proprietorship—is only a time bomb because eventually the government will pressure you to turn any so-called 1099 contractors into employees.”
See also: The California Franchise Tax Board’s rapacious war on independent contractors.
Related: From William A. Jacobson of Legal Insurrection, “Star Wars economics in three easy lessons.” | <urn:uuid:ca91b846-115e-475e-9f5d-4e0b56df19b1> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://pjmedia.com/eddriscoll/2013/01/28/to-outsmart-obamacare-go-protean/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368699273641/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516101433-00038-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.943246 | 606 | 1.59375 | 2 |
The authors wish to acknowledge support of this work by the Office of Basic Energy Sciences of the U. S. Department of Energy. An interface damage function (IDF), which statistically describes the area fraction of interface damage as a function of up to eight parameters defining crystallite interfaces, was determined for commercial purity copper specimens crept in plane strain tension. The IDF was determined from stereological parameters measured on plane sections cut through damaged specimens. The eight-dimensional space of the function was investigated by analyzing two-dimensional projections of the complete domain. Certain special interfaces were observed to damage preferentially. A low planar density of atoms near crystallite interfaces apparently increased the propensity for the occurrence of damage. Other microstructural mechanisms contributing to the observed heterogeneous distribution of damage are also considered. | <urn:uuid:0bcbede5-76bd-4d56-acfd-6d9971f1000a> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://contentdm.lib.byu.edu/cdm/singleitem/collection/IR/id/102/rec/3 | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368704713110/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516114513-00011-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.935621 | 157 | 1.5625 | 2 |
Planning for the holiday trip? If your financial status is affordable for you to have a vacation in Scotland, please do a visit to Scottish Inner Hebrides. it is a group of islands off the west coast of Scotland. it could be grouped into 2 groups which are Northern and Southern Hebrides.
Well, the Northern Hebrides belongs to the Highland Council, and on the other hand, southern Hebrides is the part of the Argyll and Bute council. Island is always the top choices for the tourist to enjoy the nice scene and environment. In order to discover the fascinating area, you could choose for island cruises or wildlife sea tours. Besides, you also can go for the crafting, fishing and whisky distilling. The most accessible island of the Scottish Inner Hebrides could be Mull where only a short ferry ride from the Oban. Mull could be the most popular island.
Colonsay is a Scottish island situated at the north of Islay & south of Mull. The whole land area is 15.7 square miles. The best part is that the island consists of not more than 110 people. This island is famous for Colonsay House, wild goats and birds such as black legged Kittiwakes, Guillemots, Golden Eagles, Cormorants, Corncrakes etc.
In 1945 there was a film shot at Mull. The name of the movie was ‘I know where I’m going’. This can be a great tourist vacation and if you visit Colonsay you can find more than 20 different holiday cottages, plenty of landscaping views such as the stunning view of the Isle of Colonsay. The beaches are clean and clear and holiday makers can play a variety of amusements such as beach volleyball, skating, swimming, water sports etc. This can be a once in a lifetime experience for all those wishing to travel to Colonsay Island.
Following on from the meeting last year between Sam Chambers of GB Oils and representatives of the island community, which I attended,the UK Government remains one of the largest beneficiaries of this unfair situation given the high proportion of the cost of fuel which goes straight to the UK Treasury in tax. I continue to campaign on this issue and should any constituents wish to raise any individual points with me they are welcome to get in touch.
Read full article here
Allan makes case for fair fuel on day of stornoway meeting | <urn:uuid:288400ae-fac2-4477-b833-0094f11d7984> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.townofcolonsay.com/category/home/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368702810651/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516111330-00034-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.939542 | 501 | 1.523438 | 2 |
11 October Tuesday, 2011
On September 30, 2011, a leading Dutch newspaper, the NRC, published an article entitled “The Netherlands Endangers the EU Consensus on the Middle East.” In this article, the Dutch Foreign Minister Uri Rosenthal is accused of preventing the European Union from putting forward a joint statement in the United Nations Human Rights Council regarding human rights violations by Israel and the Palestinian Authority. The Foreign Minister sought to have references to a two-state solution, the arrest of human rights activists by Israel; and the destruction of Palestinian homes removed from the statement.
His counterpart from Luxembourg, Jean Asselborn, strongly criticized Rosenthal for the Dutch move. “By introducing some amendments, and above all the amendment of not having the two-state solution in the text; it was no longer possible to have a general consensus and that's catastrophic the European Union,” he said. Rosenthal's defense of the Dutch objections was based on the belief that the declaration was “unbalanced.”
Connected to this interview, a series of questions were asked by the Dutch opposition party, Democrats 66. In response to one of the questions concerning the news that the Netherlands is blocking a common EU position on the Middle East, the Foreign Minister goes on to say that the “way in which the position of human rights-defenders in Israel and the Palestinian Territories was presented did not find justification for the possibilities within the Israeli judicial system. Also the wording concerning the unlawful destruction of homes in the West Bank and East Jerusalem was unbalanced.”
The position of the Dutch government, which is very hesitant of being critical toward Israel, might find some of its roots in the composition of the Dutch cabinet. First of all, the coalition is a minority cabinet formed by two parties, the VVD (People's Party for Freedom and Democracy) and CDA (Christian Democratic Appeal), and supported by the PVV (Party for Freedom). The latter is not in the executive branch but its consent is needed for decision-making.
Before the 2010 elections the party suffered from a major internal crisis, having been very divided over entering into a coalition with the VVD and PVV. The VVD was the big winner of the June 2010 elections, they seemed very eager to govern. Ideologically, it seeks a minimum role of the government and it is a free-market advocate. It also focused on maintaining a strong position on immigration policy. Third, the PVV is a party which has a political agenda that is very much focused on national interests. Wilders turned out to be successful at gaining popular support through his nationalist, anti-immigrant policies himself, playing on the fears of a loss of the Dutch identity and Muslim vandalism in the vox populi. In the official party program of the PVV in 2010, in the chapter on “combating Islam and against mass immigration,” it states that “Islam is primarily a political ideology; a totalitarian school of thought centered around domination, violence and suppression.” Beyond that, Geert Wilders unconditionally supports the State of Israel. On many occasions, in speeches, articles, and interviews, he highlights his support. During a speech in a church in the United States on the violence against Christians in the Middle East, Wilders stated that “Israel is a safe haven for everyone, whatever their belief and opinions. Israel is a beacon of light in a region of total darkness. Israel is fighting our fight. ...We should always support Israel!”
Lastly, The Hague turned out to be one of the fiercest opponents of Palestinian statehood. “The unilateral declaration of a Palestinian state would decrease the chances of new negotiations.”
Rosenthal repeatedly reiterates the Dutch government's emphasis on giving balanced judgments and constructive criticisms to both Israel and the Palestinian Authority. However, very striking is the fact that Israel is the only country that the foreign affairs section of the Dutch government coalition agreement explicitly refers to. When a journalist asked why Israel was the only state mentioned in the agreement, Rosenthal responded that: “that is true, but there is nothing wrong with stating that you want to intensify the cooperation with Israel.” He defended the Dutch position by saying that it is and was one of the largest donors to the Palestinian Authority. “In short, balanced and constructive in both ways, that is the position of the Dutch government,” he continued.
The Hague should indeed seek an expansion of its cooperation with Israel, very much so. However, should not the Netherlands seek to intensify its cooperation with the remaining 191 member states of the United Nations as well? Would not a less narrow approach, by not only focusing on Israel, strengthen the Dutch position as a state which seeks the “promotion of international stability and safety, energy and resource security, the promotion of the international legal order … and the protection of human rights”?
The Dutch government's protection of Israel in light of human rights violations, illegal destruction of Palestinian homes, and the construction of settlements in East Jerusalem, runs counter to the emphasis on the “protection of human rights worldwide” and on the “promotion of the international legal order.” The radical and unbalanced voice of Geert Wilders seems to reinforce the Dutch position and might lead to an isolation of the Netherlands in the EU. Rosenthal calling the plans to construct 1100 new settlements in East Jerusalem merely “regrettable” does not do justice to the severity of the violation of international law that Israel is committing, as well as the very negative impact it will have on the position of the Palestinian Authority on renewing negotiations.
The European Union has had great difficulty in formulating common policy statements, on all fields. This is to the detriment of the Union's international political influence. The current Dutch government, with its radical elements, is counter-productive in the process. The media coverage of the Israel-Palestine crisis, when comparing it, for example, to the existential humanitarian crisis in sub-Saharan Africa, is pulled out of proportion. A swift resolution of the crisis should have priority. Therefore, pressing EU member states to act for the sake of unity is of utmost importance. The Dutch government's objections to the text of the joint EU statement find no justification in the current international political climate.
*All the translations made by the author are as literal as possible, for the sake of objectivity.
Partij voor de Vrijheid. 2010. Party Program: The agenda of hope and optimism. [Dutch] Available at: http://www.pvv.nl/images/stories/Webversie_VerkiezingsProgrammaPVV.pdf
Geert Wilders. 2011. A Warning to America – Speech Geert Wilders, Cornerstone Church, Nashville, 12 May 2011. Available at: http://www.geertwilders.nl/index.php/in-english-mainmenu-98/in-the-press-mainmenu-101/77-in-the-press/1750-a-warning-to-america-speech-geert-wilders-cornerstone-church-nashville-12-may-2011
De Pers, September 2, 2011
Freedom and Responsibility. Government Agreement VVD-CDA.
Freedom and Responsibility. Government Agreement VVD-CDA. | <urn:uuid:823a59ac-9be6-458d-85e6-e7e43deaf00b> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.turkishweekly.net/op-ed/2893/dutch-government-impeding-joint-eu-statement-on-israel-palestine.html | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368701459211/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516105059-00012-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.950624 | 1,510 | 1.648438 | 2 |
By: Chris Paul, PCFSN Council Member, NBA All-Star and Father of Two
In the spirit of Father’s Day during Men’s Health Week and in celebration of President Obama’s Fatherhood Initiative, some of us wrote messages to father or our own kid(s) about the impact they have in our lives. All of us seemed to agree on one essential truth: spending quality time with loved ones can have a positive and lasting impact on our health, happiness and well-being.
By: PCFSN Staff
When First Lady Michelle Obama launched the Let’s Move! Active Schools program in late February, she challenged all teachers, parents and school administrators to help bring physical activity back into our children’s schools. This call was not lost on Dr. Jayne Greenberg, member of the President's Council on Fitness, Sports & Nutrition.
By: Dominique Dawes, Co-Chair of the President's Council on Fitness, Sports & Nutrition
When I think back to my childhood years, I’m reminded of how fortunate I am to have grown up in a community that placed such a great emphasis on engaging in regular physical activity. I didn’t know it at the time, but when I was tumbling at the age of 6, I was doing more than just having a good time – I was also creating healthy habits that will benefit my health and well-being for a lifetime. | <urn:uuid:20ef26a6-7c2e-4cae-886f-3c4c27e95183> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.fitness.gov/blog-posts/index.php?year=2013&quarter=5&tag=Physical+Education | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368707435344/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516123035-00030-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.960954 | 297 | 1.648438 | 2 |
The rifle deer season opens Saturday morning in the Bemidji area and most of Minnesota.
It has been predicted there will be fewer deer in the woods in many areas after a tough winter last year. There will be a reduced number of antlerless permits available to hunters this season in many areas.
There are changes in the regulations every year, so hunters are reminded to get a copy of the regulations and review them before they head out.
Many anglers are not ready to put their boats away for the season and are feeling cheated by the cold and rainy weather this October.
The extended forecast for early November is for warmer temperatures, so there may be more opportunities for anglers to get on the lakes before the lakes freeze.
Some people really enjoy deer hunting and savor every moment they get in the woods. Other hunters actually like fishing better and would be happy if they got their deer quickly and were able to do some more fishing.
The weather is the key to fishing late in the season. The best fishing is on the warmest days when the winds are calm and there is as much sun as possible.
Fishing in November is almost like ice fishing from a boat. The same areas where large groups of fish houses will be when the ice fishing season arrives are the areas anglers should be checking in their boats late in the open water season.
Anglers with poor electronics are at a big disadvantage when it comes to looking for fish. Low end chart graphs can give unreliable signals that are tough to interpret.
Flasher sonars are much simpler than the new high-end graphs, but they are very accurate when anglers know how to read them.
Flashers are multi-purpose units that can be used year 'round if anglers buy high-speed transducers for their boats and puck style transducers for the winter.
Anglers still out on the lakes will notice that most of the docks have been removed from the public accesses. It's often easier for two people to launch a boat without a dock, so bring along a friend to help make the task of launching easier.
Anglers can usually launch a boat alone without getting their feet wet if they wear a pair of tall rubber boots. Oversized boots are easier to take on and off, so if you don't plan to do a lot of walking in the boots, don't be afraid to buy a larger size.
Anglers have been catching walleyes out of deep water in most lakes. The walleyes are almost always close to their food in the cold water, so anglers should watch for the big schools of baitfish when they are searching for walleyes.
Jigs and minnows are the bait of choice for most anglers late in the fall, regardless if they are fishing for walleyes, crappies or perch. Some anglers even use ice fishing techniques like jigging spoons or jigging minnows late in the open water season.
Crappies have been active in deep water in many lakes, where they have been tightly schooled. Some crappies have been close to the bottom, which makes them easier to catch, while other crappies have been suspended farther from the bottom.
Anglers can catch the suspended crappies if they can get their baits into the right zone. Crappies like to feed up, so baits at or just above their eye level are more likely to attract bites.
If the crappies are in really deep water, it is sometimes easier to drop the jig all the way to the bottom and then raise it back up to the level of the crappies. Anglers that can see their baits on sonar have a big advantage and can get their baits to the level of the crappies more easily.
There are still a few muskie anglers on the lakes, too. Many of them will cast until they get cold hands and then spend the rest of their time trolling baits. The key areas for both muskies and big pike have been where ever there are tulibees and whitefish spawning.
Paul A. Nelson runs the Bemidji Area Lakes Guide Service. He can be e-mailed at [email protected]. | <urn:uuid:966fda70-6206-4e17-af71-1175edf1d541> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.bemidjipioneer.com/content/paul-nelson-column-nov-6-deer-hunting-starts-anglers-lament-seasons-end | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368703682988/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516112802-00003-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.967386 | 884 | 1.828125 | 2 |
Okay so Roxy loves to lay in the sun, either outside or near the front door. She will lay in the sun until she is overheating and panting. This has happened once before, but she was laying outside on the concrete and I thought maybe she was bitten by some kind of bug and had an allergic reaction, so gave her some Benadryl PO and eventually the spots were gone.
Now it has happened again and I have noticed it is only on the side of her body that was in direct sunlight. I don't know if it is some form of prickly heat, which people usually get when they are sweating in the heat, I get it all the time at work in the summertime on my neck and arms.
She does not seem uncomfortable, she is not scratching it or biting at it.
Anyone have any insight? Thank you. http://i.imgur.com/ZLoSKh.jpghttp://i.imgur.com/ZXS5eh.jpg | <urn:uuid:a24689d3-a53b-4466-9fce-b74c9a22db90> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.pitbullforum.com/viewtopic.php?p=2010848 | 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 | 0.991354 | 206 | 1.546875 | 2 |
OTTAWA, ONTARIO--(Marketwire - March 8, 2013) - Mr. Gordon Moore, Dominion President of The Royal Canadian Legion, acknowledged International Women's Day and the huge strides women have made in the Canadian Forces earlier today at Dominion Command.
"Women served as nurses in the Canadian military as early as 1901," said Mr. Moore. From these humble beginnings women have achieve employment equity in 1989 when all branches of the Canadian Forces were opened to women," added Mr. Moore. "I congratulate the Canadian military for realizing that one's ability and not one's gender should be the litmus test for service in the Military. For these same reasons the Legion salutes our military women on this special day and is proud to welcome serving servicewomen as well as retired female Veterans in the Legion," said Mr. Moore.
"Likewise, we salute our Ladies' Auxiliary. During World War One, as wounded soldiers returned home, women were asked to help with their recovery by visiting hospitals, sending parcels to the hospitalized and to needy families. While their roles may have changed over the years, the women of the Ladies' Auxiliary deserve a moment of recognition on International Women's Day for their continued outstanding support for our military members and Veterans and their families," concluded Mr. Moore.
Last year, The Royal Canadian Legion marked 70 years of service by Canada's military women by sponsoring several activities and issuing a special commemorative pin.
About The Legion
Established in 1926, the Legion is the largest Veterans service organization in Canada with more than 330,000 members. Its mission is to serve all Veterans including serving Canadian Forces and Royal Canadian Mounted Police members, and their families, to promote Remembrance and to serve our communities and our country.
The Royal Canadian Legion's Service Bureau Network Service Officers can assist and represent still serving CF members Veterans, RCMP members and their families regarding disability claims or related issues with Veterans Affairs Canada (VAC) and the Veterans Review and Appeal Board (VRAB). We provide professional counselling, and representation services at all stages of the disability claim process under the Pension Act or the Canadian Forces Members and Veterans Re-establishment and Compensation Act, commonly referred to as the New Veterans Charter. | <urn:uuid:a2b0b90e-2e13-42b5-b422-8a20a233dfc2> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.marketwire.com/press-release/royal-canadian-legion-supports-international-womens-day-1766049.htm | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368707435344/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516123035-00013-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.973281 | 452 | 1.765625 | 2 |
Forresters Beach NSW 2260, AustraliaHistory
7 older records found on this numberPhone Type
Local ServiceLatest Holder
Telstra Corporation LimitedNumbering Area
March 2011Other Formats
0243846615 / 4384-6615 / 43846615 / (02) 4384 6615Statistics for Forresters Beach
In 2006, there were 20,722 persons usually resident in Forresters Beach: 49.1% were males and 50.9% were females. Of the total population in Forresters Beach 1.0% were Indigenous persons, compared with 2.3% Indigenous persons in Australia. more
87.6% of persons usually resident in Forresters Beach were Australian citizens, 15.3% were born overseas and 0.6% were overseas visitors.
The most common responses for occupation for employed persons usually resident in Forresters Beach were Professionals 24.3%, Technicians and Trades Workers 14.4%, Clerical and Administrative Workers 14.3%, Managers 13.8% and Sales Workers 11.9%.
The most common responses for religious affiliation for persons usually resident in Forresters Beach were Catholic 27.2%, Anglican 26.3%, No Religion 15.9%, Uniting Church 5.7% and Presbyterian and Reformed 3.5%.
* statistcs taken from the 2006 Census for postal area 2260 conducted by the Australian Bureau of Statistics | <urn:uuid:61f30bd1-58c1-4116-9092-c25a4707d448> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.reverseaustralia.com/lookup/0243846615/ | 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 | 0.95266 | 288 | 1.734375 | 2 |
President Obama's State of the Union Address
WASHINGTON, D.C. (NEWS CENTER 23) — President Obama addressed Congress on Tuesday night on his State of the Union Address, the first of his second term, and pointed out his plan for bringing our troops home from Afghanistan, government spending, the national debt and his push for gun control. The main focus of this speech was on the middle class and how he plans to improve the economy and find work for the nearly 12 million Americans who are unemployed. His speech was warmly received by Democrats and mostly dismissed by Republicans, but the President will need both parties to achieve any of his goals.
On foreign policy, the President announced a major troop withdrawal from Afghanistan by bring home 34,000 troops by this time next year. On immigration reform, the President pushed for a path to citizenship for the 11 million illegal immigrants and also raising the federal minimum wage to $9 dollars an hour and matching the wage to the cost of living. | <urn:uuid:82db0e17-c44c-429f-983d-b8b07908d715> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.kveo.com/news/president-obamas-state-union-address-0 | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368708766848/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516125246-00039-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.982017 | 198 | 1.835938 | 2 |
Posts Tagged ‘sly santa’
Gift exchange rules
The gift exchange party is the most common way to share unique white elephant gifts among groups of family and friends. These events are held during various holiday celebrations and for office parties, family and class reunions.
The most common and popular gift exchange is the Secret Santa gift swap game. It is primarily used to exchange gifts directly from one person to another. This activity is akin to the standard name draw exchange that many groups use to establish the rules of gift purchasing among groups during important life events. But before we move into… Read the rest » | <urn:uuid:43021b73-15c0-42a8-b721-a5174b5fad12> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://albinophantblog.com/tag/sly-santa/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368701459211/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516105059-00039-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.9506 | 126 | 1.578125 | 2 |
New York, July 27, 2010—The Committee to Protect Journalists joins with our colleagues in Indonesia in calling for a swift, thorough investigation into the death of Muhammad Syaifullah, the Borneo bureau chief for Kompas, Indonesia’s largest daily newspaper.
Syaifullah, 43, a well-known journalist who reported on controversial
environmental issues, was found dead on Monday at a rented house in Balikpapan, East Kalimantan Province,
on Borneo, according to widespread accounts in
Indonesian media. He had made his reputation by reporting on illegal logging
and environmental destruction in the region. His most recent report focused on
the effects of coal mine. His critical reporting made him many enemies over the
years, and local journalists are casting doubt on a recently released autopsy
report that showed he died from a brain hemorrhage caused by diabetes and
“There must be a full, swift, and independent investigation by
legal authorities into the Muhammad Syaifullah’s death,” said Bob Dietz, CPJ’s Asia program coordinator. “Syaifullah’s reporting on
controversial environmental issues angered many powerful people.”
reports and the Indonesian Alliance
of Independent Journalists cast doubt on the cause of Syaifullah’s death.
He was found by friends in the living room after his family was unable to reach
him for several days. Because of his high-profile reporting, the alliance is
calling for a full coroner’s investigation into the cause of death beyond the autopsy
performed by hospital doctors.
The Indonesian National
Human Rights Commission has also called on authorities to move quickly to | <urn:uuid:42559349-a075-4d57-81b7-050aff30ac4f> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://[email protected]/2010/07/suspicion-surrounds-indonesian-environment-reporte.php | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368705559639/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516115919-00040-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.95153 | 356 | 1.507813 | 2 |
Federal Advisory Committee Recommends Pompe Disease for Newborn Screening
Posted on: May 17, 2013 - Filed under
WASHINGTON – May 17 2013 – In a long awaited meeting, the Secretary’s Discretionary Advisory Committee for Heritable Disorders in Newborns and Children (DACHDNC), in a vote of 11 – 2, recommended the addition of Pompe Disease to the recommended uniform newborn screening panel (RUSP). This recommendation will be sent to the Secretary of Health and Human Services to approve adding Pompe to the RUSP. A letter to the Secretary will highlight the need for states currently implementing newborn screening for Pompe to coordinate activities and help establish a framework forto be used moving forward. The committee considered both the significant benefit of screening for those with early onset of the condition as well as the need for more studies about the ideal management of those identified as having late onset.
“Genetic Alliance applauds the thoughtfulness of the committee in deliberating this important topic” state Natasha F. Bonhomme, vice president of strategic development and director of maternal and child health at Genetic Alliance. She adds, “there is still much to discuss about what population based screening for Pompe will entail and how we can best support states through the implementation process, but this vote is a step.” Much of the public discussion (via chat feature on the webinar) centered on the inclusion of cost and state feasiblity in the discussions regarding recommending Pompe.
Pompe disease is an inherited condition that affects many different parts of the body. It is a lysosomal storage disorder because people with Pompe disease have lysosomes (the recycling center of each cell) that cannot break down certain types of complex sugars. This causes undigested sugar molecules and other harmful substances to build up in cells throughout the body, resulting in a variety of symptoms. Pompe disease has a broad spectrum of illness. The infantile is the most severe, with children showing symptoms before 12 months of age. Without treatment, death occurred in early childhood. For those with the late onset disease, adults typically receive a diagnose up to 10 years after first seeking care for symptoms.
Screening is based on measuring enzyme activity and genotyping is used to diagnosis the condition as well as identify carriers, predicts infantile versus late onset disease. Treatment for Pompe disease is enzyme replacement therapy (ERT). There are two drugs currently available, both produced by Genzyme. The treatment protocol includes infusion every two weeks.
Missouri began screening for Pompe on January 15, 2013. In the first four months of this screening, 1 case of classic infantile-onset was found with 7 other cases needing further examination. Though most groups note that prevalence is 1 in 40,000, data presented today during the DACHDNC meeting indicate the prevalence maybe as high as 1 in 28,000 based off of a recent study done by University of Washington using anonymous dried-blood spot study.
One of the biggest concerns regarding implementing population screening for Pompe is that majority of people identified though screening would have the late onset variation of the condition, meaning they would not be symptomatic until after childhood. Screening for conditions that impact children early in life is a cornerstone of newborn screening. Alex Kemper, MD, MPH, MS, who gave the report from the Condition Review Workgroup, mentioned that there are processes for follow up for those identified with late onset.
The DACHDNC was established earlier this year to fulfill the role that previously was filled by the Secretary’s Advisory Committee on heritable Disorders in Newborns and Children (SACHDNC). The SACHDNC was originally chartered in February 2003 to advise the Secretary of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services regarding the most appropriate application of universal newborn screening tests, technologies, policies, guidelines and standards for effectively reducing morbidity and mortality in newborns and children having, or at risk for, heritable disorders. The Newborn Screening Saves Lives Act of 2008 further defined the SACHDNC and included the provision that the Secretary of Health and Human Services must respond to recommendation within 180 days. The charter of SACHDNC expired in April 2013 and will be renewed when the Newborn Screening Saves Lives Reauthorization Act passes Congress. Advocacy groups hope this legislation will pass by the end of they year.
The SACHDNC adopted a list of 29 recommended conditions in September 2005. Since that time, based on the recommendations of the SACHDNC, the Secretary of Health and Human Services has added Severe Combined Immunideficiency (SCID) and Critical Congenital Heat Disease (CCHD) to the RUSP for inclusion into mandatory newborn screening conducted by state public health programs. As of today, no state screens for all conditions on the RUSP, though many states screen for 29 out of the 31 conditions recommended by the Secretary of Health and Human Services.
To date, twelve conditions have been brought to the Advisory Committee: 22q11.2 Deletion Syndrome, Adrenoleukodystrophy, Critical Congenital Heart Disease, Fabry Disease, Hemoglobin H, Krabbe Disease, MPS 1 (alpha-L-idurinidase deficiency), Neonatal Hyperbilirubinemia, Niemann-Pick Disease, Pompe Disease, Severe Combined Immunodeficiency (SCID), and Spinal Muscular Atrophy (SMA). Thus far, only SCID and CCHD have been officially added to the uniform screening panel. There is currently a formal process for individuals or organizations to nominate a heritable disorder to be considered for inclusion in the recommended uniform screening panel (http://www.hrsa.gov/advisorycommittees/mchbadvisory/heritabledisorders/nominatecondition/). | <urn:uuid:b8ca34f5-a944-44e9-bb2f-b4444c677de0> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.amda-pompe.org/index.php/main/news/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368699881956/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516102441-00015-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.944167 | 1,197 | 1.617188 | 2 |
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