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Wikileaks release is in one word - disturbing
Taken at face value, the latest Wikileaks release is in one word - disturbing. Leaked confidential information regarding international relations and sensitive global issues, these 250,000 documents have reshaped the dynamic of diplomacy perhaps like never before. The diplomatic cables touch on everything like Guantanamo Bay, predator drone attacks in Yemen, officials in Afghanistan, Russian and Italian relations, Pakistani nuclear fuel, North Korea, Iran, Zimbabwe and much much more. But although we'd like to believe all of this classified information without question, we must take a moment and dig a little deeper.
Diplomatic relations are never an easy task for any government to manage. There are areas of key interest, volatile regions and shifting nuances in an ever-changing world. But when private conversations and classified cables are released to the public in such a manner, the task of managing these difficult international relationships takes on an entirely new meaning. For not only is our President and our government exposed here, but leaders and strategic partners around the planet now find their private exchanges with the U.S. available for the world to view with a simple click of the mouse. And we must ask ourselves, why now?
Every administration in the history of this nation has had to withhold information from the public for a multitude of reasons; to believe otherwise would simply be foolish. But we cannot blindly accept these quarter of a million leaks as 100% factual and true, for that would be just as foolish. Because we do not instantaneously believe everything we watch on TV or read in the paper, we cannot unequivocally accept everything in these leaked documents. Much of this information is incomplete and could be dangerous for us, and our strategic allies and informed resources in the field.
Whenever there is any sort of leak, we must proceed with caution and with a keen focus on why these events are transpiring now. During the previous administration, there was more than a fair share of international dilemmas and challenges that faced the United States. With the start of two wars, an escalating threat of terrorism and increasingly controversial mechanisms for securing intelligence, the Bush administration undoubtedly had countless classified documents, conversations and cables that never managed to reach the waves of the World Wide Web.
As people sift through the hundreds of thousands of Wikileaks files over the course of the next few days, weeks, months and perhaps longer, we must remain open to the idea that this may in fact have all transpired because of some sort of hidden agenda. Is this leak released with partial information? Is someone or something maybe working to discredit our President and this nation? Would people have the same reaction if these sorts of leaks were done under George Bush?
The White House, Secretary Hillary Clinton and other officials are now in damage control mode. Diligently reaching out to world leaders, they are warning and preparing everyone for the reality that some of their most confidential and trusted information is about to go public. Containing the names of informents, journalists and others who provide necessary information to various governments, the Wikileaks cables will have ramifications for years to come. Normally, we would have to wait decades to learn of the secrets and intricacies of some of our governmental workings. Thanks to these leaked documents, that opportunity is available in real time and no longer reserved just for historians. But remember - proceed with caution - for there could be a hidden agenda in even this, the seemingly transparent one. And who will blow the whistle on that? | <urn:uuid:73f3bffd-0605-46b1-876d-7bfb662265a0> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://lasentinel.net/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=3354:wikileaks-release-is-in-one-word-disturbing&catid=92&Itemid=182 | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368699273641/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516101433-00035-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.952276 | 699 | 1.78125 | 2 |
The state Department of Justice says state legislators made no attempt to meet the federal standards set by the Adam Walsh Child Protection and Safety Act despite the threat of a loss in federal grant money.
Experts questioned the value of the federal law and said California's cost of complying would far exceed the lost federal funding.
State justice officials said California stands to lose nearly $800,000 this year. The grant money previously had been used for drug enforcement but would have been diverted to sex offender management, registration and victim notification programs under the federal law. Only the state's portion of the grant will be lost, the department said; grants to local law enforcement are unaffected.
The California Sex Offender Management Board, which advises the governor and Legislature, estimated in 2008 that it would cost the state at least $32 million to comply with the federal law, not including the cost of incarcerating offenders who failed to comply with the new federal registration regulations.
The bulk of the cost, about $25 million, would have been for local law enforcement agencies to assess and more frequently re-assess offenders' risk of committing new crimes to meet the federal requirements, the board projected.
The federal law requires that an offender's perceived risk of committing a new crime be based solely on his or her previous crime, while California relies on a range of indicators. They include the offender's criminal history, age at the time of the offense and the type of victim.
The board said the federal requirement "is far less reliable" than California's method.
The federal law also would require California to begin publicly naming many juvenile sex offenders on its Megan's Law website, which the state board said was counterproductive. It also would have had to add several additional crimes to the list of those requiring criminals to register as sex offenders.
"California should absorb the comparatively small loss of federal funds that would result from not accepting the very costly and ill-advised changes to state law and policy required by the (federal) Act," the board said in its 2008 report. | <urn:uuid:d80f3f88-0dbf-44d3-bde6-344c44559943> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.dailydemocrat.com/wirenews/ci_21705213/calif-stays-own-sex-offender-registry | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368700264179/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516103104-00034-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.969825 | 411 | 1.6875 | 2 |
Berg Blanket Bingo
It takes a while to make an animated film. Long enough, in fact, that when directors Ash Brannon and Chris Buck and producer Chris Jenkins started talking about making a film about surfing penguins, there was no sign of the documentary March of the Penguins or the animated film about dancing penguins, Happy Feet.
In an interview in a Honolulu hotel room, Jenkins said he assumed at the time that his animated film, Surf’s Up, would be unique. “Four-and-a-half years ago, we did not know anything about these other movies,” he said. “If we had known, we might have done a movie about skateboarding squirrels. But what we have tried to do is create characters that are bigger than their species, and we are hoping people will look at that part of it and not think about whether we’re just following a trend.” The movie features Shia LaBeouf as the voice of a wannabe surfer who sets out to become world champion. The project is definitely unique among animated films. It is done in the mockumentary format popularized by movies like This Is Spinal Tap and the recent For Your Consideration. Jenkins says that when he went looking for surfing movies as precedents, he found documentaries. “We started off with the idea of doing a film about surfing penguins, but it just wasn’t working. I came back with the reality angle because it seemed to me that surfers had done a lot of documentaries on themselves, so it fit.” When it was time for Brannon and Buck to direct the animators, they decided the mockumentary approach would work best if the story they were telling looked real. Brannon says “archival” scenes of surfers had to look dated, but they had a hard time explaining to their animators that they wanted parts of their newly minted film to look old.
“Our technicians would do this great work and deliver these wonderful black-and-white scenes, and we would say, ‘No, this is supposed to be archival, so let’s put some scratches on it and make it look crappy.’ They were reluctant, but they knew it would work best for the movie.” The voice talents were also surprised by the filmmakers’ approach. Traditionally, actors work alone in sound booths that they can access from wherever they happen to be at the time. Surf’s Up’s documentary style required the actors to be more spontaneous and even at times to talk over each other’s lines. “We questioned every aspect of the status quo with this film,” Buck said. “No one has made an animated mockumentary. No one scratches up their work. And so we had to ask, ‘Is it best to record one actor at a time and get a sterile movie or should we get out of the box and do it differently?’ We decided to do it differently, and we think it works. “There is a spontaneity about it that would not have happened without bringing the actors together,” he continued. “It wasn’t that easy to do it, given their schedules, but it was worth it.” This story originally appeared in the Georgia Straight. | <urn:uuid:b3c0ecf1-d088-43b4-ab02-cd5d70c8d6c2> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.fwweekly.com/2007/06/06/berg-blanket-bingo/?option=com_wordpress&Itemid=12 | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368703682988/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516112802-00001-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.98348 | 695 | 1.507813 | 2 |
April 16, 2003, Hour 3 (last two-thirds, 12:00 onward) "Islamic Sects" (Todd Wilken, Interviewer)(link to wma version)
(17:31) Myself, I am Turkish, twenty generations back Muslim, you know I'm the first Christian - I converted to Jesus Christ as Lord, Savior, and God, you know, when I was a senior in high school.
- If Caner converted on November 4, 1982, as he has said a number of times, he was in the first half of his junior year.
- The word "ulima" is a plural noun, not a singular noun.
- Obviously, if Caner was only a toddler when he came to America, he is using the term "we" to simply refer to his family in general. However, on other occasions he has said that his family came to build mosques. Building mosques is not quite the same thing as engaging in da`wah (the Arabic term for calling folks to Islam).
- If Caner came to America when he was a toddler, how would he even remember whether he saw a Nation of Islam member before then? This is one of those kinds of statements that is probably true (there are not a lot of Swedish Nation of Islam folks) but might still give someone a very wrong impression (much like saying, "I've never had such tasty Swedish meatballs before" when it is your first time trying the dish).
- If Caner converted on November 4, 1982, he was barely (by less than a week) 16. If he converted earlier than that, as his book Unveiling Islam, suggests, he was even younger.
- The statement about this being "only something that we learned in America" is almost certainly true (it's hard to imagine a toddler learning any significant amount) but also tends to give an impression that is wrong.
- If Caner came to America as a toddler, it is hard to imagine that he heard the gospel in a particularly meaningful way before then.
- There seem to be other places in Caner's speeches where he claims that everything he knew about Christianity was what he learned in his mosque. Was it that way, or was it this way, where he heard the gospel via Lutheran (or some similar) radio?
(10:27) Anyone reading the Koran, and I encourage Christians - to reach my people, you must read the Koran - you must, you know, get to see what the Koran is about. Anybody, reading the Koran, will run across an amazing number of allusions to Scripture. But they are not correct allusions to Scripture, they are - things are charged. For instance, Abrahim at the top of Mount Moriah (Abraham) sacrifices his son in the Koran - he sacrifices Ishma'il.
- Actually, the Koran does not name the son (link to English translations of the passage).
- 15-16 is not really "late teens" is it?
- He may have thought that, as Muslims do teach that - but not because of what the Koran says.
- Does anyone have a recording of this supposed debate? What was the name of the Imam?
- Incidentally, that is a good question to ask your Muslim friends. I have asked a similar question before, and received not much of an answer back.
- But Barak is not one of the 25 prophets of Islam (link to discussion - text may need to be highlighted to be read in some browsers)
- And, of course, Christians believe David, Deborah, and Noah to be prophets.
- I have seen no evidence, aside from Caner's claims, that his father was one of the ulima.
- Ulima is a plural noun, not a singular noun.
- There's no evidence that Caner reads Arabic any better than the 80% that he seems to write off in his comment.
- What is interesting about this clip is that here Caner seems to know the right word - jinn, as opposed to other places where he makes the serious error of referring to the jinn as the injeel (Gospel). He also seems to understand the concepts correctly, though perhaps a Muslim reader would disagree with me.
- What Caner probably means is "mujihad" (singular) or "mujahideen" (plural). While there may be a word "jihadeen" it would not appear to fit in Caner's sentence.
(2:25) We didn't know - of course, you know, I was raised Muslim and then we came to this country - We didn't know that it was oppressive. You know, we never thought, "Oh, I'm being oppressed," this is all we ever knew, was the wearing of the chador or the wearing of the niqab, or - of course - the most germane one is the burkah. But this was all we ever knew.
- The statement that he was raised as a Muslim and then came to America suggests to the average person something different than that he came to America as a toddler.
- Likewise "this was all we ever knew" tends to suggest more than the first 2-3 years of a person's life experience.
- Let's grant that Sweden, which is really a democracy, can count as socialism. Socialism isn't really a form of government - so the grouping is bad - but whatever.
- When did Caner supposedly live under fascism? Is he making a joke at the late Jerry Fallwell's expense? That doesn't seem to fit the context. It looks like he is claiming to have lived under a fascist regime in Turkey.
- When did Caner live under "of course" Islamic sharia law? Turkey does not have sharia law (even if he supposedly lived there). So, how is this claim to "of course" have lived under sharia law anything resembling the truth?
- Notice that in this context, Caner's oft-repeated claim that his father had "many wives" is specifically linked to polygamous practices.
- No, Islam does not claim that Mohamed's fortieth birthday was the date of the first revelation. He was - they claim - forty years old at the time, but it was not on his birthday.
- "Madrass" is not the singular form of "Madrasses." Instead, Madrasah is the singular form with Madrassas as a Latinized plural (Madaris is the real plural).
- "Jihadeen" is not the right word. The right would would be "mujahideen" as noted above.
- Caner's presentation does not say that his mother was a Muslim woman reached for Christ by a Christian woman, but it certainly gives the listener that impression.
(13:09) Let's just use a comparison here. I happen to be a baptist, I was saved Black Baptist, a national baptist, I am now Southern Baptist. Presbyterians and I worship differently, but I believe Presbyterians are going to heaven. They believe in Jesus Christ and so do I. In Islam it is different. In Islam, Sunni declare that Shia are Gulat - Cult. In every mosque I lived in, before I came to America, the mosque was defined by whether it was Shia or Sunni or Suffi - Suffi the third, it's a minor sect. And so, they do not believe that - Sunni do not believe that Shia are going to be in paradise, and Shia do not believe that Sunnit are going to be in paradise - at least the theologians don't.
- Jerry Tackett, who allegedly led Dr. Caner to Christ was a white guy. Of course, there could be a white guy in a black church.
- I have seen no evidence that Steltzer Road Baptist church was actually in the National Baptist conference.
- The statement about "every mosque I lived in, before I came to America" implies that Caner lived in more than one mosque before coming to America. Leaving aside the issue of people living in mosques, is there any evidence that Caner was in more than one mosque before coming to America?
(29:22) Interviewer: 1) The escalating violence in Iraq. As a former Muslim and as a former resident of that area of the country - of the world - how do you see that escalating violence? Caner: I see it as the natural progression. I mean, this is something that - we were just asked about this in Washington, DC, and I said, "if I was a betting man, I'm not, but if I was a betting man I would guess that there will be even more, after we made the initial exchange of power."
- Notice that the interviewer is under the impression that Caner was a resident of the Middle East, and that Caner does not do anything to say, "Well, I was born in Sweden, and raised in Ohio ..." or anything of that kind.
- Notice Caner's claims to be involved in radical Islam. He not only claims that he was trained to convert by the sword, but even that he was raised in the way of al-Qaeda leader, al-Zawahiri.
- I didn't notice any particular items worthy of note in this one. I also included the link here to be fair to Caner. I'm not trying to pick on only select interviews, sermons, and lectures.
(2:16) Interviewer: If you had five minutes, alone with President Bush, to talk about Islam, what would you say to him, Dr. Caner? Caner: I would tell him that this is not political - I think that's the biggest mistake we can make, is to assume that this is a political issue. This is theological, for Muslims. This is eschatological. This is their desire. This is what we were trained from birth - that this is the holy war. And I think that the President has to be aware that this constant advice that he's receiving that this is just a political thing is just - it underestimates our enemy. It underestimates those who want to do us serious harm. I think the second thing I would tell him is that they are not terrorists, they are devout. In thirteen hundred years of history - thirteen hundred - I would ask him, "Can you name one period of time where Islam has coexisted peacefully in any country?" The answer, of course, is "no."
- Notice the claim that Caner was trained "from birth" (understandable hyperbole) for holy war. Are we really to believe that Caner was trained to do what Muslim terrorists do?
- That's interesting, because it appears that the Sunni Muslims who don't permit non-Muslims in Mecca do permit Shi'ite Muslims there. Also, Caner's own "Islamic Foundation" appears to have held events of some kind that were also attended by the Shi'ite family of Jamal Jivanjee (in fact, the families apparently even had dinner together).
- There does not appear to be any evidence that Ergun was in any way planning to strap himself to a bomb.
(42:57) There are contradictions. Of course, any man-made book will have contradictions. And so there are any number of contradictions in the Qur'an that seem to fight against each other. Surah 19 is one of them, where it talks about the birth of Mary, I mean the birth of Jesus in Mary, and it makes some amazing claims. They come from the Gospel of Barnabas, which was a book that came centuries after our Lord and the other gospels. And in those teachings they teach some things that even Muslims cannot espouse.
- Caner notes that there seems to be a relationship between the "Gospel of Barnabas" and the Koran. The relationship, however, appears to be the reverse of what Caner has stated. It's generally thought that the Gospel of Barnabas was written around the 14th century. It is a fairly obvious forgery (see the discussion at this link, for example), written - to all appearances - by a Muslim forger of European extraction (the work uses lines and thought gleaned from Dante Alegheri's Divine Comedy).
(03:24) I have on-going debates with Muslims who are from different sub-sects of Islam, and they will say, "we have never done this," or "we don't face this direction," or "our Ramadan is only thirty days" etc. And I quickly add that - you know - that Sunni Islam is, as you said, it's like - it's as divided as Christianity is, in that they have four major schools - if you will - sects. But from those four major schools, there are myriad of different denominations, if you will.
- What debates? Can Dr. Caner document the debates that were on-going in August of 2009?
- The issue of Ramadan being thirty days is not really a "sub-sect" issue. Ramadan is either 29 or 30 days long (since it is a lunar month, it can go either way).
- That's not exactly the same as saying "I was born in Istanbul," but it does suggest to the listener that Caner is from that city, which Caner is not (as far as we can tell).
- I suppose that Caner means misbaha, which is one name for Muslim prayer beads.
- "Masallah" sounds like the Turkish word for "congratulations" or "cheers".
- I had previously speculated that Dr. Caner got his wrong idea that Ramadan is 40 days long from conflation with Romanism. This quotation doesn't prove that, but it does suggest that it may be the reason. | <urn:uuid:fd8abfd5-9294-4cf6-ab38-03d915924711> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://turretinfan.blogspot.com/2010_07_25_archive.html | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368705953421/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516120553-00006-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.98446 | 2,879 | 1.71875 | 2 |
- Hispanic Resources
To promote consumers’ involvement in their health-care decisions—which also reduces health-care expenses in the long run—regulations regarding wellness programs are included in health-care reform. Wellness programs provide a way for employers to lower the cost of health insurance coverage and reduce expenses, due to a decrease in absenteeism and presenteeism.
Employers can receive premium discounts of up to 30% of the cost of coverage for offering wellness programs to employees. Employers also can offer increased incentives to employees for participating in their wellness programs and for meeting certain health targets.
For employers whose programs meet the PPACA conditions, employees can receive up to a 20% rebate of the portion they pay for the total health insurance premium, the amount they pay in cost-sharing, and co-payment waivers. Employers must offer an alternative to employees who have physical or medical limitations that prevent them from participating or from meeting the health targets.
Employers also must meet requirements regarding wellness program structuring. Employers, for instance, are required to pay the entire cost of implementing a wellness program. And employers can’t assign any copayments or cost-sharing to their wellness initiatives.
Employers also are required to evaluate their wellness programs. The Department of Health and Human Services will provide assistance and resources to help with the evaluations.
Because of the costs and reporting burdens of complying with the PPACA, many expect to see significant growth in consumer-driven health plans (CDHP). In the next 10 years, CDHPs could be more prevalent than preferred provider organization (PPO) plans. Premium increases under CDHPs are typically lower than those of PPO plans. In addition, CDHPs provide a way for employers to avoid the Cadillac tax.
Some employers offer their employees only a CDHP, or a CDHP along with a PPO. In general, employers offer CDHPs in conjunction with HSAs or health reimbursement arrangements (HRA). With these savings plans, the employer and/or the employee place a specified dollar amount in the plan.
Both HRAs and HSAs tend to encourage consumers to explore all options and corresponding costs. Benefit design, however, affects this likelihood. Consumers are less likely to question tests or treatment if their out-of-pocket expenses are low, and more likely to consider all angles of the test or treatment before going forward if the plan has high deductibles or out-of-pocket expenses.
The main difference between these accounts is
that HSAs belong to the employee and HRAs belong to the employer. The employer and/or the employee contribute money to an HSA, whereas only the employer contributes to an HRA. As such, the money not used in an HSA accumulates from year to year. On the other hand, the money left over in an
HRA rolls over at the employer’s discretion, and
goes back to the employer if the employee leaves the organization.
Health-care coverage and other benefits, wages, and working environment all contribute to the morale, and hence the productivity, of employees. To attract and retain peak performers, your credit union will need to be creative and flexible in administering all three.
Flexibility can increase productivity
Flexible work arrangements—such as telecommuting, flexible hours, and mobile technology—help employees achieve work/life balance, which increases morale. Flexibility also helps employers attract, reward, and retain peak performers.
Another benefit of providing flexibility is that it can make up for low wage increases. As a reflection of the slowly improving economy, both the incidence and the percentage of pay raises are slowly growing. Compensation experts, however, predict that annual wage increases won’t return to the “old norm” of 3% to 4%. Instead, the “new norm” will be wage increases of 2% to 3%—and incentive plans.
“Workplace flexibility helps businesses succeed and employees thrive by giving people an integral role in deciding how, when, and where they do their best work,” according to shrm.org.“That means higher productivity and employee engagement, lower turnover costs, and more innovation.”
- 2011-2012 Credit Union Environmental Scan
- 2011-2012 Complete Credit Union Staff Salary Survey Report | <urn:uuid:f763e43a-ee85-4baf-8388-6e38f7e754aa> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.creditunionmagazine.com/articles/37010-overworked-understaffed?page=3 | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368706153698/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516120913-00026-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.94192 | 885 | 1.734375 | 2 |
A career fair at the University of South Florida drew more than a thousand students to the Marshall Center on campus.
Joe Scaglione is a management major. He has retail experience. He came to the job fair to meet potential employers.
"It's definitely a good opportunity USF has presented us... Just having all the employers in this ball room... And you can just bring 20 copies of your resume and dress nice and speak highly of yourself and hopefully you will hit at least one... Right?"
But one of the most talked about booths at the job fair had to be "Total Quality Logistics." The Cincinnati based company ran a promotion where they gave students a chance to win $104,231.
Kristine Glenn is a PR specialist with the company. She explains how they came up with the six figure prize.
"The reason that amount was chosen is because that is the average salary for a sales person with our organization who has been at our organization for 2.5 years."
Here's how the promotion worked. All you had to do is be a USF student. Visit TQL's booth and type in a six digit code into a vault. If your numbers unlocked the safe then you walk away from the job fair $100,000 richer.
And as you can imagine, hundreds of students lined up like USF senior Kelly Wright. She typed in her birth date but it didn't work. She said if she had won the prize, she would have used the money to pay off student loans and pay for grad school.
After five hours of trying to crack open the safe, no one took home the prize. But students we talked to say getting their resumes in the hands of potential employers is what it's all about.
"I think it's the best opportunity USF can give us. It's wonderful and It's so convenient everything is all in one place. It's perfect" said Danielle Guarino.
And senior Gurnos Watson is just glad to stop looking for jobs on the internet and get out and meet potential employers.
"I'm very optimistic and hopeful. Shouldn't have any issues in finding a job. Just keep my fingers crossed. Keep applying and keep at it."
USF's career fair wraps up Thursday focusing on jobs for students interested in Engineering, Technology and Science. The Career Fair is only open to USF students and grads.
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AccessMyLibrary provides FREE access to millions of articles from top publications available through your library.
BYLINE: Peter T. Leach
The Panama Canal Authority said Wednesday net tonnage that passed through the waterway in the first quarter of its fiscal year increased by 11.7 percent, the number of ships transiting the canal increased by eight percent, and the time it took ships to get through the canal increased by 45.7 percent.
The authority said Canal Waters Time -- the average time it takes a vessel to transit including waiting time -- increased by 10.8 percent for ships holding reservations from 15.51 hours to 17.20 hours in the quarter ended Dec. 31.
The authority attributed the longer waiting time to increased demand, the mix in size of vessels that … | <urn:uuid:568ff26f-b22d-4f0c-8112-944155d1d2fb> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.accessmylibrary.com/article-1G1-162529870/panama-canal-tonnage-rises.html | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368701852492/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516105732-00032-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.940154 | 159 | 1.609375 | 2 |
At the last FABTECH® show, I ran into an engineer who works for GE Appliance & Lighting, looking for products that would speed that all-important art-to-part time--that all-important product-development time. Their comments make sense in light of recent growth of the company’s Louisville, Ky., Appliance Park. After years of decline, the massive industrial campus has njoyed a welcome rebound in recent years, as described in great detail by The Atlantic magazine last month.
For certain product lines at least, no longer will GE’s supply chain span the globe. Instead, manufacturing will benefit from a tight, local supply chain. Shorter product life cycles demand it, as do the short times to market required today. As The Atlantic article described it for one of GE’s water heaters:
“It used to take five weeks to get the GeoSpring water heaters from the factory to U.S. retailers--four weeks on the boat from China and one week dockside to clear customs. Today, the water heaters--and the dishwashers and refrigerators--move straight from the manufacturing buildings to Appliance Park’s warehouse out back, from which they can be delivered to Lowe’s and Home Depot. Total time from factory to warehouse: 30 minutes.”
The article also details the benefits of collaboration between designers and manufacturers. Designing not only for customer usability but also for manufacturability has helped companies like GE beat the China price. When GeoSpring water heaters were made in China, they retailed for $1,599. Today, the Louisville-made units sell for $300 less.
As the article describes, distance alone doesn’t necessarily prove that making things down the street is always better than making them across the Pacific. Sure, there are all sorts of hard costs that are easily quantifiable. But the less quantifiable problems, including communication breakdowns, may be even more costly. Boeing’s recent troubles with the Dreamliner exemplify this.
Some have said that the fact Boeing spread design duties up and down the supply chain decentralized control, leading to all sorts of production problems. But really, the fact that Boeing spread design duties down the supply chain didn’t directly cause the problems. Throughout manufacturing, suppliers assist in designs all the time. It’s what helps suppliers win business.
It was the breakdown in communication. Everybody wasn’t on the same page. Combine this with the fact that the Dreamliner took such a new approach to so many design details, and you’ve got a recipe for, well, the drama that has played out in recent years.
Boiled down, it’s not about where a manufacturer is; it’s about how well that manufacturer communicates with others, be it other departments within the same company, or other manufacturers in the supply chain. This bodes well for U.S. manufacturing because, at last, the conversation is moving away from labor costs. Cheap labor making bad components is, really, the most expensive labor of all.
GE’s Louisville campus may be proof that good collaboration between design and manufacturing may give the U.S. a leg up not only because of its location--close to consumers--but also because of efficient information exchange. Shipping parts back and forth across an ocean costs time and money, but miscommunication between designers, engineers, and manufacturers can cost so much more. | <urn:uuid:cc7430fc-7377-43be-86f7-0be14077726b> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://blog.thefabricator.com/?p=3951 | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368701459211/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516105059-00027-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.947555 | 717 | 1.539063 | 2 |
Here are some of the results of my work on the GaugeCam water level height measurement project.
The problem: We measure fine when the target is stable relative to the camera, but if the camera gets bumped, the target sinks down or tilts in the water, or anything else happens to alter the geometric relationship between the camera and the target, measurements come out wrong.
The solution: Adjust the calibration to accommodate some of the changes between the camera and the target. We cannot handle big changes, but we can handle those that most commonly occur in the field.
We have finally gotten around to working on the problem of handling motion between the camera and the calibration target. After has been calibrated, if the camera has moved, we need to make adjustments so our water-level search does not measure improperly. We have finished the first step in the process. If we know the nominal position of a calibration feature in an images such as that shown in figure 1, we can find the change in position of the target in a subsequent image such as is shown in figure 2. Figure 3 shows the reference image overlayed with the moved image. As can be seen they do not line up. Then, all we need to do is move the image in rotation and translation so the targets on the moved image are aligned with the reference image, then we can perform the search accurately as before. Figure shows the moved image overlayed on the reference image after the adjustment has taken place.
The next step will be to integrate this in to our GRIM software folllowed by integration into our web service.
Figure 1. Reference image
Figure 2. Target find of moved image
Figure 3. Unaligned images
Figure 4. Adjusted image overlayed on the reference image
Here is a brief video that describes the current state of the GaugeCam Remote Image (GRIM) software GUI. Most of these changes are “usability” changes, but there will be more changes in the near future to accomodate some of the advanced image processing techniques to improve on the already impressive suite that is currently in place.
Here are some images that have failed in the past, but that can now be found with our new (not yet released) waterline finding algorithm. We have some more work to do particularly on images with shadows in them, but we are definitely moving up the curve in terms of our ability to handle more difficult images. The last dirty images is particularly impressive. We will add a few more improvements to this, then start working on handling minor camera movements that cause problems for the find algorithm.
Dirty Image 1
Dirty Image 2
Dirty Image 3
Even though the blog has been fairly quiet for the last while, a lot of work has been performed to improve the capability of the GaugeCam water level measurement camera system. We will now start posting more frequently to discuss some of these improvements and talk about planned future improvements. There are three categories of improvements where we have made significant advancments. These are:
- The real-time web interface – This is the movement of images from the camera to the webserver, the application of the algorithm to create measurements, and the presentation of graphics and measurments on the internet. You can see some of the results of this work on this web page that shows the water level in a tidal marsh on the North Carolina coast as measured by one of our cameras. Andrew is responsible for our software systems and infrastructure.
- Camera, remote power, mounting, and target hardware – One of our hardest tasks is to develop a truly remote camera system that generates its own power, withstands the weather, provides its own light at night, is phsically stable, etc., etc. François is responsible for this in addition to his maintenance of the lab and our test cameras. Up until now, his improvements to the hardware have taken place behind the scenes, but expect to see a dramatically improved set of hardware on this blog in the very near future as we move to our first prototype camera production run.
- Vision algorithms – Up until the marsh camera was put into place and started shoveling images out to our web site, the requirements of the image processing software were not really well known because there were no images with which to work other than what we gathered in the lab. Therefore, we made our best best a what was required, wrote the algorithms and deployed them. They really work quite well, but now that we have a “real” and continuing stream of images, we know a lot more about what the vision algorithms will have to handle. I (Ken) am responsible for making the improvements to handle things like fog (See Image 1 below) and dirty high water marks (See Image 2 below). I will write about these and other improvements to the vision algorithms as they are developed and deployed.
Image 1. Fog
Image 2. High water line
The following is a video of our new auto-calibration capability. Previously it took a big effort to calibrate the GaugeCam water measurement software because it was necessary to specify a region of interest for each of the calibration target ficucials. In addition, the previous algorithm struggled with degraded images. This video demonstrates the new ease of use and calibration robustness even with bad images.
As we move toward the release of our beta software, I thought it would be a good time to reflect on our progress so far. As you would see if you cared to review this entire blog, we originally started with the idea that we could measure stream stage (water depth) using a camera. Why was this an attractive method when researchers and government agencies (USGS) already use a number of other methods, such as transducers and bubbler gauges? Well, from our collective experience, we know that field measurements are often erroneous due to instrument drift, infrequent or incorrect instrument calibration, or technician inexperience, just to name a few reasons. We felt the GaugeCam concept could address these error sources, while also providing a way to visually verify measurements.
After completing a brief proof of concept in the laboratory, we deployed a camera in the field near Pullen Park, Raleigh, NC. We chose this approach because we anticipated that the field application would involve many challenges we would never address in a lab-only study. We were correct! Our camera and communications system, which worked beautifully in the lab setting was not as robust in the field as we had hoped. We were able to compile a list of issues associated with our field application, which we have addressed in the beta version of our software. The field application gave us impetus to develop a functional daemon for processing images in real time on the GaugeCam server. Additionally, we were able to gather data for comparison with USGS stream stage data measured at Pullen Park.
While the Pullen Park deployment was underway, we stayed busy in the lab, assessing the capabilities of our camera and software. The camera was tested at a variety of distances and angles relative to the water level bench. We were encourage by the results but knew that to minimize the need for highly experienced technicians, we would need to automate our calibration process. To test the automated calibration, we have modified the water level bench using a white background with horizontal black bars substituting for water level. This was required to reduce the noise introduced by the water meniscus. Once the automatic calibration is verified, we will repeat our earlier study of water level detection from a variety of distance and angles. We will also deploy the system at alpha sites, which have already been identified. The transition from manual calibration to automatic calibration has been a little more difficult than anticipated (as seen in several recent posts). I feel we are encountering a typical challenge for machine vision projects; that the abilities of the human eye are very difficult to emulate using an algorithm!
We continue to work on automated calibration, as Ken has recently described. In the lab we have installed thick horizontal lines on the bench background at known positions relative to our calibration fiducials. We are evaluating the effects of perspective and camera posture angle with the intention of determining limitations associated with this calibration method. Below is an image at an extreme angle that clearly illustrates lens distortion, effects of perspective and effects of posture angle. There are known machine vision techniques to minimize these effects, which we may consider implementing in our beta software package.
Addition of functionality has been cut off for the Version 0.4 Beta release of the GaugeCam Remote Image Manager (GRIM) software. Any new functionality will be relegated to future releases. That being said, this release of the software holds everything necessary to accurately measure water level in streams, lakes, and other bodies of water. We expect to be able to put up the release version of the software for free download before the end of the year. We will also put up documentation, images, and a video or two that describe the installation and use of the software in the next few weeks. The functionality of the software includes the following:
- Both manual and automatic methods to calibrate a scene to convert pixel positions to inches/feet/meters.
- Run all the images in a directory to calculate a water height in each image and a .csv file with the results for all the images.
- Adjustable image processing parameters to deal with noisy images.
- Configuration files to quickly switch between images taken at different localities.
- Setup file preparation for images sent to a website for images to be processed in real-time and displayed on the internet.
- Test images to assure the camera has not been bumped (which throws off the calibration) since the last time the camera was calibrated.
- Save result images with color overlays of the line position and the points at the water level that were successfully found.
We would be happy to work with anyone who might find this software useful. We have started the lab tests of the software at the NCSU BAE labs. We are working with a third-party vendor to develop a solar powered remote camera that transmits its images via cellphone to our website for processing. That camera and an internet processing service should be available to whoever needs it by the end of second quarter 2011. If you have any questions about this and/or would like to participate with us in the testing or perform testing on your own, please contact do not hesitate to contact us.
Andrew, François, and I all met in the lab this Saturday for our regular bi-weekly meeting of the GaugeCam team at the François’ NCSU BAE lab. We talked about a lot of things and were able to perform the first test of the automatic vision calibration technique. François measured the exact position of the calibration dots and the water level with the laser system he and Troy built for that purpose. We captured a couple of images of the test apparatus and calibration dots with the (really cheesy) webcam on my laptop. While we were at the lab, we got VERY good results.
I evaluated those images and some other ones when I got home and found that when the camera is not close to the level of the water, the calibration gets thrown slightly off due to viewing angle based dot distortion. We could do the math to back out those distortions, but it is much easier to change the shape of the fiducial. Currently we use a circular dot. Our short-term solution will be to change the fiducial shape to horizontal lines on a vertical ruler. That should work very well for the time being, but we will eventually need to go to a checkerboard calibration target and template matching to find the square intersections. I will discuss the benefits of such an approach when we get to that in a future version of the GaugeCam image processing software.
Andrew continued his work on the web interface/database elements of the software and we discussed some of the commercialization issues. GaugeCam plans to provide an Alpha version of the software to NCSU for one of their research projects. We are in the process of identifying 6-8 beta partners with whom we hope to work when a product offering is available. We hope the Alpha program will start sometime this fall with the Beta program to start in late spring or early fall. | <urn:uuid:71df8d46-9428-4a21-88ce-bbd441b6d1c2> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.gaugecam.com/category/blog/image-processing/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368711005985/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516133005-00028-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.955855 | 2,496 | 1.726563 | 2 |
Heavy rains that ravaged China over the weekend left at least 14 people dead and five missing, while hundreds of others were trapped by mudslides and floods, state media said Monday.
The official Xinhua News Agency said five were killed and one was missing in central China's Hubei province, where rainstorms and mudslides destroyed 512 houses and forced more than 180,000 residents from their homes. The rain was triggered by Typhoon Saola.
In northeast China's Liaoning province, Typhoon Damrey killed nine people and left four missing, Xinhua said.
Flooding from heavy rain also trapped about 400 workers in a railway tunnel in the province, the state-run China Daily newspaper reported.
In southwest China, rescue workers searched Monday for more than 100 people trapped by a mudslide.
Xinhua said the mudslide engulfed a village in Yunnan province on Monday morning, initially trapping at least 200 people. It said firefighters rescued more than 80 people by noon.
Mudslides and flooding are common in China's mountainous areas, killing hundreds of people every year. Deforestation has caused soil erosion and made some parts of China prone to mudslides after strong rains. | <urn:uuid:5317a4dc-8ed0-4e93-899a-f458a94fc2b7> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.breitbart.com/Big-Peace/2012/08/06/14-dead--5-missing-from-heavy-rains-in-China | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368697380733/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516094300-00038-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.970004 | 246 | 1.5625 | 2 |
I'm building a VFO..
So, first I do the power supply. I put a transformer in the chassis, then dug into my junk boxes for a set of suitable diodes for a bridge. I have 4 matching 1N255's. Rated at 380 volts @ .4 amps, they will handle what I'm building and since they are in the junk box they will do quite nicely.
I've never used Stud type diodes, but no problem, mount 2 of them on them on the chassis and two of them on stand offs. Mount a choke and a pair of cardboard wrapped axial lead electrolytic capacitors.
I'm sure someone already knows what I did wrong, but to continue, I wire everything up.
Then, before I go any farther, I smoke test the power supply. I should get ~ + 185 volts, but instead I have ~ -70 volts
. So I do a quick visual to make sure I have the meter connected right. About that time ...
Sounded like a cherry bomb. One of the caps exploded. Oil everywhere. I shut off the power strip. What did I do wrong???
I assumed (without checking) that the stud end of the diodes (where they mount) is negative which would make the chassis negative. Wrong, the stud end is positive. Which means I wired up the electrolytic caps backwards.
Clean oil off the chassis. Replace 2 blown electrolytic caps. Mount all four diodes on standoffs and make double sure the chassis is negative. Now it works.
So.... If you want to know what happens when you push 185 volts backwards through an electrolytic cap rated for 450 volts, you don't have to try it, I already did and I can tell you it turns them into cherry bombs.
Don't Try This At Home. | <urn:uuid:f94fcf5c-9a84-48f3-a342-df608c8409e5> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://theradioboard.com/rb/viewtopic.php?p=18440 | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368708142388/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516124222-00023-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.947134 | 379 | 1.640625 | 2 |
For the Establishment, the War is Turning Foggy– But, they Think they Can See the National Redoubt Through Their Fieldglasses…
There was no greater victory for the United States than the tumultuous win at the End of World War Two. Right?
Well, yeah. More or less. Except… We lost Berlin. We lost Prague.
We won the war, but lost the peace.
A battle of political wills had been raging in the Supreme Headquarters of the Allied Expeditionary Force ever since the 101st Airborne set parachuted-foot on French soil: Should the Allies advance on through France and into Germany along a narrow, concentrated front with a spear-head aimed at Berlin, or should it be done more cautiously along a broader, wider front?
Those who fought the actual war, and slogged through the blood and the mud like Omar Bradley and Generals Patton and Hodge advocated for a swift, piercing blow along a narrow front– the quicker they got in, slit Hitler’s throat, and got out, would mean fewer American casualties, and, they all noted, likely result in a blunting of Soviet advancement through central Europe.
But, those that led the war from behind desks and drivers of their limousines, such as Generals Eisenhower, Smith and Montgomery were more concerned with the political ramifications than the military ones, and argued for a broad, slower advance.
Well, first of all, there was general surprise at the velocity of the advance. Churchill himself was never fully confident that a toe-hold could be carved out in Normandy, and as a prickly result, no final plan was cemented once the Atlantic Wall had been breached. That, and, once Operation Cobra had blown a hole in the hedgerows, and the Nazis began to flee back to the Fatherland, SHAEF and Eisenhower fell for one of the oldest tricks in the book:
Believing he was dealing with a rational enemy.
It wasn’t so much that Adolf Hitler was underestimated. It’s not even that the information about the guy wasn’t out there to be read and digested. More simply, Hitler would say some of the most outrageous things that defied generally understood norms, and they would be chalked up to some sort of misunderstanding between the enlightened West, and the brute force of the ancient Teutonic mindset. And there, the logic crumbled.
On the one hand, the Striped Pants Boys at the State Department and even in the War Department insisted that, when Hitler went off on one of his tirades about conquest and militarism, we couldn’t understand the mind of the German warrior class that was steeped in Wagner and Fredrick the Great and dreams of Valhalla, and thus we had to make allowances for our misconceptions. We needed to understand them.
And, on the other hand, they would insist that Hitler was a man of peace who simply wanted what was historically Germanic, or to correct some of the excesses of Versailles.
The intellectual tension between the two views, though, is obviously infinite. The two mindsets were irreconcilable. The lack of simple logic in not understanding this was stunning. It was delusional. Hitler, for example, had waxed rhapsodic in his dreary tome Mien Kampf about the inexorable need of Germany to acquire “living space” (“lebensraum“) from the lands of the east.
Never mind that scores of millions of folks already lived there. But, the entire world-wide diplomatic and military corp was stunned when Hitler attacked Russia in the waning months of 1940. What did the world expect? Who else but Russia was in the east? Hitler simply did what he said he would do. Nothing more, nothing less.
But, this line of cheap intellectualism infected the American diplomatic and military mind to a degree that one might recognize in the current political battles here in 2012 America. But, more on that in a moment.
Still, the debate raged: Narrow, concentrated front (Patton), or wide, methodical front (Eisenhower)?
Patton was the man of action, of calculated risk based on real-life experience. Eisenhower was the man of learned diplomacy, of coalition-building and executive decision-making. He was also something Patton was not: A repository for ALL the information– diplomatic, intelligence, and supply. Eisenhower knew everything.
And Eisenhower assumed, of course, that the intelligence was correct.
One of the most fulsome bits of on-going information that poured in to SHAEF, especially while the allied advance was gobbling up ten or twenty miles a day through the heart of Germany was that, once Hitler’s government eventually collapsed, that the German High Command would high-tail it out of Berlin, and scramble for either southern Bavaria or western Austria. There, it was widely rumored, in the high and impenetrable mountains, the Nazis had built an entire defensive fortress near Berchtesgaden, from which they would conduct a guerrilla war, once the Nazi government had fallen.This fortress was called the “National Redoubt”.
The best and the brightest in our military intelligence services were convinced that Hitler would go to the ends of the earth to fight for his “thousand-year Reich”. These military scientists read the ongoing cables that our Enigma machines were decoding, and they all pointed to this. Certainly, Hitler would eventually be cornered like a rat, and he would sue for peace, if only to save his beloved Fatherland from ultimate annihilation.
So, it made sense, Eisenhower was sure, for the Allies to move along a broad front and divide their forces, allow the Russians to take Berlin, and send our boys down to Bavaria to capture and secure the rump ends of the Hitler government. Besides, the Russians were our good allies, and they would play fair, right?
That’s what all the military and diplomatic establishment said. And, if Eisenhower was anything, he was the epitome of the Establishment. So, the best advice of all the professionals was, basically: Hitler is a garden-variety Conqueror. In the end, he would save his countryman from total destruction, and head for the Redoubt. From there, he would direct the insurgency that would harass and kill the occupying forces in the name of the Fatherland.
After all, it only made sense that Hitler would do this. Eisenhower would do the same thing, certainly, in Hitler’s jodhpurs: He might sacrifice himself, ultimately, for the life of His Nation.
Of course, in accepting this line of decoded military intelligence, SHAEF and Eisenhower had to reject another: That Hitler had embarked upon a scorched-earth policy that would deny the evil “Jewish world banking conspiracy” any Germanic plunder amid the ruins. Nobody but a madman, it was thought, would do such a thing to a nation he had led with such (apparent, to the untrained eye of a tyranny-watcher) devotion and love. No leader would ever order the pastures and fields poisoned, the coal mines blown up, the dams and power-plants destroyed, the churches and schools and hospitals and museums set afire. But, that was the road Hitler chose. No doubt. And absolutely no Redoubt.
If it hadn’t been for a key corps of German officers finally finding the eggs to disobey The Fuhrer, Germany would have been laid waste as it’s Army crumbled.
America was fighting an irrational force. But our Establishment Military and Diplomatic corps didn’t see it that way until it was too late.
No, Hitler was going to Hell, and, as far as this demonic monster was concerned, so could the rest of Germany go there with him.
But, Eisenhower, right until the very end, when the 101st Airborne was leisurely sipping Herman Goering’s prized liquors on the veranda of the Eagle’s Nest high atop the Obersalzburg, believed that Hitler was soon to be found pouring over dispatches and breathing the stale air of his bunker in his Alpine redoubt.
So, we divided our forces, and surrendered Berlin, and East Germany to 65 years of darkness behind the Iron Curtain. We subjected all of Eastern Europe to this darkness, when we could have easily secured Czechoslovakia, and perhaps Bulgaria and Hungary, if only we’d seen how crucial it was to take Berlin as quickly as possible. Churchill had seen it; Patton had seen it; Hodge had seen it.
But, the Military Establishment did not. They saw only conventional wisdom, military theory, Allied jealousies, realpolitik argumentativeness, and, most importantly, saw and absorbed the adroit lies that poured out of Paul Josef Goebbels Propaganda Ministry– and believed them.
As Omar N. Bradley said, “the legend of the Redoubt grew into so exaggerated a scheme that I am astonished we could have believed it as innocently as we did. But while it persisted, this legend of the Redoubt was too ominous a threat to be ignored“. So, those at the top of our Military Establishment didn’t ignore it, our forces were divided, and the seeds of nearly 70 years of deadly Cold War were sown.
And herein lay the lessons for Team Romney…
To all on Governor Romney’s staff: Expect the unexpected. In this war to save our nation for our children, and our grandchildren (for war it indeed is), don’t allow the enemy to divide your forces. Don’t allow his propaganda to drive your policy. For example, don’t respond to his putrid lies about the “Republican war on Women”– when Obama is the one waging war on the middle class.
And mostly, don’t pretend you are fighting a war against a garden-variety politician. Barack Obama and his vast campaign army are unlike anything we’ve thus far witnessed in American elective politics.
So, treat him that way. Don’t expect him to do what YOU would do. He will do the opposite. Don’t think for a minute you can chase him up the hills to his Redoubt– he will leave a desolate, scorched earth behind his Democratic wake. He will stop at nothing– so, anticipate it. Define HIM, don’t let him define you.
This will be especially hard for Romney– he of the Eisenhower-school of Establishment Operations. This isn’t a war of gentile alliances, op-research, oh-so-kind-and-clever repartee. Certainly, Barack Obama doesn’t see it that way. Treat this election like a grudge-match to the bloody death, because, I assure you, Camp Obama does.
Just listen to what he say. Listen. Devour his words. Read his writing. Don’t let “Dreams From My Father” sit unread on your mantlepiece, like “Mien Kampf” did in so many German homes. We know –we know– where Barack Obama wants to take the United States.
..and it ain’t to the National Redoubt. | <urn:uuid:d1a608b6-41e0-4aaa-a4e7-74aeaf068501> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.redstate.com/conservativecurmudgeon/2012/05/17/for-the-establishment-the-war-is-turning-foggy-but-they-think-they-can-see-the-national-redoubt-through-their-fieldglasses/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368698207393/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516095647-00036-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.969413 | 2,364 | 1.773438 | 2 |
MAYDAY! MAYDAY! MAYDAY THE DAY THE TOWERS FELL!
An Historic and Spectacular Photographic Journey through the ruins of World Trade Center on 9-11-01! Exclusive, some never seen before, photos taken at the World Trade Center Disaster. Steve Spak arrived at the World trade center 10 minutes after the Collapses. Certainly this book will be a collector´s item for the fire service because it is an intimate, personal chronicle of the events of 9/11. More importantly, though, it is a history book thats records and preserves the events through his eyes. Steve was there-he tasted, felt, heard, breathed and witnessed the destruction of that day. Now, you can, too-through his photos. Like so many of us, Steve knew many of the Firefighters who perished on that day. Like all of us, he mourns their loss. This is his tribute to those men.
Review by FDNY Battalion Chief John A. Calderone
In the time period immediately following the terrorist attacks of September 11, 2001, numerous books on this subject were being knocked out on a regular basis. Their content and quality were spread over a wide range. Most of those books had their run and are no longer available. There is no doubt that the attack on the World Trade Center was probably one of the most photographed events in history. This brings us to the latest book on the topic: MAYDAY! MAYDAY! MAYDAY! The Day the Towers Fell. This book is different in that it is a collection of color photographs taken by well-known fire photographer Steve Spak. Few photographers have been able to capture the events of that day from a firefighter´s perspective. Steve has accomplished this. Arriving minutes after the second tower fell, Steve shadowed operating units and documented firefighting and rescue operations immediately following the collapses. These are powerful, close-up images that few people, other than firefighters operating at the scene, experienced. He has recorded history in his photographs. This book is available in either soft or hardcover versions and is highly recommended for anyone with an interest in FDNY or in the events of that horrific day. Ordering information is available at www.stevespak.com.
Review by FDNY Honorary Chief of Department Jack Lerch
“Steve’s Photographic expertise and his detailed knowledge of the New York City Fire Department helps him deliver one of the only 9-11-01 photo books that really show what is was like to be a firefighter on 9-11-01. It shows, from a firefighter’s standpoint, what we faced in the aftermath of the terrorist attack and how we regrouped and performed under horrific conditions. This book is a testament to our heroism and sacrifice that we as firefighters and Americans made on 9-11-01”.
Jack Lerch, Honorary Chief of the FDNY.
INDEPENDANT PUBLISHER HIGHLIGHTED TITLE!
Welcome to the distinguished Highlighted Titles area of Independent Publisher online, our home to recognize the latest and greatest in independent publishing. Listed below are what we consider to be the best of the newly released independently published titles received and reviewed by our editorial staff over the past few weeks.
MAYDAY! MAYDAY! MAYDAY! Steve Spak Xlibris www.xlibris.com Paperback, 80 pages, May 2004 ISBN: 1413427707,
These books are honored each month for exhibiting superior levels of creativity, originality, high standards of design and superior production quality. Being chosen as an Independent Publisher Highlighted title offers instant recognition, cache’ and a complimentary web listing detailing each title below.
For more information and photo samples from the book, go to Steve´s Website at | <urn:uuid:334780fa-b594-4fae-b754-e1c935b06dfa> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://bookstore.xlibris.com/Products/SKU-0020713037/Mayday-Mayday-Mayday.aspx | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368706499548/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516121459-00014-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.958339 | 782 | 1.6875 | 2 |
With his longtime friend Chief Justice John Roberts Jr. in the audience, Georgetown University Law Center professor Richard Lazarus was officially installed last week as the new William J. Brennan Jr. professor of law at the school. Lazarus, a member of the Georgetown faculty since 1996, was a founder of the school's Supreme Court Institute and is a leading specialist in environmental law.
The professorship was endowed by an unnamed Georgetown alumnus who was also a friend of the late justice Brennan, according to interim dean Judith Areen, who presided over the installation -- complete with an academic procession and brass band. Brennan's longtime assistant Mary Elmore was also in the audience. The chief justice was accompanied by his wife Jane, a Georgetown Law alumna. Video of the Feb. 3 event can be viewed here.
Lazarus was a Harvard Law School classmate of Roberts and roomed with him in 1980 when they both came to D.C. Lazarus generally does not bandy about his friendship with Roberts, and in his remarks at the installation did not acknowledge the chief justice's presence. But Georgetown colleague J. Peter Byrne, who introduced Lazarus, recalled meeting Lazarus and Roberts at their "spartanly furnished apartment" on Capitol Hill on election night in 1980, when Ronald Reagan won. Byrne said drily, "the dismay I felt" about Reagan's victory that night "was not shared by Richard's roommate." Byrne called Lazarus "the best environmental law professor of his generation."
As part of the ceremony, Lazarus gave a lecture on his twin academic loves: environmental law and the Supreme Court. He reviewed all 16 Supreme Court decisions that have interpreted the National Environmental Policy Act. All of them were losses for the environmental side, though Lazarus asserted that not all were total losses. His study of the Court's environmental docket led Lazarus to conclude, "what a difference a justice can make," as can good advocacy by lawyers in the cases.
Though the late Wiliam O. Douglas is a hero to environmentalists, Lazarus said he was "surprisingly ineffective" when it came to building coalitions and majorities within the Court's deliberations. By contrast, Lazarus said, the late Wiliam Rehnquist was "hands down" the most effective justice in NEPA cases, going a long way toward explaining all the losses for environmentalists. Likewise, Lazarus said the skillled U.S. solicitors general who have handled the environmental cases on the opposite side of environmental plaintifs were also crucial to the outcomes. They were careful not to bring losing cases and losing arguments to the high court and were able to craft a solid track record as a result.
As the ceremony for Lazarus ended, it was notable that the Georgetown law faculty was allowed to exit first, accompanied by the band's fanfare. The chief justice, who in other settings often gets to leave first, seemed content to wait his turn this time. He was seen in the video tapping his program to the rhythm of the music as the robed professors slowly left the auditorium. | <urn:uuid:0cf2e40d-fbfc-4950-9247-90e42571d82b> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://legaltimes.typepad.com/blt/2010/02/georgetowns-lazarus-named-to-new-brennan-professorship.html | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368704132298/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516113532-00017-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.982179 | 609 | 1.609375 | 2 |
Traffic Down on Crain Ave. After New Bridge Opens
Goal of new Fairchild Avenue Bridge to reduce cut-through traffic in Crain Avenue neighborhood
Residents of Crain Avenue are enjoying a reduction in traffic thanks to construction on, and the opening of, the new Fairchild Avenue Bridge.
The number of cars driving on Crain Avenue fell 55 percent, according to traffic counts conducted two weeks after the new bridge opened Oct. 27.
"That was a big change," Kent City Engineer Jim Bowling said. “The big concern was that those people were going to go down Water Street. They didn’t."
One of the original design intentions of the new Fairchild Avenue Bridge was to eliminate the direct intersection with Crain Avenue and, therefore, reduce cut-through traffic on the neighborhood street coming from the Kent State University campus and S.R. 43. The intent was to direct traffic down South Mantua Street to Haymaker Parkway.
Bowling said traffic on South Water Street only increased by 130 cars per day after the new bridge opened.
"So that means, and it’s reflected in the traffic counts, they didn’t cross the bridge," he said. "They stayed on (S.R.) 43."
Along with the new alignment, the bridge project included a redesign for the Crain Avenue intersection with North Water Street with the goal of making the road look more like a subdivision entrance — and further reducing traffic there.
But Bowling recognizes that months of construction, including a partial closure of Crain Avenue, could have contributed to the reduction in cut-through traffic.
"We have to believe that part of it is that all summer we trained the drivers not to go that way," he said. "We believe that as they get used to the new intersection, that more people will probably go down Crain. However, once they do, next year we’re prohibiting left turns coming onto the bridge as we finish (S.R.) 43, so again we’re doing to redirect traffic away from this area as we finish construction." | <urn:uuid:897fe4c8-b8af-4f80-ac70-b96158e08a8a> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://kent.patch.com/articles/traffic-down-on-crain-ave-after-new-bridge-opens | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368700958435/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516104238-00010-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.973853 | 429 | 1.5625 | 2 |
This post was written for the 59th Edition of the Carnival of Genealogy hosted by Jasia at Creative Gene.
I was fortunate enough to have been raised in an extended family that regularly shunned television in favor of discussing the issues of the day. This practice was most frequent when visiting my great-grandparents, John Ralph Austin and Therese McGinnis who lived about 15 miles away in Grahamsville, New York.
These two simple people raised in New York City during the turn of the 20th century somehow settled easily into the backcountry ways of the Catskill Mountains and came to be accepted by their neighbors as more than just “city folk.” In the late 1940s when Grandma and Grandpa purchased the house on Low Road, they made it clear that their intent was to stay full time and not to simply savor the weekend joys of the mountains.
The spot where they settled probably could not have been more remote in time and in location from the rest of the world but their means of staying connected was daily reading of one or more newspapers and listening to the local radio. Although I always found their views quite conservative, I think they appreciated the fact that someone was well informed as they were, and did not tolerate braggarts or windbags whose knowledge only skimmed the surface of what was going on in the world.
As a family member, if you had a seat at the adults’ table in the dining room, then you were expected to fully participate in the conversations which covered the latest political scandal, current or recent legislation, as well as old folk medicine remedies and the like recommended by a farmer friend just “down the way.” And to participate meant that even at age 13 you had better know what was going on, have the ability to listen to what others were saying, and respond even though your views may not be in agreement.
To that extent, my great-grandparents were dyed in the wool Republicans who could speak for hours about the evils of President and Mrs. Roosevelt. My great-grandmother reserved her best comments for Eleanor Roosevelt – that she was too involved in her husband’s career, that she was a busy body etc. Many women held this same view during the 1930s but those views seemed to change once we were at war and women were a vital source of labor for our country. In my mind, Mrs. Roosevelt was not afraid of that rough road of criticism especially if it made the road farther on down a bit smoother for other women when they were forced to trod it.
In my mind, my great-grandparents were Goldwater Republicans and held on to these ideals despite the turn of the party in later decades to one of “extreme conservatism bordering on lunacy” as they called it. I think they would be disappointed to see recent actions of the executive branch that eroded basic rights that their ancestors fought for when founding this country. I know they would be disappointed in a legislative branch with members of each party that could not reach across the aisle to each other and accomplish something for the greater good of the country.
While my personal politics lean more towards the progressive (not to be confused with liberal) – stressing personal responsibility, social welfare only as a means of improving circumstances not as a lifestyle, strong civil rights and freedoms, separation of church and state – my great-grandparents provided a safe place for me, and for anyone, to express their opinions. Sure, there would be intense arguments and debates. In fact, during the recent presidential debates I laughed as I watched them since to me they were “too tame.” In my family, a debate meant yelling, rapid-fire recitation of facts, someone running out of the room crying, someone else opening a bottle of scotch, etc. A debate was not a debate if it did not include tears and liquor.
Nevertheless, at the end of every evening, one could still stand up, go over and shake someone else’s hand despite having been in strong disagreement with them over the previous three hours. It is a damned shame that you hardly see that sentiment anymore. | <urn:uuid:0cf8aa81-5dc8-4a70-9209-a047fd762b5f> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://destinationaustinfamily.blogspot.com/2008/11/family-politic.html | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368704392896/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516113952-00037-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.988387 | 845 | 1.679688 | 2 |
Strategy is done at upper-echelon level, as, if it is to be effective, it must be done from an overview of the broad existing situation. Without more data on wht the company does or what products/services does the company perform, coming up with a clever use of resources or maneuvers to win your objective will be a bit of a guess. What strategic planning does is provide direction for the activities of all the lower echelons. All the tactical plans and programs and projects to be carried out at lower echelons in order to accomplish the objective stream down from the strategic plan at the top. it is the overall plan against which management can be effective and succeed.
My observation of your situation to be handled or goal to be met is to present a Communication Plan under the strategy of broadly getting key messages out to their public making them sought after and respected leaders in your field.
These 2 sites may help inspire your plans: http://h30294.www3.hp.com/hp/pub/changeartists?rd=9629
This is one form of communication that you can be involved with for innovative ideas. Or create a webinars or videos for topics the exec can share on the web or to introduce your conventions, seminars, etc.
Both give a final product but you can trace the string backwards and figure out how these products started with a concept of some communication plan.
Write down a list of where you want communications to occur whether it television ads, radio, talk shows, internet. It is a PR kinda world. These are ideal but to get them, it’s good to name the vias you want.
Have goals, travel, purpose behind the communications, fees, books to back it up if they are scribes, dvd’s – whatever media you like.
Start with a talk in the company first, then take it to the big leagues once the plan is aligned. Start with programs that you feel comfortable executing off of the plans and repeat the successful actions while you remove the stuff that didn’t contribute. I can send you the book on this. | <urn:uuid:950cdc78-bc4c-4863-86a6-d9b43493f2d3> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://kathysmith.wordpress.com/2007/03/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368709037764/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516125717-00042-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.930666 | 438 | 1.640625 | 2 |
Donating online is just one easy way for you to support our work, but did you know there are many different ways you can help online?
You can give through your salary, leave a legacy or through online shopping on websites such as Amazon. However you support us, you’ll have a life-saving impact on the lives of children, families and communities that need our help.
How your support helps
Emergency aid helps in the short term, but it doesn’t last forever. So VSO sends skilled professional volunteers to share their skills with local people and communities.
By sharing practical experience between the right people - just one volunteer’s contribution can go on helping change lives long after they have returned home. And it’s happening all the time...
For example, Dr Paul Williams a VSO volunteer doctor based in Uganda trained over 200 community health workers who reached a population of 60,000. His work has made a huge impact on people’s lives. In fact, because of the help of Dr Paul working together with local people - the rate of mother to baby HIV transmission in the population was reduced from 50% to just 1%.
Without your support this would not have been possible. | <urn:uuid:7c5933c9-c95d-480d-8fbf-3a883daa53d6> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.vso.org.uk/get-involved/different-ways-you-can-donate | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368696382584/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516092622-00005-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.968479 | 250 | 1.75 | 2 |
How Kenco manages service parts
Kenco, Chattanooga, Tenn.
Size: 478,000 square feet
Products: Spare parts
Throughput: 1,800 to 2,000 lines per day
Shifts per day/days per week: 2 shifts per day, 5 days per week
Kenco turned to a combination of floor storage, very narrow aisle racking and conveyor to optimize a conventional warehouse dedicated to spare parts order fulfillment. The facility picks and ships approximately 1,800 lines per day.
Receiving: Product arrives at the receiving docks (1) in a variety of ways, including small parcel, less-than-truckload (LTL) and full truckload shipments.
Small parcel: The facility receives about 120 small parcel deliveries a day. These are scanned and compared against an electronic purchase order. Most of them will have to be packaged before they are put away into storage. For that reason, they are placed on a pallet and then delivered by forklift to the packaging area (2). Once packaged, they are staged for putaway into one of several storage areas (3, 4, 5, 6).
- LTL and full-truckload shipments: Pallets on LTL and full-truckload shipments are unloaded, scanned and compared against an electronic purchase order. Once they are received in the warehouse management system (WMS), they are tagged with a license plate bar code label and sent directly to a storage location (3,4,5,6).
Storage: Product is stored in four different types of areas. Pallets are stored on the floor in bulk storage areas (3), in very narrow aisle (VNA) rack storage areas (4), or in a VNA bulk storage area (5).
Small parts are stored in very narrow aisle, dense rack storage area (6). To initiate the storage process, a lift truck operator scans a bar code label on the paperwork associated with a pallet. The WMS directs the operator to a storage location. There, the operator scans a location bar code label and the bar code associated with that pallet to confirm that the pallet was put away in the right storage location.
Picking: Since this facility is filling orders for spare parts, the typical order is just two lines and 1.2 items per line—or a total of 2 to 3 items per order. For that reason, one associate is responsible for picking all of the lines in a multi-line order. The picking process is initiated when an order selector scans a bar code on a pick list. The WMS will identify the locations and items to be picked for the first order. Items in the very narrow aisle storage areas (4) are accessed with a turret truck while items in normal aisle storage areas (3) are accessed with a lift truck. Small parts stored in the dense racking storage area (6) are picked and scanned to a tote and larger items are picked and scanned to a pallet. Meanwhile, the largest items are stored on a pallet.
Packing and shipping: After picking, product is conveyed to packout stations in the shipping area (7) area to be prepared for shipping. One conveyor line handles small parcel shipments (8) while another conveyor line conveys LTL shipments (9). Smaller orders are packaged and sealed. Pallets are wrapped for shipment. Once they are packaged and ready to ship, small parcel packages are conveyed directly into a truck in the shipping docks (10). Similarly, palletized orders are removed from the conveyor and loaded onto an outbound trailer (10).
System integrator, warehouse control and warehouse management systems: Kenco, developed in-house.
Pallet rack and very narrow aisle rack: Ridg-U-Rak
Lift trucks: Toyota Material Handling U.S.A. | <urn:uuid:1a1931c9-0a8b-4474-b3a9-9dc142aaa287> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://mmh.com/article/how_kenco_manages_service_parts | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368699881956/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516102441-00037-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.93265 | 792 | 1.515625 | 2 |
Saint Paul, MN - To kick off Older Americans Month, Lt. Governor Yvonne Prettner Solon announced the launch of SHARE Minnesota, part of the One Stop Shop for Minnesota Seniors and administered through the Senior LinkAge Line® and Minnesota Board on Aging.
SHARE Minnesota is a virtual network of agencies that can help in finding volunteer opportunities for seniors who want to volunteer but may not know where to go.
“Minnesota seniors are living longer, getting more from their lives and are giving more to their communities,” said Prettner Solon. “It is important that we tap into the valuable resource and expertise of older Minnesotans and SHARE Minnesota can help.”
Prettner Solon made the announcement at Frost Lake Elementary, where local senior volunteers demonstrated tutoring students and representatives from Minnesota volunteer programs explained how they provide custom placement services to potential volunteers who call the Senior One Stop.
By calling, the seniors will be screened on their interests, have a conversation about what they want to do and will then be connected to the volunteer network of their choice. These include the Retired Senior Volunteer Program and the Senior Companion and Foster Grandparents programs.
Seniors interested in volunteering can call the Senior LinkAge Line® at 1-800-333-2433 or visit MinnesotaHelp.info.
Older Americans Month celebrates senior citizens throughout the nation. Minnesota seniors are encouraged to share their time, ideas and skills by becoming a volunteer. | <urn:uuid:af0b645e-7b49-4b3b-8d60-7bf4d3372c29> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://mn.gov/governor/newsroom/pressreleasedetail.jsp?id=102-40684 | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368704132298/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516113532-00038-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.941366 | 303 | 1.554688 | 2 |
How do I find the names of my great grandmother? Her maiden name was Minnie Miller, Minnie could have been short for Wilhelmina? She was from Denmark, the Chicago census says she came from Denmark in about 1888 and settled in Chicago and married Walter Ambler. Her death record lists no parents and neither does her obituary. What other source could I use?
Olive Tree Answer: Hi Karen, your genealogy problem is a bit of a challenge isn't it? Yes, Minnie could be short for Wilhelmina but it could also be a nickname that has no relationship to her "real" name. For example my husband's grandfather was born and baptised "Thomas Leon" as his first and middle name. His entire life he was called "Charlie" and on his driver's licence and all official records he is recorded as "Charlie"
But here are some ideas I had for you to perhaps track down Minnie. First, have you found her marriage record? What about birth records for any children? You might find the Ancestor Marriage Record Finder and the Ancestor Birth Record Finder helpful. They offer ideas for finding obscure marriage and birth records.
Next, a look in the 1900, 1910 and 1920 Chicago Illinois census on Ancestry.com shows that Minnie gives the years 1885, 1886 and 1887 for her immigration. So be sure you are allowing a year or two on either side when you search. I would search for her from 1884-1888. Have you tried the Danish Emigration Archives for Minnie's arrival? Minnie also states she was naturalized by 1920 so I'd also look for those naturalization records. You can try Footnote's naturalization Records database too with a Footnote Free Trial
Please let us know here on AskOliveTree how you make out! | <urn:uuid:64a8287f-3f2f-4012-95a1-346c600a10cf> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://askolivetree.blogspot.com/2009/03/figuring-out-proper-name-of-female.html | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368709037764/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516125717-00012-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.980556 | 377 | 1.765625 | 2 |
She always felt better when she could be with his friends. True, all of them except the young one, John, had deserted him in the end. But she understood that. She’d been afraid too. And she wasn’t even in immediate danger from the Romans like they were. In any case, he had told her just before he died, “Behold your son.” And John, “Behold your mother.” So, clearly, he wanted her to be part of them.
She really would have preferred to stay in Olivet which is at least a little distance from where it all happened. But, as they gathered there, it was clear that Jerusalem was where he had wanted to go, and Jerusalem was where they must re-assemble as well. So, they crept in, over the course of a couple of days….individually, sometimes two by two…and began meeting in that same upper room where they had celebrated Passover.
Now, it was the Feast of Weeks, fifty days after the ceremony of the barley sheaf during Passover. It had originally been a harvest festival, marking the beginning the offering of the first fruits. She had always loved its celebration as a child! And so had Jesus. She accepted their invitation to be together that morning. There were other women there in addition to his brothers and, of course, the Twelve (and they were 12 again now, with the addition of Matthias – who had, in any case, never been far from their assembly.)
They had just begun to dance…and sing the Hallel – “Hallelujah! Give praise you servants of the Lord; praise the Name of the Lord” Psalm 113:1 – when the wind picked up. It first whistled and then howled through the streets of the old city. And, even though they had been careful to secure the door, suddenly the shutters rattled and blew open. Strangely, there was no rain or fog as one might expect with the wind, but sunshine – bright glimpses of it, illuminating every face around their make-shift “altar table.” But they were too caught up in their praise dance to worry about open windows now! And the volume of their singing only increased over the noise of the wind:
“Let the name of the Lord be blessed! Not to us, O Lord, not to us, but to your Name give glory! How can I repay the Lord for all the good things he has done for me? I will lift up the cup of salvation…Praise the Lord, all you nations; laud him all your people!” (Psalm 113-117 passim)
It was their custom, during the Feast of Weeks (or Pentecost) to gather the poor and the strangers, as well as the priests and Levites, for the great communal meal which was the highpoint of this great agricultural feast. It was a way of recognizing their solidarity as people of the Covenant, across all the natural divisions of life. And so, people in the streets were from all over the Mediterranean world. But their racial and ethnic diversity was no barrier to understanding God’s praise that day! She had no idea how it happened, but no matter in what language God’s praise was being spoken or sung, everyone heard it. Everyone “got it!” All of them, from east to west, from the different traditions, ethnic Jews and converts.
And, when the praises began to abate, Mary saw Peter slowly walk to the open window and, flanked by the other Eleven, he said, “People of Judea, and all of you who live in Jerusalem, let this be known to you…and listen to what I say…” (Acts 2:14)
Well, that may not be exactly how it happened on the first Pentecost. But it must have been something like that. Clearly, something momentous must have happened to transform that ragtag group of frightened disciples into missionaries and evangelists. Several things happened, of course, to do that…in addition to the miracle of Pentecost.
Their experiences of the Risen Christ, perhaps particularly the one we heard about in the gospel today – the so-called “Johannine Pentecost” from the Gospel of John, with Jesus breathing on them and saying “Receive the Holy Spirit” and empowering them to forgive sins…or to withhold forgiveness. And then, gradually, their discovery of gifts in each other; gifts such as Paul would catalogue years later in his First Letter to the Corinthians:
“Wisdom, knowledge, faith, healing, miraculous works, prophecy, discernment, various kinds of tongues and their interpretation.” (I Corinthians 12:4-11). Those were the kind of qualities they had seen in Jesus, but now began to see in one another! Clearly, they were meant to do the kinds of works he had done…and to do, perhaps, even greater works…as he had promised. What are those works for us today?
Well, in a few moments we will be confirming about 20 young people. Or rather, they will be confirming themselves – confirming the vows which were once taken on their behalf at Baptism…making those promises themselves. And, as Bishop, I will say to them, “Young members of the body of Christ, we invite you to join us in the work of healing. We cannot give you a perfect world, but we can welcome you into the work of making it whole. We ask you to join us in a mature commitment to Christ, seeking to treat every person with dignity, to care for God’s creation, and to witness to the good news of Christ’s love and forgiveness.”
Healing and wholeness…maturity…treating people with dignity…caring for Creation…witnessing to love and forgiveness. That’s what Jesus did. That’s what his first disciples did. And it is precisely what we are called to do today. Of course, we can’t do it on our own and that’s why we will be praying for these young people (and ourselves) today. When I lay hands on them, I will pray, “Strengthen, O Lord, these your servants with your Holy Spirit; empower them for your service, and sustain them all the days of their life.”
I believe God will answer that prayer…in their lives and in the lives of all of us.
And it all started on Pentecost! “Hail thee, festival day! Blest day that are hallowed forever, day when the Holy Spirit shone in the world with God’s grace!” Amen! | <urn:uuid:bac54a6d-5c36-4606-acb1-3efc7f15bd1d> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://ecubishop.wordpress.com/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368699881956/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516102441-00018-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.982696 | 1,413 | 1.6875 | 2 |
Indiana lawmaker wants limits on dronesJanuary 8th, 2013 at 5:35 pm by Jim Shella under Jim Shella's Political Blog
The unmanned aircraft known as drones are used primarily by the military. But what if a private citizen bought one and used it to spy on you? One lawmaker thinks it’s possible and state Senator Jim Tomes (R-Wadesville) thinks it’s time for a law that would place limits on drones. “That you couldn’t be videotaping you, your property, or your things without your written permission,” he said. The penalty would be a felony.
Drones are best known for the way they’ve been used in the Middle East. They sometimes deliver bombs and missles but most often are used for surveillance. Cameras attached to the drones send images back to technicians, who are sometimes halfway around the world, where recordings are made. Their use is expanding. “So, I’m talking about something that can hover right over your back yard,” said Sen. Tomes.
His main concern is privacy, but Senator Tomes is also worried about safety. “And then if you would happen to wake up some morning with one of these things through the roof of your house,” he said, “I guarantee you that would be the number one thing in your world.”
“They’re very safe,” said Rep. Clyde Kersey (D-Terre Haute.) “They’re like an airplane and they’re crash record is pretty good compared to aircraft, so I don’t see a problem with that at all.”
Rep. Kersey thinks the legislation is misguided, especially when it comes to the private use of drones. “And I think that’s kinda far-fetched,” he said. “That’s going to be way in the future before that takes place.”
Meantime, the drone bill has been assigned to the Senate rules committee. That’s often where bills go to die. | <urn:uuid:eadf2afb-1eac-4a4f-bbec-9df7daab7976> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://blogs.wishtv.com/2013/01/08/indiana-lawmaker-wants-limits-on-drones/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368710006682/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516131326-00028-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.959426 | 442 | 1.65625 | 2 |
Thank you, Chairmen Hunter and Smith. It is a pleasure to be here today and provide you with information on government action to combat human trafficking.
I would like to acknowledge and greatly thank the Congress for making human trafficking, or modern-day slavery a high priority. Because of early support from leaders including the late Senator Sam Wellstone, Senators Brownback, Schumer, Representatives Smith and Lantos and many others, human trafficking has stood “front and center” for this Administration, numerous political leaders, human rights activists, law enforcement groups and many others dedicated to its demise. Because of Congressional support, the 2000 TVPA and 2003 TVPRA produced tremendous action around the world. As a result, we are combating human trafficking by punishing traffickers, protecting victims and mobilizing U.S. government agencies to wage a global anti-trafficking campaign. Our combined, multi-faceted efforts to end modern-day slavery have truly enjoyed bi-partisan support. Thanks to your advocacy and hard work, this tragedy is finally receiving its due time and attention, and we’re seeing real results.
In addition to my role as director of the Office to Monitor and Combat Trafficking in Persons at the State Department, I serve as chairman of the Senior Policy Operating Group, which implements the policies set forth by the President’s Interagency Task Force on Trafficking in Persons headed by Secretary Powell. One of the notable achievements of the Senior Policy Operating Group has been increasing the coordination of U.S. agencies in anti-trafficking in persons efforts. Each of our 11 government agencies involved in anti-TIP efforts, including the Department of Defense, now has a strategic plan to guide its actions to end modern-day slavery. This is good for accountability and good for maximizing our success against trafficking.
But while this coordination is obviously good, I’d like to tell you why it’s so vitally important for the United States to accelerate its progress when it comes to combating human trafficking.
TIP as Multi-Dimensional Threat
Trafficking in Persons violates the universal human right to life, liberty and freedom from slavery in all its forms. Victims endure brutal conditions that result in physical, sexual and psychological trauma. Children often suffer the worst abuses since they are easily controlled and forced into domestic service, armed conflict and other hazardous forms of work. Human trafficking also contributes to the breakdown of law, undermining government efforts to exert authority and threatening the security of vulnerable populations. Trafficking in persons is often linked to organized crime and profits from trafficking operations help fuel other illegal activity. This further threatens the national security of countries creating a destabilizing effect particularly in post-conflict and lesser-developed countries where the rule of law is more easily broken down.
The Office to Monitor and Combat Trafficking in Persons has increased its efforts to work with the Department of Defense to recognize these grave and serious concerns.
DOS Coordination with DOD on anti-TIP Measures and Initiatives
Historically, human trafficking has followed market demand. Unfortunately, human trafficking, especially for women and girls forced into prostitution, has followed demand where a multitude of U.S. and foreign aid workers, humanitarian workers, civilian contractors, and yes, uniformed personnel, operate. It is a shame and disgrace when any person’s human rights and dignities are violated. It’s an even greater shame when a U.S. citizen or service member, the latter who have the responsibility to protect us from threats to our national security, commits such a grave crime. More importantly, exploitation in this manner can support organized crime, threatening the very security that service members and contractors have as their mission.
I am pleased to say today, however, that progress has indeed been made. Human trafficking is being seriously addressed by my office and top USG leaders, including leaders at the Defense Department. While there is still much more to be done, I have witnessed ground-breaking interest and actions by the Pentagon.
Some of these actions, which I am proud to say our office has helped to inspire and be inspired by, are:
-A “zero-tolerance” memorandum from Deputy Secretary of Defense Paul Wolfowitz which outlines DoD’s stand on trafficking in persons.
-An anti-TIP training program for “all hands” deploying overseas. Our office collaborated closely with DoD on crafting this curriculum, providing valuable input from our current CIVPOL training courses and reviewing and revising drafts during program development.
-Recommendations for a change to DoD’s Uniform Code of Military Justice – the equivalent of our civilian criminal code—that a new charge be added to specifically address the act of patronizing prostitution.
If adopted, this measure would be a tremendous and major advance supporting the goals and policies outlined in NSPD-22. This UCMJ article would support the abolitionist approach to trafficking in persons by not focusing punishment on the victims, rather by opposing prostitution and related activities as a contributing factor to the phenomenon of trafficking in persons. With the Pentagon’s cooperation, this would serve as an important, progressive measure, which many states are now considering as well.
We also funded the Center for Strategic and International Studies, for Dr. Sarah Mendelson to carry out research on the connection between human trafficking and peacekeeping operations, especially in the Balkans. We are currently reviewing her just-completed summary of this research and hope to be provided with candid insight into where we need to do better in this area, and more importantly, how.
Clearly then, in many ways, Defense has taken seriously the President’s charge to combat TIP, for an agency composed of some 3-million members serving in most every corner of the world.
It is also noteworthy to recognize here that the Defense Department is beginning to implement these major measures during a time of heavy military action, as the United States confronts two major theater wars concurrently.
DOS perspective on Human Trafficking in the Republic of Korea
One country we know you are particularly interested in is South Korea. As with all of the countries we rate in our annual Trafficking in Persons Report, Korea’s rating is based on the government’s actions and political will to combat TIP in-country. South Korea is a source, transit and destination country for women from the Philippines, Thailand and other countries of Southeast Asia who are trafficked for the purposes of sexual exploitation. The Korean government fully complies with the minimum standards to end trafficking and has shown a steady commitment to support victims, prosecute traffickers and improve national laws to fight trafficking.
Last year the Korean Government worked with U.S. Forces Korea to identify brothels suspected of exploiting trafficking victims and bar U.S. service members’ access to them. In January, Korean policemen spoke to 777 foreign women near the U.S. bases, advising them of trafficking issues and their rights.
In conclusion, we realize that much remains to be done on all fronts, within all U.S. government agencies to monitor and combat human trafficking. Our goal, to abolish slavery in its’ multitude of forms and manifestations will require more work, constant vigilance, attention and actions. This human rights violation and security threat, like a war, is something that cannot be eradicated overnight. It will take years of hard work and dedication to combat modern-day slavery as we know it today.
We must quickly move certain items on the DOD agenda out of the planning stages and into the field. Victims of human trafficking deserve our most dedicated resolve, and they don’t have time for bureaucratic delays from any of our government agencies. Likewise, our military’s important mission of providing much needed stability and security to many nations of the world, must also not be compromised through actions, whether direct or indirect, that support organized crime. And as we try to win the hearts and minds of those we are fighting to protect, which includes our own citizens, it is imperative that the reputation and integrity of our missions not be jeopardized.
We are encouraged by the progressive action taken within the last year by Secretary Rumsfeld and stand ready to assist in any way we can to help them achieve the President’s and your mandate to abolish modern-day slavery, while at the same time producing environments that foster human rights, healthy societies and, perhaps most relevant to DoD’s work, safe and secure communities worldwide.
I am now happy to take your questions. | <urn:uuid:6415eeb5-da1b-44b7-9eee-58bb52d1069d> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.csce.gov/index.cfm?FuseAction=ContentRecords.ViewWitness&ContentRecord_id=547&ContentType=D&ContentRecordType=D&ParentType=B&CFID=156662&CFTOKEN=90983471 | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368697380733/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516094300-00009-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.950328 | 1,737 | 1.617188 | 2 |
For those of us living the writing life, whether we realize it or not, we are constantly learning as we read. Often I'll find myself engrossed in a book where the author's voice becomes so familiar I swear I'll never forget its rhythms and style. And while I sometimes can hold onto a general sense of these things, I'm finding I need to be more intentional with my reading if I want these impressions to last.
This year I've started using my commonplace book as a place to record quotes that have struck me as important. Sometimes it's a fresh simile, other times just a sentence to remember the atmosphere an author has so wonderfully invoked. I've recorded the last few pages of novels, those key moments when everything comes together. I've written down scenes when the protagonist reaches the end of his or her self and must become something new.
It's in looking for and taking note of things that I'm learning to grow as a writer.
Here are a few similes and metaphors I've collected these last few months from middle grade, young adult, and adult titles:
"Alice's stomach was rumbling like an empty garbage can rolling down a hill..." PIE, Sarah Weeks
"I try to stuff myself between the seats, like coins." EMILY'S DRESS AND OTHER MISSING THINGS, Kathryn Burak
"Majid had a family network as complex and secretive as a walnut shell." THE RUINS OF US, Keija Parssinen
"Her voice sounds as hollow as the empty wasp's nests." CROSSED, Ally Condie
"The day is collapsing into dusk. The Gypsies in their white shirts are the only lamps. The moon is coming in like a pan on fire." SMALL DAMAGES, Beth KephartAnd some darn beautiful truths:
"I lay my hand on my heart. Our parents teach us the very first things we learn. They teach us about hearts. What if I could be treated as though I were small again? What if I were mothered all over again? Might I get my heart back?
My heart is unfolding." CHIME, Franny Billingsley
"That taste is still in my mouth. I know what it is. It's the taste of pretending. It's the taste of lying. It's the taste of a game that is over." LIAR AND SPY, Rebecca Stead
"In spring, Amherst changes into a storybook. The students grow wings from their heels and run through town spinning and singing. You get the idea that some parts of life are pure happiness, as least for a while. The toy store in the center of town puts all its kites outside, on display, so that the tails and whirligigs can illustrate the wind." EMILY'S DRESS AND OTHER MISSING THINGS, Kathryn BurakWhat helps you process what you learn as you read? | <urn:uuid:b53f778e-2c6f-4288-9710-e544572cffd3> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://project-middle-grade-mayhem.blogspot.com/2012/12/reading-as-study-growing-as-writer.html | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368709037764/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516125717-00003-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.965716 | 603 | 1.78125 | 2 |
For the past three decades, Uncle Sam has been providing a handful of patients with some of the highest grade marijuana around. The program grew out of a 1976 court settlement that created the country’s first legal pot smoker.
Advocates for legalizing marijuana or treating it as a medicine say the program is a glaring contradiction in the nation’s 40-year war on drugs — maintaining the federal ban on pot while at the same time supplying it.
The four patients remaining in the program estimate they have received a total of 584 pounds from the federal government over the years. On the street, that would be worth more than $500,000.Read » | <urn:uuid:215828df-60c1-4eae-995e-fd884b68e859> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.freetalklive.com/content/feds_supply_half_pound_buckets_weed_us_patients | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368704392896/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516113952-00005-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.950043 | 135 | 1.578125 | 2 |
Thu December 29, 2011
Mo. Senate will try again to require disclaimers on political robo-calls
For the 6th year in a row, a Missouri state lawmaker has introduced legislation that would require the party behind political robo-calls to inform a person who is paying for the call.
Republican state Senator Scott Rupp from the St. Louis area has sponsored the measure this year. He says free speech protections mean political calls cannot be banned the way that some advertising calls can. But he says providing more information is the next-best thing.
"We've had people that get calls at 3 or 4 in the morning that say, 'vote for Tom Jones, he's a great guy,'" Rupp said. "Well, that angers you if you get it at 3 in the morning, but actually that was Tom Jones' opponent that was calling because he wanted to anger you, but you had no idea."
Rupp says the measure usually fares well in the Senate, but runs into opposition in the state House.
"In the past, the way it was written, it could have ensnared some public opinion polling, and we didn't want to do that," he said. "But typically, it seems that there are some handful of people that like to use it, that use it extensively, and that don't want to see any changes to the system."
Rupp's proposal would also allow Missouri residents to add cell phones to the do not call list, and prohibit certain automated calls to the numbers on the list. | <urn:uuid:4346cab0-f853-47fb-8a6a-aaef762740ff> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.news.stlpublicradio.org/post/mo-senate-will-try-again-require-disclaimers-political-robo-calls | 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 | 0.981664 | 318 | 1.65625 | 2 |
Theotokos "Pantanassa" (Vatopedi, 17th c.) - T79
Product #: T 79
Vatopedi Monastery, Mt. Athos
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The most humble Handmaiden of the Lord, the Virgin Mary, is shown the greatest honor in this icon by placing her on a throne with her Son and God. The Orthodox Church honors her by crying out in her church service, “Thou art a gold-entwined tower, and twelve-wall encircled city, a throne besprinkled with sunbeams, a royal chair of the King. O, unexplained wonder! That thou dost feed the Master with thy milk.” Those of the household of God repeat what she said to the great Archangel Gabriel at the Annunciation, “behold, from henceforth all generations shall call me blessed.” (Luke 1:48)
In this 17th century Greek icon, known to work miracles and to cure those with cancer, the Divine Child sits in glory on her All-Pure lap and blesses us. He was aware of His Divine Nature and Rulership at every moment of His Life, as is seen in His icons which show the intelligent and aware face of an adult even when He was a child. In the halo around Christ’s head is a cross with the Greek letters for “I AM” as the infant silently proclaims himself to be the King of Glory and ground of Existence Itself. | <urn:uuid:6aaa48ab-4e82-4bb9-906e-8ae9998d4f02> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.skete.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=product.display&Product_ID=38&Category_ID=27 | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368707435344/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516123035-00007-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.947852 | 321 | 1.671875 | 2 |
|by Karen Handley • March 4, 2008|
The Wabash College Art Department is pleased to announce its next exhibit. Visiting Art Professor Joseph Gower will display ceramic sculptures titled, "Shop," in the Eric Dean Gallery from March 17 through April 4 with a public reception 8-9:30 p.m. on Monday, March 17.
In Shop, Gower explores the dichotomies of functionality and non-functionality; masculinity and femininity; high art and kitsch. Gower creates ceramic casts of car fenders, toolboxes and gasoline tanks to address the functionality of objects that serve a daily function. He explains the process of casting car parts associated with masculinity by stating, "These are objects that have been often overlooked in terms of beauty because of their function and association." By transforming the functional into a non-functional work of art, Gower reintroduces the masculine objects from a feminine point of view, which forces the viewer to reconsider other interpretations for the automotive parts. The act of transforming the masculine and functional into the feminine and non-functional enables Gower to question what it means to be masculinity in contemporary society.
Shop becomes an autobiographical record of Gower’s immediate environment of art, mass produced merchandise, and popular culture. Through Shop, Gower attempts to bridge the cultural gap between the world of the working middle and the world of art. Both of which, Gower closely associates himself with.
Originally from Madison, Wisconsin, Gower received his master’s of fine arts from Arizona State University in 2006. Gower was an Artist-in-Residence at Arrowmont School of Art in Gatlinburg, Tennessee and has exhibited his work nationally. Currently, Gower instructs studio courses as a visiting professor of art at Wabash College in Crawfordsville, Indiana.
The Eric Dean Gallery is located on the south end of the Fine Arts Center. Gallery hours are Monday through Friday from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. and on Saturday from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. The gallery is free and open to the public. | <urn:uuid:02fc2cbd-da6e-4095-a4cf-d92c43e3512d> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://wabash.edu/news/displaystory.cfm?news_ID=5585 | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368706153698/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516120913-00015-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.957605 | 436 | 1.671875 | 2 |
The Biotechnology Industry Organization (BIO) praises the House and Senate for passage of H.R. 3606, the Jumpstart Our Business Startups (JOBS) Act. The JOBS Act, which is now headed to the White House for President Obama’s signature, will make the pathway to capital formation more attainable for small biotechnology companies, clearing the way for American innovation and ingenuity by removing bureaucratic hurdles and red tape to speed cures and medical breakthroughs to patients.
The JOBS Act creates an “on-ramp” to the public market for emerging growth companies, allowing them five years to focus on conducting critical research that can lead to cures for debilitating diseases - such as cancer, HIV/AIDs and Parkinson’s disease - before having to divert funds to address bureaucratic hurdles that cause unnecessary delays. Through this legislation, emerging growth companies will be exempt for their first five years on the public market from the compliance burdens of Sarbanes-Oxley (SOX) Section 404(b), which SEC studies estimate cost companies up to $2 million per year. In addition, the legislation will:
Expand the eligibility requirements of SEC Regulation A to include companies conducting direct public offerings of up to $50 million;
Increase the limit that requires private companies to register with the SEC from 500 to 2,000 shareholders; and
Require the SEC to revise Rule 506 of Regulation D to permit general solicitation in direct public offerings, broadening the investor base.
BIO President and CEO Jim Greenwood issued the following statement today:
“BIO applauds passage of the JOBS Act and all efforts to incentivize and encourage capital formation for growing companies working to develop breakthrough medicines and cures for devastating diseases. These reforms are especially important to innovative biotechnology companies that must spend investor dollars to address bureaucratic red tape and hurdles rather than the search for cures and breakthrough medicines.
“This legislation incentivizes and encourages capital formation for small, emerging biotechnology companies, speeding the development of new cures and treatments for patients living with debilitating diseases such as cancer, diabetes, Parkinson’s, and HIV/AIDS. Bringing such groundbreaking cures and treatments from research bench to bedside is a long and arduous road, and biotechnology companies are at the forefront of the effort.
“In addition to the R&D hurdles that biotechnology companies face, there are day-to-day challenges of running a small business with the hopes of one day entering the public market. Of great import in the biotechnology industry is the constant struggle to find working capital.
“If burdens on public financing were removed, thereby leveling the playing field, private investors would have greater certainty that the companies they help take public will have the chance to succeed in the search for cures and breakthrough medicines. This confidence hopefully will lead to increased investments in promising science that could lead to treatments and cures for some of the most debilitating and life-threatening diseases."
A recent survey conducted by the National Venture Capital Association (NVCA) found that 41 percent of venture capital firms have decreased their investments in the biopharmaceutical sector in the past three years. Additionally, 40 percent of venture capitalists reported that they expect to further decrease their biopharmaceutical investments over the next three years. Promising research to cure and improve the quality of life for millions of Americans living with debilitating diseases will be hit by this change in investment strategy, including research in cardiovascular disease, diabetes, and cancer.
For additional data and analysis on the U.S. biotechnology industry, please visit www.bio.org. | <urn:uuid:a7835854-e6c3-4ced-8522-e333474a9ffe> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.bio.org/media/press-release/bio-applauds-congress-passage-jumpstart-our-business-startups-jobs-act | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368699273641/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516101433-00027-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.934894 | 733 | 1.742188 | 2 |
Town of Holly Springs, North Carolina, Pedestrian Transportation Plan
Award > American Planning Association, North Carolina Chapter, 2008 Marvin Collins Outstanding Planning Award, Brian Benson Award Category, Comprehensive Planning, Small Community
Project Description > Greenways Incorporated prepared the Holly Springs Pedestrian Plan for the Town of Holly Springs as part of a grant from the NCDOT Bicycle and Pedestrian Planning Grant Initiative. GWI conducted a significant public participation effort with the Town of Holly Springs which included an online survey, survey mailings, and two public meetings, one of which included setting up a tent in an active public park on a Saturday to intercept families. Special effort was taken to incorporate all existing and planned sidewalks and greenways into a comprehensive map. Pedestrian network recommendations were made where gaps in the existing system were found and to connect such trip attractors as Downtown, schools, shopping centers, and parks.
Because Holly Springs is such a rapidly-growing community, GWI focused on policy and ordinance development for residential and commercial sites, regional connectivity, and connectivity to planned development. All major roadway intersections were assessed and completely described for pedestrian conditions and recommendations were made for their improvement. An interconnected system of both on-road sidewalks and off-road trails was recommended with an assessment of all opportunities and constraints. | <urn:uuid:2a6fa480-6a77-48d2-9273-ca2af5a2de77> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.greenways.com/hollysprings_ped.html | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368698207393/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516095647-00028-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.955196 | 265 | 1.648438 | 2 |
TELEGRAM FROM SOVIET ENVOY IN NEW YORK V.V. KUZNETSOV TO USSR FOREIGN MINISTRYCITATION SHARE DOWNLOAD
get citationKuznetsov met with Gilpatrick and Yost the day before where the two requested from Kuznetsov if it was possible to photograph the Soviet vessels carrying the removed weapons."Telegram from Soviet envoy in New York V.V. Kuznetsov to USSR Foreign Ministry" November 07, 1962, History and Public Policy Program Digital Archive, AVP RF; copy obtained by NHK, provided to CWIHP, and on file at National Security Archive; translation by John Henriksen http://digitalarchive.wilsoncenter.org/document/110440
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On 6 November we had a meeting with the Americans, with the participation on their side of Stevenson, the Deputy Minister [Secretary] of Defense [Roswell] Gilpatrick, and Ambassador [Charles] Yost (Stevenson's deputy).
The Americans asked a series of questions connected with the procedure governing the first-hand observation from their ships of our ships' removal of the missiles. They proposed the following procedure for that observation activity:
The American ships will come up close to the Soviet vessels in order to see and photograph the missiles being shipped. If conditions at sea do not permit their ships to approach so close to the Soviet vessels, then unarmed helicopters will be sent from the American ships, and the photographing will be done from them.
In order to be convinced that it is precisely missiles that are being shipped out, rather than something else, the Americans are requesting that the covers or casings be removed from certain missiles during the observation. The desire was expressed that the missiles be shipped on the decks of the ships. Gilpatrick emphasized that they did not have in mind the sort of unveiling of the missiles that would allow a disclosure of their technical characteristics.
The Americans emphasized that they considered it important to become convinced that the entire quantity of missiles that they had been informed of was being removed from Cuba.
The question was raised as to how and where a meeting could be arranged between the American ships with the Soviet vessels carrying the missiles. The Americans proposed that we inform them of the ship's numbers of all our vessels which are headed out of Cuba bearing missiles, so that the captains of the American ships from which the observations will be conducted can be able to make contact with the captains of our ships, and arrange a meeting-place with them without disturbing the itineraries of the Soviet vessels. We said that in that case it would be necessary for the captains of our vessels to have the ship's numbers of the American ships as well, in order to find out whether they should get in contact with those particular ships. Gilpatrick agreed, and proposed that the ship's numbers of the Soviet and American vessels be exchanged.
The Americans also requested to be informed of the departure schedules of the other ships carrying missiles out of Cuba after 7 November.
We believe that the American proposals for carrying out an observation of the removal of Soviet missiles from Cuba are acceptable. In the event that they are approved, we ask to be immediately informed of the ship's numbers of the Soviet vessels, and of the departure schedules of the ships carrying missiles out of Cuba after 7 November, unless all the missiles will have been removed by 6 or 7 November.
7.XI.62 V. KUZNETSOV
[Source: AVP RF; copy obtained by NHK, provided to CWIHP, and on file at National Security Archive; translation by John Henriksen.] | <urn:uuid:3881f00e-686c-4a80-92d9-531717ab755e> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://digitalarchive.wilsoncenter.org/document/110440 | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368699881956/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516102441-00019-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.958144 | 747 | 1.789063 | 2 |
The Power of Pro Bono is a first-of-its-kind book--equally representing the voices of architects and their clients--featuring 40 projects for the public good, designed pro bono for an array of nonprofit organization by some of America’s leading architecture firms. The book is available through Amazon and all major booksellers.
MacArthur Fellow Majora Carter contributed the foreword to The Power of Pro Bono; in it, she writes, "This book shows how even seemingly small efforts can make people’s day-to-day experiences healthier, more engaging, and more life affirming."
Designed by Paula Scher of Pentagram, The Power of Pro Bono is comprised of six sections, generally aligned with the breakdown of the nonprofit sector and the interests of most major foundations.
In his endorsement of The Power of Pro Bono, author and Fast Company magazine co-founder Alan Webber writes, "We all know that architecture can heal the sick, inspire the young, unite the community. This book goes further than that--it describes the larger public purpose that architects, designers, and clients can serve when they work together and embrace a pro bono ethic."
The 40 projects featured in The Power of Pro Bono hail from 27 cities in 17 states. The projects showcased include art galleries, health clinics, community centers, housing, libraries, public gardens, and schools.
In his endorsement, activist Van Jones--author of The Green Collar Economy, founder of Green For All, former White House green czar, and founder of Rebuild America--recognizes pro bono as a movement in the making.
The 40 projects featured in The Power of Pro Bono were designed by award-winning practices like Morphosis, SHoP Architects, and Studio Gang, young studios including Min | Day (above) and Patrick Tighe Architecture, and some of the largest firms in the country, such as Gensler, HOK, and Perkins+Will.
Following his endorsement of The Power of Pro Bono and receipt of the finished book, Taproot Foundation founder Aaron Hurst went on to say "This is the most inspiring book published, not just about pro bono service, but about service and volunteerism. PERIOD."
The clients featured in The Power of Pro Bono are all 501(c)(3) nonprofits--including community-focused organizations like Brad Pitt’s Make It Right Foundation in New Orleans and Homeless Prenatal Program of San Francisco as well as national organizations, among them Goodwill, Habitat for Humanity, and KIPP Schools. The project above is one of 56 New York Public School libraries redesigned by pro bono through the Robin Hood L!brary Initiative.
In her endorsement of The Power of Pro Bono, famed architect and Harvard professor Toshiko Mori wrote, "Pro bono design renews the relationship between architecture and society by defining architecture’s currency in terms of quality, not numbers. It establishes a new relationship of collaboration by sharing goals and risks. This mutually engaging process invests in and promotes excellence and the power of design." | <urn:uuid:804230ef-6078-4e4d-ac94-5ec66e6abe30> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://johncary.us/book/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368696381249/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516092621-00018-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.947627 | 639 | 1.671875 | 2 |
When the Gowanus-based art studio of painter Ray Smith was flooded during Hurricane Sandy, a Jersey City arts center opened its doors to help him salvage decades of damaged work.
Smith is now preparing to exhibit more than 100 paintings at Mana Contemporary as part of what the center is calling his “post-Sandy revitalization.” The unusual exhibit will run throughout five floors of Mana – the first time any single show has done so – and will be part traditional exhibition, part interactive experiment.
The show, titled “Here Now,” will be a representation of Smith’s work over the course of his career, but will also try to reveal elements of his lifestyle, artistic philosophy, and themes that recur throughout his pieces.
“Here Now” will be a representation of Smith’s work over the course of his career.
A native of Brownsville, Texas, Smith spent many years living in Mexico and now divides his time between living in New York City and Mexico.
His time spent living below the border has clearly influenced his style, which draws from the large murals that can be found in many parts of Mexico’s rural landscape. Smith’s aesthetic incorporates many images and themes common in Latin American art.
For “Here Now,” the first floor of Mana will be dedicated to Smith’s current works, and will be subtitled “Exquisite Corpse.” The “Exquisite Corpse” paintings are somewhat collage-based and rely on a series of small images that are pieced together to comprise a new and larger work. Meanwhile, the fifth floor of the exhibit will be devoted to some of Smith’s older, mural-sized works.
The sixth floor gallery space operated by Eileen S. Kaminski Family Foundation will showcase a few selections from Smith’s private collection, in addition to pieces by anthropologist and art critic G.T. Pellizzi. Mana’s fourth floor will exhibit “The Execution of Maximilian: Border Paintings,” a series of Smith-Pellizzi painting that Ricks said “have to do with conflict and violence along the U.S.-Mexican border.”
The paintings were partly inspired by Edouard Manet’s series “The Execution of Emperor Maximilian.”
Art, the way it was meant to be displayed
Open for nearly two years now, the 1 million-square-foot Mana Contemporary is a multi-dimensional art center that serves several functions for artists, art patrons, collectors, and the general Jersey City community. The center includes several artist studio spaces, which are open to the public each Sunday. The center includes a vast climate controlled warehouse in which art collectors are already storing valuable paintings that are not currently on display in museums or galleries. And private viewing rooms are available in which art collectors can meet privately to negotiate sales.
Mana’s staff includes art professionals skilled in the areas of repair, restoration, and appraisal. Mana co-founders Yigal Ozeri and Eugene Lemay, painters both, also lease out space to gallery owners, like the Eileen S. Kaminski Family Foundation, who wish to exhibit the collections of art investors/collectors.
“Here Now” opens at Mana on Sunday, March 3.
In addition to the upcoming Ray Smith exhibit, Mana is currently showing a rarely-seen collection of works by Keith Haring through Feb. 24.
Mana Contemporary is located at 888 Newark Ave.
E-mail E. Assata Wright at [email protected]. | <urn:uuid:9d4532c6-823c-451d-9be4-421605349ad6> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.hudsonreporter.com/view/full_story/21706473/article-Border-crossing-Mana-Contemporary-to-exhibit-internationally-acclaimed-artist-Ray-Smith%E2%80%99s-%E2%80%98Here-Now%E2%80%99-?instance=secondary_stories_left_column | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368698207393/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516095647-00017-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.964979 | 762 | 1.671875 | 2 |
Fabric and Faith
Gifts of Prayers. Gifts of Quilts.
OCT. 8 – DEC. 14 , 2012
Digital Art Gallery at the Prairie Center on the Avera campus.
Learn more about Prayers and Squares; a volunteer program that makes prayer quilts for cancer patients. Also, read stories of how the quilts provide comfort to patients as well as wrap them in warmth and prayers while they journey through cancer treatment.
What is a prayer quilt?
Prayer quilts are a colorful expression of support and concern. They are not only functional and comfortable, but also a symbol of each patient’s journey through cancer, and a tangible expression of the prayers of others.
What makes it a prayer quilt?
The quilts are tied, and then prayed over by sisters from the Benedictine and Presentation Orders, sponsors of Avera. The quilters leave the strings long, so patients can tie a knot each time they say a prayer. Ties are long enough for additional knots, to represent prayers from caregivers, family or friends.
Who makes the prayer quilts?
Volunteers meet on a weekly basis at the Avera Cancer Institute to work on the quilt. 750 quilts have been completed to-date.
Community Art Wall in the Prairie Center
The Prairie Center, home of the Avera Cancer Institute and Avera Surgery Center, is a place that provides not only hope for our patients, but also a place that welcomes and engages our community. We listened to what our patients wanted in a building—from architectural design to what style of artwork is in a waiting room. Avera McKennan understands and embraces the healing power of art and is excited to unveil a digital community art wall. | <urn:uuid:774f4c0f-b859-4dca-a6d0-b58d7033eeee> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.avera.org/mckennan/art/digital-wall/fabric-and-faith/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368704132298/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516113532-00027-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.934001 | 368 | 1.71875 | 2 |
During the time that Bill Clinton was rocking the Democratic convention, ABC, CBS, and Fox were showing re-runs, NBC was showing the second hour of “America’s Got Talent,” and the CW was showing the second season finale of “Pussycat Dolls Present: Girlicious.”
Less than two decades ago, the networks gave the conventions gavel-to-gavel coverage. This year, the networks are giving only four hours prime time coverage to each convention.
The first televised conventions were in Philadelphia in 1948. At the time, only about 170,000 of the nation’s 42.2 million households had televisions. The networks, desperate to fill their government-issued airwaves, begged the nation to believe that television was at the cutting edge of the future. TV needed politicians; politicians weren’t so sure they needed TV. By 1960, more than 46 million of the nation’s 58 million households had at least one TV set, and most stations were broadcasting at least 16 hours a day. If anyone doubted the potential and power of television, it was quashed that year during the televised Nixon–Kennedy debates which gave the Massachusetts senator a lead he never lost. Eight years later, the cameras recorded the Chicago riots, giving credibility to the antiwar movement and virtually destroying the Democrats’ chance to defeat Richard Nixon, even though the liberal Hubert Humphrey deplored the police response and Mayor Richard Daley’s iron fist tactics.
Once, the parties’ nominees for president were usually determined at the convention itself, not months earlier in the media-enhanced primary campaigns. On the floor of the convention, we at home, watching on 17-inch TV sets, looked forward to the roll call, as each state’s chairman stood up, usually dressed in something red-white-and outrageous, and declared for all America to hear, something to the effect: “Mr. Chairman, the great and glorious state of Globule Gulch, home of more than 50 hotdog stands per square mile and the most beautiful women on earth, the place where George Washington once slept and where cows peacefully graze on our healthy grass, proudly casts it 85 votes for its favorite son, Governor Lushpuppy Billings.”
By the late 1980s, TV demanded more and more, and the party leaders began to stage prime time shows to play to TV’s prime–time necessities.
Gone are the spontaneous floor events where delegates march, laugh, maybe argue with each other, and actually participate in helping shape the direction of their party, even when the nominee was an incumbent president. Does anyone hear about the party’s platform and its planks now? Does anyone even care? The signs on the convention floor are cookie-cutter conformity. The delegates are nothing more than props. Their role is to go to the myriad lobbyist-prepared parties, have fun, and act as extras for the show unfolding before them, and then go home and rally the grassroots support.
Last week, Barack Obama and his campaign staff controlled every aspect of the convention, including who would be the speakers, what and how they would say it, when each would appear and for how long. Only President Clinton’s speech wasn’t vetted. It won’t be any different this week with the Republicans, but the Republicans may have to check President Bush’s speech ahead of time, ‘lest it become more comedic than planned.
It was the television media that created the atmosphere that demanded “interesting visuals” and the seven-second sound bite; and now the media are upset that politicians, in their infomercial packaged conventions that play to the camera, have nothing to say. The networks, which created the monster, are crying there isn’t any news–and they cut away from what is interesting, such as the speech by President Clinton–and turn the cameras onto themselves. The pontificating pundits with their semi-erudite commentaries and all-knowing blather that bores viewers more than any politician’s 20-minute speech, now dominate the prime time coverage and pretend what they’re saying actually matters. It’s hard to believe that 16,000 members of the media credentialed to cover each convention couldn’t find any news.
But, there is news. There are stories. The networks, sitting on their plush assets, have failed to dig out these stories to better help Americans understand the issues that affect them. And so the celebrity-driven media spent more time percolating the story of the division between the Hillary and Obama forces than trying to help Americans better understand the issues. If the mainstream media were to leave their color-coordinated broadcast booths and hospitality suites, as the alternative media have done, and dig beneath the puffery and pageantry, they may find the greater social and political issues that need to be reported, as well as the delightful “slice of life” stories that help us better understand our own lives.
The first TV conventions were the best of the emerging Reality TV programming before the medium sunk into who would eat what disgusting insect. America needs both the conventions and the media to be more real.
[Dr. Walter M. Brasch is an award-winning social issues columnist, former newspaper and magazine reporter and editor, and professor of journalism at Bloomsburg University. He is president of the Pennsylvania Press Club, and former president of the Keystone state chapter of the Society of Professional Journalist. He is also the author of 17 books, including America' s Unpatriotic Acts: The Federal Giovernment's Violation of Constitutional and Civil Rights (January 2005) and Sinking the Ship of State: The Presidency of George W. Bush (November 2007), available through amazon.com and other bookstores. He frequently writes about the media, social and political issues. You may contact Brasch at [email protected] or through his website at: www.walterbrasch.com.] | <urn:uuid:d8bd72bf-8612-4ab4-8847-082d2dd0109d> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://dandelionsalad.wordpress.com/2008/08/31/no-news-is-bad-news-by-rosemary-and-walter-brasch/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368697380733/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516094300-00024-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.969349 | 1,257 | 1.75 | 2 |
Crime lurks outside airports, rail stations
Frequent business traveler Jim Shriner says it's too risky to walk through neighborhood streets outside the Philadelphia and Newark airports.
"I would not venture out alone on foot into either of these areas," says Shriner, who lives in Lithia, Fla., and is a vice president in the health care industry.
Shriner, like other veteran travelers, knows the risk of becoming a crime victim often increases once he leaves the confines of an airport or central train station and goes into surrounding neighborhoods — where travelers routinely pick up or return rental cars, refill gas tanks, buy provisions and check into hotels.
An exclusive neighborhood study done for USA TODAY by crime-forecasting company CAP Index shows those instincts are right — and criminologists are not surprised.
The CAP Index study finds that the likelihood of crime is nearly eight times higher than the national average outside Philadelphia airport and nearly five times higher outside Newark airport.
The likelihood of crime exceeds the national average outside 28 of 29 big-city airports in the study and outside all 26 central train stations, says CAP Index, which uses statistics, demographics and computer modeling to determine the likelihood of crime.
Of the 29 airports, about half have surrounding neighborhoods where the likelihood of crime is more than four times higher than the national average. Of 26 central train stations, 21 have surrounding neighborhoods where the likelihood is more than four times higher.
CAP Index President Jon Groussman says his company's analysis of law enforcement and clients' loss data shows a large number of crimes are committed in such neighborhoods.
"You are clearly getting into a more elevated risk potential" when you enter a neighborhood with a crime likelihood at least four times the national average, he says.
CAP Index says its crime-risk determinations are 70% to 90% accurate. Like other probability formulas, CAP Index's methodology has its limitations, company officials acknowledge, because it does not take into account various variables, including police force size, amount of security equipment being used and current events.
Rosemary Erickson, a criminologist and security expert, says CAP Index is "extremely useful for predicting crime," and travelers should heed its findings for neighborhoods outside airports and central train stations.
The areas outside airports and central train stations have a higher likelihood of crime because they're often poor neighborhoods and are probably not as effectively policed as some downtown areas, says Lewis Yablonsky, emeritus professor of criminology at California State University-Northridge.
Though airports may have a heavier police and security presence than nearby streets, they aren't immune to crime. During the first five months this year at New York's JFK airport, for example, 912 crimes were reported to police, according to Port Authority of New York and New Jersey statistics.
Erickson says the areas around airports and train stations aren't the most desirable to live. Many are low-income areas with high unemployment rates — "signs of social disorder" and higher crime rates, she says.
In southwest Philadelphia, for instance, the neighborhood outside the airport falls under the jurisdiction of police district 12 — one of the two "most violent" of 21 districts, according to a 2007 Philadelphia Police Department report. There were 3,580 crimes in district 12 reported to police last year, ranking the district 13th in total number of major crimes, according to Philadelphia Police Department statistics.
Last year, Philadelphia police busted an alleged prostitution ring that operated from hotels near the airport. Many robberies, assaults and a murder of an alleged pimp in December 2009 were related to the ring, police said.
Where the hot spots are
Hotels and motels near other U.S. airports have also been crime scenes. Police in Burbank, Calif., last year said prostitution and criminal activities were increasing in hotels near Bob Hope Airport.
At a motel near Virginia's Richmond airport in April 2007, Gary Post of Broadway, Va., was murdered while unloading his vehicle with his two adult sons. The men had driven to the motel for an inexpensive room before their flight the next day, police said. They were approached by four men with semiautomatic weapons attempting to rob them.
Several frequent fliers say they're wary of the neighborhood outside Los Angeles International Airport. Dallas-based Ted Mitchell, who works for a software company, calls the neighborhood "awful."
According to CAP Index, the likelihood of becoming a crime victim outside Los Angeles International is nearly four times more than the national average.
The likelihood of crime is even higher — more than seven times above the national average — in the neighborhood outside the airport in Ontario, Calif.
Of all neighborhoods near airports and central train stations in CAP Index's study, none has a higher likelihood of crime than the one outside Houston's Amtrak station on Washington Avenue. The crime likelihood there is nearly 11 times higher than the national average.
A review of the Houston Police Department's online statistics for crimes within a half mile of the Amtrak station indicates that during the first five months this year, more than 200 crimes were reported to police, says CAP Index Vice President Stephen Longo.
The crimes included two murders, three rapes, two robberies, 16 aggravated assaults, 15 auto thefts, 14 burglaries and more than 150 thefts, Longo says.
Frequent business traveler Richard Szulewski of Germantown, Tenn., says he thinks the risk of crime is greatest at New York's Penn Station.
"I consider myself quite vigilant, yet I always feel like I have to be on my highest guard at all times," says Szulewski, a health care development manager.
Tourists there "could easily be crime victims of pickpocketing or bag theft." But, he says, "there is typically a large, armed police force present."
Outside Penn Station, located on Manhattan's west side, the likelihood of crime is nearly seven times the national average, CAP Index's analysis shows.
Like Szulewski, many frequent business travelers say they are most concerned about theft.
Rebecca Carranza of Barrington, Ill., was a theft victim last year while returning a rental car to an off-airport facility outside Memphis airport.
An employee of the rental company stole her new iPhone out of the rental car she was returning, she says.
"The surveillance tape showed the employee taking it out of the car and putting it in his pocket," says Carranza, a manager in the educational publishing industry.
Frequent business traveler Mitch Fong of Mill Valley, Calif., says he's never been a crime victim in an airport or train station, but he's concerned about areas outside them.
"I would say that the areas around most major airports are not the best neighborhoods in most cities," says Fong, a vice president in the financial-services industry. "I am definitely on high alert whenever I am just outside most major airports."
Some safety tips for travelers
Frequent business traveler Paul Tamburelli of Peoria, Ariz., says he's never been a crime victim while traveling and offers some safety tips.
"Keep your wits about your surroundings; don't wear flashy jewelry; and know where to go and where not to go at all times," says the vice president in the transportation industry. "Don't attract unwanted attention to yourself or make yourself look like an easy mark."
Regardless of location, "Vigilance is the most important factor in preventing crime," says Jennifer Welch, a flight attendant in Hillsborough, Calif. "A little situational awareness goes a long way in ensuring you don't become a victim."
Erickson says travelers should "always look for warning signs" outside airports and train stations. If a neighborhood has graffiti, litter, iron bars over doors and windows or homeless people on the streets, a traveler shouldn't walk or get out of a rental car in the neighborhood, she says.
"If it doesn't feel safe, you probably shouldn't be there," Erickson says. | <urn:uuid:502ea288-9351-42d0-81a4-33e938f7e433> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://travel.usatoday.com/news/story/2011/07/Study-Crime-risk-high-near-many-airports-train-stations-/49301270/1 | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368700264179/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516103104-00030-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.965541 | 1,641 | 1.539063 | 2 |
Tornado, flash flood watches in effect until 1 a.m. Saturday
The Kansas City metro area and much of the region continues under a tornado watch and flash flood watch through 1 a.m. Saturday.
The NWS said the tornado watch follows an area from Leavenworth to Bartlesville, Okla. A line of thunderstorms have the capability to produce large hail and damaging winds.
Scattered thunderstorms may continue locally as a cold front moving southeast out of central Kansas and Nebraska generatse clusters of thunderstorms to the west. These thunderstorms may track southeast through the entire outlook area in the evening and overnight hours. Thunderstorm activity is expected to end by daybreak Saturday. In addition to the severe threats, locally heavy rainfall will be possible through early Saturday morning, with 1 to 3 inches of rain and localized flash flooding possible. | <urn:uuid:c8cdda2f-df6b-43e0-bc8f-9338007dde16> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.tonganoxiemirror.com/news/2010/sep/10/tornado-flash-flood-watches-effect-until-1-m-satur/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368704132298/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516113532-00037-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.935377 | 175 | 1.601563 | 2 |
Fake watches are available in various parts of the world. They make huge profits for producers of false. There are many people who buy counterfeit goods. Most watches are selling a few names that are similar to the original. Luxury watches are quite expensive and comes with a price of over $ 250. It is important to know that luxury watches are sold direct dealer.
Fake watches last 2 or 3 years. You can expect luxury watches are expensive due to the high quality that enhances endurance. The original clocks usually last for a long time due to expensive materials and quality craftsmanship.
Luxury watch manufacturers often use several marketing strategies that are relatively expensive. Fake watches are sold without warranty. The components of fake watches, antique watches.
The use of the signal is different from the original crystal used false. You can pour a drop of water on the clock of the conduct in question. Fake watches copy of all functions of the watches is real, even the logo and name. Clocks really have a logo and name engraved and not printed. Counterfeit manufacturers do not help. The back of the box of fake watches are stamped and recorded, not the original product.
Last but not least, the original clocks are supplied with heavy materials. | <urn:uuid:081017a1-39ac-4e6e-bce1-bc64da81585d> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.verkonpaikkaajat.net/tag/crystal | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368710006682/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516131326-00009-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.96185 | 250 | 1.65625 | 2 |
How about a hearty Halloween front and center for the scaly reptiles and the slimiest of amphibians?
And all that’s not to mention the somewhat suspicious timing with the dastardly Hurricane Sandy and its creepy sidekick, Frankenstorm.
A related witch’s brew has apparently boiled over into last week’s quarterly convening of the Mountain State’s Natural Resources Commission Meeting. While the subject usually revolves around deer, bear, turkey and the associated seasons and bag limits thereof; this one was highlighted by some new ones for lizards, snakes and turtles for good cause!
And just as my young grandson always says at such seemingly strange turns of events, “It’s not funny.” However, the increasing potential and actual exploitation of a valuable state resource for mostly European and Asian food and pet markets is no laughing matter at all. Folks should know that the many game and other wildlife species we enjoy today are the result of pioneering efforts to protect them from just such similar “market” exploitation.
For example, the reason ginseng here is so valuable is because the overseas varieties have been extirpated. If we’re not careful, the same could happen to many forms of our domestic wild critters, which reptiles and amphibians are an important component of. Deer, bear and turkey could be next. Remember all the bear killings just for their gall bladders a few years back in the Great Smoky Mountains? Protection of all types of wildlife from exploitive markets is a basic tenet of American wildlife management, one that has worked pretty darn well for the last hundred years and that we may have taken for granted.
West Virginia’s somewhat lax protections for the scaled and slimy ones have apparently attracted interest from some folks that were indicated as being neither: fishermen, sportsmen or from West Virginia. However, some high file prosecutions for wildlife marketing infractions indicate that they were here for one particular reason. That is, to catch and sell large numbers of the state’s turtles, snakes and reptiles for major potential profit.
Fortunately, when presented with the magnitude of the situation, the Commission acted unanimously to pass a basic package of additional protections. This is part of and well within the scope of their authority. Folks should recall that there already are some protections in place, such as the seasons, limits and license requirements for frog gigging. The new package is merely an expanded version for other amphibian and reptile species. They can then appear in the fishing regulations brochure for 2013 along with those for frogs and fish. The package is not intended to hamper bona fide bait dealers or sportsmen that sometimes use salamanders or “spring lizards” on the end of their line or to prevent Little Johnny down the street from catching a box turtle or two.
Nor is it intended from keeping individuals from protecting themselves or their property from venomous snakes. It is however intended to prevent which has largely been outside marketing entities to come here for purposes of catching and selling large numbers of native wild reptiles and amphibians via the internet or any other venue for that matter.
The book on market exploitation and unregulated interstate or international trafficking of wild critters has been closed for a long time. This new package is a step in keeping it that way for the amphibians and reptiles of West Virginia. | <urn:uuid:acea8de6-73d6-48db-9e23-184f11bc8180> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://loganbanner.com/view/full_story/20712512/article-Lizards--turtles-and-snakes-%E2%80%A6-oh-my- | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368707435344/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516123035-00006-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.955594 | 690 | 1.71875 | 2 |
Are there a lot of IT job openings right now? IT workers have experienced their share of layoffs during the recession and the slow-moving recovery. And it's a fact that some domestic IT jobs that were sent overseas will never return, because workers in other countries with similar abilities can do those jobs at a significantly lower cost.
But it's also a fact that IT jobs are readily available today in the U.S. and will be available in even greater numbers in 2012 and beyond. The jobs site Indeed.com recorded more than 450,000 IT industry job postings in August. That's 25% higher than August 2010. Similar results occurred at CareerBuilder, Dice, Monster and other job search engines.
Of course, all job markets are not created equal. New York, San Antonio, San Francisco, Silicon Valley, Seattle, Baltimore, Greensboro and St. Louis are among the current strongest markets for high-tech jobs.
But aren't there also a lot of unemployed IT professionals? Why aren't they matching up with the jobs? The biggest factor is that the skills of unemployed IT workers often don't match what employers are looking for. An IT career requires a lifelong commitment to continuing education and training. Individuals who have failed to keep pace with changes in technology -- cloud computing, mobile computing, security, unified communications, social media -- are most often the ones who struggle to stay employed.
If the credentials and experience of the job seeker do not satisfy the desired qualifications of the jobs offered, the openings will remain unfilled. The ever-accelerating technology adoption curve places increasing importance on the need to continually update skills of the high-tech workforce.
But keeping technical and business skills current and relevant is something that employers must address as well. It's easy for companies to sign off on training when business is good and profits are high. It's a much tougher call when the focus is on every dollar on the bottom line. But ongoing training and education of IT staff is not a luxury; it's a necessity. | <urn:uuid:983979c4-01bb-4d96-bbf3-01918073c65f> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.itworldcanada.com/news/career-watch-the-it-jobs-outlook/144277 | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368700958435/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516104238-00028-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.962424 | 410 | 1.820313 | 2 |
Well, some of you may have heard about a somewhat famous:
ROSCÓN DE REYES
Hehehe, so here is it's small story. :p
It was the 5th of January, around 12:00 o'clock, when my mother was nagging to get me to help her carry the shopping around (which I always do, with or without nag -_-), I reminded her we had to get the Roscón de Reyes today. So, we went off to buy it from a bakery which occupies the place of the old pet shop where I used to buy crickets for my frogs. :O
My mother wanted to get one that weighed half a kilo, but they looked small and squashed.
"No! No! Uno de un kilo, jeje" I said
"No - es demasiado grande..." replied Mum to the baker's.
Then, I and my mother had a small "discussion" about what was better, a 500gr or a 1000gr Roscón. I managed to "win" so we bought a heavier Roscón.
"But you must eat it!"
"Sure I will eat it! Yummy!"
Anyway, when we got home, before putting it in the fridge, I put it on the couch, and took a picture of it in its box. XD
Later on, we got to eat a bit, so I here is what a real Roscón looks like. I put the V4 in front just so you know more or less how big it is (tamagotchi's are the unit of measurement on THIS forum!!).
Well - so you know a bit more about the Roscón, Roscón means "Big Rosco", and a "Rosco" is a round shaped thing with a hole in the middle, like a Donut, or an old 25 peseta coin, which have holes in the middle, or a '0', or a "Rosco de vino", which is a yucky powdered type of Donut eaten at Christmas.
So, Roscón de Reyes means a bit like, "Donut of the Kings". In Spain, Father Christmas doesn't come, but the Three Wise Men, known here as the Reyes Magos (Wizard Kings), and this is their "food" I guess. :p Inside, if you are lucky, you can find a "lucky charm". If you get the lucky charm you supposedly get luck, and if there are no beans inside the Roscón, then you must pay for the Roscón next year too.
After a couple of days, my mother found a lucky charm in her piece - a king, and then I happened to nearly bite into one in my piece, so this Roscón actually had two lucky charms.. :O I guess big Roscones are for big families, and they must have more than one charm. Mine was a bear. XD
This is what they look like - the king is what my mother found, the bear what I found. As for the pig, that must have been from a past Roscón.
And about the Cabalgata - I am not sure exactly what it means but "cabalgar" means "to ride a horse", and it takes place on the 5th of January, usually in the evening.
Since in the newspapers it said it would be nearby where we live, we decided to go, and I took a phew pictures, but only of the most boring stuff.
As usual, the Cabalgata came late...But when it did we all knew because a long line of police cars went through. The amount of people there were is amazing! I was actually quite lucky to get a place at the front.
It was absolutely packed with people!
Anyway, after the police cars went by, the opening "thing" went past - a load of people - I mean policemen - riding horses:
After that, I don't have anymore pictures of the cabalgata, but many big "coach-type-things-like-what-you-get-at-carnival" went by, and the people on each one, would throw sweets, so its ideal to have a bag with you to get them. Strange thing is, I hardly ever eat them, they just sit there forever. XD
At one point, a Narnia coach spent ages in front of me, and apart from giving us inhuman amounts of sweets, they brought out these artificial snow and foam cans, and covered everyone with snow, so I had artificial snow (which looked like balls of polystyrene) all up my sleeve and all over my hair, hahahaha.
I also got a chance to see some REAL fireworks in REAL life. Since some arquitect building was sponsoring one of the coaches, as they went by they began shooting these green and pink fireworks in the sky. It was so blinding, but so pretty. =) You could even see it on the ground! At the end, they added some kind of sparkling effect, and then it all ended. It was beautiful!
I have seen "fireworks" before, but they are known as "petardos" and all they do is make a loud noise and a puff of smoke. Not exactly for weddings.
At the end, an ambulance, more police cars and a fire engine went by "just in case there was an accident" and they proudly showed off to everyone how loud their claxons were. =S The streets are also quite disgusting, hehe, squashed sweets everywhere, the poor sweets which haven't been caught:
I was about 1cm higher when I got home because there was so much stuck to the bottom of my trainers.
Not much fun to get off - but it came off. Now the streets go "cruass-cruass" when you walk over them, heehee.
And last, but not least, there was a nice full moon that night. For some reason, I like full moons.
It looks better than half moons and crescent moons, and I like to see them suddenly emerge from behind a building, and if they are bright enough - you can sometimes see them during day, haha | <urn:uuid:e150df49-51e2-4ad2-9d85-6e8c568773f6> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://mimitchi.com/vpets/index.php?topic=445.0 | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368701459211/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516105059-00042-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.981611 | 1,303 | 1.578125 | 2 |
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The civil society debates and the Arab Spring
Friday, September 7, 2012 at 4:00 PM (CEST)
Lecture by professor Sadik Al Azm (Syria)
Sadik Al-Azm, one of the Middle East's most notable contemporary thinkers, will reflect on the effect of the Arab uprisings on civil society.
Sadik Al-Azm is Professor Emeritus of Modern European Philosophy at the University of Damascus and a fellow at the Käte Hamburger Institute at the University of Bonn. His area of specialisation was the philosophy of Immanuel Kant with a more current emphasis upon the Islamic world and its relationship to the west. He has also contributed to the discourse of Orientalism.
One of his most influential books, Al-Naqd al-dati ba'd al-hazimah (Self-Criticism After the Defeat), challenged the shifting blame that followed the defeat of Syria, Jordan and Egypt after the 1967 war and reasoned that Arabs had to embrace democracy, gender equality and science to achieve progress. When it was first published in 1968, the book marked a turning point in Arab discourse about society and politics and spawned other intellectual ventures into Arab self-criticism. However, in 1970, in response to his writings, Al-Azm was tried in Beirut and dismissed from his teaching post at the American University there. Still actively writing, Mr. Al-Azm has already left a legacy of piercing intellectual examination of the social, religious, cultural and political bases of modern Arab society. He has contributed to the Prince Claus Fund as a member of the Awards Committee.
Culture in Defiance
The lecture is part of the exhibition Free admission, until 23 November.
When & Where
Prince Claus Fund
Based on the principle that culture is a basic need, the Prince Claus Fund's mission is to actively seek cultural collaborations founded on equality and trust, with partners of excellence, in spaces where resources and opportunities for cultural expression, creative production and research are limited and cultural heritage is threatened.
The Prince Claus Fund is based in Amsterdam and is supported by the Dutch Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the Dutch Postcode Lottery. | <urn:uuid:94364b88-bd8c-4b4c-b434-1720a1b429b9> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.eventbrite.com/event/4205711396/eorg | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368701459211/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516105059-00033-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.951781 | 470 | 1.640625 | 2 |
LANSING — State resource managers have recommended banning chocolate in bear bait as the sole change for the 2011 bear season, but they say
discussions soon will begin about the 2012 season.
The Michigan Bear Hunters Association and Upper Peninsula Bear Houndsmen Association, however, continue to express concerns about a statewide chocolate ban. Both groups plan to address that issue, as well as the state Department of Natural
Resources’ bear management goals, when the DNR officials meet with hunters this spring.
Adam Bump, the state bear program leader, said a bear cub that died from chocolate poisoning in 2010 led to the recommendation chocolate be banned as bear bait. The chocolate-induced death was confirmed by the state wildlife disease lab last fall, and is the only known case in the state to date, Bump said.
“We’re not proposing any changes to anything other than a ban on chocolate use in bait. Last year, we moved to a two-year cycle on (bear) quotas, so we’re not recommending any quota changes,” Bump said. “We’re trying to bring some consistency to the regulations.”
Bump said he is unsure if the Natural Resources Commission will approve the chocolate ban at its April 7 meeting.
“There are a lot of mixed feelings about (a chocolate ban) … so I don’t have a feeling on where it will go,” Bump said. “We have the one cub that died … but no other indication that it is having an impact on the population.
“People have used it for bait for a long time,” he said.
Phil Hewitt, president of the Michigan Bear Hunters Association, said his group believes more research is necessary before a complete, statewide ban is imposed. The MBHA will work this year to educate bear hunters about the toxicity of chocolate to all wildlife — especially the more potent baker’s and semi-sweet varieties, he said.
“There is no justification for putting something out that will kill bear,” Hewitt said. “But it’s not a chocolate doughnut that’s doing it … it’s the bitter sweet, it’s baker’s chocolate.”
U.P. Bear Houndsmen president Joe Hudson agreed, and said the chocolate issue as well as the DNR’s overall bear management strategy need to be reviewed when the department hosts public meetings for the 2012 season this spring. DNR officials plan to set the dates for those meetings soon, Bump said.
Currently, DNR officials use computer modeling and bear surveys in the northern Lower Peninsula to estimate bear populations and set trend goals for three eco-regions: the northern Lower Peninsula, the western Upper Peninsula and the eastern Upper Peninsula.
In the western Upper Peninsula, the trend goal is to maintain the estimated 4,500 bear population there. In the eastern U.P., the goal is to increase the population of roughly 4,700 bears by 2 percent per year, and DNR officials are working to reduce the approximately 1,500 bears in the northern Lower Peninsula by 2 percent per year.
The DNR estimates there are about 10,775 bears statewide, minus cubs, Bump said.
Hudson, a veteran bear hunter from the western U.P., said bear numbers have dropped off in recent years, and he’s concerned that the DNR’s computer model isn’t accurate. Hudson and Hewitt said they would like to see fewer permits issued next year, with the goal of increasing bear populations across the U.P. and maintaining the numbers in the northern Lower Peninsula.
Bump contends the DNR’s computer model is working well.
“We just finished (estimates) in the Lower Peninsula, and it’s tracking very well with the model,” he said.
E-mail the author of this story: [email protected] | <urn:uuid:718782dd-9dc3-4546-ac7f-a627450e9971> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.mlive.com/outdoors/index.ssf/2011/03/banning_chocolate_as_bear_bait.html | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368700958435/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516104238-00005-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.951504 | 829 | 1.796875 | 2 |
Tip of the Week
If the growing online shopping statistics from the past few years have been any indication, buyers will again be flocking to online retailers this holiday season - perhaps in larger numbers than ever before.
However, as people become increasingly savvier as Web shoppers, awareness and concerns about online privacy and safety have also grown. As many as 91 percent of consumers say that they're concerned about privacy when shopping online. Frequent news stories about consumer information being sold or mishandled have helped contribute to an atmosphere of mistrust, and more than half of consumers say they don't trust businesses with their personal information.
For those who love the convenience and choice that come along with online shopping, there are a few ways to ensure that your information is kept safe and private.
2. Adjust your privacy settings. With a bit of tweaking, you can adjust your cookies and make your computer more protected and cut down on inadvertent data leakage. However, be prepared to spend some time doing this, and remember that each browser is different. If you use multiple browsers on multiple computers, you'll need to configure them all to your preferences. If making those changes is beyond the scope of your technological knowledge, you can try asking for help from a savvy friend or family member, or an electronics store employee might be able to help.
3. Look for privacy verification seals. Perhaps the easiest, quickest way to ensure that an online retailer is trustworthy is to look for seals and logos certifying a website's privacy practices, such as the green TRUSTe Certified Privacy Seal. It's an easy at-a-glance way to get an idea of how dedicated a retailer is to protecting its customers, but keep in mind that if you want to learn more, you can click on the seal to get more detailed information about the sites privacy practices. There are also browser add-ons that can help you find e-commerce sites that carry the seals, and an online directory of participating websites that you can browse.
Job hunters may get an early present this year as retailers look to increase the number of hires during the holiday season. The Better Business Bureau offers tips on how to land a seasonal job.
- Start the job search asap. The key to landing a seasonal job is to start searching early. Retail, shipping, restaurants and catering companies are common sources of seasonal employment. Now is the time for job hunters to determine which job suits them best, identify companies they would like to work for and then begin submitting applications and resumes.
- Research companies prior to submitting job applications. Always check out the company's BBB Business Review for free at www.bbb.org to see if the company has received a passing grade from the BBB and a record of taking care of consumers. Also, never give your credit card or checking account information to an individual or business that promises employment. Legitimate employers never charge fees to prospective employees.
- Work where you shop. Try to identify seasonal employment with businesses you actually shop at or frequent. You will already be familiar with the company and its products and discounts available for employees may mean significant savings when shopping for Holiday gifts.
- Put your best foot forward. Even if you are just picking up an application at stores in the mall, dress your best and be prepared for an interview. This includes being familiar with the company's brand and its products, as well as reviewing the store's website. Retail job hunters in particular need to focus on impressing potential employers with their customer service skills-which is a must when dealing with stressed-out shoppers, long check-out lines and day-after-Christmas returns.
- Be flexible. Full-time employees usually have first dibs on the preferred hours and shifts, so, as a seasonal employee, expect to work long, sometimes inconvenient hours that may include Thanksgiving and Christmas Eve. If this is a second job in addition to your day job, be upfront and clear with your new employer about your available hours.
For more tips, visit www.bbb.org.
According to Forbes, here are the biggest U.S. charities:
1. United Way
2. Salvation Army
3. Catholic Charities
4. Feeding America
5. American Red Cross
The Street reported that DigiTimes says Apple is planning to release the iPhone 5S in mid-2013.
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The Barnett Shale, a natural gas-bearing formation underneath 21 counties in north Texas, is a wildcatter's dream: Wherever energy companies poke a hole, there's gas. Now they're scrambling to drill anywhere there's vacant land — at country clubs, parking lots, city parks, school grounds and airports.
But a vocal and growing minority is not getting behind the Barnett Shale, even though Texas-born actor Tommy Lee Jones urges them to on recent billboards and in newspaper and television ads. Jones is a corporate spokesman for Chesapeake Energy, the nation's largest independent producer of natural gas.
Jerry Lobdell, a neighborhood activist in Fort Worth, said he feels the energy companies played bait and switch now that pipeline companies are coming into neighborhoods with the power of eminent domain and plans to run odorless gas lines under front yards. The companies insist the gas lines are perfectly safe.
"They came in, they spoke of bonus money and royalties," he said. "They never said anything about pipelines whatsoever or any of the other bad things that we've learned about."
'Citizens Of The Shale'
Fort Worth is the focus of the largest urban gas-drilling boom in the country. But some people are asking for a moratorium on drilling until its full impact is understood and there are stronger laws to protect the public.
"In the past, drilling was not taking place in the heart of the city," said glass artist Don Young, who is leading the charge to halt drilling. "Now we're having all the problems associated with gas-drilling compressor stations, pipelines, drill pads. They're taking away our green space. They're bringing in pollution. They're bringing in truck traffic — affecting our neighborhoods in a very negative way."
In response to talk like this, Chesapeake Energy mounted a media campaign almost as aggressive as its drilling program to highlight the company's safety and community-friendly agenda.
An infomercial called "Citizens of the Shale" has been airing on local television for months. It calls the drilling a "small inconvenience for a big gain" and says trees can grow back.
"There's hundreds of thousands of dollars coming into here. There's jobs being created," the infomercial continues.
Chesapeake Energy's CEO, Aubrey McClendon, is a big believer in aggressive media campaigns. He was a major backer of the Swift Boat Veterans for Truth, the group that attacked Massachusetts Sen. John Kerry's military record when he ran for president in 2004, and other right-wing causes.
The comany's stock market value tops $28 billion, and last year McClendon's compensation and stock options totaled nearly $19 million.
In the wake of Chesapeake's infomercial comes Shale TV, a daily talk show about the Barnett Shale set to air this fall. The company has hired three award-winning Dallas broadcast journalists to produce the show.
Julie Wilson, Chesapeake vice president for corporate development, says she understands there's skepticism about the objectivity of Shale TV, but she insists it's no different than the rest of corporate media.
"Well, I think we pay those journalists — whether on Channel 8 or Channel 11 or the Star-Telegram — in terms of advertising support," Wilson says. "We see this as pretty much instead of running the ads on the program, we're just writing the check direct."
At a recent neighborhood meeting, contractor Dan Roberts, who said he's in favor of drilling, said he won't tune in to Shale TV for straight talk on the gas boom.
"With all the lipstick you put on it, it's still a pig," Roberts said. "It is still a media campaign for the company to get people to sign their leases."
What no one disputes is that the shale has been gushing dollars. Every piece of property a drill bit snakes under — even though it's a mile underground — gets a signing bonus and a royalty check.
The City of Fort Worth, which has received more than $40 million, created a committee just to figure out how to spend it all. Energy companies are shoveling goodwill money into museums and other nonprofits. A study commissioned by the Chamber of Commerce puts the total economic benefit at more than $8 billion and nearly 84,000 jobs.
Fort Worth has new buildings going up, new pickups driving off lots and big spenders bellying up to the bar.
"I've seen peoples' tastes are changing," said Marty Travis, general manager of Billy Bob's Texas, which bills itself as the world's largest honky-tonk. "People are drinking a higher-quality product, whether they're going from a Seagram's to a Grey Goose vodka. Maybe they're celebrating their big paychecks working out on the Barnett field."
A High-Pressure Neighbor
But boomtown prosperity may not pacify residents' anxiety over living next to a gas well.
In April 2006, a gas well explosion in southern Tarrant County killed a well service contractor. Five hundred people in the City of Forest Hill were evacuated. An OSHA investigation determined the contractors at the XTO Energy well did not follow safe work practices.
On a recent night, Chesapeake representatives met in a Unitarian church with residents of the Ryan Place neighborhood to explain their proposed drilling activities in the area.
Chesapeake Operations Manager Dave Leopold said he believes what happened at Forest Hill got "blown out of proportion."
"The evacuation was unwarranted," he said. "And I think if you spoke to the fire chief today, he'd say we probably evacuated unnecessarily."
But when asked the next day, Pat Ekiss, Forest Hill's fire chief, did not say the evacuation was unnecessary.
"Absolutely not," he said. "You know, so much of this is unknown. And yet it is commonplace in West Texas — taking rural mentality and bringing it into a municipal area. And those two often don't mix."
The same advances in horizontal drilling and hydraulic fracturing that made the Barnett such a productive natural gas field are causing excitement in other shale formations: the Haynesville in Louisiana, the Marcellus in Pennsylvania, the Fayetteville in Arkansas and the Woodford in Oklahoma.
In each of those places, people will have to decide how to balance their royalty checks and their quality of life. | <urn:uuid:00c79425-69dd-408f-a213-acffd54406d6> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=93300400 | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368703298047/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516112138-00041-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.96636 | 1,308 | 1.8125 | 2 |
The Michigan Legislature is once again considering an attack on private property rights in the form of a workplace smoking ban, according to the Associated Press.
Russ Harding, director of the Center's Property Rights Network, addressed the issue a year ago when the Michigan House and Senate passed separate bills but failed to reach an agreement on how intrusive to make the proposed legislation:
Smoking bans may not strike most people as an obvious government property taking in the same manner as seizing someone's home to make way for a new highway, but both are an erosion of the right to use one's own private property free from government meddling.
While proponents of a ban often refer to the need to eliminate smoking in "public places," the targets of such a ban (bars and restaurants) are actually private facilities. Smoking in public places, such as city halls, libraries or courthouses, has long been banned.
Other Center scholars have also addressed the issue: | <urn:uuid:8c74326d-e653-4d6e-9006-e82558d8040c> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://mackinac.org/11483 | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368705953421/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516120553-00026-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.96386 | 189 | 1.765625 | 2 |
A Trigger for Hospital Readmissions ID'd by Geriatric Experts
All combined, the care setting can threaten a previously independent patient's ability to return home. It deprives them of strength, control, and the thinking skills that they had prior to admission.
In an article in the Journal of the American Medical Associationa year ago, Pierluissi and UCSF colleagues Kenneth Covinsky, MD, and C. Bree Johnston, MD, described a kind of syndrome that occurs "even when the illness that necessitated the hospitalization is successfully treated."
How this process unfolds is unclear. But it can be such a serious transformation, a significant loss of strength and muscle mass, the patient may no longer be able to perform basic activities of daily living.
Some efforts in pockets around the country, such as the two ACE units at San Francisco General, seek to fix this problem.
At each of these 10-bed and 12-bed units at San Francisco General, there's a much tighter focus on getting the patient to walk so as not to lose muscle mass. They are encouraged to eat with other patients in a common area and visit with family and friends.
Games such as bingo or afternoon movies on TV are offered "to prevent isolation" Pierluissi says. Falls and hospital-acquired infections have not risen as was feared.
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- 6 CNO-to-CEO Strategies
- PwC: Pace of Rising Medical Costs Slowing | <urn:uuid:d0cb9bcb-a50a-4d35-9456-07e5b9b3ffac> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.healthleadersmedia.com/page-2/PHY-285422/A-Trigger-for-Hospital-Readmissions-IDd-by-Geriatric-Experts | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368710006682/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516131326-00005-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.931761 | 384 | 1.789063 | 2 |
One thing we’ve not done much of is traditional hammer and nails wood work, but when The Father Figure discovered a couple of old, small, hammers and put new handles on them… well we had to try them out!
Starting a nail isn’t easy, even for bigger hands, and there were one or two banged fingers and a bit of frustration but no major injuries. With a bit of practice and some instruction on where to put your hands so you don’t hammer your fingers they soon got better at it.
After they found some ear muffs, because it was kinda of loud with all that banging, then they really got into it. Adding some plastic bottle caps to their creations.
And to finish it off I broke out a new packet of markers…. my kids love new markers almost as much as I do!
Have you ever done wood work with your kids?
Got any good tips for us? | <urn:uuid:a9a013d5-5756-4229-a437-d80db366d3ee> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://picklebums.com/2012/02/09/working-with-wood/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368704132298/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516113532-00024-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.976758 | 194 | 1.75 | 2 |
Soccer America Members can post their feedback on SoccerAmerica.com's Blog and Commentary section using the link provided at the bottom of our e-letters. Selected posts are included periodically in the e-letters. Below are reader comments on a recent editions of the Youth Soccer Insider:
Barcelona's approach to youth development by Mike Woitalla
This is such a nice perspective to have in the age of the local youth teams as early as the U-9 and U-10 level insisting on weight training and fast footwork training a couple of nights a week.
Besides the emphasis on soccer and not winning, there is something to be said of the "system." By the time these kids can drive they probably know what every other player on the field is thinking and where they should be at any given moment. We can only dream of having one such system in MLS. My optimistic side places its hopes with good ole American ingenuity. If we see something that works, especially in this digital age of fact communication, we are very good at improving on it. Hopefully some influential domestic soccer professionals are taking note.
Every youth coach in America should read that article. There is such an overemphasis on winning and hurrying kids into travel soccer. We need to teach them how to fall in love with the game and the ball. They need to understand about competition in the team and outside the team. The fact that Spain and Barcelona can win major titles with some the smallest sized players is also a lesson to be learned from. I have derived more pleasure from watching them play than any teams since Brazil in 1970.
I by all means enjoyed this article in full, because it touches base with something that is very important. The Barca youth system is focused on helping players be more comfortable on the ball and have a better understanding of the game as whole. Barca's youth system values player imagination, creativity, and playing faster mentally rather than in a hurry physically. Many may say that this type of system may not work in many countries, but I beg to differ. We all want our players to play smarter and be more active on and off the ball.
How fair can tryouts really be? by Ian Barker
Good thoughts and suggestions. Introducing objective assessments along with subjective evaluations helps clarify the decisions. Most players and parents do not have the experience or insight to see subtle differences so by using objective data it reinforces the coach's observations and makes it easier for the players to accept the outcome. | <urn:uuid:19d4afd2-3ddc-4d9b-a09f-4534523d4d35> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.socceramerica.com/article/32701/feedback-the-barcelona-approach-tryouts.html | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368709037764/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516125717-00002-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.965352 | 504 | 1.710938 | 2 |
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Denial is rampant in Washington. There is denial that intelligence mistakes were made in the months and years before September 11. There is denial that foreign policy mistakes were made in the runup to the war in Iraq. There is denial that the Shiite revolts mark a turning point in the postwar occupation. And most importantly, there is denial that the military strategy going into Iraq, the Rumsfeld Doctrine, is a failure.
The best hope left of establishing a stable Iraqi democracy is to replace that doctrine, which emphasizes small, light, and fast military operations, with its rival, the Powell Doctrine, devised by then Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Colin Powell. The Powell Doctrine calls for overwhelming force shaped by very clear political goals and a specific exit strategy, two things lacking today in Iraq.
The failure of the Rumsfeld Doctrine in Iraq is all too clear -- too few boots on the ground, too little legitimacy for America and its handpicked Governing Council, too many shifting goals, and no clear exit strategy. The result in recent weeks has been a cycle of kidnappings, ambushes, counterstrikes, death, and destruction that increasingly echoes the disaster in Vietnam. The silent majority of Iraqis who in polls just weeks ago said that life was better today than under Saddam Hussein is being radicalized. Moderate Shiite leaders who tolerated the U.S. occupation are turning increasingly impatient and anti-American. The goodwill among the majority of Iraqis that America gained in overthrowing Saddam is being squandered. There is still an opportunity for the Bush Administration to set Iraq onto a political path leading to representative democracy. But it needs to acknowledge mistakes and move on.
Here's why: The Rumsfeld Doctrine promised that a high-tech military could easily win battles anywhere around the world with relatively small numbers of soldiers on the ground. It argued that the power and accuracy of the latest weapons more than compensated for fewer troops, releasing the U.S. from the constraints of needing allies to help supply large numbers of soldiers. It allowed the U.S. to bypass the U.N. and NATO in projecting power overseas. In effect, the Rumsfeld Doctrine provided the military rationale for the Administration's foreign policy of unilateral preemption that was anti-European (Old Europe -- France and Germany) and anti-U.N. Prior to the Persian Gulf War, George H.W. Bush spent months negotiating with dozens of countries to assemble a huge coalition of European and Middle Eastern armies to overwhelm Saddam. Bush I played by the rules of the Powell Doctrine. Bush II took the U.S. in basically alone, with real help only from the British.
The deficiencies appeared in the first days of the Iraq war. American troops were dazzling in their dash across the deserts of Iraq to take Baghdad, and the country, in mere weeks. Yet the relative paucity of troops, one-third of the total used in the Gulf War, meant that many cities were simply bypassed in the invasion, especially in the Sunni heartland, Saddam's source of power. The Sunnis, the 20% minority who have dominated Iraq for centuries, were never conquered. Months passed before U.S. troops entered Fallujah and other towns.
The failure to establish security in Iraq immediately after the downfall of Saddam also led to a loss of legitimacy that is felt today. Not only were Saddam's armed henchmen left to roam free but looters and criminals soon dominated Baghdad and other Iraqi cities. The U.S. military wasn't able -- or willing -- to stop the crime wave. Armed militias coalesced in this vacuum to offer protection to Iraqis, including one overseen by radical fundamentalist cleric Moqtada al-Sadr, who led the recent rebellion. By disbanding the 400,000-strong Iraqi army, the U.S. made the power vacuum worse. Efforts to build a new army and police force didn't work, either. In the recent fighting, the army mutinied and many police joined the rebels.
In the end, former U.S. Army Chief of Staff Eric Shinseki was right when he said that "several hundred thousand" troops would be needed to conquer, occupy, and provide security to the people of Iraq. But that would have required support from Europe and the U.N. Belatedly, the military is asking for roughly 10,000 more ground soldiers, but far more may be needed to provide security to Iraqis.A SHOT AT STABILITY
The bypassing of the U.N. contributed to Washington's failure to build a credible interim government. In Bosnia and Afghanistan, the U.S. asked the U.N. to play a leading role in setting up democratic political systems. But not in Iraq. Instead, the Bush Administration installed exiles led by Ahmed Chalabi, who had virtually no support inside Iraq. Those Iraqis with real power demanded that the U.N. play a central role in shaping the new political process. The man with perhaps the most authority in Iraq, the Grand Ayatollah Ali Husaini Sistani, said from the start of the occupation that he would not negotiate directly with the U.S. but would deal with the U.N. Sistani is a natural ally of the U.S. He is a moderate, calling for Iraqi clerics to stay out of government and to avoid fighting with the Americans. His son is negotiating directly with al-Sadr to end the rebellion. He is also talking with U.N. envoy Lakhdar Brahimi on setting up a new transitional government. Yet L. Paul Bremer III, the chief U.S. administrator in Baghdad, has consistently ignored Sistani.
What is to be done now? A return to the Powell Doctrine would accomplish a number of key goals. Significantly higher troop levels would crush, finally, Baathist resistance and provide more security to Iraqis. The U.S. may have to bring back the divisions it sent home. Accepting a key U.N. role in shaping the political process would bring in moderate Iraqi clerics and promote the best chance of creating a stable government. It is the only way to get support from European and Asian allies.
The realpolitik of the Powell Doctrine would also force Washington to limit its goals and make its exit strategy clear. Is the goal of the U.S. to set up a stable Iraqi government that balances Kurd, Sunni, and Shiite interests? That might take three or four years of military and financial help. But if the goal is to build a genuine Iraqi democracy that protects women's rights, that could take decades. What is truly feasible?
Facts on the ground in Iraq are already pushing the Administration to change course. The military is asking for a lot more troops. Washington is giving the U.N. carte blanche to negotiate directly with Sistani and other Iraqi moderates on the composition of the next transitional Iraqi government, key details of the new Iraqi constitution, and the rules of the national election that will occur in 2005. In his Apr. 13 speech on Iraq, President Bush expressly welcomed the growing role of the U.N. in Iraq and suggested a role for NATO there as well. Washington is finally acknowledging that it can't do it alone.
There is a certain Kafkaesque quality to Washington these days. Congressional hearings are held and speeches are made about September 11 and the Iraq war in which people deny obvious past realities. The bloody events of recent weeks in Iraq are forcing the U.S. to acknowledge a new set of present realities. The Bush Administration needs the help of the U.N., NATO, and its allies. It's crunch time in Iraq. Let's be honest about it. By Bruce Nussbaum | <urn:uuid:04761cd5-7024-4909-a094-4c0d5d75c2bb> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.businessweek.com/stories/2004-04-25/commentary-its-time-to-shelve-the-rumsfeld-doctrine | 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 | 0.962006 | 1,592 | 1.78125 | 2 |
Local residents have accused the broadcaster of misrepresenting life on the Shadsworth council estate in Blackburn by asking youths to put their hoods up while filming.
It is also alleged that programme makers edited out positive aspects of the estate they'd filmed, instead focusing on issues such as vandalism and drink and drug problems.
"As someone who has lived in Shadsworth for the past 14 years, I am horrified. They chose Shadsworth as an easy target," councillor Jim Shorrock told The Telegraph.
"Constituents tell me of young lads being asked to pull their hoods up 'for effect', and working people being edited out simply because they work. I despair if this is true.
"I sincerely hope this doesn't look like an episode of Shameless, because it could set my ward back 20 years."
The show described the area as "one of the most deprived places in the country", adding that it "on average, per person, had one of the highest welfare bills in the country".
Mary Anderson and Alison Critchley, from the Shadsworth Tenants' and Residents' Association, explained that producers led them to believe the documentary wouldn't be one-sided.
"They have scandalised our home. The filmmakers asked me for help. I was concerned but they promised they would highlight the positives and give a fair picture," Anderson said.
"When I saw the title I felt I had been misled and the estate was being misrepresented. There are lots of good things in Shadsworth, investment and many good people.
"We run many clubs and events at the community centre - jobs clubs, breakfast clubs for older people, support for those with mental, drug and alcohol problems."
Critchley expressed concern that the programme would impact house prices, insisting that crime rates had fallen for three consecutive years.
A BBC spokesman said: "In response to Councillor Jim Shorrock's comments, it is categorically untrue that the programme team sought to influence the behaviour of anyone they filmed and certainly didn't ask them to put up hoods, as is evident from the youngsters featured in the film.
"We didn't edit out anybody on the basis that they worked - indeed working people are featured in the film. We were clear that our intention was to show a true picture of life on the estate and while the programme shows the difficulties that some of the residents face day to day, we believe it is a fair portrayal." | <urn:uuid:3a4d6e33-62c6-45bf-9bb2-cdeea6a01c26> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.digitalspy.co.uk/media/news/a405492/bbc-criticised-over-misleading-panorama-council-estate-episode.html | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368706153698/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516120913-00032-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.98359 | 501 | 1.546875 | 2 |
I believe you can drip feed. the 151 does iso g code
I'm looking for a little/lot of help in retrofitting my new tool. Saturday I acquired an Interact I Mk2 Mill with a Heidenhain TNC 151 control, and due to my inexperiance with the control type I'd like to change it to a pc with mach3control. I am working on getting it powered up, but was told that everything was in working condition when I bought it. My questions are these.
Can I power each cabinet seperatly? Using single phase 240v for the control and using my phase converter for only the three phase section?
I'm using Aspire software on a Mach3 controlled router, and some of the programs have 7000 lines of code. Can I drip feed a program of this size and type into the Heidenhain TNC 151?
If not, can I use Mach3 to drive the existing Bosch z15-1-240v boards and the SEM MT-30R4-58 servo motors?
If so, can I leave the Heidenhain TNC 151 intact to control the spindle drive?
I'm looking forward to learning a lot about CnC, and would appreciate any and all comments or advice.
I believe you can drip feed. the 151 does iso g code
TNC151 is a very good control, yes it can be drip fed and yes it can operate in ISO G code mode. I think it would be a shame to remove the controller, leave it and feed it G code from a CAM program.
East Sussex, UK
I recently bought a used Interact 1 MK2 with Heidenhain TNC 151B control and have considered similar options. Here is what I know, but consider that I am very inexperienced in this by comparison with others on this forum.
I did run my machine initially on single phase and left the breaker off to the spindle cabinet. I was able to fire up the controller and the drive cabinet. The TNC worked and I was able to reference the machine. I know that the control can be drip fed but haven't done that yet. I only did some rudamentary testing on single phase while awaiting parts to make a rotary phase converter. My plan is/was to run the entire system on 3 phase power.
I have built the converter but have yet to get the spindle drive to work correctly on my home-brewed 3ph source. I ran into a bit of a snag. The spindle turns on whenever I hit the START button. It turns on while referencing. That isn't right. There is no 0-10V output nor is there a M03/M04 command or control line active. Hmmmm.. I don't have this sorted out yet.
I have read and heard that the KTK spindle drive (assuming that is yours also) is very phase sensitive so I am thinking about the phasing aspects of my power sourceÖ. Phase rotation, Iíve come to discover, is another way for electricians to describe the ordering of the 3 legs of a 3 phase circuit. With my rotary phase converter, I may have an insurmountable problem (not 120D shift) or it may be a matter of swapping two legs of the input circuit. Still thinking on that one. I think I have read that others are using rotary phase converters to power 3 phase electronics. Not just motors. I don't know of anyone running a KTK drive from a rotary phase converter.
I have been very busy of late so I have made no progress in almose a week and don't expect to get back to this until tomorrow or Tuesday.
Here is what I have learned.
1) Search the forum. I have seen so many of the same questions asked and answered that one might expect to hear a level of frustration if you ask a question that has been answered numerous times before. (such as GROSS POSITIONING ERROR)
2) Manuals can be found for the Heidenhain controls.
TNC 151 B/Q
Then READ them.
3) Be specific when you ask a question and you can expect a specific answer.
4) If the machine references in the wrong direction, look for a stuck reference switch on the offending axis.
5) Use the MOD button and code to get to the machine parameters. (the code is in the manual or search this forum)
6) Save your parameters. You don't want to have to rediscover them if they get lost. Generic Heidenhain params arenít going to cut it. They are machine dependent. I have mine on hardcopy since I have yet to try the communications port transfer.
7) My first mistake of many! TURN THE MONITOR INTENSITY UP so you can read even the non-bold/highlighted text.
I have 2 D or E sized prints of my electrical interconnect (not reduced to electronic format easily but it can be done I'm sure) and have been found some excellent documentation that I can pass along if it will do you any good.
Good luck and let us know what you decide on Mach vs. Heidenhain choice. I personally think that the largest obstacle to overcome is the DC spindle motor and KTK drive with home-brewed 3 phase power not the TNC 151.
>>>>7) My first mistake of many! TURN THE MONITOR INTENSITY UP so you can read even the non-bold/highlighted text<<<<
I think you can forgive yourself for that now. We all got a chuckle out of it, but none of the smarty pants here thought of it.....
Thanks Guys, My ears and mind are open, and I appreciate all the information.
So, did you retrofit?
I have an interact 1 mk2 - kept the control, its way ahead of its time.
I'm considering how to put together a 4th axis though. This means that I need another Bosch card, a servo motor and a rotarty table with an encoder.
A retrofit might be a more reliable way - or i might be able to simply put together a 4th axis that is compatible even if not made with original equipment. | <urn:uuid:50e3d13f-c849-451d-a0dc-97f1d9434d7e> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.cnczone.com/forums/bridgeport_hardinge_mills/146024-interact_mk2_retrofit.html | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368707435344/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516123035-00015-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.949376 | 1,307 | 1.515625 | 2 |
I.1 EMERGENCY! history
An excellent source on the history of the show is "The EMERGENCY!
Companion" by Jim Page, a publication from JEMS Communications.
Jim Page was a Battalion Chief with the Los Angeles County Fire
Department and was a technical consultant and a writer for the
first years of the "EMERGENCY!" series.
"The EMERGENCY! Companion" explains how EMERGENCY! came into
being, how the premiere episode was created, gives you inside
information on the making of six selected episodes, and other
information on the making of the show.
See Appendix D for additional information on this fine booklet.
I.2 The series' original run
EMERGENCY!, a drama series, aired on NBC on Saturday evenings
from 8:00 to 9:00pm EST from January 22, 1972 to July of 1972,
and then from September of 1972 until September 3, 1977.
EMERGENCY! followed the efforts of Squad 51 of the Los Angeles
COUNTY Fire Department's Paramedic Rescue Service. Regular cast
included the two paramedics of Squad 51, the four members from
Engine 51, and the staff of Rampart Hospital. Each episode
featured several incidents, some humorous and some serious and
I.3 After the original run
After the series end, several two-hour features were aired during
the following season. Most of these features took place in San
After reading the current threads about the EMERGENCY! TV show I
have a question? Does anyone know why the show changed its name
from EMERGENCY to EMERGENCY ONE during the middle of it's run?
To the best of my personal recollection, the series was named
"Emergency" throughout its entire NBC network run. As I recall,
once the series entered syndication, it often appeared as
EMERGENCY ONE! was the syndicated re-run version of EMERGENCY!.
Exactly why a different name was used is unclear. (Unless it had
to do with network proprietary rights to the name?? -- Just a guess!)
I.4 Emergency + 4
Reaching back into my childhood memory I do remember that they
did make a cartoon version of Emergency! that was shown on
Saturday mornings as part of the Sat. AM line up. I think it was
on ABC but I'm not sure. I also don't remember it being on for
The cartoon was called, "Emergency Plus Four", the "four" being
two kids and a monkey and a dog or something who were, of course,
incredibly talented. Johnny and Roy (the animated ones, that is)
basically just had cameo appearances in each episode, while the
"Four" did all the heroics.
Yes, there was an Emergency! cartoon. It was on Saturday
mornings. It was called "Emergency! Plus 4!" In it, Johnny and
Roy teamed up with a group of volunteer high school kids to do
spectacular rescues. As I recall, the kids had a better rescue
squad than most real agencies today have. | <urn:uuid:aaefc34f-c368-4ca5-9e74-fea36c2cfbc3> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://hvfd.com/emergency/seriesfaq.html | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368696382584/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516092622-00039-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.957635 | 652 | 1.640625 | 2 |
Electric car fast charging feud between SAE and CHADEMO, who will win?
At this weeks EVS26 electric vehicle conference, the impending choice between DC fast charging standards was the major topic. CHADEMO is the incumbent standard, developed several years ago by Tokyo Electric Power Company (TEPCO) and a consortium of Japanese automakers, and has been in use since 2008. The SAE is developing a new iteration of the J1772 standard which includes a new "combo" connector supporting not only AC charging, but also DC Fast Charge. A consortium of automakers promise to begin delivering electric cars containing the combo J1772 system in 2013. Unfortunately the two consortiums do not overlap, and instead we have a Hatfield-McCoy's style feud going on. Maybe Beta-versus-VHS is the better analogy? (for the record, I owned a Beta VCR, but of course both were beat by DVD)
The CHADEMO group is led by Nissan, maker of the Leaf, and Mitsubishi, maker of the i-MiEV. Both cars require either a long recharge time (as much as 7 hours) at a 3.3 kilowatt charge rate via a J1772 plug, or a fast recharge time, 30 minutes, using the CHADEMO port. Research has shown that when the CHADEMO network was built in Japan, that electric car utilization went up dramatically, suggesting that the existence of a fast charging network alleviates range anxiety.
Not many CHADEMO charging stations exist in the U.S. but large-scale deployments are beginning in Chicago, the SF Bay Area, and other parts of California. Because CHADEMO is the only existing DC Fast Charging system, it is the only choice for businesses wishing to launch electric car charging networks.
The SAE DC Fast Charging consortium includes Audi, BMW, Daimler, Ford, General Motors, Porsche and Volkswagen. For the last couple years these automakers, via the SAE committee, have prevented the CHADEMO standard from being adopted as an SAE standard, and have instead insisted on following the standardization process. Some claim the SAE committee is blocking adoption of CHADEMO on political grounds, with little technical merit, and among the goals is to damage Nissan's electric car efforts. The SAE committee claims the nearly finished standard has technical benefits over CHADEMO.
There are several years of experience in deploying CHADEMO-compatible electric cars and charging stations, versus 0 years experience with the yet-to-be-finished SAE standard. Whether or not the SAE committee is blocking CHADEMO for political goals, it is ignoring a standard with several years of experience behind it, in favor of a new untried standard. That new standard had better have something good to it, eh?
In the meantime charging network operators are spending money deploying CHADEMO networks, risking a large expense to replace CHADEMO stations with ones supporting SAE's DC Fast Charging system.
One benefit is it rallies the automakers around the same plug and socket design being used on todays electric cars. The past has shown that in the absence of charging connector standards, the automakers will develop whatever plugs they want, leaving electric car owners with the pain of carrying a box full of adapter cords or else the frustration of being unable to charge their car, and charging station owners had to install extra stations to support both standards. The existing J1772 plug is a massive step forward from the bad old days (10 years ago) of multiple charging standards. We really want there to be a single standard for electric car charging standard, just like there is a standard for gasoline fuel pump nozzles that allows us to fill up on gasoline at any station.
Another benefit is to harmonize the J1772 plugs on European and American electric cars. The European and American standards committees (IEC and SAE) agreed on the J1772 signal connections, they hadn't agreed on the plug format to use, and ended up with different plugs.
Another benefit is to support a full range of charging methods: one-phase AC-charging, fast three-phase AC-charging, DC-charging at home or ultra-fast DC-charging at public charging stations. For example, while the U.S. typically has single-phase AC, three-phase AC is common in Europe and can support higher charging rates using AC.
The benefit most touted by the SAE committee is that it means for a single hole in the car's body. Automobile designers are accustomed to designing a single hole for the gasoline nozzle, and apparently don't like to accommodate two holes, one for the J1772 socket, the other for the CHADEMO socket. Of course, the Nissan Leaf designers managed to squeeze both into one hole, simply by making it a very large hole in the nose of the car.
Earlier we asked whether the charging station networks were going to face an expensive rip-and-upgrade process. Once electric cars implementing the SAE standard start being sold (supposedly in 2013), CHADEMO will have a limited useful life. Nissan and Mitsubishi may end up adopting the SAE standard, just as Sony eventually began selling VHS players. Rendering CHADEMO a legacy standard means charging station network operators would face the question of continuing to support both CHADEMO and the newer SAE standard. It appears the charging station vendors are thinking ahead with at least ABB, Eaton, and Schneider Electric saying their CHADEMO stations have an upgrade path to support the SAE fast charging standard.
Is it possible to build an adapter for CHADEMO electric cars to use the new SAE DC Fast Charge connectors? It doesn't appear so, because the DC portion of the SAE plug is electrically incompatible with CHADEMO. The CHADEMO plug has two large pins for a DC connection, and several smaller pins for a CAN-bus connection allowing the car and the charger to talk with each other. The new SAE plug has two pins for the DC connection, and uses the HomePlug Green Phy communication protocol to communicate between car and charging station. If an adapter could be built, it would be complex.
The HomePlug Green Phy protocol also enables smart grid connections.
The SAE committee is expected to vote this summer to formally reject CHADEMO and instead adopt the SAE Combo plug. Commercially available charging units are expected to be available in late 2012. The first cars with the new standard are expected to be available in 2013. | <urn:uuid:1a55f885-850b-40bf-bea7-faba4b0a4ebd> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.torquenews.com/1075/electric-car-fast-charging-feud-between-sae-and-chademo-who-will-win | 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 | 0.948841 | 1,369 | 1.710938 | 2 |
Compass 2 Campus
More volunteer opportunities:
Compass 2 Campus
What is Compass 2 Campus?
Compass 2 Campus provides mentoring opportunities through an EDUC class on campus where students can earn up to 15 elective credits for mentoring. The program empowers at-risk fifth- through 12th-grade students to complete high school, and works to increase the number of youth who view education after high school as necessary and achievable.
Compass 2 Campus also offers a tour day for all fifth-graders involved in the program to visit the university and experience college for a day. After that tour, WWU students visit the classrooms and mentor/tutor these students on a regular basis. The program follows the fifth-graders through high school graduation. Community members can be involved in the tour day, as well as the faculty and staff of WWU.
What are the requirements to participate?
There are three options for WWU students:
- Take the three-credit class. Register for the mentorship class (EDUC 297A).
- WWU students may register for the EDUC 297 B class after taking the A course. The B course may be repeated 3 times. A total of 15 credits are available for students interested in staying connected to their students and the Compass 2 Campus program.
- Students are free to volunteer in the program if they have taken the A course.
How many students are involved each year?
Key Statistics from the 2009-10 year"
- 775 WWU Mentors enrolled in the Compass 2 Campus program
- 28,000 hours tutoring/mentoring were delivered to fifth-graders
- 850 fifth-graders received services
- 35 classrooms were supported by WWU mentors
- Seven after-school programs assisted
What makes participating in Compass 2 Campus special?
It is a large program which encourages a campus-wide involvement from across the colleges and offers credit for the experience.
Where can people learn more?
At our website.
Tour day for fifth-graders October 26, 2010. | <urn:uuid:19864182-25a9-4a56-ad58-5c8663ac2d04> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.wwu.edu/soundings/fall10/volunteerCompass2Campus.shtml | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368705953421/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516120553-00021-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.958442 | 424 | 1.539063 | 2 |
Tuesday, August 3, 2010
When I was in graduate school, materialism was about the only position respected. Mention the soul and you would be laughed out of the room. Well, philosophical fashions have changed [for the better!]. See The Waning of Materialism by Robert C. Koons, et al. - 23 major philosophers - from Oxford, Yale, UCLA and other universities - use all the tools of the latest philosophy to show the insufficiency of a materialist view of the world. And some of the best anti-materialist are not in the volume, e.g. David Chalmers and Michael Rea. the papers are technical - they are for trained philosophers. But the very existence of the volume should give pause to those who simply assume that materialism is obviously correct. | <urn:uuid:ed7850d1-e420-476d-a43c-7c3574e14515> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://blog.dovidgottlieb.com/2010/08/waning-of-materialism-by-robert-c-koons.html | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368700958435/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516104238-00020-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.94755 | 166 | 1.734375 | 2 |
More than one dozen volunteers came together to help crochet artist Adrian Kershaw complete a huge installation art piece made of VHS tape. That piece had to be taken down after it was vandalized.
Kershaw’s piece was hung outside the Modern Hotel in Boise, where the artist lives, as part of an exhibit called Modern Art 2012. Kershaw is known for her crochet work using recycled VHS tape (which I’ve shown in more depth here). This piece was a large piece, over six feet by thirty feet. It required about 500 hours of crochet work by more than two dozen people including the artist.
Source: Jaclyn Brandt, Boise Weekly
The piece was a wall hanging. An employee of the hotel noticed that there were some burns on the piece. Kershaw was notified and decided to come take down the piece. By the time that she got there the following day, the piece had been burned again.
A volunteer who worked on the piece says that there is no way that the burns were an accident. They were more extensive than just a cigarette burn and look to be an intentional act of vandalism. Kershaw agrees and has filed a police report.
Sadly, this is not the first act of vandalism I’ve heard of regarding a crochet piece. In December crochet artist Olek had a piece vandalized in Poland. That work was also burned although Olek recommended going easy on the vandals. | <urn:uuid:3615e3d6-2e80-449c-b8b2-b02e96ff3dc0> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.crochetconcupiscence.com/da/2012/05/vhs-crochet-art-piece-was-vandalized/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368702448584/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516110728-00001-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.987811 | 294 | 1.789063 | 2 |
Caryl Churchill, Mike Leigh call for international Israel boycott
Ken Loach (Photo: AP)
British arts figures are among the signatories of an open letter calling for an international military boycott of Israel.
Filmmakers Mike Leigh and Ken Loach, playwright Caryl Churchill and Pink Floyd star Roger Waters are among those who have backed the call for "urgent" international action in the wake of this month's Gaza fighting.
They have been joined by other longtime critics of Israel in backing the letter, including Nobel prizewinner Mairead Maguire, who co-founded a group that sought non-violent means to end factional violence in Northern Ireland, and academic Noam Chomsky.
The letter, as quoted in the Guardian, said that the signatories were "horrified at the latest round of Israeli aggression" and condemned "the impunity that has enabled this new chapter in Israel's decades-old violations of international law and Palestinian rights".
They continued: "We believe there is an urgent need for international action towards a mandatory, comprehensive military embargo against Israel. Such a measure has been subject to several UN resolutions and is similar to the arms embargo imposed against apartheid South Africa in the past."
It also attacked the US and the EU for offering monetary support to the Israeli military, and described "the growing military ties between Israel and the emerging economies of Brazil, India and South Korea" as "unconscionable given their nominal support for Palestinian freedom".
According to the Guardian, the letter was signed by 52 people, including US author Alice Walker. Most of the signatories have made their opposition to Israel clear in the past, with both Ms Churchill and Mr Leigh signing the letter to the Guardian last March urging the Globe Theatre to stop Habima from performing in London. In 2010 Mr Waters was accused by the Anti Defamation League of "crossing a line into antisemitism" over his use of tour imagery that depicted Israel dropping bombs in the shape of stars of David. | <urn:uuid:bd8fd2cb-d901-404e-b56b-7526cf81ceb8> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.thejc.com/news/uk-news/92941/caryl-churchill-mike-leigh-call-international-israel-boycott | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368710006682/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516131326-00024-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.957882 | 408 | 1.617188 | 2 |
H. B. 2241
(By Delegate Moore)
[Introduced January 11, 2012
; referred to the
Committee on Banking and Insurance then the Judiciary.]
A BILL to amend and reenact §31A-4A-1, §31A-4A-2, §31A-4A-3 and §31A-4A-4 of the Code of West Virginia, 1931, as amended, all relating to the conversion of any bank, thrift or credit union organized under the laws of the United States or any other state to a West Virginia state-chartered bank, and expanding the law to allow charter types to use the conversion statute.
Be it enacted by the Legislature of West Virginia:
That §31A-4A-1, §31A-4A-2, §31A-4A-3 and §31A-4A-4 of the Code of West Virginia, 1931, as amended, be amended and reenacted, all to read as follows:
ARTICLE 4A. CONVERSION OF NATIONAL BANKS OTHER FINANCIAL INSTITUTIONS TO STATE-CHARTERED BANKS.
§31A-4A-1. Conversion of national bank into state bank authorized.
Any bank, thrift or credit union organized under the laws of the United States or any other state may, by a majority vote of the its directors or other governing body of the bank, convert into a West Virginia state-chartered bank state bank with any name approved by the board of banking and financial institutions in accordance with this article.
§31A-4A-2. Procedure for conversion of national bank into state bank.
(a) A national bank converting institution its charter to become a state bank shall file an application with the division on a form prescribed by the commissioner along with articles of incorporation, bylaws for the proposed state bank and a check for $2500. The application shall declare that a majority of the national bank’s converting institution’s board of directors or other governing body has authorized the representatives of the bank converting institutions to make such application and to convert the national bank into a state bank.
(b) The application to convert to a West Virginia state bank shall be subject to the same requirements and procedures as established for a newly organizing state bank at sections five, six and seven, article four of this chapter.
(c) The examination and investigation by the board of banking and financial institutions pursuant to section six, article four of this chapter shall include an examination of the safety and soundness of the applicant national bank. The scope of the examination shall be determined at the discretion of the commissioner.
§31A-4A-3. Effect of conversion of national bank into state bank.
(a) When the board of banking and financial institutions has given to provided the bank converting institution an order that the provisions of this article have has been complied with, the bank converting institution and all its stockholders or members, officers and employees shall have the same powers and privileges and shall be subject to the same duties, liabilities and regulations, in all respects, as shall have been prescribed for banks originally organized as banking corporations under the laws of West Virginia.
(b) At the time when such conversion of the national bank into a state bank under the charter of the latter, becomes effective, all the property of the national bank converting institution, including all its rights, title and interest in and to all property of whatsoever kind, whether real, personal or mixed, and things in action, and every right, privilege, interest and asset of any conceivable value or benefit then existing, belonging or appertaining to it or which would inure to it, shall immediately, by act of law and without any conveyance or transfer and without any further act or deed, be vested in and become the property of the state bank, which shall have hold and enjoy the same in its own right as fully and to the same extent as if the same were possessed, held and enjoyed by the national bank converting institution.
(c) Upon such conversion becoming effective, the state bank shall be considered to be a continuation of the entity and of the identity of the national bank converting institution and all the rights, obligations and relations of the national bank converting institution to or in respect to any person, estate, creditor, depositor, trustee or beneficiary of any trust shall remain unimpaired. The state bank, as of the time the conversion takes place, shall succeed to all such rights, obligations, relations and trusts and the duties and liabilities connected therewith and shall execute and perform each and every trust or relation in the same manner as if the state bank had itself originally assumed the trust or relation, including the obligations and liabilities connected therewith.
(d) Any reference to the national bank converting institution in any contract, will or document shall be considered a reference to the state bank unless expressly provided to the contrary in the contract, will or document.
§31A-4A-4. Filing of incorporation or organization.
After the board of banking and financial institutions issues an order granting a state charter to the converting national bank institution, the bank shall file in the office of the Secretary of State a certificate of incorporation in compliance with the applicable provisions of chapter thirty-one thirty-one-d of this code or articles of organization in compliance with chapter thirty-one-b of this code, as applicable under and section five, article four of this chapter.
NOTE: The purpose of this bill is to permit any bank, thrift or credit union organized under the laws of the United States or any other state to use this article to effect a conversion to a state-chartered bank.
Strike-throughs indicate language that would be stricken from the present law, and underscoring indicates new language that would be added. | <urn:uuid:7edef18f-d622-404f-af90-7919441c5e26> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.legis.state.wv.us/bill_status/bills_text.cfm?billdoc=HB2241%20intr.htm&yr=2012&sesstype=RS&i=2241 | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368701459211/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516105059-00005-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.931727 | 1,206 | 1.507813 | 2 |
In Chinese society, respect for authority tends to result in centralized decision-making and acceptance of hierachy; and respect for hierarchy tends to hinder the development of individual responsibility and initiative, which are central ingredients in Western managment practices.
Meanwhile, the reluctance to assume responsibility has been reinforced by the belief that it is risky for people to stand out... This is maybe the only aspect I have some reservation about Chinese cutlure. This way to raise children up will put on too many baggages on their shoulders and too many constraints to develop their personalities. In spite of respect the seniors and hierarchy, people still need to be responsible for their roles in their family and society. | <urn:uuid:ae43d34c-7613-4471-bef2-772bd100e03f> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://blog.lib.umn.edu/dli/summer2010/2010/07/chinese-culture-respect-for-age-and-hierarchy.html | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368696382584/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516092622-00024-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.969753 | 136 | 1.8125 | 2 |
December 2004. Revised May 2005. Slightly revised November 2012.
You would not (I hope) enter a job interview without checking a mirror to make sure your hair was straight and your teeth clean. Treat your instructor with the same respect by checking over your papers before submitting them.
- I have ended my introduction (in a short essay, my first paragraph) with a bold thesis statement.
- The topic sentence of every body paragraph supports my thesis statement.
- I have provided evidence for every topic sentence in the form of facts and quotations from readings, lectures, and independent research.
- The concluding paragraph explains why my thesis is important.
- I have put my name and the date at the top of the paper.
- I have double-spaced the body of my paper.
- When I have used another author’s words, I have enclosed her words in quotation marks and have provided a citation, including a page number. I have given the source for any images as well.
- If my paper is longer than three pages, I have numbered the pages.
- I have only used scare-quotes when absolutely necessary.
- I have used the passive voice and existential (“there was/there were”) constructions only when necessary.
- I have written about the past in the past tense.
- I have used the term lifestyle only to describe post-1961 consumer culture.
- I have avoided British spellings, such as amidst, amongst, whilst, theatre, and towards.
- I have learned the rules for apostrophes and quotation marks by reading those sections of Jack Lynch’s Guide to Grammar and Style. I have kept commas and periods within quotation marks.
- I have spell-checked my paper.
- I have correctly used the following words: its/it’s, lead/led, loose/lose, who’s/whose, amount/number.
- I have correctly spelled my professor”s name and the names of people mentioned in my paper.
- I have read my paper aloud and corrected any sentences that were difficult to speak. | <urn:uuid:7595f03b-f380-4d00-9f75-21049f9dfb57> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://historyprofessor.org/format/pre-submission-checklist/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368705953421/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516120553-00029-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.942485 | 445 | 1.789063 | 2 |
What's Your Excuse?
We recently hosted the inaugural class for the Ice House Entrepreneurship Education Program. The program coincidentally started just as the debt ceiling debacle was playing out in Washington. There was a shared moment of awareness that maybe those we feel should be making the economic ecosystem a better place for entrepreneurs were in fact incapable of doing so, and even doing things that were self-destructive; a reality driven home by the subsequent credit downgrade by S&P.
Reflecting on many of the experiences captured in the program, of people overcoming hardship and adversity and uncertainty, to build a better future for themselves by pursuing their entrepreneurial passions, participants started challenging some other long-held beliefs and assumptions surrounding the practice of teaching entrepreneurship. Many of the would-be Ice House facilitators started realizing that it is time to change their own thinking about promoting and supporting entrepreneurship. They further realized that no one, the Kauffman Foundation included, has a magical formula to guarantee success or is capable of predicting who is best suited to realize start-up stardom.
And so it was on the heels of this inspired kickoff for a program that we genuinely feel will redefine entrepreneurship education that I was presented with a perfect example; an example that entrepreneurship is simply a mindset that can be embraced by everyone. It is the story of first grade student, Connor Zamary and his Toaster Pop application. You can see his investor pitch (that's right, a genuine funding pitch by a 7-year-old) here. His app is on sale in Apple's App Store with sales already popping in from around the world.
In the spirit of full disclosure, I have to say that Connor has the good fortune of growing up in a household with a successful serial entrepreneur father, which undoubtedly has infused young Connor with the confidence and guidance that all entrepreneurs need from time to time.
But his adventure still stands as a great example of embracing an entrepreneurial mindset and certainly should be a wake-up call for all aspiring entrepreneurs that are waiting for 'something' before starting. | <urn:uuid:88a3bffa-a7d8-4a4f-843a-b610fbc873d7> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.entrepreneurship.org/en/Blogs/e360-Blog/2011/August/Whats-Your-Excuse.aspx | 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 | 0.975873 | 417 | 1.78125 | 2 |
The Bank of Finland Institute for Economies in Transition, BOFIT, monitors and analyses economic developments, economic policy (monetary, fiscal and foreign exchange policy) and the progress in economic reforms in Russia and China. Important themes include the integration of Russia and China with and their impact on the European Union and the world economy in general. In order to understand economic developments in Russia and China, it is also important to monitor developments in their mutual economic relations. These issues are covered in the research institute’s newsletter, BOFIT Weekly.
The BOFIT monitoring team also produces biannual forecasts on Russia and China, which are part of the Bank of Finland’s macroeconomic forecast. The monitoring and analysis is based on the best possible statistics. Key economic statistics on Russia and China can be found on the BOFIT website. | <urn:uuid:30ad3de0-bfd4-42cd-9a36-496c0601245a> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.suomenpankki.fi/bofit_en/seuranta/pages/default.aspx | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368705559639/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516115919-00016-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.942678 | 172 | 1.65625 | 2 |
A Quote by I Ching on awareness, certainty, change, departure, evil, happiness, men, and peace
Change is certain. Peace is followed by disturbances; departure of evil men by their return. Such recurrences should not constitute occasions for sadness but realities for awareness, so that one may be happy in the interim.
Source: the I Ching
Contributed by: Zaady | <urn:uuid:233f82c2-5e61-4a66-a6bf-b0682a7902c5> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://blog.gaiam.com/quotes/authors/i-ching/16622 | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368706153698/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516120913-00000-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.939444 | 81 | 1.757813 | 2 |
Surfers Paradise Meter Maids
Meter Maids were introduced in the 1960s by the local progress association amid fears the installation of parking meters would drive tourists away. The job of the meter maids was to put coins into expired parking meters ensuring that no one got a parking fine. The promotion was a big hit with everyone and Meter Maids have been part of the Surfers Paradise landscape ever since. These days the maids put 20c in the meter, as opposed to the original sixpence and are as big a hit with tourists (and locals) as they ever were. Visit the official meter maids website at www.metermaids.com.
Image courtesy of www.metermaids.com | <urn:uuid:7d7b377e-9cf4-46ed-903d-5fb703a51304> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.goldcoastaustralia.com/pt-surfers-metermaids.html | 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 | 0.977693 | 147 | 1.8125 | 2 |
THE KINGDOM ASSIGNMENT: What Will You Do with the Talents God Has Given You?
Late last year, Rev. Denny Bellesi preached an ordinary stewardship sermon to his congregation at the Coast Hills Community Church in Aliso Viejo, Calif. But he followed the sermon with an extraordinary call to action: he handed 100 members of the congregation $100 each. Bellesi told these volunteers that the money was not theirs, but God's, and that they needed to "invest" it in some way that would build God's kingdom. In February, the volunteers reported back to a standing-room-only church (and, via a Dateline NBC segment, to millions of viewers), describing how the money had been spent to transform lives, build churches, feed the hungry and comfort the sick. More than anything, this book hammers home the message that the volunteers saw their $100 bills being multiplied into thousands as total strangers offered more money to help them undertake their charity projects. As in the film Pay It Forward (which is what gave Bellesi the idea in the first place), one good turn generated another and another. The book, a collaboration with his wife, Leesa, is not elegantly written, but then it doesn't need to be; the story itself is front and center here. These invigorating real-life stories offer excellent examples of Christian faith in action, as church members were forced to leave their comfort zones and search for ways to bless others in the community. Readers will be inspired to go and do likewise. (Nov.)
Forecast:During the summer, the Bellesis' inspirational story was featured in People, the Los Angeles Times and elsewhere, so the prepublication buzz for this CBA title is already significant. Dateline NBC has committed to following the story further. | <urn:uuid:dffcf95a-121a-4e30-a0cd-e90498726326> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.publishersweekly.com/978-0-310-24323-6 | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368696383156/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516092623-00028-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.967749 | 369 | 1.632813 | 2 |
In London, my associates and I planned two great expeditions--that to invade the Mediterranean and later that to cross the Channel. London's hospitality to the Americans, her good-humored acceptance of the added inconvenience we brought, her example of fortitude and quiet confidence in the final outcome--all these helped to make the Supreme Headquarters of the two Allied expeditions the smooth-working organizations they became.
-Dwight D Eisenhower, after the defeat of Nazi Germany, addressing British parliamentarians and the royal family, Guildhall, London, England, June 12, 1945
And with our broth, and bread, and bits, sir friend, You've fared well : pray make an end ; Two days you've larded here ; a third, ye know, Makes guests and fish smell strong ; pray go
Coleridge says that to bait a mouse-trap is as much as to say to the mouse, 'Come and have a piece of cheese,' and then, when it accepts the invitation, to do it to death is a betrayal of the laws of hospitality. | <urn:uuid:5f38ad15-c306-40a5-b3be-0c8d285dccfe> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.quoteland.com/topic/Hospitality-Quotes/306/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368705559639/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516115919-00008-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.949113 | 218 | 1.835938 | 2 |
Why Brilliant Earth Supports Marriage Equality
We’re so fortunate at Brilliant Earth to work with customers who are going through one of the happiest stages of their lives. Every day we meet couples who are deeply in love. We get to chat with them, understand their needs, and provide them with the pieces of jewelry that will symbolize the rest of their lives together. Then we have the pleasure of hearing about the moments when our jewelry makes its debut – moments that our customers will always remember.
This is the reason why we support marriage equality. We know the joy that our customers experience when they decide to dedicate their lives to one another. We don’t think that anybody should be deprived of this joy due to restrictive marriage laws. When President Obama recently announced his support for same sex marriage, we were thrilled. His support could hasten the day when all people in the United States, regardless of sexual orientation, are able to marry the person they love.
As the leading provider of ethical origin jewelry, we’re especially glad about Obama’s announcement. Our commitment to using only ethical gemstones and eco-friendly precious metals is rooted in a belief that people and the environment should be treated with respect. At Brilliant Earth, our focus is on building a more ethical jewelry industry. But when the people we serve are themselves not treated respectfully, that’s an issue that also directly concerns us.
Our support for marriage equality isn’t new. We’ve always been proud to offer a range of terrific wedding and engagement ring options to our gay and lesbian customers. (This page provides some good suggestions, including custom designed rings and rings that match or have common elements.) As we continue to advocate for people in diamond and gold mining communities around the world, we’ll also look for ways to support our customers – as well as our friends, family members, and fellow employees – who seek only the right to marry. | <urn:uuid:c7006287-8284-4f93-91ab-dd68b47965d9> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.brilliantearth.com/news/why-brilliant-earth-supports-marriage-equality/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368708142388/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516124222-00010-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.967115 | 395 | 1.609375 | 2 |
A powerful storm system churned across the Midwest early Wednesday spawning an estimated 16 tornadoes and leaving at least 9 people dead in Illinois and Missouri. The storm continued moving east and forecasters warned severe weather and tornadoes could hit parts of Mississippi, Alabama, Georgia, Kentucky, North Carolina and Tennessee later Wednesday evening.
Authorities say the majority of Wednesday’s fatalities occurred in the southern Illinois town of Harrisburg were a powerful tornado left several miles of destruction in its wake. An estimated 300 homes and businesses were damaged or destroyed and about 100 people were injured. The initial death toll stood at 6.
The other three deaths occurred in Missouri. Authorities reported the deaths in Buffalo, Cassville and Puxico. Storm damage was reported across the state, including in the resort town of Brandon. Kentucky and Kansas also reported damage.
Click here for more Weather News | <urn:uuid:535302c7-6376-49cb-bd71-50abe6f63b20> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.transworldnews.com/1022705/c0/SignUp.aspx | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368697974692/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516095254-00039-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.967132 | 174 | 1.554688 | 2 |
I was inspired recently by this quote from Aldous Huxley that popped up on my iGoogle homepage: “Happiness is not achieved by the conscious pursuit of happiness; it is generally the by-product of other activities.” What Huxley means, at least from my point of view, is that happiness cannot exist unless it has context, like a container in which to hold it. The container that holds happiness may come from time spent doing what you love, in the company of friends and family, or contributing to the world in some way. In addition to what you gain in your endeavors, happiness also results.
It struck me that the same is true of trust in organizations. Leaders can’t set out to build trust independently of the
business activities they must carry out on a daily basis. I’ve seen leaders create task forces and strategic goals and whole departments dedicated to creating a better workplace – to building more trust. But, without giving trust a context, or a container, it just doesn’t grow. A great workplace initiative may get some attention for awhile, or serve as a convenient retort when justification for an employee expenditure is requested, but it doesn’t really take hold as part of the fabric of the organization.
What does work is making trust part of the very DNA of the company, weaving it into every decision and action on the part of leaders. While I am inspired when leaders hold building a great workplace through building trust as one of their top priorities, it need not reside on a list of strategic imperative or in a budget line item. Rather, it is in the attitude adjustment on the part of leaders. Instead of simply running the numbers on a capital expenditure, great leaders ask: How will this decision affect our employees? Have we asked them what kind of equipment they’d recommend? As we discuss in our book, Dreamworks Animation elicited employee input on everything from workplace configuration to desk size as they designed their new building.
Instead of allowing external news sources to be the main source of information about the company’s performance, great leaders build trust by releasing news internally first, or when that isn’t possible, providing comments on the intranet so employees get their perspective in addition to that of reporters and analysts. Nike draws employee attention to the external news in its internal communications, in addition to providing employees a preview of commercials, information on corporate responsibility, and new product features.
Instead of making a new hire in isolation, great leaders value the opinions of the team that the new employee will be joining. They ask for their team’s input on qualifications before a job is posted, they involve them in interviews, and they consider the hire’s skills and abilities as well as the hire’s impact on the team itself. Whole Foods Market asks team members to officially vote new members onto the team after they’ve been on the job a few weeks. And that type of involvement builds trust and a sense of fairness in employment decision making.
Like happiness, trust cannot be built in a vacuum. It is built when engaging in other activities. In the case of your workplace, those activities are the decisions and actions you make that keep your company up and running, accomplishing its mission and making money. If you feel as though you can’t build trust in the normal course business, you are going about either trust building or your day-to-day operations the wrong way. Trust cannot be built by initiative; rather, it is built into the decisions you make to keep your organization thriving and successful. | <urn:uuid:58f0b1a6-3710-4947-8cfb-5e22bcf14307> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.greatplacetowork.net/publications-and-events/blogs-and-news/42-trust-is-like-happiness | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368698924319/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516100844-00042-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.964341 | 734 | 1.789063 | 2 |
Congrats Luke! First Helmet of the 2012/13 Btln Season for Luke!(This is the second Helmet of Luke's Btln career!) This puts Luke into second place for Winston! It was a sweet finish, there were three guys left on the last round and not one of them made it, but Luke made it the furthest across the gym! Luke thought that he had lost until everyone told him that he won!
We haven't had a "normal" night in a while so this week we played a "normal" game, Murderball!
Zach's team was winning early and often. Every game we took one of Zach's players and gave them to the other team until after 5 rounds Zach finally lost. The sixth game was again another win for Zach! Zach 5, Bill 1.(Names have been changed so as not to embarrass.)
This week in Bible study we looked at Moses in our continuing series "The History of the World" or "His Story". (Exodus 1:1-22, Exodus 2:1-25, Exodus 11:1-10, Exodus 12:1-29)
We looked at Moses' birth and the Passover.
Pharaoh becomes afraid of the Israelites so he decides that he will kill the Israelite baby boys to stop the growth of the Israelite Nation in Egypt. God not only keeps Moses from being killed but also has Moses adopted by the Pharaoh's daughter! What an amazing story! (Moses rises to power in Egypt just like his great uncle Joseph!)
Hebrews 11:24-28 By faith Moses, when he had grown up, refused to be known as the son of Pharaoh’s daughter. He chose to be mistreated along with the people of God rather than to enjoy the pleasures of sin for a short time. He regarded disgrace for the sake of Christ as of greater value than the treasures of Egypt, because he was looking ahead to his reward. By faith he left Egypt, not fearing the king’s anger; he persevered because he saw him who is invisible. By faith he kept the Passover and the sprinkling of blood, so that the destroyer of the firstborn would not touch the firstborn of Israel.
If only God would talk about us this way! Moses gave up all the treasures of Egypt to serve God!
Moses returns to Egypt to bring God's people out of Egypt and into the promised land. Nine terrible plagues do not convince Pharaoh to release his slaves so God is forced to send one more devastating plague. God has Moses warn Pharaoh that if he doesn't let the Israelites leave that every first born in Egypt would die. (Pharaoh was warned before every plague.)
Exodus 11:4,5 So Moses said, “This is what the Lord says: ‘About midnight I will go throughout Egypt. Every firstborn son in Egypt will die, from the firstborn son of Pharaoh, who sits on the throne, to the firstborn son of the slave girl, who is at her hand mill, and all the firstborn of the cattle as well.
When it comes to God's grace or judgement, our position or status on this earth does not matter! The Pharaoh's and the slave girl's firstborn would both die!(And everyone in between!)
God brings judgement on Egypt but brings compassion and grace to the Israelite people!
Exodus 12:5-7 The animals you choose must be year-old males without defect, and you may take them from the sheep or the goats. Take care of them until the fourteenth day of the month, when all the people of the community of Israel must slaughter them at twilight. Then they are to take some of the blood and put it on the sides and tops of the door frames of the houses where they eat the lambs.
Exodus 12:12,13 “On that same night I will pass through Egypt and strike down every firstborn—both men and animals—and I will bring judgment on all the gods of Egypt. I am the Lord. The blood will be a sign for you on the houses where you are; and when I see the blood, I will pass over you. No destructive plague will touch you when I strike Egypt.
God passed over the houses of the Israelites because of the blood of lamb without defect. This was looking forward to when God would look upon Jesus' blood (Our lamb without defect) and forgive us our sins! We only need to accept his perfect gift! | <urn:uuid:096ac696-0422-47c2-a1bf-5ec1d4f1e90b> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://battalion3739.blogspot.com/2012/11/btln-update_16.html | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368706499548/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516121459-00015-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.96793 | 932 | 1.507813 | 2 |
The Treasury sells inflation-indexed securities, also known as TIPS, at regularly scheduled auctions. Competitive bids at these single-price auctions determine the interest rate paid on each issue, which remains fixed. A group of securities dealers, known as primary dealers, are authorized and obligated to submit competitive tenders at Treasury auctions. Dealers can hold the bills, resell the bills to their clients or trade them with other securities firms. Typically, the New York Fed approves about 20 securities firms to be primary dealers but that number dropped sharply during the recent financial crisis as some were merged into other firms or went bankrupt. The Fed has been rebuilding that number regularly and the latest list can be found here: http://www.newyorkfed.org/markets/pridealers_current.html The Treasury announces the amount, date and time of the 5-year TIPS auction twice a year - in April and October. The 5-year TIPS are usually announced during the third week of April and auctioned the subsequent week. In October, TIPS are also announced during the third week of the month, but this is typically a reopening of a previously issued security. The 5-year TIPS are issued on the last business day of the month. These securities mature at mid-month; consequently, investors who purchase these securities at auction are required to pay the interest accrued between the 15th of the month and the issue date.
Why Investors Care
Individual investors can participate in Treasury auctions either through a securities dealer (brokerage firm) or via the Treasury Direct program, which saves on brokerage commissions. But brokers commissions are often nominal (especially with discount brokers), and using a broker does eliminate a lot of paper work and other administrative hassles. Brokers facilitate the purchases and sales of Treasuries in the secondary market, which is handy for buying Treasuries at times other than scheduled auctions or for maturities other than those offered by standard new issues.
Interest rates on Treasury securities are determined in the market; the Federal Reserve does not set them. However, bond investors are sensitive to Federal Reserve policy and thus market rates will mirror policy expectations. Usually, bond market players are forward-looking and this means that interest rates on Treasury securities will move in the direction of Fed policy with a lead. As a result, one is more likely to see rising interest rates on Treasury yields during an expansion (and falling yields during economic slowdowns) in advance of policy changes by the Federal Reserve.
TIPS, inflation-indexed securities, are designed to shield investors from inflation-risk. The principal is adjusted for inflation. Instead of getting back your initial investment of $1,000, for instance, you would get $1,000 plus an additional amount tied to the inflation rate. Since there is no inflation premium on the interest rate, interest payments (and yields attached to the TIPS) are lower than for regular Treasury securities. Economists and policymakers consider the differential between yields on 5-year TIPS and regular 5-year notes to be a proxy for investors' estimate of inflation expectations.
Primer on Treasuries
Treasury securities, Treasuries, U.S. government bonds, T-bonds, T-notes, and T-bills all refer to the same type of security: debt obligations of the United States. Maturity refers to the length of the loan to the government. TIPS, which were first offered in 1998, have had maturities of 5, 10, 20 or 30 years (the last 30-year offering was in 2001). Treasury notes have maturities from 2 to 10 years (2-, 3-, 5-, 7- and 10-year notes are most common). Since 2008, the Treasury ruled that all securities it issues now have minimum denominations of $100 and must be purchased in increments of $100.
How TIPS work
The principal amount of the security is adjusted for inflation and is paid at maturity. Securities are redeemed at the greater of their inflation-adjusted principal or par amount at original issue. Interest payments, which are taxable like other Treasuries, are issued twice a year and are based on the inflation-adjusted principal at the time of payment. The index for measuring the rate of inflation is the non-seasonally adjusted U.S. City Average All Items Consumer Price Index for All Urban Consumers published each month by the Bureau of Labor Statistics. If this index is materially changed, the Treasury will substitute an alternative index.
You pay $1,000 for a TIPS note and receive interest payments every six months based on the inflation-adjusted principal at the time of payment. If the coupon is 3% and the rate of inflation, for instance, stays at 3%, you get $30 every six months for a total of $60 per year. When the note matures in 5 years, you get back the greater of the inflation-adjusted principal or the $1,000 par amount at original issue.
Treasuries offer a measure of security unmatched by other investments - the U.S. government guarantees the initial investment (the principal) and the interest payments. With regular Treasury securities, inflation may erode the value of both the principal and interest payments. But TIPS offer an additional level of security, protecting the investor from an onset of inflation. When TIPS are resold in the secondary market, their price could be substantially more or less than the face value. Price fluctuations in the secondary market are based on the economic environment, inflation expectations, Federal Reserve policy, and simple forces of supply and demand. Opportunity risk refers to what could have been earned had the money been invested elsewhere.
Important note: Accrued interest relating to inflation gain, is not paid out until maturity, however, the individual is required to pay federal income taxes on this amount. That's why many financial advisors suggest that these securities be purchased for tax-deferred retirement accounts.
Twice a year
U.S. Department of the Treasury
As per Treasury schedule | <urn:uuid:9101d9e4-00b7-4df4-84d5-83bae3f5bba8> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://mam.econoday.com/byshoweventfull.aspx?event_id=299&cust=mam&lid=0 | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368705953421/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516120553-00016-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.961488 | 1,228 | 1.695313 | 2 |
In 2001, Vacheron Constantin, Switzerland’s oldest watchmakers, founded in 1955, held an international competition for its new headquarters at Plan-les-Ouates, near Geneva. The brief was to bring administrative, management, international customer services, design and manufacturing functions all under one roof in a blend of tradition and innovation. Bernard Tschumi was awarded the contract, and work was completed in 18 months. The inauguration in August 2004 coincided with the company’s restrained celebration of its 250th anniversary.
Tschumi’s architecture changes the surrounding landscape of roads and industrial plant. Even the first sketches show a single complex with a unifying envelope that nonetheless clearly separates managerial functions from design and production, placing them in two connecting units of very different height and volume. The unifying element is the fully glazed ground floor in both parts of the building, and the curvilinear wrap-around metal cladding. This envelopes the roof and sweeps down to anchor itself in the managerial block, creating a wide overhang above the glazed side walls. The multi-storey managerial building houses the entrance – for staff and visitors - to the whole complex.
The façade presents in two bands: a lower glazed “plinth” topped by slightly jutting, metal-clad walls broken by long horizontal window slits on each floor. Internally, the managerial block enjoys controlled daylighting: the north-facing glazed wall allows indirect, neutral lighting from outside while the south-facing wall is in special reflective, non-glare glass. Internal spaces also reflect the curtain wall cladding of the outside. Externally, the shiny metal sheet suggests precision and safety; the internal environment by contrast is in warm, welcoming wood.
American cherry is the only wood type throughout. It covers floors and walls, changing with the different spaces to provide solid wood finishings or floating parquet floors. In the distribution spaces at the end of the production block, the cherry wood even clads the ceiling, following the flowing curves of the structure. Inner and outer cladding – metal and wood – seem to mirror each other, underlining the visual and functional coherence of the whole building.
In contrast, the interior transit and circulation zones are conceived as a succession of open glazed spaces and routes. In the ample entrance atrium, the imposing, two-ramp staircase is made of glass, as are the lift shaft and distribution balconies leading off to the various areas on each floor. The new complex lies along an artificially created incline. At the lower end, production and design departments open out onto a wide, quiet inner court that provides the interior with a natural light source. There is also covered parking. The building’s structural frame is in reinforced concrete. | <urn:uuid:6657f465-5ef6-4e3f-bd26-3cb608ee51dc> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.theplan.it/J/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=687%3Avacheron-constantin-headquarters&Itemid=62&lang=en | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368705195219/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516115315-00020-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.931623 | 571 | 1.804688 | 2 |
The usual way, I suppose.
All you need to do to establish a legal copyright is affix a copyright
notice on your recording or lyrics. The term "affix" simply means you
write your name and the year the song was written next to the
The format looks like this: © YOUR NAME 2011
That's all there is to it. In fact, it's not even necessary to include
a copyright notice on subsequent recordings. The writer still has
Because copyright law provides clear protections at the time of
creation, experienced songwriters often wait to file formal copyrights
(with the U.S. Office of Copyrights) until their songs are polished,
rewritten, completed and ready to be published or released
When a song is completed and ready to show, it's also ready to be
registered with the U.S. Copyright Office. | <urn:uuid:4e50f19f-683f-44f4-9563-8a781233129f> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://avp.stackexchange.com/questions/4865/how-do-i-publish-my-own-song?answertab=oldest | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368705559639/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516115919-00001-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.955752 | 179 | 1.789063 | 2 |
WASHINGTON — Confused about the federal budget struggle? So are doctors, hospital administrators and other medical professionals who serve the 100 million Americans covered by Medicare and Medicaid.
Rarely has the government sent so many conflicting signals in so short a time about the bottom line for the health care industry.
Cuts are coming, says Washington, and some could be really big. Yet more government spending is also being promised as President Barack Obama's health care overhaul advances and millions of uninsured people move closer to getting government-subsidized coverage.
"Imagine a person being told they are going to get a raise, but their taxes are also going to go up and they are going to be paying more for gas," said Thornton Kirby, president of the South Carolina Hospital Association. "They don't know if they are going to be taking home more or less. That's the uncertainty when there are so many variables in play."
Real money is at stake for big hospitals and small medical practices alike. Government at all levels pays nearly half the nation's health care tab, with federal funds accounting for most of that.
It's widely assumed that a budget deal will mean cuts for Medicare service providers. But which ones? How much? And will Medicaid and subsidies to help people get coverage under the health care law also be cut?
As House Speaker John Boehner famously said: "God only knows." The Ohio Republican was referring to the overall chances of getting a budget deal, but the same can be said of how health care — one-sixth of the economy — will fare.
"There is no political consensus to do anything significant," said Dan Mendelson, president of Avalere Health, a market analysis firm. "There is a collective walking away from things that matter. All the stuff on the lists of options becomes impossible, because there is no give-and-take."
As if things weren't complicated enough, doctors keep facing their own recurring fiscal cliff, separate from the bigger budget battle but embroiled in it nonetheless.
Come Jan. 1, doctors and certain other medical professionals face a 26.5 percent cut in their Medicare payments, the consequence of a 1990s deficit-reduction law gone awry. Lawmakers failed to repeal or replace that law even after it became obvious that it wasn't working. Instead, Congress usually passes a "doc fix" each year to waive the cuts.
This year, the fix got hung up in larger budget politics. Although a reprieve is expected sooner or later, doctors don't like being told to sit in the congressional waiting room.
"It seems like there is a presumption that physicians and patients can basically tolerate this kind of uncertainty while the Congress goes through whatever political machinations they are going through," said Dr. Jeremy Lazarus, president of the American Medical Association. "Our concern is that physician uncertainty and anxiety about being able to pay the bills will have an impact on taking care of patients."
A recent government survey indicates that Medicare beneficiaries are having more problems when trying to find a new primary care doctor, and Lazarus said that will only get worse.
Adding to their unease, doctors also face an additional reduction if automatic spending cuts go through. Those would be triggered if Obama and congressional leaders are unable to bridge partisan differences and strike a deal. They are part of the combination of tax increases and spending cuts dubbed the "fiscal cliff."
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- IRS official Lerner invokes Fifth... 17 | <urn:uuid:a819efb7-29e9-4c81-b0a5-7ce7f12f9227> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.deseretnews.com/article/765618935/Budget-struggle-raising-anxiety-for-health-care.html | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368702448584/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516110728-00023-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.958887 | 856 | 1.796875 | 2 |
Malloy Book Melts Away Financial Crisis Fog
July 27, 2010
A new book by Distinguished Professor and Scholar Michael Malloy, one of the foremost authorities on banking regulation, gives an insider's view of a crisis that nearly shattered the American financial system and continues to reverberate around the world.
Anatomy of a Meltdown from Aspen Publishers details the downfall of two well-known American corporations, investment giant Lehman Brothers and WaMu, the holding company for the Washington Mutual Bank. Both firms stumbled largely as a result of their connections with the subprime mortgage markets, though from opposite ends — WaMu in origination of mortgages and Lehman Brothers in investment in and distribution of derivative products.
Both firms went belly-up in September 2008, rocking world financial markets in the process. The collapse of Lehman Brothers was the largest bankruptcy in American history. WaMu's bankruptcy a week later represented the largest bank failure in U.S. history.
"The book tells that story and draws conclusions about the steps necessary to pull the financial system out of the current crisis — and to avoid the next one," Malloy said. "Since the Dodd-Frank Act signed earlier this month does not respond adequately or completely to the crisis, I think we're going to be talking about the issues raised in this book for some time."
Malloy, a former SEC enforcer who has taught at Pacific McGeorge since 1996, has authored or edited more than 100 books and book-length supplements in banking, corporate securities regulation and other areas of the law.
Anatomy of a Meltdown, a 304-page paperback, is available from Aspen and numerous on-line book sellers. | <urn:uuid:53ba75c8-2df4-49a7-b5d9-017d8ba89696> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://mcgeorge.edu/News/Malloy_Book_Melts_Away_Financial_Crisis_Fog.htm | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368697974692/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516095254-00024-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.953121 | 347 | 1.804688 | 2 |
WESTPORT - An adventurous pair of local farmers are putting a new spin on the buy-local campaign.
DaCy Meadow Farm, owned and operated by David and Cynthia Johnston, raise British Heritage livestock for both milk and meat, but the rare breeds of cows and pigs are not the only things unique about this Westport farm.
About a month ago, the Johnstons opened the doors of their new farm stand, a building set up to market fresh foods grown and made by over a dozen different local producers. What makes this farm stand different is that those producers will receive 100 percent of the proceeds for their items.
"Any local food vendor who wants to can put their food here," explained David. The Johnstons and their staff attend to the shop, where they sell their own farm-raised, USDA-approved beef and pork alongside other locally produced food. Any money they collect from other vendors' products are passed entirely to that vendor with no shelving fees.
The farm benefits somewhat from the extra customers drawn by the wider selection of produce, but their decision to open up their market to other vendors for free stems mostly from a desire to facilitate the link between local buyers and local producers.
"The big problem in the local food movement is distribution," explained David, noting how few growers have the resources to man their own produce stands, let alone set up shop at farmers' markets on a regular basis. The DaCy Meadow Farm stand offers a place where the presentation and sale of the product is done for them.
"In essence, we're providing them a 30-hour-a-week farmers' market for free," said David. "We do not retail food here; we're simply a flow-through."
The farm stand markets anything made by a member of Adirondack Harvest, a community organization that helps farmers in seven New York counties market their food directly to consumers. So far, over a dozen vendors, most from Essex County, have placed their goods at DaCy Meadow. | <urn:uuid:e8b6aec6-f25e-49fe-b173-2c87451b8dba> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.denpubs.com/news/2009/jun/27/farm-stand-helps-link-local-growers-consumers/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368698924319/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516100844-00021-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.966351 | 409 | 1.59375 | 2 |
Model Organ. Brighton, East Sussex.
M/Ss and C/Us of 70 year-old Benjamin Willeter putting the finishing touches to his miniature church organ. He plays the organ with match. He feeds music sheet into back of machine and it starts to play on it's own. Several C/Us of the organ.
John Hearsey at his hobby of carving detailed wooden models of churches and cathedrals.
A remarkable model church made entirely of fabric.
Hairdressers from all parts of Britain come to Oxford for 600 year old ceremony.
New designs for the centre of Caracas - Avenida Bolivar.
Minister of Works, David Eccles, inspects a model of an annexe to Westminster Abbey.
A special model town with shops and cottages is created for the mice at London zoo.
Orphan children enjoy the fun of a model plane at the Church of England Children's Home at Hampstead.
Hippy bridal dress on display in Soho, London. | <urn:uuid:996a735b-be06-430d-a6ed-66e067785898> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.britishpathe.com/video/model-organ/query/MODEL+CHURCHES | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368706153698/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516120913-00035-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.932683 | 212 | 1.570313 | 2 |
PORTLAND, Ore. – What with AMD, Apple, Dell, Dialog, Freescale, Fujitsu, HP, LSI, Microsoft, Motorola, MStar, Nvidia, Qualcomm, Samsung, STMicroelectronics and Texas Instruments all licensing ARM cores for everything from smartphones to tablets to basestations to servers, one might be led to believe the boast of ARM CEO Warren East that designers are choosing ARM because it is a no brainer.
[ARM TechCon 2012, the largest ARM design ecosystem under one roof, is Oct. 30 - Nov. 1 in Santa Clara. Click here to check out agenda.]
The truth is that even though ARM is gaining market share in low-power embedded applications the company still has a long way to go to challenge the perennial microprocessor kings; that software compatibility hurts ARM as much as it helps; and that there are many vertical markets which will remain inaccessible to ARM cores merely because they are standardized.
Intel in particular has a 20-year head start over ARM, resulting in a maturity, sophistication and veneration that will be hard to displace by a 22-year-old. Intel's ecosystem of support chips, subsystems and software is unparalleled in the industry and addresses many more real-world issues than the low-power and small die size that makes ARM a no-brainer for many new designs. From the mobile space where Atom offers x86 compatibility that even ARM's most sophisticated cores cannot match, to the server space where Intel's Xeon already solves the most vexing issues facing datacenters today, Intel versus ARM remains a brain-teaser. For instance, the fast-growing cloud computing space uses virtualization to offer mobile device users access to applications running on servers for which Intel has a top-to-bottom solution – VTx – which securely links x86-based mobile devices with Xeon-based cloud computers. ARM, on the other hand, is still pursuing virtualization extensions that could offer similar integration of mobile devices into cloud computing realms.
"ARM is becoming more and more mature – its graduated from its initial light-weight processors for mobile devices to beefier processors like the A15 which can compete with Intel's Atom, but they are not yet in the Xeon class" said Sergis Mushell, principal research analyst at Gartner Inc. "The battle has just started – the relay gun has been fired, but the race has just begun."
ARM has recently started penetrating the wireless basestation market with a vengeance, driving a stake in the heart of MIPS Technologies, and landing lucrative new accounts such as for Freescale's popular QorIQ basestation processors.
However, standardizing on ARM cores may eventually hurt margins at TI, Freesale, LSI Logic and elsewhere, as they compete for the same sockets since one of ARM's advantages – interchangeable software – will also enable processor vendors to become interchangeable.
"ARM is now threatening the ecosystem of MIPS – going into basestations, going into networking, and gaining mainstream licensees like Texas Instruments, Freescale and LSI," said Mushell. "But all these vendors are going to be competing for the same piece of business, and it will be really easy to replace one vendor's ARM processor for one of the others, which could drive the ASP [average selling price] down significantly."
For many applications, proprietary architectures can actually be an advantage – witness HP's recent decision not to support ARM on Windows 8 tablets. Proprietary cores can also serve specific markets needs that do not fit into ARM's one-size-fit-all philosophy. For instance, Infineon's Tricore, Renesas' VH/RX and Atmel's AVR all serve specific market segments that will not be going away any time soon.
"Though it's true that the ARM ecosystem for embedded microprocessors and microcontrollers is growing at a blistering rate, there are applications – such as in automotive microcontrollers or networking microprocessors, where manufacturers have found it useful to maintain proprietary architectures," said Adib Ghubril, research director at Gartner.
The other dimension that ARM's "no brainer" argument is skirting is heterogeneous multi-cores. ARM currently has extensions aimed at addressing digital signal processing (DSP), vector processing and other specialized needs, but at least for now, chip designers are more likely be use an asymmetric architectures – an ARM core in combination with a non-ARM heterogeneous core – to meets their specific needs.
"And a new war is about to begin – the multicore wars – and here ARM will likely not emerge supremely victorious, because devices are taking on what we refer to as asymmetric architectures to meet requirements specific to end-applications," said Ghubril. "These asymmetric architectures combine heterogeneous cores together such that an ARM may be sitting next to a proprietary DSP."Related links and articles:
Panel: ARM to dominate consumer apps
Freescale takes shotgun approach to basestation SoCS
Broadcom extends MIPS deal but does not buy firm
ARM dominates 10 billion unit CPU core market
Report: ARM aims to take 20% of notebook PC market
Freescale adopts ARM cores in QorIQ line
Freescale tips core-agnostic system architecture
AMD, ARM, Imagination, TI, MediaTek form HSA group | <urn:uuid:773804ed-ef8d-417d-86d2-907e67989486> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.eetimes.com/electronics-news/4376703/ARM-has-not-won-the-processor-wars-yet?Ecosystem=medical-design | 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 | 0.934645 | 1,107 | 1.5625 | 2 |
This is the point in the season when we need Advent the most. The kids are wound up. Your cookie calculations were off and now you don’t have enough for the office Christmas party tomorrow. The suitcases are sprawled all over the floor. You’re trying to figure out how to pack wrapped gifts, fancy holiday clothes, and bulky toddler toys without having a mental breakdown.
Here’s the perfect escape: the fourth week of Advent begins on Sunday, December 18. Go ahead and light all four candles on your wreath. The first candle is the Hope candle. The second and third are the Joy and Peace candles. For this fourth and final week, light the Love candle. Look at how much brighter the Advent wreath is. Jesus is coming soon. Read aloud Matthew 1:18-25.
Advent is a time of waiting. We are waiting for Jesus to be born. We are also waiting for him to come again in glory to redeem the world once and for all. Today’s reading gives us a glimpse into what it was like for Joseph and Mary to wait for Jesus’ arrival.
As Matthew explains, when Joseph found out Mary was pregnant and he was not the father, he was planning to call off their engagement. But then an angel of the Lord intervened. He told Joseph in a dream what God was up to with this child. The angel even saved the couple the trouble of trolling through baby books for a name. “‘You are to name him Jesus, for he will save his people from their sins,’” the angel told Joseph.
The Lord had also spoken through the prophet Isaiah long before Joseph’s dream, long before the Holy Spirit gave Mary the child in her womb. Matthew makes sure we know the backstory. “‘Look, the virgin shall conceive and bear a son, and they shall name him Emmanuel,’ which means, ‘God is with us.’”
Those four words—God is with us—overflow with love. That baby in the manger is God’s love in the flesh. Jesus is coming into our broken, sad, and conflicted world. He is the only one who can bring us the hope, joy, and peace our hearts so desperately need.
Joseph and Mary probably waited for their son’s birth with a mix of apprehension and excitement. They probably waited and watched throughout his life to see how the angel’s message from God would be fulfilled, how Jesus would save his people from their sins. At the time of his nativity, they probably couldn’t imagine the cross or the empty tomb. They couldn’t foresee how God would surprise them and the world with something even more amazing than his birth, by raising his crucified Son to new life.
Joseph and Mary didn’t know the end of Jesus’ story as they counted down the days until he was born. But we know how God’s love overflows from the manger, to the cross, to the empty tomb, and to you and me, gathered around our Advent wreaths, praying, “Come, Lord Jesus.”
Be encouraged. Be at peace. Jesus hears your prayer. It is almost Christmas. He is coming soon.
After reading the passage from Matthew and reflecting on it together, talk about any or all of these questions for a few minutes:
- When is a time that you have been surprised by God’s love for you?
- How can you share God’s love with others?
- Think about the four Advent themes we’ve talked about during this season: Hope, Joy, Peace, and Love. Which have you felt or experienced the most during the past four weeks? Which have you seen reflected in the lives of others? Share your stories.
After some time of conversation and reflection, sing this verse of “O Come, O Come, Emmanuel” together. “Emmanuel” is another name for Jesus, as we heard in the Matthew reading. It means, “God is with us.”
- O come, O Branch of Jesse, free your own from Satan’s tyranny; from depths of hell your people save, and give them vict’ry o’er the grave. Rejoice! Rejoice! Emmanuel shall come to you, O Israel.
At the end of your Advent wreath lighting, pray together. You can use this prayer to get started. Children can read it and lead your family in prayer or repeat it after you. Include prayers for people you love, and for people who are neglected and are in need of love.
- Come, Lord Jesus, and bring your love to us. Let it heal our brokenness, cast out fear, and bring us peace. Help us share your love with others, especially (names). We are keeping watch for you. We are waiting for you with hope and joy. Come, Lord Jesus. Amen
Advent Everyday: Each night, at dinner or whenever you can fit it in, light all four candles on your Advent wreath, the Hope, Joy, Peace, and Love candles. Get ready for your Christmas traditions that pass on faith, such as worshiping together on Christmas Eve, saying a table grace at a family meal, or placing the baby Jesus in the manger of your nativity set.
Since we’re a clergy family with lots of worship services on Christmas Eve, we don’t have a big dinner that night. Instead, my kids decorate cupcakes. You could have a birthday party for Jesus anytime around Christmas. We put one candle in each cupcake and sing happy birthday to Jesus. I try to get a picture every year since the decorating looks pretty funny, and more importantly, because I want my kids to see themselves growing up in faith as the years go by. My two-year old son loves to sing “Happy Birthday.” Who better to sing it to at the end of Advent than Jesus?
Paige Evers is a Lutheran pastor, a mom to two young children, and the wife of a Lutheran pastor. She thanks you for joining in her Advent celebrations this year! | <urn:uuid:afc2f946-636a-4554-9f1d-b99827832457> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.christmased.com/2011/12/17/the-christ-child-surprising-love/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368701459211/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516105059-00006-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.966741 | 1,293 | 1.570313 | 2 |
June 6, 2002
The Christian Right, Conservatism and the Jews
For generations, Jews have viewed religious conservatives with a combination of fear and disdain. Yet the recent events in the Middle East -- and the steadfast support given Israel by religious conservatives -- has gone a long way to correcting many often exaggerated, if not misplaced, assumptions about this large, and politically significant, group.
To the horror of reflexive Jewish liberals, organizations long suspicious of the religious right, such as the Anti-Defamation League (ADL), have now been making more of a common cause with them. This adds another dimension to an already strong linkage, based on shared values beyond Israel, between conservative Christians and Orthodox Jews.
Although more secular Jews may continue to conflict with Christian conservatives on many issues, such as prayer in school and abortion, the more pressing concerns over Israel impel our community to develop closer ties to a broad spectrum of this large American constituency. We need also to be aware that there are elements among Christians whose apocalyptic ideological reasons for backing Israel -- largely that it brings them closer to the Second Coming of Jesus -- should be viewed with concern. They often identify overly much with the Jewish messianic elements of the settlement movement, whose fanaticism and state support remain a continuing obstacle to peace.
Yet, whatever our misgivings, this is not a time for Jews and other supporters of Israel to nitpick over motivations. The Jewish state, and one could also say the Jewish people, are under attack, more so than perhaps anytime since the late 1940s. The Middle East is filled with people and governments screaming for Israel's obliteration, and much of Europe seems more than willing to stand by as the Arabs finish Hitler's handiwork.
In such a context, we need to know who our friends are -- and equally important, who they are not. On this score, the Republicans, with the exception of an increasingly isolated and irrelevant Pat Buchanan, and their allies among the Christian conservatives have been exemplary, supporting Israel down the line.
Take a look at the vote on the recently passed "Solidarity With Israel Act." One can quibble that Congress should not have taken this stand while the president and his administration are trying to bring about a peaceful settlement. But the vote was very useful in that it "outed" those whose sentiments toward the embattled Jewish state are at best, lukewarm.
The resolution, which backed Israel and denounced Palestinian terrorism, passed among Republicans 194 to 4, with only two voting "present," which was a somewhat less than forthright way of saying "no." Democrats also supported the measure, but with considerably less unanimity. The party that holds the loyalty of the vast majority of Jews supported Israel by 157 to 17, with a hefty 26 registering a present-but-not-voting stance.
Drilling down more deeply into the vote reveals some disturbing trends. Generally the further the "left" the congressmember, the more likely it was for them to oppose or at least refuse to support Israel. In California, for example, the no votes came from the Bay Area's liberal fringe, including Berkeley Rep. Barbara Lee (a particular heroine of the left) and Reps. Pete Stark and George Miller of East San Francisco Bay. The "present" crowd, who should be held in equal if not greater contempt, include such liberal luminaries as Sonoma and Marin Rep. Lynn Woolsey, as well as Los Angeles Reps. Hilda Solis and Xavier Becerra.
This leftward drift against Israel represents the culmination of successful agitation against the Jewish state by Palestinians, Arabs and their allies. Today anti-Zionism -- sometimes associated with anti-Semitism -- is increasingly de rigueur among the campus and media left here, as it already has become in Europe.
Recent incidents at San Francisco State, where pro-Israel demonstrators were recently harassed with openly anti-Semitic slogans from Muslim students and their allies, reveal an underpinning of intolerance brewing on campuses across the country. Pro-Israel students there last month were surrounded by a mob of students shouting, "Hitler didn't finish the job!" and "Get out or we'll kill you!" Not to be outdone, the English department at my alma mater, the University of California at Berkeley, is even offering a course on "The Politics and Poetics of the Palestinian Resistance." The course takes an avowed pro-Palestinian position and even urges "conservative thinkers," which may now include those favoring Israel, to "seek other sections."
As time passes since Sept. 11, one can expect the left to become ever more explicit in its anti-Israel position. Already, the Los Angeles Times' ultra-liberal columnist Robert Scheer has weighed in with a highly critical assault against the Jewish state. Liberal Christians have also joined the bandwagon, with prominent Catholic, Presbyterian, Episcopal and Methodist worthies asking Congress to adopt a more "balanced" Mideast policies.
The coalition against Israel is also gaining support from anti-capitalist, anti-globalist organizers. Most recently, the leaders of the Bus Riders Union, a group lionized by the Times, has shown its far-left mettle by circulating a proposal to have its members go on record demanding the end of U.S. support for Israel. The Union -- actually a well-financed "anti-corporate" agitprop group and not a union in the sense of representing the bulk of actual riders -- apparently does not feel "solidarity" for Israeli busriders, who risk being blown to bits every day by Palestinian homicidal bombers.
At the same time the left becomes ever more anti-Israel, the Christian right has become more supportive and, one may argue, less and less what we have been brought up to think. Recent research by University of North Carolina sociologist Christian Smith, for example, shows that, in contrast to their early 20th century antecedents, today's fundamentalists and evangelicals are, on average, better-educated and more affluent than the average American.
Along with their growing affluence and sophistication, notes my Pepperdine colleague Steve Monsma, evangelicals and fundamentalists have also jettisoned the anti-Semitism that characterized some when they were largely ill-educated and rural. "It's become a pretty well-educated and sophisticated constituency, who share in the general American recognition that anti-Semitism is wrong," said Monsma, a political scientist specializing in the study of church and state issues.
Survey work done by Smith supports Monsma's assertion. Even as they hold onto strong positions against abortion and in favor of prayer in school, religious conservatives are actually considerably less likely to oppose, for example, a Jewish president than the American mainstream. They do tend to be far more negative about putting atheists and homosexuals in the highest office than the average American, but are also more open to having an African American in that post.
Indeed, on many issues conservative Christian beliefs may be closer to the Jewish mainstream than those of liberal Christians or "progressive" Democrats. Although we often have felt more comfortable with the ultra-secularism and deconstructionism that dominates the media and, even more so, much of academia, Jewish values about family life, individual achievement, the importance of education and social order actually often far more resemble those of conservative Christians.
Finally, to this, I would like to add my personal experience, which some may weigh against me. For over 15 years I have been associated with Pepperdine University, a school affiliated with the conservative-leaning Church of Christ. Not once in that time have I ever experienced anti-Semitism. There has never even once been an attempt to convert me. In my travels across the country -- much of it in the rural Great Plains and the Bible Belt -- I have never felt any reluctance to reveal my Jewish identity or affinity for Israel. I am not sure I would be so sanguine these days at a place like San Francisco State or among committed "progressive" activists here in Los Angeles.
What does this mean for the future of Jews, and their relations with the left or right? Of course, like most Jews, I am secular and socially liberal enough to expect never to support Christian conservatives in many of their cherished causes. But unlike the reliably graceless Abe Foxman, our self-appointed Jewish pope, who says all we have to do is simply "say thank you," I feel the Jewish community should do quite a bit more.
We need now to honor the conservative Christian community and make our best efforts to understand what they are trying to accomplish. We may never agree on everything, but on the issues that matter most, we may have to acknowledge them as not only temporary allies, but, as something far more important, real friends, which is something that increasingly cannot be said of the left, from which many of us found our earlier political direction. | <urn:uuid:04fb8563-dd30-437c-8724-f85dc8695b9a> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.jewishjournal.com/religion/article/the_christian_right_conservatism_and_the_jews_20020607 | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368708766848/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516125246-00011-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.963823 | 1,811 | 1.710938 | 2 |
By David LaMartina
It's strange that in a time when most content is consumed digitally, etextbooks still haven't caught on at major universities. Amazon sells even more digital books than print editions, yet ebooks accounted for only 2.5% of the higher ed market in 2011. Moreover, students themselves — most of whom are constantly plugged in — don't seem to like them.
Regardless, etext sales are rapidly rising. As tuition and textbook prices grow, even hesitant students are flocking to lower-cost online options. The growing popularity of smartphones, tablets, and other mobile devices doesn't hurt, either. For most schools, the real roadblock to adoption is the lack of proven procedures and supportive infrastructure.
To address this problem, the Florida Distance Learning Consortium hosted a symposium on digital textbooks last February. Professors and college admins related their experiences with etexts, and publishers discussed several business models for enrollment, payment, and long-term purchasing plans. The following are a few of their most important findings:
Reducing Costs, Adding Value
A recent Internet2 report showed that students consider price above all else when purchasing ebooks. How can schools cut costs while maintaining quality? Steve Acker, research director for the eText Ohio project, said that all parties should put some "skin in the game." He recommends a system wherein schools pay publishers at the end of the term, rather than at the end of the enrollment period. Their per-student compensation rates would be based on passes and failures, and books that didn't perform would be deeply discounted. Acker also proposed that universities contract for increasingly large discounts on etexts as they age, and as new editions are released.
To the chagrin of some students, it seems that one of the best ways to lower individual ebook costs is to require everyone to buy them. Ronda Epper, Assistant Provost for the Colorado Community College System (CCC), noted that her students pay a $52 materials fee when they sign up for classes that require digital texts. This fee is constant, no matter the publisher or number of books required. CCC students are also able to purchase low-cost, loose leaf-bound paper editions, and print whatever sections they need from their laptops or tablets.
One of the biggest complaints among Epper's students — and among ebook purchasers in general — is that they don't retain access to their texts. They're cheaper, sure, but so are used books and printed rentals. The combination of a required materials fee and limited access infuriated some students, especially those who spent additional money on printing. Currently, it seems that the most agreeable policy is not somewhere in the middle: professors can either require ebook purchases and allow for indefinite access, or make them optional and temporary. Of course, optional purchases and lifetime access would be ideal, but that might require far higher prices.
Software for Ease and Accessibility
A feature-filled, easy-to-learn software platform also seems critical to any etext initiative. Nick Osborne, the eText Liaison at Indiana University (IU), relayed his experiences with a popular content platform called Courseload. IU professors loved its annotation and highlighting features, as well as its allowance for custom content. The teachers could make instant edits that all of their students would be able to see — a far more efficient process than in-class corrections.
Of course, these kinds of features are useless without easy access to the texts. Platforms like Courseload and MyCompLab can be integrated into existing content management systems, ensuring that everyone will have their books at the beginning of a term. However, that kind of integration may also require mandated purchases or materials fees. In a system where the students choose to buy the online or print editions — or to not buy the books at all — it could be much more difficult for teachers to couple their instruction with the textbook material.
Whatever software a school chooses, it's essential that students receive adequate technical support. In the aforementioned Internet2 study, one of the most common complaints was that Courseload's features were difficult to use. Ronda Epper also found that CCC students needed support above and beyond the MyCompLab manuals provided by Pearson.
Holding Students Accountable
Etexts may be highly portable and easy to use, but for now, students still need a little prodding before they'll actually read them. In the Internet2 study, average participants only completed 48%of their assigned readings. The Florida Symposium speakers also noted that the digital medium itself had little impact on their students' interest in educational material.
Fortunately, Courseload and other content platforms allow professors to see how often and for how long their students are reading, annotating, and sharing material with peers. Diane Harley, Senior Researcher at the Center for Studies in Higher Education, found that people who consistently marked up their materials almost always outperformed those who did not.
Daytona State English professor Ben Graydon went a step further, requiring his students to annotate, share, and prepare answers to custom in-text questions. He said that these requirements made them more focused and retentive readers, and that he was ultimately able to lead better in-class discussions. In summary of his presentation, he said, "It's your etext; own it." Professors should take every opportunity to add custom content and hold their students accountable through note-taking, discussions, and graded homework. For an etext to outperform a printed book, its content needs to be the focus of the class — not simply an addendum to the lectures.
Ultimately, every school will need to experiment and tailor its etext program to its students' needs. University of Florida math professor Miklos Bona helped to create an online calculus book, and he noted that such large projects require two or three semesters of refinement. No program can be perfect from the get-go, and there will always be issues with course content, usability, and accessibility. As the Colorado Community College experiment shows, some students may also need to warm up to the idea of paying required materials fees in lieu of buying printed books.
Of course, many of the cost-related concerns could dissolve if open access textbooks become more popular. Tom Caswell, an associate at the Washington State Board for Community and Technical Colleges, presented the Open Course Library, which began providing low-cost ebooks in October 2011. This September, California also passed legislation to create free, open-source textbooks for 50 of the state's most common lower-level courses. Caswell says that more states can break the "iron triangle" of access, quality, and cost if they do three things: consider students first, share resources, and fund more affordable and scalable models of higher education.
David LaMartina is a Kansas City-based freelance writer specializing in education and health. He can be reached at davidlamartina.com
Sparking innovation, learning and creativity.
Identifying the impact of emerging technologies.
The Edward and Betty Marcus Institute for Digital Education in the Arts (MIDEA) provides timely, succinct and practical knowledge about emerging technologies that museums can use to advance their missions.
The largest educational presence in any virtual world, involving more than 150 colleges and universities and a very active community of educators that numbers nearly 12,000.
The New Media Consortium (NMC) is a community of hundreds of leading universities, colleges, museums, and research centers. The NMC stimulates and furthers the exploration and use of new media and technologies for learning and creative expression. All content Creative Commons. More > | <urn:uuid:1390cd6d-11d8-416a-8f60-77e0fa10cfc8> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.nmc.org/news/can-etexts-work-your-university | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368696383156/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516092623-00032-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.958356 | 1,558 | 1.820313 | 2 |
Welcome to the policy-free campaign.
The Romney camp hopes to make this election a referendum on President Obama—it offers the chance to win by default. In contrast, the Obama camp is fervently trying to make the election a choice between the two candidates.
That’s why Romney has been mealy-mouthed about President Obama’s executive action on immigration that effectively implements a modified version of the DREAM Act, sidestepping the issue again in his speech to Latino elected officials in Orlando on Thursday.
The speech was elegant but evasive, inclusive in tone but inconclusive in terms of actual policy. When it came time to comment on the DREAM Act move by the Obama administration—a policy that Romney pledged to veto in the primaries—here is what he said: “Some people have asked if I will let stand the president’s executive order. The answer is that I will put in place my own long-term solution that will replace and supersede the president’s temporary measure.”
That means precisely nothing. It gives the impression that Romney backs comprehensive immigration reform, which he criticizes President Obama for not advancing. But of course Romney intensely opposed the bipartisan McCain-Kennedy comprehensive immigration bill backed by President Bush in 2007.
The specifics that Romney did offer in the speech—like giving green cards to immigrant university graduates, expanding E-Verify or giving illegals who serve in the military a pathway to citizenship—are already backed by President Obama, with varying degrees of success. Others, like Romney’s call for a high-tech fence along the border, were already implemented by the Bush administration and in that case abandoned after Boeing wasted $1 billion of taxpayer’s money and couldn’t get the technology to work.
And then there’s this howler: “The president hasn’t completed a single new trade agreement with a Latin American nation.” Apparently, the candidate hasn’t heard of the Panama or Colombia Free Trade agreements. Fact-checkers should have a field day.
But accuracy isn’t the point when you’re dealing with bumper-sticker policies—narrative is unfortunately more important than facts. And so we all get a little stupider, day by day, during this campaign.
In some ways, the speech was a microcosm of a strategy we’re seeing over and over in this campaign: attack your opponent but avoid saying what you’d specifically do differently to solve the problem.
“Generally, it feels like a campaign about who you don’t want to lead you,” says former Indianapolis mayor and Harvard Prof. Stephen Goldsmith, who was chief domestic policy adviser to George W. Bush in 2000. “In such a ‘gotcha’ polarized negative campaign, making bold policy pronouncements can seem like an unnecessary political risk. This inhibits the willingness to talk about policy specifics because it might make you a target. And that leads to a much less substantive campaign.”
President Obama has so far failed to lay out a compelling argument about how a second term would be different and better than his first one. He hasn’t offered a plan to overcome congressional obstruction or explained how he could achieve a grand bargain on long-term deficits and debt this time around. But in contrast to Bill Clinton’s 1996 playbook, which concentrated on small-ball policies like school uniforms, Obama has advanced big-brush policies that resonate deeply with the liberal base, like marriage equality and effectively implementing the DREAM Act.
The president’s tendency to expeditiously timed conversions has notably increased in the past few weeks, as national polls have tightened.
But a look through Romney’s policy pages online offers little beyond boilerplate. He’s published an agenda for the first 100 days, but it is dominated by campaign-driven contrasts like the Keystone XL pipeline or ambitious-sounding bills that have very little chance of passage.
Romney’s troubles are symbolized by the fact that the most passionate policy difference between the two parties is health-care reform—and, of course, Romney’s key legislative accomplishment as governor was to implement just such a plan. The only way to square that circle is to attack “Obamacare,” promise to repeal it on day one and act exasperated when anyone brings up the logical inconsistency, or asks what exactly would take its place. Problem solved?
Likewise, a look back at the GOP primary shows that Romney’s new policies—like his tax plan—were put forward in reaction to other candidates gaining traction. Politics is driving policy in the Romney camp more than personal conviction.
The core policy pitch of the Romney campaign is fiscal responsibility, and the slogan “we have a moral responsibility not to spend more than we take in” is at the top of every policy page of the campaign website. But in an essay titled “How I’ll Tackle Spending, Debt” it’s evident that Romney’s plan doesn’t even begin to add up. He offers a list of base-pleasing spending cuts to “Obamacare,” Amtrak, the National Endowment for the Arts, Title X Family Planning and “ending foreign aid to countries that oppose America’s interests.”
Well, we did the math and even with the most extensive cuts in these areas, Romney would cut about $102 billon from our $15 trillion debt. And even that commitment to fiscal conservatism takes a hit over on the national-security-policy page, where Romney promises to block any scheduled sequestration defense cuts and instead pledges to make military spending 4 percent of GDP—which would increase the budget by some $112 billion. In other words, his spending pledge would negate all the spending cuts he’s pledged to make.
So we’re back to baseline. It’s just shuffling the chairs on the deck of the Titanic, in this case to please the defense-contractor lobby.
In the realm of foreign policy, Romney’s daily invocation of Obama’s alleged “apologizing for America” is done against the backdrop of crisis in Syria and Iran. The president is reflexively accused of being weak on these countries but the Romney policy pages actually advance few concrete ideas other than what is already being done. The key difference seems to be style, not substance.
“This is pablum, nonsense. There aren’t any cutting-edge, fresh ideas” being offered by the candidates, says Melik Kaylan, who covered the Mideast for The Wall Street Journal and now does so for Newsweek International. Romney seems to be advancing policies that are already in place. There is plenty of room for foreign-policy innovation, but those ideas don’t seem like they’re being embraced.”
Romney has one clear policy edge on Obama that he could credibly advance—his administration would not be beholden to unions. He could advance education reform, entitlement reform, or expand skilled-worker visas more than President Obama ever could. That is a message that might rationally resonate with independents, because it is rooted in fact.
Obama’s best argument is the elephant in the room: behind Romney’s attack-and-dodge strategy is the stark fact that the GOP nominee’s key advisers and basic policies are very much in line with the last Bush administration. Romney is no radical; he is the candidate of the Republican establishment. But that’s a tough sell to voters who aren’t exactly demanding a return to the foreign and fiscal policies that helped create the chaos of the past half decade. So the response is to attack the Obama administration relentlessly without offering specific fixes and hope that no one notices or much cares.
The strategy that has worked before. Witness Richard Nixon’s “secret plan to end the war” in Vietnam as a candidate that became an escalation of it once he was in office. Or FDR’s opaque promises to end the Great Depression and rhetorical nods toward balanced budgets followed by a post-election vacation on Vincent Astor’s yacht.
For voters, the key question is what the next president will actually do in office. That’s why policy matters, especially for challengers. The addiction to negative attacks offers heat but no light. After all, pointing out a problem is very different from having a plan to solve it. | <urn:uuid:23f4b6ca-7bf3-4809-a991-c892e282482f> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://johnavlon.com/published_work/the-daily-beast/policy-black-hole-mitt-romney-keeps-his-ideas-to-himself-the-daily-beast-3132 | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368706499548/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516121459-00042-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.954345 | 1,761 | 1.515625 | 2 |
Lambda Legal Urges Swift Adoption of Proposed Rules Eliminating HIV Travel and Immigration Ban
After Over Twenty Years of Barring People Living With HIV From Traveling or Immigrating to the United States ... Lambda Legal Strongly Urges the CDC to Move Swiftly to Finalize and Implement the Proposed Regulations.
August 18, 2009
New York, N.Y. -- After over twenty years of barring people living with HIV from traveling or immigrating to the United States, the federal government is one step closer to getting this baseless, discriminatory law off the books, according to comments submitted yesterday by Lambda Legal to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS).
Lambda Legal's letter supports the CDC's proposed rules that would lift the HIV travel and immigration ban by removing HIV from the list of communicable diseases of public health significance for immigrants to the United States because the restrictions are discriminatory, violate basic human rights, and cannot be justified on public health grounds. The letter also asserts that lifting the ban will reduce the stigma faced by people living with HIV.
Said Scott Schoettes, HIV Project Staff Attorney at Lambda Legal:
"Lambda Legal strongly urges the CDC to move swiftly to finalize and implement the proposed regulations, thereby ending the discriminatory and disgraceful HIV travel and immigration ban and allowing the United States to more fully assume its role as a leader in the global fight against HIV/AIDS. Adoption of these rules will ensure that people living with HIV will no longer face this type of stigma and discrimination from our government."
"Once these rules are finalized, U.S. policy will reflect the broad consensus among the scientific, medical and public health communities that admission of individuals living with HIV into the U.S. does not present a threat to the public health of this country nor pose any danger to its citizens. The United States will join the vast majority of countries across the world that do not restrict the travel and immigration rights of people living with HIV.
"Lambda Legal looks forward to the day, in the very near future, when people living with HIV have equal rights to enter this country to visit or immigrate, and we welcome the change that will end the discriminatory policy that has been in place for over twenty years."
This article was provided by Lambda Legal. Visit Lambda Legal's website to find out more about their activities, publications and services. | <urn:uuid:57cf1d97-e27f-46f2-8080-0069e294de98> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.thebody.com/content/art53313.html?nxtprv | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368704132298/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516113532-00003-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.940794 | 509 | 1.789063 | 2 |
My past keeps recycling, and everything old is new again. Last year I was asked to write papers about NIMBY issues affecting nuclear waste recycling and high speed rail development, something I last worked on three decades ago. Now the Massachusetts “bottle bill” is in the news again, with a proposal to extend it to water bottles. This 1981 legislation, originally conceived as a litter reduction measure (for which it works very well), requires deposits for bottles in which various drinks are sold (usually at least beer and soft drinks) redeemable from a merchant selling the same product (the right way) or at a recycling center (the wrong way, as California implemented it). The political history of this policy is something of a mystery. Back in the day, it was very controversial (I know because I wrote a supportive policy analysis for Massachusetts government when I worked there in the Environmental Affairs office; in the end it was passed over the governor’s veto and I count as some sort of coup that I kept my job nevertheless) and gave me a bunch of memorable encounters with lobbyists and the like.
It was also complicated. My colleague Bob Leone warned me when I got embroiled with it that the bottle bill was much more complicated in fact, given the structure and technology of the beverage industry, than anyone on either side of the debate realized, and he was right. It continues to puzzle me that ten states (CA,VT,NY,CT,MA,IA,MI,OR,ME,HI) have bottle bills (laws). After this much experience, I would think it would be clear that it’s either a bad idea or a good idea, but only one has repealed theirs (DE), and no new bottle bills have been enacted since the initial flurry. Also, I understand “VT but not NH”, but not “OR and CA but not WA”, nor “MI and IA but not WI or MN”. Strange.
The MA proposal to cover water bottles is a fine idea, partly because water bottles are all over the place and just as litterous as beer cans, partly because bottled water, especially in places like Massachusetts with excellent tap water, is a thumb in the eye of poor Gaia in many ways. Hauling it around, and the bottles themselves, are profoundly ungreen. We’ve finally managed to mostly drive it out of lunches and meetings at UC Berkeley and many other institutions, and right-thinking people are getting the idea, but something a lot like a tax on this wretched product is a policy winner and I wish the Bay State forces of light well in their enterprise. | <urn:uuid:705a2f18-b57c-4ea2-b043-50b7b1d54ac8> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.samefacts.com/2012/07/energy-and-environment/container-deposit-laws/ | 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 | 0.977217 | 540 | 1.84375 | 2 |
Operation and controls
The Canon EOS 1100D is a typical entry-level DSLR in so far that it features a relatively limited number of external controls. However, most parameters that don't have their own dedicated hard button can be changed in the interactive settings screen which can be accessed by pressing the Q-button. There is also (limited) scope for customization. The SET button can be configured to control image quality or flash exposure compensation, amongst other functions (see the Menu section for more details), and the flash button on the top plate can be set to change ISO.
Compared to the EOS 1000D, buttons have been moved around quite a bit and the entire layout has been brought in line with more recent Canon models. A summary of the major control layout changes over the 1000D is as follows:
- Major re-arrangement of buttons
- Live view and movie button added
- 'Q' quick-menu button added
- Flash button has moved to the top plate (customizable for use as ISO button)
- ISO and WB buttons have moved onto the four-way controller
- No direct buttons for metering and picture styles
- Movie position added to mode dial
Top of camera controls (right side)
The controls on the camera's top plate are kept pretty simple and should look familiar to users of previous Canon entry-level models. The flash button has taken the ISO button's place behind the front dial but, for those who prefer things the old way, ISO can be assigned to it in the camera's custom settings. Other than that the only change over the EOS 1000D is the addition of a movie position on the mode dial.
Rear of camera controls
Compared to the EOS 1000D the buttons on the camera rear have been moved around quite a bit. All controls are now located to the right side of the 2.7 inch screen and the design has been updated in line with other recent Canon DSLRs. The movie/live view and Q-menu buttons are new additions and the ISO and WB buttons are now located on the four-way controller. Pretty much all the buttons on the back of the camera are within easy reach of your right hand thumb. There is no direct access to metering mode or picture style anymore. However, like on other Canon DSLRs the Q menu now becomes the default method for changing imaging parameters such as picture style, file size / quality, and auto lighting optimizer. | <urn:uuid:103fcc97-aeeb-4b8e-bcde-52a7449ab6a0> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.dpreview.com/reviews/canoneos1100d/5 | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368698207393/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516095647-00012-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.937536 | 501 | 1.640625 | 2 |
Find out if your test, item, or service is covered by Medicare.
Medicare Part A (Hospital Insurance) helps cover inpatient care in hospitals, as well as skilled nursing facility, hospice, and home health care.
Medicare Part B (Medical Insurance) helps cover doctor and other health care providers' services, outpatient care, durable medical equipment, home health care, and some preventive services.
Learn what Medicare drug plans cover.
Medicare health plans provide Part A and Part B benefits to people with Medicare who enroll in these plans, which include Medicare Advantage Plans, Medicare Cost Plans, Demonstration/Pilot Programs, and Programs of All-inclusive Care for the Elderly (PACE).
Medicare covers a full range of preventive and screening services to keep you healthy and find problems early, when treatment is most effective. Learn which preventive and screening services are covered by Medicare.
Learn how to get medical care and prescription drugs covered by Medicare in disaster or emergency areas.
Get information about suppliers of durable medical equipment, prostheses and prosthetic devices, and orthotics.
Find and compare hospitals, nursing homes, home health agencies, suppliers, and dialysis facilities.
Find out what items and services aren't covered by Medicare Part A and Part B. | <urn:uuid:273c5bc4-4d97-47f2-ac22-397b4b165ab8> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.medicare.gov/what-medicare-covers/ | 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 | 0.945627 | 263 | 1.5625 | 2 |
I picked up one of the new ESAT SurfFree CD recently, because lately I have been
having trouble connecting to Ocean. I just keep getting a busy tone. I installed
it on the Windows side of my system and it connected much better than the
OceanFree CD did. Ocean still doesn't work on the windows side without
re-installing each time. It dials the wrong number. The ESAT one work a treat,
from Windows. Has anyone got the details needed to connect to ESAT with Linux? I
also need to know how to change the DNS setting and such depending on which ISP
I select. Actually, I need lots of help getting this internet stuff set up.
Right now I use wvdial, as root to connect, then open Netscape with my regular
login. I haven't even tried setting up E-Mail or News groups yet. I'm still
looking for some kind sole willing to help me set up my systems correctly. I
live near Drogheda, but am willing to bring the PC's somewhere more convenient,
like DCU <Hint, Hint>. The wife and daughter are still waiting for their
personal E-Mail addresses.
Maintained by the ILUG website team. The aim of Linux.ie is to
support and help commercial and private users of Linux in Ireland. You can
display ILUG news in your own webpages, read backend
information to find out how. Networking services kindly provided by HEAnet, server kindly donated by
Dell. Linux is a trademark of Linus Torvalds,
used with permission. No penguins were harmed in the production or maintenance
of this highly praised website. Looking for the
Indian Linux Users' Group? Try here. If you've read all this and aren't a lawyer: you should be! | <urn:uuid:66b72f13-4567-4d82-9a68-1d9f117c6565> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.linux.ie/lists/pipermail/ilug/1999-October/006722.html | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368702448584/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516110728-00015-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.943727 | 386 | 1.625 | 2 |
[Shoji] has a beloved sequencer that went out of production ten years ago. Unfortunately the storage options are also 10 year out-of-date as SCSI is the stock option for storing his loops. Using a series of adapters he added Compact Flash storage to his Akai MPC-2000 Classic. The board has a connector for 25-pin SCSI which he wired to a 25-pin to 50-pin SCSI adapter. From there he connects a SCSI to IDE board, and then an IDE to CF. Subsequent versions of the Akai Classic have floppy drives in the front left corner so he used this method to mount he CF slot. Now he’s got plenty of storage with very little change to the appearance of the looper. | <urn:uuid:884720c4-29cb-4b7a-bbd1-2892e661be41> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://hackaday.com/2010/06/05/adding-compact-flash-to-an-old-sequencer/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368706499548/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516121459-00001-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.965105 | 156 | 1.523438 | 2 |
Click here to buy this Second Life-based work of art as a real life print, created (and now sold) by the acclaimed artist known in SL as Ms. Whiskey Monday. On her blog, she discusses the process of readying this image (a variation on another artwork) for print, and last year she explained the reasoning for putting her SL art up for sale, and the pricing:
Iris Ophelia's ongoing review of gaming and virtual world style
Famed pinup personality Dita Von teese recently donned the first articulated 3D printed dress to an event on Monday, and fashion and science nerds alike have been gushing over the pictures since. The dress has generated a fair amount of geek buzz for two reasons: First, 3D printing in it's current form is often used to create accessories (even by SL designers like Maxi Gossamer) but it's generally too rigid to be considered workable for clothing. Second... Well, just look at her! Granted she could probably make a paper bag look glam as hell, but these are some of the most breathtaking pictures I've ever seen.
There's a lot of engineering behind that bodice, so let's break it down:
Second Life-Based Autism Therapy Yields Meaningful Real Life Improvements in Social Abilities, Study Suggests
Researchers at the University of Texas at Dallas Center for Brain Health have been using SL as a therapy tool for people with autism since 2008, and now an academic paper just published online has the results. (Direct link to the paper here.) At Brain Health, SL was used to simulate a number of real world scenarios such as a therapists' office (see screenshot above, and video below), so someone with Asperger's (for example) could roleplay common day-to-day interactions from the security of their computer, through an avatar that he or she controlled, and then get guidance on improving their social interaction, to better prepare for doing the real thing. According to Dr. Michelle R. Kandalaft, lead author of "Virtual Reality Social Cognition Training for Young Adults with High-Functioning Autism", published in the Journal of Austim and Development Disorders, the results were highly promising:
"The progress of increasing social cognition as measured in our study was comparable to what other researchers are finding," Dr. Kandalaft tells me in e-mail. "[A]lthough it is not a great leap in skills, we feel that these changes are meaningful when it comes to improving social abilities."
However, she adds, it's one thing for someone to improve their social abilities in a virtual world, and applying the lessons they learned in real life:
Former Linden John "Pathfinder" Lester points out an interesting science report, entitled "The Feasibility and Impact of Delivering a Mind-Body Intervention in a Virtual World", which suggests that using a 3D virtual environment like Second Life can help relieve stress. This isn't surprising, because there are many SL groups like Play as Being which have used SL as a stress relief/meditation tool for years. However, Pathfinder points out a potential problem with this potential, as noted by the report:
Recruitment was limited to individuals with prior experience in Second Life since the interface was known to be a barrier to entry. Even with such inclusion criteria, some of the less experienced users had problems that likely affected their participation.
In other words, trying to learn how to use SL to relieve stress can itself cause stress. This remains my frustration with 3D virtual worlds:
Here's a simple but effective-looking application of OpenSim for real world business use: For retail store layout design and sales representative training.
In his real life, SLer Zarkinfrood Miami helps his company manage mattress retail stores. He designs the layout in OpenSim, and puts it on a USB stick, so he can transport the layout from store to store. Above is what the layout looks like -- "This is the layout of the retail store I am currently working in," he e-mailed me recently. "I have done this for quite a few stores in our company." This version is on his SL sim, so you can visit it directly: Click here to teleport.
Mr. Miami, who's also known as Cardboard_Cricket on Reddit, explains what he does next:
Newt Gingrich's Second Life Cited by Washington Post Columnist As Example of Candidate's Intellectual Failings
Newt Gingrich's Second Life has gone from New World Notes to The New Yorker's blog and now, to the editorial pages of the country's most important newspaper for the American political scene, The Washington Post. Specifically, in a column by Eugene Robinson, excoriating the GOP frontrunner's habit of glomming onto random trendy ideas, no matter how bizarre. Among them, Gingrich's acclaiming Second Life as "one of the great breakthroughs" of the coming decade. In other words, now Gingrich's SL past is being touted as a negative against his Presidential candidacy.
Personally, I don't blame Gingrich for proclaiming SL as a great breakthrough -- I still maintain it is that, because whatever happens to Second Life itself, it was a major influence on the mainstream acceptance of virtual world concepts like avatars, online community, and virtual goods. (And also, the power of user-generated content.) However, I do blame Gingrich for making statements like that so boldly and blithely and without any caveats, or much awareness of how SL actually worked. (All of which led to him suggesting that Congress should meet in Second Life. to work out the nation's problems.) Not necessarily the kind of in-depth analysis and judgement I expect from a Commander-in-Chief. (But then, maybe that's just me.)
Looking for a mixed reality art object as a holiday gift this Cyber Monday? (I know, who isn't?) How about a Hilbert Curve cube, originally created in Second Life by mathematician Henry "Seifert Surface" Segerman, which Henry is now selling on Shapeways, the 3D printing company.
A Hilbert curve is a continuous fractal space-filling curve (hope you know that means, because I actually don't), which Seifert made in SL from 16 sculpty prims, creating the textures with various Python programs, then sent it floating in metaverse space. Now you can buy the physical version for under $25. Added feature: It's made of twisty material, so you can also use it as a hair tie. (I'm sure David Hilbert, who looks quite the 19th century hipster, would approve.)
In his SL heyday, by the way, Henry Segerman created the legendary crooked tesseract house in SL, which I first wrote about in 2006 here, and thanks to a generous donor, still exists in-world: Click here to visit.
Second Life Used to Design Wisconsin Retirement Home With Input from Senior Citizens - Excellent RL Application of SL
This is one of the best real life applications of Second Life that I've ever seen: in Madison, Wisconsin, a team of architects used SL to give a focus group of senior citizens a 3D preview of a retirement home design, then incorporated their feedback into the final plans. Watch:
The SL portion of the project was led by Jon Brouchoud, a Wisconsin architect who has used SL as a design tool for years. He imported the basic design into Second Life and added other elements dynamically, based on the reaction of the senior citizens watching the SL simulation. This feedback also led the architects to change the overall plans.
"We had an idea that the outdoor spaces, garden and screened porch could be part of the entry experience, but they didn't like that idea at all," Jon tells me. "We also assumed the new building would have a more formal entry desk, but they definitely preferred something more subtle, that blended into the environment instead."
It's easy to see how other architects could use Second Life for similar focus group sessions, and in many ways, it's a superior platform than other alternatives. (Better, for example, than a scale model, or static 3D modeling without avatars or dynamic alterations.) So here's Jon's advice on using SL as a focus group prototyping tool:
Einstein's Official Avatar Used in Awesome Second Life Machinima to Promote Medical Research Fundraiser
This is a remarkable Second Life machinima for many reasons: Created by the acclaimed SL machinimist known as BoBE Schism, it's easily among the very best SL machinimas I've ever seen. But that's just the start: It's using Einstein's official Second Life avatar, approved by the executors of the great physicist's estate, and the machinima itself is a promotional ad for a virtual fundraiser for real medical research, with avatars running in SL to raise funds to support research to battle HIV/AIDS, Prostate Cancer, Breast Cancer, Diabetes, Alzheimer's Disease, Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorder, Parkinson's Disease, Visual Impairment, Autism and Spinal Cord Injury. Read more about the Virtual Marathon for Medical Research here.
So it's great SL content created on behalf of a real world cause. To make it, Mr. Schism employed some pretty impressive visual and audio tricks. For Einstein's voice, for example, "I coerced the only local real life German friend I have into voicing Albert," he tells me. "But his voice is quite high, so I pitch shifted him down a touch to give him suitable gravitas. Now, every time I speak to him on the phone it sounds like I'm speaking to Albert Einstein on helium. I'm not a big fan of SL lip syncing, but think I just about pulled it off without it looking looking too much like a 70s kung fu movie." I agree on both counts, especially as Einstein's bushy mustache helps quite a lot.
More production notes from BoBE Schism after the break -- machinima makers, be sure to take notes:
US Army's 2012 Virtual Worlds Challenge Now Accepting Entries -- $25K Prize for 2 Real World Applications
The 2012 Federal Virtual Worlds Challenge is now accepting entries for its yearly contest taking civilian proposals for applications of virtual world technology with real world benefits. Grand Prize in each track is $25,000. Just as cool, "Submitters maintain all intellectual property," say the guidelines, which means you can spin your entry off into projects of your own. Sponsored by the U.S. Army Research Laboratory - Simulation & Training Technology Center, for last year's contest, four Second Life-based entries won awards -- go here to read about them for inspiration. Application deadline is December 7 -- a date that will live in infamy, if you're late. Click here for more details, or e-mail fvwc dot sttc at us dot army dot mil. | <urn:uuid:10a7fc83-3be6-4967-a2ee-55416dbfa3ac> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://nwn.blogs.com/nwn/real_world_applications_of_sl/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368703298047/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516112138-00023-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.95722 | 2,250 | 1.703125 | 2 |
Flower Mound Leader > News
Big Brothers Big Sisters keep man on right side of track
By Natasha Gibbins, Special to the Leader
The nonprofit mentoring organization Big Brothers Big Sisters celebrates yet another successful story as Keith Hopkins, a former “Little,” describes how the program kept him focused in life.
Hopkins looks like an ordinary 48-year-old man, but his extraordinary childhood stands him apart from others. With guidance and help from a volunteer, Hopkins was able to stay on the straight and narrow and lead a positive and confident life.
Big Brothers Big Sisters is a national mentoring organization supported by donors, volunteers, partners and advocates offering at risk youths the chance to build a lifelong relationship with a matched adult. The volunteers go through a rigorous application process, including a detailed form with three references, a criminal background check and an interview to ensure that the adult is suitable for the role as a sponsor.
Heather Morrow, a match support specialist at Big Brothers Big Sisters said, “When interviewing a “Big,” we try to look for people who have a genuine interest in taking time to develop a close friendship and give support to a child/teen who has the need for a one-on-one relationship with an adult in their life. The ability to be consistent, responsible, communicate, and have the availability in their schedule are some of the characteristics that are a must.”
When Hopkins was 8, a man showed up on his doorstep introducing himself as ‘Laural Heath’ and said he was there to meet Keith and his older brother Kenneth. At the beginning, Hopkins was suspicious towards this new ‘strange’ man who wanted to spend time with them. He said, “When I first met him (Heath) it took me a while to adapt to the situation because I’m quite a cautious person. What got me accustomed to him quickly was that he would take us onto his college campus to spend time there and go to parties.”
Heath was a local mid-20s college student studying at Park Community College in Kansas City, Kansas and lived with his girlfriend, Margie at the time. Margie soon became a second Big, spending much time together with Hopkins and Heath, taking part in activities such as camping, bowling, visiting museums and festivals, seeing movies and flying kites.
Hopkins said, “My favorite thing about being a Little was getting out and experiencing new things because where I grew up, the transportation was not very good.”
Hopkins grew up in a single parent family in the inner city of Kansas City. He was the middle child of seven brothers and sisters, which meant money was stretched and much-needed quality time with his mother was limited. His location also brought its own problems, as he was surrounded by troubled children and teenagers who were turning to crime to fuel their boredom.
Hopkins and Heath’s friendship developed, and eventually Heath became a sponsor to only Keith, although Kenneth liked to join them both when they went to particular events.
Hopkins and Heath finished their mentoring program together when Hopkins was 15 years old, however Heath kept in touch, phoning and popping by occasionally to ensure Hopkins was still studying and making good grades at school. Heath would also spend the time to go watch Hopkins play in his school football and basketball team at local games.
The role of a sponsor involves a great deal more than taking the youth to events and activities according to BBBS. The mentor becomes a listening ear away from the parental home, and helps guide them through their childhood. In a recent survey by the organization, 83 percent of former Littles agreed that their Big had “instilled values and principles that have guided them through life.”
Dick Rogers, a psychology professor and Big for Big Brothers Big Sisters Denton County, has been a mentor for his Little for six years. Rogers said, “The best thing about being a mentor is the big picture, seeing how it evolves. For example, when I first met my Little, he was acting out and now he is quizzing me about chemistry.”
After Hopkins had finished high school, he went on to join the ranks of the US Army at the age of eighteen as a canon crew member in combat arms, field artillery. He continued to work for the military, serving the United States of America and its citizens for 20 years, eventually leaving as a training non-commissioned officer in 1992 at the age of 38.
Hopkins continued his remarkable journey by becoming a juvenile supervisory officer, which was a difficult role, involving a combination of strict law enforcement and social work. His difficult upbringing and loyal Big Brothers Big Sisters sponsor were a big influence on him deciding on this particular career choice later in his life.
Hopkins relocated to Denton when he left the army, and is still working as a juvenile supervisory officer as well as a private security officer today. He takes any opportunity he can to recommend the Big Brothers Big Sisters program to the juveniles he manages, as he feels it is a resource that is readily available and would benefit these youths in particular.
Hopkins is also considering becoming a Big himself, as his two children have grown up, with one in college and the other working full time.
The current issue that Big Brothers Big Sisters is experiencing is a need for more Bigs, particularly in Denton County. This branch serves 500-600 Bigs and Littles annually, with the waiting list for youths to be matched increasing constantly.
Janemarie Clark, regional executive director for Big Brothers Big Sisters Denton County, explains the urgent need for more Bigs in this area, “We know that about 80,000 children in the Denton are at risk for school failure due mainly to their family circumstances, so serving 600 of them doesn’t feel like enough. We would like to serve 1000 youth per year, but we know that it will take a few years to reach that goal.”
Clark knows the importance of mentoring as she is a sponsor herself and said, “I currently have a Little Sister in the BBBS program. Her name is LaDaysha, and she is in fourth grade. We have a lot of fun together. She wants to be a pop star like Rhianna one day, but I’m trying to get her to be Rhianna with a college degree.
“I am also a mentor in other aspects of my life. My two children are in college now, so my role is less of a parent and more of an encourager and a springboard for ideas. That’s what mentoring is all about. I enjoy helping others reach their goals. I enjoy coaching my staff and others as they develop skills and challenge the imagined barriers to their success.”
There are clearly many benefits to having a mentor, such as experiencing new activities, meeting new people and improving social and personal skills. Hopkins described the main way being mentored helped him was that he was able to deal with adversity. “If I had not taken part in the program I felt I would have been ‘stuck on stupid’” he said. “This is a phrase I use which means that I would not have had the chance to get out of the environment that I lived in, and see what else is out there in the world. It also taught me how to deal with people.”
With Morrow’s particular role at Big Brothers Big Sisters, she has witnessed many ways in which sponsors have helped their Littles, and said, “I’ve had Littles learn life skills their parents may not been able to provide due to being a single parent. For example, I have matches who go over how to maintain finances, practice social skills in different environments, table etiquette when fine dining, getting ready for college and exploring career options.”
Morrow also explained how mentoring can have a positive emotional outcome, “I’ve also seen Littles from busy two parent homes benefit from having an adult friend outside of the home they can build a bond with and trust enough to talk to about important issues,” she said. “The list could go on… I have consistently seen our Littles improve in self-confidence and have a more positive outlook on their future, which effects how they are as students, children, and members of society.”
To learn more about the nonprofit organization Big Brother Big Sisters, visit their website at www.bbbs.org or view their Facebook page at www.facebook.com/BigBrothersBigSisters.
* Keith Hopkins, juvenile probation officer and private security officer, former Little with Big Brothers Big Sisters – 940-453-6313
* Heather Morrow, match support specialist, Big Brothers Big Sisters, Denton County – [email protected]
* Dick Rogers, psychology professor, Big with Big Brothers Big Sisters – [email protected]
* Janemarie Clark, regional executive director, Big Brothers Big Sisters, Denton County – 214-668-6913
Copyright © 2013 - Star Local News | <urn:uuid:1d9254ec-f366-435b-94e1-6bd06332e040> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.planostar.com/articles/2012/12/30/flower_mound_leader/news/456.prt | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368708142388/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516124222-00003-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.982455 | 1,903 | 1.640625 | 2 |
Having a wired or wireless network is remarkably helpful. One of the greatest benefits is having multiple computers connecting to the internet through a single high-speed connection. Additionally you can transfer or share data (such as pictures or music for example) between computers on the network. Possibly the greatest advantage is sharing one printer between all of your computers. Overall it is easier, more efficient, and more cost effective to use a network.
Call Fix my PC Store at 561-439-5224 to have your home or office network set up with speed and ease.
Any personal computer is made up of multiple physical parts we refer to as computer hardware, such as motherboards, processors, memory, hard drives and many more. If your PC is freezing, crashing, or simply not turning on you may be experiencing a hardware related issue.
Currently there are more than one million documented viruses each with a unique set of symptoms ranging from simple slow downs, pop ups or error messages, blocking your internet connection, and even preventing your PC from booting up. | <urn:uuid:f1b4dc82-9af2-46db-9af4-7bb66d73baa9> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.fixmypcstore.com/services/networking-in-west-palm-beach/ | 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 | 0.951973 | 211 | 1.773438 | 2 |
The Gibson Girl Ice Cream Parlor was originally named in honor of the women popularized in drawings by artist Charles Dana Gibson in the early 20th century. But soon after the park opened, the Gibson Appliance company offered to sponsor the Parlor, providing a number of its famous ice boxes for the storage of ice cream. When the ice boxes began to fall into disfavor (due to the increasing difficulty in obtaining huge blocks of ice), the descendents of Orville Gibson offered to sponsor the Parlor, necessitating the addition of the first part of the Gibson Guitar brand name to the Parlor’s moniker. But the association of guitars and ice cream never really clicked with guests, leading to a brief “sister city” sponsorship with Gibson, Iowa, that ended when cowboy-film star Hoot Gibson offered to donate a sum of money to the park in exchange for the Parlor being rechristened in his name. That sponsorship lasted until 1990, when actor Mel Gibson — flush with success from his recent adaptation of Hamlet — decided to use some of his profits from that film to have the Parlor’s name changed to honor his daughter. When Mel Gibson’s reputation started to, shall we say, go down hill, Disney expressed an interest in breaking their relationship. This might have led to a lengthy legal battle had author William Gibson and astronaut Robert “Hoot” Gibson not decided to join forces and purchase the contract from Mel Gibson, asking Disney to return the Gibson Girl Ice Cream Parlor to its original name and styling. And thus it remains to this day.
Gibson Girl is famous for offering unusual flavors of ice cream. For many years, you could purchase “Fantasia” ice cream here — a Neapolitan-style treat with stripes of ice cream flavored to honor Fantasia stars Leopold Stokowski, Mickey Mouse, and Chernabog (the flavor was discontinued in 2004 because it was, though fascinating, frankly kind of disgusting). During appropriate holidays, Gibson Girl might feature seasonal flavors such as gingerbread, candy cane, Peeps, candy heart, shamrock, pumpkin, mincemeat, apple pie, barbecue, and Martin Luther King.
Coming up next: Green elephant | <urn:uuid:e86dcda8-0c49-441e-a21e-ecfe3a15c8b2> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.disneylies.com/blog/tag/gibson-girl-ice-cream-parlor/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368701459211/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516105059-00013-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.948992 | 461 | 1.75 | 2 |
In it’s heyday, IBM controlled 50% of the IT industry’s revenue and a whopping 2/3rds of its profit. I remember in the 1980’s, when IBM would release its annual report and 10Ks we used to pour through the documents looking for clues as to how its lines of business were performing. Because I was a storage analyst at the time, I was seeking any guidance on that segment of the company’s business so that my forecasts could be somewhat consistent with the industry’s leader. In short – IBM was what mattered most in the storage business.
Here’s one way to look at how the storage business evolved in the past 20 years. The arrows indicate the way in which value shifted between the various segments.
In the early 1990’s, it became obvious that the structure of the entire IT business was shifting from a vertically integrated model to one where competition occurred at each layer of the value chain. This had clear implications for storage generally and IBM specifically.
In a storage context, value (and function) began to flow away from servers and into storage systems, storage software and storage services. Servers became “de-frilled” and while devices makers like Seagate still thrived, razor thin margins forced massive consolidation – from 50+ players down to just a handful today. Meanwhile, storage systems, led by EMC’s moves and the trend to “open systems,” spawned a new growth category.
From IBM’s perspective, under storage head Ray Abuzayyad, with the blessing of CEO John Akers, IBM created a separate storage division called ADSTAR (Advanced Storage and Retrieval). The conventional wisdom of the day held that by spinning out separate divisions along the “dis-integrated” value chain of the IT business, IBM could better focus on growth segments, invest in product leadership, properly incent sales teams and win in the market.
CEO Lou Gerstner squashed that idea and made a monumental decision to lead with services and a single point of customer contact. It worked for IBM as a whole but product leadership suffered, especially in storage. Many argue that had IBM continued with the Akers plan it would have maintained leadership in several product categories. It’s hard to say; although it’s highly likely the quality of customer experiences would have declined significantly.
The Next Twenty Years
During this period of massive disruption for IBM’s storage division, IBM executives have cited the advantages of IBM’s deep R&D, its full portfolio and the fact that it is an end-to-end systems supplier. Many at IBM have forecast that the pendulum would eventually swing back to IBM’s favor. Thus far it hasn’t, at least as measured by market performance. The question is will it going forward?
IBM’s most recent quarter ending December 2012 showed IBM’s storage business declined 5% to $1.1B—a shadow of its former greatness. The fact is that IBM’s storage group hasn’t optimized its relationship with other parts of the organization. Despite being integrated as part of the Systems and Technology Group (STG) and under Steve Mills’ software group, cross-group synergies have been elusive for IBM.
[In fairness to the storage folks, the storage software business (Tivoli) has done quite well at IBM and is generally considered a leading solution. Alas, storage software is not counted under IBM’s storage division. Hence as has often been the case, IBM’s internal organization is one of its biggest challenges.]
I’ve had many “discussions” with the likes of Tom Georgens, and David Scott (when he ran 3PAR as an independent company) arguing that in fact the pendulum was swinging back toward integrated systems suppliers and these companies would begin to thrive in storage, leveraging synergies and convergence. So far I’ve been wrong if market share is the key metric.
So how should IBM proceed in storage? Let’s start by looking at the macro trends impacting the storage business.
There are five major disruptions we’re tracking today that will directly impact competition, strategies and actions:
- The trend toward hyperscale computing by large Internet players;
- Big Data as a source of competitive value is increasingly carrying more weight than the perception that data growth is an expense that needs to be contained;
- The “de-frilling” trend we saw in servers, combined with virtualization, is migrating to network and storage layers, creating a “software-led” paradigm shift that is driving the reconsolidation of infrastructure resources.
- Flash as a persistent storage medium is completely changing the mental model of how storage is architected and applications will be developed. It’s also shifting computing bottlenecks from spinning disks to networks;
- Everything-as-a-Service is creating new and powerful distribution channels that are creating a collision course between the Amazon’s of the world and traditional enterprise markets.
The implications of these trends are nuanced but suffice it to say that initiatives like Facebook’s Open Compute Project are revolutionary and a harbinger for the data center of the future. Rich software running on “disposable” commoditized hardware is more a long-term trend than an outlier. In turn, the move to converged infrastructure is more evolutionary and a stepping-stone to allow enterprise IT to reduce labor costs and somewhat keep pace with the efficiencies of massive scale out infrastructures.
The five trends cited could lead to a picture that looks something like this:
In the diagram – the past has been characterized by purpose-built storage services, tightly coupled with specialized hardware. The right hand side of the diagram shows the traditional storage OS being subsumed by the OS and hypervisor services of the system (i.e. Windows, Linux, VMware). Drivers will invoke specific storage services, which will be layered on top of commodity hardware. Over time (within 3-5 years) suppliers will extract these storage services from “the box” and sell them as independent offerings.
The implication of the diagram is that all active data will be served from flash, “fast servers,” not “slow storage,” will control key metadata and differentiation, value and profits will come from storage software. Specifically, the concept of classical storage arrays as we know them are passé.
Implications for IBM
IBM has a ridiculously large storage portfolio. It simply can’t adequately fund the development of and market such a vast array of products. So IBM must focus.
Ambuj Goyal is the new head of IBM’s storage business. Do a quick read of his bio and you’ll see this guy has a strong systems, silicon and development background. So he has the chops to make changes. In my view there are some tactical and strategic things he should undertake.
At the risk of sounding banal here are some thoughts on how IBM should approach its storage business.
- Focus marketing on Growth. IBM should divide its portfolio into three categories: Grow, Integrate and Cash Cows. It should place 90% of its marketing muscle into Grow.
- Grow should comprise everything branded Storwize – the V7000, V7000U and the V3700. As well, Grow should include the other “hot” products, including EasyTier, Real-time Compression (RtC) and the “Storage Hypervisor” (i.e. SVC).
- Integrate should include all the stuff that IBM can leverage with other parts of the company that really haven’t taken off and/or are slower growth opportunities. Things like GPFS, SONAS, LTFS and probably OEM stuff like the N-Series (from NetApp).
- Cash Cows should include the DS-Series products, the rest of tape and XIV. Minimize R&D expense, minimize marketing spend and maximize revenue for as long as possible.
Now maybe this mix isn’t perfect but you get the point. Put all the marketing wood behind a limited set of products that are clearly growing.
2. Focus R&D on Growth – A senior storage exec at IBM (who shall remain nameless) once told me that it’s far more profitable for him to integrate with other parts of the organization’s portfolio (e.g. some DB2 or Z-Series function) than to chase EMC’s product feature rollouts. Ok…Maybe given IBM’s services heft that’s true. But I can’t help think that with all of IBM’s R&D that some earth-shattering innovation is possible that could dramatically improve its position. SVC is a good example. I’d like to see more of those.
3. Figure out Flash. The TMS acquisition is nice but somehow I feel like IBM could do so much more in this important area. Near-to-mid term I would shore up the enterprise business and protect it from attack. IBM should integrate the best of TMS IP in as many products as reasonable, with a TMS flash-only module optimized for performance and efficiency; leveraging each architecture’s data management stack. This would give IBM a way to maintain its brand share against the onslaught of flash-only vendors. Also, because TMS is more high-end, I would consider buying a lower cost hybrid storage company (e.g. someone like Tintri) and use this to expand my low-end integrated storage and flash offering. Longer term I would aggressively pursue a partnership with my server brethren and develop an integrated set of offerings, focusing initially on SMB and hyperscale/server providers.
4. Compete with Tivoli. Heresy I know but do it! Tivoli is fine but it’s not your future. Software-led infrastructure is. Consider developing a robust storage and data management stack, perhaps using open source, with proprietary functionality on top. Leverage your current IP including Real-time Compression, Storage Hypervisor (SVC), EasyTier, etc. This set of services will appeal to emerging growth customers. Functionally the vision is to take the storage services capabilities shown in the slide above and create a suite of software products that can run on any open platform.
5. Learn to Compete for Hyperscale Business. Scale out, distributed/disbursed, self-healing, auto-protected object stores are the future. Get in the game now.
To be sure this prescription is not a detailed strat plan. But I’m betting IBM is already on parts of this path internally. The big thing I’m tracking is the impact of the new boss. I listened to Goyal very intently this past fall at IBM’s analyst event and earlier in the year at the Pure Systems launch. I was impressed by his intelligence, thoughtful remarks and measured commentary. He’s just coming off a stint of running a 23,000 person engineering organization responsible for systems and storage; and he has a software background. Will he make big changes or keep the same playbook?
I’m betting on the former. | <urn:uuid:49f1c695-2a7a-4542-928d-2f46d4d64437> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://wikibon.org/blog/message-to-ibms-ambuj-goyal-a-prescription-for-storage-transformation/ | 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 | 0.953481 | 2,357 | 1.703125 | 2 |
Garland-Thomson to discuss 'Disability Stories'
Posted: March 08, 2013
LEWISBURG, Pa. — Rosemarie Garland-Thomson will give the talk, "Disability Studies," Wednesday, March 27, at 7 p.m. in the Forum of the Elaine Langone Center at Bucknell University.
The talk, which is free and open to the public, is presented as the 2013 Women's and Gender Studies Distinguished Visiting Lecture.
"What we as a society think of as disability and what we think about disability changes over time in response to social and political developments," said Garland-Thomson of her talk.
"This presentation surveys a range of disability stories, which are cultural narratives and metaphors that interpret the human variations we think of in our present moment as disabilities. It highlights the shifts in understandings of disability and people with disabilities that result from cultural changes over the 20th and 21st centuries in response to civil and human rights initiatives, technology, and consumerism."
Garland-Thomson is professor of women's studies at Emory University, where her fields of study are feminist theory, American literature, and disability studies. Her work develops the field of disability studies in the humanities and women's and gender studies and seeks to bring an understanding of disability issues and identities to communities within and outside of the academy.
She is the author of Staring: How We Look and Extraordinary Bodies: Figuring Physical Disability in American Literature and Culture; co-editor of Re-Presenting Disability: Museums and the Politics of Display and Disability Studies: Enabling the Humanities; and editor of Freakery: Cultural Spectacles of the Extraordinary Body. Her current book project, Habitable Worlds: Eugenic Space and Inclusive Space, places materialist analysis of the built environment in conversation with eugenic practices and thought.
While at Bucknell, Garland-Thomson will participate in a faculty colloquium luncheon, examining "The Case for Conserving Disability."
Contact: Division of Communications
Next story >> | <urn:uuid:e251bc6d-e2e0-43ff-971b-5c91d9808557> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.bucknell.edu/x81076.xml | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368708766848/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516125246-00024-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.940024 | 426 | 1.71875 | 2 |
Beirut: At least 19 people were killed when an old six-storey building in the Lebanese capital collapsed, officials said on Monday, adding that some 16 other victims were feared still trapped under the rubble.
"Until now, 19 bodies have been recovered and about 16 are still buried under the building that collapsed Sunday evening," General Raymond Khattar, head of Lebanon's civil defence, said.
Red Cross official Georges Kettaneh said 12 people were
also injured, none of them seriously.
Khattar said the bodies recovered by rescuers who worked
all through the night include those of seven Lebanese, six
Sudanese, two Filipinos and two Egyptians.
The building housed some 50 people, many of them
labourers from Sudan and Egypt, he said, adding at least eight
were known to have escaped as the building came down.
Among the dead was a 15-year-old Lebanese girl, while
those hurt included her grandmother as well as a 73-year-old
Lebanese man, at least two Sudanese, an Egyptian and a
"It was like an earthquake," one witness told the local
One resident who escaped with her mother said the
building was extremely run-down and the owner had warned
tenants not to remain there shortly before it disintegrated.
She told local television that she and her mother managed
to escape as the building came tumbling down but her father
and three brothers remained trapped.
A Syrian labourer employed at a building site nearby said
debris started falling from the building in early evening
before the entire block came crashing down.
"We saw small pieces of stone falling down but no one
paid any attention at the start," he said. "Then large
chunks of stone started falling and people began screaming for
everyone to get out.
"Within minutes, the building was on the floor."
First Published: Monday, January 16, 2012, 20:40 | <urn:uuid:8fe1cf02-70a6-4653-a30a-3117f7700064> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://zeenews.india.com/news/world/at-least-19-killed-in-beirut-building-collapse_753011.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 | 0.984124 | 411 | 1.578125 | 2 |
The advent of online media has undoubtedly shaken the until-then steady position of specialist magazines, which, for decades, served as primary source of information and inspiration for both professionals and enthusiasts alike. But, as this exhibition, which opens tomorrow (5 November) at London’s renowned AA School, illustrates, architectural magazines are experiencing what one could call a renaissance. Titled ‘Archizines’, the show has been curated by a curator and writer Elias Redstone and ‘celebrates and promotes the recentresurgence of alternative and independent architectural publishing from around the world.’
‘From photocopied and print-on-demand newsletters such as Another Pamphlet, Scapegoat and Preston is My Paris, to beautiful magazines such as Mark, Spam and PIN-UP – ‘Archizine’s is a new exhibition curated by Elias Redstone for the Architectural Association School of Architecture that celebrates and promotes the recent resurgence of alternative and independent architectural publishing from around the world.’
‘Archizines’ showcases 60 architecture magazines, fanzines and journals from over 20 countries. Each magazine is presented with video interviews with their creators enabling visitors to understand their approach to publishing architecture. From Australia and Argentina to the UK and USA, these independent publications are reframing how people relate to their built environment – taking architectural comment and criticism into everyday life. The titles also provide platforms for architectural research and debate, and demonstrate the continuing love of the printed word and paper page – providing an alternative to digital publishing.’
Archizines was launched as an online project, with art direction by Barcelona-based Folch Studio, at www.archizines.com.
Curated by Elias Redstone
Monday to Friday 10.00–7.00, Saturday 9.00–5.00
36 Bedford Square
London WC1B 3ES | <urn:uuid:365fe274-ded2-45fa-a036-d7365d84d6d8> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.dailytonic.com/friday-food-for-thought-archizines-at-the-aa-school-london/ | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368705195219/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516115315-00031-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.936097 | 389 | 1.710938 | 2 |
One of my favorite places to visit and pray has been the Monastery of the Holy Spirit, in Conyers, Georgia — the Trappist house that was once home to Thomas Merton’s censor, and Flannery O’Connor’s peacocks.
Alert readers will note that I visited there just last month, and posted a number of pictures. A good time was had by all.
Now, comes word that the venerable monastery is about to launch a major building campaign, with an eye to a future that may be different from its past, with a new retreat house, gift shop, museum and cafe:
All decisions at the monastery are made by the monastic community, after extensive reflection and discussion.
The idea to go forward with addressing the need for a new retreat house and a new public area has been accepted by the community, the abbot (Francis Michael Stiteler) said.
“There is a unified sense that we are going to move forward and do it. It is embraced by the majority of the community,” he said.
“From my perspective as abbot, this is an unlooked for, or unsought, but necessary occasion to shape our future, not just in terms of sustainability but how we sustain ourselves. This is an opportunity not just to have a new retreat house, but to make it a better experience for the retreatants. … Likewise, we are going to go into it in such a way that we can still remain a cloistered, enclosed community and maybe even better (in sustaining that quality) than in the past.”
The master plan is ambitious sounding, but the abbot is not deterred. Ambitious, in the monastic worldview, is what 21 monks did in 1944 when they were sent from Gethsemani Monastery in Kentucky to found the new monastery on empty pastures in Rockdale County.
“They got driven out here to a barn and had nothing,” the abbot said. “Within 16 years they had built first a wood monastery and then this monastery, which would be worth $30 to $40 million today. Talk about ambitious!”
“I don’t want to downplay $11.7 million. If we can make it less expensive, we certainly will,” he continued. “We need a new retreat house. We need to get our industries in line to support ourselves. … We are certainly not going to do anything ostentatious. Too many people here have a deep sense of simplicity and functionality to let that happen.”
Future phases propose the possibility of building a day use conference center that would allow groups to come in for a daylong meeting or reflection without impinging on the solitude and silence of the retreat house. Also a new building within the cloistered area is proposed where the monks can make the fudge and fruitcake and possibly other baked goods in a modern commercial kitchen. The bakery they now use is about 50 years old. The fudge and fruitcake industries, both of which have been developed since the year 2000, have caught the public’s attention, but have room to grow. Last year the monks made and sold about 10,000 to 12,000 pounds of fudge, but older monasteries have grown their confections into industries that sell 100,000 pounds a year.
The full master plan would also include restoration work to the Abbey Church, built by the monks over a 15-year period, and to other original monastic buildings.
Much change is planned to sustain the community, and the public is encouraged and invited to visit and come to know the monastery. At the heart of the place is an ascetic, contemplative life that still draws people to give everything to God. Their commitment is the heartbeat of the monastery, the hidden life illuminating the beauty of the buildings, the land and the open space.
Check out The Georgia Bulletin for more. Or, better yet, visit the monastery the next time you’re in that neck of the woods, before the future catches up with it. | <urn:uuid:cf83ae04-67d8-4512-a06c-30b835f41347> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://blog.beliefnet.com/deaconsbench/2007/11/a-trappist-monastery-plans-its-future.html | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368711005985/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516133005-00023-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.970359 | 849 | 1.554688 | 2 |
WASHINGTON - United States Army recruits are not being all that they can be, according to data released earlier this week by a congressional committee.
The US Army admitted approximately 25% more recruits last year with a record of legal problems ranging from felony convictions and serious misdemeanors to drug crimes and traffic offenses, as pressure to increase the size of US ground forces has led the military to grant more waivers for criminal conduct.
Put another way, the percentage of recruits requiring a waiver to join the army because of a criminal record or other past misconduct has more than doubled since 2004 to one for every eight new soldiers.
Specifically, the army accepted more than double the number of applicants with convictions for felony crimes such as burglary, grand larceny and aggravated assault, rising from 249 to 511, while the corresponding number for the US Marines increased by two-thirds, from 208 to 350.
From September 30, 2006, to September 30, 2007, the army granted so-called conduct waivers for felonies and misdemeanors to 18% of its new recruits, an increase of three percentage points from the previous year. In just the first six months of fiscal year 2008, the army has granted waivers to 13% of its recruits.
The 2006 and 2007 Pentagon data released Monday show for the first time the number of dispensations issued for specific felonies. The number of army waivers for aggravated assaults with a dangerous weapon rose to 43 from 33. Waivers for burglaries increased to 106 from 36. Waivers for possession of narcotics, excluding marijuana, rose to 130 from 71 and for larceny to 56 from 26.
This problem is mainly in US ground forces. Felony waivers in the navy fell from 48 in 2006 to 42 last year and the air force had none in either year.
Waivers granted for felonies and other crimes constitute the majority of all waivers - about 60% for the army, and 75% for the marines. But other exceptions, such as being overweight are also increasing, suggesting that the army and marines are bringing in lower-quality recruits. The army has created a special program that gives overweight recruits a year to meet the standards. Overall, only one in three young men in the general population meet the physical, mental, educational and other eligibility requirements to enlist in the armed forces.
And, in recent years the army has been accepting more recruits who are not high school graduates. Back in late 2005, the military started a high school equivalency program for high school dropouts.
According to recent congressional testimony by former assistant secretary of defense Larry Korb, the proportion of new army recruits with high school diplomas dropped from over 90% in 2003 to 84% in 2005 to 71% in 2007 - the lowest levels in at least 25 years. Further, in the last three years, the amount of recruits who scored in the lowest category, Category 4, has gone up six-fold.
This is the latest evidence to confirm a trend that started a few years ago and has been getting worse. Generally approved at the Pentagon, waivers allow recruiters to sign up men and women who otherwise would be ineligible for service because of legal convictions, medical problems, or other reasons preventing them from meeting minimum standards.
According to a February 2006 article in Salon, the army said that 17% (21,880 new soldiers) of its 2005 recruits were admitted under waivers. Put another way, more soldiers than are in an entire infantry division entered the army in 2005 without meeting normal standards.
“A link between pre-service behavior and criminal acts while in the military should come as no surprise to Pentagon officials.”
This use of waivers then represented a 42% increase since the pre-Iraq War year of 2000. In fact, the article continued, even the already high rate of 17% underestimated the use of waivers because “the Pentagon combined the army’s figures with the lower ones for reserve forces to dilute the apparent percentage”.
But contrary to what some military officials say, the use of waivers is not confined to minor infractions such as misdemeanors. There has also been a significant increase in the number of recruits with what the army terms “serious criminal misconduct” in their background. This category includes committing aggravated assault, robbery, or vehicular manslaughter; receiving stolen property; and making terrorist threats.
On the bright side, in 2007 the active-duty army and marine brought in about 80,000 and 35,000 active-duty recruits, respectively; the number of 2007 recruits with felony conviction waivers amounted to less than 1% of the total soldiers and marines recruited that year.
And an analysis of the waivers found that those with criminal waivers and medical waivers tend to do better in recruit training. They tend to finish recruit training. They tend to re-enlist at higher rates and receive more awards for valor than those without waivers.
Still, those who think that worrying about high school dropouts and criminal records is much ado about nothing should remember that on the last day of January 2005, Steven D Green, a former army private accused of raping a 14-year-old Iraqi girl and murdering her family, sat in a Texas jail on alcohol-possession charges. He was an unemployed, 19-year-old high school dropout who had just racked up his third misdemeanor conviction. Green had received a moral waiver.
A link between pre-service behavior and criminal acts while in the military should come as no surprise to Pentagon officials. A 2003 study done for the deputy assistant secretary of defense for military personnel policy found that a number of research studies have been conducted to isolate factors associated with destructive behavior by military personnel.
Two areas of concern have been identified: (1) lack of effective prescreening procedures to identify military entrants with criminal records and other behavioral adjustment problems, and (2) inadequate management practices that have allowed the retention on active duty of military personnel who have shown a pattern of substandard behavior. As a result, a number of individuals are in positions where destructive acts could have the most serious consequences.
A 2007 study by the Center for Naval Analyses found that those with waivers were “quite a bit more likely” than other recruits to be separated from the service for misconduct within two years, and “recruits with felony waivers have the highest chance of a misconduct separation,” it found. | <urn:uuid:b9ad3fa6-016e-4b80-a806-b7a0e0f19abb> | CC-MAIN-2013-20 | http://www.cato.org/publications/commentary/recruiting-bottom-barrel | s3://commoncrawl/crawl-data/CC-MAIN-2013-20/segments/1368697974692/warc/CC-MAIN-20130516095254-00041-ip-10-60-113-184.ec2.internal.warc.gz | en | 0.966435 | 1,296 | 1.648438 | 2 |
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